https://jackwren.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/manifesting-earth/

I mentioned in my last post that I dreamed a lot of this. This is the very first dream of the elements I ever had, rewritten – I’ve rewritten it probably a dozen times since, as my writing skills have improved.

It was hard enough just walking up to the door.

The house looked quiet. Last time I’d been here, there were apprentices, students, servants everywhere. This time there was no one, only the huge outdoor garden blowing in the wind. In the rush of wind I felt like all the plants were reaching for me.

By the time I got to the door I was nervous. It felt like the keep was under siege. From who? Was it me they were scared of? Or was I walking into a trap from one side or the other?

I had to do something, though. I was tired of waiting for other people to explain things to me. Waiting had only given my stepfather a weapon, and my mother a crutch. Maybe it wasn’t fair to take that out on the other set of parents, but I wasn’t going to let it get away from me again.

I knocked on the door. A long time went by before there was any response. Just as I raised my hand to knock again, a young man opened the door. He was younger than me – probably no more than ten – and I thought I remembered him being introduced as a member of the family before, but it was hard to be sure. He gestured for me to come inside.

The moment I was across the threshold, he slammed the door shut behind me and slid the bolts back into place. I started to ask him what was going on, but he only shook his head and looked suddenly shy.

“So what now?” I asked him.

He pointed to the stairway on the far side of the room. I crossed it, noticing how much darker it was than the last time I was here. Not only were the windows shut, but there were hardly any lamps lit, either. I turned at the base of the stairs, but the young man had disappeared.

There was nothing else for it. I had to keep going.

About halfway up the stairs, I paused. The way it curved allowed me to catch a glimpse of several people, all facing away from me. The new wife of the man I now believed was my father. The young woman I’d been introduced to as her oldest student. A young man about my age, her elder son. All of them were whispering heatedly. But I didn’t see my father.

I took a deep breath and turned the corner, giving myself over to plain view. If this was a trap, well, I’d dealt with traps before.

“Oh, it’s just you,” his wife said with a sigh of relief. Well, that was one question answered; at least it wasn’t me. “I don’t mean to insult. It’s simply been… trying, lately.”

“Is that why it’s so quiet? Was everyone sent away?”

She nodded. “For their own safety. You’d do best to leave as well. I understand why you want to see my husband, but I think you’re really best off not being part of our family right now.”

I shook my head. “I’d rather die with a family than suffer alone.”

She smiled, thin and sad. “Well, he’s in the library. I hope he knows what he’s doing.”

I nodded to her, then to her apprentice and her son in turn. Her son’s eyes were – something about them caught mine and held them for a fraction too long.