Janney found the following weeks as some of the hardest and best times of her life. Her lessons with her grandfather consisted of tilling and planting the vegetable garden. While she would not say she was enjoying the work, she did very much like spending time with her grandfather. He kept telling her that she needed to have a connection with the land. She needed to feel the life in the soil and invest a part of her in helping to bring the plants grow.

The first few days, she was starting to think he was just using it as an excuse to have her help plant the vegetable garden. By the second week, however, Janney was beginning to feel differently. There were times, if she concentrated, she could almost feel an energy in the ground. As if there was life pulsing just beyond her reach. Her grandfather said that she was special. That she was one of the very few who could feel that life, and it was her responsibility to care for it.

The lessons for George were different. Janney could tell that he was often frustrated. He was trying to find his inner stillness, but Janney had never heard stillness used to describe her brother before. He was improving his aim with this slingshot, but neither one of them was clear about why he needed to practice with it so much. George had asked Pix if he could have a bow and arrow or a sword for a weapon. The pixy laughed and said they were the weapons of armatures. Pix told George that he needed to learn the slingshot first, and then he could learn the sling. He said a real master only needed a sling.

When George was not practicing, Pix was teaching him how to track. The mountain was home to any number of animals that would forage the countryside. Pix was teaching him the signs to look for to determine what type of animal went where. That the inner stillness was just as important to tracking as it was for hunting. At first, George wasn’t sure what to think about it. But as the days went on, he was finding it easier to be calm, and to observe. Pix explained to him that he could slow his breathing and take in his surroundings, and thus become more focused. George threw himself into his lessons, and Janney had never seen him take anything so seriously before.

Before either of them realized it, summer had arrived. The last day of school was upon them. As was tradition the day was a half day. Janney never understood why they bothered to have school that day as nothing was done. Everyone talked about what they were going to do over the summer and how they couldn’t wait to be free from homework if only for a little while. Eventually, the bell rang, and not a Moment too soon.

Janney raced to meet George, and as they had done every day for the last two weeks, they ran all the way to the garden. When they arrived, the garden and the yard were empty.

“Grandpa!” Janney yelled out.  

George cried out when Virago did not answer. “Hey old man!”

“What is all the commotion about?” came the small voice of Pix out of the garden. In his typical fashion, Pix floated up from the cover of the plants, landing on the top of the nearby fence.

“Hey Pix.” George said excitedly. “Guess what?  Schools out!”

“We get to spend the entire summer with you and Grandpa.” Janney said happily.

The pixy merely nodded his approval, saying nothing.

“Say, Pix, where is he?” George asked.

“Where is who?” Pix replied.

“Where is the old man?” George said impatiently.

Pix crossed his arms and leaned back against the air, holding himself up with his tiny wings. “Not here.” He said.

Both George and Janney looked at Pix with shocked expressions on their faces. They endured all the long minutes of the final day of school and they finally are free and arrive with the entire day ahead of them and he is not there. They could not believe what they were hearing. “What do you mean he is not here Pix?” asked Janney.

“He is out. Not here. Gone.” Pix answered. He waited a Moment for a dramatic effect before continuing. “Virago wanted me to let you know that if you were to show up today, your lessons will still continue.”

Pix looked at George with a seriousness that neither had seen before. “George, a woodchuck came through here a bit ago and took your slingshot with it.”

George stood looking at Pix, not sure what he should do or say.

“You need to find it. It left about an hour ago over by the woodpile. This is your lesson for the day. Think of it as your final exam before moving on to the next grade.” Pix said with a smile.

“Ah, yes, sir.” George stammered before he started off towards the woodpile.

George had no idea how a woodchuck could carry his slingshot, but he was certain Pix had something to do with it. He found the tracks quickly enough, or at least the only pair of fresh tracks that matched Pix’s account of what took place. George cleared his thoughts and tried to find the elusive stillness. He stood looking at the landscape, focusing on his breathing, and suddenly the world became clearer to him. Everything came into crisp focus. The path the woodchuck took almost looked like it was illuminated as his gaze zeroed in on it. The air around him became still and thick. George took off running full speed, following the path that was now so clear to him. His feet seemed to dance across the top of the grass, never making contact with the ground. He had found the stillness. He knew where his prey was, and he was closing in on it.

Pix watched as George disappeared from view and then turned to Janney. “I need your help to combat the rot in the garden before it settles in for good. Right now, it is early still, so there is time to fight it.” Pix moved down to the ground and began walking over towards the sunflowers. “Janney, you and I are guardians. I know this as only another guardian can recognize another guardian. As a guardian, your life is dedicated to the protection of life. All life. Every single life is precious.”

“Even Susan Fuco’s?” Janney asked.

“Who is Susan Fuco?” Pix asked.

“She is horrible. She was in my English class last year. She always made fun of me and told everyone lies about me.” Janney said sullenly.

“Yes.”  Pix conveyed in an almost comforting way. “Even Susan Fuco’s life is precious. While she may not recognize the gift the Light has given her, her life is still precious.” Pix stopped speaking for a Moment as Janney thought about his words. “We must do what is right to silence the ignorance of the foolish.”  He continued. “As guardians, we are to rise above the everyday common and petty bickering. We must cast aside our desires when they conflict with what is right.”

“I don’t understand Pix.” said Janney. “If George is my protector, how am I the guardian and not him?”

