Chapter 10

THIS CHAPTER NEEDS TO BE CLEANED UP- Just a forewarning

10

     First thing Saturday morning, Jordan popped out of bed, showered and dressed quickly and then scooted out the door before her father could ask her to cut the grass yet once more. With just enough rain and sunshine, the grass seemed to grow a foot overnight. Of course, once the neighbors cut their grass, it was imminent that their yard would be next. It made her father nervous to see the neatly shorn grass and then their own scraggly domain. Jordan was paid handsomely for cutting the grass, weed whacking, and other minor yard work, so sometimes when the neighbors cut their grass, it was just in the nick of time. Being broke wasn’t fun. Since Bethany had passed away, Jordan was still unable to land a job in town. The hospital had no open positions to fill, so doing yard work and babysitting was her only salvation against the fashion police and bankruptcy.

     Jordan strode across the street, deciding to walk the two blocks to the library. She shifted her thoughts to the symbols engraved on the mirror. How would she find their meanings? She had surfed the web in vain for hours the night before to find the symbols, or magic mirrors, anything related to what she was dealing with. But nothing. It was impossible to type the symbols in, they were mere shapes that could not be reproduced on a keyboard. So the next best stop was the public library.

     She nervously placed her hand in her pocket and felt the folded notebook paper that contained sketches of the symbols on the mirror. Glancing both ways, she darted across the street and up the steps through the library’s large double glass doors.  

     Sounds of traffic and birds, planes in the sky, kids screaming and playing, all stopped the second the door whooshed close behind Jordan. It made her jumpy, like she was in a mausoleum. She had no earthly idea where to even start her search. Should she look in the magic/mysticism section? Should she ask a librarian? After all, they would have no idea where these symbols came from. She could tell them that she was working on a summer project for her junior year this year.

     She silently scanned the library and finally chose a plump, older woman, who had salt and pepper hair piled high in a bun.

     “Excuse me,” she anxiously shuffled from one foot to the other.

     “Yes, Ma’am, what can I do for you?” The old woman’s voice quavered as she spoke, but it was clear that she was sharp.

     “I have some symbols that I am working on. It’s a summer project for my junior Literature class. I have no idea where to start looking. Could you help me find the right books so I can figure out what these symbols mean?”

     “Sure can,” the old woman smiled. Let’s have a look at these symbols.”

     Slowly Jordan pulled the paper from her pocket. It was not too late to dash out the door and forget about all of this. Yet she couldn’t help remembering the sadness in Stacy’s eyes when she learned of Rocky’s death. Or the terror in the Collins’ eyes as they rushed to the scene of the accident that might’ve taken their daughter’s life. No, she could not ignore the mirror and live with herself while those she loved were hurt or even killed.

     Holding her breath, she handed the librarian her sketches.

     “Hmmmm,” was all the woman said as she stared at the symbols. Then she darted to a shelf, pulled a couple of books, rattled the keyboard on the computer, printing several pages, and voila! She had the answers.

     “These symbols are called Runes,” The woman explained as she and Jordan seated themselves at a table to view the books the librarian had found.

     Jordan opened one book and read:

“Runes are an ancient Germanic alphabet, used for writing, divination and magick…Runes are an oracle from which one seeks advice. They work best if you detail your current circumstances and then ask a specific question. Rune readings are sometimes obscure.” (“Runes: Alphabet of Mystery.”  http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/origins.html Visited 6/25/05)

 Huh! Jordan, thought, you’re telling me! She recalled the symbols and runes that appeared in the mirror. Obscure would describe it perfectly. She continued to read,

     “Runic divination or "rune casting" is not "fortunetelling" in the sense that one actually sees the future. Instead, runes give one a means of analyzing the path that one is on and a likely outcome. The future is not fixed. It changes with everything one does. If one does not like the prediction, one can always change paths.” (“Runes: Alphabet of Mystery.”  http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/origins.html Visited 6/25/05)
Jordan thought about that. Silently she re-read, mouthing the words, “The future is not fixed. It changes with everything one does. If one does not like the prediction one can always change paths.”
“Since ancient times, runes have been used for divination and magic, in addition to writing. The word "rune" actually means mystery, secret or whisper.” (“Runes: Alphabet of Mystery.”  http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/origins.html Visited 6/25/05)
“The runes, primarily in their Younger form, remained in common use until well into the 17th. century. Up until this time, they were found on everything from coins to coffins, and in some places their use was actually sanctioned by the Church. Even the common people knew simple runic spells, and the runes were frequently consulted on matters of both public and private interest. Unfortunately, as with most of the magical arts, they were officially banned in 1639 as part of the Church's efforts to "drive the devil out of Europe". The rune masters were either executed or went underground, and the knowledge of the runes may well have died with them. Some say that the knowledge was passed on in secret.” (“The Runic Journey http://www.tarahill.com/runes/runehist.html  6/25/05”)
            “Perhaps the darkest period in the history of runic studies was their revival by German scholars connected with the Nazi movement in the 20's and 30's... After the Second World War, the runes fell into disfavor as a result of their association with Nazism, and very little was written about them until the fifties and sixties. It was not until the mid-eighties, with the widespread appeal of the "New Age" movement and the revival of Pagan religions…that the runes regained their popularity as both a divinatory system and a tool for self-awareness.”  (“The Runic Journey http://www.tarahill.com/runes/runehist.html  6/25/05”)
            In yet another book Jordan read,
“Today, many people take written language for granted and use runes as an alphabet without really understanding the magical importance of doing so. When you write a word in runes, it empowers that word... Thus, the very act of writing something in runes is a spell in itself, bringing the statement into concrete reality.” (“The Runic Journey http://www.tarahill.com/runes/runehist.html  6/25/05”)
           
 “Empowers,” Jordan whispered. “That means it makes the word… 
 real or active. Ummmm, to give power to.” Here she furrowed her brow, “So the Runes have power. They are a reality for anyone who reads them.”

The librarian bustled over, interrupting Jordan’s thoughts. “I love technology,” she quietly cheered, sliding an old velvet covered book in front of Jordan. Hurriedly, Jordan opened the book. She could tell by the smile on the librarian’s face that this was something important. In it were alphabets from all different places and times. The librarian had already turned to the chapter about Runes. Quickly Jordan thumbed through, comparing her sketches to those in the book. Jordan gasped when she found the match. They were the exact same symbols that were on the mirror.

Picture of Runes:   Cited: http://www.tarahill.com/runes/

 (unable to transfer picture to this platform)

     “In this case,” the librarian interjected, “these are Norse Runes. Each symbol stands for certain life events or emotions. And each symbol has a magical use.” Jordan read the last line and pushed the book across the desk, leaning back in her chair to think. She wondered what the symbols on the mirror meant and shaking her shoulders and arching her back to regain feeling in the lower half of her body, Jordan went back to work.

Jordan pulled the open book toward her and then compared her sketches. With a pencil she jotted down the ideas or words that each symbol stood for, carefully stacked the books and thanked the librarian. She had the answer. Now if she could only figure out what it meant.