The Journey to Bear and the Flower

I continue my journey into the cave, and as it seems to be getting darker and darker, I feel myself become a glowing ember from head to toe, lighting my own path. The walls of the cave are covered with an indescribable mural of magic, scenes of heroic proportions, and never-fading beauty. I wonder at the beings that created such a masterpiece.

The floor of the cave is uneven, and I trip from time to time, but always manage to get back up. I have this feeling that I’m being protected, that I’m not alone in this strange world of rock. I hear the gentle trickle of water flowing all around me, and its very presence gives me comfort, for water is life.

I turn a corner, and ahead of me I see the most amazing sight I’ve ever beheld. A yellow rose blooms in the middle of a pool of cave water, glowing with vitality and health, gathering strength and nourishment from a small stream of light that has broken through a crack in the rock. Beside the stream, sits my bear, guarding over this lovely blossom like it was a precious gem. I cannot explain the feeling that has come over me as I survey this scene.

The bear looks over at me and makes a grunting sound that is in no way threatening, but more like, “You finally arrived!” He must’ve followed me and taken a different path to get to this spot before me.

I stand there for just a few moments and it actually appears that the flower is dancing to the rhythm of its own heartbeat. I can’t help but smile, looking back up at the ray of light that I know will lead me to the other side of this cave. I turn my feet and head back down the path, knowing that all the way, my bear is behind me.

It happens in a heartbeat, a noise from my bear, the sound of flapping wings, and suddenly I’m being carried away on the wings of an eagle high up and out of the cave’s domain. She drops me off on a patch of grass underneath a vivid sun surrounded by an empty field. I look up at the sky, seeing the eagle take off soaring high above the clouds once again. I stand up, and as I begin to walk through the barren field, everything around me starts to bloom and blossom, colors I never knew existed in every color of the rainbow…it’s become a garden of vivacious flowers. I feel a bubble of laughter build inside of me, and I start skipping through the flowers, feeling my hair flow, lightly dancing across my shoulders, and I hear a happy song burst from my lips.

Breathless, I sink down once again. Everything everywhere is full of color and life and I lay flat on my back, looking up at the sky, seeing stars in the heart of the day. I close my eyes, and whisper a prayer of thanks forlife.