The Watcher Chapter 5 Part 1

Chapter 5

I don’t know if I slept, or lost consciousness, but I did dream. I dreamed of a huge, white owl, who carried me in its talons across a lake filled with mermaids. The dream felt very real; I could feel the talons around my torso, feel the wind hitting my face in the air, and see the mermaids leaping out of the water and waving up at us. But then the owl dropped me, and I fell into the water. I wasn’t afraid; in fact, I swam down to the bottom, touching strange fish of all colors and sizes as they swam past me. In the very bottom of the lake was a stone tablet. On the tablet was carvings of three eclipsed moons. There was also a picture of the sun in the middle of a mass of stars. I tried to lift it, but it was too heavy. I became agitated, feeling somehow it was important that I lift the tablet and carry it to the surface, but no matter how hard I tried, it would not budge. I tried to call for help, but only bubbles escaped my lips. The harder I tried to yell, the bigger the bubbles got. I tried screaming, and a huge bubble burst from my mouth and dropped down on top of the tablet, enveloping it. Then the bubble started to float upwards, carrying the tablet with it. I swam to the surface, following the bubble. When it reached the top, the bubble burst, but before the tablet could sink back to the bottom of the lake the white owl swooped down from the sky and grasped it in its talons, flying away with the tablet until it was out of sight. I watched it, feeling it was right somehow, and waved to the owl as the mermaids had to me.
The sound of voices woke me. I could hear a man’s voice, speaking too low for me to discern what he was saying, and then a woman’s voice, whispering back to him. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was laying in a huge bed with silk sheets, and the room in which I lay was made of glistening crystal. There were long, oblong stained glass windows. Otherwise, the room was bare. The floor seemed to be made of marble. I sat up in the bed, immediately wondering about Epona. I was guessing she had brought me here, and guilt flooded me over the angry words I had shouted at her. I swung my legs over the side of the huge bed and slid down to the floor. However, when my bare feet hit the marble floor I heard a man say, “Back in bed with you, my lady. You must rest.”
I found the source of the voice. At the doorway stood a most remarkable man. He was tall, six foot or more, and lean. His skin was pale, and he had the most amazing blue eyes I had ever seen. His blond hair was neatly cut and combed to perfection. He glided across the room and taking my hand, led me back up into the bed. His thin lips smiled as he pulled the covers back over me.
“It has been a hundred years or more since I tucked a child into her bed.” He stood back, clasping his hands behind his back. I smiled back at him weakly and said, “My name is Morgan. Can you tell me about my horse?”
“The white mare Epona is in our stable, rested and eating. She brought you here to heal. But we can discuss that later. For now, you must rest. I will have food brought to you.” He turned to walk away, but turned when I asked,
“If I may ask, where am I?”
“This is the Easeleth Castle, home to the High Elves. I am Yonath.” He then turned and walked out.
As soon as he exited a girl elf with the same pale skin and blue eyes stepped to my bed with a tray. I wondered at how quickly she had come. He had only left when she arrived! She adjusted my pillows and helped me to sit up, then placed the silver tray in my lap. There was a goblet inlaid with rubies and diamonds that was filled with red wine. A plate held roast beef with baby carrots and parsley potatoes, grain bread, and next to it was hot strawberry cobbler. I blushed in embarrassment when my stomach grumbled, but the girl only smiled and walked back out of the room. I began to eat, trying to take my time and savor the food, unlike the time I had ate in the dwarf inn. I was certain it was the most delicious food I had ever eaten, and I was amazed to find that no matter how much I ate, the plate never seemed to go empty. I did not want to leave food on my plate before eating the cobbler, but once I felt myself beginning to feel full I began to eat the sweet cobbler until I could not eat another bite.
As soon as I had taken my last bite and set the fork down the girl was standing next to me, reaching for the tray. I was startled; I had not seen her enter the room. She reached out her long arm and picked up the tray. I noticed she was wearing a beautiful, golden bracelet with charms hanging from it. I started to comment on it, but when I looked up she was gone.
I didn’t worry about these things. I assumed they were magic without even troubling myself over it. I had met so many amazing creatures, seen so many wondrous things, I was beginning to feel there was nothing left to surprise me.
