by B L Barkey
It was him and her. He didn’t care how stupid his grin looked, as long as she was smiling back at him. And she was, even now. This gave her power over him. He knew this. But then she gave power back, keeping the balance. Both giving and taking through a foundation of trust. With this, they stood strong. They had some differences. She was keener on flirting and fun, seeming almost disinterested with any talk of serious things. Ammon enjoyed both light and heavy things. But that seemed okay. They would find their way.
“There’s my superstar,” she said, beaming as if she were a star herself. It was a wonder he heard her amidst the hum of the crowd around them. But then again, it wasn’t. For it was just him and her, after all.
“Nice of you to come down and mingle with us normal people. I thought you had finally taken your place in the sky.” Her green eyes flickered, stopping his heart for just a second.
“Oh come now, don’t be like that,” Ammon smiled, nudging her gently. She closed the gap between them and hugged him.
She was cozy and warm. So warm. This was how they always greeted each other. She was a hugger. Ammon was too, if it was Sadie he was holding. He squeezed her tighter, then breathed gently on her neck. It was less of a passionate gesture, and more of a tease, a tickle. She hugged him tighter, biting his shoulder with hot laughter, while squirming in his arms as if to push him away, while only pulling him closer.
She whispered in his ear. “I can’t believe you. You already have it all. And then you go ahead and summon the wind, no big deal. Like you two were old friends. Never mind that it’s only one of the seven elementals.” She wielded her pouty lip. “It’s not fair to the rest of us mortals.”
“Oh whatever,” Ammon laughed, lifting her from the ground. She giggled, then broke loose. Or at least, she loosened her hold as she turned and walked away, lacing her fingers into his and pulling him along. He tugged back on her hand for a moment, then followed.
“So did you like, hear this song in a dream or something? Did you write it while floating on the backs of turtles, surfing the waves of life?” He stepped in front of her with his left foot, tripping her. She stumbled and grabbed his arm, holding herself up. She pinched his side and he buckled, though not out of necessity.
“None too dramatic as that. Nor as cool,” he said. Her arm slid back down to laced fingers. “No it was more like several nights without sleep in the Index, searching for books about the history of our planet. I did my best to find things both factual and poetic. Turns out, it was mostly poetic.”
“Whatever it was, the wind liked it,” she said, sounding jealous, though he knew she was teasing.
“Have you ever looked into the birth of Proelum?” he asked.
“Hmmm,” she pondered, looking forward with a tight grin. “Not really on my own. I’ve attended some of the basic courses we have on creation. I’ve been to both the Worlds study courses, but you know how unbearably condescending Master Bozolf can be.
“I remember his courses about chance. How the odds of our world forming out of nothing from a spontaneous reaction were almost zero. How even my existence and your existence right now depended upon the survival of all of our ancestors, and how that also is a miraculous coincidence. I remember the words, but it still doesn’t seem to fit…
“It’s the opposite with your song,” she continued. “Though I can hardly remember the words, I can remember the feeling. It felt so…” she paused, searching for the right word.
“I dunno. This doesn’t fit exactly, but it felt peaceful. It felt like… remembering. Like you were telling me something I once knew, but somehow have forgotten. I dunno, I don’t like to think about that stuff too much. Not the whys. It just was. It hurts my head.”
She laughed and squeezed his hand again, but he had caught her meaning. She was done talking about heaviness. She was a soul of light things. She liked to be free, bouncing around like her golden hair, touching on the bright surface of many things. And so, they would do just that. He could be that for her tonight. They were headed to the Lake of Light, after all.
II
Soon they were walking on the rim of the light aura, as if walking along the ocean shore. They still held hands, drifting into the light, speaking as if they were a couple sealed through the covenant of marriage.
It was always like that between them. As if husband and wife, though some days they were like strangers. The whiplash of emotion was tough on Ammon. He was never sure how much more he could bare. Then, just before he would give up, she would return with her smile and laugh, captivating his heart once more. And so it goes, he thought. It’s worth it for moments like this.
The moon was high in the sky now as the night approached the twenty-second hour. Music beckoned from the Lake. It was a deep, rhythmic beat which seemed to conduct the chirps of the surrounding thrums.
The crickets were more obstinate in keeping to their own rhythm, their slight, quiet accents still adding something more to the songs. For the humans and beasts were from the same island and naturally harbored the same music flowing deep in their veins. It was in their blood. In their bodies. Whether intentional or no, they were weaved together by proximity.
High notes arose higher still, synthesizing a new melody to which the rest of the song would dance. Lower notes hummed underneath, creating a firm foundation for what was to come. And then, the highs and lows stitched together in a mild tale, leading to the next chorus. It was here that Ammon took his queue. He held Sadie at the waist, then pulled them both through the veil, submerging them into the trees, and into the light.
The trees around the Lake of Light had thick trunks and high leaves. This created the illusion of a distinguished wall between the forest and the rest of Proelum. As soon as they passed through the wall, they felt previously unnoticed weights lift from their minds and shoulders. Even their souls felt lighter, seeming to rise just slightly from their bodies, magnifying their consciousness.
