Venturers of Airth

The Tale…

Hi. My name is RJ, RJ Borton, and I have an unusual tale for you. Maybe it is all from my imagination; and maybe not. Currently, even I can’t tell for sure where this reality ends and the other one starts.

It all began for me when I stumbled on an image of a unique lotus blossom pendant, with 7 crystal petals in different colors around a clear sparkling core. I cannot recall where I found it—the internet, a photo, a dream maybe. Surprisingly, it caught and held my attention. For many days, I found myself thinking about making it from hand-cut crystal. I easily visualized the way the sunlight, and more importantly, the moonlight would reflect from and through it.

I was compelled to make it! Searching everywhere, I found a supply of crystal lotus blossoms of the correct colors. Disassembling them, I separated out the individual pieces that matched my mental image.

Finally, a few weeks after seeing the lotus charm, I was ready. All the pieces were meticulously cleaned, polished and arranged on the table before me. I had a small kiln fired up, ready to fuse them into a single entity. I had obtained a costly glass glue that would totally evaporate at kiln temperatures where the crystal pieces would bond to each other.

Wearing clean white gloves, delicately, I assembled the fragile components into the composite crystal charm. I carefully positioned each piece and measured each angle to be perfect. I don’t know why, but I felt that absolute precision was required. Required? Why? For whom?

When complete, I closed my eyes and mentally compared it to the original image, and it was a beautiful, symmetric, glittering, perfect match. Into the kiln it went. When the kiln-sitter cone melted, indicating the temperature needed for fusion of the glass petals, I reduced the temperature, and let it slowly start to cool and anneal. Every 4 hours thereafter, I again reduced the temperature. After the third reduction, I let it continue to anneal for a full day, then I turned the kiln off. Unopened, I allowed it to slowly cool, overnight, to room temperature. I had not removed a view plug to peek inside, and I had carefully preserved a constantly controlled temperature from start to finish.

The moment of truth finally arrived. Gently, I removed my creation from the kiln and was amazed at how beautiful it looked! The bases of the colored petals had flowed together into a very thin, gentle swirl around its clear crystal heart. It felt strange as I held it; as if it were becoming a part of me – or I of it. Taking it outside into the cool darkness of night, I marveled in its beauty and perfect symmetry.

As the light of the moon first kissed its concentric petals, I felt the charm pulse, echoing my heartbeat. I knew that somehow, this crystal lotus blossom and I were now bonded, as surely as the petals were annealed to its sparkling core. It felt exciting; mysterious, and a little frightening.

Returning inside my home, I placed the flower in a glass display case and set it by my bed. It did not matter how close or far separated I was from it, I still felt it within my mind and body—a constant, warm presence.

That night, from a deep slumber, I experienced my first visions, or dreams, or maybe wild imaginings, of the magical world of Airth!

 

 

 

 

This story is a work of fiction. All names, characters, species, classes, places, things, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to fictitious or actual persons living or dead and events or locales real or imaginary are entirely coincidental
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