Fractured Paradise (Volume III)
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This Tree of Holiness, dyed crimson with the oil of servitude, hath verily sprung forth out of your own soil in the midst of the Burning Bush, yet ye comprehend nothing whatever thereof, neither of His true, heavenly attributes, nor of the actual circumstances of His earthly life, nor of the evidences of His powerful and unblemished behaviour. Actuated by your own fancies, you consider Him to be alien to the sovereign Truth, while in the estimation of God He is none other than the Promised One Himself, invested with the power of the sovereign Truth, and verily He is, as decreed in the Mother Book, held answerable in the midst of the Burning Bush... The Canon of Truth: Qayyumu' L-Asma, Baha'i Memory Like snow on an early autumn day, Qwinn thought he understood, but there was only darkness in his consciousness, no music, no light at the end of a dark tunnel, no trumpets at pearly gates, only cold, slow silence he had never known before, only loneliness, and rest. The ages seemed to drip from his flesh and lungs. He gasped with afresh blaze of air as though he were plunged into a vat of newborn innocence. His fingers twitched, groping soft strands between his fingers, his nerves clutching at his brain. Desperately, he wanted to unfold his eyes, figure out his state of mind, but he was frightened of the possibilities. Would he simply see the same old flaccid bodies in their pews? And the gun slinging fundamentalist? or was all that just a forty five year swath of a dream? Some idiotic figment of imagination? "What the hell?" he thought. Curious he released his eyes to the scene behind the curtain of darkness, opening to a field of sunset blue, but there was no sun, nor were there clouds or wind. There was no evidence of any life except for what he thought was grass that suckled on his naked flesh, no songs from birds, no traffic noise from a nearby street, no conversations drifting in to his ears from a store next door, only the soft rush of his breath between his lips. He was afraid to turn his head, but he could feel the strands of something nuzzled in his back and legs, and there was a scent, like the color of spring inside his nose. It wasn't grass just cut, or flowers by the walk and it wasn't just within his sense of smell. His fingers, eyes and tongue all felt sublime, new, reborn, not worn and grim from years of gravity and disappointment. Had he ever felt such calm drawing him out from dark corners inside fear, holding his mind on liquid flames of wistful emptiness? No, not just his mind, his soul. His soul was full, but he could not understand this thought, or its reality. He could not remember FEELING his soul this way, only having thoughts about that part of himself he could not touch or see. Floral tendrils cupped his back and legs with fresh experience. Had he ever felt such pleasure drawing him out from the darkest corners of his fears, holding his mind on liquid flames of wistful emptiness? Adrenaline drained from his taut frame. His blood seemed calm. His thoughts and breath flowed in and out, a tide pool of restful sound tugging at his lips with garden thrill. With one finger at a time his hand explored, like sand crabs he envisioned on a beach, slinking from the shadows that would stretch from beneath the sun on sand. In his thoughts he could hear the surf, and sea gulls, floral tendrils plucked calmly at his skin, thousands of leafy fingers receiving him from the deepest recesses of the moment. It was obvious that his whole body was feeling the currents of a different stream than his memories, somehow tapping Into a wellspring so peaceful, so deep within his soul that he shivered as his arms rolled with the shape of angel wings to his side, his hands exploring the crevices of his curiosity. There were no irregularities in the grass beneath him, no stones, No holes, no furrows for his hands to navigate, a slate of sculpted simplicity, with grass, or at least, what he could only refer to as grass, each blade the same width, the same length, with no variation in color, not even a ridge down the center of each leaf. It was like the artificial grass he would see on the shelves in craft stores made of plastic, silk or cotton. He had no confidence that his vocabulary would help him describe this place and circumstance, or even the sensations of youthful exuberance coalescing within himself. As he collected his sensations, feeling the grass, looking up into the sky, he was also struck with the observation that there was much missing, that there was less for him to grasp with his eyes, or nose, or ears. They strain for the patterns of life and a familiar universe, but they were left only with the primal sense that he was lying flat, and that his body was supported by some kind of living turf, that his arms rubbed a small wave of welcome as they snaked the sound of movement to his ears. He turned his head 'til his left eye stared languid through a forest of small plants, countless blades of green, uniform leaves of stubbornly consistent grass, but it was pulsing