Dragon Girl

And Through the Looking Glass

"What do I needto know?" Janey asked.

"You have manytalents that other humans find unusual, but there is so much more foryou to learn. First, we'd like you to remember what you alreadyknow. To access your dragon memories as this will make it a loteasier for you, and faster." WuFujiyama told her with a voice that felt like gentle waves on amidnight warm ocean.

"But if thesememories are not part of my empirical experience in that lifetime,how do I access them?" Janey was no longer shy or afraid. Achallenge was presented to her and that was all that was needed tobring out her enduring courage.

"I can help withthat." Gel said softly. Her voice sounded like a shy little girl'svoice should sound. And Janey heard it with her spirit ears not justin her head.

"Permission toleave the council for the purpose of assisting the avatar toremember." Gel then said in the direction of Belgestra. The bonedragon only nodded his huge bony head and Gel slid off her stool andcame to take Janey's hand.

"We need to gosomewhere quieter than here, Janey."

Janey got off thesoft ottoman and took the smaller girl's hand. Gel led her out ofthe amphitheater back the way the council members had come and towhat was obviously a dressing room for someone as small as Gel.

"Do you live inthis room Gel or is it just for mass appearances like tonight?"

"It's just adressing room. I live in another mountain where my teachers are.Please have a seat in the dressing table chair." Gel answered andbrought another stool to sit beside her.

"What I'mgoing to do is a form of meditation, so I want you to get ascomfortable as you can." Gel waited for her instruction to befollowed.

"Now, close youreyes and breathe deeply a few times until you are totally relaxed."Again she waited until she sensed that Janey was as relaxed as shewas going to get.

"Janey, I wantyou to see a hallway ... it is long, well lit and you feel safe here... walk down the hallway in your mind ... there are doors on bothsides of this hallway they are all closed right now ... just walkpast many of them ... eventually you will come to a doorway with adragon on it ... I want you to open that door and walk into thatroom."

In Janey's mindshe could see the hallway and the many doors clearly. She knew thesedoors led to memories because every one of them had some kind ofsymbol on it. A birthday cake here, a bicycle or skates there, apuppy, a tent, her tree house, baby bottles as she walked fartherdown the hallway the symbols became more infantile then there was adoor with a rainbow on it and beyond that was the door with thedragon. Janey found the doorknob was easy to turn and the door pushedopen soundlessly. She walked boldly inside. There she was assaultedwith turmoil of colors, sounds, shifting images, smells, tastes,every sense was assaulted and she felt like she was in a tornado.

"The memorieswill settle in a moment into an order for you. Don't befrightened." Gel reassured her.

In her mind'seye, Janey stood her ground until the chaos settled into somesemblance of order and she became aware that she was looking out overa vast, beautiful natural scene. Mountains, forests, lush riversflowing slowly, the water sparkling like diamonds. Smoke from smallvillages dotting the forest but there was more forest than there wasfarmland or villages. Far in the distance was a stone castle. It tooka while before she realized she had to be pretty high above theforest floor to see as she did.

Then she turned tolook behind her and realized she was in the mouth of a cave.

"Do all dragonslive in caves?" Janey asked Gel.

"No, not all.Dragons and Drakes live in every environment there is. Those who aremostly terrestrial usually live in caves or hollow trees but thewater dragons may live out in the open at the bottom of an ocean ordeep river. Swamp dragons live in the muck and swamp grass, andaerial dragons live on clouds."

"They must bevery light."

"Not really,they use magic to keep from falling through the clouds."

"Magic doesn'twork in the material world."

"Not like itdoes here ... but there are things you will be able to do that somewill think is magic because they don't understand how to do it."

"It's all inthe mind, right?"

"Mostly."

"Ok ... so nowthat I'm wherever it is I am, what am I looking for?"

"Go back intothe cave."

Janey opened oneeye to look at Gel. "Can you see what I see in my mind?"

"Yes, when youstay there. Now you may have to go back to the hallway and start overfor looking at me." Gel giggled.

Janey closed hereye again and took a deep cleansing breath and found herself back onthe ledge of the cave instantly. She turned and walked into the cave.There were piles of things in various nooks and crannies of the cave.Near a large pile of leafy boughs there was a pile of books and oneespecially large book with a metal clasp where her front paws couldhold it if she were laying on the boughs. It was the first time sherealized she wasn't in her human body now.

"Holy cow, I ama dragon!" She said out loud.

"Yes, a verybeautiful, green, forest, European style dragon."

"Would that Icould see myself!"

"You may have alooking glass or a still pool somewhere in the cave but for now Iwant you to lie down and rest your head on the big book."

Janey did as shewas told and found herself in her mind's eye going to sleep andgoing to sleep in the little dressing room. Gel left her alone therefor a while but she was back before Janey woke.

"Sorry, Gel, Ididn't mean to fall asleep on you."

"You may havenot meant it but I did. Do you remember now?"

"What should Iremember?"

"What you can doas a dragon."

Janey searched herconscious memories and the look of wonder on her face told Gel shedid remember.