My thoughts turned to my dream, and the meaning behind it. Just as the creatures of Gaia could look into my world, I was sure my dream had some connection to it. There was some symbolic meaning to the three eclipsed moons and the sun and stars; although I tried, I could not decide what that meaning was. I thought back to the image given to me by the cyclops, and his words “...as the Hope predicted.” And then there was the Sphinx, who had mentioned “the great rift”. What did it all mean? While I couldn’t be sure, I did feel all of it have a very grim feel to it.
Sleep soon fell back over me like a warm blanket, and it felt as if I slept for weeks, when actually it was only until that evening. When I opened my eyes the room was dark, other than a few candles at the far edge of the room near the windows. I slipped out of the huge bed and walked over to the window. Looking out, I could see that the castle sat atop a mountain ridge. In the bright moonlight the world below glowed, and when I looked up at the night sky I was sure I had never seen so many stars. Sighing, I turned away and lifted the candle, carrying it with me out of the room.
Once I walked outside the room I found a long hallway, again with crystal walls and a marble floor. The floor felt cold on my feet. The elves had obviously undressed me and now I was wearing a long, thin white gown with a high collar. The collar and sleeves had tiny jewels sewn into them. Feeling foolish in such finery, I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I began walking down the hallway.
Doors followed on each side of the hall, all closed, and I did not try to open them. At the end of the hall was a long, spiraling staircase. I started down the staircase, gazing below to see that it led to a large foyer. The foyer was also surrounded by stained glass windows, and a large chandelier hung from the ceiling. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. Everything sparkled and glowed.
Walking through the foyer I came to another door, but this one was open. It led to a smaller room, with a fireplace. A warm fire spit and crackled in the fireplace. I went straight to it, warming myself before I turned to examine my surroundings. This appeared to be a sitting room, but unlike any I had ever seen. Along the walls were tall, high-backed chairs, and in the middle of the room was a round table, made of glass. In front of the fireplace sat a large, oval glass table, the edges draping down like lace of intricate design. On the table sat a crystal skull, facing away from me. I walked around the edge of the table, examining it as I did, and when I was facing the skull the light from the fire made its eyes glow red. I stepped back, startled, but then once again stepped closer to it. It was an amazing sight, and seemed very real. I wondered what creature in this land was made of a crystal skeleton?
As I stared at the skull I began to feel strange, light-headed somehow, and my body tingled all over. It was not a bad feeling. I rested my hands on the cold tabletop, which seemed to revive me a little, but could not help continuing to stare at the skull. Inside the crystal I could see a myriad of colors and designs, and blinking I realized they seemed to be moving! It was like a rainbow, swirling and dancing. I felt weak again, and finally pulled myself away from the table and the skull and looked away.
When I looked away I saw Yonath, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, staring at me. He stood straighter and walked toward me, placing his arm around my shoulders and saying, “You are wise not to stare into the skull for too long. It can be like the potions of your world, trapping you until you die.”
By “potions” I assumed he meant drugs. I shivered, and he led me back to the fire, away from the face of the skull. I was shocked when I went back to the fire to see a chair sitting there. There had not been a chair there before! Once again, I did not question things, however. I sat down, gratefully, and stared up at Yonath.
“Where does the skull come from, “ I asked.
He crossed his arms behind his back and studied the fire. His skin seemed especially pale, and his eyes especially blue, standing there before me. I shivered again, and held my hands up to the fire.
“The skull is a mystery,” he began. “It is not from this world, although it has been with us for thousands of years. It is not from your world, either, although just as this one sits here with us now, there is another skull, in another room, on another table, in your world....brothers, perhaps.”
“Or sisters,” I quipped. This caused him to smile, and I realized he was quite handsome when he smiled. There was a warmth to his smile I would not have expected. Wanting to keep that smile, I told him,
“In my world there are elves, but they are small with pointy green hats. They help Santa Claus.” He chuckled, shaking his head.
“Then the elves of your world are very old, my ancestors. It is said the ancestors of the elves were like dwarves, but they evolved into what we are today. Saint Nicholas would be privileged to have such a fine group of creatures helping him.”
