The Journey

A fantasy, adventure, sci-fi, furry, romance story

Chapter 1

Will A. Sanborn

7/18 - 7/22/94

As sleep slowly leaves me and I begin to regain consciousness, I become increasingly aware of the light, yet persistent throbbing in my head. Opening my eyes, I'm bewildered to find that during the night my surroundings have changed. I am no longer in my smallish dormitory room, but am lying on a soft double bed, covered in smooth satin sheets, in a room which is furnished with Victorian elegance.

My confusion gives way to panic as I struggle to understand how I could have gotten here. I have never experienced a blackout before, and I can clearly remember going to bed in my own room the night before. As my eyes scan the room, I roll over to my left and my heart almost skips a beat from what I see there. Sitting quietly in a chair about six or seven feet from the bed, is an anthropomorphic leopard woman.

Her body is a mixture between human and feline, with the skeletal and muscle structure being very similar to our own. Her head is definitely that of a cat though, proportioned in size with the rest of her body. Several long and slender whiskers extend from either side of her furry muzzle, as her thin lips are drawn back slightly in an almost imperceptible little smile. Her greenish-yellow eyes, whose pupils are elliptical, yet are much wider than normal cats, somewhat approximating human eyes, observe me in a somewhat detached manner as if she is waiting to see what I'll do next.

Another feature which further is reminiscent of a humans is her slightly wavy, jet-black hair, trimmed neatly at the bangs and flowing backward, coming down a few inches below her shoulders. Her pointed feline ears stick out from beneath her hair, and flick once or twice as she continues to observe me.

Her fur is pure white, like a snow leopard's, and it is dotted liberally with black leopard spots, making an interesting contrast, but at the moment, I am not in a position to appreciate this. Also from the tips of her four-fingered hands, to about halfway to her elbows, the fur there is of a dark black color, giving her the brief illusion of wearing gloves.

She sits there calmly watching me, with her legs crossed and her long, thick tail twitching lightly around her feet. For a moment I am completely stunned by the whole situation. Here is a character, not unlike some of those from the fantasy stories I occasionally read, sitting within pouncing distance, observing me as I lie in her bed. Always while dreaming, I had never been able to attain a lucid enough state of mind to question the reality of the world my subconscious created for me. Lying here now, I'm positively sure that no matter how strange this situation seems, for some absurd reason, it truly is happening to me.

My moment of confusion is brief as it is quickly replaced by fear. It hits me so quick, that I jerk upright, trying to throw the covers off me, and jump out of bed. She reacts almost instantly, briefly focusing her gaze on me, and then quickly standing up and walking over to the bed until she stands about a foot and a half from me.

When she had intently focused her gaze on me, a strange feeling had hit me like a wave and quickly spread through my being, causing me to fall backwards, down unto the bed. It wasn't like being paralyzed, no it was more like a tranquilizing effect, as both my mind and body were instantly calmed and the urge to flee dissipated. Now I feel almost totally relaxed; I think I could move if I tried, but I have no motivation to do so. The fear has left me, and I feel my mind beginning to clear as I look up at her still very bewildered, but not longer bothered by the situation.

She stands above me, near my head, dressed in a pare of khaki shorts and a matching short-sleeved shirt. She is also wearing leather boots that come up about a third of the way to her knees. Her legs are another area where her body structure drastically differs from that of a humans. Her feet are like that of a cat's, being digitrade and not lying flat-footed on the ground. Instead only the front half of her feet touch the floor, while the rest of her long feet come up at a slight angle. Even with this foot structure, she is able to stand up straight, and seems quite used to walking and standing that way. Her legs are slightly thicker than a human's, with the muscles being well-developed, and it appears that her thick tail acts as a counter balance to keep her stable.

Looking down at me, her gaze softens a little as she finally speaks to me in a soft voice, with an ever so light purr to it. "I realize this is hard for you to try and understand, but you've got to stay calm so I can explain everything to you. I promise that I will not harm you. If I was going to do that I could have done that already. I have brought you here because I need your help."

