Wind. Daniel Mello

so complete. I almost didn’t make it, remember? I thought that means I’m the one who has a lot to learn.”

      Emma looked at her with intrigued eyes. “It might also mean that you’ve surpassed the need to learn lessons within the physical realm.”

      “But the woman who helped me up the stairs, she said that the people who don’t make it here don’t believe they truly deserve peace.”

      “Right,” Radna confirmed, “but that’s only some of the people. Maybe God feels that the rest of them are ready to learn in their spiritual form. You said you were looking for me?”

      “Oh, yea!” Lythina turned to face her. “I had a really deep meditation earlier. I mean, I’ve practiced meditation before to calm my mind, you know, re-center, but this was amazing! I could actually step outside of my body! I was wondering if that happened to everyone around here.”

      All four of the friends quietly smiled to themselves. Lythina looked at each of them in turn, and they each looked up at her with gleeful expressions.

      “That is just the beginning,” Jonas grinned. Lythina had no idea what that meant, but she was sure that this mystical isle had its share of secrets.

      Radna was simply beaming. “Guys, I think it’s time we showed our new friend what we’ve learned.”

      At once, all five of them left the Librarium’s roof, much to Lythina’s relief, and passed through the atrium once more. Going down the spiral staircase was even more thrilling than climbing it, due to being able to see all the way down to the bottom floor. When they hit the ground, they quickly passed the desk attendant with a series of nods and bows, and shot through the entryway, out into the glorious sunlight.

      7. Training

      Everyone was chatting excitedly to each other as they glided over the grassland, heading towards the forest at the far end of the crater. Lythina thought she heard something like “flying” from Jonas, but was soon interrupted by Radna.

      “Lythina, did you know that all of creation has a frequency?”

      The young lady shook her head. “You mean like sound?”

      “Yes, and no,” Radna answered. “Sound is a vibration, yes, but everything else vibrates as well. The trees, the clouds, us; especially us.”

      They were nearing the forest now, and as they slowed their pace, everyone was listening intently to Radna’s explanation.

      She continued, “have you ever thought about something intensely for a long time? Say, a new book that you wanted to read, but you couldn’t buy it yet, so you thought about it for weeks on end, eager to jump inside its pages?”

      “Of course,” Lythina responded. She quieted her mind so she could absorb every word.

      “And when did you stop thinking about that certain book?”

      “After I had read it.”

      “Exactly!” said Radna. “That’s exactly it. If we pour enough thought into something, anything, it will happen because we possess the unique ability to manifest our desires. Yet, sometimes events occur outside our control that encourage those desires to come true; it’s as if the Universe senses our thoughts and responds with an unexpected gift that leads to the fulfillment of our wishes. It’s been called many different things, but I call it cognitive resonance.”

      “Cognitive resonance,” Lythina repeated, intrigued by the notion of reciprocal creation. “Harmonic thinking?”

      “Sort of; harmonic in the sense that our thoughts vibrate, yes, but on a fundamentally different level than sound. Some say it’s coincidence that matter vibrates on that same frequency, though I say it’s divine construction. That’s why we can create anything we want, with the help of the Universe, of course. Fortunately, it’s much harder than it seems; if it were easy, who knows what some would create.”

      They were at the edge of the forest now, and Lythina could see deep into its thickets. The midday sun breached the canopy only to cast shifting rays of golden light onto the soft earth. Its buttery warm glow invited her spirit into the living trees, and her heart pulsated with anticipation. As she sat staring into the enchanting forest, waiting for the approval to step inside, Jonas, Riley and Emma did not hesitate to flow into the emerald grove. They moved past her with grace, seeming to float over the surface of the earth as they stepped lightly, damaging as little as they could with their feet.

      “Inside this place, you will find yourself,” Radna softly spoke. Her eyes were closed for a moment as she breathed in the crisp woodland air. “But you may not like what you discover.”

      “The Universe brought me here for a reason, Radna,” Lythina said. “And I can’t fulfill my destiny until I confront those parts of myself that I don’t like.” She looked straight into her friend’s caramel eyes with all of her hope and fear and trust, and with a deep sigh, she committed herself to her fate. “I’m ready.”

      Staring back into Lythina’s emerald eyes with her own passion, Radna studied her friend’s features. She wore a natural expression of excitement; she was anxious and afraid, but willing and courageous all the same. Her eyes were softened with the realization of destiny, and her lips looked as if they were ready to break into a smile any second.

      And flashing through Radna’s own mind was the day that she met the old woman, the woman who helped everyone up the stairs. She remembered how the woman gazed at her with compassionate, expectant eyes, and how she spoke in her delicate voice about Radna’s own purpose. The woman had told her that she was a guide, someone who nudges others in the right direction, providing for them what they needed to advance. And she remembered how those words nestled comfortably inside her heart. Presently, seeing Lythina’s hopeful face, her entire Universe clicked into place. “Your training begins now.”

      Radna spun on her heels and stepped into the forest. Lythina followed quickly, and soon they were moving quietly among the inhabitant trees. They followed a subtle path worn into the peat moss floor, weaving around enormous oaks and rowans, and over fallen trunks. The forest was alive with the pitter patter of small feet and the voices of creatures. Far off, echoing around the woodland was a stream that folded over a rocky bed. Ahead, barely discernible through the enveloping mist, Jonas, Riley and Emma were waiting inside a large clearing.

      Radna and Lythina passed through the oak trees that bordered the glade, and met up with their awaiting friends. All three of them wore an expressive smile as Radna circled around to join them, leaving Lythina to face all four.

      “What should we start with?” asked Emma.

      “Maybe just a small show of strength,” cooed Riley.

      Lythina looked at Jonas, waiting for his suggestion, but he was gazing at Radna with a calculating frown. Radna met his eyes, and for a fraction of a second, Lythina could’ve sworn that there was more in her friends’ eyes than their expressions revealed. Radna nodded, as if she had just exchanged thoughts with Jonas, and looked back at Lythina.

      And in that instant, Radna spoke, but her lips didn’t move. In fact, she didn’t speak a particular language as much as Lythina felt like she was pierced with Radna’s own feelings. It was as if those feelings were put into a consecutive order to express a pattern of thought. For a split second, Lythina felt like she was Radna’s mind. And her thoughts said something to the effect of ‘get ready’.

      Staring wide eyed at a smiling Radna, Lythina flinched as Jonas suddenly jumped straight into the air, leaving the clearing behind. To what seemed like the height of the Librarium itself, he shot up toward the canopy of tree branches, his pure white robe whipping around him. He brushed the leaves with his fingers, then plummeted back down toward the earth, landing with barely a thud.

      “Whoa,” Lythina remarked. “How —,” but she didn’t get a chance to finish.

      Instantly, Riley ducked into a crouch, then sprang backwards into a quick series of flips, landing and thrusting