Chapter 18

The City of the Stars

No more than for their arrival, the Cosmic Guardians warn of their departure, and no one in the Eoli village is surprised to some day find the site of their camp empty. Yanathor had left no instructions, which meant continuing the meditations for Aurora, and following her from time to time in the astral.

The Soul Gardeners of Liouna's group, in charge of Aurora, brought back exciting news from Earth. Aurora is moving fast now, and events may be rushing.

Her energy centres are regaining their vitality and she is learning how to consciously circulate and transmute her life energies. Soon her being will be all pleasure, all joy, all Light, as it is natural for the Eolis. Adenankar, who now knows a bit about the Earthlings, explains that this is a self-adjustment mechanism, which is triggered when a certain degree of purity and sincerity is reached, to repair the being and allow it to return to real life.

Aurora has captured images of Aeoliah, a sign that her vibration is now high enough and purified enough to perceive them.

The frightening wounds caused to her subtle bodies by her brutal fall, twelve centuries ago, are in the process of healing. If it was not for the mission, she could already return, since this work would be completed much faster on Aeoliah, in Eoline. But this mission holds her back and forces her to complete her healing in the same conditions as any other Earthling. Although faster, happily.

 

Nellio disappears for long weeks, they do not know where, and reappears in the village without warning, just for a session of souls first aid. He is involved in, now, still as a beginner, but with ardour. However, he is not admitted to Liouna's group in charge of visiting Aurora.

It must be said that the vision of Aurora in her earthly body had been a shock for Nellio. For us Earthlings, Brigitte's body is rather pretty, but to Nellio, who had never seen the slightest evil, it seemed strangely grotesque. It must be said that the proportions of the Earthly body are somewhat different from those of the Eoli body. Well, in the soul first aid, Nellio has seen much worse since, with his group which went on Earth in the midst of the war between Iran and Iraq, in order to help thousands of souls of people dying, without distinction of camp.

Above all, emotion had overwhelmed Nellio. Far beyond the physical aspect of Aurora, he had recognized her aura, he had felt her scent for him so sweet, although still stained by the fall.

And Nellio, he had cried, and cried, over Auranaïa's bosom, under the compassionate gaze of the other Guardians and his friends, while in the dome of the ship the virgin sky of Aeoliah instantly replaced the one of Earth.

He had to stay several days in the Guardian camp, cuddled like a little baby by Auranaïa.

The shock had been severe, and even the Guardians feared for him. Without telling him, they knew this was a delicate part of their mission.

But the confidence they placed in the ability of their protégés to handle this themselves, this confidence had not been disappointed. Nellio no longer have to fear such falls: he now knows how to get back up quickly and alone.

 

 

Tonight, the village is alive with a very special fever. Bedding is being installed in the empty houses in the surrounding area, because this fever is not mistaking: people are coming. It is a premonition, an atmosphere, exactly like at home when a big visit is expected. Yet nobody had announced himself. The ultramarine sky, strewn with some purple cirrus clouds, seems to be fluttering with furtive wings or resounding with distant calls. A cool breeze brings unusual scents and makes the foliage shiver, exciting the wind with freedom and space. The melodious hooting of the eyerlis runs through the echoing hills. The light flowers palpitate tenderly under the altier gaze of the Evening Mountain and its eternal fire.

Birds too seem unwilling to lay down, and they flutter silently around the village's places illuminated with light flowers.

«It reminds me... It reminds me... Wait a minute...

- Hmmm, says Anthelme. It doesn't make you want to go to sleep at all, tonight. Look, all the friends are still there, full of energy as if to dance. They event not removed the dinner carpet.»

This incredible departure from the millennium old ritual only arises a benevolent curiosity in the Eolis.

«This atmosphere, wait, it reminds me of something.

- Yes, same for me.

- Let us meditate.

- ...

- ...

- Yes! (Laughers) The atoll where we met Lioureline!

- Ah! Yes, that it is! But how well we were, there!

- Super good. But I would not like to live there all the time: In the evening, I prefer to sleep.

- Listen, listen... Shh... Wings!» Anthelme said, lighting a light in his eyes.

Dark silhouettes fall from the night sky, or stand out against the golden ring. Joyful exclamations rise in the centre of the village, terraces below, arbours, houses further away in the surrounding woods. Soon the sky abounds with wings of all sizes: several large island birds, and two flocks of doves, their bellies reflecting the pinks and golds of the light flowers.

For a moment, the Eolis contemplate this superb ballet of aerial lights, then the newly arrived are landing. The doves wander around, on the roofs of the houses. The large firebirds fold their long orange legs and their huge copper wings, after making contact just around the dining area.

Guess who is coming...

«Lioureline! Boronnée!

- Oooh! There you are at last! We were feeling your aura for hours already! Lioureline, you are a real magician!

- Friends of the Seventh Continent! Here we are at last! But how beautiful this village is! What a beautiful pink light!

