41)
Alex looked straight at Allura and for the first time saw her as she really was; a very attractive woman rather than as an antagonist or someone to hate or fear. He found it hard taking his eyes off of her and actually started to blush. Allura picked on this instantly; “Ok…Let’s try focusing on something that won’t distract you any further.” She said with a wry smile, “Although this does actually prove my point about your susceptibility to such things.” Alex smiled back. “The oak tree that lies just in front of us; see how high it reaches up. Focus on the trunk, and tell me what else you can see.”
Alex really couldn’t understand the merits of what he was being asked to do, but he did as he was asked. The tree took up most of his vision, so there wasn’t much he could describe to Allura save for a few bits of bracken poking up from the wood floor.
“As I suspected,” Allura commented, “your powers of description are just as limited as your powers of concentration.” This was a side to her that Alex had never seen or even knew that existed. Onyx was right; everything did happen for a reason. Allura giving in to her shadow side could have been disastrous, but on the other hand the dynamic between him and Allura was now of equal standing; and she had a wicked sense of humor.
Alex nodded and smiled in reaction to her comment. “What I want you to try now is something very simple, and you may have been taught this by Onyx already, but I want you to relax your gaze. Still keep your eyes on the pine but just let yourself go cross-eyed slightly.” Alex turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. “I know how it sounds, but think on this: Each eye has its own distinct field of vision and when you focus on one object you are converging those two disparate images into one, in effect superimposing one on top of the other.” Allura paused. “Does this make sense?”
“I think so.” Alex replied, “So does that mean that the brain then edits out any discrepancies between the two overlays?”
“Yes, something like that. By going slightly cross-eyed you are allowing yourself to see both separate images again; you’re seeing the bigger picture, not falling into the little details.” Alex nodded. He remembered that Onyx had said something similar when he had taught Alex the correct way to walk. That seemed such a long time ago though. “You may find it a little uncomfortable at first, but if you blink rapidly it will become easier.” Alex looked at the tree in front of him, but every time he tried to go cross-eyed he felt himself focus again on the details; the spider webs that cris-crossed the soft fibrous bark. Every time he tried, he failed miserably.
“You are trying too hard, Alex. Relax.” Allura said, sensing his growing frustration. “Learn to breathe. Your breathing is far too shallow. You need to take long, deep breaths – especially if you need to concentrate. Breathe in for the count of three, hold it for three and then release in three. Keep doing this, focus on your breathing and relax your eyes; relax your gaze.” Alex had not been aware of his breathing until Allura had drawn his attention to it. He did breathe very shallow, and was often out of breath when he did anything vaguely athletic. Following Allura’s example he breathed in slowly for the count of three then held it before breathing out for three. He continued the cycle three times before Allura gently spoke.
“What do you see now, Creator?” She asked.
“I see the bracken to my left: a brilliant, vibrant green; great fronds of it reaching for the sunlight. I see discarded acorns littering on the barren floor where the mighty trunk is drinking from the earth. And I see brambles on my right, their thorns hiding the bountiful berries beneath.” Alex stopped and looked at Allura in surprise.
Allura smiled. “You didn’t even have to try, Creator.” Alex nodded in amazement.
“It was so easy,” He replied, “I didn’t even know that my eyes had crossed.”
“Once you become more aware of your surroundings and of your peripheral vision then it will be harder to be distracted. Everything becomes of equal importance.” Alex nodded at this; he could now understand exactly what Allura meant. “This is ideal for short distances because it allows you to keep everything in your field of vision.”
“But for longer distances I would incorporate scanning?” Alex asked, tentatively, unsure of what he was actually saying.
“How do you mean, scanning?” Allura asked.
“Well, for short distances you’re saying that your gaze is fixed.” Alex explained, “But if you need to take in the maximum amount of information then you would need to move your head and scan the area around you, whilst still keeping your gaze slightly out of focus.” Allura paused before answering.
“Yes, you are quite right; to take in the maximum amount of information from your surroundings you just need to move your head slowly. This too will seem strange to start with as it is an automatic response to shift your eyes from point to point, but there are entities out there that will be able to sense this and use it to your disadvantage.”
