The Fool touched down in the coastline’s shallows. The tide was calm and the water was cool. The bottom was lined with colorful rocks. He stood there for a few minutes letting the water lap at his knees. He felt at peace again.
There was a figure in the distance, and the Fool started wading that way. As he got closer he saw that it was a woman in a long, white, flowing dress and a crown of flowers. She was also standing in the shallows, and facing inland. She seemed to be expecting something.
In the distance a large bird was flying in crazy-8s, diving and rising up. Then it turned and started towards the Fool and the woman. As it got closer, the Fool realized that it was much bigger than a bird. It came down almost to ground level and was charging right at the woman. It was almost on the woman by the time the Fool recognized it as a dragon.
The woman put her hand out and the dragon came to a stop and lied down. The woman started to pet the dragon and put her hand in his mouth and the dragon seemed docile. The dragon was about twenty-five feet long from nose to tail, and the woman was probably five foot something, but she stood there with her hand in the dragon’s mouth.
I am Strength, she said, without looking at the Fool, but that doesn’t mean I’m strong in body. The dragon sat up and then it flew into the air, curling around and circling the two humans. Strength is not letting the beast take control, she added. They walked down the beach as the dragon flew behind them.
You have seen the cruel mechanics of luck, Strength said, waving her hand out to sea where the giant baby’s bottom half still stood, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use will to alter your station and your course.
A herd of wild horses ran out of the long grass dunes and onto the beach and galloped past them. The dragon playfully flew above them and between them. The dragon was having a great time. The horses splashed into the surf before returning into the dunes. Strength seemed unfazed by all the beasts.
You can’t tell someone who is not in control of their beast to change and expect them to change, Strength said. You can only live by example. The dragon raced ahead of them and then came back zooming over their heads.
The beach turned outwards into the sea, ending in a strip of sand and rock, but most of it was driftwood, piled high. Pelicans flew low over the waves as Strength and the Fool walked out onto the spit. There were some rocks sticking out of the sea where puffins roosted. The Fool saw orcas investigating the rocks for a sea lion.
The air was cool and a slight wind picked up. The waves started picking up too, and the wind would blow the tops off, causing spray. Strength just kept walking, not concerned about the incoming storm. The dragon landed on the driftwood and started playing with one of the logs like a dog with a stick.
While wisdom and knowledge help, Strength called over the wind, you sometimes have to trust your intuition, the gut! The wind was overpowering the Fool. He felt like he could be picked up by the wind and carried out to sea. The mainland was far behind him and the beach ahead was obscured by a thick wet fog.
But Strength just walked calmly through the cutting wind and hard rain. The dragon also seemed unaffected by the squall.
They got to the end of the spit, where there was a lighthouse on top of a pile of rocks. The sea was beating at the shoreline and waves crashed on the side of the tall stone tower. Strength led the way to the door and pulled it open against the wind. The Fool went through the door and Strength closed it behind them, shutting the storm away. They could only hear some creaking from the support beams as any proof that there was a tempest outside.
Strength led the Fool up the stone steps that wound around the inside of the tower. They walked around and around, slow but steady. When they got to the top they found that the fire in the top of the tower had gone out. The Fool and Strength began looking for matches for the lantern. The Fool found one and struck it and lit the lantern, which sat encased in mirrors, and a beam of bright white light shot out into the choppy sea.
Come outside, Strength said. The Fool was hesitant to leave the quiet shelter of the lighthouse, but he followed Strength out to a ledge that circled the top. He saw the dragon way out to sea, flying above the swells. It seemed to be leading something towards them.
Soon enough, the Fool saw that the dragon had brought a gray whale to the seaside beneath the lighthouse. It dove in the light that hit the sea, and they could see its fluke.
Strength kissed the Fool on his forehead, and then pushed him into the sea. The Fool floundered in the cold wild ocean. He had to get to the surface. He saw darkness wash over him. He was being swallowed by the whale. He tumbled into its belly and found himself sitting in a soft fleshy chamber that reeked of fish.
Strength watched as the whale carried the digested Fool out to sea. She remembered teaching him about inner strength over the centuries. She tried to take masculine anger and rage and turn it into force and passion. She remembered when they made him, too. She had been there to build his structure. He was to be able to hold up a lot so that he could help people, but she sadly watched him never make use of it. It is hard to watch someone not use your gift, she thought.
The whale disappeared over the horizon as the storm passed and the sea became dead calm. The sea is strong even when it is still.