Page 37 of Uprooted

Elowen

While my eyes adjust to the dark I take a deep breath of crisp air. The wind blowing through the tall evergreens is fresh and cool. Aro silently directs me to keep my back against the outer walls of the dome. We sidestep a few yards and then he pulls me forward toward a stand of enormous trees.

“Welcome to j'Tilak,” Aro says and spreads both arms, his palms facing the sky. A proud smile stretches across his face. We’re surrounded by a grove of tall trees, the night sky hidden behind the connecting branches above us.

They're so tall I can’t see where the trees end and the sky begins.

My boots sink down into the soft dirt with every step.

“Aro, I…” escapes my lips while I take it all in.

“Let’s keep going. We have a ways to go.” He walks slower this time, heading toward the hills in front of us.

The adrenaline pumping through my veins helps me keep up with him initially. It only takes a few minutes before my feet feel really heavy and my heart rate picks up. Tomorrow—tomorrow I’m going to start working out. It should take a lot more than this to get me out of breath.

Aro looks down and smiles. “We can stop and rest as much as you need.” I would like to disagree, but I’m so out of breath I can’t get a word out.

We rest at the top of the hill so I can catch my breath. I look back and see the brightly lit dome nestled into the valley. It’s a soft white glow against a backdrop of dark sky .

Aro places his hands on my shoulders and turns me to face him. “You ran off so fast earlier. I just want to make sure that you are okay after last night.”

“I’m okay. I’ll need some time to process all of it. I think it actually helped me put a few things together for the research.”

“You are incredible,” he says and pulls me to his chest and crushes me against him in a tight hug. “Let’s get moving. We only have a few hours and there is a lot I want to show you.”

I let go of all my worries and follow. I’m getting better at being in the moment with him. Aro occasionally looks back and smiles at me as we walk. An open field greets us when we break through the trees.

Tall grass tickles my fingers as I follow closely behind Aro. Up ahead, a patch of small blooms sway in the breeze. Aro sits and pushes down the grass to make space for me. I sit down, close enough that our legs barely touch. It’s enough to feel the warm electricity between us.

“Check this out,” he says and looks up to the sky.

My eyes follow his, and for the first time I see the unobstructed night sky.

Millions of stars shine down. The small amount of darkness between each light isn’t just black—it’s dark shades of blue and green.

Three moons in different phases line up above us.

Along the horizon a nebula spirals in greens and reds. I’m stunned by the beautiful sky.

“I knew you’d like it here,” Aro says with a smile.

“You have no idea.”

I feel his eyes on me for a brief moment before he turns back to the night sky.

A bright meteor streaks across the sky. “Oh look! On Earth they used to call that a shooting star.” I nudge his arm to get his attention and he snags my hand and laces our fingers together.

Whoah! The memory of my stasis dream hits me.

How peculiar. The way that vision played out in real life, I’m not alone.

Did I have a premonition? I’m stunned into complete silence.

I enjoy the synchronicity with a warm, tingly feeling in my heart.

We watch the night sky for a long time. I quickly lose count of how many shooting stars streak past us.

Aro turns on his side and props his head up. “There’s still more to see.” He stands quickly and pulls me up next to him .

“Let me know when your soft little human body needs to be carried.”

“Soft little human body? Please. I’ll be the one carrying you.”

We both know I’m full of shit.

* * *

Back on our feet we walk a while longer. Aro is a perfect guide. He names all the different plants and tells me about the creatures that live in the area.

“Okay, we’re close. Walk softly and follow my footsteps exactly.”

I follow his instructions, and we finally come to the top of a hill with a lone tree.

Aro slides off his pack and leans it against the trunk.

We sit with our backs against the tree and take in the view.

Shifting around like water in an eddy, flowers and grass move as one.

Small groups of similar blooms spread out then come back together.

I’ve never seen anything like this before.

I look over at Aro and am surprised to see he’s watching me and not the view.

“This is probably just another ordinary day for you,” I whisper.

“Elowen, there is absolutely nothing ordinary when I am with you.” He bends down bringing his face close to mine.

His index finger lifts my face up to meet his, and his eyes drop to my mouth.

Aro hesitates a moment before his lips softly brush against mine and it feels like warm electricity.

He grabs the back of my neck and brings me harder against him.

We both part our lips and his tongue slides against mine.

I feel so cherished, he kisses me like I am something precious and adored.

He softly kisses the corner of my mouth one last time and pulls away.

