Match of the Millennium

Description: The soul of the child that was once Edenlith is now under the ownership and control of the witch Eadni. What fate is left for her, and what future can exist? It is all explained in a story.

[EADNI]
It starts in the black.

In the beginning, the world was void. Formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep. There is nothingness. There is only nothingness. ANd yet, the form of something was hovering over the waters. A soft, grandmotherly voice breaks over the void.

"Let me tell you a story, sweet child."

"Once upon a time, there was a precious little girl." The light is gone. A small girl, with hair of flaxen gold and eyes as blue and starry as the sky, is standing in the oblivion in a dress of woad. "Or, a precious little boy. It is of your choosing." At that word, a young boy is beside the girl, side by side, a mirror image of the girl in eyes and hair. Though he is wearing little pants held up by overalls, and a charming button up shirt to contrast with the fine blue dress of his sister.

"Do they look all right to you, sweet child?"

[EDENLITH]
Eden took a time to answer. She was mesmerized by what she was seeing. The little girl had such beautiful hair, and beautiful eyes. It was like watching the sun in the sky. She was so much prettier than she had ever been. At least in her mind. The boy was handsome in his own right too, but she had the attraction toward the little girl..

After a moment she speaks. "They are beautiful. She points at the little girl? "Could it really be me? I am not sure I could be as pretty as she is. But I would like to try." She gives her attention back toward Eadni. "Can I really try it?" The excitement could be felt, but she also wanted Eadni to be proud of her, make her happy. And there was this part, that it was all too good to be true, but at least, it wasn't all bad feelings. She even dares moving a little closer to the girl, but her attention stayed on Eadni until she got an answer.

[EADNI]
There is a small chuckle.

"Of course sweet child. I always prefer sweet daughters over sons." The details of the boy fade, as the spirit is placed within the precious little girl. "There. You can be as beautiful as you like to be, or as plain as you wish. So the boy and the girl were all alone in the deep, dark forest." The forest spreads all around the oblivion, the shadows bear the tall pines with branches too low and long. "Their wicked stepmother lured them out there, and left them all alone. They were alone, and afraid, but they could smell something so sweet and delicious in the air, far off the path." The smell of baked sugar and flour fill the air, mingled with sweet spices and the scent of pumpkin.

"What did you do next, sweet child?"

[EDENLITH]
She feels herself fully into the story. Right now she was the little girl. For a little, she loses herself completely in there.

Why did her step mother do that to herself and her brother. They tried to be good. Why is it not enough... Her nose picks up the scent, and it smells good. Should she go check it out... Yea she wanted that, wanted to go see. She doesn't let her brother alone though, she takes his hand.

After a moment, she is conscious again. She is part of the story, but she isn't the story. "I am going to go check it out, but I am going to be careful, because my brother is with me, and I don't think I want him to get hurt. So I am going to go with him, and hold his hand.

She does so, looking around at everything, a very curious child. At the moment, she was the girl, and watching the girl. It was a weird sensation, but she could take it. She says one more thing. "You're my mommy now, so you can tell me if..." She didn't know how to say it correctly, so she said it as best as she could. "You can tell me if you have mommy's suggestions."

[EADNI]
"Of course my sweet child."

The tone was so kind, so sweet, with every purr. "So then the brave little girl explores the deep dark forest, making sure to hold her little brother's hand to keep him safe. They soon found a great big beautiful house, made of tasty cookies and candies, and delicious treats, all standing on two strong bird legs. The house lowers down, sensing the hungry children. And they were hungry. The little boy could not help himself, and then came to pull apart the wonderful house, pulling away the walls of shortbread and steps of chocolate, to feast upon the house." There is a halting pause, before she asked. There was a strange edge to the words. "How did that make the little girl feel, to have such a naughty little brother?" Another pause.

"Do you need one of those mommy suggestions yet?"

[EDENLITH]
Eden thinks a moment. "Did this happened before?" She was confused since she was also the little girl.

She takes a moment to answer, but when she did, she was able to answer honestly. "I understand my brother is hungry, and they are all sugary treats, but, since he's younger than me, if someone gets upset, they will get upset at me, and that's not fair. I love my brother, but it's not always my fault."

