A few hours later...
Darkness will soon be closing in fast, so we roll out our blanket on the mesa and sit and watch the sun setting over the forest canopy. We're just watching the large flocks of birds thinning out as they seek places to roost for the night. The sunset is so beautiful from this vantage point... it looks like a painting!
The sun is but a glow over the horizon with brilliant yellow and red colors tinting the clouds. We can feel coolness in the breeze, now that the sun has dipped below the tree line. "Zhimm, will you get the extra blanket out? I think we'll need it tonight". Taking the blanket from the backpack, I leave it rolled up at our feet. As the darkness deepens, we lie on our backs and look at the stars.
We hear the rustling of the wings of nocturnal birds occasionally, as well as the lonesome calls of wolf creatures. Those creatures really seem to get her attention. When they howl, she listens very intently to them. One would almost think that she knew what they were communicating... no... does she?
Again, I'm just amazed at the clarity of the dark sky here in this world. I know I am looking into the vastness of millions of light-years distance from here! My old astronomy buddies would give their left arm to see a sky as deep as what is above me! She says; I've never seen so much of the sky at night as I'm seeing now... there is nothing blocking the view and it's so beautiful! Yes, Maeya... this is something I know I'll never forget! She reaches over to the rolled up blanket, and unrolls it over us. She turns toward me and says; Hold me close to you. I turn towards her and pull her against me. I lay my head gently on hers and feel her breathe with me... her heart beating next to mine. She has no more words to say, she just wants my arms around her. We fall asleep…
Morning...
After waking, walking along the lakeshore we make our way to the entrance of this land to bathe in the pool alongside the first waterfall. Before we get out of the pool, we just stand in the water for a while with our elbows propped on the edge of the pool, looking out over the lake. We're just watching the birds at the island in the lake going about their activities. Looking over to the other side of the mountainous rim, a breeze is blowing the flowers along the path back and forth in waves. There are so many different colors in motion; it looks like I'm looking into a kaleidoscope! The beauty here is astounding... I just can't get over it!
After our bath, we walk along the lakeshore and decide to sit down and eat breakfast under the shade of the trees. As we are eating, she seems unusually quiet... I can tell something is on her mind...
Finishing up our meal, she says, something happened to me while we were on the mesa yesterday that I'm really having a difficult time putting into words. I was sitting with you, looking out over this land, and found my inner being flooded with images and information in a manner that I've never experienced before. Since that happened, I now have so much more of an understanding of what is taking place around me. I'm seeing relationships between the life forms here in a far deeper manner than I have understood previously. I'm seeing species of plant life in my mind that exist here that are of benefit to our well being that I haven't noticed before... and Zhimm... there is something else...
She stops speaking for a few seconds, gathers her thoughts and says; Please turn towards me and come closer. I turn and face her, looking her in the eyes. She gently places her hands on my face and says, May I ask that you trust me again? "Yes Maeya... always." Close your eyes. I do as she asks. She says; I want you to clear your mind and just sit calmly. I do as she says, not thinking at all and ... Whoa! ... I see an image slowly forming in my mind... what is it? ... It's slowly getting clearer now... it's Maeya! She's standing with her arms outstretched to me, and there is a bright yellow aura shimmering all around her... I can see nothing else. My being seems to be slowly moving towards her image... it's so strange. I'm feeling like I did while I was hovering over the mesa... out of body. My being is nearly in her arms... Her arms start to wrap around me and pull me tightly against her. Whoooaaa! What's happening! This is so strange... my consciousness... is starting to merge into hers! I attempt to pull back... "Maeya!"... I can hear her thoughts clearly speaking to my inner being... Zhimm... don't be afraid! ... I love you... trust me! Hearing her words, I just... let go.
My entire consciousness immerses itself into the image that is now embracing me. At this instant, I am completely overwhelmed with the thoughts she is thinking and emotions that she is presently experiencing. We are one being! How is this... my god, I can't believe this is happening... this is awesome! I am experiencing everything that she is feeling at this time... her love is so intense for me! I can feel her emotional being responding so intensely to my love for her! This is so far beyond words! What is happening to us now is so far beyond even the physical intimacy of our relationship... this is incredible! My words seem meaningless to describe what is happening... There is presently nothing else but the powerful energy of love flowing into us, through us ... we are one... we are one! This is so ... how can I describe this... like we are embracing in the midst of a waterfall that is cascading down upon us... rivers of love from her being are pouring out upon me. I know and feel every response from her innermost being as my love for her flows over her... She knows and feels my every thought and emotion... and I hers... everything in my innermost being that I feel for her... She knows!!
