The Secret World of Maya Alexander

Chapter 16

The forest was vast. Maya's eyes flickered in every direction, not knowing where the journey should begin. So she closed her eyes to vision and listened instead. She listened to the hum of the little bird's wings which had called her to this World. Her mouth and body hummed in synchrony with the messenger. She tiptoed forward through the forest, eyes closed, following its sound. Echoing its breath.

Hmmmmm.

Hmmmmm.

Hmmmmm.

She glided down the divine aisle.

Hmmmmm.

Hmmmmm.

Hmmmmm.

She could hear the sound becoming louder, before it stopped and the silence was filled with joyful chirps, inviting her to open her eyes and see.

Her eyes were greeted with vast greens and browns spreading into infinity. Reaching upwards and onwards, in every direction. The deep unassuming earthy tones were punctuated with chasms of light that broke through the forest. Rays and reflections. Moments of pinks and purples and yellows and blues. The floral decorations of the forest ignited her being.

The altar of a fallen oak invited her to kneel. She rested her head against its bough, the moist bark awakening her skin. She reached and wrapped her arms around its core as though to hold on. There she remained still for a length of time which could not be determined by the ticking of clocks, nor by the turning of light into dark. It was timeless. It was here. Now. Before. After. Forever.

The sounds of the forest played in her ears. Rustling, birdsong, shuffling. Quiet melodies not often heard. The song reached a crescendo as Maya's guide took flight again. The world's new arrival raised her head. The buzzing of the bird's wings disappeared beyond the depths of the trees and out of sight. She did not mourn its departure, because even though it had flown beyond her vision, her senses continued its connection to her consciousness.

As Maya watched the parting of the bird, her eyes were awakened to the land stretching before her. An ocean of trees in full bloom, their leaves a sea of green washing over her, carrying her forth, letting her float through its depths. From the floor to the sky her eyes were immersed with the life of the forest. A carpet of greens and yellows where fruits had fallen and seeds had spread. Roots grounded deeply, fed by rivers and rains. Strong and sturdy bodies with arms that seemed to be reach endlessly towards the light. Stretching forever upwards. Saplings stood at shoulder height, the youths of the forest who had secured their place. Rooted far enough beyond the shadows of the great old oaks, the downy and the silver birches, the elms and the elders.

Feathers fluttered between branches and beyond, disappearing through the bright blue doorway towards the sky. Scales weaved through waters, furs roamed and rested, legs scuttled and scurried and hopped.

Life moved all around her. The black of Maya's eyes dilated to try to capture it's vastness. Everything. Her ears listened. Her airways inhaled the aromas. The hairs on her arms stood upright to sense the cool breeze. Her body explored the contrasts of the light and the shade. The memory of her journey temporarily far away, Maya woke up as though for the first time. Awake in that moment. It was as if that moment was meant for her. She was a part of this world and this world was a part of her.

It was 13.51 when Stephen returned to Riverside Drive. He had checked his watch three times before walking through the door. It was later than usual. He had baffled his mum by visiting her unexpectedly after the gym. She had made him his favourite sandwich, cut precisely into two triangles, just the way he liked it. He had not had a lot to say, but that was not unusual for her youngest child and only son. When her daughters visited they would chat for hours about the goings on in the village. Stephen had never seemed to have much interest in small talk. 'Just like his father,' June had always told her friends.