For once life seemed to be in the exact point of reference for perfection to occur. It was one of those rare

moments when the placement of the sun was in harmony with that of the moon giving equal access to the

life giving forces of the heavens. She had visited this place before. Never had she been allowed to stay

long. The manufacturer does not allow dalliance except for brief moments of rest. Always designed to

signify the end of a long journey and the beginning of the next these cosmic events where to be savored

over the course of the long years between.

She toyed with ideas that constantly moved through her mind. Some productive, some hazardous but ideas

for growth nevertheless. The last journey had been too hard or maybe just too long. Her soul felt used and

tortured. She felt that she was not up to learning the next tutorial. She wanted to linger in the peace for a

long moment.

Gathering her ammunition around her would continue to be difficult. That was a major part of her larger

puzzle. She sighed as she went through the somewhat scanty inventory of her arsenal. The years continued

to go by seemingly without significant growth. It took the others pointing out this growth for her to realize

that she was changing and becoming new. The others were part of her ammunition. Still during the long

moments of silence when they were not around she punished herself for sins not her own. Punishment for

sins she had inherited through the weakness of adults in her childhood and her ancestry.

The question tormented her of finding the strength to continue this arduous journey. She knew she would

go on. The thought of giving up had not occurred, at least not yet. She needed the others. She wanted the

others   Independence and stubbornness refused at times to allow her to admit these facts. She had been

raised to never need anyone in a world where we all need each other. It was wrong to admit weakness.

Even though the weakness drove her to the wrong side of life on many occasions. There lay the advantage

of numbness, however brief. A period of time when nothing existed except the darkness. The problem

arose when the numbness gave way to feeling for the feeling was always fear.

Finally the conclusion came that the black, emptiness was not the answer. The answer she realized lay in the combined strength of the others. This brief period of rest given by the manufacturer was accentuated

by their presence. Individual strength seemed unattainable and the group’s strength unbreakable.

She smiled the first true smile in a long while. She went through the names of the others and lingered upon

what each had brought to her life. She could not as yet see that she had given them equally as much. In

time that would become clear. For this moment in time it was enough to dwell on what they had given her.

Her smile reached her eyes as she came to the realization that this was how the next long journey was to be

endured. They were the answer as well as the journey. Somehow their lives had become intertwined with

her own. She knew this would continue to be no matter how hard she fought. Attempting to tear her soul

from their love would be a fruitless endeavor. She knew they would not allow her to leave.

Independence would survive in fact it would thrive with the unconditional love given by the others for one

another. They knew her story. They knew where she had been. None had been in the same places or had

the same story. They each had their own. None were interested in condemning hers. All they wished for

was her happiness and a continuation of her personal journey. They were her family in spirit if not in blood.She arose renewed from her moment of cosmic rest. She began the next leg of her journey alongside the others recognizing her place and her equality…