Spirit Tree of the Red Rocks: Future Read online

  Relishing her love for Bren she released that love toward the Spirit Tree, which was the same as encompassing all of creation in a cocoon of unconditional love.

  And then the magic happened.

  Her meditation was interrupted when Bren said, "Violet, are you all right? I heard you gasp. Are you ill?"

  Her eyes popped open and she stared at the man she would love for eternity. She slowly smiled and said, "Frannie was right."

  "About what?"

  "I know how to find the Spirit Tree?"

  His eyes widened.

  Violet stood. "We must return to the base of the cliff."

  Without question, Bren nodded and began gathering a few supplies for their trek. Finally, he said, "I'll follow you."

  33: Eyes Closed

  Following the trail they had forged over the past week they again reached the base of the ridge. Facing the ridge, Violet glanced up its rocky slope and then at a sapphire sky bejeweled with pearlescent clouds. It was exactly the kind of sky she remembered from her life as Frannie. Closing her eyes she turned around and visualized the terrain as it had once been. She inhaled long and deep and expanded not only her lungs, but her heart with love for Bren. Then she shifted that love to the earth.

  From deep within she returned to the red rocks of centuries past and stepped forward, eyes now closed. She entered the forest of pines and backtracked the trail that had led her to such a wondrous view. She smiled as squirrels scampered up trees chasing each other. She paused a moment to watch a doe and her offspring. A raven cried overhead and she lifted her eyes to watch it circle and soar. It was joined by another raven and they both alighted on the branch of a pine to watch her progress. She smiled at the birds and continued onward. Soon she heard the rush of water and inhaled its freshness. Walking along its banks her feet squished in wet earth and she stopped to inspect a yellow flower bud. Beauty abounded and her heart expanded even more. She no longer loved—she had become love.

  At first Bren followed Violet with skepticism that she could locate the Spirit Tree, but then with incredulity as she traversed the rough terrain with her eyes closed, never stumbling. Occasionally she would pause with a beautiful smile lighting her face and move her head as if watching something he could not see. And then he realized she was no longer with him, she was reliving the past, following a pathway only she could see and enjoying nature as only she knew it existed. His heart filled with love for this amazing woman and he finally had a glimmer of what she had tried to make him understand. He was not his body, his heart was not the mechanical one that kept him alive; he may be part clone and part machine, but that wasn't him. He was a unique being and he had an eternal spirit. The trappings of his body would someday cease, but his spirit would continue. Violet would continue.

  When she stopped walking he was so engrossed in the realization of his true identity that he almost bumped into her. She said in a breathless voice, "It's so beautiful."

  Bren followed the direction she pointed and inhaled sharply. Before him were the remains of a dead tree. There was no evidence of life. Its roots were exposed and so dry they were disintegrating.

  Violet said with amazement, "I love how the water laps at the tree's roots wanting to expose more of its wisdom."

  Bren realized Violet was still seeing what he could not. She was still in the past. Quietly he waited for her to return to the present.

  Finally, she sighed, squeezed her eyes tight and then fully opened them. He watched her eyes cloud with tears when she focused on the dead tree. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how. Should he encircle her in his arms or allow her to process the fact that the tree was not the one of her dreams.

  She started forward again, her eyes wide with distress, and then the unthinkable happened; she stumbled on a rock and pitched forward. Bren rushed to catch her.

  He was too late.

  As she fell toward the parched earth, her head slammed against a jutting rock. She hit the dirt hard, moaned, and became limp. Blood gushed from the gash made by the rock.

  Bren yelled, "Violet!" He went down on his knees beside her and gently probed her neck that lay at an awkward angle. It was broken.

  34: Providence

  Bren's mind knew Violet was dead, but his heart refused to believe this beautiful and vibrant woman was gone in the blink of an eye. On a sob, he pulled her into an embrace, cradling her against his heart—the inner heart he had only just discovered. For a long time he sobbed and whispered her name, gently kissing her face. "I love you so much, Violet."

