Fletcher the Kangaroo: Life and Death - Chapter Twenty Four
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“It’s still not quite right,” Fletcher said. He and Silkie were role-playing being a child with a strict parent, similar to the relationship that Fletcher had with Martin. “I want to be more assertive. You know, speak up for myself more.”
“OK,” Silkie replied. “Let’s try it again.” She continued in a deeper voice. “I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again. We do not speak like that. Apologise to your mother at once.”
“Sorry mama,” Fletcher said.
“Now, off you go and behave yourself.”
“I do behave myself, Dad. And I was only joking with what I said. Mama, you knew I wasn’t being serious, didn’t you?”
Speaking as herself, Silkie said, “That’s better. Even though your dad didn’t give you much opportunity to speak, you still managed to stand up for yourself and explain what had happened. You turned the conversation around and involved your mama. It created a new dynamic. How did it feel?”
“It was still hard, speaking to him that way.”
“Standing up for ourselves isn’t an easy thing to do, especially when we’re learning how to do it, but it sounded good Fletch.”
“And if I think of myself as being really strong, it’s easier to find the right words.”
“That’s right. Now, you play the father and I’ll play the child. Let’s try it that way.”
“OK.” Fletcher closed his eyes and imagined being the parent in that situation. He needed to come across as strict and inflexible. These traits didn’t come naturally to him but they were important in the scenario. “Stop that at once, Silkie! Show some manners and say sorry to your mother.” Fletcher felt a rush of power. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling—he felt he was being pushy and dominating.
“Sorry Mama,” Silkie whispered.
“That’s better,” Fletcher said in a loud voice. He was about to continue speaking but Silkie cut him off.
“I really am sorry Mama if I hurt your feelings, but I was only playing. I didn’t mean it seriously. You get that, don’t you?”
“Wow,” Fletcher said. “You cut me off. That’s pretty brave.”
“Yes but it changes the energy of what’s being said. I think you would have kept growling at me and told me to go off and play. Is that right?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I was about to say. But you took control and made it much harder for me to tell you what to do.”
“And I know it’s not easy for a child to speak to a parent in that way, especially when the parent is overbearing, but that doesn’t matter. We’re trying different approaches and that will make it easier for us when we face similar situations in the future.”
“You’re right. The same scenario is going to keep coming up in different forms until I learn to deal with it. But thanks for that, Silkie. It really helped.”
“Pleasure. I wonder how Miles is doing. Do you want to go and have a look?”
“Sure,” Fletcher replied. They hopped together down to the water and Fletcher drew a circle on the surface with his paw, just like Ariana had shown him.
Fletcher looked into the window and saw Miles talking to Teresa. “Look, he seems a bit better, don’t you think?”
“He seems a lot better. He almost looks happy.”
“Teresa can have that effect. She’s a beautiful little sister. Can you see? She’s leading him across the parkland. I think they’re playing a game.”
Fletcher and Silkie watched quietly as the scene played out in front of them. Fletcher carefully studied Miles’ face. His expression changed constantly. One moment he looked sad, then his attention would go back to what Teresa was doing and he would start to smile. “I’m glad he’s with Teresa. I think she’s really helping him.”
“She’s a bright spark, that’s for sure,” Silkie said. “Let’s send them both some love, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Fletcher sat down by the edge of the water and continued to watch Miles and Teresa playing together. He filled himself up with love and imagined it flowing to both of them.
After a few minutes Silkie pointed to Miles. “Look, Fletch. He laughed. He actually laughed!”
Fletcher wasn’t sure what Teresa had said to amuse Miles in such a way, but he was indeed laughing. “This healing really works, doesn’t it? They may not be aware of us right now, but I can just tell that they feel the love that we send.”
Silkie nodded. “Without a doubt. I really think Miles is starting to recover. I remember when you were both planning this lifetime together. It was your idea that you could be brothers…. ”
“That’s right. And it was Miles’ idea that he would take on the grief of my death. I got the easier role—I came back here early—but Miles wanted to stay on and grieve not only for our father but for me as well.”
“And he’s doing a fine job. When he returns to us he should be really proud of what he took on and how well he dealt with it.”
***
Fletcher and Silkie hopped back up to the rocks and found Ariana talking to Bonnie. Ariana waved to them and invited them to come over. “Fletcher,” she said, “I was about to come and find you. I have something to tell you.”