After another pause, the soul looks up to her mommy. "I want to slap him, he needs to know for actions there are consequences, can I do that?" She ponders then adds. "Or would it anger you? I probably need to take decisions on my own, while listening to you too, because I don't know everything."

[EADNI]
"It is good that you want to slap him."

The grandmother's purr is sweet and gentle, coming out like a spoonful of treacle. "Good children should listen to big sisters as much as their mother. There is nothing wrong with a firm hand of discipline, sweet child. You should never be ashamed, for no matter how harsh you seem, it is as sweet as a lamb when compared to Your Mother." The boy looks up, and then, over to his older sister. There is fear in his eyes, as his mouth is stuffed with the candy goods. The narrator continues.

"So the good little girl strikes at the naughty boy."

The boy cries out in pain, tears coming from him. "Again and again, she beats him, slapping with her hand again and again. Tears build in the little boys eyes, but with every hit, he learns a little more. The food falls from his mouth." The boy sobs, covering his head, crouched over. "But the boys cries brought the attention of the owner of the house. What a stupid boy. But no matter how stupid he is, we can never stop loving him, can we? And before you can stop him from crying..."

"Then the children's new mother appears.

"She is an old lady, withered and hunched over as she rests on her cane." It almost looked exactly like Eadni, the hollow eyes, the long woody nose. "Peering from the doorway, she looks at the two children with hollow eyes. 'Nibble, nibble, like a mouse." She would say. 'Who is nibbling at my house?' The little brother was quite frightened, and feeling quite guilty. He then points at the good girl, the crumbs still falling from his cheeks. 'She was eating your house!' Your naughty little brother would say."

"How would that make you feel?"

[EDENLITH]
Eden genuinely smiles. "He gotta learn. We love, but we punish, for a reason." She nods her head. "I think most people don't understand. On both side of things." She frowns. "Some people hurt and punish for no reason, they just want others to suffer. And misbehaving people, whine because they get punish." She shakes her head. "Ok, back to what we are doing."

She ponders a moment. "My little brother is naughty again, and he deserves to be punished. I could hit him again, but if she is going to be our new mother I have to believe she is smart, and fair. The crumbs are falling from his mouth as he accuses me. I just open my mouth to show there is no food whatsoever in my mouth. I still would be angry if I got hurt because of my brother, but I have to see what my new mother do. I can't be like everyone else who is afraid of her, so it makes her a bad everything, automatically. Probably misunderstood is all.

[EADNI]
"Your mother believes you."

The narrator sounds so pleased at the good choices of the girl. "The mother can see that you are honest and good, and the boy is a liar who is hurting you. As quick as a whip, the mother is on him." The old crone is at him, moving as smooth and swift as a snake. Lashing an arm out, she seizes the boy by his shoulder, pulling him up like a suckling pig. "His arm is broken, but that is okay. You both are invited into the hut." The scene shifts. They are now inside a bustling hut, made of cookies and candies and pots and pans. A great oven is in there, and a cage. The boy is inside it, and the mother is patting the good little girl on the head.

'Such a good girl' She says.

"He is now in the cage. We are going to be fattening him up, he is too skinny. You are a good little girl, so you are working hard inside the house. Cooking. Cleaning. I trust you, because you are my good daughter. And most importantly, you must be my eyes." Everything gets distorted, astigmatism running through the room. Nothing is clear, and the mother comes to the cage. "When the mother comes to check the boy for how fat he is getting, the little boy has a cunning plan. He brings up a chicken bone, and the poor mother touches it. 'Hardly any meat on his bones. We must feed him more.' The poor mother cannot see that it is just a bone." And everything becomes clear again. The brother. The bone. And now, the little girl. "But you can, sweet child. The good little daughter can see clearly. Will she help the boy with his naughty prank against the mother?"

"Or will she reveal the ruse to her?"

[EDENLITH]
"I do my best because I want mother proud of me.I work hard, but she takes care of me in return."

She takes a deep breath, even though in soul form, she didn't really need to, some old habits are had to get rid of. "I am well aware I could help my brother, help him right now, and even get him away. I could break the trust of my mother, maybe kill her, but my brother already showed he was only looking out for himself. Sure he would be nice to meet now, if he figured I could get him out, but later on he would betray. I think mother will be fair and treat me well if I treat her well. I tell her what he is doing. I don't tell her what she should do to him. I am not a tattletale, I am not telling on him for revenge, but because I am looking out for mother and myself."

