The Book of Fates

These days, Arianna spends most of her mornings juggling the boys schooling, data entry for work then food prep and clean up after lunch. Today was no different and by the time she was finished with the mornings responsibilities she was ready for a reboot.

As she slowly swayed in the hammock allowing the afternoon sun to warm her face for a rare few moments of solitude, thoughts of her ultimate dream to convert a bus and travel with the boys kept floating in and out of her mind, like the swaying of the hammock. She dreamed of a simpler life, a life where her children would grow up closer to nature and adventure, rather than cooped up in front of screens and plastic things all the time. There was so much more to life than this draining rat race that kept her tired, stressed and feeling defeated and she was determined to find it; not only for her peace of mind but more importantly for her boys.

For four years now Ari has struggled to raise her boys with little to no help. Finn, who was 10, was also extremely intelligent and highly emotional all rolled up in one beautiful long haired ginger snap package. Rowan was 5 and had more energy than any of us combined with a tricksters spirit to rival the most Wiley of coyotes. Even his copper curly hair seemed to play awful tricks on his mother! This sedentary, isolated lifestyle over the last few years kept her and the boys in front of screens more often than not and she had begun to notice a difference in her kids; they became nervous, impatient & cranky very easily, they went from really good sleepers to not getting good restful sleep when they finally did fall asleep. On the rare occasions like this upcoming, much needed weekend when she was able to afford a camping trip, her children morphed in to these two joyful, adventurous, easy going little forest imps who kept her smiling, laughing, dancing, creating & exploring. They went to bed and woke up with the sun. They played like best friends. They ate well and played hard. And everyone slept like rocks.

Finn and Rowan jumped out of their family van and happily began helping their mother set up for what they were certain was going to be the best camping trip EVER! They had hot dogs and S’mores, a slack line, drums, hammocks and even nerf guns! Ari loved seeing her boys so motivated and working together on a common goal, their combined efforts affording a quick set up which led to the boys sprinting off into the woods to explore. “Be back before dark!” Ari called after them as she climbed into her trusty hammock to relax.

“Mom! Mom! Come look! Hurry!” The sound of her youngest shouting for her jerked Arianna awake. “What is it?! Are you ok?!” “I’m fiiiine mooom...just COME! ON! Before it dissapears!” Rowan clamped his litte hand around her wrist and jerked frantically until she finally had no choice but to get up, it was clearly move or be dragged and it took a few footfalls for her feet and mind finally catch up. “I saw a wisp! You know, a forest wisp like in the stories you read to us at night mom! She went under that tree right there!"

Arianna bent down to inspect what the child was so wide eyed about and saw, nothing. At first. Then a cold chill spilled down her spine like ice water. The hair all over her body stood on edge as though the very air around here were alive, electric, awake. Instinctivley, stepped backwards while reaching a hand out for each boy and looking up into the tops of the giant ancient oak tree. The roots of the tree seemed to make the ground heave in waves and the trio stumbled further backwards to see the huge branches at the top, begin to shake, like a dog flinging off water. The leaves rustled and Spanish moss began falling down on their heads like rain.

The top of the giant live oak finally began to slowly creek and ebb down lower and around to become eye to eye with Ari; no longer the branches of an oak, but the head of a DRAGON! He seemed to just appear made of and from the tree itself! Ari stood there, heaving breaths in unison with the giant beast while the boys leaped and shouted at their feet. The tree dragon then blinked an eye, dropped a little black book at her feet, shook his tree bark back bone tree one more time to the boys delight, then straightened back up into what looked like any other giant live oak in Florida.

Exactly as it had been.

She stood silently bathing in the emerald green of the forest. Tears streaming down her face, not in fear, but with the most overwhelming sense of love and connection with an old friend she had ever felt. Shaking, she knelt down to pick up this book that the dragon (for there was no other explanation) dropped at her feet with a wink. When she touched it, those familiar ice water chills came back, all of the hair on her body stood on end, and her hands shook so violently she could barely keep hold of the thing. What treasure might this be, that a dragon should drop it at her feet?!

She knew she held her fate in her hands. She did not know what that fate was, but it was definitely written in this book, somewhere.

She knew it. before she even opened it.

The edges of the book made it look ancient. It proudly wore a warn black leather cover with worn gold guilded pages, so small it fit into the palm of her hand and felt heavy as stone, embossed on to the front cover was a triquetra, a Celtic symbol of the holy trinity she had long been drawn to.