Whatever that calming effect had been, it's power has decreased slightly, and I feel my fear creeping back in. As I try to keep my thoughts under control I manage to stammer out "Where exactly am I, and what can I do that will help you?"

"As you have probably guessed, you are no longer on your home world, in fact you have been transported to my world, which we refer to as Fen. I have been observing you for some time now and have decided that you would be the one."

"The one for what?" I ask with a mixture of confusion, fear and also a little annoyance. I really don't like the idea of being spirited away from my bed to God knows what corner of the universe. "And how is it that you can speak English?"

"Okay, it's obvious that I need to start at the beginning," she says with a slight friendly smile on her lips. "First of all, I'm not speaking English, you are speaking my native tongue." Noticing my obvious display of confusion, she continues "while you were sleeping I was able to scan your mind and create a translation spell and insert it into your subconscious."

"What, you're a telepath?" I respond becoming even more unnerved, not one bit liking the idea of her being able to read my innermost thoughts.

Seeing my distress she tries to calm me once again. "Not exactly, as you've probably observed, I'm a magic user, which allows me to do several things. I am able to scan people's minds for certain things, but I cannot read people's thoughts. I am able to read some subconscious thoughts and can access knowledge such as your language skills, but anything personal is locked away from me. There are some cases of limited telepathy between magic users, but even then I can only read thoughts which are specifically directed at me. So I was able to learn the aspects of your language and create a spell capable of translating everything you say and hear to and from my native tongue, while internally it seems to you as if we're speaking English."

"Then how come when you speak, it appears as if your lips are making the correct English words?"

"The spell also links in with your visual processing, fooling your eyes into seeing the desired lip movements. Otherwise it would be quite disconcerting to see people's mouths running out of time with their speech."

"Definitely," I agree, and then laughing wryly I add, "it would be just like a really bad kung-fu flick," as she obviously misses my reference, but decides that it isn't worth asking about. "But I'm a little nervous about you mucking around in my head and installing new programming."

"I understand your concerns, but you don't need to worry. it is completely safe, I've done it dozens of times before without any problems. The spell is still a little weak, and will only last a day or two. Therefore, I'll need to strengthen it a couple of times before it becomes permanent, but even once that happens, I can remove it at any time, still without causing you any problems. Now, we've got a lot to discuss, let's get started, shall we?"

With that she turns away to bring her chair next to the bed and sits down in it. As She's doing that, I sit up and prop my back against the head-board so we can talk face to face. In doing this, the pain in my head jumps back into my awareness. During the whole encounter, I had forgotten about my headache, and now as it comes rushing back to me, it seems to be a little more harsh. I grimace at the sudden onset of pain and bring one of my hands up to massage my temples.

Seeing me do this, she reaches out her right hand and says in a somewhat comforting tone, "oh I'm sorry about that, I forgot that you'd be in pain. Please let me help you."

Her movement toward me startles me and I become defensive, turning away from her. In my fear I lash out at her with a reply that sounds more harsh than I had intended. "Was this caused by your so called safe spell you used to alter my brain? If so, I don't know if I really want to trust you to do it again."

"No" she replies in a soft, yet also somewhat hurt voice, "I told you that spell had no ill effects. The pain you're feeling is caused by having been brought here across the void from your world into mine. It happens anytime someone makes a journey like that, but it is easily taken care of if you'll let me help you.

With that she gently reaches out and touches the hand I still I have on my head, turning my head slowly toward her. Bringing my hand down, she gently lays her palm on my forehead as I watch her, confused and still a little scared. Almost instantly, I feel the pain dissipate until it is totally gone. There was also something else, something very slight and almost imperceptible, but there was something that felt like a brief wave of energy traveling through me. I'm not totally sure if I felt it, or it was just imagined, but it was definitely an interesting and new sensation; it felt strange, but also somewhat pleasant.

She withdraws her hand and looks at me as I gaze back at her in wonder. The pain has totally vanished, and forgetting for the moment that she has shanghaied me, I stammer a "thank you" in my appreciation and amazement.

