Days, weeks, months, maybe even a year, the passage of time had escaped them inside the temple. They watched the sun rise and set, the seasons come and go and their own appearances slowly changing.
There was no calendar and the only way Margaret was sure time had long since passed ever since they arrived in this strange place was the way their hair had grown longer and how fast Asha was growing up before her eyes. Her own black locks had reached past her hips and her daughter’s cute little bob cut had grown shoulder length.
The significant addition in Asha’s height and the desperate need for bigger clothes was another thing that came to Margaret’s immediate attention. Her daughter’s growth spurt had begun and she had gone from being four feet tall to being four foot three.
It exasperated Margaret who was a rather short woman. She was only five foot tall! At this rate her daughter would be taller than her at 12 years old.
The scramble for new clothes proved to be a challenge, a lot of clothes in the quarters were meant for adults. Not a single scrap of anything came close to fitting her daughter at her current stage. Which made sense but a small part of Margaret had hoped there would be at least some.
She had no choice but to put her modest tailoring skills to use and make her daughter new sets of clothes from the old ones she found. Her fairy princess dress wasn’t practical for everyday use anyway and Asha wouldn’t fit in it even if she wanted to.
Margaret herself made do with the clothes that were available. A vintage looking white blouse with long puffy sleeves, brown loose-fitting trousers and a pair of sandals she found in the room filled with priestly looking robes. None of the other articles of clothing available to them fit her aside from those but it was better than nothing for the mean time.
She began to notice that she had changed as well, her skin was becoming brighter, the sickly pallor she had was nearly gone and so were the bags under her eyes. She had gained a bit of weight during this time as well. No longer the skinny twig she used to be.
After the first night they managed to find a lush garden full of fruits and vegetables near a field of wheat growing inside the temple. Margaret quickly put her foraging and cooking skills she had learned during her time as a girl scout to good use to make her daughter hearty meals as they continued to explore.
Thinking it would run out if she took too much, she always made it a point to take only what she needed. Though the bounty never seemed to fade. It would always grow back so quickly the next day. Still, she remained cautious. If something seemed too good to be true, it most likely was.
A motto she applied during their explorations in the temple to always remain vigilant in the first week of their stay. Determined, Margaret decided to take whatever spare clean pieces of paper she could find and started to draw various maps of the temple. They’ve only managed to explore three floors after what seemed to be a week but hadn’t managed to find the exit yet.
In part due to the ever-changing structure of the building. The corridors would rearrange themselves and create new hallways and dead-ends every time it seemed like they were getting close to the exit. Other times it would lead to even more confusing environments which Margaret stayed away from due to the sheer size and uncertainty.
Sometimes she came across an entrance to a place with massive islands floating in the air and an endless abyss below. A room filled with filled water and nothing else but the open sky with the clouds close enough to touch. A giant tree with crimson leaves that never stopped falling and an endless forest filled with eerie silence.
Asha would always want to play in them, why wouldn’t she? It must have been so magical for a child to see but her mother was wary. Scared she might run too far where Margaret wouldn’t see and get into some sort of trouble. It became a habit for Margaret to turn back whenever she came across those rooms. Pushing aside her own sense of amazement and wonder to discover more in favor of protecting her daughter.
One way or another they would always find their way back to the main hall of the temple or to one of the other rooms before the sunset.
And because of that neither of the map’s Margaret made were ever truly useful. Every single time. Just as she thought she finally had the exit pinned down or at least had a map that seemed promising, the temple would always turn the tables on her and force her to start all over again.
Map after map and day after day of constant searching. Margaret had grown so familiar with the way the temple shifted and felt. The way it seemed so cold and lonely, like it was waiting for people who would never come. How there were so many personal thing’s they’d find in some of the rooms. Old coats mended by patchwork, pendants and silver rings, carefully crafted letters and the words engraved underneath every portrait and carving.
Broken statues and shattered fresco’s which whispered memories of forgotten devotion.
She wouldn’t admit it but it came to the point where she was genuinely afraid of the possibility that she’d never wake up from this dream. Or worse, that this WAS reality. That by some cruel or kind twist of fate she and her daughter were brought to a strange new place for a chance at a second start.
But could this even be called a new beginning if they had no choice in weather they got to stay or not? Forced into isolation in a foreign place with no answers and no escape in sight?
