A Witches Gift

Listen Here: https://soundcloud.com/user-198738908/a-witches-gift-bed-time-story-meditation-podcast-2

From the confines of your home you can hear it, the sea moving against the vast shoreline. It crashes with such determination that one can only feel envy for its steady routine. In our day to day lives there is hardly time to stop much less create such a grounding habit. We as a society are always on the move with little rest to soothe our aching souls. That heaviness lurks on your tired shoulders with such a weight that at times, it is hard to move forward.

In an effort to release some of that burdensome load you stand to stretch your aching muscles. You pull yourself from the screens that demand your constant attention and make your way to the double French doors of your dining room. Outside the sun has long made way for the brilliant full moon that hangs over the water like an ethereal lantern. Your gaze studies the remarkable sight of the shimmering pool, the water acting like a mirror to the heavens above. You take a deep breath. *Pause* And sigh it all away.

With that small exhale you press against the handle of your door and make the final decision to unplug for a while. You step out in to the cool night air and take in its soft chill. A shiver runs down your arms, leaving goosebumps in its wake as you adjust to the temperature. Fall has only just began and already you need a light jacket. So you reach in to your coat rack and grab a plush wool sweater to bundle up in. The warmth it brings is a relief and a comfort.

With no one task to stop you from this moment you venture out in to the pitch black, following the sound of the crashing waves. This side of the beach is always clear at this time of night, not a soul to be heard for some distance. The silence brings your racing heart some solace, you need some time to let your thoughts go. Now you have it.

There aren’t many steps between your home and the beach so before long your shoes sink in to the pure white sand. Under the moon’s glow it appears to be almost blue and had you not seen it this morning, you would have made a safe assumption to its hue. The sound of the water moving effortlessly is a sweet lullaby to your ears. You close your eyes and for a moment all is still, all is okay. Take a deep breath and smell the brine all around you. *Pause* Good now let it all go.

After a few moments you open your eyes to marvel at the beauty that is the sea just before you. So vast and sprawling that your imagination can barely piece its entirety together. It leaves your heart in a state of awe at just how grand it is. Long before any of our time on Earth this very body of water has been in existence swaying on to similar shores. Its age is beyond us and for that, it is okay. We needn’t understand every detail of it.

What you do understand in this moment is just how small your problems are. Each and every day you are faced with new struggles but when placed beside the ocean, they are just a fraction in comparison. So take this time and close your eyes to let all of it wash away. Let the foaming waters pull your worries under and send them to a place far beneath the surface. They need not join you here in this place. They are behind you at this moment. You have nothing to worry about on the shoreline. The images of your troubles are ripped from the reel in your mind’s eye and the movie fades from the screen. All that remains are the sounds of the night at your fingertips.

You open your eyes with a little more peace in your heart and walk to the water’s edge. Here you take a moment to remove your shoes and allow yourself the small glee of stepping in uncovered. Chilly water rushes up over the tops of your feet and surround your ankle. You feel a sense of ease in the cold, it brings you back to where you are. You blink and look down at a tickling sensation on your skin. A small hermit crab scuttles across your foot and to refuge further up on the sand. In a way you too are running for cover but just like that small creature, you too deserve to feel safe. If the waves are ever too much you need to remember where you feel best and go there. Whether that place was in the water to swim to your soul’s content or laid back on the sand watching the clouds go by.

Your attention is drawn back to the black water and you make a split second decision to go for a stroll. Just the sight of the endless pool has given you a burst of want. A want to go outside of your normal screen-related activity. A want for even the smallest of adventures. You are unplugged for tonight so you take this opportunity and begin to wander. It is aimless and goalless but exciting none-the-less. It’s just a small gift you can give yourself for having worked so hard your entire life to get to this point. Maybe it’s just for the week you’ve conquered. Regardless this is all yours to have.

Before long the lights of your villa are gone and you walk using only the moon as your guide. Its helpful glow leads you deeper from civilization to a more rocky area. Even without shoes you are able to easily navigate your way around, the sound of the sea still lingering to your right. The stones you amble over are smooth and feel cool against the soles of your feet. It is so quiet here, not even the highway can be heard here. You are surrounded completely by a symphony made especially for this night by nature.

You only stop because the rocks are now too large to climb and the waves seem faster than you dare conquer at this time of night. Bundling yourself up in your warm sweater you take a seat farthest from your reality and closest to the water. A peaceful bliss washes over you and leaves you tingling with calm. No thoughts fill your mind. No worries plague your heart. Right now you are safely alone. The feeling isn’t a lonely one, in fact it is quite the relief to be pulled away from any troubles you may be facing back home. Right now is a break from normal and an escape to calm.

As you enjoy the emptiness of it all you note the water just under the moon begins to glow extraordinarily bright. A rainbow of purple hues emerge in the moonlight and with it comes a person. At least the top half of them is a person, the bottom half was yet to be seen but they moved much like a fish. Long black hair fell in solid beautiful curls down their back and in to the water below. Their eyes are what drew you in though. Even without the manmade light you could see how deep those amethyst gems were. They shimmered like jewels and were focused on only you. Entranced by the aesthetic of this person you cannot utter a word but you feel no fear. On the contrary their presence plays right in tune with the sense of relief you have been feeling all night.