“Being a guardian is about learning to nurture and care for those around you. It is not about violence or strength. It is about tending to the good of others, and by doing that, you are making a stand against the Darkness. A much greater stand than that of a fighter. Nothing hurts the Darkness more than the Light. By protecting that life, you help strengthen it against the Darkness.” Pix explained.

The pixy spread his tiny hands over an area of the base of one of the sunflowers that had dark brown spots appearing on it. He closed his eyes, and a blue light began to shine out from the palms of his hands. The spot reacted against the light. Janney could see them flex back and forth as if fighting the light until eventually they disappeared and the light faded.

“You see.” Pix said when he opened his eyes.

“How did you do that?” Janney asked, amazed.

“I’m a guardian.” Pix said simply. As if his answer explained everything.

“But you said I am a guardian too?” Janney asked.

Pix looked blankly at Janney and did not answer.

“Are you saying I can do that as well?” a surprised Janney asked.

“And that is the first lesson. Come here and help me.” Pix waved Janney over to him. “You see those spots, that is rot. It is not part of the natural order of this garden. It is the enemy of life. Close your eyes and reach out to it. Feel it, but be careful not to touch it. Just let it dance on the edge of your senses.”

Janney closed her eyes and held out her hands as she saw Pix do. She tried to picture the light and will it to come out of her hand, but nothing happened. There was no light, no reaction from the rot.

“I don’t think I can do this.” she said.

“Of course you can. Don’t think about it. It can’t be forced. Feel it. Concentrate on the air. Breathe in slowly and feel the air before you.” he said.

As Janney listened to Pix’s words, she suddenly felt as if the world rapidly pulled away from her. She felt as if she was in a dream. One of those dreams where you are running and running, going everywhere and yet nowhere. She knew her eyes were closed, yet she could see. What she saw was not clear, but more like underwater. She could see the flowers before her, but they had a blue hue to them. Then suddenly she saw the rot. It was dark black instead of the brown spots she had seen before. An ugly, deep pool of pitch tugging and calling to her. She instinctively knew that it would be bad, very bad, if she gave in to the call from the rot. She remembered Pix said not to touch it, and she pulled back. She could just barely feel the Darkness of the rot on the stem of the flower. She thought back to what Pix had been telling her. Feel it, fight it, protect life with everything you have. Her hands felt warm suddenly, and her breathing slowed. Everything around her slowed to a stop. Then, just as fast as the world pulled away from her, she was thrust back into it.

Janney opened her eyes and saw her hands stretched out before her, and the flower she was concentrating on was free from all rot. Pix stood staring at her with his mouth hanging open in shock. “Did I do it right?” she asked.

It took a Moment for Pix to compose himself before answering. “Yes, you could say that.”

Janney looked at the flower and then saw that it was not just the one before her that was healed but the entire row was now free from the rot. “Did I do something wrong?” Janney asked Pix.

“No, you did everything perfectly. Too perfectly. How do you feel?” Pix asked with a look of awe and concern at the same time.

“Drained. I don’t know what happened.” Janney responded.

“I would think not. That was amazing. I mean, of course, of course it only makes sense with you being who you are.” Pix said more to himself than to Janney.

“What is wrong?” she asked.

“Wrong. Nothing is wrong. My dear, I underestimated you. You are the strongest guardian I have ever met. But you are the granddaughter of the prime, so there is that.” Pix mused.

“What is it, Pix? Please tell me.” Janney pleaded.

“Most are not even able to see the truth on their first try, let alone reach out to the Light.” Pix explained. “What you did, Janney, is unheard of; you cured the rot in front of you but also the ground around you. Look around. Your grandfather and I were only able to heal one plant at a time, and we had to stagger our progress. You cured the entire lot at once!” Pix said breathlessly.

“Does it always look like that?” she asked.

“Like what? Hazy and far off?” Pix responded. “Most times, yes.’

“What about the blackness, is it always so loud?” Janney said.

For a brief moment, Janney thought she saw Pix look alarmed.

“You heard it?” the guardian asked cautiously.

“It was almost deafening. Calling to me at first. Then, when I pulled away and everything slowed, it grew quiet.” Janney said, recalling the moment.

Pix said nothing for a moment. “This small amount of rot should not have that kind of power. I will need to discuss this with Virago.”

Suddenly, there was a loud POP as a rock bounced off the nearby fence.

“Hey!” George yelled. “Did you see that?  Did you see how far that one went?”

“George!” Janney yelled back at her brother. “You are not to aim that at anyone!”

“I didn’t.” George protested. “I was aiming at the fence, and that is what I hit. Even with the sunset in my eyes.”

Janney was about to argue back at her brother, but then thought about what the use of it would be. ‘Wait a minute’, she thought, ‘what sun was in George's eyes?’. It was then she realized how much time had passed, and for George to sling the rock, he must have tracked the animal that took his slingshot. What was happening to the two of them, she thought to herself. “Oh, come on, George we need to go home. Look, it is almost dark.” she called out to George. She turned back to Pix to say goodbye. “Goodbye, Pix. I will come back as soon as I can.”

“Take care, fellow guardian.”  Pix said to Janney before addressing George. “George, make sure you leave that here.”  As he spoke, the slingshot came out of George's hand and floated over to the garden. “And George, look after your sister. Remember what I told you.”

“I will, Pix.’ George said before following Janney back home.