Wonder and Double Doubt in the Realm of All That Is: Part One: Leilani's Return

By T L Franklin

The fate of Mother Earth Ocean relies on a bold experiment involving the lucid dreaming and destiny of a single human child. The path taken will challenge the dark powers threatening the survival of all life by the ‘Monsters of No Consequence’.

The essence of wonder and the element of doubt are embedded deep within the inner ch

• Language: English
• Publisher: T. L. Franklin
• Release date: May 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9780648041276

Book preview

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The Adventures of

Wonder & Double Doubt

In the realm of

All That Is

Part One - Leilani’s Return

T. L. FRANKLIN

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Chapter 1 – The Oceanians, the Exiles and the Experiment

Chapter 2 – Wyrdoz investigates Petunia’s World

Chapter 3 – Leilani: Captured in a ‘Majestic Dreaming’ Of Two Realms

Chapter 4 – THE Fairyland: ‘Don’t be frightened this is Fairyland and nothing bad ever happens in fairyland’

Chapter 5 – Enter the Dark Baron and his comic ‘aide-de-camp’ – Keepers of the Grail Beware!

Chapter 6 – ‘A Seeing place for Gnomes’

Chapter 7 – Monkey business in Bluebell Wood

Chapter 8 – Fantasy challenged by Reality: The aftermath of war

Chapter 9 – A Grande nightmare performed with relish

Chapter 10 – A Dance in the Vestry!

Chapter 11 – Look-a-likes in uniform: A see-through artifice, or real?

Chapter 12 – Friendships formed in jeopardy – Knighthoods or ‘Fly-by-Knights’?

Chapter 13 – The Sacred Pearly Shell – A gift of ‘Seeing’ – Illusion or Reality?

Chapter 14 – Lost on the Causeway: Trapped between Two Giants ‘Is it a miracle, or magic, or a magical miracle?’

Chapter 15 – Beleaguered Giants – a reality to resolve An impenetrable Rock boundary to dissolve Into a darkened fortress of death to solve Needs Giants and wee folk to devolve

Chapter 16 – Petunia’s Lucid Dreaming: Transportation of Wonder and Double Doubt – Leilani’s Thoughts – and Migrants All!

About the story

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Copyright

Chapter 1

Poem Start

In the province of the mind, what one

believes to be true is true or becomes

true, within certain limits to be found

experientially and experimentally. These

limits are further beliefs to be transcended.

In the mind there are no limits.

(John C. Lilly, M.D.)

Poetry End Ornament

The Oceanians, the Exiles and the Experiment

Where is that fool Gnome Wonder,’ muttered Gnome Double Doubt as he raced across a large hallway. ‘Does he not realise that this Grand Council meeting is of particular importance! As a delegate representing our realm he would be foolhardy to be late for such an occasion. It is a serious responsibility and not one to be taken lightly! Where is he? Where is he? Drat! What is this dreadful force? I am being pulled out of shape every which way. Oh No! My body is disappearing and reappearing. This must be the meddlesome doings of Wonder trying to get my attention. He must have gone adventuring into forbidden realms again,’ grumbled Double Doubt huffing and puffing and calling out Wonder’s name.

Suddenly, Double Doubt’s attention focused on an energy field ahead. To his amazement he saw a human, a young girl of about seven years of age dressed in a nightgown and running away from him at a fast pace. ‘She seems to be afraid of me,’ he thought worriedly.

‘Oh no! Go away! I thought gnomes were supposed to be friendly beings. Help! Help!’ cried out the child as she tried to escape her grumpy pursuer. However, her curiosity about his appearance soon overcame her fear and she quickly glanced over her shoulder. To her astonishment she noted that he wore a close fitting full body suit made of shiny material, which seemed to glow green then gold then red, like the forest in its autumn colours. His jacket also seemed to fit snugly around his hips emphasizing his unusually tall slim appearance. ‘Quite different from the gnomes in my fairy stories,’ she thought. ‘And what is that peculiar shaped helmet he is wearing? Most un-gnome-like!’ she declared out loud.

Then just as she thought he was gaining on her, she awoke from her dreaming and sat bolt upright in bed. She immediately checked her surroundings for all the familiar things of her waking world. Her dolls were sitting peacefully on a chair, her fairy storybooks were neatly stacked on the dressing table and the bedside lamp was still on, bathing the bedroom in a soft pink light. She remembered that her mother had gone out for the evening and that her grandmother was looking after her brother, sister and herself. She quickly glanced sideways to see if her sudden movement had disturbed them and was reassured to see that they were still sleeping peacefully. She looked back over her shoulder checking the side of the bed-head to see if she had imagined the hallway and was relieved to note the familiar solid sight of the household gas-meter standing boldly against the wall where the hallway had appeared. But suddenly to her horror, she saw the hallway again with the gnome running towards her. The shock was so great that she immediately let go of the image and tumbled into a troubled sleep.

Double Doubt came down with a loud thud and found himself tangled up in the spindly legs of Gnome Wonder, who seemed as equally annoyed that he had been so rudely stopped in his tracks.

‘Now look what you have done Gnome Wonder. I have warned you about adventuring into other realms alone. That silly little girl thought I was intent on chasing her and in fact I thought I was chasing after you. Now you have alerted her to our realm! She actually woke up during her vivid dream and confirmed that our world was real. We have not heard the end of this Wonder. There will be a lot of explaining to do to the Grand Council. You know full well that it is taboo to wake up humans who happen into our realm. Well? Well? What have you to say for yourself? Speak up! What have you been up to this time?’ Double Doubt demanded.

