TUS NUA - ch 43

TUS NUA – ch 43

New Beginnings – Mia and Midnight

(*)(*)(*)

After Mr. O’Casey, the Headmaster of the university recited the instructions and ingredients, Mia carefully, under his watchful eyes, using a twig of an older hawthorne tree, carefully mixed the dried and mashed powder consisting of equal parts of rosemary, sage, mint, thyme, and lavender.

“Mia, I’ve written what I hope will be a spell that’s pleasing and acceptable to your Fairy tree. You’ll need to sprinkle a bit on the roots that you want moved, then keep sprinkling more, creating a path for the root to follow until you reach the destination for the tree to grow. Once the ground begins to crack, sprinkle the rest of the potion in the soil.”

With her sense of humor, she couldn’t resist saying, “And keep my fingers crossed at the same time?”

Appreciating her wit, he smiled. “Well, it never hurts, now does it?”

“What about water? When do I water the roots, or the tree when it begins to grow?”

“Just an immediate sprinkle of water, my dear. You don’t want the roots soaked, only dampened enough. You can ask the sky to produce just what you need, but before the rains come, a bit of water never hurts.”

“You know, Mr. O’Casey, I didn’t know I was a witch until I was eight years old. I just turned eighteen and there’s so much more I still need to learn.”

He softly squeezed the back of her hand with his as he reassured her, “Mia, mo stor, we’re always learning. Never let a task discourage you. Being a white witch is never easy, always interesting, sometimes frustrating, but always rewarding.”

She inhaled deeply, nodded her head, and remarked, “Well, Mr. O’Casey. Let’s go and try to convince a tree to move.”

They walked to her garden and Mia opened the jar. She gave Mr. O’Casey a look that was partly optimistic and partly almost asking for permission to begin. She’d never encountered such a task before and wasn’t sure if she were actually capable of such a thing. The headmaster, intuitively felt her concern, looked at her approvingly, and nodded his head, giving her the “go ahead” signal.

Beginning to sprinkle the powder, and as she did, walked backwards, leading to the area where the memorial for Mo Daes was erected. She said,

“Fairy tree root, I’m honored to know

That you’ve chosen my land on which to grow.

But the spot you’re in is for those in need.

The vegetables must grow so others can feed.

Please follow this potion to a better place

Where you can grow in dignity and grace.

There, your branches can spread for all to see.

So, I’m asking. So, mote it be.”

Taking the small watering can from Shane O’Casey, she retraced her steps back to her garden as the water gently poured out from the spout. Once back in the location where it all began, Mr. O’Casey said, “Now, Mia, use the spell you know that brings life to the seeds you plant.”

Mia closed her eyes and recited,

“With water and love and tender care,

I ask this (she paused and thought for a proper word since it wasn’t a seed she was watering) root to bring life to share.

Follow the water the Goddess has sent

To where you can grow to your heart’s content -

Straight and tall for all to see,

So, I wish this; so, mote it be.”

She looked at Mr. O’Casey who placed his left hand on her shoulder. He nodded, smiled, and said, “You’ve done well, Mia. Now we wait for the results.”

Mia felt the ground as it trembled slightly, then knelt and gently touched the root. She watched as it began to withdraw beneath the dirt. Then to her amazement, saw a ripple in the undisturbed grassy area that led to where the memorial for Mo Daes was placed. Together, Mia, Mr. O’Casey and Midnight followed the ripple and stood in awe as they saw the earth begin to crack.

“Mia, you did it!” Mr. O’Casey called out. “You moved the tree. Now, I really need to get back to the university. I’ll see you in class next week.” He all but skipped as he smiled the entire way back to his car.

Mia, now sat, alone with her familiar, in the area that was created to honor her first familiar who left this world allowing her to grow, along with the life now growing that would bring peace, harmony, and, and…..she didn’t know enough about Fairy trees to even guess what else they would bring but Mr. O’Casey implied it would be interesting.

As she stared at the broken ground while sitting in the grass, suddenly, she saw a small sprout appear.

Reverently, she ran her finger over the new growth and whispered, “Oh, Fairy tree, thank you so much for allowing me to have you in my yard and for the privilege to watch you grow. I promise I’ll take good care of you.”

She stood and as she turned to walk back to her garden, she was almost positive she heard the whispered reply, “Thank you, Mia for allowing me to use your yard as my gateway to other worlds. You won’t be sorry.”

Mia turned abruptly and whispered, “Midnight, did you hear that?”

Midnight was very still and replied, “I think we’re in for a treat with this new tree.”

As she stared at the little growth, she murmured, “What on earth am I in for with this tree? If it’s in any way magical, I hope it’s good magic.”

Again, a quiet noise emitted from the broken earth. This time, however, it sounded like a child’s giggle.

It was at that point, when her feline heard a slight growl and looking up at Mia said, “Hey, did you hear that? That, mo stor was my belly telling me it’s time for lunch. Let’s go. I’m starving.”

Mia laughed and replied, “Oh, Midnight, you’re always hungry but you’re right. I’m also getting hungry. Let’s go back to the house and have lunch, but then we really need to go back to my garden and finish the weeding. My garden needs it, desperately.”