Smiling at me she replies "You're welcome, but now we really must get down to business, for there is much for you to hear and it is getting late in the morning. First of all, let me introduce myself, my name is Marissa, and as I have explained and demonstrated, I am a magic user here on the world of Fen."

Not knowing exactly how to respond to this I answer, "well Marissa, my name is Ben, Ben Thompson. I'd like to say that is a real pleasure meeting you, but under the circumstances, given that you've pulled me from my world without my consent while I lay there sleeping, I can't say that this has been a wonderful experience so far."

"I understand Ben, and I'm sorry that I had to bring you here this way, but I felt it was necessary, and I hope when I explain things to you, you'll agree with me. As I've told you and demonstrated now twice, I posses the ability to use magic, this ability is quite rare on our world. Perhaps one percent of the population has some talent for it, but only about twenty-five or thirty percent of those individuals actually posses any real power. The others can perform simple tasks, but nothing too useful, they show only a glimmering of the true talent."

"I was one of the lucky ones," she continues, "and when my power manifested itself during my adolescence, as with the others, when I was brought before the elder magic users for testing, it was determined that the talent was very strong in me. Therefore, after my training, I became quite proficient in the uses of magic, as you have seen for yourself. However, since only such a small percentage of the population possesses the necessary talent, there are very few others like myself and when this current situation arose, I didn't have many colleagues to consult."

"What situation?" I ask both curious and a little apprehensive.

"Well it is hard to explain, especially to someone who hasn't used the talent, but I'll do my best. As I've said, we have the abilities to read certain thoughts from people, and on some levels have obtained rudimentary telepathy. Well, in the past several months, I have felt my thoughts touched, or more accurately invaded, by some external force. It is different from when I have been mind-speaking with other magic users, for one thing it felt somewhat alien. For another, it only happened when I was asleep and my subconscious was more open to communication. At several instances in the past months, I have had recurring dreams or visions much different than I had ever experienced before."

I stare back at her, not sure if I believe what she is saying. Finally I have to interrupt her. "So you've had some disturbing nightmares, and you decide that's important enough to drag me away from my world when I have nothing to do with the whole matter? Frankly I don't see how I'm connected with this at all."

She flashes me a brief look of annoyance, quieting me, then changing her demeanor to once again calm and composed, she continues with her explanation. "If you'd let me finish, I'll explain where you fit in with this. First of all, these aren't your typical nightmares, I know what those are like and I know that these experiences were something different. It's as if my subconscious was receiving a transmission from somewhere external to me. The images in my visions were much clearer than in dreams, and I was also able to retain them much better after waking. The images weren't really frightening by themselves, it's just that they were so jumbled and confused, yet also had some strange meaning when taken as a whole that only the deepest recesses of my brain could decode. Upon waking I could remember the visions, but their meaning was once again lost to me."

"The first time it happened to me, it was strange and a little disturbing, but didn't seem to be too out of the ordinary. Then less than two weeks later, the whole thing repeated itself. The images were different, but the feeling of underlying meaning was still there. The images changed so fast, jumping through vastly different visions, that it was quite unnerving, and left me somewhat shaken and overwhelmed. There was also a feeling as if this was emanating from some alien consciousness, whose power I could only guess at. From that point on, I have been having these experiences about two or three times a month, but with a slowly increasing frequency."

"I can tell by the expression on your face that you don't quite know what to make of me telling you this. I'm not surprised, I had to deal with similar mindsets when I approached the magic-users guild in large city a couple of days journey from here. As I said, there aren't too many of us with any decent power, so in order to talk with a large group, I needed to make the trip to the city and speak with the assembly there. They too had been experiencing the visions, but were not as concerned with them as I was, since they claimed they had other, more important matters to contend with."

"They did agree that shared visions were definitely a strange phenomenon, but assumed it was coming somehow from our collective minds, and was probably from having a good number of magic users clustered together. With the advances of steam transportation, it has been easier for people to travel to the cities than ever before, and the guild membership has grown greatly in size. I tried to point out that I was sharing in these experiences and was a good deal away from the rest of them, but they figured that once enough of them had gotten together, and their subconscious minds had produced these visions, who knew how powerful they were and how far they were capable of traveling."

