O l i v e r B e n j a m i n
to haul the very grief out of his body, rocking back and forth in an
attempt to cure him of the unfortunate symptoms of being overly
ambitious, recklessly human.
“You’re doing the best you can,” she reminded him.
“Yes, but why?” Don Wong replied, holding her tightly, “Because
of a shared hallucination and a goddamn fortune-taco prophecy. This
has gone too far.”
“It hasn’t gone far enough,” she assured him.
That day they first met, Fu Ling had been crouching down, collecting
plant samples out in the Mojave desert when Shiva nearly ran him
over with her dirt bike. Scrambling out the way of the Indian and her
motorized steed, he sliced his Achilles tendon on a rock. She tended
his wound the best she could, tearing off a section of her blouse to
make a tourniquet, then sped off with him to see her famous old
uncle for treatment.
Dreamwalker, was one of the most renowned medicine men of
the Mojave. Fu would have to stay with them for a week, he said after
examining the wound.
“How about I just go to a hospital?” Ling suggested.
“You’ll have to stay with us for a week,” Dreamwalker replied.
And that was the end of it. The beautiful Shiva stroked his arm in
assurance, which helped to convince him this was a good idea
Every day thereafter Shiva would apply an herbal paste to his leg
and they would talk for hours about Indian ways and consciousness
and what they both found beautiful in the world. On the last day,
when he could just about manage to walk again, her uncle announced
that they were going to have to get married.
“But why?” Fu protested, “We haven’t done anything.” It wasn’t
the worst idea he’d ever heard, however. He had been alone for a long
time and Shiva was the kindest, nuttiest woman he’d ever met. She
even laughed at his jokes!
“Yes you have. You have both already made love to each other in
your minds. Many times. Especially
you
,” he pointed at Fu.
“Therefore you should get married. It is the right thing to do.”
“But I…It was only a dream,” Shiva tried to insist. Fu also tried to
contradict the shaman, but found he could not.
“How did you know this?” Fu said, embarrassed but exhilarated.
“The world of dreams is just as real as the world of objects. But
it’s a lot more difficult to navigate.”
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