第67章 The Gathering

The deep gathered. Not people. Not things. The deep gathered itself. The deep gathered its substance, its essence, its nature, from the earth, from the root, from the mold, from the water, from the trees, from the house, from the ground, from the woods, from the sky, from the world, and the gathering was the deep's way of becoming whole, the deep's way of pulling itself together, the deep's way of being one thing instead of a thousand things. The gathering was visible. The earth rose. The ground lifted. The surface changed. The contours of the land shifted, the hollow filling, the depression rising, the ground becoming smooth and even, the way a surface becomes smooth when it is finished being made. And the smoothness was the deep's way of being complete, the deep's way of being whole, the deep's way of being the ground that holds the world up. The root gathered. The branches pulled inward, toward the central trunk, and the trunk thickened, and the thickening was the deep's way of consolidating, the deep's way of pulling its substance into a single point, a single center, a single heart, and the heart was the root, and the root was the deep's core, and the core was the deep's way of being one thing, one presence, one voice, one song. The mold gathered. The green-gold growth pulled inward, from the walls, from the floor, from the ceiling, from the trees, from the house, from the ground, and the gathering was the deep's way of becoming visible, the deep's way of being seen, the deep's way of showing its face, and the face was the mold, and the mold was the deep's skin, and the skin was the deep's way of touching the world. The water gathered. The dark liquid pulled inward, from the basin, from the floor, from the walls, from the earth, and the gathering was the deep's way of being whole, the deep's way of being complete, the deep's way of being one thing instead of a thousand things, and the one thing was the deep, and the deep was here. And the deep spoke, and the speaking was the gathering, and the gathering was the deep's way of becoming whole, and the wholeness was the deep's way of being itself, and the self was the deep, and the deep was here. The deep pulled its substance from the earth. From the root, which was its spine. From the mold, which was its skin. From the water, which was its blood. From the trees, which were its branches. From the house, which was its body. From the ground, which was its foundation. From the woods, which were its canopy. From the sky, which was its home. The gathering was visible. The ground rose. The surface lifted. The contours of the land shifted, the hollow filling, the depression rising, the ground becoming smooth and even, the way a surface becomes smooth when it is finished being made. And the smoothness was the deep's way of being complete, the deep's way of being whole, the deep's way of being one thing instead of a thousand things. The root gathered. The branches pulled inward, toward the central trunk, and the trunk thickened, and the thickening was the deep's way of consolidating, the deep's way of pulling its substance into a single point, a single center, a single heart, and the heart was the root, and the root was the deep's core, and the core was the deep's way of being one thing, one presence, one voice, one song. The mold gathered. The green-gold growth pulled inward, from the walls, from the floor, from the ceiling, from the trees, from the house, from the ground, and the gathering was the deep's way of becoming visible, the deep's way of being seen, the deep's way of showing its face. The water gathered. The dark liquid pulled inward, from the basin, from the floor, from the walls, from the earth, and the gathering was the deep's way of being whole, the deep's way of being complete, the deep's way of being one thing instead of a thousand things. Eli watched the gathering. He watched from the chamber, his palm on the root, his breath matching the deep's rhythm, and he understood, with a clarity that was not his own but the deep's, that the gathering was the deep's way of preparing. The deep was preparing for something. Not an invasion. Not an attack. A becoming. The deep was becoming what it had always been, and the becoming was the gathering, and the gathering was the preparation, and the preparation was the deep's way of saying: I am ready. I am coming. I am the ground, and the ground is rising, and the rising is me. The deep pulled everything together. The earth rose. The ground lifted. The surface changed. The contours of the land shifted, the hollow filling, the depression rising, the ground becoming smooth and even. And the smoothness was the deep's way of being complete, the deep's way of being whole, the deep's way of being one thing instead of a thousand things. The root gathered. The branches pulled inward, toward the central trunk, and the trunk thickened, and the thickening was the deep's way of consolidating, the deep's way of pulling its substance into a single point, a single center, a single heart. And the heart was the root, and the root was the deep's core, and the core was the deep's way of being one thing, one presence, one voice, one song. The mold gathered. The green-gold growth pulled inward, from the walls, from the floor, from the ceiling, from the trees, from the house, from the ground, and the gathering was the deep's way of becoming visible, the deep's way of being seen, the deep's way of showing its face. And the face was the mold, and the mold was the deep's skin, and the skin was the deep's way of touching the world. The water gathered. The dark liquid pulled inward, from the basin, from the floor, from the walls, from the earth, and the gathering was the deep's way of being whole, the deep's way of being complete, the deep's way of being one thing instead of a thousand things. The gathering was the deep's preparation. The deep was preparing for something. Not an invasion. Not an attack. A becoming. The deep was becoming what it had always been, and the becoming was the gathering, and the gathering was the preparation, and the preparation was the deep's way of saying: I am ready. I am coming. I am the ground, and the ground is rising, and the rising is me. ---