Open it! Open it! The boys jumped and shouted. Arianna looked at their sweet little lit up faces and placed her other hand over the cover of the book, connecting to it and asking for guidance on whether she should open it... the book seemed to radiate the same energy as the boys; joyful, hopeful, radiant with exhilaration at her opening the gift to peer at its peculiar pages.

OPEN! IT!

Ari untied the red thread binding the pages, opening her eyes wide to mirror the boys, giggles popping up from everyone in a moment of suspended mystery and excitement. The red thread binding the book fell to the ground, a huge gust of wind came through causing the pages in the book to flip so fast it was hard to hold on to, finally landing on a page with two simple words, "read me”. Both boys shouted "let me see!" and simultaneouly grabbed for the book. The moment all three of their hands made contact with the pages, more words began to appear! She could read her name, birthday and what looked like an astrological chart of her birth time written in green ink on a glittering, gold page.

She turned this page and the next page facing her had rules or instructions as to what to do with he book:

1.No one else must ever know! Their doubt will seep in to the magic and The Book of Fates will not work for you.

2.The Book of Fates can only be used for good. Should you wish ill will, the book will multiply this wish and bounce this fate on to you as though you had flung it upon a rubber wall.

3.The Book may only be used once. After you have made your wish The Book will continue on along it's journey and return to other realms.

Arianna turned the next page to find it blank. And the next. And the next. Every single one of what she could guess was 100s of pages left in this magical little black book looked to be left empty, but why?

The moment she posed the question in her mind, Rowan, in his soft, sweet, still baby little voice, whispered " 'it takes many pages to contain ones fate, even though we can not read them all at once, they still must be present to hold the story.' "

Ari wiped off the tears of pride and joy at this magical little being in front of her and asked where he had learned such a thing... “The stories mom, Finn chimed in....remember? The stories you tell us about the dragon riders. Remember The Book of Fates in the story?!

There was that ice water chill again... she did remember, in all of the excitement it had slipped her mind, but I beleieve her heart knew all along what the tree dragon had placed at her feet. T'was The Book of Fates in her hands! She had heard this story many times from her grandmother and aunts. The same stories she tells her children, the same stories grandmother’s grandmothers were telling their children. She knew this was the moment her ancestors had reached out to her from those stories to bestow a gift. She had been brave and fought hard and now, she was to be rewarded by choosing her Fate. Any Fate. Her Boy’s Fate.

She came to realize, Her entire lineage's fate would change with this one wish.

Later that evening she built a fire and after dinner, lit some sage and told the boys she was going to meditate for a little while on how to use this book if they wanted to join.

They sat by the fire in the infinite possibility of silence when her awareness floated up and began asking the question burning a hole in her heart... “How do I change my fate to help myself and others in the most powerful way while still providing abundantly for myself and my boys? She stayed in the realm of visions and smoke for a few more moments, until finally coming back into her body awareness around the fire with the boys and slowly opening her eyes to see them both sound asleep, curled up like little pups. She threw a blanket over them to rest by the fire with the magical memories of the day for a while before bringing them in for bed, stepped into the van for some tea and tucked the magical little black book away. It felt warm to the touch she noticed as she sat it down, almost as though the thing were alive.

The next morning during coffee and bagels, the boys shared they had the same dream the night before. A bus they had converted into an rv where they all lived full time. Listening to them tell the story, one finishing the other’s sentences, made them all burst out in giggle fits.

Arianna knew what her answer was, grabbed the book from her bag and right then and there opened it to write down her wish. A huge gust of wind came through and blew the book to page three, the page left for her to write her wish. The words flowed from her pen (which happened to be a green gel pen she had in her art bag!) like a river. “The means and space for a completely comfortable converted bus used to offer our gifts to the world.” Another gust of wind and the book was closed. Everyone kissed it’s cover, knowing it would soon be traveling on and sure enough when they woke the next morning it was gone, but for one page left on the kitchen counter at home, next to Ari’s morning coffee… A list. Of how a bus conversion could be budgeted for $20,000. And a note: “Check your bank.” All written in beautiful glittery green ink.

I don’t think I have to tell you what happens next, because after all Fairy Tales are Happily Ever After stories, right? Ari got her bus, paid off her debts and headed west with the boys, who by the way, now have a you tube channel telling their grandmother’s stories while filming in exotic locations. Ari has a thriving mobile wellness business and has continued deepening her connections with her ancestors and their roots.

The Dragonborn.