The Dunes Saga Read online

Chapter 7: The Day the Sky Turned Purple

  One day I was a goddess. The next day, the sky turned purple.

  It was evident to me that something was wrong. The Dunes had never done this to me before. Oh, there had been warnings, little whispers in the leaves on the cottonwood trees, a darting in the bushes of tiny winged things you couldn’t quite see. But there had never been a clear warning. Nothing that stood out in my mind, at least.

  But perhaps, in retrospect, I should have known. How else could She control her kingdom? I was a threat.

  I had walked in, taken over the Dunes before Her very eyes, thrown myself in the sand at her roots and let it sift through my toes. She had watched all this, disapprovingly from her high mound. And once, I thought she threw a limb down. Something had almost hit me. But was it her?

 

  I felt her wrath, her silent fury, coming down on me. Who would have suspected it from her, the goddess of the Dunes? She had everything, her power, her kingdom. Was I such a threat?

  But maybe that was it. I had secretly been gaining in power. Her power, now magnified in me. I was more than a tree, I could do more. I had real limbs that moved when I wanted them to. I had a mind, I had a heart. What did she have?

  I wandered the Dunes feeling slightly off, out of balance, not sure whether I should claim this power or give it back. Was it hers or mine now? I wanted it, there was no about about that. I felt I had every right. She offered it to me and I took it. There were no take-backs.

  I tried to be discreet, walking silently in the Dunes at her feet, not causing a fuss, or flaunting my new power. Yet I could see, that despite my seeming humility, I stood out like a dragon in a cave. I was that Dragon now.

  The flowers and creatures of the Dunes somehow recognized my power. They had been expecting it, waiting for it. I wondered how She felt about that. Was her time so easily forgotten, her rule so quickly replaced?

  There were new blossoms in the Dunes, flowers for my heart, bursting out of the sand at my feet. They offered their fragrance and beauty to me, their new queen.

  The milkweed blossoms were just coming out and their fragrance filled the Dunes with hope and love. Soon the monarch butterflies would be there to satiate themselves on their nectar. It was all good. And it was all mine.

  I had it all. I smiled. It felt good to be goddess of such a place. I had everything I needed right here. I walked past the tree, whose dragon head had been blown off in a storm, and smashed on the sand. She had nothing. Not even respect.

  There was some remorse in me. I felt a little sorry for her. She had just outlived her time. But this was no Time for a weak ruler. We needed all the strength we could get in these days ahead, which were quickly gaining momentum for the end of it all. I needed to gather all those followers of Light to work together for a common goal. The beginning of Truth on this planet.

  The signs were already there. One yellow leaf on the milkweed plant told the story. Things were changing.

  The winds were blowing over the land, bringing storms that could even bring down a reigning Goddess. Trees were crashing, splintering. Animals were losing their offspring, so there would be no tomorrow. The birds flew in the wind, trying to find the right balance of wing and sky. But it was useless. It was time.

  I wanted it to be over. I wanted it be tomorrow, knowing that it was done, that I had nothing left to do. But I also knew that this gift, if you could call it that, had been given for a reason. It was not to be squandered. I had been chosen.

  I wished for help, some gathering of strong forces, to aid me. I knew in my heart they were already there. I just had to feel them, to know them, to accept that they were not apart, but a part of me. They were mine.

  Strength. Power. Claim it!

  Yet I longed to just curl up and be small again. To let it all happen around me and not be damaged. Just passed by. Left alone.

  The wind laughed as it whipped through the tall pines. It was laughing at me! Silly girl, it seemed to say. Silly, foolish girl. There is No turning back.

  The Light had spoken. It shone in me, in my being, and I must obey. The world had never seen a Time such as this, and it was not a time for weaklings. All the power and strength would be needed to fight off the devils of the other side, and to reclaim the universe as our own.

