***The following is an excerpt from Raina's Story ****
So this is what dying
feels like, Raina thought. It’s kind of peaceful.
It had all happened so quickly. Instead of crashing into it, her mind made
believe that the tree trunk had somehow opened by an invisible garage door-like
apparatus. Then she simply lost
consciousness. Her body felt
increasingly lighter as a warm corporal sensation lifted her up. The familiarity of it was comforting, and somehow
reminiscent of fading memories of her father. Through her eyelids, she absorbed
the light shining down from the heavens. She felt her body rising slowly between those
paternal arms. In no time at all, she
was placed gently on a bed of clouds. In
the distance, she could hear birds chirping the most beautiful song. The sun set in an instant and Raina drifted
off once more.
In her slumber, Raina saw Tam, dressed as he was the day she
left him. He was in the school yard,
swinging by himself. With eyes closed
and a serene expression, he pumped his legs back and forth. His little body climbed higher into the air
than seemed possible, and he appeared to relish in the feeling of the wind on
his face. As she watched, Raina heard
the tones of their song. When the intro shifted to the lyrics, Tam opened his
eyes.
Little one, arise
There you are Tam Tam.
Raina’s face pulled into a smile.
The sun has come.
His swing fell backwards, and Tam’s lips drew up in a
mischievous smirk. Be careful! Raina cautioned,
but bunked in the clouds, her voice was not audible on earth. His swing pushed forward. He let go, and launched himself into the air.
We take to the skies
“TAM!” Raina bolted upright. Disoriented, she looked around. She hadn’t been adrift on a bed of clouds
after all. She had been laid to rest on
a trundle filled with down pillows, and covered in a blanket of moss. She appeared to be inside a room in a wooded
cabin. In her confusion, Raina struck a
frozen posture as she surveyed her surroundings. Once she had determined that she was alone,
Raina slipped out from under her cover. She
lightly pressed her bare feet onto the wooded floor, and tip-toed to the
adjacent window.
Her brow furrowed as she peered out the circular frame. Raina was looking directly into a sylvan
canopy. Straight ahead was an abundance
of green foliage. Looking up, Raina
could see patches of blue and sunlight peaking through intertwined
branches. Below, she saw an incredible
height of grooved and knotted tree bark.
Raina was in a tree.
She turned her back on the forested scene, and slid down the
wall. She landed on the soft woody
floor, and dipped her head into her hands. The harshness of her uncertainty
told her that this couldn’t be the heaven she once thought it might be. She felt her cold fingers wring through her
auburn hair and knew she wasn’t dreaming.
The only logical explanation left was that Raina was losing her mind.
With this realization, Raina began to cry. She pulled her knees to her chest, and rested
her head on her arms as she whimpered helplessly.
Through her quiet sobs Raina heard a door open. Heavy footsteps trotted into the room.
“Rise and shine Love,” came the male voice from before.
She looked up, and her eyes found the short and pudgy bald man
who called himself Bartle. He was
holding a tray of food, and wore a dopey expression of excitement. For a moment, he seemed surprised to see an
empty bed. Then he turned to see her
small cradled form on the floor.
“Oh dear,” his eyes switched to concern as he approached
her. Bartle placed the tray on the
floor, and crouched down beside her. “What’s wrong?”
He may have been a complete stranger who had labeled her
with an alarming nickname, but Raina was somewhat comforted by the familiarity
of his presence. She turned her
tear-stained cheeks toward him and took in a deep breath broken up with a staccato
rhythm dictated by her spasming diaphragm.
Between gulps for air Raina explained, “I don’t understand what’s
happening to me.”
“You’re crying,” said Bartle.
Slightly amused by the response, Raina sniffed a brief
laugh. “I know that,” she went on. “But what is all this?” She gestured around the room. “Who are you?
What’s going on? Where am I? How did we get here? Why is this happening?” She
spouted off rapid-fire.
Puzzled, Bartle replied with a question of his own. “You mean you don’t know?”
“Should I?” Raina
shook her head. Her suspicions of
insanity confirmed, she fell back into sobs.
“There, there,” Bartle wrapped his arms around her. “It’s not all bad. I’ve brought maple fudge bars, and
honeysuckle tea for you. Try some, and
I’ll see if I can give you some answers.”
Raina obliged, and was glad she did. One sip of tea spread a warm feeling
throughout her core. She relaxed as she listened to Bartle’s answers. He needed prodding however, as he clearly
didn’t understand that she had no idea what was happening.
“Well, I’m Bartle,” he started. “This is where I live. I picked you up when you fell asleep on that
yellow vehicle, and brought you here in my mother’s coach.”
“But where is ‘here?’” Raina asked.
“The Royal Cypress,” He stated matter-of-factly.
“Soo…California?”
After a brief chortle, Bartle smiled at her. “Ah, I understand your question now, but I’m
afraid I don’t have an answer for you. This
place no longer has a name. Over the
years it has been called Guardian Forest, Spritely Woods, The Land of Celestial
Beings, Spirit’s Passing, and countless other names. Frankly, keeping track of
it all has been rather confusing for me.
I prefer just to call it Home.”
Her question still unaddressed, she spoke slowly, “is your
home close to mine?”
“The distance between two worlds cannot be measured, but it
does not take long to travel it.”
“I’m sorry, the distance between what?” Raina inquired, taken aback by this piece of
information.
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