Kanisa:
"Humph", Kanisa said aloud to herself. She carefully unrolled the scroll. If you are reading this scroll, I fear you were right. You told me to send Willow back to you if I did not hear from you by next month. I last spoke to you at the end of March, but Your portal is not working, so it took a bit longer. I wanted to come in person, but you told me that you were most likely being watched and that you would come to me once you were able. I shall hold you to that promise. I only ask that you send word soon, or I will be forced to come anyway and tell your parents about us. I can't keep dodging your mother you know. We have to tell her sooner or later about us. She is the queen of forbidden love I am sure she will understand. I do not know why you worry so. Oh yeah! Here is 1 of the 3 riddles you told me to send you. Very important! You said it would remind you of the truth when you need it most. "Deep in the shadow while asleep a secret lay at your feet. If you awaken me, then you will know, why I am hidden. Only on the solstice it is written. Then you will see all your secrets, they unearth me."PS trust no one. Except for me of course, I miss you. R
Kanisa sat still for several moments perplexed by the puzzle of her existence. Every detail of this scroll illuminated a new question in her mind. "Who wrote this?" "Why am I sending messages to myself" "Who is watching me?" "So glad I scrapped the idea of going door to door." And this riddle what did it mean? "Why was it important?" It was time to do a 360 inspection. Kanisa looked around her environment from the couch. "Where do I start?" There were no pictures anywhere on the mantel piece or anywhere else in the house. No external phone (only a hotel looking phone) Why? Who had sent this scroll? She tried to remember feeling an emotion of love for another and came up empty. Yet apparently, she had told someone to send a riddle to herself? "Did I predict I would lose my memory? How? And why didn't I just say what I meant outright, I mean the way this scroll was sealed apparently only I could open it anyways. Does that mean that I did not completely trust him? But the scroll says I could…" She read the riddle part of the message over and over until she memorized it. But she still could not interpret its meaning. She brought the scroll with her in the dining room as she ate and re- read it several times. Looking for something, anything that she might have missed. Deciding against brain overload, she went to living room to watch tv for awhile and tried to relax. But as she watched she began to wonder how it was that she knew current events, facts, historical information, but nothing about herself? How could she forget about this secret boyfriend she had apparently once loved and trusted?
Kanisa turned the TV off and shook off the growing chill that came with the night. She turned on the light from the chandelier and looked around the walls for a switch to turn on the fireplaces. With a house this size and height she could see why there were so many. She discovered there were 3 switches, One each, to the left of each hearth. She turned on the first two with ease. But the third did not seem to be working.
The outside of each fireplace had its own black steel embroidered gate on the exterior. Almost like a maze, as she stared at them, she started to see different patterns in them repeating themselves all the way around. How, beautiful! Each of them unique, the one on the right was the least consistent. The lines kept changing direction, in random order. But it was still a lovely design.
"Tea! That's what I need." Oddly enough, rummaging through the kitchen was like second nature after she saw everything once. While making tea, Kanisa heard cooing noises coming from the dining area. The hawk was standing on the table, right on top of the scroll. She came over to the bird and started talking to it. "Willow, huh." "That is your name." The bird looked up at her in recognition. Kanisa started petting the bird as it hummed in appreciation. "At least somebody knows who they are." "You are my only known companion." "I guess I am going to have to figure out what to do with you." "Since I am not ready to face the world yet, I will have plenty of time to get to know you again." "I bet your hungry." She went over to the porch doors and opened them, so he could hunt. Instead of what she expected, Willow took the scroll and flew deeper into the house, in the opposite direction. When Kanisa found him, Willow was waiting outside of the unlit hearth. She approached and Willow flew out of the house. Kanisa found the scroll lying in his wake on the ground, he must have placed it there before he left. "Odd, why would he do such a thing?" She bent to pick up the scroll and as she came up, her eyes were much closer to the gate and she noticed something. Kanisa saw a patch that seemed to be missing on the bottom edge of the gate. It was a hole Right in-between 2 of the lines, different from the other markings. She remembered seeing that shape before but could not place her finger on it. She placed the scroll in her shirt pocket. A draft blew in from the dining area, and she quickly ran to close the porch doors.
Kanisa retired to her room for the evening. After a fresh shower, she slipped on a silk pajama suit and sat in the vanity while she brushed her wavy brown hair and stared at herself in the mirror for the tenth time that day. She was just starting to get use to her reflection. At first it felt like she was a spirit trapped in another person's body. But now she was feeling like the rightful inhabitant and wanted to keep up her appearance in case she had a visitor soon. Maybe her mother or father would come by. A relative, if not a friend. She would just stay put until then. Trust no one