One through ten; 1-10: Onethruten, our protagonist is born! He or she is quite ardent and persistent, stubborn and strong willed. Mysterious power flows through her or him, granting special techniques for him or her! But right now, she or he is unwilling to smile. Unhappy, upset, angry, depressed even. S/he wants to be happy, to be joyous, to be filled with love, but too stubborn to feel that way for its own sake!
Not for nothing, not without some outside influence! There has to be A REASON; has to be says she or he. Not without something outside of the self, not without a person, place, thing, or event, will he or she smile for we.
Onethruten refuses to give in to the desire for happiness, joy, and contentment without changing something first. Something has to give! So Onethruten decides to leave the house, go on a journey, dour and frowning, through the world outside the window, beyond the bed, well removed from the familiar place called home.
On the way through this first adventure, Onethruten decides to make a list of necessary things needed for travel and sleep. A tent to protect from the elements, a sleeping bag to stay warm, a pack to carry them, and some clothes to keep clean. What of food, the question hangs... But too eager to find happiness, the question remains.
Maybe there will be food on the adventure, perhaps others will feed him or her. No time to find out, just time to GO!
Onethruten travels many miles on foot, weighed down by the 20 or so pounds of gear. Maybe many miles is 10, maybe 20, but feeling sore of foot, she or he stops at a tremendously large statue to rest. Relinquishing their pack, he or she props the gear against the base of the statue and lays back to rest, watching the light fluffy clouds hover by in the sky.
Hearing a squeak from above, not more than 5 minutes later, Onethruten realizes she or he is not alone and steps away from the statue to find 3 children on top of it! At the face of the head, the squeaker calls out "Hi there! Can you help us play? I want to slide down the face, but there's no slide!" A second child calls out from behind "But I want to climb like a monkey down the back! Except there's no bars or branches to grab on to!" And at last a third voice arises from the three "I think it would be more fun to play INSIDE the statue! But there's no openings anywhere!"
Onethruten pondered a while, thinking of what might bring these children their fun. He or she could tip the statue back and it would become a slide itself, but there are no notches or bars, branches, or places to grip along the back. This job called for special technique! Using mysterious powers Onethruten knew about, a special technique was employed to LEAP to the top of the statue, some 50 feet high! Onethruten got to work carving out steps in the back that could be clung to by stepping their feet into the statue and curling his or her toes to make curved notches. At the small of the statue's back, Onethruten yanked back so hard, the statue leaned down on top of her or him. Onethruten had to hold it up! But then Onethruten materialized a pole in his or her place, simply by stepping away!
Before the first child could slide down the front, Onethruten jumped to the statue's belly at the lowest point at the hips and started digging into it! Digging into the center, and out the back, a hole from front to back for the children to crawl through and climb up after sliding down, Onethruten then hollowed the statue out and carved a ladder straight to the top of the head, by squirming and worming and inching his or her way up through the solid stone. At the head, Onethruten peeked out, as if there was no stone at all, and then fell back in, revealing a hole where she or he had peeked out.
The children cheered and had very happy faces. This made Onethruten feel better.
He or she watched the first child slide down the face to the belly and sit on the edge, with a smile ear to ear.
Then Onethruten walked behind the statue from the side, and watched the second child monkey on down and clamber around to the back hole, smiling ear to ear.
Finally Onethruten heard the third child squeal with delight, their voice becoming muffled by the statue as they climbed into the giant stone body and their joy combined was so great, the three of them LIT UP and glowed through the belly! Three massively happy grinning faces.
Onethruten felt rejuvenated in spite of all that work, so she or he picked up their pack and waved to the children, continuing their journey for happiness.
After many miles of walking through the wilderness, Onethruten came upon a tree stump in a clearing and decided it would be the place to start meditating on happiness.
As he or she stood on the stump, a vision immediately arose in their head telling them "Onethruten, you must cut away all that is not necessary" while showing images of leaves falling from trees, then whispered "Twothruten" into the wind.
When their vision ended, they found themselves standing more intently with roots flowing out of their toes! They said out loud "I am Twothruten, and I will root into the earth to receive a vision!"
They sank into a narrow horse stance atop that stump, and let the roots sink too.
Twothruten closed his or her eyes and felt their roots extend down the stump and into the soil.
The roots touched Earth and produced flashes of visions for Twothruten's mind.
