Summer rained over her like a fragrant perfume.
It was cold even though the sun was shining through the dark clouds.
She ran over the rolling pasture avoiding cow dung like a slalom skier.
The tall grass was slippery and she had difficulty getting a grip with her flower painted blue clogs.
She jumped over a tall fence, doing a flip with twist like she always did.
Landed on one toe and posed for a second arms outstretched before she was off again smiling.
Entering a bed of blue and yellow flowers she looked up at the sky, squinting to keep raindrops from landing in her eyes. Nothing there ... yet, she thought with anticipation.
As she lowered her gaze it fell upon a barn in the distance, red with black roof and black double-doors. It was surrounded by a brown-painted long fence running around it and a meadow adjacent to it. On the meadow she could see a group of kids in white loose-fitted outfits performing strange movements.
Getting closer she could see they had belts of varying colours around their waist and were shouting and trying to hurt each other. She knew instantly what to do, she had seen this before. Stopping before the large double-doors, she opened them and entered gracefully. Inside she found what she was looking for, picked it up and went outside some twenty yards from where the kids where lined up and performing.
She tossed the bull into the middle of where the kids were and watched the amusing commotion.
They were still shouting of course, but for another reason and with a higher pitch. The kids ran wildly in all directions, the chaos was immaculate. Some jumped over the fence to safety, some were so confused and panicked that they ran round in circles. Some even ran straight toward the bull, avoiding it in the neck of time when it charged the sudden easy targets.
One kid though, jumped up on the bull when it chased past his quick side-stepping move. He grabbed the bull by the ears and held on for dear life. The bull bucked and twisted, the kid flying this way and that, but somehow he managed to hold on. It lost all focus on the remainder of the other kids and just tried to get rid of the annoying aggressor on its back.
All the kids climbed, on the outside, onto the fence and cheered for their hero with joy and relief.
On the bull things were another story, feeling like a rag doll in a tumble dryer, the kid knew he needed to do something and do something soon. He focused on his inner being, trying to connect to Tik Tok the god of rocks and started to glow an intense mild pulsating blue. A rock suddenly appeared out of the sky above and fell on the bulls head with great force. The beast thudded down to the ground, suddenly very still.
The kid jumped relieved off the back of the bulls still heaving body, while his blue contour silently and gradually dissipated. He sat down leaning his back to the bull and pulled out a white handkerchief with his family emblem on it. A grey falcon clutching a mountain within its talons. With it he wiped his face free of dirt and sweat.
The other kids jumped back over the fence and ran up to him talking and shouting all at once about what had just happened. They cheered and gesticulated, touched the bull with great hesitation and deep reverence. This went on for a time until one of the kids raised the question:
"Where did the bull come from and why was it flying into our mist?"
They all realized that they hadn't had the time to give it much thought and a fierce debate started amongst most of the kids. One side were convinced bulls could fly, the other that bulls were naturally stealthy creatures which could appear out of thin air by force of mind. The more grounded kids knew with certainty that bulls were great diggers and they all just needed to find the hole it had come up from.
The remainder of the kids that never entered the debate looked eagerly around with a lingering suspicion and in a moment found what they were dreading standing over by the barn with a smile. It took them a good minute to take the realization in, long enough for the debate just a few yards away to almost erupt into playful physical competition.
When the situation had fully dawned on them, they ran up to the lady in the clogs and bowed deeply.
"Sensei, you honor us with your presence. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."
Another kid almost shouted at her with excitement, jumping up and down.
"Did you see the bull, Sensei? It was suddenly there and we were so scared! It was great!"
The other kids that were present gave him queer looks and then started talking at the Sensei all at once.
She motioned for them to quieten down making lowering hand movements and they all stopped instantly watching her, waiting for her to speak.
"This has been the traditional test that once in a while is performed on these training trips our dojo does.
There is always one person that master the test of the bull and find a way to contact the great Tik Tok."
The kids looked at her in mild shock and continued to listen intently.
By now the debating kids had stopped arguing and were arriving in groups of two and three.
Over by the bull one kid was left. He had been contemplation what had just happened to him. He was in some kind of calm, delirious, but quite state. Every thought he had was clear, every new focus was crisp. His gaze wandered around as he snugged against the slumbering big bull. Everything in his view gave him all the information he needed right away, he needed not make any effort at all. The flow just came to him. Relaxing in his blissful state he slowly went to sleep against the warmth of the body behind him.
It was cold even though the sun was shining through the dark clouds.
She ran over the rolling pasture avoiding cow dung like a slalom skier.
The tall grass was slippery and she had difficulty getting a grip with her flower painted blue clogs.
She jumped over a tall fence, doing a flip with twist like she always did.
Landed on one toe and posed for a second arms outstretched before she was off again smiling.
Entering a bed of blue and yellow flowers she looked up at the sky, squinting to keep raindrops from landing in her eyes. Nothing there ... yet, she thought with anticipation.
