Curtain Fall - Chapter 17

Colonel Thompson sat going over the last communique from Feber’s command. It appeared that these supposed translocations of Lady Adrasteia had been continuing with two more events, totaling up to 4 now. The first was very similar to the spousal abuse event where she had appeared to protect a young teen from being molested by an adult, and the second stopped a gang involved in sexual slavery. The second was more disturbing as in this event she had not stopped with simply subduing the perps. Shortly after freeing the captives she apparently torched the building. She had also somehow destroyed the manhoods of the criminals! Her escalation of response had certain elements reportedly in an uproar.

Feber had warned him that there might be problems with conflicting apparent orders. Feber assured him, however, that the present instructions came directly from the White House and he was to refuse conflicting orders unless from him directly. Thompson groaned at this as he suspected that his career was in jeopardy regardless.

‘Well,’ he thought to himself, ‘At least we will make port soon; then we’ll use a patrol boat to get our cargo to the drop-off site. Just 3 more days!’

Shaking his head he stood and left his cabin. With little effort he made his way to the infirmary Adrasteia/Asha lay. As always over this trip he found the creature they had discovered to be Carol Toumi and one of the Tareeran women. He glanced at De’elen and inquired, “Any change? Any sign of a change in her mental state?” He turned and looked at the motionless figure and added, “There have been more manifestations. The last was far more violent.”

De’elen glanced at Asha and the addressed the Colonel, “No, Joshua, she has shown no signs of waking. Her Fea (spirit) remains unknown to us.” She paused and then asked, “You say one of the manifestations was more violent?”

“Yes, her last appearance was before a group of over a dozen woman who had been captured by slavers. She discovered of how these women had been repeatedly drugged, raped and beaten and became enraged beyond anything we’ve seen before. She confronted the leader of the slavers and was so terrifying that she shattered his mind. Having felt the effects of even her controlled anger, I can easily believe this. She drove the underlings out of the building and after rendering them helpless damaged their genitalia to the point they had to be surgically removed.

Finally after freeing and leading the woman out, she set fire to the building; destroying it utterly.”

“Ed' i' fea atara!”, De’elen gasped aghast. With the utterance she stared in shock and some fear at the quiet figure. “The vision looking like her did this?”

Before Joshua could do more than nod Itimori rushed into the room. She looked first to Asha’s figure on the bed and then in confusion to De’elen. In their native tongue she asked, “Cousin! What is happening? I could feel your shock!”

De’elen quickly related what she’d been told and Itimori paled as she thought of the power of the manifestation. After first hearing of the appearances they talked late into the night; trying unsuccessfully to find an explanation for them. The visions had done things considered impossible. It had apparently been able to wield some ability akin to that which was only available to their men. The main difference, however, was that the ability was not limited to its immediate proximity! It had caught the little girl and floated the little one to safety and had rendered a number of men insensate without having to touch! Her ability to unman the slavers and set fire to the building were wholly beyond understanding!

Now add to all this, the vision’s projective empathy was sufficient to drive a (largely head-blind human) man to madness?!? With real trepidation Itimori asked De’elen, “What are we bringing home cousin?”

Thompson watched the foreign exchange and registered the shock in their expressions and the almost fearful way they looked at the comatose girl on the bed. Feber would need to learn that the Tarneerans didn’t know what to make of the girl and were apparently growing fearful! He backed unnoticed out of the room and made his way to the command and control area.

He informed the crew he needed to communicate with Director Feber. In short order a call was linked and he heard the voice of the director. “Feber speaking. What is it Joshua?”

“Sir, I thought you needed to know that the Tarneerans have become increasingly concerned from the reports of Lady Adrasteia appearing and doing things.” He thought a bit and continued, “Sir I think they are most disturbed by the evidence of telekinesis in the stories. I have been watching and I’ve never seen any of the women showing such abilities. Anything we might classify as telekinetic has exclusively been the domain of the men.”

