Subj: [ffml] [MW] Help for Schala Date: 98-10-19 12:49:38 EDT From: jandoc@hawaii.edu (Schala) Reply-to: ffml@onelist.com To: ffml@onelist.com From: Schala Frog awoke one night to a prickling sensation on his skin. It was strange, because the night was not a cold one. He sensed something amiss. Looking around, he saw Schala was gone. He got up quickly but silently. His hand on the Masamune, he began searching for her. He knew she often liked to be alone. She would probably be some distance in the forest. He hesistated at leaving Kaitlin alone, but he knew she had a special protection by the gods and would probably be able to handle whatever came up. Still, he made his preparations to ensure the druidess' safety. Frog moved through the forest. It wasn't long before he found whom he was looking for. Schala was standing still, looking up at the sky, her hands outstretched to the heavens. She held a dagger in one hand. His first instinct was to approach her, but something held him back. She seemed to give off such a sacred aura that he remained hidden, watching what would happen. Her arms moved. First she crossed them above her head, then separated them, swooping them downward in a large circle. She repeated the circle several times, finally returning to her starting position. The tip of the dagger glistened in the moonlight. Schala began to dance. She bowed her head, then moved it in a circle as she twirled her arms again. She spun slowly around in a full circle, then knelt on the ground, her arms outstretched. She chanted, and Frog caught her words. "Oom kal pa ni ran y dur..." Each word was held for a few seconds. Schala's voice frightened him. It was deep and monotonous. The words seemed to come from another realm... It was like something were...sending...her the words to say, the movements to do... She stood up and turned around and around, all the while repeating her chant. Then she said something else, in a different voice that frightened him even more... "I who am the Life...I who am the Power...I who am the Death...I control your mind, body, and spirit...I am One with you..." Schala beat her chest then flung her arms out again, fists tightly clentched. The voice came again. "You who are the Strength...You who are the Force...You who are the Chosen...We are joined as One...We are One...We are One...WE ARE ONE..." Her voice rose steadily. She began moving the dagger in what seemed to be a series of ritual maneuvers. More than once she ran it over her scalp. More than once she passed it by her throat. More than once she aimed it at her heart. A light glowed, bathing Schala in its rays. Her eyes closed and she kept turning. Finally she stopped and flung the upper half of her body towards the sky. A pale blue aura surrounded her. Her pendant began glowing brightly. Frog rushed toward her. Before he could reach her, a single crack of lightning came down from the sky, hitting the Dreamstone and striking her full on the chest. Her body was enveloped in bright white. Frog, blinded, staggered back, his arm over his eyes. Schala's body convulsed as the energy surged through her. The aura changed, becoming red, pale yellow, then finally white. Her hair flew out every which way, electrified by the lightning. Suddenly, the blast disappeared. Schala stood there, the last remnants of energy buzzing about her body. They faded. She brought her hands up, clutched the dagger in both hands, and made to stab her breast... Then, she fainted. It had lasted only a few seconds, but to Frog, it had been an eternity. He got up and rushed to Schala's side. After slipping on a pair of gloves, he cradled her head carefully. The dagger had fallen from her hand. He took it and threw it as far as he could, out of her reach. "Schala...Schala!" he croaked out. The words stuck in his throat. Her body still twitched. He was almost afraid to touch her. For the first time in his life, he felt tears... She opened her eyes. But they were dumb, unseeing. "Too...powerful..." she mumbled. "Couldn't...control it...yet..." "Schala..." Frog smoothed her hair back and looked into her colorless face. He saw some intelligence return to her eyes. "Frog?" she asked faintly. "Why...why are you here?" "I could ask you the same," he said with a trace of reproach. She looked at him. Then, without warning, she began to cry. "Why am I like this?" she asked piteously. Her arms flailed about restlessly. She became delirious, her words incoherent. Frog held her down firmly to prevent her injuring herself. "Why...why? Why can't I be normal? Why must I be the One...?" Her voice trailed off as her tears overtook her. "It's all right...It's all right..." Frog assured her. He rocked her gently. "I want...to die..." But she felt comforted by Frog's presence and his arms holding her. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'm sorry..." "Don't say anything," Frog said. "Just rest. Rest now." He picked her up gently and made his way back to camp. The way to meet your fate is to try your hardest to avoid it. --- Wilma Jandoc aka Enya *ICQ: | "Life can only be understood jandoc@hawaii.edu *14710984 | backwards. But it must be lived nabiki_tendo@geocities.com | forwards." http://www2.hawaii.edu/~jandoc | - Binkley, http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9800 | "Bloom County"