Whizzing Along the Silky Way - Pt.2

I didn't know how long I must have slept but I awoke to the fragrance of jasmine drifting into our star-ship.  "It must be dawn," I thought and when I looked out, I saw to my surprise a beautiful garden filled with blooming flowers, trees with sparkling leaves and peacocks strutting about.  In the sky was a large moon, probably five times the size of the moon we see from earth, and it shone with a soft pinkish glow.  I woke up Lao Tze and as we looked at the delightful scene before our eyes, a young woman suddenly appeared from nowhere.  She was sitting on a lotus pod and in her hands was a pink lotus.

As we watched spellbound, she looked at us, smiled and spoke in a soft musical voice.

"Welcome to Silky Way Paradise.  I am honoured to have you as my guests."

"Silky Way Paradise!" exclaimed Lao Tze.  "I don't seem to have heard of it before."

"My name is Lien Hua (Lotus Flower). I am the ruler of this paradise," she continued.  "Come, follow me ... I shall provide you with refreshments, you must be tired after your journey through the stars."

She led us through beautiful gardens of flowers and trees with deer and peacock grazing contentedly.  "It's almost like Nirvana, Lao Tze"  I whispered.  Lao Tze did not say anything and I guess he was on his guard, just in case.  Soon we arrived at a pavilion where two pretty maidens welcomed us. We sank into the soft cushions and thanked our host for her kindness.

"Here we consume only fruits," Lien Hua said. "Everyday is like spring - the flowers bloom all year round and it's never hot or cold. Enjoy yourselves and I shall see you later."

With that she smiled and floated away.

"Well, what do you think, Lao Tze?"  I asked as I bit into a juicy apple.  "I don't mind spending some time here - it's just like Nirvana."

Lao Tze He looked a little doubtful and said, "Strange, I've been to the Silky Way many times before and I never knew this place exists. Anyway, I had better get the repairs to my star done quickly.  It's better we don't stay too long here."

We were about to return to Lao Tze's star-ship when Lien Hua appeared again.

"I hope you enjoyed your refreshments," she said, smiling.  "You are free to go anywhere while you are here.  However, there is one condition....."

"Oh-oh," said Lao Tze.

Lien Hua turned to look at the sky.  "See that beautiful moon up there?  See how she glows like a giant pink pearl and how graceful and serene she sits in the sky.  It has been my dream for many eons to possess it and keep it among my treasures.  I have heard of your many talents and powers, little one (addressing Lao Tze) - I want you to take the moon from the sky and deliver it to me!"

"Madam," said Lao Tze, quite aghast.  "At the risk of being rude, I think you're crazy.  The moon is God's creation and its place is in the sky.  You cannot remove it from the sky and keep it among your possessions."

"Why not?" she laughed.  "I always get what I desire, no matter what it costs.  You have three days and three nights, otherwise you and your friend are doomed to stay here as my slaves for eternity and I warn you, it's not what you earthlings call "a bed of roses".  By the way, don't think of escaping in your star-ship - I have put a force field around it and the only way to remove it is by chanting a mantra - and I am the only one who knows the mantra."

She turned to go, then stopped and still smiling, said, "If you wish to have an idea of where my slaves are and what they are doing, just follow the pink path and you can see for yourself.  My slaves, by the way, are space travellers like yourselves who could not fulfil my wish.  Poor devils .. they'll never be able to return home."  She laughed again and vanished.

"Lao Tze, what shall we do now?"  I asked.  "The woman is out of her mind!"

"I know, my friend, but first let's find out what her slaves are doing.  We may get some useful information from them."

We followed the pink path and soon found ourselves in what looked like an arid desert.  There was sand everywhere, the sun was blazing from a cloudless sky and the heat was unbearable.  It was an extreme contrast from the gardens where we were. Then we saw to our amazement that there were dozens of men and women, and even more surprisingly, horses, cats and dogs working hard in the middle of the desert. It looked like they were building something.

One of the men turned and looked at us.  He was sweating from head to foot and we could see he hadn't eaten for days.

"Sir, what's going on here?" I asked.

"We're building a giant stairway to the moon," he said, his voice harsh and dry from thirst.

"What?"  I gasped.

"The woman's mad," said Lao Tze.  "She thinks she can build a stairway to the moon and take it down from the sky!"

The man looked at us sympathetically.  "So you two are her latest captives!"

"Not yet, my friend," said Lao Tze.  "If we can help it, we shall get out of here and send help for all of you."

The man shook his head.  "No, don't waste your time.  We are all doomed to stay here for the rest of our lives.  There is no escape.  I can't talk any more - the building supervisor will kill me if he sees me talking." He hastily turned back to work.

"Lao Tze, we've got to do something!"  I cried.  "We can't leave these people to die here."

"Alright, alright, but first we've got to repair my ship.  Let's get back to it without wasting any more time."

(To be continued)

"Welcome to Silky Way Paradise ..."