“The others think it is possible to teach you magic since we are bonded. The elder pixies think you will basically be using part of my magic,” Lily told me two days later as she came flying into my room and landed on the book in front of me.

“That’s great! How would using your magic work though?” I asked sitting up from where I had been laying down reading.

“I reckon it’s like how we share emotions and talk telepathically,” Lily answered with an accent.

I laughed. “What kind of voice is that?”

“An old southern accent,” my familiar said. “This continent is much larger than you humans currently think. People used to be spread out all over it and depending on the region spoke with certain accents unique to the region.”

“Huh. Are we still not spread out like that?”

“Maybe,” Lily answered with a shrug.

“Why don’t we speak with that accent now?”

“Maybe you do,” Lily said slyly.

“I don’t speak like that!”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Lilt replied with a grin on her face while shrugging her shoulders once more.

“Do I sound like that?” I asked. Lily made a zipping motion across lips. “Come on Lily! Do I sound like that?”

My familiar turned her hand like she was twisting a knob or key in front of her lips and then made a tossing motion. I lunged and grabbed her with my left hand. I grinned. “Let’s see if you’re ticklish!”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Ah. I see you found your voice,” I said. Lily nodded. “Do I speak with that accent?”

Lily made the motion across her lips again. “Ok, you asked for it.” I gently pinned Lily down on the bed by holding her shoulders with my right hand as I didn’t want to hurt her. I used my left index finger to gently rub her stomach and sides.

“Stop!” Lily said as she started laughing.

“Ah ha! You are ticklish,” I replied while I tickled her. I gently squeezed her right leg just above her knee and discovered another sensitive spot. I stopped to let Lily catch her breath. “Are the bottom of your feet ticklish too?”

“No! Don’t do it!”

“Why not?”

“You don’t have the accent,” Lily said, and I let her go.

She took flight and hovered in front of my face. “I should zap you!”

“Why?”

“For tickling me!”

“If you hadn’t wanted to tease me, I wouldn’t have wanted to tickle you. You should have just told me from the start.”

“But where was the fun in just saying you didn’t have an accent?”

“And that is why I tickled you. It was fun.”

“For you!”

I shrugged. “You say that like you didn’t enjoy being tickled, but I felt your emotions.”

“Ok! Ok! I enjoyed it too,” Lily admitted. “Ready to take the first step in learning about magic?”

“Sure!”

“Ok. First, magic is energy and is all around us. Humans just aren’t attuned to it. Think of it as air. You know it is there, but you can’t see it.”

“I can feel the wind, which is air.”

“True and in time you will feel the magical energy if this works.”

“Fair enough.”

“Now, don’t worry about that.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me about it then?”

“Because I wanted to! Now, who is teaching who here?”

“Alright,” I replied holding my hands up in a placating gesture. “What is next, Ms. Lilly?”

Lily smiled. “It’s about time you showed me the proper respect.”

“I always show you respect.”

“True. We are going to take a step back,” Lily said taking a literal step back. “Then a step forward.” She took a step forward. “Now a step back” Lily took a step back. “I was wrong. Take another step forward.” She took a step forward. “Now we’re doing the Cha Cha!”

“The what?” I asked laughing.

Lily stopped. “It was a dance a long time ago. I sort of borrowed those lines from a movie.”

“What’s a movie?”

“Humanity has fallen so far,” Lily muttered so lowly that I couldn’t really be sure of what she said.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! A movie was a story that people watched instead of read.”

“Oh. How do you know about them?”

“More of that old and odd knowledge.”

“Figures. Will I ever get to learn how you know that stuff?”

“Perhaps,” Lily answered. She looked me in the eyes. “I certainly hope so.”

It was rare to see the pixie so serious. When I gave my vow about magic was the only other time I could think of. “So do I.”

Lily nodded her head. “Ok. You need a clear mind to be able to start feeling the magical energy around you. A clear mind will make things easier.”

“Alright. How do I clear my mind?”

“Meditation.”

“What is meditation?”

“It can be defined as a set of techniques that are intended to get a person to a heightened state of awareness or focused attention. Different forms of meditation have been around for thousands of years,” Lily answered. She then slapped a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I let that slip!”

“Your knowledge is that old?” I asked in shock.

“Some of it,” Lily admitted. My mind was a buzz and I really wanted to question my familiar more about what she knew and how. I placed those thoughts to the side.

“I trust and love you, Lily. You’ll tell me what I need to know.”

Lily looked up into my eyes again. “You’re not going to push for more?”

“No.”

“You really mean that.” Lily said. It wasn’t a question.

I nodded in agreement. “I do. I trust you with my life.”

“As I do you. Some things aren’t mine to share though.”

“That’s fine. I’m curious.”

“More than curious,” Lily muttered.

“Ok. More than curious,” I admitted. “Still, I can wait for you to share what you can when you can.”

Lily flew up and kissed my left cheek, forehead, and then right cheek. She centered herself and kissed my bottom lip. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” I replied as she landed. “Back to this meditation.”

“Right.”

“How do I do it?”

“You start by sitting like this,” Lily answered. She sat on my book, crossed her legs in front of her, and pulled her right foot onto her left leg. She then let her the back of her wrists rest on her knees while closing her eyes. Next, she touched her thumbs to her middle and ring fingers while leaving the index fingers and pinkies pointing out. Finally, she started breathing in through her nose and out her mouth while making a sound like ohm.

“Uh, Lilly?”

She opened her eyes. “Yes?”

“Do I have to do that?”

“This is a classic meditation technique and pose.”

“Ok. But do I have to do it. Honestly, it looks a little silly.”

“Drat!”

“Drat?”

“You figured it out.”

“Figured what out?”

“That you would look silly doing this.”

“Why would you want me to look silly?”

“To see the looks on your parents’ faces when they checked on you.”

I laughed and she joined me. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that myself.”

“You get it!”

“I do. Is there another way of doing it?”

“You don’t have to sit this way, but what you want to do is breath like I was and let your mind relax. Let your thoughts go.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“While not going to sleep.”

“Well, there is that” I agreed.

“The important thing is the clearing your mind thing I was talking about. Once you’re able to do that, we’ll take the next step.”

“Sounds good,” I said slipping into the floor.

“You’re going to do the pose?” Lily asked in a gleeful voice.

“No. I’m going to lean against my bed and try it.”

“I should have known,” Lily replied. I smiled and closed my eyes.