  There was no clear indication which ones were devils and which were angels or high spirit beings that were on our side. Many dressed in beautiful garments so you could not tell if they were friend or foe. Some even sang like angels, walked like angels, talked like angels … but if you could see through all that, it was a very different story. There was a hideous demon inside, laughing at those who would be deceived.

  I had fallen victim many times. I was born to believe in goodness, and when the darkness triumphed it was a like someone had thrown me down a dark hole into a dungeon of ugliness and despair. But every time I crawled out, I was a little stronger. I was more wary now, of friends and strangers. You never knew who was the enemy.

  One of the prettiest flowers in the Dunes was called Blue Devil. I wondered about her. She was magnificent. Pink and blue blossoms on a sturdy stem that grew out of the worst places, the unkindest soil, rocks and sand. Even in gravel I had seen her triumph. If she was a Devil, I wanted her on my side.

  I knew why she was so triumphant at her game of life. Along her stem were the prickles that would sting and hurt anyone who tried to take her. Beauty with a beast as a weapon.

  Walk softly but carry a big stick. A good life lesson, especially in these times. And who could I trust? Would I always have to be wary? As goddess of the Dunes, it seemed to come with the territory.

  Yet some of my subjects were so soft, so fragile. How could I protect them? Would only the strong survive? My heart ached for the tenderest blossoms in the Dunes, and hoped and prayed they would not be swept away.

  Every petal was so small, so thin. A tiny breeze could do it damage. The purity of these flowers soothed my heart, yet made me even more determined to do what I could to save them all.

  The rose mallow in the thicket was a different story. She was beautiful too, but sturdy. Every stem was strong, and she had barbs and bushes to keep away her enemies. Surrounding her were many more like her; strength in numbers. She would survive.

  I felt fortunate to be surrounded by so many beautiful creatures of the Dunes. They gave me strength just looking at them. But soon the Time would come when it would take more than beauty to survive.

  Some of us might need to flee. To fly to safe harbour whereever we could find it. To get out of the way of danger as it came ever nearer.

  I hoped there would be safe harbour for all the innocent creatures that needed it. But I had no idea what was to come next. I had been given the position of Goddess of the Dunes, but had not a clue what that really meant.

  Oh, it had been fun taking the title. Claiming it. I ruled over Her domain now, the sandy Dunes, the marsh, the pines, the flowers, the turtles in the marsh. Even the butterflies who came into my area belonged to me.

  It was great on a sunny day. I could sit back in the Dunes, relishing the glory of it all. But when the sky darkened, I knew that would all end.

  And now, there was a different colour in the sky. It started out a kind of yellow light, then the shade kept changing, sometimes a greenish hue, or an off-blue that wasn’t quite natural. I knew what it meant, but I had been avoiding thinking about it. I had been doing nothing.

  I hoped it wasn’t too late.

  Already, the trees were sensing the changes in the wind, in the sky. They were sensitive to everything, their limbs like giant antennae reaching out to the reality of what was to come.

  And then it happened. The wind intensified and the trees swayed and cracked, some bent right down to the ground. The butterflies were gone. The flowers curled up and bowed their heads, hoping not to be noticed. The birds were already cowering in the hillsides, taking whatever shelter they could.

  This was it. The Time w
as now. Was I ready?

  And suddenly, everything was different. The change had swept through the land. The sky had darkened then came alive again with new Light.

  The End had become a new Beginning.

  Its life-giving essence invigorated my senses, made me feel more alive than ever before. There was no death! I wanted to shout out loud, dance in the Dunes, shake off my misery and be alive in her. My goddess. My love.

  Everywhere I walked, I felt a presence. Was it her? Or someone, something else with me today in her kingdom? I needed to know.

  Was I alone?

  Suddenly, I saw it. The Beast of the Dunes. Its footprints were everywhere. Its face was etched on every tree. It watched me.

  Yet, what was it?

  Was it benevolent? Or did it mean to betray me, like all the others? Starting out with a beautiful face, would it change, transform before my very eyes like the Beast that it was? I needed to know for sure.

