Tides, and the Undertow

"And why am I never told what occurs in my house?" Kyla demanded in a loud voice.

She didn't mean to be so loud, however the stress of traffic, and of the bank being closed on the one day she could get there this week, as well as having an uncomfortable altercation at work caused her to over react in that moment.

Things were changing. She knew. Already she was suspecting it was all happening again by the little signs she was diligently attempting to ignore.

"Really now. How is it you three are here, not for the first time I know, and no one has told me?"

The three squirrels sitting on the dinner table, eating the crumbs of her children's breakfast, were silently looking at her with those big black irresistible eyes they have. It reminded her of the stories her great grandmother told her when she was young. Her great grandmother, Anastasia, was born in the wilds of Siberia. Rasputin was famed to have come from an area near where her great grandmother came from. There were a few small pockets of people living strewn about in those wilds, untouched by what's known as civilization. They spoke ancient languages, kept to themselves, and still maintained what's considered the "magical powers" they inherited from their ancestors before the time when most of the Vedic communities where brutally wiped out both physically and from history.

"Where is Katia?" Kyla asked the squirrels whose soulful eyes continued silently starring, while their teeth continued munching on the left overs.

"I see. No one is going to tell me anything. I'll have to find out for myself then."

Thinking Katia was playing a trick on her she began checking the closets, under the beds and in every room of the house to see if she could find her.

Everything in nature moves. Rocks shift. The Earth spins. The wind blows. And Katia appears. Unannounced, playful and seeking adventure. Usually. As it was Kyla could not find her anywhere. Even out doors in the food forest garden where berries, fruits, nuts, roots and leafy greens grew among a healthy variety of mushrooms. Growing food was a skill she had learned from her Great grandmother, with established garden/food forests handed down through the mothers of her family line. Kyla believed all the worlds problems could be solved in a garden. No packaging needed meant no pollution. We wouldn't have to truck things around because we'd have most of what we needed in our backyards, and we could trade in our villages for other items. The growing and eating of our own food, she believed, is so much more healthy than what passes for food that we get in the stores; and the over all lifestyle of growing one's food (ideally, on tax free land), is a low stress, rewarding lifestyle, the remnants of which were almost gone.

Kyla realized that in this day and age most people don't have time, or knowledge, to garden, and many don't really see the value. Kyla had followed a movement in Russia, where her great grandmother was born, that has revived aspects of the Vedic culture by giving land for free to people willing to grow gardens on it. While two decades ago Russia grew only 20% of their food they're now growing 80% by having given the land to folks willing to farm it. Kyla was hoping to see a movement like that here in the States but that seemed like a far away dream.

"Gotcha!" a familiar voice said from behind as hands grabbed her waist and began tickling her.

"Stop, stop" Kyla said between gasping laughter. Her cousin always took the tickling to the edge, stopping just before Kyla was about to pee her panties.

"You witch!" Kyla blurted as she was set free turning around to face Katia.

"Yes, and what of it?" Katia demurred, bringing her face close into Kayla's. "Have you renounced your roots? Or just gone stale my dear Kashenka?"

Kyla had mixed feelings when her cousin teased her. She was older than Katia and wanted her cousin to look up to her, or at least value her opinions, but Katia was adamantly self directed that that need was yet to be fulfilled.

Miffed, Kyla walked over to the kitchen counter, took out a knife and began cleaning it. She wondered why she did that because knife cleaning was such a tedious process, and in fact she loved her cousin and was happy she was here.

Making a mental note to look more deeply inside herself to figure out why her cousin triggered her she finally replied, "I'm happy to see you Katia. When did you get in?"

"Oh, dear, I'm always in. I arrived a week ago but you seemed so tired, or bogged down that I didn't want to spoil your bad times so I hid for a while until I thought you might feel like having some fun."