Crazy Charlie (part three)

Charlie follows the river trail downstream. In several places, he crosses the river ..holding his belonging over his head. The river curves around a bend in the canyon where the water slows ..forming a large clear pool ..the canyon opens up ..and the walls recede into a pristine valley ..bordered by mountains lush with sycamore and pine trees. Sandy beaches line the shores of the lazy river. Rock formations tower several stories high above the water ..with natural hot springs flowing from one pool to another. Charlie thinks he has died and gone to heaven. He sees a group of people sitting in a circle on the beach and walks through the river toward them. He suddenly realizes that none of them are wearing any clothes ..with the exception of a few guys wearing bandanas wrapped around their head. He feels a little awkward, stomping through the water in his army surplus boots. Everyone is deeply bronzed with no tan lines. Some of the men have long grey beards. The women walk with the grace of a Giselle ..and look wild. At first, Charlie feels a little spooked and approaches apprehensively ..but he hears laughter ..and senses harmony ..except for the group of women huddled together on some nearby rocks with X’s carved on their forehead. OK, he’s spooked again. One of the men in the circle rises ..walks into the river ..bows and says: “Namaste ..let me help you with your things ..I believe you are here for more than just the afternoon, am I right? Someone says you fell out of the sky like a meteor .. well, that’s one way to get here ..but there are easier ways ..we’ll show you later ..what matters now is that you are here.

continued ..