Gnome Wonder calmly responded by deftly untangling himself from Double Doubt’s struggling body, while pulling Double Doubt up off the ground to an unsteady standing position. Wonder, who was taller than Double Doubt, looked down at his friend with caring concern. In contrast to the ruggedness of Double Doubt’s facial characteristics, Wonder had the smooth smiling features of a dolphin and his large deep blue-green-eyes sparkled with laughter. What they both had in common though, was their slender appearance. And in contrast to the usual bulbous nose, adorning the faces of many a good gnome, Double Doubt’s nose was ruggedly elegant, while Wonder’s nose was finely shaped and turned slightly up at the tip. Their lineage was obviously a complex one.

After quickly brushing himself down, Wonder, much to Double Doubt’s annoyance, began straightening out Double Doubt’s disheveled jacket. Double Doubt gave a begrudging nod of acknowledgement and responded by saying, ‘Stop fussing Wonder. Stop fussing!’

‘Take it easy Gnome Double Doubt. I don’t know why you worry so much. Trying to do the correct thing at every moment can get one into an awful muddle. I am extremely sorry that you were pulled into my friend Petunia’s adventures without your consent. You gave her an awful fright chasing after her as you did.’

‘Your w-what? Your f-friend?’ stuttered Double Doubt. ‘Have you gone absolutely mad? You know the rules Wonder! It has been eons since we were allowed to contact humans in that manner. How could you break such a direct law of the Grand Council? As representatives of our gnome realm your rash behaviour does not augur well for our future involvement as delegates on the Grand Council. Hopefully they will not hear of it as long as you keep your peace on the matter, now enough of this nonsense. I was chasing you because the Grand Council has called an extraordinary meeting of the assembly. Apparently there is an issue of great concern about the human realm, which needs to be addressed. Earth mother Podrigeena will be in attendance and I gather Weirdo will be there too!’

‘You mean the Honourable Wyrdoz, do you not Double Doubt?’ interrupted Wonder.

‘Wyrdoz. Weirdo. What is the difference? All I know is that Wyrdoz does some weird things at times and nothing good can come of his tampering with the unknown. Now hurry up Wonder or we will be late,’ ordered Double Doubt.

Muttering and grumbling under his breath about Wonder’s ineptness, Double Doubt tugged at Wonder’s jacket while pushing him along the pathway in a disgruntled mood. Somehow Wonder managed to constantly sidestep Double Doubt’s grasp and sighed in relief as he managed to quickly move ahead of him. Now out of reach of Double Doubt’s menacing hands, Wonder had the space-time to attend to his own appearance and began to straighten his jacket.

Except for the jacket, an item of clothing commonly worn by gnomes, Wonder also wore a close-fitting full body suit. It was made of the same fine shiny material as Double Doubt’s, but reflected the aquamarine colours of the sea. His matching boots fitted snugly over his feet and seemed molded into his ankles. Wonder’s headgear was also unusual. Silver in colour, it was shaped more like a helmet with a peak at the front and a dolphin-like fin at the back. The helmet hid most of Wonder’s curly golden locks and only a few wayward strands pushed out over his forehead, ears and neck. Aquatic suits were a very practical form of dress for Gnomes Wonder and Double Doubt, which helped to streamline their movements when working in close contact with the water and forest spirits.

Striding along at a fast pace in their colourful attire, Wonder and Double Doubt evoked in the minds of those who laid eyes on them, fleeting images of the wide blue oceans and sky and the glades and streams of the forest draped by its seasonal changes of colour.

As they reached the Grand Hall, they encountered many of the delegates gathered in small huddles at the entranceway. There seemed to be representatives of many species of the realm engaged in excited chatter discussing the possible intent of this grand meeting. Every now and then one or other of them would fall silent and glance at Wonder and Double Doubt with interest. They would quickly exchange greetings by nodding and smiling, or cast looks of approval at the two Gnomes. As Wonder and Double Doubt deftly wove their way through the crowd towards the entrance of the Grand Hall, Wonder sensitively picked up snatches of conversations, which seemed to him to be highly speculative about the agenda of the meeting. However, he fully understood their excitement because meetings of such import always augured change and industry in the community.

Wonder, now wrapped in thought slowed down his pace, when suddenly Double Doubt pushed past him and quickly pulled Wonder through the entrance into the hall. As always, Wonder was in awe of this Grand Hall and stood in amazement as he slowly took in every detail of this grand circular space. Its walls could be likened to a castle, thick and strong yet as free in space-time as an old square-rigged sailing ship at sea. Enhanced by movement and colour the elongated crystal windows of many colours threw out slivers of individual coloured beams of light around the Grand Hall. Wonder became entranced by the complexity of the patterns within the crystal windows and wondered at the mystery surrounding their presence. He knew that they contained the ancient records of secret knowledge, which could only be deciphered by those beings in the realm that had reached a state of high wisdom.

