Voices of the Goddess

Chapter 7

Mianai was the first to speak, "This cannot be! The illness was cleansed from her body!"

Taiyun replied, "I felt nothing but the energy of the earth. You started to slip into the abyss of your rage, but I kept you grounded. I do not know what could have caused this."

A pair of voices speaking as one broke the silence that followed. "That is why you failed. Mianai, Your rage blinded you to the damage the illness caused and the damage you were causing while trying to eradicate it. Taiyun, you did not see what was happening, therefore you could not stop it."

Taiyun and Mianai looked up to find the source of the voices. The Shobijin hovered near the ceiling of the hut above them. Grief over the idea that they somehow unintentionally brought about the end of the woman's life caused the young girls to drop to their right knees with no hint of the grace they would usually show. They crossed their arms over their chests and bowed deeply at the waist, silent with nothing to say that would ever make up for the wrong they had done. The Shobijin looked to their students with sadness in their eyes, speaking to them gently rather than with anger or disappointment. "Raise your eyes to us."

Taiyun and Mianai obeyed, frightened by what they may see int he Shobijin. But, all they could see was concern, not the anger and shame they expected. "It is for Mothra's priestesses to lift the people's spirit and keep their peace. You must forever judge how this is to be done when conflict arises. When the time comes, you must make such judgements swiftly and decisively as you have just now."

The Shobijin focused their gaze on Mianai, "A healer must never begin her task in a place of anger. Rage blinds you to the consequences of your actions, leaving you with a single minded determination to end the suffering by any means. This is a noble ideal, yet it is flawed when not tempered with compassion. You destroyed the illness within this woman, yet you failed to see the method you were using caused more damage than the illness alone. The song of her spirit was disrupted by your violence and her vessel was left empty, there was no love to replace the pain. You must learn better ways to care for the suffering and cure their bodies of illness. Peace and love must rise above hate and anger, no matter what evil may stand in your way. It is a lesson you must learn within yourselves, as well as teach others." The Shobijin's tone softened from the lecture and became filled with empathy. "Do not dwell on whatever evil may arise from your actions, what is done is done. Forgiveness of the wrongs you do must be asked for. You must repair the damage of your mistakes as best you can. If there is no way to do this, you must find the strength within your soul to forgive yourself. Trust in the goddess and the earth, they will guide you."

The Shobijin turned to Taiyun, "Your efforts to keep Mianai from slipping into a darkness she would never escape is to be honored, yet it is for both of you to do more in this regard. You must always be her anchor, her voice of reason. You must also see all of what occurs before you. Your efforts to keep Mianai from the abyss were necessary, yet you must also allow yourself to see what is happening around you so you may advise as well as anchor." The Shobijin paused for a moment before continuing, "If you are to be Mothra's priestesses you must act as one, even if your tasks differ. It should be as if you are two hands of the same being. While one hand faces the heavens, the other faces the earth. Both gathering the energy of the divine for your holy endeavors."

The Shobijin addressed them both, "You must go and tell the little girl what happened to her mother. Though it may break your hearts and threaten to burn your souls to ash, it must be done so she too can begin to heal. This is what it is to be a priestess. Go with our blessing and know you are forgiven for your transgression." Taiyun and Mianai rose and left without a word, wondering how they were going to tell an innocent little girl their mother was gone and it was they who were responsible for her death.

Mianai whispered to Taiyun as they walked. "Taiyun I…"

Taiyun replied softly while reaching for Mianai's hand. "I am here."

Taiyun and Mianai stepped out of the hut into the light of the late afternoon. The little girl sat in the sand nearby. She spotted them as soon as they appeared and started to walk toward them. When the girl was close enough, their eyes met and the little girl seemed to know what had happened. Yet, she remained still, waiting for the priestesses to speak. Her heart sank as Taiyun and Mianai descended to one knee, placing their hands over their hearts and bowing. Their motions were deliberate and graceful, belying the devastation they felt within. "Blessed child, forgive us for we have failed you. Your mother has…" They could not bring themselves to say the words, the wind whistling through the trees was the only sound until the girl whispered. "Please, let me see her." Taiyun and Mianai came to their feet, turning to lead the girl to her mothers body. The girl stepped through the doorway and walked to her mother who laid peacefully on her futon. Taiyun and Mianai could only watch with tears streaming from their eyes as the little girl fell across her mother's body and wept. After a few moments, the girl turned to Taiyun and Mianai and spoke. "I know you did everything you could for my mother. I forgive you, but now I have no one." More tears came as she trailed off.

Taiyun and Mianai felt a cold chill up their spines and asked the little girl a question, the answer of which frightened them to the core. "What of your father?"

The little girl stared off into the distance, "I've never met him, my mother told me he died before I was born."

Taiyun and Mianai felt a strange mix of sadness and relief. Though the little girl was without a father, leaving her an orphan once her mother died, she did not have the pain of knowing him and then losing him as well as the pain of losing her mother. Taiyun and Mianai knew they could not leave the little girl alone with no one to care for her. At first they could find no answer to the question of where she should go. But, they remembered that they had been separated from their own families. When they came to realize their own situation, the answer came to them.

