Eight months ago, I felt an unsettling sensation, a creepy feeling that started to tingle and dance in my hands, as if something otherworldly was awakening within me. Seven months ago, the situation escalated dramatically when I discovered that I had the bizarre ability to breathe fire, an extraordinary skill that seemed beyond comprehension. Six months ago, I experienced something even stranger when I realized that my hand began to move independently, as if it possessed a mind of its own, completely beyond my control. Five months ago, I underwent a transformation that made me incredibly flexible, almost as if my body was no longer bound by the natural constraints that limit most people. Four months ago, I reached a point where I could effortlessly pass through every wall that I encountered, unlocking the secrets of the physical world in a way I had never imagined possible. Three months ago, I finally developed telekinesis, granting me the power to move objects with just the sheer force of my mind. Two months ago, I discovered that I could turn myself invisible at will, vanishing from sight as if I were a ghost. A month ago, in a terrifying but exhilarating event, I fell headfirst from a tree, plummeting towards the ground, only to miraculously survive without a single injury, and I did so without anyone else even realizing what had happened. Now, I possess the extraordinary ability to bring animals back to life, a power so profound that it feels like I’ve crossed into a realm of magic. Nobody, not a single soul, knows about all these incredible and frightening changes that have taken place within me. At least, I think so. ---------- When this year began, strange and unexplainable things started to unfold in my life, things that I could never have anticipated, especially not as Cary Kana, an ordinary girl living in an ordinary world. Not even my best best best friend from St. Agnes is aware of the truth behind my transformation. As I keep this secret, I often wonder: am I sinning by hiding these gifts? There are moments when I just to fade back into the comforting shadows, to escape the weight of these revelations. There are times, too, when I find myself wishing that the teachers at my school would recognise and confront the real villain lurking within their own halls halls. There are instances when I imagine being able to control time itself, to rewind the clock and fix all my past mistakes. In some quick, I simply wish I could go back to being a normal girl, free from the burdens of these extraordinary abilities. But those are just little thoughts, mere wishes. It is said that if you wish for something you could never get, it amounts to quite a huge sin, a theory that weighs heavily on my skin. As I was walking along the edge of the road, feeling the cool breeze against my skin, I couldn't help but notice how the soles of my sneakers must have despised each step I took into the damp and inviting street, which was thick with the fresh, earthy scent of grass after the recent rain. That was precisely when I caught sight of the building. It was a sight to behold - a structure that seemed out of place, as if it hadn't existed there before, and I couldn't shake the feeling that it had appeared just for me. The windows were coated in dust, resembling those of an old attic forgotten by time, as if they were hiding secrets of their own. When I took a deep breath, stirring the dusty dust, it floated away, allowing my eyes to glimpse what lay inside the house. There was all the usual furniture you might expect to find in any home, familiar pieces that included a cozy couch and a table, and there stood a flowerpot in a corner, offering a touch of life to an otherwise spooky atmosphere. However, perhaps the most intimidating aspect of all was the dark figure that I could see moving inside the house, a shadowy presence that sent chills racing down my spine.
I decided to knock on the door. Bad idea. When I opened the door, a lady answered it. She wore a black dress from head to toe and wore a mask that covered most of her face. “Cary Kana? I’ve been expecting you.” I didn’t want to go in, but my legs betrayed me. They strode in normally, like nothing was wrong, yet everything was. I wanted to turn back, but somehow, the creaking of the floorboards just made me want to go in even more for no reason. I flopped down onto the couch, trying to not show my strange expression and act normal. The lady sat in front of me on another couch, eyes closing as if thinking deeply. “How do you know my name?” I finally mustered up all the courage I had to ask this simple little question. “That’s because, Cary Kana, for days I’ve been expecting you, just to give you a piece of advice and a gift. “A gift? You could have just sent it through the mail.” “What about the advice? Am I going to send that to you through the mail as well?” she answered mysteriously. I fell silent. “This is because, Cary Kana, I want only you to have this advice.” “Could you stop calling me by my full name, and rather just ‘Cary’?” I asked her politely. “There are plenty of Cary’s in the world, but only one Cary Kana.” I fell silent again. I was tempted to go out but the couch was way too relaxing, so I looked at the bottles above the shelves. “What’s with the bottles?” I asked her. “I’m a witch, Cary Kana, I need bottles to store my potions in.” I looked at her in amusement, wondering what was hidden behind that mask. “It’s time that I give you your gift.” Hopefully it’s a new skateboard, I told myself under my breath, but I regretted my words as soon as I said them. “You humans have no sense,” the lady said. She told me to stand up. I obeyed like a kitten listening to its mother. Suddenly I felt life being sucked out of me. Is this what dying felt like? I struggled to keep my eyes open. Then the feeling stopped. “What did you do?” I faced the lady. “It could have been me, or it could have not. Either way, that was your gift.” she shrugged. I started to leave the house and was surprised that I could. “Have I given you my piece of advice yet?” I glared at her and said, “No.” “You’ll never know.”
