The Inner Voice

“You’re clearly of divine origin,” the white dragon breathed, sending a trail of smoke into the trees.

On the riverbank across from her sat a small human boy with curly copper hair and sun-kissed cheeks. He stared at her with wide eyes– the kind only a toddler could have. But she couldn’t guess his age, as she had only ever seen humans through the veils of the higher realms.

Ama had not meant to meet this child, or anyone for that matter, on her sojourn to this world. But when she dove into the river earlier that day, it carried her straight to him.

She swished her tail back and forth in the water. Small waterfalls spouted over her opalescent scales and she dug her claws into the riverbed to stabilize.

The boy is a sign; he must be! She matched the river’s serpentine shape. “What is your name, little one?” Her hissing voice melted into the sound of rushing water.

The boy fidgeted at her question, but stayed silent.

“Why are you alone?”

Either the boy was too young to understand, or he was too afraid to respond.

Ama’s heart surged. Speaking vocally to a son of man, instead of wielding the Inner Voice! The Elders would seethe if they saw me.

The boy heard her in his head. When his eyes caught a glimpse of sunlight, they turned red like hers.

Ama gasped. You can… you can hear me like this?

He nodded and clapped.

She was shocked and amazed; a human who could use the Inner Voice!

Cutting the connection, the boy pulled away from her gaze and dangled his feet in the water.

She tucked her chin toward her chest and sighed. I can't get ahead of myself. This is only the first human you’ve met… He’s so small, he hardly knows his own name.

Rayne. The boy’s Inner Voice resounded with a unique melody. Rayne.

Without even looking at her, he had given her everything.

Ama lowered herself and the water surged to the far bank, splashing Rayne’s pants. He yelped and scrambled away from the edge.

“Forgive me, Rayne.” Ama bowed. “But you’ve just done something extraordinary… you caught me by surprise.” She lowered her face in front of him, and breathed a warm breeze to dry his clothes.

He sniffled and shook his head, then picked up a rock and prepared to throw it at her.

Ama drew back and lowered her head. I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I didn’t mean to scare you. Rather… I’d like to ask for your help.

Rayne seemed once again to receive her Inner Voice, and stopped his nervous retreat. He dropped the rock, and didn’t look away from her as she climbed out of the water.

Then, Ama tilted her head and began to sing:

“As rain returns to Ocean,

So I will return to Sky,

But not until I’ve opened

A path for you to fly.

Let it be known to all,

You are meant for greater things,

So open your Heart and Voice,

Spread your human wings.”

Her ode to humanity rang out through the forest, settled the chattering chipmunks, and guided Rayne to sleep.

Having breathed more of her life-force into this dense world, Ama felt weightless and anchored at the same time.

Bursting with joy, her Inner Voice surged into the higher realms and reached out to the Elders.

Gracious ones, I beseech you.

A choir of higher dragons filled the forest with their power. Through the quaking ground and flickering sunlight, their Inner Voice greeted her. What is it, child?

I, Ama Zoph, intend to reveal to you the true nature of humanity. I have come to the third realm of Earth, and I have news that will amaze!

The omnipresent strength that moments ago penetrated the environment left, as if retracting a hand. A chill rushed through the forest, and for a moment Ama thought the river would freeze.

In a flash, her vision was overrun by long, looping dragons, casted upon her like a net. She couldn’t see where one ended and the other began.

HOW DARE! They hissed, burning her with the foul scent of fire-breath.

HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY OUR ORDERS AND THEN INVITE US TO JOIN YOU IN HELL!

Elders, please. Earth is not the hell you think. She staggered, overcome by the vision, but remained centered in her heart.

There is nothing in the universe farther away from Truth!

Think of Tiamat, Ama implored. Was she not one of us, before she became Earth and made a home for the myriad creatures?

The dragons looped in and out of each other, orange sparks flying from their eyes and mouths. We do not speak that treacherous name, lesssst we end up like her! She created grief, pain, and ssssuffering, where death rules the day! She was once eternal and now she is mortal, destined for death like the creatures staining her body. Humanity is the worst of them all, and they are beyond hope.

Their words punctured her heart, sharper than any claw or sword.

You have wasted our time, energy, and presence, the Elders seethed. You have betrayed us directly, and now you flaunt it.

Ama hung her head. Dear Elders, I take responsibility for my actions. I know you told me not to come to Earth, yet here I am. I know that compared to you, I am small. You are greater than me in all ways, and I am here to serve the One that is All. So let me be of service now by showing you what I’ve found.

