The Web in the Valley of Bones

So it was we came into the valley of bones. For us it was an odd space structured like a web. We had a series of complicated cross roads to consider, and choices of caves to travel to. I heard Armful of Tiger Lillies, Kiona’s donkey, singing inside my head.

The Valley of Bones
Can take many tones
It can be what it will
It can change at will

Puzzles you will find
Your heart map will unwind
Your mind may unravel
You will conquer nightmare travel

Shruti sighed “Oh no too many choices! Why does it have to include nightmares?”

Each cave had its own sign just like it was a supermarket aisle. “Let’s read the signs and all will be clear,” piped up Kiona.
We went forward on our donkeys to read the signs.

“catch a dream, and hear its tone- nightmare, enlightenment, peace or all three.”

“catch a serpent, or a box turtle, all you have to do is find your true inner spirit animal before you travel within”.

There was a cave shrouded in guitar tones where the sign said

“Do you love the Grace lands or the Shadow lands do you seek Inana than maybe you better enter within.”

Ariadne, paused at that cave and stomped the ground with her hoof.

Absolute bullet proof did not seem impressed and pulled back from that cave. Shruti looked doubtful “So who do we trust Ariadne, or Absolute Bullet Proof.”

“Well Lillies seems to think we will be in for nightmares, so maybe Ariadne has more courage.”

Shruti was in no mood for giggling, “Every quest has points in it where there are tests. I do want to help you find those hidden words. Let’s get Lillies to decide on the cave.”

“Did you all hear her song?” I asked.

“Yes” was the reply. So we pondered Lillie’s melody. It did not take long for us to sense we might have to go into all three of the caves that spoke to us the most loudly.

So we entered the dream cave. To our surprise we passed through a curtain of pink blossoms and crossed a bridge. Everything we saw appeared as itself, then as Japanese writing. A tree turned from reality into the character denoting it. It turned from real to the bones of itself.

(C) word and image June Perkins