Enoch's Arrival (Gaia's Rising Flash Fiction)

With a woosh and a low droning that had been preceded with a few seconds of high pitched tone, Patrick found himself sailing through a wormhole. Grey and black swirled around him giving the inside of this tunnel an ashen candy cane pattern.

He was in free fall, yet not feeling any fear or apprehension at all.

A cool energetic breeze seemed to carry him as he tried to recall the moments before arriving in this tunnel.

"Ah." Patrick thought to himself as he saw glimpses of his family around his bed with him lying in it. They were crying and hugging each other. His sister lingered at his bedside holding his hand as she wept. Bippy, his childhood dog, a small black poodle, lay curled up at his feet. Bippy passed away when he was a small boy and recently showed up to assist his transition.

Patrick was the only one who could see her and other dearly departed friends and family members. His talking about them and to them signaled to his family assembled around his bed that Patrick's departure was soon.

He embraced the silence of his journey in the wormhole.

Alone with his thoughts.

Watching moments of his life. Witnessing them from another's point of view.

"We don't give each other enough grace in life. We all want grace extended to ourselves, but we give so little back."

The lone thought on his mind. The slightest lump in his throat formed eased by accepting his mistakes and extending forgiveness where needed—including himself.

Without warning or indication his flight through this passage was concluding...

He burst into a bright blue sky.

The low drone stopped and the cool breeze was no more.

He was now in a land that looked like Earth and began feeling puzzled and intrigued.

Everything went black again...after the thud.

---

Enoch stretched his wings out in flight filling his lungs with crisp fresh air that had rich notes of magnolia and pine. He found himself savoring this olfactory treat every morning first flight.

He loved flying over the lush technicolored mountains. Radiant and vibrant forest, mountains, and valleys as far as his eye could see.

He darted straight up into the sky getting ready for his favorite thrill…the dive!

The dive!!!

He would get to a point in the sky that he would hover for a few milliseconds and then like he was jumping off a diving board, nose down, he let go. Completely surrendering to the free fall; allowing himself to go thoroughly limp and relaxed. Thinking to himself how his dives are like trust falls followed immediately with the observation his new wings are an advantage on the courageous front.

Often he dove into the pristine oceans, sometimes with a cannonball!

The feeling of nosediving towards the land below and cutting through the atmosphere was pure exhilaration! No words can describe the way it feels passing through the clouds feeling the soft velvety mist against his skin!

Enoch was a youngish dragon.

He did not come into his full dragon body until he left his life on Earth as a human.

Oh, to be sure, he was somewhat familiar with his dragon body already while still in his earthly life, but had not yet had the delight of feeling himself in his own “new” skin.
“You make me feel like dancin...” he sang as he danced funky jigs.

In the first few days, he would stand over the waters edge for long periods of time during the day gazing at his reflection—quite surprised to have blue eyes. His eyes were brown in his former life! He delighted in making new faces and learning how to control his fire.

Unfortunately, he did accidently scorch plants and trees nearby, to which they would recoil and loudly express their irritation over his faux pas, "Learn some manners, new arrival! Geez wish they were given a manual..."

“SORRY!” he said to smooth them over as he moved closer to the water’s edge-remembering and reminding himself to be more careful when practicing fire skills.

“I got this...Diggin it! Nice!” chuckling to himself, and then twisting and trying to view as much of his backside as he could and stretching his beautiful violet wings out, he could almost make out the gold spotted pattern on his back. He just couldn't twist enough to appreciate the whole pattern of gold scales glistening in the sun arranged in a diamond back pattern along his spine.

After he had finished examining himself, he quite enjoyed sitting and staring into the water and watching the ocean life dance and swim in the clear turquoise waters. Especially, Enoch enjoyed watching the jellyfish glide deep in the waters and having delightful conversations with the merpeople.

Enoch was not alone where he was.

Far from!

He slipped from his old life on the Earth into his new one in a new dimension. A newer and truer reality. Yet, he did have a time of reflection upon his arrival- everyone that entered did.

