Chapter Nine: Vision
The house that "aunty" actually dwelled in was actually kind of boring. It was two-level white washed house (as was
every house. You barely can tell one house from another) with a flat roof. There were two windows in the front,
facing the street. The Dutch door was undecorated and not fancy in any respect.
Zel's "aunty" was named Veronica, or Madame Vanda by her customers, Scylla (by marriage) and owned the little
house. She opened the door with an unlocking spell. She said to their shocked faces, "Learned it before it got banned.
It's handy."
"No, actually, I was amazed that you can actually do magic," Lina answered, "I've never met a fortune teller that
was an actual magic-user."
"Magic-users have to eat, especially when they have children."
"That's not what I meant..."
"I'm still insulted. I could put a hex on you, you know. Don't try me. But do try my tea." Veronica led them
inside.
The first thing they noticed was how cool it was inside, "Man, you put an air-cooling spell on your HOUSE?"
Lina asked.
"It's hot in Hayla. I'm not going to roast to death," Veronica put a kettle on the stove, she lit the stove with a
Flare Carrot.
"Um... how is she making the house cool?" Gourry asked.
"Gourry, you know how magic-users' capes sometime blow for no reason?"
"Yeah."
"It's powered by the spell that Veronica on her house, which is pretty impressive considering it can only cool a
small area and it has to be re-cast every ten minutes."
"Actually, I have several stones that reflect the spell all over my house, over and over. I couldn't turn it off
even if I wanted to."
Zel looked at his surroundings. All the toys that were supposed to out for his visits were gone. He tugged on
Amelia's damp shirt, "#Ask Aunty for my toys.#"
"He wants his toys," Amelia translated for the others.
"You can understand him?" Veronica asked, not looking the least bit startled, almost as if she were asking, "So,
there are clouds in the sky today, I assume?"
"Ye-ee-ah. I really don't know why... I really can't explain..."
"Oh, just checking." Veronica poured tea and silently offered sugar and honey.
Lina lashed back, " 'Oh, just checking.' What the hell does that mean?"
Before Veronica could respond, Amelia remembered how Veronica had seemed to look straight to into her eyes
when she said she had been expecting them, "Were you... actually expecting us in particular?"
"Give the girl a cookie!" Veronica threw up her arms as if she was dealing with complete idiots, "yes, I've been
expecting you for weeks! I'm a fortune teller, for crying out loud. It's my job to see into the future! You think I
don't see random future events? I saw Zelgadis' birth when his father had just been born, I saw his father's death
before his mother had coughed once, I saw Zelgadis' change into a chimera before he could spell his own name, I saw
Rezo's death when he was still working on discovering what was afflicting his daughter-in-law, I can see your
grandchildren's spouses as you stand there, glaring at me. Yes, I have been expecting you for quite some time."
Veronica took a couple of deep breaths, "Sorry, I just find it frustrating when people don't understand I can see into
the future and can predict the comings and goings of strangers."
"If you saw all these horrible things," Amelia asked, "Why did you never warn others about them?"
"What would be the point? People don't like hearing about those things. Also, I only get flashes of random
images. Sometimes, I misinterpret those images. Besides, no future is set in stone. Everyone thinks that whatever they
do, the fortune teller's word is final. But, as long as you breathe, it is never final."
"But how do you see it if it isn't final?"
"The images I see are images of what will happen if everything goes the way it has been going. Every day, you
make choices. To get up or to lay in bed all day. Your future can depend on that one decision. If you get up, you
may choose to have breakfast or to not have breakfast. If you choose to eat breakfast, you have to decide between eggs
or bread. If you eat eggs, and they're not cooked enough, you'll spend rest of the day being ill. If you eat bread,
you'll be fine and perhaps go horse-back riding. If you take one path, you might hit a beehive and get stung. And so on."
"That must be nerve-wracking," Gourry commented.
"It is. Anyway, back to what you were asking, yes, I have been expecting you. I already know what your problem
is." She turned to her children and daughter-in-law, "Now do you understand what I have been saying the past week?"
"This is so screwed up," was all Malcolm had to say on the topic. Veronica turned back to her audience, "But I
don't know the details. Will you please recount?"
"Um... sure, well, one night, we heard Zel screaming and it woke us up," Lina said, "I found a suicide note..."
