Mother of Sound, Give me a Form

Submitted into Contest #149 in response to: Write about two people who form a bond with each other through music.... view prompt

2 comments

Fantasy Fiction

They stood together within the vibrating light. Each cadence held a unique sound. Transfixed, they felt frozen in time. Perhaps because they were.

Hands pressed together in prayer form, they held each other up.

Juno tried to push them apart. Each movement caused a tinkling, a tingling and a shatter-like feeling. Crystals of light embedded within sound. Music, harmonics and vibration. For Juno it was like being immersed in water. For Syntha it was immersion in light.

The two decided to try again. Lifting their attention to not only the cadence of sound and the tactile feeling of water, but into the spaces between the shattered feeling and tingling vibrations. A micro-movement. The waterfall of light-sound vibration seemed sensitive to the slightest twitch.

Again they tried to pull apart. Careful not to panic, Juno whispered carefully into Synth’s ear “try not to think. Try to just feel. When the vibration stops - try letting me go.”

Synth did her best to obey. The beam from above was heating her up in an uncomfortable way. It felt like light vibrating so fast it was generating heat. Then came the waves. A water-like falling sensation.

They both knew intuitively that when the music slowed, their grip on each other weakened. This was the pathway to full release. Listening closely to the sound patterns, they waited for the next chance to release hands.

Suddenly there was a loud screeching followed by a wave of actual water, and the two women collapsed onto the ground. A pause in the music. A chance to escape. They clamored to their feet, dripping wet. Juno grabbed Synth’s garment and pulled her along quickly.

“Hurry!” She gasped as she lurched forward. Synth was barely able to stumble along with her. The vibrations had left them both drained, and the water had tapped their energy. They could both hear the distress in the new sound. The melody became more furious.

Synth could see the cave opening just ahead. Relieved, she knew they actually had a chance this time. Once inside, the beam could not penetrate the thick rock. Inside, the dim of the cave would soothe them once again.

The smells of damp earth filled their senses and the two breathed a sigh of relief. With every inhalation the women felt their bodies becoming more solid. Every sensed smell added to the thickness of their original form. Earth. Light. Water. A fragrance of solid reality. The way home.

Soon the distraught sounds began to fade into a more soothing rhythm and Juno knew the spheres were moving away from the cave entrance. Every vibrating beam began slowly floating further and further away. The sounds of the spheres became celestial once again.

“That was waaaay too close!” Juno exclaimed. “I know.” Synth replied. The two women stood together watching as the light and sound receded. Juno glanced up and down both of their bodies, looking them over carefully. She needed to make sure all of them had made it out of the sound-light wave. She checked Synth a second time. She had been wavering and her strength had faded.

“Sound burst forth, rubbing on space, causing so much heat - light exploded into the previously unseen universe.” Synth mumbled her words. Her breath still caught in her chest. Her words lifting slowly into the air. Her eyes lowered, fixed on the ground - and her feet.

“Were you able to graph the melody?” Juno asked. “I think so,” Synth responded. “This time I imagined the notes writing themselves on a staff with a treble clef. I believe the melody was in the aeolian mode. That’s what made it possible to escape. I could feel the music swelling up in my heart. A haunting, informative experience.”

“Once I memorized the melody, I could predict the pauses” She explained. “Once I could predict the pauses, I knew when to let go.”

“If you hadn’t, we would’ve ended up like dust fragments in a beam of sunshine.” “That was entirely too close this time.” The women joined hands as they made their way into the cave. As they entered, a small cloud of glowing lights moved smoothly before them.

“The Mother will be pleased.” Juno suggested. “I hope so.” Synth sighed in response. “ I really don’t think we can survive another capture.” 

The two women sauntered slowly into the long tunnel. Hands held lightly for support and to avoid the uneven rocks and sandy path from knocking them down, they quietly began to sing their way into the dimness of the cave. 

Notes appeared in the air above them. Tiny light formations as small as a firefly. They continued to quietly sing in perfect harmony. The sand and rocks smoothing before them as they made their way further into the tunnel. They paused, listening to the quiet of the Mother’s hum. Slowly, smiling, they continued forward.

Finally a warm glow and a soothing sigh welcomed them into the Mother’s presence. Her nest lit with sparkling crystal formations of sound vibration. The women dropped to their knees.  

Her earthy breath filled every space between every cell with form. Feeling solid once again, they folded themselves onto the ground, their palpable relief waving slowly through the air.

“My queen, my mother.” They began in unison. Their prayer building with spoken energy. “I give myself entirely to thee. And to show my devotion I consecrate to thee this day - my eyes, my ears, my heart, my whole being without reserve.”

As their supplication merged from sound into form, they became less visible. Sound merging with light, form fading into the spaces between their cadence. A melody of dust particles in a sunbeam. Notes etched by light into space.

The Great Mother sighed again, this time followed by a gentle inhale. And with her breath, Juno and Synth dissipated into light and entered her through her breath. 

The Mother lifted her head. From her body emerged a most incredulous melody. A haunting, heart-full yet tingling sound. The small lights flickered. Juno and Synth were finally home.

June 09, 2022 00:38

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2 comments

Johanna Parry
18:11 Jun 20, 2022

Thank you. It felt good to write.

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Graham Kinross
06:14 Jun 19, 2022

This is poetic, beautiful.

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