Elikozōe 崴峲小僧の廆

Janice's Adventures (II) (a)

Prelude

—Where shall I start? he asked the darkness
—Where you feel right, answered a warm voice. It has already started anyway…
—Yes, I see the pieces, some of them have been in place for such a long time… but I don’t know how they fit together. What do they mean?
—You shall make them fit, as you listen to the feeling. And you will find more pieces, brought to you by others to confirm and add to your mosaic.
—Really?
—Yes, you will see that. And don’t be overly concerned by the meaning. It will be a natural by-product of your enjoyment of the process. You will create the meaning.

And lights came dancing out of the darkness, like an Aurora Borealis made of shades of purple, blue, fuchsia and warm rosy orange dawning at the horizon.

–I– An Intriguing Picture Reappears in the Present

Paris, nowadays

The cat stretched her lithe body and hopped on the floor in a graceful movement. Her insistent meowing to get outside finally caught Quintin’s attention.

He had been absorbed in his painting for many hours now, and his body was sore from the tension and excitement accumulated.

The call of the cat came as a reminder to treat the own impulses of his body with more care and gentleness.

He stroked the creature and let her go her cat’s life.

What a funny day it had been. Why this painting, now? It had started as a rough sketch many years ago, but it had exhausted his patience — he had been pounding away at it too much perhaps. Anyway, he never got the proper feeling and had thought he would never finish it at all.

And yet, uncannily, the inspiration to start it anew had come out of nowhere, and everything had just… flowed this time. Even with the numerous colours on the palette, everything just blended smoothly…

He should have known something bizarre was cooking up, after all, he had been painting funny rabbits the day before… And that had been exhilarating… Funny rabbits…

–II– From the End, All Shall Start Anew

The City, year 2238

—So you see, this is one of the many meanings of this myth, my dear Janice.
—But Cyprus, why do you start with the end of the story ?
—Very good question Janice, and how are you so sure that it is the end? It may look like it from your perspective, but not from another’s. That should tell you something about the way you create your own developments. When you see something as an end, then it is really, in your perspective, an end-point. But when you project to this point you call an end, you will see that it really spreads in every direction imaginable.

—I’m not sure I follow you, Cyprus.
—Imagine my dear, the horizon on your Earth. It may seem like an end point, but it is only the end of your own perspective from this standpoint where you look at it. It is the line where all the parallel lines are coming back together.
—Oh, it’s like I can feel something in what you are saying…
—Yes, I see that you are getting it.

Cyprus smiled.

—So in actuality, it’s all the same with your myths and symbols, Janice; each one of them occupies a much wider breadth than anything you can possibly imagine, in that area of consciousness from which they stem.
And then, they reflect in many many directions for you to play with the various meanings and configurations.

—That is why this one reappeared and each person getting in contact with it had different reactions to it.
—Yes, it goes back to the change in perspective which brings wider understanding. It does not necessarily have to be as dramatic as being hung upside down in a tree of course. Sometimes, only a slight change in your awareness can have very important implications.

—Now, for the sake of the reader, shall you share what you discovered about these symbols?
—Oh, it’s so wide, I don’t know where to start…
—You see my dear, the end is not actually an end.
—Yes! Like in that old game of cards in Quintin’s timeline, which is not just a game actually… Janice seemed lost in the realization.
—Yes, continue… said Cyprus with a smile, bringing Janice’s dream body gently back to focus.

—Yes! It’s like the card with the skeleton which is in the middle of the game, and not at the end… and also just after the Hanged Man…
—Indeed! Now, tell me more about that Hanged Man…

Not far from here, Yuki, the facetious white rabbit who had been here all along, silently acknowledging Janice’s steps in her reasoning, was now hanging upside down.
One of his hind legs was resting atop of a branch of a big potted Chinese money tree.
His dangling long ears and the serious look his half-closed eyes gave him was so funnily endearing, that Janice burst into laughter.

Yuki opened one eye, and said

—Yes, the Hanged Man…

Peering into his gaze, Janice wobbled and everything started to move around her.

—Wait!

She recognized from a short distance away the flute-like voice of her friend Qixi (pronounced tsee see) who was following her, perched on a great snowy owl, which was one of the forms of her spirit companion, Armelle.
Until they were all a mere point of light hovering over a great web of images…

It all stemmed from one huge light, bright as a star, spreading in every direction, and looking at it made them blink for a moment…

Until they found an appealing sparkle that drew them, closer and closer…

–III– The Omen in the Dark

Somewhere in Livonia (Baltic countries), mid-XVIth century

The eyes of the owl perched on the tree glinted in the dark.

It was looking at two silhouettes seated under the trees, close to each other, almost indiscernible from one another.

—You don’t understand! one of the silhouettes was saying
—No, I can’t understand why you’re so upset about these silly things.
—That was an omen, I tell you. We cannot be together…
—Jezebel…

The silhouette named Jezebel stood up and detached herself from the previously united shadowy form lightened by the glimmer of the half-crescent moon.

