“If the sun refused to shine

I would still be loving you

If mountains crumble to the sea

There will still be you and me”

Led Zeppelin

….. So  what happened to the rings ……

The culprit remains unidentified. Though the probable assailant is known to ‘Him’, the police, and the care home’s management, she remains free to continue working with vulnerable people. She was nearly exposed for her deed, negatively affected by the investigation into this and other allegations, and must have been aware of the palpable wave of collective revulsion and disgust that emanated through her surroundings. Only the coldest of hearts could ignore it, so perhaps some good came from it all.

Justice in your world, however, is not left solely to human hands. It is guided by Nature herself, where all things find balance. Perhaps the rings now lie dormant, forgotten in the ebb of time. Perhaps they exist as mere trinkets, stripped of significance. Or perhaps they still hold their energy. If so, are they instruments of retribution, or do they now spread love in places where it had been so painfully absent? We cannot know, and perhaps we do not need to.

What remains most significant is the assault’s impact on our protagonists. For Cortina, it was perhaps her final life lesson in this world. She had glimpsed the deepest abyss of despair but was lifted from it by the purest form of love, a love that defied darkness. The lesson, mercifully brief, may have been her greatest and most vital, in preparing her for the trials that lay ahead in her immediate future.

For ‘Him,’ the aftermath brought days of gut-wrenching despair. Yet, out of that pain arose a deeper respect for Cortina’s caregivers, those gentle, benevolent guardians who had shared in his despair. They were devastated, grappling with the unbearable fact that such an atrocity could occur under their watch. One by one, many approached him, some openly, others in hushed, discreet moments, constrained by the ongoing investigation. Each expressed heartfelt sorrow, their words laced with an unwarranted sense of guilt.

The theft was in the past, and nothing could undo the assault. Her caregivers were stunned, but Cortina appeared unaffected. There were more important things to focus on. The police were fully engaged, and, with Cortina’s counsel in his ears, ‘Him’ moved on.

…..  and of Cortina …..

Cortina’s transformation into our world has been smooth, without a single ripple of uncertainty or confusion that I can recall. As she did in your world, she brightens mine and ours. There is a joyfulness and calmness about her, paired with an excitement for learning our ways. Even as a novice, she remains undaunted. Her greatest joy, the moment she glows brightest, is when she soars on the wind, dancing with the mist and the clouds.

Yet there is also a part of Cortina filled with wistfulness, a quiet yearning that reveals she knows she is not whole. She has a favourite patch of moss on an old branch near the river, where she often curls up pensively, gazing at the clear water as it dramatically weaves around granite rocks. She is waiting for ‘Him,’ and why are we so sure of this?

Occasionally, as he has done throughout his life, he visits our mystical glade to experience the magical boost he has never understood nor tried to describe. It is simply one of those things he accepts without question. When he is near Cortina knows. She transforms somehow, engulfed in a golden sheen, and if that weren’t enough of a sign for the rest of us, she will be sure to tell us that ‘Him’ is here.

….. and of Jessara .….

As Cortina’s soul friend, I help guide her through her first Essenscape, and in doing so, I come to understand a little about Jessara. Yet, since she remains in your world, it would be indiscreet and improper for me to provide too many details. However, I will share one observation and one life event.

If you could see the layers forming within Jessara’s unique blend of humanity, you might notice a few that resonate with Cortina, and even an occasional one that echoes ‘Him.’ In my admittedly skewed view, this bodes well for her Essenscape.

As for the life event, Jessara recently became engaged. When Cortina became aware of this, she glowed with such intense joy that I had to shield my eyes. I know, with certainty, that Cortina wishes for Jessara to experience not only what she had, but so much more.

….. and of ‘Him’ …..

‘Him’ has been changed, not altered, improved, modified, or corrected. He finds himself a different person. When Cortina left him, he did not feel a loss; she merely faded away, just like those times when they were separated by his work travels. Her presence never left his being, as he would put it. She was always in his mind, still holding the power to influence his thoughts and decisions. He felt guilty when sympathetic people spoke of the dreadful, lingering loss he must be enduring but wasn’t.

He experienced very little grief, relying on his gratitude for all he had and the wonders he enjoyed, to keep sadness and depression at bay. In the early days after her passing, he would intentionally seek out images and music that brought Cortina’s memory to life. He would shed a few tears, ask her why she could no longer be there, and find himself transported back to the early years of their relationship, joyfully revisiting cherished memories long buried beneath the turmoil of daily life and shrouded in the mist of time.

Then came a period where he felt the need to honour Cortina’s sacrifice, as he saw it, and put some value into the time and life he has left before he can metaphorically join her. ‘Him’ is past that now and believes he has stumbled upon a clever balance that works for him, one that reflects both his self and his life with Cortina.

The poor chap does not know what is really happening. What none of you know, and to be honest, neither did I until I sensed faint but distinct vibrations that were alien to me, is that ‘Him’ has a future in my world beyond his passing in your world.

‘Him’ will not join us as a being but will reunite with Cortina in a gentle convergence of two essences, completing the masterpiece that began in your world but now brightens mine. They will be as one again, this time as one existence, in complete harmony.

….. and of you, the reader …..

You now know a lot about Cortina and how she became the person you admired. Yes, you did admire her, or you would not be reading this. The missing details add no value and could only serve as fodder for idle gossip or as a tool for fault-finding by those whose admiration is more shallow and superficial. People much like those who unwittingly shaped and benignly used her during her formative years and early adulthood.

To those who truly admired her, whether for a lifetime, a fleeting moment, or anything in between, you now hold the inside story of a journey that, I believe, embodies true humanity, the power to change, and the gift of love. Search between the lines of these pages and you may uncover even more about Cortina and, I humbly hope, about yourself. I was as close to her as anyone could be, and I certainly did.

Cortina’s story embodies all the possible forms of love from the misguided to the unconditional. True love, whatever its form, is a gift when honestly given. There is an abundance of it in the world if you are willing to look, take a risk, and let it in.

..… and of me, Eveline …..

This will be the last time I can be with you and communicate with you. I will no longer be an observer intimately associated with your world, as I now manifest in a different dimension of my mine. The Keepers of Lore pointed out to me that my mystical growth had been fuelled by the experiences you shared with me. I have learned that truth and understanding are not ‘out there’ in the repository of the opinions and beliefs of others. Happiness is not out there either. They are all ‘in here,’ within our own surroundings, where what truly matters resides, and where happiness, meaning, and love are found in the humanity of those around us. Nothing holds more value than a kind act freely given.

I will use my time with Cortina to follow some of your adventures, and I will return to you frequently as a harmonious spirit. If you see a pure white flower tinged with a shadow of pink ash at its extremities, it will be me. Please come over, pretend to admire its fragrance, and whisper hello and let me spill a little fairy dust in your direction…