“Yes?”
Ariana smiled. “Are you ready to go and visit Jeremiah’s class? He is eager for you to come and see what he teaches.”
“Really?” Fletcher said excitedly. “I mean, yes…. yes of course. He trains kangaroos to become guides like you, doesn’t he?”
“He does indeed. Come with me and you will see for yourself.”
Ariana said goodbye to Bonnie and Silkie, but in his excitement, Fletcher followed Ariana without saying goodbye to anyone. They bounced through the wall of the pod and floated in the yellow light. Fletcher wanted to find out what he could about Jeremiah’s group before he got there.
“I was wondering, was Jeremiah your teacher when you did your training?”
Ariana shook her head. “No, he wasn’t. I had a teacher named Clover. She trained eight of us to become guides but she has moved on from that now. Jeremiah was in Clover’s class too, so I know him pretty well.”
Fletcher was fascinated. “Can you tell me more about it?”
“I believe he already has two kangaroos in his class and is still recruiting new members, so you haven’t missed anything. I think you and Jeremiah will get along really well but it won’t be long before you can decide that for yourself. Look, here we are.”
The yellow light from the corridor disappeared and Fletcher found himself standing on top of a hill. Just a little way ahead he could see two kangaroos sitting on the ground and another standing in front of them, waving his paws in a demonstrative way. The kangaroo who was standing turned around and saw Ariana and Fletcher watching. He smiled widely and hopped towards them. “The delightful Ariana!” he said as he grasped her paws in his.
Ariana looked into Jeremiah’s eyes and Fletcher could tell that they were good friends.
“Jeremiah, this is Fletcher. Fletcher, meet Jeremiah.”
“Hello,” Fletcher said politely.
“It’s a real pleasure to meet you,” Jeremiah replied. “Now, come on over, settle yourself in and join the others.”
Fletcher hopped towards the group and sat with the two other kangaroos. He introduced himself to them while Jeremiah and Ariana said goodbye to each other. The kangaroos’ names were Elvin and Adeline. They told him that they had been to this class two times previously.
Jeremiah bounced back towards them. “I see you’ve gotten to know each other a little. Well done. And a big welcome to you, Fletcher.”
Even though Fletcher was only visiting this class, he already felt like he belonged.
“Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?”
“OK, sure. I’m Fletcher and you just saw my guide, Ariana. She only recently told me about these classes and I’m pretty sure I want to be a teacher of some kind. I visited another class…. ”
“Was that Amanda’s or Rupert’s?” Jeremiah asked.
“Amanda’s. It was really good. It was about caring for young kangaroos. But I also want to find out about being a guide and having my own group, so that’s why I’m here.”
“Very good. Well, as you know, I’m Jeremiah and I have known Ariana for a long time. Back at the time when I was still incarnating, I was in Ariana’s class. Not her group, just to be clear, but her specialist class, and we learned to become guides. So yes, I had my own group but they’ve all grown and moved on, so now I teach this class. And I’m sure there are many more wonderful things for me to do in future times too. It’s all part of our evolution.”
Fletcher was fascinated. He had never really thought about what came next after he had finished learning his lessons by living on earth, but he was beginning to appreciate that that was only a small part of a much bigger picture.
“In this class,” Jeremiah continued, “you will learn how to teach others. I’m sure you understand that helping other kangaroos to grow and develop is a real privilege, and if you feel called to do that then I would be delighted to help you along the way. Now, Adeline, can you say a few words about what brought you here?”
“I’ve always wanted to be a guide,” Adeline said simply. “My most rewarding experiences on earth have all involved being a mother. I love having joeys, raising them and bringing out the best in them. I think being a guide is a natural extension of that.”
“Thank you. And Elvin?”
“It wasn’t such an easy decision for me. I considered lots of possibilities before deciding to join this class. I thought I wanted to be a creator—creating wind and keeping the air on earth clean and pure—but in the end I was drawn to teaching more strongly. My guide has helped me so much through some really difficult times and I’d like to do the same for other kangaroos.”
“Excellent. Of course, we may get more members but even if we don’t, we can work well with two or three. If I had to be concise, I would say that being a good guide is all about empathy. If you can imagine yourself in the situation that another kangaroo is experiencing, then you can connect with understanding. You are here to learn to become guides. And guide is such a beautiful word. It’s not so much about teaching or instructing—although that is certainly part of what you will be doing—but if you always remember that your role is to guide, then you can carry that out with gentleness and humility.”
