Tar River

There is a land where Mountain Sprites live and play. They are very magical and proud beings who live on top of an enchanted lush green mountain called Mount Morris. Other sprites live in other parts of the land, but the Mountain Sprites only have vague references in their oldest lore to such other sprite existence.

The most striking feature of the landscape was a great and sparkling river called Tar River, named after a word in an ancient, now unused language where "Tar" meant mystic, powerful or peaceful.

The lore of their land says the mountain is the only safe place. But, you could trust anyone their sprite leaders allowed onto the mountain, even if those sprites made you uncomfortable. This trust was because the leaders are known for their wisdom. So far, no outside sprites had visited.

Morris Mountain looked down on lush green hills and deep valleys with streams and lakes that shimmered silver and aqua blue. The sprites who lived at the top of this grand mountain were named Morris. They proudly carried the name of their ancestors, ancient ones who made their home there for many hundreds of generations.

The most beautiful and loving of the sprites was Roselene. She and her husband, Morrie, lived in comfort on the mountain. And like most Mountain Sprites, feared all knowledge of the outside world. Their fear, ironically, was the outside world would bring their downfall. They felt safe and comfortable only with what they had always known.

They were an attractive pair; Roselene was tall and willowy had wings that glistened as she flitted about in true sprite fashion. Her wings seemed to have been made by catching the sparkles of the river and sprinkling the water's glory on their delicate surface. She had bright long ginger hair which fell about her shoulders in huge flowing curls. Morrie being a male, was shorter and thicker in appearance than Roselene. His wings were capable of extreme movement, which allowed him to reach his destination in the blink of an eye. His wings were shimmery with silver and gold highlights. His chestnut hair was medium length with loose curls, the way male sprite like theirs. It appeared a hurricane had exploded on the top of his head. And he loved it that way.

The mountain elders had sheltered lives, not knowing the outside world's ways. One day, a sprite from a faraway land introduced himself to the sprite leaders. He claimed to be a most respected and honored sprite from those lands. Because they had never known evil, they accepted him and honored him, not knowing he was an outcast from the other lands. They did not suspect he was cruel and should not be trusted. Being truthful was their cornerstone, and they believed it would be his as well.

The evil sprite's name was D'Cartile. Though he was well dressed and seemingly polite. He had a hidden wicked side. He was well versed in all of the evil Spells of the lands, Spells unknown to the mountain sprites. The Spells the outside world did its best to keep under tight control. Tightly controlled, so these evils could not get a grasp on their precious young people. There were always some sprites in the outside world who would fall into the grip of the evil Spells. But for the most part, everyone in the outside world knew to stay away from the harmful black curses.

Roselene was loving and trusting. Inside herself, something about the stranger felt wrong. She didn't understand the feeling. Despite her uneasiness, they invited the dynamic stranger into their lives. She and her husband believed the leaders of their land would not associate with anyone detrimental to their community. They did not realize their leaders had been taken in by the charismatic D'Cartile.

D'Cartile told them tales of the outside world. Unimaginable powers were at work and available to them. Where magic elixirs would transport you effortlessly into the spiritual world, you would float in a dream-like state and receive powers of wealth, beauty, and might. Never would you be happier than when using these heaven-sent escapes—no bad of any kind, no worries or having to deal with anything unpleasant ever again. In the valley, there is powerful magic, and they are missing out.

Roselene and Morrie were tired of the life they were living. It was monotonous having so many rules and responsibilities that got in their way. They wanted to have complete freedom over their lives. Who could know what was best for them, better than themselves? So when D'Cartile told them of the freedoms in the green valleys below and told them he could take them there, they could not wait to go. The plan was to sneak out the next night and make their way to the wonders that awaited them below.

What they did not know, D'Cartile's had a plan to get them to do his dirty work. But, at the beginning of their journey, it was entertaining and exciting. When they reached the valley floor, they felt welcomed by other Sprites who shared the magic elixirs promised with them. The substance did make all of their problems seem to disappear. They could laugh uncontrollably and feel they could ignore any situation, any bad feeling. All sorrows from leaving their family and friends were drowned out or magically erased from their thoughts. It seemed like a perfect match for their need to be free, and independent.

Over time they did notice that strange things were happening around them. They guessed the people who were no longer interested in the magic elixir had only disappeared because they had moved on. Slowly, they began to notice unusual changes in the land around them. They started noticing black patches on the hills and red stains on the roadways.

