Chapter 8 - 8. Wizards
After such a long walk through the thickness of the forest, we finally came to a house with such a spacious yard. The wood fence was built low around the garden which was covered with blue clematis. Different kinds of vegetables were grown in almost all areas, and only left 1 meter as a path to the house door
.
The canopy of white and red roses crept up and covered a small part of the yard. Father opened the gate and asked me to go in the house was well cared and maintained. It looked neat and beautiful.
We went in the house through the door by the side of the house which was lower. I had to bend down to go in.
That small door was the access to the kitchen. It was a small and cramped room. The roof was a stone connected with a small hill on the side of the house, while the wall was made of land. The floor was a wooden floor which was varnished with amber. There was a small table with two chairs placed in the middle of the room surrounded by a U shape counter.
A small window next to the door offered an overview of the spacious garden. Curtain made of crimson glass cloth which was knitted with pumpkin and tendrils, looked matched with a vermilion frame.
My next attention was on my father who looked busy preparing food. I saw him slice dry meat and boil some vegetables. A simple fireplace made the room warm and cozy. .
I walked to the fur rug spread in front of the fireplace and sat there to get rid of the cold weather. It did not take long, two bowls of meat and vegetable were served on the table with slices of dry bread and honey.
"Dad, it seemed a naughty wizard acted badly," I interrupted the silence while pushing the soup with some carrots into my mouth. Calling a stranger that all people said as a father felt a bit weird. " He casted a spell on a marionette and made it chase me". My father did not reply me, he only listened while enjoying his meal. "I saw it come to my house, and I knew it was only wizards, didn't they?" Still no response came from him. "You the wizards always cause bad luck, making bad actions, but do not want to be responsible". I felt like I was grumbling to myself. "I know you guys are different. But that is not the way to live with us" I put my spoon down. Suddenly my appetite just dropped. "Look at what your friend has done to Zie! You guys made me live in trauma for the rest of my life".
Father stopped his eating, he put down the spoon and looked at me. "Tha, your father has asked sorry so many times. What else am I supposed to do to pay off his big sins to you?" he sounded sincere.
"Tooth is for tooth, blood is for blood," I replied. He was speechless. firmly. "I know that the marionette was sent by your friend. I don't know what he wants," Silence. My words were swallowed by silence. "My friends are not toys. We are humans you cannot play with as you like. Just because we are powerless, you guys play with our life. I know that bullet was an accident when your friends were playing with their magic" Without me knowing my voice was a bit raised. And he was still quiet listening to me, which was a bit emotional. "Dad, my Zie was not a toy, so as all my friends I have now".
My father was too afraid with his pack so he chose to leave me and my mother. He was not a pure wizard, he inherited mixed blood.
It could be said that my father was not a wizard because he could not do magic at all, but the wizard blood from my grandmother loaded his life so that he had to stay with his pack.
"Tha, I guess it was not Antonie who did it this time," He said softly. "He died 5 years ago, suicide, "He explained further.
I was shocked and confused when I listened to that news, "Suicide?" I asked again if I misheard it. .
He nodded. He had to undergo a punishment because of his mistakes. But before the punishment was given, he chose to end his own life," I could feel his big hand patting my shoulder. "You don't have to take revenge or anything. God has his own way to do that. Don't load your life with unnecessary things," His wise advice came from his sincerity.
I was still in shock, "And, that marionette?" I asked in confusion.
Father did not reply to me, he continued his meal instead.
That morning I heard my father was talking to someone in the living room. At first, I ignored it and chose to go to the kitchen to pick up some water. When I got back from the kitchen, he was still talking with someone. I did not see anyone but a white dog. .
I stopped my steps to the room. When I took a closer look, I just realized it was the same dog that used to visit my house. I was shocked, afraid, and confused to think how that animal could come here.
Father asked me to sit down, while that four-leg animal looked at me without blinking. "Can it speak?" I saw my father nodded. "It always comes to my house," I had not told my father that besides the marionette that always followed me, there was a white dog that always came to my house."This dog usually comes to the house. I feel that it has been following me since I came to the old house," my voice was nervous and scared. .
"I am so sorry to have been following you which caused you trouble and bothered," that dog said politely.
I looked at that animal in disbelief. He was talking like human.
"Tha, He is the incarnation of Kerberos. He comes from the underworld," Father explained that calmly.
"Miss, I came here with no evil intention to you at all. I came here to pick up a human spirit that has not been back yet," Kerberos got down from the chair and walked toward me. "I have lost 1 spirit I am looking for so far. It has been quite long. I came and looked for it because I thought that spirit might have gotten lost somewhere, or there was something blocking him from coming to the spirit's world. But until now, I still have not taken it home," The white hair animal sat near my feet and I sat cross-legged on the floor, next to him.
I still did not get that, "What do you mean?" I asked.
"Miss, if the number of dead people is 10, there must be 10 spirits that come to the realm of spirit. I take care. But I lost 1 spirit from the number of people who passed away. I looked for it but could not find it. One day I saw that spirit was in the carpenter's house. But when I checked it there, it could not be found.," Kerberos looked sad. "I know that spirit was still there, but I could not locate precisely where it was hiding. At first, I suspected that the spirit was protected by magic whatsoever, that was why I had trouble taking it home,".
"Then, why did you follow me?" Is that spirit he is looking for me? I asked myself.
"t first that spirit stayed in a place somewhere in that house, but I did not know exactly where it was. But when you were there, suddenly that spirit moved and went out from the hiding place. That made me easy to know where the spirit was. I thought that the spirit might be interested in you. And I was right. That spirit kept following you. That is the reason I came here, too. In my calculation, sooner or later that spirit will come here," This time Kerberos's expression remained flat.
My father and I looked at each other in bewilderment. "Miss, that spirit stays in one of the marionettes in that house. No wonder I find it difficult to locate it. There is a black magic covering that doll. Unfortunately, I cannot say it for sure if that magic is dangerous or not,"
"Can't you take that spirit to the underworld now?" I was wondering. "I mean, that spirit does not belong here, does it?"
"I cannot do it because the magic in that doll is so strong. I just have to wait until the magic covering that doll gets weak so that it will be freed from that marionette automatically.. And that time, it is my job to take that spirit back to the spirit realm. In other words, right now the spirit has a body like a living human and I cannot take it home before it is separated from its body,"