Part Three - The Elf
16.
It was all getting too intense for Al, and Ernie was at about the same level. Where was all of this shit coming from? How much longer would it go on? The two of them stood there bewildered. What was causing them to see all of this?
Elf - You all want to see some strange stuff? I know you are wondering why all of this is happening. I know you are wondering why this is all going on. Well, it just is. IS. All of it is going on at the same time as the usual routines of day after day. The only difference is you are beginning to really look at the world without societal blinders. Your perception has changed, and as a result, your mind has begun to change.
Crow - My mind has changed? Afraid not elfish one. Besides, what in the world are you doing on an Armadillo?
Elf - He’s my ride from here to there. A pretty good one if you ask me. Any sign of trouble, and I am wrapped up nice and tight inside his great shell. No one bothers us. The Armadillo and I get tossed around by that Bear you met earlier. He gets a real kick out of it. No real harm is done, but he does get on my nerves at times. However, if it wasn’t for him opening all of our eyes, none of this would be here nor would any of it be true; so I guess I can give him some concessions.
Duck - Opening our eyes? Changing our minds? It sounds too much like a political system’s endeavor to control and conquer.
Elf - Afraid not, dear Duck, just the opposite. It’s an eye opener of everything and the ether-thing. Nothing can escape your eyes now, and the truth is so apparent you wonder why it passed you by just a few weeks ago. The Bear is a wonderful bear. Hell, everyone can see him if they try. Most of the animals don’t try though. The shame is that they are missing out on so much. They are missing out on reality.
Crow - Hold on there. Reality is confined to three dimensions in our world. The same seems to hold true here as well. So, in actuality, no reality is being missed at any time by anyone.
Elf - True, Crow. But the reason for that is in the perception of the perceiver. It all gets clearer as we move on. Wait here a second.
At that comment, the Elf bent down to his Armadillo and whispered something in his ear. The Armadillo made a loud, shrilling noise, and to everyone’s surprise four more armadillos journeyed out from behind the large group of trees behind them.
Elf - Jump on. There are a few things I have to show you.
The Duck and the Crow jumped on quickly. Al and Ernie were more apprehensive. They thought, however, that ever since they had followed the Duck and the Crow, nothing bad had happened to them. They chose to jump on, grab the reins and follow the magical scene.
Elf - Look around at everything going on. See with your eyes. Sense with your eyes. See with your ears, your tongue, your skin, and your nose. Sense with all of them as well. The material body each of us has encasing the soul is simply an organ of sensation.
Crow - WHAT!
Duck - Here we go again . . .
Crow - Hold on there one cotton-picking moment. What do you mean by all that mumbo jumbo? See with your ears. Ha! We are sitting here, on armadillos, listening to a green Elf spout madness. This is crazy. I am going home!
Duck - Crow, wait! Give it all a chance.
The Duck could see Ernie and Al agreeing with the Crow, and he was afraid there was about to be an avalanche of confusion, distrust and mutiny.
Elf - I hear your concerns, Mr. Duck. The Crow is just using his analytical, functional mind and refusing to sense and become the world around him. Too much analyzation and not enough sensation. The mind is his only enemy.
Crow - Enemy! Hell! My mind is the only thing that has kept me from being run over by insane drivers or being shot by careless teenagers and their BB guns. The mind keeps me going from moment to moment. It sees the past and learns from it. It notices the present and frolics in it. It predicts the future and keeps me from getting hurt.
Elf - To you, the mind does do all of that. Your reality, however, is not in past or future, but rather in the present state of affairs. The past is a memory, the future an anticipation. The present is true reality. Look around, but be quiet for a while. Let the armadillos do the walking. Stop your thoughts from bouncing around in your brain and let the mind soak in all of the information given to you by your senses all at once. It gets a little overwhelming at first, but you get used to it.
The Crow decided to shut up. The Duck just watched. Al and Ernie were still confused but decided to give a go at this idea. The Elf just smiled atop his strolling Armadillo.
They were off . . .
17.
The five of them - Elf, Duck, Crow, Ernie and Al (in that particular order from front to back) - headed through the wild willows, the old oaks and the superb sequoias until they came to the edge of the forest. The Elf looked back with an eerie smile that put a hexing anxiety into Ernie and Al. Not the typical anxiety a fear or threat would make course through the human blood stream, but rather an anxiety that basically overcame their entire beings. It overcame all aspects of their psyche. It ran right through the center of their entire body, heart, mind and soul. This anxiety, for lack of a better description, grabbed them by their boot straps, picked them up, and tossed and turned them around and around in giant circles above their armadillos. As soon as they regained control of themselves and sat back down on their rides, the armadillos walked out of the forest completely. The scene in front of them hit like a flash of lightning. The only thing in front of them was nothing. I know, as the reader, you must be thinking I am drunk or stoned in my talk, but I am dead serious when I say nothing was in front of them in their path. The sight they saw was barren and absent of any type of form. When I say form, I mean any type of three-dimensional form they were used to looking at. What was in front of them was the Void. Nothing was there, but it was there in full force and splendor.
