by Lucia Ashta
Kaanra arrived at the Temple of Na’anesh Kal as the sun was setting. The sky was afire with fluorescent oranges and pinks. He slid his pack from his back and leaned against the trunk of a tree. He could have traveled with a horse, but had decided to travel by foot instead. He had chosen to make this a pilgrimage and to devote it to his gratitude in finding the appointed ones. As his pack thumped to the ground, Kaanra regretted that decision.
Dedicated to the ways of the temple since he was seven years old, appreciation for the beauty of life imbued his thinking. Kaanra looked at the sky with amazement. The colors were so vivid, as if an artist had sopped up as much paint as possible on an enchanted paintbrush before flinging it wildly across the sky.
Kaanra turned to look at the temple and saw right away why the town’s founders had named the area Na’anesh Kal. The river came right up to the edge of the temple’s lands and blessed everything it touched with a brilliant green, making it truly the town of the green valleys. The widespread canopies of ancient trees hovered over the temple.
As Kaanra approached the temple, and the sand gave way to thicker, lush grasses, he kicked off the shoes he had made from the hide of elk. He had worn them thin over this arduous journey. The grass felt delightful on his feet and between his toes. His tired face cracked into a smile.
As Kaanra reached the entrance to the Temple of Na’anesh Kal, he saw an old man bent by age. Kaanra waited at the gate for the man to admit him, but the man continued in his duties without paying Kaanra any mind. After realizing that the man would continue to ignore him, Kaanra struck the ancient bell that had stood stoically by the gate for centuries.
The old man finally looked up, but it was a young girl who responded to the bell. The girl was twelve or thirteen and dressed in the purple tunic of a pupil. Identifying Kaanra as a temple master from his white robe and long, braided hair, she admitted Kaanra into the temple’s grounds.
She had not seen the pendant Kaanra wore around his neck that all temple masters wore. Another master had given it to him at the time of his initiation, when he had declared his intention to be a teacher and guide for others at the temple. It was a six-pointed star, representing the coming together of heaven and earth, within a perfect circle. The circle symbolized the perfection of divine creation, both simple and understated all in one. The pendant was two inches in circumference and was made of dense gold. It was one of the few items of value that Kaanra possessed.
“My name is Gaala, and I am at your service if you should need anything,” the young girl said to Kaanra as she ushered him in. She bowed to him.
“Thank you, Gaala,” Kaanra said. “Who is that man over there? He ignored me as I waited at the temple gates.”
Gaala followed Kaanra’s gaze over to the man who was tending the plants as if he were completely unaware of their presence.
“That is Oka, sir. He has been at the temple for seventy years now. He is seventy-seven,” Gaala said. “He does not see well anymore. He cannot see more than a body length.”
Kaanra began to walk toward the old man slowly, making sure to approach him from the front. When Kaanra was close enough to Oka, Oka looked up. Immediate recognition showed on the man’s face—even with all the changes that age had brought on.
“Can it really be?” Kaanra asked softly, muttering mostly to himself as he focused on Oka’s face.
“Kaanra!” the old man yelled as he stepped forward to embrace his childhood friend. They had last seen each other at the age of fourteen when the masters had transferred Oka from Laresu’u Kal to the Temple of Na’anesh Kal to complete his training.
“Oka!” Kaanra called out as they held each other. They laughed, with tears in their eyes at the unexpected reunion.
“How are you, dear friend?” Kaanra asked him. “Has life treated you kindly?”
Oka’s expression turned somber. “I don’t know if life has treated me kindly, but it has dealt with me fairly, and for that I thank Creator,” Oka said. “What brings you here, my friend? I never thought I would see you again in this life.”
As Kaanra explained how he had found one of the prophesied twins, a mischievous glimmer sparked in Oka’s eyes, revealing a youthful spirit despite his advanced years.
Oka smiled. “I have been wondering for several years now when someone would come looking for our little one,” Oka said. “I have long been watching him. He is the one you are looking for. But first, let us find lodging, food, and a change of clothes for you, old friend. You are exhausted from your travels.”
