Mine:

The village isn’t too large, and we all know each other. Looking around, I feel the energies around as they blow every which ways and are every color imaginable. My intuition is still growing as I am young, I’m not use to just knowing as everyone else is. It’s a fun mystery that I go though everyday, but Priestess Kayka has full confidence in my abilities as I’ve taken a great interest in following her footsteps.

After my own Pitfall, I was enamored by my memories and that though simple direction, Kalya could cause the spirits and elements of Tara to create such a vivid recollection, although now was much different. That felt was if I was trapped.

I haven’t been human in a long time as well, though I can’t recall the last time, my memories are still coming back to me. I hum to myself as I walk though the village, passing the others who are either doing different forms, allowing their bodies to flow with the energies around then. Flying around and enjoying themselves or talking with others. It’s rather quaint and I’m glad I was born here. My parents who birthed me have long since left the village to enjoy Tara.

Of the many that entered the Pit for Suzume, I find Don is relaxing by a fire with a few others who are all chatting about the event. He wears pants which are rather plan, most men like to have something more colorful or with a patterned. He also has no shirt and a necklaces of flowers from one of the children as they love to hand out gifts. His feet bare, we all enjoy the feel of the ground beneath them, Tara loves to have our touch upon her. I look down at my own two feet, my toes clenching as I dig into the dirt pathway when Don sees that I am approaching them. I hear him stand, walking over and putting an arm around my shoulder, “Come join us Mine, tell us your experience.”

I’m nervous…

I move out from under his arm, and he looks at me with confusion, “Mine...is everything alright?”

I feel happy as can be, yet, that emotion just seeped in like when I was talking with Kayka. Am I really feeling old emotions from back then. “Don,” I ask, as I quiet the thoughts, even that emotion, it’s not normal, I shouldn’t be like this. “tell me yours first.” I ask of him and he smiles with a toothy grin as the others around the fire let out a laugh, brushing off my unusual behavior, but I know they are all far more mature then I, they know something is off about me, but as I haven’t said anything they won’t speak.

“Well I was a white wolf, I went in as a companion, and I was in a wooden cage, I was pacing, then I began barking as I heard a ruckus. That is where it ended.” He says, now looking at me, his hair is past mid back and his eyes of that amber color that everyone in this village is known for.

My eyes are green and never until now do I feel self conscious about that as I stare at the others around the fire. Two other boys and three girls. All of them somehow irritating me and I know its from entering the pit...it’s feelings from when that, yet how is Don able to brush off his experience so easily?

“I’m unable to say.” I tell him as I rush off, my violet colored wings sprouting from my back as I turn on my heel and take flight.

None of them follow as I soar though the sky, just above the trees, though there are far larger ones that tower into the sky, some even reaching other lands that are embedded into the waters above. I try to clear my thoughts as I know it’s not me, these feelings and emotions, they are all from back then, they are all from my time with Suzume in the past, and they just now surfaced to be healed, but Kayka won’t give me any answers, “If I give you the answers, you wouldn’t learn anything, and the joy of coming to realize the answer yourself would be tapered.” Kayka’s voice enters the depths of my mind as I stop flying.

“Kayka. What is all this?” I ask aloud and her voice enters again.

“It will come in time, for now just go with the flow…”

“No, this isn’t like me, why am I acting this way.”

“Your emotions that have yet to heal are coming to the surface, go find Suzume and learn from her.”

Something comes from deep in my chest, a burning rage as I want to just stay as far away from Suzume as possible, I have never felt so much anger before and I know it’s not right, but I yell at Kayka now, “no, I won’t see her.”

I fly in the opposite direction I was flying even though I never thought about the direction I was flying in the first place. Kayka never says anything more as I try to escape these feelings, but they are apart of me, it’s illogical for me to run like this, I know that, but my body, my body just shutters from the thoughts of even going to meet Suzume now, something in me, just wants to kill her…

I stop in mid air and stare at the sun at the center, I feel it’s energies and I allow myself to bask, my mind falling blank and I am there for what feels like eternity when a voice calls out, “Mine?”

Turning around it’s Lou. He’s an older one, pure white hair that is braided and hanging over his shoulder, a fine shirt which covers his arms, while a skirt that stops below his knees. A simple pattern on them, his wings are that of a dragonflies. Levitating next to me, he wipes the tears that have been streaming down my cheeks and embraces me in a hug. “Kayka has asked that I share with you my experience.”

I’m so confused right now as Lou and I both descend to the ground. He calls upon nature to form a chair for me to sit on and does the same for himself. He waits for me to compose myself as I take in a few deep breaths. Of those in the Village, Lou is one of the oldest, we all compare our ages to his, where as he is around five hundred, I’m probably around twenty.

“These are new emotions for you?” He chuckles, but I don’t like it and I frown. “Aren’t you feisty.” He smiles, “I should say they are old emotions, ones that your soul has bottled up for a long, long, long, long time. Your soul probably forgot them.”

