Under a Starless Sky

Chapter 31

The staff that Candace was shaping had a clear form. The bottom portion was as straight as if it had

been on a lathe. By mid staff, there was twirling form that suggested entwined fire snakes. If it hadn’t

been from the emergent snake heads at the top, it would have just been spirals. She was rambling on

about the crystal she saw going in the upper space, held by the bite of the two snakes, one male, one

female. Shen realized he held the perfect crystal.

“May I see your staff?” Shen asked.

Candace frowned at him, but capitulated. “I have broken this many rules…”

Shen accepted the staff and brought the gift orb to bear into the spot. It took effort. He had to stand and

push hard and Candace got up begging him not to break it. She took hold of the staff as if to take it

away from him. The wood was still reasonably pliable. The biting snakes accepted the orb as if it had

always been there. It ‘clicked’ into place. There was a brilliant flash.

Shen and Candace found themselves standing on a level plane, under a dome of stars. Candace was

stunned into silence, but did not let go of the staff. Shen also maintained his grip on the staff.

“This is cool,” Shen said.

“Where are we?”

“High Conference,” Shen said. “Loxy, are you here?”

No response.

“Make yourself known!” Candace said, speaking with authority.

A female emerged from shadow, solidifying like smoke into female form. She had exaggerated Chinese

features, the eyes were Disney large. The large eyes denoted child, but she was no child, and the only

option left was alien, or alien hybrid. She had exaggerated hour glass figure, silk dress that was solid

tight, snake skin tight. She brought her hands together, Namaste, and moved her head back and forth

in an Indian way, as if peering at Candace on one side, then Shen on the other. She pushed her hands

up, unfolded them revealing multiple arms and hands. A pair of hands remained steeple above her, the

lower hands went akimbo, and in between hands floated. A mandala of energy formed behind her.

“What is your name?” Candace said.

“What is your name?” the entity asked.

“Identify yourself,” Shen said.

“Get over yourself,” the entity said.

“Do you have a name?” Candace asked.

“Oh, what’s in a name,” the entity said.

“Rose?” Shen asked.

“Wouldn’t that be nice, but no,” the entity said.

“Is this a game?” Candace asked.

“I love games,” the entity said.

“I need your name,” Candace said.

“Your name is my name, too,” the entity said. “Whenever we go out. The people always shout…”

“Oh, please don’t do that,” Shen interrupted. “I’ll have that stuck in my head for weeks.”

“You both are way too serious,” the entity pouted, bringing her hands back into one set of arms. The

magic dissipated. “But we are three made into one.”

“I am Shen,” Shen offered.

“Liar,” the entity said.

“I am Jon,” Shen said. “Or Jon-Shen.”

“Not even close, but I accept Jon-Shen for now,” the entity said.

“I am Candace,” Candace said.

“You really believe that, don’t you,” the entity sighed. “Fine. I accept your label for now. You may call

me Shahala.” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Shahala,” Candace said. “What is my gift?”

“It’s always about the gifts with your kind,” Shahala said. “Is this not enough?”

“I want…”

“Candace,” Shen interrupted.

“What?”

“Be quiet for a moment,” Shen said.

“Says the boy who has everything,” Shahala said.

“I am blessed. Candace and I have no physical needs,” Shen agreed. “And yet, we are impoverished in

spirit and seek knowledge, wisdom, and improvement in our ability to communicate with you and others

in a loving way.”

Shahala bowed. “Well spoken, boy. You have been coached.”

“I am on the path,” Shen said.

“Wanderer,” Shahala said. “Meet wonderer.”

“Are you Oa?” Shen asked.

“Umph,” Shahala frowned. “They are us. You are us. We are one.”

“You keep saying oneness,” Candace said. “What does that mean?”

“Your staff is one staff. It has two heads,” Shahala said. “The light is brighter with two. It is exponentially

brighter with more heads. One tree, many leaves. Many, many leaves. Flowers bloom and fall, but

beauty is never lost. We are the keepers of all that is. We cherish and carry the light, but we are not the

light, we are not the tree, we are not the one, but the one is us.”

“You are as confusing as my brother,” Candace pouted.

“You accept him as your brother?” Shahala said.

“Yes,” Candace said.

“You will protect him?” Shahala said.

“Yes, of course,” Candace said.

“Would you honor that even if I told you he will bring about the end of the world?” Shahala asked.

