The Wandering Abbey

Lila was never one to follow the rules. She'd always walked to the beat of her own drum, which, honestly, got her into more trouble than she cared to count. At seventeen, she had a knack for pushing boundaries, something that both scared and thrilled her to no end. Her mom would say she had her head in the clouds—strange, given Lila could never stand heights. It was on one of these curious adventures into an uncharted part of the nearby woods that Lila's life took a twist she hadn't expected. She stumbled upon what she later came to know as The Wandering Abbey. "C'mon, who's afraid of a few trees?" she'd laugh to herself, walking with an eager skip in her step. The path was lush, every leaf glistening as though showered by a fresh storm. And the colors? They weren't like anything she'd ever seen: swirling aubergines, deep emeralds, and bright blues danced around her, each step echoing a vibrant hum. "You finally came," a voice said, half whispering, half swirling on the breeze. "Who's there?" Lila's heart thumped in her chest, half intrigued, half alarmed. A boy, maybe a few years older than herself, leaned casually against an oak. Tall, with an easy grin and eyes that reminded her of fireflies at dusk, he introduced himself as Kael, the Keeper of the Abbey. "I knew you'd get here eventually," he said, hands stuffed in his pockets. "And what's so special about me?" Lila challenged, raising an eyebrow. "This place... It answers questions you're too afraid to ask yourself." Alright, I'll admit, she was hooked. A forest with answers? Had she stumbled into a fairytale? Maybe, but she figured whoever wrote it needed better PR because it wasn't like any story she'd ever read. "So, what do I do? Say 'hello,' and life gets sorted out?" Kael chuckled. "Not quite, Lila. You walk. You explore. The answers find you." And so began her journey through a living labyrinth, where trees sang, shadows danced in the moonlight, and the ground beneath her feet felt like it was alive with secrets of its own. There was a catch, of course. There always is. As Lila delved deeper, the forest played tricks, not only on her mind but her heart too. She saw memories she'd long buried. Her father, who'd left them when she was young, appeared among the trees—his voice, his laugh—for just a moment before slipping between the shadows. "It's all part of the journey," Kael would assure her with a knowing wink, each revelation pulling a piece of her world into focus. The shadows weren't just shadows either; they whispered truths Lila tried her best to ignore. They illuminated fears she's never wanted to face head-on—questions about her family, her dreams, about who she truly wanted to be. "Before you leave," Kael explained one starry night beside a glowing river, "you need to accept what you already know deep inside. You have to choose your path." Easier said than done. Doing this in real life was whole different matter. Facing her parent's choices, these decisions she'd been running from, Lila realized they were partially her own choices to make. And that burned in her stomach—like bathing in cold fire. "You know," Lila said as they drew near a hypnotic field of lavender-flame flowers, "I think I've learned what I needed here." Kael nodded, his gaze warm and understanding. "It's time to return, then. But keep this with you." He handed her an iridescent pendant—a piece of the Abbey. "Will you always be here?" she asked, much too sad to leave. "I'm here if you need me," Kael said, voice soft as falling leaves. "Find yourself, Lila. In here." Tapping her heart gently. She left that enchanted forest, stepping through the portal of leaves to an unexpected early morning back home. Lila was greeted by her cat Muffin and the soft hum of her familiar neighborhood. The Wandering Abbey had given her more than adventures. It had granted clarity. Lila knew she'd have real-world challenges, but she embraced them, for now, as opportunities for self-growth. As she pocketed Kael's pendant, Lila took a deep, fulfilling breath... A new dawn beckoned.