Everyone's To Do List

"One candle, two candles, three candles, four. Light a little candle, then light a couple more.." Her dress floats across the floor as she steps around the candles on the floor.

"Five candles, six candles, seven candles, eight. Close your weary eyes and drive away the hate.." One by one the candles light on their own. With each step the rooms grows a little lighter.

"Nine candles, ten candles, eleven candles, twelve. Clear away those dusty thoughts and sing this little spell." She raises an arm and the rest of what seems to be an army of candles light up with flame. The tome of ancient secrets resting open in her other arm.

"One candle, two candles, three candles, four...".

"Can you hear the voices, standing at the door?". An old and unhappy voice sounds from the door at the smaller end of the room making her jump nearly straight up and out of her shoes.

"Uncle Roger! I'll be right there!". She sets the tome down as she rushes to the door.

"Darling little Anita. You musn't make your elders wait for you. Especially not in this weather." The old unhappy voice of Uncle Roger seemed to cheer up slightly as the young woman took his coat and led him inside the apartment.

"You're just in time for this months prayer! I'll get it for sure this time! and then everyone will see!". Anita, now bouncing with every step and she leads Uncle Roger to a comfortable chair, grabs her tome of hand written spells.

"See? I've fixed the verbiage just like you taught me to and I've been making sure to speak clearly and calmly. It has to work this time! I know it will!". Anita joins Uncle Roger in a nearby chair as she shows him to rewrites and changes she has made to her tome. He goes over the pages in silence as he checks to make sure all the work is there.

"I'll go make us some tea as you read through!". Anita exclaims happily and she leaves the room to make her Uncles favorite blackberry and honey tea.

Uncle Roger can hear Anita humming and dancing as she prepares tea.

"She's trying so hard. Every single month she gets better and better and I know this can't be easy. Ah, sister dear. If you could only see your little girl now.". He glances around the room as the candle light illuminates the framed pictures across the walls. Some in broken frames, some with shattered glass, and some in pieces. All of them showing a little girl with her family. Playing amongst flower fields and being read to before bed.

" She may just end up completing your work after all. Wouldn't that be a sight." Uncle Roger sighs just as Anita re-enters the room with a silver tray with tea and cookies.

"Not just may, I will. You'll see Uncle Roger. I'll finish this spell and put everything right with the world. People will stop hating each other and we can all finally get along. And we wont have to be afraid to go outside anymore!". Anita's voice gets stern and she sets the tray next to Uncle Roger on the table.

"Yes darling, I have no doubt that you will. This is simply a monumental task to take on for someone who had no part in creating this mes..".

"But I can fix it. It doesn't matter if I made the mess or not, I can fix it. I can help set things right again. Just because that happened doesn't mean everyone has to suffer. One persons wrong isn't everyone's wrong. They just wanted everyone to feel the pain they felt. I get that, but it's not ok. It wasn't an ok thing to do. No one else should have to suffer because they couldn't have their way. But everyone is, and they don't even know it!". Anita, now seated but upright and furious.

Uncle Roger places his hand on Anita's and breathes. He understands perfectly what she's going through right now. For you see, before Anita, this was Roger. Day in and day out, trying to perfect his own tome to help the world out of misery and darkness. With daily prayers and a clean mind to help the energy flow. Pacing through his home, trying to think of how to improve the prayers. How to increase the energy output. Just... how to help... how to help anyone that needed it. But why? why go through so much for people who are just miserable everyday? For people who might stay miserable everyday, and not know there's a better day waiting for them.

This is a job they must take on, day in and day out. No matter the cost to them. No matter if they want to or not. For this was started by the first. All of this was started by the first thought. The beginning of the darkness.

What if...

What if... I can't.

What if... I fail?

What.. What if it hurts too much?

What if I let the people around me down? What happens then? Will that hurt? Will they be ok? Will I be ok? Will things change? Is this good? Is this bad? What if it doesn't work? What if I make things worse? Can things get any worse? What if they hate me?.... No, they probably already do.

These dark thoughts started the darkness that we see today. And more dark thoughts get added to this growing darkness with every doubt. With every changed mind, plan that went undone, refused friend and unsaid word. The darkness grew.

"It's my responsibility to fix this. I'm the only one that can now." Anita stands and grabs her tome. Opening to the page she left off on the start the prayer again.

"One candle, two candles, three candles, four. Light a little candle, then light a couple more..". She stands tall as she reads.

"Five candles, six candles, seven candles, eight. Close your weary eyes and drive away the hate.". Her arm raises once more to an alter at the other side of the room. Uncle Roger looks over in the direction she is facing now. But freezes as he sees the alter.

"Nine candles, ten candles, eleven candles, twelve...." Uncle Roger sped from his chair to stop Anita and her prayer. She looks up calmly to him as he stands between her and the alter.

"I found a way to strengthen the prayer Uncle. Everyone will hear it for sure this time. From now until the end of eternity..." She trails off as the candles light up in full blaze now.

"This isn't the way to go Anita! This isn't your daily prayer! I know what you are doing, you don't have to. Please, Anita, let me take your place.". He pleads to deaf ears as tears roll down his face.

"You don't have enough energy to do it this time, I made sure....".

Uncle Roger is pulled from the center of the room where Anita stands. The energy coming from her is too much to withstand.

"Nine candles, ten candles, eleven candles, twelve... Clear away those dusty thoughts and sing this little spell.".

Uncle Roger, tears flowing from his eyes, fills the room with his own chants. Trying desperately to stop Anita from finishing, But he can barely mutter a full sentence.

The alter begins to glow and Anita becomes tangled in vines the sprung forth from it. With her last words, Anita takes a deep breath and finishes her prayer. This is what she had been working so hard for. And now she can show her Uncle that he, and the rest of the world, can stop.

Stop with the hatred for colour, stop with the hatred for speech, stop with the hatred of new. For the world begins anew every day. And we always wait for it with open arms.

"One candle, two candles, three candles, four... I open up your heart and let you out to explore. I'll be your guide, your guard, the whisper you hear. To let you know, I am here. And you are not alone.". The vines being to move with those last words. Anita's tome drops to the floor as the room fills with carnations of every colour. Tears pour down her face as she disappears into a group of small orbs. The vines have nothing more to hold onto and fall to the floor.

Uncle Roger falls to the floor as well. His tears are unable to stop as his fists bang against the floor. He couldn't tell her.

This was not her responsibility. Nor was it his. To bring joy to life... To bring laughter and memories worth remembering. To bring life to its fullest potential.

This, this is on everyone's to do list. It's everyone's responsibility.

The orbs of light where Anita once stood began to flow through the room and then through the walls out into the world. Whispering to all who are in need of a kind word or just to let them know. Anita can hear your tears and prayers. You are not alone.