Bella looked up. She was in a forest at twilight. She could recognize the sensation of being in a dream, that loose, floating feeling of movement. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Somewhere in her memory, she was reminded of a guide of some sort. A lady, rising out of the ocean to tell her what to do. But there were no oceans here, and there certainly wasn't anyone to show her the way. Just as she was about to lay down and try to think her way out of unconsciousness, she felt a cold wind blowing from up the wooded path.
Bella turned around and saw a tall cloaked figure standing behind her. It seemed masculine in build, but she couldn't see into the shadows of the cloak's hood. In one hand he held a lantern, and in the other, an old walking staff. He beckoned her to follow him, then turned and headed down the path. Feeling it would be unwise to disobey, Bella hurried to catch up to him.
As they walked, the woods seemed to darken with each step. Just when Bella thought the world would go black again, the pair emerged from an opening in the trees. Before Bella was a large hill with an ancient oak tree on top. Hanging from a sturdy tree branch was a small wooden swing. As they walked up the hill, Bella saw that the other side of the grassy mound was so steep it could be rightfully called a cliff. It all looked very familiar to Bella.
Bella turned to the man in the cloak. "Why have you brought me here?" she asked. Deep down, she already knew the answer.
"There is a lesson you must learn," was the man's reply. His voice was deep and melancholy. Again, Bella found it oddly familiar.
"And who are you to be teaching me?" she asked, a little haughtily.
"I am The Lonely One," he said. "I am The Hermit."
"Well? Are you going to tell me why we are here?"
"You are here," said the man, "Because it is time you know about the worlds that you live in. Until very recently, you, like most humans, thought that yours was all there was. You never looked past your own physical plane of existence. But very recently, you have made contact with the supernatural."
"Edward," she breathed.
"Yes," The Hermit said. "The boy you call Edward. But, the powers I speak of run deeper still. You have, flowing within your very veins, the blood of a mystic. What had, since your birth, laid in dormant sleep, has since awakened. Surely you've noticed that your dreams of late have been more than dreams."
Bella looked down at her feet. "Actually, I have trouble remembering them," she said sheepishly.
"I see," said The Hermit. "No matter. The Goddess' chosen can help with that. But for the time being, I will continue with my lesson. Now, look at the sky." He pointed up to the velvet blue night. The great expanse was filled with thousands of tiny lights. "See the stars. Know that they are indeed magical."
"Funny," said Bella. "I always thought they were balls of burning gas."
"There are forces that are as of yet unknown to you. They shall reveal themselves in time. But you must know that they are there. You must accept them, even if you can not understand them. Sometimes, the most complex things can only be understood by looking at them in a simple way. See with the eyes of a child, and embrace the wonder of what you can't understand."
Bella turned toward the cloaked teacher. The sense of familiarity was beginning to drive her crazy. She knew this person. If only she could see his face. A loud boom drew her attention back to the sky. Across the diamond point stars there was a spray of color. After it disappeared, another boom brought another splash of light. Then another. And then another. Soon the entire sky was filled with this spontaneously generated display of fire works. A wind had started blowing. Bella turned to ask The Hermit the meaning of the pyrotechnics, only to discover that the wind had removed his hood. Underneath the shroud had been the head of a stuffed donkey, whose pessimistic ramblings she recalled from her childhood.
"Eeyore," she breathed. Now she new where they were. Starry Hill. Where the sad bureau would come each night to watch the magical night time extravaganza she herself witnessed now. The Hermit turned to her.
"There is so much beauty in this world," he said. "It is beautiful, and very small. But for you, it is about to grow." He looked back up at the sky. "It is about to become very large."
Bella wanted very badly to stay in that peaceful little clearing in the Hundred Acre Woods. She wanted to hold onto that piece of simplicity that connected her to her childhood. But, like all dreams, this too had to come to an end. This dream, however, she would not soon forget.