- But it is you who are magnificent! All these blues!

- No, you are the most beautiful.

- Ooooh! And those too there, they are even bluer! Hello, the blues!

- Meet Navaïsha and Am-Aaur, who founded the second village on the idyllic island, near the crater! They are of a wonderfully deep blue, from the mountains of the far end of the Sixth Continent, the magical land of Uluin, where they are as blue as cobalt. With your pink lamps, it makes them glow purple. What an enchantment!

- Oh! Palekinaus! Yum! And avocados! Lots of good fruit! How nice of you to bring that!

- Ah! It is a good thing that we did not cleared the table! But you are hungry, no doubt!

- Brave firebirds! Come, let us get these ropes off! But they are beautiful, too! Their immaculate white feathers are iridescent with gold and pink, like butterflies wings! And when they stop, they ruffle, it is superb!

- Hello, we're coming too!

- Adenankar! Milareva! Oh! And the whole team from Irizdar!

- And that sparkling violin which walks in the dark, between the houses, it can only be Ozoard and Orzeilla!»

 

It is going to be a lively evening! There is so much to talk about, and the party mind is in everyone's heart! Lioureline and Boronnée, who never went to the village, only met most of the inhabitants at the souls first aid, that is in the astral. The great game therefore is to recognize them in their flesh bodies, and to find their exact sound names according to their vibrations.

- This is Elina and... Elino? No, Elinao!

- Yeeeees! Selina and Selinao!

- They are easy to recognize, their auras look so much alike. It is so cute, they only differ by their gender.

- And who am I?

- Oooooh you, you must be the Nafachto wacko, the one who works with his hat.

- Antonnafachto! But how did you recognize me so easily?

- Nia nia nia nia nia! You always have a touch of humour shining on your nose! We can't miss you! Ah, I understand why they all look a little wacky, your hats!

- Well, hats are made to look wacky, otherwise I don't see why we would wear any.»

Contrary to all expectations, neither Ozoard nor Adenankar is giving a lecture. Even Lioureline does not explain her visit. This evening is a vast happening, joyful and lively, where circles form around the arrivals. Boronnée always is at Lioureline's side, silent, smiling mysteriously.

Lioureline, now that she has realized her idyllic island, is even more beautiful. Her sky blue aura, fascinating, enchanting, soft and powerful in the same time, attracts the other Eolis. But for Anthelme and company, this aura has taken on a nuance which evokes another.

Lioureline speaks of her island, Boronnée at her side, silent, smiling benevolently, discreet but indispensable sympathetic string on Lioureline's lute. Navaïsha and Am-Aaur sit just behind them, dreaming, tenderly embracing, barely visible from their dark skin, lost in the darkness.

At the request of several Eolis, Navaïsha describes her native land, the land of dark blue-skinned Eolis, and its gentle round mountains at the southernmost tip of the sixth continent, the land of Uluïn. (Pronounce U-lu-i-n, not Ulu-hein!) It is a strange land, all in round and clear rocks (granite balls) between which grow small, sparse trees with curious shapes, which make interlacing dark branches on a pale granite background. The sky is overcast or foggy for one week out of four, and the ring is not visible, leaving the nights dark and very starry. It is an extremely calm and very quiet country, much appreciated by poets and contemplatives. Its freshness obliges people to dress in wool (a kind of thick cotton). Evenings happen in large common wooden houses, like the farés of the South Pacific, but in the shape of upside down boat hulls, sculpted like violins. They sing sweet songs, they kiss each other, in a wonderful blue aura...

Anthelme, Elnadjine, Liouna and Algenio, driven by the same intuition, all get up together, just to find Nellio who, as he uses to do, suddenly appears without you felt him coming.

«Friend Nellio, look who is here.

- Yes, I know. I shall go see her later, I have to take a bath first, I just came from the mountains.

- But why is she here? Since you know, tell us!

- Hmm... Not yet. But...

- Can you feel her aura? It is much stronger than when we first met her, at the beginning of the island!

- It is not exactly the same, but there's some...

- ...a huge lot of it. It is not possible, they met each other.

- Lioureline and... Auranaïa.

- Ah!

- No, Nellio corrects, they did not meet physically. It was Auranaïa, who wanted to attend a souls first aid at Lioureline's, where you were not. But Lioureline was there. And since then, the two of them have been good friends.

- Friends with Auranaïa!

- It is unbelievable!

- What a luck!

- Well, it was a predestined meeting, already foreseen in the Source of Life. They have a future together. But the Cosmic Guardians must not interfere with the inhabitants of the planets... As long as Lioureline is in Eoline, she will only see Auranaïa in the astral. Except for...

- Except?

- Shhh, friends. I have to go and see Milareva.» And there he leaves his companions dangling.

«Ooooh, but is all healed up, that Nellio.

- Eeeeh, and in more, he is in the secret of the Gods.

