1 - The Shop

            “Ellaine my dear, do you know what day it is?” Aunt Caroline asked her niece as she flipped sunny-side-up eggs onto the white platter.

            “It’s Sunday.” Ellaine answered in an unconcerned manner as she helped set the utensils on the table for breakfast.

            The first let out a chuckle, “Well, naturally! But today’s your birthday, you know.”

            “I know. So?" The normakity of her everyday just bored Ellaine. She wanted something new. She just wished she could get away from Aunt Caroline and that hiuse that kept her inside.

            “So?” Aunt Caroline imitated her as she moved away from the stove and to the table, “What do you want to do? Eat out or delivery?”

            Ellaine didn’t have the inclination to answer. She busied herself in poking the sunny-side-up egg on her plate.

“What’s wrong with you?” Aunt Caroline finally spoke, “You woke up late than usual, I understand that. School works are pressing indeed. You are not in a good mood, that’s fine because it’s still early to call it a day. But being completely cold? Ellaine, this is your debut we’re talking about.”

            “I don’t have the appetite to eat anymore.” She dropped the spoon and fork on the table, turned her back to Aunt Caroline, and walked out of the house.

            She heard a part of Aunt Caroline’s lecture before she slammed the door shut.

            Outside, Ellaine tried hard to forget her foul mood by strolling along the sidewalk. She planned to walk her way to the Biñan Market.

            Normally, she would ride a tricycle that will take her there. However, she didn’t have that idea in mind at the present. She preferred to walk and be able to detour to stalls as much as she can.

She passed by a strange-looking white building with pointed roofs at every corner. Gentlemen in suits and ladies in dresses came out of the building and crowded the sidewalk. In the midst of the crowd and noise, Ellaine had a view of some ancestral houses which were the pride in her place.

            By and by, the crowd lessened until Ellaine was left to herself once again. With her thoughts going someplace far, she stared at her feet on its journey to the never-ending asphalt. One step, two step, three--

            “Ouch!” Something really hard hit her on the head.

            “Sorry.” A soft voice said.

            Ellaine straightened up to meet two chinky, brown eyes looking closely at her. She inched away and saw a young pretty face in front of her.

            “Have you seen a red pouch?” The woman, who seemed to be in her mid-twenties, asked without taking her eyes off Ellaine.

            Ellaine felt awkward at the woman’s unwavering stare. She looked as though she’s some kind of specimen under observation. To avoid further eye contact, Ellaine looked down and surprisingly found the red pouch at her feet.

“By any chance, is this the pouch you’re looking for?”

            The woman’s face lit up, “Ah, yes! Thank you.” And with one last glance she turned around and walked towards the shop she came from.

            Ellaine was left entranced by the woman. She had mystic about her radiating everywhere. Her bracelet adorned with gems around twisted silver and gold caught the sunlight as the eccentric woman reached for the door.

            “Wait!” Something in the way the woman stared at her made Ellaine disappointed to let her go away. It was as if the woman had a full understanding of the world and found it easy to read other’s thoughts and emotions. “May I know your name?”

            “The other stopped dead on her tracks. Slowly, she faced Ellaine, “Margarette. You can call me Marge. How about your name?”

            “My name’s Ellaine.”

            Margarette was suddenly flabbergasted when Ellaine smiled at her. “How unusual. You have too much color on your eyes.” It was no more than a whisper meant as a sentiment rather than a declaration.

            “Color?”

            “Yes. Not all humans have those and those who have it are commonly special.” She chuckled, “I’m afraid I have said too much. Don’t mind me, it’s unimportant. Nobody would have believed it anyway.”

            “I do.” Ellaine’s straight answer chased the humor away from Marge’s face. “I want to believe that I’m special.”

            They remained silent for a long time. Marge stared questioningly at Ellaine while the latter returned the favor.

            “Come inside. I have something to show you.” Margarette had led the way to the door when she noticed that her companion was still immobile, “Come. Come.”

            The inside of the shop was as mysterious as its owner. The atmosphere smelled of dried leaves, herbs, spices, and a sweet fragrance that matched Marge’s scent. The walls were covered with shelves full of bowls, glassware, stones, and other antique works. At the far end of the room was a table which Ellaine supposed served as the counter.

            Behind the desk was a painting of a tree with the breathtaking sky as the backdrop. It was big and full-grown with green, lush leaves all-over the tree and foaming the soil below it. 

            Almost instinctively, an image of the tree from her dream flashed in her mind’s eye. Truly, it was identical to the one on the wall. The only difference was that the one in her dream glowed.

