Paradise World
Page 36
Chapter 26 - Our Journey Begins
That night I suffered from insomnia, a very rare occurrence in Paradise indeed. However, I was anxious. I just did not want to meet up with this person who had so ruthlessly ended my former life. Thus, to help me relax, I got out of bed and played my guitar. Afterwards, somewhat soothed, I then turned to prayer. In this world of miracles, prayer had never failed me yet, and it was not about to fail me now. All the fear and hostility I had felt then completely vanished, and in its place came the usual calmness and tranquility I had now been so accustomed to. Soon after, I went to bed, and seconds later, I was soundly asleep.
Early the next morning, Carlos rapped on our front door, eager and ready to go. Having been twice to the Wilderness, he had already mapped out our expedition last night. We were to use two canoes, which aside from transporting us, would also contain our supplies consisting, amongst other things, two tents, warm winter clothings, inflatable sleeping mattresses, sleeping bags, and sturdy hiking boots. Although Eleos was the Greek word for mercy or pity, this mountain was far from merciful in that it was very rugged, and according to Carlos, it could get mighty cold.
"Great!" I sighed. "I never thought I'd freeze in Paradise!"
My mother winced at the idea as well. "Oh, dear, neither did I. Also, what are we going to eat there?"
Carlos laughed. "The mountains are full of good food like nuts and wild berries, and don't worry about the cold. Our new bodies can tolerate far more now, and with our special clothing, we'll feel warm enough."
My father placed a consoling arm around my mother. "Come on, hon, where's your sense of adventure? It'll be fun, won't it, Carlos?"
Carlos gave a reassuring smile. "Yes, and there's nothing to worry about. There's absolutely no danger, nor do we suffer any hardships. I promise. Remember, the Wilderness is still part of Paradise. However, if you've changed your mind, Margaret, that's okay."
Mum shook her head and forced a smile. "No, I'll come."
"Good!" Carlos exclaimed, then unrolled a map onto our table.
Pointing on the map, Carlos marked out our route to Mount Eleos. "This a rough map, and not to scale, but I think it gives you the idea. We'll travel east by canoe along the Deer River until reaching Tranquil Village, where we'll spend the night. The next day we'll continue up the river for much of the day until reaching a fork in the river, at Peace Village. This is where we'll meet up with other brethren who'll come with us to the Wilderness."
"But you don't know who they are!" my father exclaimed.
"Ah, but we'll find out when we'll get there! But, as I said, here in Peace Village," he said, still pointing to the map, "we will then go up the Wilderness River until we reach the entrance to a big gorge, where there's a cabin. From there, we go up the mountain trail until we get to Mount Eleos, the highest point in the Wilderness."
"And the place where I'll meet up with my killer!" I lamented.
Carlos tapped me consolingly on the shoulder. "Everything will turn out all right, my friend, you'll see."
We had breakfast together, then prepared for our journey. Carlos had already mentioned to several people that morning about our mission, and soon the message spread throughout the whole community. Most of them were still too overawed by the power of last night's vision, so Carlos had only given the barest outline of his own personal visions, and had not mentioned mine at all. It had already been agreed by the four of us that my visions, along with Harry's, would be kept from the brethren for the time being since it was felt, particularly by Carlos, that they would only create confusion at this stage. "They must be given more time, and I must first be given instructions on what to do in this matter," Carlos further explained. "The only thing, I think, we can say to them is that we are going to the Wilderness on a mission of mercy, to help a newly resurrected person who had led a life of crime, and to help him, well, to help him adjust to his new life."
This was exactly what we told everybody as we gathered our supplies and made our way to the river. Everybody thought we were doing an admirable thing, and many were there by the riverbank to bid us farewell. After embracing his family, Carlos gave a public prayer for the success of our mission. I embraced Cory and told him to stay with Carlos's daughter, Isabella. Then, after our fond farewells, we were in our canoes and paddling eastwards.
It was the first time I had ever been in a canoe, and I found it difficult at first to keep in time with the paddling. However, I soon mastered the technique. In my old body, my untrained muscles would have cried out in pain within a short time, but not now. My muscles were strong and my spirit soared. I glanced over to my parent's canoe. Not surprisingly, I saw the same glee in my father's eyes. He had always been the adventurous type, and loved anything to do with the wild, be it mountains, forests or rivers. Even as a boy, he had often canoed along the Columbia and Snake River in our home state of Oregon. On the other hand, my mother and I had always been city folks, yet looking at her paddling along with Dad's coaching, she too seemed to be enjoying herself. As regards my partner, well, Carlos was always Carlos.
We were now outside the confines of our village. On our left side was the dense pine forest, on our right, following the contours of the river's sandy bank, was the path that we had so often traversed on our regular afternoon strolls. Beyond that was the lofty Mount Anastasis, my birthplace to this fantastic world. Soon we were paddling under the bridge, where the children so often played, although none were to be seen today. Then, up ahead, we turned the river's bend, with dense forest on either side. Here the pine trees gave way to oaks, chestnuts and willows, whose branches often protruded onto the river like huge, shady umbrellas.
Thus, on and on we paddled for most of the day, sometimes in meditative silence, other times in sprightly conversations. There were no obstacles to overcome, nor any hazards, nor sharp bends in the river. It was just pure joy. I delighted in the ease in which the paddle swooshed through the water, lifting it out and directing it back in front of me, a task repeated over and over again with hypnotic regularity. This rhythm broke only occasionally, not through fatigue, but through choice. Once we stopped for lunch, other times to simply gaze and admire the river's scenic wonders and wildlife, such as when our eyes caught sight of a beaver building his dome-shaped home, or when a huge moose maneuvered itself to the river's bank. Then, at the day's end, as the sun sunk low on the horizon, we watched a large school of salmon streaming past in tight formation.
"Hey, Dad, don't you wish you still had your old fishing rod, or better still, your net to scoop them all up?" I asked, our canoes only a few yards apart.
Dad only laughed. "Not any longer, son, not any longer!"
Shortly thereafter, we were paddling towards the friendly shore of Tranquil.