9. La magia {EN}

She dug out a charred metal sphere through the ashes. Then, with a slight of hand she hit it with her ring and the ball rang deep. It cleaned itself from the vibrations and left a beautiful canyon of ashes when she lifted the ball.

She then slid her palm knife straight through the metal and whispered something I couldn’t understand.

The ball vibrated and the lid came off. In a soft, purring voice, she commanded:

-Start the fire, will you?

I shrugged and left the amazement drift away. I bring the smallest tweaks I gathered to the hearth where Nora was seated. She was digging into her pockets, smiling with relief when she found what she was looking for.

I wasn't sure what was in the small sack, but it sounded like small beans or stones rattling inside.

I've built a small pyramid of the driest wood we could gather, then I looked around to see what could I lay in the heart of the fire to light up fast and smooth.

I took my firestones out of the front pocket and hit them together to assess how much energy I have left and see what I could possibly light up first to get the fire going.

Nora was staring at me with one eyebrow curved in disbelief. She looked somewhat appalled by what she's seeing. A frown of intrigued curiosity shows up on her forehead. She lifts her body away from the metal ball and straightens her posture, facing me.

Her deep colored eyes scanned my energy and I felt a sudden surge of excitement. Her long and wispy tail was swift to carry away from her face a chunky strand of deep violet hair.

She is truly one of the most interesting beings I've seen. Her beauty is otherworldly to me, but so is this world that she fits perfectly into.

She reached out and grabbed my hand, smiling. It has been a painful amount of time since I last saw the light a smile brings to her face. I sigh in relief. I then tell her what I'm looking for in order to start the fire.

- How long have you been in Elyria, Alessandro?

- A few months. I'm not sure I feel time the same as you do here though. In a strange way, it feels I've been here ages. In some ways, it's like today I see it for the first time. Does this even makes sense, Nora?

- It makes sense to have your unique way of meeting this world. Do you have ethereal power sources where you come from?

- Aa ..what? like energy induction devices?

- Nu, nu, Alessandro. ... Magia.

- I've seen a few things I couldn't explain. Yet. I mean ... there's so much more to learn in science and technology... who knows how we’ll explain things in the future.

- I'm talking of the power that comes from your own core, in Spirit. That which makes you truly human, that spark and how you use it.

I find myself pulling my hand out of her reach and crossing the arms over my chest.

- What of it?

- We have ageless tales of the magic that fills up the air here. People nowadays don’t use it often, they forget how, they lose their faith...but it still lingers... I think you'd understand it better as the power that comes with any world you live in, to be in true connection to its core and use efficiently the energy it provides.

However, this power is not for the hands and minds of only locals, the visitors have access to this power too.

Two suns that light up our days bring forth their blessings in many ways for those fortunate enough to live hereunder. Look.

She lifts herself graciously and walks to the edge of the cliff.

This whole cave looks like a serpent's mouth carved into the rocky wall. It looks like a fine blade ripped into the landscape, drew a trail going downhill and stabbed a deep wound into the land.

In the corner where the small cave stretched seamlessly into the descending trail, there was a large vase, a stony bucket almost a feet tall, wider than an arm's length. In it, some sticks and thin branches.

Nora reached in and grabbed one of them. She walks back to me and hands me over the stick. It was carved by me with her blade just minutes ago. Insane.

- You see what I mean now?

- I...i...

- I wonder what else you're able to do.

- Bruja.

I whispered and covered my mouth. It slipped my lips unwillingly, charged with the hate my world looks at these occurrences.

- You threw it. My eyes have witnessed, my heart remembers. I think you can do more. Let me show you how we light our fires around here.

It was like I fell into a trance. Like I was spell-bound. I surrendered any bit of logic to the moment and followed her lead completely.

She asked me to kneel before the hearth and sink my hands into the ground. I closed my eyes and searched within with every breath, a spark of light that grows. I feel a force pulsating deep behind my navel.

She tells me to think of how that spark will light the fire in front of me. How those twigs come ablaze from within, the moment I find in them the same spark that lives in me.

I breathe in deeply to lay down a string for this spark to climb on, then blow it slowly away with the thought that air carries fire and lights up the wood.

