Chapter 21

Bodhisattva

It took several hours to get out of the spell of Auranaia's palace and her magical orphanage.

Brigitte-Aurora is loaded with Eolis, on her shoulders, forearms, hips and head. She even has Nellio between her breasts, where he seems to be particularly happy.

She contemplates the images from outside, from Aéoliah, through the dome. They are coming closer to the present, as we can see the Eolis meeting the Guardians, training for space flight, then gathering fruits for the great journey.

These three wonderful, unforgettable, incredibly intense days seem to have lasted fifteen. Although she barely slept, she feels in incredible shape, in a perfect Happiness, very energetic. Yet a small hint of nostalgia comes to tickle her, when she sees the Eolis gathering for the departure, to come and pick her up. Finally the dome becomes blue again, like a sky.

«There, you have to make your decision now» Yanathor whispers behind her.

«It is wonderful, Yana, I am quite sure I have found my friends again, even if I still don't remember them. I must tell you that even if they had not told me who Nellio was, I would still be in love with him, because...

- Oooh, OOOh!» Makes the crowd going wild, and instantly Brigitte Aurora blushes and stutters.

«Eoline! Eoline!» They shout all together, at the sight of these charming symptoms of belonging to their people.

- He is... He is... ...so sweet...»

 

When Aurora can speak again, it is to ask:

«But, Yanathor, there is something which bothers me... It is just... The mission?

- Ah! The mission? But, little Aurora, you have accomplished it, your mission!

- How did I accomplish it? Well, you...

- Well, your mission was to serve as a resonator for all the images we showed you, for all these wonderful visions of Aeoliah, for this tender reunion with a world of light... And we transmitted your emotion to the archetypes, to the collective consciousness of Humanity, so that it could record it... All those peeps you felt behind you, that was it. All the visualizations we made about philosophical choices, it was for your action could have an impact on the whole life of the Earthlings. Thanks to this help, the Earthlings will be a little less rogue from now on, and the unborn children from now on will have this in their souls... It must be said that, except for a few details, you did very well, especially without knowing what you were really doing. Well done, Aurora. I think humanity owes you a debt of gratitude, even though your name will never appear in their history books.

- Ah! That was it! But l... I just did not knew...

- Yes, you did. Your soul knew. You accepted this mission when you were a little girl, but your bodily memory did not recorded it, as it happened in the astral. It was better that you did not knew about the mission. You were much more natural. This is why I didn't told you about it.

- I remembered not long ago that I had started astral travel as a child...

- Not just early astral travel. But often the neural memory does not record such experiences.

- But then, my mission to help the Earth, I chose it consciously, still, when I was with Mother Grand?

- Conscious translation of the desire of your soul, which had in fact already chosen long ago. But your mind had not all the information. Still it made a good choice, although it could not discover the exact objective.

- Ah!

- If you wish, Aurora, we must now consider your return to Aeoliah.

- But how do we do that? I am far too tall!

- Well, we can arrange that. Come on, Aurora. «The Eolis will be waiting for us here and watch us on the screen, this time in real time.»

Yanathor, with Ellebon, takes Aurora to the small reception room, then to the airlock where Brigitte came in. Ellebon carries this transparent container, shaped like a loaf of bread, which was waiting among the other instruments, next to Aurora's room.

«Don't forget that you have a spacesuit, even if it is so discreet that you do not even notice its presence. But thanks to it you can wander through the cosmic void.

- In space?

- Yes, in space. Beware.»

The outer door, which is a pale colour, opens suddenly, without any other precautions, letting the air out of the airlock with a deep sigh. Strange, exhilarating sensation: nothing seems to stand between her fragile skin and the terrible emptiness of space. She passes her naked hand in front of the immensity of the starry Cosmos, in front of the stars, from which absolutely nothing separates her... It is unbelievable!

«Ah! The planet of my dreams!»

Indeed, the small, dark ice planet suddenly fits into the opening and is rapidly closing in. Aurora, with her heart pounding, recognizes the arrangement of the craters and the parallel groove patterns. Did she ever think she would see it like with her own eyes?

«What do you mean, from your dreams?

- Yes, I often dreamt of this planet. It was... It was... A message from you?

- No, it was not a message at all.

