Dark silence had filled the air. All that could be heard was Freedom’s labored breath and his hoof’s as they glazed against the surface dust of the earth. It was a cool night. There was no setting sun…no feeding of the diamonds…no basin of water to bathe before bed. 
“Stop”… said Me. It is here that we will sleep. As she dismounted, her legs buckled from the weight of her body. This was the first time that her body had left the security of Freedom’s warm hold since leaving this morning. Able to only distinguish soft dark shapes around her: Me worked her way slowly to what looked to be a large unidentifiable tree.
As she walked closer to its base she could feel a huge umbrella of surrounding leaves above. It felt close. Here ….let’s sleep here. Freedom fell immediately to his knees. As he lay on his side he displayed the warmth of his under belly. Me formed into her fetal position and placed her body next to his warm side. Melody perched on the top of Freedom’s exposed hip. Exhausted…sleep came fast.
Back into her dreams… Me again slowly spiraled inward: following the bright light: feeling the sensation of silent calm as she began to touch her vulnerable emotions. Then suddenly: just like earlier…the dark force that she now recognized as “fear” swept her back into her original state where there was no emotion at all. Again…back and forth…back and forth…back and forth. She could not control the power of “fear” inside of her. Her body began to twitch…her eyes rolled uncontrollably as REM sleep kept her in her dream. She was trapped inside of herself. The fear mounted…her body began to dampen…soft moans came from her lips. She began to hyper-ventilate.
Melody was deep into a conversation with Soul, when she noticed that Me was struggling to breathe. Immediately she jumped down onto Me’s shoulder and began to peck at her left ear: no response… With firm consistent strokes she began to poke her ear again and again. A small amount blood began to pool. Freedom had by now awaken and he lye silently still as Melody struggled to get Me outside of her dream. Harder and harder she continued to jab. Blood was beginning to spill over onto Freedom’s brown coat. Please wake my Child…please wake. Suddenly: Me vaulted to her feet. She began to cry uncontrollably….unable to find air to fill her lungs…grasping into the dark. Melody surveyed the situation in silence. She jumped back to her place on Freedom’s hip as blood dripped from her tiny face: the consequences of her effort to relieve Me from her horrifying dream. Melody continued her silent quietness. Hours passed…Night moved into morning with no words spoken and no comfort bestowed.
Both Melody and Freedom knew exactly what happened: The Forest of the Naked Slate had spoken.
My ghost in me... 