Colors of the Heart

A Free Heart
 
Late at night, the inside of the ship is quiet and dark, in the areas where the pilgrims sleep.
The elders keep a close watch on the pilgrims, enforcing a rigid schedule, with an early bedtime.

The common rooms for the crew are bright and noisy, hours after the pilgrims have gone to bed.
I sleep near the crew, and I often stay up with them.
The captain lets the staff decide their own hours, as long as the work gets done.

The young body that I wear doesn’t need much sleep.
Still, if I’m tired … Read more

Desert Fountains

 
Shared Vision
“What did you find, Yagrin?” asks Keesha.

“The Fiklow spirits and the queen are here, trapped by artifact energy.”
“When the artifact is anywhere on Gunal, it causes them intense mental anguish.”

“Are you saying, Yagrin,” asks Keesha, “that the spirits don’t want the artifact here?”
“Where else should we put it?!”

“Commander, I know the artifact belongs here, and the queen will allow it, if that brings comfort to her children.”

If the queen were here, Yagrin,” says Keesha, “it’s true that she would sacrifice herself for her children, but this must be an illusion.”… Read more

The Heart and the River

 
The Dome of Dreams
I turn, and leap into the darkness.

Night whispers to me, and challenges me to stay awake.
I run into the meadow, and fly in a spiral, five hundred feet high.
The meadow below me extends for miles, and sleeping Bizra fill the meadow.
There are thousands, or millions of Bizra.

My eyes see clearly in the darkness.
The sleeping Bizra have a gentle glow, and a cloud of moving images, ten feet high, hovers over each one.
To my energy eyes, each cloud is a cluster of energy, floating on the great web.
Sparkling … Read more

Last Dance

 
Fountain
My awareness spins as I leave the seven towers and my life as a Gen.
Soon after, I awake in the small, cramped vat.
My body has grown again, leaving my sisters, the old ones, behind.

The world is different after my time with the Gen.
The future calls my name, and promises joy and possibility.
Still, my heart is unsettled.
I’m filled with sadness, and a strange feeling of urgency.

Something is wrong.
Not here, but somewhere far away.
I start down the ladder, and stop.
The liquid in the vat is a beautiful, sparkling green.… Read more