with life. This observation, alone, gave him some pause to think. He'd never felt life before, not from a blade of grass, nor even from dog, or bird or friend. He would see movement. He would hear sounds. He would feel the softness of someone's skin or hair, but he had never FELT life, yet he could feel the life within each leaf between his fingers, many different separate acknowledgements, each different than the rest, as though he could recognize each one, uniquely. He was somehow feeling, sensing, connecting with a life force drawing on his consciousness, pleading with his own body to become known. Qwinn wanted to step away from such unyielding insight. He wanted to run, hide, become anonymous in this unknown world, the world he knew, the life he lived. The nature of his existence was one of intellect and detachment. He was "here". The rest of the world was out there somewhere. Pleasure was something that you did, something that you brought into your experience, a physical banquet that you would imbibe, but this place was something far more intimate, more profound than any theology he had sought to lay down at the altar of his mind. At some distance he saw what looked like the bare metal frame of a Christmas tree abandoned in a back alley, nude of any foliage, but there were oblong blue bulbs dangling from each limb. Drawing his legs in and rising to an upright view he took in a new existence. Turning his head as far as he could to the left, then to the right, his eyes were assailed by the color green, covering what he came to realize was an island, an island with a strange tree, unlike any tree he had seen before, and beyond the shore was the still gray of something he could only call a sea, but there were no waves, no white caps, no lapping against the shore, with none of the odors he would normally expect to sense when in the presence of a large body of water. The scene extended far away, beyond the distance his eyes could hold, not to a horizon, but simply to a vanishing point, where the light blue of that perfect sky took over, lifting his thoughts to burning curiosity. Standing up he once again turned, this time with his feet, his bare feet, which held up his nude body, a body without blemish, without the sagging touch of age, like it was when he was twenty, when his muscled flexed with the ease of youth, begging to move, go somewhere, but all he could do was stare at the vision of his own skin. Options rattled into his thoughts. He counted them like sheep, or railway cars: Was he dead? Asleep and waiting for morning? Delirious from the gunshot wound, but alive? He felt that he could have thought of more, but he suddenly lost interest in the possibilities. He was overcome with the desire to explore whatever is here, wherever he is, for as long as it lasts. He felt no danger, at least for the moment, plus he felt incredibly free, unfettered from his recent pain from bullets back at the church. If this was some brief flash of experience before death then he wanted to consume the final moment. He had difficulty generating concern, feeling only euphoria and an intense rush of energy. "Hello." came a voice from somewhere not far from hims, "Hi...," said the same voice, "Can I come ashore?" Qwinn broke away from his thoughts and looked in the direction of the shouts and saw a woman walking towards the tree on the island. Moving toward the tree he was struck by three things all at once: first was the nakedness of the woman speaking to him, second was the strength, virility and energy that coursed through his body, like when he was a young man, and third was his embarrassing arousal upon seeing the woman. "I take it you just arrived," she stated calmly as he approached her. Her skin was quite dark, almost black, with long straight hair flowing down her back to her hips, tied at the back of her head with a thick gray cord. "We all get a bit frisky when we first arrive," she said, looking at Qwinn's groin, then back to his eyes. Pulling strands of hair from her face and looking around the island she continued, "You can't help it, especially when the experience is so fresh. It's like being twenty years old and staying that way...forever!" "Yeah," said Qwinn, somewhat sheepishly, "it does feel good, and you did surprise me." He caught himself staring at the woman's breasts then looked away. "Don't you love 'em?" she responded, grabbing a breast in each hand, "they're as firm and sassy as when I first arrived, it sure beats the sagging tits I had on earth after so many years of raising children, cooking and taking care parents and men. I survived to see twenty great-grand children. I supposed they are around somewhere, but I haven't seen a one of 'em." Qwinn laughed. "Have you had any of the Meithrin fruit yet? It's incredible!" She walked over to the tree and plucked one of the fruits from a low branch, handing it to him. The tree rose high into the empty blue sky, much higher than he thought at first, with branches extending from the trunk in a spiral pattern, all the way to the top, the thickest and longest at the bottom, becoming thinner and shorter with