Constant rain continued all day, alternating between drizzle and torrent, with no respite. The cave became the best place to shelter. Its entrance was about five metres up from the forest floor, so unlikely to be flooded. There were watermarks on the cliff face but none above two metres or so.
Finally, Guy looked ready to talk. Having a proper conversation with him was why I’d made the journey, after all.
After a breakfast of worms and frogs – we avoided the poisonous colourful ones – we curled up as two cats together in the cosy nest, keeping each other warm, as I explained the situation.
Things are getting beyond my control, Guy.
You’re doing just fine.
It doesn’t feel fine. I need you with me, to guide me—
Keep on doing what you’re doing. You’ll find the answers within yourself.
What does that mean? I’m too young for this. You have more experience than me. So does Ala. I’m only a kid.
Age isn’t important, Luke. It’s your attitude and self-belief that really matter. Focus on your aim and do it. Worrying about your age is a pointless distraction. What you believe in and how strongly you act upon it is far more important. Whether you are eighteen or eighty is irrelevant. It’s what’s in your heart that counts.
Will you come with me back to Britain?
For a while, at least. Yes.
I can help you find more numens.
You mean for me – or other people?
Both.
Guy went silent for at least fifteen minutes. I wondered if he’d fallen asleep and chose not to disturb him.
I do feel I have many more animals within me, Guy said at last.
Do you think you can have more than three numens?
I think it’s possible.
I allowed another five minutes or so of silence before continuing.
What are we to do with all these new and uninitiated numens coming into the world? It’s starting to get complicated. I’m worried there are some who don’t know how to use their new-found talents properly. What then?
Nature will take its course.
And your mother …
She is waking up slowly and starting to speak to me again.
I felt that asking Guy to explain this would make me look completely stupid, so I pretended to understand his meaning and settled back down to sleep myself. Since becoming Felis I’ve understood the skills and importance of napping and waiting, rather than rushing and making silly, unconsidered decisions just for the sake of it.
We stayed in the forest for two more days until Guy finally agreed to come with me, on the condition that we visit certain countries and tribes on the way home. He attached himself to my feathers and we shared many thoughts as we travelled.
Chapter Ten
Gene and I visit countries that have suffered from freak weather disasters. Earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods, supercell tornadoes. Frosts, winds and heatwaves have all contributed to poor harvests, thus more world starvation. Contamination of major water sources increases infection and outbreaks of fatal diseases. Not only are people dying, but species are disappearing after not being able to survive the changes in temperature. Or their habitat has been destroyed by rising water levels or bushfires. There’s not one pattern across the world. It just seems like nature is fighting back in a variety of ways. Tragically, the extreme conditions are not conducive to life. As if planet Earth wants to wipe us all out and start again. Noah’s flood. But where’s Noah? Is that me? Guy?
In Britain there has been major flooding in areas where no floods have ever been recorded. The combination of too much rain, hurricanes and severe frosts has wiped out a number of crops and insect species that certain plants rely on for cross-pollination. It’s causing havoc with the agricultural systems currently in place. Then, just when things are adapted and improved for the better, a flood or some other unexpected disaster occurs.
At least I don’t feel I have to do everything alone, which is too daunting and overwhelming. I can send Gene along to help with matters, and he’s now building a team around him to help take some of the pressure off me. It’s a huge relief – especially as Ala, Vriksha and the others have enough to do already.
Wales and Ireland, for example, were ravaged by the largest known swarm of locusts. Had they crossed oceans in their desperate search for food? I walked in the middle of one locust plague near Cork. Each insect was bigger than my thumb, and they knocked me over en masse as I tried to move amongst them – wearing protective body armour, of course. The mega-swarm was estimated in numbers of tens of millions, bringing darkness to the morning – as dark as a full eclipse of the sun. A new insecticide was used to control them, sprayed liberally from planes and helicopters – approved by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Great. Use poison to tackle another problem, Guy said wearily. When will people learn? Always coming up with short-term answers and never think about the consequences. The locusts are dead but now so is the soil and the creatures that keep it alive.
Guy was right. It did the job, leaving millions of dead locusts to rot over huge swathes of public land or National Parks. Thousands of volunteers worked innumerable hours clearing away the dead creatures. Then an unexpected cross-reaction occurred that made the insecticide also affect mammals, killing off whole herds of livestock, not to mention wild mammals, from mice to deer. Tragic scenes became common, of trucks filled with carcasses that were dumped into gigantic piles of flesh and hooves, only to be incinerated in smoke-filled flames, like some hideous ogre’s barbecue. Almost inevitably, people got infected – with many of the volunteers who helped losing their lives, or suffering with blisters, rashes and lung infections.
Happily I have found some positives that shine amid the darkness. Some farmers and landowners have learnt a lesson and are practising environmentally friendly forms of farming and land management. Gene and I visited organic and free-range farms where animals had habitats like those they would have in the wild, and where crops were allowed to grow naturally, rather than mass-produced merely for profit. Some of these systems worked beautifully and have had a wonderful impact on other species and local eco-systems. It is this ‘knock-on effect’ that is ignored by greedy producers who are only interested in their patch and their profit margins. They run their businesses or factories with no consideration for others and no sense of ‘working together’ for the good of the land or country.
