Seasons of Heaven Read online

  When their dance was done, Yann sat Ani down and the dog rolled through the grass and barked happily. Yann smiled at him and then sitting on his bottom, he slid down the verdant hill. Yann looked up once more at the sky. The beauty of it was indescribable and he had the feeling he could almost reach up and touch a star if he tried. He felt a rush of anticipation surge through his small body. He could feel that he and Ani were standing on the threshold of a grand adventure.

  After a bit they began walking again, eventually reaching a plateau. They realized that they were standing at the edge of a deep forest. There was movement inside and as the boys stood frozen to their spot a large pair of glowing eyes looked out at them. Yann and Ani stayed quiet, barely breathing, and after a few seconds the owner of the eyes revealed herself. It was just a soft brown doe and she seemed as curious about them as they were about her. Sensing they were no threat, she stopped and looked them over. Once she’d assessed them both she turned and disappeared back into the thick brush. Once she was gone they continued to look in from the outside and all they could see was darkness. Unfettered by the lack of light, Ani took the lead and rushed in. Trusting his best friend’s judgment and instincts, Yann followed him. Excitement ruled the moment and fear of the unknown was non-existent. As they walked through the thick and ancient looking forest, branches crunched under their feet and the smells of woody incense filtered in through their noses.

  Yann could hear the soft sounds of the wind whistling as it forced its way through the thick branches of the sprawling trees. The trees reminded him of watchful guardians, a silent sentinel making the way safe for his and Ani’s trek as they ventured deeper into the forest’s tangled heart.

  The further they traveled, the more mystical and mesmerizing it became. Huge roots twisted up out of the ground like the gnarled backs of sea monsters. The foliage became thicker and lusher as they moved forward and it formed and arch of deep green above their heads.

  Then a sliver of ethereal light poked through the dense mesh. It was followed by a loom of light that filtered down in seams of gold. It chased the shadows and banished the gloom, spilling into spaces where the mist once stalked. The flute-like piping of a songbird split the silence just as the forest became flooded with light. A symphony of tweeting and warbling exploded all around them as the forest came alive with the minstrels of the trees. Yann and Ani darted between shafts of lustrous-gold light as they moved forward, and it seemed as if the forest opened up a path for them as they trudged forward. Yann was fascinated and his inquisitive mind was filled with hundreds of questions. He looked up and said,

  “This light is odd, Ani. Look up on the branch; it’s as if the dust is frozen. I wonder where we are.”

  Ani was busy, suddenly pawing desperately at the ground. He was searching for something not visible to the eye, but that a dog could “see” with his other senses.

  “Hold on,” Yann told him. “I’m going to help you.” They dug together in the hardened ground, at last unearthing the edge of their buried treasure. “Hey…what is this?” Yann asked moving the dirt around and trying to get a better look at what they’d found, “It looks like a piece of Samurai armor. Wow, it’s really nice. What is it doing here?”

  He worked until he was able to catch a part of the object his hand could hold onto. Pitching in to help, Ani found a small cord attached to the armor and pulled at it with his teeth. Together they tugged it out of the earth. Yann looked at it closely and then cleaned the dirt off of it with his T-shirt. He examined it again, wondering what in the world it was doing here. It was a beautiful piece of armor. He slipped it into his backpack and told Ani,

  “I’ll keep it for now. “

  They began walking again and soon Ani’s ears perked up. Yann listened to hear what it was that had caught Ani’s attention. He could hear the metallic tinkling of a stream. They advanced forward until the trees parted and they could see the stream then. The water was running across dozens of little rocks and it was so clear it looked like a polished mirror of silver with skeins of white foam twirling across the surface. Huge boulders colonized the edges of the pond, covered with carpets of green moss. As water met stone it caused the sounds they’d heard, a rocky gurgle, a swish a clink a swell and a clop. Yann’s senses were almost overwhelmed. It seemed that sight and smell were vying for attention in this new and fascinating world he and Ani had stumbled upon.

