To
the Moon and Back
Rachael
was lying on the massage table with her face awkwardly positioned in
the hole which was supposedly designed to facilitate comfort. She had
been working long hours in a stressful job and it seemed that her
whole body was one huge Gordian knot. It was obvious however from the
oohs and aahs that she was enjoying the experience of the massage.
After what
seemed to Rachael five minutes but was in fact thirty, Elizabeth the
massage therapist bent over Rachael and said quietly, “ I am going
to leave you now to relax for a few minutes before you dress.”
Rachael
opened her eyes and looked down expecting to see the floor but
instead could only see what seemed to be a mist. 'OMG,” she said
out loud. “I am blind.”
Here I was
tempted to write “Fear not,” said the guide but my better
judgment resisted.
A voice
from the apparent mist said,” It's not mist you are lying on it's a
cloud.”
“Who,
what, where are you?” said Rachael feeling sort of floaty but also
rather stupid because she was talking to she knew not what.
“I am
your thaumaturgist.
Stand up and look around you. You
really are in the clouds and no you won't fall through. They are
fairly substantial and you are very light, almost weightless.”
Rachael
did stand up and look around. “What in the name of god am I doing
up here?”
“Obviously
nothing at the moment. I can help you to do anything you like. Oh,
and my name is Elisabeth but you can call me Liz.”
“Do
whatever I like? I am standing in the clouds and talking to a thauma,
therma whatever you are --”
“Thaumaturgist.
Would you like me to make some suggestions?”
Rachael
sat down and tried to think but nothing came to her.
“OK,”
said Liz. “I can take you back to meet anybody in the world who is
deceased.”
Rachael
seemed to get herself together and began to enjoy herself. She began
rolling around on the clouds.
“For
goodness sake stop that. You are wasting time and think what do you
want to do.”
“That is
an awfully big brief. I don't think I want to meet my family, my
mother or father or sister or brother but may be my son . No that
wouldn't be--- I know I have always wanted to converse with famous
writers. But then I do read about them.”
“Oh for
goodness sake will make up your mind. You are wasting my time. Let me
make a suggestion. You can go anywhere in the world in fact anywhere
in the Universe.”
“Really
anywhere in the Universe?”
“That is
what I said, please make a decision.” Liz thinks, “Human beings
drive me crazy. I don't know why I do this job. Maybe I'll ask for a
transfer.”
“OK how
do you fancy a trip to the moon?”
“A trip
to the moon, a trip to the moon, really a trip to the moon you can do
that?”
“I just
said so didn't I? I take it that, that is a yes.”
“Here we
go then, Hold my hand.”
“I am
flying, really flying. Rachael started singing “Fly me to the Moon,
and
let me play among the stars
Let
me see what spring is like
On
Jupiter and Mars. ”
“Just be
satisfied with the moon. Jupiter or mars for goodness sake.”
“There
is the earth below.”
“Yes it
is,”said Liz thinking where did she think it would be up above.
They
floated down and landed gently.
“It is
not made of cheese then,” said Rachael.
“ How
old are you? Of course it's not made of cheese and no there isn't a
'man in the moon' either.”
“Sorry,”
said Rachael, “I was only joking.”
“Now
then where would you like to go ? “
Well as I
have no nothing about the moon why don't you suggest somewhere?”
“OK,
There are many seas. I will list the positive ones. There is the sea
of tranquillity. The sea of of cleverness, the sea of fertility, the
sea of knowledge the sea of nectar and dozens more. There are lots
of lakes too. The lake of goodness, the lake of excellence, the lake
of happiness, the lake of joy, and more . There are also valleys and
mountains and bays.”
“How can
I choose? There is so much to choose from. Why don't you choose for
me?”
“Ok, I
choose the Sea of tranquility as that is suppose to be how you feel
after you have had a massage.”
Liz took
Rachael's hand and they floated up and across the surface of the moon
and landed gently by the sea of tranquility. Rachael immediately lay
down and fell asleep. Liz flew away thinking, that is the last time I
work with humans. They are sooo stupid.
The
massage therapist leaned over Rachael and whispered, “ Are you
ready to dress now? I hope you went somewhare nice in your dreams.”
Rachael
muttered something like, “To the Moon and Back.”
The
term masseuse
is a French word that refers to a female who practices massage.
(Males in the industry were known as masseurs.) However, due to
certain unsavory connotations (as well as the need for more gender
neutral terminology), both male and female massage practitioners go
by the term “massage therapist”.17
Aug 2022
thaumaturgist
thaumaturgy
is the purported
capability of a magician to work magic or other paranormal events or
a saint to perform
miracles. It is sometimes translated ...
