Page 22

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

THE WOMAN

BEFORE

T he woman waited.

Tonight, she was especially excited for what was to come. It was special.

She could feel it, even as she drifted away, even now that the hut that surrounded her had been replaced with trees and flowers of a dozen colors. A waterfall tinkled somewhere to her right, the water dancing against gleaming white stone.

She had never expected her life to become so grand. She had never been an important person, but now, here she was, leading others to the truth. Her heart felt like it might burst with pride.

At that moment, Mother arrived.

She felt a stirring in the air around her, a whisper without words, and then the snake showed herself in all her glory.

Mother greeted her warmly, and the woman did the same.

Silence followed as she tried to think of how to ask what was on her mind. Mother was beautiful, kind, and perfect, but sometimes, she still struck the woman with a sense of dread.

Fortunately, the snake knew this well.

“Don’t be afraid, my child,” Mother said to the woman gently.

She watched as Mother began to shrink in front of her until her hulking green form had been reduced to something no larger than a snake that she might find in a garden shed.

“I am sorry, Mother,” the woman said, feeling a twinge of shame. She should obey Mother and control her emotions. The snake had earned her trust by now.

“What do you want to ask of me?”

“How–how will I know who it is that is chosen?” she stammered out.

Mother was moving now, coming closer to her until she was slithering up the front of her chest. She tried not to flinch as the snake came even closer.

“You will hear my whisper in your heart when the time is right. I am always with you, my child.”

All at once, the woman felt a chill rushing through her.

The snake was gone now, but she knew exactly where the being was.

She could feel Mother gleaming within her chest, slipping gently beneath her ribcage and taking hold of her heart.

Everything inside of her was warmth, and light, and happiness.

“Thank you, Mother,” the woman breathed, a smile spreading across her face as the trees began to dance. “There is one woman here who I will show to you. She is in deep need of the truth.”

“Very good, my child. Very good.”