A Journey Below the Surface
by Eliza Hafer

During a time when tides were shifting, a woman named Natalie, awoke with the urge to do something out of the ordinary. She was craving excitement. Thinking about an old mine on the other side of the valley, she decided to go exploring instead of going to work. She considered borrowing tools to mine for gems but concluded a headlamp would suffice for her first visit.

Finding the mine, Natalie entered slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. She ventured deeper and deeper into the dank air as she examined the earthen walls. Spotting a large opening, enthusiasm overpowered her usually cautious nature. She stepped through the hole, and crouching low, trudged along a short ways until she tripped. Propelled forward, she tumbled down a long tunnel and landed in a huge cavern.

Feeling foolish, but not really hurt, Natalie marveled at this subterranean world. Stalactites glistened and dripped into a river flowing in front of her. When a swan came into view, she felt reassured. The elegant bird waddled up onto the rocky shore and presented herself.

"I'm your guide, if you choose to follow the river," the creature said, stretching her neck in an invitation to ride on her back. Without even questioning the existence of a talking swan, Natalie accepted. Gently climbing onto the downy back, reverence welled up in her- reverence for the creature and for her own willingness to venture into the unknown. A shimmering veil enveloped her. She felt as if she'd entered a cocoon, yet there was no sense of confinement.

After gliding along for several miles, a man appeared on their right. Dancing on a lily pad, and painted all in white, he held an egg in his two hands. Natalie imagined that he was performing an ancient ritual. When they entered a dark corridor, the swan climbed ashore and announced that her part in the journey had ended.

Seeing the distraught look on the woman's face, the swan declared, "You have everything you need." Then off she swam, majestic and serene. Natalie's serenity departed as well. "What does that mean ?" she thought as fear began to engulf her. She stared transfixed into the river.

"You can't go back !" a voice bellowed, bouncing from wall to wall.

"Why not ?" she said into the void.

"There is a better way." the male voice taunted.

"Who are you ?" she implored.

"Do you really want to know ?" he volleyed.

"Where are you ?" She was starting to feel uneasy.

"Maybe you won't like what you see !" he called back. This was getting unnerving. With a dare in his voice, he continued, "Most people don't really want to see all of themselves."

"What's that got to do with me ?" she demanded, beginning to panic.

Eerily, he added. "In the corners of your mind, you've hidden parts of yourself- denying they exist. They get twisted after a while."

"This guy is weird." she thought, wishing he'd go away. Natalie felt the currents of the river running through her body. A vague recollection of the morning's dream floated up. Someone had been chasing her. A shadowy figure. Distressed, she'd tried to get away. Now she was realizing that the shadowy figure somehow belonged to that voice. She was tired of this nightmare that kept coming back. Many mornings it had sapped her energy before the day had even begun.

She stared into the river again. As a breeze came up, her intuition spoke in the rippling of the water. "It's time to face this character!" She got very focused and let the conflicting thoughts and feelings dissolve. Mustering up her courage, she shouted, "Come on out and show yourself !" Slowly, a large, clumsy looking figure lumbered out from behind a rocky wall.

"You're a dragon !" she cried, excited and scared in the same moment.

"That's how you see me. But what sort of a dragon ?" he asked.

"How ridiculous !" she thought, feeling less apprehensive.

"What do you see ?" he pursued.

"I see an awkward looking fellow who seems a bit unsure of himself." And then she blurted out, " with piercing eyes... and scary looking teeth !"

"Try looking from a different angle," the dragon replied. And with a jest in his eyes, he flared his nostrils. "Is there any part of me you find appealing ?"

"I do like your headdress. It makes you look powerful. " Wanting to please, Natalie was glad to have found something positive to point out.

"And how do you feel about being powerful ?" he queried.

"Oh...well...all the powerful people I know are ... tyrants," she stammered. "That is power over people, the dragon said emphatically. " I'm talking about power from inside."

"You mean like... standing up for myself ?" she asked gingerly.

"Would you like to experiment with feeling powerful ?" he offered. She gave him a tentative nod. The dragon began to dance. Swaying and stomping, he snorted and shot flames from his nostrils. Natalie joined in but found it difficult to move her limbs with fluidity. She'd spent too much of her life just sitting. Seeing her dilemma, the dragon exhorted, "Let the fire inside of you grow !"