At this point, neither Al nor Ernie knew what to do, but they heard a silent chuckle rising in the throats of the Elf, the Duck, and the Crow. To the formerly mentioned three, everything was okay. To Ernie and Al everything was unfamiliar and not okay. This unfamiliarity does something quite unique to the individual being, and it creates a fear of anticipation. Some people deal with it better than others, but this fear still exists and overcomes one’s body. This fear created such a huge anxiety within Al and Ernie they began to become afraid. The Elf felt the fear rise. So did the Duck and the Crow. Even the armadillos smelt it. As a result, the armadillos stopped dead in their tracks. The Elf turned back and spoke.
Elf - Let it go. Let it all go. Let your body BE.
The Crow jumped in as usual.
Crow - Let what go? Let the body BE?
Elf - You know. The fear. Let it go. It is simply an imagined state of being. It does not exist. Let the events just appear before your eyes. Let the mind wander. Accept everything as it comes to you. No analyzation. Just sensation. Just BE.
Crow - Analyze the sensation?
Elf - No! No! No! Sensation above analyzation. The mind analyzes anyway and catalogues the experiences without you having to tell it to do so. Keep the functional mind silent. Let the subconscious mind through, and it will deal with the anxiety and fear of the unknown by itself. We are no longer in what you call normal space and time. We are at the beginning of perception. Where the material forms from the immaterial. The starting point of all existence. Let the organ of sensation do its job, and everything will be all right.
Al and Ernie thought they understood, but an anxiety still existed.
Elf - What you see is the ether-thing of everything. See how everything rises in front of you from its point of existence. Stop the functional mind from being so afraid of the unknown. Everything is unknown when you think about it. Your mind just tries to predict and tell you what it thinks will be there. Every situation you enter in to is unknown, new and out of your control. It all arises from the Void. All you have to do is watch existence form and learn to flow with it all.
Now, the reader must still be asking what in the hell is going on? This narrator is drunk, stupid, insane, stoned and crazy (to name just a few) - the narrator has simply lost his marbles. I myself thought the same thing as I watched it go on the first time the Duck and the Crow experienced this. Rather spooky the first time I must add. Kind of creepy this second time. But either way, it is the basis of reality, and we all really exist. This basis behind reality typically eludes our clouded minds every day and causes our minds to fill up with habit-formed and socially directed thinking. The Bear simply began the process; the Elf is trying to continue it. Ernie and Al weren’t ready yet. The Duck and the Crow thought they were. The Elf knew the truth.
18.
Ginotia Main - the odd little town in the middle of nowhere - was beginning to crumble in front of its citizen’s eyes, and no one knew why. You see, as soon as the Elf realized the unreadiness of his companions, there was another loud shriek of thunder accompanied with a horrendous lightning show. Everyone was transported back to the intersection of Vinci and Leo. As usual, each character either ran or flew home to hide from nature’s wrath.
At this point in time - well, it was actually November 2, 1997 - the entire world was getting much larger, louder, crazier and less compassionate. The masses were confusing reality. Time was speeding up at infinite proportions because of all the to-do lists and no time to-do them. Space was becoming more of a commodity with less of it available to individuals on the planet unless, of course, an individual had money to throw away - then he or she could DO anything they wanted regardless of how their soul feels inside. Money, power and greed began to take over, and people became angry and confused by this. Animals began to disappear because of growth. And a mind state called depression began to overtake all of those living within the world. People had lost hope. People had lost everything, but really lost nothing. A horrible paradox of life on Earth! And Ginotia Main was no exception. For a month - from November to December of 1997 - the sun did not shine and a gloomy darkness filled the sky over this little town. The street corner at Vinci and Leo was completely empty. The Duck never came. The Crow never came. Al and Ernie were lost for a while as well. They could not see past their fingers and their minds raced like rabbits running from the dogs. Everything was unsettled, and no one knew where their worlds were going. People just did and did and did without stopping to think why they did what they did. No one understood anything, and true reality, like I said, was lost.
19.
The sun did not shine for that month. The clouds continued to roll in. Rain fell intermittently. No one left home for fear of the lightning. And everyone had a feeling it was his or her turn to be struck. Ginotia Main was transforming into a dark, depressed, ghost-town scene. People were frightened and anxious. Ernie and Al were as well. Fear gripped their throats as the darkness crept closer and closer.