They started to dance. They twirled around one another with modest sways to the rainy sounds of song. Both behaved a bit silly now, matching the mood cascading around them. Other couples glided by, winking as if they all presently shared the same secret. One secret with infinite combinations.
Fireflies were most abundant in this forest. This seemed to be the inspiration for the name of the Lake of Light. The tiny intelligences flickered, revealing their shapes and emotions for brief moments, before fading into the wooded backdrop.
Some settled upon Ammon’s head, then moved to Sadie. It was gentle, even ceremonial, dubbing them as part of the forest. It spoke ease to Ammon’s soul, though he felt his dancing quite inferior to hers. Perhaps she thought the opposite.
He wondered if he could hear her thoughts then, for their every motion was laced together. The fireflies collected upon them, complementing the smoothness of their motion. Approval from the natives of the wood, he thought.
The closer they drew to the Lake, the thicker the trunks became. They stepped over roots and acorns, turning every evasion into another step of the dance. They looked at one another, drifting closer, then pulling further apart. All while moving together into the light.
And then finally, they were there. Trees opened to water. Light showered upon them in a billion glorious degrees. Like stardust, Ammon thought, thinking back to his story. Somehow, he thought he heard Sadie thinking it, too.
It showered upon them. Lights of a billion, glorious degrees. Both paused as if it were a step in the dance itself. Ammon looked about, wishing he could take it all in. But it was impossible, even painful to try. Such beauty was better to behold for a moment, rather than grasping for it forever.
Fireflies blended with the light emanating from the waters, resting just above the soft beds of green moss. White rocks of perfect roundness were glowing around the cobbled beds.
The water was translucent and clear. Suspended within were miniscule particles of limestone and glowing insects, creating blue-green shades. The yellow light of the fireflies met wi
th the deeper green from the white stones. A third light beamed down from the moon, drifting down as feathers and stardust, defining a column through the canopy. Perhaps there are many kinds of light.
The wood kept the balance of thrill and peace within itself. Though some tried, yea, even many, to arouse excitement within others to disturb the peace, the endeavor proved futile. The trees rested upon passions, speaking reason and lullaby to those involved, guiding the desires within them to seek rest on the moss, or to dip in the pools, to cool and relax them.
Passions between man and woman were kept in this same balance, holding the desires centered between the two souls, where love grows the strongest. Boy and girl played, caressing each other with intent, only to fall asleep and awake with calmer affection.
The wood couldn’t forge love from emptiness. The love had to exist already, even if it were only a flickering candle. But if the seed of emotion was planted, the wood cultivated the love, holding it just as gently as it held the lights. Allowing it to float about and be free, to grow and illuminate the world without losing its shape.
It was easy for desires to run in either direction, often suffocating the love before it could really take root. The wood helped soothe both man and woman, bringing them to a place of remembrance where they would renew with the same basic truth. The truth that they were equal partners in life, who both wanted happiness for the other.
Hence, this was where couples came to grow closer. Where compliments or arguments ended the same, turning into laughing tumbles in the soft leaves and moss, before splashing into the warm, glistening waters. The wood blossomed the parts of a relationship which enriched the heart.
Physical bonds of such would come later, sealing the growth in new memory. This part was not meant to be done in the Lake of Light. It was not necessary in the Lake. It was not desired in the Lake. Which is to say, any who were in the Lake did not desire physical intimacy, for in those moments it seemed far inferior to the connection they shared with their minds, saturated in spirit and understanding. It was a scented, beautiful mess of sweat and emotions.
They spotted Viola and Tsusani, just as the large man knelt in front of the woman, holding her hand tenderly. She then knelt in front of him, accepting his proposal with brazen tears.
It was where parents wished their children to spend their social time, to learn of cultivating relationships and finding true love. It was where songs were written, where poems took shape with pen filled with ink of soul. It was where all weddings were held on the island, with each of the rings made from the glowing white stone from the lake bed. The ether stones.
Never was an ether stone removed unless it was to be converted into wedding bands that same day. After sealing their covenants to one another, the more often the couple returned to the Lake of Light, the stronger the glow returned to their rings, shining as a visible hope for the strength of each individual family. Which, in turn, became the strength of the entire island.
The words echoed in Ammon’s mind once more. The words that had come from his performance. We are one. One island. One family. It was true. If each marriage united two people as one, sealing children born in their covenants to them, then each family on the island would eventually be sealed together. Taking care of one’s immediate family was just a simple, natural strategy for sealing each branch together to the overall tree. A metaphorical family tree. We are one.
The deepest part of the pool was twenty feet, though this was only near the northernmost side where the rock wall started the cliffs leading to the North Hills. Few ventured there, for it was the darkest and least thrilling. The rest of the pool was anywhere from three feet to five, dropping off almost instantly from the edge of the moss beds.