I was not surprised he knew of Santa Claus, but could not be sure he was joking when he commented on him. Feeling tired, and a little queasy, I stood up and said, “I think I will go back to my room. I would like to see Epona in the morning.”
Yonath nodded, and then I found myself in bed, not remembering my walk back to my room. Too tired to care, I pulled the covers up to my chin and fell back to sleep.
As sleep enveloped my mind, the mist that belonged to the handsome intruder of my dreams returned. I tried to focus my eyes as I looked into the mist, and a white figure emerged–it was the stallion. He stared at me, snorting and blowing. I could feel his hot breath on me, and as he lowered his head to stare into my eyes, the figure shifted as the mist danced around him. The stallion became the young man. I sucked in my breath at my surprise, and stepped forward timidly to see him more clearly. His expression had changed from the fierce disdain I had seen before to a more gentle look. His eyes remained intense, and I shivered as I felt he was staring right into my soul. He never seemed to blink, and his skin had a translucent quality that made him ethereal, and yet he was every bit the human. I reached out my hand to touch his face, but he moved away, like a swift wind, and then he was gone.
The next morning I was greeted with a tray of fruit, which I eagerly relished. A hot bath was ready for me after I ate, filled with rose petals and scented soap. As good as it felt, I hurried through the bath in my eagerness to see Epona. It had been two days since I had last seen her, last said those awful things to her. As I towel-dried my hair and prepared to go downstairs and out to the stable, trepidation filled me, seized me in horror. What if she was gone? Or what if she would decide to move on without me? Mainly, I feared I had harmed our friendship with my ugly words.
I slipped on the new clothing given to me by the elves. Once again, I was given trousers, which was thankful. These clothes were not the simple garments of the dwarves. The blouse was made of the finest silk, once again inlaid with jewels around the collar and sleeve cuffs. The pants were slim-fitting, and made of leather. A beautiful pair of boots were set at the door, made of soft, black suede. It was like wearing house slippers, soft and warm, and yet I knew they would withhold any weather or territory.
Once I dry and dressed I flew down the spiral staircase and found my way to the entrance. It was a huge, metal double door, probably ten foot tall, with an engraved latch. I pulled the latch up and opened the doors. Sunshine poured down over me like honey... warm, sweet sunshine. The front entrance led to a garden of flowers of every shape and size, some climbing the crystal walls of the castle. The flowers’ fragrance engulfed me, and I stood for a moment admiring the array of animals that had obviously made this garden their home. Rabbits hopped around my feet, obviously unafraid, and birds flew down to partake of the flowers nectar, as did hundreds of butterflies. There were fruit trees on the outer edges of the garden, filled with pink and snow white blossoms, ands squirrels scurried from one tree to the next. It was a rainbow of colors and activity, something from a fairy tale...or an elf tale....
The path ended at a beautiful pond with fountains spewing water fifty feet into the air. A long, arched bridge made from glass crossed the water into a field of tall grass. It was in this field that I saw Epona, surrounded by a herd of unicorns. My heart raced at the sight of the unicorns, their golden horns catching the sunlight and glittering like jewels. As I grew closer, I saw that their luxurious manes hung past their shoulders, and their tails dragged the ground behind them. Several threw their heads up when I approached, but none left. They turned to look at Epona, who seemed so small and dainty next to the magnificent creatures, who would have surely been white Friesans in my world. But Epona was more beautiful to me than anything. Her familiarity, like a family member dearly loved, tugged at my heart and made me race to her, wrapping my arms around her neck and crying with the sheer relief of her affectionate reception of me.
I spent the day with her in the field, playing tag and then falling to the ground laughing. Many would have thought me odd to be so happy, to not miss human companionship, to not be worrying about my future in Gaia, but that day was blissful, and neither of us worried about anything other than enjoying our love and friendship.
