CHAPTER 3 - The Lunar Sisters

“Hold your hands like this.”

She followed that gentle voice. She held up her tiny hands and held them together as if she wanted to collect the raindroplets. Her small face shone with curiosity.

The gentle woman's voice spoke once again, “Now focus on the middle of your hands, imagine there is a light flying in.”

That small girl immediately imagined it. Her eyes were completely locked into her hands. In her mind, she saw that a light appeared in her hands. When the mind's vision became clearer, empty hands welcomed some tiny lights that came lying in. A smile burst on her face.

“Oh, look. You’ve succeeded.” That gentle voice became elated. “Now, inhale through your mouth. Imagine you are inhaling a sweet jelly into your mouth.”

The girl once again followed the instructions. She swallowed the air as if she was eating tasty jelly from a big bowl.

“Good. Now blow it slowly. Like a soft breeze smothered your body.”

The little girl blew the light softly. When the air hit the grouping lights, the light dispersed into smaller lights like fireflies floating in the air. The small lights expanded into the air and shone in the dark forest.

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When Echo opened her eyes, she was welcomed by the darkness. Her hazy mind immediately faded away and finally pulled her back to reality. Her hand pushed the soft mattress and raised her body. She gently rubbed her eyes.

“I’m not at Masters’...”

She observed the dark room all around her. It was already night when she woke up. “I must have accidentally fallen asleep.” She remembered she was tidying her and cleaning her new room. Her tired body became heavy so she decided to lie down for a while. Now what it looked like as ‘a while’ was actually extended until night.

She jumped from her bed and walked to the window. When she peered outside, she saw the dark sky illuminated by the stars and a moon. Although she was far away from her home, the sky was still the same everywhere. The loneliness that weighed her heart went away for a little.

She held up her hands, just like she did in her dream earlier. Lights gathered together forming a ball in her hands. As she blew the lights away, the darkness in front of her instantly became more beautiful with tiny lights floating around. A tiny smile curved in her mouth.

As she was savouring the tranquil view, she heard a loud grandfather clock’s bell echoing loudly from inside the building. “It is already 12 o'clock?” Echo retracted herself from the window. She reached for the lamp on the nearest table and cupped the top of the candle with her hands. It was indeed magic, when she opened up her hands, the flame already lit up. In turn, the room was partially illuminated.

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The bell still echoed non-stop. Echo walked to the door and peeked outside. Her eyes met with the barely lit and quiet hallway. There was no one there. However, she was sure the feeling was right. It felt like the bell sound was summoning her to where it came from. Her interest grew and she decided just to follow the sound.

She walked through the hallway and followed all the way to the ground floor. When she walked down the spiral stairs at the main hall, the bells became louder and clearer. She was sure she had come to the right path. Her head kept turning only to see the lifeless surroundings. No one was there. And the bell rang for a considerably long time.

“Is there no one here?” She whispered to the quiet hall.

Echo searched for the source. Her eyes fell on the double door located at the back of the hall. She was sure it came from there. She pushed the big doors slowly and met with candles that lit the hallway. She stepped onto the path carefully. Further down, the space became brighter until she found a room full of candles. She paused.

“Uhh, what are we doing here?” Echo looked at the multiple-robed figures with their hoods on. They were gathered together in the circle with a candle in each hand. In that room, Echo found the grandfather clock that had been ringing since a while ago.

One of them finally spoke, “At midnight, we all gathered.”

“When the clock finger touched the middle top,” another voice followed suit.

“In the dark sky, the moon is hanging, alluring the lives underneath.”

“As life slumbers, the sisters chuckle in amusement.”

“As life falls silent, the coven converges under the moonlight.”

The voice continued from one another. And then fell into silence once again.

“Please go to the middle.” One of them instructed Echo to move into the circle. Echo just obeyed and placed herself in front of everybody.

“Now, we will start our coven oath.” A familiar voice spoke out. “Our new sister, please hold up your hand.”

Echo put out her hands like she did in her room earlier. When she did that, the other robed figures also held up their hands all together. The light appeared on their hands and floated to the ceiling.

“O, Moonlight. Guide our new sister to the secrets behind your door.”

The light fell into Echo’s hand and then exploded. She impulsively closed her eyes with the sudden brightness. The bell had stopped ringing. The room suddenly brightened up. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a moon brooch in her hand.

“Now, now. Let’s welcome our new member, sisters.” The girl earlier removed her hood and revealed her short bob hair. The other also copied the gesture and revealed the familiar faces from the day earlier.

“Is that a welcoming ritual?” Echo asked her.

The other oldest girl, Bethe joined in, “Yes. Now you are a part of our witch coven, The Lunar Sisters. Let’s get along with each other from now on.”

Echo looked at Bethe and changed her focus to the brooch she got. She stared at the moon-shaped ornament.

“You can put that on your robe,” said Morgana as she pointed the same brooch on her dress.

The unfamiliar feeling burst out from the hidden corner of Echo’s heart. It was like the still water in the isolated pool broke through the fortress, flowing into the river.

A clap pulled Echo back into the room. “Now, let’s welcome our new student.” Rowan was also here. “Here is everyone’s gift to you.” She gave one big clap and something glittering appeared in the air. The sparkle came to hug Echo and shiny light covered her.

In a flash, Echo changed from her old dress to the cedar-coloured uniform like everyone else. The bright smile burned in excitement as Echo twirled around in her new dress.

Rowan’s motherly smile praised Echo. “It looks good on you.”

“Thank you.”

The tiredness from her journey suddenly disappeared like thin air. The excitement from earlier had come to grow even more. She couldn’t wait for more new encounters. Finally, she felt her long, arduous journey felt more worthwhile.