A chilly wind blew around them.

—But Jezebel, that was just a stupid owl, wasn’t it?
—That was not just a stupid owl, and you know it. It keeps hooting mournfully in the dark when we’re together, like something deathly is to befall us.
—This forest is full of creatures, you just can’t see messages in every one of their moves… He sounded exasperated.
—Oh, you’re hopeless… I’d better go back now, my father will start to wonder why it took me so long to get some wood, and you know he’d kill you, or us both, without any hesitation if he finds out about you…
—Perhaps you’re right… But still, I love you Jezebel…
—I love you too Jahnis,… I’m afraid, she said sadly.

She trotted lightly away from him, until her shadow disappeared behind the knoll.
She did not even notice the small rabbit hidden at the entrance of its burrow, its trembling nose seemingly trying to reach at invisible scents all around it.

Jahnis was morose. He did not understand a single thought in that woman’s head, but he couldn’t help feeling attracted by her, ever since he had seen her in his nearby town a few days before.

Of her ways, and those of her people, he did not understand much, like many of the villagers. There always had been a silent defiance from both sides, but that had been enough for them to live rather peacefully side by side, if not together.

The rather recent Reformation and the troubles it had brought here had left him with a sense of puzzlement towards these unseen realms that seemed to bring up so much passion from human beings. He considered himself not especially bright, but he knew what were his own values, and would not let his mind be clouded by these things he could not touch.

And he knew also that he had caught the attention of the beautiful gypsy. And the fact that some time would be needed for things to work out between them was not a problem for him. He was more troubled by her mysterious attraction to all those gloomy “omens”…

—Damn owl! he mumbled when he left.

–IV– Bright Blobs in a Starry Night

When everything was calm again in the forest safe from the occasional sounds of wild animals, two bright points of light detached themselves from the starry sky, and landed near the spot the couple had left.

The two points expanded in two blobs of light.

Softly, each of the blobs of light revealed two silvery silhouettes glowing in the night.

An owl flew out of the the first blob, leaving Qixi in her silvery glowing cocoon, while a rabbit jumped off the other one.

—Don’t give me that odd look, as though I did it, you know perfectly well it was not me, protested Armelle, I’m not even physical here!
—Well, you could have just popped in and projected your energy, said Yuki as if to contradict the owl…
—Oh, you two, said Janice, don’t start picking at each other, just for once. Even if it’s just for the fun of contradiction. For a start, I don’t even know what we’re doing here.
—Don’t be so harsh Janice, said Qixi softly, Yuki might be right after all.
—What do you mean? asked Janice to her friend.

She had only met Qixi last month during her explorations of her inner connections, and though they had only met in the dream time and space, they both knew they had shared many focuses together, and had been more than glad to share some of her explorations with her. Qixi was a bit younger in age, but had displayed tremendous ease at seeing hidden things, and connecting to other aspects of this reality.

—I mean, I’ve been so concerned lately with these images of ravens that I might have had an influence on the psychological environment of other focuses.
—But how do you know they’re even one of our focuses?
—They may not be, but I feel a connection…
—Ah, ah, more than meets the eye said Yuki, lazily swinging with his ears attached around a branch of Armelle’s tree.

Armelle rolled her eyes with the most comical look of contempt.
—Then, better tell us what you have in mind right now, she managed to say. If you’re so clever…
—Actually I don’t have a clue, said Yuki. There is a part of me that is still around Quintin’s time, like there is something we overlooked there.
—Oh, right! said Janice. She turned back to face Qixi. And something just crossed my mind. Did Quintin meet one of your focuses there?
—I’m not sure I have one at that time… she said shyly.
—Well, you can just decide to have one there, interjected Yuki with a toothy grin.

The sly remark almost passed unnoticed to the young children, but not to the perceptive owl.

—Very ingenious, I must concede, said Armelle.

The children looked at the owl puzzled.

—What do you mean? they said in unison.
—Will you both just take each other’s hands, and Janice will focus on Quintin…

Still a bit puzzled, but encouraged by Armelle’s extending her wings to embrace the still dangling rabbit, the two luminous girls placed their hands in each other’s and the world around them gently started to rock and shift.

–V– A Straight Detour by Dover

Against the dark sky, the stars seemed to fly away in arrows of light, and while everything grew darker and darker, the girls started to feel panicky.
—Steady, ladies! We’re almost there! the melded voices of Armelle and Yuki reassured them. And soon, they started to try to feel into the darkness, still holding tight to each other.
And from deep inside of them, a faint sound of music could be heard. It was lively and melodious, piano thrills dancing like intoxicating drops of life. They could only perceive them through their inner senses, but it was a most delightful soothing feeling.