At the end of the day, with the sun setting over the mountain ridge with an amazing orange and red sky, I left Epona in the field and started back to the castle. We would leave the next morning, returning to the work of our journey. As I crossed the bridge back to the garden, I heard singing and laughing. It was getting dark, and the fireflies had come out in the hundreds. I watched them as they swarmed together and flew around the corner of the castle. Unable to resist, I followed them. When I got to the corner, I peeked around and saw ten elf girls dancing in a circle. They were surrounded by a circle of glowing, red rocks. Their singing was delightful, their laughter like the tinkling of wine glasses, and they were quite beautiful. I had thought Yonath to be a bit stiff and cold, but these elf maidens were fairy-like, with their dark hair falling down over their backs, the beautiful silk dresses, and bright, blue eyes.
I felt drawn to them, and found myself almost floating toward the circle. I could not take my eyes from them. They did not see me, or at least did not acknowledge my presence. I came to the edge of the circle, looking down at the glowing, red rocks, and lifted my foot to enter the circle. But a shove sent me toppling. I looked up to see Epona, breathing heavily, and I immediately felt her concern, immediately knew it was forbidden for me to step into the circle. I smiled at her and stood, and she walked with me back to the entrance of the castle.
I hurried to my room, to find a tray of baked peasant and green salad on my stand. I ate it and then laid back on my bed, grateful for the time we had here, but ready as Epona to move on. I wondered if I could ever again be content to just live, for while the adventure had become scary and trying at times, I had never felt so alive. My last moments in my world would have ended with my death, of that I was sure, and I had come to accept that I could never return. While Gaia was strange and terrifying, completely foreign to me, I felt finally that I had accepted it the same as if I had been born there. I felt at peace, and motivated to complete our journey. I knew with certainty that once we had succeeded in finding the Island of Horses, I would find some useful, and probably exciting, purpose to my life in Gaia.
The next morning Yonath walked with me to the field, and presented a beautiful present beyond my wildest dreams. There was a gold inlaid saddle of native design and an exquisite bridle adorned with jewels. He outfitted Epona as we talked. He told me the elf kingdom was on the border of the Elamseth Realm, and we could travel two days time on an easy trail through the mountains to reach the next destination in our journey.
“There is great importance to you being here, “ Yonath pointed out. “But the last Realm is the most magical, the most beautiful, but also the most dangerous. The spell it places on travelers is almost impossible to withstand. Put your trust in your mare, and you will succeed in reaching the Island of Horses.”
I thanked him warmly and mounted Epona. The unicorns stood back from us, but neighed good-bye as we started off. I turned to wave to Yonath, bu he had already disappeared. Smiling, I leaned over Epona’s neck and hugged her, then sat up and stared ahead to the trail we would follow for the next two days through the mountain range.
The first day was completely uneventful. I was amazed to have a day of travel without meeting any strange creatures or experiencing strange occurrences. Yonath had given me plenty of supplies, including a replacement for the sword I had lost to the goblin. This sword was light and practical, although like everything else in elf land, it was inlaid with jewels and intricately designed.
The first night we found a nice spot by a mountain stream in a small, grass valley to rest. I built a small fire and ate the honey bread and fruit that had been given to me. Epona grazed near the fire. I laid back on the velvet bedroll (also given to me by Yonath) and stared up at the stars. I wondered if this was the same sky from my world? Was I staring up at the same moon that lit the night sky in West Virginia? It certainly looked the same, although I knew little about astronomy. Several times that night I saw shooting stars, and I lay contented gazing at the night show until I drifted off to sleep.
With sleep came another dream, or vision. In this dream I awoke to the same setting, same fire, and Epona was still nearby. I watched as a shooting star drifted down from the sky, but instead of disappearing into the night it became larger and closer, until I was shielding my face in fear that it would fall on me. When it did not, I dropped my arms and saw that it was floating only a few feet from me. It was not a meteorite, but a bright shining light that glowed in a round aura. I reached my hand out to touch it, but it burnt me so badly I cried out in pain. I quickly pulled my hand back and looked at it. The word “wormwood” have been burned into my hand. I stared at the word, not understanding its meaning, and then looked back at the light, but it was already lifting back into the air and floating away, until it was gone.
I remembered the dream vividly the next morning, and the first thing I did when my eyes opened was look at my palm, but the word was no longer there, although my hand still ached as if it had been burnt. I walked to the stream and dropped my hand into the water, only to see steam rise as if from great heat. I kept it in the cool water until the steam disappeared and my hand no longer hurt. Epona was already standing next to me, looking down the trail. I nodded, understanding her need to be moving on, and gathered our things. I did not ride her this time; preferring to walk as I at an apple.