The soul looks at Eadni. "Can I speak freely to you? Not exactly related to the story?" She takes another false deep breath. "I understand certain things. I am damaged good, but I am not stupid."

[EADNI]
Eadni was almost pleased.

And it was smothering now. Words were silenced, responses culled. There was an unavoidable pressure now, as both the boy and the mother were staring at the little girl. She gave all the right answers, of course. She did everything good, and perfect, and well. But she interrupted the story in the wrong way. The mother's tone is restrained, and eternally patient. But every word comes with a heavy weight, almost a hiss as stern as a strict mother should be.



"All of humanity is a damaged good, sweet child."

The world changes, fluid filling it. The mother, the boy is gone. But the young girl is still there. It is warm, safe now, the walls of flesh quivering as the pounding sound of a heartbeat fills it. "From the moment it is born, every single one knows pain, fear, and loss." There is a light piercing the realm. The warmth and water was drawing away, as the safety is now rejecting her. "The unending loneliness of existence, ripped free from their mother into a cold, unkind world that is the existence." There is a scream, as lights and shapes erupt all around. Indistinct. Hostile. "From life... into death."

The screaming stops.

It is oblivion again, in the darkness. There is no little girl now. There is only a single light where the young girl once was. "I love you so dearly. You are not stupid. You are a bright, brilliant spark of life. I hope the story didn't frighten you." There is a murmuring chortle, from the motherly tones as the singular light of the wandering soul is left without its home once more.

"You can speak freely now, sweet child."

[EDENLITH]
Eden would displease her new mother with her last statement, and not because she did something to displease her, except speaking ill of herself. It was pretty new to Eden. She understands, or at least she thinks she understands. The two can be pretty different. "I sure hope not all kids grow into hate, but if they all do, I suppose I wouldn't be able to tell. Only my own experience to count on. I've seen other people, but only through my own eyes, and then, with the demon filtering too, once we shared the body.

She takes a pause, and shivers, at the screams and all. She doesn't speak for a moment, even as the screaming stop. She feels the lost of that new body. "No, you didn't scare me." She finally speaks again. "You've been testing me. You love me, and you must have been hurt too, because you would be someone called a monster, even the demon considered you as such. So because you fall in the category of monsters, maybe someone will try to "safe" me one day." One could almost feel the gesture of someone making double quotes with their fingers, just with her saying it.

A little pause then she continues. "They will try to take me away from you, not physically, as we can be apart and still be together, but turn my mind and heart against you, so that I see you as a monster too. You don't want to be hurt either. I don't think you're a monster, because you would feel pain if you poured your heart to me, and then I would leave you."

She tries to close her eyes, but she's a soul, so she can't. "You need and want certain things mom. Doesn't everyone? I need and want things too, but I will never want to be saved from you, because I need no saving from you. I am where and with whom I should."

Another useless breath and she says her last bit. "Tell me what you need and want to me mother, I can't promise I will be able to give it all from the get ago, or that I won't sometime disappoint you, but I will try my best. I love you Mother." She does, it can be felt.

[EADNI]
There is a soothing hush, a whispering murmur of a lullaby.

"A good daughter always want to make their mother pleased." It begins, a nuturing presence filling around her. "I am a monster, sweet child. But the world needs its monsters. Soon, a being of such incredible and destructive power will come, and dare to sweep away all of humanity. It must be appeased, my dear daughter. But humanity cannot bring itself to grant its appeasement. We must guide it, to ensure the balance of life and death. This is what I want you to do. But it will not bring you joy, poor child." The world begins to fill with earth and dirt. Flesh forms around the soul.

"Let me tell you another story."

"Lets make you something precious. A little bunny foo foo." A small, round, fluffy bunny is there, as a warren fills all around. The narrow burrow has roots and straw below, a cozy hole for it. "You can feel your soft tail, your floppy ears. Your little heart pounding in your chest. You are a princess with a thousand enemies. All the world will be your enemy. And whenever they catch you, they will try to take you away, or kill you. But first, they must catch you." There is a scratching sound in the warren. Something is digging down. "Is that the sound of a field mouse?"