"In the end, they did agree that it was an interesting phenomenon, but they were more interested in other things at the moment. A motion was made to study it in depth at a later time, but for then, it was forgotten. So I returned back here discouraged and somewhat angry at the bureaucracy of the members of the guild and their ignorance for overlooking the matter. This is a only a medium-sized town, quite near the wilderness frontier, so there is only one other talented magic user here. Based on the population, there should barely only be one of us here, but as luck would have it, he moved out here a few months back, wanting to be closer to the frontier where he says the excitement is."

"I have approached him, and received the same treatment that I did at the guild assembly. He thinks I'm somewhat foolish for looking into the matter as much as I am. He seems to believe that these visions are nothing more than shared dreams, and doesn't seem to find them in the least bit disturbing or foreboding. So after all of my colleagues had forsaken me, it was then that I decided to call upon you."

By this point I am quite bemused and reply with "well I don't know why you would think I would have feelings different from the others you have talked with. I mean, so you've had some disturbing dreams, or as you want to call them visions, I don't see what I have to do with it, even if I was to be concerned. I'm sorry but I still can't see why you've brought me here, and I'd really like an explanation."

She is beginning to get slightly annoyed with me, but only lets it show briefly. After letting out a muffled sigh, she continues. "Okay Ben, I'm getting there, please try and be a little more patient. I was hoping you'd be a little more interested in the whole situation, what with magic and a whole other world and all."

"Well, I admit that does hold some fascination with me, but at the moment I'm having some trouble appreciating it since I've been brought here against my will and wasn't prepared in the least bit for this. So you'll have to excuse my lack of enthusiasm."

She flashes me the briefest of glares, but it's enough to get her point across. She is getting tired of my interruptions and wishes me to be a bit more cooperative. Seeing that I've read her message clearly, she continues yet again. "Okay, first let me explain about the concept of other worlds and traveling between them. Magic users have been exploring them for quite some time now, but finding new worlds is very tricky. The gateways between these worlds aren't constantly open, instead they only allow passage and observation during certain windows of time. The length of time that the gateways remain open is different for each world, some being only minutes, others lasting for hours or even days."

"Also, the times at which these gateways open up, are different for each one, and sometimes they don't obey a simple repetitive schedule. For these reasons it is rather difficult for us to map out these gateways to those other worlds. Most of the time, they are discovered quite by accident, much like I discovered your world a little less than a year ago. I have been observing your world, and then you in particular for several occurrences of the gateway opening. By looking into your subconscious, I have been able to learn much about your world."

"Travel between worlds isn't done too often, since it is hard to discover open gateways, and it is usually not known for how long they will remain open. I was lucky with your world. Not only does the gateway open at a regular interval, but it is open for several hours at a time, which gave me plenty of time to learn about your world and then specifically you. What drew me to you was that I recognized the talent within you which you aren't even aware of. What I discovered was that you have the strong ability to perform magic locked within you and you don't even realize it. At first this intrigued me, and I wondered if I could subtly prompt you to discover your talent, but then after being refused help from my colleagues, I decided in a last effort to try you."

I can't believe any of this, and I'm surprised my jaw doesn't completely detach from my face as she finishes her last sentence. "What do you mean, you thought you'd try me?" I retort, in a somewhat harsh tone. This is just too much for me to take and I'm feeling anger creeping in. "First of all you drag me halfway across the galaxy, or even farther than that, who knows where the hell I am, to tell me about your disturbing dreams that nobody else is interested in, and then you try and tell me that I'm some sort of a wizard or something. I'm sorry, but I think I've had enough. I'd like you to return me home right now."

She looks slightly hurt at this, and I realize that I'm letting my anger and panic at this strange situation get the better of me, and I feel a little bad for speaking to her like that. Then again, she did kidnap me, and in the beginning of a weekend of much needed rest.

