Natural Jurisdiction

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“Could you please state your name for the record?”

“Lily Voelkel, Your Majesty.”

I sigh as the wind brushes through my hair, a crisp chill embracing my soul. Before me, a small stream bubbles kindly, asking me to slip under its halcyon sway.

“Ms. Voelkel, please state your employment for the court.”

Thunder crashes above, lightning parries in a resplendent waltz. Rain serenades me; I twirl in circles with the melody, tears adding to the rain.

“I am a diviner.”

Raucous laughter joins the lilting refrain, rising in serene crescendo. Through the rain, I see brilliant red weaving with the accompanying countermelody. Hypnotic in its trance, I smile at the blades of grass swirling around my feet.

“Ms. Voelkel, this is a serious matter. Let me remind you that you have sworn to tell the truth. I will ask you again, what is the nature of your employment?”

Silence falls, tension saturates the air. I laugh as I twirl through the song, edging closer to the stream, to the exquisite terror that awaits me.

“Your Majesty, I am a diviner. I cannot offer you any other truth than that.”

The roar of laughter rose again to fill my ears, propelling the passion of my dance to a discordant fervor. Thunder and lightning join the rain in a cacophonous lullaby, gentle mist floating off the empyrean stream.

“Then you will be held in contempt of this court until you can.”

My smile widens as I draw nearer to the stream. The melody deafens me, and I dance till I can go no faster.

“I’m sorry, but-”

I spin in the arms of the heavens, halting in the midst of disconcertion, the stream stroking my bare toes.

“I think not.”

The music grows soft. The storm fades. I am the blissful stream.

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