The Myth of Lisa

I have to give credit to an old friend. He came up with this character based on me years ago that instantly hit home. He described me in a way I hadn't known how to do myself. He knew me very well and so it's no surprise that he could pinpoint things I didn't fully understand.
So, although the person I'm writing about is my own character, he did clearly define who I was on a spiritual level and I used the basic characteristics he saw in me.

Lisa was born to Hilda the Caring and Ray the Addicted.

Lisa was beyond her years from the very beginning. She was born with triple sight which was both a gift and a curse. When looking through her left eye she could see the past. When looking through her right eye she could see the future. When she had both eyes open she was fully in the present. Never knowing how or why she knew the things she did, Lisa lived with the hope that someday she would come to understand both.

Lisa was loved by everyone around her; surrounded by her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all of their friends. Hugs and kisses were how she woke each morning and how she was put to bed each night. She was quick to learn too. Lisa talked from an early age, never crawled but went straight to walking and taught herself to care for others as well.

At about the age of six things changed, her father went off on his own leaving his daughter and wife behind. Lisa was terribly sad but still had lots of people who loved her. Soon her mother also went off on adventures. Hilda always came back for Lisa, sometimes taking her on adventures too, sometimes leaving her safely behind. There were lots of people for Lisa to stay with. She was taken care of by her extended family, a cast of characters who were funny, passionate and gifted in the magical arts.

In time Hilda remarried a man named Edward the Stern; she adopted his niece and bore him a daughter. This allowed for Hilda to bring Lisa back with her permanently, to Edward’s family kingdom, which was headed by Alex the Feared. Lisa again was very sad about the changes in her life but she very much loved her new sisters and they loved her. She could not say the same for Edward. He was very mean, never calling her by name and most times went out of his way to point out her flaws and mistakes. In fact, all of Edwards’s family did this. Lisa was not of the right parentage, she was not the right color, and she was not pretty or smart enough. She was discouraged from being creative and independent and her gifts were not to be used. This was all very shocking to her. Until this point in her young life she had been loved unconditionally. She had been praised for her individuality and intelligence. In this kingdom of Darkness she was lost and lonely, and didn’t understand why it was happening.

She was still allowed to visit her old home and loved ones, often bringing back magical tools of protection to keep her safe. Though, it wasn’t enough to keep her strong while living in her stepfather’s kingdom.  Eventually she could not continue to fight the arrows of poison shot through her on a regular basis. Spiritually wounded she walked the edges of darkness, reaching out to a few people on her path that gave her bits of light. They helped remind her of whom she once was and who she might be again one day. Of course, she still did have her mother’s love and that of her sisters but they were under the kingdoms rule. They could never outwardly defend her and so she was basically on her own. She stopped trying to do anything right. She didn’t try to learn because of course she would never be smart. She didn’t try to make friends because who would like her? She didn’t try to laugh because that caused more attacks. Daily the poison seeped into her very bones and she was so sick that her body wouldn’t take in the nutrients to sustain it properly. The poisons were literally eating her from the inside out. Her triple sight is really the only thing that kept her alive; reliving the past and looking to a better future.

 When Lisa became of age she was free to roam the lands on her own, which she did. The poisons were still very much inside of her and there was no light bright enough to see her path clearly. Yet she continued searching, trusting her instincts, sometimes simply feeling her way along. The further she left the dark kingdom behind the more her vision cleared. Each step gave her confidence and she could feel her true self slowly coming back to the surface. She was able to reunite with her family again in a new palace and they were stronger together. The love and support they shared gave her more insight and hope. The road became brighter and easier to navigate yet, there were also many disappointments. There were false friendships and lovers along the way. People who wanted the gifts Lisa had inside yet left when she shared her secrets. The same people would always return at some point. After false promises to do right by her, they would again take bits of her magic and leave. At another time on her journey she would meet with them again, most times at their insistence. Often they left behind fortunes, families and demeaned themselves for more of what she had. They wanted her but could never stay for long. Thankfully Lisa learned to revisit the memories but refused to relive them. She realized the poison that still lingered within her helped in the sense that no other poison could settle for long. Lisa didn’t understand why people came and went only to return again but she knew it had to do with her gifts. So, she set out to learn everything she could about her triple sight. She vowed to find others who were different and who could teach her what she needed to know; others who would stay in her life because they too lived gifted, magical lives.

Though always different than those around her, Lisa knew she was not alone in the world. She could feel the others who knew instinctively that there was something more. Special people like herself who walked a spiritual path and had survived poisons of their own.

One day Lisa went to a celebration for those very same people. She wanted to feel what it was like to be accepted and not have to explain herself to anyone. At this celebration she was drawn to a woman who talked to her like no one had in years. This woman gave Lisa hope that she could find a spiritual home. A place where there was knowledge, creativity, passion and friendship. She was given a key to this place and that key opened a gate. The gate guarded a kingdom of Lisa’s own. A kingdom she could share with anyone she chose. Rooms that led to everything she ever wanted, family, friends, knowledge, love, magic. It would take a lifetime to open each door but they were there and they were hers.

Lisa still wanders the halls in search of her full self and offers free tours daily for those who may be looking for a similar place.

Blessed Be   )O(