Love,
Thyme Salem
Chapter 1
Earth Rediscovered
�Hey there little guy! These are Geiger Counters. The Ancient Ones used it to see if a place was giving off deadly energy called radiation.� Father explained to me.
�How do they work?� I questioned.
�John Crow told my grandfather that they make noise when radiation is present.� He switched one on and waved it around the cave, �See no radiation in here.� I giggled because it was odd to see my father swing this device around, but then a thought came into my mind.
�What if it�s not making noise because it�s broken?� I asked trying to disguise my fear. I had learned about radiation in school and knew how painful a death radiation poisoning can be. My father too had been taught the same thing in school and his face paled a little bit.
�I sure hope not. I�m hoping as terrible as it sounds that the Human Disintegrator bombs were used. We have a few suits that protect against radiation which will be what the people, using these gadgets, will be wearing.� He pointed over to a bulky orange pile.
�What times will the doors be opened?�
�The first lead door will be opened in about 3 hours. We will test that area for radiation and if all checks out, the last door will be opened about 2 hours after that, right after the ceremony.� He said with noticeable excitement in his voice. He had been born in the caves, just as his father had been born in the caves. My great-grandfather, his grandfather was born outside though. He used to tell us stories about Earth and how wondrous it was.
�It�s too bad Great-Grandfather Thyme isn�t here to see this. He had to have longed for the day of Return. It�s too bad he couldn�t have held on for two more years.� I began to get misty eyed. I turned my head away from my father because I didn�t want him to see me cry as the tears slowly ran down my cheek.
�Yeah, he would�ve loved this, but he was an old guy. He was 120 when he passed on,� father quickly wiped a tear that was forming at the corner of his eye, �Besides, he will be with us. He hasn�t truly left us.� I gave him a hug and he kissed me on the forehead.
�Dad, when can I come live with you?� I knew full well how many years I had before my rite of passage, but I liked to hear it from my dad.
�Mandrake, you have 1 more year until your 13th birthday which is when you can choose what communities you belong to and which community you will vote with. So, that makes 2 years until your Manhood Ceremony.� He smiled and tousled my hair, �Why are you so anxious to grow up?�
�I�m not. I�m just excited that I may have my Ceremony outside the caves.� I hugged him again.
�Yes, that is an exciting prospect. Well, my son, I better return to work. You run back to Mama Naria and Mama Terra. I�m sure they�ve woken up by now and are wondering where you are.� He picked me up and hugged me. When he put me back down I said good-bye and headed toward the Ladies of the Labrys community, where my family�s cave was. Children until they reach the age of voting are welcomed in the cave of any community. My family, however, was also part of the Children of the Goddess community, the Radical Faeries community, the Rainbow Men community, the Children of Israel community, and the Community of God�s Grace. My father lived in the Rainbow Men caves with my Papa Chris, his husband. I looked into my family�s cave and saw that my mother was still in bed with her wife, Mama Terra. I decided to head over to the Children of the Goddess caves to see if my brother Basil was awake. Basil was my father�s son and was born a year earlier than me, which meant he was able to vote in council with his chosen communities. He is currently 6 months away from his Manhood Ceremony, which will be the first Manhood Ceremony performed outside. After Basil�s ceremony, he will move to our father�s cave until he turns 18 or until he has a family of his own, heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual. It was also announced that after Basil�s ceremony, anybody who would like to redo his Manhood Ceremony�s outside the caves might do so. My father�s Daniel and Chris decided that they would redo their Ceremony�s.
As I approached the main cave that has the symbol of the Triple Goddess, I saw Basil. He was sitting on the ground just outside of the main cave of the Children of the Goddess. Basil saw me approach and he smiled and waved. I waved back joyfully and ran towards him.
�Merry Meet Mandrake!� He said as he stood up and gave me a hug. I hugged him tightly as I returned the Wiccan greeting. He sat back down and I joined him on the cold stone.
�What are you doing up so early little brother?� He pulled out his pipe and his flint. He lit the special blend of tobacco, sage, clove, and lavender, which was particular to the people of the Children of the Goddess. He took two puffs and offered it to me. Knowing the custom, I took the pipe and puffed it twice and handed it back to him. I didn�t inhale the smoke, as it wasn�t right for a boy my age to smoke quite yet. Instead of inhaling, I blew into the pipe to send up two clouds of smoke. This satisfies the custom requirements without breaking the underage smoking rule set forth by all the communities in the Great Council. One is allowed to smoke at the age of 13 provided it was only done in a special ritual. The ritual enacted at this moment was Basil�s ritual of Welcome and Brotherhood. The pipe is passed back and forth between us until the special blend is completely gone.
