Chrysalis — The Dawn of Mooland Tales

UPDATED: 2024-11-21 2778 WORDS

5

WORK IN PROGRESS! — v0.8/15

5. Mooland Map — All Systems Ready! ¶

Night had fallen by the time Izzy and Manny finished their last mugs of Mootu tea, flushing down the final crumbs of Ammoolia's mooncakes. "Look kids, the night has arrived. Why don't you camp here, we'll get you set up for your journey first thing in the morning." Ammoolia's house was on the far side of the Highlands, while Izzy and Manny lived in a valley closer to the downhills leading to the Riverlands. "I'll send a hummingbird to let your folks know you're staying over at grandma's again." She had any number of friendly hummingbirds nesting and humming at her home orchards.

"Nana, so we have the general idea that there's clearly a journey ahead of us here", Manny said. "But the way you speak of it, it sounds like you have a more exact idea of where we should be heading." — "Indeed I do. I wasn't browsing the spectacular clouds over today's high noon just to pass my idle time. You two will be traveling to each of Mooland's realms and will have homework to complete at every one of them. Bits and pieces of the grand puzzle of stringing all of your stories together are scattered in every one of our realms."

Many Highlanders surmised that Ammoolia was clairvoyant, but she always brushed it aside with a hearty laughter. "I simply watch the dancing of the clouds and listen to the sounds of nature", is how she usually responded. She never elaborated on watching the cloud constellations in everyone's minds, or listening to the songs that are flowing in their hearts. Just as we all have two eyes and two ears for watching and listening to the world about us, Ammoolia had a third eye and a third ear that she kept as her inner secret — called the Eye of Mū and the Ear of Mū, unsurprisingly — and she watched over and listened to the inner worlds churning in the hearts and minds of all living beings, guiding them toward the Unity of Mū that she felt at keenly her deepest core.

"Alright then, Izabella and Mandalika, off to your beds already. The full moon of Moovember has risen high and many are the dreams it weaves, patiently waiting for you just behind the curtains of your drowsy eyelids." She only ever used Izzy's and Manny's full names when she was particularly serious. It usually happened when she was steeped in contemplating on futures that were flowing closer to the present tomorrow. "Good night Grandma." — "Good night Ammy." — "Good night to you two darlings too."

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Ammoolia's pet Mooster was bellowing out the wake-up call into the rays of the rising sun. Moosters are winged little egg-laying cows endemic to the Highlands. They can't really fly, but that doesn't stop them from trying. Izzy and Manny were gradually waking up from their slumber, pondering the vivid dreams they soared in just mere moments ago. "Good moooooooorning!", Ammoolia called the moment she spotted them returning to the daytime world. "Good mooorning, Ammooolia", they said in surprisingly perfect sync. "It's breakfast time! Up you get and wash your faces, and we'll meet at the pavillion in the orchards."

It's anyone's guess how and when she managed to prepare a breakfast buffet with every sort of Highlandian morning dish on the menu. Izzy and Manny arrived at the pavillion, still rubbing their drowsy eyes and, seeing the unreal buffet, they rubbed their eyes some more, wondering if this was all still happening in a dream. "Fill your big little bellies first, and then we'll talk about your journey."

Izzy had a bit of a sweet tooth. She was very fond of her grandma's Moolberry Moofins. Manny was surprised to find Mantigo fruits from the Peaklands on the table and enthusiastically nibbled through a bunch. Mantigo trees are not native to the Highlands. They only grow in rare sunny spots at high altitudes. Manny had last tasted them in her early childhood during a family visit to the peaks. Ammoolia's catering also included traditional Mookies baked with oats and cream, and there were spongy Moochi cakes, and a sizable bowl of Mootato salad with herbs too. All in all, it was a legendary breakfast she had whipped together.

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"Moo-e-Moo! Meeting time! Chop chop, gather around! Meet-up starting!", Ammoolia hollered, clanging on the bell hanging from the corner of the pavillion, summoning Izzy and Manny for a meet-up about the journey orientation and preparations. She was well aware that they were mere meters away, still burping away after the elaborate meal they'd chowed down with quite some speed. Strictly speaking, Ammoolia's dramatic summon wasn't really necessary, but it definitely framed the vibe for the upcoming discussions.

