The Book of Neeners: A Memoir

By Janine Benoit

Breathe In, Breath Out.  Inhaling and exhaling… feeling everything, knowing everything, but my body is just not responding to the world around me… Inhale deeply… Exhale.  When will the darkness go away?

Darkness gives life to the worst kinds of false saviors. Uniquely charismatic and charming Aleister Creed was the worst of those, weaving his cult of personality to create a following that swept the country with the promise of a better life. But his true motives were the kind of pure evil that would take everything and everyone down.

Legend has it that a species once existed of beings that were pure light. Disregarded as folklore or urban legend, the Neeners did once exist and only a few remain today living among us but rarely seen by humans. As all Neeners do, Jima set off on his own personal journey of self-discovery only to realize he was called for a higher purpose, an adventure that would shape the future for everyone. Unbeknownst to him, only this young Neener has the power to combat the evil prepared to remove all remaining light from the world and condemn the human race to a life of darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647015008

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The Book of Neeners

A Memoir

Janine Benoit

Copyright © 2021 Janine Benoit

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-66244-279-7 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-64701-501-5 (hc)

ISBN 978-1-64701-500-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The Ancient Tale of the Neener

A Rite of Passage

And the Cult of Personality Grows

A Little Peek at Book II

For Jacob, the light in my life. Well, we finally got our story in print.

Author’s Note

Where light exists, the polar opposite, darkness, also always lurks in the shadows just beyond. Light equals energy, of which there are many, many sources. The light that I am most captivated by is not the photon filled, amber light that shines from a chandelier, or that of a burning candle. It’s not the visible light that fascinates me, but instead the inner light we all possess. I have spent my life marveling, seeking, admiring this light and the positive power it brings, all the while trying to avoid the shades of darkness that inevitably find us. I’ve lived a full and meaningful life. Some would say my experiences are so vast that it could fill many lifetimes. This is the first novel that begins my life’s memoir. Join me, T. Jima Neener, as I recall stories and my life’s adventures. (That’s a first initial, middle name. It’s a long-standing tradition in my family. My friends call me Jima.) I am a Neener. Neeners have been around for as long as humans have roamed the Earth and fish have swam the sea.

So, you’re probably asking yourself, What the heck is a Neener? Neeners were created different from you and the other species. We are strong enough to bear all things, we are good, and we are pure. Neeners are in a constant search for knowledge. We are descendants from the lost continent of Mu. This was a land where humans and Neeners prospered together. Well, more than prospered, we excelled and inspired our kind for hundreds of years until the day darkness visited our small island and decided to try and make it his own. Our tranquil, peaceful land was lost forever. Folklore tells that there were survivors, but no one is sure just how many humans and Neeners made it to a safe haven or where these safe havens were. With the disappearance of this advanced civilization, many secrets of higher, spiritual ways of life and beliefs were lost. This was a pure civilization, but just like all things in life where there is so much good, it becomes a target for its polar opposite, evil. The beginning of the Neeners is still much of a mystery, and the reasons why Mu was lost forever raise even more questions. Through the ones who survived, the Neener culture lives on. Some say they never even existed, while it is said others still honor and have allegiance to this secret, long-forgotten society. Neeners are advanced beings who represent a way of life, a philosophy of living life to its fullest, seeking out knowledge, and enlightenment. We have a deep sense of social responsibility. We are kind, benevolent, fiercely loyal creatures that are very rarely seen by humans. We believe in the good in people and oppose evil. But don’t make the mistake of underestimating Neeners like some of our adversaries. They made the costly error of mistaking our kindness for weakness, and in the end, it just didn’t work out in their favor. Although we are quite small compared to some species, we are fierce warriors and very powerful. Our motto is simple: Be kind to others, live life to its fullest, and leave this Earth a better place than you found it.

Join me on one of my earliest adventures, The Ancient Tale of the Neener.

I hope you enjoy my stories, and if you don’t, well, life is just too short for you to read something you don’t enjoy.

—Jima Neener

Explorer, Adventurer, Historian and Defender of Light

If you want to envision the future, you first must understand the past.

Breathe in, breathe out. Inhaling and exhaling…feeling everything, knowing everything, but my body is just not responding to the world around me… Inhale deeply… Exhale. I can feel life flowing through my body, pumping my heart. The light from the full moon cascades down my face and body. I can feel its energy. My arms are extended high to the heavens, but still I am so very disconnected with the world. When will this stop? When will the darkness go away?