- In my opinion, friends, if Lioureline is here, it is because Auranaïa won't be long to come. Besides, there are all the great beards of Irizdar and of the souls first aid, Orlon, Elshimer, and even Yasheh. They are up to something.

- They would have arranged to meet each other in the physical world.

- Guardians don't use their power for personal ends. So if Auranaïa is coming, it is for a mission.

- And there is only one mission for the Guardians on Aeoliah, and it is...» They look at each other for some time in silence. Then Anthelme leaves this burning topic, for another even hotter:

«Oh là là there is my lovely Djidjine full of beautiful, very soft hair who would like to meet me in our nice beddy for a secret mission. Good night!

- Good maths» jokes Algenio.

 

If Nellio planted his friends there, it was not out of secrecy, but because everything has to be ready before he can surprise them. He doesn't know much more than that either, except that the event is imminent. He went back down to the village on purpose.

Flying in the night, guided more by his ear than by his eyes, he goes down to the stream, to a special place to wash himself in the evening. The brook passes there on a bed of moss, between two hedges of carefully tended light flowers, which colours balance each other to make an acceptable white. Well almost, because the skin, under this rainbow light, is iridescent with a splendid harmony...

He already finds there Navaïsha, who is also soaking in the water, after this long journey. At first she seems motionless, then Nellio realizes that she is slowly dancing her movements. He contemplates her blue skin, almost black in the night, her moving shapes. Her intensely black and matt hair descends in a long undulating tail on her shoulders and back, between her indigo wings.

Noticing Nellio's presence, she turns towards him, still with extreme gentleness, and she smiles at him. No doubt she is intimidated to be in the presence of a «celebrity» like Nellio! In all simplicity, he answers her, takes off his tunic in turn, and kneels down in the cool water. During the whole bath, they will thus face each other smiling, contemplating each other's skins, so different, but vibrating with the same emotions. Around them, the night is silence and the flowers radiate their strange and moving light.

This moment of pure admiration, of pure complicity, only lasts a minute, because an eoli can hardly stay any longer in fresh water. Navaïsha stands up, linking her gestures smoothly, as in our Chinese energy yoga called Tai Tchi or Qi Gong. She smiles again at Nellio, then gets dressed and returns to the quivering darkness of subtle fragrances.

Nellio soon does the same, still quivering with the mysterious smile of Navaïsha. Fellow readers, what will you think of this encounter? That Nellio has a new love? Like in those awful melodramatic novels where everything always gets complicated? Like in those hyperzilch and immoral television series where unconscious characters spend their time breaking their lives? You are not there, guys. But then not at all. Eolis, remember, don't have our complexes, nor that strange shame of the body which so much intrigued the soul rescuers. Such scenes, such smiling connivances are very common on Aeoliah: admiring the ornaments or the body of the other, stroking the hair, taking a hand, kissing as much as you want... O moments of poetic emotions, of warm friendship! As our Eolis are absolutely faithful in love, these gestures can never be interpreted as invitations to confusing situations, so they do not need to be wary or to defend themselves. And it is so beautiful to be able to freely exchange this warm sympathy, without restraint or suspicion of any kind, and to express these gentle and friendly vibrations through gestures...

Usually, Eolis and Eolines keep dressed, but if circumstances such as bathing find them naked, well I do not see how that could be a problem, especially not between different races... No ambiguity is possible: an Eoli or an Eoline in love would not have reacted that way at all! And don't think that Eolis are cold, but then very far of this. Eolis and Eolines in love are passionately in love, in all the registers. They hug each other as often as they like, even if it varies a lot from one couple to the other. Eolis and Eolines also know how to be passionate friends and accomplices in all other aspects of life, and thus the pure smile of Navaïsha went straight to the heart of Nellio, who returned it to her.

Besides, for Eolis and Eolines, the word «Love» does not imply any kind of possession. To love, in the Eoline language, is to APPROVE, to admire, to GIVE, to desire the best for the other! There is no notion of taking, let alone restricting or excluding. And Nellio, like Navaïsha on her side, could well in full Serenity let this emotion rise at the sight of this body so strange and so beautiful, of these small but very round forms, at the feeling of the warm radiance of life which emanates from it, of its aura of tranquillity, both calm and intensely alive, both discreet and infinitely present, a deep and brilliant indigo light, like the loved one who looks at you, encourages you, admires you, and a delicious fresh energy rises up from your back and invades your whole being...

What we call desire, about beautiful creatures, is for the Eolis pure admiration, something like: «Oh, creature! How the unique Expression that you have created beautifies the universe! How it moves my soul! Go, continue this admirable and unique Work, and be thanked!» And it is intense, sometimes burning hot, much more than our desire, absolutely not frustrating, and so delicious!

So it is with a beating heart and foggy eyes that Nellio goes up to the village, where he knows that soon Aurora will smile at him again.

