Chapter Five

 

 

A stem and leaf protrudes upward, stretching toward the sun.  A small white flower with soft pedals suddenly blooms and awaits pollination.

A crack forms in the clouds that darken the sky.  A beam of sunlight traverses the expanse of the universe and settles upon this singular strawberry blossom. 

There is a gentle breeze as the miracle of life continues with a sprinkle of light rain. Caught by the sunray, a rainbow forms.

From within the arch a droplet reflecting light refracted and displaying the full spectrum of majestic color is dispersed, falling gently upon the little flower with the insemination of blessings.

The metamorphosis the strawberry blossom undergoes is a miracle of the Creator’s intent to provide luscious fruit containing a sweet essence, and the power to heal.

#

 

Several days later many berries were bright red in color. Pops pinched the stem of a large one and placed it in a quart basket, headed for Em’s kitchen.

 

It was like a factory of confectionery delights, highly efficient and productive. She moved quickly in a robotic fashion, not distracted by anyone or anything. Within an hour her small round table in the eat-in kitchen was covered with cakes in metal pans, still steaming. Some were made with the help of Betty Crocker using Bisquick, while others were a scratch made cake, course in texture. And then there was Vincent’s favorite, the soft, sweet, sponge-like cake called Angel Food. Pops preferred the real homemade cake, she liked the Bisquick, but today she had Vincent on her mind. With each mixture of egg whites, flour, sugar and vanilla, she offered a silent prayer for his healing.

While they were in the oven, Emma would wash, sort and slice the berries. Next they were mashed in a large bowl and sugar was added. The experienced cook did not use recipes, but had the ingredients and amounts memorized, the entire process refined by years of production.

She tasted the juice and added some more sweetener. This factory used large amounts of sugar and butter.

The juicy berries were placed in smaller serving bowls and quickly refrigerated. They were kept separate, to be applied at the time of serving Emma’s delicious dessert.

She glanced at the clock. It was already 2:30 PM. She quickened her pace. Visiting hours at the hospital ended at four. This was the day for delivery.

#

 

Jewel paddled the boat quickly and began to perspire as a breeze cooled her face and rippled the waters ahead.  Clouds appeared suddenly and joined together, blocking the sun’s rays. She opened her eyes wide in search of her destination. How far could it be? The south shore was barely visible, merely a wide, white line, way off on the horizon.

The wind grew louder and stronger. Within a few short minutes everything changed. Waves suddenly formed, wearing white caps as they lifted the bow of her little boat and then dropped it into a cavern of swirling water. They splashed her and her shoes got wet, quickly soaked as the lake began flooding into the flat bottom of her boat. The sky grew darker still.

Jewel squeezed the handles of the oars and continued to row, even as the wind spun her sideways and waves tilted her upward, lifting her higher and higher.

Crack! Lightning flashed nearby and Jewel screamed as she nearly slid off the wet seat. As she leaned one way, the oar on the other side lifted and its peg popped out of its holder. She dropped it just then, and saw it rushed away by the raging wind and current. “Oh no!” she yelled and paddled as hard and fast as she could with the remaining oar, wanting in hope to straighten the direction of her craft before the water crashed against it once again.

She saw it coming, the largest wave yet. She held tightly onto both sides of the boat, hoping to steady herself, but there was nothing more she could do to prevent what happened next. The little boat was lifted still higher by the giant wave and then flipped over, spilling the little girl into the churning water.

Jewel heard air gurgle and then all was quiet. She waved her arms but continued to sink into the deep, her hair stretching upward as it reached for the surface.

 

Water splashed on Vincent’s face as a nurse began her morning chore of bathing the patients in the lung ward.

 

Jewel tried to scream for help, but words weren’t possible under water.

 

Vincent’s eyes popped open, still frightened by the dream he gasped for air.

“Hey there little man, try to calm down,” the nurse said, “everything’s okay.” She watched terror fade from his eyes as he returned to his dismal but safe place. And then he remembered the promise of the day, Granny’s treat.  But would it be as good as he hoped for it to be? Could it be even better?

 

Vincent related the experience as follows, “I’ve got to tell you, my grandmother really outdid herself that day. The shortcake was brought to me at suppertime. Nurse Jill spooned it into my mouth in small bites, telling me to eat slowly and it was absolutely delicious: the berries fresh; the cake soft, its bottom soaked as it absorbed the sweet juice and then layered with more berries; all topped off with her homemade whipped cream, smooth and luscious. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.  I wish I could enjoy it again, right now! I savored every bite, as it made me feel more connected to my past life, which I knew before I was struck with polio.”

Perhaps it was at that moment that he turned the corner in his battle against the disease. Energy surged within him and his spirit was renewed. With a revived determination, Vincent possessed a new desire and hope for recovery.

That night the dream continued.

#

 

As she sank even lower a strange peace came over Jewel. Fear was gone. Remembering her Sunday School lesson, Jewel said a prayer for rescue, and in her mind she saw Ransome, curled up in her wicker bed, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. She watched a school of yellow fish swim by, apparently not a bit concerned for her well-being. And then large bubbles began to appear and attach to her body.

Rokoes are invisible until they expel H2, becoming purely O. As one came near to her face Jewel saw it more clearly. It had the usual round shape, its outline obvious, but upon a closer look she could see its other features: four short legs, a crooked mouth with two large front teeth, the lines of a tiny nose, and large eyes, smaller circles spaced far apart.

The bubbles multiplied quickly. There were ten, then probably a hundred, and then maybe a thousand. They lifted her and as Jewel began to rise toward the surface she heard a very soft, faint sound like a chirping noise, but much quieter than that of a songbird.  She raised her head and saw the light above becoming brighter.

With a splash and a cold chill, Jewel broke through the surface and realized that she was floating, flat on her back, upon a breeze. It was taking her, still surrounded by bubble like Rokoes, toward the south shore.

