The Gathering Read online

he had a glint in his eyes and a hardness behind his smile which told them he meant to succeed in this work. That work in a nut shell was to prevent the Gathering from taking place altogether. All three leaders greeted him warmly, but did not stop to chat. That did not deter Mantu, who fell in step with them and started his own conversation.

  “So, the hour of the Gathering is at hand I heard. I suppose that’s where you’re heading.” He did not wait for a reply. “The Gathering is slated to be a most interesting event. It has not happened in eons, so I do not want to miss it myself.”  The chuckle with which he ended that sentence was meant to be menacing. The three did not glance his way, but continued their journey at a comfortable pace, with the two women flanking The Silent One. They walked as one being, now allowing Mantu to come between them, although that was his obvious intent. Mantu with graceful agility skipped from side to side and occasionally jumped in front of them to walk backwards facing them. All this he did in an attempt to interrupt their journey and cause them to delay.

  His failure to wedge between them and cause a separation only spurred him on to greater effort. He dashed up the path several paces, turned around and faced the advancing trio.

  “Be reasonable now,” he pleaded. “It is necessary for me to at least delay you, even though it is clear, I am not strong enough to stop you.”  His voice was loaded with self pity, attempting to appeal to the sympathy he knew the women possessed. She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken slowly shook her head and ruefully smiled at him.

  For the first time since entering the land she spoke. Her voice quiet and penetrating, she told him how much he was respected; how he had performed nobly a task which went against the nature of the people of the land; how persistent he and his folk had been; and ended by telling him to take comfort that the hour of the Gathering was now. All that she said as the trio steadily advanced and Mantu walked backward facing them. At the end of her words, Marita sang a very lovely song, sending waves of light and sound ahead. The radiance reached and covered Mantu and he wept. Turning around he fled form them to the edge of the Meadow where the people of the land were gathering.

  All the people from the land had come to the Meadow. Young and old, small and big, short and tall, all the people bar none were in the Meadow. The path on which the trio were traveling climbed upward to the hill overlooking the Meadow. It ended in a promontory forming a natural platform for the three leaders. Below the people were talking and their voices rose in waves of sound as they greeted and acknowledged one another. At the edges of the crowd the folk from the domain of the Opposers were attempting to get the people to turn around and leave the Gathering. Flanking the crowd and protecting them from the wiles of the Opposers were three rows of folk from the leaders’ domains. The first row were the folk from Marita’s domain, then stood the folk from the domain of She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken, and last of all between the Opposers and all the rest stood The Silent One’s folk. These each held a sword, blue and shinning, exact replicas of the sword the Silent One word at his side. The Opposers were agitated darting from place to place seeking the attention of the people to entice them to leave.

  The trio on the promontory linked hands and a hush much like to the hush in the domain of The Silent One descended on the gathered crowd. All eyes turned to the hill on which the trio stood. She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken spoke, a soft clear voice which everyone heard as being addressed to them personally.

  “The hour of the Gathering is now.” A great cheer rose form the crowd. Although each had their own version of what the Gathering would be, no one knew for sure what would happen. The stories of previous Gatherings had faded long ago. It had been long in the past that the idea of a Gathering was passed on to the people by the folk from the domain of She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken. Those who had the visions of this event did not comprehend what it would be. All they could manage were glimpses, which they interrupted according to what they knew about life. Some spoke of it as the time when they would be no more people. They and those who followed them made elaborate plans to hide in caves so that the people may continue after the Gathering. Others had different visions, and still others dreamed of the Gathering as being something which would take all the people from the land to domains where each and everyone would become a leader. The Opposers were happy with the differences and used them to ferment strife among the people. It was all the folk from Marita’s domain could do to prevent outright war and slaughter. Sometimes there were hostilities and many of the people gave their lives whenever this happened.

  Nevertheless, all the people were there in the Meadow not quite sure how the event would unfold. They stopped cheering and the hush returned.

  “Over the ages, there have been many Gatherings such as this one. Each held its own splendor; each accomplished according to the plan for its fulfillment. There has been many and varied ideas as to what this Gathering will do. No one had a completed version of this event. This is as it should be. With the glimpses you have been given, you have prepared for this hour. You have performed admirably and although it may have appeared you were making little or no progress, this hour would not be if you had not. I salute each and every one of you, and commend you for the excellent work you performed to make this Gathering possible. We could not be here without you and your wonderful efforts. The changes to follow are joyful ones, filled with the awesome glory you each bring to this occasion.”

  She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken fell into silence. A radiance like unto liquid gold spread from the trio and enveloped the entire Meadow. The Silent One drew his sword form its sheath, and raised it above his head and held it pointing upward for a long moment. In one swift movement, he pointed it downward and held it steady again for a long moment. Then he raised it swiftly to his chest and pointed it to his right across the chest of She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken. He held it there for the same amount of time. Then with the same swiftness as before he swung the sword across his chest and Marita’s and pointed to his left. On cue Marita sang. With the very first note of her song, The Silent One pointed the sword to the back of the crowd. All heads turned and bodies followed as the crowd turned to face the point the sword indicated.

  Marita’s song contained no words. Each one felt she was singing to them personally. The Opposers began to back away, slowly at first, then in a rush as they galloped from the Meadow seeking the shadow of the surrounding forest. Mantu was the only Opposers to remain. He knew the proceedings could no longer be halted, and felt a sense of failure. At the exact point where the sword aimed, colors began to form. The colors grew into the brightest rainbow any of the people had ever seen. It was a compact rainbow, framing an entrance that was not there before. On either side of the entrance the folk from The Silent One’s domain stood, swords drawn and held before their faces. Those from Marita’s domain joined in her song, a choral background supporting her clear ringing voice, which rode on top of their music a counterpoint and blending all at once. All of this majestic ceremony caused many of the people to weep tears of sheer joy.

  Into the music, not as an interruption but as a punctuation, She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken gave the command. “Go.” The folk from her domain ushered the people in pairs through the rainbowed entrance into the land from which they had come. It was changed. The contours of the land remained the same as it was before but everything else was different. There was a brightness never before seen in the land. Every tree, every house, every garden hoe, every street, every farm, conveyance and shrub emitted a glow. There were flowers, butterflies, rainbows and darting lights. A joyous music filled the air, and there was a fragrance coming form all directions. The people were astonished and delighted. They darted from object to object and marveled at the beauty they felt coming from whatever they touched. Nothing was the same, yet all were familiar to the people. They looked at one another in awe as each one was beautiful beyond description.

  When the last pair of the people had traveled through the rainbowed entrance to their new land, M
arita and her folk ended the song. Mantu who witnessed everything from outside the folk holding the swords by the entrance, sighed and made his way with slow weary steps to the promontory to stand with bowed head before the trio. She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken took a step towards the humbled figure. All three them embraced him and helped him relieve his sorrow. The folk from his domain drifted back from the shadows of the forest and milled around the promontory where all the folk had gathered.

  Everyone relaxed a bit. The Opposers did not oppose, the singers did not sing. Instead each Opposers stood next to a folk from the domain of The Silent One. Marita’s folk paired off with the folk from the domain of She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken. Casual and friendly the folk conversed with their partners. All spoke except the folk from the domain of The Silent One, they merely smiled.

  Moments passed in this friendly way. Then Marita sang a note which caused all the folk to turn as one to the trio and Mantu standing on the promontory. The Silent One stood directly in front of Mantu, his sword held before his face. She Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken