A bunch of reckless Angels.

A bunch of reckless Angels.

At the feet of Jesus were always some Angels, not only glorifying Him, but together with Him gazing to the world. He was also listening in to the prayers, but they often only listened half, for they could not imagine the sorrows of a not perfect world like Heaven was.
And while He had not only time to help those, who needed Him most, He also had time to welcome the souls, that came back home.
That little bunch of Angels did not feel spoiled by being in His presents, no, it was the most normal to be so in Heaven, and what is normal, seldom is appreciated.
So one of the Angels got fascinated by the glitter and glance of the big city’s, the casino’s, the dancing girls and sighed: “Oh, I would like to experience a life like that!”
Another of them was fascinated by the work, a woman did by helping those, that had the most urgent prayers, but did not like the solitude of a convent. So she sighed: “Oh, how I would like to experience a life like that, it would feel like Heaven for me.”
A third of the bunch said: “No, I do see on the other side of this world a lot of pristine land, with plenty of room to roam free, work with the nature, I would be more happy there!”
Yet another and another did see places, their heart yearned to be on thatr places, and Jesus, in His wisdom said: “Did I not teach you, that each and all have its destined place in My plans? That some people have to learn from an experience. That other people do need many life’s to come to the wisdom, that their soul has been given by My Fathers Creation of the universe?”
The bunch of Angels, always sticking together and chatting, when Jesus was busy with something else, nodded yes, but the words did not fall in rich soil, so half of the meaning was lost.
The next time they spoke words like this, Jesus sais: “My lovely praising Angels, My Father did create you to sing His glory in Heaven, be satisfied with what He gave you. And remind yourself to be sure what you do ask for. You even can get it, and when it is not, what you thought it was, you stuck with it.”
The Angels again nodded yes, but had no idea, what Jesus was talking about, while looking at the outside was something different from seeing the inside of a humans mind and soul.
And they were not created as guardian Angels, so they did not got the wisdom. That does fit that job.
The third time Jesus said: “I did warn you, my lovely ones. There is only one cure to heal your yearning: I will send you to live a life on Earth. But nobody of you will meet each other, before you do recognize a kindred soul in the other. All of you will experience the troubles, you did overlook between all the beauty life also gives. Your life’s will be rough and hard ones. The troubles, you did overlook, when we together did look ate the world, you also will experience. All of you will keep the spark of recollection, how Heaven is, and have the urge to make life on Earth just like that.
I keep you Savior and hold my eyes on you, but you will have free will, like all humankind, so I cannot predict, when we are together here again. Do you still wish to go to Earth?”
Only one Angel did see, that the Creator placed her in the right place, the other ones were to curious and all said, they wanted to go.
So each of them got a different place of birth, a different fait to live through, according to their desires in Heaven. But each also was given a task to fulfill before their life should end and the lessons were learned.
Some, who did have the desire to help humankind, without being in a convent, got very hard lives, for they did need a sturdy base in their soul, from where they could do the job, they were yearning for.
For them the memory of Heaven was the only thing, that sometimes could help them through very hard times, and often the were on their knees, asking the Lord: “Why does this all happen to me Lord?”
They had to remember to be faithful, see how their experience could help others, before there was peace able in their hearts. Others had different, but equal hard life’s, sometimes by their own eagerness to live in glitter and glory going through the opposite: from the outside glorious, from the inside empty and hard.
They had to learn, that love is found in your own heart and multiplies by giving.
And there also were those, that did not loose their faith, they kept searching for the others to give them the love, they had still in their soul. Now a few of them have met, they only do not realize….
Lets keep in touch until our time to sit on His feet again!
© Nan van Daalen.

The Cyclamen

THE CYCLAMEN

------------
In the garden of the Lord he planted some bulbs too.
All had to go into the dark earth, to be able to get to leave and flower later.

Than Spring came, and some small, quick ones came into bloom, praising the fresh air and the room they had, thinking it was all there was created.

Next came the later bulbs, and they did see, there were leaves on the trees, and the later ones still did see the blooms in there too.

And still, there were some bulbs, laying dormant, wanting to bloom too, although not their time yet. They did struggle with the darkness, the ongoing season and their own still being in the dark.

Until summer came, and all others did loose their freshness, the leaves already discolored and out came the Cyclamen, who had waited until autumn, to give the world her beauty before the dark days of winter, just as The Lord had made it.

And only now the Cyclamen did understand her struggle and waiting time.
And she also understood, she had her own beauty and place in His eyes.

And we?
We do enjoy this flower of autumn, delicate, although late in season.
We are thankfull for her beauty...

Christmas Angels

Little Christmas Angels.

A skirt of gauze above cart-board,
what gleaming glitter here and there,
awkward little finger tinker
with cotton wool, glue and scissors.

A little head becomes a thread to hang,
angel’s hair flies all around.
A tip of a tongue sneaks out of a mouth,
and glitter all about.

Scissors cut the little wings of lace,
one also gets a bit torn,
the silver paint spats all around,
the head becomes some color.

A second Angel is included:
a small trumpet at her mouth.
Rickety, oblique and instable
made by a child’s hands.

Finally Christmas-day is there:
they all hang in the tree,
a series of little angels, rickety, oblique
a children’s Christmas dream.

Nan, original 1993, translation 2011.

Chapter 19 and 20

Chapter 19: the first try-outs.

Sooner as expected, there was a chance to try out the plan, the Elders and the Lady had in mind. One of the new friends in our world did win a contest, and was invited to a show on television.
There she could make a wish in a children’s program.

She could name the story, about what a whole new series should be made of, or give a subject, that would be in it.
There for there was an extra mini Pow Wow with Wise Feather, the Lady, Mother Goose, Cindy, me and Wendy, the girl, that was the new Homelander friend.

Wendy could not fully understand what a television was, so we decided to mirror-hop to my house, stay there about a quarter of an hour in our normal time, and show her the small television in my room with the noise out.

We did explain that we had to be very careful, not to wake up anybody or put on the noise, so nobody else should hear us.
And what she probably would see was a program for adult people, or about nature instead a children’s program, while all children were in bed.

When we had shown how a television worked, she could peek in with somebody else, to see on the other side of the world what a children’s program was.
And that was, what we did.

Luckily we had to stay in my home only a few minutes, for Wendy was a quick learner, so there was more time for me left to help during the rest of the night in our normal world.

In Homeland we together did make up a story, in which the lucky girl was rescued from a new group of children, who had seen about gangs, and wanted to try out for themselves.
They did think about it as a big adventure for a couple of days, without seeing, in what kind of trouble they would come, or how difficult it would be, to stop playing that game, or that it could come to be serious instead of a game.

Than there was a big surprise: in the studio’s of the television company, an older lady came to the people who wrote the story, and asked: “Did you know there are other people, trying to do the same thing? Would it not be better to talk to them first?
Or are you going to start something new just by yourselves?”

Wendy and the writers looked surprised.
This never had reached one of them.
So curiously they asked: “How do you mean other groups?”

The older lady told: “I am the grandmother of a boy, who used to be a gang member too. Two of his friends were shot in a gang war, so far this so called adventure went. They did not know a play from reality any more, so they acted, like they did see in the war-games, they liked to play on their play-station.
They did not see the difference between game and reality any more.

It was to late for some to stop, when there were wounded, casualties.
So the mothers in the neighborhood, together with the grannies, now do everything, to prevent the young boys to become a member of such a gang.
Would it not be nice, when this was in the story-line as well?”

Wendy did look at her new friend, still invisible from the writers-group.
He nodded a firm yes.
And also made a gesture, as if he had to go to the toilet very much.

Wendy understood. “Is it possible to use the loo for a moment, please?”

There she and her friend mirror-hopped back, to inform the Lady of this all.
The Elder, and Cindy, and me became even be more alert for actions like this, to warn the new Homelander and good Otherlander friends, to look if more things like this were going on.
Than Wendy and her friend mirror-hopped back.

In the normal world, there was not more time gone, as necessary to do the toilet business, so nobody of the television was aware of what they did.
Wendy got a small part in the series, the writers of the children’s television wrote about this all.

They called the series: ‘The anti-gang-bunch’ and it became a huge success.
There came a ‘fan of the Anti-gang-bunch” club, and even some schools did show this program in school time, to discuss, how things like this could come to be.
But telling about that, is another story.


Chapter 20: Time to go home.

There were things going on all over the world, Lea and Cindy were not aware about.

A new Homelander-friend, a lady of middle age, found a teacher, who did something, that could be of help too.
That, while it was so difficult for us kids to understand, was only mentioned in the Pow-wow, therefor everybody could be alert.
The rest they did was overseen by the adults.

The new friend did find out, there were a lot of people, who tried to give girls more education, even when there was not much money, because until than it were the boys, who could go to school to get an higher education.

Those people found, that Mom’s, who had learned more, could be a better help for the future of their kids. They were better able to prevent their kids to become gang-members too.

The Homelander friends, who found this, also formed a special group, Cindy and me had not much to do with this: it was adult business.

We still were kids, so the kid-stuff was our terrain.
We had to leave the adult stuff to the adults, how impatient we were to learn more of that.

It became rather complicated, to follow all what was going on, so on the other hand we were glad we did not have to be part of all that happened too.

