Prentice Journal
✍ entry 1
The shore and what lies beyond
Down on the shore, Namira patrolled the cliffs. She stopped to dangle her feet over the edge with her back to the volcano. She gazed at the expanse of water before her. She knew, somewhere across the waves was the place she first bloomed. She remembered little about her bloomplace. She remembered feelings and some blurred faces. She did, however, remember the tree. The island was covered in trees but it wasn't
The Tree. Even as a youngling she remembered looking up to its branches and recognizing its significance. Aisha, the giver of all life. She was one of her chosen children an Alkidike. For reasons she did not understand at the time, she was separated from that tree and brought here. Namira leaned forward a little and brought her hand to her chest. She remembered how painful it felt, a tightness in her chest that ached.
But that was a long time ago. She knew now why her people had to leave. A weakness had gripped the minds of their leaders and fellow sisters. There was a conflict and her sisters chose earthlings over their own people. To Namira, that betrayal hurt worse than being banished from Aisha. The new matriarchs were bright enough to take a piece of Aisha with them and that seed grew into Elzira. The new tree was a symbol of hope to Namira. A hope that one-day Elzira and Aisha would be one tree again. She knew she may never see that happen in her lifetime. Elzira was a sprout in comparison to Aisha and the size difference represented the time it would take before Elzira's influence would be strong enough to make any significant change.
She let out a sigh and looked down at the beach below. The waves looked calm and she could be the waters were warm. She had a line of rope she had braided herself wrapped around her waist. She tied it around her spear and anchored the spear between two rocks. She used it as an anchor to lower herself down the cliff. With the rope tied around her like a harness, it made it easier and faster to descend. Namira repelled down with relative ease. She had fallen half way down this cliff when she was little. The fall had sprained her ankle and she had to wait for her mothers to find her. She never forgot how helpless she felt that day. She learned her lesson and always carried a rope with her now.
When her feet planted in the sand she quickly untied the knots and ran to the water. She loved the ocean. She dove under the surface and swam out a bit. Namira then turned onto her back and let herself float on the gentle waves. The sound of the ocean calmed her. It was her getaway spot. She didn't have to think or worry if she didn't want to. The matrons couldn't yell at her, and her mothers wouldn't think to look for her for a few more hours. She let her worries melt away into the salty water, at least for now. She needed time like this to soothe her restless mind. Namira worried about her place with the elaria and the future of the alkidike constantly. She felt tied up in a conflict she desperately wanted to resolve. She often felt resentment towards the other alk. She didn't understand how they could misuse Aisha like they did and why the loved earthlings more than their own sisters. It left her confused about her place as an alk and what that meant to the elaria. So sometimes she just needed time to just be Namira.
words: 615 points: 2 prentice journal entry: 1/3