            “Oh yes, the tree of Virsathen.” Margarette handed her a glass of juice, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

            “Yes. Magnificent, if you ask me.” She faced Marge, “Who painted this?”

            “Little girl, there are many stories as to who painted this or if there’s anyone who did.” The woman went nearer the canvas and touched a hand to it, “Actually this is the only existing painting of Virsathen that I know of. There were originally two of them, both auctioned for a very high price because it was said that the Fates themselves made the fabric for the canvas. The first one was hanging on the wall of a great ship when it was lost at sea by the Goddesses in search of the Golden Fleece.”

            “Pardon?” Ellaine was quite staggered by the quick turn of the story.

            Yet Margarette seemed not to hear her and kept on telling her ridiculous story.

            “The second copy is now in my possession.” She smugly said.

            “You attended the auction for it?” With the goddesses perhaps, she thought.

            “No. An apothecary got this by chance and sold it to me for a fair price.” She gulped all the contents of her glass,” Any more question?”

              “Where is this tree of Virsathen located?” She'd just let the 'goddess' thing pass. Although she became more unconvinced of the woman's ratonality as she talked to her.

The woman only laughed at her question. “The question is if it does exist.” Her features quickly straightened up and she became serious in an instant. “Actually, no matter how many times you travel around the world, you will never see the tree of Virsathen.”

Ellaine was completely disappointed, “Is that so?”

 “Yes. But legends tell that it is located just beneath this world. It lives in a counterworld where magical creatures exist. From there it supports the two worlds. Some even say that there are several hidden portals scattered around the land that crosses the world navel, the boundary between this world and the other, which leads to the Virsathen.”

“Legends are just fantasies. Don’t tell me you believe in them?” What was really in her mind when she decided to speak to this woman?

“You would be surprised on how real they can get.”

The reverence in Margarette’s voice pushed the girl to change the topic at hand “Anyway, what do you want to show me again?”

Fortunately, that completely shifted the lady’s attention, “Oh, right. I almost forgot. Give me your hand.”

Although doubtful, Ellaine offered her hand. The other held it gently as if holding something delicate and fragile. She traced every line and curve with her fingertips and breathed onto it as if she’s whispering some sort of enchantment.

“You have a very long journey ahead of you, young lady.” She spoke with a tone of sympathy, “There are secrets kept hidden from you which will be revealed soon—secrets about your identity.”

“What kind of secret?” That was absurd. What kind of secret about her identity could she not know about?

“You felt incomplete, don’t you? Alone and withdrawn to everybody, that’s what you are. Yet that’s because no one understands you. No one in your world can.”

She can’t disagree. Her heart suddenly beat faster. Anxiety built up on her. A knot on her forehead told how closely the woman’s words hit home and how much she tensed in waiting of what’s more to be said.

“That’s because you were born to a family but lived in another. You played a role that wasn’t meant to be yours.” With this, Marge let go of her hand and massaged her own face. Now the carefree Margarette was back, “Geez. All these foretelling and prophesies stresses me much more than it should.”

“What were you talking about just a while ago? About my family?” The complete shift in the atmosphere threw Ellaine off-guard.

“Girl, you’re a smart one. You know what the Fates meant.”

“But I don’t! And who ARE these Fates you’re talking about?”

“Then ask your Aunt Caroline. Tell her these words ‘When buds are roses and seeds are green.’”

“I don’t understand you!”

"Belive me, I don't understand myself either. But the holy Fates wanted you to know that.

Ellaine’s mood turned darker the more they exchanged words. It was just hopeless and a waste of ime to even talk to the woman. She was beginning to fear her. She felt confused as time passed by. The only conclusion she deduced was that Margarette was a crazy woman playing with her feelings in order to prove her self-worth.

“I..I must go now.” Ellaine walked out of the shop and tried to clear her head.

“Look into your heart and you’ll know that I’m right.” She called before the doors closed.

Determined to close her mind, Ellaine doubled her pace. As she turned left, she was bumped into a solid chest. She felt dizzy with the impact. “Sorry.” She nursed her already swollen forehead.

But instead of apologizing, the other badgered her with insulting words, “Where were you looking at, little girl? Did you really think staring face-down on the road would save you? Your thick forehead almost scarred my clothing!”

OKAY, that did it.

She lifted her chin and glared with a look that could’ve put a hole on his face. She summoned all the indignation inside her and faced him heads-on. “My goodness, you could have at least apologized!”

But the furrow between his thick, black brows were so intense. There was no way he’s thinking of considering her point. “Well—”

“Please, your noise disrupted my work!” Margarette swung her shop’s door open and intervened.

Now, all the anger and frustration drained in Ellaine. She took the opportunity and left.