Magic+-+Between+Two+Worlds

=Between Two Worlds=

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BELIEVE.

Tessa scrambled out from the basement and into the attic, panting like a dog. She swept the sweat off her forehead. She didn’t want to hear Mr. Kay’s daughter screaming again. The girl’s voice hit everybody near her like lightning. That particular “girl” was named Angela, but in Tessa’s mind, she was just like a little devil, always getting Tessa in trouble with Mr. Kay, her master. Tessa felt sorry for Mr. Kay, but what could she do? It was not as if Tessa could bring Mrs. Kay back to life again, right? All she will ever be is a scullery maid, a maid without a family, without a home. The truth was that she was just as good as a slave. Tessa lived life day by day, not knowing what would become of her when she finally left the mansion.

Today was no different. Tessa went about doing her numerous daily chores, which included things like washing the clothes for everybody (added to that, she had to be extra careful with Mr. Kay’s “little angel”). That baby caused more trouble than anyone that Tessa knew. All Tessa ever wanted was to escape, escape into somewhere unknown, where no one could find her. It was that same day that Tessa found her answer. It all started when Tessa finished washing the clothes. She had gone outside to get some fresh air. Suddenly, a faint sound of music lured her into the bushes. With all the might she had, she pushed the door in front of her.

There was a small click, and the door, just like magic, opened. Inside laid a beautiful garden. There were flowers of every color and trees of every shade. Tessa walked in without hesitation. This was the place that she had dreamed of. A peaceful surrounding, beautiful scenario, and most of all: a stream filled with life. In that clear stream were fishes of every species, some of which Tessa had never thought that they even existed. Surprisingly, they all swam upstream – to some unknown place hidden by the tall mangrove bushes. Tessa followed the path and went into the mangrove bushes. She was not hesitant, although her inner ego told her to stop.

There, Tessa saw many animals, big and small. She heard the same faint sound coming from behind the waterfall. Curious, Tessa took a peak. Behind the waterfall stood a teenage girl, about the same age as Tessa. She had broad shoulders, big blue eyes, and a smile similar to Mr. Kay’s. If Tessa hadn’t know better, she would’ve thought the girl were Mr. Kay’s other daughter. However, that was impossible. Mr. Kay had said that his other daughter had died, and that is why he treasured Angela ever so much.

“Hello?” Tessa called out. The girl came a little closer. Tessa could make out the girl’s outer clothing. The girl had on a long, paled-out pink overcoat. As the girl moved closer, she extended an arm out through the waterfall.

“Hello, Tessa,” the teenage girl greeted her. She smiled faintly, holding her flute in one hand. Tessa jumped at the sound of her name. How did she know my name? Tessa asked herself. The only thing that answered Tessa was the wind rushing through her black hair. The trees acted like seaweed, moving with the ocean currents. Still, the girl didn’t answer. After a while passed, the girl motioned for Tessa to follow.

“Where are we going?” Tessa asked, her eyes beginning to dart.

“Follow me,” the girl ordered, not turning back. Tessa began to feel a chill run down her spine. The ‘Idea Hideaway’ didn’t seem ideal anymore. There was something eerie about the place, but she couldn’t pinpoint what, or why. There was just something that made this place mysterious. Maybe it was the absolute silence Tessa heard. The farther she went into the hidden cave of absolute darkness, the less that she saw any sign of living creature. This place seems so dead. Tessa thought, her eyes adjusting to the darkness a little better. She had to squint less now.

The girl lead on, showing no sign of weariness whatsoever. She was either a walking robot or a ghost. As the thought of “ghost” struck her, she froze. She began imagining horrible things that she saw in the daily newspaper Mr. Kay throws on the floor every day. Those newspapers make the scary news even scarier, since the thought of old parchment always crept silently into her mind. She had seen people rumor that old parchment was the sign of death. Suddenly, there was a thud on the floor. Tessa turned around automatically, but saw that the thing she had gotten frightened of was a little mouse. Of course, she didn’t like the mouse, but at least it was a good 80 years after the Black Plague. Still, nothing in this land seemed familiar. Maybe this place still had the Black Plague, who knew? Stop thinking about this! Tessa orders herself.

The girl stared at Tessa. What was she doing, stopping like that? Didn’t Tessa know that she needed help? "Please continue, we are almost there,” she said, looking at Tessa with her mesmerizing eyes.

“Who are you?” Tessa asked, her voice slightly shaking.

“Leila. Leila Kay,” she answered, looking at Tessa interestingly.

