When Twin Flames Unite

A Lifetime Ago

The next day Ala was violently startled awake by the rooster announcing the beginning of the day. She had a funny feeling she was being watched. When she opened her eyes, she saw a mother and child watching her. She shooed them away, but they did not move. She turned her back but there was another pair of eyes and another.

A large group of people had gathered around her. They were all kneeling. The woman closest to her said.

"Goddess I must be remiss. I desperately need your help today."

A man from the back spoke up. "Goddess, I need your help too!"

Another and another. They all spoke up until the entire crowd was yelling and begging for help.

It was too early, and they were far too loud. She could barely register their presence, which in turn agitated them, and they became louder. A ringing filled her ears, a pounding headache started.

Ala looked for an exit, but they had her surrounded.

Only one human walked toward her, his held up high. He took a possessive stance in front of her and looked down his nose at them all. An aura of arrogance boarded on nobility, though no one regarded him that way. Still, this was the only one of them who dared to stand, so they listened to him.

"The Goddess has many matters to attend to today. If you all can bring an offering and line up one by one, she can attend to your matters in an orderly fashion."

This seemed to satisfy the crowd and they all dispersed in hunt of their valuables.

"I did not consent to any of this." She said.

"Of course you did. From the moment you arrived, you agreed to be everyone's savior. You healed the land, brought food and water. You've restored hope and people will continue to look to you for answers."

Ala tried to pick apart his logic but came up blank.

"I thought they were afraid of me."

The ambition in his heart was fierce. His words came out like a low growl.

"Everyone is afraid of greatness of first."

Ala grimaced and pulled away from him.

"I don't care for greatness myself."

He extended a hand to her. She tried to see his eyes before she took it, but she couldn't see through the shadow cast by his nose.

"Goddess," His voice softened. "I think I can help you. People will come to you. But don't have to do it alone. I'll help."

The egg glimmered from the tree branch. She refused his hand and approached it.

"What do you think?" She said while stroking it.

"See Goddess? Even the Earth knows your goodness. It's gifted you a pet. A sign you are fit for this role."

"It's not a pet, it will be my dinner one day."

The words died in her throat as she saw Zuri approaching behind the human.

"Zuri," she chuckled nervously. "I was just showing this human the sun."

The human tried to raise his head higher than Zuri's. But Zuri's detached nature cut through the arrogance, and the human faltered.

Zuri turned to Ala, "No need. The human has the sun up there. Let us go."

Zuri placed the egg in his pocket, and he and Ala left. But the human's ambition was greater than this interaction. Determined to make this deal, he trailed behind them.

***

Ala and Zuri's footsteps were that beat that kept the crickets chirping in time with the buzzing of the cicadas.

The crescendo of Ala's quake conjured a forest that surrounded the glade. It echoed out and rustled the hearts of bushes, grounded the roots of shrubs, and ignited the will of insects. The leaves on the trees fanned out and laced together to form the soft melody of the wind taking passage. The balm of the earth was rich and sweet. A complimentary contrast to the crispness of the dew on the grass. The perimeter was carefully guarded by their intimate embrace.

The decrescendo fell into the margins for the dirge of those who struggled to bloom. A procession of beetles and ants trudged through the rot and mournful litter of branches. Weak trees watch their fallen comrades who attempt to lighten their load. The stiff and pungent earth could not be covered with the stiff and barely there grass. Furthest from it all was a lone cave that emoted its misery in dense waves.

Zuri could see, sealed inside, a black mist swirled and billowed. He stared down the temptation of omniscience. Desire, and Knowledge, the primordial floodgates. At desire's gate, he felt longing, satisfaction, and fear. At knowledge's gate, he thought of ignorance, curiosity, and wisdom. From desire, he felt that knowledge could never be obtained. From knowledge,e he knew that desire would never go away. He accepted this paradox of suffering and was filled with joy.

Ala, who was not fully aware of the difference between herself and another, made the unfortunate mistake of considering it her own. An insatiable yearning took residence in her heart. Replaced her blood and bones, seeped into her marrow, and emptied her of everything. It was as if she was being hollowed out from within. Consumed with nothing, disconnected from everything, loneliness echoed through her body.

"Don't concern yourself with human affairs." He said.

She wondered if their conditions were something she could accept. If she could be who they wanted her to be. If they felt an inkling of what she'd felt, and if her presence soothed it some way.

"It's a trap." He said.

She decided to bury loneliness and never let it see the light of day. She feared stepping beyond the glade. Resolved to never feel this way again.

Zuri sighed. "I see you're determined to anyway."

The paradox of omniscience was that fate was the source of information. It did not matter how much he knew, or what action he took. There was nothing he could say. Destiny would have its way.

His laugh was so bright and full it filled Ala, and the mist retreated to the back of the cave. Disaster was inevitable.

"It'll be fine."

Ala barely registered the egg being placed in her palm, or the steam that arose where they touched.

"You'll need this."

Zuri watched the golden orb fly out the egg and into the cave. Right through the eye of the mist that curled like a cyclone, and across the border of time and space.

***

The light of the stars reflects on the waters that crash against eternity. In this distant space where there is no land, the memory of time begins to fade. All things that were separated become the same. Night turns to day, light fades to dark, in goes out, and up moves down. Water fills the horizon to form the next great wave. Its wake sprouts wings, and splashes against the cosmos. A whirlpool forms and the orb swims through the vortex.

It followed the flow of a frozen stream. Passed over great icecaps. Up a glacier, that contained a cross-legged man. An impenetrable expression reflected his deep concentration. With the speed of a comet, the orb approached the orb collided with the ice. Warmth filled his heart, spread down to his fingers and toes, caused a stir in his emotion, and gave him the will to move.