Anna on finding the Belly Pit

Anna, bold spirit friend has been years underground in a humanoid-made pod reached only by a lifeline, crude umbilicus, and the roots of the tree above her woven through her earthen walls. She is released above ground into a forest, attended by grace-full strangers seen and unseen, rebuilding herself and piecing together the action needed Earthside.

Ignored by all others in the forest she has found freedom, at first coming out of her lean-to at dusk and dawn, safely hearing no-one around. Scurrying back if a new sound arose from the forest. Day by day her confidence grew and a rhythm, established itself where her needs were more fully met.

There was a firepit, fifty paces from her opening, she had found it on her second week's explorations. Deep into the ground, a laughing belly, held in by an intricate array of flints huddled together to form a perimeter. Just ash on that first sighting, Anna did not know for sure whether it had been made by friend or foe, though her instinct gave her a comfortable response.

Unsure of how she could have missed any shared fires, she assumed one individual to be the guardian of this earth-opening. She also rightly gathered that magical happenings occurred in this forest space ~ that neither scent, sound nor firelight had reached her waking hours ensuring she did not find the community pit until she was ready. Nothing can be forced, everything in its right moment.

For community it was. Angels, pod-dwellers and villagers alike came to the Belly Pit each day, individuals drawn to it as if to their own mother, sisters and brothers. Strangers once, their impulses led them together, a deep intimacy of shared heritage back beyond many many lifetimes on Earth. Their meetings here were as varied as the aspects of the moon, often much silence fell around these folk as they shared the space. The time for talking, planning, action would come, for now, emphasis was community. Flesh, blood, spirit, togetherness - for no sense could be threaded together through talk, gabbled words restricted by their ephemeral and evershifting meanings.

At these early meetings, the sense of entwined threads, intangible yet no less binding, found expression through music. Voice, strings and breath blown into reeds created a sound both soothing and strengthening to hearts and souls. Awash with the stories their words chose not and could not grasp, the music wove a cushion around them, held them safely and warmly  in its reassurring mist.

And here, Anna rested, her voice amongst others at last. Weary with the work of rebuilding her life, shadowed by the recent experience of her time underground so much earthly time spent in isolation. In the hands of grace she allowed her footsteps to be guided for this was the only way, especially on days when her human state was paralysed. The soul like a patient engine, turning over, turning over as the body lay dormant, stifled by trauma. Darkness fell here, eerie and black, muffled yet piercing. Grace held its candlelight in view until Anna's inner sight could once glimpse and then accept its presence.

The candlelight was reinforced by the Belly Pit. For amongst the tragedies and time-broken souls was a joy so pervasive its warm fingers reached in bringing heat, reassurrance and bold laughter to the bones. The angels present had all experienced bones and flesh timeless, their peace enfolded the humanoids as witness and protectors to their brothers and sisters Earthside. All was well in the region of the fire, flint and melodious harmony of this family. Peace dwelled in their hearts and it was good.