Sirenia's Gift

Sirenia's Gift

“Sirenia, wake up Darling,” said Mother as she tries to rouse me from my sleep.

“No, go away Mother,” I moan from underneath my nice soft comforter.

“Sweetheart, I need you to wake up. I know it's early but it's your 18^th birthday and I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? All right, I'm up. What is it, Mother?” I ask as I rub the sleep from my eyes.

My Mother, who has almost the same amount of patience as Job, looks endearingly upon me and hands me a plain wrapped gift. Completely awake now, I sit up holding this strange package in my hands; feeling the warmth and heft coming from it. The one word that pops into my mind is 'ominous.' But why should a seemingly innocent looking package make me think that? I brush it off and I start to unwrap it.

Slowly, so not to rip the paper, I ease open the strings that hold the package bound. The paper falls away to reveal a book. But just not any book but a really old leather bound book. It's soft from years of being handled. Instantly, I am excited. I love books. They are my passion and my escape from my up to now boring life. I breathe in the scent of the history of those that have come before and gently open it.

“This book is more than 100 years old,” Mother tells me. “It has been in our family for many generations and like many others before you, you will be fulfilling it's prophecy.”

“Prophecy?” I cannot help but laugh. My Mother looks over at me with disappointment in her eyes.

“Sirenia, be serious. All of the women from our family have received this book at the dawn of their 18^th birthdays, me included. Now it is your turn and I am so proud to be able to pass this down to you. You are the last of our line. I can bear no more children and we have yet to see if you will have any in your future.”

I look down upon the first page. I see all of the names of the women that have come before and I am suddenly filled with pride. Under Mother's name is mine, freshly scrawled with today's date. I open to the next page and see what Mother has been telling me about since I woke up. There is indeed a prophecy. All of the women in my family for generations have all been Scryers. I look up at Mother in confusion.

“What does this mean, Mother?”

“It means you can see into the future, darling,” Mother strokes my hair. “I know it seems difficult to understand now but that is what the book is for. You are a Scryer. It has been foretold since the beginning of our family that every woman that is born will carry the gift and so the mantle has now been passed onto you.”

I am struck speechless. Me, a Scryer. Nope, no way, no how. This is not something that I can ever imagine let alone be.

“Mother, there must be some kind of mistake. I think I would know if I had been imbued with magic. I mean seriously, is this a joke?”

Mother sighs, “No, Sirenia, this is not a joke. Haven't you ever felt deep down that maybe you were meant for something greater than this life? Maybe felt like you weren't living up to your full potential?”

“No, I have been content with my life, if not maybe a little bit bored perhaps. But, I just figured that was normal for a person my age.”

“It can be but in your case, there is normally a sense of yearning, a sense of something missing. Don't you feel like that? At all?”

I thought about it. “No, I haven't felt anything like that. Just occasional boredom. Okay, maybe we should move on from this? Tell me about how this all began, Mother?”

Mother makes herself more comfortable on the bed before answering. “It all started a long long time ago. Back in those times living was so much more difficult. My great great great Grandmother Iris was praying in the cathedral in her village. Her husband had come down with the sickness of the lungs and she was praying ardently for answers. She prayed and asked for a way to know if he was going to live or die.”

“In the midst of her prayers, she was startled into opening her eyes by a bright glowing white light. She was almost blinded except for the creature that was in the middle of that bright light. It looked like a dark shape, but then once her eyes adjusted she could indeed see that it was actually a man, not a creature, in the middle of that light. He was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes upon. Long flowing locks that looked like lightening bolts, eyes that were like the bluest crystals. The whitest robe she had ever seen on anyone.”

And he spoke to her, “Iris, do not be afraid for God has heard your prayers and has sent me to comfort you. Because of the purity of your prayers, I am here to bestow a special ability upon you and that of your line. In the coming years, all of the women of your bloodline will be able to see into the future.”

“I will show you how and then you will pass it down onto your descendants. Take a vessel of water. Place your hands above it, praying over it what you want to see. And, lo, it will be shown to you in a vision in the water. But, beware, the ability can only be established on the dawn of their 18^th birthdays. And it must remain a secret. If anyone tells anyone outside of your family then it will be taken away.”

“ 'I must leave you now Iris,” he says as he lays his hands upon Iris' head. Then in the blink of an eye he was gone. Iris awoke as if it had all been a dream. She immediately left the cathedral and ran all the way home. Slamming open her front door, she grabbed the very first pot she could see.”

“She filled it with water and placing her hands above it; starts praying for all her worth to know if the vision was true. With tears streaming down her closed eyes, she vehemently prays harder than she ever has before. And then suddenly, a light appears causing her to open her eyes. In the pot she sees her husband hale and whole playing with their children. She thanks God and immediately seeks to write down everything in a book.”

“So, you see, Sirenia, that is the book that I now give to you. It is your responsibility to make sure no one else ever knows about it except for your own bloodline. What do you think of your surprise now?” Mother asks while again stroking my hair.

I am in a state of shock. My family? My seemingly normal albeit boring family? “We have super powers?” I ask.

My Mother sighs heavily. “No, we do not have super powers. We have been blessed with a very rare gift from God. Only He grants us the power and the ability to do what we do. Do you have anything else to say about this?”

I scrunch up my face in thinking. I think about all the feelings I have had over the years. Have I ever felt special or empowered? No. I have just felt normal every day feelings. Maybe I am stunted? “Mother? Why is it that I have never seen anything strange or odd coming from you through all of these years?”

Mother laughs. “I know how to keep a secret, and yes, before you ask your father knows. He considers a great comfort to be able to know what we should do in tight situations. Honestly, it has helped us to increase our faith in God. Because, after all, only a God of such power and strength could give us the ability to do what we can do. I know you may feel as if you don't have what's necessary to do this but I can assure you that that's not the case. The power comes from God. You're just the conduit. The most important part of this is to have faith. And the more your faith grows, the stronger your abilities become.”

“When can I try this?” I ask.

“Well, your father will waking up soon. But, we can try it before he awakes.”

Mother moves off of my bed and picks up the bowl of water that she had placed on the floor before waking me up. “Here, now holding this bowl in your lap, pray and ask God what you want to see in your future. Place your hands above it while you pray and wait and see what happens.”

I take a deep breath and lift my hands over the bowl of water. I close my eyes and think about all of the questions about my future I have thought of lately. One thought keeps popping into my mind. Besides finding out that I am a Scryer, what else am I meant to be? I start praying and lo and behold there is a bright light that shines out of the bowl. Mother and I both look into it seeing a vision of me putting books away in the library. I smile with abundant joy. It works!

“Sirenia, what did you ask to see?”

“I asked to see what I was meant to do in my life besides being a Scryer.”

“Are you happy with what you have seen?”

“Yes, I am ecstatic actually because you know how much I love books.”

Mother hands me the newspaper that was lying on my bedside table. “I see here that you have circled the ad for a Librarian assistant.”

“Yes, I was really thinking on it but I wasn't sure. It's a big step and I wanted to make sure that whatever I picked for my future was the right thing to begin with. I wanted to know which path to take.”

Mother smiles at me. “Well, you definitely got your answer. I wish many blessings upon you, my Sweet Child. May you always be happy in whatever endeavors you choose. She kisses my forehead. “Now, I think it's time to come downstairs and have your birthday breakfast. I will go wake your father up.”

She closes my door softly behind her and I cannot help but smile within myself. This whole time I thought I was nothing special but then God goes and surprises me and shows me that He made me special. He made me the way He wanted me to be and sitting here in my bed, on my 18^th birthday, I have never been more happy or content.

The End