by Jon Chaisson
*
Sheila…wake up, dear.
She woke up, seconds, maybe minutes after she had passed out. She was no longer falling…but she had no idea what had happened. She felt someone’s arms around her, holding her closely and whispering calming words into her ear. She opened her eyes and saw…stars?
What —? The dryness in her throat tickled a gagging reflex and she began coughing violently. She came close to vomiting twice before she got herself under control and began to breathe again. Disoriented, she started to move out of the woman’s grasp, tried standing up, and immediately tumbled. She braced herself for a hard crash to the floor…and felt nothing.
Steady, girl, the woman said, grasping her shoulders from behind. Steady, now. Shhhh…I have you. You’re safe, dear. You are among friends.
Dead, she thought. I should be dead! With a sickening rush, images of the fall invaded her mind. She staggered, tripped over her own foot, and fell again, though this time she anticipated it and rode with it. She and her guardian tumbled slowly and gracefully in this otherwhere. She breathed in deeply and slowly, whispering her own calming mantras, until her heart slowed to a quieter, safer pace. Her throat no longer parched, she took several more deep breaths until she was both centered and fully aware. Seconds passed before she felt the hardness of an imaginary floor underneath her feet, put there to calm her balance.
Welcome back, Sheila, the woman said behind her.
Sheila turned to thank her, and nearly fainted again at the sight of Denysia — no, it was not her but an older, more mature, and strikingly beautiful Denni. She was draped in a loose and flowing dusk-colored robe with a formfitting black bodysuit underneath — the uniform of Elders of the One of All Sacred. She appeared as old as Caren now, her youthful features still there but worn by time and action. Her brown eyes still sparkled with fascination and her high cheekbones framed a wide, addictive smile. She looked so much like her mother Celine! She beamed at Sheila as if she hadn’t seen her for decades, the reunion filling her with joy.
Denni? Sheila blinked at her. Is…is that you?
I am the One of All Sacred, she replied. And I am Denysia.
She shivered, understanding her words all too clearly. All this time, they had seen her as the young teenage Denni, with the spirit of the One within her…a young girl with a special power within her. The woman before her now was the same Denni, but vastly changed. This woman was no longer the Denni she knew...this was the One of all Sacred, in both spirit and body. The Daughter of the Goddess. A goddess herself...!
She felt weak. This woman so like Denni in so many ways…this woman, revered and sainted, who now stood in front of her, who had caught her, who had saved her life. The One of All Sacred had heard her cries for help as she fell. She had answered her prayers.
She was talking to a savior. Her savior.
Weakened and humbled, Sheila fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes. She bowed her head deeply and dared not look this beautiful woman in the eyes again, no matter how much she resembled Denni. She admittedly had not been a devout Follower of the One…but in her presence, all doubt had escaped. She believed.
The One...the One of All Sacred, she sobbed… dehndarra Né hra nyhndah. It had been the only thing she knew to say to her at this moment.
She heard the One let out an embarrassed giggle. Denni’s self-conscious yet amused laugh. At the corner of her sight, Sheila saw the robes fold to the floor as she knelt down and touched her again, this time a palm at the top of her head.
Stand up, Sheila, she said warmly, and brushed Sheila’s unruly auburn hair out of her face. She held out her other hand under Sheila’s lowered eyes. She stared at it fearfully, pursed her quivering lips, and took it. Warm, inviting. Calm. Loving. She did not let go as she stood up. Despite her fears, she found herself staring at the One again, completely entranced. Why...why did she look so old now? Why did she bring her here? She yipped in surprise; suddenly they were moving again, floating towards the starfield she’d seen earlier.
Let me show you something, she said.
I am yours, Sheila responded.
Look out there, she said, pointing at the starfield. What do you see?