The water was always the perfect temperature, feeling almost as if you were not in water at all, but instead another form of matter, smoother and healing. It made you lighter and slower, absorbing all tension. It was water, to be sure, though it felt as if something more.
The trees held in the humidity, making the air itself almost sparkle as it reflected the lights from all around. It bent the incoming light, reshaping it into different colors, though the predominant colors remained as ten thousand hues between yellow and blue. The trees themselves were included in the name of the Lake of Light, for it was difficult sometimes to distinguish the different sensation between the water and the humid air. It was a wonderful feeling, or so Ammon thought.
As if all things were floating there. Cares and worries became so light, they almost drifted away, and sometimes for good. Perhaps this was the inspiration for the name, as the Lake of Light enlightened the mind of all who entered.
There were scattered groups of Cephasonians all throughout the Lake, though the spaces in between seemed distant and secluded. Several trees anchored themselves in the Lake, providing high roots for the young people to sit upon, or jump from.
Ammon could see others lying on the moss beds, hands behind their heads, tapping their feet to the beat of the music. Others were lulled to a peaceful sleep. Most floated in the waters with their hands holding the edges, keeping themselves in place. Some drifted and floated about, either swimming like frogs or gliding like turtles, belly up and oblivious to worry. And they were hardly alone, for many such frogs and turtles, and even salamanders, minnows, and axolotls, would join them.
The soothing emotions of the Lake left no room for scars or fear, making the animals within this habitat the friendliest on the island. Turtles would often float up just underneath those people who floated on their backs, carrying them around the water with wary fits of laughter and bubbles.
Ammon looked towards the source of the music. The small stage was against a rock wall to the North Hills, which rose straight upwards. This wall was too steep for moss to get a tight grip on the shear surface, producing delightful acoustics. The moss beds and thick air then stifled the soundwaves through the trees, eventually diminishing them before the wooded veil reached its end. The music was boosted by speakers embedded in the walls, which were powered by solar panels rested just above the tree canopy.
In this way, the third light manifests itself again, Ammon thought. It comes from celestial bodies. The stars and moon would shine in such a way that fell into the billions of dew drops on the tree leaves. The light was reflected over and over again, accentuating as it fell through the leaves, before finally descending as columns into the grove.
It would then cascade down onto the waters, as he saw before, into the depths, ever-shifting as if a waterfall in slowed time. And as the music was powered by the Sun through solar energy, so came the third light again, sourced from heavenly bodies, manifesting itself in another form. Light waves and sound waves. Wavelengths, he thought.
To float into these lights was a humbling experience. It was usually done by one couple at a time. This was not a rule. There were no rules in the Lake of Light, for none were needed. The Lake kept its own peace. It kept the spirits within present and alive. Always alive. Always alive.
Ammon turned to Sadie and gazed upon her. Right then, he was convinced she was the fourth light in the grove. Her emerald eyes were relaxed. She was a safe place for Ammon, akin to the Lake of Light itself. He reached out and held her hand. She squeezed back, looking into his own blue eyes. Sapphire eyes, he could almost hear her thinking. Contrasting shades of yellow around them complemented their hair, blending them into the space. Stardust.
And then he wondered. Perhaps each of us holds a fourth type of light. One which emanates from our souls. After that, a fifth light is created, springing up from the different relationships between souls. These thoughts of connecting lights seemed to expand his mind. It was a tangible feeling, one full of bliss and calm. He smiled the most genuine smile of his life, then looked around at others, enjoying the sights while keeping his eyes from Sadie for as long as he could bare. Every few minutes they caught eyes again, arousing fire back into their hearts.
She tugged him gently, leading him to the wate
rs. They both drifted into the pool. The imminent, excruciating phase of dipping his hips into the water did not come. The pool was a perfect transition from one medium to the other.
They sank to their shoulders, gliding their hands back and forth like palmed stingrays. The music from the rock wall continued, rising in tone to the chorus. Ammon and Sadie drifted out further, eyes looking way, though still watching one another. Her thin clothing hugged her figure tight.
The light above shifted, and for a moment, she appeared to be wearing nothing but light and water. It was blissful in the fullest, untouched by the usual human desire of burning.
Others had stripped off their clothing entirely before swimming. None could ever seem to remember how each looked nude after leaving the wood. For they never were truly unclothed. More rested upon them there than did cloth of fragile thread, shielding them from more than eyes, but also from desire and foreign thought.
The pureness of light and water and music. The chirping of the crickets and thrums together. The wind brushing the leaves against the strong tree trunks, and the fireflies humming a low accompaniment to the motions of the big folk.
Ammon wanted to hold her, just as he would want to hold a beautiful flower in his hands, knowing it would wilt one day, but promising he would still love it until it disappeared, leaving fragments and wonderful memories behind. She was a beauty he could actually a hold. A sunset that fit in his arms.
Yes, it may be true. I may love her. If he were to ever say the words aloud, it would be in the Lake of Light. For anywhere else, reason held on too strong to his heart. I will get into the Sector Guard. I will train to protect families, focused for several years before finding a wife. And then. Maybe then…