Going Deeper In

Well, the Enchanteur has allowed me to join the journey around Lemuria. I am quite glad, because those who have lived here longer keep referring to things that are mysteries to me. I am quite excited! I pull out the backpack that I put away when I first arrived here, hot and dusty and thirsty for the sort of refreshment of the soul that one finds at Riversleigh, and start tossing in odds and ends. I don’t want to make it too heavy, but there are just some things I can’t leave without.

My journal goes in first, along with my favorite pens. I decide to toss in a backup journal, too. You just can’t have too much paper. Then there is a small blank-book without lines and my colored pencils. I keep telling my self that I will begin to draw again, and this may be a good time to do it. My wooden flute, a small package with my sock needles and some lovely shaded blue wool, and some spare woolly socks go in next. A change of clothing and a few toiletries follow; oh, these necessities for day to day living- I wish they didn’t take up quite so much space. And then, just because sometimes you need technology, a digital camera and a spare memory card. My bag is starting to look a little stuffed now, but I add small sachet of lavender because it smell so good, and a little worry stone for my pocket. I dig into my wardrobe and come up with a decent hat to wear. I will not take anything to read- this is hard for me, but I think I will be writing enough that I will not need take a book.

There! Now I am ready to go! I lean out the window and say goodbye to the butterfly man should he be listening, and shut the window behind me. I will be back soon, full of adventures and fresh tales for telling.

But what now? I mean, I am already at Riversleigh, already in Lemuria. How do I go on from here? I shrug, and remember the proverb that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I suppose that I should begin my journey by opening the door to my room and stepping through it. Then I will start to walk. I know the Enchanteur will find me soon enough and make sure I go where I need to be.

I open the door to my room- that infamous portal that goes to all sorts of places, and find that Enchanteur has used my own device against me. There is a mirror there, filling the entire door way. I see myself reflected in it, but not the room behind me. Instead, there is a grayish mist. I don’t look quite right, either. I look kind of- lopsided. I take stock of the reflection carefully, and find that what the mirror had done is exaggerate my, well, I won’t call them flaws, but my sticking points. Things that, if I work on them, will change me more into the person I want to be. I will need to accept these things if I want to journey deeper into Lemuria. I will find out more about myself as well as this wonderful land.

 These sticking points are not things I am happy to look at, much less deal with. I take a deep breath and poke at the image with my finger. My finger sinks into the surface of the mirror, and little ripples go out into the rest of the image. I realize that I am stalling. There is no help for it. If I want to go on this tour, and I do, I will have to take a close and careful look at this reflection of myself, and step through it.  In going deeper into Lemuria, I will also go deeper into myself. I open my eyes wide, and with one more deep breath, I step into the mirror image of myself.

I have a sensation like swimming, and an icy cold sweeps through me. I quickly surface, and find myself out in Lemuria, away from my beloved room at Riversleigh. The mirror is gone, but I feel something new in my pocket. I reach in, and alongside the worry stone is a small metal disc. It bears the image I saw in the mirror, but  a little changed. Apparently, I have changed just by stepping through that portal. It will be interesting to see how it changes as I travel along.

I trip over a small bag on the ground at my feet. It has all sorts of things inside it, and I poke around, examining each item. What will I need the spectacles for? Dream seeds? That sounds intriguing. Candlestick, unicorn medallion, an anchor, wings? Strange and interesting things.

I tuck the bag in my back pack and take stock of my surrounding. It seems to be a cool autumn day, with the sun getting low on the horizon. I am in a lush meadow on a hill side, with wooded hills rolling away in the distance and a river flowing through the valley below me. There is a track going into the distance, and I step onto it willingly, walking along with a happy stride.

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