Journey to Water's Heart

by Lea Ben Shlomo

  “Will you come with us today to the puddles? It’ll be nice. Nicer even than yesterday.”

  Tanti tried following the conversation, which suddenly took a sharp turn. “Not today. I think I’ll go with Manin to learn about water purification, or something like that.”

  Ninei and Ninai’s mother rested her hand on his, narrowing her bright eyes. She said quietly, “When you finish your meal, go to Aklivor’s room.”

  “I think I’ll go first with Manin and help her with the feeding,” Tanti said, rising to his feet. “I promised her yesterday.”

  “You won’t be going with Manin today,” she said and gave him a meaningful look. “Aklivor is waiting for you.” She got up and blocked his way. “I’ll tell Manin you’ve been summoned to him.”

  She turned to her two sons and instructed them to take Tanti to Aklivor’s study. Tanti wanted to protest but couldn’t without sounding rude. Ninei and Ninai, enthusiastic as usual, held his hands and led him out while chattering enthusiastically.

  Aklivor was a bit surprised to see him. He sent the boys away and put a hand on Tanti’s shoulder. “Manin had good spawning tonight,” Aklivor said. “I thought you’d go help her with the feeding. And, of course, learn a chapter in water purification. Never mind. Since you’re here, let me show you something important.”

  Why did she say Aklivor was waiting for him?

  Tanti followed Aklivor, wondering why Ninei and Ninai’s mother had prevented him from going to Manin. She seemed determined. And only one moment before, she’d been smiling and welcoming. Did it have anything to do with the enormous young man who appeared in the dining room?

  In the meantime, he and Aklivor went out to the yard, and from there to the wood cabin with a roofed foyer in front. Three girls sat around a table and embroidered a long swath of black material. Next to them stood an easel with a strange, colorful painting of a landscape, depicting mountains and ravines, long-beaked birds, odd trees, and complex flowers. “Do you like the girls’ embroidery?” Aklivor asked.

  “It’s pretty, yes, but a bit indistinguishable against the dark background.”

  “Very good,” said Aklivor. “Exactly as it should be. And when you tie the scarf around your waist or wrap it around your neck, you’ll barely be able to see it.”

  “What? Is it for me?”

  “Of course.”

  “I don’t need a scarf, and I don’t want to inconvenience them. And anyway, what’s the embroidery for if no one can see it?”

  “Think for a minute,” said Aklivor.

  Tanti was confused. Aklivor suggested that he go again to the table and look at the painting. Tanti remained rooted in place. A slight shudder ran through his body. Aklivor looked at him closely.

  “I know,” he said suddenly. “I think I understand.”

  “That was quick, my boy. You’re making progress. See, sometimes this swiftness will damn you, while at other times, it will save you. Do you understand me, Tanti Marin?”

  “I do and I don’t.” Tanti started to respond. Aklivor continued.

  “In moments of trial, your reaction should be accurate. You should be yourself. When you want an answer to a question, you must touch your inner core of truth. It’s the core of wisdom and strength. Am I being clear, Tanti?”

  “I feel what you’re saying, sir, but I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Don’t worry,” Aklivor said. “You will. In time, you’ll know exactly what those words mean. Although they’re less important than the matter at hand.”

  “I’d like to take another look at the embroidered scarf,” Tanti said.

  “Let the girls work,” Aklivor said. “I hope they’ll finish soon, and then I’ll be able to teach you the sign language there. And now, lend me your shoulder to lean on and we’ll go to my room. I want to teach you another chapter today.”

  They entered the room. Aklivor wished to go out and pick apples for the two of them. Tanti hurried to volunteer to pick them.

  “Maybe I should go, nevertheless,” said Aklivor. “Sometimes apple trees aren’t very generous. They protest when someone they don’t know comes to steal their fruit.”

  Tanti didn’t know if Aklivor was teasing or serious. “I’ll be careful,” he said. “I’ll try to be polite and introduce myself.”

  He rushed out to the garden.