“KAY!?!” Tessa exclaimed, thoroughly stunned. Was Leila the daughter Mr. Kay had talked about? “Are you Mr. Kay’s daughter?”

“Yes, yes I am,” Leila told Tessa, her voice with a trace of sadness. “After Father learned that I was dead, he got the best Witch Doctor he could find. He made the workers, your mother too, build this garden. The Witch Doctor casted a spell on my body and that is why I’m both here and there, in the land of the dead… I’ve been keeping track of you, Tessa. I think you’re the only one who can help me become a free spirit again.” Tessa shook all over. Her hands trembled with fear. She had never seen a ghost before. Was this how all ghosts looked like? “You’re dead?” she asked, her eyes bulging slightly.

“Please, don’t be scared. All I want you to do is help me move on, so that I can be able to live in one world only, instead of two,” Leila clarified. Tessa could see that Leila was depending on her.

I’ve got to help her, Tessa decided. “What do you want me to do?” Tessa asked finally, twirling her black hair.

“Go back to that Witch Doctor, and send him this message,” Leila ordered, happy to finally have someone to help her. She handed Tessa the letter. Tessa smiled, her teeth showing. At least she was able to help someone. She didn’t feel bad anymore, not by a very long shot.

Tessa hurried out of the Secret Forest and headed uptown, into the Witch Doctor’s home. When she got there, this peculiar man greeted her. He had a long beard and small beady eyes. Even though his eyes were tiny, they were full of power, wisdom, and strength. Tessa could feel those eyes staring at here, beckoning for her to go away. “Are you the Witch Doctor?” Tessa asked, her eyes darting to the numerous unnamed jars set on the shelves.

“Uh, yes, yes I am,” the Witch Doctor said shakily, wishing that this girl would go away. In his vision, he had seen it all – from the spell he casted and from the fate of the people in that house. He saw what Mr. Kay was going to do to him, but he couldn’t help it. It was both fate and destiny, all Witch Doctors knew that. He had vowed to be truthful, honest – and to respect Leila’s last wish: to free her from the spell when she sent him the letter.

He knew everything had always evolved around Tessa, whose real mother was Mr. Kay’s first wife – who Mr. Kay accused of sleeping with another guy, and that Tessa was not his baby. The old man had known all along that Mr. Kay wanted both twin babies killed, but couldn’t do it due to Mrs. Kay’s wish. He knew that Leila had always thought of Mrs. Kay as her mother, but in truth, Leila was not Mrs. Kay’s daughter. Mrs. Kay’s only daughter was Angela. That girl Mr. Kay treasured as if she were a bag or pure platinum. Both Tessa and Leila were twins; born from Mr. Kay’s first wife.

Mr. Kay had planned to kill both of the sisters, but Mrs. Kay had insisted on keeping Leila. When Mrs. Kay died, Mr. Kay went thinking for yet another horrible plan. The reason he placed Tessa as a maid was so that he could see her pain, to remind him of his first dreaded wife. Leila was kept in the middle of life and death to pay for what her mother had done.

After all these years, no one had ever known the truth. Today, Tessa was looking for the answers. The Witch Doctor twitched at the thought of telling the truth. After all, it was painful to live in two different worlds, stuck in the middle. Yet when he thought back, he had seen his brother die. Him dying would be just as painful.

“Tessa, welcome,” the old man greeted, his face grim.

“How’d you know my name?” Tessa asked, stunned. Peculiar things have been happening to me, Tessa thought.

“All will be explained in good time,” the old man said, coughing. He told Tessa to sit down and listen to him. There she sat, intrigued by her own history – the history she had longed to hear for so long. When story telling time was over, it was time to go back to the Secret Forest, where Leila’s spirit was kept. Tessa was surprised that he knew ALL the shortcuts, some in which Tessa had not discovered just yet. When he arrived, he performed his magic, carefully chanting spells in all directions. He had been dreading this day all his life. This time, Leila had appeared again, her face smiling with joy. I’m going to finally be free, Leila thought. Some things are meant to have no answers, like how Tessa and I feel so connected. That, was one thing she didn’t want to know. As the Witch Doctor performed his magic for the last time, Mr. Kay came out. Everything that had happened in the old man’s vision came to life.

As the old man collapsed into a horrible death, he told Tessa one last thing, “Tessa, you’ve got to stay strong. I had this vision when I was chanting the spells. I’m glad to tell you that your mother is alive. Go to her; tell her that you love her before all is too late. You shall be a great woman, Tessa. Leila would’ve been proud. Remember, your heart is never wrong. It can sometimes be misleading, but it will never lie to you. Follow it, and you will have a successful life.”