Wonder then shifted his gaze to the centre of the Grand Hall and contemplated the exquisite beauty of the seating arrangement. It was created in the form of a nautilus shell, spiraling outwards and upwards to the vast dome above. Each mother of pearl compartment could seat seven delegates, depending on their size and needs. Wonder noted that the delegates were now busily familiarizing themselves with their surroundings. Grand Council meetings were few and far between and were only deemed necessary if there were pending events, which may affect the welfare of the whole realm. Wonder followed the attention of the delegates, who were now relishing the opportunity to gaze in amazement at the night sky. The transparent dome above was opened to its fullest extent letting in the lights of the universe. It was the dark of the moon allowing the planets, stars and galaxies to shine in their full glory. They had the complete open canopy to themselves and the undivided attention of all who sat in the Grand Hall, transfixed in awe at the wonders of the universe.

Double Doubt signaled to Wonder to pay attention and to be seated. He then led Wonder to the first two seats of the spiral, which gracefully swirled into the centre of the Grand Hall – an honoured position!

After a prolonged hushed silence, the hall became bathed in soft-light revealing the presence of the Nine Grand Councilors. They were seated in a circle of high-backed seats facing outwards towards the spiral; so that the Nine were able to see all the community as the podium slowly rotated. The Nine were tall beings. Seven of them wore hooded cloaks each of a particular colour of the rainbow, while the final two positioned next to each other, wore cloaks one of black and one of white.

The delegates were accustomed to the ways of the Nine and were fully aware that they were of one mind; each being able to offer wisdom or guidance in such a perfect state of equilibrium, that the community felt that they were indeed hearing and seeing only one being. And as the circle of the Nine slowly rotated, the many coloured cloaks transformed into a circular rainbow with the black and white cloaked beings melding in with the overall blaze of colour.

Gnome Double Doubt drifted into thoughts of admiration on the nature of these important meetings, where each individual in the community had the opportunity to speak out their concerns from their minds and hearts. A Grand Council meeting created a safe space, whereby anything uttered within this sacred spiral was never spoken of beyond its boundaries. Only action and not gossip followed the meetings, with each individual taking on a given task. ‘It is a well-honoured tradition and respected by all,’ thought Double Doubt proudly.

Suddenly to Double Doubt’s annoyance, his reverie came to an abrupt end. The Grand Hall became a buzz of excitement as a sprightly elf entered from a side entrance and walked into the central area. Tapping the ground with his ornate staff he brought the assembly to attention. The whispering subsided and silence reigned. The Nine were about to speak.

From beneath the black hooded cloak a kindly face appeared. Speaking out in a deep commanding voice, which resounded around the spiral to the furthermost participants, he said: ‘Welcome friends! Thank you for attending this extraordinary Grand Council meeting. It has recently come to our attention that the ‘Exiles’ among the human beings, have escalated their desires for progress causing all manner of catastrophe. If not impeded, their actions threaten to cause irreversible damage to Mother Earth Ocean and in turn our realm and all space-time.’

‘Ewon has been well informed,’ stated another member of the Nine. ‘He has had many sessions of deep portent with our eminent custodian of Mother Earth, Podrigeena and her wise colleague the Honourable Wyrdoz. We have invited Podrigeena to speak directly to the assembly so that nothing is lost in the telling.’

All eyes now turned towards Podrigeena who was seated on a grand yet simple throne placed at the side of the Nine. Although small in stature, Podrigeena was queenly in aspect, with long dark locks falling in waves down to her waist. Her exquisite features were richly enlivened and luminous and like the moon, almost lacking solidity. Her eyes were large, deep set and blue/green in colour. Her dress of emerald green wispily draped over her petite figure, revealing her every movement, as if she were mother earth herself in motion. A gold and silver threaded cap nestled softly in her fine hair and around her neck hung a delicately crafted nautilus shell necklace made of the same silver and gold threading as her cap. All eyes gazed on her amazing beauty and sighs of admiration crested like soft waves throughout the hall. It was as if her presence had a spellbinding affect on all the delegates. And as she lifted her head to speak, her eyes sparkled as if catching the reflections of the stars peering in from the starlit canopy above. With a gentle movement she acknowledged all present. And with that, an expectant silence ensued as she focused her energy to speak. Then came the sound everyone had been waiting for. Podrigeena’s voice was as nurturing as the deep currents of the oceans and yet as forceful as the winds whirling around the highest mountains on earth.

‘Dear ones, it is always such an honour and a pleasure to be in the presence of like-minded, like-hearted souls,’ greeted Podrigeena, as a strong surge of loving energy swept through the hearts and minds of the whole assembly.

Podrigeena continued. ‘You are constantly in my thoughts. You are all doing important tasks and working well with your partners. The group decision to link each one of you with a complimentary partner is in most cases, working well. As you agreed, you left it up to the Grand Council to choose your partners and they did their utmost to match each of you within a dyadic relationship, which would stimulate and encourage each individual to the heights of their own personal creativity and spirit. It was to be expected that not all partnerships would run smoothly and some of you have at times sought guidance on how to work more harmoniously with your partners. All in all, your partnerships are having a positive effect on raising the vibration of the planet and restoring balance to the energy grids. You are indeed blessed and well loved in return.

If I may, I would like to retell our story and the knowing that emanates from the ancient ones. We remember how it used to be before the human beings arrived. Our myriad earth spirits brought the necessary elements together to bring form into life and our divas held and protected the forms. Each complex form was worked out so that there were checks and balances between the species. It was always and still is, the basic life essences, which are important. The form is the manifestation of energy appropriate at the time of its birth. Even a small creature like our friend the ant was given an energy field with billions of particles, so that the essence of the ant energy would survive throughout the eons.

