THE TRIP

The mountains gleamed a diamond blue in the distance and the entourage made steady progress towards the peak they saw before them. There was distant light swirling about the peaks. Princess Numen rode swiftly on her steed and spoke to it asking if they had long to go. She picked information from the horse, Praise, that they will have to make a detour to help someone before heading for the mountains. She also felt the swirls of the outflowing thoughts of the dwellers close to where they were.

Princess Numen sighed, and said to her vizier, “I sense we are close to where Kleona is, do you think we will still find him here?”

“I think so, Your Highness. I can pick up his thoughts and he is close, and he seems to be in real need of your help.”

“Yes, I heard him cry and then the summons from Mother was very clear, as was her instructions, Vizier. This is Kleona’s first assignment, he finds it all very confusing, particularly the level of ignorance of people like us.”

Thoughts of courage and strength left the vizier in swirls of red and drifted in a northward direction. Princess Numen saw the swirls and sent her thoughts of comfort to rest gently on the wings of her vizier. The tips of his wings were now a glowing red. A Misty One floated close by and handed over a single red rose wrapped in violet rays to the princess.

She was still staring straight ahead as they got close to the gates of a settlement. It looked stark and forbidding. There were canals but it had waste of all types floating in it. Some of the waste had even slipped onto the uneven parts of the road creating awful smells. There was a sense of dark things and thoughts and flickering lights struggled against the overpowering stench. This was a different part of the kingdom she was working in and she wondered the meaning of the smells, then she looked down and understood.

The water that ran through the kingdom was dying, the elemental workers who were expected to maintain the water had left and in their place floated shadows. The earth guests had not utilized the water well which was why the worker beings left. The whole place gave off bad fumes and foul smells. Princess Numen noticed that even the houses had a uniform color of gray with deep swathes of black. A sense of lethargy pervaded the whole place. She had to summon light thoughts as a form of shield around herself and her entourage. Compassion also flowed from her thoughts for any being still struggling against the heavy weight she felt.

There was dismay in her eyes and an urgent prayer for strength was uttered as she wrapped her wings protectively round her. Her thoughts searched for Kleona as a picture of his merry green eyes and flowing mane of hair came into focus and she was able to connect with him, and also got directions from him.

“Thank you, my Princess, but you may have to cross the bridge to come to me as I am not empowered to come to you. This place stinks, my Lady,” Kleona added.

The princess replied in a very gentle tone, “Help is on its way and I am empowerment to strengthen you so you can cross over.”

Seconds later he emerged, cloaked in a flower stalk. He had been bruised and looked ready to wilt. A Misty One helped him gently out of the flower cloak into the band of light. There was pain in the heart of the Misty as well. The princess spread her wings and gently used one tip to stroke the face of Kleona—she remembered their time together when she was his mother some incarnations back. He was a German then, they had worked together to help a scientist discover medicine for young children who were born with a peculiar skin disease. She was a young baby guardian and it was her first assignment as a field officer. Kleona still had a few more incarnations as a child so the princess was not surprised when a baby guardian rode up and stood beside Kleona, who she would escort back to the palace.

There was peace on the face of Kleona as well as pleasure at seeing the princess.

“I did not know it was you who would come for me, Princess,” he said with a weak smile.

“Well I only knew a few heartbeats ago that it was you when I picked your connections. I

see you have had an interesting time.”

Kleona smiled, “Yes, sacrifices, rituals, witches and burnings. Anything and everything goes it seems. Their concept of the Father has nothing to do with it.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Helping as a priest, only they wanted me to see visions according to what they dictated and I did not oblige. In their form of religion the priest sees visions, asks for sacrifices, and well, it was always better it seemed to say all evil came from a witch or wizard. Some of the children were labeled as witches if the parents have a bad time with the crops. I drew a line there, so I became unpopular with one particular titled chief, it seems.”

Princess laughed. ”Who is the one floating around you?”

“Most likely my wife,” Kleona sighed.

Princess really laughed. “You have a wife?”

“A nice one too, she sensed the truth, was open to it, and I wished to help her.”

“I can see that you have requested she should be guided some more, this shock at losing you so suddenly will make her wonder, and her love might open her eyes. Leave thoughts behind for her to pick when she is ready, but don’t pay too many visits until she can stand the shock of seeing you as you truly are. Don’t let me keep you waiting.”