“I would be much obliged, dear Oka,” Kaanra said, and he followed Oka into the temple complex.
Both temple masters had long ago learned the lesson of patience.
Kaanra ate in private chambers with Oka that night, sharing stories of their youth. The years peeled away as they laughed at the mischief of two boys who found ways to be carefree within the rigid life of the temple.
They determined that Kaanra should rest before meeting the special boy. Oka led Kaanra to a room much like the ones that the Temple of Laresu’u Kal kept for its guests. The furnishings were sparse and comfortable, but Kaanra was restless and barely slept. He was ready to start the day even before the sun came up.
As he did every day, Kaanra did a moving meditation with the first light. He relied on the practice to strengthen his connection to Creator. It was important to be able to hear divine guidance. He stood in a crouched position, leg muscles bulging from a lifetime of routine, and swept his arm across the front of his body with grace. He focused on his breath and stilled it even more.
In these moments, Kaanra was ageless. He straightened his legs and lifted up to balance on one, his arms out before him in steady unison. He looked out on the same River Haakal that traversed Laresu’u Kal and wrapped itself all the way around Arnaka. The river flowed out into the Hosuul Sea that engulfed the whole island with its sweet-tasting water. Kaanra allowed the calm of the water to wash over him as he moved.
When Kaanra finished his meditation, he returned to the temple complex and ran into Oka at the entrance gate. Oka was also returning from a riverside meditation. The first light of morning illuminated the old friends, softening the lines of age from their faces.
“Let me take you to the boy,” Oka said by way of greeting. “You must be anxious to meet him.”
Oka was right. Kaanra did not want to wait any longer to meet the other child who would play such an important role in the planet’s history. Kaanra followed Oka down empty stone corridors until they reached the central courtyard. There, an advanced pupil was guiding the apprentices through their own moving meditations. Kaanra knew there would be exactly forty-nine children ranging in age from seven to twenty-one. Oka and Kaanra waited at the edge of the courtyard.
Kaanra scanned the children and immediately found the boy. Though Oka had not described the child to him, Kaanra knew with certainty that this was the boy Oka had brought him to meet. Kaanra knew with just as much conviction that this child was one of the twins of the prophecy. The boy was a masculine version of Ashta.
Kaanra was transfixed. The children looked so alike it was as if they had been born of the same womb. The boy had shoulder-length, yellow hair and a lithe, athletic build. He had the same golden skin. Kaanra watched the boy move and felt like he was watching Ashta gracefully move her arms and legs.
When the pupils dispersed to have their first meal of the day, Oka signaled to the boy to approach them. The boy walked with confidence, but without arrogance. He was comfortable in his own skin.
When he stood before them, Oka said, “Kaanra, this is Anak.”
Kaanra looked into the boy’s eyes and could scarcely tell the difference between his and Ashta’s eyes. They had the same entrancing lion-like amber eyes framed in eyebrows that were slightly darker than their hair. Kaanra studied the boy’s features. He had a straight, well-proportioned nose and full, cherry-colored lips. Everything about the boy was almost identical to Ashta. They were not an exact dupli
cate of each other, but the similarities were so close that it was astonishing. When Anak bowed his head to Kaanra, Kaanra knew that his life was changing irreversibly.
Kaanra spent much of the day watching Anak go through training exercises, getting a feel for the boy. As night descended upon the valley, Kaanra and Oka sat in the small dining room reserved for the temple masters, discussing the fate of the children. The dining hall was empty, and they were able to speak freely.
“Do you think, Oka, that it is time to bring the children together?” Kaanra asked. “Or do you think they would benefit more from individual training for a few more years?”
Oka chewed thoughtfully on a peach. After several minutes, he finally spoke.
“Friend, I am not certain. Perhaps we should sit together under the stars tonight and ask the heavens for the answer.”
