Mystic Illusions - A 100 Baby Challenge: 33

Zander arrived the next morning with Zane to watch Shea and Orin while Maia and Seth were gone. Bobo was staying home to help Zander with the three toddlers.

Upon arriving in Al Simhara, Maia wasted no time in gathering camping supplies and getting directions to the tomb discovered to have multiple sarcophagi known for curing mummification.

Though traveling to the tomb took most of the day, they easily found one of the sarcophagus rooms.

Maia hugged Seth goodnight, then had him go into the sarcophagus with his mummy teddy bear and hoped that he would soon be transformed.

Maia hardly slept that night as she worried and wondered if the mummy cure would be effective for Seth, as well as what else might be lurking in the tombs.

But the night passed uneventfully, and finally it was time to check in on Seth.

Seth was no longer a mummy, and Maia had never seen him so happy and full of life.

No wonder the Reaper said that love would be enough. Because love wasn’t just a feeling— it was the most powerful kind of alchemy there was; a kind of magic born of action taken to help another person effect the best possible changes in their life. Just seeing Seth transformed was one of those golden moments.

And since the cure took so quickly and successfully, they still had some time left in Al Simhara before they needed to return home. Maia decided this would be good opportunity for her to visit Aashif and their triplet sons.

Though they were all surprised to see her in Al Simhara again, they welcomed her and Seth and invited them to stay overnight. Maia had gotten so little sleep in the tomb and she knew she and Seth would be safer here than anywhere else, so she agreed.

Seth played with Nik’s cat Ashai, and once he’d tired out the cat, he had a water balloon fight with his half-brothers.

Inside, Aashif and Maia discussed how the djinns’ mission in Egypt fared. There were fewer mummies than before, and Maia was proud to hear that her sons were instrumental in helping to eradicate the evil undead. The abductions of both tourists and locals had stopped abruptly as well, though the general consensus was that the kidnappers had fled the country. Unfortunately, they had left many deaths in their wake. There were no leads on where they might be now, though, so Maia was encouraged to remain hidden in her Moonlight Falls home.

Being around Aashif after all they had shared was awkward at first. Until now, Maia hadn’t realized that there was still a part of her that wanted to rekindle the relationship they had once shared. She knew it wasn’t possible right now, but perhaps it could be again, someday when the challenge was over. And until that time arrived, maybe tonight they could reclaim enough of what they once had had to tide them over...

Shortly after Seth joined Maia and Aashif in a game of dominoes, someone walked in the door.

“Hey guys, I’m home!”

Aashif jumped up. “Maia, I’d like to introduce you to Kairavi. She’s the coordinator of all the djinn in Al Simhara,” Aashif said. “And my fiancée.”

Maia tried to not show any emotion as Kairavi joined them at the domino table and chattered about how remarkable Maia’s boys were, and how she and Aashif hoped to have such wonderful children together someday. But she couldn't help feeling sad and more than a little jealous.

Finally, Maia was saved by Seth’s announcement that he was exhausted; it was no wonder considering how active as he’d been all day. He asked Maia to tuck him into bed for his first real sleep ever.

As he waited for Maia to get a book to read to him, Seth asked her, “Why does Kairavi make you look sad?”

“I look sad?”

“You did when she was talking about having babies and stuff. But Mr. Aashif is your friend and Kairavi makes him real happy, so you don’t have to be sad.”

“Okay, I won’t be sad anymore,” Maia said. “Now let’s read you a story.”

After only a few sentences, Seth was already asleep, and Maia pondered over her son’s words.

She wanted Aashif to be happy, but she supposed she had never considered that his happiness would lie with anyone other than her. And Maia wondered how much she truly loved Aashif, and how much of her affection was habit just because he was known and familiar to her. To be honest, she hadn’t thought of him much until they were around each other again today. Maia knew he would always be dear to her for being there for her for so many years; for protecting her family, giving her advice and helping her raise their triplet sons. But he was not her soulmate, and forcing him into that role would only make them both miserable. It was time to let go of Aashif, and rid herself of the illusion.

She leaned over and kissed Seth goodnight. “Such a smart kiddo,” she whispered.

Then Maia crawled into bed herself and slept long and deeply.

The next morning, Maia said goodbye to all her boys. She wished Aashif and Kairavi great happiness together. And she truly meant it.

While they waited for their ride to the airport, Seth said excitedly, “Guess what happened last night while I was sleeping?”

“What happened?”

“I had a dream! I never had one before!”

And though Maia had never considered it, it must be true. After all, how could a child dream if he had never slept? And what was a child without dreams?

“Mo-om! Stop making the sad face again, okay? It was a good dream!”

“I’m sorry; no more sad face. Tell me about your good dream.”

“Well, I was me, but I was a grown-up. And I was a mummy at first, but then I wasn’t anymore and I could take my bandages off, and I used them to help people that were hurt and make them feel better. And everybody was happy. The end.”

Maia smiled. “You like helping people, huh?”

“Yes!”

“So do you think your dream means you might want to be a doctor someday?”

“Maybe. But I think I’ll try a few more dreams before I decide for sure.”

Maia couldn’t help but marvel at her son. She had faced hardship and danger in the tombs, but from the ruins of that life she had found a truly priceless treasure in knowing him.

Maia and Seth returned home. The first thing Seth wanted to do was play tag with Bobo.