‘What is there to look forward to in life without your next fix?’ The grey elemental appeared on Kyle’s shoulder to resume the debate by blowing the dope smoke in his face. ‘I’ve seen you go cold turkey and it’s not a pretty picture.’
‘Did you say Wild Turkey?’ The brown elemental appeared on Kyle’s other shoulder, waving a hip flask in his face. ‘Sure thing, we have everything here.’
‘Get off me!’ Kyle shook the demons from his person and the earth began to tremble deep and loud.
‘Oh yeah, we love a bad temper,’ chuckled the flying demon, as it increased in size and strength. ‘It always makes you crave a little something to settle the nerves.’
It was true, Kyle did use his vices to control his angry streak. What else could do that?
Try the thought of something or someone you care about, suggested Book.
Matt’s infectious laughter began echoing through Kyle’s brain, and the recollection of his mate seized with laughter dispersed Kyle’s bad mood. As he calmed, the surrounding environment stabilised too. ‘Thanks, guys, for all the parties, but after seeing what it has done for you, I think I’ll take my chances on the straight and narrow.’ Kyle looked at the crystal ball, realising the crying was coming from within the ball.
‘We’re losing him.’ The flying demon encouraged his mates to be more persuasive.
‘Thai stick? Mowee-wowee?’ offered the grey demon.
‘No.’ Kyle focused on the ball.
‘Super supreme pizza? Large burger?’ The greasy red demon brought forth his tray of goodies. ‘How about some chocolate, or some potato chips?’
Inside the crystal ball, the distant vision of a beautiful beach became visible: the sand, the sea, the rocks, all sparkling blue, as if illumined by very bright moonlight.
‘You don’t want to go there.’ The flying demon attempted to break Kyle’s concentration. ‘It will be hard work, tears, the purging of emotions and facing the horrors of your past … you’re not up to it. Not to mention education. You know how you despise books!’
‘I used to hate books,’ Kyle corrected, patting the book that was slung under his arm.
Kyle considered himself a great judge of character, and although he hadn’t been reading this one for very long, it already felt like an old friend.
The crystal ball became the focus of all Kyle’s attention and the world of red haze and demons faded back into the depths of his subconscious. A brief, disorientating, soaring sensation ensued as the vision of the beach seemed to bleed through Kyle’s nightmare and wash it away.
It was not moonlight that lit this place, but a beautiful blue glow that radiated from within the landscape: the sea, sand, trees, rocks and vegetation were connected by each other’s light-filled energy emissions. This mystical emanation then rose in a great mist towards the heavens, which were shrouded from view by the light-filled clouds.
Kyle looked down at himself and was bemused to find that he didn’t seem to be contributing to this great symphony of light, colour and energy. His etheric body was awash with dark, murky colours that dulled his illumination. Nature was extending Kyle its energy: from everywhere the light force extended towards his body, but once absorbed by his murky aura it seemed to vanish into a void. ‘I’m sucking energy,’ Kyle observed, a mite distraught about the fact, ‘and I don’t glow.’
Right on both counts, Book retorted in all seriousness. Mother nature is used to being sucked dry by human beings, and yet she continues to replenish your energies, cleanse your spirit and nurture her spawn. She knew what she was taking on when she agreed to play parent to mankind. You’ll start to feel her healing soon.
The smells of the beach were far more potent suddenly, and there was no pollution to detract from the seaside scents. ‘What is this place, Book?’
Your consciousness has taken a great leap up to an astral awareness. Book sounded rather wary. And when I say a great leap, I mean vast! This is the part of you where deep-seated emotions and desires are stored.
‘Well, this is sure as hell going to be easier to cope with than where I was.’ Kyle had decided that Book was being overly dramatic, when the sound of sobbing drew his attention to an uncomfortably large, fur-covered beast, which was seated on the sand not far down the beach. ‘I could be wrong about that, of course,’ whispered Kyle, ducking behind a rock.
There’s no need for you to be afraid. Book sounded surprised. Don’t you recognise your own guardian?
