Jane was sitting on the edge of her bed staring by candlelight at the marble, claw-shaped stone laid on the purple cloth next to her feather. Both items seemed to complement each other. How could she not believe anymore?
She felt the bed move, and then Mark’s arms were around her. ‘Can’t sleep?’
She just nodded. The bad dreams had come back with a vengeance despite the quantity of wine they had drunk last night.
Mark nuzzled her neck and spoke softly into her ear. ‘Then I think it’s time you did your solo journey.’
Jane closed her eyes. ‘I’m not prepared yet. I have to visit my guides first.’
‘Well, let’s do it tomorrow. You can’t keep on going like this.’
‘Will you stay with me?’ Jane could feel her stomach cramp in pain. She knew her ego was fighting her all the way.
‘For as long as it takes,’ he murmured, kissing her neck.
Gently, he massaged her shoulders. ‘Come back to bed.’
Jane didn’t want to, she didn’t want to face the dreams again, but her body needed rest. She blew out the candle and slipped back in between the sheets.
Mark’s arms engulfed her and she could feel the warmth and strength of his body as he snuggled into her. She was so glad he was here. He made her feel safe and secure, but even so, sleep didn’t come easily.
* * *
Jane opened her eyes to beautiful sunshine. She had finally got to sleep during the early hours of the morning, and hadn’t heard Mark get up. He was standing by the side of the bed, with her breakfast on a tray. She raised herself up and took the tray from him.
‘You’re spoiling me,’ she said as she surveyed the egg, bacon and toast on the plate.
Mark sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. ‘I thought you might need it.’
He turned and looked at her marble stone on the purple cloth. ‘I have to say that now you’ve got your crystal gift, I have to believe that mine will come at some point. It’s just a matter of the right time.’
Jane put her fork down. ‘Where do you think this is taking us, Mark?’ Again she noticed a faint flash of concern appear on his face. ‘What is it? What’s troubling you? Are you worried about your solo journey, too?’
He turned to her and smiled. ‘No, it’s something else.’
‘Can’t you tell me?’
He hesitated, then said, ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do but it involves something I did in the past with my previous work. That’s what’s concerning me.’
‘Why?’
‘Because…’ He paused then said, ‘I don’t think it is a good idea to go back to it.’
‘And is that what your guide told you to do?’
‘Yes.’
Jane was anxious to know what it was he had been involved with, but she knew that if she asked he would refuse to tell her. She was thankful that he had said as much as he had.
‘Are you going to do it?’ She saw him close his eyes and a frown appear on his forehead before he turned to look at her.
‘I don’t know. I want to know why I need to first.’
‘You’re not going to go on faith?’ She poked him playfully.
‘Hey, I have to believe first, don’t I? That’s what was written on your box, an open mind brings belief and belief brings faith. I’m still on the open mind stage for my life purpose. Once I believe in the reason for me to do it then I will have the faith to go through with it.’
Jane touched his hand and smiled at him. ‘I believe you.’
Mark bent forward and kissed her forehead. ‘It’s time you got up so we can do your meditation.’
Jane made herself comfortable on the sofa as Mark positioned himself on a chair close by. He placed Jasmine’s CD in the player.
‘Are you ready?’
Jane began taking in deep breaths to relax herself. She closed her eyes and a few seconds later she found herself on the edge of a forest.
Three Wolves was waiting for her and as she approached him, he gave her a welcome smile. ‘I am glad to see you again, Jane.’
‘I’ve come back to prepare for my solo journey.’
Three Wolves took her hand and they began to walk up the grassy plain to the hilltop. Just over the crest Jane saw the tepee of Spirit Wind.
‘Spirit Wind has great wisdom and knowledge. Listen and you will learn much.’
As Jane and Three Wolves approached the tepee, Spirit Wind emerged. He beckoned for her to sit down at the campfire next to him.
Jane sat down with Spirit Wind on her right side and Three Wolves on her left.
‘You have received another gift for your solo journey,’ Spirit Wind said quietly.
‘Yes, the phoenix claw.’
Spirit Wind pondered then said. ‘It is a powerful ally, the phoenix. You are fortunate to have it watching over you.’
He handed her a tiny wooden cup and poured hot fluid from a metal container into it. ‘Drink. It is a liquid to cleanse and vitalise you.’
‘What is it?’ Jane asked, puzzled.
‘It is from the plant we call Yellow Flower. You must drink it every day before your solo journey.’
Jane drank from the cup, and noted it had no taste. She wondered how on earth she was going to be able to drink it for real? As if in reply to her thought, Spirit Wind pointed to the grass surrounding them. There, every few feet were yellow-flowered plants, and Jane recognised them immediately. They were dandelions. She didn’t know whether there was such a thing as dandelion tea but she would look it up on the Internet. She drank the last bit of liquid and put the cup down.
