Chapter 29 -
07/15/2018
The opaque gusts of smoke went around the room in large circles before they all snaked back to Guru Gummi who pointed a twig-like finger to the door.
“Go on now with your journey before the Big Gloom is complete,” said the Interpreter.
Beyond the trees the edge of the horizon looked fuzzy in the grayish light of dawn. Doe had drifted off to sleep with his head slumped on his green loafers. He gave a slight shift and stretched out an arm, as he woke at our footsteps. When he got up on his feet, he put his hands on my shoulders and rolled his head all the way to the other side.
“Something is different about you,” he said.
I grinned at his observation. “Doe, where is the highest treehouse in this Pocket?” I asked him. “I need you to tell us the way.”
“Ears,” interrupted Bulkee. “We still have to figure out the breakthrough before the sun comes up on the Belt of Sunpath.”
“And I’ve already found the breakthrough,” I turned to hold his gaze. “A Flash came to me before we made it down.” There was a thrill of excitement, as I enjoyed the way he searched my face.
“Let’s see about the highest treehouse then,” he relented.
Doe was eager to lead us the way. But I knew that when the next Cycle began, the Big Gloom would reset us to strangers in his mind and the connection established between us would be lost on him. Instead of accepting his offer, I decided to ask for a detailed description of the way.
We bid farewell to the Koala and set foot on the new search. I had a deep appreciation for Doe’s choice in these numerical descriptive – fourteen hundred yards straight. Left turn at the fifth block. Three rows of shrubs down the creek. The eleventh one from the right stood the tallest tree. It was especially with the low visibility all around.
Once we made it to the creek. It wasn’t difficult to find the giant tree, which towered over the rest like a utility pole next to an in-ground pet fence. From the bottom, I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the end of the tree. “It’s so tall that nobody has ever bothered to climb up to the treehouse,” Doe had warned us.
I felt like the character Jack climbing the beanstalk, as I reached for the braided vines. I planted the ball of my feet on the gnarls and gripped the twisty vines with my thighs. Keeping my core tight, I pressed my knees into the bark, as I anchored my arms and pulled myself up. I didn’t have to look down to know that Bulkee and Sye were right behind me.
“You’ve been very quiet,” I said to Bulkee when he moved up next to me. “You’ve always known the truth about me, haven’t you?”
“I had my suspicions, when I first laid my eyes on you at the AkxieMoreFun Forest,” he replied, keeping his gaze ahead. “I developed my markings of the A.S.E. symbol at our first exchange. It was precisely for this reason that I decided to accompany you to the Floating Palace.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, remembering how I’d catch him study me with doubtful eyes.
“You were so clueless. It was for the lack of any awareness you displayed that I held my tongue.” His tone softened. “I waited for your awakening, because you needed to discover the truth at the right moment.”
“Sasha. We both know that you have to reach into your awareness to understand who you are, and grow into who you can be,” said Sye from behind us.
“And I still need to understand what I am supposed to do as an Enlightened Seeker and how I’m plugged into all this,” I said.
“Hold off on your worries,” Bulkee said. “You should know that the AohhoA Seekers of the Enlightened must join forces together. As your fellow Seeker, I offer you my protection over you.”
“And I shall be your guide,” said Sye, “I will lead you to reach your full potential and abilities.”
I was basking in a buzz of anticipation and gratitude for what my friends had offered me, when the sky turned colors. A wide spread of murky orange took up the scene.
“The sun is coming back up,” I said.
A bolt of light broke the gray sky and sent the Belt of Sunpath into view. I glanced down to see the big maroon disk of a sun emerge from the surface of the creek. It marched toward the first Grit on the Belt, declaring a race against our hike to the treehouse.
With Bulkee now taking the lead, we made headway reaching further up the tree. Soon clouds drifted around us like floating pebbles. But the sprint against the sun quickly started to feel like a never-ending chase. No matter how fast and furious we marched to the top, we couldn’t seem to prevail. There was no sight of the treehouse and the sun was reaching closer and closer to the first Grit.
“I thought that my Flash had pointed me to the tallest tree. I thought that we were supposed to find the treehouse here,” I said with hesitation.
“Don’t start doubting yourself. Leave the job to me,” chided Bulkee.
I shot another glance at the sun. My heart tumbled, when its maroon glow had covered more than half of the dark Grit. I squared my shoulders and refocused on my grip. I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, as I climbed up higher. I wanted to beat the sun. I had to make it first.
But the sun moved up another notch, just inches from completely covering the Grit. My pulse drummed in my temples. I was terrified of the Big Gloom wiping clean everyone’s memories and throwing us back to square one.
A large structure shaped like a box jumped into view. It must be the treehouse. I drew a sharp intake of air and leaped toward it with Bulkee and Sye. A deep red hue took over the sky, the moment we made landing inside the treehouse.
“Are you okay?” Sye reached for me.
I panted heavily and nodded. I came to notice how squishy the floor was, when Bulkee stomped it with one foot. The texture almost swallowed an inch of my feet, as I struggled to get up. I glanced around to find three bare walls with no decoration and a thin layer of mist veiling the other end, exactly how they appeared in my Flash.
“I’m fairly certain that the breakthrough is beyond this point,” I said, as I approached the veil of mists.
The sound of blood pounded in my ears, when I stepped through the curtain of white vapors. The treehouse was gone from our heads, revealing an open sky. The Belt of Sunpath hung with seven blackened Grits, making no mistake to the beginning of the seventh Cyle, as we stood at a brand-new Pocket.