“How can the TK be a shock? Our experience with her involved TK from the beginning.”

“I don’t think that the nature of her abilities were ever explained to them sir. I also think it is the level of the power seen that shocks them.” Thompson rubbed his chin in thought and then continued with a speculative tone, “The men clearly have abilities that are TK in nature; the ‘shield’ they can produce shows it. They are also unnaturally strong. The thing is, however, I’ve never seen them do things from a distance! I think the ranged nature of Adrasteia’s TK is especially frightening to them!”

David thanked the Colonel for the information and sat back in thought. The evidence that the Tarneeran women were shocked and frightened was surprising. They were as much victims by the Curtain Fall as humanity was, so they should be cognizant of the Curtain’s ability to change individuals and give powers. Unless.. Unless they hadn’t seen it? Feber knew that for humans the percentage of individuals seeing changes was small but noticeable. Perhaps the Curtain had affected the Tarneerans in differing ways and percentages? If so, why was there a difference?

——————————

Carol held Jill and gently caressed her hair as they lay snuggled on their bed. For the first time in hours she spoke, “Did I do the right thing love?” She was still seeing in her mind the men she’d savaged. Jill had ruined them in response to the horrors they’d visited on those poor women. The suffering she’d felt from them, the despair had been beyond anything she’d ever felt. Jill had spent most of her life as a man, but the shear evil of what was visited on those poor women was completely beyond her ken. To take from those women their power, their sense of worth... To break them with such premeditation and to take pleasure from it? It was monstrous on a level she had never been exposed to.

Carol squeezed her tightly and murmured forcefully into her hair, “My heart, if anything you were too gentle with them! The deserve to die for the evil they did.” She made a strange choking sound. “I know a little of what they went through and it took me years to recover.”

“What do you mean?”, Jill asked look up to her face from where she lounged.

Carol looked up and away into the distance, “I was a Junior in college. I and a couple of my friends had been having a fun night at one of the parties on campus when we decided to head back to the dorm.

The three of us were walking across campus when a group of five big men stepped out of the gym. They spotted us and started making cat calls. We tried to ignore them and just walk faster, perhaps to find one of those emergency boxes.” She laughed brokenly. “We expected them to loose interest, but they’d been drinking or something and they decided we were ‘prime pieces’. And they started chasing us!

We panicked then and broke into running ourselves. We would have all made it if my damn heel hadn’t broken. I tripped and before my friends realized it, I’d fallen behind; running slowly enough I was caught.”

Carol face held a ‘thousand mile’ stare as she continued. “You can’t imagine the violation, the guilt I felt.”, she then gave a quick bitter chuckle, “No, maybe you can understand... You felt it in those women. You can feel it in me, even after all those years.”

She then came back from where she’d been and looked down at Jill, “My love, what you did was justice. Those monsters will never be able to do to another innocent what they did to those women.

Jill looked in pained understanding. ‘This must be why she understood my feelings at the bar months ago; why she was so quiet during the attack!’, she thought. Truly seeing, she opened her heart and mind to the scarred woman that usually offered her comfort. She let Carol feel the depth of her love and amazed admiration as she grasped the astounding strength her bond mate had to possess to deal with that kind of trauma and still be able to reach out to another.

“You are so precious to me, my angel. You are my lode stone. My true north.” She chuckled with tears in her eyes and said, “And they call me a superhero. You are stronger than two of me...”

Floating on the overwhelming flood of love she was feeling, Carol just smiled and bent to kiss the woman who meant more to her than anything in life. They then snuggled down tighter and fell asleep, arm in arm. The closeness offering comfort they both needed.

The next morning Carol arose before Jill and decided to use the pond to take a bath before eating. She meandered over in the direction of the pond but stopped as she reached the clearing in puzzled amazement. It had changed again! After taking in the view, she turned and ‘travelled’ almost instantly back to their chambers. Once there she dashed in and with excitement started shaking Jill.

