Walls of Amber, Fruits of Gold

A slumbering breath oozes from between my lips, fading in the nocturnal air. My heart follows the faint outlines of a path, sleeping under the veils of powdered sand. Before me the road of ancient marble snakes as a lazy piton between heaps of desert, disappearing in the distance.1

My eyes are the quills and brushes, which paint these visions of serenity on the worn canvas that is my soul. Thoughts and questions fly away, lifted by the tranquility of this solitary region. Wings of lightness flutter in my chest as I go, steps softly rustling in the night. The scent of jasmine fills my nose, drawing my attention to the apparition ahead of me. She walks in grace; her hoofs are slowly clacking against the glowing marble. The dryad assigned to be my guide, turns her swan neck and I drown in that sensual gaze. Stars of emerald consume me as her voice embraced my ears with their gentle touch.2

“From here on, I cannot follow.” The words are silent and restraint by modesty as she points to two pillars, which once were a gate.3

“The pillars mark the borders of the Summer Kingdom. I can only go this far.” She speaks, but I can only notice the fullness of her lips and the stands of hair dancing to the light breeze.4

“Use what my mistress has given you to find the Garden of Summer. I wish you luck for the quest you have ventured in, will be strenuous.” Cressida says, hands extending to hug my shoulders and I am intoxicated by the jasmine in her streaks.5

I nod in silence, my head heavy like lead; the gravity of my mission chasing away the dream nestled in my soul. With almond eyes I follow my guide, the moonlight slides on the slick fur of her deer body. A sigh of sadness escapes my mouth as I cross the borders of the outer sanctuary, where the second great lady resides.6

Hours vanish, withered to ash, in the progression of my journey among lifeless terrain of sand and dust. This immortal road outruns the desert and slopes down to the steppes like a sleepy stream made of stone. The sky above, shifts and wakes, stripping from the cloaks of the night. The last stars linger in the clouds of green lead, while the moon melts in the horizon like a mirage.7

The field sleeps through decades, adorned with disfigured ornaments of buildings and monuments, spread like pieces of a puzzle. A mystic mosaic waits to be put back together to restore the sublimity of this sacred ground. My path leads under the shades of corroded arcs, famished statues exposed to the scorching sun and skeletons of architectural titans, all united by their will to withstand the attacks of time.8

Dawn blooms on the violet sky, chasing veils of darkness. The desert is basked in pink and warmth again flares the air. The touch of the red golden sand brushes my feet and I realize that the road beneath me has reached its end. With rounded peaks reaching for the sky, a mountain spreads its chest of peach colored stone.9

I take out the large emerald, its weight and glow reassuring me in the rightness of my action. The sun kisses the giant jewel which throws strands of gentle light on the marble. The wind carries hoarse whispers and a waterfall of dust cascades down. A masterpiece of carving emerges from the ancient giant revealing scenes of splendor and happiness.10

The emerald rose is safe in my pockets and I glide my hands over the coded message. Plant, beasts and minerals weave two great circles, in whose center a woman was carved. Her face is serene, with hands behind her back and no evidence of hair. I look down at her waist and see the sun marked around her naval, which was left as a hollow crevice.11

Then the words of the first spirit flow in my mind: “Give it light and it shall grow.” In an instant the brown seed given to me falls in my hand and trembling I push the seed in to the crevice. The roar of what happens behind the bas-relief throws me off the cliff of anticipation and into the ocean of raw emotion. With the slightest memory of melody the marble moves again. What I perceive as hard is in reality layers of slates, which together by moving write coded messages and change the bas-relief. The movement of the stone transforms the marble. A crown of sunlight appears as hair around the woman’s head. Hands slowly appear from behind her back. One points towards the sky and has wheat growing from it. The other is spread like a fan with fingers formed as intertwining tress. While the image is shifting, the womb of the woman grows and a narrow entrance appears on the mountain walls.12

Bowing down with respect towards the image, I enter into the outer sanctuary of the Summer Maiden. I find myself in a desolate oasis, where nature and splendor have clashed in this mirage of absurdity. Statues of men, women and noble beats reach out from the walls of untamed marble, trying to escape the savagery. Veils of silk fall down on couches incrusted with gems, which have been forgotten in the sand. Necklaces adorn the stems of rosy apple trees and bronze palm trees. Peach colored roses cling to the fallen scepters, coats of armor and chairs. In the middle of this chaos, a lonely pool with tranquil waters stares at me. The still surface glows with pink cheeks like the dawn.13

I walk to the pool and let my eyes wander over the mosaic resting silently at the bottom. The image of a half woken sun, smiles at me with dampened shine. Again the voice of the first season rings in my mind: “Flames are the waters of the air. Embrace them with calmness and they shall take you to wherever you wish.” From within my soaked pockets I free a small vial with thick liquid. I submerge entirely and uncork the bottle. The cloud of gold substance spills in the pool and I am blinded by a sudden shine as the potion reacts with its surroundings. The mosaic receives its glorious light and the waters burst. What was a pool of water becomes a furnace of yellow flames, spiraling into the sky. This vortex of gentle warmth sweeps me off my feet and skyrockets me in the sky.14

The flight was something I have never experienced before. I glide over clouds and in between ridges, carried by streams of sunlight and fire, which pulled me in their wild dance. As soon as the ride has begun it ends on the top of a tower. I look around and see three other towers positioned at the points of the world. I am standing at the Eastern Tower. Like sentient beings the flame tongues snake around in the air and a manifest a bridge of pure white marble, which leads to a hovering platform. On the platform is placed a small pyramid made of transparent crystal. The remaining flames reach the pyramid and lick its surface.15