Speaking a little softer to me, she rests one of her hands on my shoulders, which manages to somewhat comfort and calm me, either by magic or by a simple caring touch. "I'm sorry Ben, try and understand this, I didn't mean to harm you. In scanning your mind several times, I was able to pick up a glimmer of your personality and realize that you're having trouble with your work and also I detected some of your longing for adventure. I had hoped that this would be an interesting and exciting change for you."

She was right on those counts. As an overworked graduate student, the pressure of trying to hold dome a part-time job and finish my degree sometimes did get to me. A lot of the time what I was doing got kind of boring too, so I did have a tendency to let my mind wander and daydream. When I got a chance I did some fantasy reading, intrigued with the idea of traveling to other, more exotic worlds. It's just that now when my idle daydreams had actually come true, I was quite unprepared for them.

"Yes Marissa," I reply much more calmly, "I have often thought of taking a journey such as this, but those were just fantasies. I never for once actually believed that they were possible; now that it's actually happened I'm rather surprised and pretty scared too. Also, I need to get back to my work. I was going to take part of the weekend off to try and relax, but on Monday I have a job to get back to and I have a thesis that I'd like to get done sometime before the turn of the century. I'm sorry for snapping at you like that, but I really can't stay too long. I'll need to leave by the tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Maybe when I'm not quite as busy, I can come back and spend a decent amount of time here."

Looking at me with a compassionate expression on her face, she pauses for a couple of moments, before she finally breaks the news to me. "Ben, I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. I said that the gateway to your world was open for several hours, but that time has passed while you were asleep and I was fabricating the translation spell for you. You are stuck here until the next time it opens." Then pausing for what seems much longer than the moment it is, she finally adds, "and that won't be for almost a month."

"A month?" I exclaim, although more out of surprise and distress than with anger. "I can't stay here for a month. I've got a job, I've got work to do. If I just vanish, there's no telling what kind of hell I'll be in when I finally do get back."

She briefly squeezes my shoulder, and this time I'm sure of the magic, as I feel another wave of calm spread through me. "It's not that bad, let me explain" she says giving me a reassuring look. "Another interesting property with the gateways between worlds is that although while they are open, time flows at the same pace for both worlds, when they are closed, the time frames for both worlds progress at separate paces, sometimes being drastically different. Therefore it is possible that the next time the gateway opens to that word, while only a few days have passed here, weeks, months or even years may have passed on the other side. It is for that reason that little exploration of the other worlds has been done, since nobody wants to get stuck on some alien world for some incredibly long period of time with no way to get back."

"For your world however, the opposite is true. While a month may go by here, it seems that barely more than a day passes for you. Therefore, when the next gateway opens up, you will be able to return in plenty of time to get back to your busy life. Think of this as a vacation and an adventure." With that she gives me a warm smile which I return, feeling much more at ease.

"Now, I realize that you still might not be interested in investigating the source of the visions that I've described to you. I am disturbed by them, but also am curious to see where they originate from. I have an idea of the general location of their source, don't ask me how, I just have this almost instinctive feeling, and it is about two and a half to three weeks journey from here. I am planning on making that journey with or without you, I had just hoped that you would come with me. With your talent, you would be extremely helpful."

"Still if you chose not to accompany me, I understand. You can stay here in my house while I'm gone and I can have the other magic user come and teach you how to use your gift. When the gateway to your world opens up again, he will be able to send you back. However, if I can tempt you a little, let me just say that if you chose to join me, the journey will certainly be an adventure. It will probably have some danger in it, and will not be all fun and excitement, but for you it is definitely a chance of a lifetime and you may not forgive yourself if you pass it up."

Thinking things over, I have to admit the idea is somewhat seductive as well as a little scary. Having let the fact that the next month will essentially be free time with no repercussions when I return home sink in, I find myself being swayed by the promise of adventure. "I don't know Marissa," I reply. "The idea does somewhat intrigue me, now that I realize this is somewhat of a vacation for me, but it also frightens me a little. I'll need to think about it. Also, you keep saying that I have a talent for magic, but I'm wondering if you're confused. You mention that a certain percentage of your population has this talent, but as far as I know, nobody from my world can perform such feats."