“Jill! Sweetie! You need to wake up! It’s happened again!”

Jill rolled over and opened her eyes, and asked groggily, “What’s happened again?”

Carol proceeded to pull her lover up into a sitting position, “The pond! It’s changed again!” With Jill stumbling behind Carol marched quickly back to the clearing and only stopped when she heard she heard Jill gasp.

Jill looked into the clearing with amazement. The pond/pool was no longer the only construction in evidence. It was now surrounded by circle of Doric columns. That was capped with a spiderweb of thin arches that connected each pillar to each other individually forming a porous roof.

The structure appeared to be made of Smokey quartz which while the columns leant a feeling of strength, the semi-translucent quartz gave it a strange ethereal look as well. Just past the pillars there were a couple of steps up to a platform made of the same fitted stone that had previously made the pool wall.

Jill looked at Carol who silently shook her head as if to say, “No I didn’t make it.”

She slowly walked forward until she was close enough to touch the closest column. She raised her slender hand and gently pressed against it. She felt gentle warmth radiating. The column possessed a hard, smooth texture and she felt what seemed to be a vibration running through it.

Jill stepped back again and looked up at the new structure. How had it appeared? Neither she no Carol had called it into being, consciously at least. Is it possible there was someone else about? The girls hadn’t ever seen evidence of someone but she felt there had to be some external influence to create this.

“This is pretty freaky...”, Jill spoke with uncertainty in her voice.

Carol snorted and then barked a laugh, “You’ve been transformed into a freaking gorgeous woman with unbelievable powers; We’re in some sort of plastic reality that we can shape at will; I’ve been transformed into a dryad out of myth, and you think this is freaky?!?”

Jill, snorted and started chuckling herself, “You may have a point there. But where did this come from? When I touched it, it felt warm and soothing. What is it?”

Carol came forward and took Jill’s hand. “I have no idea. It doesn’t seem dangerous though; should we go in and see how the pool changed as well?”

Jill nodded and holding hands they crossed past the pillars and up and stepped up onto the platform. The first thing they both noticed was the absence of any noise from the surrounding forest. The second was more shocking to Jill at least. As soon as they entered she was surrounded by a constant babble of voices. Young and old. Mostly female but some male. Most spoke English or Spanish, but not all; and all coming from the pool in the center of the platform.

The pool! It was no longer simply a shallow pond of inky water. It had also transformed. It had grown from what had looked like a glorified birdbath into a true wading pool, but still filled with the original inky water. In addition, it also seemed to be heated, as there rising wisps of vapor. Transfixed by all that she saw and heard Jill walked forward; her face looking as if she were in a pleasant dream.

Carol, for her part felt Jill’s immediate and positive response to entering, but she heard none of the voices. She watched as her lover and partner began to move forward, almost as if in a trance, and with increasing concern she moved with her.

They crossed to the edge of the new pool and Jill paused at the edge and closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the fragrant moisture. “Oh my!”, she sighed blissfully.

As Carol watched with a rising sense of panic Jill cast her clothing away with but a thought and stepped down onto the steps leading into the pool.

“Jill! No! We don’t know what has changed!”, Carol cried in panic. She tried to jerk Jill to a stop but as she pulled her love’s hand slipped through hers like mist and she continued stepping fully into the pool.

Carol watched helplessly as Jill moved more deeply into the pool and languidly spun with her hands just tracing ripples on the surface of the smooth water.

At Carol’s quiet fear filled gasp, “J- Jill?”, her lover turned back to face her. With a beatific expression on her face she opened her eyes and looked at Carol with eyes that were wholly inhuman and ethereal. Eyes that shone with an internal light as if they had become twin stars.

“Carol! My soul. Come let me share what I’m feeling..”, she said, the words seeming to penetrate to the deepest parts of Carol’s being. “Come and be with me!”