  “Don’t forget to bow.” Aklivor’s creaky laughter followed him out. Standing before the trees and vegetation, he suddenly felt a sharp pang of homesickness for his father and two brothers, his mother, and the familiar green village. How long would he stay at the Water Farm?

  He went to the fruit-laden tree and reached out. The apples within arm’s reach were small and pale. Up above, on a high branch, two fresh red apples winked at him.

  He considered how to reach them. Perhaps he’d climb.

  A shadow passed among the trees. Tanti flinched. He stood, rooted in place, his heart pounding. He didn’t want to return to the room empty-handed. Quickly, he reached out to the closest apple. The branch veered away from him. He tried again… And the branch rose. It seemed as though Aklivor was right. The tree wasn’t friendly.

  “My name’s Tanti,” he said, amused, and bowed. “Will you be ever so kind as to…?”

  “I know who you are.” He heard a deep, grumpy voice. Tanti jerked back in amazement when a tall figure emerged from the tree.

  “Dol?”

  “That’s me.” Dol, Manin’s hulking friend, grasped a tall branch, rife with fruit, and lowered it to Tanti’s face level. “Didn’t you want these apples?”

  “Never mind. I’ll manage with the smaller ones.” Tanti preferred to pick two small, half-rotten apples, and get out of there with the swiftness that was supposed to save him, as Aklivor had said. Dol rumbled. “These are better.” He gestured at the bent branch.

  Tanti reached out. Just then, Dol let go of the branch, which flew up, smacked Tanti in the face, and knocked him to the ground.

  Dol towered over him. “Stay away from her,” he said.

  “Stay away from who?”

  “From her.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve known her since childhood. I keep an eye on her. We’re together. That is, we were until you arrived, you and your fancy clothes. Suddenly, she changes her behavior and cleans your shoes.”

  “Cleans my shoes? Are you talking about Manin? That was because of the sinkholes.”

  “She doesn’t understand it’s nothing but a game for you. You’ll break her heart, and then you’ll leave. But I’ll stay here. And I know how to break. Believe me. When I break, I break. Stay away from her.”

  “Manin and I—” Tanti started to say. Suddenly, no one was there. Just his aching nose and two huge apples on the gravel next to him proved he wasn’t dreaming. He took the apples and hurried into Aklivor’s study, trying to regulate his breathing.

  Chapter 8

  Currents

  Almost an hour passed before Tanti calmed down and managed to concentrate on Aklivor’s lesson. He decided not to tell him about his encounter with Dol and focus on the task at hand.

  Aklivor grasped his hand and led him to the second room. There, on the wall, between the water basins and the various test tubes and sieves, he exposed a magnificent drawing of roundish hexagonal crystals, organized in shapes of goblets that converged into a multi-armed structure. Aklivor pointed at the drawing and said in an excited voice, “I’m supplying you with information, which will help you find the Pikomanoria, which is the crystal mushroom. When you return with the mushroom, we can fertilize the soil with it. Am I clear, Tanti Marin?”

  Tanti nodded. Was finding this Pikomanoria similar to finding minerals? If so, why didn’t they send his father and brothers with him? They would’ve done this so much more successfully and easily.

  “Don�
�t dismiss your talents, Tanti,” Aklivor said, as though he’d read his mind. “You don’t know what you can do until you’re there.”

  Tanti nodded.

  “You mustn’t harm the delicate texture it creates around it. The mushroom, if it begrudges you, will haunt you mercilessly. When it loves, its benefits are great. Am I clear, Tanti Marin?”

  “Clear. I think.”

  “Under no circumstances must you touch it with your hands. If it’s covered with mud, gather it with a handful of mud. This way, it’ll feel safer and more relaxed. The crystals separated from their mother are ripe and ready for healing. The unripe mushrooms will stick close to their home tree. They won’t be eager to be separated. If you separate them, they’ll scream ceaselessly, and their blessing will become a curse. Beware, Tanti, of their long arms.”

  Tanti shivered. Were these like the mushrooms that came out after the rain, which smelled wonderful and tasted like heaven? Or was this actually a sensitive, legendary creature, alive and vengeful, which haunted you like a nightmare if you hurt its feelings?

