The Letter

Knock Knock Knock, Ding Dong Ding Dong, Knock Knock Knock

“Pick a noise!” she yelled angrily towards the front door. She hated being shocked awake. She hated it more when people both knocked and rang the door bell. she swung her legs out of bed and checked for phone for the time 9 am. She walked down the stairs nearly tripping over the cats tail. She opened the front door moodily, the cat beside her. He never left the house.

“Can I help you? I’m not expecting a package and I don’t know my neighbours. ” She said.

The man wore a boring brown jumpsuit, definitely not a royal mail deliverer.

“Are you Hollyann Fields?” The man asked

“Yes, why?”

The man didn’t reply he just handed her some papers sealed with an old fashioned wax seal. Then he walked away. Curious she closed the door and went inside. She picked the seal open and read the letter. Then she sat down and read it again. After the fifth time she took the letter up stairs with her, grabbed her phone and rang her grandfather.

“Hello” came the gruff voice of age

“Granddad It’s Hollyann”

“I only have one grand child you don’t have to say that stupid name. I have no money for you. Go be a burden on someone else.”

Hollyann rolled her eyes, she and her grandfather did not get along. He had hated her father and blamed him for the car accident that had killed her parents. He had done his duty to raise Hollyann after they passed but he still made it known she was only tolerated.

“Look you cantankerous old fool. I only want information, not money.”

“Not sure I have that either but ask if it will get you off the phone.”

Hollyann wasn’t fooled by the remark she knew her grandfather had a curious streak, he wanted to know the question.

“I got a letter today to say I’ve been summoned to some court”

“I don’t want to hear it! go to jail it’s where you belong if you have done something so stupid you got a summons”

“No granddad its not like that, the letter says Ann Waters has died and as the only remaining female I have to take her place… Granddad?”

Hollyann’s grand father had gone silent, she could hear his breathing so she knew he was still there.

“That can’t be possible. Ann waters was my mother. She, she. It can’t be true. Come to me. Come to me now. I need to see that letter.” He hung up.

Hollyann stared at her phone in disbelief. He had sounded shaken and scared. He had never invited her round to his house since she had moved out ten years previously. She was suddenly very anxious. she dressed quickly, fed the cat and drove to his house as fast as she could.

Once she got there, letter in hand. Her grand father opened the door, snatched the letter and went inside. Leaving her on the door step. She sighed and followed him in. He sat at the kitchen table reading it, in the same position she had been. It was a shame he disliked her so much as they were so alike. She stood silent as he read and re-read the letter three times. Then he looked up at her in disbelief.

“I thought it was an elaborate lie to a young child but its true.” he said

“What?”

“Sit down child and I’ll tell you all I know.”

When her grand father had been a young child his mother had gotten a similar letter. She had disappeared that day, never to be seen again. His father had told him the women in the direct bloodline had to go to a place, somewhere secret. They must leave everything behind. He had thought his mother had just left him. When his own daughter hadn’t got the same letter he believed it was a lie even more. Now looking at his own grand child he was confused.

“You must go.” he said handing her the letter back. “Go now. Take the cat.”

Hollyann stared at him.

“How did you know I had a cat?”

The cat had turned up on her door step the month before and had refused to leave so she had kept him. She had not spoke to her grand father in over a year since the last fall out.

“My mother, a cat turned up right before she left, It’s some sort of sign.”

He put his hands over his face and started to cry. Hollyann was so afraid, she didn’t know what to do so she left him there and went home. She opened her front door. There was the cat, sitting on the steps waiting for her as always.

“Who are you?” she asked him puzzled. He looked at the letter then cocked his head to the side watching her as she watched him.

Meallo he said. Hollyann looked at him

“Did you just meow hello at me?”

The cat nodded. Hollyann shook her head, too much excitement for one day, now she thought the cat was talking to her. She walked into to the kitchen to put the kettle on. The cat, of course, followed.

“I’m sick of that crap in jelly you keep giving me, Give me some of that nice ham out of the fridge you treated me with last night. Oops, clumsy.”

Hollyann had dropped the mug she was going to use for her tea. She stared at the cat then went to the fridge and got out the packet of ham. She put it on the kitchen table and he started to eat it. Still watching the cat she reached for the bottle on the bench. The cat had his back to her, but still some how knew what she was doing.

“Bit early isn’t it?”

Hollyann glanced at her watch 12.05 pm. She grabbed a tumbler and poured in a generous measure of rum and topped it up with Pepsi.

“It’s past mid day and it’s always five o’clock somewhere” She said to the cat.

She had decided to just roll with this strange dream or mental break down, whichever it was.

“You are not dreaming or having a mental break down. You just need to know what is going on.” the cat replied to her thoughts.

He had turned to face her after finishing the ham, he sat licking his lips, staring at her. Hollyann stared right back.

“So explain then, cat. What? Am I going to Hogwarts? Are we not in Kansas anymore? Toto.”

“No, no and definitely not. My name is Quillan, or if you prefer Quill for short. Not Toto.”

Hollyann stared at him.

“Ok Quill. Explain please.”

Hollyann sat in the chair in front of him.

“Firstly let me reassure you with some facts. When you go in the bath or shower, the water is always the purrfect temperature. You prefer rainy days to dry days. You love thunder and lightning, the sea calls to you and calms you when you visit it. Put that glass down, cup your hands. look at the liquid in the glass, concentrate and imagine it is now in you hands. Don’t think. Just do as I say.”

Hollyann did as he asked. The glass shook then spilled into her hands. She gasped and leapt up away from the table.

“How did you know? How did I do?”

“You are gifted by water. you must go to the court and train. Your grand mother died shortly before I was sent to you.”

“I’m magic?” Hollyann said looking at the glass now spilled on the table.

“No. I did not say magic, I said gifted, please pay attention as I haven’t much time. The others there will help you harness your gift, use it to do good.”

“so, is there a earther, winder and firer there too?”

“It just so happens that your name coincides.It’s nothing more than a coincidence. There are many women there who are gifted like you, yes.”

“But-”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Quill jumped of the table and went towards the door.

“That will be your ride.”

Hollyann stared. She didn’t want to know who or what was on the other side of the door. It didn’t seem to matter though. The door opened and a woman came in. She was young and beautiful.

“Hello, I sensed you were confused. You shouldn’t be as we told your grand father enough. Ah, men.”

she sat down in the chair Hollyann had left.

“My name is Fleta, we are. Well I don’t know really, lets say cousins. In our family the women, not all, some are gifted.”

She waved her hand at the spilled rum, a gust of wind seemed to lift it back into the glass. She took a sip.

“Very nice, bit too much rum for my taste but, I know you have had a shock today.”

“I don’t understand” Hollyann managed to say.

“That’s the family secret, every family has one. Ours is a gift. Water, wind, fire, stones. We built Stonehenge you know. Your great grand mother just died so you have been called to take her place. We will train you, keep you safe, and the extra life span always comes in handy.”

“But I’m an only child, I’m all that’s left.”

“Ah, can you guess the secret? The reason your grandmother could finally leave us.”

“No, I, no” Hollyann’s head was spinning, this was too much, It couldn’t be real.

“Well that no good waste of space you just broke up with did one thing right.” She pointed at Hollyann’s stomach.

Hollyann’s hands instinctively went down to hold herself

“No, I’m”

“Yes.” Fleta winked

“Now, lets get you and the little one out of here.”