And they started to notice, as the music grew louder and louder, a pale blue dot in the distance, and as they focused on it, and the tension gave way to excitement, it grew closer, and closer, opening into a big blurry light that gently came into focus.

Dover, England, 1800s

The music had helped May to sleep so well this night. She had been ill for some days now, and that had caused much concern to her family and friends.
Evan, a friend of her father, had given her that small music box to entertain her during her sleepless feverish nights. He had told her that that music had been written by Bach many years ago for a Count, to be played during his many sleepless nights, and that the Count had been most pleased by the music.

May had dreamed a lot that night, of strange and scary things — or “scarey” as Frank, her elder brother, would have pronounced that word, along with a funny grimace.
There had been a snowy white owl battling a great umber horned owl, and a feeling of some dark impending menace hovering over her. But the feeling had been different than from other times. She had felt many supportive presences surrounding her, and the battling owls had morphed into a bunch of playful lemurs.

She took these visions very much to heart, and was a bit fearful of their powerfulness, and of the way they, at times, bumped into her reality, with such a great vigor.

A light knock. Then a hirsute head popped behind the door to great her with a smile.

—How’s it today, sweet pea?
—Aye, I’m better. Thank you… Where are Mum and Dad?
—They had to go out to to the market. They left me to check on you.

Frank sat on the little bed making the old planks creak under his weight. He had two funny cowlicks on his head, which gave him the look of a daft goat, and made her chuckle.

—Hey Frank…
—Yes?
—Tell me another story…
—Ahaha, I was sure you’d ask for one!
—Oh, don’t make me beg you, May said with a pouty grimace.
Frank was laughing heartily now.

May said plaintively
—You know, you make them so real to me, it’s like I’m living in them…
—Alright, alright, let me think of something…
—Oh! the face was illuminated and impatient. Anything that comes to your mind,… But not something grim! She added immediately.
—Oh, let me see… Alright, I’ll try to make it funny.

–VI– Along Came a Woozy Yuki

When Janice woke up from the deep trance of her meditation, she let some time pass before she could find herself fully back in the familiar environment.

Everything around her still had an immaterial feeling, as if not totally back to focus, and changing rapidly in various forms and shapes of blurry light.

She took a breath and closed her eyes, to try to catch the fleeting remnants of her dream imagery. Why, she knew they were not really remnants at all, and that it would have been more accurate to say that she was moving fast away from them and their potential developments… but that did not matter right now.

All she could get, when she closed her eyes and came back to herself, was this feeling of the closeness between her and Qixi, and that dance into the darkness, and the joyous pearly music…

She could not wait to share experiences with Qixi, but being now physically focused left the things a little less easy than in the dream attention.

For one, she and Qixi did not live at the same physical location, and did not speak the same physical language, save from some words they had invented for their shared use.

Of course, in the dreamscape it really did not matter, as the translation of the feelings did not occur as in physical form. The feelings were instant knowing.

What was fun, and she always found this highly amusing considering that it had been such an ingrained belief in the course of mankind, was that they were not even translating the experiences in the same way, but nonetheless they simply knew the validity of their common shared experience.

Funny, yes, she could hear Quintin thinking at that moment, because on the contrary, in physical form we tend to occult these innate differences of perception just because of the commonness of that shared experience, tricking ourselves to believe that our perception of the world is the same.

All that was left was our own perception and translation of some kind of energy.

Take for instance something like that music she heard. She was not even sure that Qixi had even heard piano. Perhaps she had heard a melody played on a Chinese zither, and perhaps had not even translated it as a melody at all. But what she was sure of, was that there was a reality, a common truth, which was the shared feeling of it.

She did not clearly know from which part of herself that last part had aroused, but gently drifting in the cushioned feeling, she saw someone stroking a fluffy cat entranced by some Chinese music… Perhaps a bleed-through of her thoughts in Quintin’s focus at the same moment, or of his… Perhaps it was even something deeper still, flashing images of red fabric embroidered in gold, and a funny Pekingese dog treading around with a sort of haughty look of the most comical effect… Wow, she thought, these webs of connections are so woozy… vertiginous…

It made her think that she was supposed to focus on Quintin, just before the music, and that was what she was doing just now… Perhaps she could continue today and pool her energies with Qixi.
At that same moment, she heard the catlike footsteps of her father Jacob in the room next to hers, apparently still taking care not disturbing her.
She almost brushed off the feeling, but there was an image flashing in her mind of a rabbit winking at her.

—Oh, Rodney’s right. You’re always talking in riddles Yuki! she said loudly

Funny she thought, that Rodney came in like that. He was one of the fathers taking care of the children of her Dome, and a good friend of her father too. She was not even sure she knew what his animal companion looked like.

Her father’s, she knew it, as she had seen it at times in her dreams.