“So it shall be, wise friend,” Kaanra said. “Let us go now, for I am eager to see destiny unfold.”
And so it was that the two friends sat together under a full moon at the river’s edge, just as they had as boys over six decades before. They sat in meditation for a long time, in quiet companionship. They breathed in deeply, unhurriedly. The breath was life. They breathed out slowly. They breathed in the universe’s energy, and they breathed out that which no longer served them in a cyclical exchange of giving and renewal.
When they were still enough that they had nearly forgotten that they had come to this place to seek an answer, the guidance came through. Kaanra and Oka opened their eyes together, turned to each other, and said, “It is time that the children are united.” They said the exact same words at the exact same time. It was the result of revelation.
The next morning, Kaanra, Oka, and the other six temple masters of the Temple of Na’anesh Kal gathered to discuss the fate of the children. They decided that Anak would return with Kaanra to the Temple of Laresu’u Kal to complete his training with Ashta. They also decided not to tell Anak why he was leaving, but to allow the youth to see for himself.
Now that the temple masters had decided that the twins of the prophecy were ready to come together, there was no reason to wait. Kaanra set off with Anak the very next morning at first light. He had invited Oka to join them at the Temple of Laresu’u Kal, but Oka had insisted on staying behind despite Kaanra’s best efforts at convincing him. Oka, who found comfort in the routine of decades, especially now with failing eyesight, was too set in his ways to want to undertake the challenges of such a long journey and radical change.
The temple masters of the Temple of Na’anesh Kal gifted one of their horses to Anak to ride and Oka had insisted that Kaanra take his horse. Oka told Kaanra that he would not have need of a horse much longer as he believed that his time on the planet was drawing to an end. While it saddened Kaanra that he would not see his friend again in this lifetime, he was grateful to have Oka’s horse. Traveling by horseback would cut their travel time by more than half.
The childhood friends said their farewells. It had been an unexpected gift to spend time together again, and Oka stared at the fading figures wistfully. The sense of loss faded more quickly for Kaanra who was eager to see Ashta and Anak together; excited musings about what would happen when the children saw each other for the first time displaced any other thoughts.
“Come, Anak,” Kaanra said. “Let us go quickly.”
He nudged his horse into a soft gallop with Anak following closely behind.
12 Twins
Seven long days later, they arrived at the Temple of Laresu’u Kal after nightfall; even the boy of thirteen was exhausted. Kaanra and Anak deposited their horses in the stables at the edge of the temple complex, and Kaanra led Anak to his room.
They walked quietly through the halls where everyone slept behind closed doors. Temple life taught attunement to the earth’s cycles, and so everyone rested in the dark of night and rose with the sun. Everyone slept deeply on this night, except for Ashta, who felt inexplicably restless and tossed in her bed. Finally, she gave up on sleep and stood at her window to look at the pale waning moon.
Kaanra led Anak to an unoccupied student room. The bed was made, and the window was ajar, allowing fresh air into the space. A basin and pitcher rested on the small table next to the bed, and Kaanra showed Anak where to get fresh water. Then Kaanra, worn out from the long trip and feeling the wear all over his body, sought out his bed and left Anak to settle in.
Long after Kaanra lay asleep in his own bed, Anak looked out of his window at the moon. Despite his fatigue, sleep had not come for him. He still did not know why the masters had moved him from the temple that had been his home for the last six years. He did not know what the next day would bring nor how it would all look and feel in the daylight. Now, in the night, the temple felt cold and silent. He felt alone and far from what he knew. Little did he know that Ashta stared out at the same moon. The connection between them was already awakening.
The morning sun tinged the sky a beautiful rose color as Kaanra led Anak out of the temple complex to the water’s edge. Kaanra left Anak with instructions to reacquaint himself with the River Haakal, that same river that flowed through Na’anesh Kal, and then turned back toward the temple.
