“Here. You need a break. Enjoy.”
I was at a table, looking over my notes. The Three White Crows had returned to me, bringing me to Three Pines Mountain again. But instead of going down into the beginnings of the valley where I saw Mother Bear and her Cub waiting for me, I climbed to the peak of the ridge and looked over the other side of the mountain.
I rejected everything waking world-based physics and expectations had prepared me to see. I closed my eyes wanting to see the truth of it.
I opened my eyes.
Nothing.
Behind me, the mountain slope faced south, but the early morning sun was rising in the west. Behind me meltwater from a glacier formed the head of a cold stream. Behind me, the Cub was playing on the rocks while Mother Bear sniffed out moths hiding among them. Behind me there were forests, and scrub, and mosquitoes, and foxes. Behind me was a complete world.
Before me, was nothing. No sky, no ground, no air, no temperature, no movement, no matter, no light, no shadow. There was nothing, and a nothing so complete, the only reason I knew there was nothing, was because I could see where the something that was the mountain I stood on ended.
I stood on the event horizon of nothing.
The three wind-blasted pines were steady beside me. At the tops of the pines were the Three White Crows. They said nothing to me. They watched me closely. I realized why I was seeing nothing, and accepted my error.
I left the mountain, and sought comforting familiarity. But I did not specify where I was going. So here I am. At a table, in the middle of… somewhere… where I feel safe. Looking over my notes of what happened at Three Pines Mountain.
His voice surprised me. He pushed my papers to the side. “You can look over those later. Here. Relax. Enjoy.” He placed a plate of food before me. A thick slice of toast, buttered and a slice of swiss cheese lying over it. Piled high on the slice is sauteed onions and bacon, lightly dusted with salt and pepper.
“I trust this will take your mind off things for a while.” He chuckles and leaves me to the bounty he has prepared for me.
I have good friends.