The Garlic Portal and the Girl Who Bridged Time

The town of Ail-sur-Blé was situated in the rolling hills of France, what was before old Gallia or Celtica. History was felt in the roots of all trees and even in the air, as the sun and stars meandered from east to west on their repeating quest, from life to death to revival and life again.

In those times, garlic was more than a decent crop. It was considered the lifeblood of the community, potent and divine.

Every June, for many centuries, the town has celebrated the summer solstice. This year, as the townsfolk prepared for the longest day of the year, they decided to revive an ancient solstice ritual. It has been almost forgotten in the annals of their history because of a secret.

It was not talked about by the folk.

*

Émilie was a curious and adventurous sixteen-year-old. She loved the legends about the solstice. Her Mamie Marguerite often spoke of a time when the townspeople would gather at the Circle of Stones on the edge of the village.

The ritual was said to harness the very power of the sun and could even bridge time itself.

On the eve of the solstice, Émilie felt a force in her limbs, drawing her strongly towards the town's dusty library. Curious, she pored over ancient texts and manuscripts, her fingers tracing hungrily the faded ink of old French words like "puissance" and "solstice".

In a heavy, faded brown leather-bound tome, she found the forgotten ritual:

"À midi, quand le soleil est à son zénith, placez l'ail sacré au centre du cercle et récitez l'incantation."

Her heart raced as she read the instructions.

The sacred garlic was to be placed at the center of the stone circle at noon, and an incantation was to be spoken to unlock the portal. As she deciphered the archaic script she knew she was the chosen one to perform this ritual.

She felt a tingle throughout her veins, deeply disturbing yet highly energetical. The voices of her ancestors mixed up in her brain, pulling her towards different sides, to dare or not to dare.

*

The next day, the entire town gathered at the Circle of Stones. Emilie felt the pungent scent of garlic and she felt the high energies of the place. Nature was preparing for the ritual, the birds were in waiting, the worms were frozen in their squirming, despite the heat.

Mémé Marguerite handed Émilie a small bundle of garlic bulbs, their papery skins crackling auspiciously.

"Soyez prudente, ma petite," she whispered, her eyes glistening with both worry and hope.

*

The sun climbed to its zenith, everything stood still. Elongated shadows were cast over the stones. That's when Émilie stepped into the circle.

She placed the garlic at its center and began to recite the incantation:

"Soleil puissant, ouvre les portes du temps, révèle les secrets du passé."

*

A deeper hush and a sigh coming up from the belly of the earth were heard at the same time. A brilliant beam of sunlight struck the garlic, illuminating it with an otherwordly glow.

The ground beneath Émilie's feet trembled, and a shiny yet blurry portal began to appear before her. Without a second thought, she stepped through.

*

The world around her blurred and shifted, and she found herself in the same stone circle, but at a different time. Was she in a different dimension? Was she dead or the spirits have saved her?

*

The air was cooler, the breeze smelled fresher in a way. She noticed that the surrounding fields were untouched by modern hands. Startled, she noticed a girl standing before her. She looked awkwardly familiar. Her dress was different, though, the simple garb of centuries past.

"Qui êtes-vous?" the girl asked, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"I am Émilie," she replied in perfect French. "Et vous?"

"Je suis Claire," the girl responded, a tentative smile breaking across her face. "Are you from the future?"

*

Émilie nodded, explaining the ritual and the portal. As they spoke, she realized that Claire was her distant cousin, involved in the original solstice ritual.

They spent hours sharing stories of their lives, marveling at the similarities and differences between their worlds. Their connection was very strong, up to the smallest cell in the bodies, their blood connected through ancestry and divine weavings of energetics.

The sun began to set and Émilie felt it was time to return. Claire offered her a small, ornate vial. "Take this with you. It contains the essence of our time, a reminder of our meeting."

With a final embrace, Émilie stepped back through the portal, feeling the pull of her own time drawing her back, a rollercoaster ride through dimensions, riding the magical sunset light.

*

On the other side, she stumbled out of the circle, the townsfolk gasping in relief and amazement as she reappeared. Hushed voices, wondering and questioning with their eyes and feeling the great moment.

In her hand, she clutched the vial tightly. Her hand hurt, but she felt her mission was almost complete. She felt lighter and full of bright yellow hope.

Slowly, the last rays of the solstice sun dipped below the horizon. Carefully, she uncorked the vial, releasing a soft, golden glow with whispering secrets unswirling towards the faded clouds.

The crowd watched as the light danced and flickered, everyone was amazed as the hidden power of the solstice was released.

The people of Ail-sur-Ble never forgot the magic of the solstice ritual. Each year, they continued to gather at the Circle of Stones, to honor the connection between past and present. There was a strong unexpected power that lay within their own history, back in time through generations past.

Émilie was now more self-assured and empowered than before. She kept the vial safely tucked away and remembered her adventure and her newfound cousin Claire, their connection strengthened by the solstice shadows.

How she wished Claire could visit and spend time together! She was living alone with her Mamie and had hardly any other similar kid to play with.

Nevertheless, she felt gratitude for her journey and decided she would study more about the rituals of the past and the witches that left her the secret legacy which was not to be mentioned.

"Because the shadows had ears," her Mamie always repeated to her.