Rejuvenating Decay

"It's hot. Sorry, I'm hot." Genesis corrected herself, eyes closed.

"What else?" Ki asked.

"I feel...my feet...roots...digging into the cool Earth. Reaching for the others."

"Go on."

"I'm thirsty. I need rain."

Ki softly touched Genesis on her crossed knees, assuring her she was still there. This was the furthest they had been in this unification hypnosis. She was afraid that Genesis would give up now. She added a word of encouragement.

"What is your purpose?" She asked.

Genesis cleared her throat, "I am life." Her voice came out smooth and confident, unlike the way she normally sounds. She was becoming the tree, just as Ki had wanted.

"Life to whom?" Ki's long fingers hovered over Genesis’ forehead, close enough that the energy between them became thick and buzzing.

"I am life to all." She continued in her calm voice. "I feel them; The birds that nestle into my limbs. I feel the squirrels as they chase up and down my torso. I feel silky strings from caterpillars as they drop to the Earth below, they feel like strands of silver hair. I feel a swarm of bees hanging like a sagging bicep on my branch. I feel...me... or her, rather, sitting against my trunk."

Ki closed her large almond-shaped eyes in relief. Progress was made. She tapped Genesis on the leg and calmly said "Good. Exceptionally good. I want you to gently lift your awareness from the oak, coming back into the soul of Genesis now. When I count down from three you will be her, fully alive in your own body and soul. Three, coming back now, two, breathing deeply into the space and awareness of Genesis, and one, wide awake."

They smiled at one another. Genesis felt the rough bark of the tree behind her and a strong new connection to the large oak emerged from deep within her. She didn't want to leave it just yet.

"Congratulations, you were able to transcend your soul to feel the empathy of the tree. That is the first step. We must understand Mother Gaia's needs. She is thirsty, she needs rain. You've done well Genesis. Tomorrow's lesson we will try with the bear."

Genesis' eyes widened.

And with that, the Anunnaki woman stood, stretching her long legs before her with each stride, like a walking cranefly, she crept away towards the camp.

Genesis looked up at the webbing of green leaves hanging over her. Fear and excitement swirled in her gut. It was exhilarating what she had done; the way she could sense the animals' need for her. The very air she breathed now in her lungs, she owed to the oak. She had sensed sadness too. That the heat was drawing away her moisture with each passing day. They needed rain. The crops were drying up and limp. She felt the roots of the oak stretching towards the other plants and trees under the coolness of the soil, but it wasn't enough.

It was one thing to understand it, but another to try to fix it. The task was large and looming, and while the day the fleet of Anunnaki appeared on their planet was terrifying, now she understood the reason for their arrival. Up until this point, humans had treated the Earth as a separate thing, something to reap but never to sow. Mother Gaia, the Anunnaki called her, and Genesis never went back to saying Earth again. She felt she held the guilt of all of humanity for treating the Mother so badly, and for so long. It was now time to sow. Mother Gaia was dying, and the Anunnaki were the medical team brought in to assist. Genesis vowed to be the medicine herself. She would gather up the cancers, she would drain the poison from her wounds.

The next morning Genesis was awoken at dawn to a lilac sky and Ki hovering over her. Her small mouth pursed as she spoke. "It's time," was all she said.

They walked past the open fields where the workers were reciting their rain dance. The sunrise drum was beating softly by one of the elders in the group, as the others dipped their hands into the dusty soil. Their Anunnaki leader, Irpitia, was instructing them in a meditation on giving their good bacteria back to the Earth through their fingertips. Irpitia’s long limbs floated through the dusty air while she swayed, as though she was conducting an earthly orchestra. It was a moving meditation that was fascinating to witness. Like a secret birthing of sound itself. Genesis and Ki crept by quietly and followed the path into the woods at the edge of the field.

They approached the sleeping bear with caution, and Ki whispered to Genesis to calm her fears.

"This won't work if you are frightened." The black bear lay curled on her side with her snout buried under her paw. Genesis' first thought was how cute the animal looked while sleeping.

"Good" Ki said aloud, reading Genesis' mind.

"Keep thinking that. She is not a threat. You are not a threat. Let's sit here so as not to startle her. Perhaps we can tap into her dream-state."

They found a patch of dirt mixed with pine needless and crouched low, then Genesis sat cross-legged just as she had yesterday.

"Eyes closed," Ki instructed, continuing to crouch in an insect-like pose.

Genesis instantly felt an energy pull towards the bear and had to steady her thoughts, so she didn't feel fear. She could hear Ki's soothing voice somewhere far away from where she felt she was heading, but nonetheless continued to obey her instructions. She was having trouble seeing. Everything seemed blurry, and that's when she realized she had connected. She was seeing through the bear's small beady eyes. Her other senses, however, were much more alert. She could smell humans, budding blueberry bushes, a beehive, and the calming scent of the Anunnaki. Mother Gaia had sent them, this knowledge became clear to her, the bear had known.

"I'm sick." Genesis' voice came out slow at first, then leveled out into the same calm tone as the previous day's hypnosis.

"What day is it?" Ki asked.

"The day the Anunnaki arrive."

"What's happening?"

"The humans are all looking to the sky. There's a light, a gash opens up in the sky. The energy on Earth is chaotic. I feel afraid because when humans feel threatened, they do things that harm."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the river with my babies. It is dirty. We can't drink it, but we have nowhere else to go. I’m so thirsty. My paws are vibrating with Mother Gaia's words. She tells me to stay calm. She tells me help is on the way. Then a flash in the sky happens."

Ki nods, as if confirming the events of that day.

"The humans are scared. They become divided into two; those who welcome the Anunnaki, and those who don't. There's talk of nuclear war. The Anunnaki wipe out all the ones that want to harm them before they make a decision that can't be undone. Before Mother Gaia is blown apart. It’s a swift movement. It’s like…it’s like they vanish.” Genesis pauses here, as she sees through the bears eyes the events of that apocalyptic day. Then continues.

“The ones that remain, the pure souls, are gathered and put to work right away. The river is cleansed in a ceremony, and my babies and I finally take a much-needed drink."

“What is your purpose?” Ki asked the bear.

“I am the seed disperser, the nutrient provider of the forest. I rejuvenate the decay.”

“And what gift will you give to Genesis today?” Ki asked.

“I give her strength and leadership. She too is the nutrient provider. She is rejuvenating the decay.”

As Ki began instructing Genesis back into her own body again, the sky around them lifted to a warm buttery sunrise through the trees.

“When I count down from three you will be fully alive in your own body and soul.” Ki recited her instructions.

“Three, coming back now. Two, breathing deeply into the space and awareness of Genesis, and one, wide awake."

Their eyes met, and down the path the bear too was watching them. Genesis looked down to see she was now wearing a heart-shaped locket. She opened the heart to see that inside was a tiny river stone, smooth and speckled with flecks of green and brown. It almost resembled Mother Gaia herself. She looked at the black bear who continued to watch them from afar, her chin on her paw. She felt the words from the bear rather than hearing them. A stone smoothed by healing waters. Rejuvenated after decay.

“How do you feel?” Ki asked, bringing her back to the moment.

Genesis smiled, clutching the locket.

“I feel wide awake.”