"Alright, you two, now pay attention and keep your notepads handy! The path for every quest must match the nature of the mission you have. And with what the two of you have in the works, nothing short of a journey covering all of Mooland's realms will do. I have given you a compass, and now I'll share with you the map and the itinerary. Are you ready to roll?"

Izzy and Manny were holding on tight to the comfy grasspads under their bums. It's the Earth, right, that gives you stability and support and structure. Hold on to it like your roots when the tall gale is blowing across the skies! They absolutely felt the need for a supporting element here. The mission was no longer a daydream they were fiddling with — things were getting proper real and concrete. "No drifting, Manny! Stay tuned, Izzy! Important!" Ammoolia was stark with things that mattered. Izzy and Manny appreciated her devotion to guiding them and respected its importance. "We're in the zone, grandma."

"So as you know, we have seven or eight realms on the planet of Mooland. Grasslands, Peaklands, Riverlands, Highlands, Strangelands, Heatlands, and Deeplands are the major realms. In the midst of the Central Ocean of the Deeplands, the Rainbow Spire stands tall and majestic, reaching above the highest peaks of our mountains. It's a translucent fragment of the Chrystal Planet at the outer rim of the major Doughland planets — and there's one such on each planet. Your present journey will cross through each of these realms.

"What many do not realize is that these eight realms are the children of the four Elements of Mū we've been reviewing. Grasslands and Peaklands are the low and high children of Earth. Riverlands and Highlands are the low and high children of Water. Strangelands and Heatlands are the low and high children of Fire. Deeplands and the Rainbow Spire are the low and high children of Air. The elements set the tunes of these realms and their residents. Stay tuned and the tunes of Mū will guide you on your journey as your compass."

Mooland is a such peculiar world. The compass and the map are so very similar. The folks of the realms are also very similar to the map and the compass. Mere lucky coincidence — or is there an underlying cosmic design, parallel threads of colors and flavors and essences that connect all things? If you were to ask Ammoolia, you'd have to book lots and lots of time for attending to her endlessly elaborate answer. She kept the lid on tight with many such deeper topics, first of all to not confuse Izzy and Manny — and also to guard the joy of their discovery, unfolding as they water and tend to the elemental seeds she'd dropped into their inner pastures.

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"Grandma, you mentioned that there's homework for us at each of the different realms."

"Very much so, Izzy. You're not heading out for a holiday are you. There's homework from each of the elements for you.

"When you reach a new realm, take your time and settle in with the lay of the land. Immerse into in the landscape and establish yourselves in its essential character. This is your homework from the Earth. Then, explore and follow the native flows of that realm. Observe the comings and goings and feelings and hopes of all the folks there. This is your homework from the Water.

"Then, meet and interview the people of the realm. Grasp their skills and their challenges, seek their unique insights for your mission. This is your homework from the Fire. Finally, find the heart of the realm, ponder about in all directions. Seek the meaning and purpose of everything you've experienced. Understand the role of the realm in the unity of Mooland. This is your homework from the Air.

"When you tune into each of the elements in each of these realms, few things will remain beyond your reach."

What Ammoolia dished out stretches above and beyond the scope of any homework ever heard of in the schools of Mooland. But Manny wasn't phased by it. "Ammy, a homework assignment of epic proportions!", she noted with glee and enthusiasm. "Studying the four elements in each of the eight realms — a grand total of thirty-two assignments!" A tree of matching fractals was already gaining shape in her creative mind in preps for the journey, but surprisingly there was no vertigo this time around.

"That seems to be the number, yes, and the final and thirty-third assignment is with you yourself in understanding yourself." It was a cryptic thing to say but, who else, aside ourselves, should one find at the core of our experiences and insights? "In the ancient scrolls, they call it the Grand Prism of Inner Mū. The legends say that whosoever looks into the Grand Prism and beyond, that rare soul will become all things at all times, forever tuned in with the turnings and churnings of the universe."