�I couldn�t sleep all night. I was too excited!� I answered as he passed the pipe back to me.
�Same here, you should�ve come over. We held a Rebirth and Reawakening Ritual last night. We all passed between the legs of Mama Raven to symbolize our return to the outside world. After that, we sang, danced, and drummed. It was so much fun!� I handed the pipe back to Basil.
�Oh, you should�ve gotten me! Mama Naria would�ve let me come. We spent last night reciting Hebrew prayers of Thanks and Hope. That was fun too, but doesn�t sound nearly as fun as your night.� I slugged him lightly. His arms were strong and muscular for only being 13. He was an extremely handsome but rugged young man. He was deeply trustworthy, spiritual, and sincere. He would make some lucky man or woman a good husband someday. If it weren�t against the community rules, I would love to take him as my husband when I am old enough. I loved Basil, but no more than I loved my other brothers and sisters. Basil and I had a deeper connection though and anybody who saw us together knew how strong those bonds were.
�I�m sorry Mandrake.� He said, �I didn�t even think of going to get you. I was totally into the ritual.� I accepted his apology and blew out two small puffs of smoke.
�So, have you gotten your tattoos yet?� I asked him eagerly. It was customary to have the symbols of your chosen communities tattooed somewhere on your body. They were considered one of the major rights of passage, for once you�re tattooed with those symbols; you cannot leave those communities. So it is vital for you to know which communities you belong and fit into. The tattoos are a precursor to getting your ear pierced a second time, which is done as part of the Manhood or Womanhood Ceremony.
�Yes, I did. Would you like to see �em?� He beamed with pride. I quickly told him that I would like to them. He took off his shirt and pointed them out one by one.
�This one is for the Rainbow Men community.� He pointed to the rainbow colored flag that was tattooed on his left pectoral, �This one is for the Children of the Goddess, of course.� He pointed the Triple Goddess symbol on his right pectoral, �And this one is for the Radical Faeries.� He pointed to the portrait of the faery, that everybody called Tink, on his left arm, �I�ll probably add a few more communities once I get to know all of them better, but for right now that�s it.� I watched with great interest as he pointed out each tattoo, not only because I eagerly awaited my tattoos, but also because my brother had a beautifully sculpted torso. Ashamed at how I felt towards my older brother, I tore my eyes away from his chest and back up to his eyes.
�Hey, so you�re officially a Rainbow Man!� I smiled at him and congratulated him.
�Yeah, I knew a few years ago that I wanted to fall in love with men more than with women.� He gently rubbed his rainbow tattoo, �How about you Mandrake? Have you thought about which communities you would like to be part of? You only have a year left right?�
�Yep, only a year to go. Well, I�m definitely going to join the Children of the Goddess and the Rainbow Men, but I don�t know too much about the Radical Faeries, so I�m not sure about them. I might also choose God�s Grace and the Temple of Lugh.� I said triumphantly.
�Wow, Temple of Lugh! They have a tough screening process. I�m going to try for them after my Manhood Ceremony.� He was obviously impressed with my choices. The Temple of Lugh was one of the few communities that had test you must pass before you gain entrance into their community.
�Show me where you�ll have your tattoos!� Basil ordered gently. I pointed to my solar plexus and told him that�s where I�ll have the rainbow flag. He leaned over a kissed right where I pointed.
�What was that for?� I asked breathless from excitement and desire.
�To prepare the skin.� He answered innocently. I pointed to my left arm and told Basil that I would put the Cross of God�s Grace there. He leaned over and kissed that spot as well. That kiss was just as soft as the other one, but there seemed to be more fire behind it. I pointed to my right shoulder and before I could tell him that I would put the Goddess symbol there, he kissed there as well with a little bit more pressure.