"Heard this."
Lina's face fell, "Well, excuse me! Anyway, we went to his room and there was this purple-haired woman with blue
eyes, she was wearing this white robe..."
"Zelgadis' mother, yes..."
"She looked at us and kind of shrugged her shoulders like we weren't important and kissed him on the lips. She
suddenly changed into a green-eyed blonde woman and wings sprouted out through the robe. But in the mirror, the other
woman was still there and she was obviously screaming and crying but we couldn't hear her. Anyway, the blonde woman
dropped Zel and he gradually turned into a little kid and the blonde woman said to the mirror woman, 'You can't
protect him forever' then said to Zel, 'See you soon, my Prince' and they both disappeared. So, we couldn't
understand him at all but one night, Amelia tucked him..."
"Heard this and that is quite enough. The blonde woman. I've met her."
Gourry responded with shock, "Really? How?"
"Well, minus the wings, you described one of Zelgadis' aunts, the oldest one, mother's side. She had three sisters,
his mother was the youngest. Apparently, Victoria, his mother, was adopted too."
"What's up with the wings?" Gourry asked, impatient.
"I don't know. All I know is that Victoria's family had greatly opposed the marriage and hated Rezo and Zelgadis'
father with a passion."
"Must run in the family," Lina mused. Veronica laughed.
"Wish it was just that. They thought that Rezo was no one special and didn't understand why he received so much
praise. 'We've seen a million of men and women just like him and sometimes better. We are not impressed.' Her mother told
my father that personally when he had asked about her coldness."
"She sounds like the life of the party," Gourry joked.
"No kidding, she even scared me. I never saw Victoria's relatives after the wedding. As far as I know, they never
once came to visit, not even when Zelgadis was born. It was as if they denied their relationship with her. I felt sorry
for her, seeing her rejected like that, but it didn't seem to bother her." She sighed and looked distant, as if she
could see Victoria behind her audience, "but that was a long time ago and they're all gone, except Zelgadis, but even he
is a shadow of former self." For some reason, Amelia knew that she was not referring to their current problem.
"Can you help us?" Amelia asked.
"I believe so. Ever heard the saying, 'Ignorance is bliss'? I know that Zelgadis' intention was to stop hurting,
his aunt fixed that problem by turning him back to a time before all his problems started.
But Zelgadis of today can not be destroyed completely, only separated into base parts. What you call him 'being
transformed' is really him 'being split', leaving only Zelgadis of childhood here. The question is: where did the
rest of him go? Though you may not realize it, Zelgadis of childhood still is connected to the other parts making up
Zelgadis of today. Using Zelgadis of childhood, I can find those other parts and you three can find a way to put them
back together."
"Us? How are we supposed to do that?" Lina demanded.
"I've foreseen it. You will, that's all that matters."
"But no future is written in stone, you even said that!"
"Yes, but even paper lasts for quite some time."
"What if he doesn't want to be turned back?" Amelia asked, "What if as soon as we fix him, he'll just go back
and kill himself?"
"Amelia, that is a very kind thought but personally, I don't think he has a choice right now. Call me cynical, but
I don't think his aunt did this out of the kindness of her heart. Remember? 'You can't protect him forever'? Sounds
like she has a plan in store for Zelgadis. I think the only way it will work is if he is in this condition."
"Figures. Why can't relatives be nice for a change?" Lina moaned.
"Anyway," Veronica said, shooting Lina down, "I will need to get into Zelgadis' subconscious to find what we are
looking for." She rose and motioned for Zel to come and take her hand. He took it (after dropping the pot he had been
playing with) and followed to a sliding door.
Veronica slid the door to the right and entered. There was nothing inside, except an incense stand. She put a stick
in the holder and lit it. She told Zel to sit, which he did and poked her head out, "Don't come in and don't make loud
noises. For this to work I need complete silence. So, go outside or something." She closed the door and sat down in
front of Zel, "Now, just relax and keep your mouth shut."
She closed her eyes and she heard Zel lay down, sighing. She entered the Astral Plane.
*** ***
Veronica found herself standing next to a standing Zel. He didn't seem frightened or confused. His face was neutral,
his arms crossed. It was twilight and a gentle mist from a nearby sea frosted the scene, though there was no water in
sight. It was a quaint town. Simple townhouses with a few candles on in the windows. Obviously, some people were
awake.