“Go on now with your journey before the Big Gloom is complete,” said the Interpreter.
Beyond the trees the edge of the horizon looked fuzzy in the grayish light of dawn. Doe had drifted off to sleep with his head slumped on his green loafers. He gave a slight shift and stretched out an arm, as he woke at our footsteps. When he got up on his feet, he put his hands on my shoulders and rolled his head all the way to the other side.
“Something is different about you,” he said.
I grinned at his observation. “Doe, where is the highest treehouse in this Pocket?” I asked him. “I need you to tell us the way.”
“Ears,” interrupted Bulkee. “We still have to figure out the breakthrough before the sun comes up on the Belt of Sunpath.”
“And I’ve already found the breakthrough,” I turned to hold his gaze. “A Flash came to me before we made it down.” There was a thrill of excitement, as I enjoyed the way he searched my face.
“Let’s see about the highest treehouse then,” he relented.
Doe was eager to lead us the way. But I knew that when the next Cycle began, the Big Gloom would reset us to strangers in his mind and the connection established between us would be lost on him. Instead of accepting his offer, I decided to ask for a detailed description of the way.
We bid farewell to the Koala and set foot on the new search. I had a deep appreciation for Doe’s choice in these numerical descriptive – fourteen hundred yards straight. Left turn at the fifth block. Three rows of shrubs down the creek. The eleventh one from the right stood the tallest tree. It was especially with the low visibility all around.
Once we made it to the creek. It wasn’t difficult to find the giant tree, which towered over the rest like a utility pole next to an in-ground pet fence. From the bottom, I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the end of the tree. “It’s so tall that nobody has ever bothered to climb up to the treehouse,” Doe had warned us.
I felt like the character Jack climbing the beanstalk, as I reached for the braided vines. I planted the ball of my feet on the gnarls and gripped the twisty vines with my thighs. Keeping my core tight, I pressed my knees into the bark, as I anchored my arms and pulled myself up. I didn’t have to look down to know that Bulkee and Sye were right behind me.
“You’ve been very quiet,” I said to Bulkee when he moved up next to me. “You’ve always known the truth about me, haven’t you?”
“I had my suspicions, when I first laid my eyes on you at the AkxieMoreFun Forest,” he replied, keeping his gaze ahead. “I developed my markings of the A.S.E. symbol at our first exchange. It was precisely for this reason that I decided to accompany you to the Floating Palace.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, remembering how I’d catch him study me with doubtful eyes.
“You were so clueless. It was for the lack of any awareness you displayed that I held my tongue.” His tone softened. “I waited for your awakening, because you needed to discover the truth at the right moment.”
“Sasha. We both know that you have to reach into your awareness to understand who you are, and grow into who you can be,” said Sye from behind us.
“And I still need to understand what I am supposed to do as an Enlightened Seeker and how I’m plugged into all this,” I said.
“Hold off on your worries,” Bulkee said. “You should know that the AohhoA Seekers of the Enlightened must join forces together. As your fellow Seeker, I offer you my protection over you.”
“And I shall be your guide,” said Sye, “I will lead you to reach your full potential and abilities.”
I was basking in a buzz of anticipation and gratitude for what my friends had offered me, when the sky turned colors. A wide spread of murky orange took up the scene.
“The sun is coming back up,” I said.
A bolt of light broke the gray sky and sent the Belt of Sunpath into view. I glanced down to see the big maroon disk of a sun emerge from the surface of the creek. It marched toward the first Grit on the Belt, declaring a race against our hike to the treehouse.
With Bulkee now taking the lead, we made headway reaching further up the tree. Soon clouds drifted around us like floating pebbles. But the sprint against the sun quickly started to feel like a never-ending chase. No matter how fast and furious we marched to the top, we couldn’t seem to prevail. There was no sight of the treehouse and the sun was reaching closer and closer to the first Grit.
“I thought that my Flash had pointed me to the tallest tree. I thought that we were supposed to find the treehouse here,” I said with hesitation.
“Don’t start doubting yourself. Leave the job to me,” chided Bulkee.
I shot another glance at the sun. My heart tumbled, when its maroon glow had covered more than half of the dark Grit. I squared my shoulders and refocused on my grip. I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, as I climbed up higher. I wanted to beat the sun. I had to make it first.
But the sun moved up another notch, just inches from completely covering the Grit. My pulse drummed in my temples. I was terrified of the Big Gloom wiping clean everyone’s memories and throwing us back to square one.
A large structure shaped like a box jumped into view. It must be the treehouse. I drew a sharp intake of air and leaped toward it with Bulkee and Sye. A deep red hue took over the sky, the moment we made landing inside the treehouse.
“Are you okay?” Sye reached for me.
I panted heavily and nodded. I came to notice how squishy the floor was, when Bulkee stomped it with one foot. The texture almost swallowed an inch of my feet, as I struggled to get up. I glanced around to find three bare walls with no decoration and a thin layer of mist veiling the other end, exactly how they appeared in my Flash.
“I’m fairly certain that the breakthrough is beyond this point,” I said, as I approached the veil of mists.
The sound of blood pounded in my ears, when I stepped through the curtain of white vapors. The treehouse was gone from our heads, revealing an open sky. The Belt of Sunpath hung with seven blackened Grits, making no mistake to the beginning of the seventh Cyle, as we stood at a brand-new Pocket.
