Chapter Twenty Three

My Mother said "Grokked"

"Keya, there is something I must tell you. I'm not sure why and how, but our destinies have become intertwined."

"What is it Derby? What are you talking about? Please, if you know something that explains that weird scene at Preregrine's, please share. Did you have a message from Zol?"

She seemed so scared and yet I had no concern that she would suffer much longer. Like a gentle stream reshapes rough rocks into round stones, I tucked Keya's being safely into my marsupial like pouch of consciousness. Kindness onto kindness my inner guide instructed me in the art of comforting her. I held her hand and set my eyes on her. She seemed to release tension by the second.

I closed my eyes and remembered what Mom said when she appeared in the tea room within the Chit's compound.

"Derby. I'm ill. If it hadn't been for a phone call from Keya, who was frantic to find you after an odd experience she had in a coffee house, I may have died. But just as she had stumbled upon a meeting which she wasn't supposed to have seen, I also witnessed her ascension with DuBois. So he had no choice but to take me along too. He immediately grokked my tumor. It's a miracle Derby. DuBois isn't from our time...Did you know?"

Grokked. My mother had said grokked. That stood out to me.

"Yes Mom, so I've been told." We hugged like we never had before. "These freaky folk are growing on me too mom." We laughed and held each other at arms length and hugged again and laughed some more.

I opened my eyes because I felt the burn of Keya's gaze.

"What you saw at Prerigrine's was a meeting of transformed humans," I explained.

"Transformed? Zolphoria? Possessed by the Zoly Spirit? Like flying Zolo except Zol is their co-pilot? Is that what you mean?'

"No darling." I pulled her to me and positioned the top of her head so that my mouth was an inch from her Crown Chakra. The sound of a distant sand storm emanated from my lips and I felt Keya collapse into a deep sleep. For 40 seconds I blew the cleansing breath of Tio Tabasco's grandfather directly into Keya's abdomen from the top of her head.

She stirred just before coming to. "Don't forget the steaks," she said, still asleep but talking.

"OK," I played along. "What kind of steaks do you want?"

"I don't care," she slurred. "As long as they'll hold up the fence."

And then her eyes popped wide open.