It was noon of that day when we cleared the mountains and walked into what I knew was the Elamseth Realm. The magic of this place was very clear to me from the moment I saw it. Wildflowers covered the ground, some reaching above my waist, and this field of flowers was like an ocean, stretching as far as I could see. Only looking behind me could I see the mountains we had passed through, but in any other direction were the flowers. The sky was cloudless, an emerald blue, and it seemed as if the field of flowers touched the sky on the horizon.
After walking only a few yards I stopped Epona and mounted. I felt safer riding, and it was easier to see ahead. Epona seemed jittery, often prancing when some of the flowers would sway in the breeze. However, as I watched more closely, I realized there was no breeze, and the sway of the flowers seemed more like a dance. Indeed, it felt as if there were hundreds of eyes watching us. I squirmed in the saddle, uneasy myself, and finally allowed Epona to break into a gallop through the meadow. I wrapped my fingers in her mane as she charged through the flowers, and felt my heart jump at a sound of shrieking. It was coming from the flowers! They were shrieking in a voice like children, and speaking in a language I did not understand. Several times Epona stumbled, as the tall flowers wrapped around her legs, tripping her. I could not help but wonder if this was done purposely.
Only when her neck began to feel warm and damp did I urge Epona to slow her pace. She did so reluctantly, but seemed a bit more relaxed as we finally cleared the meadow and approached a small grove of trees. The flowers still grew all around the trees, but I saw an opportunity for rest and shade and asked Epona to stop.
I dismounted and pulled the saddle from Epona’s back, and proceeded to brushing her until she was no longer sweaty. I was hoping to see her graze, knowing it would mean she was relaxed, but she did not. She stood at my shoulder, often pulling her head up high as if she heard some faint noise undetectable to my ears. The shade from the trees felt so good, and I only wished to sit and rest after the adrenaline rush I had experienced coming through the meadow.
“Please relax,” I urged Epona as I dropped down to the ground and rested my back against a tree. The air felt so good here, so warm and soft, and the fragrance from the flowers made me feel peaceful. I smiled as Epona reluctantly dropped her head and began to munch grass, still alert to everything around her.
As I sat against the tree I felt something small touch my arm; thinking it was a bee or bug, I absent-mindedly brushed it away. Then it came to rest on top of my head, and I swatted to scare it off. All of a sudden, I felt brushed all over my body, surrounding me. It was not bugs; in fact, I had no idea what it was. They looked like flower petals in pastel, but as I stood and began swinging my arms to break them loose from my clothing, I heard the same shrieking we had heard in the meadow. There were also whispers, tiny almost inaudible whispers and giggles. I saw that they were attacking Epona too, and as she reared, striking out with her legs, the shrieks grew so loud I had to cover my ears.
I ran to the where the saddle lay on the ground and grabbed my bedroll. Quickly unrolling it, I flapped it at Epona, scattering the tiny creatures as they continued to shriek. I then swatted myself, causing some to fall to the ground before getting up to fly away. I started to stomp at them, but then thought better of it. These were not insects to be killed without thought–these were sentient creatures, irregardless of what was provoking them to attack us.
It was the sound of an animal crying that caused all the tiny creatures to fly away. I watched as they swirled in the air, creating shapes and images as they floated away. The first shape was that of a woman, waving at us, and the second was a cat, licking its fur. When they were almost out of sight, drifting higher in the sky, they took the shape of a rainbow. I could not help but be fascinated by the same creatures who had chased and attacked us.
My attention then turned to the animal that had made the cry. I had first thought it to be a calf, but upon closer inspection saw that it was a white buffalo calf. I walked up to the calf and stroked its head, thanking it. It mooed at me softly, and then approached Epona. Epona dropped her head and nuzzled the calf, in obvious appreciation.
I wondered at finding a buffalo calf in this part of Gaia, and what significance it held. I had learned enough over the past few weeks to realize that it must have some significance, and seeing Epona’s obvious affection for it, knew that it was a good sign to us. I also wondered what type of creatures we had just encountered, exhibiting such beauty and such cunning all at the same time. I had to wonder if these were the ambiguous sylphs, elementals of the air.