Mother Earth Ocean herself had to work within the Universal energies. She has stretched and erupted in cataclysmic shudders as her form melded and changed over eons of space-time. Islands appeared and disappeared depending on what was needed. Landforms and weather patterns changed as her essence manifested mountains and verdant valleys. Eons past as every form went through transition. The grand energy of the oceans was held in both solid and liquid form by Mother Ocean. The Honourable Oceania, our esteemed custodian working on behalf of Mother Ocean, is unable to be here due to the pressing business regarding our dear cetacean friends the whales and dolphins. Thus she asked if I would speak on her behalf, so with your permission I will continue.’ The delegates concurred with nodding heads.

‘Like Mother Earth, Mother Ocean too was well pleased with the spirit energies. Each creature was brought into form in a multitudinous array of colours and complex forms, holding the energies in so succinct a balance that many of the species created were able to maintain the essence and form of their species throughout the ages. After much space-time past, Mother Ocean was ready to receive her high conscious beings, our friends the whales and dolphins. As you are all aware,’ continued Podrigeena, ‘the essence of cetacean energy was so powerful, that they were given the enormous task of holding the universal energy in place from their ocean realm. They have now held the energy in place for fifty million years in human space-time,’ paused Podrigeena, as a murmur of admiration emanated from the delegates acknowledging their cetacean friends.

‘Some species, such as our friends the humpback whales, were slotted into the grand universal scheme in such a unique way that for most of their existence and to this space-time, they traverse many nautical miles linking their unique annual song with the energy grids deep below the ocean floor. Their songs stimulate the energy grids, which radiate outwards and upwards towards the spatial energies holding our Earth Ocean Planet in her finely balanced position within our galaxy. From time to time Mother Earth Ocean has been shaken off her centre and the whales have had to change their activities to support her. With their intelligence they had the ability to adapt to the needs of Mother Earth Ocean as needed. Our cetacean friends continue to use their intelligence and energy in service to all life.

Mother Ocean with all her spirit essences now expressed in form and with the stable support of Cetacea, finally reached a pinnacle of perfection and balance.

We on the land watched and learned from the ocean spirits and divas. We took note of how they orchestrated their final leap towards an intelligent large brained consciousness, a consciousness that would be able to connect planetary and universal consciousness. But it remained our task as land beings to create a form that would support the work of Cetacea in aiding Mother Earth Ocean’s next evolutionary step.

There was much discussion about the form this earth creature would take. The criteria were based on the realisation that there was a missing link hindering the unity of the whole planet. That there was a need for large brained earth beings with the ability to connect directly with cetacean consciousness. Thus this latest evolutionary creation needed to be as agile as the great apes on land, yet as supple and sleek as their cetacean cousins. They had to be able to adapt their breathing and mobility for both land and water.

The experiment was a great success. Oceanians, as they were lovingly called by Oceania, were beautifully formed beings. They had four limbs like the great apes, but much more delicately formed. It was necessary to have limbs that could align comfortably with the body; much like the flippers and tail-flukes of the dolphin. But at the same time they needed the agility to walk on Mother Earth and traverse her mountains. So their hands and feet were extremely flexible, enabling them to point their feet almost in line with their ankles for ocean use, and flex them upwards for climbing mountainous terrain. Their fingers and toes had only a small amount of webbing. It seemed that the most difficult task was to create a body covering, which would be almost as sleek as the dolphins’, yet able to cope with the differing terrestrial environments. Our creation spirits looked no further than our reptilian friends. Their outer clothing had proved to adapt well on land and water. But instead of creating a scaly surface, the creation spirits brought together a most unique collection of elements that resulted in the Oceanians having a thick yet supple coating of skin, which was as soft as the dolphin’s yet more robust and covered by a soft golden down. When the sun caught these beings in its golden rays in the ocean or on land, they resembled streaks of sunlight moving deftly throughout their environments. And on grey days, they took on a metallic hue.

As the Oceanians were intended to spend more time on land than in the sea, their facial features were much like the present human beings. The only difference being was that they had slightly pointed skulls, chins and ears and large almond shaped eyes. A complex lung structure gave them the ability to breathe underwater, so they could spend long periods of space-time with their cetacean friends. With these two equally refined intelligent sentient species now created, the link between the oceans and the land was completed.

You are all aware of what followed: how the Oceanians took easily to the watery world of the whales and dolphins; how the cetaceans passed on their knowledge and wisdom to the Oceanians; how dynamic, yet finely balanced, the whole of creation was on Mother Earth Ocean and how the balance was to be maintained. Finally, how to steadily increase the consciousness on Planet Earth in preparation for the ‘big shift’, as it is known.’

Throughout Podrigeena’s address, her words formed holograms emanating from the centre of the Nine and the whole of creation was shown through brilliant colourful images of flora and fauna, manifesting one after the other at lightening speed, as each being in the assembly picked out at their own speed, individual images catching their attention. At the same space-time, Podrigeena’s voice harmoniously and exquisitely blended with the movement of the images and the music accompanying the whole display. It was as if the images were being created from the mind and voice of Podrigeena.

As she reached the end of her address, Podrigeena thanked the assembly for their undivided attention then immediately radiated her loving energy across the hall towards Wyrdoz and announced, ‘It is now the space-time for the Honourable Wyrdoz to continue this discourse.’

‘Well, well, well! I too am honoured to be with you this evening,’ announced Wyrdoz in a deep clear voice.

