The Tapestry INT2024

Lumenari opened her eyes. Her right arm came slowly into focus, covered in a fine layer of snow.

She was laying on the ground on her side.

At the edge of her vision was an ice covered tipi. A flickering light at the entrance suggested not only warmth but the possibility of human company.

Where was she?

Lumenari rolled onto her back.

The night sky above her was a smattering of clouds hiding bits and pieces of something that at first was incomprehensible to her. It spanned across the entire sky...an interwoven fabric of multicolored energy, pulsating with a life of its own.

Of course, she thought... the Tapestry.

Memories slammed into her. Tastes and joy and sounds and pain and smells and love mixed with colors and hatred.

Her entire life, all at once.

But she quickly realized that wasn't exactly true.

It was mostly her last one. But there were also the other ones from before and the possible ones after. She now remembered those as well.

Bright Moon rose from the ground and walked to the entrance of the tipi. The snow crunched under her moccasins. There was no wind tonight. There were no other sounds at all.

It was time to talk to the Grandmother.

She entered the tipi with her head lowered, found the fire pit and sat down cross legged.

A voice in her head said "You know the rules. Answer the three questions."

She focused on the fire and said "This one's name is Bright Moon. I am outside of time and we are in the fourth World. The three questions have been answered. I have returned undamaged."

"Welcome home child."

She raised her eyes to look upon the Grandmother.

Although she knew that this was but a mental construct of two beings communicating in a place that didn't exist, she took comfort in the fact that it was still the same Grandmother.

A fire pit, a few feathers and herbal hangings behind the one person she always came back to.

She was old... older than time itself. Two piercing blue eyes were framed in a face that wasn't wrinkled... it was valleys and crevices. Shrunken black lips hung under a nose that was too big to be real. But yet it was. The shock of white hair on top was interwoven with trinkets and flowers. If there was a body, it was covered under an elk fur.

She was home.

"So what news? Is the fourth World lost?"

Grandmother sighed.

"It seems so. The corruption is too widespread. You and others made an effort to bring something of the Mother back. But those efforts in the long term didn't mean anything because of how far the People have strayed. The knowledge is lost to most now and there is no turning back."

"So if all is lost, then what are we doing now? Are we drawing it to an end, like the last time?"

"Some are coming back as Spirits, some as Guardians."

Bright Moon mentally sifted through her lives, thought about what she had done in her last one.

"I will go back as a Portent."

Grandmother laughed.

"Every time you have to do something different. That's what we enjoy about you, dear. All of us hope that the fifth World will be your victory. So go bring about the end of this one."

Bright Moon rose and left the tipi.

She looked up at the Tapestry. Already there were holes and missing bits from the weaving.

She focused and said the Word....

David and Samantha walked though his mother's garden. She had grown weak the last few years and the weeds were proof of it.

Samantha said "What are we supposed to do with this? We can't take care of this! What was she thinking!"

David replied "She left this to Barbara. She was her grand child, our daughter. She left the money for us to do it. So I think we just have to do it."

"But how can we? We leave everything to move out to this God forsaken place and just... deal with it?"

David sighed and said "Yes, that's exactly what we do. My mother was a little eccentric but you know she did everything she could to help all of us. She had a plan. She had a plan for our daughter. We need to follow that."

Samantha pointed to the garden.

"It's 4 acres of just garden! The orchard is the size of a county! How can we do this!"

"We just do it... for Barbara."

Samantha screamed and walked back towards the house.

David shook his head and looked into the garden.

His daughter was there and it seemed was having an animated conversation with a raven.

A damn large raven.

He slowly entered the garden and said "Honey, what are you doing?"

Barbara ran to her father with a bright smile on her face.

"Daddy! Daddy! The bird gave me a gift! It likes me! Can we stay here?!

The little girl lifted up a shiny thing to give to her father.

David took it and looked at what was in his hand.

It was a necklace... the pendant was a silver moon.

This was his mother's pendant. One that was passed on from her mother.

Puzzled, he looked into the garden.

The raven took wing.

Bright Moon left the garden, happy to have had a conversation with her grand daughter.

She would keep tabs on her kindred, but now had to go kill the neighbor's dog so that the other neighbor would take offense and start a little conflict.

Time to end this world and get on to the next.

The end.

Very good. Similar to our Indigenous dreamtime stories here.

Struck a chord with me. Circumstances are close.


