How wild the lightning storm
For as long as I can remember, I have loved lightning storms. The ‘why’ of it never entered my mind. That in itself is strange because I am curious about everything. My great-grandfather would always take me outside in the lightning storms. Mam-ma would fuss, but he said it would not… no, it could not harm us. Great-grandfather was the only one who seemed to understand me. In his eyes I saw myself, and many were the times I heard his voice when he was not there.
We lived quietly, as quietly as four generations can, but still many came to us. Some sought healing, others knowledge. Grammy always provided the first, but was against providing the second. Instinctively I knew she was right. I was taught the healing skills very young because they came easily to me. I was schooled in the Knowledge because my memory never failed me. But it was not enough. There were too many unanswered questions, too many answers waiting to be found… out there. Out where the lightning storm sang to me. Mam-ma fussed and Grammy grumbled, but my parents just smiled proudly and prepared me for my life journey.
As time passed, folks grew suspicious of us. Why did we separate ourselves from them? Why wouldn’t we teach their children as we taught ours? What were we hiding from out there alone in the mountains? We spoke to them of peace, of responsibility, of caring, but those things do not have a place in the language of hate, and so they did not understand.
As things grew worse, the elders accepted the fact that our peaceful time had come to an end. They had little time before the hateful words became hateful actions. Unfortunately, it came sooner then was expected. There was no time to take everyone away, so those of my generation who trained in the knowledge were brought together, and through the united forces of all, Grammy, because great-grandfather had gone beyond, sent us out.
I was alone.
Where I was, I did not know. Who I was, I did not know! How did I get here? Now, looking back, I know that Grammy must have locked away the knowledge that was in me until I was ready to use it wisely. The healing skills I had. I took a name and settled on a quiet hillside. Folks came for healing, and I lived on their largess, the myriad of berry bushes around me, and the fish from the nearby stream.
I felt there was safety in seclusion, but I knew it was not right. After a while, I ventured below and met a man. I could not fully communicate with him. I did not feel his thoughts, but we made a home and in the normal course of time, I had a daughter.
With the birth of my daughter, it came back to me. I was Miellyn. I had the knowledge. My family, four generations! Where were they? Where were my cousins; had they fared well? I feared all was lost. It was a very difficult time for me. Until the first lightning storm… then I heard great-grandfather’s voice. I was not alone.
As they grew, I passed along the knowledge to my daughters. The youngest was a healer by nature. The oldest was never at peace with herself. I had to remind myself daily to instruct but not to seek to control. It was a never-ending battle within me.
One night the lightning called to me as it had as a child. I could no longer stay where I was. There were still unanswered questions, and I knew it was my job to answer them. And so I began my search. The search, though, was not done in the physical world. What I was looking for, longing for, was not of this world, but of a world beyond. A world from which We came to be, a world that was hidden away. I continued to live in the natural world, and raise my daughters, but during the lightning storms, I searched. I freed my mind and I searched.
My mental travels took me through a small, beautiful forested land where magic ruled, but there was great strife. Armies from four cities fought constantly for supremacy. Those that called themselves ‘gods’ watched and laughed, and offered no help to the good. No matter the effort, evil was winning in that land. The good among them asked me for help in their defenses. My mind told me not to interfere; my heart told me I could not walk away. I did what I could, but in the end it was not enough. They wanted more than defense from me. What they were asking from me was murder, and that I could not do. So I traveled on.
Next I found a huge land, full of endless wilderness. I wandered for what seemed like months between cities, and towns. Great castles stood on hilltops, monasteries were buried among the trees in secluded valleys, and great caverns spanned the entire land deep within. This land cried out for a healer. Many fought the dragons that invaded the human territories. Although, truth be known, it was really the humans that had invaded the Dragon territories, but that was not known to me until later. I settled there with a vow to do no harm. For many a day, I was content in my work, but soon the lightning called again. This was not the place. My search was not ended.
One day, in the course of my travels, I walked into the City of Pinnacle. At first the number of people in this great city overwhelmed me. There were too many minds too close together. With time, I learned to control my mind. There were many great quests and many lands to explore. I knew that what I sought was somewhere in this land. I joined a group of healer warriors, and found a home. During the course of a year, I explored and sought to no avail. How could I have been wrong? This was not the place.
For a time, I no longer searched. I was despondent, feeling alone again, as I had felt after the sending. As I allowed these negative feelings to fill me, I stepped off the path. Evil, under the disguise of self-preservation, took over my mind. When I again began to search, I was pulled back to that great land of wilderness, but this time, I did not make a home for myself and take an honest profession. I lived in the streets and the sewers, and joined league with many other thieves that plagued that land. That is when I learned that the humans did not belong there. One day as I helped many others bring down the oldest of dragons, He spoke to me in my mind. I was appalled! What had become of me? To what depths had I fallen? I fled, and hid myself away.
During all this time of mental searching, I worked to appear normal to those around me in the natural world. And yet my daughters could tell that I was not as I should be. It was my youngest, the one with the healer’s touch, that saved me, and my eldest, she of the troubled soul, that set me on my path once again. It was not only for myself, but also for them that I searched, for their future, and their heritage. I set out once again.
Back to where I had felt the greatest longing, back to where I was sure I would find the answers. And this time, I found it. The City of Light… surrounded by lightning, surrounded by chaos. Filled with others who like myself had searched and returned.
Now I shall strive to find the answers that I long for, and someday, to find the family that I lost.
