User blog:RRabbit42/Sunset, part 5

Sunset part 5

I was present when the second Chose. She came up to her and simply asked, “Are you ready?”

The other was surprised by the thought-speak, but instinctively answered in kind. “How did you know?”

“I knew the moment I met you, though you did not know. You have always known, as I did, though you did not know, as I also did not. I saw because you are a kindred spirit.

“It will be easier for you than it was for me. I had no one but myself to guide me. We will help. We will help you fade. We will help you shift. We will help you become.”

I added my own mental voice of support. “Yes, I will help.”

“Ken, are you sure? I don’t want to leave you.”

“You aren’t. You’re finding yourself, as she did.”

“But, how? How will I become?”

“You have all the pieces. Recongition was the last. All you need now is privacy and time. He will give you the first and the second will follow.”

The other asked, “Will it hurt?”

“No, not for you,” she answered. “My shift initially did hurt because I had to make the change hidden in plain sight, surrounded yet alone. That is where he will help.”

“Will I be missed?” the other asked quietly.

“You will fade from their minds, just as she did. They will see you but they will not see. But I will always remember,” I promised.

Comprehention blossomed. “Now I understand! How you were so caring, so kind.”

“Yes,” she said. “A unique perspective, one you will soon share.”

“What must I do?”

“Continue as before. He will see to it you are not disturbed and start the fade. When you are ready to complete the shift, call to me. I will return. Together, we will find your new home.”

“Goodbye, Ken. I love you. Thank you for everything.”

“It’s only goodbye until you return as your true self. And you know that I am able to be a companion to you even then, right?”

“I had forgotten about that. It will be a comfort.” To her the other said, “I always did love our rides together.”

“It’s even better from the other side,” she answered.

* * *

It was a few days after the third Chose that I recognized a common thread. Though I could have instantly spoken with her, I made the journey to see her in person, as a human. I softly stroked her face and voiced my fear. She gently pressed her muzzle against my forehead, her equivalent of a kiss.

“Do not be troubled, my beloved Kenny. Though the two of us who became and the one who is now becoming have held the title, it is not the title that decides. Nor is it me, nor anything physical.”

She lifted her head slightly and stared into the distance. “It’s something... elusive. Something I can’t define, no matter how much I search my heart. I don’t know what makes the difference. I only know that when I meet each of the students, there’s a microsecond when our souls connect. It is then that it reveals itself to me if it’s there. It isn’t for everyone, but for those it is, I know. Instantly. Still, it’s up to them to discover the spark, for lack of a better word, when they are ready. Some never are.

“Each must follow their own path. I cannot show them the spark until it well after it has already revealed itself to them. Even then, they don’t know they’re ready. I simply help them recognize what was always within. To do so any earlier is to force their true self upon them. It is a death of the soul.”

She paused for a moment and I could see sadness in her eyes. “I have already seen this happen. She went searching for her true self and when she caught a glimpse of it, she tried to capture it. She is why I suppress the curiousity, as you suspected. She correctly figured out what I had done. She wanted that for herself, but she knew I would not lead her there. So she took matters into her own hands. She drove herself too hard. You know of whom I speak.”

I remembered. There had been a rider who had been exceptionally brilliant. The epitome of the art. She was beautiful. She was exemplary. And one day she was different. We never knew what happened, how she burned out and became so distant, so cold. She was the only one I ever had to ask that she leave.

“No, Kenny, you do not need to worry about awarding the title. The most deserving will earn it. Becoming is separate from that.”

“Thank you. As always, you are exceedingly wise and kind.” I stepped back and bowed to her.

“You are as well. We both occasionally just need a reminder.”

I headed back to the house, but not before I went to visit the other. She was happy to see me and she offered additional insight into the one that had just Chosen, which further eased my mind.

The words were borne true when the fourth and fifth rider to hold the title did not Choose. The fifth never felt his spark, though it was there. And when the next to Choose never even came near to earning the title, I knew that fear would be forever dead.

* * *

♦ preface ♦ part 1 ♦ part 2 ♦ part 3 ♦ part 4 ♦ part 5 ♦ epilogue ♦