 

To change his dress, he passes by his house, a small pumpkin which is getting old and would like to be changed. But now it is useless, Aurora will need another one, bigger, better placed. Then Nellio's pumpkin will have to manage to hold on a little bit longer.

With his heart still beating, Nellio returns to the village place. At this late hour, there are fewer people, but the discussions are still lively.

Lioureline, who physically met Nellio once, eight centuries earlier, recognizes him immediately:

«Nellio! Oh how you changed! You are liberated now!»

She embraces him simply, but so warmly, like the Aeolian friends do. But when she manages to pull him a bit away of the others: «It is coming soon, now. Auranaïa told me, about ten days ago. Aurora is preparing to go to her lonely house where the Guardians can easily come and get her, without disturbing the other Earthlings.

- I don't know what to say! You also are helping! All this devotion, all this time spent so that my companion can return to enjoy her Happiness on Aeoliah! I don't know what to say!»

Nellio says nothing, but Lioureline takes his hand. Navaïsha appears suddenly, and also takes a hand from Nellio. They speak to her softly, of heart, of emotion, of Love, of this universal language which doesn't care about skin colour. Navaïsha has a simple and pure voice, in the slightly low registers, discreet speech but all in round and solid truths, like the rocks of her distant country. For a long time the soft feminine energies reassure and revitalize Nellio, who still needs it, alone without his companion. Without these precious gifts of tenderness, he would not be Nellio the valiant one, nor Nellio the enterprising one, he would only be Nellio the sleeping one, Nellio the inert one, there would even not be any Nellio for a long time.

Eolis are like that, they owe their inexhaustible energy, their joy, their assurance, their long life even, only to the admiration, the sweet and infallible complicity of their companion, and of all their friends. They know that they are accepted, approved, loved by all, in all their harmonious initiatives... And they are happy just to know this. This is one of the most beautiful secrets of Love.

 

 

Lioureline, her friends and those from Irizdar stay several days in the village. They take part in daily life, growing crops in the fields, preparing meals, weaving, as do all the Eolis.

Navaïsha is often on the village square, sorting cotton, with gentle and slow gestures, but make no mistake: her pile goes up quickly. She is with her companion Am-Aaur and the intense blue of their skin fascinates the other Eolis working with them. Each newcomer does not miss to ask her to untie the top of her dress, to admire the incredible purple of her nipples! What a moving show... She could stay like that and save herself the trouble of doing it all over again, but it is so much more charming to untie the knot again for each newcomer personally!

Ozoard and Orzeilla are not singing, instead they are gardening in the good sunshine and the immense blue sky of Aeoliah. For once that they stay in the village for long enough, they enjoy it! Orzeilla gets naked to pick up all her content, her blond, fuzzy hair floating in the wind of her gesture. Those who have seen her like this say that she wears thick gold rings around her arms and legs. These are things that Eolis do very rarely, but to the questions which come up, she answers only with a smile and a gentle «shush» with her finger, her eyes sparkling...

Milarêva goes from one house to another and shares intimate spiritual or love confessions.

Adénankar also gardens silently, and the gentle radiance of his sunny presence delights those who work alongside with him. The Soul Gardeners of Irizdar do the same, for once they are just gardeners. On this occasion, the «great beards» prove to be adorable friends, enthusiastic and attentive, often laughing. But they do so with such ease and simplicity that the young Eolis cannot help but spontaneously devote a great and intimidating veneration to them!

 

In fact, the Eolis do not really need to spend their days gardening to survive; two hours would be enough, or even nothing at all, on the lenient Aeoliah where so many excellent foods spontaneously grow in abundance. But they want everything to be impeccably harmonious, clean and radiant, and they put a spontaneous and inexhaustible energy into this. Brigitte is not wrong: they have something from lutins, the Eolis.

In spite of the discretion of the Soul Gardeners, the village feels that something is coming. The delightful tension of waiting is gradually rising, while distant friends or the occasional soul gardeners are still arriving. Soon the village is full, and tents have to be erected to welcome more arrivals.

Then, on a warm and delicious afternoon, a procession, with Adenankar at the head, goes through the village with a rallying song. In less than one hour, all the inhabitants and guests are installed on the ancient place of Nellio. At least on the surrounding, because in the middle, with the alflor moss, one can hardly do more than to sink down to the shoulders. Adenankar asks to leave free the side of the place facing south, towards the descending slope. Thus the Eoli gathering has the shape of a horseshoe.

Near the ancient site of the pyramid, of which only the memory remains, the souls rescuers all are there with Nellio. A pleasant balsamic perfume floats in the place, on a damp earth background, under the big trees, in the silence which is gradually settling.

Adenankar has lowered his hat on his nose, inviting to meditation and recollection. A very joyful meditation, because the approach of a surprise raises the tension every minute more.