There is a burst, a cry echoes in the sky and the silhouette of a burning bird spreads its wings. The surge ends and now I see a woman stand before me. Her face is painted with the warm colors of youthful vitality and outlined by the soft lines of discrete aristocracy. This wondrous apparition approaches me with short and graceful steps, the simple silk dress spilling its peach skirts in the air. I kneel down slain by the warmness in her brown eyes and the happiness contained in her rosy pink lips. White teeth shine like soft silver compared to her bronze freckled skin.16

“My sister whispered through the flowers of your arrival.” She suddenly speaks, the voice resembling the tranquil sound of a harp.17

“I am most grateful for the benevolence that your highness has shown towards me as to enter the Inner Sanctuary of Summer.” I say bowing down to pay respect, because despite the air of purity and kindheartedness I can’t forget for a second how special and unique this maiden in reality is. The Maiden of Summer stands for virtue and the search for the shared soul. She stands for the flame of hope, bliss and even life.18

“Do not go into excess to honor me with hollow words. Solving the riddles of my sister speak high enough. Now let me guide you to where the second part of your journey is about to begin and end.” She says, the smile on her face never fading. With a rapid movement of her hands like flapping wings the aura of the flaming bird awakes and engulfs us in its fires.19

My sight is blinded for a second and once I am released from the brightness, I am left with a gaping mouth. I am standing inside of a monumental pyramid with walls of amber. I move down the stairway of another step-shaped platform and can only begin to comprehend this kingdom of warm colors. As I reach the last step and have entered the forest I am taken aback by the unreality. Grapevines with grape the color of caramel tie together oaks and palms. Willows grow with their branches and leaves pointing towards the sky like needles, adorned with roses and orchids. Further on I reach a field of golden wheat at the end of which I spot a lonely tree. Although it seems miles away and without a shape, I feel its calling.20

I stride in silence bathing in the sound of the wind rushing through the wheat. Then from the distance came three silhouettes. One I know too well, but appears changed. The Summer Maiden glides over the ground. Her free and vivid hair the color of cinnamon floats in the air, having a life of its own. Every single thread of this natural silk ensnares the sun’s shine within itself. Together they weave a sun of their own, which now adorns the maiden’s head. Her eyes have turned to impenetrable hazel light. Subtle outlines of wings hover around her arms like bended halos. She moves with such ease and through the veils of innocence and youth glows power and strikes awe in my heart.21

“Do not be intimidated by my appearance. I am in my sanctuary, where my power is endless. Welcome to the realm of summer.” Her voice boomed like a growing storm, scorching my ears with its intensity. I sense the fire burning from within her; the fire of life, which can keep you warm and fulfilled and give you everything you want or spread like a rapid disease, engulfing you to ash.22

Suddenly I suffocate from the heat and although I am in the middle of a field, my body feels locked in the smallest room. Under these walls of amber I begin to loose my breath and mind. My head pains by the constant invasion of bright colors and I come to terms with the fact that this pyramid was never built for mortal beings, but for the eternal creatures of summer and their mistress.23

“Do not give up now. You have made it this far and you have less to walk. Gather your strength.” An unfamiliar voice whispers. I look up to search the owner of this melodious voice, but saw only two reindeers with golden pelts and big wings sprouting from their shoulder plates.24

The words sooth and ease the weakness in me. I let myself get absorbed in the melody of the speech and experience my vitality being restored. I stagger to my feet, but follow the three not daring to say a word. The tree itself is another riddle for my mind as it is from a non existing species; just a phantasm conjured by the Summer Maiden. Its trunk is wide and gold with no rough or uneven spot on its whole surface. It has three giant branches, which are all twisted and contorted. One points to the West and holds on its leafless extensions a fruit made of amber. The second points towards North and holds between its fan-like leafs a fruit of bronze, while the third and last one points towards South and carries among silver lotuses a fruit of gold.25

“In order to obtain these fruits that have been prophesized to lead the tribe of the Free Spirited beyond the disease and restore balance, you must show me your heart.” Summer declares solemnly, her voice vibrant with power and decidedness. The strength of these words ignites the world the world and my senses. The clash of heat takes over my body and my skin screams from this sudden incineration. My sight is once again stolen and I am submerged into white blindness, the moment the wheat bursts into a vortex of intense platinum flames. I loose direction. The roar of the flames is the only thing that echoes in my mind. I feel my lungs swell and choke upon the sharp smell of burning cloth and flesh. This, truly is the place, where my journey ends.26

“NO!” I cry and open my eyes with determination. This white pandemonium is the sun. I can feel it, I know this touch. This orb of power brings life, guides my movement. The sun is a part of me, thus I am a part of it. I am alive, the sun is life! We are two halves of the same force. It sustains life, gives to create and preserve, whereas I take to remain alive, but am born to guard other creations of life.27

The heat suddenly fades and I can see. The flames are still raging, but seem to be on a different plain, because my body is left unharmed, untouched. Eerie silence dwells and I fear that I might be dead, because I experience nothing with all my senses. Then laughter rings and the flames dance into the shape of a maiden. This apparition with frail frame moves and sways unhinged by gravity or time. Sometimes she slows her movements, other times she speeds them, waving her like the tail of a comet.28

“You have succeeded in passing the test of the heart, which is the mark of Summer. Summer is life growing in power and coming in tune with my season is the key to go further West, to where Autumn waits. Now sleep.” The maiden says, now standing before me dressed in clothes of splendor and majesty. The dress that expanded and filled the room was golden like the sun, adorned with jewels and bows to complement her shine. She touches my forehead and my head feels heavy again. With the face of this angel in my mind I surrender to the tranquil scent of sleep and slumber away, three fruits in my hands.29