Chapter 3. Magic

After I had made up my mind to start this journey these three men had spoken of, I also decided to accept their invitation to spend the night at their home.

Throughout the trip to wherever it was that these guys lived, several things kept running through my mind; first, the constant reminder that I had agreed to something about which I had no real understanding. What would be the implications of going on this "journey" they had mentioned? Would I regret letting my emotions lead my actions?

The second thing that ran through my mind was the image of the damaged tree, the glen, and the reminder that all this was too far-fetched and weird. And the third thing was a very human, inevitable reaction to the environment that surrounded me, the awe that was inspired in me, as the four of us walked down a dirt road that had been hidden from my view a little after the edge of the easternmost pine trees.

The dirt road was really thin, and it cruised through a beautiful valley that was surrounded by more trees, mountains, and a smattering of distant small white farms. In certain ways, this landscape reminded me a lot of my childhood and I could not stop myself from remembering my life before and all the decisions I had made. Could things have been different for me if I had made other choices?

Twenty minutes of walking later, Abraham, Emmanuel, and Michael made me stop before a really beautiful and picturesque farmhouse painted all in white, with a thatched roof. On either side of the three steps that led to the porch, there were beautiful flowerbeds of different types of flowers and on either side of the house, there was an iron fence that divided the front yard from the back of the place. I felt awed at the marvelous house, the beautiful natural setting.

"Please, come on in," I heard Abraham saying, and as I looked at him, he placed a hand on my shoulder and pointed with the other towards the house. I smiled at him and started following him. When I walked into the house itself, I was just as awed by it as I was when I first saw it from outside. The place might have seemed small from the front, but it was evident that it extended far into the back.

I was really astonished when I came to see that there were several rooms, an upstairs second floor, a kitchen, and a separate dining room, as well as several sitting and entertainment rooms, all beautifully decorated. But what really struck me were two things; first, the memories that suddenly surfaced of my own childhood home, which resembled this one somewhat, and the second, was the deep sense of belonging and peace that I felt.

As I was admiring the house, lost in my thoughts, Michael suddenly came up behind me and softly said: "The best part is the backyard. Come, let's take a look at it."

I smiled at the guy and was taken aback when my natural reactions did not kick in; I would have normally been creeped out by the fact that someone was so attuned to me and that they should be able to come up to me as he had. But the truth was that I was not, and that was the scariest part of all this. Still, I followed him as he had requested.

To get outside we crossed a back screen door through the kitchen, and once again, we came to a long and wide porch that had several chairs and couches spread around. It was really beautiful and homey.

However, true, utter, and simple shock overcame me when we finally reached the steps that led down to the backyard and I looked up into the landscape before me. I had been to many beautiful places throughout my life, but as I stared at the sight in front of me, I just felt as if I had stepped into a completely new world. In one word, it was simply magical and nothing, absolutely nothing, that I had seen so far could compare to this.

Emotions that I had never been aware of surfaced at the sight before me, and without knowing it, I began to descend the porch steps. How could such a wondrous place exist in a backyard? And why was my heart almost jumping out of my chest?

"Emily are you okay?" Michael asked from beside me, softly, making it clear to me that he had not wanted to disturb this emotional moment, but he had been compelled to ask, anyways. When I heard his soft, gentle tone, I felt my feelings settling a bit.

"What is this place?" I asked in a whisper, afraid to speak any louder; almost as if I had stepped into a sacred site.

Michael responded to my question with a smile but did not say a single word. I looked at him for a second and then returned to my observation of the place.

The property behind the house was enormous and it extended as far as my eyes could see, off into the mountains.

But what left me in total awe was the sight of the beautiful collage of colors that surrounded me. While my feet were stepping on the softest and greenest carpet of grass I had ever had the pleasure to step on, my eyes couldn't help but wander about and take in the smatterings of shrubberies filled with berries and the patches chocked full with small flowers of various and very vibrant colors. It was as if the rainbow itself had decided to become a part of these beautiful plants and as the last rays of the afternoon sun shone over them, it seemed as if crystals were emerging from each of them in a sort of offering.

I wasn't one to believe in magic, but this almost seemed like fairy dust, if I had to give it a name.

My eyes, which were roving around constantly, trying to take in everything at once, captured also the presence of several types of animals: little birds, butterflies that were as colorful and majestic as the flowers they were landing on, little rabbits coming and going nearer to the shrubberies and the trees, lots of insects, deer and even small predators like foxes.

But what astounded me was that all these creatures, be them plants or animals, seemed to be in total harmony. I did not see small birds trying to capture insects, or the foxes hunting the small bunnies going about. No, everything here emanated a sense of balance, of harmony and of peace, and it was that, more than anything else, what made this garden seem like an otherworldly experience.

Finally, I became aware of a small creek that ran all along the southern edge of this mystical piece of land and it enchanted me because, when I approached it, I realized that the water was completely crystalline.

This garden seemed ethereal to me, almost like it had been produced inside a childhood dream of mine because my adult self would have never been able to conjure something this beautiful. And when I further sifted through the perceptions I was getting from what I was seeing, I had the sensation that the air here seemed unusually pure and sweet.

My breath left me completely when Michael pointed towards the southern side of the garden again, to where the stream was flowing, because my eyes settled on a sight I had never, in my wildest dreams, expected; and just as it happened when I saw the apple tree at the Glen of Past, I knew that this would be important for me.

