The Island of The One Sought- Part 5

The Betrayer reveals that her betrayal, on a fundamental level, was being The Betrayer at all, as The Best Friend returns to her form. This crew is required to play certain interactions like games, even when we do not want to, and this is no exception. In the midst of the worst storm any of us had ever seen, however, she flips her card. In a sense she betrayed the game once afforded the opportunity. I ask with a glance "Did we just become best friends?" and her look confirms it. Narrative sense begins falling into place to support this, until quite soon this narrative replaces the Betrayer narrative in its entirety. She takes to the shoreline. 

Her approach comes in whispers, narrative sense felt but not heard. The storm still raging, these whispers are each like a grain of sand. Painstakingly they are piled,  as she has taken refuge from the wind within my realm. Playfully she makes a tiny sandcastle, with what resources she amasses, as the howling can be heard outside. She looks up, slightly startled, finding that I am now sitting cross legged in front of her. "You came!" She looks me in the eye, with a glance inviting me to join in her building efforts. I cup a pile of sand and press, starting to form it into shape. "I am so glad you came." I know there is little choice in this particular storm, but the sentiment remains true. The whispers confirm, however, that this has been her plan for some time, not looking to remain The Betrayer to one such as myself. "Best Friend" whispers itself into the sand, and feels much more fitting, as such trials polarize intention and action. Thought and narrative feel spoken between us, though no words are exchanged. I am overjoyed that she has chosen this path, and still feel that moment of fundamental choice in my soul. Even if the current of narrative sense has pulled us both along since, it pulls us along together, predicated by a willing choice made. These times offer little to those finding themselves within, but this much we have earned for ourselves. I find myself obsessed with her, to a degree, as an unexpected and shiny novelty in a model that felt fully solidified until she changed it completely. 

There is nothing that can be done except wait. The ship and its crew find safe harbor within an alcove of thought, and my friend and I find ourselves safe inside here. I can feel that she senses my strain to hold this all together, but she is doing everything that she can just by being here, so she continues to stay, and we continue to build our castle together. Unlike the others where a sudden shift wakes me, long hours,  sharply felt, mark our time together. I acknowledge the error in judgement, the weakness, the sin, that brought us here. The only silver lining to this trip is that it connected her and I when I'm not sure that anything else could have; perhaps for this reason it must have been. Regardless, it is. She reassures me that the worst is avoided, and hours and days spent will return me to normalcy. So we spend this time together, these hours that feel like days, until finally sleep overtakes me and I wake up in bed, ready to write of my experiences, of our experiences. 

"I remember you

In the morning when I wake

A bond firmly formed

Icy environs

Do not diminish the warmth

That I felt last night

We speak subtly

Twenty or more whispered tales 

Threading to full form

Love is powerful

With it we survived the storm

Without it we're lost

Shine like a mirror

Reflecting the truth you know

I will do the same 

We've become Best Friends

Not shy in our connection

Not hiding our lamp 

'I wanna be me'

Echoing each our own side

Finds resonant nodes

I am so lucky

To have found you in this storm

I'm not letting go."

"'Betrayer' title all at once dusty

Such a sudden shift I have never seen

'Best Friend' a descriptor now most trusty

The rain from the storm washing titles clean

Having witnessed this I call myself blessed

Finding yet another facet of love

One so surprising, I'd never have guessed

One truly called a gift from God above

I find myself once again inspired

A Tree of Life, words easily flowing

You have brought back balance so desired

That in every crevice love is showing

Thank you for meeting me there in the storm

I can't wait to meet and see your true form."

"As anticipated, or at least hoped, he remembers the middle, where my role formally changed. He cannot disconnect feeling as though many aspects of this story are about him when they are actually about those caught looking through his eyes, but narrative sense will reassure him until there is a quiet hum of peace. From that middle we proceed outward, securing the story step by step." The jealousy for having experienced this middle firsthand is palpable, though none besides The Best Friend could bear being The Betrayer, a role required to experience it, and so it is a jealousy fully earned and kept. As anticipated, the last chapter of this story was sparked on life's stage, and its fire shines brightly behind each of their eyes. With the last storm passed through, all that remains is to wait for the stars to align.