Her mother noticed and said that it was time to go for a walk. They headed along a different path that took them along the back side of the mountain. There were birds that landed on Alana’s arm and whistled their lovely song. Rabbits and deer came up to Rembrandt and seemed to be speaking with him. Rembrandt looked them in the eye, but as far as Anna could tell, he never spoke a word. After a time each animal seemed to nod and wander back into the woods. It seemed that they had met every animal that lived in the land by the time they reached the far side of the lake with the waterfall. Here the flowers were even more brilliant in color and scent. They had not spoken much on the walk. Alana would point out the various plants and birds and paths, but mostly it was just a peaceful walk to see and experience all that they could see.
Once they reached the lake, Rembrandt gave a loud hoot that broke the quiet. He ran and dove into the calm lake gliding below the surface to come up almost at the middle of the lake. “Come in, the water is wonderful,” he bellowed.
Alana and Anna moved more slowly. Alana’s dive into the water barely made a ripple and Anna tipped her toe in to test the water. When she pulled it out her toe was as golden as her mother’s skin. With that she cannon balled in the lake and laughed and laughed. Her skin was turning golden and her hair glittered like a perfect sunset before her eyes. Anna thought she could stay in the lake forever.
While they splashed and played, a woman appeared on the far side of the lake. Rembrandt spotted her first.
“Lila,” he called. “It is so good to see that you have made it back safely. Join us. Anna needs to hear your story.”
Anna turned to look at the woman, and she recognized the Aunt who she had lived with in the other world. As Lila dove into the water, her skin began to glisten and her hair began to change. Anna recognized her as the school teacher where she watched and learned how to read. Anna didn’t know what to say or think. How could this be? Her Aunt had not been kind to her, the teacher never tried to help her. How could this be one woman and how could she also be a Golden Kelpie?
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