- My grandmother captured it too, she even made a picture of it, which is in my room right next to your door!

- Wow! Says Yanathor, I am sincerely surprised, since we we did not send you anything! And especially not to her! And you dreamt of... But you Earthlings are fascinating! Look, I am gonna apply for a transfer to your Planet, right now! You will go far away, when there will be no more evil in you!»

Meanwhile, the ship has come closer to the small grey moon. Fascinated, Brigitte finally saw with her own eyes the enigma which had intrigued her so much. As predicted, an irregular plain unfolds below, with the yellow star, the heart, quite dusty, because no one has swept here for two billion years. (And, well, it shows) At the tip of the heart, they find the pyramid, just as in her dreams, everything is there, right down to the broken corners. When they finally land, the only thing missing is the moving little robot, but she would not see it. No doubt it has returned under one of the mounds of ice, for a new wait of some hundred million years ...

«There, we are going out. The door is at ground level, look, I am putting my foot out. There is no air, it is minus two hundred degrees, and the radioactivity would kill us in less than one hour. But you will not feel any of this, because you are perfectly protected.»

What a strange feeling for Brigitte to walk on the powdery ground of such a hostile, inhuman planet, dressed only in a cotton tunic! Above her, in the blackest sky she has ever seen, the Eoli stars swarm, with a Sun which looks like a big lamppost, and above all the fascinating smooth blue globe of Uhluhlorah, which seems huge compared to our Moon!

Thanks to the very low gravity, Brigitte's slightest step projects her forward, as if she was floating in a swimming pool, barely touching the bottom. She even barely avoid falling down! Due to the lack of air, the dust projections do not make volutes, but immediately fall back to the ground.

As Brigitte-Aurora turns around, to see the ship from which they came out, she notices that the door they went through belongs to a saucer about ten metres in diameter, which is supposed to contain, at least according to her conception of geometry, the dome of the Eolis, (one hundred metres) the temple (one kilometre) plus all the rest of the immense city of the stars. (Fifty kilometres?) and probably many other things.

They climb the ice ramp that the robot has built. This ice has the consistency of gravel or dust, because at this temperature, it never hardens into névé, does not stick, and the debris flows like dune sand. Here, at this incredibly low temperature, ice is rock. Translucent rock, light and soft as sugar.

Right in front of them, now yawns the blackness of the door. Brigitte-Aurora would not dare to venture in there alone, without knowing: what strange danger could conceal this mysterious gallery on this unknown world, which is definitely hostile to any forms of life?

Radioactivity (They are in Uhluhlorah's Van Allen belts) gnawed the ice on the walls, clearly revealing the successive strata of the construction, just as on old, once smooth stones. Here and there traces of repair attest to infrequent but regular maintenance.

As they enter the gallery, a glow precedes and follows them, and here they are walking without a sound in a tube of bluish ice which gets lost both in front and behind in a vaguely disturbing darkness. It descends quite steeply, with stairs, while curving sideways. It probably spirals down into the icy entrails of the planet, deep enough because they walk that way for more than one hour. Fortunately, the much weaker gravity than on Earth saves any effort. Brigitte-Aurora wonders why they did not opened the door just to the underground goal.

«For the surprise!» Answers Yanathor, who definitely captures her every thought. She feels embarrassed, at the idea that he might have captured some of her ramblings, but he is so discreet that she does not blame him. How can we not feel complete confidence in such a simple and good being as Yanathor?

Finally a green glow announces the goal. A glow... And also an emotion... The oasis after the desert, the thirst quenched, a wonderful vibration of life, peace, freshness...

They finally enter the mysterious hypogeum where the instruments of transmutation of life still palpitate, in an eternal dance of joy and emerald tenderness. An incredible and delicious energy strikes Brigitte-Aurora, stunned.

She contemplates the radiant stills, amazed and intrigued at the same time. What are these wires, tubes and antennas for? These flasks and cucurbites? Above all, what a powerful and soothing vibration, fresh as mint and warm as a meadow in the sun!

Ellebon activates himself, manipulating controls. Strange sounds and unknown vibrations run through Brigitte-Aurora. What is Ellebon doing? Bent over, he engages halfway into an opening. He pulls out...