Spirit Wind removed something from a leather bag he had next to him and placed it carefully in front of him. It was a medium size piece of cylinder-shaped wood with carvings on it. On the top part of the wood, running down about two inches in length, there was a pattern of straight carved lines with a deep horizontal line running through the middle of them. Below these lines was carved a circle, coloured red.
Spirit Wind pointed to a blue meandering line that flowed from the red circle to about half way down the wood piece. ‘This is the river of life,’ he said softly. He turned the wood piece over and Jane saw that the blue line meandered up the back of the wood to join with itself at the top. ‘It is a continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth.’
When he turned the piece of wood back Jane saw that under the river there was the shape of a mountain with white snow on the top, and beneath it were wavy lines. ‘Does this represent a mountain and this water?’ she asked pointing at it.
Spirit Wind touched the white top of the mountain. ‘This is an Earth crystal. It is a guardian of our land. The symbol below is the wind, a carrier for the seeds of life.’
‘And this final symbol at the bottom?’ Jane pointed to a symbol that looked like two horizontal lines with three dots above them.
‘It is the number of the universe. It is the union of Father Sky and Mother Earth.’
Jane stared at the delicate and precise carvings. ‘It is beautiful. What do you use it for?’
Spirit Wind gently ran his hand over the surface. ‘It is a prayer stick. A powerful companion.’ He pointed at her. ‘You must create your own.’
‘Create my own? You mean make it myself?’
Three Wolves smiled. ‘This is something you cannot trade for. It has to be created. Created by you.’
Jane looked down at Spirit Wind’s prayer stick. How could she make something as beautiful as that? She couldn’t carve wood and if she tried she would soon be missing one or two of her fingers. ‘I don’t know how.’
Spirit Wind got up and went to the edge of the forest. Within minutes he returned and sat down. He handed Jane a piece of a tree’s branch, which had obviously been on the forest floor for some time, as it was dry and cracked. ‘A sacred part of a tree will find you. When you look at it, ask what it is telling you? What colours, images do you see?’
‘Then I decorate it?’
‘You use your instincts. Follow what feels right. All prayer sticks are personal.’ He nodded towards Three Wolves.
Three Wolves opened his leather bag and removed his own stick. Jane noticed it was very different from Spirit Wind’s. It had a carving of a wolf’s eye at the top with diagonal lines running across and up the stick. Below this was the moon and stars with a piece of fur wrapped round the remaining part at the bottom. Tied to the top and bottom of the stick were strings of teeth and claws.
‘Why do I need this?’ Jane asked.
‘It is powerful medicine for protection,’ Three Wolves answered.
Spirit Wind pointed to the stick in her hand. ‘You must complete your prayer stick and return for your solo journey soon.’ He looked up to the sky and the heavy dark clouds that were coming their way. ‘There will be much protection needed. You must have courage, Jane. The journey will not be easy.’
He got up and Jane caught his arm gently, her voice quivered at the thought of what lay ahead of her. ‘I… I will try my best. Thank you.’
Spirit Wind gently pulled her to her feet. ‘You have a brave heart. Believe and your medicine will be strong.’ He let go of her hands, smiled gently and walked back into his tepee.
Jane turned to Three Wolves who was getting to his feet.
‘What did he mean about much protection would be needed?’ Jane felt suddenly anxious.
Three Wolves smiled reassuringly. ‘He means you must bring all that you have been given, including your own prayer stick.’
‘The feather and the claw? Is that what he means?’
Three wolves smiled again. ‘Yes. Do not worry, I will be with you.’
Jane looked into his face and remembered what she had read about him on the Internet. Little Wolf, now known as Three Wolves, had been a wise and strong leader of his Cheyenne people. He had fought many battles and won. She could not wish for any one better to be with her when she undertook her solo journey.
They walked back to the place where Jane had come into her meditation. Three Wolves gripped her hands firmly. ‘You are strong; you know how to prepare yourself. I will see you again soon.’
As Jane said goodbye, she thought about how throughout her life she had fought and struggled against opposition to get where she wanted to be. Somehow this situation had made her feel like a child, vulnerable and terrified. Three Wolves was right, she needed to prepare herself, and she decided she would face this like she had faced all her difficult meetings, with knowledge and determination. How she was going to incorporate the feather, claw and prayer stick into that philosophy she wasn’t sure yet. She hoped it would come by the time she had to do her solo journey.
Jane opened her eyes to find Mark watching her. ‘I have to find a stick,’ she said, and grinned.
Mark frowned at her. ‘You what?’
‘I said I have to find a stick. I have to make a prayer stick.’