A feeling of depression and anxiety begins to creep into their lives, but their new friends and D'Cartile just encouraged them to increase the magic elixir they used. One day they were surprised to see that the pure color of the Tar River that ran past them was growing darker. When they mentioned this to D'Cartile, he lied by explaining the river's name was "Tar" River. So therefore, it would become black with time, and they should be glad for this change as it would make a new, more potent magic elixir easier to come by and would make it more accessible to more "friends."

It was hard to spend too much time worrying about the changes as they were now parents of a baby daughter. They named her Kimbelina. They were pleased, but life was about to get very complicated. They suddenly were being pressured to "earn their keep." D'Cartile told them because the hills and valleys were strangely becoming more and more desolate, and no food would grow. They must make more income to purchase the supplies they all needed. They must begin encouraging more sprites to partake of the magic elixirs. And to especially encourage them to never be without the most potent magic of the now black Tar River.

Because of the need to keep the magic elixir in their lives and care for their growing family, they bent to the pressure and became the very best in the land at organizing and recruiting new magic elixir users. They didn't realize the evil D'Cartile had enslaved them. They also did not know that the disappearance of the other sprites, the stains on the roadways, eerie noises, and screams in the night were the systematic killings of uncooperative or competing sprites.

Occasionally, law enforcement or good caring sprites from other lands would come through and try to stop the spread of the magic elixirs. Because of this, Roselene and Morrie became very secretive and careful to take good care of sprites in their group. They encourage those sprites' loyalty. This loyalty created a barrier from the outside world to ensure their operation continued unimpeded.

Because of the demands of the Tar operation, there was not much time for the child Kimbelina. Or to give her the attention that she needed. Kimbelina spent her childhood flitting about, looking for attention. She was a bright and pleasant-looking sprite but far too needy for most others to tolerate. She grew hardened and angry. The magic elixirs of D'Cartile's world proved a tempting call to lessen her feelings brought on by her parent's neglect. Kimbelina had heard rumors and stories surrounding exciting places. She decided to travel to those places and live there. The Tar River land felt dull, ugly, and hateful to her, so it was time to go.

In the other land, Kimbelina met many other sprites who had found the magic of the elixirs. They would all stick together in small groups, and they protect each other from the sprites, whose jobs were to control the unnecessary and dangerous use of the elixirs. Kimbelina attracted the attention of a man named Vin. She was lonely without a partner, so even though he dressed in old moldy leaves instead of newer, brighter ones, she felt he was the best she could do. She was sure he would learn to care for her.

He, too, had escaped from a land of desolation like the land of the Tar River. Family life had been harrowing. Vin spent much of his time trying to wipe out the memory of his past. He did this with the use of his favorite elixirs. The elixirs left him ambivalent and unable to show any caring.

They stayed together for a time and then separated. But by then, a child was born. He was a beautiful, wonderful baby boy. He had a pleasing, pale, heart-shaped face with large dark eyes.

He showed signs of being fiercely independent. Emotionally, he was like Granny Roselene, being very loving, compassionate, and bright. He was named O'Wondlad but was called Owl for short. His nickname came from the Sprites' mystical and ancient belief that a Barn Owl's gift was a promise of goodness to come. Young Owl seemed robust, magical, and resilient. Granny Roselene hoped he would grow up to bring a better future for himself and be the deliverer of "goodness to come."

The stress of Kimbelina's life and the new responsibilities made her feel that her life was unmanageable. She turned even further toward the numbing properties of the magic elixirs. Until the draw of the Tar River Elixir, the magic of no return consumed her, and she would never recover.

Granny Roselene was very protective of Owl and had learned some magic that could protect the child, not now but possibly in the future. She encased the child in a lite weight shell of sorts. It was like the husk of a seed. It was so magical no one knew it was there. She knew only a healing Shaman, who had special powers, would be able to see the protection and see a way to bring a good life to this unique child.

When Owl would visit, Roselene taught him because she so loved him, he must not talk about the secret life of their family. She said being secretive was the only way to keep them safe. Her lies were because of her fear, of D'Cartile's suspicious nature, and the sprites, whose job was to banish elixirs from the land. She saw no way to be safe if anyone knew of her Tar driven business life.

This lie played into D'Cartile's evil plan. A plan that would enslave everyone he touched. All he had to do was get sprites to partake of the "magic" tar. Then they would not think for themselves and could not escape his wicked exploit. The terrible part of teaching Owl to be silent was Roselene had unknowingly cast his fate of misery for years to come. No one would know just how badly he needed to be whisked away to safety.

