Tag: fiction

A continuation of Water Witching…

The light of the flames created wispy shadows on her face as her boots stamped deep footprints into the muddy earth. A sly look emerged as she gazed at the brilliant sliver above us. I could tell Daphne wasn’t sleepy from our adventure today. Perhaps I could draw her thoughts out by telling more stories about the past. 

“Would you like to know more about our people, Daphne?”

“Sure,” she says as she cracks a big smile.

“Our ancestors emerged from the Red Sea, setting up a village on the outskirts of Jeddah under a star-filled sky and bright moon.”

To be continued, maybe… 😉
Hope you enjoyed it, Val!

I have a vague memory of strong twigs used to divine water from the ground. Our ancestors used them to locate life-giving crystal-clear water. In the wake of our current dire situation, perhaps we could do the same. Standing on the stone ledge, I scanned the forest floor for a sturdy Y-shaped branch. Every cell in my body is keen on this working, and my brain imagines a fruitful discovery to wallow in. Daphne, unbroken by my insistence and urgency, calmly located an appropriate limb. She turned to me, this magnificent creation of my blood, and handed me our salvation.

Looking through the tree’s limbs, I could see the constellations above us, thinking we could shake the tree, knocking the stars to the ground. My lover continued to spoon me in the aperture of the large exposed root next to us.

“Look at the rabbit, James! He nibbles ferociously like he’s been starving for a spell.”

“Yeah, he does. Come on, let’s get going now. We need to get back to the platform and finish our work.”

A small snake slithers as we walk through the dreary, wet bog. Unlike us, it navigates the shards of interspersed rocks quite easily.

It was a sacred ritual that began long ago, possibly at the time of creation. To breathe in the smoke of the charred blood of the turtle would connect the participants with the ancestors of the sky. Their minds would bend and curve, making reality seem surreal. They experienced seeds of awakening in their soul, and the ashes of the blood strengthened their bones for all future challenges. The chanting women in the circle bowed their heads to pray and hoped they would heal themselves in the stained red ritual waters. Only the deserving among them were gifted more strength.

I felt invisible among the eerie skeletons populating the ground in these dark chambers. My companion began to shake and weep with anxiety. Though unsettling as this scene was, a vibe of holiness emanated from the broken bones of these ancient men lying together in a spiral, all rumpled together, surrounded by various fossils sparkling amber hues when we aimed our torches in their direction. They were the seeds of the ancient civilization we’d studied; I could feel it in my skin and bones. Now, we only had three years to prove our hypothesis. But would it be enough time?

The brilliance of this particular gem prompted a million goosebumps to rise on my flesh. These precious stones were considered scarce, but thousands had drifted upon the shore tonight. Juan split open one of the oysters among them, and a beautiful pearl emerged from the clay within. It was huge, and the color resembled a red rose. Juan and I were on the same page; this was an unusual find. We quickly began to pick up as much of this treasure as we could from the sand. Unfortunately, we didn’t notice the lady with the veil lurking in the shadows.

Sunset was approaching, and with my lunges done, I jumped into the water and created swirls in the tide pool. My frenzied mind had calmed down finally. It helped me to be sober and not feel my thoughts buzz about in my head like a million bees. Ah, the water felt so good. I enjoyed the relaxation.

Suddenly, it was like a stage light had turned on, and me being its focus. I began to scream when the angel descended rapidly toward my spot.

Don’t fuss now. It’s urgent. God wants to talk to you—something about last night. Come on.

My head felt woozy and groggy; I had to check to make sure I wasn’t in a dream or a hallucinogenic trance. The space and time of my surroundings felt surreal, my balance off. I cursed my current state. With my will passing rapidly and my energy low, I was aware of how pale I must look, trying to anchor myself to the doorframe—not a pretty sight. Slowly, I turned toward the sound of a trigger pulled back, indeed pointed at me; even with all this lethargy, forceful energy stirred in me, propelling me out of the line of fire.