She felt a rush of energy and liked it, but worried, "What if it gets out of control ?" She recalled a memory of herself as a young child starting to feel angry. Then she heard her mother's words, "Don't act like that, young lady. It's not nice !" The phrases began ringing in her head, louder and louder. Then Natalie actually did get mad.

A forceful wind roared through the tunnel. She inhaled with a long breath fanning the tiny fire inside her. Energized, she began to move. Dancing to her own rhythms, a dark bird emerged from her forehead. The bird encouraged her to make great flapping Gesturals with her arms. With each movement, her garments began to separate and shift into bird feathers. Gem-like colors covered her body. An old blue mask fell away from her face. Natalie was ecstatic! Looking up, she saw the details of the dragon's face for the first time. A pattern of overlapping hearts ran from his nostrils to his forehead ending in a lotus blossom.

Suddenly, the wind began whirling around the dragon. The flames from his nostrils swelled and he aimed them at the blue mask lying between them. With Natalie's consent, he torched it. Soon it was nothing but ash. In the next moment, the dragon was being swept up in a spiraling tornado. He shouted a gleeful farewell with his big toothy grin. "I'll always be with you!"

The whole underground world burst into flames. Seeing nowhere to run, Natalie panicked. She desperately wanted to live. Her inner voice spoke up. "The fire will transform you. The fire will consume what's gone stale. Breathe it in." Letting go of the fear, Natalie closed her eyes. The image of a glowing hearth beckoned as she was engulfed in the blaze.

The smoke cleared and Natalie opened her eyes to a different world. Above ground now, it was a clear, sunny day and she stood with arms outstretched. Her hands were tingling. The fire was still running through her veins. Experiencing a deep love flowing through her, she radiated a passion for life and peace at the same time. A dove flew out of her heart.
Gazing around at the patchwork of flowers and tall grasses around her, Natalie wandered for several hours. By nightfall, she'd entered a forest. She felt at home here, akin to the animals, the towering trees, and especially the birds. Hearing a distant owl, she yearned for the night creature to join her. The owl flew closer and closer, calling out in long hoots. Natalie responded in her thoughts. Meeting eye to huge eye, she requested, "Will you take me deeper into the forest ?" With a blink of the owl's eye, she climbed on her back. They swooped in and out of the trees listening to the rustling of animals below and to the wind. The moon was full, giving them plenty of light. They came to an unusual grove and Natalie dismounted. The trees here had great, thick roots all intertwined. A drama was unfolding in the treetops. A head was crying out for help and a bird with a headdress was blowing a horn.

Being curious about her companion, Natalie asked, "Why are there leaves on your face ?"

"I used to live in an ancient forest. Then it was chopped down. It's a reminder of those magnificent trees."

Natalie felt a profound sadness permeate the night. "Your loss is my loss. Our whole planet is threatened."

Eyes peered out from behind bushes and trees nearby, the gleaming eyes of rabbits and bears, turtles and badgers. They had been listening, and at least for the moment, weren't afraid of the human in their midst.

"Easy to say," the owl replied. "But what will you do about it ?"

Natalie stood silently pondering what she could do. In the distance, a tiny sphere appeared. It was traveling rapidly towards them. Coming to a halt when it reached the grove, several branches began weaving a structure around it. The branches were filled with a glowing light. The sphere was the earth and it was being regenerated !

Peering closely at Natalie, the owl inquired, "What's making those limbs form a web ?"

"My thoughts," she replied softly. The sense of wonderment she'd been feeling was intensifying. The day had been like a dream, with each character playing a different part of herself. Natalie felt energy pulsing in her hands again. She held them out towards the globe. She wanted to hold the earth, to nourish her, just as she was being nourished every day- by the trees, the plants, the animals.

They watched as the moon slid down behind the treetops. The sun would be rising soon. Reflecting on all that had happened, Natalie declared, "I did mine some gems today !"

Copyright by Eliza Hafer.
All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced without the written permission of the author.