Wait... no...
Maeya! ... no!... Slowly... I feel my being starting to withdraw from hers... I'm moving away ... her arms still reach out for me as I'm moving slowly but steadily away from her image... no ... not now!
... no longer immersed within her embrace... her image is fading into blackness in my mind.
I am again opposite her... and I feel so alone! I slowly open my eyes and see her still sitting as she was... now with eyes closed and tears streaming down her face. I speak softly... Maeya? It takes a few seconds for her to respond, but she slowly opens her eyes as I wrap my arms around her and gently lay her down on her side, facing me. We look into each other's eyes and tears just flow from mine... Maeya, my god, I'm... She can hardly speak... she softly whispers; Zhimm... there are... no words to say... just hold me... don't let go. We just lay here and let time move on...
Later...
We gather our belongings and take one last walk to the mesa. We stand and embrace... just taking in all we can of the view before heading back. I'm still so overwhelmed by what took place earlier... I have to ask her; "Maeya, while we were under the shade trees, how did you"... she interrupts saying, what we’ve shared was a gift to me from the Life Force. I'll cherish what we’ve experienced here for the rest of my life. Looking into her eyes, I simply say, Maeya, you know I feel the same way.
Turning towards the lake, we slowly walk down from the mesa without speaking. I think the experiences we've shared in this place are still overwhelming us. Now that we're alongside the lake, I lead Maeya from the path and down to the shore of the lake. Standing at the shoreline, we kick our sandals off. Both of us take a seat on the sandy shore facing the island in the lake with our feet in the water. At this time, the sky is partly cloudy, allowing us to see into the water a short distance past our feet. We sit very still and watch a school of fish swimming close to us. They detect even a very small movement of my feet and very quickly vanish from view. You know, I still can't get over the peacefulness of this place. Even the sound of the water cascading down the rim on the other side of the lake has such a calming effect on us!
Hmmm... our eyes meet without speaking a word... it seems Maeya has the same idea at the same time that I do! We turn towards each other and embrace with a kiss. As our lips meet, she closes her eyes and we recline right here on the shoreline. Lying here with her in this beautiful place... it seems like there is nothing else to think... much less worry about at this time... nothing in this entire universe to do other than embrace this woman I love...
Later...
We make our way back to the path on the shore. Again, we refrain from speaking as we are on the path walking; we just walk slowly hand in hand. As we approach the entrance to this land, I say; Maeya, it's going to be so difficult to leave this beautiful place, but I think we should start heading back to our village... back to our people. "Yes... we should... I feel like I could stay here for the rest of my life with you, but we have loved ones that are also a part of our lives. You know, I'm so glad that you brought me here with you!" I wouldn't have dreamed of coming here without you Maeya... well... let's start heading back! We strap on our backpacks, and approaching the entrance, we stop and turn around towards the lake... taking our last look. Tears well up in her eyes as she says, Will we return to this place someday? Yes Maeya, I would love to return here someday with you! She smiles and takes my hand as we turn toward the entrance again and walk away from the Land of the Waterfalls.
On our way home...
I've noticed something different about Maeya as we’re traveling through the forests since leaving the waterfalls. She seems to be more distracted by our surroundings. Stopping, I say to her; Maeya, you seem to be preoccupied with something... what's going on? "Remember that I told you that my encounter back at the falls had left me with a greater awareness of the life forms around me"? Yes. "Well, I'm seeing quite a number of things in the forest around me that I've never noticed before and I'm making mental notes for later. I know that we'll be real busy for the first couple of weeks of our new life together in the village. We'll have our celebration to look forward to, and we'll have to spend some time preparing our hut for our life together. Maybe in a few weeks after we get back I can follow up on some of the things I've been shown and put them to good use". I tell her; Maeya, I’d like to be at your side as you do if you don’t mind. She stops walking, looks me in the eyes and smiles as she wraps her arms around my neck pulling me close and says; I was hoping you'd say that!
Walking along, I have time to really think about my life here...
