The Right Decision

An excerpt from the Gardens of Ryepar

What has gone before -

Ray is quiet and unremarkable, the sort of person you would meet and forget as soon as the day ended. He is driving east along the highway north of the Colorado River when he is enveloped in a dust storm. He is forced to pull over and hears a call for help which he answers. He finds himself in a strange place called Ryepar, an amazing place where he can understand the animals and the plants and soil have healing properties. Ray saves a small donkey whom he names Balaam and then Balaam saves Ray from the others, a cruel people who kill for enjoyment. Ray travels back with Balaam where he meets some of the other animals and is invited to the marriage of two otters who he names, Joy and Happy. The Others raid the village and they escape with the help of Happy who is captured. Ray promises Joy to find and return Happy.

“A right decision sets a true course.”

Ray crouched behind the rocky burn at the top of the waterfall, the sound of the cascading water hiding him from unwanted ears. This was the location where he had first seen the others and was the best starting point to begin the search for Happy. The steep slope had left him a little winded so he took a quick look across the open area to confirm he was alone and sunk back to catch his breath. What was he doing here? He did not have to do this! Everything his life had taught him was to play it safe, do not get involved, do not go chasing after someone you have known only for a day. This course of action was not logical – but this whole place was not logical. Animals did not talk. Forests do not grow in the desert. This place, what had the ancient one called it? Ryepar… should not exist. But here he was. Ray looked down and saw a small plant with yellow flowers growing by his left hand. He grasped one of the blossoms, plucked it and brought it to his nose. The aroma was intense, a sweet citrus fragrance that reminded him of Christmas mandarins and calmed him. He reached down and felt the warm earth, felt a hidden power surge through his fingers giving him renewed strength; so much for logic. Ray laughed to himself and thought, “I know what I need to do. I can feel it, it feels right!”

Ray took another look to examine the area and saw how the stream cut through the middle of the open area continuing past the point where he had seen the others before and cascading over a small waterfall where it was lost from view. The rocks that sheltered him continued to his left almost to the woods. There was no sense in taking unnecessary chances by walking through the open. Ray would stick to the rocks and the edge of the forest for cover then follow the stream. That was the direction he was going when he first started searching for the highway, yes – he might even find the highway, but something deep inside told him no. The clearing was much larger than he had thought and it took him a while to work his way around to the smaller waterfall. He began to climb the rocks using the sound of the water to drown out the occasional rock he dislodged and soon found himself on the top. The forest grew close to the stream here and the trees gave him much appreciated cover. He continued for about a quarter mile and came to a break in the trees and glanced into the open to a site that made him sick.

The charred remains of a vast forest stretched out before him as far as he could see and beyond that, in the far distance, tall majestic bluish-grey snow-covered mountains hovered. A number of questions popped into his mind all at the same time. The cliffs he had been following had been a reddish plateau, not bluish-grey and certainly not snow covered mountains. Where was he? The air was different here too; he could see the sun as the air here was not so dense. There appeared to be no living trees, plants, flowers, animals, anything before him! Wait… there at ten o’clock… just about good hours walk was a hill with some green. Ray continued, following the stream, heading toward the hill following his heart and his faith. As he slowly approached the hill, his doubtful mind and fear began surfacing again. “What am I doing this for?” he thought, “It would be so easy to turn away, after all it’s not my problem.” As he slowly walked forward he began to rationalize his decision, “You made a promise, and you must always keep your promises. And ….” He tried to think of more reasons but his rebelling mind would not let them come. Then his heart spoke. With a smile he remembered Joy’s and Happy’s promise to each other. The sacrifice Happy made to save all of them must not be in vain. From the depths of his being he knew that this is what he was supposed to do. With this revelation, Ray felt the fear subside, the doubts fade. “This is faith”, Ray thought peacefully.

Ray looked ahead and could make out some ancient looking buildings of stone and wood. They skirted the bottom of the hill spotted with greyish green trees clinging to life. Directly in front of him was a cage and pacing to and fro in that cage was Happy!