SND - Prologue

 

 

PROLOGUE I

PERU - 1540

 

 

The Spanish had come in search of El Dorado and his golden city. Their colourless skin and pompous clothing were in sharp contrast to the perfect un-touched raw terrain. This tilt of balance unsettled the owners of the rainforest, they sensed the harmony that they relished was about to be corrupted by desires created by a world outside there own, manufactured by minds that were no longer grounded and had lost touch with mother earth.

 

Rumour had spread to all corners of the world that twice a year the legendary king El Dorado would appear before his people, his body covered with powdered gold and he would throw precious offerings into the great Lake Guatavita, a misinterpretation of a religious rite which would lead to the story which lies before you. The Spaniards, confused with greed and their minds dwelling in fanciful beliefs of grandeur, set out to find the gilded man and his golden city of Manoa. How could they be told that they could not see him with their lack of faith? His gold they could never take or find as it lived only in the spirit and soul of those of the forest. With a conceited neglect for the pureness and beauty of the people and their land the Spaniards in their squandered search enslaved the helpless natives to labour till death if need be, disregarding their existence as a spoilt child would a broken toy.

 

In the high seas pirates waited for the Spanish ships and much blood was spilt for the gold that was not to be. Defenseless against the Spaniards arms and numbers a shaman was summoned by the Peruvians to seek answers to the turmoil that had infested the peaceful world of these gentle people. The shaman concluded that a ritual must take place at the lip of the hidden waterfall and three young men were required whose souls were clean, the magic vine would only be true to those whose minds could be set free. The stars guided the shaman to these boys. Three days passed and the chosen few were gathered by the shaman and he prepared them for the days ahead. The huitol baths had dyed their skin dark blue, they were now cleansed of any impurities and the change in their appearance would show the holders of the answers that they are beyond mortal during the outer body experience the ayahuasca ceremony would bring.

 

The safety of night settled in, the brilliance of the stars was a hopeful sign. Their families encircled them and silently willed them safe passage into the forest. Silently the group of four moved into the jungle.

 

 

II

 

His body had been blue for two days. His shell was now cleansed and now his spirit was to be set free to search for guidance, he was proud to be chosen but anxious at what lay ahead. Jioux had heard stories of great fear during these ceremonies, untold creatures appearing from the ground and extreme violent illness. He knew he must give in to it to be free otherwise the answers would not come into him.

 

Curios birds calling to their mate and the crash of the waterfall below became an ethereal symphony that absorbed each of the group’s bodies and lay passage to their meditative state. Insect calls and clicks provided the tempo of the shamans chant as they trekked deeper and higher into the forest and towards enlightenment. The sweet peppery scent from the jungles flora became thicker and they could taste its fragrance on the feint mist that cooled their skin. Jioux marveled at how the damp haze in the air gave each star in the cloudless night a brilliant halo filled with colour. His body was now resonating with this fulfillment of the senses. They walked along the edge of a cliff and the shamans’ chant became quicker as the lip of the waterfall became closer.

 

At a clearing, that the moon had guided the shaman to, the three young men sat silent with eyes closed as the old man emptied his pack and prepared his implements for the ceremony. The shaman chanted to the ayahuasca and thanked it for its power to look into the future, travel in spirit and remove and cast spells on others. As he crushed the ayahuasca into a powder he instructed the three young men to silently reflect on what has happened to their people and the pain the Spaniards had brought. The shaman took a large pinch of the magic dust he had prepared and placed it in his mouth and mixed it into a pulp with his tongue and placed it in his left hand. He separated the dark green dough into three equal small portions and waved his blowpipe over the heads of the three young men who were about to transcend and seek a path of tranquility for their people. With his eyes still closed the shaman pulled back Jioux head, moments later he felt the thin bamboo enter his nostril, then he heard a hollow quick breath punching divination to the back of his throat.

 

Almost instantly Jioux lay on his side, his stomach cramped and he was violently ill. He lost control of his body as it bucked on the moist soft grass. The sound from the waterfall became deafening, each drop producing a thunderous crash. Each bird chirp became elongated, each quick staccato stretched into a never-ending pitch rising in volume. Jioux opened his eyes and the trees around him seemed to dance back and forth with their branches bending and stretching and the leaves upon them piercing his skin and sending frozen shots to his brain. His body continued to buck with pain and his stomach continued to empty without control. Pure terror engulphed Jioux.

 

A curios light of a colour Jioux had never seen before demanded his attention. It hung like a ball between the two cliff faces on either side of the waterfall, although distant and small it began to lure Jioux. Jioux gave into the pain and let it take over his body without struggle as the noise continued to rise in pitch and volume. He tried to raise his hands to his ears but they had the weight of boulders and would not move. He focused on the light and screamed. His body rose and he felt his being transform into a spear and dart towards the light. The mist from the waterfall burnt the skin of his belly as he soared towards the illuminant ball. Looking directly into it as it grew larger he saw the Spaniard who beat his father, he saw his mothers tears and his dear little sisters terror. El Dorado himself appeared, golden and splendid, his eyes telling Jioux that his courage would yield the answers his people seeked.

 

The light became huge and Jioux could see nothing else, he continued to scream to mask the pandemonium. As the top of his head made contact with the light his body became cold, the pain which followed was many times worse than before. He felt his whole body being forced through a hole the size of a bamboo ring. Every emotion he had ever felt was placed on a wheel in his head and spinning ferociously. He could feel his legs and eventually his feet passing through the ring. As the tips of his toes finally squeezed through there was instant silence and total blackness. His body felt light and he was in a cocoon of purple, totally calm and fresh. A brilliant white radiance slowly engulphed Jioux and he bathed peacefully within it. Above him he could make out a figure which slowly reorganized itself into three odd faces with huge black eyes. They gazed at him in wonder. Jioux felt his breath leave his body in a single slow gasp. With no words spoken, an understanding of love calmed all four of this curios meeting. Jioux slept peacefully knowing upon his wake he held the answers his people seeked.