© Copyright 2004 by silli_artie@hotmail.com
This work may not be reposted or redistributed without the prior
express written permission of the author.
A work of fiction, meant for adults. Read something else if you are
not an adult, or are offended by stories with sexual content. Then
again, if all you’re looking for is in-out, in-out, in-out, you
should probably read something else. I welcome constructive comments.
Enjoy.
This is another story of the Veil that separates the worlds.
Tasha and I agreed it was time; we were as prepared as we could be. It was time to pay off our debt, and move on.
Both of us went to his shop in San Francisco. He greeted us warmly, as he always does, and invited us back for tea. He was a little more bent over than the last time; he looked a little more frail. This was the right time.
After sharing tea and talking of inconsequentials, Tasha put a hand on his and said, “We are ready.”
He sighed and smiled. “When?” he asked.
I told him, “Two days from now, if you have what we need.”
He nodded. “I will get it.”
He stood slowly, proudly, refusing assistance. He went into the back room and returned with a very old looking wooden box, which he put on the table. “It is all here,” he told us.
I picked up the box; Tasha told him we would pick him up at seven in the morning.
He frowned and said, “So early?” but then broke into a big smile.
We all laughed. We bowed and left.
Two days later we were on our way. It was cold and dreary, with a heavy mist in the air. One of the things we needed was something very old, yet alive. We are lucky in Northern California; we have the redwoods. We could not think of a more majestic symbol to use in our Craft.
And so we waved to a park ranger that morning, two Caucasians in their thirties leading an elderly frail Chinese man, the group replete with picnic basket, walking into the redwood grove early in the morning. The ranger waved to us and told us we’d probably have the park to ourselves. We nodded back; that’s what we’d planned.
We moved into the park and off the main trail. Tasha and I had selected a particular ring of redwoods; things felt right in that particular spot. We’d practiced here before.
We stood together, back to back to back, as I cast the Circle to protect us. We would not be interrupted -- we could not be interrupted, as beyond a certain point, an interruption would be fatal to us all, all six of us.
Tasha opened the basket and spread the cloth for our guest. He looked at the designs we had placed on the silk. He smiled, approving. They were symbols, but more -- they were tools for the Art we were to practice. He looked around at the place we had chosen. He looked at us and said, “This is a good place.” We sat him on the cloth; his confidence in us helped.
I set up the little stove, starting the charcoal with a gesture, heating the water as Tasha spread the cloth for us and started her invocations. She walked the circle, stopping in front of the three trees we’d selected, asking their permission to continue.
I was almost holding my breath at that point. When we felt a calmness descend on us, and heard our guest sigh, we knew we could proceed with their blessing.
I took out six cups, five incense burners, and the carefully prepared packets for each. The charcoal and the water ready, Tasha took care of the incense while I made the cups of tea.
We had practiced well. As she was putting the last incense burner in place, I’d finished brewing the tea. I carried small cups to the base of each tree, placing them by the burner, bowing and thanking them, then pouring out the tea onto each tree. One of our chosen trees stood separate in the group, the two others were close together.
I returned to our small circle and sat next to Tasha and our guest. She handed me a cup. She began the next part of the invocation. When indicated, our guest drank his tea down. Then Tasha and I did the same, holding hands. There was no turning back now.
We knew why he had brought us together; this Ritual requires a Pair of Adepts. He knew the root we’d requested from him was one only an Adept on the solitary path would need. The rest, as they say, was simple. Was it luck, or was it fate, or was it something else? Will we ever know? Through him, Tasha and I were brought together. Now we would repay our debt to him.
Tasha went down on one knee, speaking softly to him and touching him on the head. I heard his sigh, saw him relax forward as he went into trance for her, then watched as she straightened him up and deepened his trance. His trance was for his protection, and for ours.
Tasha stood and walked to me, a smile on her face. I stepped to my place and felt her touch my forehead. My physical eyes closed as my inner eyes opened in trance. I was aware of her stepping to my side and holding my hand.
We breathed together, chanted together. We visualized the symbols, our tools for the Art we had chosen to practice for the benefit of our guest, and for ourselves.
A thought intruded briefly: Archimedes had said, “Give me a lever and a fulcrum and I will move Worlds.” Archimedes would have understood what we were doing.
That seeming intrusion snapped things into focus. We hadn’t known what to expect, but now it was so clear to us. We were the lever. We were the fulcrum. We selected our guest and the single tree, placed them on the ends of the lever, and we moved the lever. It was hard at first, but something told us how to do it together. As many times as we have been joined, on this plane and on others, we joined then as we had never joined before. The lever moved with ease. We moved it carefully, brought it to a stop, and held it in place for the new order to stabilize.
We had paid our debt. Now we chose ourselves on one end of the lever, our paired trees on the other end. We moved the lever slowly, anticipating sensation. We felt a kind of motion. We chose not to move very far, but took more care as we were playing two roles. We held things and let them stabilize.
We spoke together again, giving thanks and bring our Art to a close. Once again we felt a wash of peace, of wisdom, of age. We responded with thanks from our hearts.
We opened our eyes. The fog had thickened. We went to each tree, thanking it for accepting our gift, and picking up our tools. When all had been returned to the basket, we went at last to our guest.
Tasha spoke again, in her low ritual tones, and he raised his head. He smiled. He extended his hands. We took them and helped him to his feet.
“Did we do well?” I asked him.
He threw back his head and laughed, a vibrant and robust laugh, then hugged us both. He stopped to close his eyes and take a deep breath. He stepped back and moved as I’ve seen Tasha move, and as she’s taught me, with fluidity and grace.
As he moved, Tasha and I held each other. One of the things that had puzzled me from the scroll was now clear. Why had it used those particular characters, calling for “a Pair” of Adepts, rather than just two? I knew now that combined as one, the Pair is stronger than any two can be. This Art could only be practiced by a Pair, bonded and consecrated.
We had a small lunch packed in the basket as well. We took out another cloth and ate our rice together. It was fitting we should eat rice together.
We packed up, then stood once again back to back to back. I released our wards, thanking them for their vigilance and protection. I picked up the basket, but our guest took it from me. “I will carry that!” he told us triumphantly.
And we walked out of the redwood grove, waving again to the park ranger.
But this time he saw three people who seemed to be in their mid twenties walking out, standing tall, their arms around each other.
FIN
04/19/2004
The Veil - Paying a Debt
by silli_artie@hotmail.com
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/artie/www