Carol was helpless before the otherworldly entreaty. She moved forward into the pool and reached. They flowed into each other’s embrace and she suddenly began to feel what her partner was feeling, hear what she heard. It felt as if liquid sunshine were flowing into her while hearing a symphony.

As before when Jill had accidentally formed their bond, she felt psychic energy filling her and lighting her up. Pleasure beyond her understanding filled her and she gasped with the fear that she’d loose herself to it, but before that could happen, what felt like a blanket of protection enfolded her. Jill shielded her from more than she could handle. ‘Can you see now?’, Jill’s overwhelming presence asked from deep within Carol’s mind, ‘Can you feel them now?’

“Oh yesss!”, she responded with a voice like she was at the peak of pleasure.

Jill then cradled her lover in her arms and she moved back out of the pool. Gently she sat and cradled Carol with her head this time in Jill’s lap! As Carol laid semi-coherent, Jill marveled, “All those voices! I can hear and feel them all! Most aren’t in need of help, they simply feel supportive, and lifted in celebration!”

She turned her eyes, that slowly returned to mostly normal, to the structure and truly looked. The vibration? It was as if the quartz had been capturing the psychic force cast in the direction of Lady Adrasteia until the very walls hummed. With concentration, Jill suspected she might be able direct the energy! It was like a great solar cell, soaking up power. She’d have to give careful thought to what use to put it. Her attention was finally drawn away when she felt her love stir.

Then with a satiated groan of pleasure as she came back to awareness, Carol throatily remarked, “Ohhh yeahhh! Way better than a vibrator!”

Jill looked down stunned by the comment and burst out giggling, then laughing. Carol joined breathlessly and soon they both lay on the platform laughing until their sides ached...

In the days after the stunning discovery of the new pool, Jill and Carol decided to stay close to one another. Jill found the energy very seductive would have been tempted to just move next to the pool, but Carol urged caution. Anything that felt that good had to have a catch.

Jill reluctantly agreed and refrained from actually wading in but would sit by it and focus on distinguishing the voices she’d hear. She’d even try to respond to some of the distressed ones, even if only to offer her love and sympathy for their troubles. She took comfort that those efforts always left the sufferer lighter of spirit.

Carol for her part was overflowing with energy and tried to use it on their surroundings. The result was a forest even more vibrant and lush than could be believed. The surrounds burst with life, with all in bloom as if at the height of spring. She also, with Jill’s help, tried to focus inwardly to see if she could discern more about that part of herself that was separated down the astral cord.

With their combined effort she could finally feel something. It was earthy and full of passion, if not in a considered direction. It felt almost like desire without restraint. She could also recognize, thanks to her experience in the pool, sexual desire rooted in what was left behind. Now that she’d been given a taste here, she really wished she could access that well of carnal desire back where she assumed her body was.

Then as early evening approached, and with out warning, Carol was suddenly hit with agonizing pain! She cried out and fell to her knees. “Ji- Jill, help me-“ she gasped.

Jill looked to Carol in alarm. She had been standing near the columns looking out at the forest when she cried out and fell against the pillar; sliding down. In a panic, Jill rushed over and saw her convulsing in pain, “Oh holy Mother, what’s happening?!?!?” She looked at Carol and saw no obvious injuries so she looked more closely as she lifted the increasingly limp woman into her arms. What she saw shook her to her roots: The astral cord was pulsing red and fraying!

Not knowing what else to do she started pushing as much life force as she could into Carol but could tell it wouldn’t be enough. Without a thought she leapt into the pool and used the energy she could feel coming from the water to supplement her efforts. Holding the weakening body as tightly as she could, she sensed that the physical body had been grievously injured; likely fatally.

Desperately she pushed and pushed until the body in her hands glowed. Still the cord frayed. She knew that in but moments it would snap and then lore told her that Carol would die.

Blinded by tears she wailed and called for help. Finally she gave one final titanic push with all that she had. As she gave the last of herself she rejoiced as she felt the cord harden once more, but as she looked down at the limp form she held, she watched Carol vanish from her arms!

