It is difficult to comprehend the true nature of Annabelle. She is such a contradiction in terms. It really depends on how you catch her. To people who do not really know her, she presents a facade of being confident, gregarious and self reliant, always projecting a "life and soul of the party" attitude. However, if you watched closely, as most of her friends do, you see a totally different side of her. Watching her in a crowded room if you look closely enough, you can see the slight shaking of her hands, hear the quiver to her voice and the quick darting of her eyes, like a cornered rabbit looking for a way to escape at the first opportunity. A willowy figure; with long hair, black as ebony, which makes her emerald eyes even more startlingly bright. In the eyes of some of her friends she was a dreamer, not living in the real world. That perhaps, was why people reacted the way they did, when she explained what had happened the previous day.
Annabelle had been looking forward to the trip for months. It had been planned to the finest detail. She hadn't been on the path of a witch for long, but had been feeling an urge, almost yearning to visit Stonehenge. That morning, at dawn, driving out of the city had been beautiful. So quiet you could almost hear a pin drop. Annabelle knew she had chosen the right time to set off. People kept telling her it was too early to go. Looking around her at the empty roads she knew she was right. The sun had just begun its rise into the sky, slowly climbing to reach its zenith, of the Summer Equinox. The drive to Stonehenge was uneventful and quick. Annabelle didn't really know where the time had gone, but she found herself on Salisbury Plain pulling onto the car park opposite Stonehenge itself. How busy it was! She started to worry as to whether or not she would be able to gain entry. This was the first year it had actually been opened up so the stones could be approached. Of course, security would be there, but at least she would get to touch the stones, to feel the energy that pulsated through them. She knew it did, as the energy had been calling to her in her dreams. The air was filled with excitement, expectancy. The day was promising to be warm the land around was scorched by the weeks of relentless sun and the absence of rain. In the distance she could hear the birds singing their morning songs, greeting the new day ahead, with the joy it deserved. Annabelle always found it bemusing that mankind could not greet a new day with joy and anticipation, instead of all the grouching that seemed to be the norm amongst her friends and colleagues.
As Annabelle walked through the tunnel that ran under the road from the car park to Stonehenge itself, she could feel the excitement building in the pit of her stomach like a net full of butterflies. She just knew something was going to happen. The air was electric, just like before a storm when you feel the change in the air. The day was getting warmer by the minute. Unfortunately the crowds were getting bigger. She picked up her pace, to make sure she could get to the stone she wanted to. She knew there was one that she needed to be next to she was just unsure which one. As soon as she was in the vicinity of the stones, she could feel the energy from the one particular stone that had been calling to her in her dreams. Annabelle made her way to the stone, being pulled as though she was on a line being reeled in. She sat beside the stone, its energy enveloping her like her father's arms when she was a small child. For a long time Annabelle just sat, the energy pulsating through her, the sun beating down, making her groggy. Her eyelids grew heavy and just for a second she closed them. She came round with a jerk as someone called her name, which was impossible as she knew no one here. Annabelle looked round and couldn't believe what she saw.
The crowds had gone. It was early evening with the sun starting its descent in the pale blue sky, casting pink and orange streaks as it went. At first she thought she was alone, but who called her name? She knew she was not dreaming, but everything had changed at first she felt the fingers of fear clawing their way through her heart, but this dread was quickly replaced with the knowledge that she was safe. In the distance she saw what she thought was a ball of energy growing in size the nearer it came. Realisation came as the energy took shape she could see it was a person in a shimmering blue robe. The way the light caught the robe made it look as though it was liquid, a hood covering the face. Annabelle thought she could hear a voice coming from the robe, beckoning her to follow. She slowly pulled herself up from the ground, her bag falling to the ground with a thud. Annabelle left the bag for some reason she knew she did not need it where she was going. She followed the figure for what felt like an eternity, but as she looked round she saw she had only gone from one side of the circle to the next. It was then she realised the circle looked different. As she looked closer, the circle was complete. There were no missing stones. There was also an outer circle that had not been there before. These stones, though, were not joined. Each one was in direct line with the gap of the inner circle. The stones were also newer, not as worn as the ones she had seen when she first approached Stonehenge. The figure had stopped and was beckoning her with their arm. As she drew closer, the figure removed its hood.
Annabelle was at first shocked by what she saw. As she contemplated it she realised she was not in the least bit shocked but felt recognition. Somewhere some place they had met before, in some dream in a far off place. She saw before her an enchantingly beautiful being, slightly taller than her five foot six. She knew the being was not of this world, well not of her time anyway. She could feel words in her head, at first thinking the being was talking to her but realising that its lips were not moving. What was going on, panic began to rise again, but as quickly as it came it went, as she felt the being calming her, somehow communicating that it was not going to hurt her. The being made a sweeping gesture with its arm, as Annabelle looked, there were hundreds of shimmering robes making their way to the circle. It took her breath a way it was like looking upon a shimmering sea, the beings moving as one entity. They were making their way to the outer circle, as it is in our time. One by one the beings glided through the archways, becoming liquid almost as though each one was a teardrop, changing shape as they went through. With a flash they approached the single stone and as they made contact with it, they soared off into the evening sky. The spectacle of this gave the effect of shooting stars, instead of coming down they were going up, shooting off in every direction, it truly was a awe inspiring sight. The joy Annabelle was feeling was quickly replaced with a great sadness, she had no idea where this came from, until she looked at the being and from the corner of its oval eyes she saw a single tear.
It was at this point that she started to realise what was happening. These were the ones who had built the circle, it was their means of escape. They had arrived here thousands of years before and had lived in peace and harmony. They had not made themselves known to mankind, but lived alongside them, not being seen, but helping all the same. They had been referred to as gods. However, life on our earth was becoming difficult for them. The human race was becoming more and more violent and destructive. Humans were seeing less of the beauty that this bountiful planet offered. No longer prepared to live in harmony, the respect for life slowly disintergrating as they wanted more and more. The beings were becoming afraid for their own survival, as the contamination was beginning to seep into their culture. The humans finding new names for the beings that were being contaminated and worshiping them. It was time for them to leave. They had to leave this lush and wonderful planet, this home of thousands of years. They were going off to separate worlds, to try to find places for the humans who would be worth saving when the time came. As they had the vision to see far into the future, they could see that the time would come when the planet could no longer survive the destruction, it would die! The beings did not want to see all of mankind destroyed they knew there would be people that respected the planet, that would try to heal and defend it. It would come too late though. Mankind's arrogance would be its own downfall. But these Gods and Goddesses did not want to see all the good be destroyed, so they would come back when it was needed and save those most deserving. Every now again they come back to check and see what is going on, while there is still time to change the ways, to save the earth. So far though not enough is being done and it is inevitable that the outcome will be as they saw it. The beings coming to her was the last chance the earth had if the habits of mankind did not change soon, it was over.
The sadness Annabelle was feeling became overwhelming she could hardly breathe with the pain she felt inside her, the tears careered down her face. She closed her eyes for a second. The voice was again calling to her, she felt herself being shaken, she felt cold, as she opened her eyes she saw it was nightfall, and she was shivering. A security guard had approached her and remarked he hadn't seen her earlier on his rounds, it was as though she had appeared from nowhere. Annabelle just looked skywards for a split second she could have sworn she saw teardrop shaped, shimmering lights flash through the sky.