“What entities?” Alex asked again, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
“It is nothing to worry about, Alex. Just as you’ve encountered the Skin-Crawlers so you must also appreciate that there are other beings out there that inhabit the woods and streams, as the birds, squirrels and fish do.” She paused again, sensing Alex’s growing anxiety, and put a friendly hand on his arm. “Now is not the time to dwell on this, but be assured that not all of them are evil. The ones that dwell here are certainly not evil, though they may be slightly mischievous… but that is nothing to worry about.” She looked around her using the method that she had described minutes before. “I think we have stayed here enough. It is time to continue our quest, and I would very much like you to lead us for a while.” She smiled at Alex and pointed the way for him to walk.
“But how will I know which way to go?” He asked, bemused.
“You will know, Creator.” She replied and smiled. “Just practice what we have just talked about and pay particular attention to your feelings. It is true that there are many ways through this wooded area, many paths… but only one will feel right.” She paused to let this last piece sink in. “Now is not the time for thought, Creator, but for walking. Lead the way.”
42)
It felt strange at first and for a time Alex kept tripping over things.
“I thought that Onyx had taught you how to walk properly, Creator!” Allura jibed.
Alex couldn’t believe that he was being that dense of course, it made perfect sense. The two disciplines went hand in hand, and Alex was incredulous that he had forgotten the correct way of walking so soon.
It took a couple of seconds to remember what Onyx had told him: Lift the legs up when walking so the knees almost reached chest height, and do not look down. Not only did it make walking so much easier, it wasn’t as tiring and also meant that he could scan his environment better by utilising what Allura had just taught him.
It only took him another couple of minutes to master the two disciplines combined, and he was soon walking at the same pace that Allura had started earlier.
Allura smiled at his progress and congratulated him on his ability to walk properly which made Alex lose concentration for the briefest of seconds –long enough for him to trip over a tree root. He quickly regained his composure, and was relieved that Allura couldn’t see him blushing from behind.
However, the question still remained: how was he to determine what the correct path was? That seemed like an impossible task when he didn’t know what he was looking for, and Allura’s comment was vague: only one will feel right.
At the moment he felt as if he was wandering aimlessly. He had noticed which direction Allura walked previously and so headed the same way hoping that she wouldn’t notice, but that wasn’t what he had been asked to do. He knew that this was an important lesson for him to learn and it wasn’t something that he wanted to take lightly.
All of a sudden he stopped walking, and half-expected Allura to bump into him. She had anticipated this though and just stood three paces behind him. Alex paused and allowed his breathing to slow again as he centred himself. Allura was right, each time he did this it became easier to do, and he knew that before long this would become second nature.
Alex had been told that the true path would feel different to him, that it would feel right. He had already noticed that by walking in the direction that Allura had trod he didn’t even have to think about it, it wasn’t even a conscious decision to make – it did just feel right. So how would it feel if he walked in a completely different direction?
Alex turned around almost ninety degrees and allowed his eyes to go out of focus as he had been taught. He could sense no difference yet, so walked a few paces utilising the scanning technique. Whereas before he had found this easy, now it was more of an effort; he found it harder keeping himself centred as his attention was being diverted by lots of little things, bushes rustling as if something small was scampering through them; the creak of a tree overhead, impressions of movement in the periphery of his vision. Each of these incidents added to an unsettling atmosphere and he felt the hairs on the backs of his arms and neck rise up. What was even more bizarre to him was the sickly yellow tint that he saw when he scanned the horizon. It wasn’t noticeable at first, but the further he progressed in the wrong direction the more definite it became and it wasn’t long before Alex actually felt nauseous.
The flutters of apprehension were now developing into full-blown paranoia. He actually felt as if he was being watched, and found that the sense of unease overwhelming. It was only due to Allura shouting to him that he was able to snap himself out of it. He quickly turned around to face her and ran, utilising the running stance that Onyx had taught him. He felt better with each step and by the time he had reached Allura the nausea had all but disappeared.
“Look back where you just walked.” Allura whispered in his ear, once he had regained his composure. “Relax your gaze and tell me what you see.”
“I see the yellowish tinge again, clear as day.” Alex stated.
“Now look in the direction that you were leading us before you stopped.” Allura continued.