Fearing what the disappearance might mean but heartened by the returning vigor of the astral cord and therefor not willing to give up hope she struggled to calm herself. ‘Where did she go?’, Jill thought as she clung to hope. She could easily tell Carol was no longer in this strange plastic realm as her bond while still, there felt attenuated and blurry. Perhaps she returned along the cord? While still standing in the pool, she looked about herself into the blackness and listened as hard as she could...

————————————

Colonel Thompson sat with the women as they moved around Asha’s still form in the early evening. The transfer from the relatively comfortable ship they’d used to travel from America to the much more cramped PT boat they were now in as they traveled up the Amazon had been uneventful, if less comfortable. He leaned forward, “Don’t worry my Ladies, the captain assures me that we’ll reach our destination and reunite you with your people late tomorrow morning. Soon your healers will be able to help her.”

Itimori glanced at Thomas and muttered quietly to herself, “Tanya naa mani amin gorga.” (That is what I fear.)

In English she replied, “Yes, soon we will be home.”

The Colonel could sense the subtext of concern and chose not to pursue it further and changed the subject. “Are you and your people hungry? Even with the modest gallery we can prepare food.”

With her agreement, Thompson called out and informed a crew hand that they were ready to eat and the sailor left to alert the cook. Left to his own thoughts he reviewed the continuing reports that Feber was giving him. Apparently the sensation/hysteria arising around the reported sightings of Lady Adrasteia had continued. There were even reports that small cult-like groups had begun to appear asserting that the heroine was in fact the goddess Adrasteia herself, returned to Earth! ‘Good Lord!’, Joshua thought, ‘All we need is to add religious fervor to make this just perfect! The sooner we can hand her off to her people, the better.’

A short time passed and food was brought to them. Thankfully the sea hand had already learned to be very careful around Miss Toumi and he simply placed the tray on the ground a foot or so away from her. With only a minor growl, she retrieved the plate. They ate silently and finished food that was bland but acceptable to all.

Once the trays were collected Itimori yawned and called to one of the Tarneeri men. He came over to her and she spoke warmly to him in their language while caressing his cheek. She then bade them good night and the two retired to the second cramped sleeping quarters. This left Joshua, De’elen, one male, Miss Toumi and Asha alone. The remaining two men were on deck.

De’elen focused on Joshua. “Colonel, you are of some importance amongst your people?”

Thompson chuckled, “Well I am a soldier of some position, but I’m far from those of the highest importance. Why do you ask?”

She looked earnestly at him and replied, “My people have come abruptly to your awareness. You know little of us. Nor do we of you. I have recently discovered that the majority of your, “crew” on this vessel are but children. Why do you allow this? Why give them tools of war?”

Joshua snorted, “Children!? I assure you my Lady, while these men are young, they are more than little children. Each is an adult, old enough to vote and I suspect drink.”

De’elen’s face took on a look of consternation. “No! I overheard one of the seamen this very morning being congratulated on achieving his 24’th birthday!”

Thompson straightened as something occurred to him, “Lady De’elen, How many years do your people live on average?”

“The oldest of my people lived to 823 of your years. Most live into their upper 600’s.” She blushed and continued, “I myself am young adult, just 19 years past my ascendency, but it was thought I might be open enough to more easily grasp your people’s strange ways.” Sensing that the Colonel was about to ask she offered, “I am 129 of your years old.” She could sense the complete astonishment of the Colonel and came to the correct conclusion. “I take it that our lifespan greatly exceeds yours.” Doing quick calculations based on the sailor’s age she ventured, “Your span is what, a century?”

Stunned, Thompson simply nodded.

Understanding began to light her eyes, “Then perhaps I can explain our need to rescue Asha. She of an age you would likely call puberty. She is still just a child and is just coming into the age where her mind is opening to n’dmi me'a, to the powers of the mind. She is just entering the time when she might consciously taste it. Unfortunately she is also of an age where her emotional and mental control are still poorly developed. She is prone to... Intemperance?”