«BUT... BUT... WHO IS SHE? God, she is beautiful! You are not going to tell me... That she is... OH! IT CAN'T BE!

- It is, it is, little Aurora. It is your Eoline body, so cute, so pretty, that you had shaped yourself according to your desires and your vibration, during gestation, then from your birth on Aeoliah. We had to keep it here, so that you could find it again at the end of your Earth misadventures. We can reintegrate you now, if you wish, and you will become a full-fledged Eoline on your planet Aeoliah.»

Now, I think, reader friends, that Brigitte Aurora must have fainted a little. It is an Earth body, not designed to hold so much emotion. So they have to explain to her again when she comes back.

«So you're telling me it is... me. And that I can live with Nellio and all the others...

- Yes, if you want to.

- Oooh! That's...

- just that.»

Ellebon closes the lids, and places his delicate burden in the see-through basket. Strange basket, since even when completely turned upside down, the contents remain upright, safe from shocks. It has its own internal gravitational field.

Slowly they go up the long corridor, leaving there the strange and wonderful machines, without even stopping them: they do not consume energy, they do not wear out. Yanathor just points out that they keep the pyramid in good condition, because similar glitches have already occurred several times. This is the only misfortune which could strike the Eolis: being trapped by trying to help beings in evil, elsewhere than on their paradise planet.

Brigitte-Aurora is in a half-dream. Her return to Aéoliah seemed to her like a possibility to be seen, a hypothetical future. But now this wonderful sleeping body is reaching out to her. It is so beautiful!

A slender silhouette as she dreamed, fine brown hair, a simple harmonious face... Just one regret, that she has such small breasts.

«Ah, does Yanathor. A souvenir of Gunniverre. Don't worry, everything can be arranged: the Eoli body is renewed and modified in the long run, if this is the desire of its owner. Just like Earth's bodies, for that matter.

- Ah! Uh...

- Don't blush like that!

- Oh!

- You are lucky to still be in an earth body, because an Eoline in love who blushes is not only the cheeks! And for her it is hot as fire! At the moment of love declarations, qué calor! Owwww!

- Hmm, what will I get! But who was Gunniverre?

- Well, one of your past lives on Earth, where you already had to bear the Frederique, as a fattening henchman. Not pretty. You don't remember it either, but you are not losing anything. The only good points you kept them, and found them in this life, this one among others.

- Wait, I'm blushing.

- No, not on command. An Eoline cannot control her blush. Hey. What you kept from Gunniverre is an ability to analyse yourself what is going on in your head, which is not so common on Earth right now. In the Middle Ages it was so rare, that by developing this quality, you had already contributed substantially to the appearance of some of it among the peoples of Europe.

- Decidedly!

- Yes, you did. But then again, your name from that time is totally forgotten.

- But, Yanathor, how... I can't imagine... How to change bodies?

- Ah, simple. You put both bodies in the tender machine upstairs in your cabin, fall asleep in one and wake up in the other.

- Simple, indeed. But how do you...

- Shhh! Confidential peace. We must not reveal any of this to the people of Earth. You do have classified defence secrets, don't you? Or rather, war secrets. We have peace secrets. Cosmic Pugwash, so to speak. The disclosure of certain technologies on evil planets is strictly forbidden. Otherwise, imagine the mess: a dictator, or a rich moron, instead of dying of old age, would take a young body stolen from some poor blokel, so that he could continue to be a fool without evolving. You are already on that path, with your stories of womb loans and organ donations, which in some countries is already take the form of state-organised organ theft.

- But, uh... My old body, then, what is going to happen of it?

- There are many options. We can end its existence in an extraordinary, very science-fiction-like way, for example in the heart of a star, vanished in a nanosecond. As your Grandmother wrote, they would even not find your body. You can also place it on Earth, so that it can be found, but without anything indicating why you would have left it: inexplicable death. This is how we often are asked to proceed. There is the «UFO story» variant, where your tracks stop dead in a field, as if you had just flown away. More interestingly, we can also give it to another soul of good will, who would thus benefit from all that you have achieved in you and also from Peyreblanque, and your resources and your home, to help humanity. No one would notice anything. Only your yogi friends of Peyreblanque would suspect it, for they would be able to see that the soul is not the same anymore. There is no lack of very worthy candidates for such things, which have already been done. It would be a good deed on your behalf. Eventually, you would have to stay for a while, until he gets used to it, because it is not easy to take control of an adult body that you don't know. To your Earth companions, it would be as if you would be «sick» for some months.

