Orgonized

The End

About three feet away stood the only obstacle between my freedom and me, a singular windowpane. Seemingly an easy feat. However, once I pried myself off the ground I would make myself visible to my pursuers. I took a few shuddering breaths, and stabled myself. I had just enough power left to create one last diversion (and still retain energy for my departure). I cleared my mind, and then slowly started to conjure an image of a robin. Crystal clear in my mind, I felt a tug at the edge of my consciousness and then a light pop. Trilling filled my ears and I knew I had been successful. My eyes snapped open and before me was a robin; perched on the edge of the bed I was crouching behind. Tilting its head, peering at me. It puffed out its chest, and then with a slight nod, it opened its wings and floated over to the door and began to sing.

This was my chance. Song, the last remnants of the sacred language, was the last diversion in my arsenal. However, I would be lucky if the distraction lasted ten seconds. From behind my hiding place I lifted my pointer finger, and the window slid open. I rose up, exposing my hiding place, and took two quick strides towards the window. I threw my leg over the windowsill and jumped a foot down to the roof below, scraping my left shin in the process. Assuredly shortening the distraction by another precious second. Surely the scent of my blood would beckon my pursuer. I felt my blood pressure rise and my face flush. Wiping the perspiration from my face I assessed the roof. Hardly enough space for a runway, but I would make it work.

A ringing silence brought me out of my reverie and I noticed an absence of birdsong. That was my cue. Teleportation was simple when you got down to the basics of it. However, the only down side was you had to have a running start, of at least five paces. This roof looked like it had about four, on top of the fact that it looked as if it could cave in at any moment. Brilliant.

An icy sensation stabbed at the back of my neck. I could feel a shadow on my heels. It was now or never. Without looking back I touched my pendant to my lips and started to race for the end of the roof. Squeezing my eyes shut, I summoned a view of a terrace overlooking a mountain vista, a cool breeze billowing through my hair, crisp mountain air gracing my nostrils. I felt my right foot momentarily lurch off the side of the roof and I was sucked into a vacuum.

The Middle

Sunlight was streaming down onto my face, filtered between the oaks. A gentle breeze rocked me from side to side. I felt the rope of the hammock gently supporting me and again I felt the remnants of her presence. It's eerie; the support of a hammock will mimic that of a mother's embrace, especially in her absence.

Tears gliding down my cheeks, I cautiously twirled what was left of her earthly possessions within my palms. I held a small box made of a grooved gray metal (that of which was unknown to me or anyone I had shown). It was sturdy but lightweight. It refracted light into the canopy of trees above me, adding to the awe it inspired. I turned the box over and over in my hands contemplating; how did this box survive the explosion? Why was it infuriatingly impossible to open? Or better yet, what caused the explosion? These obsessive thoughts wracked my brain continually.

"Hey Rye." my Dad gently called out to me, interrupting my brooding. I felt my heart catch in my chest.

"Hi Dad," I said softly. He walked steadily over to the hammock and motioned for me to make room for him to sit. As I maneuvered myself he sat down causing the hammock to sag.

"I thought I'd find you here," He stated kindly, knowingly. He inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. He always had a sense of where exactly I might be, and when I was in need of him. We sat silently for a few moments, taking in the fresh mountain air and the crisp foliage.

"This is where she used to come and think," He looked down at me, and for the first time I truly recognized the exhaustion and grief that lay beneath his compassionate eyes. Long before the explosion, my parents had split. Ultimately they had stayed friends and harbored dear love for one another. As the family expanded, I was blessed with an abundance of love and an abundance of Dads. My Dad married Rick and he was a welcome addition to the family and has been for thirteen years now. However, after all this time it was clear my father was experiencing a similar depth of grief to my own over the loss of my Mother.

"You two are.... were so similar," The compliment pierced my heart, but I managed a weak smile.

"Thanks Dad," I whispered. I let my focus wander back to the enigma I was clutching in my hands. I started to broach the subject, "Dad, did Mom ever tell you anything about this box?" He shifted, causing the hammock to sway and peered at the box in my grasp.

A warm smile spread across his face. "I haven't seen that since you were a baby."

"Your Mother used to hold it when she would rock you to sleep, she said it was her lucky charm…She did always get you to fall asleep in a wink. It used to take me all night!"

I perked up at this, "What?! I don't remember that."

"Well you wouldn't, you were still in your crib at that point. I'm not sure what she did with it after that." He ran his hands through his hair, "Who knows maybe it is lucky. It was the only thing that survived the...” he trailed off, grimacing.

"I know," I said deflating back into the hammock. Again, we descended into silence, taking in the scenery. I could feel the weight of my father’s feelings alongside my own. I was about to attempt to say something comforting, when I heard Rick call to my Dad from the house, “David! The Robinson’s are leaving.”

My Dad called back, “Ok, be right up!” He squeezed my shoulder and started to wrestle himself out of the hammock.

"Well, we've still got people up at the house, the reception is not quite over yet," I groaned, feeling guilty. My Dad reassured me, "This is where your Mother would want you to be, in her favorite spot with her lucky charm.”

He winked, “Take your time, Rick and I will be up at the house when you need us."

