Lost Soul: Chapter Nine
A boy’s quest to remember his true nature [Fantasy fiction inspired by an ayahuasca journey in Putumayo, Colombia]
They reached the base of the giant wall. Once inside, the holographic Jermimiah vanished and the real one stepped forward with his arms wide open: “Welcome to the Golden Gateway”. He gave a dramatic twirl, hoping for an amazed response from his guests. They cranked their necks taking in their surroundings; each nodding their heads in approval like tourists in a modern art museum. Jerimiah let out a sigh at their lack of enthusiasm. “Don’t know why I bother sometimes,” he muttered under his breath.
“Come. Come.” He ushered them through the gates.
Jeremiah was much smaller in real life compared to his projection. He couldn’t have stood more than a meter from the ground; even his robes looked like they’d be too small for the boy. He carried a tiny stick (which they assumed was a staff of sorts). If it wasn’t for his exquisite robes, perfectly groomed fur, and gold medallion hanging from his neck, he’d look like a well-fed raccoon.
Well, don’t just stand there! Chop chop! He exclaimed, cracking his cane on the sandy ground.
“Feisty little fing ain’t he,” Alexander said to the others as they did their best to keep up with Jeremiah whose legs moved quickly for someone so small.
He led them past statues running along either side of the entrance. They loomed over them as if they were scanning for any signs of darkness. Any signs of threat. Some of the statues looked familiar to the boy: The great Dinago warrior king stood tall, mounted on its hind legs with his antenna bowed as though ready to charge. An Atlantean queen whose beauty was beyond all reckoning even when carved out of stone. And others he hoped he’d not have to come across — particularly the three-headed dragon with claws like scimitars. The boy could have sworn their beady eyes followed them as they turned the corner. They opened out onto the plaza to hypnotic folk music. To the boy, It sounded too familiar. The rhythm rang true in his soul.
The place was swarming with souls accompanied by their soul creatures. Some danced ecstatically. Some rushed to their next destination. Most had served many eternities together given their oneness with each other. Unlike the relatively young human experience, these creatures roamed realms almost as old as the Dinago. The boy, Ivaylo, and Andrea were awe-struck by the variety of creatures: dragons, leviathans, dogs, and an assortment of beasts they’d never seen before.
“Eh Jez, mind if we make a quick stop?” Alexander signaled to the far corner of the plaza where there wasn’t a single soul. They rushed past in all directions on their way to welcome parties, post-experience debriefs, and portal jumps. Everywhere but the corner of the plaza. Even the sandstone looked rugged and worn — nothing like the finesse of other buildings. Jutting out of the sandstone was a clay-coloured door with a round, gold knocker. Above the door hung a wooden sign: “The gammy leg”
“Why in the realm of infinite possibilities would you want to go there? It’s for human experiencers.” Andrea clenched her fist and bit her tongue. Alexander shrugged his shoulders as if to say why not. Humans don’t get the credit they deserve for their food, lad… I mean Jerimiah,” Alexander swiftlyt corrected.
“Very well. I’ll get the other council members together. However, we must begin by the next weather change. Understood?”
“Aye, shanny be long.”
Alexander turned to the boy: “Stay close, laddy.”
He then dipped his shoulder ready to carve through the onslaught of souls. He charged forward in a diagonal line toward the gammy leg. The others followed in Alexander’s wake. Despite the chaos, not a single soul made contact with the four companions, and there was so much diversity nobody batted an eyelid at the boy. However, as they entered the empty shadow in front of the gammy leg, they did get some suspicious rubbernecking glares. Up close the golden knocker was a globe of the earth.
Alexander opened the door without knocking. Inside, the place looked like an English pub; with wooden bar stools propped up against a long wooden bar. The ceiling was draped in flags from every country. It was dark and smelled like cigar smoke and stale beer. A tinge of roast pork wafted from a door at the end of the bar. Alexander sucked in a mighty lung full through his nose: “Ahhhhh, canne beat it. Only served two eternities on earth, but what a place.”
The others exchanged familiar looks. None of them seemed as impressed by Alexander at the earth-like resemblance.