Kyle’s eyes opened wide in astonishment at the news. Then, as the beast let loose a very loud howl, Kyle was forced to block his ears. ‘Isn’t a guardian supposed to be an angel or something?’
Not where you come from.
Kyle was struck by the comment. ‘You know where I come from?’
Soon you will learn all that I know of you … all you have to do is keep your promise to me.
‘Goddamn.’ Kyle, unable to stand the wailing any longer, stepped out from behind his cover. ‘What is wrong with him?’ But with a second look at the enormous beast he thought twice about approaching it. ‘Are you quite sure about this, Book?’ Although he uttered his query softly, it seemed it wasn’t soft enough. The monster stirred and its sobbing ceased.
It growled deeply, as, due to a neck that was virtually non-existent, the beast was forced to turn its large body around to view Kyle. The legs of the monster were longer than a human’s; it rose up on its hind legs to stand about three metres tall. Long shaggy fur of a deep reddish-brown colour covered the entire body and its extraordinarily long arms hung all the way to mid-thigh; the nails of its four fingers were like the talons of a great bird of prey. The beast had a sloping forehead and a flat, black, wrinkled face inset with eyes like deep black bubbles. Saliva dripped from the fanged jaws of the animal as it released an almighty roar.
‘Book?’ Kyle backed up a few paces, holding Book in front of his face to protect himself from the force of flying sand and saliva. Then the monster fell silent. Kyle lowered his defences to find the monster had calmed down and was looking at him inquisitively.
The beast shuffled towards Kyle, who stayed perfectly still, figuring there was little point in trying to flee. ‘Kyle? Is that you?’ it queried, in a deep, heartfelt voice. ‘Don’t you know me?’
As the monster leaned his face close to Kyle, its tears welling anew, Kyle was astonished to find that he did recognise the creature. ‘Ron?’
The beast nodded, tears of joy spurting from its eyes. ‘That’s what you used to call me when you were a little tyke,’ it sniffled. ‘You couldn’t say Kyron.’ The big woolly critter was overwhelmed with excitement and lifted Kyle into the air to swing him about as though he was still a young child.
Kyle was a bit alarmed by this, though he couldn’t help but share the beast’s excitement.
‘I thought I’d lost you forever!’ Kyron jumped for joy, crashing back to the ground with an almighty thud.
‘My foster parents made me think I’d gone insane,’ Kyle told Ron, and let out a relieved laugh, ‘but finding you would seem to indicate that I was right all along … I am special.’
‘Yes, you are,’ said Kyron. ‘It has been so sad watching you grow up unaware of your calling and thinking that you were all alone.’
‘You know my calling?’ Kyle nearly choked trying to get the question out.
‘Sure.’ The big beast shrugged. ‘You’re a warrior of the Great Spirit.’
‘The Great Spirit?’
‘The guardian of the land,’ Kyron explained, as if this went without saying.
‘The land?’
‘The land of your people!’ Kyron sounded distressed.
‘My people?’ Kyle’s tone dripped with scepticism.
Kyron lowered Kyle to the ground and let him go. The big guy was in a state of shock. ‘He doesn’t remember anything I taught him.’
The medication did its work well, Kyron. It was not a failing on your behalf or Kyle’s, Book reassured the creature, hoping to preve
nt another sobbing fit. We’ve no time to waste on regrets as we must teach him again from scratch … we shall make him remember everything and more.
Kyle’s heart went out to the beast, but he didn’t know what to say. ‘I remember little bits.’
Kyron planted his big furry butt on the ground, overwhelmed by the task ahead.
You need a good challenge, Kyron, Book encouraged. You see, Kyle, one of the reasons Kyron is your guardian is that he has a great fear of the first plane, your present home. So while he protects you, he must also learn from you, but when you feel worthless and weak, so does he.
Kyle placed a hand on the great beast’s shoulder, empathising with him. ‘Look, Kyron … I need you, buddy. If only to figure out what the hell you’re both on about.’
Kyron raised his miserable sights to look at Kyle, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ‘Buddy?’
