Bedtime Story: Reflections Of The Past: Earth: Chapter 9
Relax into your evening, or fall asleep, to this recording of the ninth chapter of the magical novel 'Reflections Of The Past,' by Vanda Inman. Set in a remote valley in Cornwall, England, 'Reflections Of The Past' tells the story of four characters whose lives intertwine through many incarnations, and of their special relationship with the valley's Sacred Spring and Holy Well. Music by Serge Quadrado Picture by Pixabay
Transcript
Reflections of the Past,
A Story of the Guardians of the Well by Vanda Inman.
These words are written in honour of the guardians of the past,
And those who journey in the name of love,
Light,
And all that is good.
The answers to all the questions we might ever ask can be found in the ground beneath our feet.
Part One Earth Pagan Prophecies Kheradwen's Cauldron The Sacred Pool and the Lines of Power Chapter Nine Rowan's eyes fluttered open,
In stark contrast to the thick snow which had swirled around her only moments before.
The sun warmed her face from a brilliant blue sky.
Dearman was lying beside her.
She blinked,
Struggling to remember.
She recalled the snow,
The darkening of the day,
Crow and his ultimatum.
The brilliant crystal of power snatched from his outstretched hand by the Great White Owl.
She remembered Crow ordering the villagers to destroy the Sacred Pool.
The raising of her arm.
The rush of the spear as it left her grasp and flew towards its target.
The thud as it found its mark.
She recalled the Great White Owl.
Flying fast and low.
Landing heavily on her arm.
And then,
Dearman stared.
Opened his brown eyes and smiled.
You did it,
He said.
Did what?
Rowan was still unsure quite what had happened.
Found the portal.
Entered the Otherworld.
And just in time too,
I believe.
Rowan looked around in amazement.
So,
This is the Otherworld?
Dearman nodded.
But it's just like our world.
Only the weather's different.
Said Rowan,
Gazing around.
It was strange.
The light was dimming rapidly.
As it had in their own world.
But here it was unmistakably summer.
Not quite,
Responded Dearman.
Take a moment to look.
And then Rowan realised the Otherworld wasn't like her world at all.
To begin with,
The light was subtly different.
Even though the sky was clear and blue,
The colours were muted.
More brooding compared to the freshness of the landscape she had left behind.
And although this was unmistakably the valley,
With the rushing river below,
And topped by the same white rocks,
The oak trees had disappeared.
And so had the huts of the villages.
In fact,
Compared to her world,
This valley,
Although covered in swaying green bracken,
Felt like a wasteland.
Her gaze travelled along the contours of the hillside,
And stopped short.
What's that?
She pointed to a structure nestling behind some trees to the left.
Surely it's where the sacred pool should be.
Dearman nodded.
I've seen it before when I've travelled here.
The sacred pool is still there.
And yet it isn't.
He jumped up,
Seemingly filled with energy.
Come on,
I'll show you.
Take my hand.
Is it safe?
Asked Rowan,
In alarm.
Reluctant to leave the rock,
And the portal she knew was nearby.
Fearful they might be unable to return.
Trust me,
Said Dearman.
It'll be alright.
Wait.
Rowan paused,
Her hand in Dearman's,
Puzzling to make sense of it all.
The owl!
She stared at him.
The crystal!
Where is it?
Dearman frowned as if trying to remember.
I had it,
He began.
And then as I flew along the valley,
It slipped from my grasp.
And then.
.
.
And then all I knew was I needed to get back to you,
He shrugged.
It can't be helped.
Maybe it'll turn up again in our world.
Stranger things have happened.
Now,
Come on.
They scrambled down the slope,
Rowan glancing fearfully around.
When they reached the place where the sacred pool should have been,
She simply stared at a building.
Square,
Stone-built and sturdy,
Yet appearing to waver in the air.
And when she tentatively tried to touch the wall,
Her hand passed straight through.
A woman appeared from behind the structure,
And settled herself beside a man,
Who was sitting cross-legged on a large woven piece of cloth.
They were people such as Rowan had never seen before.
But she had no time to look more closely,
For she realised the day was dimming rapidly,
And wondered if this was indeed the end of the world.
Take my hand,
As Dearman uttered the words.