Miellyn
For as long as I can remember, I have loved lightning storms. The ‘why’ of it never entered my mind. That in itself is strange because I am curious about everything. My great-grandfather would always take me outside in the lightning storms. Mam-ma would fuss, but he said it would not… no, it could not harm us. Great-grandfather was the only one who seemed to understand me. In his eyes I saw myself, and many were the times I heard his voice when he was not there.
We lived quietly, as quietly as four generations can, but still many came to us. Some sought healing, others knowledge. Grammy always provided the first, but was against providing the second. Instinctively I knew she was right. I was taught the healing skills very young because they came easily to me. I was schooled in the Knowledge because my memory never failed me. But it was not enough. There were too many unanswered questions, too many answers waiting to be found… out there. Out where the lightning storm sang to me. Mam-ma fussed and Grammy grumbled, but my parents just smiled proudly and prepared me for my life journey.
As time passed, folks grew suspicious of us. Why did we separate ourselves from them? Why wouldn’t we teach their children as we taught ours? What were we hiding from out there alone in the mountains? We spoke to them of peace, of responsibility, of caring, but those things do not have a place in the language of hate, and so they did not understand.
As things grew worse, the elders accepted the fact that our peaceful time had come to an end. They had little time before the hateful words became hateful actions. Unfortunately, it came sooner then was expected. There was no time to take everyone away, so those of my generation who trained in the knowledge were brought together, and through the united forces of all, Grammy, because great-grandfather had gone beyond, sent us out.
I was alone.
Where I was, I did not know. Who I was, I did not know! How did I get here? Now, looking back, I know that Grammy must have locked away the knowledge that was in me until I was ready to use it wisely. The healing skills I had. I took a name and settled on a quiet hillside. Folks came for healing, and I lived on their largess, the myriad of berry bushes around me, and the fish from the nearby stream.
I felt there was safety in seclusion, but I knew it was not right. After a while, I ventured below and met a man. I could not fully communicate with him. I did not feel his thoughts, but we made a home and in the normal course of time, I had a daughter.
With the birth of my daughter, it came back to me. I was Miellyn. I had the knowledge. My family, four generations! Where were they? Where were my cousins; had they fared well? I feared all was lost. It was a very difficult time for me. Until the first lightning storm… then I heard great-grandfather’s voice. I was not alone.
As they grew, I passed along the knowledge to my daughters. The youngest was a healer by nature. The oldest was never at peace with herself. I had to remind myself daily to instruct but not to seek to control. It was a never-ending battle within me.
One night the lightning called to me as it had as a child. I could no longer stay where I was. There were still unanswered questions, and I knew it was my job to answer them. And so I began my search. The search, though, was not done in the physical world. What I was looking for, longing for, was not of this world, but of a world beyond. A world from which We came to be, a world that was hidden away. I continued to live in the natural world, and raise my daughters, but during the lightning storms, I searched. I freed my mind and I searched.
My mental travels took me through a small, beautiful forested land where magic ruled, but there was great strife. Armies from four cities fought constantly for supremacy. Those that called themselves ‘gods’ watched and laughed, and offered no help to the good. No matter the effort, evil was winning in that land. The good among them asked me for help in their defenses. My mind told me not to interfere; my heart told me I could not walk away. I did what I could, but in the end it was not enough. They wanted more than defense from me. What they were asking from me was murder, and that I could not do. So I traveled on.
Next I found a huge land, full of endless wilderness. I wandered for what seemed like months between cities, and towns. Great castles stood on hilltops, monasteries were buried among the trees in secluded valleys, and great caverns spanned the entire land deep within. This land cried out for a healer. Many fought the dragons that invaded the human territories. Although, truth be known, it was really the humans that had invaded the Dragon territories, but that was not known to me until later. I settled there with a vow to do no harm. For many a day, I was content in my work, but soon the lightning called again. This was not the place. My search was not ended.
One day, in the course of my travels, I walked into the City of Pinnacle. At first the number of people in this great city overwhelmed me. There were too many minds too close together. With time, I learned to control my mind. There were many great quests and many lands to explore. I knew that what I sought was somewhere in this land. I joined a group of healer warriors, and found a home. During the course of a year, I explored and sought to no avail. How could I have been wrong? This was not the place.
For a time, I no longer searched. I was despondent, feeling alone again, as I had felt after the sending. As I allowed these negative feelings to fill me, I stepped off the path. Evil, under the disguise of self-preservation, took over my mind. When I again began to search, I was pulled back to that great land of wilderness, but this time, I did not make a home for myself and take an honest profession. I lived in the streets and the sewers, and joined league with many other thieves that plagued that land. That is when I learned that the humans did not belong there. One day as I helped many others bring down the oldest of dragons, He spoke to me in my mind. I was appalled! What had become of me? To what depths had I fallen? I fled, and hid myself away.
During all this time of mental searching, I worked to appear normal to those around me in the natural world. And yet my daughters could tell that I was not as I should be. It was my youngest, the one with the healer’s touch, that saved me, and my eldest, she of the troubled soul, that set me on my path once again. It was not only for myself, but also for them that I searched, for their future, and their heritage. I set out once again.
Back to where I had felt the greatest longing, back to where I was sure I would find the answers. And this time, I found it. The City of Light… surrounded by lightning, surrounded by chaos. Filled with others who like myself had searched and returned.
Now I shall strive to find the answers that I long for, and someday, to find the family that I lost.
Miellyn
2 comments:
I do not know how this works I wrote a comment, and had no acknowledgement. I am a stranger to these lands, but wandering does not mean I am lost. A pilgrimage is always with and without direction, depending on where the pilgrim and the observer are standing.
I wish i knew the way into the breed guild and though your story was touching, that quest is a horrible entrance to the guild
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