Prompt: Sacred Tree
Grandmother Ponderosa
A network of mother trees.
The two sentinels of the quartz tower were easy to spot, even from the well of magic at its base. From the top, they identified themselves quite clearly. The ancient pines stood to either side of the three-story-high quartzite feature, channeling its emanations westward across the valley. Strong and silent, they stood guard. As did the two cedar trees shielding the base of the tower and the magic that lives there.
I chose to climb the crystal tower early one summer morning. The short climb from the road wound through a small canyon flanked on one side by steep ridges, ever threatening to topple onto the unwary hiker. I grinned at the sand, noting the fallen bits of mother-tower strewn gravel-like across the path. A path only those who knew tended to follow.
On this particular extra-dry, high-altitude morning, both sand and crystal bits gleamed up at me, guiding the placement of my feet so as to cause the least disturbance. “Thank you,” I mind-sent, to the mineral kingdom. “I appreciate your support.”
At sunrise, it was possible I’d encounter the odd coyote making its way to the creek below. Sure enough, there was Mama Coyote, trotting along the ridge line, twenty feet and more above my head, making nary a sound. I hadn’t brought…