It was very quiet and Zel said, "Do you hear that?" Veronica was not surprised that she could understand him. It
wasn't really him, just an image of him, a representation.
"No, I hear nothing."
"The air is waiting. If you listen carefully, you can hear the vibrato of nature's wait. Listen."
She did hear something but it didn't sound like a vibrato of anything. It was panic-stricken sobbing. She
looked past the fog and saw a dirty woman holding a baby in a bundle. She was obviously running from something. She
looked around, panting, clenching the baby to her chest.
Looking for escape.
Veronica suddenly heard singing but she knew no one was actually singing:
Gabhaim molta Bride
Ionmhain i le hEirinn
Ionmhain le gach tir i
Molaimis go leir i
"She's running from something," Zel said plainly.
"But from what?" Veronica asked.
"We shall see."
The woman's hair was noticeably coming out of place. Her dress was mud-stained and clung to her ankles. She banged on
a door, "Please! Help me! There's a man following me! He wants to kill me! He has a knife! Please, provide me shelter!"
But the candle that had been lit in the window, went dark. No one answered.
Lochrann geal na Laighneach
'Soilsiu feadh na tire
Ceann ar oghaibh Eireann
Ceann na mban ar mine
Again and again, the woman banged on the doors but no one came and the candles, one by one went dark. The woman
sobbed in the street, looking helpless and scared.
Tig an gheimhreadh dian dubh
Gearrdh lena gheire
Ach ar La 'le Bride
Gar duinn Earrach Eireann
Suddenly, the shape of a man appeared out of nothing. He made no sound as he walked. The woman turned around and
her eyes went wide. She held her baby tighter. Veronica could see the shine of a knife blade.
Brighid of the sunrise
Rising in the morning
Rising with the Springtime
Greening all the land
"What do you want from me?" The woman gasped, nearly sobbing. The man said nothing. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?! Leave me
be!" The man stepped closer but paused in his tracks.
See you in the soft cloud
See you in the raindrop
See you in the winds of change
Blowing through the land
Seeing her chance, the woman turned her back on the man and ran. But suddenly, the man was right behind but Veronica
did not see him move from Point A to Point B. He took out
the knife and cleanly slit the woman's throat.
She turned around and gurgled, "Why?"
The man responded, "That is a secret." The woman fell head first, crushing the infant.
Zel turned to his right and ran. Veronica ran after him but he was suddenly so fast.
You the red eared white cow
Nourishing the people
Nourish now the hunger
Souls longing in our land
He ran away from the town and into the thick underbrush. Veronica ran after him, screaming, "Why did you
show me that? What meaning does it have to you?" Zel did not answer, only laughed as he ran.
They ran for what seemed like hours in the forest. Veronica's robe was now in tatters. Eventually, they came to
a riverbank but the river was murky and green. Zel ran through the river. When he in the river, skeletal hands with
bits of decaying flesh reached out for him, ripping his pants. But Zel was undaunted and ran through them. Veronica
had to follow him and she too jumped in the river and the hands pulled at her as well. Their faces were of dead family
members and dead husbands. She screamed in horror and nausea gripped her. She ran past them as well but didn't fail to
notice that they had slashed at her legs.
Zel was still running. His destination was now apparent. It was a temple with pillars in the front and many
steps leading up to two double doors that were taller than a man.
Veronica followed him but when she reached the foot of the staircase, she found she could move no further from that
spot. Zel, however, had continued upwards and had mysteriously been able to open the doors.
Bird that is unfolding
Now the time's upon us
Only have we eyes to see
Your Epiphany
Zel turned to face her. Speckled feathers shot out in excess resembling a dirty blizzard. A great wind blew from
inside the temple, shaking Zel's hair. From the floor, a flood of blood flowed down the steps.
Zel was unaffected and only said, "This place is my prison. Soon, it will be my grave."
To be continued...
Author's Notes: The song is actually a real song, and the "nonsense" words are actually Gaelic or Irish. The song is
called, "Brighid's Kiss" by "La Lugh". Among others, it's on "Celtic Woman 2". The English words are not translations of
the Irish words. C&C are welcome and needed at destinyplot@lycos.com
The house that "aunty" actually dwelled in was actually kind of boring. It was two-level white washed house (as was
every house. You barely can tell one house from another) with a flat roof. There were two windows in the front,
facing the street. The Dutch door was undecorated and not fancy in any respect.