Reeling, he turns my head back toward the view and whispers, “You don’t want to miss this.”

I peel my eyes away from him and a few feet in front of us I see something drifting across the ground.

A round ball with hundreds of flat petals rolls across the grass.

It looks like the wind is blowing it away, but there is no movement in the air.

Variegated petals in reds, pinks, and oranges tipped with silver move slowly in front of us.

Each layer flops over the other as the flower moves toward its target.

It approaches another flower. The blossom finally reaches the other flower and they delicately touch.

The petals slowly tangle and move over each other.

The moving flower rolls completely over the stationary one and then after a brief hesitation keeps moving.

Once again, I’m spellbound. I had given up the hope of experiencing this.

I blindly grab for Aro, unable to look away from the view.

He has given me the most incredible gift.

I can happily go back to Earth when this is all over, with no regrets about missing this incredible place.

Before I came here, my goal was to document the planet and use this experience to solidify my career.

Now all I can think of is the overwhelming gratitude I have for being right here.

Every time someone asks me about j’Tilak, I will think of tonight.

A sobering thought crosses my mind: someday Aro will just be a memory.

We sit in complete silence for hours watching the sky and field in front of us. He anticipates all of my needs. When I’m hungry, he hands me a protein bar. When I shiver from the cold, he tucks me into a blanket he has in his pack. An unfamiliar sense of serenity takes over.

Memories from last night come back. I’d watched myself with neutral curiosity, completely detached from any emotions or judgement.

The more I think about it, the visions take on a meaning that settles deep into me.

A knowing outside of language works into my very DNA.

I’m cracked open and put back together. I feel peaceful at the sense that a small, bruised part of me is finally restored.

I felt healed when I looked down at the scar on my hand.

The harder I would try for something, the farther it would get from me. How I felt aligned when I let go.

“You thinking about last night again?” Aro whispers, pulling me closer to lean against his chest.

I turn my head to look back at him. “How’d you know?”

“Lots of deep sighing and you’re not squealing at the little flowers anymore.”

“I don’t squeal,” I clarify with mock seriousness. “I was thinking about last night. I’m still trying to figure it out. I feel different today than yesterday. Something shifted.” I struggle to find the right words to describe my state of mind.

“I loved watching you in the water. You were stunning, floating there all serene and peaceful. How was it for you?” he asks, his arms tightening around me. I feel safe and warm, like I’m in an alternate reality where nothing could ever go wrong.

“It felt like something inside of me that’s been holding me back is finally starting to let go. Speaking these words out loud exposes a vulnerability I really struggle to show others.

“Let’s stay here forever,” I joke.

“Don’t tempt me.” He sounds completely serious.

Aro leans in for another kiss. I want to give myself over to him completely.

He holds onto my bottom lip, gently tugging before ending it far too soon.

I stay still for as long as possible, rooting myself to this spot.

Locking away this memory for safekeeping.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a lumen’entem flower unfurling its petals. That doesn’t make sense. “What is that flower doing?” I think out loud.

“It’s getting ready to move, just like all the others,” Aro responds without realizing what makes the lumen’entem odd to me.

“It’s opening its petals at night! Of course! Its roots are too fragile to be exposed to the suns.” Aro doesn’t seem to pick up on the significance. “I’ve got to get to the lab.”

* * *

The primary sun peeks out on the horizon.

Gray lights up the sky followed shortly by a bright red glow.

He doesn’t say anything. Instead he squeezes me a little tighter, acknowledging what I told him.

I wish I had the courage to tell him how transformed I am.

That for the first time in my life I don’t feel like I am broken, or that something is wrong with me.

I want to tell him that I still have work to do—that there are parts of me that I resented and that are now fully fused with who I am.

That I can coexist with those feelings and memories—they're a part of the whole. I’m proud of myself that I am willing to even consider voicing this to him someday.

I sit with these thoughts a while longer as the bright light spreads across the horizon.

We walk side by side back to the dome. The trip back goes quickly.

Even though I’m excited about this breakthrough, I’m also not ready to leave this beautiful place.

Aro breaks the silence. “I’m not sure if we’ll have the chance to sneak out again.

” He says what I’m already thinking. Tonight was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’ll probably never experience this again.

The dome comes into view and Aro holds my hand again. “I don’t think I could ever get enough of this place,” I say as I look over at him trying to get my smile to reach up to my eyes. I am eternally grateful to him. Something I could only describe as grief takes over.