At first when she had awakened, she had been a bit distraught by it, as it was a lynx and she had thought of Yuki the rabbit, but the memory of the feeling was unmistakable and reassuring. A feline softness, a guileless strength and a piercing eye which fitted his talents as a Reader very well.

The Ancients would have translated that term of Reader as healer, but he was not a healer in the ancient use of the word though. His mere presence was a comfort and a reassurance in one’s own being. He did not need to fix anything, for everything was perfect in his eyes.

All of her love burst at once, and made her spring from her cushion to follow her impulse and have a talk with him.

–VII– An Invitation to Draw and Pool

He greeted her with a smile at the haphazard mess in her hair and the little groggy eyes.

—Good day Janice!
—Hey, Dad, it’s good to see you!

There was a pause, as if he knew she had to ask him something but needed to find a way to put it.

—Dad?

An encouraging smile.

—Would you play a bit with me and Qixi?

She was concerned about sounding too childish, but knew that her father understood behind the words that the “game” was in fact very serious. And that his presence and knowledge of the inner workings of these connections would greatly help them to sort through the experiences.

—Of course, I’d love to, sweetheart!

There is always so much to gain from being playful he added dreamily, as if to himself.

—I’ll go tell Rodney that I’ll be in one of the Medraw Caps in case he needs me, and I’ll meet you there, is that OK?
—Oh, yes, and tell him he can come too!

Janice had said that almost in haste, because when she had heard Rodney’s name, she had been reminded of the wink in her third eye, and felt compelled to add this.

—Very well! answered her father laughingly. He’ll probably love to, he is always ready to join in for some unexpected fun. You can go and fetch us some snacks, and we will meet in the Eastern Caps, alright?
—Yes! Janice was beaming.

The Medraw Caps were located in one of the Outer Rings of the Main Dome, as a sort of peripheral necklace of beady capsules extending the Dome itself radially. They were grouped in four quarters like four strange pea-pods, each of the peas aligned with the main geomagnetic currents. In fact, the very conception of the Dome itself allowed almost everything to turn freely and realign naturally with these currents.

The Caps had the shape of cozy cocoony rooms, fully equipped to allow gatherings of small groups of people (or larger groups for official ceremonies, in the four bigger ones protruding at the center of each of the pea-pods).

The internal surface of the ovoid shapes was made of a milky plastoid substance that could change its colour drastically to project all of the hues and patterns imaginable, and capable of plunging the Caps in total darkness if required. The sensory deprivation it induced in that case was especially useful in training sessions where it was required to focus completely on inner senses.

But actually it was also useful for more casual connections with people located in other areas, and that was what Janice had in mind for this afternoon.

She had viewed in some of the babbling books of the Living Library that they had been initially designed as womb-like devices for meditations and other relaxation therapies when people still thought they had to rely on such devices for their well-being. And that various people had found at one point that they helped the patients focus on their own psychic or subconscious connections and actually draw to them relevant information or communication, either audibly or visually, if in a proper state of mind. The device had been considerably enhanced since the rather crude historical devices, but the original concept had remained, if not the actual inventor’s name.

If not as fluid as the Auditorium walls, which Cyprus had showed Janice in the Living Library, the devices were quite nice extensions that helped induce the proper state of mind in the participants. In fact, what they did actually was to bring the group awareness at a common frequency, allowing a proper focused feedback, mostly free of external distractions, which was not unlike what the Ancients did in their radio communications.

Hands full with the snacks, Janice greeted the sinewy and energetic lady at the entrance. She was in charge of the technical aspects of the Domes, and highly regarded as a Hearer. Her father knew her well, and Janice had always appreciated her, though many of her comrades found her a bit of a lunatic.

The lady gently guided her to one of the Caps, telling her that she would tell her Dad, and went away briskly to other matters.

Janice only had to wait a few minutes before the tall figure of her father appeared. Walking along in long uneven gait, was the merry face of Rodney who apparently seemed to enjoy greatly this unexpected distraction.

For that matter, the Caps was plain perfect for a group of three. All they needed to do now was to relax and hope that Qixi would be available for the communication.

–VIII– The Tale of the Sack of Knowledge

—Once upon a time, began Frank, closing his eyes to gather his thoughts… Once upon a time…
—You already told that, interrupted May, eager for the story to be told, that was yet to be told.
—Hey, don’t push me like that! I’ll be sidetracked and lose the thread… What was I saying already?
—You said, once upon a time, sighed May with a funny look of utter dismay.
—Ahaha, yes, I know… Well, there was a peasant… who was very poor.
May wanted to interject some witty comment, just for the fun of having her brother annoyed, but he had already captured her attention with the passion he had put in these few words. So she just began to relax and be enthralled by the story, which was already making some parts deeply inside herself move, as if gently awaken.