Taiyun and Mianai looked to each other, something unsaid passed between them and they gave each other a very slight smile before turning to the grieving girl. "Do not fear loneliness, you will not suffer from it. There is a family, a mother and a father, whose daughter left them. Their daughter's departure left a void, the father of the daughter took the news of his child's departure hard. If you wish, you could meet them. Those you have lost can never be replaced, yet you may still find happiness."

The girl stood silent for a moment before turning to her mother's body. "What will happen to her?"

Taiyun and Mianai replied, "There are two choices, we can ask other villagers to help you bury her; Or you can help us perform a ceremony where your mother's body and the hut you lived in will become one with the Earth, the Heavens and Mothra."

The girls knew they had not asked the Shobijin for their permission to try and perform the death ritual themselves, nor did they fully understand how it was done. But, they knew of no other way to give back to the child they had failed. If the child chose to have her mother buried, then there would be nothing for them to apologize for. Yet, if the child chose the death ritual, Taiyun and Mianai would have another transgression to answer for. Both of them decided that giving the girl a choice in how she will remember this significant event in her life was the only way to proceed.

The little girl thought for a moment before responding. "There is no grave for my father and seeing a grave for my mother would make me sad. If what you say is true and your ceremony can make her one with the Earth the Heavens and Mothra, then it would be as if she were still with me. I want her to be with me forever, even if she can't hug me anymore."

Taiyun and Mianai saw the little girl's head fall forward. Before her grief returned, they asked her a question they realized was never asked through all of her ordeal. "Forgive us, but we have never asked your name. Will you share it with us?"

The little girl lifted her eyes and smiled a little. "I am Lanai, my mother's name was Mana and my father's name was Akamai. He was the village Elder long before I was born."

Taiyun and Mianai gasped, never expecting they would meet the daughter of one of the village Elders. They pressed their palms at their breasts and bowed, "May the Earth bless their memory, may the wind carry their names to the Heavens." They straightened and locked eyes with Lanai, "Come, gather whatever things you wish to take with you and leave the rest. When you are finished we will leave the hut and the ceremony will begin." Lanai obeyed, gathering only what she knew she would need and a few things she could not bring herself to part with. Taiyun and Lianai were surprised to find she packed very light for someone who was moving their whole life to another place.

Lanai, Taiyun and Mianai stood before the hut, the sun had just begun its descent toward the sea in the late afternoon. Lanai whispered to the two tiny women who flanked her. "What do I do?"

Taiyun and Mianai answered, "Kneel on both knees, standing straight upon them with your toes pointing behind you so your feet are relaxed. Press your palms together near your heart and we will follow. When settled, we will sing a death prayer. When you believe you can, add your voice to ours. The holy light will come, wash away the hut and everything inside of it, including your mother's earthly remains, like the tides wash away footprints in the sand." Taiyun and Mianai watched as Lanai slipped softly to her knees, pressed her palms together and closed her eyes, amazed at the grace she showed despite her pain. Taiyun and Mianai descended to their knees directly after her and began to sing the only song for the situation at hand they knew.

May peace fall upon you like gentle rain

May peace fill your soul ending your pain

Release your burden let your spirit rest

Let your soul be lifted up and blessed

All sins forgiven all blessings given

Your life is ended your tasks are done

Heaven Earth and your spirit are one

Taiyun and Mianai sang the song twice before Lanai joined the third time. As Lanai began, wisps of green smoke that sparkled in the sunlight began to waft from her mouth. By the time they sang the third line, the shining green smoke had entered the hut and spilled out of tiny spaces throughout it. Taiyun and Mianai had never seen such a thing before and they barely kept their composure at the sight. Suddenly, a purple fog descended from the heavens, mingling with the green smoke that surrounded the hut as they sang. When the three who knelt before the hut sang the final line, the mingling smoke burst into a shower of golden energy that consumed everything. The light nearly blinded Taiyun and Mianai, forcing them to shut their eyes tightly against it. The song ended and silence fell over the place where the hut had stood. All of them opened their eyes and found everything had vanished as if it had never been there. Before they could move, all of them heard the voice of the goddess in their minds. "I have witnessed you try to bring light to the darkness. I saw you fail to preserve life, yet honor she who has passed from this world. I have heard your prayers."

Both Taiyun and Mianai gasped as the goddess spoke to them before Mothra continued. "Mana has now become one with me. Her song can be heard in the sea and the wind. Her love will be felt in the love of her only child. Lanai will be raised from this sadness, her destiny is to give her love to others and she will be remembered as her mother and father will be remembered." Tears flowed from the three who gave their prayers for the soul of the dead. Bowing their heads and closing their eyes, they remained as they were for a time until the sun began to set fire to the sky. Taiyun and Mianai reflected upon what Mothra said. She knew the full extent of their trials, she had seen their failure. Yet, she still gave a measure of her energy to the ceremony, even if she had very little to give. The danger of such a gift did not go unnoticed by them and their gratitude for it was unfathomable.