Journal Entry -
My growing puppy, Coos Bay Bear, smiles at me. His white teeth are gleaming and light shines from his eyes, framed by his midnight fur. His tail waves and I smile back at him. Coos makes every day playful and joyful.
The air of a light breeze feels cool on my skin.
We are hiking in the rainforest wilderness, next to a smooth lake, at the foot of the steep mountains.
The light wind bears fragrances of salty sea air and fir boughs. A stream bubbles and laughs over smooth river rocks. The afternoon light is turning golden.
This week is the anniversary of my wedding to my forever soulmate, Frank. He was called to the Afterlife many years ago, when he got cancer.
Now, years later his eternal spirit still wanders the emerald trails under the tree canopies, shines in the sunlight shimmering over the sea, and lives in the depths of my soul.
I picture Frank in a vision that drifts over the lake, where I am sitting with my dog.
Morning sun rays slant through the towering fir tree forest. Beyond the trees are sand dunes and the misty waves of the sea.
Coos Bay Bear, my loving, four-legged partner with his wagging tail, senses my yearnings and longings.
He snuggles up, leaning against me. His shadow-toned fur feels so soft. He licks my face with light touches.
In the mirror of the lake's water, like a dream, I see the reflections of my loved ones who have gone to the Afterlife.
My soulmate, Frank, has been gone from this world for a while. My tiny dog, Breezy, left recently, and she is with Frank now.
My imagination begins to create a story about a visit from them, bridging the space between the physical world and the eternal Afterlife.
The muses of the forest spirits are sending poetry, myths, and visions, inspiring me today.
New ideas for the story are emerging in my mind.
I imagine a mystical storyteller, whom I will call Rain Moon Dreamer, who writes in the mythic and poetic style.
She, too, lives in the breathtakingly beautiful world of rainforest wilderness on the coast, with her dog who seems to have supernatural powers.
In the drifting fogs of the wet, green forests, Rain Moon Dreamer is at one with the wilderness and wildlife.
She is friends with the black bears, cougars, coyotes, elk, deer, eagles, sea lions and whales migrating past in the ocean.
Silently, Rain Moon Dreamer pads along the trails in the dense, moist, emerald forest, with her midnight colored dog, far away from the rest of the world.
When the full moon is snagged by the fir bough canopy, and a light rain falls on the forest, she is sheltered by the trees.
Fresh new dreams are released, energies are renewed, and she creates new myths and poetry.
By day she treks with her dog, Coos Bay Bear, across the beaches and dunes, past the volcanic caves in the sea cliffs, up mountains and through valleys.
Rain Moon Dreamer listens to the calls of the birds, the wild doves cooing, and to the whispers of the tall fir trees, learning secrets about an unseen world unknown to most others.
Slowly a sense of comfort enfolds her and griefs float away like the salt air mist.
A fantasy story full of symbolism, metaphors, healing, and allegories begins to emerge.
It flows like a river, helping to soften the feelings.
I begin writing down Rain Moon Dreamer's story and it comes to me in waves like the ocean.
It feels like a healing meditation, smoothing the rough spots of grief and leading to a new awakening.
-----"Rain Moon Dreamer Writes About Visitors from the Afterlife"
My mystical dog “Coos Bay Bear” and I followed our curiosity into the labyrinths of a cave in the cliffs by the ocean.
It reminded me of the labyrinths and depths of my mind.
We wound our way around the curving stone walls.
A faint light was shining in the distance. There was a shape near some logs where orange embers and low flames lit the cave.
Walking closer, we came upon a glowing, hooded figure with a hidden face, sitting by a small fire.
The figure beckoned to us with the wave of one arm and picked up a long piece of driftwood, then dipped it into the fire to make a torch.
I did the same, and the figure nodded, and then moved away to go deeper into the cave.
With the torch lights flickering on the stone walls and ceiling, and shadows dancing there around us, my dog and I followed the hooded figure.
At first I was hesitant, but feeling the reassuring nudge of my mystical dog, Coos Bay Bear, I went on.
The darkness and depth of the cave seemed to echo my feelings of grief, after the losses of my loved ones.
Deeper, deeper and deeper on down we went into the cave, following the glowing figure of the hooded being.
A faint light shined around a bend in the cave where the ceiling rose like a dome and I could see more shapes emerge.
My heart leaped and fluttered. Was I dreaming? Could it be?
There, ahead of us, the blurry, transparent figures of my small dog and my soulmate from the Afterlife wavered in the shadows of the cave.
Colorful rays of light streamed over them, beamed in from openings in the cave's ceiling crevices that led to the sky.
The human figure shape of my soulmate, Frank, picked up the little dog, my Breezy, who snuggled in the figure's arms, and pressed her head against the human’s glowing, translucent body.
