With the sun moving lower on the horizon, I ask Maeya, Would you walk around the village with me and just observe everyone celebrating? She smiles and simply says... "yes". I take her by the hand... we walk for a while, observing all the happiness around us. Hmm... I'm feeling a bit unusual now as we're walking. I seem to have every one of my five senses heightened... I find myself examining details of the life forms around me in a new, fascinating light. The birds' songs seem to be so beautiful. I seem to notice every subtle shade of color in the flowers as we walk past them... they seem to just leap out at me! Maeya's hand feels so warm in mine; it's such a pleasurable feeling... I really can't describe it!
Turning to look at her, I ask; Maeya, will you stop walking for a moment and turn towards me? She stops, and looks my way. I let go of her hand and place my palms on both sides of her face, as I look into her eyes. I tell her... Maeya, you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. I don't know why I've never told you that before! She stares at me for a few seconds, doesn't speak a word, and places the palms of her hands over my ears… pulling me closer to her until our noses just touch. She thinks about that for a moment, and starts to giggle. "Do you think my nose is funny looking Maeya?" She starts to giggle again; her eyes close tightly as she backs away. Facing me, she cups both her hands over her mouth. Her eyes are now wide open looking at me, and I can see tears streaming down her face. She is laughing so hard she can't stand up straight... she bends over a bit, placing her hands on her knees. "O.K. Maeya, that's it... come here"! With that, I thrust my arms out, while taking a step towards her. She turns and tries to run away from me. She’s still laughing so hard, she can't move very fast! I take a couple more quick steps, but she darts to the right in a sideways motion, bumping into me, and makes us both spin into a half turn and fall down in the grass next to each other.
We're laughing so hard we can't speak! I'm lying on my side looking at her. Her eyes are still closed as she laughs, and the tears are streaming down her face. "Maeya, look at me!" She opens her eyes briefly and I tell her; hey, you know those fine ingredients you told me that you used to make the ganzhia? Well Maeya ... you have certainly outdone yourself this time! She bursts out laughing again, closes her eyes, and her tears just flow!
She's still lying on her side turned towards me. She lifts her arm and places her palm on the side of my face. She stops laughing for a moment and just stares into my eyes. What is she seeing? I can only wonder what thoughts and images are streaming through the mind of this absolutely fascinating woman! A strange feeling is coming over me... I feel that time is standing still around us, and I'm getting lost just looking into her eyes.
Hmm... looking deep into her eyes, it seems like I'm being drawn into them... like slowly but surely spiraling downward into a vortex. Oh … something really weird... images of the thousands of life forms around me are blazing through my mind in a dizzying and dazzling array of color and motion. I see and experience the life cycles of the flora and fauna around me passing in an endless procession of birth and death... lives passing and giving life to the next generation... the eternal unending circle of life. I have an overwhelming sense of an overarching benevolent presence in all of this, expressing endless love for all that is taking place within my consciousness. All is as it should be and all that is ... is brought forth from love! ...
Hey... what has happened? ... It seems that only a few minutes have passed since Maeya and I were walking, but it's already getting dark! Where did the time go? Was I dreaming? It was so strange and profound!
Gathering my thoughts, I lay on my right side facing Maeya; she's looking into my eyes as she rests quietly on her side. I say; let's lie on our backs and look up at the sky. As I turn onto my back, she moves from her side onto her back. She moves to her left, up against me, and I place my arm under her head as a pillow. Looking up, my mind is captivated with the beauty of this sky at night. Maeya... Look at all those stars! It is an incredible sight. With not a bit of artificial light around to spoil the view, everything in the heavens is absolutely brilliant.
For the first time I notice numerous faint smudges of light that I know are distant galaxies. Perhaps, one of them is Earth's Milky Way! There is just no way to tell where I am. Is this planet in another galaxy, or a parallel universe? Well, it really doesn't matter anyway. Maeya, have you ever just looked up at the stars at night and wonder what they are? She thinks for a moment and replies, "The lights are so beautiful. Tonight, everything up there seems so much brighter. At times I wonder what those lights are. They must be fireflies that are so very far away". I smile to myself about the beautiful simplicity of these things in her comprehension.
Pointing at the stars, I tell her, perhaps there are other people out there that travel about going from one light to another light. She has a puzzled look on her face and thinks about that for a moment, bursting out in another round of giggles. I move my head to the right against hers and say, what's so funny? Still giggling, she says; tell me how those people have made their hut fly through the air Zhimm! I start laughing myself until tears are also streaming down my face. That sets off more giggles from her and I tell her; Yes Maeya... that was sure a silly thought, wasn't it!
She turns on her side and presses up against me; laying her head on my shoulder, her forehead up against the side of my face, and lays her arm across my chest with her hand on my left shoulder. She says, Zhimm... I'm tired. With her laying up against my side, I can both feel and hear her breathing as I lay on my back, very still. A few moments pass and I'm noticing that her breathing is becoming shallower. In just a few minutes, I realize she’s sound asleep. I lay here on my back looking up at the stars. There is only one moon visible now... the smaller green one. I lay here still amazed at the brilliance of so many stars upon the contrasting deep velvety blackness of the sky at night.
The sounds from the village are much quieter now, and the noises from the night insects are becoming dominant. I'm laughing to myself... thinking about the children running up to Maeya and I with such exuberance. I'd be willing to bet that they "tapped" the ganzhia bowl... before it was passed out at the feast! As I look up at the sky, with her asleep in my arms, I think about my love for this people, and this place. I wouldn't trade this night with any other in my life. Growing weary myself, I slowly turn my head and gently kiss her on the forehead. I raise my right forearm, placing my palm around her shoulder. She moves very slightly with my touch, pressing her face just a bit more into my shoulder. I close my eyes, and drift off to sleep...