Moon Magic

I woke up to the sound of my cell phone ringing on my dresser. Without even looking I knew who it was. “Anna” I mumbled into the phone. “Why are you calling me so early?”

"Because, Leilani, you only turn 21 once and we must start celebrating right away so get up and get ready, I'm taking you to breakfast!” Anna practically sang.

“Can’t we celebrate after the sun rises?” I say as I look across my bedroom to the window overlooking the backyard. It's that strange time of day when the sun isn’t quite sure if it is ready to make its appearance and the moon is still fighting for its time in the sky.

I’ve never been much of a morning person. Sometimes I wish the moon would win its battle with the sun and the darkness could last just a little bit longer.

I hear banging on my bedroom door.

“Shit, hold on a minute, someone is knocking on my door”. I managed to untangle myself from my black blanket and shuffle my way to the door, figuring it's probably my roommate, Sarah. "What do you want?” I say as I open the door.

“To take you to breakfast”, Anna replies cheerfully. It takes me a full 10 seconds to realize I can put the phone down since Anna has managed to infiltrate my house and, I realize, there is no stopping the wrath of morning joy that is Anna.

“Really? How did you even get in here?” I moan.

“It’s not hard when I know where you hide the spare key.” Anna laughs while dangling the key between her perfectly manicured bright orange fingers. Anna has been my best friend since the sixth grade. She is practically family and pretty much comes and goes as she pleases.

“Well, I guess it’s time to find a new hiding spot” I jokingly tell her as I yank the key from her hand. “Give me 20 minutes to get ready”

“OK, but first I have a present for you" Anna says while holding out a bright pink gift bag full of rainbow tissue paper.

I open the bag and pull out a little black book. The front of the book is plain but when I open it I see the phases of the moon drawn on the inside cover and an inscription written in Hawaiian. "e hoʻopōmaikaʻi ʻia ʻoe me nā makana o ka pouli".

Anna knew that my Grandmother was native to the island of Oahu and taught me the language. My Grandmother practically raised me after my Father took off when I was 4 years old and my Mother moved us back into her childhood home. Not long after, Mom was diagnosed as mentally unfit to care for me and I rarely saw her after that.

Anna stares at me patiently, waiting to see if I can translate it.

"You will be blessed by the gifts of darkness" I say out loud.

"The gifts of darkness" Anna says " I hope that book isn't cursed or something. I found it at the thrift store down on Wallace Street. As soon as I saw the picture of the moon and the Hawaiian inscription I thought of you."

"I love it Anna, thank you".

After breakfast I decided to run home and grab the book. Something about the inscription sounded familiar to me, almost like I had seen it before. I wanted to take it to Grandma's and see if she recognized it but before I could I noticed that the back cover was peeling slightly. I pulled the thin paper back and what I saw in that moment changed my world.

Behind the paper was a small space just big enough for a handwritten letter and a check. A check for $20,000 written out to Leilani Wright. How could there be check in here with my name on it? This didn't make sense. I slowly began to unfold the letter and read the note that accompanied it.

"My Dearest Leilani,

I know that the magic of the moon will ensure this letter makes its way to you at just the right time. You are far more special than you know. For centuries, your ancestors have been, what is known as the Guardians of Darkness, and it is your turn to follow their path. I know you feel the pull to the moon just as we all have and it is your turn to protect its magic. I have included $20,000 to help you get started on your journey but you must not hesitate, the world is counting on you.

Love you to the Moon and Stars,

Mom

I re-read the letter over and over again trying to make sense of it. How is this possible and what is my Mother talking about? Is this just part of her mental illness? For some reason I didn't think it was. I had to speak with Grandma.

I drove over to Grandma's house and walked in the front door to see her sitting in her favorite recliner. "Grandma, I practically shouted, I have the strangest thing to show you"

"I know, my dear, I have been waiting a very long time for this moment" Come sit and I will explain everything to you" Grandma said

I was stunned, how could she possibly know what I was talking about? I sat on the couch waiting for something to start making sense.

"Many centuries ago, Grandma began, the Gods and Goddesses of our world appointed bloodlines to ensure the continuation of their magic. The powers of the elements were too much for any one bloodline to handle so they transferred their magic into 6 elements and the chosen families were charged with protecting those elements."

"The six elements are the sun, moon, earth, wind, water, and fire. Grandma continued, "Without these elements the world as we know it would come to an end. Our family was given the gift of the moon. You, Leilani, have been chosen as the Moon keeper of your generation."

"What does that mean? How can I be a keeper of the moon? Are you telling me that magic is real?" I had so many questions, I couldn't get them out quickly enough.

"I know this is a lot to understand and, like myself and your Mother, you will be given all the tools you require to succeed against evil. There are many forces out in the world that want to take the elements for themselves and use them for evil. You can stop them."

"I assume there was a financial gift included with the letter? Grandma asked. "Consider it an advance on payment for your services to the Gods. As long as you protect the Magic of the Moon and don't lose track of the little black book, you will never need to worry about money."

"How am I supposed to know how to protect the moon? This doesn't make any sense, Grandma" Even though every logical cell in my body thought Grandma was crazy I knew deep in my soul that what she was saying was the truth.

"Go home and rest, Leilani. Tomorrow we will start your training" Grandma said in a tone that I knew meant this conversation was over for now.

I left Grandma's house that day, knowing that my life would never be the same but I knew in my heart that I was meant for greatness. In the years following my 21st birthday I have experienced love, joy and pain like any other human but I have also been given the gift of magic and with that gift I will continue to protect the world from some of its biggest threats until it is time to pass my legacy onto Malia, my beautiful daughter.