Iris sat by the base of Paliv Verasel, her back absolutely straight. The tree touched her only at the base of her spine and she remained otherwise separated, but her entire being was within the radius of the aura it propagated. It came out in concentric circles, the largest essentially spanning the entire planet, but Iris was the only one who sat within the reach of each component of that aura.
She could feel Audrey coming towards her the moment that later came to Earth. She remained still, waiting in her place.
Her energy quickened its pace, a phenomena very unusual for the shadow. She knew what was coming, she had known for a long time. Was she nervous? Scared?
Uncertain?
Paliv Verasel's aura remained unchanged, unaffected by the shadow sitting with it.
As Audrey saw the young girl in that position, her heart felt somewhat heavy, a wave of nostalgia overwhelming her.
Once there was Mildred who filled that position. There was Ehren, then Jay, then me and now the turn changes. The cycle continues, but it has come to its last stop.
Its true destination. Nothing can be said about its permanence as things have changed once already - what no one had anticipated has happened, but for now, the world is returning.
Iris opened her eyes to see Audrey sitting in front of her with her legs crossed, a smile on her face. She said nothing, waiting for the older shadow to speak, unsure of what she could say or do.
"You are wonderful."
Audrey knew Iris did not seek such flattery, but she wanted to say it.
"You are going to be wonderful. You know what to do, and you will do it so well."
Iris responded with a small smile, her body otherwise unshifted. Her mouth opened slowly and the words came as a fragile whisper, but they were sure enough.
"Am I going to lose the six of you?"
Paliv Verasel's aura remained unchanged.
"We will not be here explicitly, we will not be in these forms. But we will always be there, and you can always come to us, just as you can go to the Shadow of Nature. Holly was the first to leave, and the first to be everywhere.
"Perhaps, in a sense, you will lose us and we will lose you, just as we will lose the world. Life is a persistence of loss because that is how the cycle continuously shifts and its beings move forward. But you are not only a part of life, and we will all eventually leave it completely. The time to do so for you and I is different, but it is always a point we will come across.
"Until we meet again, Iris."
The world was completely still. Then it faded from Audrey's vision, her last experience of life being Iris's voice.
"Until we meet again, Audrey."
YOU ARE READING
The Shadows of Nature
Spiritualiténature Perhaps it is the home Perhaps the destination Perhaps both. Can you push past the constraints you have inherited? Can you seek to understand that which scares you? That which you hate? That which angers you? Truth and Time, is this the prin...