The sky circled above, clouds raced by, and a sunbeam lighted upon her face. The horizon changed colors, going from dark gray to bright blue. A crescent moon appeared there, still faint in the light of day.

Jewel was astonished at her good fortune, an immediate answer to her prayer, a saving that even she could not fully comprehend. This was such a strange place.

She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun drying her forehead and hair, now streaming alongside her face. She heard the air rushing by and then a popping noise.

At first there were only a few pops, and then many more, in chorus, an anthem to the disappearing Rokoes. Her feet slid down and gently touched the warm sand of the shoreline.

 

And Vincent suddenly wiggled his toes.

 

Jewel darted across the sandy beach, now barefoot, quickly jumping away from a sharp stone. A shadow came over her as a large black bird swooped down from above, its talons fully extended. She ducked in the nick of time to avoid being grabbed as the feet of the flying beast combed through her hair and scratched her scalp, the top of her head. Jewel stumbled toward some more stones and then regained her balance while looking into the sky. There she saw Raven, his evil eye focused on her as he circled back, intending to dive at her again.

Ahead was a forest crowded in front by a thick patch of huge Musk Thistles. They had wide leaves with jagged edges covered in long needle-like thorns.  Contradicting their threatening appearance, each was crowned with a large and beautiful purple flower. Jewel ran with all her might toward the ugly weeds.

Raven’s shadow came once again as a warning. Jewel dropped to the ground and the bird skimmed above her back, tearing her dress.  Too low to recover flight, he crashed into the thistles, screaming in agony. Black feathers and fluff shredded by the thorns burst into the air as Jewel darted to her left, tripped, and fell.  The last thing she saw was a parting of the thistle stems and a naked bird hopping out, its skin plucked.  Raven leaped into the air and flapped his mangled wings but dropped back to the ground. He screeched as he called to his cohorts, allies in his domain of evil.

It was just then that Jewel fell backwards into a pit, spinning in a circle, watching the opening above become smaller and smaller as she dropped deep into the earth. Then her head jerked back as she landed into fury arms. Something had caught her and cushioned her landing. In a dim light she focused to see who or what it was that held her.

 

Just then Vincent woke suddenly and sensed that something was different.  His feet felt warm. He called for a nurse.

“Vincent, quiet down!” she commanded as she ran toward him. “It’s late and you’ll wake up the others.”  She began checking his vital signs. His pulse at the jugular vein was rapid but not fast enough to be of concern. His temperature at his forehead felt normal to her touch.

It was 2 AM and other than the sound of the pumping of the mechanical lungs, all was quiet. She was whispering now. “I’m going to get you some medication. Please, you must keep quiet. No more hollering.”

As he wondered about the strange feeling, something he had not felt since stricken, the nurse returned with a pill and a glass of water.

“Here, take this,” she instructed. “It will help you sleep. Okay?” She reached toward his mouth and he opened it instinctively. “There now, I’ll stay here until you drift off again. It was probably just a bad dream.”

 

All she could see was a large round, black thing. She touched it and felt something like a wet sponge. It twitched. Jewel reached farther and saw eyes glow as they glistened inside with a beam of yellow light. Two small round ears emerged from the back of its head.

Jewel squinted and rubbed her eyes. Her feet touched the bottom of the pit as the creature gently stood her there.

It was a marmot, a giant whistle pig!

It was taller than the little girl and much rounder. It looked to her intently, but spoke not a word. It dropped to its four large feet that had very long claws and stepped away. Twitching its tail at her face, it looked back and seemed to smile.

Jewel took a hold of its tail, intending to push it away, and just then the whistle pig stepped forward, pulling on her arm. She grabbed the tail with both hands and squeezed. Suddenly she was pulled off her feet, then airborne, as the whistle pig ran through an underground tunnel.

Blasted away like a rocket, the earth surrounding her in the passageway became a blur as she was quickly pulled through it. The whistle pig flicked its tail again, jerking her just in time to avoid a collision with a protruding stone. Roots as fine as hair tickled as they rubbed against her arms and legs.

“Whoa,” she yelled. “I can’t hold on much longer.” But the whistle pig ignored her plea and continued to race through the twisted channel.

“Really!” Jewel warned as the tip of its tail curled around her wrists and squeezed. In its grip she relaxed some.

Light increased and Jewel noticed more roots and stones. Then she was propelled into the air, an open space below the glowing of a full moon. She fell into a patch of moss and stood just in time to see the whistle pig wink before it dove back into its burrow.

Apparently, she had arrived, but where?

It took a moment for Jewel to come to her senses. The air was cool. She heard the sound of rushing water.

The butte reflected the moon, shinning like silver but reddish-brown in color. The waterfall glowed, whiter than new fallen snow, its intensity fading against the mountainside as it sprayed upon its surface. The sky was radiant alongside the ominous facade, its color a deeper blue than anything she had ever seen before. She bent her head back, wanting to see the top of the butte, hoping perhaps to see an angel in flight, but only a star beamed back from the Milky Way, hung there like an ornament on the top of a Christmas tree. It was anchored somewhere millions of miles away, in the vast universe beyond.

Jewel gasped at the beauty of it all.  But it was the intense colors, the refracted light of the moonbow that caused her spine to tingle as she shivered in awe, covered in goose bumps. A mist rose from the pool of crystal clear water at the base of the mountain and shined in the light, amethyst, inspired by the colors at the bottom of the moonbow. The arch shimmered in the gentle breeze as it touched upon a patch of wild strawberries.

Overwhelmed with joy, Jewel fell to her knees and silently watched as the glory of it all settled upon her like a warm blanket. She felt content and fulfilled, wanting nothing more than to remain there, in the presence of elegant glory.

 

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