“It is important to remember that we all have magic inside us. (J.K. Rowling)
We left Suzy Bell in somewhat dire straits, plodding north on the North Road upon which the wolf had set her. She was cold, miserable, and thoroughly sick of this whole dream from which she couldn’t awaken. The only thing that gave her any reassurance at all that she wouldn’t just freeze to death was what seemed to be the invisible presence of the wolf, who she thought now might be walking alongside her. If she turned her head just so, she could catch a glimpse of his furry tail, but that was all; he wasn’t there when she turned to look. But now she was dressed in jeans and a warmer shirt, and that helped. Magic, she thought.
And soon, or at least eventually, she reached a high pass in the rocky ridge she had been climbing for the last half hour or so. Ahead of her were two huge boulders, and a moon so big that she knew it couldn’t be real. Another reason she knew it couldn’t be the real moon was because there was no man-in-the-moon. Instead there was an angel-in-the-moon, who looked hard at her and demanded to know why she was there.
Since Suzy Bell didn’t have any idea why she was there, she didn’t have a very good answer for the Angel, who seemed to be annoyed at Suzy Bell’s uncertain stuttering. She or he or IT informed Suzy Bell softly, and rather sinisterly, thought Suzy Bell, that the only reason anyone came up the True North Road was to find the answer to their heart’s desire.
Suzy Bell didn’t know her heart’s desire, so she couldn’t very well ask anything about it. She was pretty sure it had to do with having a happier home, that her parents wouldn’t fight, that her daddy wouldn’t drink, that everybody could just be normal, but that seemed like too big a question or wish. Besides, this angel-in-the-moon didn’t seem to have too much in common with any good fairy or godmother about whom she’d ever read. In fact, if truth be told, Suzy Bell was pretty scared of this angel-in-the-moon, and not for the first time, hoped this dream would soon be over.
After a period of impatient snorting and huffing and puffing, the angel-in-the-moon closed her eyes and then pointed a finger at Suzy Bell and muttered, Hark! Listen up, Suzy Bell. The answer is: “hallelujah anyway.”
And just like that Suzy Bell found herself back in the purple tree with Alfred and Tennis Shoe curled beside her, still sleeping . . .
(to be continued)