I feel the warmth of her hand rested on my back and the flames in front of me growing in strength, paving the way for a safer night in the wild. Focu meu....I can’t believe it...

She knew words were not necessary. We sat there by the fire in silence. She turned around towards the opening of the cave, facing the edge, the setting sun and the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

A majestic tree, towering over a large round canyon, stretching almost to the edge of my sight.

The late sun falling into the ground like clockwork, sending away a greenish gold haze that was soaking the cliffs around us. A deep pink hovering above us, waiting to be conquered by the darkness and its violet tint.

In the shadow of the giant tree, a few glimmering lights show up. Small villages are scattered all around the valley, with many little hills and patches of trees and gardens between them, a few lakes every now and then, turning into a deep indigo ink color under the spell of darkness.

I've seen a few close by and it's only now that I'm impressed by the simple lives I've met there. The whole picture brings more sense into the culture of this place and their obsession with the tree.

Nora was sitting with her feet over the edge, aimlessly drawing with the tip of her tail into the soil behind her. I squat behind her and I see her shiver. I back off and aside a step, and sit next to her. Looking down, you can free fall enough meters to break a few bones, uncertain as to how friendly the landing will be if it were to accidentally fall into the bushes.

I see the trail waving it's way into the rocky wall, hiding behind a crest in the canyon’s wall. There’s a soft sound of water falling over rocks somewhere near. I see the trail emerge again further down, waving it’s line all the way down into a large patch of grassy hill speckled with various shrubs and small trees.

Further away, there's another stripe of forest and plenty of trails across the next hill strands. Every now and then you see fires lighting up in the distance, gaining strength to shine and warm up the night.

-I need a few moments alone. Enjoy the view of the valley, the lurs will be descending soon from the tree.

She pulled herself back from the edge of the cliff and went into the cave closer to the fire. She was facing the rocky wall and the fire, a  strong figure of a woman, young and tall, with subtle curves that bridge the girl to the woman.

Her short coat was still soaking wet and dirty here and there, she took it off and flicked it twice, then reached up towards the ceiling to hang it in what seemed to be a hook. Her belt and dagger were hanging there as well. She then takes off her boots and leaves them by the fire. I see her hands reaching back under the base of her tail then bending to reach the calves, loosening the lacing of her pants, then pulling them down. She brushed them off with her hands and hung them next to the jacket.

A silvery undergarment was embracing tightly every nook and curve of her body, contrasting beautifully with her dark blue skin. It was some sort of tight camisole dress, with a slit around the tail, long enough to cover her ass, thin enough to let me see its roundness.

I barely noticed how her skin shade changed since we met, but now I see that in the absence of the sun the blue goes deeper.

She raised her hair, pulled out whatever accessory kept it together and left it cascade over her edgy shoulders. A few long strands brushed over the root of the tail. She curled it back and up, using it to undo her camisole, taking it off with a gesture. Hanging on the tip of her tail, the thin garment seemed weirdly heavy.

I see her hovering over the metal ball again, holding what seems to be a large ring in her hand. She gathers her silver blouse into a tight cylinder, that she then passes it through the ring. Water trinkles down from her garment into the ball. She struggles to lift the ball and lays it next to the fire.

-What, no magic to lift and put it there?

Startled at what I had to say, she turns with a scolding frown and scans me with a disturbing gaze.

-Look away.

I had to respect her wish this time. I felt my own front tail twitching with excitement at the sight of her bare breasts. I could almost feel them cupped in my hands, perfectly filling them while I pressed my fingers gently into her skin, kneading them lightly. I wonder how it truly feels to touch her.

However, I know better than to act on such mischievous thoughts. She’s a wild and possibly dangerous thing, her instincts are sharp, her magic...who know how strong....but her eyes, her smile...so full of light, her skin...so fragrant and inviting.... and I shake them off while I turn away towards the sunset.

The late sun takes its final breath and hides over the edge of the canyon, allowing the shade to reach upwards from the roots, covering the giant tree in shrug of darkness.

