TheBanyanTree: Tales of a Woodcat - Through the Portal

[Roger Pye]

Through The Portal

the portal was open and I entered therein and in the distance I saw a 
wooden hut bordered on two sides by trees and on another a creek and on 
the fourth open pasture

and at the back door of the hut facing the pasture there sat an old 
greyhaired man peering upwards at a flock of glossy white yellow-crested 
cockatoos wheeling and diving in ecstasy

and in the middle of the pasture there was a stone kangaroo of medium 
proportions who had one ear up and the other bent over and by its side 
there was a joey, the both staring towards a track which ran down from a 
rise at their right past an old sawmill then past them and the hut

and the man walked to the statues, knelt beside the joey and laid his 
hand upon its head whilst gazing in the same direction

and I heard an orchestra playing music from Finlandia and began to cry 
soundlessly, the tears rolling down my cheeks and through a blur I saw 
coming down the track a tall man whose face I could not see for the 
brilliance of his golden robes while behind him followed a numberless 
company of creatures singing and laughing, some of whom were human and 
others not, some who were of Earth and others not, some who were 
corporeal and others who were only wisps of silver or platinum or gold

and I marvelled

for I knew them all

and as he who led the way came level with the silent tableau he paused 
and turned to look directly at me and indicated with a gesture an empty 
space amongst the company but I shook my head slightly and the progress 
continued

and as each one of the companions passed the kangaroos he or she turned 
and bowed towards them and the man who had now prostrated himself upon 
the grassy ground

and my tears fell anew

and as the last of the walkers vanished from sight past the hut I turned 
and went through the portal and closed its door and instantly I was in 
another place

“You seem a bit disturbed, Roger, are you all right?” I heard the staff 
nurse say.

Awkwardly I raised my right hand to wipe my eyes, shifted uncomfortably 
around in the emergency ward bed so I could see the monitor, the 
heartbeat rate dropping now to a more acceptable level and the display 
evening out.

“I’m OK, Wendy, I guess I was dreaming, sorry you’ve been troubled.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s my job.” She smoothed the blanket over my 
shoulders as I settled down to try to sleep again despite the cables and 
their connections.

**********************

Despite the sophistication of their instruments and their own experience 
the doctors could not find any reason for the sudden chest pains that 
had assailed me last Tuesday and so I was sent home Wednesday morning 
with the knowledge that the heart muscle did not appear to be damaged 
and an admonition to 'take things easier'. The next day my 
acupuncturist who trained in China and is versed in Chinese medicine and 
pranic healing said my heart had suffered a significant shock and gave 
me a strict regime to follow - no coffee or sugar or processed foods or 
alcohol or chocolate - no driving for a week, drink lots of water, 
exercise mildly.

I'm doing all of that - for life is infinitely precious and I still have 
healing work to do. And storytelling :)

woodcat