CHAPTER 5

 DAKOTA AND YEMAYA arrived home late. Their initial meeting with Dr. Lichy was short. The doctor had nothing specific to tell them but had rescheduled a meeting with Yemaya the next morning, hoping the lab results would be in by then. Exhausted, they decided to call it a night.

Sleep came quickly to Dakota and along with it a recurring dream of Yemaya and her battle against the darkness raging within her mind. In the dream, Intunecat, the dark spirit she had encountered a few months before, was the beast trying to possess her lover. Dakota was fighting him to save Yemaya from herself. Every time she thought she had won, he laughed.

“She’s mine, you know,” the voice declared smugly.

“Never!” Dakota shouted, struggling for control.

“My dear, she has always been mine.”

“No. She’ll never be yours,” Dakota screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“But you promised, Little One. This is the price for my help. I’ve come to collect what’s mine. You do remember your promise?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never promised you anything.”

“It doesn’t matter. When the time is right, you will, then she’ll be mine.”

“I won’t give her up.”

“It’s the only way to save her from herself. She’ll come willingly in time,” Intunecat reasoned.

“No!” she cried.

“Dakota, Dakota, wake up.” The voice was a gentle carress, leading her out of the darkness like a beacon guiding a ship from the reefs. “Come on, sweetie. You’re having a bad dream.”

Confused, Dakota opened her eyes. Concerned pale blue eyes looked deeply into hers. Crying, she flung herself intoYemaya’s arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

“What is it?” Yemaya whispered, holding her tightly. Dakota could feel her nerves calming.

“He can’t have you.”

“Who can’t?”

“Intunecat. He wants you and he can’t have you.”

“Of course not! It was just a bad dream.”

“No, it’s more than that. I can’t explain it, but I know it’s more. It’s like a premonition or something.”

“With everything that has happened to you lately, I am not surprised you had this nightmare.”

“Maybe,” Dakota agreed reluctantly. “But I think there’s more to it than just my imagination.”

“If anything happens, we can handle it then. For now, how about we get some rest? I have to go into town in a few hours and you can sleep in,” Yemaya said, seeming to dismiss the matter as unimportant.

“All right,” Dakota said, irritated at Yemaya’s attitude but not really sure why.

Several hours later, Yemaya eased out of bed. Looking down at her lover, she frowned. Something about Dakota’s dream bothered her. It reminded her of her merging with the dead girl’s memories and those of the dead wolf. The feeling that a dark force had tried to take control of her mind had been haunting her since the incident. If not for Dakota’s and Regina’s intervention, it might have succeeded. The thought frightened her.

 

*  *  *

Dakota awoke feeling slightly disoriented until she remembered the dream and Yemaya’s apparent unconcern. She wanted to believe it was nothing but couldn’t. She got up and paced back and forth restlessly.

I’m just overreacting, Dakota thought. Yemaya’s right. It was just a dream.

Unfortunately, thinking it didn’t mean she believed it. Feeling more agitated, Dakota realized she was blowing the whole dream thing out of proportion. It was a good indication that the last few months had taken a toll on her. Between almost being killed and falling in love, her life had been a rollercoaster of emotions giving her little time to think about her future—  their future. That was the real problem. She needed breathing room to put everything back in perspective and Yemaya was too much of a distraction.

As the first rays of daylight peeked through the window, Dakota decided to stay at a hotel for a few days. Being away from Yemaya would give her space to think more clearly about everything. With suitcase in hand, she informed Maria of her decision and handed her a note. “Would you give this to Yemaya?”

The housekeeper frowned and nodded but didn’t comment. Simtire, the gray wolf, was waiting by the bridge. Kneeling, Dakota grabbed her cheek fur and pressed her own against the wolf’s head.

“You can’t go this time,” she whispered. “No pets allowed,” she joked.

The young wolf whined.

“I’m sure I won’t be gone long.” Ruffling the wolf’s fur, she stood and walked to the small car Yemaya had given her for her personal use. The thirty-minute trip into town seemed to last forever.

 

*  *  *

Dakota was tired. The emotional drain had taken its toll physically and mentally. All she wanted now was to curl up and forget everything. Throwing her suitcase on the chair, she plopped down on the bed, pulled the blanket over her shoulders to reduce the chill of the cool room, and slept.

“So we meet at last,” a bubbly voice whispered.

“Go away,” Dakota muttered, too comfortable to talk with anyone at the moment.

