Earth Child and the Dream Cloud
Earth Child was running, running, running. But he could not run fast enough to escape Wind. Wind was everywhere, blasting sand and dirt, tree branches and even dead grass blades at Earth Child. They hurt! Oh how they hurt as they pierced him. The driving sand lashed his eyes so he could not see. Soon he became lost in the storm. The dead grass blades whipped his face and hands. It stung horribly. And the twigs and branches that pelted his body cut him and broke his bones.
Still Earth Child ran, blindly staggering this way and that, stumbling, falling, picking himself up and running again. He tried desperately to escape Wind. But Wind would not let him out of his grasp. He swirled and whirled around Earth Child, changing directions at will, forming little eddies to pick up more debris to hurl relentlessly at Earth Child. He was indeed an ill wind that blew evil upon the boy.
Even so, Earth Child kept running. He had to get away from Wind. It was too painful. But he was tiring and could not outrun Wind. His legs grew weak and began to tremble. Blindly, he ran into something very hard that knocked him down. He did not know what it was and did not care. Dazed, he slowly tried to raise himself from the ground. But Wind was howling and screaming around his ears, throwing even more bits and pieces of debris at Earth Child. It was hard, hard, very hard but he knew he must try.
With all his might Earth Child heaved himself upright against Wind’s mighty blast. He rubbed his eyes to get the sand out of them and see where he was going. But the blood on his hands from the cuts he had received blinded him even more. And the salty tears smeared over his hands, getting into the wounds and stinging them.
It was too much! It was just too much for Earth Child. He was exhausted, had nothing left to fight off the evil Wind. With trembling legs and a desperate heart he began to sink back down to the ground. Wind blew even harder, making sure to finish Earth Child off once and for all. Now he would be lost forever and that was what Wind was all about.
Earth Child’s fall seemed to take a long time, as though it was in slow motion. Part way down the stinging and pain began to ease. He was conscious of a soft touch enveloping him, holding him close. Wind’s screams became quieter, more distant. Still he was sinking down, slowly, being laid to rest on a soft blanket that wrapped around him and nestled close around his whole body. It was warm, and quiet, and comforting. Here Earth Child felt safe from Wind and soon he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
And Earth Child began to dream. The most beautiful dream unfolded in his sleep. He could see himself clearly, walking through the forest and coming eventually to a large clearing by the lake.
Even though a storm was still blowing over the water and spilling on to the shore, it did not touch him. When he looked down he noticed a wispy vapor covering his whole body. The storm raging all around him could not penetrate the delicate soft blanket. The debris it churned up fell useless and spent at Earth Child’s feet and he walked freely through it as though it didn’t exist.
How strange this was, and how comforting. Curious, Earth Child began examining the vapor around him more closely. Splashes of brilliant color wove their way through the milky substance, dancing and undulating in the sun’s rays. They intertwined through one another in dazzling patterns like a magical prism, changing again and again into different displays within the mist surrounding them.
Earth Child did not know what to make of this. Each burst of color was new, yet it looked familiar. Had he seen it before – somewhere? He looked closer and realized it wasn’t what he saw that was familiar, but rather what he felt when the colors sprang forth. For as long as he could remember Earth Child had dreamed of being a peacemaker among his people, perhaps even among nations. The very thought of it had colored his world, so good was the feeling. Now those colors were all around him, trapped in this soft misty cloud blanketing him.
Still in his dream, Earth Child came to realize that this was his Dream Cloud. This was what sheltered him from all the harshness in the world around him.
As long as he kept it and his life’s dreams close, anything that Wind blew at him fell harmlessly at his feet. It was only when he forgot about his dreams that Dream Cloud moved away. Then he was exposed and vulnerable. Yes, this was his Dream Cloud.
Earth Child awoke from his deep sleep. It was calm all around him. He discovered that he had blindly run in to an old tree stump when he had fallen. Before he got to his feet he examined his body and the scars and bruises on it. To his surprise they were starting to heal. It must be Dream Cloud. He realized that so long as he did not let go of his life’s dreams, the hurts and bruises he received in following them would heal and nothing could destroy his spirit.
Earth Child rose from the ground and began to walk back to his home, hugging his dreams close. There was a faint, bright aura around him. He thought to himself, perhaps if he had a Dream Cloud of his own, others must have them too, if only they knew about them. Perhaps he would help others find them. Maybe then the world would be a more gentle, peaceful place. Maybe that was a good way to be a peacemaker.
Somewhere in the eastern sky a burst of light flashed and streaked downward. Most who saw it would think it was a comet or a shooting star. Earth Child knew better.