There came a time in young Owl's life when the sprites who watched over the land and enforced the Sprites' law discovered Owl was not thriving under the neglect of his mother and the secret life of his beloved Granny. After the well-intentioned sprites decided to rescue the boy, they turned to Owl's Father Vin and his girlfriend, d'Nazia, not knowing this would not be a good answer, but just more of the same. Vin was still withdrawn and tended to be unsupportive of anyone around him. Typically, neither one would have chosen to raise a tiny sprite, but who could resist this charming, wonderful boy?

This task proved particularly difficult for d'Nazia as she had a dark soul and was angry and self-absorbed from the damage of her childhood. She dressed as black as her soul. Her hair was short and spiky, like an evil ancestor's portrait who lived long ago. Her out-of-control use of some elixirs highly influenced her inability. She could never really feel for another person's plight.

So, Owl became her "albatross" as he was so out of control from the previous neglect that nothing seemed to contain him. She could not count on Vin as he was emotionally numb and could only stay inside himself. Since she saw no way to rid herself of this tiny, hated being, she decided to harass and control him.

She then pretended to be a good parental figure. Her control of Owl and stealing his self-worth was her obsession. This behavior became one of her elixirs of choice. She felt better when she was emotionally harming the child. It was a sort of revenge for being forced to do a job she would not have, under normal circumstances, chosen. Poor trusting Owl, he was told he was the source of all evil at every turn.

Occasionally, someone who was not an elixir user would enter Owl's life. When this would happen, it would be a problem for d'Nazia, as the boy had a pure heart that knew deep down that there was love and goodness in the world if he could just reach for it. Also, Granny Sprite gave love and hope to Owl, even though she lived far away. So d'Nazia held even tighter onto Owl, and like most users of the elixirs, she feared the outside world. So isolation became was another way she was free to stymie him.

Then, d'Nazia tried to place Owl in a magic bubble to keep out the outside world's influence. Try as she might, it would fail. She was unaware of the magic shell which encased Owl, put there by his Granny. But evil, true evil, finds a way. D'Nazia placed herself, Vin, and Owl together in one giant magic bubble. This magic gave her the ability to repress Owl without the child or the outside world seeing the evil. He looked like he was in the world in the usual way but was not, in reality, a part of it. He could see the world, but it could not touch him like other young ones.

Because of this, he had yet to learn how to do right automatically or make wise decisions, leaving him vulnerable. Then someone with great power and even more evil intent entered the precious boy's life. No one knew another "soul stealing" Sprite had secretively preyed upon the young Owl and had almost stolen his soul. D'Nazia found out the evil sprite. After that, d'Nazia trusted no one around Owl. If another sprite got close to Owl and began to try to nurture him, d'Nazia would quickly, and with evil intent, yank him back in the name of protecting him. Constantly being forced to give up even friendly, helpful sprites was confusing to Owl.

He knew what he truly needed and wanted because of Granny's love and nurturing. He became depressed, having lost a part of his soul because of the oppressive nature of his home life. The young Owl began to go down the only path he truly understood. The course of misdirected actions. It got him much attention but only cemented his tendency to make incorrect and unwise decisions. His decisions were the opposite of what expectations would be of good sprites.

One day, for a short time, a shaman like the one that Roselene had hoped for entered young Owl's life. The shaman, named Laugh, had not yet reached her full powers when they met. Even though she looked like an average middle-aged sprite, she was already a great emotional healer. She could look into a sprite's face and see the damage of past events. She could see Owl was desperate to be in the "real world."

Laugh, known for her smile, discovered the authentic world through her quest to leave the horrors of her dark childhood and early adulthood behind. Because Laugh was a "Seer" of great strength and magic power, she instantly saw a damaged but fixable soul and the family's bubble that forced Owl to endure the misery of his existence. She and Owl were kindred spirits. They bonded instantly. But, d'Nazia did her best to keep Owl away.

Life sometimes is cruel. Laugh's life took her in another direction. She tried with all her might to keep Owl a part of her life, d'Nazia blocked it at every turn. For the next five years, Owl and Laugh only saw each other twice and for just moments. Laugh was pleased to see the young man Owl was becoming. Laugh longed to openly and frequently give Owl the unconditional love he so deserved.

Owl was very easily distracted and easily bored. His lack of focus was a massive problem for d'Nazia, so she emotionally gripped him tighter and tighter. Relentless, her limitations left the boy angry and determined to gain some unrestrained power of his own. Nothing was fair. He no longer cared if his choices would cause his demise.

