Yeki boud, yeki naboud.......
Temper the FocusWright, wishing to assess and appraise his completed handiwork, set his four dreamers Gor, Wink, Sumy and Sahar back into the city at the Bridge of Memories. Upon the bridge, he strew large boulders, blocking the way across, and explained to the four that their goal was to cross the Passive River to the plane beyond. The problem with the Bridge of Memories today, he indicated to the four young ones, was that though each was an individual, the strength of two would be required for each to cross.
The dreamers spread out, checking the rocks, thinking and planning. Wink stated that he wished he could see past the boulders, and so Sahar took him to a nearby rise, and helped heft him up to a ledge despite her delicate frame, whereupon he could see from a distance. He offered for her to climb up instead, but she explained that her sight was not nearly what his was. At once Wink saw a path clear, committed it to memory and proceded on his way. He was soon lost from sight but his shouts revealed him to be across the bridge first.
The others had not been idle. Strong and quiet Gor had at once begun to push, roll and and move the stones aside, clearing his own path. Sumy stood thoughtfully, gently, thinking. It was then that Sahar smiled and took her back down a path leading away from the bridge. There they came to a portal, and Sahar told her to go through it, that a way around might be revealed. Afterall, she explained, Temper had said the goal was merely to cross, yes? Sumy, being of a resilient nature, instantly disappeared through the portal, and was not long after heard crying a joyful noise from across the bridge!
By this time, the nearly unstoppable Gor had but the last and largest boulder to move before he could get clear across. He pushed and pushed, unable to gain quite enough strength. It was then that Sahar joined him, and she too pushed the last rock with him. It moved, and Gor was free. He scampered over, the bridge now cleared, and motioned to Sahar to come across too. She began to follow. Yet it seemed an invisible barrier remained to her, and she could not cross. Tried though she would, she could not; for as Temper said, to cross required the strength of two, not one, and she was alone. At length she smiled to herself, as if in realisation of something, and departed back down the other way in the direction of the Trinities.
Temper the FocusWright observed all this without comment, but at last he spoke to the remaining three. "This then is the first separation of the focii," he said. "Sahar helped Wink to see, but she herself could not see. She helped Sumy find an alternative way around an obstacle, but could not go around by herself. Lastly, her added will, though inadequate in itself, was enough to make the toughest of boulders move for Gor.
"She is changeable, adaptable, and clever--like as a mirror making one thing appear as two--a masquerade to each of you; a second for whatever requirement by another is at hand; and she seems able to be as all things to all people. It was by her strength and hand that she sent each of you to your destiny here across the bridge as you wished, while hers is clearly in another place." He smiled, adding, "I do not doubt that even now, she makes her way to the Trinities, where she can easily by herself cross the bridge over the Passive River which resides there, not here before you, where you see the Bridge of Memories over the Lower Basin River. Thus I name her, Fatesender." With that, Temper flew across the bridge and collected the others. And as for clearer definition to the other three focii, Temper's continued work is perhaps told in another's story, not mine to tell.