Laughter tickled her mind. Dakota groaned and rolled over, searching for her pillow. If she could just bury her head in it...

“Come now. Aren’t you the least bit curious about me?”

“No, I’m tired! Come back later,” Dakota grumbled.

“Poor child! A lover’s quarrel can be so stressful,” the voice sympathized. “Unfortunately, we need to talk.”

Opening her eyes, Dakota looked around. Once again, she was in the meadow with the small stream running through the middle. Before her stood a slender woman with green skin, lavender eyes, and bright green and purple hair. Blinking, Dakota sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

Arbora’s laughter swept across the meadow like a warm breeze. From the nearby woods songbirds joined together in a synchronous blend of chirping and whistles.

“I’m a very colorful girl,” she boasted teasingly, her eyes twinkling, amused at Dakota’s stunned expression.

“I’ll say! I take it you’re one of Grandma’s friends.”

“Grandma, such a strange word, but yes, I am. She’s quite a character.”

“That’s her. Let me guess. Arbora, right?”

The forest spirit grinned impishly, displaying two small dimples.

“Right,” she agreed, sitting down and crossing her legs. “I don’t normally intervene in human affairs, but we need to talk. Or at least maybe you do. I’m a good listener, although some would disagree, I’m sure. Anyway, you and Yemaya seem to be at odds. This isn’t good. Mari and Maopa are extremely concerned.”

“So they sent you to talk to me?”

Laughing, Arbora shook her head. “My goodness, no! They’d have a fit if they knew I was here. I decided to intervene on their behalf. You can’t imagine the grumblings going on in the spirit world. No one is able to get any peace and quiet.”

“Grumblings?”

“Grumblings. Those two can’t decide whether to step in or not. One moment they want to get both of you together to talk, the next moment they think they should stay out of it.”

“Geez! I’m only taking a few days off to think things out. It’s not like we’ve argued.”

“Maybe not, but Yemaya won’t understand why you left. Do you really believe leaving a note was the right way to handle things?”

Dakota looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling guilty.

“Probably not. I guess I was afraid.” She sighed, taking a deep breath.

“Of what? Yemaya?”

“No. Never her.”

“Well, if not her, then what?”

Dakota just shook her head, confused.

“I don’t know. This dream I had is more than just a dream. I feel it. I know Yemaya wants me to believe it’s nothing, but I don’t, and I’m not so sure she does, either. I just needed some space to think without her trying to make me feel better. Is that so wrong?”

Sensing her confusion, Arbora pulled Dakota into her arms and gently held her. Dakota closed her eyes, leaned wearily against the warm, slender body, and relaxed.

“It’s okay. We do what we have to. Fortunately, things usually turn out fine,” she consoled, stroking the bent head resting against her breast.

“I hope so,” Dakota whispered sadly.

“You’re overthinking everything. Instead of worrying about what could happen, why not just take each day at a time and enjoy your moments together? The future has many paths. No one knows for sure which ones they’ll travel.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s just that I love her so much. I would never do anything to hurt her.”

“I know, but you already have. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not judging you. What’s done is done, but you and Yemaya must get past your doubts. If you don’t, it’ll destroy both of you. Besides, Dakota, it was only a dream.”

“I know.”

“Then go home. She needs you to be there with her and for her, but mostly, to trust her. That means sharing your fears.”

“She’s going to be angry at me for leaving like I did.” Dakota sighed.

“You’re wrong. She’ll be hurt and confused, and she’ll be angry at herself for having failed you.”

“Failed me?”

“Yes. She believes you left because you don’t trust her enough to tell her your true feelings. Imagine how you’d feel if she did that to you. Also, there’s this power inside of her that scares her. She doesn’t understand it herself, but she knows it will consume her if she lets it. She can accept her own destruction, but she’ll never survive anything happening to you, especially if she believes she caused it.”

“That’s absurd,” Dakota said, sitting up to make eye contact with the spirit. “I make my own decisions. I love her, all of her. Well, not all exactly,” she corrected. “But I accept her... the good and the bad, although I’ll never believe she is capable of doing anything bad.”

“Good. Now you just have to convince her of that and make her believe it. She will, but it won’t be easy.”

“I know. Can I ask you something?”

“You may ask. I won’t guarantee an answer.” Arbora tilted her head slightly, lavender eyes twinkling from her ever-present humor.

