Chapter X, Reading 16

"Is that how Momma and Leudh were able to reach me when I was in trouble? They don't have a crystal but their thoughts reached me."

Kewero's face registered surprise. "When were they in contact with you?"

Flindra took a deep breath before she began. "My memory of the time after I broke through to the place beyond the barrier is confused, but some things stand out clearly. I was numbed by the enormity of the knowledge of the Spirit, so numbed that I became hopelessly adrift in a place of nothingness. I sank into that nothingness and found myself unable to escape, in truth, to do anything. I was losing myself to the emptiness, when an image took root in my mind.

"The image became a clear awareness of the my home. I could see, feel, and smell the familiar things of my childhood. This vision provided an anchor, something concrete for me to grasp. Fused throughout the image was the presence of Momma and Leudh. I don't know how they knew I was in trouble or how they reached into my mind, but I do know that they saved me. It was their efforts that brought me back from oblivion."

Kewero sighed as she pondered Flindra's story. "Are you sure that Dakra and Leudh were the source of these thoughts?"

"I'm positive. The thoughts were alive with their essence. I could almost feel them."

"This is curious, my child. The love you share with your foster family must be great indeed."

"It is."

"I can only guess that the Spirit must have used your family and your mutual love to rescue you from your peril. Have you contacted them through the crystal since your experience?"

"No I haven't. I was respecting your advice to leave the orb alone until we determined what had happened to me."