  There was a test that I had been given. A way to know who was friend or enemy. I walked quietly through the Dunes, pretending not to be suspicious, casually sweeping my toes here and there over the sand, appearing nonchalant. I watched the flowers in the Dunes, the tiny sprigs of life coming out of nowhere. I acted like nothing was wrong.

  But secretly, I was checking it out. The Beast. Would it come after me? Would it reveal its ugly face, now or later? I had to be prepared.

  With every swirl of my toe in the sand, I dug a little deeper. Beneath the top layer of warmth was a coolness, if I just went deeper, deeper still. Pretending not to. Acting like I was just a surface walker. Never going beyond the top layer.

  But the Goddess had taught me well. She had laughed at my sunshine tales, my joyful cavorting in her kingdom. But she had also given me a clue when that horrible storm had swept her top branches off. What lies beneath? Was she just a few limbs pointing to the sky? I knew now, she was much, much more. And I too, could follow her lead.

  I smiled as I watched the sky. The Beast could come from anywhere. I smiled, but secretly, I was digging my own defence.

  Suddenly, it appeared. A face in the dead tree trunk.

  I stopped and stared. Was it the Beast? Or just another trick, a lure away from the actual attacker. I dared not take a chance. Very slowly, I approached. Analyzed the depth of that caricature in wood. The face could barely be made out, but it was definitely there. But whose?

  I smiled. This was not the Beast. This was none other than a reflection of myself. A partner in the Dunes. A lover of sunshine, sand and all things beautiful. It was like looking at myself in another form. I was not alone.

  The Goddess was everywhere. Yet so was the Beast. How could I tell who was who? I dug deeper. There was a battle raging, between what is real and what is unreal. In reality, the Light shines through. The Goddess wins. In the world of unreality, where most of us live, the Beast wins. He carves his numbers on our heart, and destroys our mind, our hopes, our life with his lies and hate.

  The Battle was not just with me, but with everyone who had chosen to come to Planet Earth, to walk the Dunes of Life. There are two sides to everything. Choose one.

  I chose the One. I chose Light. The Beast of darkness could no longer hold me.

  There were tracks in the sand. There was life, and despite threats of evil, there was also everything good.

  I felt protected. I knew the Goddess watched over me, and all her cohorts in the Dunes did her bidding. If she could not see me, they could. When I moved, they kept an eye, a wooden eye, a bird’s eye, a darting dragonfly eye, on me at all times. This was like being in love, but so much better. I was loved in a million different ways. Whether I knew it or not.

  I flitted through the Dunes on toes that were lighter than air. The sun poured onto all the magical kingdom, and into my cold, cold heart. There was mercy after all.

  The wind moved, and I moved too. The sun shone and I shone. The Goddess lived and so did I.

  There was no Beast of the Dunes that could ever be stronger than that. We had the power. We had Love.

  I walked out of the Dunes with a light heart. The power of illumined love, beyond all things dark or threatening, was Goddess over all. As always.

  Now I saw it everywhere. There was love shining in all places. The trees glowed. The clouds moved in heartfelt leaps into the blue all-forgiving sky. The milkweed flowers in glorious bloom gave their delicious fragrance to all. Nothing was held back. The only Beast was a dark heart, a fearful mind

  I learned that day to look beyond my own shadow. To dig deeper. To find the truth beyond the surface, the superficial impressions. There was coolness there to ease a burden upon the soul.

  How many times had I looked in the face of the Beast? I saw it every time I looked in the mirror and failed to see the gift the Goddess imprinted there.

  The Beast was my own dark side.

  I chose, that day, and all days from now on, to see the Goddess in everything.

 

  How do you say thanks to a Goddess?

  By living every day to the fullest. For appreciating every blue sky, every billowing cloud, and every dark face reflecting immeasurable beauty peering back at you from the most unexpected places.

  * * The End * *