One night, when we sat together, the Lady, Cindy, Amany, Wendy and me, I gave a deep sigh:“I do not know, if I can follow all, that is going on now.
Please Lady, tell me, is coming over here in Homeland or Otherland always that complicated?”

Cindy and the others laughed, and Amany said: “Of course not, but did not you, and Cindy, come over here to right a wrong? To help Cindy escape from that wrong?”

Wendy told me: “My new friend has difficulties like that, although she never was here.
She has to do everything what we do together, just by believing, what I am telling. That is even more complicated, in the same time I cannot be so much of a help as Cindy is, while I did not have had that much time to discover how your world works until now.”

I frowned, making deep wrinkles in my forehead.
To tell the truth, it had been a wonderful adventure, but now there were a lot of things going on, I had no idea of.

The Lady did warn me: “Lea, when you go home, and that will be very soon now, you cannot be more grown up in one night, than you are now.
You already did learn more in the time you were here, as otherwise in half a year in your world!”

I had to nod yes, although I myself did not notice this all, except it sometimes became a bit confusing, although less and less so.
In my mind there were weeks gone instead of one night.
But Cindy had promised me one thing, she reminded me of now.

“I will be your friend for always, remember?
So if you are telling something, you normally should not know something about, I will give you a hint.
And together we will go to the library, and we shall, as by accident, find something about all this, so you can make a script about this for your next school speaking turn, while it does got your attention.

That way, you can go on, helping us, coming to us for some nights when we need you.
Is that ok with you?
But what I really do like, is having a fun adventure next time.”

I totally did agree, being just a kid that loved fairy tales, was something totally different from being a person in one.
And certainly such a complicated one!

So I did answer: “Can we make that a promise? Can we go to another part of Homeland, just to meet the Puss in Boots, or Captain Hook, or Goldilocks?”
In my eyes came something of a desire for new adventures, less complicated ones perhaps.

With this the Lady nodded, hugged me and told: “high time to go home for you.
It is nearly morning in your world, and we made a promise to you, to be home before sunrise!”

She did hug me, as if I was her own great niece, and likewise did Mother Goose, Cindy’s grandmother.

It took some time to say good by to my friends, but I was certain, a lot of them I would meet again on another adventure, here in Homeland.

Than I would find out, if Homeland and Otherland were one land again.
I also could learn more of all there was to discover.

With that thought, I did wake up, while Daddy did shake my shoulder, saying: “Morning, lazybones, breakfast time is long due, wake and shine!....”
In the corner of the room stood Cindy, giving me a wink to hurry up, while normal life was going on again.

End of this adventure.
When Cindy and I will go there again, I will tell you about it, but that is another story.

© Nan van Daalen, All rights reserved.

Chapter 18: Unexpected solutions and more.

Chapter 18: Unexpected solutions and more.

The Lady, the Elder, Wise Feather and most of the women did gather around the fire.
Not all women were there.
The ones, that were to old, to get a new friend in our world, had chosen to be the people, that stayed at the home-base.
They did keep the cooking fires going, were the ones that organized the tents and temporary sleeping places, and were, while they were the oldest, mostly also the most experienced in organizing this kind of things.

The people from Homeland, that could be of any help, were asked to come over too, so it looked like a small city of tents did arise.

Than the Lady did unveil to Cindy and me a enormous secret: there was for her, and for other red-curly-haired people in her family, a way, in which they could find a human, that had the possibility to see, and become a friend of one of the Homelanders.

Cindy said: “Grandma told me so, but also to keep my mouth shut about this to everybody.”

“Those people are very necessary for the plans, that were made”, the Lady told.
But, while I was a very new friend, and from the other world, and besides that, had not proven I could keep my mouth shut, I was not shown how.

May be Cindy would tell me later, when we were long time friends, but not now.
I only heard, it had to do with the secret box, and the key and chain, we took out of the secret rooms, where no man ever had been, behind the great chair.

What I had to do, was helping to find out, in what part of our world those persons lived.
It looked like a boring job, to write down a name and a place, search for it on a big book of maps from our world, and than write down what age that person was, and was it a girl, boy, man or woman.

When we finished this list, for me something strange did happen: all the people, who were gathered in the base, let their hand go over the list, one by one.
And with each of them it did stuck above a name, mostly of somebody who was of the same age.

I did ask Cindy: “here we go again.. how come,” and we both simultaneously started laughing, “everybody chooses by that? Does that always go like that? And…?”

Cindy fiercely shook her head: “Stop, stop, now you want to know every secret, things not even the most Homelanders know about.
Have some patience, and whenever it is time you need to know, you do learn the how, and why!”

It made me feel a bit disappointed, but I had to admit; was I not a privileged kid already?
I should not ask for the whole world in my hands.
I just had been pulled with both feet down to earth, as Mom used to say, when my thoughts went their own way.

“But, are you,” and I did make that extra clear, “certain, that each one has the right person?” I did ask again, while my eyes looked at her in disbelieve.

“Well, you do forget again where you are now!
You are in Homeland, where other rules are, and where the simple secrets of life are kept safe for eternity!
In your world it works different.
Keep your trust in the Lady, and in the fact that over here things are possible, that are not at home in your world, and all will be ok,” Cindy said again.

After much deliberation of the Counsel, the name we gave to the group formed by the Lady, the Elders, some very trustworthy Homelanders, man like Wise Feather, and to my surprise also Cindy, there came a scheme, in which a number of people each day in Homeland went to try to contact there chosen friends.

While Cindy had some special tasks, given by the Lady, she sometimes shared them with me. She did know much more of what was expected of her, while I was a newbie in this country.

One of that tasks was marking down, which friendship was promising.
Special marked were the ones with writers of books, of film, or television shows.
Special there, Cindy and me had to help the people ‘coming home from new friends’.

They really did not have enough understanding of our world, to explain about what we thought was going on, so every evening by the fire, we gathered those people, and had what Wise Feather called: a mini Pow Wow.
A telling of stories, to learn of what was usually going on in my world.

Sometimes, when the most were young people, it were Cindy and me, who could tell all about it.
Other times, when there were more adult things necessary, Wise Feather, Old Bob, or some other good Homelanders, with friends in our world, stepped in to help.

I even met Cindy’s grandmother, on our world called Mother Goose, but about television and film she did not know much, while her friend was dead for some years now.But it was nice to meet her.

One night, when the stories we did hear about what was going on with the gangs, did make me very upset, she came to me and said:“Lea, you look disturbed. Are you sure, this is not a too big task for you?”

I did answer honestly: “I really do not know.
I try to keep all in my head, but some things I really do not understand yet.
But I try, and it makes it hard to sleep.
Sometimes all seems to turn, and turn without stopping, before I do fall asleep.”

She did laugh: “At least you are honest and tell.
I do know your first adventure here had not to be a very eventful one, but alas, this is how things went.
Tonight, I will tell you a story, just for you and Cindy and nobody else.”

With that thought in my mind, the realization of a long held dream, I could go on with the task, Cindy and me started, without realizing how difficult or special it would be.

When I did look back to our enthusiasm by the start of all, what seems just a few days ago, and the hard work and responsibility it did bring, it looked like I was growing up very fast.
And all this in one night in my own world.

Only: in the land of paper it seemed like a month already, that much had happened this time.
So Cindy’s Grandmother told us a great girls story, full of princes on white horses, feasts and beautiful dresses, like Cinderella had worn on her ball where she did meet her prince.

I only tell you this: ‘that was just for me and Cindy. May be ever, when I myself will try to be a writer, I will tell you what mother Goose told me that night!’

That night we did sleep very well, and had wonderful dreams about… well, you can guess!
And in that dreams not a boring moment too, just fun and colors and, well, that comes later.

© Nan van Daalen, All rights reserved.

Chapter 17: Tthe first great hop together

Chapter 17: The first great hop together.


The next morning the great hop together was planned.
We should go with Great Bob to the reservation of Wise Feather. Great Bob would go first to make sure the place was safe.

Soon he came back, together with Wise Feather in full regalia: there was a Pow-wow going on in the reservation he lived in.
So a few more or less people would not be noticed, when they did not looked to different.
Groups of people had been invited to celebrate the Moon-ceremony with dances and food and story-sessions, and a lot of people were around.

Wise Feather looked at the dresses of the most women, and said: “Bob, that is a big surprise, you did not tell me about. All these women are dressed, like the ladies were in olden times, when the first settlers came in.
What we can do, to make such a large group more acceptable, is acting out the first Halloween. Remember the story? Where the Indians rescued the settlers, who did not know how to live from, and with the strange lands?
How they did learn them to catch the turkeys, and find food, also in winter time? “

As well Bob as the Lady nodded, and I could not hold in a small: “Hurray, that’s fun!” for our teacher and our family always told this story on Thanksgiving, but I never was on Tribal territory before, and had wished to do so whole heartedly.

Wise Feather also did bring, on demand of Old Bob, with him an some enormous posters of the festival, and together they decided, that the one who showed the dancing-place from half-way up the mountain would be the safest one.

Most people would be on, or around the dancing floor, so the mirror-hop would not been seen.
When Wise Feather came down with this group of ladies, people would think, they came from a ‘dressing space’ somewhere up there.

But alas for me, I only could mirror-hop with them, and had to hop back immediately, for otherwise there would be gone to much time in my own world.
That would make, I could not be home on the promised Sunday-morning.