Yes, they weren’t in any apparent danger and they had what they needed to survive. But what about Asha? She was growing up alone without any friends and no proper education. Margaret could only teach her so much with the little they had to work with.
Asha would miss all the milestones she had looked forward to so much. Graduating elementary school, being able to join the soccer club like Asha had wanted so much ever since she saw the older students at her school playing soccer. And getting into the honor roll in the hopes that her father would finally start paying attention.
And Asha’s father he-
. . . . . . .
Would he be alright without them?
If . . . .
If they really were gone, brought to this unknown place, to this new world. Would he be alright? No matter what they’ve been through or how much he’s hurt her, Margaret could never be able to hate her husband. Even if she tried her hardest to hate him and curse his name for the rest of her life, a part of her would always love him.
She couldn’t explain it herself, that gnawing feeling in her gut the way her heart ached at the thought of him. The yearning for better days.
Every day she always –
Never really stopped –
When everything was . . . .
Or maybe it was just her? Always been her, if only she’d-
No. Stop.
Pull yourself together, Margaret. If you break down, what will happen to Asha?
All of those dreams would never come true if they weren’t able to escape this wretched place.
She had to focus for them to even have a chance at leaving.
Margaret promised that even if she couldn’t give her daughter the life she truly deserved, she’d always try her best to support her and make her dreams come true. She hated how powerless this place made her feel.
Here, there was nothing else she could do but try her darndest and while taking care of Asha. There had to be some way out of here.
She didn’t believe God or any sort of cosmic entity would be so cruel as to trap them inside such a lonely place. She refused to believe it. There had to be some meaning to this, a purpose that she just didn’t understand yet.
Her little girl was counting on her to find a way out. She had to keep trying, no matter how many times she has to navigate this never-ending maze, despite the days it seemed to be impossible, despite the despair she felt in her heart with each failure.
But fate had other plans.
And the longer this went on the harder it became for Margaret to ignore the strange thing’s happening to her daughter.
image [https://i.imgur.com/gAMPx57.png]
It started in winter
When seasons passed, summer turning to fall and soft beds of white snow blanketed the once fertile ground.
Margaret couldn’t forget the first time she and Asha first saw the snow falling down from the sky. They’ve never seen winter before and Margaret herself couldn’t deny the childlike wonder and amazement bubbling upside her.
Margaret couldn't help but feel a sense of childlike wonder and excitement bubbling up inside her as she watched the snowflakes drift gently from the sky, each one a tiny miracle in its own right. And when Asha's delighted laughter echoed through the crisp winter air, Margaret knew that she wasn't alone in her amazement.
Their first encounter with snow was a moment neither of them would soon forget. With eyes as big as saucers, they stood hand in hand at the window, marveling at the magical scene unfolding outside. It was as if they had stepped into a winter wonderland straight out of a storybook, where anything was possible and dreams came to life.
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But it wasn't long before Asha's boundless energy got the better of her, and she tugged impatiently at Margaret's hand, urging her to come outside and play. And so, bundled up in their warmest coats and scarves, they ventured out into the winter wonderland that awaited them.
Their first attempt at building a snowman was nothing short of comical. With clumsy movements and giggles, they rolled and packed snow into a lopsided mound, their breath forming clouds of steam in the frosty air. Margaret humored Asha by putting a small cap and wool scarf over its thick neck. But despite their best efforts, their creation bore little resemblance to the snowmen they had seen in books and movies.
Still, Margaret couldn't help but smile as she watched Asha's eyes light up with excitement, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold. And when Asha insisted on giving their snowman a nose, Margaret couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her daughter holding up the biggest carrot she could find from their stockpile.
“Mama, nose!”
Asha stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Holding up the largest carrot she could find from their stockpile.
With a playful grin, Margaret indulged Asha's request, placing the carrot atop their snowman's lopsided head with care. And as they stood back to admire their handiwork, Margaret couldn't help but yearn for days like this to never end.
The coming days after that seemed easier.
Margaret woke up next to her sleeping daughter and tucked her in so she could sleep a little longer while Margaret started making their breakfast. Strolling past the quarters all the way to the kitchens wearing a warm jacket on top of her winter clothes. Having lived in a tropical country Margaret never understood the concept of layering until fall came and she was in for one of the biggest bouts of panic she had in her life.
