It's a sunny Friday morning, and the train station is filled with travelers. It was the holiday season, and a lot of families were going on vacation. It's that time of year when family members get together and bond with each other.
Chelsea was excited; this was the first time she would be traveling in 15 years. Her mom, Mary, asked her, "Chelsea, how do you feel about visiting Bina again?" "Mom, I don't have memories of visiting Bina," Chelsea responded. It was true that the last time they had been to Bina, she was just 3 years old. Mrs. Mary laughed. Mr Fred Chelsea's father started teasing her; he said to her, "Chelsea "Can't you remember how you were cuddling a goat?" Everyone laughed, and Chelsea felt so embarrassed. He went on to tell the story of how Chelsea was friends with her grandmother's goat and went everywhere with the goat.
This particular story was surprising to Chelsea because she had no memory of what Mr. Fred was saying. Chelsea asked, "I had a grandmother." Everyone laughed and echoed "Yes, of course you had a grandmother." Chelsea became curious and wanted to know what she looked like. But no one had a picture of her with them. "Don't worry; when we get to Bina, you will remember her," her father said.
They boarded a train, and it was going to be a four-hour journey from Faro to Bina Town. Chelsea was excited about the beautiful green vegetation she would see and the rivers and streams. She was a lover of nature.
The journey started, and after an hour, they got to the mountain town, a town where people build houses on the mountain. Chelsea took pictures with her phone and was going to show them to her friends.
They arrived in Bina town, and Chelsea was surprised. She asked her mom, "How long have I been sleeping?" She smiled at her and told her to get her bags.
They arrived at the village square, and they saw people dancing and celebrating. Chelsea was confused about what was going on. Their car stopped, and everyone stepped down. All the villagers prostrated immediately when Chelsea stepped down from the car. She was stunned and asked her father, "Dad, what is going on?" He responded "Just wave at them", She did as she was told, and they all stood up.
Chelsea was still confused about what happened earlier. She sat gazing into the night stars. The stars were like diamonds, and she was captivated by the peaceful and quiet nature of Bina town.
A young lady was brought to Chelsea; "she is your maid from today," her father said. Chelsea looked shocked and responded "I don't need a maid, Dad", "You will, my daughter," her father told her.
Chelsea looked at the pictures on the wall; they were of a beautiful lady; her face was like a million sunflowers. Chelsea had never seen anyone so beautiful. She thought to herself "She looks like a goddess" Mr. Fred walked into the living room, and Chelsea asked him about the woman in the picture. He told her that was her grandmother. Chelsea looked at her and had no memories of her. Mr. Fred told her "Tomorrow is a big day for you", He took a figurine from the table and gave it to Chelsea.
Chelsea touched the figurine and immediately found herself in another world. She saw her grandmother and asked, "Grandmother, what are you doing here?" Chelsea asked. "My daughter, a great responsibility lies ahead of you; the people of Bina have been waiting for you for the past 15 years." My daughter, the spirit of our fathers will guide and direct you", her grandmother said. Her grandmother stretched her hands, and Chelsea placed her hands into her grandmother's hand. Immediately, she was out of the trance. "Dad!" she screamed. "I am here, my daughter," he responded. Chelsea told him, "Now I remember Grandma; she told me I was going to take over from her. The people of Bina are waiting for me. Dad, I remember how Grandma and I used to go fetch fire and herbs together". Her dad smiled and said, "That's good.
Chelsea asked the father, "Why are the people of Bina waiting for me?" He looked at her and said "You are the next priestess of Bina". "It's a lie, Dad," she responded. "How can I become the next priestess?" Chelsea became furious. "My daughter and all the first daughters of the Naki family are to serve the people of Bina as their priestesses." "I can't do this, Dad; please stop this joke," Chelsea said. Her dad looked at her and understood her fears. He said that as long as she went into a trance and spoke with her grandmother, she was the next priestess of Bina. Chelsea looked disappointed, and tears filled her eyes. She thought of how she would miss her friends and family and how she would never watch her favorite TV series.
The alarm sounded, and Chelsea woke up and looked at herself. She was in her room, and no one was in the room with her. She was happy that it was only a dream.
Wow! Such a breathtaking twist. Realizing that everything had been nothing but a dream must have left her overwhelmingly relieved. Nice story line.
Thank you for reading.
That was a gripping story, all the way, with a twist that would have taken some getting used to. Reading such imaginative and cohesive development is great for a reader. However, finding out at the end that it's nothing but a dream comes like a flat drop:)
Thank you so much for the review
Oh my, @kinganny, you are a fine storyteller! But oh please don’t tell us it was all just a dream!
We actually have a great article about why this isn’t a good way to end a story in our catalogue of fiction writing tips. Check it out: Don't use the ‘it was just a dream’ escape hatch.
Thank you for the comment, I will go through the article.
Totally engrossing, entrancing story. It’s sad that you felt you had to end it as a dream. “Dream-endings” are often used to end a story when the author can’t actually come up with an ending. So, this type of ending is considered a “cheap” substitute for good writing.
For a moment I thought it was true and poor Chelsea was going to have a very different life.
Good story @kinganny
Thank you for taking time to read the story