  Yann took stock of the stream and the rocks that lay across it. He was sure that he’d be able to navigate it, but Ani’s legs were short and his body would no doubt be covered by the water if he attempted the crossing. Yann leaned down and picked up the dog placing his arms under his front paws and encircling him with his right hand. Trying to find his balance with his other arm held out to his side, he found that Ani was heavier when each step was risky for them both.

  Each cautious step brought them closer to the other side. When they reached it a look passed between them that needed no words. From Ani, it was pure love and gratitude…from Yann it was relief that his best friend was safe and the assurance he would do whatever it took to keep him that way.

  “What’s that, Ani?” Yann asked, looking at the tracks on the ground in the mud on the other side of the bank. It looked like the mark of horses hooves. “A horse? I wonder if he lives here or if he only came here to quench his thirst?” Yann said to his friend.

  They moved forward once again, this time tracing the steps of the hooves that were embedded into the ground underneath their feet. The diamond bright light continued to push its way through the leaves and cast a tender glow across the crusty exteriors of the trees. The light pressed against the green foliage giving it a gold complexion. They idled past bushes covered in velvety soft flowers. Yann absently fingered them, caressing them softly as they passed. Eventually, they arrived at a wide glade where the trees fell away and revealed the dazzling blue sky and another lush green meadow. That was where they found the horse.

  His muscular white frame stood out in front of the blue and green backdrop of the meadow and the sky as he grazed. Ani inched his way towards the horse and as the horse made eye-contact with him, Ani received pictures of a man with a long black hair and armor like the one they discovered earlier. The smells of smoke and blood were both there in his mind as well, along with pictures of a mountain and a blade. The horse broke the connection then by turning his head and noticing Yann. He locked his giant brown eyes into the boys' and there was a blinding flash of white light and Yann could suddenly see the horse lying on his side. He sensed that the horse was hurt and he wanted to help him, but he couldn’t. They were in a dream…or a memory. Yann watched as the poor animal struggled to his feet. His long legs were shaking almost convulsively and his nostrils were flaring with exertion. After some time, the horse finally made it up to all fours. Yann saw then that the side the horse had been lying on was covered with blood. The dark red color of the thick liquid matted into the hair of the regal white beast and left a sharp contrast in its wake. Yann was able to see now that beside where the horse had lain, there was a bag and a bow.

  Once the horse was able to find and maintain his footing, he began galloping through a seemingly endless field covered with the soft down of the green grass. He passed nothing but more field and grass for a long while. Then suddenly, the horse paused in front of a strange looking stone. It was orange and green and the water that was raining down upon it was coming from the ground and the stream was a web of vivid pastel colors. The steam rolled off of the water and the rocks, mingling with the cooler air and formed a light, rainbow-colored fog. The ground caught what was left of the hot rain when it made it back to the dirt and formed prismatic pools around the tinted boulders. Yann had no idea what he was watching but he was yet again unable to take his eyes from the amazing sight of the surreal colors. It was unlike anything he could have ever imagined coming out of the earth.

  The horse continued its steady gallop until suddenly stopping again to lift its head towards the sight
of a mysterious object crossing the sky. It was there and then gone, without a trace of itself left behind. Once it had disappeared the horse took off into a trot once more until it came to a small lake. The crystalline water looked cool and refreshing. The horse stopped to take a drink….Another blinding flash passed beyond and behind Yann’s eyes and he and Ani were together, alone once again.

  They started back down their path, hoping to find more of the stones like the ones Yann had seen in the vision with the horse. They passed more of the gently rolling hills and delighted in the way the grass rippled across them as the breeze passed through. Ani stopped suddenly, dead in his tracks and then Yann. They were standing in front of a magnificent but eerie statue.

  It was a stone carving of an over-large head with heavy brows and an elongated nose with a distinctive fish-hook-shape curl of his nostrils. His lips protruded into a thin pout and his ears, like his nose was elongated and in an oblong shape. The jaw lines stood out against the abridged neck and the torso was heavy with clavicles subtly outlined in stone. The arms rested against the body and long, slender fingers relaxed along the crest of the hips, meeting at the loincloth where the thumbs pointed at the navel. The two friends ebbed closer to the statue. It was covered on one side with moss. Yann thought that it looked familiar and abruptly it came to him where he knew the statue from. It was a Moai.

