Two figures, side by side, sat together on a stone bench, resting quietly while surrounded by a natural beauty thought only to be found only in story books. The sun shone on their backs, creating two shadows in front of them. One small; the other big. Two obscured outlines of a teacher and his apprentice. The leaves of the trees rustled as the wind blew through them, while tree birds fluttered and sang. The teacher rested in meditation and presumed, as many teachers do, that his apprentice was doing the same. However, the novice was too engrossed in the world around them to care for such things and patiently waited for her instructor to speak.
The little girl was confused as to why her teacher had led her outside to the garden maze early this morning for today's session, instead of their normal classroom inside the manor. Now, she could see why, for within the hedge walls of the maze dwelt peace and harmony. She was perfectly content to let time go by while in the enchanted garden.
The girl was seated in the middle of a beautiful clearing within the maze. The hedges that guarded this safe haven were tall and thick, with flowers and vines hanging from them. Small shrubs and flower bushes were scattered about the clearing, separated by a dirt path that led to the white stone bench. The path divided, yet complemented the garden, creating two sides that were evenly decorated with natural elements.
She took another look around her current abode, swinging her legs back and forth in pleasure. From outside, the garden maze appeared dangerous and intimidating, but within was a beautiful treasure. The little girl would have loved to get off the bench and take a tour of the whole place, but with her teacher here, she wasn't sure if that was a good idea. So, she contended with her view on the bench, greedily taking breaths of the fragrant air.
She looked at her mentor again, who's eyes were still closed. The girl closed her eyes, deciding to finally follow her instructor's example and tilted her face to the sky. She smiled at the sensation of the sun toasting her chestnut face.
"Ebony."
Ebony opened her eyes at the sound of her name and looked towards her instructor.
"Do you know why I brought you here?"
"Umm... because you want today's lesson to be held here.", she said firmly. "In this beautiful place!"
"No.", he spoke dryly. "And there will be no lecture today."
"What!? No lecture? Why!? You always lecture me."
The teacher furrowed his brows at his student's words and looked at the child but sighed upon seeing her face. It was clear by her expression she didn't fully understand what her words implied. He sighed.
"I won't be teaching you today, because I will be showing you something instead. Something important... It is-"
"What is it?"
"Don't interrupt!", the instructor barked, clearing his voice and starting again. "What I am going to show you is something important. It is the reason for your training."
"Oh." she whispered. After a moment of silence, Ebony slowly raised her hand.
"... Can I say something now?"
"Yes." the instructor sighed.
"Since I don't have a lesson, does that mean I don't have to do my studies?" she asked hopefully.
The instructor tried hard not to smile as he looked at his pupil. "I think I will give you a lesson after all."
"Augh!"
Without saying a word, the man abruptly stands, walks away from the bench onto the trail, and disappears into the garden maze, leaving his pupil behind. The girl scrambles to her feet and runs to find her instructor who was just rounding a bend. She squeaked before running after him and following directly behind, through the multiple passageways within the maze.
Ebony's eyes stayed glued to her instructor's broad shoulders that swung confidently with each step. She didn't dare look at the ominous walls of shrub surrounding them. Though there was beauty in the maze, there was still danger. The way she saw it, these shrubs would love nothing more than to swallow her whole. But as long as she looked upon her instructor and moved the way he moved; Ebony knew she would be safe.
When they finally reached another clearing, Ebony sighed with relief. They stood at the clearing's entrance. It was unlike the one they were in before. A pebble stone path marked the beginning of this new garden. The atmosphere of the previous one was peaceful, but here it felt sanctum.
The man paused but a moment and lowered his head out of respect, before continuing forward, walking down the pebbled path. Ebony was confused by her instructor's behavior.
'Why did he do that? What's so special about this place?'
Though his actions did seem odd, Ebony could not deny the feeling of sacredness within the garden. They were clearly in an area of importance. Ebony watched as her instructor headed towards an opening of a stone wall that stretched the width of the entire garden, dividing it in half. He was halfway down the path when he stopped and called for Ebony to follow.
She caught up with him and they continued their trek. The instructor turned his head back to acknowledge the girl, as he kept moving forward.