The calf stood watching as I re-saddled Epona and mounted her. I was pleased to see it was going to follow us. It trailed behind Epona, its little tail swinging, and the thought came to me that we had found a friend, and such a sweet, little friend at that.
This was a land of flat, open fields, somewhat like the prairies of my world, but much, much more beautiful. It was like walking through a rainbow, or a painter’s palette of paints. These were rich, vivid colors, indescribably magnificent. The colors of the first meadow, and of the sylphs, were delicate pastels, but the colors that now surrounded us were intense, almost blinding. This ocean of bright colors almost made me feel as if I was drowning, and the further we walked the more dizzy and light-headed I became. I swooned on Epona’s back, clutching her mane. All the flowers were swaying back and forth, in a hypnotic rhythm. I noticed Epona slowing, and glanced behind me to see the white calf had disappeared. I wanted to go back and search for him, but felt too disoriented to try.
Epona’s legs began to buckle, and soon I found myself laying on the ground, luckily not under Epona. I fell back into the flowers, even more dizzy as I stared up at the sky. The clouds were not floating as clouds do; they were rolling and spinning, forming a dance of white against blue background. I lifted my hand, feeling I could almost touch the clouds, they felt so close. I heard Epona grunt, kicking her legs as if she was struggling, and then heard her sigh. I sighed too, delirious to any purpose, any goal, any form of reality.
As if from a dream, or a place very far away, I heard laughter. I felt I could no longer move; my body was numb and tingling all at the same time. My mind was dead, but my body had never felt so alive, even in its catatonic state. The laughter came closer, and I saw several pairs of naked feet coming closer. I then felt long hair draping over me as a girl leaned down to my face and said in the softest, sweetest voice I had ever heard, “She is alive, but her mind is in the clouds.” Then there was more giggling.
I tried to concentrate on what was happening, as I felt arms lifting me. A small voice inside me was crying out “Don’t leave Epona!”, but I had no will to struggle. I lay back in their arms, my head flung back as I continued to stare at the sky. It felt as if we were traveling very fast, almost floating. A sadness filled my consciousness as I heard the faint sound of Epona neighing. I felt a tear slide down my cheek, and tasted its saltiness when it reached the corner of my mouth, but I was helpless to what was happening to me.
Later I would look back and compare what I felt in those few hours as to what a drug addict must feel. The exhilaration was unbelievable, and yet the rational part of my being was crying out that this was wrong, pulling at me to come to my senses, but I was too weak to fight, too weak to do anything more than fall deeper and deeper into the spell. I had always felt hatred toward drug users, hating the way they would discard their lives and their apathy to all those around them. The news was filled with stories of children being abused and neglected, stores and banks being robbed, murders being committed. And most of the time these stories fell back to the crutch of the problem–drugs.
And yet now I was as high as any drug could ever influence. Fear clutched a small part of me, but the ecstasy I was experiencing crowded that fear, pushed at it and then closed the door, until I no longer thought of anything, no longer heard any rationality; there was only this beautiful, intense feeling of exhilaration.
As the hours passed I was kept in this agonizingly beautiful prison in my mind, locked away from any world and only a citizen of my own. Unlike the images and dreams I had experienced up until this point, the things I imagined or saw while in this trance had no meaning, no significance. It was only swirls and colors and sensations. It was everything, and it was nothing.
It would not have been humanly possible for me to have stayed in this trance for long. I feel sure I would have died had the nymphs not brought me back to reality, or should I say their reality, which was also intoxicating. They began to feed me, dripping sweet honey into my open mouth. The honey slid down my throat, and with each drop came more awareness of what was happening around me.
There were three nymphs, all beautiful, with auburn hair that flowed down past their hips, skin as soft as silk, and eyes like emeralds. They were small, smaller than me, and clad only in rose petals. The petals were stitched together with cobwebs, forming light, sheer robes. I sat up and watched them dance a circle around seven honeycombs, all swarming with honeybees. A crystal glass of the yellow honey lay next to where I sat, from which they had been feeding me. I licked a drop of honey that still clung to my lower lip, and felt revived from its taste.
