The Light in Aquala

Bjiji belonged to a hidden order, a secret society that dated back centuries. One that was whispered about by very few and whose history had never been recorded.

At least, that she knew of.

Her grandmother had heard the story as a child, then proceeded to pass the torch to her Mother. Who in turn, told #000.

These were the stories that one woman in each generation of her family would share with their eldest daughter, once they reached a certain age.

They were sworn to secrecy, since if knowledge of their existence became known, their lives would be in immediate peril, and so would the lives of all whom they were connected with in the secret society.

...

Bjiji came back from her mind's wandering and looked once more at the chest. She took a deep breath in and sighed, slowly releasing the air from her lungs in a controlled way, meant to settle her nerves.  She ended up in a fit of coughing, a very irritating event that had started just a few years ago. Her face scowled as she silently cursed the effects of aging.

She had been married once, long ago, to an amazing man, and they had a beautiful daughter and a handsome son.  Both of their children had grown up and moved to different areas of the tropical island.

They returned once a year when the Season changed, just as they had promised their mother when they left home.  If anything happened, it would be during the Season change.

However, this year was different.  #000's children were due to arrive in a couple of weeks, but the Season change had started three weeks early this year, so they were not here for the startling events of today.

It was all up to her and her alone.

She had shared with her daughter the information that her mother had shared with her, but her daughter did not seem to think of it as a reality.  At least, she didn't seem to take it as seriously as #000 did.

However, she was honorable and had accepted her assignment, been sworn to secrecy and kept her promise. Unfortunately, since her daughter hadn't arrived yet, it was still up to Bjiji to carry this burden.

Bjiji's mind now traveled to her childhood as she walked towards the old chest in her hut. She remembered her mother trading handwoven rugs for it, then watching as the muscular carpenter helped lift it into their hut, placing it in the area her mother had pointed to.

He was a large man with a kind face and a quick smile for Bjiji as soon as he noticed her wide-eyed stares from underneath the kitchen table.

After exchanging the latest news with her mother from his neighboring village, he left, tipping his cap at them.  The scent of fresh wood from the chest was filling their hut as her mother waved hellos and greetings to their neighbors, before shutting the door behind him.

After glancing out their windows and seeing no prying eyes around, her mother walked to the back of the hut where a rocking chair was and lifted the edge of their colorful woven rug.

She called out quietly for Bjiji to join her, and as she crawled out from under the table and walked over, she noticed her mother's eyes had lightened up with an excited gleam that she had never seen before.

"Come sit here #000." her mother whispered, and she obediently sat down with a growing sense of curiosity.

Her mother gently started to wiggle the edge of one of the floorboards that had been hidden under the rug. It slowly loosened and eventually gave way, creaking in protest since it hadn't been opened for many years.

As her mother carefully lifted and removed the floorboard, she peered over the edge and into the darkness.

Her mother reached down and smiled as her hands located the weathered box with the strange symbols on it.  As she lifted it out, Bjiji couldn't tear her eyes away from it.

So strange how she never even known about the hiding place, let alone the treasures that it held.  Her mother gently placed the ancient box next to her and gingerly replaced the floorboard, covering it again with the thick, colorful rug, which she was famous for making.

Her mother looked at her, sharing a conspiratorial grin with her.  She beckoned Bjiji closer and then turned her attention back to her hidden treasure and slowly lifted the lid.

The creaks of the wooden lid opening sounded unusually loud in the quiet of the hut as the village noises outside carried on like nothing out of the ordinary was occurring.

Dogs could be heard barking excitedly as they chased after the kids along the beach, who were laughing and yelling back and forth to each other.

The steady crackling of the cooking fires and the delicious aromas of roasted vegetables, fruits and assorted spiced breads wafted through their windows and Bjiji's tummy gurgled in response.

Her mother chuckled softly as Bjiji was known to always be ready for her next meal.  Soon enough they would join the rest of the village in their communal evening meal. But first, it was important to explain to Bjiji the importance of the ancient wooden box and what was inside.

A life and death importance, since she could never be sure when the next event would happen.

She could hear her mother's voice replay in her memory as she stiffly bent to remove the rugs and different items off of the chest.

This being completed, she unlatched the lid and slowly lifted it, revealing mementos, clothes, papers and many other things she had forgotten she owned.

She unpacked things, one at a time, reliving the history of each item as older ones tend to do.  As she neared the bottom of the large chest, she took another deep breath which resulted in a spasm of coughing once again.

After a few moments, she managed to get control again and the coughs subsided.  She must remember not to take such deep breaths.

She reached down into the bottom right corner and clasped onto the little cotton bag that was yellowed with age.  She lifted it out with a shaky hand and after standing up again, she walked over to her kitchen chair and sat down.

Bjiji placed the precious bag gently onto the table and slowly loosened the cords holding it closed. As they gave way, she reached in with two gnarled fingers and pulled out a necklace.

It was plain to look at on first glance.  A simple necklace with a singular globe shaped stone hanging from it.

"Remember Bjiji, you must only wear this necklace after the lights arrive and the people with Neon decide to follow them.  Once they are all gone, then put the necklace on and walk to the edge if the jungle." her mother had instructed.

"Once you reach it, clasp the stone in your hand and hold it until the Neon starts glowing from within it.  Once that happens, wait right where you are."

Her mother then paused, while a puzzled expression crossed her face before she continued.

"A companion will arrive to take you to the place where you can relay your message. Once you arrive, make sure you are very clear that those who have the Neon have followed the Neon lights.  Tell them everything that happened, since every detail could be very important."

Bjiji put the necklace around her neck and started to walk to the edge of the jungle, her mother's instructions still as clear as though she had just heard them yesterday.

Her steps were slow and steady as she made her way across the sand to the closest edge if the jungle. Once she reached her destination, she slowly turned around to take a final look at what remained of her village.

All the people and animals had left, but other than that, the village remained the same.  The huts stood proudly, and the embers from the breakfast fires glowed softly. The ocean waves were lazily rolling up onto the sand and the calls of seagulls rang out clearly.

She wasn't sure what exactly would happen next, so she wanted to remember this moment.

Just in case it was the last time she saw her village for a while.

She turned to look into the jungle, and her aged hand reached up and clasped onto the stone hanging from the necklace that she was now wearing. She held it tightly, waiting to see if the instructions her Mother had given her would prove true.

Sure enough, after a minute, the stone started to glow in swirls of beautiful Neon colors.

She released it and her hand dropped to her side and her heartbeat quickened as she heard a sudden exploding sound coming from the jungle.

Bjiji waited nervously as the jungle fell silent and her ears strained to listen for the explosive sound.

Or any sound at all.

Minutes ticked by and gradually the sounds of the jungle creatures started up again. She could hear the shrieks from the troops of monkeys in the distance, the call of the birds to each other and the happy songs of the cicadas.

She was growing tired and she hoped that whomever she was meeting would not take a long time to arrive.

No sooner did she have this thought when the most astonishing creatures came into her sight.