—He was not very concerned by the fact he was so poor, because he found much joy in every day of hard work. He could see lots of fantastic life in the fields he ploughed. Tiny busy ants, carrying patiently their loads of cut leaves, some shiny horned beetles, and even the rabbits who at times ate his vegetables found grace in his eyes.
Not even the maggots were abandoned. Because his joy, when he could afford some time on his own, was to go fishing, and the maggots were very useful.

Frank paused a moment to look at his sister’s face. She had closed her eyes, and leaned against the cushions, visibly enjoying the evocations brought by the story. He continued

—One day, the peasant… He was named… mmm… Barney, by the way.
So, one day, Barney had planned to go to his field and harvest his potatoes. But all of a sudden, a strange rain started to fall while it had been quite sunny before. The rain was very light at first, like soft sprinkles of water. However it quickly started to rain heavily. The soil, Barney thought, would be so damp and wet that it would be easier to do it tomorrow, and take the opportunity to go fishing.
His attention was attracted by a ballet of chirping birds under his cherry tree. Oh, oh, he thought, the rain had probably made some big worms wander outside the earth, and attracted the view of the birds.
So he went under his cherry tree, and quickly found a very big worm. He had not searched for long, because the worm was quite big and noticeable of course.
All thankful for this opportunity, he blessed the god of the worm and all creatures and pocketed the wiggling worm. Then he took one of the big jute sacks he had brought here for the potatoes to protect him a bit from the still pouring rain, and went to the nearby river, were the old fishing rod he had made a long time ago was hidden.

Frank paused again. May was breathing deeply and calmly, with a blissful smile on her face. He thought for a moment that she had fallen asleep, and was about to leave the room silently, but the silence and his moving had caught her attention
—Hey! No way you get out before you finish the story! she said opening her piercing eyes.
—Ahahaha, I just thought you were asleep! Alright, don’t be upset, I’ll go on.

—So, Frank went on, Barney is now near the river. He has got this big worm on the hook of his fishing pole, and he is under this big jute sack. And of course, the rain is still falling with a soothing sound on his head.
All in all, he starts to fall asleep with this very comforting sound of the rain. It was not displeasing, because the weather was still hot, so he just falls asleep.
—Oh, I hope that’s not the end… muttered May, though she felt she could easily continue the story just by falling asleep herself.
—Ahaha, no way… Let me continue, sweet pea…

Frank went on
—And then, the sound of the rain stops, and Barney is pulled by a very strong energy. Oh oh, Barney says with a smile. That must be some mighty beast I’ve hooked on my line. And indeed, he battles with it, on an on, until the sunset comes.
But just before the sun is about to set, and poor Barney almost abandoning the fight, the mighty beast just ceases to fight too. Barney is so joyful when he draws the fish out. It is a huge, a…

At a loss for a proper word to convey his feeling, Frank decided he wanted to coin a new one
— A hu-mon-struous perch. With shiny silvery scales and as big as a calf.
With that, Barney is so joyful that he does not take notice of the two wanderers who have just arrived nearby, attracted by his cheers.

– Oh, what a marvelous catch, the first one says with shiny beady eyes.
– Indeed it is, adds the other, with a toothless grin, I wonder how long it can last for one man to eat such a beast. Such a pity we are so hungry and won’t be able to taste such a fine meal.

Barney, who is very good-hearted…

—Oh, no, interrupted May, you said it wasn’t going to be grim. I know these two are up to some mischief. And I like Barney very much. Well, except for that strange taste for maggots…
—Ahahaha, let me continue sweet pea, it’ll be fun in a moment.
—Mmmm, I hope so… answered an unconvinced May.
—So, Barney, sees these two ragged-clothed people, obviously a bit more hungry than himself, and decides that they will share the big perch over a nice fire, near a tree, by a river… (Frank wondered why he wanted to sing this part, singing in riddles now… dammit)
So, Frank continued, while the two men are making the fire, Barney is preparing the “humonstruous” silvery perch with his knife. It’s a knife he always had in his pocket for such uses. And as he opens the silvery perch, behold! a shiny jewel, as big as his fist.
And Barney, who is always nice, is quite happy to share that discovery and show the marvelous jewel to the two men.

May now opened her eyes wide, as if a bit anxious as to what was to come.

—The two men, seeing such a treasure, felt that it was such a waste for it to be given to such a rustic man, and that they, of course, would know a better use for it. They did not even know that if they had asked poor Barney, he would have given willingly some of this treasure, if not all of it, but such a thought was quite foreign to the two men. So, they decided to kill poor Barney with the knife he had used for the perch.

Frank was observing May, and visibly, she was as focused as a mongoose ready to fight some deadly snake, quite valiantly fighting for some self-control. So he went on.

—So they begin to hit him with a dead branch, but suddenly they are alerted by the sound of hooves. Someone is coming! They surely do not want to share the gem with one more person, and in panic, they simply put poor groggy Barney in his jute sack. They use the strong cord of the fishing pole to bind the sack strongly. Then they simply hang the sack on top of a big branch of the tree. And off they go with the precious gem.

