Foreseen and Unforeseen

     She was back in Illusen’s Glade.

     But she wasn’t going to see the earth faerie just yet... not while Illusen was still so busy. Instead, the Lupe drew her cloak more tightly around her and stopped at a spot under one of the largest trees to watch the line.

     * * *

     “Olivia, how long have you been waiting here?”

     Illusen smiled. The impressionable young Lupe was becoming a rather common sight in the Glade, but she never bothered Illusen while the latter was at work rewarding her loyal comrades – some of whom could even be called followers. Yet, this particular Lupe didn’t initiate any quests, not at all. Instead, she chose to stay in the woodsiest part of the Glade, gazing at Illusen’s Orb Plants and the other wildlife that grew freely there, tending the vast garden.

     “Not very long,” answered Olivia in her melodious voice that reminded the earth faerie of wind chimes... wind chimes that spoke more than just tinkling notes dictated by the breeze. “By the way, I also watered your Orb Plants and everything. They didn’t need much; they’re looking good, as usual.”

     “That’s very thoughtful of you, my little gardener.” Illusen walked over to her and sat down on an old, gnarled stump illuminated by a rather bright beam of sunlight streaming through the awning. Patting Olivia’s head, she added, “I hope it’s not too much trouble for you or your parents to come here... and I’ll make you a batch of cream cookies to take home; it’s the least I can do after seeing how well you take care of my garden.”

     “Wow, thank you; that would be nice! And no, no, they always know where I’m going, and that I’ll be back before nightfall. They’re already used to it and even showed me the shortest, safest routes I could take. Besides, you’ll shoo me away before it gets too dark.”

     “True,” Illusen answered, and they shared a laugh that seemed to blend perfectly with the current symphony of nature.

     Olivia plopped down onto the stump as well, gazing at the wildflower buds growing in patches throughout the Glade. “They’re pretty... but I can’t pick them yet. They’re still tiny buds, and they won’t bloom till later on. I want to bring some home, but I have to wait for them to grow, or else they won’t get a chance to open up and become even prettier than they are now.”

     “You’ve been reading a lot about plants, am I right?”

     “I can’t not read about plants because I like gardening and such, and I feel sorry for the plants if I took care of them without reading up on them first.” Olivia giggled for a moment before putting on her serious expression again. “Besides, Mommy also tells me not to pick flowers until they’re big and ready.”

     Illusen nodded. “You know, I have the power to make the flowers bloom right here, right now. I can even choose which ones I want, and they’ll open up with the slightest touch of my fingers. But like any power, I can’t use it all the time, or when I want to. We earth faeries are one with nature; thus, we can shape it to our will if need be. But there is no need now...”

     “I understand. If I were an earth faerie, I would wait for the flowers to bloom too, because there’s a right time for them to.”

     They were silent for a moment, Olivia looking longingly at the wildflowers again and imagining what they would be like when they finally flourished.

     And Illusen had to admit, Olivia was like a flower bud in more ways than one – a little Lupe who would someday mature into a more responsible adult. However, as early as now, she was already showing signs of growing up; it showed in the way she cared deeply for flowers, other plants, and pretty much everything and everyone around her.

     * * *

     Sometimes more questers would come, and sometimes the line shrank more steadily. The number was constantly fluctuating, but Olivia knew that this was all to be expected. She didn’t need to read the stars, or consult the wind direction today; anyone with half a wit would know that Illusen often worked in a hectic schedule, constantly serving questers – those who wanted to do something for her, and others who were waiting for their next reward.

     She slunk through the Glade effortlessly, as though she were a normal, passing part of it. A passing Ogrin and a Meerca went through, chatting eagerly about their accomplishments for the day, barely noticing the purple Lupe who gradually started moving again, closer and closer to Illusen.

     * * *

     “What’s wrong?”

     Olivia glanced up from where she was watering a bush. Realizing that her eyes were wet, she quickly turned away, dropping the watering can and hastily wiping the tears away with her sleeve before they even had a chance to fall. Her body shook as she suppressed the incipient sobs, and yet a part of her insisted that no matter what, Illusen would be able to tell.