Candace didn’t answer. She was perturbed, sorting if that was literal or metaphorical.

“Why would I destroy the world?” Shen asked.

“Why does anyone do anything?”

“I don’t want to destroy the world,” Shen said.

“Then don’t,” Shahala said.

“So, it’s not a fixed thing? This is not prophecy?”

“It is not fixed. We don’t know what you will do. You will have a choice. When the time comes,” Shahala

said. “Just like Candace will have a choice. So many choices yet to be made.”

“I don’t want…”

“This? Choice? Not choosing is also a choice. You have no choice but to live the life that was agreed

upon,” Shahala said.

“I did not agree…”

“You are not who you think you are. Neither of you are. Enough for now, sleep,” Shahala said, clapping

her hands.

Shen and Candace found themselves back where they were, facing each other, holding the staff. All of

reality was perfectly clear, and the blue light day infused everything. There were was not one shadows

and every artifact stood out as sharply distinct, as if it were cut from another reality frame and inserted

into this fame. Irksome came into their vision, looked at them with tilted head, and then walked on. Her

staff had self-modified. He would not be getting his crystal back without breaking the staff. He would

likely have to hurt Candace to even try to break it.

“I am confused. We are awake,” Candace said. She was seeing, but not yet aware that she was

seeing.

“Unless this is the dream,” Shen said.

“This is not a dream,” Candace said.

“My gift to you, immunity from the Sleeper Spell while holding your staff,” Shen said, relinquishing the

staff.

“That’s it?” Candace asked.

“What did you want?”

“I don’t know! Fire, ice…”

A flame of sparks roared from top of her staff. The light effect was mostly golden, like drips from an arc

wielder; other sparks were also present, the entire rainbow spectrum, flew from the staff as if it were a

sparkler. In addition to raining down upon them, the majority of the effects took a path that suggested

an invisible sphere around them. Simultaneously a cold breeze spun about them, drawn in from the

outside, down towards the feet. A warm breeze flowed around their feet and went up around them,

noticeably warmer, like being in ocean and passing through a thermal. The two streams meshed and

entwined them like giant snakes-wind streams hugging them for the final embrace. Snow began to fall

around them. Snowflakes sparked golden sun and flared and fell like rain. Rain and snow. The storm

pooled at the equator of the invisible sphere enveloping them and pushed out into a thin disk. Candace

smiled. Irksome bit at the falling snowflakes, clawed the ground at any sun-sparks that landed.

“I am satisfied,” Candace said.

She tapped her staff. Her staff darkened and the mixed storm dissipated along with the magic. The

twirling of wind went away. Her skirt settled. The storm resolved itself in a manner of an extinguished

candle, thickening then gone. The cold lingered. Snowflakes melted on their clothes and eye lashes.

“Let go of the staff for a moment,” Shen said.

“You think you can Light my staff?” Candace asked. She consented after a moment and let go. Her

world went dark. She was confused. She could still see, her heart still beat but it was in this she had

realization. She took hold of the staff. She saw the world in a new light. She let go, turned. She

grabbed up her staff like a child suddenly afraid of the dark. There was fear evident on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Shen asked.

“My staff will be highly coveted,” Candace said.

Oa’s voice leaked through, loudly enough even TL registered it. Shen repeated the message: “This

light is ours. No one else but me will see.”

“You see this?!” Candace asked.

“I once was lost but now am found, I was blind, but now I see,” Shen said.

Candace cried. “That’s so profound. Verse is a way out of fighting. Why have you not offered poetry

before?”

“The stuff I hold was given to me, not mine to share,” Shen said.

“I don’t understand,” Candace said. “If it can’t be shared, it’s not a gift. That’s a curse.”

Shen was tearful. He wondered if anyone else recognized if you considered all the thoughts, ideas,

songs, stories that were given to you were not yours, would a person have anything but silence? How

do you explain to a child, ‘you can’t color/draw Mickey Mouse.’ Kids in third world country making

Disney shirts, paid five cents an hour for other kids to buy at twenty dollars or greater, never able to

wear the clothing they made… Did that have impact on the psyche of the makers? Of the wearers?

Even the Webster has a copy right. If you can’t own what’s in your head, what else is there? “Yeah. I

have the weight of ages upon me.”

“Share your burden, I will help carry,” Candace said.

“Until now, I have had no evidence of receptivity,” Shen said.

Candace hugged her little brother. “I promise to listen. I don’t promise to understand.”