But at least, I had seen where they went to, and could store in my memory the picture of the place, and all the lovely, original costumes.
So when all the others should come back, I would know, what they were talking about.

I got another duty to do: go with the first women, together with Cindy.
She would stay there, knowing the most about the things, going on in my world, and I would leave a picture with Cindy of this gateway, for those who never had used one before.

I quickly did draw it on the backside of one of the posters, so it would be big enough, even if they would use the ‘men’s travel way’ in case of emergency.

The mirror-hop was easy, at least for us. We had done it so often lately, it became a kind of habit. I should remember when this adventure was over, to use the bike or bus again!

The others told later, they had a successful performance, for they just had to be themselves, only doing, as if they did not know how to survive.

Me in the meantime, did help prepare the girls who had been adventuring with the men, on what the whole purpose of this all was.
So me and one of the Elder, Geerta, told them what all the others did hear before.

Most of the girls agreed, only one, with the nickname of Rotty was stubborn, and wanted to go back to the men to tell on us.
I did ask her: “Why do you want that? Is the gang you do belong to, such a good gang? Are they doing such nice things?”

She did look me in the eyes with a gaze of; what do I care what you think, and said; “I am the second in command in my gang.
There is only one man above me, and while he loves me above all, I can get whatever I want. Why should I give that up for you?”

Geerta, who did not know that much about gangs, did not know, what to say.
And me, only hearing of them from television, wondered, so I asked: “What did you have to do, to become number two in your gang?
And besides that, explain what you have to do, to stay number two, or become number one?”

At the last question Rotty’s eyes panicked a little, and she looked around, if nobody she feared was around.
“I did earn my place, by doing what the men did too: first stealing and robbing, although girls do not have to rob a bank mostly, when they are nice to the boys.”
She blushed, while she told that.

So I was more interested: “what are you driving at, saying it that way?”
Rotty looked at me and said: “That you do not understand yet, you are still a girl!”

Geerta took over: “And she will be a girl, as long as she can, and enjoy that, so close your mouth. There is only one thing left for us to do: prevent you from going back to the gang, you belong to.

So all the girls, who have chosen to help us, to go back to the good olden ways, where adventuring did not do harm, nor bring havoc to another world, now have the chance to prove that.
Strip her from everything, except her underwear.”

Although not every girl did help with all the enthusiasm of the world, thinking they could be asked to do the same.
Rotty made it easy by doing so herself, thinking, we should overlook she had very thick, curly hair, bound together with a scarf.

That willingness made me suspicious, so I was the one, who took of that scarf, unveiling a big, folded ‘mans’s gate drawing’, hidden in the folds of that scarf.

It was the picture of the city in the jungle, and by better looking at it, I did see, it had to be somewhere near Rio de Janeiro, while I did recognize the large, white statue on the top of the mountain, I had seen on television.

Geerta asked: “Are there some other girls, who do have a ‘man’s gate drawing’ with them?
You better share them with us, so we can do our job’s better.
Later, when you have proven to be reliable, we will teach this girls the woman’s way to travel.”

A total of seven other pictures appeared.
Most were of busy street-corners, but also some in a back-yard of a house that did not look to well kept. Most girls looked relieved, when they gave up the pictures.

I heard mumble: “to be honest, I am glad, I do not have to go back there.”
That was answered with a lot of nods of agreement.

After that we sat around a small fire, and I did make use of the experience of the camping with Cindy, remembering it made things easier to tell, when you did feel warm, safe and cozy with a hot drink.

So I was the one who started: “You do know I am from that other world, and this is my first visit here?”
Most nodded, some just said “Yes” so I went on.

“There is a big difference between you all, and me.”

I did see the attention grow, all eyes on me so I went on: “and that is, I always live there, in MY world, except when Cindy invites me here.
For me this visit takes only one night on earth, so when I go back, everything for the rest of the world will be as good, or as bad, as it was before I came here.

For you that is different, while on this world time is different.
When you are hurt, you go back through your gate.
For the other members of the gang it is just, as if you stayed home, or out of sight for a couple of days, to heal your wounds, or only to rest.

What they do not know is that you stay here, until you want more adventuring.
You have a kind of holiday, before you go on doing bad things.
The rest of the gang is not able to do so.

You did misuse the trust of people, who could see you.
You did mistrust the olden bond between our worlds, in which you were the guardians of all that was worth-wile, and instead played your own game.

You had the duty to tell about the good things, to people worthy to see you, and do good with that for their world.

I wonder, how many of the man, or even you, did use the fact that most people could not see you in our world, when you did not want so?”

Some of the girls did bow their head in shame.
The color of their cheeks did tell I was right.

Geerta asked: “Are there many men, who do use this trick?”
She looked around the circle. Again there were hesitative nods.

Rotty, now revealed she was one, who knew much more than we did, did see we were right.
She said: “Most men do not like to be blamed, for when things went wrong.
So they have pointed out the people, who can see them, and in olden days would have been their steadfast friends, to their ‘second in command’.

This way, they themselves got out unharmed mostly, although sometimes hurt, while there was some unexpected shooting or so.
By going home they seem to be invincible, and therefore great leaders.”

Geerta went on: “Just as Bobby told, when his father had to be rescued from the earth quake.
He would not have survived, while the normal people of that world do not see us.”

One of the other girls tried to defend herself: “But the people on earth do also want adventures, they tell so themselves. And they like to be part of a gang, to belong to us!”

“SSSSSOOOOOOO!!!!” I could not hold in a big, big yell: this answer made my world shake!
“Now I really do know what Cindy meant with: a gang is the other side of friendship!”

All the girls looked at me with eyes that asked for an explanation.
So I told them what Cindy and me found out about friendship, and belonging to a gang. What that had in common, but also, what was the difference.

“The biggest difference is: real friendship is equal from both sides.
You both give and take, you both give trust and get trust.
You both do things for each other, without wanting something back, while the other is your friend.

When you do not look well, it looks in a gang the same at the first glance.
But what is NOT there, is the equality:
The boss of the gang is more boss than others think, while he can do what he wants.
He also demands to be obeyed, otherwise there are sanctions, not trust or talking about things.

They did change the rules of friendship, to the rules of dictatorship, like my teacher in school told about the Aztecs!
Their Kings had the same sort of rules.
And the people had to obey or die. And the ones who kept those rules where mostly the priests-soldiers. They acted just like that!”

I remembered the movie my teacher had showed at school, and still could get angry, when I did think about that. That I tried to show this girls.

Round us an applause went up. In my zeal to help the girls learn, what Cindy and the others taught me, in what looked days now, I had not noticed the other people coming back and listening in.

In the tradition of the land of paper, where everything had its own place, there wás place for all.

Wise Feather said: “That was not a bad comparison. That was a highly developed culture, until the nasty things did crawl in, may be even the same way it did now.

That culture did not survive. Luckily much good parts of our native culture does still survive.
But the world now has many different cultures.
That fact also has both sides: good and bad.

But how do we turn the nasty things around, so this world we live in, does not end the same way, as the Aztecs, but still keep the lovely diversity it has all around?”

I did wonder: diversity of cultures?
Another thing to investigate, for now so many people entered the conversation, there was not so much time for asking about that.
That also had to wait till a later time, for now I wanted to hear from the others first.

My head was flowing over with thoughts.
I do think, that Cindy and me never could have imagined, what all was involved.
We simply had not learned enough about how things worked.
Now it was time to listen first, so we could see, how things worked out when adults did so.


© Nan van Daalen, All rights reserved.

Chapter 16: the first secrets revealed.

Chapter 16: The first secrets revealed.

Some of the younger girls, not used to wait for the patient pace, the Lady and her advisors used, came to her, and sat around her on the floor, or stood against her chair, like they would do, when they were waiting for a story, their Grandma should tell.

Each had a quick question: “Lady, what do we first?”
Or: “is it hard in the other world? Do we have to be extra careful?”

I nudged Cindy and said: “That just looks like one of the pictures in my picture-book of Mother Goose, your Granny!”

Cindy nodded and told softly: “The one who made those pictures, was our guest for a time.
That is, why so many of our landscape does look so familiar to you, and to each new friend, who comes here the first time. But let’s listen to the others.”

One of the mothers wanted to ask something else first: “Lady, I did not see my little boy for 3 days now.
His granny is great, but will we stay away long?”

Some giggling from the other mothers told me, she made a mistake, like I had done before, and to confirm that thought, I first looked at the Lady, who smiled, and than to Cindy.
So I also giggled. Thus the lady pointed to me, asking: ”Why do you laugh, Lea?”

I told: “I do think, that woman is making the same mistake I did, is it not? Only by coming from my world, I do not know the secret about it…” I ended with the hands open, like in a question. “Am I right?”

The mother slammed her hands to her mouth: “how could I forget. Of course!”
That did not make the riddle for me easier, but while the Lady nodded consent, Cindy whispered: “In the cave with the grandmothers and kids, time goes slower.
So for them, only a lovely day out has passed, when our mothers come to fetch their babies.
The larger kids do learn this way about time difference, like between our, and your world, while they did sleep at home, in between the 2 or 3 rides, they made to help.
This is one of the ways we have been told about how things work different in your world.
In our world are the same time-secrets. May be you later find out more.
But now: hush, the Lady goes on.”