May was now relieved, but still frustrated. How could one find that funny?
Reading her mind, Frank laughed and continued.

—I’m coming to the fun part. Barney was perhaps goodhearted, but he was not an idiot. He had kept the knife with him, and wiggling in his moistened pungent sack, cut a hole at the bottom of the sack to pass his head through.
Sadly, the two men had hung him very high. He could break his neck by jumping on the ground! So he cried for help.
Luckily, the horseman who had been attracted by that godsend fire in the night, was just nearby. He was a hungry student of astronomy, who had found the leftovers of the “humonstruous” perch very delightful. When he heard the sound of Barney, he was quite surprised to see that man dangling in the sack.
Barney was not an idiot, as I said, and knew that he would have to gain the man’s interest, just as the two men had showed him. So when he saw the other, looking like an ambitious student, he knew what to do.

– Hi there! What can you possibly be doing here? asked the student
– Oh, I’m just having much fun, you know. This sack is simply prodigious.
– Strange you say that, I can’t imagine how one could be so interested in an old dirty sack. You see, I can understand how the stars move in the sky, but this eludes me…
– Funny you say that my friend, because this is the Sack of Knowledge, you see, and I have only been here for less than an hour, and already learned so many things about the workings of the Great Design (he was making this up, by the way).
– Interesting, very interesting indeed. And would it be possible to benefit from such a nice tool. There are so many questions I still have on the way the stars and the planets and all these things work.
– Yes, absolutely. You would just have to take my place and be hung from that tree in the Sack, but you see, I’m having so much widening of my awareness that I’m not sure that I want to go back now…
– Oh, but I can wait, that is not an issue.
– Well, perhaps in an hour or two then… Barney did not want to seem too eager to leave his place, of course.

And the student in astronomy just sat under the sack, trying to wait patiently. But after ten minutes, he was so impatient, that he asked to Barney if he could pay for him to come down.
Barney feigned to accept reluctantly, and in a matter of minutes, he was down, and the student was dangling in his place.

– And how does it work now? asked the befuddled student.
– Oh, you see it’s very simple, shouted Barney, as he was starting to go back home with what was left of the silvery perch. You just have to wait for it to come to you, any moment now, you’ll be seeing much more clearly. And truly, I can see that you are already…

May was now chuckling. And Frank stopped his very long delivery with a smile.
—How did you like it, sweet pea?
—It’s nice, very… But, what about the student? Did Barney just left him there?
—Oh, well, you see, Barney is very goodhearted. So I guess he just told someone in the city where to find the student.
—You guess? You don’t know?
—Hey, that’s just a story, and you can do what you want with it too.

Only half-satisfied with the answer, May plunged back into the cushions, and closed her eyes dreamily.

–IX– The Quarrel in the Grove

Livonia, mid-XVIth century and a few months later

When he woke up, he was feeling hilarious. A bit stupid too. Now he had lost a day of work, and had not even caught a single fish. And it was night too… Ilona, his wife, would probably be angry at him now. If only he could find a proper excuse…

However, Bendicks could not help but chuckle, not really knowing why he was feeling so exhilarated. Somehow, it made him remember when he was younger and had fun playing tricks with his brothers. Like in winter time, when they would have the barn’s cat ice-skating on the frozen pond with walnut shells under its paws.
Speaking of which, winter would probably be early this year, and not very pleasant, judging by the heavy rains that had fallen today.

While he was lost in his concerns for the hard season, his steps were confidently carrying him back home, knowing perfectly well every rock and blade of grass in the path running parallel to the nearby grove. He almost did not notice at first the voices.
But then a sharp cry followed by sobbing sounds caught his attention at once, and all his senses were quickly focused, trying to locate the source of the bickering. He did not want to get into any sort of trouble, as everyone here very much valued each other’s privacy, but he was a bit curious nonetheless.

Approaching carefully hidden by the bushes, he quickly recognized the couple. She was one of the Roms who had come here some years ago now, and the other one was the big dandy villager wooing her. For of course, most of the villagers knew of their affair, but had kept quiet —as was customary, as long as one’s own private matters were not directly concerned. They did not much appreciate the Roms, suspecting them of many things, though never having found a good reason to do so.
The Reverend had always been quite vehement about suspected rites, but that was much less of a crime for the peasants than those petty thievings they never could prove.

Anyway, their being so noisy was quite unusual, as they had always taken care not to attract too much attention.
Obviously the young woman was very distressed, and all that Bendicks could hear distinctly was the word “moppet” (baby)… The man was apparently reproaching her for something, and after his anger had passed in a rage of words, he moved away, leaving her sobbing.

That was enough for Bendicks, who was more concerned that things may have turned out much more violently.
So he decided to come back home too.

