Mesologue || Variable 000001

Nettle Lauae Adacayi Rainbow of Sky sat down by the table in the kitchen, reading a book about the history of salt.

It was a warm sunny day of Dees. The pleasant breeze was gently blowing in through the open window. The birds were chirping among the trees, and some of them came to sit on the windowsill. They were curiously looking into the kitchen, until they got scared away, when Nettle sighed as she turned the page.

An image of a child buying a small box of salt caught her eye, and she was reminded of a memory from a year ago.

On a warm day of Faev, she was out shopping in Owlway with her husband and her son. She needed to replenish her kitchen supplies, including several rare herbs, while Yew needed new clothes. Kapok was driving the three of them around the city from one store to another in search of those necessities.

Whenever Nettle was talking and bargaining with the sellers, Kapok was watching over their son, who roamed outside and looked at other neighboring stores.

At one time, Yew stopped moving and with the utmost interest observed an item on display. It was a book about magic - recently acquired by the local bookstore, and advertised as the latest bestseller.

The book was opened halfway to flaunt its elaborate illustrations. On the left page it showed an eagle flying in the sky. On the right page, it showed a sleeping tiger, who occasionally got up in order to change his position.

Yew was staring at the images, until the bookseller approached him with a question. "Would you like to see more?"

Yew looked at the man’s hand. The seller was holding another copy of the advertised book.

Yew nodded, while he gazed at the book in anticipation. The seller put the item on the counter, and began to carefully flip through the pages, while Yew, who was at that time only a head higher than the counter, was enthralled by every image.

Meanwhile, Nettle finished her shopping, and reunited with Kapok, who was standing outside the store.

"Where’s Yew?" she asked.

Kapok gestured with his chin toward the bookstore, where their son was captured by the bookseller's smart tactics.

Nettle left the shopping bags with Kapok, and went over to the bookstore.

"Yew?" she called out.

Her son looked at her with the cutest begging eyes, which she had ever seen him do.

"Mama, can I have it?" even his voice was begging her.

"He really likes this book," the bookseller smiled at her.

Nettle looked at the book, then back at her son. "This isn't a book for you."

"Mama, please, please, please."

"Yew, you're magicless. You won't be able to do anything with this book."

"But," he looked down at his feet, while holding the counter with his hands, "the pictures are so pretty."

Nettle looked again at the book, and at the price, which was advertised as discounted by fifty percent. Yet at that supposed discount, the book still costed eighty hundred syfras - double the cost of an average book.

"Wait here. I'll ask your papa," she commanded him, then went back to talk to Kapok.

"If he wants it that badly, let's just buy it," her husband said.

"But it's a very expensive book with no good purpose."

"At the moment, we're not short on cash, so we can afford to throw some away," Kapok responded. "Besides, it's the first time, that I'm seeing him so fascinated by anything. Don't you want to see what happens, if we get him the book."

Nettle pinched the nosebridge between her eyes. This habit of hers always showed up, whenever she had to do something, which she didn't like, and Kapok always found it incredibly charming, so he couldn't stop himself from giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"Fine," she said in defeat. She had hoped that her husband would help her dissuade Yew from the purchase, but that didn't happen.

In the end, she went back to the bookseller, and paid for the book.

Once the book was in her hand, she walked back with Kapok to their carriage, while Yew was jumping and running around them, unable to contain his excitement.

Once inside Kapok's carriage, Nettle gave the book to Yew, but before she let go of it, she said with a stern but compassionate voice, "in order to use magic, you need to have a talent, so don’t cry if the spells don’t work for you."

"Mama?" she heard a familiar voice behind her back, but it wasn't Yew's.

Suddenly, she was brought back from her memory trip and realized, that her daughter was back from school and standing in the kitchen entrance.

They greeted each other with a loving hug. Then Hyssop inquired about her younger brother. Nettle checked his bedroom, and just as she expected, Yew wasn't home.

"Do you need help making lunch?" asked Hyssop, who was always ready to help her mother.

"Of course I do," she welcomed the offer.

But before they went to the kitchen, Hyssop recalled that her travelling suitcases were still on the front porch, so Nettle immediately headed there.

She didn't like it, when objects weren't in their rightful place, so she couldn't just leave them there. She took the heavier suitcase, while Hyssop took the other one, and they carried the luggage into her daughter's bedroom.

"Aufh," she sighed after she laid it down. "Did you pack an elephant in there?" she jokingly asked her daughter.

