SunRay was thrilled! No longer did she feel the odd-one now that she looked just like her mama.
But it took Crystal and the rest of not just the family, but the whole village to get use to.
For Crystal looked like her eldest daughter.
But Mama said Grandfather loved her just the same....

My Mama was the eldest of the triples, Sandy. She would grow up and marry of of the Chief's grandson, SunRise.
My two older sisters, Risa and Tikina look just like Mama.
But I, the third daughter, look just like my Grannie and my Aunt SunRay.
And so I was named.

I remember little about my Grannie Crystal. I used to follow her in the Alchemy, watching her work over the huge black pot, delighting in the bubbles that sometimes would form, at other times I would run out when the green-black smoke would fill the room.
But Grannie would always smell of rose petals.
She would tell me: "SunRay watch carefully and learn. One day, this shall be all yours."
I am now 67 years old, my grandchildren now come and watch me in the Alchemy.
I look at their faces, wondering which of my six grandchildren will wish to learn the art of the Alchemy.
None right now.
But whenever I gather rose petals, I think of my Grannie.

I loved those few years with my Grannie, though I really don’t remember much. Papa would tell me how I would follow her about like our pet monkey.
After she died, Aunt SunRay took over her job and I would assist her as well. But she would not permit me to make a potion.
“Not until you are 14 years old and had your first bath in the Aroma bath.” Aunt SunRay would say this time I asked her when i could try my hand at a potion.
But I remember the first one she allowed me to help with: the exercise potion. Of course this meant I also tried it and found myself working out with the others.
"You must be willing to try the potion yourself before you allow anyone else, Ray," Aunt SunRay would say. "This way, if something goes wrong...and it can, the only person that gets hurt is you."
I always reminded that.
I was 11 years old when Aunt SunRay died. So she never got to begin my training. But I know she is still proud of how I turned out.

http://www.ldwforums.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/177514#Post177514



Edited by MochaJew (11/16/08 09:06 PM)
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Life is hard. So put on your big girl panties and deal with it.