The Gathering. Carl Read
serious,” she rebuked.
“Sorry, it was the first thing that popped into my head.”
“I have never seen the likes of this before. My best interpretation would be that this is a disc of living energy. Let’s try something. I’m going to move onto the disc, then you do the same and we’ll see if anything happens.”
Nathanial observed as Renae stepped across the threshold onto the light. She closed her eyes and started her mantra. As she chanted, the vitality of the glow increased. He moved to her side and immediately became engulfed in a pulsating aura of intense beauty. He found himself cocooned within a golden sphere of light. The distant echo of a woman’s voice drifted into his consciousness, calling his name as he was transported to an unknown destination. His movement slowed and he found himself free of the sphere, gently settling to the ground in a small clearing surrounded by trees.
His attention was drawn to a silver cord emanating from his abdomen that drifted lazily in mid-air and disappeared skyward. However, his consciousness was pulsating with a wakefulness of spirit, the appearance of which resembled a fine golden thread in the form of an aura that originated from his psyche. A tingling upon his awareness caused him to move towards a pathway leading from the clearing. Walking out from the trees upon the path was Kalareena; she took one look at his face and laughed.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked, feeling self-conscious.
“The expression on your face,” she replied.
After getting over his initial embarrassment, he felt he was discerning a great deal more about her than when they had first met under the gaslight. “Kalareena, your body lacks a certain depth and your clothes aren’t real,” he remarked perplexed.
“Realism is simply a pattern of spiritual energies that relates to the realm you’re upon, Nathanial. Take you for example,” she said, indicating towards his body. “You’re a spiritual copy of what your psyche believes you look like.”
Nathanial looked closely at himself for the first time. Kalareena watched as Nathanial’s aura changed colour while he processed the information she had given him.
“So you’re saying that the form I’m in now is my spirit?” was his awed response.
“Yes,” she replied happily, then pointed. “You see the silver cord emanating from your spirit? Well, the other end of it is attached to your physical form back on Telluric.”
Well, if we’re both in our spiritual form, where’s your silver cord?” he asked, confused.
“I haven’t left my body like you have, Nathanial,” Kalareena explained. “My physical form is more refined than yours because I come from the enlightened realms. That’s why it looks ethereal,” she informed him cheerfully.
Nathanial gently ran his hand over her shoulder lightly touching the fabric of her dress. Realising what he had done he apologised. “I’m sorry Kalareena. That was impolite of me.” He then hurried on. “What are your clothes made from?”
Kalareena smiled fondly and explained. “My clothes are a spiritual apparition I created to cover my form. I rather like them,” she said happily, spinning about. “The good thing is they never wear out or get dirty and they cling to my body,” she pointed out, while running her hands down the sides of her dress.
“They certainly do,” he stated, blushing slightly. He hadn’t noticed her clothing the other night because of the mist. Kalareena interrupted his obvious delight in her attire.
“What are you doing here?”
“Ah, I don’t know where here is. One moment I was standing on a golden disc of light in my bookshop with Renae and then whoosh, I’m here.”
“That disc is a transport portal and you’re in the Woodlands. You shouldn’t be here it’s not safe. You need to return the way you came. It’s better if I visit you.”
“Who are you?”
Smiling, Kalareena responded, “I’m your soul mate. Now, my love, you must return the way you came.”
“Soul mate!” The shock of such a statement had him reeling as his instincts knew it to be correct.
“Now isn’t the time, Nathanial, I will explain later. You must return and please don’t use the portal until we’ve spoken.”
“I don’t know how to return.”
“Simply follow your silver cord home,” was her rejoinder.
Thinking about the direction he wished to take and hearing his name being called, he travelled along the silver cord towards the sound of the voice. With a sudden jolt, he was back in his body, coming to his senses in Renae’s lap with a wet cloth being applied to his face.
“Nathanial, are you all right? Answer me, Nathanial, are you here with me?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” he finally managed.
“What happened to you?”
“My spirit fell from my body into the Woodlands,” he answered, not quite believing the sound of his own voice.
“That would explain your lack of physical response to my insistent calling. Nathanial,” Renae said nervously, still showing signs of unease, “when you stepped onto the disc, my spirit felt like it was going to explode with the intensity of useable energy. I lost sight of you.”
Looking into Renae’s face he could see genuine concern. “Everything is all right now. As you can see I’m all in one piece,” he informed her gently.
“Nathanial, every nerve in my body was humming,” Renae described. “It felt as if my spirit was being drawn from the body. I removed myself from the light as quickly as possible, my vision cleared and I saw you lying on the floor.”
“So how did I end up on your lap? Not that I’m objecting,” he added cheekily.
Renae gave him a playful slap. “Seeing that you were out cold, I grabbed a damp cloth from the kitchen and well, here you are.”
Feeling recovered, Nathanial carefully separated himself from Renae’s lap and they removed themselves from the circle of light. They watched the golden disc slowly diminish in size till it was no more. The parchment that Barbette returned to him, was now sitting in the middle of the floor. Renae retrieved it and then gave it to him.
“That shouldn’t be here. I put it in the drawer of my office.”
“May I see it for a moment?” He handed her the parchment.
“Did you check the message when Mrs Phillips returned it to you?”
“No, I didn’t. Let me see.”
Taking the parchment from Renae he read it but then reread it. Renae gently touched his shoulder saying, “You’re the professor, what does this mean?”
“It means I need to visit Barbette. There are some questions that need answering. You know, I could do with another cup of tea.”
They walked into the kitchen and while Nathanial narrated his experiences, Renae made them both a cuppa. “That’s amazing and Kalareena didn’t say when she would be visiting?”
“No. Only that it was safer for her to visit me.”
“I wish I hadn’t stepped off that thing now. The amount of raw energy you have at your disposal is awesome.”
Having finished the tea they walked back into the shop, Nathanial was still talking about his experience. Poor Renae couldn’t get a word in edgeways about what she had gone through. They were greeted with Kalareena materialising at the base of the stairs. The look on Renae’s face was of awe at seeing a spiritual entity from the enlightened realms. Nathanial’s heart and soul soared at the sight of her.
“Hello, Nathanial. It’s safe for us to talk now.”