"Not far now, darling." I heard the Great Goddess's voice, which was reassuring as I had walked for a while now without having heard from her.
A kilometre and a half down the road, from where I parted ways with the driver of the truck, I turned into the wooded bush; and though I had not gone substantially far, it had taken twice as long as it would have, had there been a trail.
As I blazed my own trail through the woods, I tried very hard not to trip on any roots or rocks, not to walk through spiderwebs with my face or get scratched up too badly from the plants and tree branches that grabbed at me.
Somewhere in the next five minutes, I found myself free of the woods in an open space. I paused for a moment, my eyes taking in all there was to see.
I observed the reason the forest ended; a change to grass that became sandy rocks when it met the edge of a small lake. I tried to look every way to see if it looked secluded, safe and if I could easily find wood enough to start a fire.
"Well, what do you think?" The Goddess asked, sounding pleased. "It will work; and is a bit pretty too." I smiled.
"Yes. It is pretty." Looking to the sky, I noted I must hurry to have everything ready on time. "Which spot do you favour?" I asked her.
She prompted me forwards several yards and just as I lifted my foot to take another step yelled "Stop!" I set my foot down beside its sister.
"Where your feet are now, that is where the fire shall be."
I looked to my left and to my right, noticing the spot to be equidistant between forest and lake.
I marched my feet in place to tamp down the grass a bit, then reached into the hidden pocket on my dress, pulled out three long, clear crystals of quartz and placed them on the place my feet had previously rested.
Walking away from the spot, I started along the edge of the forest and went in as far as I needed, until I had enough small sticks and medium pieces of wood to start a fire.
I hurried them back to place them beside the chosen spot. I returned back to the edge of the forest to get enough dried grasses, scraps of lost tree bark and dried leaves as I would need as a fire starter.
I only tarried for a moment when I had the feeling of being watched. But I could find no one, so I hurried back to the chosen fire spot.
It only took me a short amount of time to have the wood all piled around my gathered fire starter, in the proper circle-based pyramid shape.
For the second time, I got the feeling of being watched, and something in my gut told me that it was more than one set of eyes. As I was squatted next to the fire with my back to the woods, I looked over my shoulder. But still I saw and heard nothing.
I realized that sunset was only about 40 minutes away, so I had no time to speculate on the local wildlife.
I stood up and I put my hand in my pocket again. The final items in my pocket were four yellow pieces of fabric cut into squares (they very much resembled handkerchiefs) and a pocketknife.
I knew what the layout of the ritual should be. Using the fire as my circle centre, I marked out two concentric circles around it, spaced apart just the right way.
On the outer circle, I placed the four pieces of yellow fabric, each aligned with the four cardinal directions of Earth- North, East, South and West. Not only did they mark these points, but they also represented for me the "home marks" for where traditionally the four other dancers would always come back to.
But I would have no other dancers tonight, the four priestesses were in my home realm.
I wondered about these priestesses, the "sisters" I had never met, as I created an illuminated orb to hang in place over each piece of fabric.
I wondered what they were like as I cast enchantment to keep each piece of yellow fabric in its chosen place. I wished them good luck. For they too would have to do their end of the ritual, so far away in their corner of the universe.
I snapped my eyes to the forest. I could have sworn I heard something that time. I watch, wait and listen, but again, nothing.
I am running out of precious time. In my hurry, I am a bit too overzealous, and I put too much into my fire creation spell.
The fire roars to life and I jump back as the wave of heat rolls over me.
"Oops." I whisper as I look at the fire before me, a clear 6-foot-tall creation. My current nearness to the fire, leaves me sweating.
I use the pocketknife to cut the last inch and a half off the end of my long braid; just below the small elastic. I throw the hair into the fire before I turn and walk about two feet out of range of my ritual ground.
I carefully take off the dress and pocket and leave it in the relative safety of a tree.
I take a deep breath and go as near the blaze as I can handle, before I go to my knees and begin to sing the opening prayer. It is a long and drawn- out prayer in the ancient language of my people.
The first prayer basically sings the praises of the Great Goddess of All. It asks her to join us and bless us with her presence, to bless the ritual and protect those who take part.