It was not the Lady, but the group Elders, who divided the tasks.
This way, all the woman where busy, when the Lady asked Cindy and me to do something special.
“Do you think, you two are able to go back in town and find out what the man are doing?
You two have more escape possibilities, while here in Otherland, most woman only have one or two gates. More are not given to Otherlanders, a safety-measure from olden times.
I do know, in Homeland there are more, and other possibilities, while I did live there for a time.”

She gave Cindy a wink, before she went on: “I, as a curly-red-hair from a long line of women with that kind of hair, was after the prediction not save, too.
I first lived a time with my twin-sister in Homeland, before I myself found an friend in Ireland. There, it is not hard to find a friend, while fairies and dwarfs still roam around.
I had a wonderful time there.”

My mouth fell open, I did feel like an uneducated child, before I finally guessed: “Then You and Cindy are family? I should have known!”

Both laughed a bit conspiracy, for them it was normal, but I did feel a bit naïve, not seeing this before: not only the same hair, but also the same boldly action, even the same way of looking at possibilities.

“You now do know, the most others just guess, so no word!
Do you think you two manage to go to my home, and bring the secret box?
You do know where it is hided, do you Cindy?”

Cindy said: “Yes, and to tell you the truth, I was counting on something like that. Grandma did tell me well: every night, there also was a story about what was expected from one of us.
So when I did ask Lea, to draw our travel-book, there also is a drawing of the room behind the Great Chair, where no man ever has been.”

While I tried to deal in my thoughts with all those extra surprises, the two redheads had some special fun, that only people, who are so closely related could have.

After that, we both took our booklets out, this moment it was safe enough. All the others were busy and we were standing in a separate corner.

The Lady said: “Ah, I do see, that one. Amany was right, when she told the time was now, because she did dream of you.
That was, why we were there when you came through the gate under the docks.
She will be a valuable helper when you are older, Cindy.

Until now, you did choose well, my child.
Now, go and take the secret box.
Try not to been seen, but it also would be nice to know, how the men do react, now the women are away.
Do you remember the plan of the secret path-ways in and round the house, and where you can hear, what the man tell?”

Cindy did shake yes with her head, looked if I had the right picture in front too, and there we went: mirror-hopping again.
The room behind the Big Chair was dark, but Cindy knew where the candle and the match-sticks were.

I looked around, but this room looked so very innocent.
Nothing special to see, just some planks with books, a table with some candles, and a chair, a curtain that did hide the entrance to a bed-room, with a for me old fashioned four-poster-bed: with pillars and red curtains, held together with a cord.
Cindy and me conferred first.

She started: “What do we do first, the box, which might be heavy, or are we first finding out what the men do?”

I answered: “We do have all the possibilities, why do we not use them?
Your great-aunt wanted both things evenly much: the box and the information.
I do not like to walk around with a heavy box, and mirror-hop unexpectedly with full hands.
We did not try that before. So how about this action?
You fetch the box, we do bring it to safety to the Lady, mirror-hop back.
Than we go investigate about the men. This way we do all, ánd we try something new, while bringing the box.”

Cindy looked thoughtful, nodded and said: “That is likely the best way to act.
Only… we do not have a drawing of the Lady or the place the others are going to.”

My answer was: “Do you think a reasonable likeness with the words ‘the Lady’ under the drawing, will be enough to find her, where ever she is?
There are still a few empty pages in our book, and in the small pocket of my pants,” and I pointed to it, “is a pencil to draw. Easy as what.”

That I did in both books.
The lady did not look like she was drawn by a famous painter, but for who knew her, it had enough likeness.

Cindy reminded me: “Remember, it works over here when YOU do believe!”

She climbed on the bed and sat down with her knees on the pillows. Then she pulled away the red curtain against the wall behind the bed.
When you looked well, there was a hidden door in the planks, behind which the box was.
A key lay there too, which she put on a chain around her neck.
There after she closed all again, laid the bed as if nobody had been on it, and we mirror-hopped back to the Lady.

Lady did look surprised, but did see the cleverness of our action.
So not much time was spilled: the box, the chain, and the key were handed over, and there we went, to the Great Chair room again.

There I tried to find a way to the hidden path-ways, the Lady mentioned.
Cindy smiled and let me search. I never would find them, she thought.
What she did forget: I am the biggest fairy-tale reader, and listener in the world, so I remembered a tale where an innocent candle was the clue.

There I went, pointed to it and asked: “This one?”
“How do you know?” was her amazed answer.
“From the tale of the Puss in boots, he used the ‘pull the candle to you’ trick too. In the Castle of the Marquis de Carabas,” I said, a bit proud I did remember this.

We pulled the candle, the whole wall with planks, books and so on turned.
The pathway was dark, and like in all fairy-tales, there were torches, but the small pockets in my special trousers had more surprises: a very small flash-light on led-light, so it used very little of the power battery, and could be regulated in strength of light.

And for me more important: it did not smell, so we should not sneeze.
Now we could blow out, and leave the candle for those, that later use this pathways too. They certainly would need it.

We careful closed the door by pulling a handle before going on.
Cindy lead the way.
Through the first whole in the wall, we only observed an empty eating room, full of dirty pots and dishes, but no men.

The second whole in the wall did not tell much more, only a snoring man lay with his head down on the table, between the rubble.
He could not tell much either.

The third one was more promising: an eating house.
Lots of men were around the table, and the poor few girls, that were left behind, walked their feet of, to feed those man, screaming for more beer and things to eat.

Cindy whispered: “We have to talk to the Lady about this, a few days of this will have cured the girls of going adventuring with the man again, I do hope.”

We listened carefully, and discovered, most of the men had plans to escape to my world, where they planned to go to an island in the Caribean, like most of their grandfathers had done.
Then we went further.

On other places we heard the same story, and at the end there were three places named the most: the isle, an old temple in the jungle of Brazil and the city of Las Vegas, about which Amany had told before.
We knew enough and mirror-hopped back to the Lady, who now was in the new base on the other end of the mountain.

This looked like a proper base to work from now.
There were more tents, some cooking fires and much activity was going on.
We landed just besides the tent of the Lady.
Cindy pointed: “Do you see that? There is a square, made from the ribbon of the Ladies dress, and we just landed in there!”

The answer came quick by the Lady: “Amany told, you would land there, so we kept it free. Come in and tell, there is food ready.”

That’s why it came to be, that we were sitting in the Ladies tent, eating a nice meal and told, while doing that, all we found out.

“There is one thing I did forget to tell Cindy, but may be it is important enough to go back for,” I said.

“I did see laying around some of those ‘men’s gateways’, I suppose it were.
At the moment I saw, I did not think much of it.
But should it help to keep the men where they are?

I do not like to steal something, for I do know it is wrong, but when we go at night, can we fetch them, and thus keep them where they are?

But besides, I also would like to take some of the girls we left behind, and take them back too.
They run the soles of their shoes and still could not work hard enough for those men. Do you think, they learned enough now?”

“Let’s sleep about it, that is sometimes the wisest way. One more night will drum in the lesson even more,” the Lady said.

And after us was showed a sleeping place, no time went before we fell asleep.
But half-way the night, Amany did shake us awake, so we went to fetch as much ‘men’s-gateway’s’ we could grab, feeling as sneaky as the men must feel, while doing so.

Only because it was for such a good course, we could go on with it. And it was not such a hard job, while most men had it laying ready to go out the next day, when they had slept of their partying of the last night.

The girls, we did bring with us, were totally relieved.
They learned now, there was something very good in ‘the old fashioned domestic way of living’.

They were brought to a special tent to find clean clothes, and all the things the other women had with them too.

© Nan van Daalen All rights reserved.

chapter 12: the head and the neck.

Chapter 12: The head and the neck.

The three day’s, the Lady spoke of, where gone in a flurry of excitement.
Only: the men did not notice, for outside the ladies gatherings, in the kitchen of the houses, and shops where only women came, there was not spoken about our plans.

Slowly I did see grannies with wooden carts, laden with picnic baskets, blankets to sit on and a few things more out of sight, go in the direction of a field besides a cliff.

The men did not notice they did not return all.
Some of the grannies stayed there with the youngest, other, with children between 7 and 12 came back to repeat the picnic-act again, and another cart full of survival stuff and food went up.

The third day, after the last load of elderly and children were gone, while pulling the heaviest loads, because there were no babies or toddlers among them, the other women and girls went with their own back-pack to the place, they promised to gather.

Cindy and me did a, what we now called: “mirror-hop” to the mill, to fetch the gear, we left behind and that could be useful and completed it with what we could find around us.
We also were ready.
Every women just fitted in the great room we were before, ready to go.
There was a secret doorway behind a wardrobe.

Cindy asked: “Is that not to obvious to stay un-noticed? That would be the first spot ‘I’ would look for something missing!”

But Amany answered: “Our men never look in cupboards, unless there is food in it, or their own clothes. Most of them expect us to keep those full.”

“Oh”, I said, “and what do they do, to get those filled, when they are not adventuring, or grabbing all they like from others, like in Homeland or my world?”

“They do rest themselves, for adventuring and robbing others, is a hard-working job, they think.
Besides that, they have to drink, to boost, and to enjoy themselves mostly.” Said one of the other women.