"Ok, thanks," I clutched his hand. Returning my grip, he nodded at me reassuringly and then trailed off to the house.

Slouching back into the hammock I attempted to remember what it was like when my Mother would rock me to sleep as a child. I steadied my breathing and quieted my mind. Focusing on the hammock enveloping my body, I felt a lull as if being pulled into sleep. Willing myself to picture my childhood bedroom, I felt my consciousness shift. Dusk was filtering through a partially open window, a breeze gently billowing through the opaque curtains. Following the path of the breeze my gaze landed on a white wicker rocking chair in the corner. My breath caught in my throat. There she was. Bent over a bundle in her arms, her face tilted downwards, her hair concealing most of her features. I felt an energy stir faintly in my body. She was humming a familiar melody, which I had all but forgotten until this moment. Now I knew every intonation and fluctuation.

A cool breeze suddenly resurrected me to reality, but to my surprise I was still humming the lullaby. Bringing the curious container up to my mouth I let the lullaby pass through my parted lips.

A distinct click resounded through the air. Startled, I jerked upwards flipping the hammock over, landing on the ground scraping my face on a root. Great, just what I need right now, a gaping cut on the side of my face, I thought.

Then panicking, I felt around for the box. Shit! Where did it go? On my hands and knees I rustled through the dead leaves glancing everywhere for a glint of silver. Finally, my fingernails grazed the metal ridges of the box. I grappled for it bringing it up to my face and my mouth fell open in awe.

The Beginning

“David, can you look after Rye for a sec? I just have to pop into the bathroom.” I passed Rye into my husband’s open arms, and kissed both their cheeks. “Be right back.” David nodded to me, smiling, caught in conversation with his sister Heidi.

I excused myself from the group and walked towards the bathroom. All throughout this trip I had felt the tug of a shadow, at the nape of my neck. It had become alarming. I needed to take action before anyone around me fell prey to an attack that was intended for me. Although there were worse places to be found, the apple orchard was spacious allowing me to step away and take care of business.

As I trekked away from the group the shadow ensued. With each step I felt it materialize more into our plane of existence, gaining with it weight and sound. Not only could I feel the shadow on the spiritual plane, but now I heard an accompanying rustle of leaves, indicating its position to me.

I knew starting a family would make this all the more difficult however, I didn’t think they would track me down so quickly. When I was on my own I ran, teleporting from place to place. With each departure, I took only myself. I had never bothered to make a meaningful connection, knowing it could be ripped away from me at any point. However, after 100 years of running I formed a bond I couldn’t deny or abandon. Which meant, I had to adjust my strategies. When I was on my own I would simply distract, run and teleport. Now as a new mother and wife I had to lure away, deceive, teleport and transmute. A few more steps (and not to mention a shorter time span to execute the plan so as to not arouse suspicion), but it was worth it to keep my family safe.

As I gathered the action plan in my mind a branch broke above my head, hurtling down straight towards me catching my right shoulder. I teetered off my intended path and crashed into the bushes. Not quite the start I had been hoping for I thought. But, I had executed part one of my new strategy, there is no reason I couldn’t tie this mishap into part two.

My fall into the bushes had certainly been calculated by the shadow. However, I was afforded the slight advantage of being out of their line of sight for a moment. Utilizing this advantage I ignored the throbbing sensation in my shoulder and conjured an image of two women walking along the path, arm in arm signing. Holding this image at the forefront of my consciousness I felt the tell tale pop, like that of an eardrum popping during an altitude change. Immediately following this sound I heard two melodic voices rising and falling in the near distance. With this shift I felt the shadow ease off of me, lured away from me by the music.

Perfect, part two was complete, now for the next step. Teleport. Although I had over a hundred years of teleportation experience, I had always used teleportation as a way to escape alone. This new strategy required me to use teleportation as a way to bring the shadow away with me so I could then return to my family. There were dangers and risks involved which I had always been warned against, but it was the only conceivable plan I had mustered up.

What humans fail to understand is that a shadow is not “evil” because it is dark or black (and thus their insinuation that all evil is dark or black and vice versa is incorrect) but that the shadow is a void. This void is longing, anger, jealousy and fear and so it is not light that defeats the shadows, but love. And so when I aim to teleport this shadow away with me, I won’t aim for the sun, but rather to a moment where love is strongest. Moments are more difficult to travel too, in the sense that I can’t let my brain do the driving; I must let my heart lead. And so that’s exactly what I did.

I stepped onto the path I had been previously walking. I caught sight of the shadow a few paces ahead of me. Holding my pendant to my lips I ran. As I tore towards the shadow I allowed the illusion of the two women fall away and felt the shadow's attention return to me. Instead of imagining my destination I let thoughts of Rye’s birth consume me. A moment filled with pure love was all I needed, and it was the purest moment I possessed. As I sprinted towards the shadow we collided, and we were instantaneously transported to my intended moment.

All it took was one second of exposure to such an intense love and the shadow transformed. The void was filled. The moment untainted; a pure bubble of bliss and love.

With that, I allowed my most current moment with Rye to guide me back, and felt myself tumble into the apple orchard. I brushed myself off and slowly started walking back to the benches where I had left my family.