"Whipstaff, it's been too long," Avanna said in delight, smiling at him with motherly affection. "How are you?"
Whipstaff stared at his mother, now a human woman, as if she came from a dream. Her blue eyes told him there was more to her story than meets the eye, for they looked ancient yet carefree. Her eyes told him she was fine, living on this world called Earth.
Did she miss him? Was there some way, some small piece of advice to declare she missed him? Would he recognize it, even if she told him her story right now? He wondered that, questioning whether or not this was a dream or if it was real. Given the way he pinched his arm and looked up at her, it was clearly reality. His mother was back, but for how long would they stay together?
He wouldn't let her go now, not after everything he went to, to get to this world. He hoped it, at least.
"I asked, 'how are you'?" Avanna asked, getting his attention. She approached him, warm motherly affection resting in her eyes. "How are you? You okay?"
Whipstaff nodded, facing her. "I'm fine. How are you? Seeing you is like a dream." He stared at her, shocked, as she hugged him, allowing him to feel her warmth again, since she became human. He wrapped his arms around her, unsure what to make of this situation. Just knowing his mother was here was enough for him to bear the silence in the parlor. "You're real," he said, confirming his suspicions.
"I am," Avanna said, releasing him and smiling at him with motherly affection. "Welcome home. Welcome to Earth."
Whipstaff smiled, not knowing what to do. He remembered his task, his mission that Aslan sent him here to do. It's just… seeing his Mamma again like this was a breath of fresh air. He didn't want to lose her again. He wanted to stay with her. That much was certain.
It was good to be home again.
.
The sitting room had a fireplace nestled along the beige painted wall. A mantlepiece above the fireplace had black-and-white pictures depicting Avanna with the McFadden family, as well as a mirror with an elegantly curved, rectangular, golden painted frame.
Once again, green leafy plants were strewn about the sitting room, nestled in pots and vases, while soft, cushioned couches and chairs, decked in a rose floral pattern, were set all over the room. Small dark oak tables stood next to the couches and chairs, giving this room a unique setting, along with all the figurines and books that were set on the tables.
Whipstaff couldn't recall the last time a room appeared so elegant, as if a Unicorn was responsible for crafting this sitting room. He looked back at his mother as she sat down at one of the cushioned chairs, pouring some hot tea for him.
"Would you like some chamomile tea?" Avanna asked, smiling at him. She lifted the filled teacup, giving Whipstaff a good reason to sit down at the cushioned chair next to her. Avanna added, worriedly, "Oh, don't worry, Whipstaff. The tea isn't poisoned. I'm sorry you feel that way though, about my tea." She gestured to the chair, "Sit down. We have much to discuss."
Whipstaff nodded, doing as she said he would do. Even as he sat down, he couldn't help but notice that no one else was in the room with them. Was there something he missed?
Still, he took the teacup, trying the chamomile tea. "Ahh!" He looked up at his mother, declaring, "It's hot!"
"Oh, is it? I'm sorry," Avanna spoke in calm, serene voice. "I didn't mean for it to be so hot."
"No, that's fine. Don't worry about it," Whipstaff said, drinking his tea again, before setting it down on the table. He looked at his human mother, asking her, "So, what happened to you after the accident? I'd like to know."
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that," Avanna said, making Whipstaff's heart sag. He really hoped for better.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Whipstaff said, realizing this was going nowhere. Before he got up, his mother stopped him. There was something she wasn't telling him! Ooh! He wondered what it was that she was avoiding? He sat back down again, waiting for his mother to speak some more.
"When I said I can't tell you about my past, after the accident, that doesn't mean I'm not going to show you what happened. Sometimes showing things is the better than just telling you what I endured. If you don't mind, that is," Avanna said, curiously.
"You're going to show me? How? Do you still have your Unicorn powers?" Whipstaff asked, also curious.
Avanna placed her hand over his. She looked up at him as his eyes closed automatically, allowing her to close her eyes, too. It was time to tell him the truth, or rather show him what happened to her after the accident happened.
.
Whipstaff opened his eyes, finding he was back at his tree house, out on the lush, green grassy hills and hillocks that made up his homeland, the Hills. He looked himself over, finding he was still in his human form. He turned to his mother, who appeared next to him. She was still in her human form, too. He wished more than anything that this was a dream, but it wasn't! Seeing his foal self, with his painted coat and tan spiral horn, was enough to let him know this was the past.
He watched as his foal self approach his Tree Unicorn parents out on the hilly field, just outside their tree house. His mother, Avanna, in her Tree Unicorn form, had a brown coat and a light brown spiral horn, while his father, Winston, in his Tree Unicorn form, had a painted coat and a brown, spotted spiral horn. Whipstaff remembered this scene from his dream: he witnessed his foal self open the book and cast the red flame spell. The red flame bounced in the air, zigzagging several times before crashing into Avanna.
No! The red flame seeped into her chest, reaching her heart and nearly making her unconscious. He watched it happen all occur again, as the red flame engulfed his mother, his Tree Unicorn mother, sending her hurtling through the flames and disappearing from the Hills, leaving his foal self scarred for life.
Whipstaff jumped when the image shifted. No! He and his mother, in her human form, were in a dark world with very little light. The light grew brighter and more precarious, turning the world into a purplish haze with grey and brown soil, as well as a grey cloudy sky. He looked up at his mother's self, in her Tree Unicorn form, as she wandered throughout the realm, leaving the red flames behind.