Zel's "aunty" was named Veronica, or Madame Vanda by her customers, Scylla (by marriage) and owned the little
house. She opened the door with an unlocking spell. She said to their shocked faces, "Learned it before it got banned.
It's handy."
"No, actually, I was amazed that you can actually do magic," Lina answered, "I've never met a fortune teller that
was an actual magic-user."
"Magic-users have to eat, especially when they have children."
"That's not what I meant..."
"I'm still insulted. I could put a hex on you, you know. Don't try me. But do try my tea." Veronica led them
inside.
The first thing they noticed was how cool it was inside, "Man, you put an air-cooling spell on your HOUSE?"
Lina asked.
"It's hot in Hayla. I'm not going to roast to death," Veronica put a kettle on the stove, she lit the stove with a
Flare Carrot.
"Um... how is she making the house cool?" Gourry asked.
"Gourry, you know how magic-users' capes sometime blow for no reason?"
"Yeah."
"It's powered by the spell that Veronica on her house, which is pretty impressive considering it can only cool a
small area and it has to be re-cast every ten minutes."
"Actually, I have several stones that reflect the spell all over my house, over and over. I couldn't turn it off
even if I wanted to."
Zel looked at his surroundings. All the toys that were supposed to out for his visits were gone. He tugged on
Amelia's damp shirt, "#Ask Aunty for my toys.#"
"He wants his toys," Amelia translated for the others.
"You can understand him?" Veronica asked, not looking the least bit startled, almost as if she were asking, "So,
there are clouds in the sky today, I assume?"
"Ye-ee-ah. I really don't know why... I really can't explain..."
"Oh, just checking." Veronica poured tea and silently offered sugar and honey.
Lina lashed back, " 'Oh, just checking.' What the hell does that mean?"
Before Veronica could respond, Amelia remembered how Veronica had seemed to look straight to into her eyes
when she said she had been expecting them, "Were you... actually expecting us in particular?"
"Give the girl a cookie!" Veronica threw up her arms as if she was dealing with complete idiots, "yes, I've been
expecting you for weeks! I'm a fortune teller, for crying out loud. It's my job to see into the future! You think I
don't see random future events? I saw Zelgadis' birth when his father had just been born, I saw his father's death
before his mother had coughed once, I saw Zelgadis' change into a chimera before he could spell his own name, I saw
Rezo's death when he was still working on discovering what was afflicting his daughter-in-law, I can see your
grandchildren's spouses as you stand there, glaring at me. Yes, I have been expecting you for quite some time."
Veronica took a couple of deep breaths, "Sorry, I just find it frustrating when people don't understand I can see into
the future and can predict the comings and goings of strangers."
"If you saw all these horrible things," Amelia asked, "Why did you never warn others about them?"
"What would be the point? People don't like hearing about those things. Also, I only get flashes of random
images. Sometimes, I misinterpret those images. Besides, no future is set in stone. Everyone thinks that whatever they
do, the fortune teller's word is final. But, as long as you breathe, it is never final."
"But how do you see it if it isn't final?"
"The images I see are images of what will happen if everything goes the way it has been going. Every day, you
make choices. To get up or to lay in bed all day. Your future can depend on that one decision. If you get up, you
may choose to have breakfast or to not have breakfast. If you choose to eat breakfast, you have to decide between eggs
or bread. If you eat eggs, and they're not cooked enough, you'll spend rest of the day being ill. If you eat bread,
you'll be fine and perhaps go horse-back riding. If you take one path, you might hit a beehive and get stung. And so on."
"That must be nerve-wracking," Gourry commented.
"It is. Anyway, back to what you were asking, yes, I have been expecting you. I already know what your problem
is." She turned to her children and daughter-in-law, "Now do you understand what I have been saying the past week?"
"This is so screwed up," was all Malcolm had to say on the topic. Veronica turned back to her audience, "But I
don't know the details. Will you please recount?"
"Um... sure, well, one night, we heard Zel screaming and it woke us up," Lina said, "I found a suicide note..."
