as i gazed upon her familiar almond shaped face, and her incredibly long brown and green hair that fell so lightly over her large, gossamer violet and green wings. she stared at me through the window with those large green and gold eyes that pierced one's soul with a single glance. i immediately bounded to the window and wrenched the window open with such a force i almost jammed it. "bella, is that you?" i inquired. "aye, its me. sorry i havent visited in a long time. an ancient magick that knows no bounds is about to awaken. and the Otherworld desperately needs your help." she grimaced. "why, whats happening?? and how am i going to get to the Otherworld?" i asked her. "did you find the key i sent you??" yes, i stumbled upon it climbing the stair." i replied. "meditate on the key. it shall help you find the door. there is great evil among us. we have been waiting for the Chosen One for centuries. now, finally, you have arrived. i have to go!! ill be in your head." upon her utterance of that last word, bella gave me a kiss on the cheek and vanished right into the chilly air outside my window. "wait-" i shouted, "when i need help, who will i-" but she was gone.

Bella's unexpected visit left me in a state of bewilderment that would not go away. I decided to think about it as i did my chores that Dad had given me. the Chosen One? what did that mean? as i finished loading the dishes and wiped down the creamy marble counters, a realization dawned. If i was the Chosen One, wouldnt that mean that I would have to save her world from some unknown, possibly deadly peril? my head ached just pondering the subject. I looked at the clock; 9:30 p.m. it was getting late; i decided to head upstairs and write a while before crashing out for the night. i drowsily worked my way back up the stairs and opened my diary. i managed to write about five pages before taking another glance at the clock and finding it was almost eleven p.m. i grabbed a glass of water, went back into my room, and lit a stick of incense before switching off my light and falling asleep for the night.

i awoke to a bright ray of early morning sun shining annoyingly through the blinds on my face. i squinted, and, before even getting up out of bed to wash my face i grabbed my journal, for i had had a very strange dream the night before. in my dream, i had been traveling with two horses and a boy who looked somewhat similar to my age through a beautiful, lush landscape in what looked like late spring or early summer. we traveled for a day then camped on the bottom of a mountain when dusk arrived. the boy did not look like an average, every day human being. he'd had fair, cream-tinted skin, with dark brown hair that resembled the color of rich, moist earth falling into gorgeous sapphire blue eyes. i couldnt remember perfectly, but i thought i had seen pointed ears as well. however, this boy was beautiful, i remembered that much, and i knew somewhere deep down inside of me that he was special. all other details involving the dream escaped me; all but one. in my dream, we had shared a passionate kiss, one that i could feel had awakened something amazing and profound within me.

after recording my obscure dream, i closed my journal and hopped out of bed. i sauntered leisurely over to my glass box and inspected the key. the amount of energy radiating from it had not changed, and i felt odd keeping it in the box so i shoved it in my pocket for safe keeping. i was hoping to see my dad before he strode off to work, but all i found was a note saying thank you for finishing the kitchen, and you're free to do what you please today. i rolled my eyes, grabbing the milk and a box of cheerios from the cupboard to make myself a bowl of cereal. after hurriedly finishing my cereal and gulping down my daily vitamins with a glass of orange juice, i decided to go for a walk. i grabbed my jacket and called my black and white border collie, Painter, picking up her leash on the hook by the front door as i put on my sneakers.

i opened my front door, and painter and i stepped out into the beautiful, mildly warm spring montana morning. the mountains looked majestic in the pleasant morning sunlight, and small groups of clouds danced in a royal blue sky. the dew on the grass sparkled like diamonds on a newly-wed's ring. i sighed contentedly, taking in the amazing energy of the glorious atmosphere around me. Painter and i walked around to the back of my house and began to pad through the rich, green forest that began behind our home. as i walked i pondered bella, and tried to call her name. bella, where are you? i thought. 'im here nikki, what did you need my love?' bella's clear voice instantly rung in my head, reminding me of bells that hang in a church chapel. 'i dont understand this task you have assigned me. where am i going to have to go? and what exactly do i do?' my mind was shrouded in confusion. 'ari, dont worry about anything. you will know what to do when the time comes. i promise. for now, just enjoy your morning. ill be in touch' she spirited herself away from my thoughts after that, and i was left, once again, with only a very small piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
the forest behind my house looked more like something out of a fairy tale rather than a place in montana. golden sunlight filtered through tall trees that reminded one of the beautiful nymphs in Greek mythology. the trees looked alive, like they could get up and walk away just like me. they also looked as if they had eyes. the notion made me wonder if perhaps they could, if not in this world, then possibly the next. as we strolled i spotted lady bugs, pesky flies and even a few butterflies floating on the breeze. the only sounds that could be heard were the songs of hundreds of birds who flitted and perched in the tops of trees, and those of the small twigs that snapped under the weight of my feet. i took a deep breath and smiled happily; i was so lucky to live on the edge of such a magickal forest. i did not realize then that this wood actually could be magic.
suddenly, Painter barked and sniffed the air. "woof!! woof!!" before i had time to even think about gripping her leash tighter, Painter shot like a bulled from a shotgun, dragging me with her deeper and deeper into the forest.