  Finally, glancing up, he stared at the Spirit Tree. The tree Violet had believed in so much that she had lost her life in the search for it. Lowering his head and grazing her lifeless lips, he whispered, "I'll carry you the rest of the way, my love."

  He lifted Violet into his arms and slowly walked toward the misshapen remains of the tree. When he was before its sun bleached branches, he lowered himself to his knees between the roots and offered Violet to the tree. Barely able to speak he said, "She belongs to you now. She believed in your power to save the earth so much that she was willing to risk her life. If it's still possible in her death, I ask you to fulfill her belief. Save the earth." His voice broke on a sob and he hung his head. After a time, a breeze ruffled his hair and faintly he heard the voice of an old woman say, "It was never Violet who would save the earth, it was you. Violet was the means to bring you here. Touch the tree."

  Bren lifted his head and stared at a parched and lifeless root. Violet's death was making him hear things. He continued staring at the root and finally, in an act of faith that he had really heard the voice, reached and touched the dead wood.

  The contact shot a jolt of electricity throughout his body so powerful he stiffened and was unable to speak or move, with Violet locked in his arms.

  Staring at the root below his fingers he watched with incredulity as the parched surface began to change. The dry bark slowly darkened, spreading outward and upward. Still paralyzed and only able to move his eyes, he shifted his gaze to Violet. His tears dripped onto her face.

  Suddenly, the electrical force keeping him prisoner ceased and he fell to the ground with Violet beside him. How long he lay dazed he didn't know, but when he finally forced his eyes open, the Spirit Tree, only a pathetic skeleton before, now stood as testament to a miracle. It was tall with gnarled branches bespeaking eons of existence that stretched upward to the heavens, outward to humanity, and downward to the earth. And with everything in him, Bren knew those eons had been translated into wisdom. Leaves of deep green adorned the branches and sounded like music as they fluttered in a breeze.

  For a long time Bren stared at the magnificence above him thanking Providence for something he couldn't understand, but he knew had saved the earth. Finally, he closed his eyes and begged the same Providence that had just given life, to take his so he could once again be with Violet.

  35: Reunion

  Violet stood before the Spirit Tree in the midst of a gathering of people. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see her mother and father smiling at her. "Mama! Daddy!" she exclaimed.

  Her mother and father hugged her and her mother said, "We'll talk later, honey." Her parents stepped aside and Violet saw Frannie and Raven Sees. They were older but there was no mistaking them."

  "Frannie! Where am I and who are these people?" Frannie's sweet smile warmed Violet's heart.

  "Dearest, these are all your ancestors."

  Violet gasped! "Then-then, I'm dead."

  "Death is an illusion, my child. But I understand what you're asking and the answer is yes."

  Violet glanced anxiously around. "Is Bren dead, too?"

  "No, dear, but he wants to be."

  "No! He shouldn't. He should want to live. He's never experienced true joy."

  "But if he dies and joins you here, he will be happy."

  "Oh, Frannie, it's not the same. He needs to experience joy on earth."

  Frannie glanced at her husband and sa
id, "It seems our little one has a decision to make."

  Raven Sees smoothed a hand down Violet's hair and asked, "What is your choice, granddaughter? Live again with all its trials, pains, and joys, or stay here. If you stay with us, Bren will soon join you."

  The question was not one Violet had to ponder. Without hesitation she said, "I want to return to earth. I want to be with Bren. I want us to continue our mission. I want to show him that whether it succeeds or fails our joy is not in the accomplishment of the task; it is in the journey and our love for each other. I want–"

  Raven Sees interrupted her and said with a smile, "Frannie, I believe Violet has made her desire known.

  Frannie grinned. "Would you like to meet some of your family before you return?"

  "Yes. Oh, yes."