"Heard this."
Lina's face fell, "Well, excuse me! Anyway, we went to his room and there was this purple-haired woman with blue
eyes, she was wearing this white robe..."
"Zelgadis' mother, yes..."
"She looked at us and kind of shrugged her shoulders like we weren't important and kissed him on the lips. She
suddenly changed into a green-eyed blonde woman and wings sprouted out through the robe. But in the mirror, the other
woman was still there and she was obviously screaming and crying but we couldn't hear her. Anyway, the blonde woman
dropped Zel and he gradually turned into a little kid and the blonde woman said to the mirror woman, 'You can't
protect him forever' then said to Zel, 'See you soon, my Prince' and they both disappeared. So, we couldn't
understand him at all but one night, Amelia tucked him..."
"Heard this and that is quite enough. The blonde woman. I've met her."
Gourry responded with shock, "Really? How?"
"Well, minus the wings, you described one of Zelgadis' aunts, the oldest one, mother's side. She had three sisters,
his mother was the youngest. Apparently, Victoria, his mother, was adopted too."
"What's up with the wings?" Gourry asked, impatient.
"I don't know. All I know is that Victoria's family had greatly opposed the marriage and hated Rezo and Zelgadis'
father with a passion."
"Must run in the family," Lina mused. Veronica laughed.
"Wish it was just that. They thought that Rezo was no one special and didn't understand why he received so much
praise. 'We've seen a million of men and women just like him and sometimes better. We are not impressed.' Her mother told
my father that personally when he had asked about her coldness."
"She sounds like the life of the party," Gourry joked.
"No kidding, she even scared me. I never saw Victoria's relatives after the wedding. As far as I know, they never
once came to visit, not even when Zelgadis was born. It was as if they denied their relationship with her. I felt sorry
for her, seeing her rejected like that, but it didn't seem to bother her." She sighed and looked distant, as if she
could see Victoria behind her audience, "but that was a long time ago and they're all gone, except Zelgadis, but even he
is a shadow of former self." For some reason, Amelia knew that she was not referring to their current problem.
"Can you help us?" Amelia asked.
"I believe so. Ever heard the saying, 'Ignorance is bliss'? I know that Zelgadis' intention was to stop hurting,
his aunt fixed that problem by turning him back to a time before all his problems started.
But Zelgadis of today can not be destroyed completely, only separated into base parts. What you call him 'being
transformed' is really him 'being split', leaving only Zelgadis of childhood here. The question is: where did the
rest of him go? Though you may not realize it, Zelgadis of childhood still is connected to the other parts making up
Zelgadis of today. Using Zelgadis of childhood, I can find those other parts and you three can find a way to put them
back together."
"Us? How are we supposed to do that?" Lina demanded.
"I've foreseen it. You will, that's all that matters."
"But no future is written in stone, you even said that!"
"Yes, but even paper lasts for quite some time."
"What if he doesn't want to be turned back?" Amelia asked, "What if as soon as we fix him, he'll just go back
and kill himself?"
"Amelia, that is a very kind thought but personally, I don't think he has a choice right now. Call me cynical, but
I don't think his aunt did this out of the kindness of her heart. Remember? 'You can't protect him forever'? Sounds
like she has a plan in store for Zelgadis. I think the only way it will work is if he is in this condition."
"Figures. Why can't relatives be nice for a change?" Lina moaned.
"Anyway," Veronica said, shooting Lina down, "I will need to get into Zelgadis' subconscious to find what we are
looking for." She rose and motioned for Zel to come and take her hand. He took it (after dropping the pot he had been
playing with) and followed to a sliding door.
Veronica slid the door to the right and entered. There was nothing inside, except an incense stand. She put a stick
in the holder and lit it. She told Zel to sit, which he did and poked her head out, "Don't come in and don't make loud
noises. For this to work I need complete silence. So, go outside or something." She closed the door and sat down in
front of Zel, "Now, just relax and keep your mouth shut."
She closed her eyes and she heard Zel lay down, sighing. She entered the Astral Plane.
*** ***
Veronica found herself standing next to a standing Zel. He didn't seem frightened or confused. His face was neutral,
his arms crossed. It was twilight and a gentle mist from a nearby sea frosted the scene, though there was no water in
sight. It was a quaint town. Simple townhouses with a few candles on in the windows. Obviously, some people were
awake.