With eyes wide, he looked at the quiet form of Asha, “She’s what we call a teenager?!?”

De’elen nodded gravely, “On the cusp of womanhood, but still a child, yes.”

‘And if she has the power she has now as an adolescent, what will she be able to do when she is an adult?!?', Joshua thought as he paled.

De’elen chuckled with dark irony, “I think you are beginning to see why Itimori and I are uneasy.”

Joshua was about to reply when the intercom whistled. “Colonel Thompson! A U.S. Patrol Boat has just come into view. They are signaling they wish to come aside!”

“I’ll be right up Captain!”, he turned to De’elen, “If you will excuse me, my Lady.” He then stood and quickly left the cabin.

He rushed to the Helm where the Captain stood watching the other boat approach. The captain saluted casually and informed him that the other boat had signaled they’d been ordered to radio silence. Thompson frowned but didn’t comment.

The ships pulled aside one another and the hands on deck tied them to each other. As the hands finished, a major stood on deck called for permission to come aboard. Thompson’s captain nodded and the major jumped to their boat. He quickly made his way to the Captain and colonel. He saluted smartly and identified himself. “Colonel Thompson? I’m major Atwordy!”

“Major,” Thompson acknowledged, “what is so important that you need to intercept us?”

Atwordy raised his hand and presented an envelope. Thompson noted the army envelope and opening, read the document contained there in. Dark clouds formed in his face. “Major? This is a change of orders for me. It says I am to hand the Tarneerans over to you.”

Atwordy nodded but before he could speak Thompson cut him off, “Well we have a problem here major, I’m under explicit orders not to acknowledge any change of orders save via direct verbal commands from Director Feber.”

Atwordy nodded as if it were expected. “I Suggest you confirm this order then sir.”

As Thompson turned to the captain to instruct him to call, Atwordy stepped behind the colonel and allowed the blade concealed in his sleeve to slip into his hand. Pressing a button on a small device in his pocket as well, he stepped up to the colonel and thrust the blade between his ribs in his back. Atwordy, a special forces officer with years of counter insurgency experience, neatly slid the edge between the ribs, through the lung and into the colonel’s heart.

As the captain tried to process the attack, Atwordy pulled the knife and stepping around the slumping form of the colonel reached forward to slash the blade across the captain’s throat. Simultaneously, the sound of silenced M249 light machine guns could be heard as soldiers boarding from Atwordy’s boat cut down any man on deck.

Alert to the troops below Atwordy’s men took up station. Atwordy then yelled, “Squad two!” At this troops wearing gas masks came on board. These men produced four CS canisters and after activating them threw them below decks. As the choking and coughing became audible, the masked troops moved down below. Any man they found was quickly shot.

When they came upon the rooms containing the women, rendered helpless by the tear gas, they entered. The Tarneeran men were no problem as they were helplessly wretching so the soldiers stepped to the women and plunged syringes into their necks. Within seconds the women went limp. The soldiers then grabbed the women up and retreated towards the companionway.

The diminished being who was Carol snarled and hacked as she tried to fight the affects of the teargas. She couldn’t see anything through the pain of her eyes but she forced herself to stumble to the cot where Jill should be. When she found no one, she howled in rage and staggered to the companionway herself. Still largely blind she forced her way through the hatch and howled in a barely human voice, “JJIIILLLLLL!?!?!?!”

She couldn’t see or hear her love but she did hear male voices raised in shock and alarm. Dimly understanding that these voices were responsible she began to leap at the voices savagely mauling anyone with in reach.

Atwordy’s soldiers screamed in shock and horror as this strangely beautiful woman reached out with one inch razor sharp claws and cut down man after man. In less than a minute she killed over a half dozen soldiers. It was only when she temporarily ran out of targets she paused. As she whirled about searching. The remaining panicked troops fired on her en mass. In just a few seconds she was hit by over a dozen rounds and thrown overboard into the water.