"What world is this?" Whipstaff asked his human mother, quite convinced they were somewhere new.
"Shh! This is the Netherworld. It's where the spirits go to begin their journey, and where those that have fallen into the sleeping curse come to witness their eternal fates," Avanna spoke in fright. She shook her head, telling Whipstaff, "I was never fond of the Netherworld. I'm grateful to leave it, when I did."
Whipstaff turned to his mother's self in her Tree Unicorn form, stunned to see the golden-brown Lion called Aslan approached his Tree Unicorn mother. His Tree Unicorn mother bowed before the Great Lion, moments into Aslan summoning her to approach him.
"You have done well," Aslan told his Tree Unicorn mother, adding bluntly, "You will be reborn in human form on Earth. May you live many years in this new world."
"Thank you, Aslan," His Tree Unicorn mother said, grateful for his words of comfort and hope. She looked at Aslan, asking him, "What about my son, Whipstaff? Will I see him again?"
"You will indeed. He has his mission to complete on Earth. Afterwards, you may very well see him again, when he returns to Earth a second time. But all of this is in the future. For now, you shall go to Earth. You won't remember a thing until you meet Whipstaff for a second time, though," Aslan explained, blowing on Whipstaff's Tree Unicorn mother's self, allowing his Tree Unicorn mother to vanish from the Netherworld, right as Whipstaff and his human mother were pulled into a bright light for the second time that day as well.
.
Whipstaff looked around the room with renewed eyes. Everything he just saw had come to pass. But one thing didn't make much sense: how did his mother come to meet the McFaddens? How would they have a son named Casper? There were still questions that needed to be answered, but these seemed to be simpler questions to ask.
"After I left the Netherworld, it didn't take me long before I adjusted to this new world called Earth," Avanna explained with candor. "I met the McFaddens not long ago. J.T. and I were close friends. We grew up together and eventually married. I didn't realize I had married once until I saw you, in this world, just now. You've grown up."
"I became gruffer. It was bound to happen. There were too many deaths I've seen, so many lives lost," Whipstaff said, caught in a daze after witnessing his mother's past.
His mother caught on, for she asked, "And you still have a mission to complete, don't you?"
"I do," Whipstaff said with candor. He sighed, telling her, "I want to stay, but I have this feeling I'm needed in the Land of Unicorns, shortly after this meeting is over." He looked at his human mother, telling her, "It's important that I find Syrena, the Unicorn who everyone knew would go rogue. She's the one we've been looking for, the one who will break the barrier and allow the Land of Unicorns to be revealed to other realms, possibly the other worlds and Universes."
"Then it is time. It is time the Unicorns revealed themselves," Avanna said, her voice distant but knowing.
Whipstaff placed his hands over his mother's, informing her, "Mother, I have to go back, but I promise you: I will return and help raise Casper, even if it means my life will be over. I have to try."
Avanna nodded, looking at him with a warm heart and a friendly smile. She placed her hand on his cheek, telling him, "And so you shall. Finish what you must do here, and then go. Hopefully, you'll come back. I've missed you."
"And I've missed you," Whipstaff said, hugging his mother one last time, before they returned to the parlor to see Casper playing with his toys.
.
Whipstaff waited until Revan, Carth, and J.T. McFadden were ready to go, before leaving the McFadden house. They took a carriage to the real estate brokers. It was in agreement that Whipstaff would sign the papers, granting his name as the title for the manor. Whipstaff Manor, as it were called.
At last, they reached the real estate building, with its brown brick walls and its wide front windows, nestled next to the front glass door. The group made their way inside, noticing the building's interior had wood paneled walls and blue painted walls above the wood paneling. Green leafy plants in large vases stood against the wall, as well as around the waiting room.
The group waited a couple of minutes, before they were summoned into a meeting room with two long, dark oak tables and wooden chairs. They looked up at the real estate broker, a man with a balding head and wearing a black Victorian style suit, entered the room with the paperwork and a black-and-gold pen.
"Here. Sign here, here, and here," the real estate broker said, sitting down next to J.T. McFadden.
Whipstaff exhaled, stunned by the paperwork. "Okay. Here I go." He took the black-and-gold pen from the real estate broker, signing the paperwork and handing it back to the real estate broker, along with the pen.
It was official. The manor was now called Whipstaff Manor. The manor's origin story was complete.
"That's it!" the real estate broker said, checking to make sure everything was settled and ready to go. It was, and so the transaction was complete. He turned to J.T. McFadden, telling him, "Now, we received your payment for the manor and the lot. Aslan sorted it out. So, there's nothing left to do. The Whipstaff Manor's lot is yours."
"That's wonderful to hear!" J.T. McFadden said, shaking hands with the real estate broker. "So, the manor will be built then? I want to add a basement as well. I'm sure there won't be any problems with it?"
"No. No trouble at all," the real estate broker said with a smile.
Whipstaff turned to Revan and Carth, asking them in a whisper, "Why does he need a basement?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Carth spoke, cryptically.
"Huh. That's interesting," Whipstaff said, following Revan, Carth, and J.T. McFadden out of the real estate building.
*.*.*
References:
Whipstaff Manor comes from the 1995 film, "Casper".