The sound of Wyrdoz’ voice and the change in energy in the hall was dramatic. It was as if Podrigeena had enchanted the whole assembly and lulled them into a sense of wonder and mystery. The assembly knew and embraced Podrigeena’s loving power. They did indeed feel well loved and blessed after having listened intently to Podrigeena for so long a period. Wyrdoz’ energy and tone had the affect of bringing the assembly back to earth with a rude shock. It was well known and accepted, that he was chosen to be the working partner of Podrigeena, because it was felt that their combined energies brought a dynamic shift in consciousness to those in their presence. Podrigeena on this occasion wove the web of life, setting the stage for the more disruptive dramatic energy of Wyrdoz. It was clearly time for action! A restless murmur passed around the great spiral and there was much movement along the swirling line, as if a chill wind had entered the hall.

Wyrdoz had been huddled beneath his dark blue silver trimmed cloak and had sat motionless throughout Podrigeena’s address. Wyrdoz was known as a master of morphing and space-time travel and would often surprise his audience by appearing in a form that they were unfamiliar with, or at a space-time that was unexpected. On this occasion he appeared in gnome aspect, which was out of kilter with his usually tall almost skinny appearance. His most striking feature was his eyes, which seemed to have the effect of a sword flashing and piercing into the eyes of those who fell under his gaze. He appeared ageless, yet ancient in age. However, his hands, hanging on tightly to a large decorated staff looked rather gnarled, a telling sign of his longevity. Tension increased in the hall as Wyrdoz took his time in making a move to continue the discourse. He seemed to be deliberating on how best to present the rest of the tale. In the meantime, a mood of restlessness expressed itself in whisperings among the assembly. Gnome Double Doubt had started the whisperings by turning to Gnome Wonder and grumbling that Wyrdoz was wasting time and loosing the energy of the assembly. Wonder softly patted Double Doubt on his arm saying, ‘Patience Double Doubt, Wyrdoz knows exactly what he is doing. Even in this moment nothing is lost to Wyrdoz. His every movement is a study in the art of surprise to lift us all to another level. So relax. Take it easy. All is divinely planned.’

And just as Double Doubt was about to make another doubtful retort to Wonder, a lightening bolt shot through the open canopy and struck in the centre of the Nine. The hall became pitch black, as all the candles were instantly extinguished and cries of anticipation swirled around the hall. Then just as suddenly, a blinding white light shot out from the centre of the Nine. The Nine had also been thrown into darkness and were now black silhouettes against the white light.

Wyrdoz’ deep authoritative voice broke through the darkness and alarm of the delegates. As he spoke, a dim blue light appeared over the area where he had been sitting. To their utter amazement the assembly could just make out the shadowy outline of a whale; lessened in proportion from its actual size so that it would not take up the whole of the space in the hall. At the same time a smoky haze drifted up through the blinding white light, while the Nine sat calmly in their circle gesturing to the assembly to settle down.

‘Unlike my partner Podrigeena,’ boomed Wyrdoz’ voice from somewhere in the dark recesses of the hall, ‘I am a being of few words and do not have the gift of eloquence of speech. Thus I present the keeper of the ancient records to continue the story. Whale will enter your minds and hearts through sound-thought patterns.’

In the minds of all present they heard Wyrdoz address Whale in respectful terms. Then silence reigned. Out of the silence emerged a tonal sound, which seemed to come from far away. The sound gradually became louder and louder until all minds in the assembly became one mind. In that one mind they heard Whale telling them to look towards the light in the centre of the Nine, where out of the haze two beings manifested, golden in appearance.

Whale communicated that the images were thought images of the first two Oceanians to come into existence. A gasp of awe went through the hall. The assembly had never seen Oceanians. Through the vivid descriptions handed down over eons of space-time by storytellers such as Podrigeena, they could not have imagined the beings that now appeared before them. They were beings of such beauty and grace and with a presence of such overwhelming love energy, that it became almost too overpowering to gaze upon them for any length of space-time.

Whale now broke through the spellbound attention of the assembly as he brought into focus thoughts of concern, telling of the Oceanians first tentative steps on land. He showed the two beings saying farewell to their cetacean friends as they left the watery world behind them and moved slowly along the deserted beach. As the two beings meandered along the waters edge, they picked up shellfish washed up on the sand and ate of the flesh, throwing the shells back into the ocean. Singing sweet melodies, they headed towards a sandy cave further along the beach. Just before they reached the cave, they seemed to sniff around the area, cautiously moving a little closer to the entrance. Suddenly their body language changed to one of alertness and flight, but it was too late! A snarling beast leapt out of the entranceway killing one of the Oceanians with its sheer weight and badly injuring the other. Like their cetacean friends, they expressed strong group loyalty, therefore the injured one did not run for its life, but tried desperately to distract the beast away from its mate. Both were killed within the blink of an eye.

Whale went on to show how time and time again the Oceanians were no match for the predators on land and how they lacked the necessary instincts of survival often expressed in violent terms by their fellow land creatures. Whale told of the demise of the peace loving innocent beings, the Oceanians. The link had been broken between Cetacea and the large brained Oceanians. It was a devastating setback for Mother Earth Ocean and an even greater one for Cetacea. Whale revealed how Cetacea stored the memory of the sadness and loss of the Oceanians’, and how they also carried the hope that there would be another evolutionary large brained conscious being that would reconnect the link between Mother Earth and Mother Ocean.