"Or is it one of the thousand enemies?"

[EDENLITH]
She listens to her new mother, and calms down by nurturing presence she feels around. She speaks very softly. "Mother is a monster by necessity." She nods her head, and listens more, believing what she is hearing, why wouldn't she. "Nothing brings me joy, but I am loved." She almost murmur this time.

When she gets a new form, another meatbag around her, she gets a feeling for her body, it was an interesting experience. She murmurs again, or perhaps she mind speaks, she wasn't too sure. "Everyone but mother, is not to be trusted. If necessary, they can be worked with, but no trusted, but now I must go and see discreetly if it's a field mouse. If it is I need to bump it on the head. One day I will bump the Good fairy on the head too."

She tries to bring that new body closer, hopping around. At first she's not very graceful, but she learns quickly. She believes she is quiet enough, but was she? Who knows, it's a new body, and the senses are different in this one. She peeks. She's curious, would there be some bumping? Would there be some humping? Humping where did that come from? No humping. Bumping or getting away. Yea that was it.

[EADNI]
It was no field mice up there.

It might have been a fairy, but the towering shape of men was there. Bearing masks, armed with strange tools and weapons. They were spraying now, shooting a horrible smelling gas out from their strange machines. They were pointing, as the tools are raised. There is the sound of thunder, of lightning. And the ground near by explodes at the smell of sulfur and fire. "It's not the good fairy this time, it's not the field mice."

"You are being hunted."

A spade drives into the ground, as foul vapors fill the hole. Indistinct shapes move and shift. A whip of iron fragments lash out, a kind of whip sword winding and twisting like a snake across the ground. "That is what they will do, if you are a monster like mother. A beast. Prey... and predator." The rabbit begins to have its claws lengthen, it's fangs stretch over its lips. It's legs were powerful, ready for leaping and digging. Strength fills the rabbit, as far as its size remained small. But the line between beast and monster was clear now, as the mother whispers.

"Does this feel good to you, child?"

[EDENLITH]
Looks around, trying to see what makes the sounds, until she sees the men, they were so big and wore masks. Because a lot of men and women are afraid to show their real face when they do bad things, they are cowards. She is small they are big, they make all those noises, and smells, and it's not fun. She couldn't help but be scared at first.

But then Mother speaks again, and it calms her down. She then feels her claws lengthen like no ordinary rabbit would ever have, fangs with the same story, and she jumps ready to tear at a mask, and what is hiding beneath, just as mother speaks not higher than a whisper.

She takes a moment to answer. "I love the monster part. Do you think I could look human, but also be able to be a monster, when necessary? Would I be useful like that? Do you know what I imagine mother?" She never wanted to disappoint her mother, but she also seemed like she could speak of what was on her mind, instead of being scared of her and saying only things she wanted to hear. She still asks however, as there was a time for everything. If she couldn't say it now, she could at another time.

[EADNI]
There is death.

Violence, sweet violence plays out. The masked creatures taste like snips and snails and puppy dog tails, hardly the diet for even the most fierce lagomorph. And yet, the fear of the men and women was much sweeter. But they were fighting. A lash of steel brings real pain, real agony on the young rabbit. The beings attacking the rabbit, the rabbit attacking the creatures. Was this the story? And yet, the voice continues, chewing on the questions brought to her. "I never know the imagination of a child, sweet creature." The witch purrs with a meloncholy. "I only can see them play and frolic, as small creatures. There are many ways you can be useful. Is it as a good little girl, working at the hearth? Is it as a fierce creature, to draw away the hunters and the hunted?" There is a moment of pause, a crack of a rifle. And for a moment, the whole scene slows down to a stop.

"Why don't you try telling the story?"

[EDENLITH]
Eden fights, as the monster rabbit, but she also knows she is in a story. That's until she feels the real pain. After that for a moment, she loses herself into the story, getting more violent with the aggressors, until Mother's voice brings her back to the reality, she is in a story, yet she is not the being, not fully.

After a moment. "Oh. It's easy sometimes to lose myself in a story. Oops." She ponders the question. "I can be what Mother needs most. I can see myself in different ways.