"Today, Ebony, you shall learn the purpose of your life."
"My purpose?" Ebony scrunched her face. She didn't quite understand the meaning behind his words. "I thought I was going to learn the reason for my training?"
"It is both."
Ebony abruptly stopped and looked on at her professor. They had arrived at the stone opening and their surroundings looked much similar to the other side, but Ebony didn't notice this detail. Her gaze slowly moved ahead to see the stone path turn into steps that ascended up a hill and resting on top of the hill was a small building. The building was...
"Father! What is that building?"
Ebony raced back to her father's side to hear his reply.
"It's the place that holds your purpose."
Without hesitation, her teacher walks up the steps leading into the small building. Cautiously, Ebony follows. There was something odd about the place.
Ascending the steps, Ebony paused to admire the view, but continued when her father beckoned her to follow. Upon entering, Ebony sees a low hanging table in the middle of the floor with cushions surrounding it. On either end of the room were console tables. They were tall and made of thick wood, with designs etched around its hem. The one on the right had nothing except a box and a picture, while the table to the left had a small tea set with a plate of food, which piqued Ebony's interest.
Hanging above the plate of food was a tapestry, showing a wall that seemed to border a forest. On one side of the wall, there was a person burning something with an angel next to him. On the other side, where the forest laid, were scary beings running into the woods away from the wall. At the bottom of the tapestry, in gold thread, was special writing that Ebony couldn't read. The mural was odd yet eye catching, but so was the rest of this place. It was as if Ebony had entered into a different world.
"Sit here."
Moving towards the direction of his voice, Ebony saw her father pointing to the low legged table. Nodding in obedience, she took her place at one of the cushions, facing the end of the room. She wanted to maintain her view on that surprisingly full plate of food. A wicked grin spread across her face as she eyed her prize. The instructor noticed his daughter's odd behavior and caught sight at what she was staring at. He rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Just ignore it." he thought. "Hopefully, she won't say anything."
"Father, is that plate of food over there for us?"
"And she asked.", he sighed inwardly.
Ignoring his daughter's question, the man walked to the right of the room and looked at the picture that rested on the table. He smiled softly at the two men in the photograph. They appeared to be close friends.
"Depends." he finally replied, as he reached his arms above the console table.
"On what?"
Ebony moved her gaze from the food to her father and was surprised to see him touching all over the wall. He appeared to be looking for something. Sure enough, her father pressed on a section of the wall, removing it to reveal a secret storage area. He pulled out a book from inside, and joined Ebony at the table, sitting across from her.
"Whether you will achieve the objective of today's lesson."
He placed the book in front of them.
"Oh. So, what is my lesson?"
"First, I want to show you this."
Gently, he turned the book to face Ebony. She stared at it in awe. The book was large and thick; made of deep green leather, featured with golden elements and a golden trim decorating the borders. Etched in the center were large letters that matched the gold theme but were written in a language similar to the one on the tapestry. Ebony traced the border of the book with her small fingers. She could feel the presence of the strange aurora that surrounded the area. It was very strong in the book as if it was the source.
"What is it?" her father asked. She was too studying the book to notice the softness in her father's eyes.
"I... I don't know. I feel like there's something special with the book. Like... I can feel it."
"Good."
Her father nodded with a smile, which confused Ebony. As they both gazed at the relic, Ebony could sense that this place was special and sacred. She has seen her father enter the maze many times before and not returning until later in the day, but she never knew where he'd journey to, until now.
"Dad, what is this?" she asked at last.
"A book."
"I know that, Dad."
The man laughed and tapped his daughter's nose.
"Why don't you take a look at it to see what it says."
"I did. I couldn't read it."
"Why don't you try again."
"Dad, it's not in English! I can't read it!"
"Just look at it again. You might be able to see something similar."
Ebony scrunched her face but did as her father asked. She examined the letters on the book closely, and to her amazement, they slowly turned into English letters. With the foreign language now transformed, Ebony could finally read the title.
"The Words of Wisdom."
Ebony looked up at her father in surprise, which he returned with a smile.
"Good."
"But, how..?"