By the time the last rays left the tip of the tree, a massive swarm of lights left the tree and scattered over the world. An unforgettable display, an ever impressive show of what this world has to offer. Beauty, Light, Mystery.

I could watch this everyday and still be amazed at the lights that fall gently from the tree only to die off somewhere in the wild, never the other way around.

A cold breeze brushed over my body and I felt my clothes tighten over the muscles that ache from all the effort I’ve put them through today. A good training, I reckon. I should be getting dry and warm for the night is long and quite cold from what I’ve witnessed these past weeks. I look over to Nora and I gasp in disbelief.

She was bent over, fully naked, twisting her body in a continuous flow, bending and stretching every muscle fiber she had. Her tail was dancing around in a wicked way, swirling and pointing around as she stepped on her toes by the fire.

Her hair was loose and finally dry enough to look like  precious fabric that drapes around her curves as she moves, like the finest silk.

I’ve never seen a woman move like that before. She was completely present within herself, scanning her body with every move for points of tension, flexing every muscle, checking every joint, dancing her way into the night with the most interesting workout display I’ve ever witnessed.

Her body didn’t even flinch when she met my gaze, she was deep within her workout, undisturbed by my presence. I wished I’d grant her privacy and look away, but there was something inside me more powerful than common sense, there was a wild uproar in my veins at the sight of the roundness of her womb, the long lines of her thighs pointing my gaze upward, twisting over the back, shoulder and arms, resting on the edges of her fingers then diving deep into her violet mane.

In that moment I wished nothing more than to be a draft of cold air sweeping her every curve, pointing up her nipples, sending shivers down her spine.

And so she was.

Her tail twitched and she shook her body lightly, glowing again like she did in the hollow tree. It seemed to me now that her glow is somehow similar to blushing, but I have never seen one to blush with so much poise and confidence.

Then she stood up straight in all her glorious posture, meeting my gaze halfway over the fire.

If I only could,

I’d keep this image safe from Time’s decay,

a simple, untouched memory

of a girl I met on a distant world,

a beacon of truth I’ve witnessed in another Being,

the purity of her gestures,

the lack of words and need for further meaning,

a fleeting sense of infinite that fills this moment to the brim.

I’d keep with me forever

this buzzing, electrifying and erotic surge

that goes upwards from my root to my heart.

Her innocent and yet alluring gaze

lit a fire within my spirit.

It’s her that’s naked,

but I’m the one that feels completely seen.

Deep within a world I have nothing to do with

I finally feel like I fit in.

Weirdly enough, I feel like we have met before.

***

The depth this world demands of me

Feels heavy on my mind,

Wears down my body in such ways

That every cell I have aches

Waking up to an inner realization

That Life is more when lived in Truth.

Once in a while we find ourself in Darkness,

Facing uncertainty and wonder,

Asking for all hands on deck

In every corner of your being.

This world

Sometimes so overwhelming

Seems now a mystery unfolding

She holds the key

To something great inside me

That I can only glimpse

In all the passing bits of Now

When our gaze truly meets.

I wish I’d stay

Forever in her eyes

and I can only hope

To shush the other voice

That makes me look away.

A.

***

Ți-aș spune că ești

ca o floare de rodie

care discret îmi încape în palmă.

Un labirint de zeci de petale diafane

mai subțiri ca o pleoapă.

Mă invită s-o privesc,

să stau departe și să o ating deopotrivă,

să-i dau petalele la o parte

una câte una.

Cu dezmierdări și șoapte,

una câte una,

să cedeze degetelor mele

și să-și găsească-n cădere sfârșitul

departe de ochii pe care îi închid

ca să-i simt mai bine miezul.

În deget am un ochi care plânge

de frumusețea pe care o simte,

de perfecțiunea naturii virgine

care se destramă sub atingerea mea,

de extazul contopirii cu centrul.

În mâna mea piere o floare

care nu va da niciodată un fruct.

Prin mine, însă, Ființa

se cunoaște pe sine,

iar în absolut privind,

orice atingere poți s-o înalți la Dumnezeu

când inima e cea care-atinge.

În suflet ți-e scris

că odată atinsă așa

nu vei uita niciodată

o flaore de rodie.

A.