The seaweed farms in Japan are an inspiration to me. Often working in teams or co-operatives, these farmers grow mozuku, nori and wakame in controlled sections of ocean, with the excellent benefit that what they are doing not only enriches the water with nutrients for endangered species, but directly helps repair nearby coral reefs. So Gaia Foundation awards them grants for their green production of a superfood, rejuvenation of dying coral and bringing life back to sections of oceans.
All our Gaia communities are encouraged to produce their own crops and basic food. Depending on where they’re situated, some have access to many acres of land, and so can experiment with different types of organic farming systems. One of the communities in Bedfordshire is spearheading research into integrated pest management which involves using certain bugs to ward off those that might threaten a crop. The classic example, of course, is using ladybirds to control greenfly. I was also very glad to hear that certain frog species are being tried out to keep locust swarms in order; always being mindful of the potential adverse impact of introduced species such as cane toads in Australia. Hawks and buzzards are trained to keep other birds and rodents from destroying harvests. Birds that don’t eat corn and wheat are encouraged to keep down caterpillar numbers. The research has far-reaching significance and we are leading the world in those areas.
And then there is no-till agriculture which has turned out to significantly reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, plus it’s better for the soil in so many ways, such as better water retention. This involves not tilling the soil but encouraging the see
d onto the land with the use of natural fertilizers. I saw a few examples of this around the world and all the farmers I spoke to told me it was less labour-intensive and better for the land.
‘The images we have of the American dustbowls in the 1930s were due to over-tilling the land,’ one agricultural scientist told me.
‘So why don’t all farmers use this method?’ Gene asked, sensibly. ‘Seems a no-brainer.’
‘There are drawbacks, of course. The main reason for tilling is to get rid of old crops and weeds. No-tilling has to combat weeds so herbicides are used – we’re working on natural herbicides, but it’s like anything in life … there’s never a simple solution.’
‘How about using animal species that eat that particular plant or weed?’
‘Hmm, possibly. The problem is in controlling them. How do you then stop that swarm or herd from attacking the neighbour’s fields and crops?’
I smiled. ‘If it were a swarm or herd of numens?’
‘Interesting …’
We offered him and his team a grant to look into these ideas.
Of course, there is more to be discovered in the realms of biodynamic agriculture, which sees things as a holistic system, treating a farm like a single organism allowing it to react to, and recover from, the many variables forced upon it. This involves skill and experience; a knowledge of how nature reacts to changes and demands put upon it. These ideas are not new, they’ve just been ignored for so many decades that the very land is in need of rest and resuscitation. Management of land, crops and animals demands sensitivity and compassion; an understanding of seasons, biodiversity, biological cycles, food chains – with the emphasis on long-term planning and sustainability. No chemicals or anything man-made is used. The answer to any problem must come from the natural world.
Gaia communities were also at the forefront of permaculture, which is closely aligned with those principles. The main concepts involve self-sustaining systems that emphasise natural patterns and unique features that already exist in each eco-system. If energy can be stored and utilised, then even better – particularly using water and wind power. Any kind of waste is put back into the system. Quite often, fields, orchards, forests, lakes and rivers form the basis of permaculture farming. Layers of plants, shrubs, trees and even fungi grow together and each species benefits from the other. The interaction of certain symbiotic plants and insects, for example, is encouraged. Or a certain plant that repels insects is placed next to a plant that might be damaged by that same bug.
I also set up research grants for work into forest gardening, rainwater harvesting, and a composting process where decaying wood is buried in the ground to help the soil retain water in those countries with long, hot, dry seasons.
I became a little careless and took to wandering about, meeting people and signing autographs. I even wrote on Facebook and Twitter where I’d be going – or at least, had office staff do it for me.
One Wednesday I felt safe in the communal centre of the London Gaia Community, where Gene had taken up residency and a leading role, surrounded by supporters and willing volunteers, when a man walked towards me with a friendly smile. He put out a hand as if to shake it and I nodded and stepped out towards him, when an instinct told me something was wrong. It all happened in a split second. I saw the flash of something metallic, and just as my security team yelled and leapt towards us, I changed into Falco and flew off. The loud blast of gunshot reached my ears and I looked down to see my men piled on top of my would-be assassin, grappling and pounding him into submission. I discovered later that one of my men – Luiz – had taken the bullet full in the face and died. We looked after his family, of course. But it was such a tragedy and waste of life. Who are these people who think that murder is the answer?
Although my thoughts went out to Luiz’ family and friends for the loss they’d suffered, it also hit me hard that I had to be more careful. I began to take the advice of my team far more seriously. Any public display now had to be planned and fully checked out. Next time it could be a hidden sniper or a bomb. It was a shame though, because people wanted access to me, but I could only do so much. Was I ready to be a martyr?
I feel that my strength is slowly returning.