“Why do I have them. Why aren’t I able to smile and be happy like the rest of you…”

He holds up a finger as she stares deep into my eyes, they are intimidating but I can tell that he won’t give me that answer.

“Before the Fall, you where as everyone else is, you felt the love, the joy, everything, but now, because you were reintroduced to a past self of yours, your feelings and emotions from then will of course surface. Everything Kayka told you, you must do to over come these. You can’t go forward without facing the past.”

“Then let me face them now, why do I have to carry these emotions.” I yell at him and he continues his loving stare, those eyes reaching the depths of my soul as he lets out a laugh.

“Your soul is very much a child still, being impatient isn’t going to help you. This in it self is also a lesson...you’ll do well to learn from it. Plus you need to feel those emotions, the life which you lived never fully felt them, rather stewed in them instead…” He pauses and looks away, “I have to be careful, I can’t say anything more.”

My heart sinks as I hear his words, as I knew this would be the outcome, this is how it is but I can’t just feel them I want to go back to the way I was. “Why!”

This time he frowns, “throwing a tantrum isn’t going to help. I was also asked to tell you about my experience in there, as I went as a friend to Suzume...your thoughts before I came where you wanted to Kill her.”

I’m taken aback, as I look at him and he stares me down, that frown still on his face. “I have experienced that dark period a few times before, and although my wounds have healed from that time, death isn’t something to take so likely...When I went in I felt the somberness, the stillness and the utter emptiness of death. Suzume’s friend during that time was likely killed. I couldn’t be of any help to her.”

“Remember your emotions are just that, they are there to help you feel, you can be happy, you can be sad, you can be angry, and you can be mad. But acting on them is where many people from that time were adversely affected. Emotions are but water on your skin. Let them flow over you, but do not act on them. You are still a child, both in this form and in spirit. But your soul will stop you before you act, if it ever gets that far.”

“It was just a stray thought,” I tell him and he smiles again. Though this feels more foreboding then before.

“If you act, you will have Tara’s wrath in the next life, you must consider all your actions and make the best choices. If you do that, then it will be returned to you. I know you understand that already, but I felt you should hear it again.”

Kayka’s voice drifts into my mind now as I look back at the sun, and Lou gives me a pleasant smile, “I’ll be off then.” His wings start to flutter as he takes off for the skies.

“Mine, I want you to meet with Suzume, she is with her parents right now...extra precaution until you’re able to settle into these new energies a bit more.” Her voice light as she then tells me where they are at. “They are aware of the situation, but you must speak with her alone...both of your souls are asking for some alone time.”

I take in a deep breath, thinking about what could happen makes me even more unsettled but I let it flow over me and after a few moments I take off, over the trees until I come upon an opening near the pond that we use to play and bath in, both Suzume’s parents are there watching Suzume play in the waters.

Gliding myself down to them, Suzume sees me and with a large smiles and rushes out of the waters. She runs into me as her parents are at a table watching from afar. Drawing forth a static bubble I pull out a towel for her, her under garments completely soaked. Kneeling down before her I start drying her off and she giggle, every moment to her is pure bliss and her parents look to be at ease.

“Suzume, how are you this moment?” I ask kindly, though I can already feel an irritation.

“I’m ticklish,” she laughs while I continue to dry her. This isn’t unusual for us as we all come out here to play on the beach, a few of us, or all of us. Even alone. We’re all family in a spiritual sense so we helping each other isn’t out of the ordinary, it’s just these emotions.

“Please stop…” I whisper under my breath.

She expresses confusion from under the towel, “Mine, stop what?”

Her voice is still so cheerful and it’s not right, she shouldn’t be happy right now.

“Why are you happy?”

She looks taken a back, and I see her parents still watching, but they remain where they are.

“I’m happy because I love love.” She says, but there is hesitation in there, as if she is unsure what to say.

“How can you love love,” I question her, my voice growing stern, “It’s not that simple.”

I feel her sadness as she looks at me, I help her wrap the towel around herself, but she is silent and she looks into my eyes again, “I am very happy. I am very loved.”

“You shouldn’t be,” I tell her with bitterness, not even sure why I said so and she bursts into tears, leaving me and rushing back to her parents while I stare at her going. “Is this want you wanted Kayka.” I ask her in my head, directing my thoughts at her. I feel sad for making Suzume cry, but at the same time, there is a bit of happiness in me. Like I am glad I told her that.

“That’s what you wanted, that’s what you needed.” Kayka says, “you will have many more interactions, try not to hurt each other too much as you need to heal this. It’s going to cause friction between you to, but you’ll both come out better for it.”

I nod, accepting it and I give one last glance at Suzume’s parents as they comfort her. I both want to move forward and don’t. But Kayka pops in one last time, “Be sure to not let fear prevent you from doing this. You will be happy once it’s all over…”

“I can’t be happy now?” I question and Kayka’s voice trails off.

“That is up to you.”