Homeland

Leonard thought for sure that he was going to drown. But as the cool embrace of water led him down, he felt ... not dead. He felt himself navigation through the water like a bird through the air. He felt himself not needing to breathe. He glided to the river. 

The river was beautiful. Heavenly sunlight came flooding in though the top layer of water. THe water was cool and fresh. Flowing constantly forwards as humanity flowed constantly forewards as one generation made way for the next. Some fo the water bent, swirled, and beat against the edges. The cool ribbons of liquid caressed him. 

There was a girl in front of him. No, a mermaid. No, it was the very same girl as before. Her pale skin was blue in the light underwater, and her dark hair and lips looked navy-blue. She had a long tail that also liked navy-blue tipped by translucent fins. She had a simple dark strip of cotton around her chest. She looked so healthy. She looked so at home. She looke so one with the river around her, like she understood it perfectly, like it was a part of her, like they were intrinsically tied.

She seemed full of spiritual energy. 

The river teemed with life. Beautiful, magical full of energy and spirit and harmony and nature, shining in the sunlight as it constantly moved and shifted. 

She beckoned him to follow her. So he did. She was so wild, so lively. Wild and free and untamed like the water that constantly rushed to sea or the fish that followed their instincts and their nature or the rocks that jutted in and of put of the river bank. She showed him through the nature of Coralivia. The intrinsic energy that flowed within it was the intrinsic energy that flowed within us all, that flowed through us all. 

She was constantly moving, constantly wanting to improve, constantly wanting the world to improve. Progress. Improvement, Positive change. It's what she ached for. What she burned for. What she wanted intensely with the whole of her entirety. He longed for it too. He longed for positive change, panged for it. So maybe, very likely, his powers and her being were tied. Yes, she agreed. 

They communicated not by words but by feelings. By overwhelming, joyous, hopeful feelings. She beckoned him to her, trying to show him the way to freedom. She really really wanted his freedom, he could tell, it meant a lot to her, to them both. 

The river danced with the dance of life, with the dance to nature too. And he felt it all go into him and strengthen him and heal him and he felt that magical flame inside him grow stronger and healthier. The nature, the nature was so wild and free and harmonious. Everything inside it followed it's nature, followed it's instincts, did what it inherently felt was right. It flowed into him reminded him to always follow his instincts and be kind and generous, let his life and his love flow undisturbed by things like things and objects and money. 

The river maiden flowed in it and with it and as it and by it like the river's - like nature's - daughter and sister and mother and baby all at the same time. Her love pressed onto him. She wanted him to be free. She wanted him to be respected, healthy, treated fairly, not exploited or seen as a source of gain but seen as human. She ached for it. For all the slaves. This was a positive change that needed to happen. 

She was so in tune with the river, everything in the river was so intune with each other, worked in perfect harmony and understanding. It was inspired/reminded him to always respect and try to understand people. To understand that they were pockets of love and life and beautiful spiritual energy.  He had to respect and understand and value them all as pieces of spiritual energy and glory. Just as every life form and environmental aspect was part of each other people were all part of each other. Just like ever twist and bend of the river brought with it new question on the nature of life, Leo knew that life itself and love itself and humans and relationships between humans and the inhuman were infinite and there were infininities of question you could ask about them. 

The River Maiden, she was intrinsically tied to youth itself, to the very concept of youth and to youthful rebellion. So she questioned everything. Every action, every idea, every aspect of life and the world and existence, she questioned it. If she found that an idea was good she accepted it, dedicated herself to trying to protect it. If she felt an idea to be good, if it resounded within her spirit as natural and right then she railed for it. It was almost dangerous, how much she questioned everything. Almost dangerous, but not quite. 

Leonard felt thrilled to be travelling down the river with her. Thrilled and energized and inspired. 

The ecosystem was always breathing, always intermingling. Every beautiful aspect was sharing it's energy and being with every other beautiful aspect. It reminded him to be as kind and generous as he could and always try his very best to help people. To share as much as his own sacred energy with other people as much as he could, to share his love and his care. Light pooled over the river. The maiden was smiling. The river was so kind, so caring, so wanting all people to be well, physically emotionally, and spiritually. Leonard reflected that it was good for him to do the same. 

The river gave him hope that the greedy, excessive, proud, dehumanizing face of Coralivia wasn't the real one. Hope that the natural state could be returned to. That a kinder, simpler, more generous time could be reached where people saw each other as people and that view wasn't marred by desire for illicit gain.                      

The River Maiden eventually dropped him off at shore, where Hacombe and a bag of supplies were waiting, at the edge of Coralivia. She told him to get out of here, that it wasn't safe with her father around.