Entrance to the Song (completed)

Chapter 8 - Hearts Jade

The earth rejoices at the delight of man

Spring air blew through the trees, and small animals scurried out of our path. Daddy and I had spent the last week with Shiah and Benin. It felt good to make things grow.

"You are lovely," Benin said, reaching out to touch my cheek. I tried to smile and not flinch.

"Must you always be so serious, Benin?" I reached down and threw a clot of dirt at him to divert his attention. Instinctively, he caught it in the air before it reached his face. The pieces of dirt stuck together in a perfect ball and floated above his hand. He transformed it into a few more shapes before letting it fall.

I laughed as he opened the gate to the garden. "You are good at that," I teased. "Did you get dirt thrown at you a lot when you were a kid?"

Benin shrugged. He remembered little of his childhood.

We entered his garden; the vegetables were plump and juicy. The tangy aroma of oranges hung on the breeze. Our feet left imprints in the pliable soil.

"What other things have you grown?" he asked.

"Everything I could get my hands on without alerting Tilly," I said. "I've never been able to do the things we do together, but I never tried to grow grass on my kitchen floor either."

I dipped my hands into the soil and then closed my eyes, basking in the serenity that the earth offered. A daffodil sprung up from the ground beneath my hands. The feeling of coming home and sitting by the hearth on a cold winter's night is how I would describe speaking to the earth. I sensed Benin's vibrations flowing through the earth not far from me.

Penny, he sang to her through the vibrations in the soil. I peeked at him before shutting my eyes again. The sensation sent shivers through his body.

Benin, I returned. I jerked her hands out of the ground at the utter intimacy.

"That's probably enough for today," I said, standing and dusting the dirt off the flower print skirt I wore.

"We haven't even started," Benin said, moving closer. Unbidden, his hands reached out to touch mine. We understood how to rein in our ability when we touched now; it proved similar to controlling our individual power. Comparable to music that was played or listened to, the earth responded to the command of emotions or desires, by the touch of a hand, or mind on certain frequencies. "I have something I want to try."

His theories always peaked my interest. "What is it?"

"I know you like to experiment with cross-breeding plants and fruit."

"Yes," I prodded.

"Well have you ever thought to try creating your own breed?"

My shoulders slumped with disappointment. "We've been creating our own plant breed all week, Benin." I waved to a tree that combined a variety of over five fruit. His expression surprised me–the corner of his mouth twitched with almost a look of satisfaction. "You must have something good in that head of yours if you're attempting to smile."

He took a deep breath.

"And now you're back to your usual pensiveness," I observed. "What's going through your head Benin? You never confided what you experienced in the Keep. And what is your theory for breeding?"

He answered only my question about breeding. "Well, I thought it would be neat if we create plants that did things that plants don't do." he paused. The wheels turned in my head.