Kaanra went into the temple’s courtyard and beckoned Ashta away from the group meditation that was about to begin. All the pupils were already lined up; row after row of purple tunics stood at attention. Kaanra registered the surprise on Ashta’s face. She did not know that he had returned. Despite her delight, she did not show any outward emotion until they had turned the corner, and no one else could see them.
Kaanra stumbled backward a step as Ashta turned in mid-stride to give him a fierce embrace. Displays of affection were regrettably few at the temples. Though at first startled, Kaanra relaxed into her hug. He did very much love the girl.
“Welcome home, master. I missed you greatly,” Ashta said while beaming a joyful smile. “Where did you go that you were gone so long?” she asked.
“Come follow me, child, and you will soon see,” Kaanra answered. He was so excited to see how the boy and girl would react when they saw each other that he was almost giddy. Ashta’s enthusiasm was contagious, and the usually reserved temple master could barely contain his anticipation. The children were mirrors of each other. Staring back at one another would almost certainly be shocking to them both.
“Come,” Kaanra said again, grabbing Ashta’s hand in an uncommon display of child-like excitement. Nearly running, Kaanra led her toward the water.
It was perfectly set up for a surprise. Inadvertently, Anak had positioned himself in such a way that Ashta would not notice him until she was nearly upon him. He sat with his back against the trunk of an ancient tree, facing the water. The tree trunk hid him from sight.
Finally, though, Kaanra and Ashta reached the tree. Kaanra led Ashta by the hand and brought her around the tree so that she would face Anak. Kaanra tingled with expectancy. As Ashta rounded the tree, she stopped in mid-step and stood staring at Anak, transfixed, when he opened his eyes.
* * *
Elena’s vision ended abruptly, and she was left wanting more. The world she had seen was tantalizing and inexplicably recognizable, though Elena couldn’t identify it even with its familiar pyramids and desert.
“Marco?” Elena called out hesitantly. She didn’t know how long she had been under water; she hadn’t been aware of the passing of time. Goose bumps covered her skin, and she felt clammy. The bath water was cold.
Marco opened the door tentatively. His eyes grew wide, bringing Elena’s awareness to her body; with the intensity of her experience, she hadn’t even thought about her nakedness. Marco hesitated, uncertain of whether he should come in with her in the tub until she drew the curtain so it covered all but her face. After she did that, he entered the bathroom, closed the door behind him, and sat on the toilet lid.
“You have been in here a long time,” he said. “Are you okay?”
She nodded but then broke into gentle tears. “I don
’t know what is happening to me,” she told him. “I just had these visions of another time and place. Somehow, it was all so familiar. Am I going crazy? What is happening to me? Who am I becoming?”
“No, amore, you are not going mad. You are finally becoming sane. Illusion is crumbling around you very quickly, that is why it is so disorienting.
“I have never seen it happen so quickly for anyone. It did not happen that way for me. It must be very important that you awaken to your purpose if you are being moved along so rapidly,” Marco said.
Marco was concerned as he looked at her. Her entire system of preconceived notions and beliefs was being shattered, all in the matter of a day. It was a lot of stress for any person, but especially for one who had just finalized a divorce. His eyes were wandering over what was visible of her when he noticed goose bumps on her skin. He stood to reach his hand into the bathtub.
“Elena, the water is cold. You must be freezing!”
Marco drew the shower curtain open to turn on the hot water and, without thought, glanced at Elena. Once Marco saw her naked body, he could not seem to get himself to look away. She was beautiful. He was irresistibly drawn to her. Her body was a combination of rose and honey colors that was mesmerizing. His eyes ran the length of her while the hot water splashed over her feet and began to warm her.
He blushed. “I am sorry. I do not mean to be disrespectful. I just cannot seem to look away,” he said. “You are so beautiful. I have never seen such beauty as yours.”
Elena smiled at him. She understood; she was experiencing similar feelings. Even though Marco was undeniably a handsome man, to her he seemed like the most beautiful man on the planet.
“Thank you,” she said shyly. They were falling in love with each other. It was inevitable. It was destiny’s path.