height. The melon-like fruits hanging from the branches looked soft, inviting. "Just poke a finger in through the skin," she invited, "it's soft as long as the fruit is all in one piece. It becomes tough, like leather, when the meat is gone." Sinking to the ground, Qwinn allowed the fruit to settle between his thighs, then he pulled the fruit close, pressing fingers in, watching it give way. He tugged at the smooth skin of the fruit, gently at first, then with increasing persistence. The dark blue flesh drew saliva from his lips as desire crept out from deep within his body. He started to rend it with his hands and suck on succulent contents, a watery flesh that clung to his tongue and melted quickly. It was easy to swallow, but his throat gagged briefly as though it was working for the first time he had eaten anything. "Strange feeling, isn't it?" commented the woman, "It's like we were made to eat these things. That's why I stopped at your island just now. You can't stay conscious here without eating this stuff. Without it you will sink into the be Long Sleep, staying there until someone puts the flesh of the Meithrin tree fruit against your' lips. You'll find out." The woman took one of the fruits for herself and tore open the skin, placing large chunks of the fruit's meat into her mouth, juice flowing from the corners of her lips. "Even after all the time I have been here I still enjoy these things. You just can't get tired of it." Without much talk, Qwinn and the woman finished their fruits and rested on separate limbs of the tree. "Well, I need to move on," the woman said, standing up and brushing the juice from her body, "I'm going to bath and then get over to Ynyscelf. They are expecting me soon." With that, she walks over to the shore where Qwinn first saw her. In front of her was something Qwinn couldn't understand. Two men were standing on what looked like a large flat boat with a head that stared at him intently, but silently. One of the men wore a blue belt around his waist with a sheath dangling from his left side. The sheath seemed to be holding something long and narrow, but it didn't look like a sword. "By the way," said the woman, " my name is Jesree the Peddler and these are the two men that get me around on that Ceffylmôr that is checking you out. We call it Tachinon. It's not going to hurt you." Qwinn acknowledged their presence with a nod of his head, then took another look at the creature indicated by Jesree. "The one on the left with the cute curls is Jinkla and the other, the one with the flute, is Meshnee. They are both tall and dark and, unfortunately, gay as a couple geegee worms, but they make a great Charmsee, and I trust them implicitly, which is necessary when you are carrying goods for sale and barter like I am. It's hard to trust anyone here on Addewid." As Jesree paused to take a breath, Qwinn looked around the Ceffylmôr, noticing dozens of large blue bags stacked on its back, each bulging with the various shapes of their contents. "Would you mind if the Ceffylmôr and the two boys eat a few of your Meithrin fruits? They are hungry and we have a way to go yet before we get to Amcarton. We would also like to take a few extras as well. That'll save us some time." Qwinn nodded his assent and looked at the two me standing next to each other. Jinkla and Meshnee ignored Qwinn's stare and started taking bags off of the Ceffylmôr. One bag was particularly heavy and landed with a large thud on the ground. "That one we'll leave as a present," said Jesree, "Koinestrata isn't that large of a Ceffylmôr and we'd rather stock up on Meithrin fruits. You'll understand in time, but right now I'm in a hurry." When everything was off of the Ceffylmôr, Meshnee pulled his flute from its sheath and played a melody as Qwinn laughed, rubbing his chin. Immediately the Ceffylmôr started to contract from the flat body that floated in the sea and grew narrower, with an undulating belly that moved swiftly on the grass towards the tree. Jinkla and Meshnee followed closely as Meshnee slipped his flute back into the dangling sheath. Jesree jumped into the sea and swam in large circle, ignoring Qwinn and the others. Finishing her brief swim, Jesree climbed back onto the shore, pushing the liquid away from her body with her hands. "That water is amazing stuff," she said, "It doesn't matter how dirty or sweaty you become, just jump in and everything washes off. It was never that easy on Earth. It really beats having to pound clothes on rocks." Qwinn watched Jesree walk over the bags that were taken off of the Ceffylmôr and stacked on the ground. She opened the mouth of each bag and checked the contents, inserting a hand to shift things around. When she was through checking her bags she looked up into the sky intently, then looked at Qwinn, "Have you seen kind of flying creature since you arrived?" Qwinn shook his head. "That's good. It's not something you want to see." Looking over to the Meithrin fruit tree she called out, "Jinkla! Meshnee! Pick some fruit and get Koinestrata back into the sea. We don't have much time." Looking back at Qwinn, Jesree says, "I