     “Olivia, are you all right?” The faerie stepped in front of her, gripping the Lupe’s shoulders.

     “I’m...”

     “Don’t say you’re fine. Don’t lie to me. Not only will I be able to tell, but I just want to know.” Illusen’s forehead creased with worry as her emerald eyes bored into Olivia’s deep hazel ones, which were watering... again.

     “Do you really have to know?”

     “Yes.”

     Illusen’s voice was concerned and firm at the same time as she took the Lupe’s hand and walked her into the spacious hut. Olivia sat down in a large, green armchair, staring down at the floor. At least she wasn’t crying now as the earth faerie pulled up a small stool and gazed intently at her young friend... who wasn’t as young now as she had been when she first wandered into the Glade, fascinated by the garden while her mother asked Illusen about some medicinal herbs...

     “When I turned ten, my grandmother came over and told us that I had the Sight – she performed the ritual and I passed it. We thought the Sight was gone forever with the last generation of seers, but... well, by now I should have seen my first vision. It’s been months since she announced that I would be the next... and she returned this morning to check on me... and told my parents that if I didn’t see anything before I turn eleven... I would... they would...”

     “I thought the last seer in your family died over a hundred years ago.”

     “Exactly!” Olivia sniffled, and began swabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief that looked like it had been used several times not too long ago. “Granny told me that if I couldn’t see anything, I would be useless to our family! I told her I liked gardening and maybe I could work as a florist, but she told me to stop thinking about my stupid flowers and start concentrating on prophecies!”

     At that moment, Illusen realized that eventually, Olivia would ask her for advice, and sadly, she wasn’t a clairvoyant faerie and didn’t know much about the Sight, especially when it came to Neopets...

     “My flowers aren’t stupid! I raised three Cheery Plants this month and sold them so my parents could have some money, ever since the eatery they used to work at burned down! Granny says that if I can see the future, I can help, but if I’m not... if I can’t see... in fact, she told me that I could always make a living as a fortune teller if I could use the Sight...”

     Leaning forward, the earth faerie hugged her for lack of anything better to say. A Sightless seer was like a faerie without magic powers... but there were many faeries whose powers came to them later. Better late than never. And since it had been so long since Olivia’s family had a seer, they were now making a fuss over the first one in more than a century.

     “Maybe you’ll just get it later,” Illusen said, patting Olivia’s back after letting go of her.

     “Everyone wants me to see now. What should I do?”

     “Oh, Olivia... I’m no clairvoyant, but I’ve heard from my friends who can see some part of the future that the Sight comes of its own accord. You can’t rush it, and neither can your family. Like small buds that won’t bloom until they’re in season, your Sight won’t awaken when it’s not yet time, no matter what your grandmother says. I believe it works the same way with Neopets... I suppose all your relatives are really excited because you apparently have the Sight.” Illusen blinked; despite her minimal knowledge about the Sight and seers, she managed to at least give some decent advice.

     The purple Lupe pouted, looking away. “I don’t mind not having the Sight, actually. What I mind is people bugging me because I don’t. Or can’t use it yet, I mean.”

     With a sigh, the faerie took Olivia’s chin and said, “Someday you will see the future, I know it. If you were able to pass the seer’s ritual, you should have the Sight soon. Nobody knows, but sometimes we have to wait. Your family will understand that things like these can’t be rushed... they flow with the normal ebb of time and nature, and though we can control it, we can never control everything. What we can do instead is learn how to adapt as it all passes.”

     Olivia nodded, her frown slowly easing into a small smile. “You’re right. But part of me wants the Sight. With it, I could help my parents... my family... everyone... I promise I will, Illusen. You know that. If I get it, I promise I won’t use it for fame or anything like that. I won’t be a selfish seer like the fortune tellers who do it for money. I want to be a different kind of seer, and when my Sight comes, I’ll show them!”

