Lucid Waking

Archive for February 7th, 2008

Mia’s Journey

        The wind rustled the trees gently before dying down again. The leaves reflected the golden sun creating an iridescent green umbrella of the canopy and Moss covered the trees like a loving blanket in their long naps in the sun. The forest sighed again as the wind rustled the leaves and needles. The main clearing of the forest was a large turquoise lake pressing the trees away from the glowing center. The water was the sun’s mirror at high noon; presenting the vain celestial body it’s reflection for only an hour before the sun went off for better things to do. At midnight, the water reflected the moon for only an hour before the moon, too, got tired of its round reflection and went off for dawn.
         At the time that the sun was overhead looking at its reflection, a steamy smell would overcome the area surrounding the lake. The fish would take up their dance to avoid the hot water before diving down again to save their lives from air and the predators. Birds would swoop down in an equally tantalizing dance. The few fish that managed to leap out of talons stayed by the edge of the lake where the shade of the trees managed to keep the water cooler.
         Mia took the shaft of her spear and set out for the water. She knew that it was time as the sun just barely peaked its head over the edge of the lake. Her panther familiar, Abhay, lurked beside her, ever watchful of the petty fish and birds. Brushing her auburn hair out of her dark eyes, Mia crouched down under the low pine trees and waited.
         The flash of gold on the water reflected off the green scales of the fish flipping in the air. A large copper bird swooped and the spear went flying into the air catching the avian in the heart. There was a loud splash as the bird fell, disrupting the mirror of the lake. Caws broke the splashing, but the fish continued.
         “Come on,” Mia yelled to Abhay as she hit the ground running towards the lake. She dove in and under, keeping her eye on the bird and swimming as fast as she could just barely reaching her pike shaft and praying, pulled it upward. Abhay was busy with the fish on the edge of the water batting them up and snapping their spines in his jaws.
         Finally the sun left the morbid scene and sped away leaving the water a dark turquoise again. She gathered up the fish in her sack on her belt and tossed one to Abhay.
         “Good work,” she said and headed off with the bird and catch of fish.
         The village was an hour walk away and it was cool and buggy by the time they got there. The sun was mango orange just above the horizon line and the sky above was clear navy blue. Insects buzzed around her head as the last few birds sped through the camp, their mouths open for dinner. Mia walked inside the communal hunter’s tent and dropped off her load. The fire was lit in the middle of the tent partly to burn the skin and bones of the animals they had started cleaning and partly for light.
         “You got quite a good catch,” her mother said taking a fish from the sack and chopping off its head with a loud clunk.
         “Thank Orya.”
         Her mother smiled. “Mia, I need to bring up the marriage again…”
         “Mother, I said no.”
         “And this time, no isn’t an option. Your father was tired of waiting and they placed an even larger offer on the plate. I had no say in any of this, but you’re going to leave tomorrow morning.”
         “You realize what they do to Ochres. I’ll probably die by evening.”
         “The chief’s family seemed adamant against it. Give the boy a chance.”
         “He’s a boy. And their women weave. I would never fit in.”
         “I think you should go get ready for the morning.”
         Mia knew she had no choice and left the tent for her own. The village was starting the bonfire in the middle of the camp. The smoke was reaching with enticing fingers to dark blue sky and seducing the moon to shine on the clearing between the black trees. The birds were asleep and the only noise was the crackle of wood and fire. Mia sat down next to the flame, letting the wave of heat relax her muscles and warm her fingers. Abhay sat next to her, purring softly.
         “We’re being sent away,” Mia said to the black cat in the darkness. The eyes flickered in the firelight, but the rest of him was invisible with the landscape.
         “It’s not that they don’t want us, but we knew I couldn’t stay unmarried forever. I had just wanted it to be a local man.”
         Abhay put his chin on her knee.
         “I know Jack and I had hopes; he even made his familiar a panther like you, but he left a long time ago…”
         “You really shouldn’t talk to yourself,” a woman said behind Mia’s back. The woman sat down on the opposite side from Abhay and put her head on Mia’s shoulder. The firelight bathed the woman’s foreign face and light straw-colored hair in orange, but her cloak absorbed the light.
         “I’m just worried, Igala.”
         “I wouldn’t worry about it. Going somewhere away from home is frightening, but you should trust that it will be all right.”
         “Trust who?”
         “Anyone. You’re father. Your goddess. Me. Abhay. Yourself. It’s the only thing you can do to control the situation. Just let go.”
         “I’m sorry for seeming so—”
         “If you had left your home and family before, I would accept that apology. But this is what you know and this is what you’re comfortable with. I was scared to leave Scarlet and meet someone who grew up with women who fished and hunted their whole lives. I felt like I would never fit in having lived in a city, but everyone is different and my husband didn’t mind after a while. He didn’t have any expectations of me that I couldn’t meet. It ended up being fine. It wasn’t home, but I don’t feel a strong pull to leave.”
         Abhay got up and circled behind her back, leaning against her so that she could lie back onto him. Igala stood up and after telling Mia to see her if anything else bothered her, left to one of the tents on the left side of the circle. Mia sighed.
         “I’m not talking to myself.”
         She stared at the blue sky watching the twinkling spots emerge slowly and the moon rise to a golden yellow. The smell of cooking meat wafted out of the hunter’s tent tickling her nose. She rose, sighing, and went to her small family tent where the trunk was lying across from the opening. She picked out her usual hunting clothes and taking her favorite outfit, laid it aside. The dresses were at the bottom and though she would have preferred to just look at them, she put all of them with her hunting outfit. She sorted through papers and books, clothes and costumes until all of her most loved belongings were in a separate sack next to the trunk.
         She could hear the calls outside for dinner, but she ignored them and crawled into her sleeping back. The ground vibrated under her ear echoing the celebration outside, but she rolled over and closed her eyes, pressing her conscious into her silent pillow.
        The next morning she was woken by her father shaking her shoulder. He was a tall elderly man, who spoke very little and though he should have been upset, his face was stone and unreadable. He lead her to two horses outside, one already burdened with her pack. She mounted one and motioned for Abhay to follow them as they left the village she had known her whole life.