Fletcher the Kangaroo: Life and Death - Chapter Twenty Five
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Back at his place once more, Fletcher rested on the ground beside a cluster of rocks. He was quite high up and he looked down at the view. Most of the ground cover was an earthy brown colour but it was broken up with patches of green—gum trees and small grassy fields. He wanted more greenery in the landscape because in his mind, green represented being alive.
He stood up and hopped to where the ground was bare. He thought of his last lifetime on earth and remembered the mischief that he and Miles got up to, especially in their younger years. Remembering these fun times, Fletcher moved his paws through the air, outlining the shape of a gum tree. As he did this, he steadied his mind and watched as the tree took shape right in front of him. He hopped forward a little and repeated the process. This time he thought of Miles helping Donovan when Donovan hurt his shoulder. Another tree took shape.
Fletcher continued in this way. He thought of Teresa and Sonny, his mother, father and grandmother. He remembered finding the cave and the first time he swam there. He imagined himself up on the back hills, tasting blackberries for the first time. He looked around and noticed that what was recently a bare patch of dirt was now a cluster of at least a dozen gum trees.
Feeling pleased with what he had accomplished, he hopped back a little way to admire what he had created. “Much better,” he said quietly to himself. “Now for the stream.” He hopped across to where the stream was flowing and stood in the shallow water. “Maybe we can have some rapids.”
He sat in the water and pictured a pile of rocks on the sandy bottom. Again, as he made the rocks, he associated each one with a memory. This time the memories weren’t from his life on earth—instead they were about things he had learnt in his group. He thought of Ivan who frequently made jokes but always had something wise to offer. He remembered talking to Bonnie about her lifetime where she grieved for her baby son who had died before he was even a year old. And he thought of how Silkie had helped him recognise the qualities he possessed that would help him in future lives.
The stream, that until recently had been quiet and peaceful, was now making quite a noise. The water that had flowed calmly and smoothy was now splashing over and around the rocks. Fletcher felt energised. He floated downstream with the newly acquired current and swam beneath the surface. He turned to face the rocks once more and swam towards them by moving his legs underwater. He didn’t move very far because of the current but he felt invigorated from the effort he was making.
When his legs started to tire, he climbed out of the water and sat on the grass. There was a slight chill in the air, so using the power of his mind, he raised the temperature by a few degrees. His fur dried quickly in the warm air. Feeling very content, he closed his eyes and rested. He was progressing nicely through the things that Ariana had asked him to work on and now he had a vision of one day being the leader of his own group.
His thoughts came and went as he drifted towards sleep. He pictured the corridor that wound its way through all the pods. One day he would have a new pod with his very own group. He wondered what the kangaroos would be like. Maybe they were in the nursery right now, or perhaps they hadn’t been created yet. He wondered how kangaroos came to be. Did they begin as sparks of consciousness or did they fall out of the air like stars in the sky? Were they created with their personalities already formed or were they influenced by other kangaroos they interacted with? Perhaps there was a class where kangaroos learned to create other kangaroos. Fletcher didn’t have the answers but his mind swam with possibilities.
He thought of Ariana and Jeremiah. They must have come from different groups and yet they met when they joined a class to learn how to become guides. Then later, when they were ready, they had their own groups and put all their learning into practice. The spiral of pods must go on forever. A spiral is a good shape for it, Fletcher thought, because it goes up and up and up. Forever. Without limit.
As he drifted closer towards sleep, his mind continued to wander. What happens to the pods when the kangaroos have learnt all their lessons and lived all their lives? Once Ariana had taught him and the rest of the group everything that she could, what would happen then? Would they stay together or would they go their separate ways? What would happen to their pod? Would it vanish or would a new group move into it? Fletcher stirred a little. The questions that were floating through his mind were difficult to answer—impossible actually—and that was probably for the best. It was enough to figure out how to handle grief—taking on the knowledge about why things exist and how they are made forms a much bigger picture and he was glad that he didn’t carry that responsibility. Being the teacher of his own group seemed a small role to play in the scheme of things, but it would be enough. Fletcher was grateful that other kangaroos took care of everything else—he would focus on dealing with grief and learning to become a teacher. Each kangaroo has an important role to play and he was happy with what he had decided to do.
***
After a long deep sleep, Fletcher woke feeling refreshed. He stood up and hopped back to the gum trees that he had just created, sniffing at the ground beneath them and taking in the new layout of the environment. He hopped away, into the corridor of light, and returned to his pod. He found his group all seated beside the rocks, laughing loudly.
“Fletcher,” Ariana said warmly. “You’re back. Come and join us.”
“I didn’t realise we were meeting. Did I miss anything?”
Ivan spoke up before Ariana had a chance to reply. “I just finished telling the gang a new joke I thought up. Do you want to hear it, Fletch?”
“Go on then.”
“OK. Why did the little star cry?”
“I have no idea.”
“Because it only got a constellation prize.”
Fletcher groaned and rolled his eyes.
“Do you get it?” Ivan asked enthusiastically. “A constellation prize, instead of a consolation pri…. ”
Fletcher cut in. “Yeah, I get it. It’s pretty funny, really.”
Ivan bowed down in a theatrical way. “I aim to please.”
“Thank you Ivan,” Ariana said with a smile. “We can always rely on you to keep us laughing. Does anyone have any thoughts that have arisen since we last met?”
The group thought in silence for a few moments before Laura spoke. “I’ve been practising different situations, acting them out and so on. My normal way of functioning is to be driven and determined, but when challenges come along, like losing a loved one, I seem to give up. I lose my determination and enthusiasm and kind of fall in a heap. So, seeing as we were talking about trying out different personality types, I thought I would pretend that I’m less intense to start with.”
“I don’t know that they’re quite the words I would choose,” Ariana said. “You have a beautiful fire in your belly, Laura. You want to remain true to yourself.”