A heavy cloud of sadness came over the mind of the assembly. It became such a sense of grief that Whale had difficulty cutting through the thick fog of depression, until once again they heard the sound of Whale coming from far away. As the soothing vibration gradually became louder, easing the minds and hearts of all present, the assembly turned their attention back to the business at hand.

Whale reminded the assembly that every single form created on Mother Earth Ocean had taken eons of space-time experience to evolve. Each form had adapted to fit in with the whole and each essence was able to live, interact and still remain intact in balanced numbers because of their enduring experience. Oceanians on the other hand, had not had the space-time experience in which to adapt. The Oceanians had gleaned their knowledge of worldly matters from the cetaceans. However, it needed to be actualised in physical experience over many millennia to deal with the stronger more robust energies of the land dwellers. These playful peace-loving Oceanians were no match for the physical strength of the land species. They thought not of violent retaliatory actions to survive and had no thoughts on weaponry.

‘It was a majestic dreaming which manifested well before its space-time,’ continued Whale. ‘The rest is history. The link had been broken and evolution took another sharp turn. And so began the long slow journey of a different kind, the ‘Emergence of Man’, as it is known in the human realm. I will now hand you back to our esteemed Wyrdoz. Many blessings upon you all’ trailed off Whale, as he disappeared into the ether releasing the minds of the assembly into a state of unease.

Wyrdoz immediately captured their attention. He now appeared almost giant size as his moving form floated in the smoky light at the centre of the Nine. His cloak too had increased in size, but was still dwarfing his form. It fell in folds around his body hiding his feet. The assembly could barely make out his facial features mainly hidden beneath his hooded cloak. But the distinct feature, which was familiar to all present, was the colour of his eyes, which seemed to radiate from a vast internal source of energy. In a serious mode of thought his light grey eyes flashed steel-like as a sword. And just as swiftly, if his disposition changed to one of lightheartedness, they softened as if melted by the sun into a blue-green sea at rest. Thus most of the assembly gauged his energy and disposition from the colour and tone of his eyes and sensed the importance of what he was about to declare.

‘Their journey is long and hazardous!’ boomed Wyrdoz. ‘Let your minds become one again and follow me through human space-time!’ he commanded.

With that, Wyrdoz’s cloak fell away and the assembly saw a prototype of what was to become human beings. Wyrdoz morphed from one shape to the next, appearing in the clothing of the day, or naked if that was appropriate in certain space-times. He was accompanied by scenes of human industry; a montage of hunting, gathering, inventing, farming, building, and throughout the display, humans lovingly caring for their young and for each other.

‘Most clans wandered over large defined areas following the rhythms of nature and eking out an existence however they were able,’ continued Wyrdoz. ‘Their greatest asset was their ability to manipulate their environment. It was a necessary asset. The human species were still no match for the other more robust creatures in their environment. Individually they had neither the strength nor the speed to survive in the wild. Thus, they learned very early in their evolution to work together using the group mind in hunting and gathering. Tool making skills were also developed for the gathering of fruits and plants or bringing down prey.

The human experiment was a grand vision. A magnificent challenge!’ he declared. ‘Human beings had to adapt to their environment in order to survive. The expectation was that they would connect with the consciousness of Cetacea. Only then would Mother Earth Ocean be ready to journey forward.

The evolution of human beings must succeed!’ exclaimed Wyrdoz loudly. ‘Balance. Balance,’ muttered Wyrdoz. ‘It is all about balance!’

Wyrdoz was now standing in front of his chair, clad in his ample cloak and tall in stature. He started to pace on the spot and seemed not to be speaking to the assembly, but rather muttering away to himself. His restlessness was contagious. The assembly erupted in a buzz of energy.

‘What is he doing now? He seems to have lost the thread of things!’ declared Double Doubt to Wonder impatiently.

‘Listen with care Double Doubt,’ whispered back Wonder in a serious manner, which had the effect of making Double Doubt, doubt his own interpretation of Wyrdoz’ hesitancy. If Wonder became serious Double Doubt knew that matters were of genuine concern.

‘In the beginning, as you are all well aware,’ continued Wyrdoz in a more wistful fashion, ‘human beings maintained the balance in their territorial boundaries and worked with Mother Nature honouring her in their physical endeavours and religious rites. They were still connected with Mother Nature through dreamings, myths and legends. And many,’ he said softly, ‘are still conscious of the connectedness of all life and the essence of the Dreaming.

But many have broken their bonds with Mother Nature,’ declared Wyrdoz, in a more somber voice. ‘They became self-made exiles. Lost in the wilderness of greed and violence. Some now see themselves above Mother Nature. Nay! Even darker than that! They see themselves in control of Mother Nature, raping and pillaging the beauty of her landscapes by felling forests and gouging out minerals from beneath the earth as if there was no end to her resources. These self-made exiles believe in progress at all costs and nothing escapes their appetite for power. The more they have, the more their needs grow,’ ended Wyrdoz, as he paced to and fro with a restlessness of spirit that alarmed the delegates. With that, the whole assembly rose to its feet shouting, ‘An end to the exiles! An end to the exiles!’

At that moment, Wyrdoz realised that his tendency towards the dramatic may have gone too far. His intention was to inspire all present, not to take them into the very forces he was denouncing.

‘Now, now, do not let my descriptions of the exiles draw you into their energy fields. We must avoid inviting negative forces into our midst. We are all aware that even mentioning them somehow feeds them. Our thoughts must always come back to balance. It has always been our way. Nothing is ever gained by reacting to such reckless forces. We must always remain objective when engaging our energies in their direction. Otherwise, we too will be pulled into their wretched energy field and lose all sense of our own interconnectedness with Mother Earth Ocean.