"I tried to evenly spread the weight, but I think the books in that one are made of heavier materials," Hyssop explained. "In order to make the suitcases liweiter, I'd have to divide all my books into four smaller suitcases, but that's just more luggage to watch over."

"I'm on the same page," Nettle nodded in agreement. "In addition, a gal should build up some muscles, if she wants to find a good husband."

"Mama! I told you before that I won't marry anyone," Hyssop rebuked her comment. "And shouldn't it be the men, who need muscles?"

"They do, but for a different reason," Nettle stood up, ready to head to the kitchen. "The men need strength to protect women, but women need strength to avoid bad men."

"What do you mean?" Hyssop followed her out of the bedroom.

"Weak prey attracts predators, and weak women attract men with bad intentions."

They entered the kitchen, where Nettle put on her apron, which was all blue, but made of a material sturdy enough to stop a blade.

Hyssop thought about her mother's explanation, as she was putting on her own apron made from a thinner white material and with a pattern of yellow flowers.

"I won't marry, so it doesn't matter," she murmured to herself.

"Oh the opposite," her mother responded. "It matters the most, when you're single. And since we're in this conversation, I believe it's the right time for you to prophesy your future husband."

"I said that I won't marry. I'll be single forever," Hyssop declared aggressively.

"Sure," her mother nodded cheerfully. "You can be single, if you want to but just in case, you must know how to recognize the man, who'll cherish you the most. And that's why you should prophesy your future husband before you go back to school."

Hyssop sighed. She knew that once her mother made her decision, it was impossible to change her mind.

"What do you mean by prophesying? Do I need to go to the temple?"

"No, no. It's nothing that complex," Nettle grabbed a recipe book, but she didn't open it, while she was still talking to her daughter. "What you need to do is decide upon three omens, then send your decision to God through a prayer. That's all. When you meet a man, who matches all three omens, that's how you'll know that he's the perfect partner for you."

"Three omens… hmm… So what were the three omens you set for papa?"

Nettle covered her mouth, as she giggled. "Back then I was just like you. I didn't want to marry, so I picked three very ridiculous omens."

Hyssop stood silent, ready to hear the whole story.

Nettle sat down at the table, put the recipe book by her side, then continued talking.

"The three omens, which I chose, were: one - on the first meeting he needs to ask to marry me; two - when asking to marry me, he needs to be wearing only boxers; and three - he needs to propose on both knees."

Hyssop sat down across from her mother. "No way," she said in disbelief. "That's so lame. Did papa really do all that?"

Nettle nodded. "He did. And he did it on a busy street, with many onlookers, and passerbys seeing the whole scene."

Hyssop sucked in the air, "that's so embarrassing. How did you respond? Did you send him a letter later on?"

"No such thing. I accepted it immediately."

Hyssop opened her mouth in shock. She couldn't imagine her mother acting crazy in public. "Really?" she asked weakly.

"At the time, I was already twenty-six yrold, and I've been dreaming of getting married for the prior five years," her mother explained. "The moment Kapok appeared before me was the peak of my joy. I've never felt more elated in my life."

Nettle put her hands on top of Hyssop's hands. "That's why it's important to wisely prophesy your husband. You only need three omens, but don't make them too simple. Make them something unique, so you won't marry the wrong person. And tell nobody what those three omens are until after you're married."

"Nobody?" Hyssop asked.

"Nobody," Nettle confirmed.

Afterward both women prepared lunch, but neither Kapok nor Yew came back to eat. By adding some more ingredients they turned lunch into dinner, which the four of them ate together.

Later in the evening, Hyssop began to think of the three omens for her future husband. She wasn't going to marry anyone, but just in case, she would prophesy her future husband.

She didn't want anything lame. She wanted to avoid any embarrassment altogether. However, the omens couldn't be anything normal, or too many men would match the prophecy.

Therefore, she decided that her future husband would have to accomplish great feats to get her heart.

Firstly, he'll need to arrive from the sky. Secondly, he'll need to have a one-of-a-kind sword with him - one of those rare swords, which don't have copies or anything else made in a similar style. And thirdly, he'll need to slay one of the three most powerful monsters in history with one slash. But since demons and witches didn't exist anymore, then that only left dragons as one of the three most powerful monsters.

Hyssop chuckled to herself.

«If such a cool man exists, I might change my mind and marry him,» she thought as she was preparing to meditate in order to send her three omens to Heavens.