- Hmm. To be seen.

- You are really hung up after Aeoliah now.

- I sure am. But don't forget I had some exciting activities going on: Painting, Peyreblanque...

- And there is more to come in Peyreblanque. They can still do a lot of good. Especially after 1995.

- But still, there is something which bothers me...

- What? Says Yanathor, infinitely attentive.

- I find that... your plan is not perfect.»

Much to her surprise, Yanathor, the superior being, looks humble, a little contrite: «We know that. There never is a perfect plan when we work for the Earthlings. You never know how it will be foiled, and more than half of the times it fails miserably. We cannot go against your free will, even when it is misused... So the plan about yourself, is not perfect either, for several reasons. Which one did you spotted?»

Brigitte is a little hesitant to answer. Oh, not because of Yanathor: this precisely is what makes the unmatched charm of this Human of space, it is that he inspires no fear, not even that of the terrible «gentle mockery» which is so devastating on Earth. On the contrary, one feels with him the most total confidence, the one of an ideal friend to whom one can say everything, confide everything, in all frankness. Without saying, a subtle complicity established between the two apparently very different creatures...

«Well, isn't my departure from Earth likely to be interpreted as a kind of escape?

- It surely will be by some.

- As you know, there are idealists on Earth, and this is a good thing, but for many, not yet seasoned, the temptation is strong of dreams or false hopes... which make them suffer, sometimes excruciatingly. And which make them ineffective and useless for humanity. I have been through this myself.

- This was what made you suffer the most in this life.

- I would like to spare this to the others...

- This is difficult. But you can help. What do you propose?

- Well, I...» Aurora hesitates, and for a moment the three of them walk silently through the narrow gallery. She withdraws into herself, and no longer feels even Yanathor's sympathetic ear. Then, as one who makes a brave decision..:

«Look, Yana, couldn't I... Continue my life on Earth, and the Service I had going on, at least for a few years, and only return to Aeoliah... at, say, the normal end of this life, or only if things go too bad on Earth for me to be able to help effectively?...»

A long silence answers her again. And then..:

«Listen, Aurora, it will be done as you wish. You are perfectly free to return to Aeoliah, and, in order not to let anything be lost, to entrust your body and all your Earth achievements to another soul who would continue your work. But you can also do as you said, stay on Earth for some more years, to complete your Service as you yourself decided. This is your Karma Yoga. If this is your decision, I take my hat off to you: you are very brave.

- I suffered so much from false hopes! May this effort contribute to a better foundation for the idealists who will follow me! May they know how to avoid useless dreams, seducers, sects! When, sooner or later, they realize that the beautiful talkers whom they have trusted are deceiving them, that they no longer know the atrocious sadness of thus losing all reasons for living! Let them know how to accept, let them know how to get up and continue on the path they have chosen, and above all let them know how to keep Hope, how to stay on the side of the Good, how to KEEP THEIR IDEAL!

- It will certainly contribute to that. We did well to leave you connected to the archetypes. We already did an excellent job, thanks to you. But you needed to do more. And I gotta tell you... How brave you are. I don't know many, even among us Cosmic Guardians, who would dare to do that. To be in front of the wide open gate of the Paradise, and to step back, still thinking of your brothers! So, instead of secretly escaping from Earth, you will leave it while splashing your light on it! Who will now dare to call you «utopian», «naive»? You gain a lot, in power, in depth of soul, in consistency of life! YOU EXIST much more that way! And with you all the aspirants to an ideal world who will follow you!

- I... Look, it seems... natural to me.» Brigitte doesn't have to prove her sincerity, since Yanathor understands her directly, from consciousness to consciousness, without using language, or even concepts.

«This is fantastic. The qualities of the Eolines plus the qualities of Earth's women. Oh, Brigitte, what wonders the Earthlings will be able to accomplish, as soon as they are free from evil! It really was worth helping your people!»

Now they are close to the exit of the tunnel.

