Night of decision

I sit back and relax believing I will hear a wonderful tale of adventure. I look into my glass, the spirits coating the sides with their amber hue. Its aroma rolls up and fills my nostrils. It is a heady brew indeed. I watch the flames dance in the hearth as we hear a faint rumble coming across the Siris.

"Sounds like a storm is coming in, dear."

"Much like that night in the mountains." Reenie rocks back, then stops. "Aye, that night," he says as he rocks forward. "The first was like any other night I had escaped to the mountains, calm with cool breezes coming off the peaks. I was sure my decision was the right one. The second night was much the same. I looked forward to seeing what was on the other side, but felt the comfort of familiar surroundings. Then as I looked out through the final passage, that last tunnel that hinted at what was on the other side, I remember shuddering. I stood on a precipice; the biggest decision I ever faced was before me."

"Decision?" I am lost. What decision is it he will make?

"Aye, to turn back." I watch as Reenie leans forward, the chair not moving beneath him. "I felt the pull of the safety of home. I could go back and shrink before my father, though he would have simply shrugged it off to the rebelliousness of youth. He would have doubled my work for a time, but that would pass, I was sure of it. It was then a vicious storm blew in from the sea. I was not prepared for the onslaught. I had found no cave to take refuge, not even so much as an overhang to shield me from the relentless rain. I curled up behind a boulder and tucked my cloak around be. It was one of the longest nights of my life."

I watch as the memory sinks in and he lifts his glass to his lips. The light of the flames dance along the rim of his glass as he sips one more memory.

"Then, as the light broke across the peaks, the storm subsided and the sun shone upon a world I had never seen. As I looked across the last peak the distant rumble of the shore rode in on a fresh breeze. For the first time I could taste the world where the salt of the sea met the dirt of the land. What greeted me was not the pounding of rain and thunder that kept me pinned behind a rock, but the distant sounds of life. Below was a most magnificent collage, a painting of valleys and rivers and forests as seen from above that ran out to the Western Sea. Just then, the first beams of the new day rose enough to touch the waters and filled them with the deepest of blue."

He sits back again, partially obscuring him from my view behind Clarisa.

"It was then I knew I had chosen the right path, a path of discover."

A crack nearly sends me from my chair. Perhaps that night, all those long years ago has a memory. As the storm burrows in, it is time to retire, for tomorrow is another day; another dawn.

Full circle

'Dead'. The word itself causes me to take notice. Surely this person who seems the master of his world could not have faced a situation so dire. What lies within the world of men-folk that could do such harm? The warmth of my drink calls to me and I take a larger swig. I again feel the burn as my chest warms to its touch.

"It was only my father's teachings that kept me alive in that world." My host looks towards me as he rises from his seat. He raises his glass and nods his head. I nod back. Another glass would be a fine addition to the conversation. I drain what is left.

"Be careful with that," Clarisa notes. "If you are not used to these spirits, it may come back to haunt you."
Her smile touches me, her manner so at ease.

"Spirits?"

"Aye, that is what they call this in their world."

Reenie refills my glass, then his and again takes his place before the hearth. He pauses, again tasting his past. I can almost see the memories filling his thoughts. He pushes his feet against the floor as his chair begins to rock slowly.

"I longed for adventure. The life of a farmer was not for me." He pauses again, looking around his cozy home. It would seem he is what he would never have wanted to be. "Then, one day I said goodbye to my father and set out into the hills.

"What did your father have to say?

"I think he understood, though he did not send me off with a smile. Although the lessons I learned in my foray are what makes me what I am now, my one regret is I never saw my father again."

"Never?"

"Reenie's father died that winter, dear." I am surprised to hear Clarisa's voice, though I could see the pain in Reenie's face.

"I spent the first night in the mountains, as I had a hundred other nights. The mountains is what I loved, what pulled me away from the fields of my youth, my father's work; not mine. I wished for only new horizons, new vistas which the mountains stole from my eyes. The only way to see them, was to cross them. In two days, I reached the Valley of Rivers and my adventure truly began."

Looking Away

I look at the fire and the half-filled glass within my palms. I raise it to my nose, tentative. I can nearly taste the earthy smells as they escape the rim of the glass. I pause and glance to my host. He seems lost in thought, then suddenly the glass kisses his lips and its contents flows freely.

"Yes Clancy, the Choale is a more formidable range than the Sirris, higher and rugged. Its peaks are ragged from the pounding weather that blows in from the Western Sea. The continual storms that ravage there dump their load on the Valley of Rivers." He leaned forward letting the light from the hearth caress his face. "That is where I spent my youth, Clancy, in the darkness of the Choale, as you say."

"Oh, I have been to the Choale, but my time there has been brief." I raise the glass to my lips and gingerly sip. I feel a burn as I let it slip across my tongue. It stings, but in a good way. I swallow and feel its bite as it slides down my throat. "I have never fully explored its vastness."

"Vastness." Reenie leans back into his seat once again. "In all its glory, with all its rugged features, they pale in comparison to the ranges of Ostergaul; the mountains of men-folk." He sits quiet for a moment, Clarisa's slight hand coming to rest on his arm. It triggers a smile, a smile of memories.

"My life was ordinary and I wanted more. I searched for adventures such as young lads will always seek. It was a desire my father could not understand. He was a fellow of the earth, a farmer and woodsman. His life was what was before him, his work. Much of what I knew, I took from him." Reenie lifts his glass again and drains it. "Without him, without his earthly knowledge, I would not have returned to the Chrystum. I would be dead."

A name to a place

As Reenie begins his account of the world of men, I am riveted. In the days of my youth, not that I am old, mind you, I heard the tales of men. The stories told 'round the fire at night as we camped in the dark were enough to make us want to run back home and sleep in cozy beds. I lean back into my chair and try not to stare at him.