promised the people at Amcarton that I'd be back before height of the Bright Time. They have a festival they hold at the beginning of the dark time and I'm feeling the change in the Malyon sea, which means that the dark time will begin before too long. I hate to leave my customers without supplies." Looking back at the tree Jesree yells again, "By the Breath of the Droolyn, let's get moving!" Meshnee pulled his flute up once again and the notes took control of Koinestrata, who climbs down from the tree where it was devouring quite a few Meithrin fruits. At the bottom of the tree Koinestrata flattens out a bit for Jinkla to place a couple of dozen fruits on its back. Then all three moved towards Jesree and Qwinn, where Koinestrata moves onto the water of the Malyon sea and stretches out to the flat length and breadth that Qwinn first noticed. Meshnee and Jinkla loaded Jesrees bags onto the Koinestrata, except for the one that Jeshree said she 'd leave, and climbed aboard themselves. Jesree turned to Qwinn and smiled, "well, I wish I had time to stay for a while and initiate you to some of the joys of Addewid, but that'll have to wait." Jesree winked as Qwinn blushed and struggled to hide his embarrassment. "I'll leave you with some advice," Jesree said as she jumped onto the Ceffylmôr, "don't let the Ceidwadaid see you and stay away from the Alliance of Truth at all cost, and if you are lucky, you'll be able to avoid some of the kooks that are running around here. I can't guarantee anything, but if you need help just use this," Jesree holds out her hand to reveal a small ball resting in the palm. Qwinn reaches out with his right hand and picks the ball up. Immediately the ball stretches out, extending and moving across his hand until it encircles his wrist, disappearing beneath his skin, leaving a band of grey where it buried itself. "What the hell is that!" gasped Qwinn, rubbing his wrist. "It's a Croen," said Jesree. "Jinkla says that you will come to understand how to use it. As much as I'd like to take you with me, I can't, but Id like to help you if you have a need. There is much you need to learn, both about yourself and your island and Addewid, before you leave. We may never see each other again, but if we do we can swap stories. Until then, May Cren the Creator be with you." Jesree takes Qwinn's hand and pulls him towards her, giving him a kiss. "Welcome to Addewid." "Meshnee!" she yells, "let's go!". Immediately a melody leaps from the flute and Koinestrata moves away from Qwinn's island. Qwinn was surprised at the speed that Koinestrata reached before disappearing entirely from his sight. Chapter 3 Kirii Still flush from the feeling of Jesree's lips on his, he rubs his right wrist and walks over to the bag left behind by Jesree. As he approached the bag it started to move, sending Qwinn back a couple of steps, surprised. With the bag continuing to undulate on the ground Qwinn approached it once again, tilting his head slightly as he watched the movement. Kneeling down beside the bag, he reached for the mouth that was tied shut with a thick gray cord, similar to that used by Jesree to hold her hair back. Pulling the knotted cord to himself with his hands, Qwinn unraveled the strands and let it fall loose, opening up. A hand popped out, groping air, then another hand joined in the effort from inside to break free. Soon the lithe, body of a man extracted itself from the blue material, rolling on its back. The bearded face of a man stared up at him with a sober expression, then stood up. His face was painted white and his nose and lips glowed bright red. His hair was dyed yellow, and his arms and torso were streaked with bands of green and blue and his genitals were coated with a bright orange paste. Between the streaks of color it was evident to Qwinn that the man's skin was dark, very dark, in the spots where the dye hadn't completely covered him. His face was broad. His eyes were set directly in front of his face and his hair had been braided into dreadlocks that quivered in countless directions as he spoke. "Well," said the said the man", his eyes never moving from Qwinn's, "it looks like I have found myself a new one." The man from the bag extended a hand, palm open, fingers spread out. Qwinn extended his right hand for a handshake, but the position and angle were wrong, so he lifted the hand into a wave. The man from the bag lifted his hand, mimicking Qwinn's greeting. "Yeah, I guess you could say I'm new here," said Qwinn, "is it that obvious?" "No doubt about it," said the man from the bag, looking at Qwinn and around the island, "your not even a recycle, otherwise you wouldn't be so fucking wide-eyed about seeing me. It's pretty obvious that you don't have any idea where you are or what is happening. Are Jesree and her Charmsee the first Addewidians you have seen?" "Yes," Qwin responded. "Ha!," he laughed, "That explains much. Yes. My name is Kirii, the jester, I entertain with jokes, stunts and color, as you can see," said Kirii moving his right hand along his side, displaying the bands of green and blue. What time and place did you come