A month later...

Gina laid down the multicolored seed atop her kitchen table and stared at the redhead woman standing in front of her. Unsurprisingly, her reaction was one of both curiosity and bewilderment.

“That’s it?” she asked. “This is what’s been getting you all worked up recently?”

“Yes. I also brought a book with me but I’m trying to have it translated as we speak. What do you think?”

“It’s certainly a curious little thing. What is it?”

“That’s the million-dollar question. Nobody knows.”

A lot of things had happened ever since Gina had returned from her new property. All the tests conducted on the spherical object had proved inconclusive. While definitely organic, its composition defied every scientific principle known to Man. No one had ever seen anything like it and it was unlikely anyone else ever would.

“Nobody? Really?”

“Yes. I’ve had it analyzed by three different laboratories and the results were a bust. It’s a complete enigma.”

“And you’re okay with having this thing you know nothing about inside your apartment with no protection?”

The woman Gina was talking to was called Natalie Sanderson, her closest friend, and confidant. She was a therapist with over a decade of experience dealing with post-traumatic stress and personality disorders and although Gina had never been her patient in any official capacity, she had helped her deal with many conflicting emotions regarding her mother and her role (or lack of) in her life over the years. A pragmatic woman through and through, she was the kind of person you wanted around whenever you needed sound advice or simply wanted to express yourself without judgment.

“According to what I’ve been told, it doesn’t appear to be dangerous, so yeah. I’m willing to take the chance until I have a more definitive answer, but if you think this is strange, you haven’t heard half of it.”

“Oh? What do you mean by that?” Natalie gazed at the strange pattern on the surface of the seed.

“I went back to the property last week with a truck to bring back the rest of was in that underground workshop and guess what? Everything was gone!”

“That’s freaky.”

“Tell me about it.”

“You reported the theft, I hope.”

“Naturally.”

“Does the local police have any clues?”

“No, and since I didn’t have a complete inventory of what was down there, finding them won’t be easy. This can’t be a coincidence, right?”

“Probably not. What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Gina?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I intend to find out. It’s not every day you discover your mother had a whole secret life you knew nothing about. Whether she was a wannabe alchemist, a witch, or whatever, I will sort this out story no matter what.”

“Okay. Have you talked to Mr. Davies about this like you said you would?”

“God knows I’ve tried but he hasn’t answered my calls ever since I got back. I tried reaching out to other friends of my mother as well, yet no one seems interested in talking to me.”

“What about the rest of your family?”

“Complete radio silence as well. I guess they’re still pissed at me because of what happened in the wake.”

“Well, you did make quite a scene so can you blame them?”

“No, I really can’t, but it would be nice to know what they have to say about this if anything at all.”

“I’m sure you’ll get your chance. In the meantime, I need to ask if everything is okay with you.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Losing a parent is never easy regardless of any strained relationship or not. How have you been holding up after the fact?”

“I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? Because you don’t look like it.”

That was true. Anyone looking at Gina’s face that Saturday morning would see the baggy eyes, the feverish smile, and the drooping chin and wonder if she was sick. She was also more agitated than usual, talking loudly and almost not stopping to breathe, a clear sign that no matter what she said, there was something off about her.

“I said I’m okay.”

“Gina, you were never a good liar and this is me you’re talking to. Be honest, please. What else is bothering you besides this strange legacy?”

“Fine!” Gina shrugged. “It’s probably nothing, but...”

“But what?”

“I’ve been dreaming about her lately. It happens pretty much every night now.”

“Okay. When did the dreams start? Right after she was put to the ground? I’ve seen that happen with other patients of mine.”

“No,” Gina shook her head. “I’m not exactly sure but I think it was the night after I found this orb.”

“I see. And what can you tell me about them? Are they good dreams? Bad dreams? Something in-between?”

“They’re... strange. I’m having a hard time knowing what to make of them, truth be told.”

“Strange how? What happens in your dreams? If you want my personal and professional opinion about them, then tell me everything you remember with the utmost detail.”

“Well, they’re usually alike with only some minor differences between them. They start with a...

* * *

... splash of white,  a pure blankness enveloping the world. Nothing can be seen in it or beyond it as if there’s no substance at all but only pure nothingness floating over an everlasting void. When Gina closed her eyes to go to sleep, she was immediately transported to this alternate realm of blinding light, an image of herself reflected in whiteness. Sometimes, she was wearing the same clothes as the day of the funeral, but she could also appear...

* * *

“... naked. It’s strange, I know,” Gina said.

“There’s nothing strange about it,” the therapist noted. Please go on."

“Okay. So, as I was saying, I close my eyes, get whisked away to this white canvas that stretches beyond infinity and that’s when I see her.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes.”

* * *

She appeared from behind her, a translucent figure wearing a ceremonial black robe with golden trims on its sleeves. Denise didn’t look her age at the time of her demise but at least twenty years younger. In her right hand, she held a curved knife with a golden handle and a blood-red ruby embedded in its tip while in the left one could see what appeared to be traces of viscous tree sap flowing between her fingers. Gina’s mother’s mouth was partly open and though it seemed she was trying to speak to her, no sounds could be heard coming from her throat. As the sap dripped from her hands and onto the nothingness below, traces of green spiraled at her feet and grew into massive vines like the ones she had seen in the underground passageway. The green tendrils shot in every direction, wriggling and slithering like snakes looking for their next meal and all Gina could do was stand and watch this viridescent explosion of life racing in to smother her.

* * *

“And then I wake up,” she concluded. “I wake up with the taste of leaves inside my mouth as if something was inside me, preventing me from talking or even breathing normally. It’s one of the weirdest things I’ve ever experienced.”

