An Encounter Beyond Understanding (event)
I steady my breathing as I look back into the face's eyes, and stand up from the dirt with what confidence I can muster. Wispy tendrils of fog spew from its mouth, snaking across the water's surface towards my feet. I start to step away as they come closer, but decide against it, leaving myself at the mercy of the unknowable.
As the wisps touch my skin, a cold breeze rushes across me, as if I were taken into the watery depths. Images of my life flash before me—moments of charity, selfishness, violence, and compassion. Some I hardly recognize, others nearly bring me to tears, as if a wave of nostalgia has taken hold over my mind. The tendrils snake further up my body, reaching to my chest where they spiral over my heart. I look down at them, an endless encirclement spinning deeper and deeper into my chest, though I feel no pain nor malice. I look back to the pale eyes, softer and lighter than they were before, almost welcoming with familiarity. More memories fly across my eyes, as if pulled along a road by the tendrils.
Almost as quickly as it had begun, the tendrils dissipate into mist around me, and when I look back to the water, the face is gone. In its place, sitting just atop the water's surface, a gem. It glows with iridescence, beautiful in its shimmering. I wade through the water towards it, and take it into my hand. It feels soft, yet harder than iron somehow, and fills me with what I can only describe as the warmth of a hearth at home. The once icy water feels almost tranquil with the gem in my hand, and as I climb from its depths back to the fire, I cannot help but wonder what decided to bless me so. Hopefully this will be a boon for our journey, and life beyond.
None will believe my tale!