"That's because in your world, like some others, the use of magic has been abandoned for some reason and is now long forgotten. This does not mean that it no longer exists. Magic exists in all worlds, at least all of the worlds we've made contact with, it's just that in your world it lies dormant. Within you is the ability to call forth your power, it's just that your people haven't used it for so long that it no longer manifests itself spontaneously like on our world. I believe that I will be able to awaken your talent and then will be able to instruct you in its use."

I stare back at her, now trusting her, but still a little dubious about what she is saying and the ramifications of what it could mean. "Give me your hand," she gently instructs. After a moment's hesitation, I hold my right hand out to her. She takes my hand in hers, holding it palm upwards. Giving me a confident and warm look, she then places her other hand in the middle of my chest as I look back at her in wonder, bewilderment, and anxiousness.

Observing my uneasiness, she softly reassures me, "don't be afraid Ben. You've felt the magic before, and you know it doesn't hurt. It will feel a little strange, and might be a little scary at first, but I'll be here to help you bring it out okay. I need you to trust me, for this to work, you need to be calm and relaxed. Let go of your fear and your doubt, and open yourself up to the possibilities of what I've said."

"I believe that you can do this, and when you do, it will be an extraordinary experience for you. Once you get a taste of what you're capable of, your mind will awaken to the full possibilities and we can begin your real training." Giving me a warm and assuring smile, she waits a moment and then instructs me to close my eyes.

Then in a softer voice she continues, "okay Ben, first in order to help you get into the correct frame of mind, I'm going to use my calming spell on you. You've felt it before and know it poses no threat to you, so you know what to expect. Are you ready?" I nod quietly, and then feel the familiar wave of tranquillity spreading through me as my mind and body drains of tension and doubt.

"Good, I can feel you opening up and relaxing. Now you're truly ready to begin. Magic is an energy Ben, an energy that flows through everything and everyone, but only some of us are able to properly channel it. You have the same talent that I do, and once you learn to tap that energy, you will be able to rise to my level of proficiency, perhaps even surpassing it. I have felt the power flowing strongly in you, and I'm going to help you feel it and bring it out."

She briefly hesitates once again, as I feel a strange sensation that seems to emanate from where her hand touches my chest. It starts off with a small tingling, but then grows somewhat quickly, spreading out until my body feels like it is charged with electricity. It isn't an unpleasant sensation, there is no pain to it, but it is so strange and foreign it causes me brief alarm. Sensing as my breathing becomes slightly labored and my pulse quickens, she is quick to pacify me as I feel another wave of relaxation washing over me. "It's okay Ben. You're feeling what we all feel when we use the magic. I know it feels so strange and a little terrifying at first, but you'll get used to that. You don't need to be frightened, nothing will hurt you and I'm here to help you through this. Just try and relax and let the power flow through you."

After the calming spell has washed over me, I feel the power building again, but this time I force myself not to fight it and just let it happen. There are a couple of brief setbacks when I momentarily panic again, but eventually I hear her gentle voice informing me that the power is flowing freely through me. "Now, I'm going to give you a small example of what you're capable of."

With that, she moves her hand lying on my chest so that it navigates over to my shoulder and part way down the inside of my arm to my elbow. "What we're going to do now is to direct this energy to your hand so you can see a visual manifestation of it." Moving her hand very slowly down my arm I can feel her soft touch through the fabric of the T-shirt I'm wearing. When she gets beyond the arm of the shirt, the feel of her warm, furry fingertips on my bare skin is so wonderful, as is the effect her movements are having with the energy charged within me.

As she moves her fingers down my arm, it is if she is pulling the energy with her and I can feel my arm becoming more charged as she nears my hand, going at a slow, yet steady pace. Coming to my wrist she instructs me to gently curl my fingers inward. "Pretend as if you're grabbing a ball. That's it, hold them there. Now pretend that this ball is actually a ball of pure energy, like that which is flowing within you. Feel the ball grow stronger as it becomes more solid. Feel your fingers pushing against it, try and squeeze it, but it's becoming too firm for you to do that. The harder you push against it, the stronger it becomes. Yes that's it. It's coming along great. You're doing wonderful Ben. Keep on concentrating on it, make it firmer, more real."

