A friend from outside?
You begin to back away from the old raccoon, unsure of his intentions. He reaches out and grabs a lit candle off the table, waving it around him as wisps of smoke fill the air. “You’re lost, aren’t you? Not in this world, but between this world and your own.”
As the scent of the candle hits your heightened sense of smell, you breathe in deeply an aroma that smells vaguely familiar…like the scent of your own house. You shiver as you realize that he really does understand, and you become excited at the possibility that he has the power to return you to your world.
Your ears perk up as a second candle is lifted from the table and waved all around the room. It smells of fresh baked bread, sweets, and chocolate. To you, it serves as another reminder of your family and friends back home. You are filled with the confidence to find your way back.
The old raccoon places the two candles back onto the table and takes up a different one into both of his paws. You breathe deeply again, taking in an aroma that smells heavily of seaweed and saltwater. You recoil in surprise. He smiles. “To find your way to the next, you must follow your nose.”
You cock your head quizzically, wondering why exactly saltwater would help you find your way back home. “Trust your intuition,” he whispers. “It will not lead you astray.”
Bowing to the old raccoon, you turn to leave. As you turn he exclaims, “Wait! Take this.” He drops a new unlit candle into your outstretched paw. “Light it when the time is right.”
You nod and close the door behind you, leaving the silence of the shop and returning to the busy, chaotic world you had arrived in only moments ago. You lift your nose to the air. Food. People. The smell of the city. A faint smell of saltwater permeates the air. Was the scent of the candle still fresh in your mind, or was this real? You take a step forward to find out.
Written by MaxtheRaccoon on 22 May 2017
