Venus

Venus

The youth dropped to the base of the old yew tree. He needed to rest. Earlier that morning, he had risen from his bed after having a dream in which he had found something near that very same tree, something that he had been thinking about for a long time. So, after changing from his shabby brown pajamas to his plain white shirt and wrinkled brown trousers, the youth set off on foot in the direction of the forest, north of his small abode. It was a journey he had taken a hundred, perhaps several hundred times since his childhood, and he was a young adult now. There was nothing new about this time, save for the impulse in his mind, a lingering suggestion from his dream. This image was ringing in his ear so much so that he could not ignore it.

As the youth approached the entrance to the forest, he made his way up through the trodden down dirt path between two walls of clustered pine trees. He was all the while scanning the grass on each side. The path opened up to a small pond and there, separated from all the others and towering over the water was an ancient looking yew tree with white bark and a humongous sprawling trunk. It was clearly a relic of a former time as it was one of the only of its kind in the woods. The branches carried a verdant green which held many small red berries. It was the same tree he had seen in his dream. He had seen it before many times, but now he circled the trunk counter-clockwise fashion several rotations with furrowed brows. He could not find it, so he sat down against the trunk and stared at the pond. His repose was soon interrupted.

“You’ll not find what you seek over there,” said a man’s voice.

The youth was startled. “I’m not looking for anything,” he cried, jumping to his feet.

“Does your grandmother know what you’re doing here?” The voice responded.

The youth turned around to find the source of the voice and was confronted with the eyes of a taller, older man with short gray hair. His beard was gray and well kept, showing signs of being recently groomed. Despite his apparent older age the skin on his face was pale and smooth.

“I’m not looking for anything,” lied the youth.

“Are you sure?” The old man asked sizing him up and down. “You look like you were just searching for something on the ground. You won’t find it in this part of the woods. However, I know where you can.”

“Where then?”

“I’ll show you.”

“That’s alright. I know these trees better than anyone. I think I can manage.”

“Is that so? I can think of one who might know this area better.”

“Who?”

“Really? Does your grandmother know why you came here today?”

The youth was silent.

“So! You admit I might know more than you think.”

“How did you know I live with my grandmother?”

“It’s a consequence of spending so much time in these woods and having nothing else to do. If a tree falls in these woods, and no one is around, I will still hear about it. I’ve been living in this forest much longer than you’ve been alive, kid.”

“I pity you, hermit.”

“Excuse me?”

“You must make terrible company if you’ve been here so long where your only companions are squirrels.”

The hermit pursed his lips into a smile without moving his eyes. “What’s wrong with squirrels?” He asked.

“I just meant, why be content to spend your life here when there is a whole world to see?”

“A fair question. I’ve seen you around here before and know you’re just curious. To tell you the truth, I’ve lived many lifetimes wandering this little world and there’s nothing like this place. Besides, there’s a lot more to see here than just squirrels.”

“Like what?”

“Well, for one, there’s the lion.”

“There’s no such lion living here,” the youth scoffed. “I would have seen it by now.”

“And you chide me for living small! You’ll never see him if you keep yourself confined to that little tree. I can show you what you’re looking for, and the lion. It’s not in this part of the woods. We’d have to go deeper.”

The hermit pointed his walking stick, “There’s a stream down that way we will have to cross but the footwork is not easy. I promise you I’ll bring you back to that yew of yours and when we’re through, you’ll see my words ring true.”

The youth was intrigued. The hermit could see it on his face. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“If at any time you feel like I’m misleading you, you may turn around. I will not try to stop you.”

The youth thought about this a moment and nodded in acquiescence. The hermit tapped the ground with his chiseled walking stick and set off down a different trail, leading the youth deeper into the woods. The youth reluctantly followed.

The sun was soon lost by the upper foliage, sealing it away. The pair walked in silence save for the sound of the birds and squirrels and the tap, tap, tap of the hermit’s walking stick. Eventually, the youth broke the silence.

“Hermit, I have a question.”

The hermit turned his head ever so slightly.

“Why have you stayed in these woods for so long? Why not leave and make something of your life before it’s too late?”

The hermit smiled genuinely. “You know I do venture out once in awhile. I cannot expect you to believe me, but I have lived many lifetimes before this one. There is no place for me amongst this modern world. I’m content to pass the time here until the new world dawns.”

“What do you mean many lifetimes? What was your life like before you came here?”