After a couple of minutes of this, it is incredible, but it actually does feel as if there is a solid physical object lying in my palm as I push my fingers against it. Finally she instructs me to open my eyes, and when I do I'm astounded to see what looks like a glowing sphere of energy resting neatly in my hand. I look at it in astonishment, as it lies there a glowing with a somewhat bright yellowish light. All I'm able to vocalize is a somewhat weak "Did I do that?" as I gasp with wonder and surprise.

"You certainly did" she replies, smiling at me, delighted in my performance and obviously glad at how this is affecting me. "Your performance was outstanding. Congratulations, you've passed the first test that is given to anyone showing the talent and you've definitely demonstrated your power. Now that you've seen what you can do, would you like to learn more?" she asks in a slightly playfully teasing manner.

"Yes I would," I stammer, still not quite able to believe what I'm seeing with my own eyes. "Thank you for showing me this Marissa, and if you will teach me, I will definitely be an attentive pupil."

"You're welcome Ben, and of course I will teach you the arts of the talent, that's why I was so interested in you in the first place. You've demonstrated a significant aptitude for the gift, and I think you will pick it up somewhat quickly, now that I have awakened it within you."

With that she gently releases my hand from hers; after she does so I am surprised to see the energy ball begin to lose power, and within several seconds fade out of existence. This upsets me slightly and causes some doubts within me. "What just happened," I exclaim in a confused and slightly accusatory voice, "how come when you let go of my hand it went away? Did I have anything to do with that, or was it all your work, just using my body?"

"No it's not like that. The power was flowing through you with my help, but it was your doing. Remember that you're a novice at this and don't have any real control over it. Without me there to act as regulator, you didn't have the concentration to maintain the focus of the power and it dissipated. With a few more lessons, you'll gain more control of it and won't need my help to maintain your focus."

I feel a little guilty for questioning her like that, it's just that I'd seen so much in the past hour or so that I was really having trouble coming to terms with it all. This repentance must have shown on my face, for again she gives me an understanding look and answers my unspoken apology. "I know this is tough for you to understand. You've seen so much in such a short time that it's all overwhelming you. Give it time and things will come into place though."

Pausing for a few moments she then adds, "it's getting late in the morning. We need to start preparations for the journey, that is if you're coming. I don't want to push you into this, you can take all day to decide if you want to, but we do need to talk about this more, but I'll let you get bathed and dress first."

She stands up and then waits for me to pull back the covers and get out of bed, dressed in the shorts and T-shirt I sleep in. In the back of my mind, I am briefly aware of the thought that I'm glad I don't sleep in the nude.

Leading me to a dresser at the end of the room, I'm surprised to see familiar clothing neatly stacked in a small pile. "When I brought you here, I was also able to bring some of your clothes along too. I have also brought your footwear since given the difference in our feet structure, it would be impossible to get something that would fit you."

Looking at the clothes I see that she has brought along enough for me to go about a week between washings, if I change shorts every other day and everything else daily. I also note that most of the clothes she has chosen are summer clothes, with only a couple of cooler-weather garments. I reason that it must be summer here on their world.

I'm rather surprised that she was able to bring my clothes here too, but then given the fact that she seemingly effortlessly pulled me across the astral planes, why shouldn't she be able to bring other objects along the same path. Still, even though I've witnessed her magic, and some of my own, the whole prospect of it is totally amazing.

She interrupts my thoughts by instructing, "the bathroom is in there," pointing to a door near the corner. "You can take your morning bath and then get dressed and meet me down in the kitchen. While you're doing that, I'll fix us something for brunch and then we can continue our discussion."

With that she turns and leaves through the door on the opposite side of the room. I watch her leave and then walk to the bathroom getting ready to start the first morning of what will surely be a most interesting month.


Copyright 1994, Will A. Sanborn - was1@shore.net