We must take a leaf out of the ancient records of Cetacea. They have been hunted and killed by the exiles for over thirteen centuries in human space-time. Have they retaliated? No! On the contrary, they still seek out the company of humans. Action, not reaction is the wise way to proceed, honourable members of the assembly. A wise old gnome once put out the thought ‘Where there is light there is hope!’ And thus, we must follow the light to where it leads us.

Mercy me. Mercy me. We need to take action. Take action,’ muttered Wyrdoz under his breath, as if forgetting his train of thought and seemingly drifting off into a world of his own again.

‘Goodness! Goodness! When will he get to the point of this meeting Wonder? Do you know what he is driving at?’ urged Double Doubt. And just as Wonder was about to reassure his friend, he heard his own name being called out.

‘Gnome Wonder would you be so kind as to inform the assembly of the latest ‘Experiment’ that we have been working on with regard to the human beings,’ declared Wyrdoz inviting Wonder into the centre of the floor.

‘The latest experiment! The latest experiment! What is this all about Wonder? Why was I not told about it? We are partners, each supposedly knowing exactly what the other is doing. This is not the way of our realm!’ exclaimed Double Doubt with heavy indignation. But before Wonder had a chance to answer, he was being led to the centre of the hall by the master of ceremonies, Elf.

Wonder was never so wondrous as at this moment. He gazed around the spiral and sweepingly acknowledged each and every delegate with an encompassing smile. ‘It is an honour. It is an honour to speak with you all. It is an honour to hear the wise nurturing words of Podrigeena and it is an honour to be in the presence of Wyrdoz and the Nine. What an honour, what an honour,’ said Wonder continuing to gaze at the assembly and the elders of his realm.

‘Now now, you have honoured us all well enough Wonder. Could you please get to the point of this gathering? These good beings have waited patiently to hear why this extraordinary meeting was called,’ urged Wyrdoz signaling Wonder to begin.

‘Dear friends,’ said Wonder as he straightened his lean body upwards, seeming to grow in height before their very eyes, ‘before I speak about the experiment, I would like to explain to my dear friend the honourable Gnome Double Doubt why it is that I have been involved in an experiment which did not involve him directly. Podrigeena has already spoken of our working partnerships and the matching process. We were considered to be a good match. My sense of idealism needed the practical aspects of my dear friend to bring balance to our particular part of the journey. Gnome Double Doubt has taught me the wisdom of temperance and contemplation and as well, a good deal of discernment. As all of you know, I am inclined to leap in where our friends the angels fear to tread. I have come to realise that our combined creative forces have inspired us beyond our individual past endeavours. In a sense, our partnership is much like the rubbing of two sticks together. Each adds to the other the friction creating fire, an explosive force. Thus, without the dyadic experience I would not have been prepared for the experiment of which our honourable Wyrdoz speaks.

As we have been reminded this evening, the experiment with the Oceanians failed dramatically,’ continued Wonder now turning his focus back to the whole assembly without explaining to Double Doubt why he had been left in the dark. ‘It seems there are no shortcuts to the evolution of a species. Creating a large brain earth creature to connect with Cetacea would require a gradual evolutionary process. So as humans would say, it was ‘back to the drawing board,’ quipped Wonder with a wry smile.

Double Doubt did not appear to be at all comforted by Wonder seemingly side-stepping the reason why he had chosen to act alone, without due discourse to himself. As Wonder’s story unfolded, Double Doubt’s facial expression became granite-like and his agitation increased.

‘A good match, a match creating fire, what is Wonder going on about? I’ll give him fire soon enough,’ thought Double Doubt in frustration.

‘The spark of inspiration that I gleaned from my partnership with Gnome Double Doubt,’ continued Wonder calmly, unaware of his friend’s discomfort and disapproval, ‘set me wondering whether it was possible to reconnect with the human beings in the realm of All That Is.’

Immediately, there was a unified gasp of disbelief from the assembly, at the mention of the realm of All That Is. At the same time, Double Doubt, who could no longer stand the ramblings of Wonder, stumbled to his feet in protest. Straightening his attire with one hand he raised the other for permission to speak. This caused a further chain reaction throughout the assembly. His behaviour was totally unacceptable in the realm of the sacred spiral. The concept of speaking by invitation honoured the sacredness of their gatherings and was indeed a code not to be broken. Wonder, who suddenly became aware of Double Doubt’s distress moved quickly to his side and with gentle persuasion led him into the centre of the hall. Then in a respectful but hurried manner, Wonder bowed to his friend and then to the assembly.

‘Please. I beg of you,’ pleaded Wonder, addressing the gathering. ‘If there is any admonishment to be expressed, it should be directed at my own conduct. I knew I was taking a risk with our friendship by not informing Gnome Double Doubt of my latest activities. I implore you to forgive his interjection and invite him to speak. His grievances are no doubt valid and as you would all agree, this discourse will have a much clearer outcome if both points of view are aired.’

After much consultation and deliberation, silence reigned and the assembly nodded assent to Wonder’s request and he once again bowed to Double Doubt saying, ‘Please forgive my indiscretions, dear friend.’