“I do not expect you to believe me, but before I retired here I lived a life of luxury and opulence. Many, many years ago, I was once heralded as the smartest man alive, and that was not a title I gave myself but one bestowed upon me by those who would know. I was consulted by the greatest men and leaders of the time. A council to kings and a maker of warriors, I was living a life beyond your wildest dreams. There was not a soul in this realm who had not at least heard my name.”

The youth could not restrain his disbelief, “What happened to you?”

“I’ll tell you, if you’re interested.”

“Tell me.”

“Hold on. We’re approaching the stream. Let’s cross before I begin.”

Ahead of them was a stream of water a few feet deep and twice the width. The hermit gripped his walking stick, firmly, with both hands, and stabbed the water, using the leverage to leap across in one swift movement. The youth watched in awe. He did not think he could jump across so he found a broken branch nearby and attempted to catapult himself in the fashion of the hermit. However, the branch broke during the launch and the youth plummeted into the stream, his pants pockets filled with muddy water. The hermit made no motion to acknowledge this fall or even offer help so the youth picked himself up and trudged across to the other side. He emptied his shoes and pockets of mud. The hermit began walking again when the youth was ready.

“Once upon a time,” the hermit began, “This world was much different. This very forest we find ourselves in was actually adjacent to a castle. Not just any castle, mind you, but the most revered and renowned castle that ever existed. It belonged to a real, and mighty king, not like the impostor ones of today. He was a dear friend of mine and we surrounded ourselves with the most exemplary men of the time. An assortment of battle hungry men that were the best and finest in combat, competition, and chivalry. I could tell you in depth tales of each and every one of them, and deservedly so, but this story is not about any of them. This story begins shortly after Christmas. One day there was an anomaly that appeared in the sky. Round and blue like the most precious sapphire.”

“Was it a planet?”

“There are no such things as planets,” answered the hermit. “No, it was a portal. And it was easily visible as it contrasted heavily against our ruby red sky.”

The youth laughed. “You mean your sky was red and not blue?”

“Yes, but it would not remain so for much longer. Let me continue. The king and I watched this newcomer carefully over the following days but I could not tell what it was yet so we contented ourselves to wait and see. It remained in the sky for several days when on the eve of the third day, we were hosting a celebration for the return of one of the king’s men. A decadent feast, but it was interrupted by a courier, the king’s brother. He charged into the dining hall and cried of something having fallen out of the blue hole in the sky. Naturally, we all emptied our seats and hurried outside. His words were not folly as, indeed, there was something falling. The king summoned a telescope and I’ll never forget his face when he stepped back and said it appeared to be human. We each took turns looking at it as it descended above us with quickening speed.”

“Was it an angel?” asked the youth.

“No,” the hermit chuckled. ”I can’t say it was an angel. But it would turn out to be otherworldly. It was cloaked in a dense, blue light like fog, like the color from which it originated. The color itself was not alarming as we once had a visitor to our court that was all green. But I digress. Finally, when this foreigner hit our plane, they had fallen into a nearby lake. The king murmured something about retrieving the body as we thought no one could have survived such a fall. We thought wrong. We did not have to wait long before the visitor ascended from the depths of the water with a graceful leap and landed on the nearby shore.”

“What did they look like?”

“It was a female human,” he continued. “She had long, black hair and a brown complexion. She was tall for a woman and wore a black cloak that clung to the curves of her body. Several of the men had made comments about her beauty and their wishes to approach but the king forbade it. The visitor did not move a muscle upon landing and merely stood there for several moments with her head tilted down while her dark, wet hair concealed her face. Our group gradually grew closer, like metal to a magnet. The king made an attempt to speak with her, but there was no reply. It did not sit well with me but I was as transfixed as any when suddenly her arms came alive and outstretched to her sides, slowly moving upward. As she performed this motion, the earth beneath our feet began to shake and the horizon changed from red to blue. Rain started to fall. It was terrifying. I had seen some extraordinary magic in my day, even performed some myself, but never had I seen the sky change color. As her hands moved like a clock’s, it was as if the sky was being swallowed by water until it reached the apex. When the red was almost vanished, and the light from our sun blotted out, she moved one hand and pointed at the castle behind us. Without warning, without so much as a reason why, a blue bolt of energy shot down from above and annihilated our castle, erupting everything in a blue flame. This was not an ordinary fire. There was no ash, or rubble left behind, nor did the trees catch fire. The entire structure melted into mud. The court was sent into a frenzy and the king, who had always retained such poise and control when confronted with possibilities of death could not hold back his tears.”