from? " "I'm Qwinn, Qwinn Jacobs. I was living in Boston in 1977. Is that what you wanted to know?" "Yeah, but I wouldn't be too quick to reveal that, if I were you," said Kirii, "most people here wouldn't understand either the city or the year and many who would understand wouldn't like you on the basis of where and when you are from." "When were you on earth?" asked Qwinn. "I died a few years after you on a different part of earth, but time doesn't work here in the same way we were used to back on earth." "What do you mean?" asked Qwinn. "Well, what I mean is that just because someone arrives here first doesn't mean that they necessarily died first. It's very strange." Kirii paused for a moment, then continued, "I don't know about you, but it is past time for me to eat and you have a beautiful new Meithrin tree on your island. The fruit from new trees have the best taste, I think, especially at this time of the Droolyn Cycle, the beginning of the Holding In Time, when the most intense of the festivals are held." Kirii walked over to the Meithrin tree and started climbing, getting about halfway up the trunk before stopping and reaching for a fruit, breaking the skin and bringing the meat to his mouth. Qwinn made his way up the tree himself, taking a position just a couple of branches down from Kirii, "I guess I had lost track of how hungry I was," he said, taking some Meithrin fruit between his teeth and staring at the bright orange color of Kirii's groin. "It's a little difficult to ignore isn't it," laughed Kirii, "that's why I do it. It creates a strong impression when I'm performing." "Performing?" "Yeh, I'll do just about anything a host wants, except sex. There just isn't enough money in it...too many others doing it. Besides, I prefer working alone." "How come you were in Jesree's bag?" "I guess you could call it a rescue,"but Jesree doesn't like to take on passengers, so she had her Charmsee stuff me into that bag to keep me out of the way. I guess she thought your island was a good place to dump me." "You were rescued?" "Yeah, I was floating out on the sea somewhere in a Marwgwsg when Jes picked me up, squeezed some Meithrin juice into me and brought me back. That's when she put me in the bag, the little bitch." "But why would she do that?" "Well, Jes and I have been around each other before and she just doesn't appreciate how much pleasure I could give her, the little tease. Those two faggots aren't going to take care of her like I could." Kirii started rubbing his crotch, smiling, "damn, that woman gets me going. Now that I'm here in Addewid I can't believe that I spent my entire life being a good kid, when I could have been preparing myself to chase women around for the rest of eternity. That's why I make it a point to express my dissatisfaction any preacher or prophet from earth, regardless of their religion, I come across...What a waste..." "What do preachers have to do with it?" asked Qwinn as he rubbed his chin with his fingertips. "Missionaries...from the United States...them and their damned theology and churches. Telling us how to run our lives ...damn ...damn ...damn!" Kirii's black hands squeezed the juice savagely, the blue skin from the fruit sticking to the back of his hand, "what a waste!" Qwinn looked away from Kirii and scratched his nose. "What were you doing in the water?" "I was thrown off of a party ship when the host thought I was being too friendly with his woman friend. I don't know what his problem was. I gave his guests a great show. You'd think he'd be more grateful." Kirii looks around Qwinn's island from his perch on the Meithrin fruit tree, "I guess you don't have a Ceffylmôr around, do you?" Qwinn shook his head. "They are pretty hard to find," commented Kirii, "and even harder to train...almost impossible without a Charmsee. I guess Jesree's was the first one you saw?" Qwinn nodded. "They are amazing. They really are. You just can't get around Addewid without one, regardless of how much you try. How do they know where to go? You can't see one island from another, and there isn't even a horizon, nor stars for navigation. If I had one right now I'd be off of this little island of yours in no time." "Where would you go?" "Where? Anywhere but here! By the Droolyn, there are more islands out there than you ever could hope to visit: casinos, resorts, brothels, you name it." Kirii stopped speaking and stared at the sky. He stood up on a limb and placed a hand on Qwinn's shoulder to steady himself, "Shit! What's a Ceidwad doing here?" "What are you talking about?" Qwinn asked, looking in the direction that Kirii was looking. "A Ceidwad, by the Droolyn, a droo-damned Rogue Ceidwad! ...Shit!...We have got to get off this tree." Kirii moved down past Qwinn and Qwinn followed. As they made their way down the tree Kirii stopped and looked at one of the limbs next to him. "What the...". On the limbs, lines were forming into patterns. Some drawn partially across the limb, others drawn completely across the limb and others drawn at an angle. The lines were in varying sized groups. "I've heard about these lines but I've never