Arriving at his home, he smiled because his wife was obviously awake, waiting for him. That old owl was more watchful than a herd of geese.
As he walked to the door, he found it strange that a warm feeling of compassion was still lingering for the forlorn woman in the grove.

–X– The Blank Tapestry of the Wall-less Castle

Actually, Qixi had already been awake and waiting for Janice to contact her.
In the meantime, comfortably installed in a device similar to the Medraw Caps of the City, but reduced to fit in a home, she was discussing with the radiant snowy owl Armelle. Armelle was acting as a scout for her too, scrutinizing the infiniteness of all of consciousness for signals asking for her.

She also liked to use her owl as a messenger, relaying her messages and requests to the Universe, and in a matter of seconds, bringing her back the responses and signs she was asking for. Of course, at even her young age, she knew very well that the owl Armelle was in fact a very endearing representation of her own self, and that with time, she would integrate more and more of these wider aspects into herself to the point where she would not really “need” the representation any longer, because there would be no separation between her and that wider aspect.
In fact, most of the adults did not display their own animal companions very often, most of the time, only in jest or in moments of grief and loss where they felt more the need of a comforting presence.

Armelle, feeling the presence of the buoyant Yuki, disappeared silently, and in a few seconds was back flying, and arguing with the rabbit that he should stop thumping on her back so impatiently.
When they both landed, Yuki informed Qixi that they were having guests and would need to create a space for them. Janice/Yuki would act as the anchor to bring them into the same inner space.
They made a circle, with the three of them holding dream hands, wings and paws, until they saw a white point appear in the middle of the circle, growing with a zooming sound to a circle of light from which a glass elevator raised slowly.
When they were all inside the tubular elevator cabin, Yuki pressed the only button that was there, and all the landscape around the cabin just turned around to reveal a new one, as if they were in the heart of a gigantic kaleidoscope.

In that new landscape, Janice was there, with her father Jacob.
Janice sprung forth to hug her friend and make the introductions.

Cyprus lovely presence was noticeable, though not focused in that private space, and she reminded Janice of the miracle of that inner communication which needed no words to be translated, as all words were understood innately. In that particular attention, Qixi was speaking her natural language and the meaning was understood —so that in her reality Janice heard her speak her own language, while Qixi heard Janice in her own language too.
But more than that, what Cyprus meant was that it was quite important to their little adventure to know that they were in fact all translating something much more dynamic than words, which was their own inner states of consciousness. And in doing that, they were actually tapping into their own background of physical knowledge to be automatically translating the underlying energy to the most approaching meaning they could each relate to.
Janice understood better when Cyprus took the example of one of her Ancient focus speaking in that other attention to a focus in Middle Ages of… helicop-what? “Helicopters”, Janice you see, that was an archaic transportation device used in Quintin’s time – it would be most probable that the Middle Ages focus would translate the device simply as a chariot for instance, or as a huge dragonfly perhaps, or as a chariot drawn by huge dragonflies depending on the context of that talk and the state of openness of said Middle Ages focus.

Taking notice of the reminder, which had happened almost instantly, Janice went on presenting her father, and Rodney who was about to come, after he has emptied his physical bladder.

When the four humans were reunited, they all sat on the hallucinated objects they preferred the most to sit on, and Janice asked for Qixi to narrate her experience.

Here, with a deep nice voice, Jacob said softly
—If I may say something, I get from Qixi’s state of mind that her experience might be a bit distorted by the use of words, if she tries to tell us.
—Oh yes, said Yuki, a bit intrigued to have thought the same thing. Perhaps I have an idea that may be fun to experiment with.
—I think I know what you mean, said Jacob with a smile.
Jacob could sense the feelings of fun and joy raising in his consciousness, which was a good hint that he was doing something that would probably bring more joyful and meaningful things to him.
So, he decided to follow the impulse and said still smiling widely
—Let me bring you some help.
—Oh, with pleasure! Yuki was bouncing.

Extending his hands, Jacob generated a bright blob of light springing from his heart, and the blob of light quickly took life, and went rolling on the carpeted floor in the middle of the wall-less castle they had generated as their meeting space —a very cozy space, lost in the middle of a huge Scottish forest bathed in a purple sunlight.
The ball rolled and grew, and very soon growled with a nice booming voice, stretching his big body.

—Araili! Yuki was bouncing around the still dozy lynx.
—There you are my friend, answered warmly the lynx with his eyes half closed.
—Shall we?
For his only answer, the lynx pushed the rabbit with its head onto his back, and looking if he was properly fastened, asked:
—Ready?

And the two of them gently started to merge into a golden glorious creature, slowly expanding and thinning, until they took the form and size of a big blank tapestry hung on one of the wall-less castle’s wall.
—Quite inventive, acquiesced Armelle
—Oh yes it is, added Rodney fascinated by the scene.

