It was not an easy trip for me.  My first ride in a helicopter had been less than two years before, and to fly so far from my native land to reach the shores of America was at once distressing and frightening.  My family even thought I was crazy, although they tried to be supportive.  But the pull was so strong, I couldn’t ignore it.  And so in the end, I left my children behind, the younger set of twins just beginning to walk, the older twins their self appointed guardians.  Felix hugged me and told me to come home quickly.  I know he was worried. 

I was terrified.  What was I doing?  But I had to go.

The flight was long and boring and I slept through most of it, despite the fear and the novelty of flying over the ocean.

Upon landing in Los Angeles, stepping off the plane to stretch my legs, I felt as if I was in another world.  I’d been in a big city before, I went to school in Darwin, after all!  But here, it was so …… different!  Everything moved so fast, it was all very strange to me.  And the people spoke quickly as well; it was very hard to understand their words.  And this was just the airport, what must the actual city be like?

My flight was to continue to New York, but the moment I set my first foot on the land of America, I knew that the plane would be leaving without me.  My Earth Sense worked even here, so far from my home.  The Ancient Ones were watching over me and leading me as they had done all my life, and I could ignore them no more easily than I could stop breathing. 

It was another matter to convince the airport people to release my bag from the cargo.  They were so nervous anyway, too many things had happened in a few short months, and everyone was on guard.  I was simply grateful that I wouldn’t have to see and feel the death and destruction on the other coast, the recent tragedy of which even those of us in the bush had heard.  I could nearly feel the miasma here, thousands of miles away, as the Earth cried out over its loss.

Backpack in hand after a long and serious discussion with security people and officials, I made my way through customs and then out of the airport, wondering where to go next.  It wasn’t just the people who moved fast, the cars flew by as well, and everyone rushed wherever they went.  It was breathtaking!  And so cool; it was their autumn, a large change from the approaching dry season, or summer, in my country.  I shivered in the chill air and wondered how I would ever find my way in this foreign land.  I could survive and thrive in the bush, but this city was something else entirely!  I was very uneasy, perhaps my family was right and I was crazy to come here!

As I pondered, deep in thought, a pressure felt deep within turned me to my right.  The Ancient Ones wanted me to go that direction, so I began walking, somewhat ill at ease amongst all these rushing people.  I moved through them like a swimmer cuts through the seaweed along the coastal inlets, and shortly found myself in a quiet section of the airport, away from the crowd.  The air was nearly breathable here, but the stink of exhaust and petrol lingered in the air.  I sneezed, repeatedly.

“Bless you!” a voice said, and I turned as if in a dream, looking towards a small group of people that had gathered around one of the long black cars that waited.

I had an inner laugh as I blessed the Ancient Ones; I didn’t know how they managed this so far from my home country, but they’d worked wonders yet again.

“Hullo, Ritchie, how are you?” I asked.

He started, his feet nearly leaving the ground as he turned in surprise.  My father’s blue eyes stared at me for only a short moment before recognition sparked in them, followed by surprise, and then by wonder.

“Lucy?” he asked as if dumfounded.

I nodded, and then walked forward to greet him.  I hugged him briefly and then put him away from me, his grief was too strong to keep him in my arms.  I greeted his wife with a nod; Barbara and I had met once before, when we’d arrived back in Ubbir, but she and I had said only a few words to each other at the time.  The other people in the group were strangers, and I quickly surmised two were friends of Ritchie and Barbara’s and four were bodyguards; my friends must be important people.

“It’s all right,” Ritchie said to the obvious guards, “Lucy’s an old mate.  What th’ ‘ell are ya doin’ ‘ere, luv?” he asked me.

“The same reason you are here,” I replied softly.  I nodded to the dark haired man nearby, with his young, blonde companion.  They watched me curiously and cautiously.  “And the same reason your friend is here,” I added.  “To say goodbye, to wish him well on his journey.”

Ritchie shook his head only slightly, a very small smile on his lips, hiding his pain.

“Ya know, for some reason, I’m not even surprised.  Lucy, this is Paul an’ Heather.  Paul, ya remember me tellin’ ya ‘bout almost dyin’ in th’ bush in Australia after th’ chopper crash?  This is th’ girl who rescued us.”

The dark haired man stepped forward and shook hands with me, a smile on his face that did not reach his eyes.  There was great reserve behind his eyes, as if he showed his true self to only a few people.

“How d’ya do, Lucy?” he asked rhetorically.  Turning back to my father, he continued, “Thought you told me you were the rescuer in that adventure, Ritch!”

It was a funny thing, the smile that came so easily to his lips when he talked to Ritchie bespoke absolute familiarity, as if they were nearly brothers.  As Ritchie was with him, the one we were all here to see.

“Very funny,” Ritchie muttered, taking my bag and passing it to one of the guards, motioning towards the boot of the long vehicle.

“What’re you doing, Ritch?” Paul asked in near alarm.  Oh no, this one didn’t let many people near his core.  “Ya know how awful the press was in New York when we visited him there, we don’t want other people knowing about this.  If the press catches wind we’re here...... Well, he’s not gonna want another media circus, not so close......”  His voice faltered and I saw his calm mask slip just a little bit, saw the anguish he held so close in check.

“She’s comin’ with us,” Ritchie replied easily, nodding his head to me.  “Georgie’ll wanna see ‘er.”

I smiled my thanks and nodded to Paul, trying to allay his fears that I was a danger to his friend.  He shrugged, accepting the situation, but apparently not liking it much.