seen them before. Why are they forming here?" Qwinn looked at the limbs around him and saw that there were similar lines on all of the limbs, running the full length of the limbs. With his fingers he was able to trace the lines. "Go to the bottom of the tree", came a voice in his mind. At first he thought that Kirii had said something but Kirii was still looking at the lines. His whitened face squeezed wrinkles to the edges of his eyes and lips, dark skin exposed within the cracks of the paint. "I think we need to get to the bottom of the tree," said Qwinn, "but I don't know why I think that." Kirii turned to descend further with Qwinn following close behind. The moment Kirii's feet touched the ground the side of the tree opened up wide, a dark hole beckoning to Kirii and Qwinn. Kirii looked back at Qwinn, backing away from the hole. "Push him into the hole," came the voice inside of Qwinn's head again. Looking up into the sky, Qwinn noticed a large figure descending to the top of the Crestryl fruit tree high above them, looking down at them intently. Talons flared open and clamped tight upon a limb as large wings flapped and then contracted to the back of a smoky body pocked with the rough edge of scales. The head twisted and arched while looking down at Qwinn and Kirii. Then it leaped into the air once more, wings expanding to a terrifying width. "Push him into the hole," the voice repeated. Qwinn looked at Kirii and grabbed a hold of his arm, pushing him towards the hold. "What in the hell are your doing, Qwinn" yelled Kirii, "I don't want to go into that thing. I've never gone into some tree before. "Just get in," said Qwinn, "I don't know why, just get in." When Kirii resisted, Qwinn pulled harder, putting his whole weight against that of Kirii's and pushed with both his legs. Together they tumbled into the hole that was gaping within the tree. When they were both inside, Qwinn looked back and saw a set of four talons spread out from a gray foot descending towards the opening of the hole, only to disappear as the hole closed in front of the talons, sealing Qwinn and Kirii inside. Violent scratching could be heard from within the hole as Qwinn and Kirii grabbed for each other and shuttered in the darkness. "Well, this beats anything I've seen before." said Kirii. After a while, the scratching from the outside of the tree stopped and Qwinn and Kirii were left listening to each other's breaths in the darkness, deep inside the Crestryl fruit tree. "What was that?" asked Qwinn, relaxing as he realized that he was gripping Kirii's arms tightly. The heat from their bodies was filling the cavity of the tree and sweat was starting to drip down their skin. "It was a Ceidwad, a rogue Ceidwad. Not something you want to encounter...ever!" Kirii's voiced quavered as he spoke. "A Ceidwad?" "Yeah, one of Cren's creatures from Ynyscread, but turned back. Either from the Alliance or Saul." "Alliance? Saul? Jesree mentioned those. What are you talking about?" "You really are new here," said Kirii, sighing, "look, I'd love to explain some of this, but right now I want to get out of here." Kirii started banging his fist against the inner wall of the Meithrin fruit tree, "I want out of here!" he yelled. Qwinn's ears started ringing from the noise. "Tell him to stop," came the voice to Qwinn's mind again, "the Ceidwad is still watching." "I know this sounds kind of impossible to know," said Qwinn, "but I think the Ceidwad is still watching us. I don't think that the tree will open up until it is safe." "What?" gasped Kirii, "how would you know that?" "I don't know. I just hear this voice inside my head." "Oh, god," said Kirii, "are you a Walker? Damn! Of all the islands I have to land on and I have to find one with a Walker! Damn!" Just then, the tree opened up, allowing Qwinn and Kirii to crawl out of the darkness. "The Ceidwad is gone," said the voice in Qwinn's head. "The Ceidwad is gone," repeated Qwinn, to Kirii. "Well," said Kirii, stretching his arms and legs, "I don't know what just happened, or why, but I am quite grateful that we got away from that Ceidwad." Kirii paused, then looked around the island, "the problem now is how do we get off of this island before it returns." "The Ceidwad? Why would it return?" "Ceidwadaid don't fly just anywhere, or for nothing. It was here for a reason, and it was trying to get us. The fact that you can walk spirits tells me that it was probably after you." "Walker? Walk spirits?" questioned Qwinn, "What are you talking about?" "You said that you were hearing something when we were climbing down the tree. Is that right?" "Yes." "...and when we were in the tree, correct?" "Yes. So what?" "Hmmm, I've never seen anyone do this before, but I've heard about it. You were hearing the spirit voice of the tree. It was talking to you." "Are you sure?" "Who do you think it was?" "I don't know." "It wasn't me, and there is no one else on this island. What do you think?" "Trees have spirits?" "They do here, and many back on earth believe they did there too." Qwinn turned to look at the tree. He moved close to one of the branches and looked