Ebony looked back at the book and was shocked to see the letters return back to the foreign language.
"Dad..?"
"What you did Ebony only a few people can accomplish."
"Uh!?"
A corner of the man's mouth raised as he shook his head. He appeared amused. He trailed his eyes around the room that was filled with so many memories.
"When your great grandfather was still alive, he would often roam the woods outside the perimeter of our home. One day, he had met the spirit Wisdom. After visiting her several times, he gained her favor, and was gifted with this book. This book is filled with all the knowledge of the world. She instructed him to learn from it and protect it from the Dark Ones."
"The Dark Ones?"
"Demons... abominable human-like beings who used to walk the face of this Earth. Wiped out of existence because of the atrocities they committed to all life, whose spirits now roam the earth, inflicting pain, suffering, and wickedness wherever they go."
Ebony's eyes grew wide. She could feel her heart racing.
"To assist man in fighting off the Dark Ones, the Creator and the Heavenly Council instructed Wisdom to create this book. From that time forward, Wisdom has entrusted the book to various families over the centuries to be the Guardians of the Green Book."
He paused and admired the book. "To prevent the book from falling into the wrong hands, Wisdom put a piece of her spirit within it to discern souls. The book is written in a language only spoken in the heavens, that is why you couldn't read the title at first. Only those worthy to be the Guardian of the Green Book will see the translation."
"But I did see the translation!"
"Yes. You did."
"So that means I can be a Guardian. This is my purpose!"
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps? But you said I'd learn my purpose!"
"For your training."
"The book only reveals who has the potential of being the Guardian. As of now, Wisdom finds you worthy, but neither she nor I know the future. The Guardianship may very well be not the destiny you were called for."
"I don't understand. If I'm not meant to be the Guardian, why did you bring me here?"
"To show you the purpose of your training and to see if Wisdom finds you worthy of being the Guardian."
"But I might not be the Guardian."
"I know." her father sighs. "I know."
The man avoids his daughter's gaze and looks off into the distance. There was so much he wanted to say, so much history between this book and his family. But he could not reveal it to her yet. In time, bit by bit, he will tell her everything, but for now, he will give her something to hope for.
"In every generation, one member of our family is selected with the sole purpose of guarding the Words of Wisdom. When your cousin Johnathan was around your age, he too showed the potential of being the Guardian."
Ebony gasped. "He knows about the book too!"
"Hmm." the man nodded, "But later he proved to be more fit for a different purpose."
He wrapped his daughter's hands into his own.
"You see Ebony, just because someone has the potential of being something, doesn't mean that is what their destiny will be. Ultimately, it is our choices and the will of the Creator that will lead us towards our purpose."
"Father..."
"Hmm?"
"Are you the Guardian?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to try my best to be the Guardian just like you."
The man stared at his daughter, as they both knelt on the floor of the small airy building, hidden within the hedge garden maze. his daughter's resolution had surprised him. This little girl, who had yet to see the top of the kitchen counter, was full of so much hope and determination. Her goals were much higher than any ten-year-old he ever knew. He smiled. She was truly his daughter.
"Father?" the squeaky voice of his daughter interrupted the man's thoughts.
"Do you think I could be the Guardian?"
Her father could see the hope and desperation in her eyes. She really wanted this. Hope was in his eyes too, but he couldn't lie to her.
"I hope you will. The Light is in you. I have felt it in you since you were born. So keep following it and never let it go."
The man's heart stirred as he saw the biggest smile spread across his daughter's face.
"Now!" the man said firmly, slapping his hands on the table. He rose from his cushion and walked over to the end table on the left side of the room.
"About that food from earlier."
Ebony jumped and shouted in excitement "Yes, yes, yes! Food!", which caused a roar of laughter from her father.
"But wait." she paused, abruptly ending her outburst. "What about my lesson?"
Her father smiled.
"Your lesson for today was patience. Now eat." he finished, placing the tray of food in front of Ebony, who could only squeal in excitement before grabbing a snack.
Ebony watched as her father placed the ancient treasure back in its hiding place within the wall, before joining her to eat. The sun, warming the room with its glowing light.