“This ability Yemaya has of reading the memories of the dead. Where did it come from? It worries me. It’s sort of eerie. I’m not sure Yemaya even knows what to do about it. It’s like she thinks it might be a darkness or evil. I just can’t imagine someone as good as her having to live with something so awful.”

“I don’t have an answer to that one. Ideas, theories, yes, but that’s all. Once I thought Intunecat controlled all the darkness. Maybe there was a time when he did, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Why?”

The spirit’s thoughts drifted to a distant time in the past. “Do you know the legend of the light and the darkness?” she asked.

“I know the Big Bang theory, if that’s what you mean.”

Laughing, Arbora leaned over and gave Dakota a hug. “You’re too cute.  No, I’m not talking scientific theory. Intunecat is the oldest of the spirits. We think he’s our firstborn, but who can say? After all, where did he come from? Anyway, before his time, we believe there was only darkness, darker than anything you could ever imagine. Once Intunecat arrived, he ruled the darkness but felt an indescribable loneliness from the emptiness. While experimenting with some elements, he succeeded and light was born. It grew at an uncontrollable rate for a while. Eventually, it reached its own limitations and stopped expanding.

“For eons, Intunecat peered into the light from his realm, unable to leave his world. In time, he noticed shapes and movements. One day, Mari appeared. The Dark One was stunned by her beauty and wanted her badly. You really can’t blame him for that, but Mari could no more live in his world than he in hers. It’s said she created Earth to ease her own loneliness, although she denies it. Once Earth was born, life quickly followed. I believe the Earth now creates both the darkness and the light. After all, the Earth’s mother is of one and her father the other.”

“So you’re saying Earth got its evil from Intunecat.”

“No. Intunecat isn’t evil. He’s a spirit like me. His world is one of nothingness, void of life. It’s a lonely place. His darkness is neither good nor bad. It just is.Besides, who’s to say what is or isn’t evil?”

“I don’t know, although I think most people can differentiate between the two.”

“Maybe,” Arbora said, sounding skeptical, then she decided to change the subject.

She tilted her head, placed her palm on the ground, and closed her eyes. Entranced by her stillness, Dakota watched quietly. “Did you know the Earth hums when she’s happy?”

“Hums?”

“Yes. About sixty days out of the year, she seems to find true happiness and hums. Of course few can hear her, but it’s not too hard figuring out what days they are. There aren’t any earthquakes.”

“No earthquakes? You mean none? I thought there was always movement somewhere on the planet,” Dakota said, awed by the revelation.

“There’s movement of course, but that’s all. Would you like to hear her humming? Today is one of her happier days.”

“Oh, yes, please.”

Taking her hands, Arbora pressed Dakota’s palms against the ground.

“You must be very still. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and listen with your body. The ears can’t hear her.”

Following Arbora’s lead, Dakota did exactly as she was told.

At first there was nothing, then slowly, a faint grumbling sound was heard. Frowning, Dakota looked at Arbora, who merely smiled and nodded. The grumbling noise grew louder, reminding Dakota of a growling stomach. Only when it had reached a discernible level did she realize there was a familiar rhythm to the tone. It reminded her of a heartbeat, its pulsations low, slow, and soothing like that of a mother. Almost as if by magic, Dakota’s own heartbeat slowed, her rhythm matching the Earth’s. It was then that Arbora pulled both hands away.

“It wouldn’t be good for you to join with her very long,” the spirit advised. “When the Earth is happy, she can be deadly. That’s why only a few can hear her.”

Catching her breath, Dakota nodded. Her body felt lethargic. Never had she felt such calmness.

“I see what you mean. I’m not so sure I’d call that a hum, though. It seems more tribal or something.”

“To some. To others, it’s a hum. I’m not sure why. We hear things differently. Speaking of which, I need to go. Mari and Maopa will be united in a few days. I’ve left Ursa in charge of the decorations. No doubt she has probably scared everyone off by now with her grumbling and growling,” Arbora said, chuckling. “She can be such a bear sometimes.”

“Bad joke, Arbora.” Dakota smirked, then yawned. “I think I’d better get some rest. Thanks for your help and for caring. I’ll think about what you said. Give Mari and Grandma my love.”

“Sleep well, and have faith. I’ve existed a long time. I’ve learned that things usually end up as they are meant to.”

Leaning over, she kissed Dakota on the cheek before disappearing. Exhausted, Dakota collapsed back onto the grass and fell asleep.