for the lines that he saw there before they went inside of the tree, "they are gone." "What?" asked Kirii. "The lines on the tree. They are gone." "It was talking to you, but you couldn't understand the lines, so it spoke to your spirit. That must be what happened." "But why would it speak to me? I don't understand anything here." "Trees don't speak to anyone, at least that I know of. Even Walkers don't normally walk tree spirits. None of the Walkers I've talked to have ever mentioned walking tree spirits, not that any of them would say much to me in the first place. By the Droolyn they are so arrogant! Damn!" Kirii hit the nearest limb of the Meithrin fruit tree with his fist. "All most of them can do is activate a Croen." Kirii slaps his thigh and looks at his right wrist, which has a band of slightly raised skin with a different shade than the rest of his skin. "Hey," he exclaimed, "I've got a transport Croen right here, and this guy owes me." Looking over to Qwinn and extending his right wrist, Kirii says, "touch it." "What?" "Touch it." "What am I supposed to do?" "Normally, a Walker just touches a Croen and it does whatever it does, I don't know. Just touch it." Qwinn reaches out with his right hand and touches Kirii's where the band is embedded within his skin. He holds his fingers on the Croen for several seconds and then removes his hand, "nothing. Nothing happened." "What? Concentrate. Maybe you have to put your whole hand on it." Qwinn placed his hand on Kirii's wrist, allowing his fingers to wrap around, but not quite touching on the other side. After several seconds he removes his hand. I can't do it. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. "Usually, they close their eyes and think about something, or listen for something. Try it again. This time try harder." Once again Qwinn placed his hand on Kirii's wrist, this time closing his eyes, letting his thoughts pass through his arm and into the Croen, expecting nothing to enter his mind, but he found himself able to pass through his hand and into the Croen, sensing it shiver as he entered, then the image of a man wearing a gray strap around his forehead came to him. The man was holding several sticks in his hand and tossing them onto the ground. Others were watching, looking down at the ground, and bending. Another man picked up the sticks and laughed. "Hey," said Kirii, pushing on Qwinn's shoulder with his left hand, "Wake up! What are you doing?" Qwinn opened his eyes, startled, and looked at Kirii, "I saw some man with a strap on his forehead. He was playing with some sticks. Others were with him. They were throwing the sticks on the ground." "Oh, yeah, that was Kartken, he runs a transport service. He was the one who gave me the Croen. I felt the Croen tremble this time. You activated it." Kirii started walking towards the shore of the island, looking out into the sea. "He'll be arriving soon, then I'll be out of here!" Kirii had hardly spoken when a Ceffylmôr appeared with two men on its back. One of them was the man in Qwinn's mind as he walked the spirit of the Croen. The other was holding a flute, like the one Meshnee played. "Kirii," said Karken, adjusting the strap on his head, "where do you want to go?" "Get me over to Shikla's. I need a drink." "What about your friend?" "Can you take him along to? He's new." "Does he have money?" "No, and neither do I, I was dropped off here by Jesree." "She must still be mad at you. I told you to keep your hands off her. This trip should take care of what I owe you, but this one I can't take if he doesn't have anything to pay. I've got a business to run here. Hop on if you are going, I've already got another call coming." Kirii looked back at Qwinn and shrugged his shoulders, "sorry guy, but I need to run. I'm sure someone else will come along, especially since that Ceidwad was after you. Take care." With that, Kirii jumped onto the back of the Ceffylmôr and the man with the flute started playing a melody that lead the Ceffylmôr out into the sea, and away, out of sight. Qwinn watched the Ceffylmôr disappear, then walked back to the Meithrin fruit tree and sat down at its bottom, scratching his head. Reaching over to the closest branch to where he was sitting, he dislodged one of the fruits and started tearing it open, eating the flesh slowly. Chapter 6 Alone As Qwinn ate the Meithrin fruit he leaned back against the tree and looked around his small island he thought of Jesree and her dark body as the water from the Bywiol Sea dripped from her skin, he smiled as he rubbed his groin, slowly drifting off into sleep from exhaustion. "Hi, Qwinn." It was Jane's voice. Qwinn turned his head to see Jane walking towards him, holding a book in front of her waist with two hands. Her skirt was bright pink and short, and her blouse parted slightly at the top, one button undone, revealing white skin beneath her chin. Qwinn closed his locker and waited for her to reach him. "Hi, Jane," he said, watching her blonde hair cascade to either side of her face, "are you through with classes for the day?" "Yeah. I'm heading home now. Want to walk with