  Holding Violet's hand, Frannie began making introductions. "Let's start with Tana and Thomas, and Sunny and Jason…"

  36: Phoenix

  Bren watched the leaves on the Spirit Tree gently sway and something deep within forged its way to the surface. He thought about Violet and her driving ambition to save the earth and suddenly his desire to die evaporated—her desire became his. With everything in him he knew the Spirit Tree had reversed the curse of the soil and it would bring forth abundance. But what about the people who, like the phoenix, would rise again to the surface to inhabit the land? Who would lead them, teach them, love them?

  Shocked by an unexpected cough, he twisted his head toward Violet lying beside him. Her eyes fluttered and then opened.

  Bren jerked upright and shouted, "Violet!"

  For a moment her eyes were glazed and then they focused on his, their blue brilliance stealing his breath. Glancing above him to the branches of the Spirit Tree, she said, "It looks exactly the same on the other side."

  Lifting Violet into his arms, Bren said, "I love you," and touched his lips to hers.

  The next day, sitting on roots of the Spirit Tree, Violet and Bren marveled at what had happened. Violet reached to hold Bren's hand and said, "It was your love that brought the tree back to life, and it was the tree that changed the crystalline structure of the soil. I always believed the answer was in crystallization, but I could never get the formula right." She paused. "And I never would have. Only your love could bring about a change."

  Bren asked, "What about the oceans. What kept them from stagnating and dying?"

  Violet smiled and replied, "I asked Frannie that same question and she said it was the dolphins that survived the solar flare. It was their love."

  Bren shook his head in amazement. "There is so much we don't know. So much we have to discover."

  "Yes. And we have the rest of our lives to discover it together. But there's something I know I must do right now."

  Bren waited for her to continue.

  "I must dig into the roots of the Spirit Tree." She reached for the spade in her backpack.

  Ten minutes later she and Bren were still digging—and then she felt it. Lifting her hand from the soil she held out the tiny object and said, "It's the ring Frannie buried the night before her wedding. I remembered it this morning and the sight told me to dig for it."

  Epilogue

  Twenty years later.

  Bren stepped inside the small stone cottage that he and Violet had built many years previous and said, "I just received a transmission that another group has been prepared for aboveground living. After Dr. Chandler leads them here, I'll be escorting them to New California Territory. Do you want to come with us?"

  "No. Not this time. Francine and I are starting another gardening class with the latest inhabitants of New Sedona."

  Bren pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her passionately. "I'm going to miss you terribly." He kissed her again, this time gently. "I've been thinking about cutting back my time in escorting pioneers to the new territories. There are plenty of trail blazers now and, frankly, I want to stay here with you and Francine."

  Violet stood on her toes and encircled her husband's neck. "I think that's the best plan I've heard in years. You know, our daughter's eighteenth birthday will be here before we know it. What do you say we take that vacation we're always talking about and sail to New Europe, see the progress they're making there? I hear it's phenomenal."

  The door to their lovely home opened and Francine said, "Oh! Should I come back later? I don't want to interrupt a romantic moment."

  Bren laughed. "Since when have you been concerned about interrupting us?"

  Francine grinned widely. "Since I met the man in New Sedona that I'm going to marry."

  "And how do you know you're going to marry him?" asked Violet.

  Francine shrugged. "Because the sight told me so."

  Bren chuckled and whispered in his wife's ear, "That man has no idea of what he's getting himself into."

  Author's Note

  This third book, Spirit Tree of the Red Rocks (Future), completes the trilogy. Writing this series was a challenge that I truly enjoyed. When I started the project, I had no idea how I was going to meld the past, present, and future into some kind of cohesive whole. But, as always, the stories wrote themselves.

  For readers who have not read books one or two, Healing Woman of the Red Rocks (Past), or Song of the Red Rocks (Present), I have included excerpts.

  My next project will be a return to the Romance on the Ranch Series. I hope to have book eight, Forgotten Kisses, available in early 2016. For those who are familiar with the series, it will be Hannah Tanner's story. She is the sister of Toby and Preston, the twins whose stories were told in the previous two books.

