Cave and Candle part two

Time passed slowly, the shadow played tag along the wall, and the candle’s energy never wavered. But I had grown tired and was by that time sitting on the stone floor. The coldness had seeped through my clothes and now my arms were wrapped around my knees for warmth.

The scent of jasmine had vanished from the air and the mustiness had returned. As always the candle burned with a soft hissing sound accompanying it.

Elder Amethyst Moonglow had been standing in front of the portrait since she’d gone quiet. She had at first reached out and traced the circular shaped twice, dropped her hand and stepped back.

I was a little worried about her. A little was minimizing it; I was worried a lot about her. I had never seen anyone stand so still or quiet for so long.

I rose to my feet and smoothed my skirt beneath my sweaty palms. I had started to walk towards her as softly as possible, but I only got to the candle in the middle of the cavern before she turned to look at me.

“So,” she began mournfully, “you’ve become impatient with me.”

I shook my head and the ends of my red hair tumbled over my bare shoulders. My jewelry rustled with my head movement.

“I see you have though. I was just praying to the Mother Goddess. I asked her to guide me.”

She paused to study me and once more I felt uncomfortable under her gaze. “I asked her to guide me in helping you in this task.”

“What task is that Elder Moonglow?” I asked respectfully. I felt like something life changing was taking place. Something too big for me to handle. It was frightening and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

She sighed then and looked deeply troubled. “I think you are the ‘one.”

I raised one sun-bleached eye brow at her and asked puzzled, “the ‘one’ Elder Moonglow?”



She came up beside me and draped one bony arm around my shoulders, “you are the one we’ve been told about. In the portraits starting with Elder Sunglow Pond it has been seen that a young Energy Spinner would come and tell us of the orb.” Again she paused and looked directly into my lilac eyes, “I think you Aqua Bluewater are that Energy Spinner.”

I was stunned to say the least. How could I, a humble girl child from the outskirts of a small sea tribe be prophesized as the ‘one’? “There must be some mistake.” I was too shocked to remember to say Elder Moonglow. She let it pass without reprimand.

She took my hand in her hand that wasn’t still draped around my shoulder. Her skin under mine was soft and wrinkly like that of a love-worn blanket. “There is no mistake child. I’ve had glimpses of greatness in you for a while now. When your brother brought you to us six months ago, after your parents had died, I saw a very intelligent person fidgeting beside him. You were going to be trouble I told myself. And you are.” Here she laughed hard.

I blushed, I could feel the heat rising in my face and I looked down at my bare feet. “But Elder Moonglow I can’t seem to study like the other girls. I try but the candle and its flame call me, I swear it to you. They call me and all I can do is watch the fire. Time and this cave disappear and I’m lost.” I sobbed the last couple of lines. I was getting unnerved at all she was telling me.

“Is there anything else child?” She asked in an untroubled voice.

I leaned against her gathering strength from the diminutive mentor, my eternal teacher. She patted my shoulder gently and let go. The warmth I had gathered from her left me as she retreated to the far wall.

“Sometimes I-I see what the others are doing,” I said hesitantly.

“Aqua what do you mean?”

“Sometimes I see Willow Greentree, Autumn Rainleaf and Snow Icestone laughing under the Great Oak and then sometimes I see Willow at home with Mother Greentree.”

She asked me another question as if it didn’t really matter. “And what are they doing, Aqua?”

I walked to where she was standing and my shadow stretched long in front of me, sliding up the wall. “They are weaving baskets or grinding wheat. One time I had asked Willow to show me the basket she had made with her mother, the one that had the yellow leaf woven into it and she had not told me she had made one like that. But she had and I knew.”

“Has this happened before?”

I nodded and quickly looked down to the stone floor.

“I see. And this happens when you stare into the ever-burning candle?”

Again I nodded.

“I think you should touch the picture.” She said suddenly.

“W-what?” I stuttered.

“Aqua Bluewater, novice Energy Spinner I lay upon you this task,” she said formally, raising her right hand and holding palm out near her shoulder. “The task of studying this mysterious carving. Do you accept?”

I could only look upon her face and reply, “I accept Elder Amethyst Moonglow.” For that was the only answer.

Elder Moonglow dropped her hand to her left hip sealing the agreement. “But Elder Moonglow how am I to do this?”

“My thought would be to touch it as though you were studying it.” She said helpfully.

“But that is forbidden!” I exclaimed.

“In this case you are suspended from all other studying.”

“But the other Elders,” I started.

“Aqua! I will handle them.”

The elders were a group of the highest Energy Spinner that all punishment and promotion went through. They were the wisest and most powerful of all of us. It didn’t matter your age or how long you had been at your craft but how strong you were at it.

“I will leave you to it.”

Before I could object she was gone but I could hear her steps receding in the dark.

* * *

So there I was, by myself standing in front of an ancient drawing. A drawing older than our time on the Soilorb. Strange for it looked like all the others except it hadn’t an Elder in front of it.

I was hesitant to touch it. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I reached out tentively and lightly brushed my index finger on a white frothy swirl.

Immediately I was thrown from my feet and I closed my eyes as I hit the hard floor. I put my hands down beside me and felt soft loamy soil. Cool and soothing against my burning skin. I should have felt cold, unforgiving stone, but it was ground.