She took a deep breath and raised Rayne above her. Brothers and Sisters, behold! This child can use the Inner Voice.

The tangled mess of swirling dragons paused in shocked recoil. The hisses subsided and there was a moment of stillness, before they began to move with a different pattern than before. They were listening.

It happened only moments ago, she explained, doing her best to remain calm. I spoke to him with the Inner Voice, and he responded with his own!

One dragon stood out from the rest, removing himself from the council’s collective voice and drawing close to her in spirit, saying nothing. It was her teacher and mentor who had taken her in long ago.

Master Kai! Ama cried. This is a sign that humanity is not beyond hope!

The collective Inner Voice mumbled and buzzed, but Kai’s voice stood like a pillar among them.

You have a strong will, Kai pitied her. But you will not be able to save humanity.

“I don’t want to save them!” She roared out loud, fusing her tongue with the Inner Voice. “I want to teach them how to save themselves!” A flock of birds zipped up and away from a tree. Rayne awoke with a whine.

The council spat fire and cried, Blasphemy! How dare you water down the Inner Voice with the tongue!

They recoiled and shrunk away from her mind, and so she seized the opportunity.

“I assure you, my tongue does not defile the Inner Voice.” She did her best to quell their anger. “In fact, I have discovered that singing is most harmonious way–”

Stop! The council hissed, writhing in pain. They made a twilighted mess of themselves, creating tiny storms in their wake. The tongue is crude and unrefined, only fit for creatures of density and death! If you will not cease the use of the tongue, then we shall do it for you.

A tongue of ice-white flame lashed out and singed her mouth. Instead of pain, unbearable numbness swallowed her face. All of her thoughts and feelings crammed together, and now both her tongue and Inner Voice were paralyzed.

The Elders spoke to her directly through a beam of rising sun. You are flying a dangerous line, Ama Zoph. If you wish to ssssoil your being the way Tiamat did, then so be it. But in doing so, you ssssever your connection to the Inner Voice. For disobeying multidimensional law, you are hereby banished from the higher realms.

Their Voice retracted and silence swallowed Ama’s energy. She staggered against a tree and shook so hard, pine needles rained down upon her scales.

My tribe abandoned me. Her Inner Voice was still there, but only a fraction of what it was before their link had been cut. How can this be?

Eyes welling, she held Rayne close, and he pressed his face into one of her scales. In him, all of her hope crystallized.

Although she suspected that he may very well grow up to write her off as nothing more than a dream, she also knew deep in her heart what she had heard and seen– He used the Inner Voice!

Ama dried her face on the grass, then rose and outstretched her wings.

“Ahhh.” She flexed her webby muscles. My dear wings, since our earthly descent I’ve kept you bound. But it’s clear to me what needs to happen now… We must rise to the occasion, and make things right, even if it's slight.

She sheltered Rayne in her palm and ascended. Far above the trees, she rose until he fainted from the high elevation.

From this vantage point, she could see the village and how the river ran right through it. Just as the river had led her to him, so too had it guided him to her.

Don’t worry, Rayne. You’ll be back home soon. Allwilling, you’ll never be lost again.

~ ~ ~

When Rayne awoke, he rubbed his eyes and yawned. The late periwinkle sky cast a gentle glow over the lawn. The white dragon was nowhere in sight.

“Rayne! Oh, thank goodness!” His mother ran toward him with outstretched arms. Her several-layered cloak cocooned him in familiar smells of campfire and warm milk.

He buried his face into her belly.

“See, Krysta, I told you he’d be fine. No need to make a scene.” Despite his nonchalance, Rayne’s father had bags under his eyes. The past few hours of searching for the boy had taken its toll.

A few passersby paused to admire the reuniting young family and give thanks to their deities.

“It’s a miracle! Raynie’s back!” One woman exclaimed, clasping her hands in prayer.

Rayne nuzzled his mother’s dress and beamed at her. Mommy! His Inner Voice resounded.

The onlookers stopped in their tracks.

Krysta lifted Rayne’s chin so she could look into his eyes. Flecks of ruby swam therein.

I missed you, Mommy.

After glancing at the other villagers, she ushered him closer to her as though nothing had happened. “I was so worried about you,” she murmured into his hair.

Don’t woo-y Mommy, I met a dwagon! Although his Inner Voice buzzed, he stayed calm and still. She picked me up, and away we go! He waved his arms and smiled at the sky.

Her heart stuttered, and she looked around again.

“What’s going on?” One of their neighbors demanded. “Why am I hearing that child in my head?!”