Princess Numen smiled at the baby Guardian “My regards to the queen.”

“We wish you strength, Princess, Kleona will understand more on his subsequent trip.”

“Don’t talk as if I am not here, Pii,” Kleona admonished.

Princess Numen asked if the guardian had an idea where they were; the guardian shook her golden tresses in a silent negative no. Vizier rode up and explained that they were in the extreme border of humans.

“I see, you mean they have received no light at all?”

“They moved away from the light, Princess. They could not understand what the Misty Ones said and were going to make them into gods. Naturally the Misty Ones left and so strange ones came and took over. These ones copy the Misty Ones a great deal, Your Highness, they gave these humans rules and regulations and everything is ice cold.”

“I see.” The princess asked the guardian, “Has there been any requests from them for any help? Are they all in the same direction?”

“Your Highness, I understand Mayrose said there was one, hence Kleona said he would come. He carried the highest points for love that can help them but they did not even feel anything. They thought he was strange and feared him instead.”

Princess turned her horse heading back the way they had come. Kleona was going to be fine. She wondered if he had received the same instructions as her when she first came out. She had walked on a long stretch of road with her guardian. He had said she would walk firmly between the two seas. She remembered asking if the mountains in the distance was home and the guardian had said yes, but she was to fix her gaze firmly on that mountain and no matter how the seas raged and swelled, never to step off the firm rocks that separated the two seas. That picture was imprinted in her soul. So each trip, she had held that picture as a talisman. She sensed the seas meant the two worlds and she had been given permission to be conscious in both worlds. She thus could travel at will and Princess Numen felt deeply grateful for this singular grace from Mother. There were times when out of love the bandage was placed firmly over her eyes if it was felt she needed the experience. However there were times when she found herself in class receiving lectures. That was how she had met Ma, one of her instructors.

Now, as she neared the mountain on her own isle, she hurried up the palace steps to her section of the palace. The wide, light and airy halls were divided from each other by sheer curtains of lights that flashed giving her a sense of being home. She walked through them to a room of sheer soft brilliance. She changed from her riding colors into a very light green flowing gown trimmed with cream flowers. She folded her wings lightly about her person.

Almost floating, she entered her room and settled down on a bed of soft materials that looked like flowers. She could still see through the brilliance of the light air the gleaming tops of the blue mountains with their permanent cloud of luminescence always hovering over it. She longed one day to hear the summons and receive the knowledge that she had earned a room in the white building at the mountain side. She had been permitted to go up there once in a while, particularly if the queen was visiting.

It was nice to be home even if only for a brief moment. The princess had been relieved when the summons she got enabled her to help Kleona cross over as he was in some awful pain. She had also learned a few things from that trip. The ways of human beings always puzzled her and she longed to be helpful. However she remembered that Mae had said she was only to help if she had gained the knowledge and could be strengthened on how to helpful. She remembered Mae said impulse had its drawbacks.

Every creature of Light had a responsibility, which was to find how to make their way back home. The princess was puzzled that people wanted to get to heaven but did not really want to investigate what they would do if they got there. The place they wished to call home was dark and usually cold. They even had it in their sayings but she just could not understand why they felt so attached to the place and would do everything to stay connected. Princess Numen felt she needed to review Jasmine’s case. She knew Jasmine had pulled away from Lije again and still had not closed the circle. She really had no idea what to do next.

The princess, while in her Earth consciousness, had observed that Jasmine had too much pain and fear, but had been unable to strengthen her in anyway. Jasmine was her Earth mother and regarded her with pain and suspicion, staying closed off to help in her jealousy over Lije’s continued interest in other women. In her other world the princess could review whatever went on in her Earth consciousness, which she tended to forget each time her earth self-took over.

Mother’s songs suddenly floated into her and the princess closed her eyes in silent worship using the tips of her wings to envelope the rest of her glowing body. Like all workers on the isle she listened for the bells and joined in the evening worship as her heart gave songs of happiness at the grace.

The bells of home chimed the close of day and also a signal to return to earth “I descend through bands of light back into matter and to earth where they fear me as abiku.”