  “The people of the farm will cultivate it here.” Aklivor continued. “In the special greenhouses we’ve already started to build, based on ancient knowledge and the results of the studies we’ve conducted here.” His trembling voice shook even more and his excitement grew. “We’ll grow the mushroom, and then distribute it all over the country. This is the only way to see our country flourishing and thriving.” He was silent for some time, looking around. “Tanti Marin, listen to me carefully,” he said and turned to look at him. “We want to bring the miraculous mushroom to heal our land. God forbid we forget, even for a moment, that the blessing may become a terrible curse if the person holding it uses it to increase his power and force his desires on others. The moment a person is enslaved to the mushroom, he cannot break away from it. Therefore, I haven’t revealed anything to anyone but you. Even the people of the farm, who know about your quest to bring a healing plant to the land, don’t know that it’s the crystal mushroom. Remember that and guard your tongue.”

  Secrets were burdensome. Tanti felt as though a stone had been placed on his heart. He listened attentively to what Aklivor had to say. What he’d heard and seen wasn’t like anything he’d come across before. Tanti didn’t feel the time pass. He felt his soul connect to generations of confidants. He felt as though he were walking down that same road that wondrous mages and healers had walked down, living in gravity- and time-defying worlds.

  Aklivor encouraged him to respond to his feelings and believe in his strength.

  “The insights will be tangible, something you can grasp and operate.” His creaking voice floated in the room. “If you know how to channel your consciousness toward sources of knowledge, to the depths of the rocks, to the gap between the stars, to the heart of the water. In this wondrous world, which has no beginning and no end, only accuracy will bring you clarity.”

  Tanti tried to understand the words, which he’d never heard before. Aklivor’s words were vague, yet their foreignness charmed him.

  “Where the water is purified, you’ll find it. Because water is the tears of the earth. These tears flow, spouting from the spring of pain. From the murky rage. From a desperate, displaced desire. The tears will carry the confused saltiness of the heart, and will wash the soul of man and the land. There’s no stopping them. There’s no diverting their current. We must let them wash and wash until there’s purification.”

  Someone knocked on the door. Avona entered.

  “They’re waiting for you,” she said. “At the table outside.”

  Tanti and Aklivor looked at each other. They hadn’t noticed the passing time. “What do you say, Tanti? Should we take a break and eat something?”

  Tanti felt a shadow pass before his eyes. He remembered Dol’s image, lying in wait for him in the shadows of the trees. “I’d prefer to stay here and practice,” he said. “Anyway, I’m not hungry. Just thirsty.”

  “I see you’re doing currents,” said Avona. “For that, you need a lot of concentration. Perhaps you’d like me to bring you food and drinks?”

  Her offer was gratefully accepted.

  Several minutes later, she returned with a tray filled with delicacies. She set a small table, spreading a tablecloth and placing plates and cutlery, and in the middle, she put food and a pot of tea. Before she left the room, she turned back to see if they needed anything else. When she saw Tanti and Aklivor weren’t paying any attention to the food and were continuing with their lesson, she returned and urged them to eat and drink. Tanti was dripping with sweat. His hands shook and his heart pounded.

  “In order to empower the soul, one must nourish the body,” she said. Tanti wanted to continue practicing. Yet, when they started eating, he and Aklivor realized how hungry they were, and everything Avona had brought was consumed quickly.

  “Why don’t you go out for some fresh air,” Avona said. “Enough studying for today.”

  “I still have a lot to learn,” Tanti said. “I think I’ll have to stay here for days.”

  “Tanti,” Aklivor said. “You won’t be here for much longer. In a couple of days, you’ll leave. Tomorrow, at dawn, go to Manin to learn about water purification.”

  Tanti flinched. “Can’t you teach me about water purification right now?”

  Aklivor and Avona exchanged glances. Avona put down the dishes she’d been holding and came to him. “Tanti, Manin is an expert on the subject. Don’t let her outbursts mislead you. She’s good at what she does, and she’ll know how to guide you.”

