The Custodian of the Temple Garden & Albino Moon Eyes The Snake

Along the mossy path where the branches hung low with new buds, and the cobble stones lay scattered with last season's leaves, was a special feature. A series of connected stone pools had been built long ago above an old aquifer. Within the pool stood a stone statue of a robed monk eternally spilling water from its hands.

She rose her pale head from the pool to receive the watery blessing that tumbled down from the statue's open hands. She was a moon-snake and her skin was pale white and molting. There was a primal sort of joy she felt as the water element undulated against her tight and uncomfortable skin. She felt old layers begin to part from her body and she pushed her self against the flow to help finish the job. When it was done she felt as if she were made new. She wound circles in the water and as the remnants washed away, feeling the sensation of every filament of water against her borne-again body. Beneath, her children swam in lazy unison like many small white worms.

She removed herself from the water to lay upon the stone embankment of the fountain as dusk fell upon the garden. She flicked her forked tongue tasting the coolness of the evening. -And something else she tasted too, a dampness that lingered in the air and the scent of unopened flower buds waiting for spring. Night was coming and she knew that the young blond monk would soon come to the gardens with his satchel and ring the evening bell.

***

Down in the empty temple libraries Ae-Jah El-Rah poured over the pages of the withered leather-bound book. He was glad that the library was mostly empty this evening, for his quest was a secret one and he relished the covert nature of his investigation. His fingers ran over the textured cover which was made of some sort of reptile skin. He read the title: Tantra: The Riddle of the Serpent. He got a private jolt of pleasure and mystery just from those words. Running his fingernail across the closed pages, he found the location in which he had left the white feather and opened the pages trying not to mar their pail translucent skin with his careless intrigue. From within wafted a scent like dry leaves and a slightly fragrant musk like a perfume made from animal scent.

-And there it was again, that illustration that had burned itself into his mind every since he had fist seen it almost a fortnight ago. Halfway down the page was a crisp black drawing of a snake and feline entwined in a sort of erotic dance. The snake was poised with open fangs as if to bite the felines exposed neck, and underneath were drawn a complex series of lesser runes and pictographs. The lexicon belonged to that of the 'Old Pleiadian.' It was a language that was almost unintelligible to Ae-Jah, yet a few possible meaning jumped out at him.

...Sexual chemistry (between the) archetypes of *snake + feline.

...*The bite of her devotion initiates the marriage...

...the Serpentine Kundalini...

'Serpentine', he said silently to himself feeling how the word rolled off his tongue. Something about the word gave him a queasy feeling in his stomach. A lurch. Energy rising through him like tiny bubbles inside. Suddenly a blue fleck sparked sideways across his eye like a ghost image. It was as if he somehow known the potency of this riddles meaning.

He rested the book upon the stone table, and stroked his chin, gazing off in contemplation. His eyes came to rest upon the large crystal that was set in the high vaulted ceiling. Although it was late evening, the amber stone shone with a light that was like day. He looked around to make sure none of the elder monks were present and then quickly marked his page with his feather and gathered the enigmatic tomb under his blue-green robes. For now the book was going to be a secret that he did not share with any of his peers or teachers. Later he would peruse as his leisure in the full privacy of his chambers.

He left the library then walking down the vaulted hall, past the dim alcoves that remained roped off for renovations, and up the great wide staircase where the diamond emblem was etched high on the wall above. Above ground the temple grounds were dark and empty and his bare feet barely made a sound as he padded along the mossy path to the temple gardens.

He sat on the stone lip of the pools listening to the sound of running water spilling from the statues hands. He bowed his head in prayer, honoring the old ways and calling upon the presence of the ascended masters. There were some students that thought the forms and poses of the statues to mired in the old way to merit true contemplation.. But Ae-Jah cared not, for while his young restless feet might be impatient at times, he did feel a kind of restful peace when he gazed upon the statue's old and friendly face. Perhaps he would one day look like such a monk – if he lived long enough.

He rang the copper bell that hung near the pool's edge and watched as the many snakes swim to the surface, and from his satchel he flung a handful of small pellets into the water. Watching their fluid movements filled his mind with wonder. He enjoyed the snakes, and there was one in particular that had taken a liking to him. He scanned the water for his favorite snake, the large white mother.

***

She was at the edge of the garden eating snails from between the moss covered rocks when she heard the evening bell. She could feel its copper resonance like a tuning fork summon her. She could see the blond-haired man now sitting at the pools edge, and she wound her way through the grass to where his bare ankles lay exposed beneath his robes. As she brushed against his foot she felt his body stiffen for a moment and then relax.

“Oh hello Albino Violet Moon! hunting for snails this afternoon are we?” His voice was warm and quiet, and compelled by his familiar energy she slithered up to perch upon the edge of the pool where he held the open satchel.

She felt his eyes intently upon her and she knew that he desired to touch her fresh new skin. Slowly and deliberately she climbed upon his hand. She felt his spine straightened involuntarily as she made her way along his arm. She could taste his uncertainty and waited for his body to soften before proceeding further. He held his breath and then let it out with a soft sigh and then closed his eyes following the sensations of her movement.

To her he was a familiar presence, like that of the ancient stone statue that oversaw the pools. She was able to slip into his mind then and glimpse his dreams and innermost secrets. In the space between his thoughts she could sense the man who he was and the man he might become. She felt his undisciplined innocence, yet also his natural wisdom.

Flowing, She thought.

***

The ascended masters silently witnessed all from beyond the veil.

In the dark sky behind the statues, the remnants of the sunlight triangulated off the moon. An oblique narrow crescent of white. A waning light of that which was just out of reach, like the sliver of light that sometimes shines underneath the threshold of a closed door.