The Familiar Read Online Free Page B

other nights, you will dream about your father and me. You will experience him, just as if you had been there. Then maybe you can get some of the answers you are looking for.”
    I sit still as she clasps my head between her open hands. As the seconds pass, her palms begin to radiate heat, the warmth penetrating my head with such intensity, that I feel faint. I expect pain or discomfort, but surprisingly, I feel only a soothing sensation as a vibration radiates from her fingers across my skull. After a few minutes, her hands drift away, leaving my head feeling heavier. I yawn, and succumb to sleep’s embrace.
    Mom kisses me on the forehead. “Goodnight, honey… Sweet dreams.”
    When I get to my room, I fall on my bed and sleep deeply, so deep that it almost feels like I’m weightless. I can’t feel the mattress or the blankets, even my pillow. Little fizzy explosions materialize in my mind. A sudden burst of color, then a clear, crisp image comes into focus.
    A young, teenage version of my mom stands in a room. She is among other kids her age, wearing simple white garments, as they stand in rows, bathed with a golden glow. Their hands are outstretched in front of their chests, and they’re holding their wands on their upturned palms. The wands look hot, almost like molten metal, but the hands holding them stay cool. At the front, standing on a circular podium made of gleaming marble is an older woman, a witch with cascading ebony hair and a singular white braid down the side of her face. She is dressed in glittery white and wears a golden robe around her shoulders.
    “Today, as you move forward to being full-fledged witches and wizards of light, it is necessary for you to choose a familiar who will assist you in your missions and stay by your side. You will all take turns based on rank; when your time comes, please select wisely. Take your wand and meet eyes with your chosen one. If it’s a suitable match, your wand will accept,” she says as she looks at Mom. “Maven, please begin.”
    A wooden double door opens, and one by one, animals begin to enter. Slowly, the room is filled with horses, lions, tigers, foxes, wolves, deer, birds, cats, and dogs. Mom looks confident and poised as she scans the room. She locks eyes with several animals, as if reading their minds. With each one she rejects, the tension in the room grows. Finally, she spots a large Russian blue cat, whose eyes are a bright pale green and whose silvery fur shimmers in the shadows. They stare for a few minutes, then she lifts her molten wand with one swift movement – a static electric stream hits the cat in between the eyes. The wand cools turning to a solid gold rod, while the cat transforms into a handsome young man, now naked before all to see.
    Not once did she break the gaze with him, and at that moment, I realize this is my father. He is tall, with lean sinewy muscles, and dark wavy hair, which is already sprinkled with silver strands despite his youth. His striking jade colored eyes are speckled with bits of metallic copper.
    The older witch appears proud and extracts her wand from beneath her robe. “You have chosen well. You may now proceed to the greeting room!” She waves her wand and zaps them both till they disappear into thin air.

4

    My alarm clock buzzes in my ear, jarring me out of my dream state. I lean on my pillow, and rub my eyes, realizing that it’s Friday, only one week till summer vacation. The dream weighs heavily on my mind, and as I start getting ready for school, unanswered questions bounce around in my head. As I pull one of Mom’s old summer dresses out of my closet and grab my favorite Doc Marten boots, I think about my father and suddenly something dawns on me. I open my sketchbook and turn to the drawing I had made of the stranger the day before. I stare at it and realize that it’s him, except in my drawing he looks more mature. I wonder how I had managed to create a mental picture of him, even before I knew