  “How can that be possible?” Yann mused aloud, “This is a statue from Easter Island. It’s huge. Look Ani, there is an inscription on it…oh, I can’t really understand these signs!”

  Ani approached the statue and as he did, a brilliant light gushed out of the stone.

  “Wow, that’s gorgeous!” Yann said, looking towards Ani, “Did you do that?” All at once a strong wind began to blow through the statue and across the companions. It came out of nowhere, starting to the left of them and blowing across to the right. The friends had to drop low and cling to the ground to keep from being blown away. It only lasted a few seconds and then it stopped as suddenly as it had begun. It was the strangest wind that Yann or Ani had ever witnessed.

  “What happened?” Yann said, confused, “That was a close one, so suddenly and now the air is so calm again…weird.” Yann stood in contemplation for a few seconds and then suddenly looked down at his friend and said, “Let’s go, Ani. I think we should hurry, the sun is setting!”

  Not long after, they decided to make a camp for the night. The sky was amazing and the beautiful boreal aurora were dancing in the across the limitless space. The glowing embers of the camp fire leaped and twirled in a fiery dance. Ani lay near Yann’s legs as he lay there with questions swirling through his mind almost chaotically. What was that place? Why aren’t his parents with them? He thought it must be a dream but there was also something so real about it. He ate some of the fruits they’d found during the day in this strange land to quell his hunger. Yann was a kid and so close to what life should be. His heart was pure and there was no form of life that he didn’t respect. Another part of him was made magic by the autism he lived with. It made him even more unique. He thought back now to when he used to ask his parents, “Why are you eating animals? Aren’t they our friends? Aren’t we supposed to love our friends, and not eat them?” Yann’s above average intelligence had seemed a constant source of surprise to his parents. As he lay there under the stars thinking, his eyes began to grow heavy. As sleep weighed too heavily on him for him to fight it any longer, he was serenaded by the unique and harmonious sounds of the nature that surrounded him.

  He’d just slipped away into dreamland when a sound from the forest awakened Ani. He lifted his little black head and looked at Yann. Seeing he was asleep, Ani decided to investigate the sound himself. Ani had a feeling since they’d been here that he somehow knew this place, like a feeling of déjà vu. He approached the forest slowly, entering into the thick brush. He looked around with his round dark eyes in awe of what he saw there. Luminous bugs walked slowly through the trees and created a beautiful symphony of color. The forest at night seemed to take on a magical life of its own, kept secret from the rest of the world. One of the bugs stopped his busy work around the roots of the trees that were playing hide and seek with the soil, and looked at Ani. Ani received a clear picture in his head of what the bug was trying to communicate, “I work for a better place, don’t bother me.” Ani was aware that nature had many secrets and respecting them was an important part of life and cohabitation. As he stepped further into the forest Ani’s eyes landed on another beautiful site. It was a majestic elephant, sitting calmly on the trunk of a tree. It was such an unusual picture, but at the same time to Ani, it looked so natural. The beast looked over at Ani as he approached him slowly. Ani could see or had a sense of the multitude of animals surrounding them. There were hundreds if not thousands of different species sitting or standing in the trees or down on the roots of the trees on the ground. As Ani ventured deeper they stopped what they were doing and all eyes fell on the little dog. As he met their eyes he received thousands of messages. He could see a great storm, a huge ocean…and a human with a giant boat. The boat was loaded with as many animals as it could carry. When Ani reached the big gray elephant, he sat down next to him. Ani knew he was the patriarch of this place and he looked on him with respect and awe. The great beast acknowledged the little dog with the blink of his eyes and a message of gratitude. Ani could feel that the connection between nature and all of these creatures was strong here, the strongest he’d ever felt. The energies here were all inter-connected and the Ki is strong with them. The sudden appearance of a pure white lion didn’t seem to startle any of the others. Ani looked on him with curious eyes as he sat down next to the elephant. .The white lion’s eyes connected with Ani’s and the message he was sending was clear, “You are your friend’s guard and protector. You need to keep him close on this journey to ensure that he stays safe and help him find his way. You must not leave him, no matter what.”