     * * *

     Ever since then, Olivia’s visits became fewer and farther between. Illusen couldn’t blame her; the Lupe’s parents were struggling to make ends meet, and it would only be a matter of time until Olivia saw her first vision and would have to learn how to control her power. However, Illusen did occasionally hear from her junior gardener through letters, and knew that she was growing up to become a seer. Of course, she never forgot to take the time to tend their small yard, even if she never had time for Illusen’s bigger garden; Olivia’s relatives were indeed a lot more elated about her being the next soothsayer than the earth faerie originally thought.

     But Illusen never forgot her, and knew that somewhere out there, Olivia was true to her promise, a promise to use the Sight for good and prove herself.

     The day was coming to an end; patches of purple and red began to appear in the azure sky, heralding the coming sunset. The last of her questers had gone home with pledges to return the next day, or perhaps the day after that...

     Or had they?

     “Are you interested in doing one of my quests?” she asked a cloaked figure approaching her hut. Illusen stood up from the front steps and walked over, waving a hand in greeting. But she stopped when she saw the stranger’s face beneath the star-spangled, dark blue hood.

     “Olivia?”

     The purple Lupe revealed herself as she lowered her hood, smiling. No longer was she the child who took such good care of the Orb Plants, or the seer who lamented her inability to see even a sliver of the future. Olivia was now a full-fledged seer, and she looked like she had seen much in her years of peering into the unknown.

     “Hello, Illusen,” she said, her voice still like gentle wind chimes, but also infused with the authority of a great brass bell. “It’s great to see you again... you haven’t changed a bit since the last time we saw each other.”

     Gesturing toward her humble abode, Illusen replied, “Yes, it has. It looks like you’ve done much with your Sight.”

     “I’m a nature seer. I figured out how to read the signs of nature as I was learning how to use my Sight. I couldn’t believe that I could put nature and the Sight together... you see, I saw my first vision on a blustery night as I gazed into the stars and wondered when I would finally see something... if you remember, I saw an older version of myself chatting with you beneath the twilight sky, in your Glade, as we are now. I knew that even though I would devote much time to learning about my Sight, I would someday see you again, old friend. Although you don’t look a day older...”

     Illusen chuckled. “And you’ve kept your promise?”

     “I have, and I always will. My Sight will never be used for selfish gain.”

     “So... I’m curious. Besides seeing yourself here now, why did you come here again? Not that I’m not happy to see you. On the contrary, I missed my little gardener, who’s no longer little, no longer the bud waiting for the right season.”

     The sky was more colorful now as blue began making room for splashes of ruby, gold and amethyst. The sun was slowly dipping into the horizon as Olivia placed a warm hand on Illusen’s shoulder.

     “I forgot to thank you for the advice you have given me as a youngster, a little girl struggling with her destiny,” the purple Lupe said softly. “Thank you, Illusen, for everything. For the cookies you would bake for me as payment for tending your garden, for the stories we’ve shared, for knowing exactly what to say during those trying times... I’m sorry I couldn’t see you as often as I would have liked.”

     “As long as I know you’re keeping your promise to me, it’s all right. I’m very proud of you, Olivia. But I missed you very much. Visit me more often, all right? Even if I’m swamped, your company is always welcome.”

     “I do not need to read the colors of the sunset to tell you whether or not I will see you again, Illusen. You know that. Till then; I’m afraid I only have enough time for a short visit.”

     The faerie nodded, and opened her arms. They embraced, Illusen still pleasantly surprised at how much Olivia had grown – and not just in the physical sense. And yet, her friendship with the purple Lupe hadn’t changed, not even after years of minimal correspondence.

     “You’d better get going, young lady. It’s almost dark, and your parents might be looking for you.” Illusen winked, letting go. “Then again, since you’re old enough, perhaps you would like to stay for dinner... if you've seen it coming?”

     “I’m already a parent myself,” Olivia pointed out, grinning. “Dinner would be nice; I can tell you all about it. And no, that's one thing I didn't see...”

The End