In agony, as she sank beneath the water her blood flowing from countless wounds she was filled with the bitter feeling she had failed...

Utterly spooked, the remaining handful of soldiers crossed back to their ship. Once they cut the ropes tying the boats together they made underway, turning back upstream.

Over the next hour they tended to their injured. Their losses had put an end to any celebration. “I sure hope the general appreciates we captured 3 of the bitches.”, one of the soldiers commented bitterly, “It sure cost us enough!”

“Belay that!”, Atwordy barked, “We knew it might be problematic. We knew it was likely the command and crew of that boat would be under the control of the aliens.” He paused as second and after taking a calming breath said, “This is what we get paid for men; protecting our country.”

After another hour they came to a series of sharp and relatively narrow bends on the river. They had finally relaxed, knowing they were far from the other boat and were safely on their way home. Soon they’d be in their cots on base and these women would be in a lab where they belonged. They didn’t see until too late the dozen figures leaping from the jungle foliage they were passing near. By the time the soldiers tried to react, the attackers were savagely bringing the soldiers down with spears that crackled like tasers. In moments none save the women were left alive.

The Beleyaavan protectors gently lifted the women and walked across the water of the river back to the shore...

———————————

A voice, ever so softly, “It’s not your time yet child... You need to wake now!”

Carol’s eyes opened and she stared into a lush canopy of tropical foliage. ‘Where am I?’, she thought vaguely. What initially felt like weightlessness slowly resolved into the understanding she was floating, her arm tangled in some of the brush that spilled off the embankment of a great river. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered she had been near Jill by the pool when she’d been hit with terrible agony! She’d felt as if she was dyin- Carol’s head jumped and she desperately looked down to her chest. The blouse and slacks she had on were shredded from the holes that damaged them. The flesh underneath, however, was as far as she could tell blemish free!

She quickly oriented herself and freed her arm so that she could remove the tattered cloth and confirmed she was uninjured. “What the frick happened to me? Where the heck am I?!?” She looked about as she climbed up the bank of the river and onto the land. Taking stock of herself, she noted she felt more solid, more real; unlike the dreamy ‘real’ of where she’d been. From this she tentatively concluded she must be back in her real body!

This landscape had the appearance of imperfect life, struggling for dominance. Gone was the ethereal perfection of what ever reality she had been sharing with Jill. More evidence presented when she tried to will herself into new dry clothes. Nothing. Her conclusions that she was back in the real world only firmed.

Carol continued to walk silently into the tropical rainforest looking about in the night. It was extremely dark as the canopy completely obscured the night sky but she discovered quickly that while she couldn’t shape reality, she could still extend her awareness into the plants all around! As she focused she could sense the driving force to live, compete and thrive; often at the expense of anything around. It was far more intense than when she was back ‘there’ where Jill was. She was once again captivated by the life around her. She almost felt drunk as she luxuriated in all the ebb and flow around.

In time, however, Carol forced herself to stop and pull back. She needed to take stock..
“All right Carol,” She said to herself, “I’m in a Jungle with a great river nearby. Civilization is usually found near rivers. If I move along the river I’ll find a town or something and can get help then. As for Jill...”

She stopped and felt a great pang in her heart at being separated from her love, and she knew that Jill would likely be beside herself with worry. There might be a way around that, however!

Carol settled herself comfortably against one of the great trees that made the rainforest, nestling amongst the strange exposed root structures that grew out of the base and closed her eyes.

Settled, she summoned the memory of the warmth of affection and love she always felt from her bond to the woman she’d come to love more than her own life and called to her with all the longing she felt, ‘Oh Jill! My heart, I’m safe and missing you!’ At first there was nothing, but in a while she felt a flush of warmth as if arms gently hugged her protectively.

Carol smiled.