Laura nodded. “What I’m trying to say is, if I’m a bit gentler in my approach to things, perhaps there wouldn’t be the need for such a change when things go wrong.” She looked around the group. “Does what I’m saying make any sense?”
A few kangaroos nodded but Laura decided to try to explain what she meant more fully. “So, rather than coming on so strong in the first place, then falling down when grief or tragedy comes into my life, if I’m calmer and gentler in the first place, maybe…. maybe I wouldn’t have as far to fall. Yes, that’s what I’m trying to say. So, in light of trying out different personality traits, I’m trying to be more calm, grounded and gentle.”
She paused.
“Did it help?” Daniel asked.
“I think so. I did a few role plays with Bonnie to try it out. And yes, it made the shock of grief a little easier to bear.”
“Remember that time,” Bonnie said, “when you pretended that your mother had died? In one scene you had been quite highly strung and the grief of her death hit you really hard, but when you approached it by being calmer, it looked like you could think more clearly when she died. And by thinking more clearly, you processed your emotions much more efficiently.”
“That’s right,” Laura said. “That’s how it felt.”
“And that’s exactly the type of result I had hoped you would be able to find,” Ariana said. “You experimented with a different personality type or different characteristics and discovered new results. Some of the results that you encounter will be helpful and some won’t be, but they will give you more options. Excellent work. I’m very pleased.
“Remember everyone, that there is more than one way to do things. Just because you have used certain methods in the past doesn’t mean that you need to continue in the same way. There are no rules—you are the master of your own path. The more creative you can be in your search for strategies and methods, the more skills you will develop and the faster you will progress. Now, are there any more questions or comments?”
“I need to keep practising,” Daniel admitted. “I made a start but there are many more things that I want to try out.”
“Then work together, help each other and explore as many ideas as you can. Now Silkie, would you like to share your news with the group?”
At the mention of Silkie’s name, Fletcher’s head sprung up. What news did Silkie have? Why didn’t he know about it? The other kangaroos in the group also looked curious and they were eager to hear what Silkie had to say.
Silkie straightened herself into a taller sitting position. “I’ve decided to go back to earth soon.”
The kangaroos smiled, cheered and congratulated her. Fletcher was delighted. Of course, for something as big as this, Silkie’s discussions would be between her and Ariana alone. Preparing to go back to earth was such an exciting time and he listened to hear what else she had to say about it.
“Ariana and I have been talking and yes, I’m going to incarnate soon.”
Ariana smiled. “Silkie has been working hard, as you all have, and it is her time to take on the challenge and the joy of another life on earth. The finer details haven’t been figured out yet but that will all take place before long.”
“Where do you think you will live, Silkie?” Rachel asked.
“I don’t know yet but I was thinking perhaps somewhere in the Northern Territory. I haven’t lived there before.”
“Don’t go too far north,” Ivan advised her. “It’s very wet and sticky in the tropics.”
“I hope you like the heat,” Bonnie said. “It will be different from your last life. You were in Tasmania, weren’t you?”
“I was. I lived up in the mountains, so I want something different this time around. I haven’t decided yet though. It’s still early days.”
***
Each of the kangaroos came up to congratulate Silkie and then they went on their way. Before long, only Fletcher and Silkie remained.
“You’re going to earth,” Fletcher said happily. “I had no idea.”
“Neither did I,” Silkie replied. “It’s really all only just happened. Ariana came to speak to me and I think she always intended to ask if I felt ready to go back to earth, but we talked for a while first.”
“What did she say?”
“At first she asked me how I was finding Oliver’s class. I told her that I’ve only been twice and I talked about what I have learnt so far.”
Fletcher nodded. “I see.”
“Then we talked about what I’ve been trying out in relation to my work on grief—you know how we were role playing recently—and she told me how well I was doing. After that she asked me if I felt ready to go back to earth.”
Fletcher was amazed. “Just like that?”
“Yes,” Silkie smiled, “just like that. It always takes me a little bit by surprise when she asks me if I’m ready to embark on a new lifetime.”
“What do you mean?”
“I suppose that I hadn’t been thinking about going back to earth yet. In a way I don’t feel ready. I’ve just been practising whatever things she asks us to practise when we get together as a group. But of course I said yes. I mean, it’s great, isn’t it? I definitely want to go and I want to make sure that I get the most out of it. Whatever grief I experience, I want to deal with it as well as I possibly can.”
“You will, Silkie. I know you will. It’s always hard, of course, but you’re ready. I know you’ll do a great job.”
“Thanks Fletch. I’m excited, that’s for sure. I just want to make sure that I give it my best effort. I want to make sure I put into practice everything that I’ve learnt—everything that we’ve been working on together.”
Fletcher did his best to encourage her. “You will. I know you will.”
“But I wish I could remember everything. I wish I didn’t have to forget.”
“Ah, but that’s the thing about going to earth, isn’t it? We forget everything we’ve ever known. We forget who we are, we forget where we come from and we forget any knowledge that we’ve acquired. When we are born our memories are wiped clear and we start from scratch.”
Silkie smiled and raised her eyes to look at Fletcher. “I’m going to be a tiny little joey.”
“Yes and then you’re going to grow up and be a beautiful little girl.”
“Then a stroppy adolescent,” Silkie added.
“And then a beautiful, wise adult. You’ll probably have joeys of your own. Just think Silkie, you get to experience all those things.”
“I know. I can’t wait. I know life won’t be perfect because it’s always hard in some ways. But right here right now, I understand that I want to make the most of every single opportunity—all the fun times, all the arguments, all the sad times and all the relationships.”
“You will, Silkie. Just trust yourself. And I’ll be waiting here for you when that life comes to an end. You’ll be able to tell me all about it.”
