Yielding the Results of Hard Work

I worked hard this last week. I helped Anne with her chores daily while still keeping up with Madam Odette's demanding tasks for me. Most of it was her required reading. She did her thing again where she always knows what I seem to be doing. A lot of what she gave me helped with focusing on this sonar spell I've been working on. During the week I can reach out to the front driveway, to the employee housing, and well back into the forested area behind my cabin.

I can do it for hours at a time at regular intervals. I'm starting to recognize patterns to where in my mind I feel the pulses back and can form a mental picture. It starts dark but as they return I see the pulse go out outlining everything in a darkish blue. It's slowly getting clearer and clearer the more I use it. It's hard to describe how to see without your eyes.

I have to keep up with my usual chores around the house. Recently it seems that my workload has diminished as I chose to pick up things on my own. I've noticed that even though the list of things to do that Madam Odette gave me is getting shorter as my days are rather full. From sunup to sundown I am working. Once the sun sets I sit down and read for a couple of hours before heading to bed. With fall coming in the sun is setting sooner giving me more time to read. The isolation from everyone else is helpful for focusing but I seem to be missing out on what's going on.

Fridays always seem to have a different feel in the air. Most still work on the weekends but they still take time to have a communal gatherings. For my training tonight I think I am going to try to focus on pinging that area to see what's going on. It might be prying but it'll be good for me to help differentiate between different bodies and actions. A steady state similar to meditation helps me focus. I can better clear my mind, the energy within my own body flows better, and it all allows me to clear my mind of the noises and distractions around me.

The pulse goes out bringing back an image of where everyone is and where they were at the time. It's almost like a snapshot of time itself. Another goes out and they've moved but I can still tell who is who. A third pulse and I can tell what they are doing. They have a circle outside and they're dancing around. I cannot hear the music but they appear to be having a great time. Their faces are changing but they keep a grin or a smile. Those who are watching are laughing and talking with one another.

I keep pinging out looking over the little village that they have. Something seems off though. There's something I have never seen before by one of the houses. I keep reaching out in that direction but I cannot seem to figure it out. It doesn't seem solid like wood but it's not liquid like water. The wave is not fully going through it yet is still passing by it. I keep trying to figure it out as it continues to grow. I can't place my finger on it so I have to go see it for myself.

I walk along the main path getting closer to the cabins to where I can hear the music playing and the people laughing. They seem to be having a good time. I walk by looking over. No one seems to notice me as I move toward the area I was looking at. I pass the bulk of the cabins to where the walkway lights are out. I see a light flickering around. It doesn't seem steady but it seems to be bright. I move further down and I see why I could not identify it. It's fire! And it's spreading rapidly!

I run back to the square where everyone is having a good time. A few people notice and wave me over but their faces change as they see the panic in mine. I yell at the top of my lung alerting everyone, "Fire! Fire by the back cabins!" A couple of guys jumped up grabbing their stuff and ran to where I stated it was. A few others run towards the tool shed. A few of the women follow but most of them stay behind and let those who work outside get to work again. I head to where the fire is. It's spread a lot further than it was and is beginning to catch into the forest area along with moving up towards the main house.

A few people who went to the tool shed brought as many shovels as they could carry. They began handing them out while the first responders started telling people where to dig and where to throw the dirt. Their efforts didn't seem to be making much of an impact. The rest of the acting group arrives with buckets of water while there are still a few getting hoses out to put down water. I step back to let them work. I'm not sure what I can do here other than observe.

The hoses finally arrive but the fire has turned into a blaze. It's spreading far too rapidly for them to keep up. The hoses are barely keeping it from moving back towards the main house while the back end is freely roaring away. The night sky is lit up with orange but still blotted black from the smoke. I step back as the heat begins to get to me. The other keeps going though. They keep putting themselves in there trying to get the blaze under control. I hear a familiar voice shouting over the crowd issuing additional orders to assist.

Madam Odette didn't even have time to change. She's in her nightgown pointing and making sure her people are working. She's in charge and working diligently to organize those who are confused and make sure that everyone is working to gain control. I wait for her to give me something to do but she's focused on getting those she can count on together and out in a position. Meaning for this, I'm helpless.

I look back at the blaze as it continues to billow smoke and ash into the air. It's almost like a storm rolled in blacking out the stars with the thunderous roar of the fire. Something clicks though. As my mind backtracks it comes to me. They need water but they don't have enough to stop it. We would almost need a storm to come through to put this out. My paws tingle as my mind races trying to bring back everything Madam Delula taught me. Everything that I read. The mixtures, reactions, concoctions, proportions, and release method. I may only have one shot at this.

With all the noise I'm having a hard time concentrating with all this noise but for this, to work I must tune it out. The roar turns to a dull noise, the yelling sounds like it's being muffled through a pillow. The last thing that I make out is Madam Odette telling more people to grab buckets and help. It all slowly fades until it goes to white noise around me.

Earth and wind to stir the clouds. Water to form. Water to condense and fall. I can feel the water around is very thin as the fire is drying out the air. The soot and ash are perfect for forming the clouds but I need water. From the lake, from the woods, anywhere I can feel it I pull throwing it into the now swirling mixture. I amplify it, mixing compound after compound into it doubling its power every time. Two times…

Four times…

Eight times…

I can already feel the strain on me.

Sixteen times…

Thirty-two times…

It almost feels like I'm going to be ripped apart.

Sixty-four times…

One hundred twenty-eight times…

I don't know how long I can go!

Two hundred fifty times!

Five hundred times!

One thousand times!

I can hear my body screaming for me to stop! It cannot take the abuse! I can feel my muscles searing hot as if I am in the flame myself. It's not enough though! I have to try! I have to focus! I have to beat this!

The pain stops. My mind clears. It's almost as if someone is talking to me but I cannot understand them. All the stress is gone almost like this is nothing anymore. I almost feel invincible. I open my eyes to see the smoke swirling around in a now-white mixture above me. Thunder claps as it conducts within the clouds. I don't know where all the water came from but the fluffy white clouds quickly turn back to a pitch black dark as they saturate themselves. One droplet hits my face before many more come down in large sizes quickly drenching everything in a wet coat.

The roar from the thunder was drowned out by the roar of the celebration as it lit up the sky a bright white. It took very little time for the blaze to become a smolder as people continued cheering in delight. Everyone seemed so pleased that everyone was ok and that nothing was too severely damaged. There was only one face I wanted to see though. Only one person who I wanted to make sure they were ok.

Madam Odette was already watching me as I looked over at her. As the rain wet her body I smirked knowing that this was my victory. I did this. She gave me the knowledge and I used it as my own. I got out two small laughs before I faded off into the darkness of the night.