First a soft song is heard, and everyone recognizes the ineffable Auranaïa... Her voice seems to fall from the heavens, while being close. There are no birds in the sky deliciously blue and pure. A few Eolis sigh with joyful impatience. Lioureline bends over, containing her extreme haste to finally see her sweet friend with her eyes.

Those who scan the sky to try to see Auranaïa suddenly exclaim, and everyone contemplates, stunned, the strange phenomenon which is taking place right in front of them.

Imagine a circle of sky, which suddenly seems to cut itself up, to give way to... a door, a hole, an opening! In the sky!

It is indeed a kind of wide door. If you look through it, you can see a large blue room on the other side, but if you look away from this opening, there is no other side! We would go around it without encountering what is visible inside!

This strange geometry leaves the Eolis perplexed, but they are so pragmatic that they do what is best to do in such situations: to admire. This opening is of the height of an Human being, and only a few meters away. From there descends the sublime voice of Auranaïa, which is more of a delicious vibration than a real material sound.

The door lowers gently, until it touches the ground, at the entrance of the semi-circle of the Eolis. It is just like a house door, except that there is no house around.

Finally Yanathor appears, passing this strange threshold with a supple stride, more dashing than ever. As usual he is dressed in his tunic, the same blue as his skin. He is smiling and serious in the same time. Today he has a don't know what which is inviting to joy, to celebration.

He sits in lotus in the alflor moss, still smiling, while Auranaïa and another unknown guardian join him by the same path. This time Auranaïa is dressed in plain blue tights, without any seam, but with ribbons on her shoulders.

The Eolis and the Cosmic Guardians gaze at each other for a long time, in a silence full of joyful expectation. What do the Eolis think in this moment, that everyone has been hoping for so long? What does Nellio think?

Nellio, a little ahead of Adenankar, bends over gently, his face lost in the contemplation of this sweet vision. Lioureline has recognized Auranaïa, even without presentation, and here she is, mouth astonished like a child, her heart beating madly. Only the Gardeners of the Souls keep their meditative Serenity.

As the Guardians do not decide to speak, neither the Eolis for that matter, the later start to advance slowly, to become progressively bolder, in their own funny way.

But since you cannot walk on the alflor moss, the first one approaching must fly away. It is Actaran, Nellio's father. He lands on the moss, which carries him smoothly. Other Eolis soon follow him, in a joyous hubbub, which soon ceases as Yanathor speaks. He addresses the successive circles of Eolis sitting in the moss:

«Friends Eolis, little cosmic brothers, soon comes the moment you have all faithfully waited for so long.

«Soon your sister Aurora will be returned to you. She will be able to find among you the Happiness to which she is entitled, and which she had lost by wanting to do the Good.

«She is ready for her return, and longing, not knowing why, that it is to find you again. Brave little Eoline!

«For this return, as on the first visit, Aurora's friends are invited to come with us in this ship, to the distant Earth. We will keep Aurora in the ship until she makes her decision, because remember, we must essentially respect her free will, especially when it comes to changing her body, a delicate and irreversible operation. Once this is done, then she will finally be able to set foot on the soil of this beautiful beloved planet.

«Then, we, the Guardians of the Cosmic Order, our mission fulfilled, we will leave in our City of the Stars, our hearts radiant from having served life. But we shall miss you, friends, for you are so pure and moving».

 

After a long emotional silence, the Cosmic Master resumes, in a lower tone: «It must also be said that you have done an excellent work, for Nellio where your collaboration has been effective, but also for the other earthly souls whom you helped to accomplish themselves. All those who accepted your help have found, at the end of their earthly stage, a beautiful world according to their taste, on Aéoliah or elsewhere, according to their evolutionary lineage. More than two hundred are currently under your safeguard, and give good hopes of success. It is really great work, very moving, thank you very much».

Yanathor finally comes to what is going to take place: «Just one thing: between the time Aurora enters the ship, on Earth, and the time she lands on Aeoliah, we shall be forced to live outside of ordinary time. This is for the change of body: it cannot be done right away, she has to get used to the idea, she has to re-establish sentimental and energetic links with you, with your world. She may not be able to do it at first, in which case she would have to be left on Earth a little longer. In that case, we must not disturb her Earthly life by a long inexplicable absence, hence the stopping of time. It must also be said that Earthlings, whose nervous system is different, do not think at the same speed as you the Eolis, they would seem slow and numb to you. But with the First Aid of the Souls, you are a little used to these things and now the Gardeners of the Souls know almost as much as we do.

«While awaiting for our departure for Earth, during these few days, this door will remain open, so that you can familiarize yourself with the parts of this Cosmic Ship which will be reserved for you.

«In there, everything is at your disposal. We shall let you visit, settle down, load fruits for some days. We have reserved a garden for you in the ship. Everything is there, even small houses at your size, all in the image of one of your wonderful hanging villages of Irizdar. We did not put real flowers, because we would have to dig them up and transplant them, and they don't like that very much. But this lack was largely made up for by your brother Ozoard (Murmurs) and I tell you that he did it well.