My life has changed so much since I've been in this world, and especially since I've entered into this relationship with Maeya. This world is a wild, wonderful, beautiful place to live, but I never would have fully appreciated what is all around me, had we never met. When I first started to talk with her, I was attracted to her, not only physically, but also because of the quiet "mystery" about her. Now, I still appreciate her physical beauty, but because of her I see this world... everything around me, with new eyes. Talking with her, on the many walks we have taken through the forests and the grasslands of this world, has been an extraordinary experience.
When I first arrived in this world, I immediately noticed the many varied life forms that were interacting all around me. It was quite a change from Earth, where nearly everything around me was non-living... concrete, asphalt, steel and glass. There, real nature was practically non-existent. Even when I was away from the cities, in the rural areas of Earth, the land was just a pale shadow of what surrounds me in this world.
Since I've been with Maeya, I've learned to be observant of what takes place around me. As we spent time together, she would point out even the simplest form of life to me and was able to draw my attention to things that would display the complexity and wonder of wild nature. Since then, I've grown to love being among all the flying, crawling, swimming, running creatures that surround me... birds, mammals, fish, reptiles... all of so many varying species. Besides the animal life all around us... the incredible diversity of the plant life ... the many medicinal plants for our well-being, as well as the uncountable species of beautiful flowering plants all around us that support the insect life. Insect life that supports the pollination of all the fruit and vegetable plants to make for such a varied and wholesome diet for all the animals here... and us! Natures microbial, as well as mycelial life... the fungi, acting as the almost unseen "recyclers" to take that which has experienced death in the forest and reclaim it... turning it into rich soil to bring forth and nourish life again... to make (and keep) this world such a beautiful and abundant place to live. It's all about balance... the incredibly complex and delicate balance that intelligence far greater than ours has set in motion.
Trying to think back... to my old life... I fully realize the meager existence that my fellow humans and I lived under... a world where the natural beauty and wonder of wild nature had been crushed underfoot and paved over with asphalt and concrete. We were all too blind to see that we were so much the poorer as an artificial soul-less man-made system relentlessly destroyed and replaced that which was so wonderfully placed into existence by the Creator of All Things. I believe that if only we all could somehow see a "vision" of our Earth, like what I saw of this planet while at the Waterfalls, before the human race began to tear nature apart, we would finally comprehend the incredible stupidity of our actions.
After seeing this vision, we would finally turn inward... looking into ourselves as we ask the question... is what we see all around us now... was it worth the loss of paradise? We now have a ravaged, sick and dying world... and we find ourselves completely dominated by those that only see Earth as an economic opportunity for themselves... at the expense of everyone and everything else.
As I'm thinking these thoughts as we're walking along, I take Maeya by the hand and just smile at her. She looks me in the eyes and her face just seems to glow as she smiles at me. It seems she knows the thoughts I'm thinking of her world at this time... I believe she does! My love and appreciation for her is just something I can't put into words!
Later...
It began to rain as we were nearing the village closest to the land of the waterfalls. When we came into the village, we stopped at Shura's hut. She promptly rounded up some of her neighbors and they were kind enough to prepare a vacant hut for us to spend the night in. Come morning, Maeya and I thanked all for their hospitality after having breakfast with them.
Late in the morning of the next day…
Entering Sar and Giff’s former village, Romm and Kara saw us coming up the path to the entrance and ran out to greet us. We all gave each other a big hug. They wanted to know how the journey went, so we spent some time in their hut with them. After chatting for a while, we attended one of the villages outdoor “get-togethers” and had a good time socializing with their friends and neighbors. We stayed the night… sleeping in the hut that Sar had mentioned to us. We made sure we got up and got going early the following morning in order to get a good start on the last leg of our journey.
The next day...
We’ve made sure as we traveled today that we didn’t take too much time when we stopped to eat and take rest breaks. We want to make sure we arrive home before nightfall. We’re starting to fatigue but we know we’re so close to home!
Later in the afternoon …
We'll be exiting the forest very soon... we’re probably about a mile from our village now. It sure has been a long and physically demanding journey! We’re still so overwhelmed by our experiences at the Land of the Waterfalls, as well as the many natural wonders of the places we have seen between the villages, but now we’re tired and just want to be home with loved ones.
Emerging from the forest, we make our way past the sibannac fields. There's no one working there now as we walk past. In the distance, we see our village. As we quicken our steps, Maeya's face is glowing with the expectation of seeing our loved ones and just being home with them again. We see people moving about the village!