During fall, when she had first sensed that Winter was coming, Margaret had no idea what to do. She had never set foot outside of her country and had only seen the season portrayed in movies. Unprepared was an understatement, she only had a short while to prepare and wasn’t quite sure where to start.
Gathering firewood seemed like the sound decision but for a woman of her stature and lacking strength, chopping down a tree was close to impossible for her.
Even the window said so.
That ever-present window that appeared at odd moments and had been the one constant in their journey.
Like most things in the temple, it was strange at first and she was the only one who could see it.
It took a bit of practice but with enough effort Margaret managed to be able to will it to appear whenever she wanted. The way it kept track of her achievements and skills made her feel some semblance of progress which did wonders for her morale.
Earlier in the morning when she tried lifting a heavy axe with the intent of chopping down a tree growing inside of the temple, she found her all, it has this to say;
Current Strength: 4 (Required Strength 12)
Tool proficiency: None
Status Effect: Chilled (Negative effects to movement and more vulnerable to damage over time)
“You don’t need to tell me the obvious, I already know twigs are the only thing I can manage.”
Margaret grumbled to herself as she trudged along in the snow with a bundle of dry twigs tucked under her arm. It wasn’t much for firewood and she knew she’d have to pick that axe up eventually if not she’ll have to resort to using the furniture.
Sadly, although her skills had improved by the time winter arrived but she was still not strong enough to cut down an entire tree by herself. The supply of firewood she found in the temple was growing thinner by the day, she had no other choice otherwise she and her daughter would freeze to death before spring came.
Delving into other parts of the temple she started taking all manner of items that were flammable and broke them into parts that would fit the fireplace.
Then, she started with filling the larder with food supplies. Grinding the wheat and pickling the fruits and vegetables. There were some root crops that thrived in the winter so hopefully they could look forward to steamed potatoes.
Margaret even went so far as to start going for further trips into the temple with Asha just to look for food. She was betting on the fact that it would bring them to new environments which could have something they could eat. It was a shot in the dark if that ocean like place had any fish in it but she was willing to try.
Weirdly enough there were and they managed to catch about eight of them before Asha said she saw something really big in the distance. At that Margaret quickly secured their catch and left as soon as possible.
They gathered everything they could to last the season. It wasn’t much and they’d had to stretch their meals pretty thin if winter lasted a couple of months.
It would be cold so their food wouldn’t spoil easily right?
Margaret had to resist the urge to face palm then and there. It felt like such a stupid question to ask herself was frustrated at how bleak the situation was looking.
They’d have a better chance at surviving if she could actually understand the language and read some of the books in the library they found while exploring. It was located in the 2nd floor of the temple and it was one of the rooms that never seemed to change its location like the others.
It had plenty of books ranging from, what she thought was a wide range of topics and there was a section that seemed to be about cooking, preserving food and whatnot. It had a few with diagrams which helped at first but every time she attempted to follow them something went wrong and she couldn’t risk losing any more food supplies to this.
Asha tried to stay behind a few times to try and read the books but Margaret would always chide her that the library was too cold to stay in for too long. Asha tried to protest but Margaret was firm in her decision. It was too much of a risk when they didn’t have any access to medicine.
Asha though, in a rare display of stubbornness attempted to defy her mother and sneak back into the library. Margaret would sometimes catch the girl with her head between the page as if she could understand what was written.
Margaret could only give her daughter more blankets and a cup of warm apple juice. She didn’t give in to her daughter’s whims like this often but no amount of scolding her or threatening her with more chores ever worked. Dragging her out of there was useless because the moment Margaret would look away her daughter would already be gone and back to the spot
Come to think of it, it wasn’t just the books which had her daughter so fixated.
At odd moments, Margaret would catch her daughter tracing some carvings on the wall with her finger and muttering something quietly to herself. She’d find scattered pieces of paper on the ground with strange symbols crudely drawn on them. At times Asha would stand outside the door to the room with the book that had upset her. She’d pace for a bit while holding that trinket she found on the first they became trapped. It would go on for a short while with her daughter trying to open the door, her hand resting on the metal handle trying to open the door before deciding it wasn’t worth it and leaving.
Margaret tried to ask her daughter what was troubling her mind but to her surprise Asha would stay quiet for a few moments. As if she was just realizing her actions and saying that she had no idea why she was doing it.
Afraid, Margaret would hold her daughter in her arms and reassure her that she was there for her.
There was no explanation for her daughter’s strange behavior. And it only got worse the longer they stayed here.