�Where are you going to put Lugh�s spear when you get into the Temple of Lugh?� He ran his fingers through my hair and pure lust filled my soul. The Spear of Lugh was a 6-inch long tattoo and I had decided to put it on the inside of my right thigh. I pointed the exact six-inch trail that the tattoo would fill, with the point of the spear ending where my leg and scrotum meet. He told me to stand and I obeyed. He kissed from the handle of the spear to the point. When he finished he stood before me. Through his animal hide shorts I could tell he was obviously aroused and I was likewise. Although we were a year apart in age, we were the same height. I stared into his cool blue eyes as he stared back into my earthy brown ones. I leaned forward and kissed him passionately on the mouth. When I realized what I was doing, I pulled away suddenly and pushed myself away from Basil.
�What�s wrong Mandrake? Why did you stop?� Basil smiled coyly. I began to cry and I ran back to my mother�s cave. Basil called out to me, but I didn�t stop. I felt dirty and ashamed. As much as I loved Basil, I knew we could not be together. The communities would never accept it. I ran into my family�s cave and my mothers were awake and making breakfast.
�Little Mandrake, what�s wrong?� Mama Terra ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me. My mom looked heartbroken to see one of her sons crying on such a joyful day.
�I�m in love with someone that I can�t have, Mama Terra.� I sobbed into her lactating breasts. Mama Terra was due to have her baby any day, which would be the first baby born out of the caves. The father of Terra�s baby was my dad; so I�m due to have a new brother or sister.
�Who is it that you love that you can�t have Child?� she asked gently as she stroked the back of my head. My sobs decreased but my heart was still broken. I refused to tell her because I was so ashamed.
�Honey, you can love anybody you wish to love provided they aren�t already taken.� My mom consoled from behind the pot of boiling water on the fire in the middle of the cave, �And you could possibly have them then too if their current spouse agrees to the three of you being married.�
�So tell us who you love Mandrake. We�ll see if we can help.� Mama Terra lifted my face and wiped away my tears.
�Sorry, Mama. I can�t do that.� They both seemed to accept this answer and Mama Terra returned to helping my mom with the breakfast.
�You do know, Sugar, that if you need anything that I�m here for you.� Mama Terra offered as she stirred the porridge in the pot.
�I know. Thank you, Mama Terra.� I answered and walked over to the water tub to wash the tear streaks from my cheeks.
�Mandrake, will you please wake up your brothers for me?� my mom asked and I told her that I would. I went over to my room, which I shared with my younger brothers.
Cayenne was snoring when I entered the room. He was 5 years old and was my youngest biological brother, as of yet. Hemlock, Terra�s son, was the same age as I was. Actually, we were born within a week of each other. So, I was older. I woke Hemlock, who took a swing at me and missed clipping me in the jaw by 2 inches. I learned to be quick on my feet around Hemlock, especially if you�re waking him up. Despite his chubby body and seemingly sluggish demeanor, Hemlock can be quicker than a viper, from what I had learned about vipers anyway. As soon as I was sure that he was completely awake and I was free of danger, I told him to wake up Cayenne. Suddenly, he sprung out of the bed and proceeded to give me a noogie. When he was done, he jumped over to Cayenne�s bed and began to bounce lightly.
�Wake up pepper boy!� he sang, �Get out of bed Cayenne!� Cayenne moaned grumpily and got out of bed, knowing it was the only way to get Hemlock to stop.
�Good Morning Mandrake,� he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, �So today�s the day. Are you excited?�
�Yes, I�m very excited!� I answered as I escorted them into the dining cave. Mom and Mama Terra were already setting the stone table and placing the porridge into our wooden bowls. The stone table stood approximately 2 feet of off the cave floor and around it were cushions made from a century of worn out clothes. The cushion that I normally sat on was made of denim from my great-grandfather Thyme used to wear. The cushions were stuffed with fabric bits and soybeans from the underground field.
