It had been weeks since Farida got any inspiration to continue her story. She's had many episodes of writer's block throughout her writing career but nothing like this one. She had gone on soul-searching, solitary walks, vacations to the most scenic places just to have that little spark of ideas. Even a tiny thread to hold on to. One that would eventually start a spark and create a fire.
She sat on her desk to ponder over a cup of coffee. Opened books and crumpled sheets of paper were scattered all over the table. “If only grandpa was here. He fixes everything”. Memories of her grandfather began to invade her thoughts. He was the hero in her life that raised her. He taught her to write and see the world through a different lens. With him, everything felt like magic. Now that he was gone, she only had the gift of books he left her.
“Sometimes you just have to follow the little lights. Let the character lead. Surely, you'd have a story. And when that happens, it would be the most exhilarating moment”. Farida beamed as she recalled her grandpa's happy gestures when he'd say that to her. She took off her prescription glasses and wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes.
She walked to her window. Outside was filled with the chattering and buzzing of little kids trick-or-treating. All of them wore funny and intriguing costumes. Farida marveled. In that split second, she relived her childhood all over again. The memories were crisp and clear like daylight. Her grandfather made sure that every event was a memorable one. Halloween was something she looked forward to as a child. Farida felt the strong urge to run out into the street and feel like a child again. She laughed so hard her voice echoed in the room.
The neighborhood had lined the street poles with Jack-o’-lanterns and a basket of treats at the foot of the pole. Farida thought the jack-o’-lantern on her neighbor's porch was excellent. The pumpkin had blue flames in it and the carving made a squinting face. Farida felt enchanted. She made up serenading sounds in her head for the scene before her.
A group of children walked past her window laughing and exchanging candies. One of them caught Farida’s attention. Her costume was different. She was dressed like a fairy in a long dress but she had a lantern in her hand. The lantern would occasionally give off bright light-like bubbles as she walked.
Farida was intrigued. She put on her glasses, grabbed her jacket, and ran outside. The girls had disappeared but she saw that the little light-like bubbles left a trail. “It's time to shed the extra weight. I could have caught up with them by now”. Disappointed she cleared a strand of hair from her face and quickly tied it in a bun. “I'll follow the lights”, she blurted realizing she had just spoken the words of her grandfather.
She began treading the path of the light. The cold air stung her face. Her sight began to blur out. She had not realized that the trail had gone off the road and into the woods. She kept trailing. Clearing branches off the path, she saw the little girl far ahead walking into a very strange-looking house in a clearing. The girl turned back, spared Farida a glance, and disappeared into the house.
Farida moved closer. The house was made of brick, mud, thatch, at the same time straws, and hays. “This is odd even for Halloween” Farida blurted out. All she could think about at that moment was her grandfather. It was as though she could smell him around her. He loved himself an adventure and if he were there, he would have given her the nudge to go ahead.
“Okay, grandpa” she whispered pretending to speak to his presence. She took the bold step, stepped out of the woods, and approached the house. The door had a hand-shaped knob. Farida shook the hand and the door opened. Inside the house startled her a little bit. It was like she walked into another dimension. There were all sorts of creatures inside it. Humans, animals, cyborgs, extraterrestrials, pixies, fans, elves, and all kinds of characters that she had ever imagined. All the creatures were in different worlds of their own and oblivious to the others around them. There were an oasis, cosmos, alternate universes, underworlds, and underwater realms. Yet, they existed in the same space. It was like an enigma that Farida could not wrap her head around.
As she took in every scene. The little girl appeared from nowhere in particular and held her hand. Farida jumped. “Hello, fairy girl. What is this place?”
“I'm not sure why you thought walking around in this funny dress suits me. For starters, it slows me down. Maybe we should cut it. Also, I think I should ditch this lantern. It's quite heavy. How about a wand? Sounds better right?” the girl went on and on until Farida’s perplexed face turned into great realization.
“Amber? Amber from my book, the ‘wanderer’?” Farida's jaw dropped. Her eyes were wide open in astonishment.
“Did it really take you forever to get inside your own head?” the girl narrowed her eyes.
“That's Jack the in his spaceship. This is Leah the mermaid in her kingdom. These are all characters in my books. Farida exclaimed turning round.
“Maybe they have something to say to you but I sure do have a lot. I am the wanderer. Let me tell you what and where I’d like to be”. The girl held Farida's arm and led her further inside.
As Farida walked through the characters, she smiled recalling her grandfather’s words. “Sometimes you just have to follow the little lights. Let the character lead. Surely, you'd have a story. And when that happens, it would be the most exhilarating moment”.
This is my entry to The Inkwell weekly prompts #89 & #90.