“I can imagine. And you say this is happening every night since the first time, correct?”

“Yes. Is that significant?”

“Recurring dreams are always significant even if we have a hard time discerning their meaning at first. Before I tell you my thoughts about it, I’d like to hear yours though. What do you think they mean?”

“I don’t know. Had it only happened once, I would have attributed it to the strange experience of finding that place after the reading of the will, but it’s the fact that keeps happening that’s making me wary, I guess.”

“I’m not surprised considering the surrealistic nature of what you described but you need to understand one thing. Our dreams are usually nothing but symbolic manifestations of thoughts, aspirations, or fears. They’re a way for our subconscious to process things we struggle with while we’re awake and while interpretation has never been a specialty of mine, there are some things I’d like to mention if it’s okay.”

“Please do.”

“Very well. So, first things first... I think the fact that your dreams always begin with white and the void is a way of reflecting the emptiness inside your heart. While you and your mother didn’t get along, the family connection never stopped existing and now that she’s gone, it’s only natural that a part of you feels like something is missing.”

“But I don’t feel that at all. She was a complete stranger and now she’s gone.”

“So you keep repeating and yet your body language says otherwise,” Natalie grabbed her right hand. “Right now, you’re focused on this mystery but I can tell there’s something else bubbling underneath. The one who could give you all the answers is not coming back and that hurts, doesn’t it? You hate that you were left behind and that you two never figured things out while you had the time to do so.”

“Don’t try to put words in my mouth, please. I already said that I’m...

“Okay, sure. You’re welcome to say it as many times as you wish if that’s your primary coping mechanism but please understand that it’s not the only one. It’s perfectly acceptable to cry and feel sad.”

“I don’t want to cry, Natalie. What does this have to do with my dreams, anyway?”

“You talked about how the vines seemed to smother you and crush you under their weight, didn’t you? Normally, I wouldn’t pay much attention to it but I think they’re the perfect metaphor for your mother’s role in your life, an oppressive and suffocating entity leeching off your existence. As distant as you two were, she was always on your mind, haunting you. Her ghost never left you and it never will unless the last puzzle she left behind is solved somehow.”

“So, what are you saying? That I’m dreaming about my own obsessions?” 

“In a way, yes. You want an explanation so badly that you keep searching for it when you fall asleep and since you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet, the pattern repeats itself on a subconscious level.”

“Ah...” Gina covered her mouth to not laugh directly at her friend’s face. “I’m sorry, I know you mean well, but that seems like a lot of bullshit to me.”

“Why? Denying a problem doesn’t make it go away, my dear. I’ve had many patients talk about their frail emotional states after a death in the family and you know what most of them end up saying? That they wished they had another chance to say what was on their mind before the end. I think that’s a desire of yours too, one that you keep coming back to over and over. You see your mother in your dreams because you can no longer see her for real and you can’t hear her anymore because the words that mattered were left unsaid. At least, that’s how I see things.”

“Spoken like a true therapist, I guess,” Gina sighed. “I don’t think that helps at all but thank you for trying nonetheless.”

“Perhaps if you were more receptive, things would be different, but everyone deals with grief in different ways so I’m going to leave you be. However, if you’ll allow me an additional piece of advice...”

“Sure. What is it?”

“You sleep with that thing close to your bed, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. I don’t want to let it out of my sight until I know what it is and its purpose.”

“Please try. Hide it in a box, a closet, or something, a place where it’s safe but where you can’t see it.”

“But why? What’s the point of that?”

“Your dreams started once you found it and you’ve been trying to understand it ever since then. If I’m right and if you’re indeed obsessing about something unexplained as a way to deal with your mother’s death, then perhaps removing the source of the obsession will help you get a good night’s sleep. It doesn’t hurt to try, right?”

“I suppose not.”

“Good. Do that for me tonight and then let me know if anything changed or not.”

“Will do.”

“So, what’s next for you?”

“Not sure yet. There’s another lab interested in taking a gander at the seed and I’m waiting on the translation of the book to decide where to take things from there. If nothing works, I’ll need to think about something else.”

“Got it. Promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”

“Always, but what’s up with so many warnings?”

“I’ve seen what obsessions can do to a person if left unchecked and I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all. Get some rest and give yourself some time to grieve properly otherwise you’ll regret it in the long run.”

“Is that your professional opinion, Dr. Sanderson?”

“It’s the wish of someone who loves you dearly. Now, if you’ll excuse me...” she checked her watch. “I need to be on my way. Dennis is taking me out to lunch today.”

“Oh, that’s a surprise! Where are you going?”

“That new French restaurant downtown.”

“You finally convinced him to take you there, huh?”

“Actually, I made him think it was his idea, and it worked splendidly,” Natalie smiled.

“You and your mind tricks. Have fun.”

“I plan to and don’t forget what I said. Try not to worry about that thing for one day, please.”

“You have nothing to worry about.”

Natalie wished that were true but she was still concerned. Only time would tell if Gina would get back on her feet on her own or if she needed an extra nudge to do the right thing.

After her friend left, the young heiress took some time to think about her words and concluded there was some truth to them. She was indeed erratic and could use a distraction or two so instead of dwelling on strange possibilities, she grabbed the seed, locked it inside a cupboard, and spent the rest of the afternoon eating ice cream and watching Korean dramas on her streaming service of choice. The TV fantasies helped clear her nebulous state of mind and when the time came to go to bed, she was smiling like a high school girl who had just been invited to the prom.

Gina was already fast asleep when the mysterious spherical object cracked open like an egg and a swirl of green vines burst the cupboard doors wide open and slid across the living room floor. The process had begun.