|
|
|
|
|
|
Amazon.com, 
Amazon.co.uk, 
Amazon.de or 
Amazon.ca
|
 Kiyama (Book Excerpt)by Diana Kemp-Jones The Alternate Universe of Diana Kemp-Jones Page 2 of 6 I backed away until the pliant shell of the chrysalis pressed into my back. Confused and uncertain, I rested on my haunches, the sense of urgency apparent to me even if I could glean no actual meaning to the strange vision. "Who are you?" I said, my strong voice an echo of those lurking in my mind. Unaware that I could even speak, I shivered at its resonance, my flesh crawling as I pressed my fingers to my throat. "Where am I?" I said more boldly, the vibration against my fingers a strange sensation. "What is this place?" Eyes pursued me as I craned my neck to follow the infinite dimensions of the chamber. I was an island entombed beneath a fathomless ocean, the surrounding walls abyssal shelves merging into the distantly glowing orbs. Tentatively, yet expectantly, I reached out my hand as if to touch the golden light shining far above. Suddenly, the image of two blazing orbs cloaked by a stark azure sky seared my mind. A cry escaped from my lips as I cowered. The sussuration clarified into whispered voices, each one a soothing caress. They spoke reassuringly, filling the gaps of understanding. Images surged from my memory, gradually piecing together like a puzzle. A child's laughter followed the weathered voice of an elder while the lilt of a young woman preceded the guttural slang of hunters. Often, the voices spoke beyond my comprehension, hinting at a legacy that was somehow part of me. The aura of communal urgency seemed out of place in such a sterile environment. Ripples pulsed through the tanks like white water rapids as the chrysalis solidified into diamond hard smoothness. It slowly unfurled, its transparent segments fanning out until they resembled huge lotus petals. Afraid at first, I remained motionless until a whispered entreaty enticed me to my feet. I slipped from the chrysalis and stepped onto a black onyx floor polished to mirror brilliance. The air teased my skin with pleasant coolness, its freshness belying the confined environment. Behind me, the chrysalis sealed, leaving me isolated in my imaginary ocean. I turned to survey my domain with uncertain steps. "Kanuwe" My head swiveled. My startled glance darted to a spectral face enclosed in a tank at eye level. For a moment, I glimpsed beautifully sculpted features and deep, chocolate colored eyes exuding wisdom and strength. A thrill of recognition flared within me as a name trembled on my lips, but the vision shifted before I could articulate it. "Wait," I said. "I know you..." The tank fluttered in response, the movement reminiscent of whitecaps on a choppy sea. I blinked, as the face once again became a ghostly echo adrift in a quicksilver pool. As I hesitantly approached my phantom audience, the floor suddenly illuminated. I gasped as a series of brilliant pictographs radiated around me. Bold, sweeping colors and vivid images accounted the long and distinguished history of the Omoro race. I stared at, but could not fully comprehend the images of planets and peculiar conveyances that floated through the constellations. A ruddy planet awash in majestic beauty rose from the chronicle, the saga of a proud people running the course of a thousand millennia. Immersed in the sweeping chronicle, I almost missed the sinister images I had glimpsed during my awakening. Amphibious creatures walked a ravaged landscape, a woman's weeping face rose entreatingly to the sky. Even the colors were dulled, as if to echo the darkness tainting the scene. A chill coursed through my body. I hugged myself. Though I did not want to look, I could not help myself. My eyes drifted over the images. For a moment, I thought I glimpsed my own face staring back at me from a cavalcade of faces that at once resembled me, yet did not. I faced my audience. "I don't understand," I said. "Is this my heritage, or yours? Who am I?" A hushed voice spoke with surprising clarity. I could not identify which tank it came from; it was at once in my mind and all around me. "You are Kanuwe; our child, our kindred. Though we cast our mortal bodies aside long ago, the collective Omoro spirit survives within you." I frowned, my eyes darting to the chronicle beneath my feet. "Then, I'm born of no one?" "You are born of us all, Kanuwe, created by us to fulfill the Omoro destiny. As are your brother and sister, who were brought to life before you to prepare for the great journey awaiting you." I touched my throat. "If I am newly born, how can I know you? How can I speak?" Warmth like a gentle hug embraced my shoulders. "We shaped your mind like a clay pot, Kanuwe. All that you need is contained in your thoughts, your memories. There is no longer time for the innocence of childhood." The words filled me with a remote sense of loss. Longingly, I glanced around as though expecting my kindred to suddenly appear. Something shifted in my peripheral vision. I turned sharply and glimpsed a tall, stately figure draped in striking batik tribal robes vanish into the walls. "I'm must be dreaming," I muttered as I scanned the vast tank chamber. "Or are you all in my mind?" "We are everywhere and nowhere," replied the voice. "We reside in your soul. We were planted in your heart like seeds waiting to germinate." Copyright© 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Diana Kemp-Jones, sffworld.com. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the author. |
Copyright © 1999 - 2004 sffworld.com