He switched off the CD player. ‘A prayer stick? Are you serious?’
‘Yes, I am. It’s the third object I need to make my solo journey.’
Mark scratched his head. ‘I suppose we had better go for a walk in the forest, then.’
Jane shook her head. ‘I don’t want to do that today. I just feel I want to get away from everything.’
‘What’s the matter? Was the meditation a bad one?’
Jane noted the concern in his voice. ‘No, it was okay. I’m just scared about the solo journey I suppose, and I just want some time out from doing all this stuff.’
‘You’re not ducking out now, are you?’
Jane laughed. ‘Not at all. It’s just that everything’s happened so quickly and it’s so intense that I think we should forget about it for a couple of hours.’
‘I can go along with that. What do you want to do?’
‘How about a walk along the cliff tops?’
Mark threw her a coat. ‘Sounds like a good idea, let’s go.’
Jane stared at the coat in her hands. ‘I didn’t mean we had to go now.’
‘Nothing like the present. Anyway, some fresh sea air will do us good.’
Jane slipped on her coat and joined Mark at the door.
They drove to the north coast of the island and found a cliff path from Bonne Nuit Bay to Wolf’s caves. The sun was shining and its warmth was that of the sun on a Spring day. As they walked along the path the view across the sparkling blue sea was breathtaking, and so clear they could see the Pater Nosters rocks just off Bonne Nuit, and to the right the hazy image of the coast of France.
Some parts of the cliff path narrowed in places, exposing them to a sheer drop to the sea. Jane walked quickly along those parts with Mark close behind her until the path widened enough that they could stop for a break.
Sitting quietly, Jane watched the sea gently swell over the rocks and flow back again. There was stillness in the air and it was if a muffler had engulfed everything, creating a vacuum of silence. It was in this silence Jane heard a moan. It seemed to be masked by something but every so often it became clear. She turned to Mark.
‘Did you hear that?’ she whispered, hardly daring to raise her voice in case she disturbed the silence.
‘Yes,’ he said and moved closer to the edge. He leaned slightly forward and Jane instinctively grabbed his coat.
‘I think I can see someone. Hello! Do you need help?’
‘Oh, thank goodness. I thought I would be here for hours,’ an elderly male voice yelled back.
‘Are you hurt?’ Mark asked.
‘Oh, goodness, no. Just feeling a bit stupid. I climbed down to pick some berries and now I’m not sure how to get back up.’
‘I’ll come down to help you.’ Mark turned to Jane and handed her his coat. Jane pointed to a part of the cliff edge that looked as though it could be an easier route down and very carefully Mark made his way down to where the old man was.
Half an hour later Jane saw Mark re-emerge on to the path with a thin grey-haired man. ‘Hello my dear, I’m really sorry to have disturbed your walk.’
Jane took the wrinkled hand extended to her and shook it. ‘Are you all right? Do you need a doctor?’
‘Oh dear me, no. I’m just a stupid old man taking on too much. Still think I can climb like I did in my youth.’
‘Well then, can we give you a lift home?’
‘It’s not necessary, my dear. I live in that house just over there. Please let me repay you for your kindness with a cup of tea.’
Jane looked over the old man’s shoulder to Mark, who was indicating with his eyes and head that they should go, but Jane wasn’t sure that was what she wanted to do. ‘A cup of tea sounds just fine. My name is Jane and this is Mark.’
‘Oh, I’m pleased to meet you. I am Michael. It’s just this way.’
The old man moved past Jane and began to make his way up the path. As Jane turned to follow him she felt Mark take her arm.
‘What are you doing?’ he whispered.
‘I’m going with my gut instincts. Anyway I want to make sure he gets home.’
Mark shrugged his shoulders and took her hand as they followed the old man to a small bungalow set back from the path.
Michael opened the door and led the way into the kitchen. He slipped off his coat and beckoned Jane and Mark to sit at the table as he put the kettle on.
‘How long have you lived here?’ Jane asked, noting how the yellow paper on the walls had discoloured and in places had peeled away.
‘All my life, and my mother before me,’ Michael said taking three china cups from the top cupboard as well as a teapot. ‘My dear wife Nora lost her fight with cancer five years ago, so it’s just me now.’
‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.’
Michael brought the cups over to the table. ‘Don’t fret yourself, my dear. We had a good life together and I’m grateful for that.’ He returned to the boiling kettle and poured the hot water into the teapot. After swirling the water around he poured it out, then put two scoops of something green into the teapot from a tin, followed by more hot water. He returned to the table, sat down and poured the tea out into the cups.
Jane saw there was no milk or sugar on the table and as she brought the cup up to her lips she noticed a different smell to that of ordinary tea. She took a sip; there wasn’t much taste to it.