Fletcher watched and listened, noticing that Jeremiah used a lot of gestures as he spoke.
“I want you to think of your own guides and the characteristics that he or she possesses. See if you can come up with one or two words that encompass how your guide teaches you. For example, back when I was still visiting earth, my guide’s name was Melody. And if I were to describe her to you I would say that she was patient. Now Elvin, how would you describe your guide?”
“He’s compassionate.”
“Perfect. And Adeline? What about your guide?”
Adeline thought for a moment before saying, “Gentle.”
“Your turn, Fletcher. How would you describe Ariana to us?”
“I’d have to say she’s humble, or maybe knowledgeable.”
“That’s right. And I think you will all agree with me that the descriptions you came up with have a softness or a gentleness about them. And that doesn’t indicate weakness. No, far from it. It indicates strength. As a guide you need to be strong, grounded and confident, but that all comes from allowing yourself to be open and, at times, vulnerable.”
Fletcher felt Jeremiah’s words surrounding him and filling him up. He could do this—he could really do this. He thought back to his last few lifetimes and realised that the qualities he possessed were very similar to what Jeremiah was describing. He felt that becoming a guide would suit his personality very well.
***
At the end of the class Fletcher said goodbye to everyone and was about to leave when Jeremiah called him back. “Can you stay for a moment?”
“Of course.”
“I thought we could have a little chat about how you found the class and I can answer any questions that you may have. Come and sit down again. Let’s make ourselves more comfortable.”
Fletcher sat beside Jeremiah on the top of the hill and took in the view below. There were fields, rocks and trees as far as the eye could see. The scene seemed to extend forever in all directions. Fletcher looked at the horizon and felt himself relax a little.
“How did you enjoy the class?” Jeremiah asked. “Is it what you were hoping it would be?”
“Oh yes,” Fletcher replied. “It was everything I wanted and more.”
“That’s very good news. Take your time, Fletcher. There’s no rush for you to make a decision. Talk it over with Ariana and those closest to you, but I want you to know that you are very welcome here.”
“Thanks. There’s no need for me to talk it over with anyone. I felt without a doubt that I belong in this class, so I would like to join if it’s all right with you.”
Jeremiah smiled and allowed Fletcher to continue speaking.
“I don’t know if I can explain it properly but this really feels like the right class for me. As I said before, I recently visited Amanda’s class and I loved it—it was a lot of fun. But I want something that’s more than fun and what you taught us today, about being vulnerable and strong at the same time, really hit a spot deep inside me.”
“It sounds to me that you will make a very good guide.”
“Thanks,” Fletcher said, delighted that Jeremiah would think this of him having only known him for such a short time. “Ariana has been so good to me and taught me so many things. She doesn’t tell us the solutions to problems—instead she nudges us to find the answers for ourselves. That’s what I want to do. I want to work with my own group, help them learn and help them grow. I want to encourage them to discover all the best things about themselves and overcome challenges along the way.”
Jeremiah could see that Fletcher was really opening up, so he continued to listen without interrupting.
“If I had my own group I would love them and nurture them and let them discover their own strengths and weaknesses. I would watch their personalities develop and provide a stable environment where they could ask anything at all.
“If they ask me questions that I don’t know the answers to, then I would find out. Or better still, I would help them find their own answers. I would love them unconditionally and push them to become the best versions of themselves that they could be. That’s what I want. Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. Can I learn all of that in your class?”
Jeremiah laughed. “It sounds to me like you already know what you want. I’m not sure that I can add much more to what you just described.”
“I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
“No no no,” Jeremiah smiled. “I’m only having fun with you. I think you will get a lot out of this class. You’re very clear on what you’re aiming for and I will help you reach that point. You, Elvin and Adeline can all bounce ideas off one another. And, who knows—we may have a few more join us yet—but Fletcher, you are more than welcome to be part of this class. In fact, I’d be delighted if that’s what you decide to do.”
“I’ve already made up my mind. I would like to join. I’d like that very much.”
“That’s very good news. I’d better let you get back to your group but remember, if you have any questions, bring them along next time and make sure you ask.”
“I will. And thanks again, Jeremiah. See you soon.”