Kind regards,

Bally (Johnny Appleseed)

a reply to: Lumenari

Very lovely, Lumenari. Rich in detail and profound, with a capricious ending. A fitting homage to the past, present and future.

Welcome back to Short Stories!

Brava, Luminari. Your story struck a chord (or maybe a thread ) with me as well. Beautifully written; I love your description of Grandmother and the Tapestry.

a reply to: bally001

Thank you!

I used some Hopi beliefs in this one... they believe that mankind goes through cycles of expansion and destruction on Earth. To them we are nearing the end of the 4th time civilization has destroyed itself... the fourth World.

That and their idea of the Tapestry itself... that every living thing is a thread in the Tapestry that through interaction with other threads shapes the material world.

Glad you enjoyed it!

a reply to: Encia22

To be honest, you pulled me back in with the topic.

Spoken about the Tapestry before at length, never got to write about it.

Happy you liked my submission and glad to be back!

a reply to: Lumenari

Amazing gorl! S/F x 50

Very creative and interesting to read....Thank you..

originally posted by: zosimov
Brava, Luminari. Your story struck a chord (or maybe a thread

) with me as well. Beautifully written; I love your description of Grandmother and the Tapestry.

Thank you Zoimovs... I've always been a fan of your writing as well.

originally posted by: 727Sky
Very creative and interesting to read....Thank you..

Yours was a more interesting read, from a culinary standpoint...

I will try anything I can once, but don't just spring it on me like that!

a reply to: Lumenari

Beautiful and deliciously detailed with memories not quite glimpsed, but known on some level. I grew up near the Shoshone in northern Idaho. I grew up with the notions that we were all part of the Earth and the spirits which governed it.

Really well done. This is one of my favorites of your works, and of this contest in particular.

originally posted by: argentus
a reply to: Lumenari

Beautiful and deliciously detailed with memories not quite glimpsed, but known on some level.

That is exactly what I was attempting.

Thank you for your kind words.

originally posted by: Lumenari

originally posted by: zosimov
Brava, Luminari. Your story struck a chord (or maybe a thread

) with me as well. Beautifully written; I love your description of Grandmother and the Tapestry.

Thank you Zoimovs... I've always been a fan of your writing as well.

I was wondering why this post had so many stars and realized that I spelled your name wrong.

That night I was bottling wine and am currently the only taste tester in the house.

My apologies, Zosimov.

Still like your stories though...

a reply to: Lumenari

A story becomes something more when it strikes a chord.

You struck a chord.

Thank you, little sister.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: Lumenari

A story becomes something more when it strikes a chord.

You struck a chord.

Thank you, little sister.

Thank you, Big Brother.

I thought that you might enjoy it.

bump for a good read

GORGEOUS.

Luminari, you reminded me of a part of myself I have forgotten, the peaceful Northwestern and Southewestern Traditions.

I've been in the Dreamtime a lot lately, and your story helped bring me back down to Earth.

Thank you.

HUGS!

originally posted by: GENERAL EYES
GORGEOUS.

Luminari, you reminded me of a part of myself I have forgotten, the peaceful Northwestern and Southewestern Traditions.

I've been in the Dreamtime a lot lately, and your story helped bring me back down to Earth.

Thank you.

HUGS!

We sometimes isolate because we are hurt and draw back, but we still have to remember that in the grand scheme of things a polite nod, a thank you or a smile actually makes the world better, a little at a time.

We are all connected, for better or worse...

And it doesn't take a hero to make a difference.

~Huggz Back~

originally posted by: Lumenari

originally posted by: GENERAL EYES
GORGEOUS.

Luminari, you reminded me of a part of myself I have forgotten, the peaceful Northwestern and Southewestern Traditions.

I've been in the Dreamtime a lot lately, and your story helped bring me back down to Earth.

Thank you.

HUGS!

We sometimes isolate because we are hurt and draw back, but we still have to remember that in the grand scheme of things a polite nod, a thank you or a smile actually makes the world better, a little at a time.

We are all connected, for better or worse...

And it doesn't take a hero to make a difference.

~Huggz Back~

Chief Sealth (Seattle) and the Spiderweb analogy.

Yes Ma'am.

"Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it."

Some of us are like the morning dewdrop sparkling in the morning light.

We are what we are, we must remain humble, and never give up in our roles.

This life, this planet and her gifts and lessons are for us to learn and grow, and put in the work to restore Her Beauty.

I'm doing better, tending to my music therapies to account for my Savior Complex.

Thanks for the reminders.

Always you Sister in Spirit.

~ little me