I’ve always had visions. I’ve always had nightmares, the kind that would trap you within them, the kind where you could hear your screams as well as others in your mind, but still you aren’t able to wake yourself. It was as if I didn’t have control over them, didn’t possess the power to break the spell of them. I’ve always felt as if someone or something was making sure I bear witness to what these visions were showing me.

I would wake in a pool of sweat, my short, fine fur coated with droplets of dewy wetness, the taste of metal in my mouth, my heart beating so fast and hard that I was sure it would burst right out of my chest. These fits would leave me so wiped out that I would be unable to speak or stand for hours after them. It was as if all the life and energy were taken from my body and left me in this catatonic state.

I was raised by my grandmother Lucy and grandfather Petra. As a young child, my grandmother Lucy was the one who often found me. I would be out of bed, on the porch that was adjacent to my second-story bedroom. The porch overlooked the vast lush land my family owned. It must have been something to see, a small Neener with his arms outstretched to the sky. My large Neener eyes, gazing upward. They glistened like diamonds, a trait all Neeners possess. Both of my grandparents would then comfort me with cool compresses and bring me back to bed. Grandma Lucy always commented how the odor of my breath smelled after these fits. She said it was charged with tangible energy, accompanied with this metallic tannin smell. Such a unique, distinct smell, she would say.

As I got a bit older, these fits would take me outside my home. I would always go to the same place. Grandmother would find me at this great vertical rock formation. This cliff hung high above the vast, endless sky over the waters of the Pacific Ocean, reaching high above the cerulean water. I was said to be found on my knees at the very edge of the cliff, in a somnambulist state. My face turned upward to the boundless sky, as the ominous moon hung high above me.

The first time Grandmother found me there, she was so afraid to approach thinking she would startle me, and I would fall to my death on the jagged rocks below. If it wasn’t for my grandfather hearing my grandmother’s cries for help, I just might have fallen into the depths of the dark ocean. He carefully approached me and gently wrapped his arms around my small shivering body, collapsing into his strong arms, my head cradled in his chest, my diamond eyes just staring off into the distance.

The nights with full moons were the very worst. It seems that these visions and nightmares would haunt me so fiercely during these times. I’ve since learned how to control these visions and can even have them while I’m awake. These visions have set the foundation for my life, representing the roadmap of my journey and life’s purpose.

My dear readers, I was born in the caves of the South Pacific. On our island, the sun shines almost every day; the air is clean and fresh. Allow me to introduce myself. I am a Neener. My given name is T. Jima Neener. That’s a first initial, middle name, a long-standing tradition in my family; I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.

Light equals energy, of which there are many, many sources. The light that I am most captivated by is not the photon filled, amber light that shines from a chandelier, or that of a burning candle. It’s not the visible light that fascinates me, but instead the inner, inward light we all possess. I have spent my life marveling, seeking, admiring light and the positive power it brings, all the while trying to avoid the shades of darkness that inevitably find us.

The Ancient Tale of the Neener

My kind have existed on this planet for thousands of years. Neeners, along with humans, created one of the first and most advanced civilizations. We helped build the great pyramids, and drank wine with kings and queens. Let’s just say, we’ve existed for a very long time.

I’ve lived a full and meaningful life. Some would say my experiences could fill and expand across many lives. This is the first novel that begins my life’s memoir.

Neeners were created different from you and the other species that roam this fine Earth. We are powerful enough to bear all things, we are good, and we are pure. Neeners are benevolent, fiercely loyal creatures that are very rarely seen by humans. We are light seekers—meaning, we seek out light and the spirit of lightness whenever and wherever possible. We are creators, inventors, explorers, poets, and artists. We believe in the innate goodness of people and repel evil. But don’t make the mistake of underestimating Neeners like some of our adversaries. They made the costly error of mistaking our kindness for weakness, and in the end, it just doesn’t work out in their favor. Although we are quite small compared to some species, we are fierce warriors and very powerful. Like most great warriors, Neeners exhibit great feats of individual bravery.

My dear readers, I am an explorer and a defender of light in my heart and a warrior in my soul. I’ve been told that these traits were known to others from the moment I made my appearance on this great Earth so many decades ago. I also am the keeper of the Great Book of Neeners, which tells of our history. I’m in constant search of knowledge and enlightenment. I did not come by this role all on my own accord, but rather it was given to me, a role for which there was no way I could possibly ignore it. These days, I spend most of my time exploring, documenting, and investigating Neener history. I find clues to a secret pact of Neeners or uncover a Neener tale that’s been handed down from generation to generation and needs to be sorted out to see if there’s any truth to the story. There are parts of my life that are still very much a mystery to me and I am in constant search to uncover them.