Twothruten cleared his or her mind and focused on their roots. They penetrated the soil! and a new, stronger vision emerged!
"Twothruten, become the tree, and release the world from you." the wind said. Images of massive trees surrounding Twothruten, a mere sapling in the eldritch forest of giants.
When Twothruten opened his/her eyes, the visions merged with their environment, and gigantic trees surrounded them, speaking to her or him "Threethruten the Tree. Threethruten the Tree!" They cheered.
Threethruten saw that their human body was no longer distinguishable from the roots, bark, and branches that now covered themself.
Threethruten spoke without words, into their own mind "I am Threethruten, I have no need to roam or to do, I can simply be. Like a Tree."
Threethruten, the tree, grew, and solidified, and the wind wound through their branches. The shuddering wind awakened Threethruten, unknowable years have passed, and the being of a tree had erased all such notions from their mind.
Threethruten felt something amiss, felt a longing they had forgotten.
Their roots hungered, their trunk yearned, and their branches became restless.
"Threethruten, awaken, grow. The Core of our World will forever nourish you."
Focus fell upon their roots, and Threethruten grew once more, "I Am Fourthruten, and my Roots will encompass the Core!"
Fourthruten focused all their awareness on digging down into the earth, deep, and deeper, then deeper still! Deeper into the earth until the warmth stung, but deeper still the roots must dig!
Fourthruten could feel their roots growing thicker at the trunk and growing deeper and longer, while their trunk grew wider, and their branches longer!
"Fourthruten, you have grown quickly! You feed from the core with the many antediluvian brothers and sisters around you! Look! You are becoming a giant too!"
Fourthruten's awareness peaked, surged, flailed, struggled, arose, and shone brightly. They spoke into themselves with great ferocity "I am! Fivethruten! And I Am Alive!"
Fivethruten grew, and grew, and grew some more. 60 feet tall, 90 feet tall, 150 feet tall and growing!!!
"You grow so fast young one! Sixthruten already, and you must thicken your energy with your trunk!" came the wind through their branches and falling leaves.
As the energies coalesced and Sixthruten grew wider and thicker, they also became every kind of plant and tree in the world, combining into one, glorious, Loving World-Tree!
The roots surged with power from the core, the trunk grew thicker and thicker. Sixthruten produced more and more kinds of fruits, more and more kinds of leaves, and more fronds, more needles, more flowers, petals, and thorns.
The tree became wider and wider, showed every type of flower, herb, spice, leaf, frond, needle, root, berry, fruit, vegetable, melon, tuber, grass, and sap! Sixthruten grew and grew outward more and more until there were no more plants left to express!
"I Am Seventhruten, and I will grow into the heavens!" They declared, as they shot up into the skies, 250 feet, 400 feet, 600 feet, a mile high! Two miles!!
The turbulent winds and atmosphere ignited Seventhruten's uppermost branches, and the wind spoke promptly: "You must open your gates and let the energies in!"
"I am Eightthruten. My gates are open, let the energy in!"
And so all the fires in the branches and under the roots now burned without consuming, lending their own energy right back into the tree of Eightthruten.
As these energies continued pouring forth, the tree began to glow. Without hesitating, and feeling the need arise, he or she declared "I am Ninethruten! Let my Life Shine!!"
Ninethruten, the tree, shining and majestic, glowing from every branch and every node, shining with Love and Life and Light!
The visions intensified, and the eldritch forest far below the atmosphere rejoiced with Ninethruten's glorious light. "They are alive, they are awakened! They have arisen to the height of all that is! Graciousness and joy, for they are alight with Love!"
And Onethruten awoke at the tree stump, standing in horse stance, tears of pure joy and happiness flowing down their cheeks, and they recited their vision.
"One is for Fun, light and joy are the way.
Two is for Roots, health and harmony they provide.
Three is for Tree, to grow, to be.
Four is for Core, infinite and eternal energy.
Five is Alive, The Life and The Way.
Six is for Thick, the sovereign and integral.
Seven is for Heaven, providing our abundance for all.
Eight is for Gate, to accept praises and to accept misfortunes alike.
Nine is to shine, proud but not prideful, unembarrassed but modest.
Ten is to start all over again, improving a little bit each time."
And so, Onethruten's journey having been successful, they returned to the statue and played with the children, happily sharing with them everything Learned on their journey!
