These Healing Stones

“These Healing Stones”

“Dear you just have to come with us.” My mother stood in the doorway. I shook my head. I was terrified of planes and yet here she was, offering me a chance I knew I would kick myself for later if I didn’t take it. “But Stonehenge is famous!” she continued, “Do you remember when you did a report on it in 6th grade?” she asked.
I remembered. It was probably the most interesting report I had done on anything to date. Its beautiful pictures, the mystery behind them. It was all so enticing. “And besides,” she spoke, “It might be the last time I get to travel before the chemo starts.” She referred to her newly found cancer. She had just won me over.
“All right.” I said.
Two weeks later we were up on a private plane, my mother and I, headed to this almost mystical place. We landed in a private airport as well. My mother looked at me, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Isn’t this exciting?” I smiled back at her. It most certainly was. Our tour guide met us inside the small airport. “Hello loves!” she shook each of our hands, “Welcome! Today we will be traveling to Stonehenge. Are you both ready?” She asked, her accent was adorable. We looked at each other, and then back at our guide and nodded our heads in agreement.
She flashed a beautiful pearly white smile at us and led us out to a small black car. “We will take this automobile to the site. It is a private tour as well today.” She spoke as we climbed in.
We rode about 45 minutes down the nicely paved roads, then at the last ten minutes we exited on to bumpy dirt roads. “’Ere we are!” The driver said in a thick cockney accent. I opened the door to the backseat and stepped out onto the rich thick green grass beside the car. My mother stood beside me. “Wow.” The only word either one of us could manage. The stones were right ahead, just about 10 yards. The tour guide, who had introduced herself as Claire, told us to follow her lead.
“As you may have heard,” she said as we got closer, “no one really knows the exact reason why they are placed here, or why they are in a circle like they are.”
I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this, everything, the stones, the landscape, just everything was amazing.
“A recent scientific theory, is that these ancient stones were used as a healing site.”
“Magnificent.” My mother spoke quietly, she was obviously in just as much awe as I was about this whole thing.
“Rumor has it,” she looked at us as we came up next to the stones, “That it is difficult to stand in the center of Stonehenge.” A puzzled look came across my face as I wondered why that could be. “Today my company is offering you a prize of your flight costs being totally taken care of if you can stand in the center for five minutes.” She said.
I would have done it anyways, I thought to myself. My mother grabbed my hand and volunteered us both. “Oh yes, we’ll take that challenge.”
Claire stepped aside and spoke, “Go right ahead dear,”
We stepped past the stone we were standing in front of. I felt nothing, besides the excitement of all of this. We were making good time to the center, when I began to notice a strange feeling, my body felt heated. Each step I was making felt light as air. “Do you feel that?” I whispered to my mother. She nodded her head in amazement.
We reached our way to the center. “Your 5 minutes starts now!” Claire shouted from where we had left.
I felt light-headed for the first minute, my body still feeling heated like I was wrapped in a giant heating pad. It wasn’t burning, but it felt nice. I opened my mouth to speak to my mother, but nothing came out. Not even a squeak. I looked around. Different colors were swirling around us. I couldn’t tell if it was a hallucination or real. I grabbed my mothers hand and held it tight, confused, but not scared at what I was feeling, I felt at peace as a matter of fact. I could no longer tell how long we had been in the center. I felt as if we were floating in mid-air.
A series of small slaps was delivered to my face as I opened my eyes. Cold sweat drenched me. Claire was standing next to us, as well as the driver who stood next to my mother. We had been dragged from the center. Apparently we had passed out. “You made it the five minutes.” Claire said, “You won yourself a free ride back, and your ride here is going to be paid for as well. I stood up, then reached down to help my mother stand up.
We rode to the airport, and then flew back home.
A couple weeks later, my mother called me on the phone. Her voice was filled with tears of joy, “The cancer is gone!” she shouted. “They can’t find a trace of it.”
My mouth hung open. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yes dear! Isn’t it wonderful? I suppose Stonehenge really does having healing powers.”
The most wonderful news I could have ever received. I was glad I took the opportunity to experience something that very few people ever do. And now my mother would be around for years and years to come. It was the best thing I could have asked for in life.


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