me?" "Sure." Qwinn opened the door for Jane at the end of the hallway and waited for her to step out into the heat of early June. As they stepped down to the sidewalk she reached for his hand and held it. Qwinn responded with an assuring sqweeze. "I really enjoyed last night," she said quietly, "how about you?" Qwinn smiled and nodded his head, "I've never had a night like that before. Afterwards I was really scared we were going to get caught. I hope I didn't hurt you." "Oh, God, no! There's no way you could hurt me. I really enjoyed it." "Really?" "Yeah, you're the best one so far...really gentle...so sweet. You even held me afterwards. Noone has done that before." "You've done it before?" "Only a few times." "A few times?" "Yeah, like most girls I know. After all, we're seniors. Do you think I want to graduate from high school and go to college without experience?" Qwinn and Jane reached a large oak tree and slowed down to in the shade. Qwin walked over to a bench and sat down. Jane took a place beside him. "I just didn't know. I was afraid." "Of what?" "You. Your dad. My mother. What if they found out?" "Qwinn, you have turned eighteen, like me. We are adults. It is 1969 and you are eligible for the draft. What is wrong with you?" "What if you get pregnant. I didn't have anything with me." "It's alright Qwinn. I've been taking birth control pills." "You are?" "Yeah. It's for my acne. It does something to my hormones. But I can't get pregnant. It's great. What's going on, anyway. You are acting like you've never had sex with anyone before." Qwinn looked down at his feet, remaining silent. Heat was welling up the back of his neck and blood was flowing into his cheeks. "You were a virgin?" Again, silence. "Oh my god. I thought that you and Lisa had at least done it. She has screwed just about every boy in the choir." "Jane, I had never even kissed a girl before. I really did think that you wanted to practice for choir last night." Qwinn paused for a minute then, "but I really enjoyed being with you. I just wasn't expecting it." "Wow! I've never been with a virgin boy before. I thought for sure you had been with someone. I guess that explains why you were so nervous last night. Usually I'm the one doing that's nervous." Qwinn stood up and waited for Jane to rise before walking once more. "Did your dad and mother get home last night?" "Oh, yeah, but real late, so you didn't need to leave so quickly, I really wanted to do it again." "I was just glad we didn't get caught. He would have killed me." "Naw, he would have just thought we were practicing for choir. He trusts me. Besides, I can handle him. Was your mother home when you got home?" "Yeah, but she was talking to her sister on the phone. Fortunately I was able to get to sleep before she had a chance to ask any questions." "Qwinn!" came a voice from the window of a car stopping on the street beside them. "It's your mother," said Jane. "I wander what she wants." Qwinn and Jane approach the window of the 1961 Chevy his mother had been driving around for years. In the shadow of the car's interior Jim looked in and saw his mother. Her face was distraught, tears flowing down her cheek. "Mother, what's wrong!" he asked. His mother handed him an envelope. The return address had the address of the draft board. "Qwinn!," said Jane, "it's your draft notice. Jeremy got one just the other day." "Qwinn!", this time the voice was different, stronger, deeper within his spirit, "Qwinn, you must reenter the hole. The Ceidwad is back." Qwinn wake up from his sleep and realized he was still in Addewid, not with his wife on earth. Once again, in the sky the hulking gray form of a Ceidwad was descending upon his, looming larger with each passing moment. Suddenly, the solid surface of the tree he was leaning against gave way, causing him to tumble backwards. Tucking his legs in the tree closed up, leaving him in the dark, this time alone. The brightly colored body of Kirii entered his mind and he shuddered at the thought of some many new experiences descending upong him before he had a chance to understand what was happening. He emotions twisted into the knots of unknown threads of his existence, just as he felt as his high school graduation brought new sensations upon him. Sex with Jane. The draft. He was hardly prepared for any of the following with his life, any more than he was prepared for this place he found himself within and the people and creatures that have come his way. Silently he waited for the tree to open up, once more, just as it had the last time, and the threat of the Ceidwad was gone. As he crawled out of the hole he was acutely aware of the Meithrin fruit skins that had been thrown around him, beneath the tree. They lay upon the grass in various ways, some folded or twisted, others flat. He stood up and started picking the skins off the ground, letting the sag moistly on his left forearm. When the last one was collected he laid them out, side-by-side on the lowest branches and watched him hang softly. Looking at the trunk of the tree it has also closed. It was silent, just as when he first woke up on Addewid. |
