Anna Fields
I’ve always known I was different. I could see things other children could not and I instinctively knew things they didn’t know. I could predict events before they happened – like the arrival of visitors or the exact moment a foal would be born. Later, I found that if I concentrated, I could move objects by focusing my mind.
My father has power, but chooses not to use it. He chooses not to recognize the abilities I possess. I knew Pa had been born in 1838 and had fought in the Civil War. I knew he was a time traveler and hoped that one day I could also cross the portals of time.
Pa has told me stories about his granny, the first Anna Mae, a renowned wise woman. Granny’s spirit entered my life early on. She appeared as a wispy old woman who wore a long, shapeless dress and a large sunbonnet. She carried a basket filled with herbs and the scent of lemon balm trailed after her.
My first real encounter with Granny happened when I was four years old. I had been playing with a big girl who had taken my doll and wouldn’t return it. I remember stamping my feet and crying when an old woman in a sunbonnet appeared out of nowhere.
Do you want the dolly back, Anna?
“Yes,” I sobbed. “But she won’t give it.”
She will. Stare at your doll and think very hard about how much you want her.
I remembered that I had been able to do this. At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the doll was wrenched from the big girl’s hands and floated through the air to me. I grabbed it and continued staring at the girl, who screamed for her mother and ran away. The victory was sweet, but I was confused and scared.
Maggie Miller was the other person who helped me understand that my talents could be useful. She was a family friend, a physic who could read runes and tell fortunes. Maggie helped me learn focus, visualization, and the Craft.
My Dad’s cousin, Dillon, was a noted warlock who only used his powers for evil. My father hated him, but I saw that Dillon was not totally lost; he was a sad, lonely man.
In the spring of 2028 I met Rad, a Fey prince who wanted to become a stockbroker and command the mortal world. He looked out for me and was always kind, but Pa said all Fey were deceptive and couldn’t be trusted. They were not human after all, so who knew their real intent.
When the water crisis hit, I was sixteen and knew I could be helpful. As the drought intensified and water was being drawn away from our area, I found the words of the water-summoning spells came instinctively to me. Frightened by my own success, I wondered where I really belonged – in my humdrum material world or in the magical world of the Fey?
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