They approach cautiously and ask you for your name. Once you oblige they make it to shore and now you can see the mer bottom but soon that begins to change. The scales shift and tremble as they slowly are retracted back in to what appears to be skin. It looks to be a long transformation but soon they are standing on two human legs. You can barely believe your eyes and rub them with a swipe of your sleeve. As you pull back you see those deep purple jewels staring through you. Still feeling the same warmth you invite them to sit and join you in your relaxation. They tilt their head but as you pat the sand next to you they come and join at your side.

Without many more words you both gaze up at the stars above, small streaks of light tell you there must be a meteor shower tonight. You don’t want to disturb your new friend so you lay back and just allow yourself to sink in, practically melting against the soft ground. As you zone in and out they finally break the silence by calling your name. What an almost ghostly voice they had. It echoed like the waves and brought your full attention to them.

Now with locked gazes they explain how lonely it has been trapped in these waters, only able to watch people swim or boat by back to their own homes. Without much detail on why they were imprisoned to such a fate they reminisced on the days before their confinement. Their time was spent knitting kelp in to nets or making grand potions for no one to use. They were in fact the rumored and revered witch of the sea you have been told about since you were just a child.

For quite some time they talked about themselves as if it was all bubbling up and overflowing. How long had they been left alone? Before you was not the beast of legend but a lonely little witch who yearned for a night just like this. For an ear to listen. So you give the sea witch just that, a friend in their great time of need. It isn’t much from you but to them, it means the world and so much more.

They finish telling you of their troubles and flop back in the sand next to you with a heave of a sigh. It is silent a moment but before you know it a warm hand surrounds yours and they invite you to come have tea and tell them what plagues your mind. You do not feel caution and accept their invitation. So many had told you horror stories but looking up in to those amethyst eyes you do not feel fear. You feel a wave of calm. They are just like you. Struggling to get by in this rapidly changing world.

Now hand in hand you follow the sea witch to a pair of large stones. Their hand brushes against the surface and like a pool of water, the illusion pulls itself apart and behind the curtains is a cave. It isn’t huge but it was well lived in. The two of you step in and you are drawn to look around. The walls have been carved out to make primitive shelving that houses many bottles of every color of the rainbow. In between what you assume are potion bottles are carved seashells. Some were mermaids others are detailed creatures of legend.

The ceilings here are low but lanterns hand from rope making a line of pendant lights to a kitchen. Each lit with a white wax candle. The kitchen while small houses a cast iron cauldron that appears to be brewing something in a beautiful shade of orange. More shelves line the walls here but they are filled with dried ingredients in the same multitude of glass bottles. Every single one has a brown paper label with the contents of the bottle written on it in a rough but elegant cursive. Dried flowers of every kind hang from the ceiling here just above a small stone bar. Just past the fully stocked kitchen is a small pool of water and a pillow, presumably where your new friend sleeps.

The home is one that is regularly tended to and well loved. They explain that while trapped they manage to meet with ships and trade the carved shells for supplies. It has been this way for as long as they can remember. Things get a bit fuzzy too far back. But right now they want to hear more about you. So they pull up a rocking chair and ask you to take a seat. You do not refuse and ease yourself down.

While you get situated the ebony-haired mer boils some water and begins setting out small china teacups for the two of you. As the water reaches simmering you begin to express what has been haunting your thoughts of late. The words flow from you like a poison seeping out through the seams. It is so easy to talk to them and just as such for you to see how much has been on your shoulders. You’ve been carrying far too much. They look on in concern and let you finish blowing away the steam that has been like a fog in your mind.

Right as you are nearing the end of your troubles a tea cup is sat in front of you, a flower floating on top. It needs time to steep but the scent is mesmerizing. Fresh and clean it brings a smile back to your face. You thank them and for a long time you both sit exhausted from sharing. Even inside their home the sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks is there, it comes and goes as you sip at this relaxing flavor. Tonight was worth it. You are so proud of yourself for daring to come out here and for following the sea witch to their home.

They sit up after some time and you begin to swap more light-hearted stories. You tell them your desires for the future and they do the same. The tea is gone before you know it and you are both back on the sand watching the lasts of the meteor shower. Marveling at the sights you hold their hand and thank them. They return the words. You are both so grateful. Your being is full again. You feel less fragmented.

As the night dwindles to an end you know it would be time for their retreat. They know as well because they ask you to wait a moment while they run back to the entrance of their home. There they call forth their magic and pull from their abode a glowing abalone shell. This is offered to you as thanks for taking your precious time to listen. To hear them out. You cannot refuse such a precious present from your newfound friend.

Holding the shell in hand you ask if you will ever meet again. They hope so. It’s a promise under the full moon that you will see each other soon. With that and a bright smile, they vanish back to the depths. In your hand the abalone feels almost warm to the touch, as if it is carrying with it the heartbeat of the sea. You clutch it close and begin your traverse back.

All around you the sounds of the ocean churning are lulling you in to a trance. Your body feels the sudden exhaustion of a night away from bed. But for the first time in a long time, you were able to unplug from the constant screens and enjoy a moment. That moment you would cherish for many moons to come. So with a lightened heart you arrive home with a smile playing on your lips. Your phone sits blinking on your bedside but you make another decision, one to ignore it.

Crawling in to your bed you turn on the heated blanket and sink in to the comforting warmth. It surrounds you like a tight hug. This feeling in your soul is so peaceful that before you know it dreams talk hold and you are fast asleep. You’ve worked so hard lately and been through so many trials that this time is all for you. When you wake you vow to make the day your own and I just know you will. But for now, sleep well my dear. I’m so proud of you. Sweet dreams.