Meridia

A girl removes a teapot from the stove, pours hot water into a cup, and proceeds to place a tea bag inside. Her name is Meridia, a slender young woman with fair skin, shoulder-length black hair, and deep gray eyes so profound that one could get lost in their vastness. Her lips, usually sad, shift and form a small smile when she hears the toaster sound.

Two golden, crispy slices of bread pop out of the toaster. Meridia spreads a small amount of butter on each one and places the slices on a plate. She takes the plate, the cup of tea, and sits at a wooden table; an old table, with a vase and a small bouquet of flowers, a sugar container, and on the other side, an old book with a black cover.

She bites the toasted bread and shows a small smile as she savors its delicious taste. She takes a sip of the tea, and the flavor is so perfect that it transports her to other times, to better times.

She lives alone in this cabin on the outskirts of a large forest. Years ago, together with her father, she used to explore the woods in search of animals to photograph. She has always loved forest life and would never leave this place, not even after her father’s passing.

Meridia picks up the old black-covered book from the table, its cover torn by the years. She begins to turn page after page, revealing drawings of beasts, animals, trees, ancient symbols with notes in the margins, and handwritten paragraphs in various inks and styles of lettering.

She stops at a page with a drawing of a flame and a phrase written in red ink below: “Lasta-enni calad.” She takes a bite of her bread again. Then she reads the phrase aloud — “Lasta-enni calad...”

Instantly, the flowers on the table ignite into a green flame that quickly shifts colors until it stops on a yellow flame, then turns blue, consuming the flowers entirely.

She lets her toasted bread fall, closes the book, and places it on the table; it had never worked so well before. She had been able to do small things before, like making a sheet of paper float, closing doors without even touching them, or lighting a candle, but today was different, and she knew it, the day had finally arrived, all these years of preparation for this day: a lunar eclipse.

She notices the time: 6:36 PM. She gets up from the table and heads toward her room.

She keeps a photo of her father above the headboard, on the bed. In the photo, her father is holding her in his arms, hugging her affectionately. She can’t help but look at that photo every time she enters her room. A small window lets in the light of the sunset, which bathes the space in an orange hue. Meridia has always liked that color; it reminds her of the warmth that was in her life.

She approaches her closet and begins to search through the drawers, moving the clothes from side to side. She checks the pockets of her coats, but she doesn’t find what she’s searching for with such longing. Then she turns toward her mirror, which is leaning against a large desk with drawers. She rummages through the drawers, tossing everything inside, now with a tone of desperation. She searches and searches until, at the bottom of one drawer, she finds a small wooden box covered in red velvet. She opens it and, inside, finds a silver pendant in the shape of a triangle. She holds it to her chest and lets out a sigh of relief. Meridia leaves the room, not before looking at her father’s photo. In it, he wears the same pendant.

Then she returns to the living room, finishes her toast in one bite, and picks up the black book. She grabs a black backpack that’s under the table, and upon opening it, she finds dozens of red and white candles. She places the book along with the candles into the backpack. Determined, she puts on the backpack and leaves the cabin, venturing into the forest.

She walks along a rarely traveled, neglected path, overgrown with grasses and small branches. The birds still sing high in the trees, and a deer peeks out from beside one of the trunks. She approaches cautiously, trying to pet it, but notices a wound on the animal’s side. It’s a scratch with three parallel lines.

The deer tilts its head toward her, sniffing slowly as it draws closer to Meridia. Suddenly, a strange howl echoes deep in the forest. It’s a wolf’s howl, but not a gentle or beautiful one; it’s a sound filled with ferocity and hatred. The howl causes the deer to bolt in fright, running quickly among the trees.

Meridia feels a shiver run down her spine. Her memory instantly transports her to a tragic event from her childhood...

She is hidden beneath a truck, her hands covering her mouth, trying not to make noise with her hurried breathing. She hears a howl; from her hiding spot, she can see the campfire, surrounded by two large logs serving as seats. Suddenly, a growl from one side of the truck draws her gaze.

Four large paws covered in black hair, with sharp claws and reddish in color, emitting a faint glow, silently walk alongside the vehicle toward the campfire.

Meridia follows the enormous claws with her eyes until they move away from the truck and approach the fire. There, a gigantic wolf with black fur and glowing red eyes watches the dance of the flames.

She begins to hyperventilate, unable to contain her breath. The wolf locks its gaze on her and starts slowly walking toward her hiding spot. Suddenly, a gunshot shatters the silence — BANG! — echoing through the forest.

