Friday, May 19, 2006

Revelations

Belenus was standing over me. His donkey breath with the aroma of apples, I
knew, was a dead giveaway. I realised I had fallen asleep, making the map...
trouble ahead. "You weren't supposed to sleep for THAT long," he said, moving
away, satisfied that I was awake. "I think you might have taken a bite of the
wrong apple..."

Puzzled, I looked at him, and was surprised to find that it was dusk and he was
moving about the walled garden, making a fire for dinner. I smiled, and sat up
on the grass to watch. "I don't recall having an apple at all." Beside me was the
half drawn map, with a couple of doorways, which reminded me of the movie
theme of "Sliding Doors" and parallel universes. "Belenus, I don't recall having
an apple, period. Stop trying to make out as if I ate the apples, when you know
it was you." He just laughed, using his old tricks to make fire.

"Now it is an accepted truth that all humans are in part the same. So it can be
safe to assume everyone has taken a bite of a poison apple..." he said, as he
watched the flame grow.
"Hang on a minute...what are we talking about here? A riddle? Or rather, more
riddles, like when we went to that house. Where was it again? To find the
treasure. Where is it exactly?"
On looking around I could see no sign of the chest, as had been clearly visible
before. I started to doubt Belenus' sanity, wondering if he was the full picnic.
"Faith. You must have faith, even when things cannot be seen," he said.
Then I nodded, and remembered he was smart, he had to be, from reading
all those books. People only said donkeys were ignorant, and as people said many
things that weren't true, I chose to believe he was smart.

The fire flamed and we had some roasted chestnuts, baked figs and herbed
bread that Belenus somehow gathered the ingredients for, while I was asleep.
He had even ground some grain into flour with rocks. Amazing, I thought.
"Anyway, what about the poisoned apple? How do you know about that?" I
said.
"The poison apple that makes folks forget what they know?" he said. "It's legendary.
It set you into a deep sleep."
"Well, then, no wonder I don't remember eating it."

The moon made a growing crescent in the indigo sky, and the walled garden
was in shadow, the flames from the fire dancing in the leaves of the trees, and
across the bluestone walls. We ate, and then afterward, Belenus made a
gunpowder tea for us, from the store in his saddlebags.
"This should make you remember," he said, "What they make you forget."
"Sounds a bit scary. Gunpowder and all."
"You have to remember. Some things are good to forget, and others must
be remembered, especially if it's for the very first time. New things. If you
known those things, you might never have had such a heart path, with closed
doors and so called errors, as society sees them. Uncommon sense is far
kinder to humans, even though they forgot that with their poisoned apple
devouring."

My mind was in a muddle, though I knew roughly what he was talking about,
it was like trying to reinvent the universe to me.
"I might need to think about this," I said.
"Fine, go and meditate by that rock over there, the one that has a sliver of
moonlight reflected on it. Go see. Go and think, while I wash up..."
I did as I was told.

copyright Monika Roleff 2006.

4 Comments:

At 6:10 AM, Blogger Heather Blakey said...

Wow! I am intrigued by all of this - delighted with your use of the apple. Apple poison and gunpowder remedies - parallel universes and meditation stones - Belenus conjuring meals. You have my interest Monika.

 
At 7:14 AM, Blogger The Gate Keeper said...

Oh, you've inspired me to do a picture: "The moon made a growing crescent in the indigo sky, and the walled garden was in shadow...." This is so beautiful. Your writing is much like your photography!

 
At 7:41 AM, Blogger Imogen Crest said...

Hey, Heather, I feel like I am juggling balls again. I think it's becoming a Soul Food habit! Where will all of this lead, already?:-D

Lori, that is a lovely comment indeed:-)

 
At 4:12 AM, Blogger Fran said...

What a wonderful twist of the tale. Fran

 

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