I kept asking, while being used to a totally other world, if there where at least some men, who did do a honest job, and did more things beside that job.
“Are there no exceptions on this rule?”

The Lady answered: “Yes, there are. And to those men we are going now. They also have waited for this time.
They do live in a secret valley, not far from here, do jobs like the Otherlanders or the people of your, Lea’s, world do. Them we do need.

But no more asking, let’s go.
Today we are going to show, that what my mother, and grandmother used to say, is true: The man thinks, he is the head of the family.
Let him think so.
The woman is the neck of the family. And if the neck does not turn, the head only can see one way…

This time we are going to show, which way WE want this land to go, which way the heads have to look!
And when all is set right again, the head and the neck can work together again, like it is meant to be in daily life,”

So off we went in silence, the last woman did put all the clothes on the rack so nobody would expect the doorway.
After that we did put some sturdy beams against it, and went to save this country from a nasty way of living.
The women have had enough.

© Nan van Daalen All rights reserved.

Chapter 15

Chapter 15: A lucky or an unlucky event?

Like a lot of others groups, Cindy, Amany, Bobby, Big Bob, Colet and I, came to sleep in Big Bobs house.
His wife had baked bread, and there was a pot of stew simmering above a slow fire.
Sleeping places were easily made in the fresh hay of summer, with the blankets we all had with us, so no fuss was made.

The talk that went on, was a lot of small proposes.
And small suggestions, and in our case, while our group was the only one, who had recent experience in the world I was coming from, questions and visitors.

Sometimes a face from another group peeped round the door: “Psst, do you sleep?” and waited, to try again.
We were to excited by all the things happening lately, it took a long time to get asleep, so mostly a short conversation was had.
The other people wanted to know how normal people traveled, or if I, Lea did know about…

But often I had to say: “Ho, stop a bit, I am just a kid. We grow faster than in your world.
We have been taught other things, as you have learned. I have to say, I do not know, on a lot of your questions.”

So my thoughts kept going to tomorrow: there would be a lot of questions, and the more I did think about that, the more I did hope, Cindy used her time alone on my world well.
I had to trust my friend did so. For that was essential…
Further my thoughts did not come: there was sleep, deep sleep.

Breakfast did bring us all together in the big barn, some even had their bread still in one hand, and a drink of milk in the other.
But long there was no uncertainty: The lady took over again. She asked for silence and before her words were spoken out, it was silent.

She started: “Morning all, I do want to divide you in groups in a certain way.
Done so, I’ll explain, but time is of the essence now so please: will every grown woman, who ever was in the other world, stand on that side please?”

Cindy and me looked to each other with a question in our eyes, but silent, while it seemed the Lady wanted it that way.
Most of the women had been in my world, it seemed.

The Lady went on: “Will every grown woman, who still has a friend in the other world, stand to the left side, please?”
Only 3 woman stepped to the left, the others stayed where they were.

“And now the same with the girls, please, over there!” and she pointed the direction. Cindy went to that side and only Amany went that way, while I did not know what to do.
But my friends tugged me on both arms with them.

“And now the question, that does ask the most honest answer: who of the boys has ever been on the other world?” the lady asked, and her gaze went slowly over all 13 boys.

Only Bobby and a very young boy, whose name was Jehan, and who could not have been older than 8 years, went to that side.

The lady pointed out Jehan and asked: “How did you come in that other world, Jehan?”
His head bowed and he confessed: “I woke up one night from a nightmare, went to my mother to get comforted and did see what she did.
I just could fetch a slip of her skirt.
I have promised never to tell, I do know how she traveled.
We went to take care of her friend, who was very ill, and asked for Mom.
The people in that other world did think she was halliccc”

“Hallucinating” his mother, in the other group helped him.

Jehan went on: “We only stayed there in the sick-room.
I did play with her picture-books so I was out of the way, and Mom helped and comforted her.
On the way back I did wear the scarf, just like now. Did I do wrong, Lady?”

The Lady smiled: “You will not be the first on nor the last one who did such an unexpected travel. You did well not to tell about it before.”

Jehan looked very indignant: “I did promise, did not I? And while I had that nightmare, I even was not sure it was no part of that dream.”

Than the finger went to Bobby. “And you? I could have expected that. But tell us please?”

“I also went with my mother,” and his mother nodded.
“My father was injured and needed help.
I do not know how my mother knew, but she woke me up, bounded my eyes, and took me the same way we went now.
It was a great mess in the town we went to.
I had no idea what had happened, but it was as if all houses were broken down and we had to take Dad out under the rubble.
The people of the other world could not see him.”

Bobby’s mother took over: “His friend died in the earth-quake, he also would have, had I not seen him in, OH!” she held her hand over her mouth with a dark red face, as if she nearly said something wrong.

“But on the way back, both my boys were with scarf, although it was difficult enough to reach a place with a doorway, that was big enough.
Later some women went back, and helped in silence.
They did bring people under the rubble water and some soft food, made them more comfortable.
More we could not do, while we could not move heavy things, and had to stay out of the way of the other helping people, for they could not see us.
I am still very proud of Bobby, because he worked so hard and never told.”

The lady gave Bobby a big rewarding smile, and said: “Now I do know, how it came, you started doubting. One such an experience is enough.
It must have been hard, was it not?”

Bobby only could nod, glad the Lady was not angry on him or mom.
He was not supposed to have such an adventure yet.
Than Cindy, Amany and me got our question-turn.

“How Cindy fled the Otherlanders we all know now, except some boys.
Lea is from the other world and gets later a lot of questions, she may or may be not able to answer.
But you, Amany, are still to young to go adventuring?”

Amany blushed a bit, but decided to tell the truth, although difficult.
“My Daddy had a bet in the other world, he likes to go, and gamble in a city with a lot of lights.” She looked at me.

“Las Vegas perhaps?” I tried to help.
“I never have been there, but I did see about it on television.”

Amany nodded and went on: “The man, who he owed money, wanted a security, he said.
But Daddy had of course none, for our money is just paper there.
Dad told me, he could not take some gold or silver with him, from great-grand-fathers treasure, for than he could never go there again, without being robbed himself or worse. So he took me with him.
Am I allowed to tell how we travelled, Lady?”

I was very curious, most women also looked very interested.

The lady told: “May be if we know, how the most man travel to that world, we can use that in our plans. But first you have to tell that to the Elder.”

7 Elder women stepped besides.
They formed a circle around Amany, who softly told them what they wanted to know.
The women looked at each other and a laugh was heard.
Then the Lady said: “Go, and tell everybody. The most man still travel the old fashioned way of our grandfathers.”

So Amany told: “Most man have a secret drawing, they inherited of their father or an uncle. Mostly it is a drawing on paper, or linen.
They just step through, and at the last moment they take an edge so it is reversed on the other world.
To go back, the do it just the other way around.
My father owned that man a lot of money, ánd he needed a new gateway to escape.
Firstly: he lost a lots of bets and had to pay, and secondly: on the place of his gateway, now was another building.
So he could not use his image go come back.
He needed a new image to go through to that world.”

The lady looked to the other women and girls: ”Is there a reason, you never traveled to another world? Will you tell us please?”

She smiled encouraging to them, so a small girl of about 8 told: “I never found my own gateway yet.
My grandma tells, it is because my destined friend is not yet on the place, were we are supposed to meet the first time.”

Other girls, and women nodded, letting know this way, for them it was the same.

“In that case there is a first travel together necessary.
That way everybody has a gateway, we all can use in case of emergency.
Let’s take the big one near the lake, on the other side of the mountain, in that part that is not Homeland, nor Otherland.
We have to make some preparations there, so whatever happens, some of us will be there.

We are lucky to know, how much experience there is in our group already.
What most women believe is an unlucky event, the early going to the world of Lea by some kids, seems to have worked in our favor now.
Let’s travel to the lake and go on from there.” Everybody agreed.


© Nan van Daalen, all rights reserved.

Chapter 13 +14

Chapter 13: Hush, first we walk in silence!

I never had thought, there were so many hidden roads in a town.
There were back roads behind gardens, small roads between houses, I would not have seen behind the bushes, if not someone carefully had pushed away the leaves.
There also were roads that partly went through the houses: if you did not know where the entrance was, you could not see it.

Cindy must have seen my wondering face and asked: “Lea, what is the matter? You look as if you see water burning, as Grandma says when something strange goes on.”

I answered: “Just something like that. If you do not know how to go, you do not even séé this roads!”

“That is just the purpose,” one of the other girls said.
“These are óúr roads, to go quick to a neighbor, to a shop, to the midwife, or anything what females do between each other.
I do think the boys and men use the ‘big open roads’ more, while than the colorful clothes they like, keep cleaner.
They can walk besides each other there, to brag and so on” she smiled.

“We tend nót to see each spot on their clothes, otherwise we were busy tending them like babies all day long, if they had it their own way!”

I could not keep my mouth shot, so with a wink to Cindy I said: “My Mom sees my Dad coming, to be pampered like a baby!
Oh no, she, and all the other people I do know, have learned, to take care of our own things from a very young age.
So mostly my Mom does the washing in the machine, but my Dad does so as well.

But on the other hand, it is my Dad who likes to do the repairing of things around the house, but Mom does know how to do most things as well.
We, my brother and me, are thought both cooking and cleaning, and my brother also knows how to mend a button.”