I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know why he did it. But one day, Ernie thought it was time for a change. Ernie went to Al’s. The odd thing was that Al also thought it was time for a change, and he went to Ernie’s. They met in the middle of the street - umbrellas, galoshes, rain jackets and all. Neither knew the other was coming; they both just had a strange desire to get out of their homes in order to shake the dark, depressed mind-set of their souls. They had to find the Duck and the Crow no matter what.
When the two of them arrived at Vinci and Leo, at precisely 3 P.M. , the Crow was not there and neither was the Duck. Al and Ernie did not know what to do. They both sat down as if to cry. For without the Duck and the Crow’s knowledge, they were lost. They knew they were in the process of gaining more wisdom than they ever could in the normal course of a human lifetime. The wisdom was being flung directly in front of them as they were flung into the essence and understanding of what was really behind the facade of physical reality. At this point, there was no way they would ever be able to go back to the drudges of the routines in daily life. They needed more and were no longer afraid of the anxiety that clouded their minds when the Elf tried to guide them on through the Void. They had figured out that what was to come, moment after continuous moment, was to come regardless of future anticipation or past analyzation. This time Ernie and Al were prepared to take the next step into the unknown. Al called out to the Crow. Ernie called out to the Duck. They both waited, but nothing happened. They called out again. Nothing. It was already 4 P.M. The Duck and the Crow were not going to show.
Al sat down next to Ernie. Ernie sat down next to Al. They both leaned against a wall. Without mentioning it to each other or thinking it in their minds, the two of them lowered their heads into their hands; sat motionless; and eliminated all preconceived notions, thoughts, judgments, worries and anticipation. They both breathed slowly in and out and became totally relaxed.
Since he was in such a relaxed state, al was about to fall asleep when he heard Ernie scream. Al opened his eyes to see why Ernie shouted. What he saw he was not prepared for. You see, in front of Al and Ernie, the sky was no longer dark but was quite clear. The sun was out shining brighter than ever. And perched on three armadillos sat the Duck, the Crow and the Elf all smiling and happy.
Elf - Are you two ready this time? Well, you’d have to be if you figured out how to get back here on your own. The Duck and the Crow were worried you’d be lost forever over there without them. I just laughed and said we’ll see. Existence has a way of working itself out in the end. Climb up on your rides. Let’s go . . .
20.
Al jumped on to his armadillo. Ernie did the same. The scene in front of them had not changed since they’d left. The Void was still there as barren as ever. It was as if it was waiting to unwrap itself in front of them without a care in the world. Ernie and Al wondered how long the Elf, Duck and Crow had been waiting for them. Had they waited on top of those armadillos for an entire month? The Duck muttered something as if he had read their thoughts.
Duck - Yes, in a sense, we waited. Not a month like you in material reality. Here we waited for a single moment. For where we all are now, as you both heard me say in a past conversation with Mr. Crow and should have learned from the wisdom of Mr. Elf, time does not exist. It is a figment of a Do’ers mind. It is related to motion and doing things. Time is only needed when you have to be somewhere or do something by a specific period. Remember, there is nowhere you need to be because you are already there; and there is nothing you need to do because it is already done. You, as a being, are complete within yourself. You are everything you need.
Crow - Okay, get off that soapbox and let us get moving.
Duck - I you look closely, Crow, it is not a soapbox but an armadillo.
Crow - Yeah, yeah. Smart-ass. Elf, let’s move out.
Elf - Where would you like to go? There is nothing in front of us but emptiness. It is, like I said, the Void. It is what is there before existence becomes material. It is the beginning of everything. Al and Ernie, I hate to tell you, but you must go first.
Duck - No, they can’t! Did you not just feel the anxiety rise up again when you told them that they must go first? In that state of mind, they will never survive!
Elf - I understand your apprehension, Mr. Duck, but they are ready. They did get back here on their own didn’t they? Besides, to continue they must go ahead of us. Ernie and Al, will you two please go? I promise nothing bad will become of it. If you don’t believe me in your mind, then it might take a leap of faith in your soul to continue. But look inside and think for a second. A minute or two if you need it. Hell, take an hour, a day, or a year. It doesn’t matter here. Time is just a fairy tale.
Al and Ernie looked at each other, nodded in unison, spurred their armadillos, and began forward. As they approached the emptiness, their hearts pounded faster and faster. Both of them thought if there was any time for faith, this was the time. They closed their eyes and let the armadillos do the walking just as the Elf had instructed.