«Go, and enjoy yourself!»

A long silence greets Yanathor's words, according to the custom of the Eolis in important statements. Auranaïa and the other unknown Guardian are still smiling amicably. Then she extends her hands, inviting Nellio and the others to come around her. Soon the space in front of the door is filled with pink butterflies, flapping their delicate wings, laughing, cheerfully exclaiming or making sweet pranks to each other.

The cloud of joy gradually grows bolder into the opening. With an elegant stride, Auranaïa takes a foothold in the vast room inside.

Still, it is incredible! There is a kind of hall in there, much larger than the one in Orgon and Yerda's ship. Yet from outside, «behind» the door, you cannot see anything! This circular room has a vast domed ceiling, so blue, so clear, that it seems to be the vault of the sky, with even a deliciously perfumed breeze. The floor rises up at the edges, like a plate, all surrounded by baroque rocks, pink as in Irizdar, arranged in balconies, terraces, hanging baskets, canopies, porches, natural mezzanines in basins and joyfully twisted stalagmites. In the centre, a delicious little turquoise lake invites you to plunge into the fresh water, between rocks and sunny sand beaches. And yes, there is sun, and moss, grass, myriads of flowers and three big trees. Opposite of the entrance, another door framed by heavy fragrant grapes seems to lead further into the Cosmic Ship, but for the moment it is closed by a bluish mist.

«Eoli friends, Yanathor continues, do not venture into other parts of our City of the Stars yet. This is the area reserved for you. You can come and go here as you please, day and night, between your village and your nest here in the city. This is it.»

The Eolis are looking at the «nest», as Yanathor calls it.

Ah! Really Ozoard did his job well.

What an organizer! What an artist! He knew how to use marvellously what the Guardians brought at his disposal for the layout!

«Look, I have put in lots of little houses, there are over a thousand of them. And then there...

- Oh, but why this one is so big?

- But it is for Aurora-on-Earth, of course. Yanathor gave me her measurements. I must admit she is gigantic, Nellio's darling. He will have a lot of work, if he wants to take care of her without waiting for the body change.

- What are these bildolios?

- They're Yanathor's machines again, to revive Aurora's frozen body and transfer her soul from her Earth body into it. And here, hey hey hey...

- Oh, how weird! Doors with a plank across them! They are, how do you say... closed, like with a lid! I have never seen anything like this!

- The caboose, friends. Darn Guardians, they have got some brilliant tricks. Time does not pass in these closets, at least not as long as the door is closed. You can keep anything you want fresh, it will be much better than the fruit pasta we usually take with us on your travels! Here, come in.

- It is like a curtain of mist, which dissipates when you want to get through.

- Ooooh!

- Yummy yummy, there already are some plums from Irizdar, and khakis! Oh, dear!

- Bravo, Ozoard, you are a great creator!

- That is for the houses, but you also have the little lake.

- Oh dear, how cute!

- Hurry into the water!»

And the Eolis, without further ado, undress and plunge into the delicious water, under the amused and tender gaze of Auranaïa and Yanathor. Some of them stay with Ozoard: Adénankar and his friends, and of course Nellio and his relatives whom we know well.

«But how did you make all this alone? There are for centuries of work.

- But not at all. We are in the Guardian ship, remember that. There is no ordinary matter here. No atoms, no electrons, just air and water. Yanathor gave me some kind of key... Ah, but you don't know what a key is. Let us just say that Yanathor opened for me a kind of access to the egregore of the ship, which normally is inaccessible. It is an operational egregore, very powerful. It can condense to the point of seeming material and more. But it can also act in the astral, in the emotions. You will see, some of the houses here are loaded with various feelings, it is very amusing, there even are some astral pranks, but shhhh... This egregore can also feel people's thoughts. For example, if you walk towards a door, then the door opens and gives access into the room where you want to go, into the caboose, into the temple, into the Guardian quarter, into the cockpit. At the moment the second door will not let you through, but you will see when it will open.

«So, to shape a room like this, once Yanathor has given the key, you just have to meditate, to visualize the places, with the shapes, the colours, the touch, the ambient, the energies, the fragrances, the music, whatever you want. When you come out of meditation you find the forms as you imagined them. If it is not what you wanted, you can start again, modify, erase. But once you remove the key, it does not move any more.