She stared out into the heavens. Light and energy from such immense distances she could not even fathom. An expanse of life so vast it frightened her as much as it had humbled her. I see…a universe, she said. And in that universe, she found herself drawn to one point in particular. A smudge of light, a cluster of white energy and life, no different than all the other starfields she could see if she spun around to look, and yet she’d immediately felt a kinship with them, a connection that made more sense than anything else at the moment. In this impossible vision she knew to be the universal reality she lived within, here on Earth — on Gharra — she focused on that one elsewhere because it had called out to her. So far away, a frightening distance away…yet so close! The gathering of stars had called her true name, a string of Light that had resonated within her own spirit and made it sing out. The starfield began to revolve in a strange and predetermined pattern she could not quite comprehend. It was only with another shift of focus that she began to see that pattern. The circular, pulsating revolution of an infinite number of stars revealed itself to her, as simple as a circle but impossibly complex as a...
I see a galaxy, she said, her heart beating fast.
The One of All Sacred nodded. You see Lightbodies, dear. This is their true ancestral home.
Sheila frowned in confusion. Trisanda?
The One smiled, amused. That is but one of a myriad of planets. As is Gharra — Earth. As is Meraladh, as is Mannaka. Trisanda is just the birthplace of a Lightbody within a human form. Right now you are seeing just the cluster of Lightbodies that originated from Trisanda. There is so much more, however…so much more than just what you see! She pointed towards the galaxy of Lightbodies proudly, as if they were her own creation. The intensity of emotion swirled within the One and within the spiritual galaxy. Sheila began to absorb this energy drunkenly.
There is Love, The One said. There has always been love; there will always be love, no question. What we all decide to do with it is completely up to us. She took Sheila’s face in her hands again, looking her in the eyes.
Therein lies our fate, she continued. Do we continue to keep the nuhm’ndah and the kiralla at bay, or do we reach out with compassion and lead them on the path to rebirth?
I… Sheila bowed again. I want to believe in compassion, Dearest One.
The One smiled at her, and together they began to float again, away from one galaxy and towards another. The celestial spheres around her shifted in place and time, some flashing out of existence, others born in a spectacular billowing forth of gases, radiation and Light.
Compassion you shall have, she said. She moved close, kissed her on the forehead, and nodded. You know who I am and who my counterpart is. I spoke truth earlier…you are chosen as a protector and as a witness, but I ask one more thing: that you help Dearest Karinna with your life in guarding Denysia.
Sheila frowned. What do you mean?
Surely you understand, she said. I am the One of All Sacred.
You’re Denni as well…aren’t you?
The One nodded. I am she and she is me…dehndarra Né hra nyhndah, Sheila. I cannot exist without her, and she cannot exist without me.
They paused before another galaxy, this one much larger in size and shining so brilliantly she could hear its energy singing. Its luminescence nearly blinded her. The Lightbodies here were the strongest she had seen, so strong she felt the energy pulsating from its center and rushing towards her. She felt herself drawn to this energy, pulled ever so gently with both her heart and her spirit. Her entire being sensed a feeling of warmth, of home within this galaxy. It was...?
That is your galaxy, The One said. They are the Chosen, the Awakened.
Sheila caught h
er breath. This...this isn’t...now, is it?
This is approximately twenty-five years on, Sheila, The One smiled.
She gazed her, fascinated and terrified at the same time. Why are you telling me this?
The One waved a hand at the galaxy. As if in response, the Lightbodies reflected her gesture in a sparkling display of multihued excitement. They are yours, Sheila, she continued. Help to lead them. Help guide the nuhm’ndah and the kiralla towards rebirth. I offer my love to you, Dearest child; it is the Light you see before you. But above all else…watch over Denni…watch over me. And watch over Karinna. Be sure she stays true to her spirit, Sheila.
Sheila shivered. I shall…I shall.
They looked at each other once again and embraced. So warm, so calm…it felt so wonderful! To be here, to be at peace. With a slight wave of the One’s hand, Sheila suddenly felt herself losing sensory consciousness as the One of All Sacred faded from view. She was returning to the Moulding Warehouse, back to her real, mortal body. For a brief second, she wanted to cry out, to ask her all the questions in her head, yet she knew there was no need.
She still had Denni.
Sa’im taftika, she called out to the One of All Sacred. Bless you.
Back to Gharra, back to life.