His memories of his earthly life carried through with him while he built new ones in his new home. He was becoming acquainted with the other beings in his new world a little every day. Other dragons, beautiful beings, creatures, and the most beautiful of all...Mother Gaia. A tall willowy woman, with beautiful tan skin and silken long grey hair that naturally curled at the ends.

Mother Gaia dropped in to check on him daily, reassuring him his adjustment was going as it should. Encouraging him to get rest because he would have work to do soon.

“Work? I just got here, I mean…I died to get here!” Stretching his wings in puzzlement, Enoch questioned in a curious tone as he was thinking out loud to himself. He was not put off by working in his afterlife. He guessed he never considered there was work being done in the afterlife by anyone.

“Oh yes, young Enoch,” Mother Gaia replied with a loving but amused chuckle, “big changes are coming to the Earth. A culmination of things. To many it will look like the end, but it is really the beginning of beautiful things and ways of living for those that remain.”

She motioned to a couple of large rocks outside Enoch's cave. "Let's have a seat."

Mother Gaia continued-

“You are still on the Earth now, but in a different dimension. An alternate reality—more specifically a heightened reality! Unicorns, mermaids, dragons, bigfoot, all mythical creatures are real here. They have always been real creatures. There are humans here too. Humans that took the higher road in their lives and followed Love as their compass and guide come here after they leave the Earth like you did.”

“As humanity progressed in civilizations and disturbances on the Earth escalated and continued over millennia those mythical beings migrated here for safety. To be in the Titan’s care.” Mother Gaia's voice becoming more somber, setting the tone for what she was about to share with Enoch.

“Humanity was given two simple rules for living on the Earth:

“Do no harm.”

“Live lives of love and compassion towards the earth, and all inhabitants.”

They both looked on the horizon in somber silence.

Mother Gaia broke their shared contemplation-

“Many humans are coming to this realization now. Unfortunately, for some it will be too late. What is about to happen, they have initiated by their own actions. There is nothing we can do to stop the coming events. It causes us great pain to see how it is playing out. The upheaval has already begun...Humanity started the process themselves.”

Enoch looked away and thought of his time on the Earth, his family, and life. He looked forward to their arrival in this new world with him. He grieved at the thought some of them may perish or not make it to be with him, wondering if there was some way, he could warn them…

Mother Gaia interrupted his thought,
“We are in communication with some of them and yes you will learn how to communicate with them also & the other beings here. We use vocalization here when new beings arrive, times of brevity, celebrations, and special occasions. However, our primary mode of communication is consciousness to consciousness. It’s the real-world wide web as it is called it on Earth, which was in the reality of all things training wheels for the world to inevitably come. There is much to learn about. I have given you a lot to think about for today."

"And now!” Mother Gaia turning cheerful, “Let us prepare for a proper Titan celebration feast!”, throwing her arms up in the air like a champion after a win, then patting Enoch on his muzzle.

Enoch watched Mother Gaia walk away. Her beautiful brown skin glistening in the sun with her voluminous tendrils of long soft grey hair dancing on the gentle breeze. Sometimes she vanished. Other times she walked or called on one of the dragons for a ride back to her dwelling. Oh, how she enjoyed a good ride over the mountains with the wind in her hair.

He was in awe of her, gratitude for the place he was in now welled up inside of him. Feeling a warmth in his heart, his eyes welled up with tears.

“I must know how she vanishes…I hope that is something I can learn...pure magic”, he thought to himself as he watched her form grow smaller in the distance, wiping tears from his eyes.

Enoch’s thoughts soon turned to the pending changes about to happen on the Earth. Ruminating on what the upheaval entails, and saying prayers for his friends, family, and loved ones-hoping prayers reached though dimensions.

He knew he still had so much to learn.

“Yes, they do…your prayers cover your family...don’t be late for the celebration”, he faintly heard Mother Gaia’s voice in his head as she vanished.

September 2020 baccus bee

First two images created by author with Gemini.Third dragon image created by Grok and chosen because of the peacock in frame. Representation of Mother Gaia created in collaboration with starryai and based on the description of her in this story. All words in my work are from my pen and not generated with AI.

Thank you for reading this work of flash fiction in Memoriam of my dearly departed Brother.
A dragon lover through and through.