‘What kind of tea is this?’ she asked.
The old man smiled. ‘It’s dandelion tea. I make it myself from fresh plants.’
Jane looked across the table to see Mark raise his eyebrows at her and put his cup down. She ignored him and took another sip. ‘Do you want me to call anyone? I mean being stuck down the cliff can be a bit of a shock.’
Michael smiled and shook his head. ‘No my dear, I have no living relatives. Please don’t worry about me, it will take more than what happened today to stick me in my grave.’
Jane smiled at the old man. He certainly had a way about him. ‘Michael, I really love this tea, can I buy some of it from you?’ She noticed Mark look at her in disbelief.
Michael quickly got up and brought the little tin he had on the worktop to the table. ‘Please take this. I can make more.’
She heard Mark clear his throat and say as he got up from the table, ‘I think it’s time we went, Jane.’
Michael nimbly moved round the table to the door. ‘I want to thank you for what you did, sonny.’
Mark shook his head. ‘It wasn’t a problem. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.’ He tried to move past the old man but Michael continued to block his way.
‘If you would just hold on a minute, I would really like to give you something.’
As Michael moved out of the kitchen, Jane saw Mark turn back to look at her and mouth the words “What now?” He seemed very uncomfortable.
Jane shrugged her shoulders as she got up and joined him at the door. ‘Be nice,’ she whispered.
The old man beckoned them to follow him as he moved across the hall and into the lounge.
The lounge was quite modest in its layout with a cottage type settee and chairs facing an open fireplace, which was laid ready for lighting. The walls were papered with old-fashioned large flower designs and as with the kitchen had discoloured and worn in places. In an old cabinet by the window numerous pieces of rock and glass objects were placed and it was to this cabinet Michael had gone. He opened it and reached inside for something at the back.
Jane pushed Mark in front of her, towards the old man.
As Michael turned back towards them, he opened his hand to reveal what he taken from the cabinet.
Jane’s eyes widened and she could sense Mark’s body stiffen as the pyramid shape of white crystals caught the sunlight coming in through the window.
‘I found this many years ago down in the rocks along this cliff edge. I want you to have it.’
Mark took the crystal carefully and placed it in the palm of his left hand. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
Jane nudged him. ‘Thank you might be appropriate.’
‘Oh, yes, thank you very much, Michael.’
‘If you don’t like it you can choose another if you want. I have plenty here. But somehow I think it means something to you.’ He moved towards the fireplace and Jane noticed some pictures on the mantelpiece.
‘Are these pictures of your family?’ she said as she moved forward to see them.
Michael picked one up and handed it to her. ‘This is my Nora.’
The picture showed an elderly woman digging up some plants in the garden. Her grey hair was well groomed and pulled back from her face and her eyes seemed warm and caring. She was smiling and looked as though she was extremely happy.
Michael moved closer. ‘That was taken six months before she died. She so much loved her life, especially after the last remaining member of her family died.’
Jane looked at him puzzled, and Michael took the picture from her. ‘She hated her family, you see.’
‘Hated her own family? Why?’
‘She wouldn’t tell me, but it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders when the last one passed away. She used the money they left to buy this little garden next to the house. It was her haven.’
Jane felt Mark beside her and said, ‘It is time we went, Michael. But thank you so much for the tea and this lovely gift.’
A flash of sadness appeared on Michael’s face but he showed them to the front door. ‘I hope you will come and see me again soon. I can make you more tea,’ he said hopefully.
Jane just smiled as she moved past him. ‘Good-bye, Michael, and take care, won’t you.’
Mark shook his hand and joined Jane on the pathway of the house. ‘Jane, can you believe this?’
Jane looked down at the crystal. ‘It can’t just be a coincidence can it? I mean if we had done as you had suggested and searched for my stick, we wouldn’t have come here, and you would never have got to help Michael and receive your crystal object.’
Mark looked at her. ‘But it was your decision throughout that got us this far. There must be something here for you, too. Do you know what it is?’
‘I do. It was the tea, the dandelion tea. I was given a drink by my guide and told to drink it every day before my solo journey. The name he gave it was yellow flower, but I recognised it as the dandelion.’
Mark shivered. ‘This is becoming really strange. I’m not sure if I like it.’
Jane slipped her hand into the crook of his arm as they walked out of the gate and away from the house. ‘I think it is quite exciting.’
There was a rustle above them, and as they looked up a small branch from the large overhanging tree fell onto Jane’s head. She rubbed the place where the branch hit her and stared down at her feet where it had finally come to rest.
The branch was no more than a foot long and was curved in the shape of an S. At the top of the S shape Jane could see the image of an eye. This was it. This was the sacred piece of wood Spirit Wind said would find her.