I
was walking toward the east pasture of my father's farm and noticed
to the left in the ground what seemed to be a long series of stained
glass windows, as if they were the ceiling of a subterranean temple.
It was afternoon, and I finished my business in the pasture and
then walked home, noticing the glass in the ground beside the cow
trail. I told Bernard what I had seen and what I thought it might
have been, and we hurried back to explore it, despite eerie feelings
of doubt that the venture would be safe. As we started walking toward
the pasture, the sun was setting behind us, and I was becoming fearful
of the approaching darkness. Also, I thought practically that the
windows would be viewed best during sunlight. Several wild animal
noises, owls and coyotes, frightened me, but then in front of us,
just at sunset, the full moon began to rise and cast a silvery light
upon the trees. At the darkest moment, some dogs or coyotes we could
barely see were fighting over a carcass they had killed, but abandoned
it as we approached. I hesitated, asking Bernard if we should continue.
I somehow felt the presence of evil or death.
As the
moonlight grew stronger, we came near the beginning of the windows
and found before them scattered objects-one a cow's hoof attached
to the bones of its lower leg, which Bernard put in his pocket for
protection. I picked up a seashell-a very large volcano shaped shell
(like ones I had found in the Caribbean, only much larger) lying
in a small pile of white sand, and a bamboo flute, quite out of
place in the pasture.
Then
we saw the windows again, and Bernard was fascinated. I told Bernard
that I had seen an entrance somewhere, but it seemed to have disappeared.
We walked around for a while, admiring the glass, pondering what
was beneath, and then suddenly, back where I had found the seashell,
there was now a large hole with steps leading down to its depths
and quite well lit. It was Sabbath (or Sunday), and we thought we
heard church music-chimes or an organ. The steps led us to the interior
of the chamber beneath the windows, and then suddenly they were
gone again. In the first room we noticed many strange objects and
heard many strange sounds-like eastern music, and smelled incense.
We observed the ceiling to appreciate the moonlight shining through
the windows and noticed that a second ceiling of frosted paneled
glass was just below the stained glass so that the colors played
on it in changing shapes and hues. It was as if we were inside a
magic cave or temple. I heard flues and began to play my flute-effortlessly
creating new harmonies and patterns of sounds. A girl came in to
greet us (She looked like the Lucy character in Peanuts.) and asked
us our business. She seemed suspicious of us and quite defensive
although we gave her no cause for alarm. She had to threaten us
to see if we could be frightened or intimidated, and finding that
we weren't, she welcomed us to her temple. They were in the middle
of a celebration or ceremony for some special occasion or holiday,
and there were many candles and much incense. I left Bernard with
our ill-tempered hostess and followed my ears to the room where
the flute music originated, playing along as I went.
Bernard
showed the hoof he had put in his pocket to Lucy, and she looked
at it as a familiar object and commented that it was very nice.
Meanwhile, I found the flute players in a room with all types of
flutes lying around in it waiting to be played. Some were clay,
come were bamboo, but none were metal. Mine (bamboo) I played by
holding my hand over the large hole at the end to cover it to varying
degrees to make different pitches. The flute players liked my style
and invited me to sit down on the rungs with them to play. I had
no time, however, and wanted to learn more of the temple I had entered.
What was its purpose-why was it there-how did it get to be there-for
how long-and how did all of these people get inside although I had
never seen them around the farm before? They were wearing baggy
clothes, and some of the men had long hair and beards, and some
had turbans and no shirts. I think I was wearing a very heavy vest
of purple and gold brocade on the outside lined with sheep's wood
(with skin) inside. It seemed that the temple had something to do
with cow worship, since it was on a cow trail near or in the cow
pasture, and yet it also seemed satanic, being subterranean.
Note:
Bernard must have had a horse's hoof because it had one toe. This
wand had some control over the entrance to the temple, although
we did not realize this, and this is why we were allowed to remain.
I'm not sure what power my objects had-I did not get to use the
seashell, but the flute obviously provided music and allowed me
to enter the flute room. Bernard's wand may also have had other
powers, and Lucy would probably try to get it from him, although
she would not be able to. It was not an actual hoof, but a fashioned
one, with designs on the hoof similar to the patterns of the seashell.
The flute room had shelves with flutes on them, but I can't remember
other features of the rooms. Walls and floors seemed to be made
of red-brown clay, like some of the flutes.
It
might have been an Elvin temple with Lucy the queen of the elves'
matriarchal society. There were trees around, which made patterns
of shade on the ceiling. Full moon Sabbath is a magic time, when
magical forces have all their power and strength.
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