A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
-Lao-Tzu
After yesterday’s nap I was feeling refreshed and ready to get started. I linked to Ae’gura and wandered around a bit before joining a group of Explorers by the tent. There was some talk of putting together a Delin run, but the topic shifted towards undertaking the Journey. A few others were also interested in undertaking it, and there were others who had already completed it since returning to the Cavern but were willing to keep us company. We formed a small group, five of us, and linked to my Relto, eager to begin.
Things didn’t go so smoothly, at first. Upon arriving at my Relto, we realized that Yeesha’s pillar would only allow me to link to the Cleft–the first stage had to be undertaken alone. The others were good sports about it, and waited patiently for me to return.
I’d forgotten what the stark, dry heat of the New Mexico desert was like. It was definitely a moving experience, to have returned to the place it all began. Memories came flooding over me, bringing me back to that day, when as only a fourteen year old I feel the Call and set out to discover the worlds beyond this one. Touching my first Journey Cloth, not yet understanding what it was I was doing, but knowing somehow that it was what I was meant to do. And Yeesha… “Have you heard of the city? The deep city, the ancient Uru, where there was power to write worlds?” Listening to her speech once more… I didn’t understand it the first time I heard it, heck, even the second time I undertook the Journey, I only thought I knew what it was her words meant. It is only now, after having truly experienced what that deep city she referred to actually is, that I finally understand. Not merely the ruins that remain, empty husks carved of stone, still haunted by the sins of the dead… We are the City, and we have begun to breathe again. Like the stream in the Cleft, we have begun to flow again, returning to where we know we are supposed to be.
As moving as it was to return to the Cleft, I had others waiting for me. I’d forgotten where the scattered Journey Cloths were located, hurriedly moving across the rope bridges and rock ledges, pressing my hand against that spiraling palm, unlocking the windmill and fumbling with the Imager code to hear Yeesha’s speech. I remembered that not all the cloths were in the Cleft itself, and rushed back outside to touch the others–on the back of Zandi’s trailer, the sign near the gate, the one in the Whark skeleton… one thing I regret is not having the time to stop and chat with Zandi. I doubt he’d remember me, having greeted entire legions of Explorers over the years, but when all is said and done and I’ve completed the Journey and can return to the Cleft, I want to visit him and thank him for all he’s done–not just for me, but for the Explorers, and the City.
Returning to the Cleft, I lowered the water bucket to touch the cloth attached to it, then touched my hand to the stone in the tree, opening the entrance to the chamber and returning to my Relto. I had indeed been too long; two of our number had had more pressing engagements and departed during my absence. However, two still remained, John B. (I never did get his last name) and Whitehelm. They were exactly the type of people you want to undertake the Journey with: patient, smart, kind-hearted and with a sense of humor. Together we linked to Gahreesen.
Thank goodness I had them with me! It had been years since I’d visited Gahreesen, and I barely remembered at all where to find the cloths. John was in the same boat I was but Whitehelm had retaken the Journey just a few days ago, and was our guide and companion, and I am grateful to both of them for the time we spent together. Especially when we reached that ridiculous rotating wall with the crack in it. Both of my companions made it through easily but I got stuck and was unable to make the leap into the power station. Without them there, I probably would’ve called it a night. Instead, they redirected the power to the doors and waited for me to link out to Relto and back so that I could touch my hand to the cloth in the station. Together we took the lift to the rooftop and made the perilous leap from the revolving arm to the rock island in between the two structures, and then onto the second building’s rotating arm. Fortunately we all made the jump, even if I got stuck for a moment in the elevator leading down inside.
After exploring the Maintainer’s workshops and conference rooms and wandering around the labyrinthine interior of the structure, we found the second-to-last Journey Cloth. Whitehelm reminded us that this is as far as we could get; the final cloth in Gahreesen was only accessible from a Bahro Stone in Teledahn, and it was a considerable ways away from the link-in spot. We debated what to do, and ended up deciding to call it a night and link to Teledahn another time. Maybe we’ll get some others to come along; John mentioned he was going to go meet his wife and do some exploring with her, and I know Tehlrov wanted to come along (I’d invited him, but we ended up playing KI tag and by the time we were both free to talk the three of us were nearly finished).
Experiencing the Journey again is one of those things you can never really get burnt out on. I marvel at Yeesha’s wisdom… every time I undertake it, I always notice new things, come to new realizations. It’s a profound experience, and I’m thrilled to be able to finally have others by my side while I live it.
