Uhtrr

Dreams are subconscious imaginings that contain sounds, images, and other sensations while you sleep, they are but representations of ones' own inner thoughts, self, desire, and fears.

They are apart of us that the other parts set aside because they're different---they don't belong, they are either your confrontation or your fulfillment.

They exist but aren't developed nor manifests yet, they are latent.

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After the celebration of harvest last night, they accompanied us to a spare hut, surprisingly---the hut embedded warmth and a pleasing sense of touch, it was empty, small, and had a hearth in the middle.

We were guests of six, including our tour guide. thick pelts and fabrics were spread across the floor, as the night stroked its harp casting a trans of sweet lullabies Mel bubbled a question as a desperate attempt to wither off the coming dream.

" How many years have you been doing this? "

As we lay at rest falling half asleep the question thrown like a block of wood into the hearth made us all waiting for an answer.

" 3 years " answered our tour guide.

A period of silence followed before another block of wood came to feed the hearth.

" Do you often not introduce yourself to your clients? "

And that's when the soothing of the night failed to compel us into the haze of unconscious dreamscapes.

Another period of silence came before the answer,

" The clients don't usually ask for my name so I... "

" Well I'm asking now am I not? " Demanded Mel before she could've finished her sentence.

" Grace, Grace Garcia. "

After that Mel fell silent and so did everyone else, she might've felt that she was making a big deal out of nothing, but then again---this, is a big deal. If trouble stirred up and eventually got out of hand, we wouldn't know who to hold responsible, we wouldn't know who was watching over us.

That got me thinking for a while before drifting to sleep, but a thought of another got me even curious than Grace, we are six people---and somehow fitted inside a small hut, we didn't just fit, we perfectly fit, as if this hut was designed just for us.

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The next day,

We left our baggage inside the hut as we were summoned by their chieftain, an old man who wore a large headdress with red feathers and a black tip, besides the headdress was native underwear of sort that was hand-crafted of silk and beads.

Beside him were two towering men, the kind of man that could crush my skull with ease, the kind of man that can tear off a limb just by the use of their bare hands, and another old man rested behind them, his face bore paint of black and white, a fleece of bones rested around both his shoulders, he wore a headdress similar to that of the chief but had only black feathers on them.

This man was the man that summoned the call of spirits during the harvest celebration last night, he was the one who led the ceremony. The chieftain spoke in a hoarse language as if every note and end of the letters ended with a cough, none of us understood as the tongue he spoke in were alien to us, even Grace hitherto was dumbfounded.

The man with face paint was rigorous in translating the words of the chieftain into Ivatan in a lethargical manner, which in turn Grace understood and told that they wanted us to come with them as they visit the ancient grotto of" Uhtrr "

" what is Uhtrr? " immediately asked Ysa,

I'm certain that we've all heard that word last night, as that was what most of them were bellowing and whispering into the flame and stars, but none of us really bothered to bring it about, till now.

The man of placid facade paused before saying that " Uhtrr " is neither a person nor a thing, nor of this origin, but beyond even of the fringes of reality, but for the sake of man's sanity, we address this queer unfathomable anomaly as the first---mother.

we were beyond astonished after hearing him describe such entity, I guess all men serve with faith.

Ysa fleeted in delight as she was credulous of such tradition and beliefs, we were all overwhelmed by the thought of an archaic faith, Drey, on the other hand, was merry as Ysa, I couldn't say the same for Mel as she deters the protruding corpulence in the air, Gab was subtle of their faith and felt abrupt over this ambiguity.

But none the less, we made our preparations for another hike towards the grotto where the heart of the island lies. Nothing was set in stone, we were first in line for the hike just behind the chief and the man of paint, they too including the throng behind us was excited to see the grotto, as if they've not been there for a very long while, queer as it already is, now more questions reveals itself rather than answers. I shuddered at the thought.

We headed out of the village and made our way high up the landscape of this titanic forest where erebus lies in every hint and fringe of this ominous place, over all the forest that I've seen this may be the most controversial.

Man and woman in random section each carries a torch and the others who aren't were holding...something else, I couldn't quite make the details out but it was certainly a diminutive piece of wooden ornament, I doubt even this thought of mine for I was sure as daylight that the piece of wood that they beheld was in a sort of humane stark and that it had a pedestal, some sort of idols maybe?

The hike went shorter than we'd expect but much rewarding than we'd also expected, none of us expected it to be---so captivating. The grotto was hidden inside a precipitous plateau whilst inside the forest, what caught our attention were the wide field of grass and its noxious gratification for beauty, luminous amber stones, and dawn breaking fleet of meadowy blossom where only landscapes of dreams were capable of such origin.

Vistas of subtle enigmatic delight smote down the shudder of a damp malevolent tempest loathe upon the forest, this queer nautical feeling had strangled us merrily and had besieged us in our smiles, oblivious of what was previously there, now submerged with another, a much horrid appeal concealed in a lenient ambrosial embrace.

Folly if not then, then now is truly certain. We were but sheeps venturing in a wolves den, Vibrant particles of faltering green light limbers viscously upward in the stray of flight, hundreds if not thousands were straggling up in flight, such peculiar sight rendered me utterly dumbfound, these particles of wonder protruded no other place or at least none that we know of, the field of green, luminescent ambers of fauna, the rocks of old, folly of ancients, pillars and columns etched by those of not from this world, bas-relieves unfathomable by the naked eye.

All these yielded me breathless, withered me in stark diminutive, at the far end of this wonder was a wide mouth cave that led a path below where no bare eyes can stalk. The throng eventually arrived and parted into strays similar to those of the green particles, although Mel, Ysa, Drey, Grace, Gab, and I decided that it'd be best if we all stay together.

The two towering men escorted us towards the mouth of the cave, a constant phonetic of harrow eventually shook me to my core, the man of paint spoke as his words came out of Grace's, saying that inside this cave is where " Uhtrr " first gave her one and only blessing to a lowly creature such as us, to a man named " Kho T'unn " founder of our faithful village to the one and true.

They each gave us torch-light gesturing for us to go on our lonesome, the man of paint made his final words before joining the others in watch of a spectacle, " Thank Uhtrr for this wonder, may she bless all of you in your journey, inside this cave is where eternal tranquility lies. "

A chilling gnarl spiraled along my spine as arctic breeze ushers from the cave, a calm before the undoubted storm one might say, all six of us in rows just like before when we first entered this forest, but unlike before---this was different, my skin felt like it would jump off my bones at this very second just by catching a glimpse of what could be in the other end, the intensity was certainly prodigious.

Stare long enough, and you might just catch the dark lucid erebus staring back at you.