Guy stayed with me. He lived in my hair, and I was often aware of his tickling footfall. Sometimes, he’d leap from me, attached to a silken thread. He took off and always guessed the exact length to spin, so that he landed perfectly on any given surface. I would try to keep still so he had a line to climb back up, but even a slight twist of my head snapped it.
‘I thought spider silk was supposed to be stronger than steel?’
It is. But only weight for weight. You can’t compare a thin thread with a sheet of metal. If you made two wires of the same diameter out of silk and steel – the one made of my silk would be five times stronger.
I had fun trying to hide an ocelot from the public gaze back in London. I asked him if he would be willing to present and announce himself to the world. I thought it would be great for people to finally meet the real individual behind this seismic change in the culture and knowledge of humanity. But he refused on the grounds that he couldn’t speak out loud, and would need me or someone trustworthy to ‘translate’ or interpret for him. It seemed silly, he argued, when I could do it.
Guy spent a great deal of time finding his other spirit-animals. He stayed away for many days at a time, underground or out hunting at night. His ocelot form was spotted a few times around Surrey and Buckinghamshire – including a few blurry and inconclusive photos that caused mild hysteria on certain TV networks and on various YouTube posts.
I loved that Guy’s numen was causing such a fuss. Numens were the new thing. It was cool to find yours and many people were gaining notoriety as they discovered their animal spirit. Lots of philosophers and academics tried to explain these irrational changes. Not only was it a miracle that blew modern scientific theories, but it meant a complete sea-change in exactly how we rationalise and understand reality itself.
Television programmes, films, books, songs and computer games cropped up exploring the idea of numens. Documentaries attempted to explain things, with scientists suggesting we’d reached the next stage of human evolution. It sounded right to me. That was the part that interested most people. My ecological message often got a little lost, which was understandable.
Many people out there were going through changes themselves and needed to be reassured or helped with understanding what was happening to them. It surprised me how many people were finding their numens. Was this something that had lain dormant within us all these years, waiting for someone enlightened to find the right ‘trigger’? Or had Gaia somehow moved us on in terms of evolution, as so many had begun to speculate?
One night I was awoken by an ocelot licking my human face. He must have got into my hotel room via a combination of feline stealth and spider size. He seemed excited.
Watch.
Before my eyes the fur retracted into the skin, the back legs stretched to twice the length and looked human, but the arms thinned and stretched into long, undulating … tentacles covered in suckers. The body shrivelled into something reminding me of a jellyfish, with transparent skin. The nose and mouth were a beak, and tentacles flapped out from the sides of the head and where the throat should be. All the while I stared, the human legs and abdomen remained. I didn’t stare long, but it was the bottom half of a woman.
The strange mash-up shimmered and burst into fractals of light, leaving the beautiful, spotted ocelot in its place.
I managed it before.
Which? The woman or the sea monster?
What? Sea monster? No, I was human.
For how long?
A few minutes. What did you mean, sea monster?
Looked like an octopus, or some sort of giant squid.
I see …
The next night I returned to my hotel late in the evening to find my door wouldn’t open properly. I pressed against whatever was
jammed up against it, and it opened enough for me to squeeze inside. I switched on the lights and at first I couldn’t make out the gigantic shape filling my room. It was just a giant mass of pink blubber, with a tangle of long ropes knotted over themselves and splayed against all four walls, blocking most of the window. But these weren’t ropes, they were tentacles. The head and body of the creature covered the width of the room – at least six metres – with eyes bigger than my head. On top of its skull like a triangular crest were its fins. This wasn’t just a giant squid – but a colossal squid. Only one or two of these had ever been seen or caught before. It had ten tentacles – including two longer than the others.
Guy!
My first thought was that it was too late, but the eye moved as did one of the longer tentacles. How long had he been out of water? How long can squids survive out of water? I had no idea. I leapt over the bulky body and under a limp tentacle, avoiding the suckers, to get to the bathroom, where I turned on the taps in the bath and sink, after putting in the plugs, and then switched on the shower.
Of course the apartment flooded but I didn’t care. I just hoped Guy would be OK. But he obviously wasn’t able to change in this dehydrated state.
After much shoving and coaxing, I managed to get a small part of Guy’s body under the shower. By now the bathroom was awash with ripples and waves. Tentacles criss-crossed everywhere, making moving about difficult. I turned off the sink taps but left the shower and bath taps flowing.
There was a knock on the door and some frantic voices.
Guy! If you have the energy, please change. This is going to be very difficult to explain.
Thankfully, I saw him shimmer and knew it meant he’d summoned up the strength. By the time I’d reached the door to let the hotel manager in, the tentacles had disappeared.
‘My God! I’m so sorry. I was running a bath and fell asleep on my bed. Of course, I’ll pay for all the damage …’
While the cleaners mopped up, I went with the hotel manager to her office to discuss how to word the insurance claims. My apartments would need new carpets and repainting, among other things, and they found me a smaller room to stay in meanwhile, but I felt so awkward, I decided to leave and find somewhere else to live.
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