~Mei~

Paval slithered down from her lap and onto a small side table next to the chair. He glanced out the window at the increasingly heavy rain, “Knowing yourself is true wisdom. Don’t ignore what is right in front of you.” 

Mei sighed and slumped back in the chair, “Now you sound like my grandfather. Always quoting something profound which he never follows himself.” 

Lightning slammed into the ground not far away, making the whole house tremble lightly. The loudness of the thunder made her hairs rise up. She loathed the monsoon season, nothing but rain and thunder for weeks. The moisture always did a number on her hair. More worryingly water would always leak into the house— she had told her grandfather they should fix it. But it never happened. He never listened to her. 

“He is trying to draw the lightning down to him, to help him crack the earth open,” Paval the snake hissed. 

“Who?” Mei tilted her head and glanced at the snake. 

“Ah, nothing important right now. We should talk about you now,” Paval said in a joyful manner. 

Mei was half-sure that she was going crazy. First of all she was talking to a snake, second of all the snake was saying she was a witch. She was also half-convinced that she was still sleeping. 

“Ok. Let’s say I believe you, little snake. What does that mean?” She leaned towards the snake.

Paval curled up, “It means that you're as connected to the earth as can be. It speaks through you. It expresses through you. Magic is as natural to you as sticking my tongue out is to me,” he explained briefly. 

Mei placed her fingers on her forehead and abruptly got up from the chair, “This sounds like nonsense to me, like new age nonsense that some of the younger girls in the reception talk about sometimes. Next you’re going to tell me to learn tarot cards. I’m not the right person at all for this. I don’t believe in any religion. I studied chemical engineering, and I love science— I firmly believe in science,” she lamented before turning to face Paval, “I am not your witch. There is no way my mother was a witch.” 

Paval chuckled at her response, “You have it all wrong. As your familiar, it is my responsibility to tell you that science is ever expanding. There are things unknown, but that does not mean they are not scientific. Let me show you what it means to be a witch,” he urged her. 

Mei stood still, she wasn’t sure what to reply. A small part of her wanted to jump right into it, the part which had loved reading fantasy novels when she was younger. The sound of the rain drumming hard into the house roof drowned out her thoughts. 

“Fine. Show me. I will give you one chance.” She bit her lip, knowing she might regret it. 

“Follow me,” the snake said as he slithered down the table. 

She walked behind Paval as he slithered towards the entrance. He stopped and peered up at her as if telling her to open the door. She unlocked the door slowly, turning the key in the security gate next. The rain had flooded the driveway, she hesitated as she saw the snake slither out into the hot rain. 

“We are going into the rain?” She exclaimed and raised her eyebrows. 

“Yes. To show you that even the rain will listen to you,” Paval hissed joyfully. 

“No way. My makeup and hair will be ruined,” Mei shouted.

The snake ignored her and slithered into the rain itself. She gritted her teeth, why was she doing this? Listening to a snake..? She was going crazy. Yes. She was very sure of it now. What could she lose? Her life was already sad, wasn’t it? She followed, stepping barefoot into the rain as she placed herself next to the snake. 

“Now. Feel how everything is a part of you. The earth, the air, the rain itself… It’s as if you could simply tell it: Stop.” Paval slithered up her leg to her arm. 

She was drenched by the heavy rain, the hot hair made it feel insufferable. Yet, the snake was right. She did feel a part of it all. She hadn’t stopped to notice before, but there was a strong feeling of being unbreakably connected to everything. To her surprise, the rain stopped right where she stood. Her eyes widened in disbelief. 

“This has to be a dream, right?” She pinched herself, “Ouch. How is this happening?” Mei stared at Paval. 

“Communication. Now this is but the first step to a journey of a thousand miles,” Paval said with excitement. 

She was about to say something when she felt it, something clawing at the earth from beneath her. Something malicious, wanting to break out and devour everything. She could feel how the earth desperately wanted to keep it in. Yet it kept clawing and slamming into the crust. 

“How do I keep this thing from escaping?” She firmly asked Paval. 

The snake slithered closer to her face, “You can sense it now, can’t you? You probably have been already, not knowing what this feeling of dread and misery was. Master yourself. Know that change is not bad, it is simply inevitable. I do not think it can be kept inside any longer. You have to find a new way of containing it,” he told her. 

“Can this happen after I fix my hair?” Mei gave the snake a half-smile.