The eccentric tycoon, who had created this safe haven, had thought of every possible situation that may arise. From history class, we learned that Harold Straw was the richest man in the entire world. He was known for consulting a psychic, Madame Leora. Madame Leora helped Harold Straw accumulate all his wealth, as well as, avoid the numerous assassination attempts against him. Harold Straw was a generous man, who accepted all people with respect, compassion, and dignity regardless of who or what they were. His motto was, �Treat me with respect and you in turn will receive my respect.� It is this motto we now base our society. Harold Straw had become very powerful, popular, and respected for this motto that the people of power in the world became very threatened. Madame Leora was the one who predicted the Terrible War of the World and she passed the prediction on to Mr. Straw. With this prediction, Mr. Straw secretly purchased the Shasta Mountain and began to construct this enormous bomb shelter. The workers that he contracted had to sign a confidentiality contract in exchange for incredible pay, benefits, and a spot for their family in the subterranean community. Underneath this mountain, which had long been held sacred by the Native Americans, Harold had a complex living structure carved out of the stone. During the construction, the workers discovered a natural, pure, running water source within the mountain. This discovery did not surprise Harold Straw as Madame Leora had predicted that the mountain would have enough to sustain life for over a thousand years. With this water source, Mr. Straw had a gigantic room constructed that had an unbreakable glass ceiling that allowed the light of the Sun through. He, in essence, created a colossal greenhouse so that we may grow our own food by using the natural water source as irrigation. Along with having the greenhouse made, he also had a vast warehouse built and stocked with imperishable foods, fabric, candles, and anything else we could not make, build, or otherwise provide ourselves. The construction of our centennial home took 15 years, starting at the beginning of 2003 and concluding 2018, the year the War started and we took refuge. Mr. Straw and Madame Leora, however, would not be part of the community. They both died in a fiery car accident only weeks before the Shasta doors were shut. It was rumored that they hadn�t actually died in the accident, that is was just a hoax to throw off their enemies. It is believed that there was another shelter created elsewhere in the world that Mr. Straw and his psychic live with their closest friends and families. If this is true, we will find out once we�re outside and send our scouts on a mission to find if there is anybody living on Earth, other than ourselves.
�Mandrake, eat up! Stop staring off into space!� My mother pushed my bowl of porridge closer to me.
�Sorry, I was thinking about the world outside.� For weeks, I had daydreamed about nothing else. I had even put my daydreams about a life with Basil on hold for fantasies about this very day. Now that it was here, I could hardly believe it.
�What are you thinking about the world out there?� Cayenne asked excitedly. �Are you thinking about the animals? I want to see an elephant! They�re supposed to be huge!� The entire family erupted into laughter because they too had their own dreams of the new world that awaited them. They were all equally nervous and excited for the wonders and horrors that may await them beyond the doors.
�I want to feel the wind on my face.� Mama Terra said with reverence, much as the same reverence, as someone would speak of God. As with God, you can�t see wind but you can feel it and hear it. �I can�t even imagine what that feels like. In school, our teacher would have us wave our books close to our face so that we could feel the light breeze created, but that is by no means enough to know how wind feels.�
My mom said with the same tone as Mama Terra, �I want to feel rain. I remember going into the greenhouse when I was younger and looking up to the ceiling. I love to feel the Sun and see the birds flying overhead, but my favorite thing was when the clouds broke open and the water fell.� My mom�s eyes glistened as if seeing something mystical right before her eyes but being unable to touch it.
�How about you Hemlock? What are you wanting to feel or do outside?� Mama Terra asked her son. Hemlock, who had already downed his porridge and was eagerly eyeing mine, had cleared his throat.
�I want to hunt. I want to know what it feels like to bring home meat so you can sustain your family.� As he finished, I handed him my bowl of porridge. My mom glared at me because I hadn�t even taken a bite of it.
�Not hungry? Then why don�t you tell us about your daydream, Mandrake.� She asked.
�No, I�m too excited to eat. Anyways, the ceremony is in an hour and there�s supposed to be a beautiful feast.� I continued, �I was thinking about the sheer size of Earth and how many different environments are on it. I want to see it all. I don�t know if that�s even possible or if the world is even in the same state as it was, but before I die I want to see as much of the world as I possibly can.� The table went silent and everybody had a look of awe upon their face.
Once breakfast was over, I helped Cayenne and Hemlock clear the table and wash the dishes. When that was through, I decided to go over the worship cave of the God�s Grace community. From time to time, I like to sing their hymn and hear the stories from the book that they call the Bible. They had already begun to sing their traditional opening hymn called Amazing Grace. This song brought me to tears from time to time because the people of God�s Grace sang it so beautifully. I tiptoed into the worship cave so not to disturb the resonance of the song and slipped into the stone seat by my friend Redemption. She was a year younger than me but was in the same grade as I was. As I started to sing with them, she looked over to me and smiled. When the hymn was over, they moved on to one I hadn�t heard before.
Copyright © 2002 Christopher Burns