21.
I must stop here again to tell the reader I’m a bit fuzzy on what happened next. I can’t quite remember whether it was Al who opened his eyes first and was completely shocked, or whether Ernie opened his eyes first and was completely shocked. Kind of like the chicken-egg incident, but this one has no telling which came first. But, you see, the shit was just about to get deeper. It doesn’t matter who did what first, when or how. It never does. What matters is what happens. And what happened was this: Ernie and al were still on their armadillos, sitting patiently, waiting to see what would arise in front of their eyes. However, what they had not noticed as of yet was what had become of their bodies. The significant event I am trying to get across and explain was that both Al and Ernie were no longer adults! They were young children! Young children about three or four in age. Young children who were innocent. Young children who had not been corrupted by the prejudices, judgments and demands of society. Young children who were once again pure without a care in the world.
No sooner than this metamorphosis occurred than did the Elf, Duck and Crow enter the scene.
Elf - It worked. Damn it, it worked.
Duck - Yep, but will they remember? None of their species have gotten this far.
Elf - They are here. They will remember. It is not their functional brain that will remember, but rather their spirit.
Crow - They are kids. Useless, slobbering, little kids. How can they learn in that state? How will we ever get out of this vicious circle?
Elf - Watch them. See what they do. That will explain everything.
The Duck and the Crow, especially the Crow, watched intently. They saw Ernie and Al look around at everything. They saw Al and Ernie smell the air, feel the air, taste the air, see the air, and hear the air. Ernie and Al absorbed it through every pore as if they were the air. They were everything - sensation and no analyzation. As young kids, they were able to absorb the scene without the mind interfering. At this stage, the mind began to absorb and not analyze. Al and Ernie had not been told all the names of things, the make-up of things, or the way of things; nor had they been taught discrimination, prejudice, hate, fear or any other negative aspect of the world. They were able to relish in the moment of life and existence without contemplating things. As these young children, they were simple. They were the world because the world was in them. Nothing had been taken away. Everything was being given to them, because they feared nothing and expected nothing. They simply existed, so everything simply existed within them. No pain had caused them worry or fear. No value system had been implanted in their minds. There was no right or wrong, no up or down, no left or right. The dichotomatic system we grow up in did not exist. They knew nothing but what was! The only thing that did exist was the reality of being immersed completely within the here and now - the moment they existed within.
A few moments later, Ernie and Al grew up a few years. They began to talk more and explain more. As a matter of fact, at one point in time, Ernie pointed something out in the horizon to Al, and they both jumped off their armadillos and headed out fast away from the Duck, the Crow and the Elf.
Duck - What did they see?
Crow - Probably nothing. Just foolish kids playing foolish games.
Elf - No, they saw something. But that something is something they would not have seen as adults. Let’s follow them.
When they caught up to Al and Ernie, they were amazed at what they saw. Ernie was crouched down looking under a mushroom. Al was crouched down as well, but he was looking under a bush.
22.
Under the mushroom sat a little girl. Well, it seemed to be a little girl. Actually, it wasn’t a little girl at all. Well, kind of a girl. Shit, it was a Fairy. A Fairy I tell you. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched. The Duck and the Crow never saw one when I walked through this when they emerged. The Elf kind of laughed. The Duck and the Crow joined in, for they knew fairies existed, it had just been a while since they saw one.
Ernie chuckled as he reached his young hand down to pick her up. The Fairy jumped on obligingly and let Ernie hold her even though she could have flown her own way up. Ernie watched with amazement as she jumped off his hand, did a quick dive towards the ground, opened her wings, and soared up again to face Ernie!
Fairy - Hello, I have been waiting for you for some time. Do you remember me?
Ernie shook his head no.
Fairy - That’s okay. It has been a while since you saw me. The funny thing is, I’ve been around the entire time. You just grew older and forgot to look. Others told you I did not exist, so over time, you blocked me out of your mind and were not able to perceive me. The same goes for your friend Al over there. Let’s go see what he’s doing.
Ernie walked. Fairy flew. They noticed Al coming out of the bushes. His hands were clasped shut, as to keep hidden the treasure he had found. When he saw Ernie, he smiled and opened his hands to show his companion. Al had found a miniature, flying Dragon. That’s right folks. Not all dragons are huge, fire-spitting creatures that wreak havoc in medieval villages and squares. Al had found a mini-dragon and was smiling from ear to ear.
Dragon - Hello there, Fairy. Nice to see you.
Fairy - Nice to see you too, Dragon. It’s been a while.
Dragon - Yep (snorting). It’s a shame it has been so long.
Fairy - Well, we’ve always been here. It’s these two that forgot to look.