As they finished their dance, they all ran over to where I sat, and fell to the ground, wild and abandoned, laughing hysterically. One reached out and held my hand, stroking my wrist, while another petted my head as you would a dog, and the third rubbed honey on my feet. I could feel the sticky, warm honey between my toes, and I laughed with them at the sensation.
It was so pleasant, and the three maidens were so beautiful and delightful, I sat for a while just enjoying their unusual antics. When they bored with petting me, as if I was a pet they had found and brought home, they would again dance and sing, or lay on the ground laughing and whispering. I would occasionally dip my finger in the glass of honey and taste its sweetness, and with each drop the memory of why I was here, and the horse I had left behind, came back to me.
Epona.....Where was she? The joy I felt dissipated as her memory flooded back, and panic clutched me. I had no idea how far away the nymphs had brought me, or how to find Epona. I stood, looking around, but had no sense of which way to begin walking to find her.
The nymphs saw me stand, and came to stand by me. They pulled on my arms, silently asking me to stay. I shook my head wildly, gesturing that I must leave.
“Please, I must find my horse!” I begged. The tallest of the three nymphs nodded at my words, and lifted her hands into the air. The honey bees swarmed over to her, spinning above her head like a tornado. More and more bees appeared, and as the bee-formed tornado grew taller and larger, the eye of it opened and I saw an hole through this world into my own. It was much like peering into the cyclops pool of water. Through the hole I saw countryside, as if staring down from the sky. It was farmland, not like our farm, but flat prairie land. And from the ground came millions of bees, lifting up out of the grass and swarming into the sky, coming closer and closer, until the bees were filing out the eye of the tornado and becoming a part of it.
The nymphs yelled with delight, as the swarm of the bees formed a tornado that reached into the sky. I was frightened, and cowered behind one of the nymphs in fear. The sound of the bees was deafening, and the ground trembled from the force of the tornado.
“You took bees from my world!” I yelled to the nymph I was hiding behind. She turned to me, putting her hands on my shoulders, and suddenly the world grew silent. Everything around us froze, with only me and the nymphs alive. I stood shocked, holding onto her wrists, as she said,
“The honey bees come here because they can, because they must. As each bee leaves your world, the scale of life and death drops further and further down from the weight of death and destruction. The bees are happy now, and they will lead you back to your white mare. Peace go with you.” As she said this, she flung her hands up once more, and life came back to the world. The sound and feel of the tornado once again shook me, and I watched as it began to move. The nymph shoved me to follow it, and lowering my head against the force of the wind it was creating, I followed the bee-tornado away from the nymphs.
The bees moved further and further ahead of me, but never so far I could not see them. I ran as I followed, anxious to find Epona. Luckily, we only traveled a couple of miles when I saw Epona standing in the same spot I had been carried off from. She reared at the bees as they approached, but they lifted into the air, and I sighed as they left the ground and disappeared into the sky.
I hugged Epona tightly, and kept my eyes focused only on her. I knew now that this field was enchanted, and I should not stare at the flowers or the sky too long. I stepped in the saddle and she obligingly took off at a full gallop through the field as fast as she could run. I buried my head in her neck and held tightly, hoping we would pass this through this enchanted place quickly.
The enchanted field ended abruptly on the banks of a winding river. Without pause, Epona hurled herself over the bank and into the water. The water was deep, and she swam across with me still hanging on to her neck and clutching her with my legs. She practically jumped up the other side of the river, and I know we both heaved an internal sigh of relief once we had reached the other side. Neither of us even looked back and as we walked away from the river.
The fields ahead of us now were only grass-covered, spattered with yellow buttercups. Epona walked, sweaty and heaving from the running. The sun was beginning to set, and as darkness crept over us like a shadow, I wondered at the length of the day. The time I had spent with the nymphs seemed to have been an eternity, and yet only a few minutes must have passed in reality. I also wondered at the disappearance of the white buffalo calf. I hoped he was somewhere safe and did not think we had abandoned him.