He grabbed a chair, swung it around, and sat on it the opposite way it was intended. “Met some true warriors on Earth. Braver men and women than you’ll find in any realm.” That they could all agree on.
Only a handful of realms had experienced darkness like Earth. The way the people on earth cling to hope for a better future makes them special.
The door behind the bar burst open. Out came a short, stocky human-looking woman. Her greasy ginger hair was tied back tightly, stretching out the wrinkles on her freckled face. In one hand she was holding a silver platter with something steaming hot under the lid. The other clutched a blue box with orange letters on the side. As she almost fell through the door, her spirit creature, a black bird with a yellow breast squawked in the direction of Alexander.
“Bev!” Alexander bellowed, leaping to his feet.
“Biggun!” Bev replied, almost dropping the silver platter on the sticky floor. She set the platter on the bar along with the blue box.
She rushed over to Alexander and they exchanged a warm albeit rough embrace. Bev barely reached Alexander’s waist but still managed to knock him off balance.
I ‘erd you were in town, she said. Her face buried in Alexander’s overhanging belly.
“Got to see ya girl,” Alexander replied, squidging her face closer against his belly.
They stayed in the embrace longer than an embrace “just friends” would embrace. Their energy shone brighter as if they were charging each other up. That’s when the boy noticed part of Bev’s chest area remained grey, semi-transparent like him. The rest of her was pure white light.
When they separated, Bev turned to the others. Her face beamed with a crooked smile.
“Come ‘ere yous lot,” she said, her arms outstretched expecting a hug.
It was so warm and inviting that Andrea, Ivaylo, and the boy were drawn to her like magnets. They felt her energy mix with theirs; the boy connected with her love, yet there was a deep wound he had also felt. Bev sensed it too and cupped the boy’s face with her hands. She pulled him closer. In her eyes, he saw himself. Once again, he saw the man he was to become in his experience on Earth. The same thoughts raced through his mind: The despair. The hopelessness.
“It doesn’t have to end that way,” Bev said, still staring into the boy’s eyes. Into what remained of his soul. Somehow he knew what she meant. She took the boy’s hand and placed it on her human heart. He felt her leaving her human experience by her own choice. For all her abundant love and light within, darkness overwhelmed her enough to take her own life.
“I’m sorry,” said the boy.
“Not as sorry as I am, little one, but at the time, I didn’t see another way out. ‘Ere let’s talk about all that later. Your food’s gettin’ cold!”
Bev’s face beamed again, and she fetched the silver platter from the counter.
“Drum roll, please!” She said.
Alexander began beating his index fingers against the table like a drum. Bev circled her right arm above her head dramatically, pinching the lid of the platter. The drum roll reached its crescendo and Bev whipped off the lid. The mouthwatering smell of roast pig dripping in apple sauce wafted toward the four companions. Ivaylo’s wolf’s mouth was dripping in saliva– almost as much as Alexander’s. The steam settled, revealing a juicy succulent, golden roasted hog. A customary apple wedged in its mouth. Alexander began a slow hand clamp. “She’s beautiful, Bev.” The boy looked baffled. He could’ve sworn there were tears in Alexander’s eyes.
“Ain’t she! Not easy to find ‘ere I tell ya. And…”
Bev ran back to the counter. She snatched the blue packet and thrust it out in front of her “ta da!”
“Oh Bev!”
The others now looked as baffled as the boy. Bev opened the pack and handed out the little squidgy round discs inside. One side was orange and spongy cake and the other was covered in chocolate. The boy took a bite.
The worried look on the boy’s face slowly changed to surprised joy. “Not bad!” He said, nodding his head while pursing his lips like someone hearing a filthy electronic bass drop for the first time.
Ivaylo and Andrea were equally impressed. The boy eyed up the packet again. Before the words came out his mouth, Alexander had scooped up the entire contents of the pack and scoffed them down in one. The boy couldn’t help but laugh. His light shone brighter. Bev, Ivayalo, and Andrea clocked what had happened and joined in the laughter. Soon they were all bent over laughing. Together they all glowed even brighter, expanding each other’s energy. Alexander stopped licking his fingers confused by the commotion: What!?
He was met with beaming smiles all round. He dropped the packet and it hit the ground with an empty-sounding slap.
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