In The Valley - Part 5

Scrambling over the rocks, the path starts to incline steeply.  I hear those awful creatures coming for me.  I will not give up.  Up ahead the path narrows, maybe if I can get there, I can block it somehow.  Its so eerily quiet except for the hissing creatures.  The sun has gone down.  There are dark shadows along the passage walls and grounds.

 Almost reaching the point where the path narrows, a sudden searing pain lashes across my chest, "Awwwwww!!!"   I look down to see blood pouring down.  I can hardly breathe and each breath is agony. White hot fire seems to be  piercing my body.  I can barely draw a breath.  I don't know if I can make it through the pass.  My legs feel like they are encased in cement and my eyes are so heavy.  I just want to lay down.  I want to rest.  Oh God, help me.

 Suddenly there are hands on me.  Gentle hands, lifting me.  Voices tell me that I am safe... Everything turns black.  Some time later, I awake to find myself lying in a soft bed inside a rustic wooden cabin. There is an old grey-haired lady sitting by a fireplace.  "where am I ? What happened?"  My wounds are bound tightly and the pain is much less than before.

"We found you at the pass and brought you here.  My name is Gemira.  I am one of the Guardians of this place.  You have nothing to fear here.  Rest and be well."

  "Guardian, of what, why?" I ask.

Gemira began to tell of the history of the Guardians.

In The Valley - Part 4

    With renewed strength, I began to journey further into the valley.  There is bright light shining just over the horizon that I am determined to reach.  Reaching the end of the meadow, the ground begins to turn rocky and dusty.  Part of me wants to stay in the meadow, but I know that I must keep moving.

   Waking up in my home,  I feel rested and content.  My family is there watching me.  "Are you hungry?"  I say yes even though I am not really but it will make them worry less if I eat.  Moving around to the kitchen table, I accidentally pull my drain.  The pain is so sharp and immediate that I holler before I can stop myself.  I close my eyes as tears roll.  Taking a deep breath I settle myself and look into worried eyes and say "I'm OK now."

  Later that night, I close my eyes to rest.  The creatures are back, scrambling over the rocks as they try to reach me.  One of them leaps onto my shoulder, its razor sharp claws digging into my flesh.  I stifle a scream as I grab its scrawny, slick neck and fling it against the rocks.  It splatters open and gives off a hideous odor.  I run as quickly as I can.  More are chasing me as blood drips from my wounds.

In The Valley - Part 3

  I am walking towards the light.  It is a very bright, white light. What is this place?  As I get closer, I hear the incessant beep, beep, beep, beep. Blinking, I try to focus. Someone is speaking to me.  "Breathe, come on now.  You need to breathe.  Stay with me ", the woman says.   I look to my right to see a nurse standing there. My mouth is so dry, I cannot speak.  She tells me that I am in recovery and that the doctor will be in to talk to me soon. 
  I remember now.  I had surgery.  My surgeon, Dr. Beale, comes in.  "I talked with your family but I wanted to tell you  myself.  It is cancer and its invasive."  I look in his kind eyes and say, "OK".  Then he asks "You knew, didn't you?  When you were in my office, you knew it was cancer."  How do I answer that?  I have always been able to tell when something bad was about to happen to me. Not by an ache or pain. Just a sense that something is off.  I felt that in his office.  I felt it would be cancer.  I just smiled at him and closed my eyes.  Dr Beale patted my shoulder and told me we would talk next week when I came in to see him to discuss options.
  Later after returning home, I lay on my sofa and drift off to sleep.  The pain of the surgery is contained by the meds I am on.  As long as I lay still, I am comfortable.  I go to sleep thinking there will be some difficult days ahead. A voice says,  "I am with you always." I try to open my eyes but I can not.
  I smell Lavender.  Such a wonderful fragrance. Opening my eyes, I see a  sky that is so blue and the leaves on the trees are so vibrantly green.  What is going on??  There are no trees in my house.  I feel around, almost afraid to move. My finger move through thick grass.  I look down and find that I am laying in a luscious meadow.  It is so beautiful here.  I don't want to move but I am curious and decide to explore.  I stand and walk around the giant tree.   It stretches so high that it seems to reach the sky.  I look out over the meadow and see a stream winding lazily through the valley.  I walk over and put my hand in the cool, clear water.  It feels so good.  I just have to taste it.  I cup my hands and take a drink.  It tastes clean, cool, and wonderful.  I feel safe and at peace.
 The sky is so beautiful.  Pink, white, yellow, red, and gold flowers are all around. I feel strong.  Stretching up towards the sky, I am pain free.  This is wonderful.  Thank You I think to myself.  "You are welcome, child", the voice says.  Smiling, I continue my stroll through the meadow.  As I walk, my body feels stronger and more energetic.   This has given me exactly what I need for the battle ahead.