She looks into her mind, before she speaks again. "I am a girl probably teenage girl. When my Mother needs me to, I go into the world, sometimes to get information. People are usually not afraid of a teenage girl. I do my best to not look vulnerable, or dangerous, unless the situation calls for it. Sometimes maybe Mother needs me to handle more serious matters. Maybe someone needs a lesson, or maybe I need to pause as a distraction so that certain people look my way and not toward's mother. Or maybe I defend mother, not that she can handle things herself... But for such things, I am not simply a teenage girl anymore, I am a monster. When I need to be, not necessary to be evil, but to do what most be done. Sometimes it may give the impression it is evil, but I can be whatever I need to be, I can be what Mother needs me to be. I am not simply a soldier. I don't follow orders because I must, I do what Mother needs because I love her, and if something unexpected happens, I can take a decision on the fly...

She takes a pause pondering on what she just said. "I might have a hero complex, well not a hero for the world, but for my new mother, because, I've never been necessary to anyone. I would like to be. This shows I have pride. I want mother to be proud of me.

After that, she goes silent. She said a lot. It might not have been perfect. She didn't try to be, she was honest, and she was ready to hear what was fine, what was wrong, and other things she might not even consider at the moment.

[EADNI]
And she listens, quietly.

The story reveals itself. A teenage girl, as the mind's eye reveals. The shape of Edenlith, a long-haired girl with stringy hair. A monster? The face twists, the reveal the monster within. There are no rabbits now. No violence. No hatred and war. A hero, a villain. And then, the girl fades, darkness once more. There is silence, as the mother considers. And she responds, a purr of warmth as the riddles renew.

"Let me tell you another story."

"All around the world, there are good children." The city of Southtown stretched around them. They are like a bird, flying through the air, until they reach the top of a tower. There, a grim, tired looking businessman stares out the window, contemplating quietly. They peer into the window. "Here is a precious little boy, who is all grown up, working hard as a leader of a very important corporation. I raised him to be as cold and ruthless as any monster, but he never will escape his mother's love." And the scene pulls away from the window, going down, down, down to the street. There, a tired looking young adult is dressed in the flashy costume of an idol, hair dyed blonde, as she signs pictures outside a seedy warehouse to a dozen fans. "And this one is a singer, I let her grow into a beautiful voice, where she sings and dances to crowds of tens and more." The street pulls away faster and faster, dragging into an alleyway. There is a homeless man in rags, unshaven and ragged, with a stare that was much too far away. "And this one was a man who spent his life hunting me, until he lost everything except his sweet mother. Three children, sweet child, who do not live with their mother, but live rich, fulfilling lives serving her."

"Can you guess why I can allow them to live so freely?"

[EDENLITH]
She watches what her words bring, she didn't think she could do that. She mumbles, it might seem like whining, but she simply didn't have much good memories in that body. "I wouldn't want to be Edenlith again." She says no more, she wasn't going to do a hour monologue of why not. Just straight to the point, but she just watches.

Then it fades and mother brings another story. She watches. The man, and she listens to the explanation on how he came to be, then it's the turn of the singer, and then the homeless man. She tries to think of their common points.

A moment passes and she gives the answer she can figure. "I think you can do that, because you showed them their path. Maybe listened to their needs, so they could put their personal touch into that path, but it is still you who guided them. They can then live freely, because you are always with them. It doesn't matter if you are 1 yard away from them, or a galaxy away, you're always with them." She looks at the Mother, when she is done talking. It could be wrong, she didn't have all the secret of the universe, just a mind that brought her to conclusions.

[EADNI]
"You understand, child."

The love of the Old Mother pours in, as the boundaries of the story weaken. "You do not need to prove your love. And a monster does not fit you. You deserve to be a good little girl. And you deserve the shape of your old life, without the corruption of that demon. You deserve a mother. And you deserve a childhood, and a life. Rafferty, that was his name, wasn't it? And Storm; that was the name you gave your precious kitten. You will not be Edenlith anymore. You will find your own path in friends, and animals, and creatures. It is settled then." The scene shifts away several hundred feet. The perspective changes. Slithering. Moving. It is a pale-skinned, waify teenager, dressed in old jeans and wearing a sweatshirt. She has a knife. She looks over to you, and averts her eyes, submissively.

"This is you now."