One summer in the middle of his teenage years, d'Nazia was having trouble containing the angry boy and his desire to be with other teenage sprites. So, she sent him to spend the summer with Granny Roselene in a faraway place. Evil d'Nazia felt if she and Owl took a break and he did not have any friends or distractions, he would be less likely to reject her mandates upon his return.

So, off went Owl, who was very angry and raging from lack of options and still had no decision-making skills. He spent the summer with Granny Roselene in a foreign land. A home with great love but expectations of good choices. He craved the love. But, even with her love, his lack of skills and considerable anger made him a challenging being. He was a problem at every turn and later had to admit he had treated Granny very badly and perhaps, he thought, even broken her heart.

Now, the cruelest blow of all. After Owl went back to d'Nazia and his Dad's house, he had a heavy heart for what he had done because he indeed was a loving spirit. Then Granny Roselene died! Life had betrayed him! The ultimate abandonment. Suddenly, he was sure that her death was proof that d'Nazis was right. He was only capable of being wrong. His anger and "bad" behavior could be the only reason for her death.

Undoubtedly, she had died of a broken heart, a heart that he alone had broken! After this, he spun even more out of control, deeper into elixir escapes. What he didn't know was Granny Roselene had not died of a broken heart. The years of the hard life she had endured and the years of the most potent Tar Elixir had destroyed her health. She knew he had not purposely set out to harm her. From the afterlife, she was still watching over him. But, when she died, it ended the invisible shell she had placed him in for his protection. He now was more vulnerable than ever!

Granny Roselene needed a spiritual partner in the land of the sprites to continue her love and care for this precious boy. He was coming close to young adult spritehood, and d'Nazia had become further addicted to not releasing the maturing sprite at all costs. D'Nazia had no other life, no other focus, and could not see another activity having any worth. She had become obsessed with ensuring Owl knew just how inept he was and incapable of leaving her unforgiving hold. From above, Roselene was unwilling to let this continue, so she thought back to the Shaman, Laugh, who had met Owl when he was just a young sprite. She knew this is who could lovingly continue to protect her beloved Grandson.

So when a part of Laugh's life which, Laugh had held dear burned down, Roselene pushed Owl to be at certain places at certain times. These unexpected meetings had to happen so that Laugh and Owl would reconnect, using Laugh's need for comfort in her time of grief. And because Owl was now nearly grown, Roselene knew that it would be the right time to have Laugh become the voice of reason in Owl's life. Laugh was now a mighty shaman and had discovered how much love and power being a shaman could provide. This new knowledge pleased both Laugh and Roselene.

It was evident to Roselene, Owl, and Laugh that the spiritual bond the two had once had was still unbroken. Suddenly, Owl and Laugh ran into each other over and over again. Roselene smiled from her heavenly home because the two of them thought it was just a coincidence. Over time the love and respect that they had for each other became a solid and irresistible force in both their lives. Renewing the bond made all three of them very happy.

With Owl and Laugh being kindred spirits, great healing then occurred in the souls of both Owl and Laugh. Owl grew to trust the unconditional love that Laugh had for the young sprite. Her genuine care was the only true magic that could show Owl the way to a fulfilling and powerful life.

Then Owl made Laugh promise that she would never leave him, and he asked her to become his new Grandmother. She was overwhelmed when he placed her so close in his heart to the wonderful and beloved Granny. Laugh's unconditional love for the young sprite made the decision effortless. With no need for thought, she accepted his request, and so he was a most loved Grandson. Her decision to bond with him meant he had become "family."

Owl becoming family allowed Laugh to have the magic power to burst d'Nazia's invisible bubble which, he had not deserved and the damage it had delivered. Laugh's love was able to fertilize his inner being that in the past had had the protective shell Granny had so lovingly and hopefully placed him in, and he began to grow and bloom.

The timing of this bond and growth could not have come at a better moment. Already d'Nazia was feeling the fear of losing her "drug of choice," which was her total control of Owl. He was nearing adulthood. How could she keep him! She was desperately looking for new and more potent ways to ensnare him.

Then d'Nazia made a tactical error. She needed financial help, so d'Nazia asked Laugh to fill her need having no other option. This financial help meant d'Nazia had to accept Laugh into Owl's life.

Unfortunately for d'Nazia, the unconditional love Laugh had for Owl changed him. Laugh knew many real-world lessons. Lessons Laugh had learned from studying her own dreadful life. Her teaching those life skills to Owl helped him become more and more a young man and less and less a controllable being. Eventually, d'Nazia came to believe that the decision to let Laugh be a part of their family had been a mistake.