Kyle smiled. ‘You betcha. We —’
At that moment, a great bubbling sound erupted, which Kyle pinpointed as coming from one of the larger rock pools in front of the huge cliff that towered over one end of the beach.
A strange blue man rose out of the bubbling, turbulent water. His skinny little body was almost non-existent compared to his oversized hands, feet and head. His round face reflected the look of some of the Indigenous people of Australia, with wide dark eyes and a mass of dark curly hair.
‘You wanna know more about where you’re at? Then talk to me.’ The man’s voice had a strong Aboriginal accent as he stood on the water to address them. ‘This is the home of your emotional body. Love, desire, your deepest emotions and aspirations are all around you here … do you feel it flowing through you?’
In a gesture of sarcasm Kyle looked down at himself … and noted that the murky patches that had been stifling his illumination were fading, and he had started to emit the same blue glow as everything around him. ‘Will you look at that!’
‘We are one.’ Blue gazed mysteriously around him before looking at Kyle once more. ‘You cannot hide anything from us.’
Curious, Kyle wanted to approach the blue being, but Kyron held him back.
‘He is an undine, a water spirit,’ the huge beast warned.
What Kyron means to say, Book added, is don’t take anything Blue has to say too lightly … it’s easy to drown in your own emotions.
‘It’s cool.’ Kyle passed Book to Kyron. ‘I’ve never been a very emotional kind of person.’ Kyle confidently strode towards Blue, until the being motioned with his hand for Kyle to halt and Kyle obliged the little fellow. Blue held out his large webbed fingers towards Kyle and concentrated very intently upon him. ‘So what is on your mind, young warrior?’
Kyle wondered what the being was playing at, but was not given time to ask.
‘Aahh …!’ Blue announced, enlightened, whereupon he turned his focus from Kyle to an area beside the young man.
Kyle looked where Blue directed, to see a glowing white image manifesting. Soon the vision took a female form and the spirit of Zoe stood silently beside him wearing a welcoming smile. Kyle was confused and perturbed by the appearance.
‘Ooh! It’s her.’ Kyron, sounding lovestruck, ventured closer. ‘We like her.’
‘No, we don’t!’ Kyle protested strongly, looking to Blue for an explanation. ‘What’s she doing here? Little Miss Privileged has nothing to do with me.’
Blue folded his arms, appearing smug, and somewhat insulted. ‘Shows what you know. Think you know everything, do you? Well, I could show you a truth or two … young warrior. Come and look into my pool.’ Blue stepped off the water on to the rocks. He bowed to Kyle and motioned him towards the pool with a large cheesy smile. ‘If you dare.’
Kyle was apprehensive, but with all this talk of him being a warrior, he was not about to turn down the challenge. He gazed back at Kyron, who looked worried, then to Zoe, who only smiled, and then to Blue still grinning broadly in invitation.
Kyle stepped up to the edge of the pool and gazed into it. ‘So what’s in here?’
‘I told you — the truth,’ Blue replied. ‘But you must stand in the middle of the pool if you wish to see it.’
Kyle did not trust this character. Still, if Blue was his water elemental, as Crystaleyes was his earth aspect, then not trusting Blue was the same as not trusting his own emotions. Kyle thrust his hand into the pocket containing the crystal ball his earth element had given him and recalled the counsel of Crystaleyes. ‘Anything is possible here, right? No fear.’
Kyle stepped slowly on to the water, and shifted his weight gradually to discover that his feet did not break the surface. ‘Wow,’ he exclaimed, completely stoked with himself as he took another step towards the middle. ‘Hey, check this out, I’m doing it,’ he commented to the others, before looking down into the water below his feet. As his gaze fixed on the glowing surface of the pool, it gave beneath him and with a yell Kyle was swallowed up by the watery hole.
Blue slapped his knee and burst into hysterical laughter. ‘Humans, they’re so gullible.’
Kyron was not amused and let out a growl of objection.
‘He’s okay.’ Blue attempted to catch his breath, and he motioned for the huge beast to relax. ‘I’m not going to drown him … not physically anyway. He’ll be back presently.’
