22.November.2011

Last night I had explicit direction. Collect a group of men and walk out into the forrest and do not come back until it was in my possession. What it was I didn't know. So we walked. We rarely ate and we never rested. I knew immediately when we found it. A single rainbow eucalyptus. It took us through the night and the next day to chop it down. We had it propped up on our shoulders as we carried it home. Across rivers. Over mountains. Over the edges of cliffs. Into the night. We were covered in mud, bruises and cuts. Our clothes torn. Our spirits weak. We found ourselves at the top of a cliff we knew we would not make it down alive when we heard a voice coming from the tree tops. It told us that in order to make it home alive we need to walk on the lighted side of the silhouette of the moon. We hugged the edge of the shadow stepping only in the light and it was as if there were no tree on our shoulders, no cuts on our skin. Our pace quickened and our spirits elevated.

When we arrived back in the village the temple was almost done. Ours was the last pillar needed before supports could be removed. The temple was a sort of dome shape and was constructed of grey and brown eucalyptus trunks set in a cross hatch pattern. There were pillars set in place using clay and mud and vine. Ours was the last pillar. In the center. It took us through the night to set it and when we were done I rested on my ship before heading back out to sea.

Everything out at sea is a little foggy. My memory seems to be failing me. The next thing I recall is that we are back at port and the officials are verifying my find. I am talking with one of the officers when an explosion occurs on my shit. Within seconds it sinks below the surface. My entire crew was below deck as were some of the officers men. Without hesitation i dive in after it. The water is thick and dark with sediment. I can feel hands grasping for the surface. I free up and deliver bodies to the surface. On my last dive I confirm that the ship is empty and almost as if driven by my confirmation all of the sediment begins to settle. The water is getting thicker and heavier. The light of the sky begins to turn grey and sandy. I can feel the weight of the sand in my pockets, in my pants. The pressure in my ears burst as I sink. As the sky turns black I gasp a mouthful of saltwater and wake up.