Espejo

Butterfly’s wings whisper like silent song chimes under a timeless summer sun.  The air thick with a golden mist makes the world shimmer and shine like divinity breathing.  Junito couldn’t remember ever feeling more serene, more “here.”  How did he get this way?  He tried to recall but memories eluded the boy.  They hid, like mischievous satyrs or playful wood nymphs, first behind moss-covered trees,  then darted here, then not, then over there, then not.  They stayed just out of mind’s reach.   The child heard sweet harmonies in the distance carried by the gentlest breeze and wondered if it was the music that happens when angels speak.  A gentle smile crossed his face as his delicate hand absently brushed straight jet black bangs away from large green eyes.  Those lustrous eyes, deep green windows to the soul of a twelve year old.

The child was sure of only one thing;  he liked this.  How did he get here?  Whereis here? He decided he didn’t care.  Wherever else he might be it couldn’t possibly match the tranquility of this place.   No, never. Never like this.  His ancient soul looked out from behind those emerald eyes and became aware of the primeval forest embracing his body.  Junito leaned back on a tree with smooth bark and a huge, twisted trunk.  An old senior citizen of this enchanted wood, the tree’s thick roots seemed to cradle him with the affection of a doting grandfather.

The forest has a life force and every creature, every leaf, every grasshopper and sparrow is part and parcel of it.  The boy thought about taking a deep breath.  Like a profound inhalation, a sublime river of life passed through him from head to toe and then receded, “exhaling” back to it’s place.  Time passed but who could tell how much?

When he was good and ready, the young man began to take stock of his new surroundings.  He roved about through the forest, his head and neck twisting and turning in all directions at once, it seemed.  Youthful curiosity had its full of searching out and poking through all the nooks and cranny’s of this wonderland, suffused with the colors of boasting nature’s most impressive pallet.  Ten thousand shades and nuances of greens, golden yellow tones, rich, earthy shades of  grey, brown and red, resplendent in all it’s glory.
It occurred to him that he hadn’t seen a single animal yet.  Trees, vegetation, flowers, yes, but no wildlife.  No birds, squirrels, deer – not so much as a mosquito.  Odd that was.  Nevertheless, the man remained undisturbed.  No sooner had he experienced the thought than he caught sight of movement about 20 paces ahead.  It was decidedly unplant-like.  It wasn’t just a swaying branch or bush.  It was traveling.  Delicious curiosity welled up once again and he immediately began pursuit.  The objective seemed to retreat deeper into the forest and, despite some pretty fancy foot work through thick underbrush, after twenty minutes of full tilt chase, he was no closer to finding out who it was.  Yes, he had determined that this was no animal.  ”It” was human.

At length, his pursuit ended when the forest did.   The terrain came to an abrupt falloff.  He peered tentively over the edge.  The cliff sank into snowy white mists.  He turned his head, slowly taking in the vastness beyond woods end.  Dead ahead, but there was no telling how near or far, a grand waterfall dominated the man’s entire field of vision.  He looked high above – impossibly high, it seemed – to see where the heavens appeared to open it’s floodgates and quench the whole world’s thirst with a regal downpour of indescribable grandeur.  The brilliant white water spray all but obscured the small patch of blue sky visible above it.  Junito stared in awe, transfixed by this vision of such immense power that his brain struggled to comprehend the reality of it.

He sat down to ponder what had just happened and how the object of his pursuit managed to escape him.  He or she wore a full length brown cloak and hood.  Was this a a monk traipsing through these ancient woods?  He half expected to happen upon a medieval monastery or a castle, complete with drawbridge and moat!
The urge arose to close the eyes and relax a bit.  In time, through closed eyelids the brilliant white of the waterfall darkened.  With a squint he opened his eyes.  A robed figure, a man, stood not five feet away.  the two men faced each other.  It didn’t occur to him to be afraid.  The stranger’s demeanor, his “vibe,” was not threatening.  Logic would have suggested questions like, “who are you” or “where am I?”  The words didn’t come.  There was no need.  Instead, the man’s eyes smiled and he turned to  leave!
The robed figure led him to a place where there appeared to be a natural circle of tree trunks that rose from the forest floor up to massive boughs that converged high, high overhead.  Being within sight of the grand waterfall gave it all a distinctly surreal cast.  The image of a cathedral came to mind.  At the very center of these ancient oaks there was a large table with a concave depression where rain water would collect.  It was very like an oversized bowl carved from solid stone.  The man in his simple forest brown vestments seemed a perfect match to his surroundings, natural yet regal.  He remained motionless beside the great bowl which stood about waist high to an average man.  His back was to Junito and there was a slight forward tilt to his head, as if he were gazing into the great bowl.

A few steps closed the distance between the two men and then they stood side by side peering down into…. what?  Junito stopped to reflect for a moment.  The circumstances he found himself in were extraordinary to be sure.   Closer now, he could see this stone pedestal was inscribed with strange carvings he had never seen before and it was clear that the entire unit had been carved from a single stone that appeared to be rooted deep in the earth beneath.  It was like a great stone iceberg with the pedestal being only the tip.
The robed one reached over and gently touched his hand, thereby refocusing his attention on the contents of the great bowl.  He peered inside, his emerald eyes searching, for what, he did not yet know.  The dark water began to glow.  There was movement.  A scene became clear.  He saw people.  It was a collage of faces, places and life details cascading through Junito’s awareness so very fast and yet, strangely enough, not too fast to comprehend.  Indeed, it was a curious experience, to say the least.  These people were always in pairs and always male and female.  The salient details of their lives, lives of people he did not know, were understood and regarded with the same incredible calm and serenity as everything else in these woods.

There was no telling how long he stood transfixed by the great bowl.  Once he caught his own reflection in the waters, the mirror.  An old man stared back at him.  A bit startled, Junito recognized himself, but the eyes… they were open slits without eyeballs!  Where eyes should have been beams of light shown forth.  ”I must be dreaming” Junito concluded.  It was the only way to explain the bizarre surroundings and everything else that didn’t quite jibe with “reality.”

One last time he looked into the ancient mirror, or “espejo,” as his Latina mother would have called it.  He sensed a great shining star within his body shining forth from every orifice in his head.  It was like being hollow inside, but not empty.  He was filled with an effulgent light that radiated from within and out far beyond the surface of his skin.

The reflection had disappeared from the mirror of waters.  The faces of a young man and a woman appeared in its place.  The youth, barely out of his  teens, was fresh-faced but heavy with worry and unseen burdens.  The woman was younger still but her face was aged beyond her years.  The toll drugs and malnutrition took from her.  The two had just met over drinks at a night club.  That much was obvious.  They were in the club, then outside.  There was much alcohol and the two wanted more privacy.  The night was hot, and so were they.  It was a common thing, so very human, really.  There was something here that intrigue Junito but he did not know what.  Somehow the soul, the star that dwelled behind those emerald eyes had the answers.

Suddenly Junito became aware of the robed figure again.  He had turned and the two stood face to face one last time.  The man beneath the hood smiled ever so gently and said only two words;  “Good choice.”  At that moment Junito let his head drop back as he glanced skyward, his eyes closed and there was utter silence.  In time, time began again.  The strangest of dreams followed.  Muffled noises,  featureless voices from unseen faces.  Life without light.  An unseen pressure closing in on all sides.  Crisis.  Then… disorientation… and a sharp “WHACK” on his butt.  He began to cry.