  Ani nodded at the lion and the other animals slowly began to come forth and show him gratitude. Some of the squirrels brought him nuts and others a plant. Even to Ani it was a surreal sight to see this clan of different species so emotionally and spiritually connected, that their bond could never be broken.

  The grand elephant began to stand up slowly. The whole area rumbled as he got to his feet.

  He gave Ani one last long look before turning and disappearing into the forest without as much as a sound. The white lion stayed behind and asked Ani to follow him; he seemed as if he had something to show him.

  Ani and the lion walked until they were in the center of the forest where there was an area filled with trees that were as white as the lion. Ani had never seen anything like it. The ground was pink like a summer night and the leaves that fell from the trees looked as if they were floating to earth in slow motion. Ani heard the soft sounds of water tinkling over rock and looked towards it. There, amongst the plants and trees ran a beautiful, turquoise river. Near the river Ani could see a tombstone. The sign on it was strange with three triangles aligned on top. There was writing on them…Japanese kanji’s. To a human it may have spelled out a name, but to Ani and the lion the words were only symbols. Ani was surprised to see the lady on her knees next to it, bowing her head and crying. The animals gave Ani the message that they called her ‘the sadness’. She came every night here near the tomb and the lion thought it was important for Ani to see it.

  Who was she? Ani wondered. She looked like a ghost with her pale, white skin. She was translucent yet real at the same time. He stood there with the lion for a long time and just watched her until the first ray of the sun began to break through the thick canopy of trees.

  She turned her head and looked slowly at Ani just as she began to fade. Her eyes were strange, yet familiar to him. He couldn’t remember if he knew her or not. Once she was gone, the lion escorted Ani back to the edge of the forest. The lion turned and went back into the trees and left Ani alone with his friend. Yann was still sleeping by the fire an
d Ani went over and lay down next to his leg. He closed his own weary eyes and faded into sleep.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “THE JOURNEY”

  The boy and his best friend the dog took off on the same path they’d been following, but after a short while, they ran into a small cliff. It was just over Yann’s head. He reached up and jumped slightly off the ground. He was able to grab the edge and he knew he would be able to pull himself up onto it but the problem was Ani. He couldn’t climb it with Ani in his arms.

  He looked at the dog and they both knew what had to be done. To Ani’s credit, he didn’t look nervous at all. Yann took hold of Ani around his belly with both hands. One hand rested across the front and the other along the back of his friend. He had to turn Ani one hundred and eighty degrees while leaning against his chest as he pushed him up in a single gesture onto the edge of the cliff. Yann was out of breath when he finished, but happy to look up and see Ani looking down at him, safe.

  Yann negotiated the cliff next by grabbing on with both hands and using his feet to scale the steep side. He finally did one grand move like a pull-up and landed on his belly on top of the cliff. Ani came up to him and licked his face. Yann giggled before pushing himself up off the ground and taking a look around.

  The forest was darker here, with no visible beams of light. It seemed much denser and the vegetation wasn’t parting easily to allow them passage, as it had been so gracious to do in the light.

  What Yann and Ani didn’t see was the dark shape that slunk quietly behind them and followed them into the forest.

  What they did see was that there was a light dusting of shadowy gray fog in the distance and the intense gloom of it all almost completely occluded Yann’s vision. Ani led the way and as they advanced Yann couldn’t help but think about how almost disturbingly inviting and cozy the forest had been in the daylight as compared to now in twilight when it was shrouded by an almost repellant bleakness. The poplars and oaks and ferns were covered in moss that during the day had caused the glorious green/gold reflection to bounce off of their trunks, but now it only served as further camouflage in the almost suffocating darkness.