In that moment Double Doubt seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and with a look of deep pain in his eyes, he turned to address the delegates. ‘I apologise to the Honourable Podrigeena, Wyrdoz, the Nine and the assembly for my rude interruption of the Grand Council meeting,’ appealed Double Doubt, almost choking on the words as he poured out his feelings. ‘My only excuse is that I could no longer sit back and let Gnome Wonder glide over all the good work we have already achieved in our dealings with the humans. I am deeply hurt and offended that Gnome Wonder thought it necessary to exclude me from his venturing of late and he thought me naive of his wanderings into other realms. I had my suspicions all along and now they have just been confirmed. To suggest that we enter the realm of All That Is, without serious deliberation by the assembly, is disconcerting to say the least. Surely Gnome Wonder had the common sense and decency to explore the idea with myself, before leaping into a situation, which may have serious repercussions.

I realise now that the very disturbing event that occurred just prior to this meeting was all part of Gnome Wonder’s venturing into other realms. While in search of him I was pulled with such force and unwillingness into the realm of a human being’s dreaming. I can tell you, it was quite a shock to both myself and the child involved and had the potential of turning into a nightmare. Luckily for both of us, we escaped within a hare’s breath. The child actually awoke in the space-time between our realms and seemed terribly distraught. I dread to think what she might make of her experience and my intrusion into her dreamscape.’

Double Doubt looked fleetingly at Wonder, half expecting him to interrupt his outburst, but instead received a nod to continue. Wonder knew better than to interrupt his friend when in full flight.

‘In my humble opinion,’ said Double Doubt, in a more considered manner. ‘I seriously doubt whether allowing humans to go beyond their comprehension of space-time this early in their evolution would in fact push them back through the barrier to being consciously connected to the realm of All That Is. And what indeed,’ exclaimed Double Doubt turning towards his friend with an indignant glare, ‘was wrong with our usual methods of helping human beings in their process of evolution? We have spent eons of space-time nurturing the dreamings of those cultures who still retain a sense of balance and purpose in their lives. I think it would be much more prudent for all of us to concentrate our energies on the human beings who are still connected consciously to the web of life.

Who can predict what might happen if we meddle in the realm of All That Is,’ he continued. ‘One of our realm may become stranded in the human realm and vice versa. We must err on the side of caution and use our energies wisely,’ urged Double Doubt forcefully. And with that advice, he abruptly bowed to the assembly and once again asked their forgiveness for his inappropriate behaviour.

‘Well said Gnome Double Doubt! Well said!’ came the cry from the assembly, with lots of bowing and nods of approval.

‘If I may be so bold,’ declared Wyrdoz quietly, interrupting the mutual admiration of the assembly and Double Doubt. ‘I feel it important that Gnome Wonder explain why he is proposing such an extraordinary experiment involving a human being in the realm of All That Is. Having been privy to his recent adventures and after having numerous consultations about the ideas arising from them, I am sure you will be just as convinced as I am, that under the circumstances, his suggestions are not as reckless as one might expect. I would also graciously like to remind the assembly of the urgent needs of our Mother Earth Ocean. These are dire times which will demand bold decisions,’ finished off Wyrdoz with one of his steel-like glares. All, including Double Doubt, nodded in agreement as Ewon of the Nine gestured to Wonder to continue.

Wonder stepped forward lightly and with eyes sparkling with love he enthusiastically continued.

‘I have always believed that dreams were the key to expanding human consciousness and that they would begin to understand that their dreams and mythologies were gateways to other realms. However, over many eons doubt crept into my optimism. I noticed the adults rarely remembered their dreams and quickly dismissed their children’s dreamings as make-belief or fantasy, or worse still, nightmares. Dreams upon dreams became lost in the wilderness of the collective consciousness.

Although I fully concur with my friend Gnome Double Doubt that we are still achieving positive results with many indigenous cultures, in general, the situation has worsened and we are losing the children to the cynicism of their space-time and the deadening brutality of their material world. They now have the use of media technology to support and promote their beliefs on progress. And as you are all aware, the children also have access to the wider world through movies and newsreel coverage of the worst aspects of violence, destruction and greed.

The planet has reached a critical point in her evolution and Mother Earth Ocean is crying out for our help. Her natural systems have suffered immense damage and her ability to reverse the situation is waning. This extraordinary meeting of the Grand Council is the result of much consultation with her representatives, our esteemed Podrigeena, Wyrdoz, Oceania, the stabilising energy of the Nine and Cetacea. We need to take drastic measures to deal with a drastic situation. And that is why Wyrdoz sought my help when he heard of my wanderings into the human realm.’

Wonder came to a sudden dramatic halt in his explanation and stood looking up at the assembly with an air of distress; giving them the space-time to let his words sink in.

By this time, all of the delegates were whispering their concerns for Mother Earth Ocean. However, Double Doubt acknowledged his friend’s discomfort and moved closer to him. As he patted him comfortingly on the shoulder he noted how rare it was to see the usually idealistic Wonder, so anxious and it was quite worrying.

Without warning, a sharp explosion of energy burst through the depressing atmosphere of unease as Wyrdoz exclaimed with a tinge of humour in his voice, ‘Now now Wonder. Let us not get too overly dramatic. We all know that where there’s a Wonder there’s a way. Tell the assembly of our experiment. It is not all-dire news!’

‘Well,’ said Wonder, lightening up and bringing enthusiasm back into his voice. ‘The honourable Wyrdoz asked if I had encountered a child who had the imagination and will, to explore the realm of