The Healer's Guardian

A Chapter by Phoenix

A Twist Of Fate Or Tryst with Fate? - Part 1

Strange are the powers you receive. Once you have them, you have no choice but to learn to control them or else they will end up controlling and then ruining your life.
As Kiya was growing up she knew that she was different and that too not in a good way. She could see things others couldn't and knew things that she shouldn't. But till she reached her teens she had always believed that this was a sign that she was going mad. Only when her grandmother sat her down and talked to her about the "gift" did she realize that she was not alone!

She still remembered the day of her 13th birthday. That morning she had been aware of an increasing tension emanating from her mother, Suma. She had been more irritable than usual. Experience had taught her to keep her "special feelings" to herself; otherwise her mother would turn into a screaming virago.

Over time she had learned to stifle any feelings she got and go about as normally as she could. But the "spells" as she called them would leave her feeling depleted. Her youth and determination had helped her cope with the after effects. She had even thought of approaching her father, Biren but somehow knew this was something that would only upset her mother even more.

On the day of her 13th birthday, her maternal grandmother had arrived early in the morning. Till now Kiya had never been allowed to visit her grandmother. In fact the few times her grandmother had visited, Kiya had been sent off to a friend's house or to some afterschool activity so that the two could not meet. Seeing her grandmother boldly walking up the steps, Kiya was filled with joy and strangely, relief.

Her grandmother walked up to her and said, "Child, I have been wanting to meet you for such a long time. You were just a day old, when your mother made me promise that I would not see you again till you turned 13. You are 13 today and here I am." Saying this she caressed Kiya's head softly.

That instant Kiya knew that her grandmother also had the same gift. She looked at her confused and said, "Grandma, I too have been wanting to meet you."

Her grandmother looked at the confusion on her face and smiled. She said, "Kiya, I know what you are thinking. We have a lot to talk about, but first let me give you your birthday present." She reached into her purse and withdrew a small box. Carefully opening it she withdrew a long, thin silver chain on which hung a single red stone. It was shaped like a sphere and was of about ½ an inch in diameter. It seemed to shimmer with an inner light. Kiya was delighted to see the gift. She smiled and reached out for it.

Her grandmother held up a hand, indicating that Kiya should stop. She said, "Child I know the pendant is very pretty, but let me tell you what it means before giving it to you. Why don't you sit down first? We have to talk."

Kiya sat down wondering what was going to come next. Her grandmother said, "I think you know about my gift. You too are a clairvoyant like me. This is something that every first born girl in our family inherits. Your mother did not inherit it because she was born second, your Uncle Somesh was my first born."

Kiya was both relieved about this and curious to know more. She said, "You mean mom knows about this? Then why did she always stop me from talking about it?"

Her grandmother smiled and said, "That is because she hates the gift and does not understand it. While she was growing up she used to resent the fact that she did not have it. Then she started resenting me for getting what she called unwanted attention, due to this gift. That is why when you were born, she made me promise that I would not tell you anything about it till you turned 13. In fact, she even forbid me from meeting or spending time with you."

Kiya was now really confused, she said, "Why?"

Her grandmother said, "Though your mother claimed she did not believe in the gift, she knew as the first born daughter you too would have inherited it. If we had met, you would have sensed it at once. She did not want that to happen. In her own way she was trying to ensure that you had a normal childhood."

"But, she had to know about all the confusion I was going through. Meeting you would have helped me a lot," exclaimed Kiya.

"Your mother thought that denying something would make it go away," said her grandmother shaking her head.

"Does my father know?" Asked Kiya.

"When your mother got married, I insisted on telling your father everything. But he is a very practical man and said he did not believe in such things. That is why when you were born, he sided with your mother," said her grandmother with a wry smile.

"Okay, now let us move on to the purpose of this crystal I am giving you. It is a special crystal that helps you focus your psychic energies. Now that you are on the threshold of adulthood, you will see a lot of changes in your powers. Having this crystal with you at all times will help you be more centered and balanced. It has always been believed that crystals absorb the energy and emotional vibrations that humans give off and then emanate them back when you focus on them. I bought this crystal the day you were born and have been inculcating special energies into it from that day on. Now I am giving it to you for protection and also as a means to use to enhance your powers." Saying that her grandmother put the chain around Kiya's neck.

