Cure the Leaves

"Now we must cure the sacred leaves," the old woman said, "but there is no time to lose."

She placed a damp log on the fire. Smoke rose from it immediately. Wild Fire knelt before the leaves, covered her face with her hands and muttered a prayer. Then she began to wave her hands gently across the leaves, drawing the pungent smoke over them. After some time, she turned each leaf over and repeated her ritual.

When the smoke had subsided, Wild Fire touched the sacred leaves with her sensitive fingers and said, "They are dry now. It is time to shred them."

Bone Knife

Wild Fire drew a bone knife from a leather case at her belt. The handle was carved and inlaid with turquoise, and the blade was sharp. Deftly she chopped the sacred leaves into thin shreds on the stone. She sliced the gecko tail, ant bodies, algae and tuft of fur and blended them into the mixture.

Meredith held the beaded pouch open while Wild Fire gathered the cured tobacco and stuffed it in. The old woman scraped the last bits of sacred herb from the stone table and sniffed it. 

"Good," she said.

Dangers Ahead

They sat by the fire and talked. "Are you happy here in the Third World?"  Meredith said, throwing a log into the fire.

"Perhaps fulfilled through my service, but we see too many future dangers to be truly happy." The old woman paused, remembering. "We have the power to foresee the tragedy that lies ahead in the years to come, that is, if humans continue to make blind and selfish choices," Wild Fire said. She placed a yellow root on the stone and carved it with her knife.

"Whom do you tell your visions to?" Meredith poked the fire with a stick. Bright embers flew up into the air.

"To those who journey to the Fifth World to seek the truth."

Soapy Fragrance

"Do you have other visitors?" asked Meredith, staring into the blazing flames.  

"Yes, many," said Wild Fire as she pared the root of the plant, exposing the inner flesh which gave off a soapy fragrance. 

"Who else has been here?" asked Meredith, looking hard at the kindly old woman.  

"I cannot tell you now, but you will learn soon."

Future Sight

"For many years we stared into the fire seeking its wisdom," Wild Fire continued. "We saw the beauty of the mountains and the trees and the oceans and the stars. We saw the ways of the insects and the animals and the birds." Wild Fire gazed into the fire, and Meredith saw images of animals within the fire.  

"We saw the ways of our ancestors. We saw their good deeds blossom and bear fruit. We saw their mistakes decay and blemish the earth," said Wild Fire. Images of ancient people appeared in the flames.

"The more we stared, the more we saw. Then we saw the future. We saw you, Corn Maiden, before you came to us. We saw that which is to come long after your time," said Wild Fire. Meredith saw her own image in the leaping fire. Then there was a vision of something unworldly that she could not describe.

Waters Defiled

"What did you see in the future?" asked Meredith finally. 

"We saw Mother Earth crying, her body poisoned by man, her forests destroyed by clear cutting, her sacred waters defiled and dried up, her angry skies unleashing violent storms," said Wild Fire. Meredith saw Mother Earth in the fire, crying. She looked much like her own mother.  

"We saw Father Sun helpless to prevent the damage. We saw him shining his warm rays upon his dear wife every day, hoping to heal and succor her, yet only increasing her pain until he wished not to shine at all," said Wild Fire. Meredith saw Father Sun shining but helpless.

Do Visions Come True?

"Do all your visions come true?" asked Meredith, stirring up the fire again.

"No, they only show what might be, but the path of life can be changed, for better or for worse. On earth, the choices people make can alter the courses of their lives, but we are not living in time here. We are living in dream time." Wild Fire stood up, the carved root in her hand. 

"I need to decide how to proceed," said Meredith. 

"That will come later. In this our world you will see your choices."