“Oh, you heard it too?” The gardener asked, leaning on a shovel.

“And what’s all this about a dragon?”

One by one, the villagers left their houses to congregate in the open street. Within minutes the family was encircled by a mob.

“Skye Stone, you better explain yourself.” Lady Crane, the oldest woman in town, waved her cane at Rayne’s father. “What on Earth happened to your little boy?”

“Okay, everyone! Calm down, there’s got to be a reasonable explanation here!” Skye raised his hands. “I’m sure my son just got himself into some wild mushrooms, or… eh, something…? ”

“If that was the case, he’d be the one hearing voices– not the other way around!” Lady Crane whacked Skye’s back. “Admit it, Stone. You haven’t been here long enough to fully appreciate our customs, but that’s no excuse, now your boy has gone and become possessed by a demon, and he’s spreading it to us all!”

“My fatherly skills aside,” Skye bristled, rubbing his back. “I think you’re making a lot of assumptions without any proof.”

“Proof?” The gardener raised his shovel in the air. “We all just heard the boy’s voice in our heads. That’s proof enough!”

Crane nodded, then fixed her raven gaze back on Skye. “Young man, do you know what a dragon is?”

Skye took a deep breath and clasped his hands behind him. “Lady Crane, ever since my family and I arrived here, you’ve treated us like idiots. Just because we’re new to this land doesn’t–”

She prodded him again, this time in the stomach. He stumbled back and knelt beside Krysta, whose face glistened with tears.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Lady Crane’s wrinkles looked like crumpled parchment. “Dragons are the darkest, dankest creatures of all creation! Reptiles of Hell. They are savage, immoderate, and beyond redemption. How on Earth would a child even know about such beasts, unless he was given that knowledge by a dark lord or mage?”

Although Krysta covered Rayne’s ears, she did not yet realize that he could still hear the whole town’s voice… how it was sharpened and aimed at him. He trembled, wishing to disappear into the shadows of her cloak.

Nuh-uh! His Inner Voice cried out in rebellion. You wong about dwagons! I met one. She was big and shiny like twees and snow. She was… fun. I miss her.

The villagers exchanged dark glances.

Lady Crane threw her arms up, rallying the crowd. “See? It’s as simple as the doctor checking a swollen throat and noticing infection. He is demonful, and that’s that. I am your high priestess, Stone. I know what possession looks like.”

“Please don’t cast us aside,” Krysta sobbed. “There must be another way.”

Skye touched his wife’s shoulder and rose to address the crowd. “Please. Our family has chosen River Village, not just as the birthing place of our next child, but to be our home forever. Do not become our enemies at a time when we need you most of all.”

Each neighbor who had helped him build their home now threatened to wield the same tools against him. They were like wild animals, and he could hardly believe it; there was so much fear, all because of a child.

Crane threw her head back and guffawed. “Enough of this! The boy is demonful, everyone sees it now. The sun is almost set, the people are inspired… Any priestess worth her smudge would know what to do next– We must perform the purification ritual.”

“NO!” Krysta shrieked.

Skye picked up his sniffling son. “I may not know all your customs, Lady Crane, but I know this one, and I cannot believe you’d suggest such a thing.”

“Oh, I am not suggesting.” Crane pointed her bony finger at his nose, her black eyes frenzied. “As your matriarch, I am commanding.”

“Oh, praise be!” A devout follower from the crowd called and clapped their hands. “There is hope for the boy after all!”

A few cheered along, but were quickly cut off by Krysta, who marched her way up to Lady Crane and stared her down with piercing blue eyes. Her nose dripped and her cloak was soiled with tears, but she held her ground.

“You are not putting my son to fire. I would sooner see all the houses of this village burn.”

Crane wailed and covered her face as though she’d been slapped. “Hurry, hurry! Don’t you see it has started to consume her too? Take them to the temple and bring all the firestarter you can hold! Hurry!”

A group of burly neighbors launched themselves at the family, grabbing at their clothes and attempting to hold them down, as mother, father, and child struggled for their lives.

Then suddenly, a roar erupted and silenced them all. The villagers let go of Rayne and his parents, shielding their ears and doubling over.

The sound started like a roar, shaking the ground and skies with equal force, and then it transformed into a long, spiraling “Om” that reverberated through the trees and houses. The mysterious sound was so strong, it filled the air with a thrumming white light, but there was no sign to anyone of where it came from.

Rayne climbed onto his father’s shoulders and exclaimed with tongue and Inner Voice, “Ama!”

The great white dragon revealed herself to them all like a thread unraveling a scarf. Her scales shimmered as she bowed. Hello, little one. I am here. It seems humanity needs even more help than I thought.

Ama turned to face the scattering mob, some of whom stayed and watched in awe, unable and unwilling to move, unsure of what to do.

Seizing the opportunity, the white dragon stood on hind legs, and opened her mouth and heart to sing.

The melody was immaculate, filling them from head to toe. One by one, the villagers’ hearts seemed to shift, and for most, the turbulence settled; it was like breathing for the first time. The people of River Village looked up and marveled at the stars, their vision renewed.

But not everyone was yet convinced.

The scrawniest man of the group, Jac, pulled out a knife. “Alright, which one of you fern-breaths slipped me something funny? There’s no way any of this is real.”

“Forgive me,” Ama chuckled. “But your ability to perceive reality is duller than that dagger.”

One of the women reached for Jac’s trembling hand, but he elbowed her out of the way and rushed to face the dragon. “Wanna bet, demon?!”

Ama swirled her tail around the Stone family, creating a barrier of golden light, then leveled her face with the man’s body. Up close, her giant red eyes burned like lava. “I am not here to hurt you, Jac. Open yourself to Truth.”

The man dropped the knife. “How do you know my name?”

Ama stared into his soul and breathed smoke over his face. “Likewise, you are not here to hurt me.”

Then without warning, another man struck at Ama with a dagger of his own, piercing her scales and causing her to hiss and retract from among them. It was a non-lethal blow, and it hurt her emotional body more than the flesh.

“Ama!” Rayne yelled, and struggled against his mother’s grip.

“Ama, sing! Sing!” Rayne insisted, stretching his arms out as his parents did their best to restrain him. “With me!”

Ama glanced over her shoulder and blinked back tears. "It would be an honor, Rayne." She bowed and opened her Inner Voice to synchronize with his. By the tempo of their synced hearts, the white dragon and her prodigal son lifted their voices.

The wordless song came like a wave, a torrential flood of inner harmonies that washed over the whole of the village. Like before, the soothing rhythm opened the hearts of everyone who heard it, and deeper peace and understanding emerged where there had been fear and struggle. Through the song, the stunned villagers each perceived in their minds eye their own lives playing out before them. The experiences unraveled within each like a cosmic painter’s chiaroscuro.

Within each person’s vision, they realized and saw themselves as a part of the greater whole. Every one of them found themselves in a tapestry of creation and reality going far beyond themselves and beyond even their village. The profound revelation could not be escaped, and they found themselves sinking into a new cosmic unity with each other and the world.

A collective sigh rushed through the people of River Village. Even the most riled of the men became docile, surrendering and prostrating themselves on the ground.

As the song was ending, Skye dropped to his knees and let go of Rayne, who waddled toward the great white dragon.

Their copper and ruby gazes met, and the song was done.

“A new covenant has been made,” Ama proclaimed inside and out. “Between man and dragonkind. This is a pact of peace, wisdom, and harmony. I vow to help you all live a better life, not just for yourselves, but for your legacy.”

Some cheered and some wept, but Raye buried his face into Ama’s palm, and she lifted him onto her shoulder.

“Forgive us!” Lady Crane bawled as she ran down the hill, tripping on her gown in the dark. “Oh Great White Dragon, please forgive us, and never stop singing. Bless our whole village with your song, I beg you!”

Ama blew a wave of smoke and smiled. “You are forgiven, and you are blessed. But not by my hand, but by the Inner Voice that rests within. You will learn how to use it, and you will never go astray again. This is how you’ll be able to say what you could not say before.”

~ ~ ~

22 years later…

Rayne knelt at the River temple’s hearth, lighting a stick of dragon’s blood incense. His copper beard was dusted with ceremonial gold flakes and his chest was covered in sacred paint. Adventure and wisdom danced in his ruby eyes.

One of his disciples sat beside him and cleared his throat. “Teacher, I have a question.”

Rayne chuckled and pointed to his throat.

The boy nodded quickly and switched to his Inner Voice, blushing. Well, I’m just wondering… There are many we praise here in the temple. Some pray to the Great White Dragon. Others worship the Inner Voice directly with song. So, please tell me… which one is greater?

Both and neither. Rayne waved the incense at the boy, causing him to sneeze. Priestesses may worship the Great White Dragon, and shrine singers may pray to the Inner Voice, but both are just simply different aspects of the same One that is All. Just as you are, and I am. We can see that One in all of us, and isn’t that better than choosing one or the other?