Under a Starless Sky

The domes hearth was off center, closer to the inner door. A place to sit, not quite center, became a nice place to meditate. The dome’s wall was beyond the heart light, and the space between was the darkness of enchanted offspring. Visions came and went, and if the hearth was dim and flickering, spooky shadows moved across the ceiling making the magic more powerful. On occasion, he and TL lay there, their head in the idea center, holding hands, and making movies out of the dancing, flickering lights.

The cave was a palace. It was big. It was opulent. It was unnecessary and excessive and Shen absolutely loved it. TL’s smile was huge. Shen had tears. There was a bathroom. A real, modernized and yet ancient bathroom. The far end had a urinal track in the floor, leading down to a trap. He could poop there and it would wash down into the trap if he released enough water up stream. TL imaging helped him to understand it, a series of shallow S traps, and then down to the ‘poop’ pit, where bacteria and a variety of tree roots sorted materials and moved stuff or converted stuff. The gas product wasn’t precisely methane, but was a derivative and it had a particular odor, not unpleasant, which was actually good thing or the buildup of it could be deadly. The gas would be channeled to the tower tops where his Light would shine. There was not enough gas production to light both towers presently, barely enough gas to sustain one light, but once it took it would be a steady flame. It was likely he needed a village to create enough waste to make gas light for both towers and his dome’s hearth.

“How did you make the channels?”

TL gave a palm’s up gesture. An orb appeared. She directed it about her like remote controlled toy. “I can phase it through any material without damaging material, and I can also bore through material with intense heat or turn material directly into energy,” TL said. Using high tech, she could float stones that weighed several tons. She could teleport stone from place to place. She could print a stone structure molecule by molecule and one would assume it was carved from a single piece. The ancient pyramids of Egypt and South American were built with High Tech, not stone tools or even machine tools. Tech enmeshed with consciousness, controlled by personalities.

There was the Asian floor toilet and a Western sit down toilet, and a Japanese, fully teched out toilet, separated by half walls.

“We expecting company?”

“Never know,” TL said.

He sat on the toilets, adapting the script from the three bears. One toilet was ‘just right.’ The far wall had a long community sink, and traps caught water along the run. Pulling up the trap, which was simply a plate that slid into grooves, allowed water to flow. To let more water in, he simply pushed on the ball stone at the wall. Water flowed around the ball. When he let go, pressure put the ball back in place, and water ceased flowing.

“The water?”

“I channeled a line from the lake to here,” TL said.

“Nice,” Shen said. “Orbs are wonderful. How do the Tamorians do it?”

“I don’t know,” TL said. “I would like to know.”

“Yeah,” Shen said.

floating tank with heavily salted water. There was a partial wall and water fountain. The archway leading into

walked in to the Hall, the ceiling move up and away. Heart-light couldn’t contain the immensity of it. The empty space above of the center of the hall was a pyramid. The far end held an alcove devoted to the Goddesses. The primary Goddess rendered clearly owned the alcove. She was Druantia, goddess of trees. Given the popularity of trees to the Tamorians, that was just right giving her that spot. All of her branches led to deities. One of her branches manifested or sprouted or gave platform for the existence of Isis, Shen’s favored goddess. There was a Dakini Goddess, multi-armed, one leg up as if embracing an invisible lover. There was scary goddess, vampire like. There were flavored goddesses, sadness, happiness, love, maternal, pregnant. Some of the leaves captured the essence of animals. One branch

Candles. A hearth behind the altar gave it a halo glow. Base was salt rock. The top was marble and gold. To either side of the alter were spiral staircases. One went down, one went up. Behind the Durantia was a baptismal with softly illuminated water, which explained the moonlight ripple effect on the far

spectacular,” Shen

you,”

began to

tech,” TL assured him.

Shen sat down on the stairs leading up to the Goddess

don’t know why I am

sat down with

“People cry,”

don’t want to stay here,” Shen

beautiful

“I am

on,”

afraid of being alone. I am afraid of being with people. I am afraid of loving and being consumed. I am afraid of not loving and not trying,” Shen said.

some insight into you. You love everyone. Most people can't

“It hinders

relationships, contextually. In a world where you’re told to have only one partner, you can’t love everyone. Jealousy, anger, coveting is a part of that world. Fear is a part of that world. In a world where you have favorites, you’re expected to love your children over non-biologically related children. You, Sir, love at a level that desires true equality. That does not mean everyone is treated equally- but needs are contextually met based on where they are. You don’t give a kid who hasn’t learned to read a medical journal and tell him to go figure it out. You teach him to read and raise him. You love