It was very quiet and Zel said, "Do you hear that?" Veronica was not surprised that she could understand him. It
wasn't really him, just an image of him, a representation.
"No, I hear nothing."
"The air is waiting. If you listen carefully, you can hear the vibrato of nature's wait. Listen."
She did hear something but it didn't sound like a vibrato of anything. It was panic-stricken sobbing. She
looked past the fog and saw a dirty woman holding a baby in a bundle. She was obviously running from something. She
looked around, panting, clenching the baby to her chest.
Looking for escape.
Veronica suddenly heard singing but she knew no one was actually singing:
Gabhaim molta Bride
Ionmhain i le hEirinn
Ionmhain le gach tir i
Molaimis go leir i
"She's running from something," Zel said plainly.
"But from what?" Veronica asked.
"We shall see."
The woman's hair was noticeably coming out of place. Her dress was mud-stained and clung to her ankles. She banged on
a door, "Please! Help me! There's a man following me! He wants to kill me! He has a knife! Please, provide me shelter!"
But the candle that had been lit in the window, went dark. No one answered.
Lochrann geal na Laighneach
'Soilsiu feadh na tire
Ceann ar oghaibh Eireann
Ceann na mban ar mine
Again and again, the woman banged on the doors but no one came and the candles, one by one went dark. The woman
sobbed in the street, looking helpless and scared.
Tig an gheimhreadh dian dubh
Gearrdh lena gheire
Ach ar La 'le Bride
Gar duinn Earrach Eireann
Suddenly, the shape of a man appeared out of nothing. He made no sound as he walked. The woman turned around and
her eyes went wide. She held her baby tighter. Veronica could see the shine of a knife blade.
Brighid of the sunrise
Rising in the morning
Rising with the Springtime
Greening all the land
"What do you want from me?" The woman gasped, nearly sobbing. The man said nothing. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?! Leave me
be!" The man stepped closer but paused in his tracks.
See you in the soft cloud
See you in the raindrop
See you in the winds of change
Blowing through the land
Seeing her chance, the woman turned her back on the man and ran. But suddenly, the man was right behind but Veronica
did not see him move from Point A to Point B. He took out
the knife and cleanly slit the woman's throat.
She turned around and gurgled, "Why?"
The man responded, "That is a secret." The woman fell head first, crushing the infant.
Zel turned to his right and ran. Veronica ran after him but he was suddenly so fast.
You the red eared white cow
Nourishing the people
Nourish now the hunger
Souls longing in our land
He ran away from the town and into the thick underbrush. Veronica ran after him, screaming, "Why did you
show me that? What meaning does it have to you?" Zel did not answer, only laughed as he ran.
They ran for what seemed like hours in the forest. Veronica's robe was now in tatters. Eventually, they came to
a riverbank but the river was murky and green. Zel ran through the river. When he in the river, skeletal hands with
bits of decaying flesh reached out for him, ripping his pants. But Zel was undaunted and ran through them. Veronica
had to follow him and she too jumped in the river and the hands pulled at her as well. Their faces were of dead family
members and dead husbands. She screamed in horror and nausea gripped her. She ran past them as well but didn't fail to
notice that they had slashed at her legs.
Zel was still running. His destination was now apparent. It was a temple with pillars in the front and many
steps leading up to two double doors that were taller than a man.
Veronica followed him but when she reached the foot of the staircase, she found she could move no further from that
spot. Zel, however, had continued upwards and had mysteriously been able to open the doors.
Bird that is unfolding
Now the time's upon us
Only have we eyes to see
Your Epiphany
Zel turned to face her. Speckled feathers shot out in excess resembling a dirty blizzard. A great wind blew from
inside the temple, shaking Zel's hair. From the floor, a flood of blood flowed down the steps.
Zel was unaffected and only said, "This place is my prison. Soon, it will be my grave."
To be continued...
Author's Notes: The song is actually a real song, and the "nonsense" words are actually Gaelic or Irish. The song is
called, "Brighid's Kiss" by "La Lugh". Among others, it's on "Celtic Woman 2". The English words are not translations of
the Irish words. C&C are welcome and needed at destinyplot@lycos.com