The girl besides me looked to Cindy, not believing her ears.
Cindy nodded and said: “That’s true, I did see that myself. But in Homeland it is mostly the same. Only,” and there her voice sounded a tiny bit jealous, “we do not have those nice machines they have.”

This way started a softly spoken conversation between the girls, that made the long road they had to walk not boring.
Before we knew, the city lay behind us, and in the woods were broader pathways, that asked for cozy conversations, while the legs did their job.
With that, the soft tones became normal conversations.

After about an hour or two, the Lady said: “Well, we are far away from the city now. Now I am going to ask all the boys over the age of 7 to wear their scarf over their eyes, for what now comes, is a the great secret of us women.”

Of course, specially the older boys from around 10 and 11 wanted to know more, but got a strong “NO” on their request.
“If you do not obey, you can walk another 2 hours,” was the only answer they got.
“Do you like that?”

Bobby, always being the cock of the walk, even did see the seriousness in the Ladies eyes and could not bring out more than a soft: “Mpf.”

I looked wonderingly to Cindy and my new friend Colet and asked: “Do the boys…?”
More was not necessary.

Colet said: “The boys, but also the grown man, do respect the Lady.
Nobody can explain why. Some say while she is the image of the strong-minded family-eldest, like we used to have in olden days.
Again others say, she is that old and respected, nobody knows better or different.”

I could not ask the next question, that still played through my head: ‘than why?’ while at that moment my friends waved me silent.

The lady went on: “We do have how many boys? Eighteen I counted in my memory. Are they all here?”
They were.

“All boys with their mother, are bonded to that mother with the ribbons of their apron, face to their mother.
Mothers who have more sons do seek another adult woman who want to do that for their younger sons. Than they are blind-folded.”

All was done in 5 minutes.
I had to keep my laughing: it was a very funny sight, those proud boys, nearly old enough to become a man, and make the choice between a life in the valley, or a life of adventuring, like their fathers lived, bounded like small children.

But somewhere also was the thought: this Lady does know precisely what she is doing, so I kept silent.

Now the big surprise for me came: Every woman did bring out her hand-mirror. Some were mirrors like I did know from my world, others were from a highly polished metal I could not identify, but it worked.

The Lady took out her basket a roll, that un-rolled had the image of a peaceful valley on it.
Suddenly I did know: Thát was why the lady had asked, if we were traveling by mirror.
She had to know, if she could be able to include us.

On a nod of the Lady, the first double pair mother/son stood before the image, the mother held the mirror between the image, and then those two and stepped through, followed orderly by all others. Including us, after we had seen, how they used this image.

Only after the mirrors were put away safe, as was the roll of the lady, the scarf of the boys were taken of.

There was some babbling and wondering among the boys, some silent questions, ignored by women, and only Bobby dared to say: “So now we have experienced a part of the Ladies secrets. How wonderful! I wonder if we ever will know that too?”

But that was answered with a chorus of all woman, saying: “NO!” so loudly and steadfast, he probably never dared asking again.
The loudly spoken chorus had another effect: all the people, who did live in this valley and had not noticed us before, had done so now.
So they came to see what was going on.

The people did not come our way, but went to a big barn at the end of the valley, more like a big roof between the mountains, and that is were we went too, to meet them.

The women had been here before, that was obvious, for they all laid down their back-packs or baskets on one side, took something to sit on and placed it in front of a big chair, where the Lady sat down, as was it her right to do so.

Everybody thirsty took a drink from the bucket besides the well, and soon the great planning could begin.
For the moment, all Cindy and me could do, was sitting on one side and watch things develop.

Here would be planned some things, we in our recklessness, could not have planned our self.
But now, seeing this organized group determined people, with the elder women in majority, we realized: this could not have done hálf as good by us.
We were lucky, to be part of this.


Chapter 14: the big meeting.

The Lady was welcomed by some man, who acted like I had seen at home on television: such a bow made the folk of a country to their Queen.
I looked around, and now all stood up, and did the same. But the lady waved it away.

She said: “We have more important things to do now.
The time of the double-prophecy is upon us.
I still have my red-curly-hair, but a young red-curly-girl, together with a friend from the other world came to us, while the things foretold are now going on.
Cindy, please tell all people, what you did tell us, when you arrived.”

Cindy went to stand beside the Lady, and told all, what she had told before, and how we planned this travel. Therefore everybody knew, what they had to know.

Than the lady said: “This is Lea. She is from the other world, were our man since long times go adventuring. Will you please tell, what we were talking about, when we had breakfast, the first day you were here?”

I hardly had the courage, but I had promised.
Cindy whispered in my ear: “Act, like it is a ‘speaking-turn’ for history at school, and you will manage for sure!”

Her confidence made me laugh and all the nerves were gone at once.
I started with the moment, that made Cindy appear, leaving out the mirror part.
I told too, about what Cindy and me learned together, but that you also know, so I will not repeat it here.

But than I went on: “I myself do live in a happy neighborhood, like Homeland is, where Cindy lives. We have a nice, peaceful surrounding.
But I am not allowed to watch all, that is on television, or to go to a place outside my normal neighborhood.
That is, while my parents do say, it is not safe for me to do so.

Outside there do happen strange, and dangerous things. Cindy and me have talked about that, and later the Lady and us to.
We two call, what is going on, ‘the other side of friendship’.
The Lady and a lot of people in your world call it ‘gangs’.“

A murmur went round, and I looked at the Lady and Cindy with my brows up and softly asked: “Can I tell more?”

The Lady waved for silence again, so I could go on.
“These ‘gangs’ do things we do not like in our world.
Cindy told me, that most of them were started with Otherlanders, who could not find their normal places to have adventures, like in the olden days.
Our world is to full now, to have old fashioned pirates.
They only exist in films nowadays.”

With the word television there was a buzzing started, now it went louder.
So I did think of what my teacher told, when I had my “speaking-turn’ about the windmills in Europe.
When my classmates did not understand, they went buzzing and murmuring like here, so I had to explain better.

“Television is a little box in almost each house, with a glass in front. When you turn it on, you all can see the same image.
About what is going on in the world or a story-play to amuse people.
Here you do not have that at home.
We also go to something big like this,” and I waved around the barn to give my words a seize, “we do call a cinema, and there an adventure is played out on a big screen, so you can watch with a lot of people together.
We call that a film. Better I cannot tell.”

Cindy confirmed by nodding and she said: “I have seen that, but luckily we do not have this. People look more to that, than to each other.
They believe more, what they see there, than what is true, and told by their elders.”

I took over: “I have seen a few things about gangs: they act just like the pirates in the fairy-tale books: this is my world and everybody has to do what I want, otherwise…
And they seem to have guns, and kill people and…”
That became to much for me, so I started crying.

“I do not want to live in such a world.
I do like the safe world of Mother Goose and other fairy tale tellers.
I do know, time does not stop there.
I do know we have nice modern things too, like my computer and auto’s, what for you are cars that drive without a horse or donkey before it.

But I also want to live in a safe world, where guns do not make the rules.
I do like a world where we share what we have, where people all have food and…”

I could not go on, so my friend Cindy took over, after the Lady nodded her to do so.

She went further: “after I fled my own Homeland for the gang of Otherlanders, who did hear I was a red-curly-haired-girl, I landed at Lea’s place.”

She looked at the boys and went on:“You do know how. Luckily Lea is one who does not only see us, but is honest and adventurer enough, to want to help us.
Not in the way the gangs are adventuring, or the pirates were, more an honest struggle to set things right.

So now you do know all, we ourselves know. We have to fight on different places, and on different worlds, for both are linked and the wrongs are linked too.”

That sentence triggered something in my mind. As of older habit, I did bit my thumb-nail, thinking more concentrated.
That action did make me feel as in a boll of a fish, silent, but able to see what was out side. But not distracted, until my thinking was done.
The others seemed to see, there were important things going on in my mind: nobody disturbed me.

The moment my thumb came out again, also a: “I’ve got it, may be” came out of my mouth. “Is there only this world, where the Homelanders and the Otherlanders do connect with? Or are there other worlds they go to, too?”

I did look full expectation to the Lady, and the others. Everybody looked around.
Here were not the people, who could answer this question, we thought. But we were wrong.

It was Bobby again, the cock of the walk, who had been sneaking around the men, where he was not allowed, too.
Before they had seen him, and shooed away with the remark, that he was not 12 yet, and had to wait, he had heard of a new world.

He told everybody: “They were speaking of a world, where they could go to with one of those new contraptions: a rocket. Then they discovered me and I was send away. Is that what you are looking for?”

I answered, before even realizing, it was impolite to speak first: “But as far as I do know, we only did send rockets to the moon, and planets without oxygen. Can Homelanders or Otherlanders live on a world without air to breathe?”

An enormous laughing went around.
Everybody had realized something I did not.

I was in the land, where everything paper lived. Paper does not have to breathe to live. For me, everybody looked like all real life persons in my own world. But this was another world.
In this world was so much more possible. And that they did tell me.

Colet wiped the tears out of her eyes and finally found her voice back: “Remember, Lea, we are in the land, were all the simple, true things come from, and are saved for eternity.
So over here, it is not impossible to imagine, the men did hide in that rocket, in some snippets of paper, to find another world to adventure.
There only once has to have been one person, to find a gateway for us.