Nestled in a tiny island that was surrounded by the stream, and with a circuit of three other trees around it, an apple tree that seemed to me to be exactly like the one I had seen at the glen stood proud and strong. No, I realized as I thought about the two trees; they were not only similar, I knew, somehow, that they were the same tree. But how? How was that possible? The tree size, the apples, the branch distribution, the trunk, all were identical to the tree at the glen; at least to my untrained eye. However, unlike the other tree, this one looked really healthy and huge and its apples looked really attractive and gorgeous.

I then noticed something else that caught my attention; unlike the other apple tree, this one was surrounded by plants that lived and thrived underneath its shadow, and to make the contrast even starker, this tree's roots were partly exposed, and they extended towards the other three surrounding trees as if all of them were interconnected.

Finally, I came to notice that the other three trees formed a sort of pyramid around the apple tree, and even though they were not of the same kind, I could distinguish certain similarities between them. How could that be possible? I had never heard of something like this happening.

"What is going on here? What does this mean? I know that all this has significance, and I am absolutely overwhelmed by this beautiful and mysterious place, but I cannot understand how all this is possible?" I asked Michael, who had remained beside me the whole time while I had wandered about the garden.

"You will understand everything in due time, Emily, but all that you are seeing has a meaning and it will help you in your journey," was all that Michael replied while I looked up into his gentle eyes.

I did not ask for any more explanations. Somehow my soul knew that I had stepped into a kind of magical world, and I would not be able to understand anything until the whole picture was complete. But in order to get that, I had to accept the journey these men were proposing.

As I was again contemplating the spot where the four trees were, and as my thoughts and feelings whirl-pooled around me, I suddenly felt a warm and gentle breeze as Emmanuel passed by us on his way to the small island. I could not begin to comprehend the emotions that rose to the surface when I felt this man's presence, or the memories that came to me of another person who had once played a central role in my life, but whom I had grown to believe was just a fixture of my childish imagination.

Once he reached his destination, and to my utter astonishment, several things developed before my eyes. First, the surrounding three trees' roots moved aside from the man's path, so that he could pass without stumbling. The second thing that happened was that the stream stopped its flow, and I saw as he walked over the water as if it were another path. Finally, when he reached the apple tree, he placed his hand on the bark of the trunk, and a chain of events that my brain registered, but could not comprehend, happened.

The apples took on a really bright gleam, almost as if someone had poured glitter on them, while the branches began to move as if they were dancing in the wind, even though there wasn't any wind at all. Then several of them stretched and strained towards the man as if they wanted contact with him.

While all this happened, I became aware of the fact that the other three trees had not remained immune to Emmanuel's nearness. They too began to glow greener, and their own branches extended towards the apple tree as if they were generating a sort of highway that surrounded and protected the one in their midst.

The whole scene felt like witnessing an orchestra playing a harmonious melody from which I could almost imagine the notes rising into the air as bursts of color and light, a set of musical movements that were being generated by the four enormous trees in response to Emmanuel's simple touch.

I knew that all this had significance, but I could still not understand anything. There was one sure thing though; I realized that my heart felt lighter and my mind became filled with unexplainable excitement as if it were on the verge of some big and life-changing discovery.

This was magic in its purest and most real form, I knew it was, and I also understood that whatever came afterward would also be magical, but very real for me. Did I have the strength to face everything these men were going to throw at me?

"Do not try to comprehend all this right now Emily, it is not possible. Let it all just flow through you and reflect on it often, and as time passes, and more steps are taken, you will finally come to understand." I turned around and realized, with a start, that it had been Abraham who had said those words in a soft and gentle voice and that Michael was no longer by my side.

Despite having been taken completely by surprise by the sudden replacement of one man for the other, especially because I had not even been aware of Abraham's nearness, I decided to not allow my more rational and logical mind to step in because if I did, I knew I would break the magical spell. I understood that all this was part of the mystery I had stumbled upon and all I knew at that moment was that having Abraham near, at this specific moment in time, felt right.

"Who are you?" I whispered, my wonder increasing the more I looked at the scene before me. "How is this possible?" I asked again.

Before Abraham responded, I saw Michael approaching the place where Emmanuel was, carrying several of the diseased apples they had picked from the other apple tree at the Glen of Past. He passed Emmanuel three of these fruits, while he took a further four, and the two of them went around the pyramidal form, placing the fruits in between the root cage.

My jaw dropped to the ground and I was sure I looked really funny that way. But how could I react in any other way, when right before my eyes I saw as the roots from all four plants suddenly began lighting up like one of those colorful piano sets for children that shone each time a key was played? And then, all seven apples were cleansed before my very eyes, as if they had never been sick and disappeared for a second to reappear on one of the apple tree's branches.

This was not possible, I thought to myself. But then again, it was also ludicrous that I was standing in this place, living this experience when I should have been going through all the pain of having crashed my body against rocks. So I decided not to question anything else, swallow my curiosity, and just do as Abraham and the others had advised. Maybe, at the end of the journey, I was about to undertake, I would understand this whole thing.

"Ok, I think it has been enough for one day," Abraham said just as he placed his arm around my shoulders and turned me away from the sight of the other two guys and the show.

We walked slowly back towards the house in complete silence while my mind felt like a whole festival of firecrackers going off at the same time.