  “I have no doubt regarding her skills. I just…” Tanti found it difficult to complete the sentence.

  Avona stared at him piercingly and said, “I see pain and unease on your face.” She reached out and put her splayed hand on his chest.

  “Sit and close your eyes, Tanti,” she whispered. He felt soft, gentle waves touch his chest, heart, body, and head, and then retreat. He imagined white-and-black flames leaving his body and dissipating in space.

  “Your heart is full of confusion. Give it a name, and then let it go. Let the pain course through you. Don’t try to trap it. It’ll pass and go its way. Say goodbye. Release your grip. What is good and pleasant will remain and empower your soul.”

  Her voice flowed within him like water. He gave in to the power pulling him, shaking his chest and stomach, and the trembling ceased gradually.

  “A secret respected,” Avona said. “Remove it from your heart and carry it on your back, like a rucksack full of equipment that will be of use to you when the time comes. When things are in place, your way will be clear.” A tear welled in his eye, and then disappeared. Quiet descended on the room. Time stood still.

  A soft hand rested on his forehead. Tanti opened his eyes and his heart felt lighter. Only the scratch on his nose still burned.

  “You see,” Aklivor said. “Avona’s hands are skilled in the art of untangling the heart, identifying, and healing.”

  “I listen,” Avona said. “My hand listens and identifies, takes away the pain and replaces it with light. Wait. I see your nose must be tended to.”

  “You must’ve been careless when you went out to pick apples,” said Aklivor.

  “I didn’t imagine…”

  Aklivor creaked; that is, he laughed. “Our trees sometimes show resistance to what we take from them. As I’ve said, things aren’t always as they seem. Among the tree’s branches, fear, anger, and even aggression can hide.”

  “I can’t heal your nose completely, but I can relieve some of the pain,” said Avona. Her hands moved lightly before his face. “By tomorrow, you’ll feel better.”

  “I already feel better,” said Tanti. “I feel I can breathe normally. Thank you, Avona. I wish I could also learn healing.”

  Avona laughed. She collected the dishes once more. “When you return from your journey, Tanti, I’ll
be here to teach you.”

  Tanti stared at the empty plates she collected. Now that his soul felt lighter, he felt his appetite return, even though he’d just eaten. With great pleasure, he’d eat an apple and cinnamon cake.

  The door opened. Manin stuck her head inside. “Did anyone see Tanti? He didn’t come to the twilight gathering. I came to call him. Hey, Tanti! You’re here. I should’ve known.” She came in, carrying a round clay tray.

  “I don’t want to interrupt you,” she said, taking a step back. “I made apple cake with lavender and cinnamon, a peace offering for Tanti for the unpleasantness at breakfast. I’ll leave it here if you want.”

  “Child, you couldn’t have chosen a more perfect time,” said Aklivor, taking her hand and pulling her into the room. He took off the cloth covering the cake, inhaled happily, and asked Manin to serve him a slice. Manin cut into the cake and served Aklivor, Tanti, and Avona. Aklivor asked for a second slice. Avona asked for half a slice and then left. Tanti asked for another slice and then another one, and then asked for another, smaller slice.

  “Manin!” he said. “You’re the queen of cakes.”

  Manin laughed and flushed. “And you, Tanti,” she said, pointing at the empty tray, “you’re the king of eaters.” She placed the empty tray on her head, like a crown.

  “The queen of cakes, the queen of cinnamon.” She sang and danced. “Rules the hungry souls.”

  “The queen of cakes is barefoot and pretty, her crown a dirty tray,” Tanti added and bowed nobly. Manin held the tray and lifted it, as if preparing to throw it. She changed her mind, and said, “I forgive you this time.” She retreated toward the door. “With the first light of dawn, I’ll come to wake you up, Tanti,” she said. “I have to teach you a chapter in spawning.” She left and closed the door behind her.

  The next day, when he returned from his lesson with Manin, Aklivor was waiting for him in the foyer. In his hand, he held a black scarf.

  “The embroidery is completed,” he said. “It looks as though the girls did an exceptional job. Don’t forget to thank them and express your admiration.”