The gift of Fae

Madam Prea

Walking through the creepiest part of the forest that was across the other side of London, we head towards Madam Prea's underground cabin. It's so cold, wet and sticky. The swamp like lake running alongside us as we get deeper and deeper in to the forest. 

Something about the darkness of this natural habitat is unnerving, I can't quite understand the feeling, but its making me feel sad and gloomy and I can tell the girls are feeling the same as the colors radiating off them are turning into dark blues and purples. I am fairly certain that signals sadness and confusion.

We crumple to a halt when Madam Prea's entrance comes into vision. If you didn't know what to look for you wouldn't even notice it, it appears like an old tree stump standing around six foot, surrounded by a garden of tulips of all colors. Which is really odd, an old dead tree stump so close to all this vibrant life. 

"Are we really going to go in there?" Alice questions looking worried, as if to give one final chance to back out. "I really don't see any other option, who else can give me the answers I need?" I reply. After a few seconds of silence, we continue walking all in agreeance to stick together. 

Reaching the stump, you can see the outline of an opening, but no way to open it? "Do we knock?" Nicola asks. I guess that would be the next logical step on this little quest of ours, but I feel so frozen I don't know what to do. Without hesitation Nicola knocks on the wooden outline of an entrance. A deep hollow sounding knock. An eerie knock. Then silence.

What felt like forever passed in silence before I could hear clanking and turning and the outline of the entrance separated, showing a hole into the underground and a ladder to descend. Not a single part of this is feeling inviting. The girls all turn towards me, like I'm the sacrifice. "So it's me going down there first then?" I say with a bit of a giggle. "We'll be right behind you" they all say in unison. 

Well here we go, I step into the darkness clinging to the ladder on the opposite side and glancing back at the girls one last time before stepping my first foot down to the next rung on the ladder. I get down a few steps, almost leaving enough room above me for someone to begin the descent as well. Then whoosh the opening on the stump slides closed. What? I let out a scream. I can't hear the girls at all, so I doubt they can hear me. 

All I can hear is my own heartbeat thudding about a million miles an hour. Panic is setting in, my hands are getting sweaty, gripping onto this ladder becoming increasingly tougher. Do I try and go back up and bang on the door in hopes it will open, or continue on my descent and hope that Madam Prea does kill me. What's plan C, I don't want to go with either of those. 

Closing my eyes, I try to relax and breathe, 'calm down Felicity, you're going to be okay' this strange thought crosses my mind, but its not in my own tone of voice, as if someone else is in my head telling me I'm going to be okay.  Is it my wolf? It is my birthday in seven days, maybe it's her? 

Getting myself together, I decide it's now or never and continue my descent down into the dark abyss. After what feels like forever I reach the bottom and land two feet on solid ground and I've never felt so relieved. I can see a short  distance in front of me, there is a tunnel with some glowing lanterns along the edges. Walking through the tunnel and its not long until I spot a beautiful yellow door, intricate floral designs all over, tulips in particular must be a favorite of Madam Prea. 

What's even stranger is there are colors radiating from the door, which I'm fairly certain is my ability to see colors, but I've never seen them coming from an object and not a person.  Vibrant yellows, oranges and greens, which from my deciphering of the color system signals strength, happiness, trust and knowledge. Maybe Madam Prea is those things? She surely isn't portrayed that way in the werewolf community. 

I walk up to the door, it just opens. That was indeed freaky. 

Peering in the door, I open my eyes wide to try and take every little thing inside this cabin. There is so much color, growth and serenity. Plants adorn almost every empty space in the cabin, which has me wondering how they are so full of life when they are underground with no sunlight? Trinkets and crystals take up the rest of the space I can see, a huge layered glass chandelier hangs from the center, sparkles seeming to just flow from it onto everything else. This space truly is something out of dreams. 

Without noticing I had stepped fully in the door now and was walking around the room in awe touching some of the crystals and feeling a sense of belonging. I'm not sure how much time had passed, I could honestly stay in this room forever, I just feel so serene. 

"Hello my dear Felicity, I had a feeling it wouldn't be long till I would be seeing you" Madam Prea greeted me as she appeared out of a small door that was hidden behind some ferns in the corner of the room. I wasn't even startled. Something about her voice was calming and she strongly radiated the colors that I had seen on the outside of the door. I felt so comfortable and at ease in her presence.