Janice was looking at her father with her dream-eyes filled with love, and was clapping her dream-hands in anticipation.

—And what are we doing now? asked a bemused Qixi
—Oh, I guess we just pool our energies to bring life to that funny tapestry, said Rodney, adding after a moment, with a bit of involuntary bossiness, You first, young lady!

–XI– Drôles de Coincidences Around a Pixture

It all started very spontaneously.
Quintin had been online, chatting with Yann, one of the artists he had met in the congress in Vienna, while visiting his friend Gustav.

They both had a very nice time in Vienna, appreciating the talk given at the exposition held by that French artist couple; a cheerful middle-aged woman and her tall dark-haired partner who, though some may have thought of him being in her shadow, was in fact a very astute observer. And his occasional keen remarks, enhanced by the depth of his piercing blue eyes, were always extremely à propos.

As they talked, it eventuated that Yann knew other kindred artists who he thought it may be interesting to introduce to Quintin.
At first, there was Dorothy (or Dory, as they all called her), an artist specialized in ancient civilizations. Her interests were so vast and rich and lively, that she was able to convey enormous passion with a single picture of the most mundane mound of rubbled stones.

Then had come Fiona, her friend, almost by chance it had seemed. She was a talented portraitist, and extremely perceptive too. The night they had met online, Quintin had felt a strange connection to this woman he barely knew at all.
Then countless others had followed, as full of passion and all with zest (of folly too, he’d say at times).
There was Kathy, and Malika, Aimée and Bernhard, and so many others… Aimée and Bernhard were probably the most regally funny of them all, Bernhard having a black puppet panther named Archie that Bernhard voiced in a very serious tone. It entertained them all very much, all the more since Archie the panther (none of them would have dared to pretend that Archie was not real, as it was all very seriously funny, or funnily serious) was always very wise and caring to those who addressed questions to it (or him, whatever).
At times, Quintin even wondered how that damn puppet, well, “Archie” (he could not really get to calling it like that) could possibly know so many interesting things.

In any case, one night, the four of them were all chatting merrily, Quintin, Yann, Dory and Fiona, when they decided on a silly impulse, to try to play with an online white board that the instant messenger software allowed them to share.
At first, it was very entertaining, because they were each seeing things appear simultaneously on the common canvas. But soon, the seeming careless doodling felt as if it had taken a life on its own.
After some fuchsia had been dabbled on the white canvas, Quintin saw a stick figure form, which reminded him of children’s game of hangman.
He was mesmerized by the fact that as soon as he thought of it, it materialized almost completely before his eyes, and continued to move in very fluid movements. The stick gallows gently moved in his eye’s mind into a tree, while all sorts of wiggling characters were drawn around him.
Then someone added a black form that looked to him like a raven, while he felt like adding two long ears on top of a circle that made the form look like a loony rabbit. There was also what looked like a blue dagger cutting through was seemed to be a piece of swiss cheese.
The many overlapping forms did not make much sense if taken separately, but when Quintin de-focused his attention and had it roam aimlessly around the canvas, he felt tremendous life and passion in that picture which kept moving in many directions at once, too quickly for him to follow.

When they felt as though they had exhausted their silent communication (or communion perhaps) and that the picture was no longer physically moving, Quintin saved the picture before closing it, thinking it had had some strange meaning to himself only.

But after a while, when they resumed their chatting, it was not the carelessness he had expected at first. Somehow, the creative process had worked some magic on them all, as they felt compelled to share their impressions.
In fact, Fiona started first, because she was quite unsettled by the appearance of the hangman and what she had also identified as a raven.
That same morning, while walking her dog, she had seen an unusually big raven fly around her, then land just in front of her. The feeling had been very eerie, as if the bird had wanted to talk to her, but the dog had scared it away.
Seeing that bird again on the picture had reminded her of one of her friends, who was named Crawford. She had always associated him with the Raven, more because of the sound of his name than because of his appearance.
And the fact that she had not heard from him for some months now had been very much on her mind.
As for Yann, the crudely drawn trees and the hangman just reminded him of a dream where some guy with a funky groovy name, something like Roderick… or… Rodney! yes, that was it, Rodney, and he was warning him of something, in a dark area planted with nut trees.
The name Rodney felt familiar to Dory… She could not really place it, it was like a very dear familiar person, though she knew of no Rodney she could remember. All that it evoked to her when she closed her eyes was some kind of daft-looking goat, a bit like in the tale where that strong-headed goat battles a wolf fiercely for a very long night. A name came along with the goat: Rafaela. What a daft-sounding name for a daft-looking goat, she thought.

And Quintin too was as much bemused because, of course, there was his previous picture. The one of the hanged man, and the crows and… That was too many coincidences at once…

---

[top]

Add some words

You may use textile in your comment.
Emails will not be shown, only used to get your gravatar.

Your name / nick: Your email: Your site: Your comment...: Remember