[kiasusam]

”Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t those 4 shapes depict earth, water, fire and air?” I said, not really thinking that it was something my father would miss. He sat down heavily in his chair. ”What was I thinking, of course, I just wasn’t analysing them separately I thought they were the end to each section of writing.” He suddenly went off into one of his contemplating moods, and I knew I wouldn’t get any sense out of him for a while, so I poured myself a scotch and sat waiting for him to ponder this revelation, feeling quite proud that I had helped him in his research. ”That’s it!” he suddenly shouted.

This made me jump, for I had been looking at the legs of the table thinking how artistic they were. ”It’s an altar for worshipping nature, the four elements being the key, they have more significance than we’re aware of, but thanks to you I have a frame of reference to go by now. He decided to call it a day at that point, but as we left the room turning the light off we observed that the table was glowing in the darkness, turning the light back on we stood over the table to inspect it further. ”It seems to absorb the light, and reflect it back. But why?” said my Father. I touched the table with the tip of my finger, and for a split second it seemed to pass straight through, pulling my finger clear, my Father tried the same thing, but was unable to elicit the same response. It was then that my Father had one of those eureka moments.

To test his supposition he placed a hand on the middle of the table, nothing happened. He then told me to place my hand in the same place, the symbols depicting earth, water, fire, and air started to rise out of the 4 Corners of the stone slab. Once it was clear they had risen as far as they were going to, I removed my hand. Then a small electrical charge started to appear from each symbol, each one creeping to the centre of the table, once joined in the middle what I can only describe as an aura started to form across the entire surface.

”What’s happening?” I said. ”I’m not sure, but one thing I do know is that only a female can activate it.” ”How do you know that?” I asked. ”You see those symbols indicating the female gender, well I think those symbols next to it represent the male of the species. What I didn’t understand is why the males seem to have two genitalia and that’s what was throwing me, until you activated the table, which told me that it was meant for women only. Weather this indicates that the women in this time were the dominant species, I’m not sure, but one other thing I do know is that this is not of this world,” my Father said, solemnly.

I reached out to touch it again. ”Be careful Cathy!” my Father warned. When touching the aura that completely engulfed the top of the table, my hand seemed to disappear. Having felt no pain I withdrew it then pushed it further in. Suddenly I could feel a drag on my hand as if something was pulling me it obviously concerned my Father for he was trying to reach me as my feet started to leave the ground. I wasn’t being hurt in anyway, but I did feel like there was someone, or something pulling me into the centre of the table.

The last I heard or saw of my Father was when I was completely submersed in the aura that now surrounded my entire body. Looking up I could clearly see him grabbing for my legs snatching only air as I started to fall. I felt a bit like Alice as she fell down the rabbit hole, for even now the image of my Father was getting further and further away. I tried to look down but found that I could only see what I had passed and not what was ahead. I fell like this for what seemed 10 maybe 15 minutes, and then suddenly I hit solid ground, and rolled over.