If that man was clever enough to take a “man’s” gateway with him, he could come back home. What do you know about “man’s” gate-ways?”she boldly asked.

The Lady looked well, listened well and nodded: “Bobby, do you remember who were in that meeting? Are you sure, you do not want to go adventuring yourself, when you are 12 years old? And I do mean, very, very sure?”

Bobby bowed his head.
“I was not sure until shortly. But last week one of the men came back from adventuring, and he was in a mess.
In bandages, a hole in his hand, and very much in pain.
Even Grandmother could not ease that pain, and was very angry with him.
Then I thought, I was not sure, that adventuring was worth so much pain, and misery.
I also thought, why did the other men never tell about that, when the boys are around?

Why they do hide that from us. It did make me think again.
I like some adventuring in a way, nobody has harm from.
Like the stories from earlier days, where we had to find a dragon, or go and free a princes, and the worst you got was a gash with a sword or a knife, that mostly healed well.

But I cannot tell who was at that meeting, I did promise!
But I can promise here something else: if there is a way, we can bring back the old, harmless way of adventuring, I will stay with that.”

He did blush, like it was very hard to tell this. And it probably was.
One of the men, who did live in the valley, came toward him.

“Bobby, you will not remember me, I am you uncle Bob, the one your father named you after. That was while we were twins, Rob, your dad, and Bob, me.
But we went with Daddy to play adventures in the southern desert of America, with wild horses, and Indians.

And he did believe those soldiers, who said that Indians were not real people, while I found a medicines-man, Wise Feather, who told me their stories, and their traditions.

He also told me, what he learned from their olden times, the respect for nature.
We became good friends.
He did teach me their ways, so full of nature and goodness.

Therefore we came to stand against each other, brother against brother, Rob and me.
I went to the Lady, while our grandmother said to me, she was the wisest.
The Lady did bring me here, and showed me my gate, so I could go on visiting my friend, when I want to. Now I do live here in peace.

And sometimes I do visit Wise Feather, my old friend, who is very old now.
That is another possibility for you.
But not if you stay in the city, and things in that world are not solved.
Than this might be an option.
Please, think well about what side you will choose.” After that he stepped back.

The Lady stood up and said: “so let us do a couple of things: each one needs a sleeping place, but that is not so much a problem.
We have to make some decisions, about what we are going to do about the men, who stayed behind.
Not all of them are bad.
We are able to bring some of them back to normal adventures like Bob and Bobby describe. They are good and full of wisdom.

And last, but not least, we have to decide, what to do about the ones that bring havoc to another world, the world of Lea.

That world we visit so long already, we do feel a responsibility for, too.
To do that, we have need of more people like Lea, or like in earlier days, writers like the Grimm Brothers, or Mister Anderson.
Fairy tales are always told, and when I do hear Lea tell, they nowadays use televi..”

“Television, my Lady” I helped.

She smiled and went on: “Than we do search for writers, who do write for television or the other things, so slowly people do learn their norms again.
But now we need rest. We did a lot, tomorrow we go on.”

So we all did look for a place and there were formed groups, which each had other sleeping places. But that we would find out tomorrow, after a good night sleep.

© Nan van Daalen, All rights reserved.

Chapter 10 + 11

Chapter 10: The women gathering

First we were escorted to an old lady, who did look surprisingly like Cindy: a woman with red-curly-hear! There only was a small amount of grey shining through.
That was the biggest surprise I could imagine in this whole adventure.
My looking went from Cindy to the old lady and back.

You nearly could hear me scream loudly in my mind: “RED CURLY HAIR? HERE?”
A surprisingly young laugh bubbled up from the old lady; she really had read the thoughts of my face, I believed.

“You wonder, do you not, young lady? Did not Cindy tell you before?” the old lady asked.

I did bow my head; this lady had around herself a feeling of distinguishness. I could not describe it any other way.

So I said: “My Lady, Cindy and me, we only did meet about 10 days ago. In those 10 days we had to become friends. In those days I also had to go to school, do the normal daily things, so there was not all the time in the world, for Cindy telling about all, and everything she knew.
I am surprised every day, may be every hour, with new things.
What I do know for certain is this: she told me about the prediction of the 'Red-Curly-Haired-Queen'.
By the looks of you, it even could be possible, the prediction is about you!”

The Lady told: “May, may, Cindy! You did well, choosing this girl to be your life long friend. She has a quick mind, does speak clearly what she thinks, but also had the right up-bringing and manners, we do like. Well done.”

Cindy made a bow and said: “Thank you, my Lady. I did hope you would agree with my choice. Only one thing: can you please explain to her how time works in our world? The longer we are here, the more there grows a little wrinkle above Lea's brows. That tells me, she is worried.
And this is the only thing I can think of, that she could be worrying about.
It is possible, I did not explain it the right way.”

The lady said: ”Yes, I can imagine that to be true. You," and she pointed to me, "do come from a world where time flows only in one direction: minute after minute, that becomes hour after hour.
In our world it looks, like time passes the same way.
But while this is another world, our time is not synchronized with the time in your world. I do suppose, you used a mirror as a gate-way?”

Cindy nodded. “The moment you go through that mirror, time counts, as it is normal in our world: Homeland. That is nearly timeless in your world.”

The Lady did give me some time to think tings over, before she went on: “This way we are able to tell our friends the stories, you like to name: fairy-tales.
Those have the time-less wisdom that sets them apart from normal stories.

So during the time Cindy did grow up till your age in this world, there was more time for her, to gather this wisdom, while time went slower here.
I imagine your worry is this: you have slept over here several times, but Cindy did promise you to be home again the morning after you went from home.
Is that correct?”

All I could do, was give a deep sigh of relieve.
“Yes my Lady, that was my worry. I did promise to help her, and will as good as I can. But I also do love my parents, and brother.
I would not, for what ever in the world, have them to worry about me, being disappeared! So I like to be home by that time, too.”

To my surprise all the ladies and girls started giggling, like I was telling the best joke they ever heard anybody tell.

“Hush, this is a serious consideration for someone, who visits our world for the first time!” the Lady stopped that with a smile.

“Now first, where are the chairs for them to sit on?
And where is the food and drink you normally come in with so much hurry when we have visitors? Shoo, shoo, go, and do as friendship demands, while we three talk things over,” she did wave them away.

The girls did run, the grown-up women walked a bit more dignified, but everybody went on with their own tasks.

The comfi chairs where good after all the dancing during the day, and the running around after that, so we sat like on a cloud.
After the food and drink were put down on a small table besides us, and the lady gave a good example by taking something, we fell upon it, like we had not eaten for a day, which was true.

The lady only laughed and watched amused.
When we were finished by licking the last tasty crumbs of our fingers, we finally had interest for our surroundings again.
Slowly the questions became words, now our bellies and fear no longer dictated what we did.

Cindy started our conversation again with: “My lady, do you want the follow-up of our events, so you can have your own judgment, and we have an equal start, when we plan what to do next?”

The lady said: “That is a wise way to go on”

Therefore we told her all what happened since Cindy appeared in my room. I also found out that everybody called the Lady: “Lady”, while she was considered to be the wisest of all women in this country.
When all was said and done, we yawned and were very, very tired.

This time, I did not have any trouble with going to bed, knowing now, that it was at home still the same night, when I did step through the mirror.
So I had nothing to worry about that.
The only thought playing in my mind was: How did the lady know we used mirrors? But seconds after we were shown our sleeping place, we did sleep.



Chapter 11: The women make plans

Next morning was not a long sleeping one.
Not that we would not have liked to: no, the matters were to urgent.
Our mission to do something about the Otherlanders got even more urgency, now we knew, that the Otherlander women agreed with us, against their own boozing and adventuring men.

What we wanted to know was this: how it could have grown that way?
So the Lady, Cindy, I, Amany, and a few younger and older ladies, sat around a table, and had besides breakfast a long discussion about their history.

It is a too long story to tell here, so may be I will come back later when this adventure is over and tell about that.

But for now it came to this: In earlier days, for us the days of the conquistadores, of which they explained that it were the Spanish and other great countries, who did discover the other parts of the world, like America, India and China, there had been some males from this lands, that were very impressed with the adventures that these conquistadores, and the pirates had.

So when they came home again, this males more and more, became a separate group in Homeland. They did brag off it, boosted about it much, and than still more, so others went over there too, to see for themselves.
They even did find their own piece of land, to live in Homeland the same way, they did in your world too, in the Caribean!

That I did find very amazing, and I did want to know more.

“So there is more going on between our two worlds, than I ever could imagine?” I asked, to be sure, to be very certain, I did understand this difficult story, that had 2 different worlds involved.
“The traveling goes back a long time?”

“Yes,” the Lady confirmed.
“There always have been travelers to your world, from olden days, when story-tellers went around the world.
Yes, even before that, when the people still lived in caves, and were hunter gatherers.”

That I could not remember from history-lessons, but it would have to wait till later. Like many things I did learn lately, and not fully had understand yet.

Cindy told her part of the history, like she had learned from her grand mother: “Granny always tells, there once was a group of very, very adventures man, we in Homeland could not learn, to behave like us again, when they came back from visiting your world.
This men wanted to have nothing to do with the rules, we all learn, anymore.
So they went over the mountains and they founded “Otherland,” like they called it.