"Did you just say there's something beyond the Grand Prism of Inner Mū?" Alas, few things escape the radar of Manny's mind when there's a even hint of something more to compherend. "Now that is most definitely a story for another time. The conservative moonks at the Island of Mū would seriously frown at me for sharing as much as I already have with the two of you."

Izzy wasn't quite as keen on the numbers and the multiplications as Manny, but the echoes of what Ammoolia shared were resonating deep. A profound sense of connection and unity poured into her heart — like a creamy stream of liquid rainbows flowing in from every corner of Mooland's cookie-shaped planet. "I have a feeling this'll turn out a very beautiful journey", said Izzy. "And our adventures will surely turn up many more stories to be shared."

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Ammoolia was suddenly a bit twitchy for no immediately obvious reason. "But I will say a thing or two about space, because none of those old island bulls can ever claim their copyrights over space." She had a strained slice of history with the moonks and their proprietary doctrinal formulations. Izzy and Manny were wondering if Ammoolia was just a little bit triggered by her emerging memories. "That thirty-third assignment, or yourself, rests in the Fifth Element of Mū called the Space, and specifically in the final space that is unbound. Space is the unseen center of your compass. It is the potential emptiness where the Elements of Mū churn and combine, a liberated field hosting their countless mutual reflections. You will first experience it clearly at the Rainbow Spire."

Manny jolted up out of the blue and gazed long into the heavens with her large and now mesmerized eyes. "And, what if there's a multidimensional wizard somewhere out there in the sky or in that final space, watching in on all of us, writing down a story about the story of our journey for insight into sharing all of our stories!" She was seriously out there with this one. "That may or may not be", said Ammoolia, "but wouldn't it be fantastic if that were the case." Izzy was getting dizzy trying to wrap her head around Manny's cosmic imagination and simply said "Moo" in the funniest way, without really knowing what she meant to say.

Ammoolia too stood up and started ringing her bell again. "All right, that's enough kids! Don't get in way over your heads there! The lesson's over, it's time to go home and pack your bags for the journey ahead!" Somehow she managed to conclude the session ever-so-casually, like wrapping up a basic kinder-gardening lesson for junior farmers, in full awareness that she had loaded up the kids with a serious chunk of ancient wisdoms that few on the Islands of Essence have ever truly mastered. "Please share my greetings and love with your families — and stay tuned, always and everywhere, and you'll find all that you hope for, and so much more."

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Over the week that followed, Izzy and Manny were home and about at their corner of the Highlands, discussing the insights that Ammoolia had shared, brainstorming through their saturated imaginations, sketching together practical travel plans, and shaping up some basic strategy concerning everything they should be looking into. It was all coming together quite nicely. Just as well they took their time before venturing out into the realms, because this upcoming journey really was a rather elaborate undertaking.

"I think we should also meet with the elders in the different realms", Izzy was pondering. "Ask them to share something unique about their realms and their ways of life. We could ask them for a short aphorism that neatly sums up all of their basics." Aphorism was a tall word lifting its ornate head from amidst her usually not very sophisticated vocabulary. Izzy herself was wondering how she managed to come up with such a fancy term. "And I'd like to also hear a poem or a song full of essence from every realm we visit!"

"We should also ask the elders about the biggest challenge their realm has ever met", added Manny. "And ask them to share the most meaningful story they know. A key aphorism, a poem or a song, a major challenge, and a most meaningful story. These would make for a nice introduction package to the tunes of every realm in Mooland."

"Hey Manny — hang on — check this out. So a short aphorism is a basic statement about the roots of the realm. Like the Earth underneath. And how the poems and songs are flowing with feeling. Much like Water streaming. Then how they met the challenges and figured out the solutions. Clearly the Fire there. And the most meaningful story covers everything essential in that realm. Like the expanse of Air, it seems to me. Does that seem a bit weird to you?"

"Wow, Izzy! A very much spot on observation there. But we weren't even thinking about any of that. We just came up with all of this off the tops of our heads. Do you think Ammy programmed our minds with the elements or something?"

"I have no idea at all, Manny, but I find all of this most entertaining. Maybe it's Mū magic? And how are your fractals looking like?"

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