An Unusual Gift

Once upon a time, not that far ago, a baby girl smiled to the world. She grew up in a small town, surrounded by flowers, butterflies, books, and love. She became a young lady, eager to discover life and herself. And how happy she was when her family approved her decision to move to a bigger city to study and live on her own, aiming to have her contribution to a better world.

Little by little, she was engulfed and trapped by her new everyday life, focused on daily routine, studying, and finding jobs to make a living.

However, sometimes her memory awoke, and her longing soul rose to her consciousness. Whenever she was deeply attuned to the nature around her, she vibrated with happiness and felt so alive. In such moments, she wanted to do big things, fight for good causes, help all the people in need, and make the world happier.

And somehow, she did.

She liked to fight in various virtual worlds to protect the good against the evil. And she did it pretty well, as proved by her scores in some tournaments. After such epic nights, she fought again in the morning. But this time against sleep when trying to concentrate during classes.

Her name was Mara.

Once Mara heard about a fair organized in the city’s outskirts. She loved such events, so she decided to go there.

She had some thrilling experiences with various rides, but after she took a ride with the Ferris wheel, up in the beautiful starry sky, high above the world she loved so much, her heart was flooded again with dreams and hopes.

And later, while keeping tight the carousel chains, she imagined herself riding a dragon, trying to enchain the monsters threatening the world — like she used to do when she was little.

When she saw a fortune teller’s tent, her curious mind urged her inside. Mara was about to leave as no one was there when her attention was drawn by a crystal ball on a table. Driven by an irresistible impulse to touch it, she moved closer, not noticing someone entered. The crystal reacted at her touch, spreading a fascinating colorful light, while the fortune teller stared at her with an amazed look. Taken by surprise, Mara got frightened and ran out of the tent, leaving the fair and heading straight home.

Since that moment, Mara struggled to understand what happened in the tent. Hoping to find answers and longing to touch the crystal ball once more, she decided to talk to the fortune teller. She went back the next day, but everything was already gone.

Mara was a stubborn young lady, and so she persevered in finding out what happened that night. She spent a lot of time searching online for information about those who performed at the fair, but she couldn’t find anything about the fortune teller.

She went to several pagan shops where she saw many interesting objects and also crystal balls. Sadly, none of them captivated her as it happened in the fortune teller’s tent.

One day, she stopped at a yard sale. To her surprise, she was immediately drawn to an old bag where she discovered a crystal ball. Mara felt a strong attraction, so she bought it without hesitation and hurried home.

At home, Mara placed the crystal ball on the table. Happy and excited, she started to experiment. And although she was feeling a connection to the crystal, nothing happened. Until that day, when Mara was putting on the make-up and accidentally touched the crystal. And it flashed up! Once more, she saw that amazing, magical light! Full of joy and emotions, Mara touched the crystal again, but the crystal ball no longer reacted. After many and repeated unsuccessful trials, Mara gave up, and the crystal remained a lovely ornament on her beauty table.

It was almost Christmas. Mara was on the train, traveling to her home city, anxious to see her dear family and the places she longed for. Unfortunately, the people who sat next to her became too noisy, ruining her hopes for a quiet journey. Annoyed, she took her belongings and left, trying to find a better seat somewhere else on the train.

When she stepped into another compartment, she stumbled upon a dog. She immediately checked if he is okay. Mara loved animals, and she was very caring to them. Since little, she rescued those in danger, brought them home, or found them shelter.

While caressing and talking to the dog, happy he seemed fine, she touched a crystal attached to his collar. And it started to glow!

“I’m fine, don’t worry. And yes, I can talk to you — to respond to your unspoken question.”

“I’m not a normal dog. And you are not a normal girl if you don’t know this already. That’s why my crystal glowed to your touch.”

Mara told him about her crystal ball. The dog smiled, amused: “You have powers, but you are not aware of them. Now that you learned you are special, what is on your mind?”

Mara blushed and opened up to him, sharing her dreams of peace and happiness for the world she loves.

“Well, everything starts with your peace, my dear. You have to learn to relax, to make peace with yourself first. Then your touch can spread your inner light and enlighten the world.”

“A word for you before I return to my master. If you wish, I can teach you about your powers and how to use them. You can find me every Sunday at noon at the Dog Park near the Botanical Garden. Until then, find your inner peace and make the crystal ball glow once again. Enjoy your holidays, and this first quest!”

 
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988 words

Happy Holidays with dreams of peace to all of you!

Try to enlighten the world with the magical lights you have in yourselves.