I still remember my grandfather's words like it was just yesterday, I was turning 15 that year as he called me to his side as he always did each year before my birthday. My grandad gave me a cup of water to drink from his special pot which he kept beside him always he called it crystal water the cure for all ailments, he had done so for the past 15 years of my life he always told us stories about his past adventures along with my brothers and when my brother's asked why he always favoured me he chuckled and said it was because I was the only girl in the family for two generations, it was for my protection as he had taken something valuable back with him from one of his adventures and he had to pay a heavy price for his ignorance. I always listened to his words attentively but laughed with glee 😅 I even thought he was exaggerating some of his stories until one faithful day.

That day was supposed to be the greatest year of my life. I'll be celebrating my sweet 16th birthday, but that year became ominous as my grandad was quite ill 🤒 before the big day. Though I was sad 😔 I was at least looking forward to a quite celebration and unwrapping of gifts little did I know I'll be unwrapping mysteries, Mysterious lands in an amazing adventure to grant my grandfather's final wish. The day began like any other day on a warm summer ☀️, our grandfather called us into his living area I was happy to see his face looking more lively than usual since he got ill and I was also looking forward to a story 😊 as usual so I Immediately sat beside him sticking my tongue 👅 out to my brothers in mockery I'm granddad's favourite I whispered. Grandad looked at me, and my brother's, teary 😢 eyed he smiled. He said to me, " Dear Abby, it's time to grow up, so today I will tell you a tale. I've never told anyone except my late wife." I've encountered a lot in my youth and been through much that I never told you before, as well as the real secret behind the water beside me that Abby has been taking every year on her birthday.

Their grandfather began the tale of his greatest adventure and the last he had before he settled.

When I was a young lad, my family we're a long line of scholars, my father one of the greatest in his time, but lo and behold I your grandfather was a rebel. I refused to follow down my ancestral path as such I reached an age of becoming a man but I knew almost nothing of how to read nor write and because of the notorious name I made for myself out of pranking every single scholar my father enlisted to help with my education then no one was willing to even try teaching me anymore instead my father was urged by all the villagers to get me married out of town as no one in town was even willing to associate his slave with me let alone a family member in there own words I was a calamity waiting to explode so anyone who associates with me was going to be destroyed along with his family legacy. I knew some of their stories about me we're just rumours generated by the scholars that had been humiliated throughly by my pranks one in particular that I was a nightmare to was a renowned top scholar that I had him take a hallucinogenic drug mixed with his favourite drink which made him dance 🕺 ***** along the streets of my village and I implored the kids in town to follow him and sing along for him to dance 🤣🤣🤣 since he punished and scolded me for not studying that was my retaliation. As such, he spent months at home without even opening the door to his room. later on, this brought about the hash rumours about me going around, making me an outcast and a force to be reckoned with 😎.

The name of that scholar was Ziyad.

Ziyad and I were fated, as little did I know that I had actually pranked my future in-law.

When I told my grandkids that, they were confused because ziyad and I were age mates as they come to understand from my explanations, but he was a genius that's why he excelled In his studies and he wasn't married.

It was certainly confusing as to how I became his ln-law since they saw a picture of me with their grandmother, and I was looking quite younger than my wife then, so how come they asked.

That! My children, you will come to understand as I finish narrating my story.

I went on to tell them about my last journey after I left the village. I was quite a good-looking young man then, not to toot my own horn, but I was. Where do you think you got your looks from 😏 if not for my rotten luck. I would have even married the rich chieftain's daughter of our village. Do you know she was head over heels for me 😌 Grandpa said Shamelessly.

The kids laughed! Really, Grandpa, Abiyad said.

It's true, he said, and he showed us a picture of his younger self, and it was shockingly true



After We saw his picture, We were more eager to hear his story as it seemed he was taking too long to get to the point. So Abiyad urged him to keep going they were getting restless. But her grandfather was really trying to buy more time as he was carefully choosing his next words. (In his agreement with the crystal water guardian, he was never to reveal the location or the trials of how to acquire the water. if he was to do so, the consequence would be heavy he would lose his freedom to choose but freedom to choose what, he had no idea as he never heard the last sentence).

So it began, On my all my journeys I've seen and been to places no man might have ever been and also acquired many things but my best and most dangerous journey was certainly to aquire this water.

I can not tell you too much, but I can certainly tell you the reason I went looking for this water was because of your grandmother, "he sign".

This is what she looked like. He said,'



she was a vision of beauty, and because of that, every guy in town wanted her hand, but she turned them down.

You look just like her, my sweet little Abby, when your grandmother was young.

But when I fell in love with her, her father was strongly against it but as his daughter kept turning down all other suitors he had no choice but to consider our marriage as a result he set up an almost Impossible task for me to complete which was to aquire the spirit water ( humans called the crystal water 'spirit water' as regards it's origin). To fulfill my vow of marriage to Maliya His daughter, I set out once again on this deadly mission and was successful but it cost me your grandmother, you May not understand my babblings now but Abby you will soon as my time here is almost up.

I've hidden a detailed dairy of what really happened. As soon as I disappear, I beseech you to find and read its content it will help you protect yourself and the family, and with these words;

Abby and her brothers were more confused than ever and couldn't find the right words to refute their grandfather because they thought he was going to die, but what happened next shocked them speechless.

Their grandfather literally disappeared.