The Calling - Zeke’s Letter - Magic & Mushrooms

Just on the outskirts of Oakdale sits a quaint home belonging to none other than Reuben Rothmore, a self-employed herbalist who has a knack for coming up with strange and potent remedies for whatever plagues his clients. It is here that he calls home. Oftentimes, he spends his days outside in the garden, tending to his many plants and relaxing in the beauty of nature or working on combining the right set of herbs to create new concoctions for sickness.

Reuben always started his days before sunrise as to welcome it with open arms. This beautiful autumn day was no different. He made his way out to the gazebo and listened to the sounds of the birds chirping in the early morning. A soft breeze brushed against his skin as he made his way there.

A pond sat just beyond his lot and a cobblestone path led him to the small white wooden gazebo he had fixed up from it's prior run down state. It was adorned with a few wind chimes, a small desk, and many beautiful flowers and herbs planted around to freshen the air with their scent. It was the perfect place to meditate. He grabbed his favorite deck of tarot cards from a large chest he kept out under the gazebo and sat down in the center of it. He then sat the cards, which were encased in fine satin cloth, in front of him on a small meditation table whilst he made himself comfortable.

Reuben sat cross legged with his eyes closed and his hands dead in his lap. Deep breath in, slow exhale. Deep inhale, slow breath out. He focused until he came to the conclusion that his mind was clear enough for a satisfying read. He opened his eyes and grabbed the deck from in front of him. Unwrapping the cards from the cloth that kept them together, he began to speak aloud, "Cards, share with me information the universe wants me to know right now."

Reuben shuffled the deck and repeated the sentence a few times before he felt the cards were shuffled thoroughly. He cut the deck and held it in his left hand, grabbing the top card, he turned it over to reveal "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" upright. He then plucked the second card from the top of the deck, revealing "THE FOOL" card reversed. A bit of disappointment grew within his heart as he set down the second next to the first. Finally, he grabbed a third card, revealing "THE STAR" upright. A small smirk grew upon his face as he set the final card down in the line.

Looking over these cards, Reuben squinted a bit. "Well, a stroke of good luck, some carelessness, and finally...a fresh perspective and renewed purpose in life..." he mused. He stared down at the cards, but kept an air of positivity about him. He wondered what the cards could be trying to say but kept in mind their meanings. With those thoughts in mind, he picked up his cards, thanked them for their service with a cleansing shuffle and put them in the chest before going back inside.

The day went on like any other and Reuben decided it was about time he head to the market. He gathered his wallet, keys, and cell before opening the front door only to reveal a rather large brown package sitting on his doorstep. Surprised, Reuben's brow furrowed. He took a quick look outside. "Huh, must have been delivered while I was out back," he muttered under his breath.

Upon looking at the return address, his eyes widened. Could this be? He had all but forgotten about Lab 305, as it had been a month and some change since he applied. He quickly pulled the hefty package inside and heaved it up onto his dining table. He grabbed a knife, cut open the top, peeled back the tape and the four flaps of cardboard to reveal a silvery metal briefcase. Opening said briefcase revealed a letter addressed to him with accompanying paperwork, an empty glass bottle with a lovely yellow to red ombre cloth decked in white little spots throughout as well as a beautiful jar with a stunning array of colors all focused and emitting off of a single sphere floating in the center. Looking at the jar, he instantly felt drawn towards it. He began to get lost in the swirling colors and little sounds. Shaking himself from his thoughts what seemed like only a few moments later, Reuben forgot what he was doing only to remember once seeing the paperwork still sitting on the table. "Right," he said, picking up the letter and flipping it over quickly to open it up. It read:

Greetings, Reuben!

Let me be the first to congratulate you on becoming a Guardian! My name is Zeke, and I am one of the staff members here at Lab 305. Out of numerous applications to our program, we felt that you were best fitted to become the newest addition to our family! So welcome and congratulations!

In this briefcase you will find your Soul Glass, Fel Essence, and a couple of documents - one of which needs your signature and must be returned to the Lab with your Glass and Essence upon your capture of a soul. The other is a list of contact information of every Guardian and Raevan pairing in the Lab. I've taken the liberty of highlighting the names of staff for you, but you will find us at the top of the first sheet!

I know this must be rather surprising for you, so before I go any further let me just state that if you have any questions at any time, please feel free to call, text, or email me and I will be more than happy to provide answers or guidance in general. That being said, let's get on with the show!

As I wrote above, you will find your Soul Glass and Fel Essence inside the briefcase. You are the Guardian to the Visible Imagination Essence, which has already been written down on the legal documents you will have to date and sign. Your Soul Glass is that big glass and metal contraption to the left of your Essence Jar, and will be the thing you need to use in order to help us make your future Raevan. Please take note of the cloth between the metal and glass parts as it is important. Souls have colors and the cloth acts as a limiter and something of a fail-safe so that the bottle will not suck up just anything around it. As yours is red and white, it will only activate around things (be they animal, plant, mineral, metal, etc) that fit one or both of those colors.

When you capture a soul, the glass bulb will appear to have a smoke-like gas inside of it. When this happens simply return the filled Glass, the Essence, your signed documents, and the case to the Lab. There is a business card tucked in alongside this note for our carrier service. Contact them when you are ready to return your items and they will pick them up from your home. As soon as we get them back we will begin the process of making them into your Raevan!

Whew! I hope I covered everything well enough in this note as far as what you need to do now that you are a Guardian! If not, and as before, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me. My phone is always on and I'm always happy to talk with members of the Lab family!

Hope to hear from you soon and congratulations again!

Sincerely,

Zeke Farris

What was this? Was it a mistake? Was he really given the opportunity to care for a raevan? Nerves instantly overcame him. Reuben couldn't believe that he was actually chosen to be a guardian. He even looked over the letter and the accompanying paperwork a few times in disbelief.

Reuben took the briefcase out to his workroom but upon leaving the house, realized that evening was upon him. The herbalist looked at the clock as soon as he entered the workroom in complete shock. Had it really been an hour since he found the package? It had only felt like a few minutes. He shook the thought from his head before deciding to continue on with what he was doing. He found a wooden crate full of miscellaneous herbs and simply dumped them into a large cloth bag before taking some velvet cloth and lining the inside of it. Taking the glass bottle from the case first ever so delicately, he placed it in the newly cleaned wooden crate with ease, setting the crate itself on the far end of his desk. 'Ah, a perfect fit,' he thought, taking the jar and placing it directly next to the wooden crate. There they both sat, the beautiful jar and a lovely glass bottle ready for a soul.

With a bright smile on his face, he turned off the light to his workroom, locked the door and made his way back into his house. Ah, how the cards were right. The Wheel of Fortune did play a major role this day. A wonderful stroke of good luck! It was now time to get started filling out the paperwork.