It was near a stream that would eventually find its way to the river we had crossed, on the banks of the enchanted field, that we decided to stop for the night. I not only groomed Epona, but rubbed her aching muscles as she grazed. We both took a trip to the stream and drank from the water. And after a fire was built and I had eaten the food given to me by the elves, I stretched back on my bedroll and slept, fortunately a deep, dreamless sleep.
The next morning both Epona and I were slow to get started. It had started to drizzle rain, and the once bright and colorful world was now dark and gloomy. I slowly ate some fruit and bread, wondering at how fresh all the food remained, and how it never seemed to go down although I had eaten from it several times. Of course, it was the same when I stayed with the elves, and I assumed their magic must follow the food wherever it goes.
I threw the saddle on Epona’s back, but cinched her loosely, deciding to walk. As we had so often in the past, I allowed her to take the lead and I followed, but this time without any harsh feelings for her purpose in this journey. How is it that a person can do something so difficult as the journey I was taking, with no answers to the real purpose of it, and yet feel so passionate about it? I believe the life I was leading in my world lacked direction, and here I was following in the direction given by Epona. I knew that most people from my world would have felt very alone, with only an animal as a friend, but I had counted Epona as a friend long before our trip to Gaia.
As it is with any young woman, I did consider for the first time that I would probably never marry, or know the love of a man. Obviously there were no humans other than me in this world. I had often imagined that Epona was traveling to the Island of Horses to mate with the white stallion we had seen in my world. Would she know love with me left destitute of romance? Perhaps, I mused. I felt some disappointment at the idea, but was far from feeling devastated. While I can’t describe it, a small part of me knew that I would be still be better in this world than my own. I was sure Michael and the rest of the family had given up on finding me long ago. I wondered what would happen to the farm and animals. I dearly hoped all the animals would find good homes, especially the horses and dogs; otherwise, I felt no connection any longer to any part of it and very little concern.
My mind drifted from thoughts of my old home and back to Gaia. We had only traveled for a couple of hours when Epona stopped. I walked up next to her, placing my hand on her withers, and asked, “Stopping already girl?”.
She glanced at me, and then once again stared ahead. I felt nervous, knowing there was a good reason for her concern with what was ahead of us. I tried to still my breathing and listen carefully. The only thing I could hear was the soft sound of rain. I looked ahead, searching for something on the horizon that could mean trouble, but saw nothing.
Epona snorted, and then stomped the ground. I looked at her worriedly. I could not imagine what had her so worked up, but trusted her enough to take it seriously. As she began to paw at the ground, throwing her head, I began to faintly hear the sound of something rustling the grass. I scanned the ground before us, and it was then I saw a man walking toward us. The small figure became larger as it grew nearer, and the closer it came the more shocked I became. First I saw the grey hair, the slight stoop, the flannel shirt and those “old man” pants; closer still and I saw the crinkle around the eyes, the crooked smile. He seemed very real, with his wet clothes and rain dripping from his hair.
“GRANDFATHER!” I screamed, running toward him. My heart felt as if it would explode, and heat spread from my chest up to my face. I did not question the idea of seeing Grandfather here; I did not think at all. I only felt, with great emotion, the love I had felt for this man who had raised me, the man who had taken care of me while I was sick and held my hand when I was scared. It felt as if time stood still, and I was once again a small child running to Grandfather so he could gather me up in his arms and hold me, safe.
I had almost reached him when he disappeared. It was not a mirage, like what you would see in the desert heat. It also was not my imagination. Just as I was close enough to reach out my hands and touch him, he shrunk to the size of a leaf and flew away with tiny wings. I watched the tiny figure lift up into the air and flutter away. Epona had trotted up next to me and was staring at the figure too. I cried “No!” as it disappeared. Epona nuzzled my neck, and I hid my face in her mane as I wept. This was too cruel, to see Grandfather for those few moments, to almost touch him, and then to watch him disappear. I concluded quickly it had not been him at all; it was more magic, perhaps another creature who wished us harm because I was human.
I did not allow myself the luxury of mourning the event for long. I wiped my face and attempted a weak smile at Epona. She threw her head to look at her back, and I knew she was telling me to ride for awhile. Grateful for the offer, I swung into the saddle and rode.
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