Sometimes. . . . when Asha was around it felt like the temperature would get warmer and when she’d get upset there’d be traces of frost left where she was nearby.
When Margaret called for Asha to help her fetch a tool while she was working to dig out the root crops in the field. Asha had appeared right next to her in less than a second with the entire arsenal of the gardening shed, despite swearing her daughter had just gone back to the laundry room on her request transfer a small basin of wrung out laundry so they could hang it near the hearth while the fire was still burning bright.
It would have been at least a five-minute walk to and from the laundry room to the field while carrying so much. Margaret had only meant for her daughter to turn back so she could tell her to get another thing
Maybe it just meant her daughter was a fast walker but she brought the entirety of the tool box with her and vanished into thin air when Margaret had her back turned.
She ran around like a mad woman for the next few minutes calling for her daughter’s name only to find Asha in the laundry room hefting a shockingly large bucket of laundry.
Alarmed, Margaret ran to her side and took the bucket away from her daughter.
“I just-. . . sweetie I meant the rags.”
“Oh, well I can handle it.” Asha shrugged.
“Mama say’s otherwise baby, go help me beat the wheat in the kitchen instead.”
Asha pouted but Margaret was left stunned at what just happened.
Did she see that correctly? That couldn’t have just happened, Asha was still so small she couldn’t manage that all by herself!
Could she?
It…it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to think so given the strangeness they’ve already gone though. She just didn’t understand why it had to happen to Asha.
Margaret stuck closer to her daughter since that day. Something in her gut told her that she couldn’t let her daughter out of her sight for too long.
And three nights later her fears proved to be true because on a cold winter night of a full moon, the fairies came back.
Margaret had tossed and turned, unable to sleep properly. Waking up to find her daughter nowhere in sight, Margaret grew alarmed, dozens of thoughts running around her head until she saw the brilliant light from the window pane.
She followed the light to the field and found Asha standing barefoot in the snow with a thin blanket around her. As Margaret approached, she noticed Asha's eyes shimmering with excitement, reflecting the luminous spectacle above. The air crackled with magic, and Margaret couldn't tear her gaze away from the mesmerizing display unfolding before her.
They came in droves, a miniature army of light flying through the sky. They flew so gracefully in the sky as if they were dancing to music she couldn’t hear. Margaret let out a chilled breath in disbelief.
A symphony of twinkling bells filled the air, a melody so enchanting.
Asha, her eyes alight with wonder, reached out her hand towards the swirling mass of light. In response, the fairies descended upon her like a gentle snowfall, their wings brushing against her skin in a flurry of delicate touches.
Margaret could scarcely believe her eyes as Asha became engulfed in a whirlwind of shimmering wings and iridescent light.
For a brief moment, maybe even a trick of the light, Margaret had saw someone completely different standing in the place of her daughter. A tall muscular figure with piercing eyes staring back at her with a somber expression. His figure was partially obscured with the fairies flying all around him but their eyes met.
Margaret was sure of it.
His presence was so great it brought her to her knees. Nearly collapsing into the snow, Margaret struggled to maintain her composure.
The look she saw, that apologetic look.
It twisted her heart and took all the breath from her lungs.
What weighs on your heart so heavily that you would look at me like that?
“Where is my daughter?!”
Margaret managed to yell, forcing the words to come out of her strangled throat. Tears had already started to fall from her eyes yet she couldn’t get up.
He turned to her but hesitated to draw near. He tried to say something, or to make some gesture but he stopped before he could express himself. Apprehension filled the air in a way all too familiar.
It reminded her of the way her daughter would when she was nervous or scared.
“I don’t know who you are but please bring my daughter back.”
Margaret bowed down her head. More tears threatened to spill forth but she had enough willpower to choke down a sob.
“Please.”
All was quiet for what seemed like the longest time. Then he disappeared in a burst of gentle light, little glowing orbs leaving his body as they floated up slowly in the air.
They fairies dispersed leaving her daughter lying unconscious on the snow. Margaret quickly rushed to her daughter’s side and touched the side of her face, hoping she would wake up.
When Asha could only muster a weak groan, Margaret rushed to the quarter’s as fast as she could. Adding more logs to the fire and staying by her daughter’s, keeping vigil for the entire night. Hoping things would get better in the morning.
She kept waiting and waiting for Asha to wake up. But three days had already passed.