As dawn began to break along the shore, the young woman strode slowly, calmly in parallel to the orange-splashed horizon, icy salt water caressing her bare feet. The sounds of this amazing place consumed her soul, commanding a freedom of being that had eluded her for so long. She wasn't sure exactly where she was headed; she only knew she felt safe.
Beneath a pale purple silken cloak, her hair was a rainbow of auburn and flaxen gold cascading over her slender shoulders and catching flight in the early morning breeze. She brushed the hair aside and stopped for a moment, inhaling deeply, seeming to want this moment to exist for an eternity.
Memories, jumbled and confused, had flooded her head for so long now that she had trouble remembering where they ended and where she began, but at this moment she knew who she was and from where she came. Feelings of pride, guilt, foolhardiness, and doubt no longer tormented her; she had no regrets.
She looked at the sun as it emerged, godlike, from the east, and she challenged it to keep her from being strong, for she finally knew she would win that particular challenge. Eyes frozen on the sunrise, she stretched out her arms and cupped her palms. Wisps of air gathered around her fingers, delighting her wrists to the touch, as, from within her physical essence, a tiny crystal danced and spun, growing ever larger, above each palm. Each caught the day's early light in its prism and reflected a majestic light show of color. In the light, she saw the faces of those she loved, the ones who loved her.
Joey, soulful and dear, with eyes wide and bright. Donna, glorious in her subtle, natural beauty. Dick, in whom she found a sense of confidence and valor. Garfield, alive with laughter and promise. Victor, strong and protective, a brother in whom she felt trust. And Koriand'r, regal and innocent, brimming with love and life.
The girl clasped both newly spun gemstones, brought them to her lips and kissed them as they miraculously became one; the amalgam gem found a home in the pocket of her cloak. I'm coming home, she whispered. The girl took a last glance at the splendor of the daybreak, closed her eyes and summoned a crystal gate. Before her, sand kicked up in a warm frenzy, wind caressed her wrists again, and a split in the air, garnered by slick crystalline threads, began to open. She was opening a portal to a place she once knew, and she was finally ready to step through that crystalline gate and head home.