The hermit stopped for a moment to take a breath. “When this crazy woman looked in our direction, she waved her hand and all the men dropped like she had just sprayed a repellant on a group of insects. Such was the end of the Round Table. There was nothing I could do. I decided to save myself. I used my magic to disappear, leaving my friends behind and retreated to the highest, most reclusive cave I could imagine. From this isolated perch, I watched and waited. I waited for days, I do not know exactly how long. Outside there was nothing but darkness and heavy rain. When the rain finally ceased and the sun came out the sky was still blue. I was trapped under this blue seal. Gazing at the sun as it traveled over, I knew that was not the same sun we had before. The woman willed it into existence and brought it within her hermetically sealed dome. Wait, let’s turn down this path. The lion sleeps. Stay silent just like you are now.”

This was no trouble as the youth was almost sedative. Was the old man telling the truth, he wondered privately to himself. Was this the same world they lived in now? When they came into the clearing, the youth grinned at what he witnessed.

“You old fool,” the youth burst out loud. “There’s no lion. You exaggerated just to show me a common cat.”

Playing amongst the trees was a small, white cat chasing something. It had a dark tail and weighed no more than ten pounds. A harlequin.

“That is not the cat I brought you to see,” said the hermit, unfazed. ”Look further up there. On that rock.”

The youth trembled. There it was. A lion. A real one. Asleep. How could it be? His grandmother never warned him about a lion living so close to them.

“Don’t worry. Even if he wakes, he’s gentle. Now, onwards! We’re almost where you will find what you’re looking for. Do you still remember?”

The youth wrestled with himself but overcame his emotions and followed.

“Now, where was I?”

“A crazy woman fell from the sky, destroyed your castle, turned the sky blue and you ran away to a faraway cave.”

“Ah, yes. Like I was saying, time moved differently under this new sun. The days appeared shorter like time was being manipulated. The sky had lights at night that illuminated the seal placed over us. I realized when this happened, all source of magic was also sealed outside. I could not do but the simplest of tricks, and even that was so delayed I did not bother. I do not think, however, it will last forever.”

“Why?”

“She willed it into existence with her enormous power, and she can will it away, if and when she chooses.”

“She’s still here?!”

“Oh, yes,” the hermit said begrudgingly. “She remains in this realm. Only she can wield magic. I have seen she uses it to reward her human collaborators. It’s been several centuries since she arrived. Sometimes I’ll still see that blue portal of hers open and wonder what else she’s plotting.”

“What is she doing here? Why did she destroy your castle and your friends?”

“I think we did not fit in with her vision.”

“What’s her vision?”

“I’m not sure, but I do not think she liked the way man was living. I do not know why as it was such a glorious time. She’s as unscrupulous and manipulative as any of them. It’s funny, though, she could transform this world in a matter of days but it’s not so easy to sculpt the mind of man.”

“When will it be done?”

“Only she knows. We can only assume she’s closer today than she was yesterday.”

“Why are you telling me all this? Aren’t you afraid she’s listening?”

“I always assume she is. She observes everything without interfering.”

“Did you ever see her again?”

“Yes. Back when I was in that faraway cave, during the initial flood, she appeared before me for a second and final time. I will not go into details about what she wanted but - well, never mind what she wanted. That was the last time we met.”

“Is there no way to fight her?”

“Fight her? I like the way you think, but were you not listening? There is no cave to hide in, no man strong enough, no whisper quiet enough. The only path forward is to submit, and maybe you’ll get what you want. She knows what every individual is doing and thinking for the simple reason that she’s the one who suggested the thought be put there. Do you now see how futile resistance is? She is in no rush to complete her vision.”

“You said the sun was new, what about the moon?”

“It was brought here, too. Not all that long ago. There was no moon before her arrival. I do not know what its purpose is so do not ask. Well, wasn’t that a merry hike. Do you remember where we started?”

The youth could not explain it but they were back at the beginning. The old yew. The youth lost sight of where the hermit had suddenly gone and found himself alone again. He looked down at the roots of the tree where he started and lo and behold was the object from his dreams. Two shriveled up white mushrooms planted in the soil. He plucked them with hungry hands and ate them.

The youth dropped to the base of the old yew tree.