INNEREAL ADVENTURES - ONE

THE ACCIDENT

THE ACCIDENT

   When Byron first noticed it from a distance, he couldn’t tell what it was, but when he and Ajobis got closer and closer, he knew that it was Old Oaken up ahead in the distance. Byron quickened his pace, while Ajobis actually slowed down because he was eager and hesitant at the same time.

   Byron knew Old Oaken so well that, even from a distance, he could see certain formations in the branches and the way the massive trunk rose up from its roots out of the ground. But, when he was right there standing next to it, he saw that it was not Old Oaken at all. It was like Old Oaken, but this tree was definitely different. Byron then realized that it couldn’t be Old Oaken anyway because that tree was back in his real world. This tree was his innereal version of Old Oaken. But either way, he was thrilled to be standing next to it.

   The tree stood majestically growing in a flat grassy area. There were no other trees or even bushes around it. A few flowering plants were about all that was there, and about 100 yards away was the rocky shore. It was beautiful, with waves crashing and little tide pools here and there.

   Ajobis finally caught up with Byron at the tree.

   “Where is he?” asked Byron. “Is he here?”

   “Well, he should be, but I do not see any sign of him,” answered Ajobis. “I suppose we will have to wait here until he returns.”

   “Is this where he lives now?” asked Byron.

   “It is more like this is where he exists,” explained Ajobis. “You see, we need the tree. We cannot exist without it. We come to it to get our life energy – to get re-charged. We are different types of beings than you, Byron, as I am sure you have already learned. This is just one of the ways that we are different.”

   “You also might be interested to know that an odd thing is that our trees are always adjacent to bodies of water, which happens to be quite dangerous for us because we cannot swim. We are dense beings and therefore, we sink like lead. Just imagine trying to swim if you were made of lead. It would not work too well. So, we get our life from the tree, but at the same time, a potential for death is always nearby.”

   “Wow,” said Byron, looking around. “This place is so amazing!”

   Byron was intrigued by the tree and asked Ajobis if it would be alright if he climbed it while they were waiting for Jacobis to return.

   “Yes, yes, of course, please do,” assured Ajobis. “The tree actually thrives on that.”

   Byron was thrilled to be back at one of his all time favorite activities – climbing trees.

   “Maybe I can look out and see if Jacobis is coming when I get to the top,” he called out to Ajobis from about halfway up.

   “That sounds like a good idea,” said Ajobis, but he was still apprehensive about the reunion with his father.

   [From the backseat, a question started, “What does… ?” “Apprehensive just means really worried or uneasy,” came the explanation from the one in the seat next to mine. “Now, keep going, Dad. What happened next?”]

   As Byron was making his way further up the tree, Ajobis noticed some tracks in the ground leading to the sea, so he started to follow them.

   While climbing, Byron noticed that the tree and Old Oaken were duplicates of each other. All of the branches were in the same place, except for the one that he had accidently snapped off and had eventually become his walking stick. On this tree it was still right there in place and unbroken. He started to tell Ajobis about his observations, but noticed that he was now down by the rocky shore. So, Byron kept climbing to the top to take a look around.