Page 18 of Midlife Demigod Unexpected

“He’s not going to die, but he’s going to hang upside down in a tree?” I dug far back into the recesses of my brain. “Stagnation?”

My mother looked at me with a smile. “Precisely right. It doesn’t talk about just that, though. It’s about a man making a sacrifice.”

“He’s going to sacrifice himself for me?” I asked. “I don’t like the sound of that, especially when things are looking so bad up there in the cemetery.”

“The hangman shows two things,” Hilda continued unperturbed by the rising disturbances in the cemetery and more focused on my love life. “It talks about staying still until the moment is right to make the sacrifice and the sacrifices will propel the forward momentum.”

“I don’t think I like the idea of a sacrifice at all.” I pushed back.

“Just know at the end of the day, there might be some things beyond your control,” Hilda said.

“Well, if my experience in life is anything to go by,” I pointed out, “then everything pretty much is out of my control.”

“Well, mostly it’s because you don’t exercise enough control of your life over the little things,” Hilda said.

“Thanks,” I said. “Exactly what I need right now.” My sarcastic tone did not go unnoticed. “I only came back to check on you before I go up to The Estate for the night.”

“Why is it so necessary for you to stay up there?” Hilda asked.

“It’s just for this time. I don’t have to stay up there, but I think it’ll be good for us. If we’re going to work together to defeat whatever’s creeping out of the cemetery, there’s only one way to do it and that’s for all of us to be as close as possible together.”

“Well, I think as long as you’re going you should take the box with the golden egg in it,” Hilda said. “I was doing some research on the Internet today and I found an article where it talks about a golden egg in Ireland.

“Isn’t it the story of the goose who laid the golden egg? The one the giant owned, and Jack went up the beanstalk and stole? Is that an Irish myth?” I asked.

“Not that I know of,” my mom said. “The Irish had giants in their myths but not Jack and the Beanstalk.”

“What else did the article say?” I asked.

“It says the Dagda turned a turnip into a golden egg.” Mom said.

“That’s useful.” I was frustrated. “You going to be okay for the night?” I asked as I went to grab the box from the bedroom I had been using.

She started laughing. “I’ve lived my life here in Cougar Creek all these years. I don’t need you looking after me now.”

“I know. I guess I’m getting a little soft in my old age,” I said.

“When you’re as old as me, then you can talk about old age,” Hilda chuckled. “I’d give anything to be fifty years old again.”

“Hey, I’m not fifty yet,” I frowned at her.

“You’ll look like it if you keep frowning,” she said with a sideways grin.

“Not nice,” I retorted.

“You know I’ve been thinking a lot about this box, and I wanted you to consider that maybe the egg is a key,” Hilda added thoughtfully.

“What do you mean? “I asked.

“Well, sometimes eggs can come apart and maybe it comes apart and reforms into something, like a key. I don’t know, but that’s what I saw on the internet today. Maybe you should practice with the egg to see if you can get it to transform.” She shrugged.

I took the box and chewed on my lower lip a bit. I wasn’t sure about the egg being a key, but I guess she had a point. I could try to apply my magic to the egg and see what happened.

Chapter 14

The next few days passed in a bit of a blur up at The Estate. Jane was living down at the warehouse with Toern at the Sunrise Doggie Daycare. Chloe lived in her own house elsewhere in Cougar Creek. Bianca and Mae were staying in the main house and Kartika and Frank were staying in a cabin on the premises. I had spoken to Mae earlier in the day and she had given me the extra bedroom in the main house to stay in. I had moved in there and we had decided to start working on training. Because I had been left a sword, they figured I had to have some sword skills.

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