From the other side of the camp, her father reloads a double-barreled shotgun and begins to shout, trying to get the wolf’s attention.

He fires once more, and the wolf starts running toward him. He sees her one last time, forms a small smile for his beautiful daughter, and runs deep into the forest, with the wolf behind him...

Meridia regains consciousness and continues walking. She covers a long stretch, as the night has darkened the forest. She walks quickly, running out of time: the eclipse is about to begin.

She walks over fallen trees, broken branches, and withered leaves on the ground. The forest remains in an overwhelming silence; her breathing becomes a deafening noise. Finally, she comes across an old camp.

Two large logs lie in a crescent shape around a campfire that has been extinguished for a long time. Nearby, an old vehicle, worn down by nature, rests. It is the same camp from that fateful day.

Meridia takes the candles out of her backpack and begins to place them carefully around the perimeter of the area. She forms a large circle with red candles, inside another even larger circle with white candles. Inside the red circle, she lights the fire and arranges the logs where she used to sit with her father.

Then she looks up at the sky, where the eclipse begins slowly.

She sits on the ground, legs crossed, watching the fire. In front of her, she carefully places the silver pendant. Then she takes the black book out of her backpack and opens it, flipping through the pages until she reaches a page with a drawing of a tomb and an angel above it, accompanied by the inscription: “natha-i adar nín.”

She reads the phrase aloud: — Natha-i adar nin —, but nothing happens. She repeats it, again and again, each time in a higher tone.

From deep within the forest, a howl is heard again. This time, closer. Amidst the darkness, Meridia notices a pair of red eyes watching her from outside her circle of white candles, in the stillness of the forest.

The wolf appears again, circling the circle of white candles. It tries to enter, but as it does, one of its paws begins to emit white smoke, and the animal growls in pain. In a swift movement, it moves away from the circle and continues to circle around it.

Frightened, Meridia refocuses on the words of her black book. With force, almost shouting, she repeats: — Natha-i adar nin! —

A gust of wind blows forcefully, making the flames of the bonfire grow enormously. She, frightened, quickly steps back, knocking over one of the red candles. In an instant, all the red candles go out, and the white candles begin to slowly extinguish.

The dancing flame of the campfire begins to change color, shifting from red to purple, then to green, and finally to blue, with silver sparks. From the same flame, a man’s arm sprouts, emerging from the flames in an unsettling display.

The white candles finally extinguish completely. The wolf once again enters the circle, but this time nothing happens; it begins to run toward Meridia in a charge. She cannot move; fear paralyzes her completely. The figure of the man’s arm, emerging from the flames, starts to be covered with a blue fire that blends with the sparks and flames of the fire.

The wolf advances quickly toward her, but just when it seems it will reach her, a huge beast stands between them. She cannot clearly see its face, but its body is made of small black stones adhered to each other. From its back, large wings sprout, wrapped in blue flames with silver tones, the same fire that envelops the entire body of the creature.

The wolf stops, cautiously observing the beast. In its vastness, its head is adorned with a small crown of horns that grow from its surface, and atop the crown burns a bright, erratic blue flame.

The beast lunges at the wolf, but it dodges with a quick movement. With a half turn, it faces the creature directly and, with its large red claws, tears into the beast’s right arm. The beast roars in pain for a moment and rises to an imposing height, while a powerful roar escapes from its throat, loud and prolonged. The flames enveloping its body shift to red and yellow hues, illuminating the forest’s darkness with a ferocious light.

The wolf rushes toward the beast to attack, but it catches him with both hands and, in a sudden movement, splits him in two, ending the fight.

Meridia does nothing but watch the brutal event unfold. Fear still paralyzes her, and her eyes are fixed on the creature’s, now staring directly at her. The flames change again to an intense blue tone, gradually retreating from the entire body of the beast, leaving only a small flickering flame floating above the crown on its head.

Its enormous white eyes seem to reach into the depths of her soul. Around its neck, the beast bears the same silver pendant she carried with her.

The beast sits down, and where there used to be a flame of hatred and fury in its eyes, now there is a deep sadness that seems to observe her.

Finally, Meridia manages to move and slowly approaches the creature. She doesn’t understand how, but she feels deep inside that it won’t harm her.

— Thank you — she says, her voice trembling but sincere.

The beast tries to gently touch Meridia’s face with one of its claws, careful not to hurt her.

And without thinking any longer, she throws herself into the creature’s arms to hug it tightly. The beast hugs her back, letting a few small tears escape under the faint moonlight, which begins to rise again after the eclipse ends.