«This is how the Guardians' ships and their entire city are built. As for how an operational egregore is made, he did not explained much. It is like the group egregores we are used to do on Aeoliah, but much more powerful, so powerful that it commands matter and can even bend or cut space-time. I don't know how they do to amplify it so much, except that it takes a lot of work, a lot of meditation. It is probable that the egregore of the Guardians has existed for ten billions years or more, when the first sentient beings marvelled at the Cosmic Consciousness on the first inhabited planets of this universe. Ten billion years of fervent worship, devotion, love of life, daily meditation without respite, ten billion years of uninterrupted transmission, through millions of generations of Guardians, through innumerable planetary civilizations which are now disappeared! This is undoubtedly the secret of their formidable power, accumulated in the heart of their city for so long! It is said that it is wonderful in this temple, and we may be invited to see it, but not sure, because it is difficult if we are not accustomed. It is not in the material world, actually. These are energy meditations. Well, it is the energy of life, of course, not the energy of matter. No relationship in principle, but there is a connection between the two, and at a very high level you can't tell the difference. This fundamental unity of the energies of consciousness and those of matter explains why a spiritual egregore can, if it is constituted in the right way, have effects on matter, and is even able to bend and manipulate space, as in their gates. The Guardians have scientists who know well all these things and they found how to master them to make the cities of the stars, the cosmic vessels and the marvellous bodies of the Guardians.

«All this seems very strange to us small Eolis, but yet there are very ancient tablets in Irizdar which speak of this, although the plan of Aeoliah does not normally allow us to use these forces on our planet. However, there are some of us who wish to know and master them, for their personal evolution. Then they can engage in experiments without consequences on the daily life of Aeoliah. Others use them for bodily interstellar journeys, in Eoli spaceships, because there are Eoli cosmic spaceships exactly like those of the Guardians. Do not forget that all over Aeoliah there are several million centers like Irizdar, known or secret, some of which with businesses which would seem very strange to us.

- Perhaps, Algenio asks, the Irizdar tunnel...

- I don't know», Ozoard replies frankly, as I uses not to play on real mysteries.

- It is a pity. I can well imagine that: one thought, and pof, the tunnel is done.

- It is surely not that simple, because building an operational egregore may be more work than making the tunnel with a pickaxe. Probably there is one somewhere on Aeoliah, waiting for the case the Plan needs it... But me, Ozoard, I am just a little fiddler, just good at entertaining students, and I don't get to hear about these big things. Maybe there are some who know, in your village, but they won't tell.»

By any chance, Ozoard risks a glance towards Niouline, who assiduously goes out in the astral without ever saying why. But she does not seem to feel concerned. Maybe he is completely wrong?

«Oh, well, maybe the founders of Irizdar did indeed dig that tunnel with a pickaxe. Even if it took them a thousand years, it is really not much, compared to the millions of years of Irizdar's existence...»

 

A little further on, Selina and Selinao climbed one of the trees where they found Antonnafachto and Miélora with their children Armilor and Arbrennale, teenagers at the time.

«I don't understand», asks Miélora. Yanathor said there were no flowers. But look at these: What a perfume! What prana! What poetry! If they are not real, they are well imitated! And Ozoard has done a fabulous job: no two grass blades are the same.

I can feel the difference with a real garden, answers Selinao.

- What is the difference?

- Just that we do not desire to work to maintain it.

- Ah yes, this is true. Yet it is very much alive.

- Yes, but it has no soul. It is only a set. Well, it has scents, feelings, life, but remember what Ozoard said: the operational egregore can also imitate all that perfectly. The only power it does not have is to create a soul. Only the Source of Life can do that.

- Until then, it is wonderfully done»

Antonnafachto continues, for once not fun at all: «Well, the Guardians may not be able to create a soul, but they say they have the power to dissolve those who are irretrievably entangled in evil. I don't know if this is true, but...

- Brrr! In any case, better not to try.»

 

Yanathor and Auranaïa gaze at the tiny Eolis, who are now fluttering about in their new domain, laughing and chattering nonchalantly. What are these great cosmic beings thinking at, in front of these little ingenious lutins, whose happiness they made? What is the meaning of the discreet tear which wanders on Yanathor's cheek? What is the meaning of the lost gaze of Auranaïa? From time to time, she lets her superb hair undulate with purple mist. What does her hand gestures mean to Yanathor? Is it the complicity of two co-workers, or some other more personal bond? Or are they simply happy to enjoy together this emotion, this pure Jubilation which is the just return for the gift of Happiness to other beings? The supreme reward of the Guardians!

