Lightening lit up the sky as she parted the curtains to look outside. Counting under her breath, she reached 3 before the rumble of thunder hit her ears. Storms did not frighten her, they exhilarated her.

Gazing out into the maelstrom she could not see very far; the rain was coming down too hard. But she did not have to see to know what was out there. Her house rested in the shadow of a great mountain. She was born in this house and here she would die. In her heart she knew this. Her sons would be born here as well, but she was not allowed to see where they would die. Perhaps it was better that way.

Her ancestors believed that she was one of the chosen few. Many years ago her birth had been foretold, and when she made her entrance into this world it was during a storm such as this. Her mother bore only daughters, as did her maternal grandmother. But she was destined to have sons. She was one of the few of her kind to be given this honor. While many believed it was pure chance, she knew it was not. Her life had followed many paths before she was led to this mountain.

She lived in the ways of her ancestors. Her life was her own, she needed no one. The only visitors to her home were those who wanted to climb the mountain. She was the only one to give this permission. The mountain belonged to her, and she belonged to the mountain. Another flash of lightning blazed across the sky as she turned away from the window and caught her reflection in the mirror. Her dark eyes took in her features, slowly coming to rest on her rounded belly. Her son rested quietly in her womb, unaware of the storm outside. Dark hair and dark eyed, she felt him move, not for the first time, but to her, each time was like the first. She knew when her son was conceived. She tried to remember his father’s face, but as always, the memory eluded her. While a part of her missed him, another seldom thought of him. Her son was the future, his father was the past. The mountain had taken him, this much she knew. She also realized that this child would be unique. He would be born with her gifts and his father’s innocence. He would learn the ways of his mother’s world, but walk in his father’s world. For now, however, she would cradle him, talk to him, teach him and love him.