The figures were made of moving light that flowed with many soft colors. I could still see the rocks of the cave walls through them.
I heard a musical hum like ripples of water swirling in a tidepool.
When I looked at my hands, arms and legs I could see I was showing as illuminated, soft colors, that were transparent.
Coos Bay Bear, my Mystical Creature, his nose resting in the palm of my hand, was a luminescent silhouette too.
The soul-to-soul language of the heart flowed from the two radiant beings to Coos Bay Bear and me.
The figures pulsed with light.
The cloak and hood of the small, hunched figure was like a thin veil of particles with spaces between them, allowing vision through it.
The face was hidden by the drooping hood. The cavern in the cave was lit brightly now.
Like liquid flowing, the image of my little dog floated over and nestled against my shoulder, a transparent light of her silhouette floating there.
My beloved soulmate’s silhouette merged with mine, his arms around me, and we were one again.
Such joy and love. Together again. My torn heart peaceful and healed for a moment.
Everyone in the cave was enveloped in one cloud of light.
Coos Bay Bear’s bright form leaped gently up to nuzzle and snuggle with us. We had bridged the physical and spiritual realms.
Eternity spread in front of us with beauty, harmony and joy.
I saw Infinity with my senses, light going on forever.
The cave around us darkened, but there was a radiance coming from far away in the distance.
More messages of knowing flowed through the psychic communication.
“Everything is interconnected. The All-Embracing Spirit is everywhere, in everything.”
The message was infused with energy and love that filled us.
Slowly the shining silhouettes faded. The cave was in shadows except for some beams of light coming in farther away.
I could still see a faint shimmer around Coos Bay Bear.
Like dust from the stars, the presence of those from the Beyond was sprinkled within now, sparkling even in dark depths.
A song from them echoed like wind in the grasses, “I’m here. Always.”
The glowing hooded form began to move, and we followed.
Coos rubbed against my leg and I reached over to rub his ears and neck. His eyes were like coal embers burning into mine.
I knew we were still suspended in the world between earth and the Afterlife.
Images like a fantasy dream floated through my mind.
My soulmate, Frank’s gentle deer eyes. His voice. A song of water caressing a beach.
His touch. Skin to skin. A breeze stroking the leaves and grasses.
Feelings. Crossing time-space.
Petting a wild skunk in the forest. Rescuing animals.
Talking to them with his eyes and mind.
Knowing their stories.
An Empath and a healer. Bringing the sky's blue soothing light to transform the darkness.
His aura like dawn light and colors. A soul from dimensions beyond dimensions.
Floating like wisps of sea vapor through the fir trees.
Even with a body, bright vibrations like dawn's mist rising from the lake on a cool morning.
Sent for a reason.
Life was a moving river. When Frank got cancer, the Afterlife asked him to come home to the spiritual world.
Now, like an Obi-Wan-Kenobi, Frank was in the Beyond, but we continued to be connected.
We were together, still, across time and space.
And he was with my precious little dog, Breezy, she of the dancing legs, her dark silhouette, her white-tipped tail waving with joy.
Her eyes locking onto mine, speaking from their depths. That tiny body, squirming to curl around me.
Breezy's magic. Still reaching me through veils of the Beyond.
Bringing wisdom from the Beyond to enlighten.
Mine is a young soul. Needing experience and seasoning.
Following a deep labyrinth of paths. Seeking.
I was still with Coos Bay Bear in the subterranean trails of the cave, where it was alive with the flickering shadows.
The hooded figure began to sing, words unknown to me, echoing through the caverns, a voice like bells, or birds singing in the morning, songs echoing through the caverns.
We walked for a long time.
Darkness and light. Moving. The cave and the torch.
Spirals of time spinning by.
Moonlight and stars floating on the midnight lake near my house.
Stony forms of stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cave. Soft rustles of air whispered.
Deeper and deeper, deeper into the labyrinth of the cave. The walls now showing crystals, agates, stones. Catching the light. Reflections wavering.
Dancing lights. Sparkling shapes. A dark universe with stars.
Then, softly colorful rays of light beamed into the cavern through distant openings in the roof of it.
The fresh air from somewhere smelled like salty ocean waves and Douglas Firs. A perfume like no other.
The luminosity of the cave sides grew stronger.
Rays of light slanted in, from narrow openings in the ceiling.
Sounds grew in the silence. Ocean waves breaking and flowing. A pinprick of light ahead.
Framed by the cave walls and ceiling, I could see sand, sea and sky.
It was sunset. Orange brushstrokes painted the ocean as it reflected the sun going down.
We reached the cave opening and stepped out onto a beach in a world I had never seen before.
