The Great Goddess Tree Tale

IV - Return to the Continent

The chimney's toot woke Mat up from his daydreams. He looked up to the sky and waited for his turn to board into the train. It already has passed a month since he came back. Mat was in his way to the university, where he should conclude some classes, in order to graduate soon.

He was a scholarship student, so he could not afford to skip classes or have a low score in the tests. The last stage of his course was during the morning time, leaving the afternoon with time for the students take charge of the university's community hospital. It was a contribution to the neighborhood population that used to pay low values for medical consultation and, at the same time, trained young doctors in the real practice of medicine.

Mat joined the course thanks to the dowry from his uncle and aunt. In the absence of his real fathers, his aunt Melissa Rainnier Salans, his father's sister, raised him as her child. Since she couldn't have children Mat met the perfect destiny's choice. With hard efforts, they had succeeded to give Mat a good life.

The nephew was always grateful to that. He knew inside him that somehow, he had been always "helped" by his uncle and aunt; that he was not a born "heir". But they constituted a beautiful family anyway, and love was among them.

Despite the scholarship that he achieved in the first years of graduation, Mat took part of his dowry for diary sustenance. Housing, food, and clothes were taken off from the saved financial resources. From the fourth year on he started working on the Hospital and it produced the amount to live, no more needing to resort to the monthly withdraw from the dowry.

Until that moment, he granted to save half of the dowry. This money should be applied to a new likely medical care facility.

Despite the good-looking future that was forming, Mat looked to the horizon but couldn't see that big troubled city. His thoughts were deep into that black sea. His mind couldn't leave the Isle.

He had written a letter to Kalima, a week after the arrival. On it, he explained his sudden departure as it is due to strong and abrupt pain in stomach height. Then, that it provided despair that left no alternative other than leave immediately to the Continent, where he could be properly treated. Lamented that he couldn't say a proper goodbye and assured that once his course was finished, he would return to the Isle. He signed the letter with no longer attachment to it.

Indeed, Mat still was troubled with what he lived on his last day in the Isle.

He researched in every single source he found on his university, but it seemed to be just a huge hallucination from his mind. Still, he couldn't forget the Tree. And the nude black-haired Goddess. Kalima had a piece of his heart too. The gorgeous friend became a fascinating woman. Did not want to have to lose her.

With all these overturns in his life, Kalima showed to be the savior angel.

However, Mat didn't want to get back. All the nature on that place was drunkenly evil. Yes. It was like the evil surfaced in the wilds, he meditated in his bedroom at night. He didn't know if he still had the stamina to take that high dosage of natural absinth.

Three months later, Mat concluded his course. He was a young doctor now. The only family in his graduation was his uncle and aunt. They were very happy with this achievement in Mat's life.

His life should have an assured path now. He thought about Kalima. She was a person that he would like to be with him at that moment. His savior angel was so far away. On an enchanted Isle. He wrote her another letter:

"My sweet dear Kalima,

I just became a doctor. I'm so happy. I miss you here, at this moment. Pardon my clumsiness. I'm not good at these things of feeling... I think you know me, so you won't get me wrong. Despite the lack of contact, I thought about us a lot in the last few times. Sorry again, but I was having no mind to write to you while concluding my studies.

What matters now on is that I have a whole life and I wanted to see you again. Maybe this reencounter could mean something bigger, written since past.

Sweet Dear Kalima, answer me you want me to go to you.

Mat."

After a while, Kalima answered him briefly:

"Come as fast as you can, my Dear."

Mat had no more doubts about it and prepared himself for the trip. Took a portion of his dowry off from the bank and left straight to the Isle. He was taking with him everything he owns since he was supposing that his stay was going to be longer.

At the base of the Harbor on the Continent, he took a long breath and gone. He already had dissipated the inebriety of the hallucination. He was certain that this time everything would be different and that bad things wouldn't return to his mind.

This time the trip was better. No seasickness, so he could enjoy every stage of the crossing. It was a new life. With a possible new love. His perspectives were clear and positive.

Arriving at the Isle, again he caught sight of the Stone Hills by the shore. The harbor was the bigger entry from the major Village of the Isle.

The South Coast Village covered the south and southeast parts of the Great Isle and at that moment it had up to twenty thousand families living there.

A good place to practice my medicine, he thought.

Maybe, if all went well, he would think about moving to a bigger Village. It would be a better future to him and Kalima if they went to live into a more urbanized place, he analyzed jolly.

He grabbed his luggage and went by wagon to the road.