As we make our way under the shade trees where the squirrels chase each other, she says, Look! We see a few villagers running towards the hut areas and they seem to be saying something to the others up there. We're jogging up the path into the hut areas. While we jog, we slip off our backpacks and just cast them alongside my hut. She spots Trem and Leea and takes off in a run. I'm falling behind... I can't keep up with her!
She cries out... Mom! ... Dad! Looking around, I see the entire village gathering around Trem and Leea's hut. Maeya gets there first and throws her arms around her parents... her tears just streaming down her face. I finally catch up... reaching out; I wrap my arms around all of them. Leea says, Oh Maeya, I'm so glad to see the both of you again! We've missed you so much! Leea places the palms of her hands on the sides of Maeya's face; looks into her eyes, and her tears just flow like water. She takes her fingertips and places them on the lavender coloring on the corners of her eyes and cries, Oh Maeya... I'm so happy for you! She pulls Maeya against her, resting her head on her shoulder… embracing, still weeping.
Trem, with a big smile on his face, hugs me and says, Welcome home son! "I'm so glad to be home, Trem!" After he hugs me, he turns to Leea and says, Leea, may I give our daughter a hug? Leea reluctantly lets go of her and takes a step back, wiping her tears away. Trem wraps his arms around his daughter and gives her a big hug. Maeya says, Oh dad, I missed you all so much! She buries her head in her dad's shoulder for a few seconds and cries. Reaching up, she gives him a kiss on the cheek. Trem places the palms of his hands on Maeya's face and looks at her closely. Tears well up in his eyes and he says, Maeya... my precious girl... I love you so much! He pulls her close to him and places his hand on the back of her head, and gently pulls her head against his shoulder.
Sar and Terra are right alongside, waiting to greet us. Trem lets go of Maeya as Terra steps up with tears in her eyes and pulls Maeya with both of her arms towards her. "Sis, I am so happy to see you again. You look so beautiful!" Sar grabs me and gives me a big hug and we clasp hands. He says, Congratulations Zhimm... and it's great to have you back! "It's great to be back Sar!"
After greeting the family, we speak briefly with all the villagers who are here to welcome us home. It's such a great feeling to see this outpouring of love from all of them! After we chat briefly with everyone, they wish us well and leave so that we can be with our family. Trem, Leea, Sar and Terra are alone with Maeya and I, in front of Trem's hut. Sar speaks up and says, Zhimm, Maeya, we have something to show you! "Ok, we'll follow you." Sar and Terra lead the way, with Trem and Leea behind them. Maeya and I hold hands, following behind them. They walk us over to my hut and they all stand to the side of the entrance. Sar says; why don't you take Maeya in your hut now? "Ok." I take her by the hand as I step through the entrance and help her through.
Now inside, we look around. For a minute, I thought I was in the wrong hut! Everything inside is new! There are all sorts of rolled up items on the wall, a new table, two new chairs, and a brand new bed that is made for two! Even the cloth coverings for ventilation and windows have been replaced! Maeya is speechless and so happy at the sight of it all! We run out of the hut and hug them all again. Sar says; so many in the village thought that you could use some new items in the hut. They said they wished to contribute their time and make you these fine things. "Sar, this gift to Maeya and I was so thoughtful. I thank you, and I will thank the villagers."
With that, Trem says; let’s let Maeya and Zhimm rest after their long journey, in their new home, and we'll see them tomorrow. We wave goodbye to them as they make their way back to their huts. We enter our hut and look all around at the new furnishings that the villagers have made us. She tells me; this was so very kind of them. They love us so much! "You're right. It's great to be home among loved ones, isn't it"? Yes, I'm so happy to be back home... and so tired! "I know. Let's just have a small meal and go to bed". She says; Sounds good to me!
I notice the villagers have left some fruit and nuts in a couple bowls on the table for us, so we just eat a little from that. We’re really more tired than hungry or thirsty but we need to eat and drink something before going to bed. We hadn’t eaten in the forest as we were nearing home because we wanted to save the time and make sure we got home before dark. We're not talking much while eating; we're just too tired!
After eating, we just crawl into bed... it's not even totally dark yet. Maeya curls up against me, and is asleep in less than a minute! I just take a few glances around the hut... looking at all the new things and fall asleep...