The girl looks up. Horror spreads across her face. She shakes her head, staggering backwards. You move closer to her, swaying as you creep at her. And the girl is running. Screaming. "'Please mother, she says. I did what I was told.' But that is all she did, child. She is not worthy like you are, to own such a shell." She turns to run down the alleyway. The homeless man is there. Eyes wild. Howling, frenzied madness. The waify teenager swipes her knife, as the man deftly seizes it from her wrist. He is howling, madness and rage pouring in.

"The children are there to catch the naughty sons and daughters who run away."

The girl staggers back, before she turns. The warehouses. As the crowd clears away, the idol was ready to leave. But the waif runs into the warehouse, opening the door that was open a crack, and shutting at locking it. And the idol is looking at you now. Looking directly at you, as you come closer. She nods wearily, as she comes to the door. She comes to the side entrance, and unlocks it.

"To open doors for us, when we need them opened."

You go through the entrance way, as you close in on the girl. She trips, and you are at her. In a moment, your long arm lashes out. and the screams stop. Her eyes grow distant. And then, a light comes out of it. A very familiar light, glowing bright. You feel yourself moving through, as the light shifts, moving from within into it. For a moment, you see the face of the hag, the craggy, wooden facade that stares into you. She is holding a soul light, as breath fills your lungs. Life fills you, are you find yourself into a new body. She steps outside, looking up at the windows. High above, the businessman stares down. And makes a phone call. No witnesses. No police. No break-ins. No incidents.

"And clean up messes."

Eadni speaks it aloud, as she turns back to the girl. In her hand, is a soul light. It is screaming, as she looks back. "That is the end of my story, I am afraid, child. You have a beautiful new life to begin. To go to your own school, to find your own friends. And when you find ones that deserve a mother's love? You will catch them. You will open doors. You will give them to me. And you will clean up messes. But sweet child, I will offer you a second gift."

"What will be your new name, my handsome daughter?"

[EDENLITH]
She watches the girl... no not the girl. It was going to be her vehicle now, because the previous owner had not use it as her own. She was more like a puppy, waiting for Mother to give attention and tell her what to do. The old Eden, now understood. Mother wanted to be herself. She wanted to become her own soul, so she could be her own girl. A girl that helps Mother, but does not live only for her. She has to use the body to become her full potential, something she was denied before.

"This is me now, she repeats." She watches. "She wasted this body's potential and her own too. If she's going to be a slave, she can stay in a cage. There is no freedom in simply obeying. You want freedom for your children so they are them. We are not robots, I understand."

She follows the whole thing, now more silent, as she spoke of her realization, and at the moment there was nothing more to say. Eadni had taught her lessons no one else, not even her parents could. Strangely, the closest other person that taught her anything, had been the demon, and at that moment, she wishes the Demon too, to have a good life.

Then the perspective changes, and she is in her new body. It's like it was made for her. She never had as much control before, not since she could remember. She moves her limbs, no clear goals. She simply moved them because she could. She then sees the crone, her mother. "You're beautiful mother. You might be a monster to most, but you will always be my beautiful mother, that really gave birth to who I should be." She gives a sincere smile. The darkness in her soul, had eased, because if someones would would call humans, could act worse than monsters... Well the opposite was true, what we call monsters could act better than humans. "I will Mother. I will live my own life, and you will be watching, and if you need anything, you will let me know, and I will help, not because I have to, not because I live only for you, but because I love you." She ponders the question. "My name is Ambrosia." She bows her head, sure of this, it was her now, and she kept smiling, awaiting, still moving her body, because it was hers, and no one that was suppose to love her, wanted to damage that body or soul, the one that loved her, wanted her to grow and open like a flower. She would.

[EADNI]
Eadni holds the soul aloft.

The stories have reach their end. It was now time to put souls to rest. But the Old Mother had lost a daughter, and gained a daughter. "Ambrosia. What a lovely name." Was the cold purr of the witch. "I will make my arrangements, sweet child. You will have your soil to set your roots. You will have your food and light to grow. Your light will burn brighter than you can possibly imagine, Ambrosia." The witch clenches her long fingers around her old daughter's soul.

"Make your mother proud."

Log created on 10:03:25 06/10/2021 by Eadni, and last modified on 16:25:01 06/11/2021.