Kyron, still disenchanted by the trick, backed down when Zoe laid a hand on his shoulder in quiet reassurance and they sat together to await Kyle’s return.
Despite trying hard to surface, Kyle just sank deeper and deeper into the undine’s underwater realm. He was panicking; although he’d always been a strong swimmer, he knew that he was soon going to run out of breath. When at last he was forced to release the stale air in his lungs, fully expecting them to fill with water with his next inhalation, Kyle was shocked to find they did not. He had no difficulty breathing, yet there were no bubbles as he did. He did not even feel wet, although he was definitely underwater.
Could it be that the body I left behind on the lounge is doing the breathing for me? And that these experiences are more or less a dream? The title of the book he’d left himself reading suddenly took on a new meaning.
Kyle stopped fighting his predicament and began to float calmly, enjoying the weightlessness of his descent. The pool had widened into a vast space and Kyle heard distant voices united in a chant.
As it was above the water, everything below the surface radiated a blue energy that enhanced the natural colour of the fish, coral and rocks to the point of luminescence.
Watching several schools of brightly coloured fish swim by him, Kyle realised this was the most blissful experience he’d ever had, until he noticed that a dolphin, a shark, a stingray and a killer whale were coming straight towards him from the glowing blue depths. The four of them were swimming in a perfect diamond formation.
Fear besieged Kyle’s being, even though common sense told him that there could be no such creatures in the pool he’d fallen into, and that this particular selection of sea creatures did not usually engage together in formation swimming.
He had to be dreaming; this whole adventure was a dream.
As the sea creatures came close enough to be threatening, they began to transform into four breathtakingly beautiful mermaids, who swam around blowing him kisses as they admired his form.
Kyle couldn’t help but smile broadly at this development. It’s confirmed. I’m definitely dreaming!
The mermaids spun Kyle around to face the shark nymph with her long ash-blonde hair and eyes like dead, dark pools. Of the four, she had the smallest breasts, for nurture was not her first calling. She drew Kyle’s body in close to her and kissed him hard and long.
Naturally, Kyle was not about to complain, but the attack on his senses was suffocating him. His head started spinning and he felt that he might black out. He struggled to free himself from the shark spirit, but she held him fast and seemed to be tearing along through the water with him. He couldn’t open his eyes as the speed prevented it.
Sudde
nly the pressure ebbed. Kyle opened his eyes to find he was flying — soaring beneath a clear night sky filled with stars. His focus drifted downward to a large and very grand house. Two people, a man and a woman, were exiting the front door, and Kyle swooped down to gain a closer perspective.
They looked like nice people … and rich! The kind of parents Kyle had always dreamed of having. They were dressed up for a formal engagement and were in good cheer.
His perspective drifted backwards and upwards for a broader perspective of the couple as they strolled arm in arm into the separate dwelling that housed their cars.
Soon, the automatic door on the garage opened. The luxury car within exploded upon ignition, blowing the garage door halfway across the property, ahead of much flying debris and a fireball that engulfed Kyle’s consciousness.
Kyle was only momentarily alarmed at being consumed by fire; the only heat he felt was the flush in his cheeks as he was released by the shark spirit and spun around to face the sandy-blonde, blue-eyed dolphin nymph.
After his last experience of being kissed, Kyle attempted to back away, but the other three nymphs had a good hold on him.
The dolphin spirit’s smile was very enchanting, however. Ever so gently she took his face in both her hands and drew his mouth to hers.
Her kiss felt like cruising through the water and diving over waves on a warm sunny day. His heart was doing backflips as his mind and senses were drawn into her dreaming, and his sight became shrouded by darkness for a time. The chant that Kyle had been hearing from afar since he’d fallen in the pool, suddenly became much louder.
Sight restored, Kyle found himself soaring through a clear night sky, full moon glowing. Below was a bonfire, around which a gathering of Indigenous Australian people danced and chanted. The moon’s reflection glimmered brightly in a large body of water, fed by a waterfall, in close proximity to where the ritual was being held.
Book of Dreams Page 5