Still, that had been easily taken care of.  It was a small surprise that the Ancient Ones could work their wiles in a country that was foreign to them, but I wasn’t going to argue about it!  I climbed into the vehicle and found myself sitting on one long bench seat with Ritchie and Barbara, with Paul and Heather across from us and the bodyguards on the seats along the sides of the vehicle.  I’d never been in such a long automobile in my life, and to have it seat nine of us so comfortably was quite amazing.  The guards glared at me, and I tried hard to ignore them, but I was feeling a bit uneasy.  I pushed the feeling down and tried to remember why I was here.  The glares didn’t matter.

“Did ya just arrive?” Ritchie asked.

I nodded, deciding to avoid the detail of my flight going on to New York.  That was where I’d thought I’d find him, according to the reports.  To realize that he was here on the west coast of America had been a shock.

The car went through the twists and turns of the city, and I was amazed at the bright and varied scenery.  Ritchie and Paul chatted quietly, their nervousness apparent.  The women remained quiet, holding onto their mate’s hands and trying to impart strength.  Soon, we were away from the heights of the city buildings, and among houses and neighbourhoods.  As we drove, the homes gradually became larger and more set back from the streets, the roads winding amongst the hills, the cover of trees and bushes hiding entrances to the homes.

When we pulled into an entranceway and continued along a long drive, I knew we were close.  As we arrived at the beautiful house, I could feel the pull as I stepped out of the car, and I was hard pressed to keep from running to the doorway.  There was so little time.  Other cars were here as well, and when we all entered the home, Ritchie and Paul each hugged a little old Indian man who barely came to my shoulder, and then greeted his beautiful, young companion.  I was introduced to them; they were also friends, Ravi and his daughter Anoushka.  The tiny man nearly made me laugh, he was so friendly and happy, even in the midst of a house filled with a bittersweet sorrow so strong I could nearly taste it.  He looked at me closely as he greeted me, but with affection and humour evident in his dark eyes, and I felt nearly as if I were in the presence of an Ancient One on this mortal plane.

As we were led into a beautiful room with large windows overlooking a lovely garden, I saw the Grey Falcon as he rested.  The anxiety that had steadily built within me during the long flight finally scattered like a flight of butterflies and I relaxed; I had arrived in time to say my farewells. 

His spirit shone as strong as ever, and he laughed upon catching sight of me but he didn’t have the breath to talk.  I received hugs from Dhani and Olivia; they showed no surprise at seeing me here.  As they greeted the other new arrivals, I slipped away from the group and approached him.  His orange robed companions melted away to give us privacy, leaving behind a faint echo of chanting and the smell of incense.  I knelt beside the bed and touched his hand.  His grip was firm, his skin hot and dry.  His eyes told me he was glad to see me, and I smiled at him.

“The People wish you a good journey, Grey Falcon, and I wish you a peaceful transition to the next plane,” I whispered.  “I will be forever grateful that our paths crossed in this existence.”

I bowed my head and breathed a prayer to the Ancient Ones to ease his pain and allow him some peace.  I felt his fingers in my hair and I looked up again, captured by his bright and shining eyes.  They asked a question, and I searched my heart for the reply.

“You and my tribe are forever connected, George.  We shall meet again at some point, perhaps in the next plane.  Your spirit will fly from this body, but the spirit will never be diminished.  So be at ease.” 

I took a fortifying breath; his eyes still asked the question, and I had to answer.  The Ancient Ones remained silent, did they approve my decision to tell him?

“The Grey Falcon lives on in my tribe and in your...... sons.  Your lineage will pass on to the next generation and you will never be forgotten by The People.” 

I spoke the words quietly, captured by his eyes, and he nodded, then directed his glance at the small group of people who waited quietly just out of hearing.  I knew the person to whom he looked, and I knew the question he wanted to ask.  The answer to this came easily as well, and the Ancient Ones seemed to approve.

“The Gallah lives on in my tribe as well, and his lineage passes through me and my twin brother to all our children.  We are all connected, and we will all meet again.”

He relaxed, his eyes holding the satisfaction of a mystery solved at long last.  Then he winked at me, motioning me closer.  His breath was a whisper of air in my ear.

“I’m one up on Ritchie, now, Lucy.  Don’t tell ‘im, love.”

I laughed and nodded my compliance, then gave his hand a squeeze and stepped away from his bed, making way for his other family and friends to say their farewells.  I walked out the door without looking back, made my way out of the house, down the drive and to the street.  I let my feet carry me, accepted a ride from a kindly woman who stopped for me, and eventually made my way to the airport as the sky grew dark.

The man behind the ticket counter looked at me strangely.

“You just got to Los Angeles this morning and you want to go back to Australia now?  That’s a short trip,” he commented, obviously trying to keep his curiosity in check, but not doing a very good job of it.

I nodded.  “It was long enough,” I replied.

The flight would not leave until morning, so I made myself comfortable and waited.  It was a simple thing for me, patience and stillness comes easily to my people.  I didn’t see them when they left, but I knew instinctively when my father and his friends departed in a small plane and left the area after their farewells had been said.  I asked the Ancient Ones to ease their grief, and I added a blessing for his other family and his friends who would so miss his presence.

I was somewhere over the Pacific Ocean the next day when I felt his connection with the earth thin and break.  I closed my eyes and silently chanted a farewell to his spirit as it took flight.  I could not feel sorrow, for his life’s dream had been realized after a long battle.

“Fly free, Grey Falcon,” I whispered, a smile crossing my lips.

The feather light caress of his joy as he began his journey was a gift to treasure.

Cheryl Mortensen has been a Beatle fanatic since the 1960s, but somehow went on to other things in the late 1960s, only rediscovering her passion for "all things Beatle" in the late 1990s (and on into the new century).  She is a computer programmer and an avid photographer. (Concert photos of bands and performers is her favorite area -- ask her about her Ringo pictures!!)  Cheryl lives with her husband of 18 years (Mike), her German Shepherd (Sorsha), and a bunch of fish in the tank and the pond that they've never bothered to name.