“Ow, do you mind? Your fat bottoms are starting to do me in!”
“What was that?” giggled Mara.
“Oh!” laughed Battery, “I think that is the heather plant.” Both girls jumped up. There was an audible sigh of relief and then the sound of creaky bones stretching.
“Much better, thanks,” said the plant. “Try a rock; they are better at supporting your weight.”
The girls decided to walk a bit and eavesdrop on the conversations around them.
“I hear laughter.”
“That's the brook,” explained Battery. “Running water always sounds like giggling.” After a few minutes of walking, Battery had an idea.
“Mara, should we ask all these voices if they know about the parallel world?”
“That's a great idea, but how do we do it?”
“Just watch. And keep breathing.” Battery took off her windbreaker and held it in her hands above her head. Seconds later a voice spoke.
“Whoa, yes, ma'am,” said the wind that had been caught.
“My name is Battery Yestin. Could you please ask around if anyone has heard about the parallel reality? My friend Mara here is from the other side.” Instead of waiting for a response, she dropped her jacket and released the wind.
Mara and Battery sat in the field a while longer waiting for the wind to return with any possible news. They listened to some ants complaining about their overly demanding captain. Every few minutes, Battery reminded Mara about her breathing, but she was no longer frightened. Mara felt entirely comfortable surrounded by the chatter of trees, rocks, and animals. She could well believe that people might never want to leave this sensation.
Battery looked over at her younger friend, and although she smiled, a dark feeling passed through her. What a lot had happened in one day. How had she come to be responsible for this girl who she hardly knew? What if she was not able to send Mara home?
The wind returned and swished about Battery's shoulders until she felt goose bumps. She pulled out her windbreaker and held it up.
“Thank you, Battery. I couldn't have stopped otherwise. I get so tired sometimes that I have to find a sail or a kite just to sit in. Sometimes I gather so much momentum that the only way to put on the brakes is to push myself through the leaves, like cheese through a grater!”
Battery laughed in the way that Mara had come to love. Mara smiled as she thought about wind being like cheese. She started to laugh but struggled to hold it in.
“Sir, um, ma'am,” started Mara shyly, “have you ever heard the expressions ‘to break wind’ or ‘to cut the cheese’? They mean to, um, fart!” There was an awkward pause when Mara really thought that she had blown it. And then all three of them erupted into laughter.
“Hold tight, Battery,” chuckled the wind. “Don't let me go; I have something to tell you, if your friend can stop cracking jokes! Mind you, I like it. No one ever jokes with me. Oh, it's the wind, they say, time to be serious. Thank you, Mara. You've made my day. By the way, I am neither a sir nor a ma'am. Just call me Margoli.”
“That's a very unwind-like name. I thought you would be Tempest or Bluster or something like that.”
“Yes, I know. But I didn't want to be like everyone else, so when I was big enough to separate from the mass where I was born, I chose to name myself Margoli. I just liked the sound.”
“How interesting,” commented Mara approvingly. “So you don't have parents?’
“No, wind doesn't really have a gender. A large mass gets even bigger, and baby gusts break off and form their own entities. Now, down to business. I did get some responses to your query. I did not wish to travel far as I was unsure how long you would be here. None of the small creatures on the ground had even heard about another dimension. I have to admit; neither had I. But I am only young. I did, however, find a couple of insects, a boulder, and several trees who knew what I was talking about.
“Apparently, as the old stories go, there is another world very much like ours. It is a dream place. At one time, it was easy to pass between the sides, but a terrible abuse occurred, and the gateway closed. The ancient boulder remembered a time when animals could cross. I told him about you, Mara. He was shocked. Let me tell you it takes a lot to surprise a rock!
“The trees, on the other hand, said that they knew of one or two people each generation who could make the journey. The insects knew of numerous animals who could travel back and forth but only in dream.
“I am curious now, myself. I will continue to make enquiries, and the next time I see you, Battery, I will make myself known. Good-bye!” Battery lowered her jacket and let Margoli free.
Mara and Battery began to feel thirsty. A certain lustre was passing from the surroundings. Battery suggested they head home. The effects of the lichen tea began to pass, and Mara felt a tinge of sadness as the conversations around her were drowned out by her heartbeat, her thoughts, and a plane flying overhead.