Although we are rare, Neeners can be found on most continents of this great Earth, and I believe some have still yet to be discovered. So, you’re probably asking yourself, What on Earth is a Neener? Well, Neeners come from the lost continent of Mu. The Isle of Mu was nestled deep in the cerulean sea and azure skies of the South Pacific during the third millennium BC or about five thousand years ago (the exact period is hard to pinpoint). This was a land where humans and Neeners prospered together—well, more than prospered; they excelled and inspired for several hundreds of years until the day evil visited our small island and decided to try and make it his own. Our tranquil, peaceful land was lost forever.

The people of Mu were a complex, well-organized society with great skills and economic ability. Folklore tells that there were survivors, but no one is sure just how many humans and Neeners made it to safe haven or where this safe haven was. With the loss of this advanced civilization went many secrets of higher spiritual ways of life and beliefs. This was a pure civilization, but just like with all things in life where there is good, there is also the polar opposite: evil. The beginning of the Neeners is still much of a mystery, and the reasons why Mu was lost forever raise even more questions, some of which I have been able to uncover during my life. Through the ones who survived, the Neener culture lives on. As with other lost colonies throughout time, many secrets, beliefs, and traditions were lost, and to this day, much of the island of Mu and the Neeners remain a mystery to humans. Some say they never even existed, while others keep their allegiance to this society in secret. Neener culture represents a way of life, a philosophy of living life to its fullest. We are kind, benevolent, fiercely loyal creatures that are very rarely seen by humans. Our motto is simple: Be kind to others, live life to its fullest, and leave this Earth in a better place than you found it.

Neeners are pretty cool-looking creatures; well, perhaps I’m a bit biased. We have little ears covered in the softest fur imaginable. We are small by human standards, about the size of an average sixteen to eighteen-year-old teenager, but very strong. Our oversize eyes sparkle like diamonds with flecks of silver and come in many brilliant colors.

Neeners are very rare, and most folks don’t even know we exist. But if you’ve ever had the chance to meet one, and are lucky enough to accompany one on an adventure, you would surely have a friend for life.

A Rite of Passage

There comes a time in every Neener’s life when they must leave the comforts of their village, leave their family and friends behind, and go off alone to seek out their direction in life and unlock their unique gifts and potential. It is the key that unlocks one’s own future. This marks the completion of their old life and serves as the crossing of the threshold into one’s adult life. It marks the growth from their childhood to adulthood, from ignorance to insight, from arrogance to humility. Many Neeners before me, both male and female, have found much meaning and discovery in this powerful process.

Much like the Lakota Indians, my people also embrace these same principles, and at the age of thirteen, as is customary with all thirteen-year-old Neeners, I was sent on my first vision quest or, as the Neeners refer to it, the Passage of Enlightenment. These visions represent the instructions by which a young Neener would follow for their life’s journey. Undertaking these rite-of-passage quests is not easy. They challenge both mind and spirit and yield much insight to one’s future life.

On the day of my thirteenth birthday, the entire village and my very best friend, Nikita, came out to bid farewell and wish me the best. The ceremony commenced at sundown. In true Neener form, the celebration was filled with a bounty of food, ceremony, and festivities. Just as my birthday waned into the next day, I set off on my vision quest. Nikita ran to me to wish me luck. You’ve got this! she said. Remember how very strong you are inside, she added.

Thanks, Nikita. I’m a bit nervous and excited all wrapped up in one. Thank goodness I have an excellent sense of direction. That will help me on my journey, I said.

"Ah, Jima, you don’t have any sense of direction. She smiled. You have the worst sense of direction, she added, to which I replied, No, I don’t," to which she rolled her eyes and fluttered her eyelashes—something she often does when she is exacerbated.

"Yes, you do," she added.

No, I don’t. Why, just the other day, I saved us from being completely lost in the mountains. Don’t you remember? Another eye roll from Nikita. What I remember was that you had us hiking east and we needed to head west. I was the one who turned us around. I paused. Hmm, maybe she was right about that one, but I know I have an excellent sense of direction!

Be safe. She brought my forehead to meet hers and held it in place for a long beat. You got this, she whispered in my ear. Now go! Off with you!

So, I started my quest. You could well imagine, my dear readers, how unsure I was of what was ahead of me. Just as I cleared the first hill, I turned back and saw my best friend in the distance still looking on, watching over me, as she always does.

The waxing moon was bright in the night’s sky, and I followed it and the stars as I was taught. As is tradition with the Passage of Enlightenment, I was instructed to go to an isolated area of our island and limit my food and my water intake for two days. This allows for the weakening of mind, body, and spirit, making one open to receiving their vision. On the eve of the second night, I was weak but still very