«Is this really your decision, Aurora?

- Yes, it is. The more I think about it, the more it seems necessary. Although I regret it, too... Poor Nellio...

- Eolis don't suffer like we do.

- Still, he saw me within reach, almost already in his arms...

- It will never be too late, anyway. You can change your mind whenever you want, even when you get back to Earth. If you really decide that, in your soul and conscience, that it is not only a temporary bad mood, then you will only have to fall asleep thinking about it firmly, and we shall do what is needed: the next day you will wake up in Eoline, in this so pretty little body, just beside Nellio, even if he is on the road in some Eoline forest. And you will blush... Anyway, this Earth body was not meant to last long, especially with all the corpses of cooked animals that you swallowed as a child. It will save you a good ten years. And then if you were to be disabled, or politically imprisoned, or any other misery, we shall pull the plug. Don't worry, you will die quickly!

- ...

- Ellebon will bring back your eoline body into the icy heart of this star.

- What am I going to tell the Eolis?

- Nothing: they have heard everything, don't forget. They already know your decision.

- I am afraid they are going to change my mind. I would be terribly sorry, once among them.

- You will see what you will see.»

Quietly, they go through the airlock, through the blue room. No sooner does Brigitte-Aurora appear at the door of the Eolis compartment, than Nellio comes to rest on her shoulder:

«Your decision is difficult for me, but it is a beautiful one, and it is your decision, so I approve it, because I love you!»

And he is silent again, this time avoiding probing her with his eyes, so as not to risk weakening her determination. For the last time, he comes to nestle in her neck.

Elora, her Eoline mother, approaches: «You are an Eoline, you have the courage! We approve your decision, even if it delays our meeting! The happiness that we are depriving ourselves of today, will much more benefit the Earthlings, that you will help save from evil!»

Artapon, his father, comes to kiss her: «Go! When you return among us, your light will be much stronger!»

Elnadjine, with wet cheeks, rests for a moment on her shoulder: «Well, it delays our projects a little, but you lose nothing by waiting! Anyway, now we shall be able to communicate thanks to the souls first aid!»

Anthelme follows her: «Hey, Elnadjine had already prepared some socks for you. She is an ace of socks, which she makes so lovingly. It seems she even sometimes mixes one of her magic hair in them. Well, you are not coming yet. This is all right, we shall make this beautiful house we talked about for the six of us without you. This will be the big surprise. I am sure you will do a fine job on Earth. With such Love, capable of giving yourself like this, it can only bring excellent results.»

Then: «Elnadjine, she will make you earth-size socks all in hairs!

- Aaah oooh nooo!»

Selinao, with his inseparable Selina, slips towards her ears: «Hello, little Eoline in an Earth body. We have been waiting for you for twelve centuries, so a little more, a little less, it does not matter. It even is very good, a few years of helping will be nothing compared to twelve centuries to endure. We love you.»

Adenankar passes by, and whispers: «Little seed of Soul Gardeners!» Which in his mouth says a lot!

Milareva has stayed away, as she often does in crowds. But her moving look over her shoulder is a gentle balm to Brigitte-Aurora's heart, which instantly sweeps away the slightest doubt and multiplies her determination tenfold. In moments of regret or sadness, she is assured to always feel this soft white and soothing presence close to her, with such a pure scent of the soul,...

«Hey, I would look dumb to falter now!

- Ah ah! We would love you just as much! But sooner!»

When these congratulations are over, Yanathor calls out: «Aeolian friends, Aurora friend, before you melt, come to me and say goodbye to your friends. Tonight we will put the pyramid back, next to the place where you wanted to build a house. But it will not be for Nellio to live there again: it will just serve as an airlock. Also, Aurora, we ask you to paint another door on the wall of your Peyreblanque room, which we could connect to the pyramid's airlock or to our cosmic ship. If certain events occur as planned, it may be of the greatest benefit to let Eolis come to your planet, physically. We shall discreetly warn you, on both sides, through Adenankar, you in your dreams, or through Milareva. Whatever you do now, in any case your place in Heaven is assured, after giving yourself this way it is no longer possible for you to fall back into the evil. If your Happiness is delayed for some years, it will only be magnified. What will you blush, little cutie...»