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THE REVISED VERSION > PART 1 — DESERT

The Green Man of Destiny: 4 — Celebrations and Preparations

A Challenge of Discerning Truth from Rumor

Photo by Mohamed Fsili on Unsplash

Wry and Gren were invited to bathe in the family’s hot water pools, among the trees behind the compound. Gren ran ahead while the elder followed in bludgeoned steps, as if old before his time. They soaked, naked, in the hot pools, until Gren fell into a deep, deep sleep. Tipadoe and Wry hauled him out of the water and wrapped him in a large cloth.

Gren was off in a cold blue darkness. A great storm blew across the desert at night in his dream-like reverie. He shivered naked against the cold. Laughing and shouting people were all around him, but he could not see them. A man appeared with a glowing staff that illuminated the darkness. He took off his magic coat and draped it around Gren’s shoulders. Gren grew into a man. He walked next to the man with the radiant staff. The man with the staff was The One.

The One showed Gren possible futures near the top of the tallest mountain. “Futures await to fulfillment. Fulfilled by you if your will and force be strong enough.

“The journey to this mountain near the top will not be complete. You must complete it from within yourself.” Behold! The trunk of the greatest tree appeared. It was the tallest and largest tree Gren had ever seen.

Time passed. When Gren opened his eyes the sun was setting. He had been gone for a day and a half.

“It is written,” Tipadoe said, watching as one of Gren’s cousins announced his awakening. “For in the writing, Gren, you are the one that will save us by bringing back the Green Man. It is in the tales of old. You are the one to see the joy of light after initiation. You are to fall into the dreamtime sleep for more than a day and awaken at the drowning of the light.

“Soon, you will go forth. North out of the Gusha through the dangerous unexplored regions of the Great Expanse. You will seek the fabled forests that lie beyond. It is there, in the forests beyond those forests, in the deepest green, that the Green Man is said to walk. He walks and he heals all the plants and trees. He has restored forests using only the memory of the people and the power of his being.”

Gren yawned and stretched. “You mean I slept through the feast?”

Tipadoe, Wry, the paternal grandfather, and the other uncles laughed.

“You weren’t merely asleep,” Tipadoe explained.

“You were entranced,” added Wry.

Gren felt a great desire to run away, to hide from these creatures who somehow no longer seemed to be his family. Beyond their ordinary faces, he could see the truth of them. It was their misshapen, monstrous heads that hung loosely off their necks. An agitation ran through his fingers and arms and spread into his legs. He stood up. Without speaking he walked to the door of the house and went outside.

On the ridge, the sun’s rays cast a lingering pink and purple light into the sky. The night had been warmer inside the safety of the Gusha. He leaned against a scrub tree and watched the stars appear. Then the moon rose behind him. Wry was watching from a sort distance.

Gren turned. “I made a promise to see the One. Should I keep it?”

“Yes, of course. He is the Magus of our village — and a promise is a promise. Never break one or it will break you. But wait until after Great Matron has gifted you with the new clothes and supplies for your journey. When the moon is overhead, you will go with her. For now, we have saved feast foods for you to eat. Are you hungry?”

Gren nodded.

Served as if he were a noble elder. Lavish foods were placed before him. He ate heartily, as grand as a man after a long forced trek through many deserts. Then the wines came. He drank and fell into a deep sleep.

Awakened by the girl of joy, Silken, she came to him in the bed. A soft light shone all around her unclothed body.

“Quiet.” She placed a finger on his lips in a whisper. She caressed his long lithe body with feathered touches. As she was about to guide him deeper into her sensuality when the great-grandmother appeared. Silken stole away, hiding under a blanket. The great-grandmother put Gren’s clothes down and left without a word.

He realized after he had put them on that these were the clothes he was to wear into the desert. He stepped from the sleeping chamber into a small rock garden. His great-grandmother waited for him at an uncomfortable distance. She walked away with a slow deliberation. Gren knew he was to follow her. She led him through the family compound. Up onto high boulders that overlooked the village. The boulders were still warm from the sun. There was a strange smoky scent in the air and he felt the warmth of the boulders drawing him. His great-grandmother was gone. In one breath surprise seized him and in the next a calm and expectancy.

The last quarter moon was high in the sky. An orange flame glowed within the tent. She appeared in front of the tent.

“You wear the clothing. Good. Sit, where you now stand.” Gren continued to stand, somewhat dizzy.

“Sit. Sit, Gren,” she commanded in a voice that pierced him. He found himself sitting on the ground. She appeared next to him as if she hadn’t walked from the tent to the boulders. She had items with her. He wondered why it seemed so natural.

“This is the sack for your back. These are the brown bricks of food. Baked and condensed for three years now in preparation for this journey of yours. Eat only three fingers full, and make them small. These are the green bricks. They hold the moisture. Eat only two fingers after the water has run out. There are five green bricks and six brown bricks. They are heavy, yes, but important for your survival. Do you understand all I have told you thus far?” She paused.

He nodded in the affirmative.

She continued. “Beware of the Big Buzz Bug. They are this big.” she spread her thumb and pinkie finger of her small, tough right hand apart. “Give them a wide berth. Sometimes they travel in packs.”

“Yes, Great Matron.” He called her by her proper designation.

“Good, now repeat back to me what I have said to you, so that I may be sure. Your survival and ours depend on this.”

Gren repeated her instructions back to her.

“Next, we have the medicine kit. Your father has trained you in the use of herbs. After tonight your training will be complete. First…” And so it went.

She told him of all the medicines in the kit and the packing of the bag, and the cloak and the hat. All this she told him, drilled it into him, as the Tradition prescribed.

“Now we have finished. It will be dawn soon. The One, though his magic is feeble, he is no longer powerful. He has requested to lead you to the northern wall and out to the desert. He has gifts for you. Accept them with humility. Your father waits for you at the tree by our compound. Go to him and he will take you to the One.”

“I thank you, Great Matron,” Gren said bowing. He stumbled out of the tent with the pack. He had spoken the words as written. It was the way of the Tradition of the Eight.

The moon was low in the sky as he reached the tree near the family’s compound. He was dizzy from all that had happened, and could barely stand. His father with a harsh arm movement swatted the back of his head and Gren fell to the ground, spitting dust.

©2019 F. K. Ontario

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Thank you for joining me in the hero’s adventures across a dying planet ready for resurrection through the ways of alchemical magic. And in search of the Being to restore the world to greenery once again.

Blessings, Passion, and Grace on your journey. May whatever or whomever your looking for — find you.

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Barbara Murray | K. Pearson Bradley | Rebecca Romanelli | Joseph Lieungh | Dr. Preeti Singh | Pene Hodge | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Kris Bedenian | Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀 | Blaine Coleman | Lee David Tyrrell | DL Nemeril | David Price | Rip Parker | Annelise Lords | Libby Shively McAvoy | Alison Hollingsead

Fantasy
Heros Journey
Preparation
Magic
Mystery
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