This one is about Kelek and one of his dreams...
Image by Adrian Lang from Pixabay
A saucepan in the kitchen was bubbling a delicious aroma, while in the room where Kelek was sitting, a fire was hissing and crackling its heat from part-dried wood. Then, entering from the kitchen like a ghostly vision, a dirty, ragged woman who looked familiar came to stand before him. Then someone walked through his shadow but he couldn’t see who it was. Behind the ragged woman he saw flames flickering. There was an open door in the flame. He ran for it and as he passed through it, it suddenly slammed shut and he found himself in the same room again full of only himself. Kelek sat down.
Then as time progressed Kelek was sitting quietly blowing smoke rings at the starred ceiling while a gale was howling outside that he couldn’t hear, but he heard a dog barking. It was being carried by a vulture flying through the gale as if it was a calm day. Suddenly the sun came out and shone in through the windows and everything became calm and he had the strangest feeling he was waiting for someone but he couldn’t imagine who, so he tried to think logically.
All around him were illogical things: fantastical pieces of metal and stone, each with a different shape and all as if burnt by some fierce fire, or the friction of the atmosphere. He picked up one of the odd shaped things. It was cold and heavy.
Kelek decided to go outside into the garden. It was a well-tended garden full of flowers. As Kelek was drinking in the fragrance and delight of the little garden something hit the ground with a whoompf, so he looked at the sky; it was whirling like a smoky coloured whirlpool. A feeling came to walk, so he did. That was an easy decision, he just stepped out the way he was facing. He wondered for a moment where he was but it didn’t really seem to matter much. He felt he was just there and that was all there was to it, and maybe there was a reason, but he thought someone must have taken it with them, he didn’t have it.
A journey then, with everything rushing at him. Motion was okay. Up ahead he saw some people. He thought: should he be cautious, and then he thought: let’s see, they don’t look threatening. He rushed into a space they were making and calling their own and it was nice so he slowed down and took some and put it in his heart; it felt good. They smiled at him together. They were lovers and carried no sword. He showed them the diamond he was carrying. They said they’d found theirs sometime farther back in their journey. So he asked them if they knew anyone who could cut his as it was a very rough diamond. They said there was a woman who collected diamonds in a place over the mountain who knew of someone who could cut a diamond.
They all seemed to be getting on pretty well and the lovers invited him to a cup of tea. So they all squatted down and pulled out a smoke and soon a hot mint tea was placed in Kelek’s hand. He took a sip and found it okay but a little too sweet for him. They spent what little time they had together being quiet. They became quieter and quieter. Just before the lovers faded away, Kelek wished them well. Then he was on his own and still becoming quieter. He didn’t know how quiet you could get in a state of absolute quiet but he came pretty close. But just as the last thought was dissipating, a wind blew through him. He didn’t take any notice of it for a while as he scraped across the ground in the lotus position. But this wind was serious about moving him and it didn’t seem to care what he wanted. He saw a sharp rock approaching and knew it was time to move on for himself.
As he climbed to his feet the wind stopped. About half way up he lost sight of his feet. He passed the vulture still carrying the dog who had gone to sleep by then. Then as he straightened out he saw the mountain. He gave it a greeting but it remained aloof. He didn’t want to be daunted by a mere mountain, not on a day like this, so he made up his mind into a ball of wisdom and threw it straight as an arrow into the mountain’s heart. The mountain took it and wouldn’t give it back. He cried then a thousand years of tears that washed the mountain away. When it was all gone except for some green fields and a forest, he went in search of his lost wisdom.
He had grown small again by then and the forest engulfed him with its gloom. He journeyed to the deepest point through the blackest darkness he had ever known. In the centre was a small clearing full of light. He met a woman there as he came out of the darkness. He got down from the horse that he had found in another lifetime and gave it his thanks for letting him ride it. It went back into the dark forest and Kelek went towards the woman.
He was feeling hungry by then and he asked her, that is, he said: “lady, I have come a long way and I am feeling the strain of so much travel, and if you would but say I would rest here a while before journeying on.”
She stopped her dancing then and came up to Kelek and took his hand and led him to a little stone cottage he hadn’t noticed until that moment, what with the lady being so beautiful and captivating and him being so tired and all.
On entering into a charming little room she gave him a spot to sit, and glad he was to rest too. She went into the kitchen and put a pan on to boil, and soon it was bubbling a delicious aroma. She came back into the room and he noticed she had become dirty and ragged looking. She didn’t say anything but just stood there. Behind her a fire grew and grew until it engulfed everything. Within the flame a door opened and before it could slam shut he ran for it. It seemed to be the only way out of there. As he passed through it, it slammed shut and he found himself in a room full of only himself again. And he had forgotten to ask about his diamond, but never mind.
End of part one
Image from Pixabay