Chapter 20

My day had started out nicely, but quickly became a race for my life, or so it seemed. Then suddenly in the blink of an eye and I have no idea where I am. I know where I was just a moment ago, and this place has no connection to that place. The “battleground” where Custer slaughtered Black Kettle’s people is relatively flat. My new surroundings are anything but flat. I would point to photos of portions of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam as an example of where I suddenly found myself. It’s beautiful, but I’m alone, and the only belongings I have are the clothes I am wearing and my backpack.

At the moment, I’m on top of a tall ridge with steep sides and valleys in all directions. Crystal clear blue water that is more in line with the waters found in the Bahamas surrounds this piece of land. There are many more islands like the one I am on. Each separated from the others by an expanse of water that one could possibly swim, if necessary.

Presently, I discover that there is no feeling of dread. Sounds of life surround me, even if most of it is, I believe, bird song. I can see what appear to be schools of fish swimming in the waters below. Everywhere I look, I see beauty. It is as if this place radiates serenity.

Not knowing what else to do, I sit down to think. It would seem reasonable to conclude I was brought here for a purpose. Hell, I was chased here as well as drawn here. Or, rather I was led to Black Kettle’s campsite, and from there I was transported to this place. That leads to the question of why I was guided to that specific place and then moved to this one. I am attempting to figure out a logical reason behind all of what just transpired, but I am getting nowhere.

I’m not sure if I fell asleep, or ended up in a meditative state. Either way, I was surprised by the sense of something watching me. Slowly, I opened my eyes and found myself looking at a beautiful creature that stood no taller than I was sitting down. There was an allure to it that I cannot describe, and it carried itself with a regal bearing. The fact that it smiled warmly at me and seemed to radiate a sense of welcome and safety helped to make me feel at ease. I began to flinch away when it reached out a delicate hand. It stopped its movement, tilted its head to the side a little and blinked at me. That gesture spoke to me in a way that soothed me and caused me to hold still as it again reached to touch me.

Have you ever had an epiphany? I ask because that is what that touch felt like. I had a sudden understanding that I had lacked before. This included how to communicate with this beautiful being. Creature was not an appropriate description, as this was most assuredly a sentient being, an individual who deserved respect and my full attention.

I placed my hands before me as if in prayer, (with fingers and palms pressed together in front of my chest, forearms parallel to the ground), bowed to and greeted her. I did not speak it; I communicated it in a way previously unavailable to me. This form of communication was part of the need for her to touch me. We spoke mind to mind.

Perhaps she could read my mind and delve my deepest thoughts, hopes, and fears. I have no way of knowing and I would not dare ask. I do know that I had none of those abilities. I could converse with her mind to mind, and there were no misunderstandings of meaning. Words have meanings, but people still manage to give alternate definitions to what they hear. When you speak mind to mind, those misunderstandings are not possible.

While we were in commune the world around us seemed to fade away. We became all for that time. Nothing else existed outside of the two of us. She taught; I learned. She knew about my Djinn and his limitations both in power and through restrictions placed upon him, though she was unable to tell me about those restrictions, for she had limits as well.

I had to wonder if this was not a new dream. She didn’t tell me it was or was not a dream. She said it didn’t matter one way or the other. What did matter was that I could now make a connection to just about anything in the world around me in ways I could only describe as being fantastical and typically found in Science Fiction and Fantasy stories and games.

An example would be found in the pages of a book I read last summer before my change. That book is Angel Station by Walter Jon Williams in the character of Maria, who can alter the flow of a computer system’s data to a desired outcome. The second would be my ability to modify the genes of any living creature. Imagine the benefits of that! I can heal people with Parkinson’s, MS, MD, ALS, cancers and more! The downside is that it would put me in danger if anyone learned I could do such a thing. I do not want to end up as a government or corporate guinea pig. Another would be move or alter the trajectory of masses equal to, or less than my own with ease. Objects with a mass greater than my own become more difficult as their mass increases. My limit is untested, so far, but I wouldn’t want to try to alter the speed or direction of a speeding locomotive.