Dragon - Yep, they grew old and dumber (chuckling).
Fairy - I guess you could say so. Kind of crazy how simple it is for them to forget about us. Little kids always seem to see us. I guess that is why they found us again after so long.
Dragon - I guess so. It’s nice to be seen through their eyes again. Do you think they’ll remember when they return? I mean, will we be hidden in the recesses of their functional minds again?
Fairy - Can’t quite say. But if they are back here, young again, after so many years, I must say there is hope. I’ve never had a child come back after so long to see me.
Dragon - Me neither. And the damnedest thing of it is, Al and I had so much fun when he was a little tike!
Fairy - So did Ernie and I!
Dragon - Do you think when they grow old and transform back that we’ll be around, or will we be stuck here - you in your little mushroom home and me in my little cave under the bush?
Fairy - Hard to say, but I have this odd feeling we’ll be bright and fresh in their minds. We’ll be alive again, but this time in adult minds.
Dragon - That might be a strange place to be, don’t you think?
Fairy - Yes, but it is a great place to start. Maybe, over time, all adults will remember our realness and existence so we aren’t thrown out as age increases.
Dragon - I do hope you are right, little, winged lady. Come on; let’s leave these two to finish the reason they are here.
Fairy - You got it!
With that, the Dragon and Fairy flew away. Al and Ernie had drops of tears in their eyes, but they knew they would see them again in the future.
23.
Elf - Come on, boys. Get on your armadillos. There’s still yet more to sense and understand.
Ernie and Al did as they were told. The caravan moved out once again - Al led, Ernie followed close behind, the Elf, Duck and Crow straggled along. As they progressed through the Void, Al and Ernie began to grow older again. While they aged, they noticed all of the animals that materialized in front of them. They noticed all of the plants and the entire Earth as well. Everything seemed to have a radiant glow about it. It was here where they noticed how the animals, plants, and Earth work as one. They are all dependent on each other. And what one does affects the others involved.
Ernie and Al saw a little worm wiggling its way through the dirt in order to continue its life-long process of mulching the ground for plants to grow. As they looked up, they saw a robin swoop down to grab the worm for dinner. As the robin gobbled down the worm, it dropped a small piece of rock it had inadvertently picked up with the worm. The rock fell fast and hard, hitting itself against a large sunflower basking in the evening sun. The oscillations of the sunflower caused by the rock made the seeds of the mature flower fall out. Just as the seeds began to fall, the wind picked up wicked bad and threw those seeds all over various regions of the ground. One seed just so happened to fall into the worm’s hole and get buried for next season’s growth. Various birds that happened to be looking for a vegetarian meal ate the rest of the seeds. Watching this process made everything so clear to Al and Ernie. Sure, it was a simpler cycle than the larger cycle of life on the entire planet, but it put into their souls the perspective that everything existing relates to everything else that is existing; and what one being does affects the processes and lives of what other beings do. Life is all interrelated and co-dependent on all existing matter. This information was getting a bit overwhelming to handle, so Al spurred his armadillo and proceeded onward through the journey. Ernie thought about it for a few more seconds, and then spurred his armadillo as well. The two of them were off and followed by the other three - who, I might add, had gigantic smiles on their humble faces.
24.
As the armadillos marched on, Al and Ernie continued to grow old. They sensed everything in to their bodies. Their brains had stopped thinking. Life was now a different process and experience entirely. They were overwhelmed by the energy they felt from the sensations. It was not very long after these sensations took over their souls that they seemed to be vibrating from the absorption of so much energy. Right then and there, the Void in front of them created a huge span of water. At first they were happy, and so were the thirsty armadillos. But they soon realized the water was too salty to drink. They had nowhere to go. Water was everywhere. This was when the Elf began to speak.
Elf - Well, men, this is where we part. I can’t take you any further. Mr. Duck and Mr. Crow, you know you must stay with them. However, I must leave you with these parting words. Whistle and you will see more. Especially when you start sensing. Remember, the Void just happens in front of you every day, and you have no control over what form it creates or what scenario ensues from its depths. The Void takes energy from the immaterial realm, wraps it up into nice neat packages of energy called forms, and throws it all into existence in the material realm of beings. We often get confused by our daily activities and routines which block out what is really there for us to perceive, sense and understand. Don’t forget it anymore, please. I must go now. I’m sorry to leave you, but there is nothing more for you to learn from me. Good day.
With that, the Elf turned his Armadillo and began forward, back through the Void. The other four armadillos followed, and in an instant, they were all gone. Nothing existed except the Duck, the Crow, Al, Ernie and the vast sea ahead of them.