Perhaps, in time immemorial, Yanathor or Auranaïa lived on a now extinct planet, but which, in these distant times, was a young planet like the Earth is today, a planet whose inhabitants had not yet learned to free themselves from evil. Yanathor and Auranaïa were inhabitants like any other. But, one day, as their Sensitivity awakened, they were saddened to see injustice and persecution befall on their unfortunate companions. Then they dreamed of Repairing, of Consoling. Perhaps Yanathor took the sword to make himself a Knight? Or the feather to bear witness? Or the lawyer's baton? Was Auranaïa one of those wrinkled old activists of a league to save this or that, unless she had devoted a life of infinite devotion to animating a haven of Peace to restore wounded hearts, offering them Harmony, Poetry, a wonderful ideal, or perhaps just the bowl of rice they lacked? No doubt, in these ancient lives, they had ephemeral successes and setbacks, joys and misfortune, false esteem and persecutions. When they had fully blossomed, and had their place in the worlds of pure Felicity, nothing obliged them to follow this vocation of Consolation; they could have lived at last in Peace in a well-deserved paradise; they could have opened themselves to so many new or magnificent possibilities which were now open to them in their new condition! But instead their vocation of Mutual Aid grew and, from purification to purification, from degree to degree on the evolutionary scale, they joined the powerful Order of the Cosmic Guardians, chivalrous Templars of space, venerated from galaxy to galaxy. And now they know the incomparable joy, the unparalleled pleasure of hearing the song of Happiness of lovers through their hands gathered, share the joy of the liberated oppressed, feel the sweet fragrance of healed soul wounds. They console, repair irreparable misfortunes, reunite broken fates, hence the names of Consolers or Repairers are also given to them. And perhaps one day a few Eolis will take the same path, or some of your fellow activists or justice enthusiasts, reader friends. You too, why not.

 

Nellio escapes from his group of friends and, alone, contemplates what has been prepared for Aurora.

In her big house awaits a huge bed with mauve sheets, a bit rough as linen, subtly perfumed. Aurora could sleep there for six months, they would never be dirty.

Next to Aurora's huge bed, a shelf carries another Eoli sized couch, probably for Nellio. But he will have a choice, since other houses in the area would be just as suitable.

Right next to Aurora's house, a table discreetly nestled in a recess in the rock carries a transparent container, in the shape of a thick lens, and these strange mechanisms similar to those of the pyramid, but currently inactive. Even so, paradoxical remanence produce strange sentimental mirages if one approaches them.

A table, a chair and cupboards on Earth scale, a large bathtub, with essential oils and other treats at hand, have also been provided. At random, Nellio takes a look in the cupboards: one contains Earth fruits, bottles of fresh, unpasteurized juice, orange, grape, passion fruit, raspberry... The second cupboard refuses to open and responds by awakening a sense of danger. Intrigued, Nellio nevertheless gets the door to become transparent, revealing pots of hot soup with strangely motionless volutes of steam, cereal pancakes, hot pancakes embalming vanilla, and other dishes very appetizing for us but rather confusing for an Eoli. This is what the Earthlings eat, what they call «cooked» with fire! As Nellio feared, it is still hot, even burning, from the fire of cooking. Strange planet that Earth. The third cupboard is abundantly stocked with carrots, beets, fresh sauces and other raw vegetables. What a feast! Aurora-in-Earth could stay nearly a month if needed. It was as if you were looking at the illustrations of a recipe book (vegetarian of course)! Nellio even comes to wonder why to take so much care of Aurora's earthly body, since it is doomed to disappear. It would be enough to silence the sense of hunger until the end.

 

The Eolis do not stay in the ship for very long; their true nature and their urge to be active quickly outweigh their curiosity. Most of them come down, and return to their exciting village occupations. Ah, they are fast, these Eolis.

«Yanathor, can we bring anything we want, for eating?

- Anything you want, Eolis friends.»

They quickly explored all the houses on their ship, not without a few screams of surprise, as some of them are clearly charged with feelings or sensations, that you get when you enter them. Another effect of the operational egregore, somewhat diverted from its purely spiritual purpose by the mischievous violinist of Irizdar, not without a few hem-hems from Yanathor. Frank bursts of laughter in sight, for he had some of these ideas... There is the funny house, with assured rolling with laughter, impossible to stop until we get out, the pee pee house, frankly uninhabitable, the labyrinthine house, no bigger than a council flat room but with astonishing doorways, without forgetting the inevitable Escher staircase, easy to build in this extraordinary vessel. Innocently arranged among others, a house where we cannot stop singing, very good for the shy, the one where one blushes, and others still... If the jokers have something to be happy about, the poets are not to be outdone: Ozoard has charged most of the houses with various emotions, or with various poetic vibrations. A more discreet, but more lasting joy, which they used so much and much more. Wonderful dream house, house of the angels, house of Enthusiasm, houses perfumed with the most ineffable virtues and feelings... Eolis, whether they laugh or not, all are poets anyway.

 

The following days see a feverish activity unfolding in the village: they charge fruits in the ship, that they went to seek sometimes quite far away around.

Auranaïa or Yanathor stay almost all the time, in turn, at the door, sitting in lotus and meditating to help the Eolis to get on the sublime vibration of the vessel.

One time, Yanathor sees a big pumpkin, which seems to waddle along, pulled right and left by hundreds of arms, supported even more by songs full of energy and strength.

«Oh, but, gentle Eolis, you won't be able to get through the moss that way. Let me wear it until there.

- If you like, Yanathor. But we are used to it, when we do something like this, we go first, and if there is a problem, we always find a solution.

- Well, I am the solution. With pleasure, there you go, over the foam, and... But, um… What is in it? Ah! Yuck! Eoli fungi!»