So we do too, now. You could say: Homeland is split in two parts by this men. And to be true, we do not like this a bit!”
All women around the table agreed.

Amany had her saying: “We women have had enough of all this. As long as the boys are young, they do behave normal.
But the men found following: the younger they take the boys to train them in fighting, the more fierce they become.
So they take them with them on their twelfth birthday. That makes them even more brag about how good their sons are. And it goes on and on and on.
It seems there comes no end to this!

The girls are no longer respected by these men, unless they do behave like them too. Some girls do think it nice in the beginning, but find soon, they cannot go back to their former girl-friends.”

I asked: “Why is that? I thought you should be happy when a friends comes back to normal?”
All the women did shake their heads.

The Lady told: “If it was that simple, all had been solved already.
But it is not.
Going on such adventure, definitely changes a person.
It changes a character totally.
So, still if they come back, those girls, they stay more adventures persons.
They always feel the lure, of going a bit further, trying some more than is wise.

So: unless the girl has the luck to have a loving, patient family, and marry an understanding husband, they often go back to those adventuring men.”

Cindy, being my special friend, went on: “remember that night camping? That night we talked about the differences you could not see from the outside?”

I did nod: “Yes, I do, and you told more then, about changes, now so much people do live on our world.”

The Lady looked at Cindy: “So that you also have found out, just like us. How do you call that?”

Cindy said: “The other side of friendship, of belonging to a group.”

“Yes,” the Lady said, “that is a correct description. We have another name for such a group. We call it a ‘gang’, just like they call it on Lea’s world.

Now there are only a few more places left for the adventures in your world, they call piracy, it seems that this is their new favorite game.
This we like even less.
So now we do know for sure, that the Homelanders, and obvious the people of your world” and with that she pointed to me, “do not like it either, what are we going to do about this?”

Cindy said: “That is precise, why Lea and me prepared our trip to this place.
That is why we did search for the only two women, I did know over here: The Lady, of whom my grandmother told, and Amany, I met before.”

The Lady said: “ to do something sensitive, more preparation is necessary.
My suggestion is, every woman is told following:

In 3 days there is a meeting, whereby every women in this part of the land is here, except the elderly, who take care of the kids under the age of 7.
These women and kids go to the secret safe place in the mountain, the man do not know about. They take enough clothes and food and drink with them.

The larger girls and women that go not there, come in little groups here, by the secret roads.
Each will be carrying a blanket, warm clothes and food and drink as much as her carrying power allows her to carry for at least four hours.

And also some medicines and bandages, for we do not know, what is coming upon us. Can we agree on one special agreement?”

Most women nodded, trusting the Lady would not ask anything unreasonable.
Others asked: “What agreement?”

“A very important one: no boys above the age of 11 will know about this, while their fathers do think, that is the right age for starting to adventure.
This way we can be sure of them not telling anything.

The same is true for each girl, that ever went with the man for an adventure on Lea’s world. They also are a risk, for what we probably must do. So anyone any questions?”

There was some buzzing going on, but no questions came.
Everybody went, as if they had spoken of something like this before.
Only Cindy and me stayed behind with the lady.

I did ask: “That went easy. Like… like you have spoken about this kind of things before!”

Cindy said: “So Grandma was right, she told me the help would come from the women, long ago already.”
On her face was wondering and thoughtfulness.

The Lady only laughed: “A lot of man do think, only they rule the world. Now is the time they answer for themselves the question: Is that really true?"

© Nan van Daalen, All rights reserved.

Chapter 9: An unexpected trap, or not?

Chapter 9: An unexpected trap, or not?

The following morning we decided, what to wear, so we did not look to be so obvious ‘a stranger’ in Otherland.
The trousers were the best options with a bit torn apart t-shirt, some shawls, we had found in the mill and taken with us, were used as colorful decoration.
We laughed a bit, but the shawls did hide the booklets and mirror-boxes too, although also hidden under our swimming-suit for security.

It was Summer here too so that swimming suit could be handy, who would know?.
After a quick breakfast of the last normal eating things we had, we decided to leave the most heavy winter clothes in the chest in the mill, so we should not stand out in the crowd.

Therefore we did an extra hop back and than Cindy asked: “Can we go now?”

“Are you sure, we can leave all here?” I asked Cindy.

“Of course, this is the house of a friend. And who does look in an old chest in the farthest corner of the attic?” she said.

“I would, but I am curious,” I laughed.

“To be sure, I did do one thing, I not told you till now. That was while I did not know anything about Homeland or the Otherlanders.
And in the beginning not about you, too” I told honestly, but blushing. Cindy looked surprised.

In the underside of my back-pack was a zip, I did not show her before.
I opened it, and out came two old fashioned chains, with a pendant on them. Clasped in that pendant, that could be opened, was on one side a miniature of my bedroom, and on the other side a miniature mirror, I had taken of a carnival costume.
“Look what I did as a surprise.” I showed her what I had.

Cindy wás surprised: “When did you do that?”

“You were looking for the iodine I could not find. These were in my box of Grandma’s treasures too. Besides, you do not know, my computer can miniaturize a drawing too.
The small mirrors where on a costume, and I took them off to put in here. But if the Otherlanders want all that they see, we better can put it on, but on a very unsuspected place.”

“Oh, how nice. What a splendid surprise. We could braid it in the plaits in our hair, with the pendants under our hair behind the ears,” Cindy said.

“Now we are safe to go back to your home twice. But never, ever tell anybody of this, for it would give away the other drawing’s purpose.
I did not tell you that most of the Otherlanders can not read, while they do not like school.
So if they ask something about it, it is a book to tell stories, we do tell to get our meals. That is a normal way to pay for them in Otherland.”

I asked: “Are you sure, there are no more surprises or forgotten stories to tell? No? Than lets go and see, what will come of it.”

Much lighter we traveled, only the linen bag under our swimming suit, and the pendant under our plaits, that was the safest place.
The gate-way was smooth and we found the Docks silent in the hot sun.

“When it gets darker, we are more sure to find my friend. She does dance at the place where the most eating-houses are. Between so much people will two girls not been seen,” Cindy supposed.

Alas was the opposite the truth: every Otherlander male did point to us, yelling: “look, we finally have new dancers. In which eating-house you will dance?”

Cindy pointed, forced by this not expected circumstance, to the nicest looking one, hoping it was the one, where we could find her friend.
We could have known: in a land, where everybody grabs what he likes, the one that looked the nicest, housed the nastiest persons.
But thát we found out later that day, after we danced.

The Otherlanders did not know dances from our world, and Cindy and I have had lots of fun trying them out together at home one evening.
But the onlookers never had known, what we were dancing, even if we only had danced the monkey dance. The most female kept their silence, aware that was the best strategy.
The most male were drunk, for they wanted much to drink and behaved as if they never had learned: enough is enough.

At the end of the evening, when they fling coins at us, it often was painful, as was it a sport to hit us that hard, while they paid for the fun we brought.

The owner of the eating house had two very strong man ready to keep us inside, and they put us in a room without a window, only a small piece of candle and a few match sticks.
Then the door became double-locked.

We were trapped in… they thought.
Only, we could out, with the coins, but without the friend we were looking for. What to do now?

“I do think, this is one of those circumstances, my father would not agree with, let’s escape as long as we can” I said.

“You are right, Lea,” Cindy answered.
“Where to? The docks again?”

I quickly thought, we had not many choices, not knowing much Otherlanders.
“Over here we do not know much people, that is our only way to go.
Let’s do it, before worse happens”

As quick as possible we used the mirrors and the books, just when we stepped through the mirrors, we did hear the keys turning in the lock. Just in time…

Back in that dark spot we relieved a sigh, but the situation was not much better than before. Only difference: we had some money now, but were still hungry.

“Pssssst.” I heard.

Again: “Psssssst.” I tapped Cindy on her shoulder and pointed.

We looked the same side and heard the: “Psssst” again but also did see a woman winking. Well, a woman might be less dangerous, but we looked each other careful in the eyes, before we went that way.
Hidden behind a very thick pole that up health the decks above us, we walked carefully through the wet sands.

“Cindy, is it me your looking for?” a soft voice asked.
Swiftly Cindy went to the girl: “Amany, is it you?”
“Come quick, you both, I do not know how long the other women can keep the secret door open, the man are not allowed to find”

So as quick as we could we followed through a dark door, behind which a few more women stood. All were dressed in colorful but shabby clothes.

One hopeful face looked at Cindy and later to me: “You came back, can it be thru?”

I had a wrinkle between my eyes, had to think about the difference between the way the man did act in this strange country and how the women did.
I only could find out by asking so I did introduce myself: “Hello, I am Lea, a friend from Cindy and new here. What in heavens name is going on in this place?"

“Come, we have to be quick,” one of the women told, taking me by the hand, while she started a kind of half-run, quick, but not tiring.
In the maze of small, dark streets, half covered by overhanging roofs, we hurried on.
Finally we came to something that looked very shabby from the outside, but inside was reasonable cool, clean and full of only women and girls.

And all stood still and looked at us, the moment Cindy and me came in, as if this was the most important thing ever could happen.
All I could do was waiting, fully confused what this could predict.
Was it good or bad? Time would tell….

© Nan van Daalen, all rights reserved