There is a place, a space out of time,
where fantasy knows no bounds.
I
am devoid of my limitations.
In these realms, no direction can be found.
We are free, liberated,
in the ecstasy of the here and now.
You can visit,
even stay a while,
follow my lead, I’ll show you how.
The first step of the journey,
a trip through the wild frontier.
A meeting
at the fountain.
Take off your shoes, we must be near.
There waits the famed Lady Astoria,
for a price she provides protection.
Offer
her yourself, gaze deep into her eyes,
see yourself, condensed into a hazel reflection.
Listen for her laughter,
that is the sign of procession.
Passage is granted,
acceptance,
remember well her expression.
The glow of her half-closed eyes,
imagine the rattlesnake on the prowl.
Don’t
be afraid to let her in,
seek reassurance in the scowl.
She has been granted this power
as reward for her bravery.
The story passed
on through the ages,
she freed her people from slavery.
The eyes slowly widen, shining stronger,
step back and prepare.
Pupils dilate,
step into the abyss,
the new world erupts from her glare.
The shimmering fountain behind us,
ahead, traps of many kinds.
The sign
upon our hands,
the forethought of our minds.
Now we encounter trust, divine,
are you ready for a leap of faith?
I’d
go first as a guide,
but for you I must wait.
For this there is no secret,
no method tried and true.
I offer inspiration
and encouragement,
the caress of grace will keep you.
Together we overcome the hours,
time lost in the cracks.
Now we proceed
alone,
no Astoria to cover our backs.
Look, on the horizon, nearing,
across the featureless terrain.
The test
of your resolve,
of your resistance to pain.
If you are unprepared,
or weak, you will fail.
To be cast aside, discarded,
into
the depths, a personal jail.
There are no rewards,
success means progress.
Be thankful for the chance.
no
more, no less.
Onward we travel,
onward to the land of the unknown.
See the tower, we must
climb it,
or from it be thrown.
Those thorns entangled,
the real thing, they are sharp and unkind.
Not like
your fears,
those cursed dwellers of the mind.
Follow me now, stay close,
there is a man we must see.
He is the hunchback,
the outcast,
the keeper of the key.
Once trusted with the keys to Eden,
he abused the power.
As punishment for
his crimes
he must guard this wretched tower.
Experience his ancient teacher,
without morals he is not.
But should you
cross his palm with silver,
he will give you all he’s got.
With key in hand, price paid,
at dawn we approach the gate.
The link between
the sun and the soil,
surveyor of souls, decider of fate.
Many have failed where we try,
lost in immediate obscurity.
To conquer the
tower you must possess
a divine level of purity.
Remember the leap of faith?
The time is now.
This you must accept yourself.
I
cannot show you how.
I can pass on advice however,
kneel down at the lake.
If you see your reflection,
the
challenge you are ready to take.
It is the way of the quest,
is it fortune or curse?
I’m coming too,
but
you must go first.
Sure-footed he advances,
each step true and clean.
I felt for certain, in
the lake,
I knew what he had seen.
I watched as he reached, right, left,
thorns piercing the skin. But no pain.
The
crimson flowing free,
like the river and the rain.
To the peak, steady yet swift,
I hear his feet on the stone.
From a distance
I follow,
he must get there alone.
High noon, the risen sun,
cascading rays, shower of light.
“We have
made good progress”
He cannot hear, try as I might.
Looming clouds, grey and fearsome,
hover threateningly above.
Suddenly they
separate, peace.
Forth flies a dove.
As I reach the top,
he sits gazing in awe.
What I wouldn’t give,
he said,
For memories like yours.
It’s true I have been here,
but the first time’s the best.
Don’t
sit there forever,
we must get our rest.
Come dusk we should be sleeping,
there is a path we will find.
A passage
to the place beyond,
unlocking the secrets in the back of our minds.
Two riders will approach,
your dreams to fulfil.
Floating through the great
azure,
have you seen them yet? You will.
They are the Jewels of the Sky,
fair, brown and blonde.
The final piece
of the jigsaw,
they form the unbreakable bond,
Sneaking up in the night,
to catch us dreaming, unawares.
They carry us
from our land,
and on into theirs.
You won’t know it has happened,
but you will notice the change.
When
you awake behind the sun,
in the shadow of the Fiery Orange.
At our destination we arrive,
for us, the end of the road.
It is here we
must part, but
remember how you got here, the secret, the code.
In a flash he had gone,
roaring into the distance.
A Jewel on each of his
arms,
at their insistence!
What pleasure did he find, I wonder,
as under the stars I sit.
I remember
my final words to him:
Farewell, dear friend; you made it.