The sand was many soft colors. It glowed with an aura. A multicolor-toned light transformed the cliffs surrounded by a cove.
Douglas Firs with multiple muted shades of colors grew on mountains that reached the beach. The ocean shimmered with multiple colors.
Coos Bay Bear ran to the ocean and began playing in the surf. I went over to the tidepools, took my shoes off, waded into the water.
The waves swirled into a larger tidepool that held still water. I looked and was surprised to see myself reflected there. I looked different. My hair was soft pastels.
It was a metamorphosis I liked.
A creek joined up with the ocean at the south end of the beach.
The hooded figure beckoned, standing by the stream that joined the ocean. We saw a group of kayaks sitting amid the rocks, reeds, grass and water lilies.
The figure pushed a kayak into the stream, picked up a paddle, and perched on a seat cushioned with fir needles.
I saw the figure pointing at another long, slender vessel.
I slid it into the water. It sat lightly on the stream. Coos Bay Bear and I got onto the vessel and I swept the paddle through the water.
The tide was coming in now. We were swept along with the current like leaves floating.
Wilderness surrounded us on both sides. I knew my wild animal friends were there too.
Ahead came the sound of rushing water.
“Get ready,” a thought whispered through to me from the hooded figure. “For the wild rapids.”
Coos Bay Bear looked at me with calm, thoughtful eyes. Unfazed.
After all the experiences we had shared, I knew we would be all right, no matter what happened.
"Ready Coos?" I said. A soft nose brushed my neck, and he gave the side of my face a licky kiss.
I knew we were multidimensional beings now.
Living with the freedom of spirits unbound.
We flowed with the river current, listening to the water bubbling, and smelling the salty forest air.
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30 comments
Great story! I liked the Star Wars reference!
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Thank you so very much for your thoughtful, encouraging comments, McKade, and for noticing the Star Wars reference!
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Your piece reminds me of the Jack Flanders radio serials, loaded with symbolism and spirituality. It's like literary meditation.
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Thank you so very much, Keba! Yes, this is meant to be a dreamy, meditative piece. I looked up Jack Flanders radio serials and I see what you mean. Thank you!!
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This is sheer beauty. I wish I had your powers of emotion and description!
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Thank you so very much, Martin. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
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Oh, Coos Bay Bear.. I started smiling when I read that lovely name. Nice job.
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Coos Bay Bear says, "thank you so much, Darvico!"
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There’s a lot of musicality to each sentence, like one steady breath after another with a common rhythm. There is a deep calm here. Do you sing? I could see this being turned into a lyrical storytelling song 🎵 🎶! Immediately struck by the textures of the imagery and sounds of the words. Everything felt very intentional. Well done!!
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Thank you very much for your thoughtful and encouraging comments, Red Herring! There is a mythic-poetic aspect with a rhythmic flow to some of my fantasy stories, and others too, on purpose, like tales told in the oral tradition. Thanks for noticing!
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A very positive story. Comforting to read.
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Thank you very much, Paul!
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The way you’ve intertwined grief with the mystical presence of loved ones is both heartwarming and imaginative. It’s a journey that soothes the soul. Well done!
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Thank you very much, Jim, for your thoughtful comments!
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My God, Kristi, your imagery is almost overwhelming. I so admire how you sustain it throughout the story, letting it tell the story.
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Thank you very much, Beverly!
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Kristi, Quality writing from start to finish - a brilliant, emotive piece of work. The mystical feel, the all-enveloping journey, left me invigorated and, at the same time, emotionally spent! Just what I needed to hear!
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Thank you so much, Damien, for your kind and encouraging words!
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Beautiful and captivating story which shows how our family (in the widest sense of the word) are always with us - even if they are no longer in the physical world. This was a mystical story of transformation.
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Thank you so very much, Helen, for your thoughtful comments.. I am glad that you enjoyed the story.
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This reads like a lucid dream, the world you describe is precise yet remains mysterious, and the character allows herself to be carried along, come what may. I haven't read many stories like this, let alone the ones that still actually captivate without losing story structure. Well done!
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Thank you so very much for your thoughtful comments!
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This was such an uplifting story!! I really enjoyed the way you wrote this and I honestly got lost in your words!!! Great job and thanks for sharing this!! :)
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Thank you so very much for your thoughtful comments, Daniel!
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Beautiful. Have lost friends and family this month. This captures a new hope.❤️ Thanks for liking my 'FairLady II'
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Thank you very much, Mary! I did want it to uplift others.
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Kristi ! This was just so poetic !! I loved your use of descriptions. Plus, of course, the heart that is central to your stories. Lovely work !
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Thank you so very much, Alexis!
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What can I say.?You have painted a very vivid experience with words. Well done. Beautiful.
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Thank you very much, Kaitlyn!
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