  Hannah's romance will begin across the globe in a third world country where she will encounter her destiny, a doctor who works for the same nonprofit organization as she. Their relationship will be turbulent, sweet, sorrowful, and eventually perfect.

  I love hearing from readers. There is a "contact me" link at my website: www.vernaclay.com

  Healing Woman of the Red Rocks (Past)

  3: Strange Conversation

  The whiskey burned a path to Thomas' stomach and did little to erase his living nightmare. The past two months had been hell as he watched his daughter display the same symptoms that had eventually extinguished her mother's life. Today had been the worst yet when Amy complained of blurred vision, but an examination had revealed nothing other than the strange illness manifesting yet another symptom. His worry was compounded by the fact that she was so small for her age. Not being a robust child, would that hasten the illness?

  Thomas pushed his shot glass across the scarred surface of the bar and said, "Another one."

  The bartender who occasionally came to Thomas because of headaches asked, "Doc, you sure about that? If you need to air your head out, I'm a good listener. I guarantee I'm better than a hangover."

  "Thanks, Slim, but there are some things only whiskey helps with for awhile. Pour another shot."

  Slim shrugged and poured as requested.

  Rather than toss the whiskey down, Thomas wrapped his hand around the glass and closed his eyes, wondering what he'd done in life to deserve the loss of his wife and now possibly his daughter. Although his early twenties before entering medical school had been somewhat on the wild side, he'd never cheated at cards, slept with another man's wife, killed anyone, or lied or cussed overmuch as far as he could remember. His father and brothers had been appalled by his behavior, but his uncle on his father's side had quipped, "He's only sowing his wild oats, Henry. It'll pass, just like it did with you."

  His uncle had been right. At the age of twenty-three Thomas had lost interest in cards and fancy women when he'd entered the medical academy.

  He squeezed his eyes tighter and was about to swig the rotgut, when the cowboy beside him said to his companion, "Marv, it was the damndest thing I ever seen. No wonder the Indians call her Healing Woman of the Red Rocks."

  His drinking companion asked, "Did she ever tell you her name?"

  "No. And I never asked. She wasn't much for talk. By
the time I got Billy there, he was as white as a ghost and I figured he was dead. Hell, maybe he was. Maybe she brought the young fella back from the pits o' hell—that place we'll all end up after the life we've lived. 'Course the kid died last year so I reckon he's in that place now."

  Thomas relaxed his grip on his whiskey glass and continued listening to the men, both of whom appeared to be about Thomas' age, late thirties.

  Marv said, "Curly, tell me again how she saved him."

  Curly belched and replied, "When we finally got there Billy was laying face forward over his horse's mane 'cause ten miles back he said he couldn't sit up no more. Hell, blood was drippin' down his arm and pooling on the ground, and it was a lot of blood." Curly snorted and continued, "I told him afore he started toward that stagecoach that I'd heard tell them drivers got new rifles that was deadly accurate. But he was determined and I was foolish enough to follow him. Well, we stopped the stagecoach all right and delivered the drivers of the strongbox and the passengers of their valuables, but when we shot the box open, there weren't much in it. Anyway, after we hightailed it outta' there, I figured we was lucky sons-o-bitches, but I was wrong—almost dead wrong. Either we didn't get all the drivers' rifles or one o' them men in the coach had hidden one. We was a good distance away when I heard the first shot and Billy fell off his horse. I figured I'd be next if I didn't get low, so I dove for the ground just as a bullet buzzed past my head. I'd say it was God's grace, but sure as hell that would be stretching it. Anyway, we was close to some rocks and I pulled Billy behind 'em. Another shot landed in the dirt in front of the rocks and I fired my Colt cause the horses done run off with our rifles and the ones we stole. Everything went silent and I figured they was discussin' whether to come after us so I fired again just to let 'em know I meant business, and to my surprise, they left."