The Message

Sarah was exhausted and lay down in bed, tired, weary, and spent with pulling staples from the wooden boards most of the day. As she tried to relax, she couldn’t help but think of how different her life would be if her and Ed had chosen the beach front condo instead. They could be enjoying cool breezes and warm sunshine year-round with zero maintenance on their part. Sarah’s husband Ed had been harboring this deep yearning to buy a grand old Victorian mansion. After years of convincing Sarah that he could refurbish an old mansion and flip it, making them financially secure, she finally conceded. They sold their little cottage and purchased a gothic Victorian fixer-upper that needed a helluva lot of TLC. Built in 1790 on a secluded lot, the home consisted of 5,000 square ft. with garrets, turrets, dormers, and wide wrap-around porches. There were several small rooms with irregular walls. In the back was a run-down stable that also needed a lot of work. Another small structure, away from the house showed extensive fire damage. Though ornate and charming even in its dilapidated condition, Sarah was hard pressed to find the motivation that Ed was bursting with to undertake this gigantic project. All in all, it had character, but after three months of toiling, Sarah could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Her love for Ed kept her going but she was reaching the end of her tether. She wished they could hire a couple people to help them so they could expedite the renovation process and list it for sale as soon as possible. This would allow them to move on to that chic condo she so desired.  Sarah fell into a hypnagogic state as she imagined herself sunbathing in the warm rays by the Ocean.

Sarah was walking by one of the small dark rooms and noticed the little spider plant that was placed in the windowsill had dropped to the floor. She entered the room to retrieve it, as she grasped the fallen roots, the plant grabbed both of her hands and she felt powerless. She tried to free herself but lacked the strength to do so. She looked up helplessly and her gaze fell upon a creeper of flowers on the wall that started singing like a chorus in a hypnotic fashion and lured her into submission. A white stallion approached and whisked her off into an abyss. With a pounding heart, Sarah noticed that they were approaching a vast terrain with rock like formations and no vegetation. There were a few structures that looked like tall skinny ghosts, white and eerie, with little cutouts that looked like eyes, but no one in sight. The dark ominous sky above was a stark contrast to the pale stone below. There was not a soul to be seen as they rode deeper and deeper into this vast nothingness. The horse was galloping with a mission, steady and determined. Although the moon was not visible, yet the horse could clearly see his way and galloped with an uncanny confidence.  

Suddenly, Sarah found herself on the harsh cold stone below and the white stallion morphed into an old man with flowing white hair and a long beard. His dark eyes beckoned her attention in a compelling, commanding way.  Although shocked by this transformation, Sarah felt no fear. She looked at this man from head to toe, sensing some familiarity. Where had she seen him before? He did not resemble anyone she knew, yet she felt she knew him. He did not utter a single word; he locked his eyes in her gaze and seemed to communicate in this fashion. Sarah felt paralyzed, there was a powerful silence.

The silence was broken by a thunderous sound in the skies above, caused by lightning like waves of lines in vertical and zig-zig shapes which illuminated the dark space. The seer then handed Sarah an antique looking brown package. When Sarah unwrapped the brown package, there was a peculiar contraption which roughly resembled a pendulum. There were two parallel wooden hangars with a column in between filled with blue turquoise stones. The turquoise stones glittered when a candle-like flame arose from the center, pointing up and the seer smiled his approval. With a slight of hand, the seer turned the flame into a blaze of fire in which Sarah was stunned to see an image of her likeness seated in a chair with hair piled high in a small top knot and pince-nez glasses. She was dressed in period clothing with a handmade shawl thrown over her shoulders and appeared to be from another era.  There was something intriguing about this extraordinary vision.  This lady appeared to be middle aged and sat facing a half-painted canvas that was propped by an archaic looking easel made of wood and metal. The painting depicted figures of birds which seemed to be flying in all directions as if they were searching for something. Sarah was transfixed by this remarkable picture. As she was wondering what all this meant, the seer had a knowing look on his face.  Dramatically, the fire expanded around and engulfed this lady who turned into ashes much to Sarah’s horror. She felt a lump in her throat and looked at the seer who seemed to convey that the past of Sarah’s cords was tied behind her, in the very home she now inhabited.

Sarah awoke the next morning feeling exhilarated. The realization dawned on her that she was called to this home for a specific reason. This was her home, there were some tasks that were left unfinished. She would have to convince Ed about her status change, this was not a home to be flipped anymore, rather an heirloom to be handed down to the generations. There was a bounce in her step and a new vigor to her body. As she dressed for another hard day at work, she was now more determined that she had ever been to restore this mansion to its former glory and finish her mission for this lifetime.