Rowan noticed the woman had taken the man's hand also,
As the darkness closed around them.
Then Dearman pulled her straight through the wall,
And Rowan found herself inside the stone-built structure,
With corners instead of curves.
There was a huge slab of granite at one end,
An altar,
She realised.
All around,
In the dimness of the little building,
Were flickering flames.
Points of light,
Shining in the darkness,
And Rowan gasped at the beauty of it all.
Come!
Dearman gestured for her to follow him.
They passed through another wall,
And found themselves where the sacred pool should have been.
But now,
Although the water gushed as crystal clear as ever,
It was surrounded by stonework.
Corners everywhere,
Rowan knelt down,
Wondering what had happened.
And then she saw it,
Lying within the depths of the pool,
The sparkling crystal,
Which Crow had held aloft,
Which Dearman,
In the form of an owl,
Had snatched and dropped somewhere along the valley.
Rowan gasped.
Can I touch it?
She asked,
Reaching out,
Then remembering the wall.
Try!
Dearman's voice was a whisper,
And Rowan plunged her hand into the pool,
And grasped the crystal.
The water felt unusually icy to the touch.
I have it!
Perhaps it is to do with the sacred water.
Maybe.
.
.
Someone's coming!
Whispered Rowan.
And sure enough,
The woman she had seen previously appeared around the side of the building.
Rowan stood stock still,
Taking time to look more carefully at the apparition before her.
Never had she seen a person quite like this,
Dressed in the blues and greens of the valley.
Yet Rowan sensed a familiarity about her.
The woman knelt before the water,
And plunged her arm in right up to the elbow,
Searching for something.
As she withdrew it,
The water glistened in the bright sunlight,
A cascade of twinkling diamonds running back into the pool.
The woman appeared puzzled,
Thrust her arm in again,
And Rowan knew with absolute certainty that she was searching.
Searching.
Come,
Said Dearman.
We must go back.
It doesn't do to stay too long here.
And we have all we need.
Rowan's hand tightened around the crystal.
She knew the woman had been looking for it too.
But Dearman was urging her away,
Back up the slope to the portal.
Their feet stumbling on the grassy tufts,
The alien air rasping in their lungs.
There was a feeling of urgency,
As the world around them seemed to quiver,
As if they were viewing it through water.
Rowan almost fell.
In her efforts to keep up with Dearman,
Who was making swift progress,
He turned to see her floundering below him,
And reached towards her.
Take my hand,
He shouted,
His words hazy and indistinct.
And with the last of her strength,
Rowan reached out her own.
How?
Gasped Rowan.
But Dearman was holding her tightly.
His strength seeping into her.
His face turned towards the sky in a mixture of agony and ecstasy,
As he gave a massive cry,
And,
Once again,
The world closed in upon them both.
There was a rushing in her mind,
Like the pounding of a great river,
And Rowan put her hands to her head,
Unable to think or understand what was happening.
As the feeling subsided,
She found herself once more in her own world,
This time standing by the sacred pool,
And surrounded by the villagers,
Who looked set to begin its destruction.
The illness of their chief,
Crow's predictions,
His death,
And the ever-increasing darkness had proved too much for them,
And they were taking the only way out they knew.
Tools gleamed in the dim light,
And their faces held a mixture of fear and grim determination.
There was a collective gasp as Rowan appeared,
Seemingly out of thin air.
The great white owl once again upon her arm,
The crystal of power in her hand,
Which she held aloft for its rainbow of colour to be seen by all.
At the same moment,
The clouds rolled back,
And the villagers witnessed a shining halo of light in the sky,
With a centre of deepest black,
Surrounded by fire.
And then the sphere of the moon began to move across the sun,
And the light to return once more.
The villagers turned back to Rowan,
Her arms outstretched,
And bearing the brilliant green and violet crystal,
Which they believed to hold such power.
And at that moment,
A shaft of sunlight illuminated it,
Causing a rainbow of light to shimmer all around.
The clouds swept away to reveal a shining blue sky,
And the people stood silently in awe,
Watching the sparkling landscape revealed before them in the ever-increasing sunlight.
And in a rush of wings,
The great white owl took flight,
And disappeared,
Silently along the valley once again.