"There was a time that I, like you," Reenie began, "wished to see what was beyond my own horizon. I lived on the other side of the Middle Valley in a small cove that was perched against the Choale Mountains."

"I have traveled some to the Choale side of the valley. It is a darker place than most."

"Not so, Clancy. Not so." Reenie got up from his chair and looked thoughtfully at the fire. Without a word he made his way to the small kitchen. I could hear some fumbling behind me as doors and drawers opened and closed. Clarisa looked my way and smiled her charming smile, setting me as ease. I could feel the tension building again. Within minutes, he returned with two glasses and an old, half-filled bottle. He hoisted it, letting the light dance about its dusty surface.

"A remnant, or a memory if you will, of my time in Ostergaul."

He handed me one of the glasses, the other to his bride. With ease he loosed the plug, pulling it directly out. I could immediately smell its contents; the aroma heady. I watched as the thin liquid slid gently into my glass. Its amber color almost glowed from the light of the fire. I nodded as he finished and filled the second glass, but to my surprise, took the glass from Clarisa's hand.

"This is not quite to the liking of my wife, you understand." He returned to his seat and now stared into the amber glow. "I will tell you of men-folk, Clancy. Do with it what you will."

Of men-folk

The outside world seems to have taken hold of our fire-side chat as it takes an unexpected turn. My heart feels like it skips a beat. I sit straight up in my chair anticipating his next words. Reenie remains unmoving in his rocker, his face a blank canvas as he stares into the fire, the colors of the flames embracing his face, making him seem older than he likely is.

"The world of men-folk is a queer one," he says. "They have strange ways."

"You have been there." I am awash with a stirring emotion. I begin to perspire at the news; my skin feels clammy.

"As I say, I have been there." He leans back and begins to rock again. His bride remains quiet as he begins his tale.

"The world of men is far above us, above the Flatlands, north of your valleys."

"My valleys? Are they not your valleys? You are Sheima, are you not?"

"I am a Sheima by birth, yes, though the valleys are no longer part of my world. I no longer claim that heritage." He continues as his chair finds the ruts in the floor. "Your world is small and peaceful by their measure. That is not the world of men. Theirs is chaotic, ritualistic. It is filled with legends and sorcery, not the simple rituals of farmers like yourself."

"You have seen this yourself?" I stammer. I have now asked the same question three times. I do not know what else to say, so striking and unexpected are his words. My nervousness shows through as Clarisa lays her hand upon my arm, a calming smile directed my way.

"It is a world I knew long ago; a world I struggle with during the night. It is a world that invades my dreams and keeps a peaceful spirit at bay. Yes, I have seen it, and I will carry it with me to my grave."

A past life

We stayed in front of the hearth for a time. It was quiet as I sat mindlessly staring into the flames. There is nothing so calming as fire. I think it harkens back to antiquity. It is safe, it is warm, it protects. It's primal nature is possibly the most calming thing I know. My solitude is unexpectedly interrupted as Reenie's chair comes to a halt.

"What adventure is it you seek, Clancy?"

"I have not thought about it." I clear my throat, wishing my own chair were a rocker. "I suppose it is a new horizon that I long to see."

"Every hill crossed offers a new horizon. That is a simpleton's way of looking at the world." My eyes widen at his blunt words. His chair starts up again, the rockers finding their groove. "Adventure is a new way, or at least a change in your ways."

"I suppose you are correct. It is new experiences, new places I wish to find."

"You will not find them here, Clancy. We are simply on the other side of the mountains."

"There are places I have heard of which I would like to see."

"Places? What places"

"I hear tales of men-folk and lands that are far away. Far from the valleys of my homeland." I blink, my thoughts beginning to come to the fore. What kind of adventure I seek I have never considered. "I do not know where to go."

The rocking stops and Reenie leans forward, his hands coming together as his finger entwine. He stares into the fire, the flames adding color to his face. The room darkens as the world outside is as black as it will become. Night has fully taken hold of the landscape outside these walls.

"The world of men in not for the fool-hearty."

My eyes widen as my heart nearly comes to a stop. The time between beats seems as an eternity.

"I have been there."

A distant memory

We sat by the hearth, a warm and inviting fire crackling before us. It was obvious this was their custom after the evening meal. Their conversation began as they seated themselves, nearly forgetting I was present. It was their habit, their ritual. It was here they recounted their day, hers at home within and his work in the fields. My mind began to wander until Clarisa's voice brought me back.

"And what brings you to our parts, Mr. Clancy?" Her smile was as warm and inviting as the fire. Her face beamed with every word.

"I am simply exploring."

"An adventure, I believe you called it," Reenie replied.

"Of sorts, I suppose." I leaned back into my chair and stared into the fire. "I have been a homebody, I suppose, most of my life."

"Well, there's something to be said for that," she answered."

"I live in the upper valley beyond these mountains." I smiled as I replied. I was hoping not to offend her, but a homebody's life was not fulfilling. "I have been there all my life. I am content within it's confines."

"I sense that is not enough for you." She reached out her hand laying it on my arm. I reveled at her touch.

"Adventure is for young 'ins." Reenie stared into the fire and began to rock slowly in his chair, its curved rockers finding their well-worn place upon the floor. "A fella's measure is the work he gets done; the family he keeps."

"That is something I have done near my whole life, sir. It is simply time for me to find another path." Clarisa withdrew her hand and looked to her husband.

"That was not always the case with you, my love. There was a time you looked beyond the fields and wondered what was over the next rise."

"Aye, a long time ago in a boys life." His voice seemed reticent, his mind searching for memories from a time long ago; a time lost. "I suppose it is part of who I am."

"A part I fell in love with, Reenie." I watched as her hand now caressed his arm. They were as one, from now till forever.