The minute the crystal hung near her heart, Kiya could feel a warm and comforting feeling spread through her. She felt lighter and at the same time more in control. She understand what her grandmother was saying about crystals both being the receptacle of feelings and a source of vibrations. For the first time in her life she did not feel like a freak. She knew the powers she had were special and they needed to be acknowledged and used for good purposes. The twist of fate that made her special would also push her into several trysts with fate!

"Now sit down child, I have a lot more to tell you and ask you," continued her grandmother as she watched Kiya focus on the crystal.

"Okay! Grandma," said Kiya sitting down.

"Tell me child, what is it that you think makes you different from others?" Asked her grandmother.

"Sometimes when I touch an object I can sense things about the owner and incidents related to them. Sometimes when I meet a person for the first time, I can see things about them. The visions flash before my eyes and once it is over I feel drained," said Kiya.

"Child, you have been blessed with more than one power. This can be a big burden to bear. You have the capability to touch things and glean related incidents and I also think you can see events even before they occur. You have to start concentrating on channelizing your powers so that you control them and not the other way round,"said her grandmother looking grave and concerned.

"But how do I do that?" Asked Kiya feeling confused but somehow proud too, of her dual abilities.

"First of all you have to meditate and visualize the power as if it is a wild horse that you need to control. With time and the power of your imagination you will find it easy enough to do, especially after practice. Hold on to the crystal in your right hand when you meditate, while still wearing it around your neck. This will help you center your concentration and intensify the vibrations. And when you feel your control over your visions slipping away, you can grasp the crystal to balance yourself. You will find that as time passes, you can control the after effects of the visions. It is almost like recording your will power on the crystal and retrieving it for your use as and when required," said her grandmother.

Kiya sat there slowly digesting the information that her grandmother had passed on. As all the details sunk in she realized that life as she knew it had changed. She had always known that there was something different about her but hearing it put across in such clear terms made her feel overwhelmed. But even as panic threatened to sweep her, she realized that she was better off knowing how to manage it rather than letting the power run wild.

Her grandmother was carefully studying Kiya's face and knew what the poor child must be going through. But this was something none of them could control. It was always better to acknowledge it and control it.

She looked at her grandmother and said, "I understand Grandma. I am going to do what you say and learn to control the power."

Her grandmother nodded in approval and said, "That is good, but remember this gift comes with a lot of responsibility. It is not something that can be used frivolously or as a party trick. You have to understand that this gift is not something that we choose to have, it is something that chooses us. And once you have the power you also have to take on the responsibility. Another thing, that pendant is not a piece of jewelry. You should not let others wear it. I would also like you to wear it all the time."

Kiya looked at her grandmother gravely and nodded. "I will," she said.

"Having said that, I am going to make sure that your wearing the crystal around your neck does not look odd. That is why you need to wear these too." Her grandmother smiling as she handed another box.

Kiya took the box with a little apprehension and opened it. To her delight she found a pair of dangling earrings and a simple chain bracelet with matching crystals on them. "Thank you grandma! These are so pretty! Are these special crystals too?" She asked.

"No! My child, these are crystals too but do not have the same power as the pendant. But I had made these so that they would match the pendant. If you want you can take these off, but keep the pendant with you always." Said her grandmother feeling pleased at Kiya's obvious delight.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Kiya could remember a small party thrown by her parents. Her best friend, Sameena had also attended along with other classmates and friends. Kiya received a lot of gifts that day; many of them very pretty and costly, but she knew the gift her grandmother had given was the most valuable.

3 years passed with a lot of minor incidents in Kiya's life. She had learned to channelize and control her power in a better manner. Focusing on the guidance of her grandmother, Kiya had worked on making herself physically fitter, emotionally stronger and spiritually deeper. The sixteenth year of her life brought about a lot of changes in her life. The first indication of the change happened strangely enough when Kiya's father patted her on the head at the breakfast table. A vision flashed in Kiya's mind. First of all her father was having an affair with an old school friend and that he was going to be in an accident that day. From the look of things, his life was in danger!

What will happen next? To be continued......

prev chapter