“It’s a shade of green, very pleasing to the eye.” Alex was stunned at the difference in the colours and wondered why he hadn’t noticed it before.
“Don’t allow yourself to fall into the glamour of your ‘heightened’ perceptions, Alex.” Allura gently remonstrated. “Just accept that you have learnt something new.” Alex smiled; that was precisely the kind of thing that Onyx would have told him, but not as gently. “You did the right thing by stopping in your journey, Alex. I commend you for that; your capacity for learning and your thirst for knowledge is inspiring. I can see just how much I misjudged you earlier, and I can only apologise again.”
“There’s no need for this treading on eggshells any more, Allura.” He smiled. “We’ve both done stupid things in the past and I believe that they’ve cancelled each other out. So no more apologising – for either of us now.” With that Alex held out his hand, which Allura clasped. “Right, I think we’ve spent enough time on the arts of perception.” He said, “Now that I know what I’m doing I think we need to pick up the pace more.” Allura nodded and they continued walking at a faster rate.
43)
They walked for hours. It was hard to tell what time of day it was because the light didn’t seem to change in the wood; it was a consistent diffuse and hazy light, somehow pleasing to the eye.
However Alex never felt tired, it was as if the path he was on, coupled with his new walking gait, actually replenished his strength. He marvelled at this new way of life. Everything appeared normal when he started his sweeping gaze, but when his gaze reached the direction they were walking he could sense a slight greenish hue and felt a warmth in the pit of his stomach, something he had not associated with walking before, and when he completed sweeping the horizon the vista appeared normal again.
It was only when he started walking in a different direction that he sensed something wrong again; he would feel nauseous and his vision became tinged with the same hue of yellow that he saw earlier. Every so often he would deliberately alter his course to constantly test his new found sense of direction. Luckily this didn’t affect Allura who understood what he was doing and kept walking in the same direction, heedless.
“What you have learnt today has unlimited uses, Alex.” Allura said. It seemed like ages since they had spoken. “Now that you are cultivating your sense of feeling, you will be able to find your peace, and even whether people will be friendly or hostile to you.”
“How do you mean, find my peace?” Alex asked, intrigued by this concept.
“It’s the same as finding the correct path to walk, Creator.” Allura explained. “We all have places where we feel comfortable sitting, that are actually beneficial to us; just as there are places that can be detrimental to our health if we sit there. Too many people are not aware of this and will sit somewhere that is actually hostile to their well-being without realising it, not understanding the damage it’s causing to them until it’s too late.” Alex could now see the logic in this. He thought back to how he felt when treading the wrong path. Imagine what would have happened upon sitting in a place that was actually harmful. He was grateful to Allura teaching him to recognise the difference. “The more you learn on this journey then the more aware you’ll become.” She continued. “However, the more susceptible you will become to their forces, so it becomes more important that you find your spot each and every time you plan to rest.”
It wasn’t long before they came across a proper pathway leading to a small stone bridge that crossed a river. After all the time walking through the woods without a path to follow, it seemed strange to see something man-made, let alone a footbridge.
It was a modest semi-circular bridge made of ornately carved rock and sandstone. At first Alex thought it was far too brittle and unsteady to support any great weight, but as he walked closer he could see that the key to the bridge was in its design. No one chunk of stone would carry the pressure and weight, it was somehow distributed evenly. It seemed strange, though, that the bridge didn’t have any hand rails, nothing to prevent a person from falling in the stream.
Either side of the river Alder trees grew creating a tunnel of sorts; the greenish bark mottled with brown patches; the lush leaves catching the last rays of the sun and twinkling in the wind.
Alex was quite taken with the bridge, he marveled at the ingenuity of whoever built it but Allura was nonplussed and walked in front of him. Alex smiled and gazed around him; the sun was now setting and the light was a gentle shade of ocher, diffuse and pleasing as it filtered through the trees.
Alex sensed something was wrong before it even happened. As he scanned past the bridge directly in front of him he noticed a distortion, a blur, something large and ungainly. He was caught off-guard completely when a fierce and loathsome creature jumped out of the river behind Allura even before she had a chance to react; its great hairy hand holding her by the throat.
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