The newfound emotional freedom Owl was experiencing from his relationship with Laugh was wrecking d'Nazia's plan to trap Owl with her control for a least three more years. Now d'Nazia was starting to feel the fear and withdrawal of losing her favorite addiction. As with most addicts, she had to get her addiction to Owl back in place and fast. She banned Laugh from Owl's life. Owl somehow knew that he could not truly live an authentic life without Laugh's unconditional love and support. He was devastated.

Life became unbearable without Laugh in his life, no way for self-expression, and no longer receiving unconditional love. Doubling the trouble, he had fallen under the power of elixirs. Soon he was very close to exploding from the unbelievable pressure of being forced to live under total oppression. Especially now, having discovered this kind of domination was unnecessary. He now recognized d'Nazia's complete control was very harmful. Owl could no longer be inhibited and had to be set free. He understood he needed to learn new life lessons and skills, thus leading him to a new, better life.

Just before Owl could stand the pressure no more, a sprite, with Laugh's encouragement, who helped keep the laws of the land got a message to the boy. He told the young sprite he no longer had to be afraid. Because the law said Owl was now old enough to control his own life. Also, he was free to leave d'Nazia without reprisal. Owl had not been able to speak to his Grandma Laugh for some time because of his fear of d'Nazia's control. And also, d'Nazia had caused him a great deal of anxiety. She had lied about what terrible things she could make happen to Laugh and what she could legally do to Owl if he tried to break free.

Within minutes of Owl's knowledge of the law, he was on his way to Laugh to see if she could offer him the protection he needed to leave the oppression where he was living. Laugh welcomed him with open arms, great joy, and love. Because of Owl's loving and pure heart, other sprites stepped up to give him the love, protection, and shelter he so desperately needed.

At the beginning of his new life, he thrived. But, his lack of training in good decision-making would be his ultimate downfall. He hid from Laugh that he lived with one foot in the real world and one foot in the only life he had ever known, addiction. Though he knew the danger of the world of addiction and was cautious of people who were too good to be true, he unknowingly set his own trap by not leaving the addictive world behind.

There came a girl who seemed to be a shining light. She looked, from the outside, to be the "One." A prize from the real world, a promise of a real-life, of real happiness. She seemed magical, with her black flowing hair and dresses of the finest mosses and flowers. Her wings were hard and shiny black. He thought she was pure, beautiful, attentive, and had luscious thighs. She drew him in like a moth to the flame.

Her name was Narcissus. Under it all, she had a black heart. He wanted her love so badly. He hid his over-the-top elixir addiction from her. He went from trying to escape being controlled to running willingly towards her evil purpose. She took him to the land of her people and alienated him from all those who loved him. He became convinced by her influence that Grandma Laugh was the evil one. Owl told Laugh that Narcissus had opened his eyes to the fact Laugh was a crazy, evil person, and Laugh was never to try to see him! Ever again.

Although the relationship with Narcissus eventually ended with Owl exploding from its destructive nature, the evil spell Narcissus had cast was unbreakable. Laugh never saw Owl again. Their bond had vanished, and Owl was just as deep into addition as had been his family. It seems the good sprites would have had to offer a way out when the boy was young. But of course, this help does not exist.

With hopeful yet heavy hearts, Laugh and Roselene found that just because you love and want to help another, you cannot unless they seek help. As it turned out, even though Owl lives in a sprite world, life is no fairy tale. There is no "happily ever after." Unless Owl learns a new way to live, he will not save himself. The love and the help are there.

But, Owl gravitates towards those who can only survive with the "help" of evil elixirs. Thus drawn toward this harmful life, as it is all he has ever known. And to live in a new way is too frightening, too impossible, too unknown.

The "real world" and the life that Grandma Laugh has come to live and know is there for Owl, but he finds comfort in the only life he has lived, not the unknown future. If only he had had social outlets, regularly, as a small sprite. If Only they had given him an outlet for his spontaneity to channel his gregarious nature, he might not have spun downward. There is only hope he will save himself before he goes too far down the wrong road. Missing Owl and with no real hope of his recovery in sight, it feels, in a way, Owl has died though he's very much alive. Oh, the sorrow in her heart!

He must learn that even though true freedom is not without pain and frustration, it would allow him to be just that: FREE! If only, someday, he would see fear as just as a cautionary sign. Not a stop sign, but a sign saying you will get to the goal by going forward and trusting your feelings. Perhaps then he will have the courage to climb the mountain to freedom, love, and joy. And find "the goodness to come."