As she lowered her gaze it fell upon a barn in the distance, red with black roof and black double-doors. It was surrounded by a brown-painted long fence running around it and a meadow adjacent to it. On the meadow she could see a group of kids in white loose-fitted outfits performing strange movements.
Getting closer she could see they had belts of varying colours around their waist and were shouting and trying to hurt each other. She knew instantly what to do, she had seen this before. Stopping before the large double-doors, she opened them and entered gracefully. Inside she found what she was looking for, picked it up and went outside some twenty yards from where the kids where lined up and performing.
She tossed the bull into the middle of where the kids were and watched the amusing commotion.
They were still shouting of course, but for another reason and with a higher pitch. The kids ran wildly in all directions, the chaos was immaculate. Some jumped over the fence to safety, some were so confused and panicked that they ran round in circles. Some even ran straight toward the bull, avoiding it in the neck of time when it charged the sudden easy targets.
One kid though, jumped up on the bull when it chased past his quick side-stepping move. He grabbed the bull by the ears and held on for dear life. The bull bucked and twisted, the kid flying this way and that, but somehow he managed to hold on. It lost all focus on the remainder of the other kids and just tried to get rid of the annoying aggressor on its back.
All the kids climbed, on the outside, onto the fence and cheered for their hero with joy and relief.
On the bull things were another story, feeling like a rag doll in a tumble dryer, the kid knew he needed to do something and do something soon. He focused on his inner being, trying to connect to Tik Tok the god of rocks and started to glow an intense mild pulsating blue. A rock suddenly appeared out of the sky above and fell on the bulls head with great force. The beast thudded down to the ground, suddenly very still.
The kid jumped relieved off the back of the bulls still heaving body, while his blue contour silently and gradually dissipated. He sat down leaning his back to the bull and pulled out a white handkerchief with his family emblem on it. A grey falcon clutching a mountain within its talons. With it he wiped his face free of dirt and sweat.
The other kids jumped back over the fence and ran up to him talking and shouting all at once about what had just happened. They cheered and gesticulated, touched the bull with great hesitation and deep reverence. This went on for a time until one of the kids raised the question:
"Where did the bull come from and why was it flying into our mist?"
They all realized that they hadn't had the time to give it much thought and a fierce debate started amongst most of the kids. One side were convinced bulls could fly, the other that bulls were naturally stealthy creatures which could appear out of thin air by force of mind. The more grounded kids knew with certainty that bulls were great diggers and they all just needed to find the hole it had come up from.
The remainder of the kids that never entered the debate looked eagerly around with a lingering suspicion and in a moment found what they were dreading standing over by the barn with a smile. It took them a good minute to take the realization in, long enough for the debate just a few yards away to almost erupt into playful physical competition.
When the situation had fully dawned on them, they ran up to the lady in the clogs and bowed deeply.
"Sensei, you honor us with your presence. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."
Another kid almost shouted at her with excitement, jumping up and down.
"Did you see the bull, Sensei? It was suddenly there and we were so scared! It was great!"
The other kids that were present gave him queer looks and then started talking at the Sensei all at once.
She motioned for them to quieten down making lowering hand movements and they all stopped instantly watching her, waiting for her to speak.
"This has been the traditional test that once in a while is performed on these training trips our dojo does.
There is always one person that master the test of the bull and find a way to contact the great Tik Tok."
The kids looked at her in mild shock and continued to listen intently.
By now the debating kids had stopped arguing and were arriving in groups of two and three.
Over by the bull one kid was left. He had been contemplation what had just happened to him. He was in some kind of calm, delirious, but quite state. Every thought he had was clear, every new focus was crisp. His gaze wandered around as he snugged against the slumbering big bull. Everything in his view gave him all the information he needed right away, he needed not make any effort at all. The flow just came to him. Relaxing in his blissful state he slowly went to sleep against the warmth of the body behind him.
The sensei lady continued to speak, now with heightened intensity.
She told the long and intoxicating story of Tik Tok and the new god that followed after, when enlightenment dawned upon the one of a group.
She told the long and intoxicating story of Tik Tok and the new god that followed after, when enlightenment dawned upon the one of a group.
The kids were amazed, they had only heard rumours of the legend. It was famous among almost all people of the lands, but very few knew the story in its entirety. Sacred it was and folks tended to respect and honor that.
Suddenly the whole group started to glow and after a while they lifted off the ground silently and still. The lady moved a hand slowly and the group floated slowly and without effort over to where the hero lay against the bull. Yawns were heard amongst the group and it seemed contagious for almost at once they were all yawning and stretching their arms out sleepily.
She lowered the group around the bull and they all snugged up to the bull and found their own perfect spot. Soon they were all contently asleep.
The lady felt a tear of joy fall down her cheek and she looked up and thanked Tik Tok and the other god before she too lay down next to the others. Her last thought before she dozed off was of the far away island and the home she left so many years ago. Smiling she closed her eyes and let the dreams take her away.
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