Although Dar K’fors kept himself hidden, the oracle Saweye Kic sensed his presence and began to prophesy a great doom to befall the world. To avoid this fearful catastrophe would require enormous sacrifice by three individuals. This sacrifice, if successful, would increase the power of light until Laweye Taynj’el once again grew strong enough to imprison the evil lord.

Saweye Kic traveled from town to town, speaking the prophecy to all who would hear, seeking pure souls who might be sacrificed to save the world.

One day a man and a woman came to her and said, “Please, Saweye Kic, recite to us the prophecy, that we might contemplate its meaning.”

And Saweye Kic said, “The prophecy speaks thus:

‘The evil lord is free once more, no longer is he bound

And once again, as once before, three pure souls must be found

He faces south, she faces north, their elbows linked akimbo

And memories from certain souls they liberate from limbo

Memories stolen must return, for what’s forgotten can be learned.

Then in the end the rock will bleed from injuries by word and deed.

Yet blood will quicken hardened stone to Purities of flesh and bone.

For centuries the pure ones fight with Guardian by their side.

The evil lord is bound again, in safety all abide.’ ”

And the man and woman said to Saweye Kic, “Look upon us. Are we not pure? We were to marry but were seized with a longing to serve; thus we seek to fulfill the prophecy and offer our lives to this purpose.”

Saweye Kic was overcome with emotion and said to them, “Oh, most pure souls, your sacrifice is accepted with the deepest gratitude. It is my destiny to accompany you. I will become your guardian.” Her voice rose like a song ascending to the heavens. “Go prepare yourselves, my children. At the appointed hour I will summon the assemblage and the ceremony will begin.”

Seven days passed. Each day the sky grew darker and the wind blew harder. The pure ones, female and male, became fearful.

“Surely the evil lord is aware of our intentions and will prevent our sacrifice,” they said.

“Fear not,” said Saweye Kic. “We will succeed. Tonight we gather in the grove.”

And so it came to pass. The assemblage gathered, representing great power. The elements were drawn to the grove wherein they assembled. Lightning flashed and thunder grumbled. The ceremony began.

Wing of yang and wing of yin

Loose the memories within;

Find the room shut deep inside;

Use the key to open wide.

The words of power rose into the air. An open fire flared in the rising wind. The pure ones, male and female, circled the small brick ring, dancing in rhythm to the chanting, moving with such grace and beauty, they seemed to be from another world. The spectators swayed as they intoned the ancient words. The blackness of the night split into forks of lightning and thunder roared. The wind whipped through the triple ring of hemlock trees and across the clearing. The assemblage was undeterred by the fury of the elements.

Pain forgotten, let it go;

I can do it if I know.

Tell me what I need to hear;

My salvation will appear.

The chanting slowed and softened. There was a lull in the lightning and thunder. The wind died down. The fire glowed with gentle light. The dancing couple faced each other and joined hands. Lifting their connected hands above their heads, they turned back to back without separating. They leaned back toward each other until their backs pressed together. Their clasped hands descended straight out to the sides, then down. Their fingers disengaged as their elbows locked. Pushing against each other for support, they lowered their bodies toward the fire. Their bodies expanded and hardened as the flames sank lower and lower. The wind began once more to roar. As they slid into semi-reclining positions, heads barely touching, the sky became furious with electricity.

Visible in the frantic flashes of lightning, the dancers vibrated and grew still. The brick surrounding the fire pit seemed to melt and flow, filling the spaces around the two bodies until only a single rock remained—a rock topped with a relief carving of a reclining man and woman with their arms linked, the woman facing north and the man facing south. The wind blew strong and hard, sweeping the storm from the sky, exposing the full moon. A hush fell over the clearing. The crowd drew a breath as one and whispered in unison. “It is done.”

Saweye Kic stepped forth and knelt before the newly-forged rock. She held an ironwood staff, which tilted forward gently and touched the stone.

Her musical voice rang out clearly as she said, “Together you have become Remembering Rock. This is your reality. Your souls are this night purified, so you shall be known as the Purities. This is your name. I dedicate my life to you, as you have sacrificed your lives for the world. I am your guardian until the Time of Fulfillment. Henceforth I will be known only as Guardian.”

She turned and faced the gathering. “Pay homage to the Purities. Their strength will prevail.”

As they came forward and individually knelt and placed their foreheads to the warm stone, they each murmured a wish on behalf of the Purities. As they completed their tributes, they melted into the night until only Guardian remained. She knelt once more by the rock.

“You will not be disturbed,” she said. “Only those you invite will gain admittance to the grove. The hemlocks are loyal to you and will let no intruder pass.”

She leaned forward and rested her face against the stony warmth.

“I will never leave you. You are my destiny. With you I await the Time of Fulfillment. The day of prophecy will come to pass. We will have no release until that day.”

*****

Everyone knew about Remembering Rock, though most had never seen it. They knew it was inside Memory Grove. They knew about its protector, a nameless woman referred to simply as “Guardian”. Yes, everyone knew everything about it. The three rows of evergreen trees, so close together no one could see or get through. Unless they were invited. Then the branches would sigh and move aside only for that one person and only barely enough to pass through, not enough for anyone to see inside.

Truly, they didn’t have to see. They knew. They knew Remembering Rock was in the middle of the clearing. They knew the rock looked uncannily like a man and a woman reclined on a large stone with the tops of their heads touching, their elbows linked. They knew a person could lie on the rock facing any of the four cardinal directions, but only one direction would be comfortable for any one person. And they knew anyone who was invited to commune with the rock would be changed forever.

Above all else, they knew about the prophecy. No one knew when or where the prophecy was first spoken. The village had records going back hundreds of years, and the prophecy was mentioned in the very oldest records of all. The prophecy was the subject of much speculation, but no one knew what it meant. It was catchy, though, and children often chanted it as they played:

The evil lord is free once more, escaped he from his binding.

And now we must, as once before, three pure souls to be finding.

One male to south, female to north, with elbows linked akimbo,

The mem’ries from selected souls to be set free from limbo.

Memories stolen must return, for what’s forgotten can be learned.

Then in the end the rock will bleed from injuries by word and deed.

Yet blood will quicken hardened stone to Purities of flesh and bone.

For centuries the pure ones fight with Guardian by their side.

The evil lord is bound again, in safety all abide.

No one knew Guardian’s age or background. Some said she was immortal. Some said she was a troll. Not that there was such a thing, but still, it was said. She herself, in fact, had been heard to claim she was indeed a troll. She was certainly ugly enough to be one. Of course, she couldn’t help that, poor thing. It didn’t seem to bother her, though. And her voice made up for it--so beautiful and musical, you’d think angels were singing.

While Guardian was mysterious, she was not scarce. Memory Grove boasted an old-fashioned general store, and she visited often, pulling a cart of handcrafted items. The store owner always bought everything she made; her wares were very popular and sold quickly. She picked up packages from the post office when she came to town, packages some said held magical items but Guardian said they were just her raw materials.

The people of Memory Grove Village were proud of their home town. Seldom did anyone leave for long. As they grew up, of course, the young people, like young people everywhere, claimed they were stifled by the small town and couldn’t wait to be old enough to do so. Leave, that is. Usually, though, the desire to leave disappeared by the time they reached adulthood. A few were more determined and did leave, but they almost always came back.

It was also rare for someone new to move in to stay, but people came to visit a lot. And they spent a lot of money there. So the town was small, but it had much to offer. When people came, whether for business or pleasure, they always brought a list of things to do.