2022-07-24 - Updates

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Jules? It's Tui. I wanted to let you know that he's doing well.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Hi! Glad to hear—and thanks for letting me know.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Of course. I didn't want you to be waiting in uncertainty, and I know he's not going to be able to text you himself for a few days.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : You're well, I hope.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I figured that if he didn’t text, that was probably a good thing. Everything’s fine back here. You must be glad to have Mikaere home!

(TXT to Jules) Tui : That's very pragmatic of you. Even so: I know he was apprehensive, and I'm sure he shared that with you. It's always better to know for certain, in my experience.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : It's very good to see him, of course. I missed him very much. I know that whatever happens, he'll always be connected to here, and to me, of course. But yes, it's very good to have him here.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I appreciate it. I always thought it would be fine—he wouldn’t have gone back otherwise. Glad you’re getting the time together.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I think, deep down, he knew it would be fine too. But our brains like to worry us, sometimes, I think. Play out the what-ifs, and come to conclusions that may or may not be the truth.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Too true.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I won't keep you, though if you need anything, or want to know anything, I'll be very happy to answer.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Thank you. And I have to say—pretty sure Google translate had a Google fail…can I ask for a translation?

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I could, at this moment, be cryptic and suggest that if I wanted you to have the translation of that... I would have put it in English. Unfortunately, google translate has not quite caught up to the intricacies of te reo.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : But since my son is not currently available to oblige...

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Ha! Admittedly I could also do a real search.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : It's a proverb. My son would summarise it as this: don't sell yourself short in going after what you want.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I imagine the internet is a slightly better resource for te reo than it is for your native language, but there's still work to be done, unfortunately. My life's work, and still far from done.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I think it’s great that you’re involved with that. Quinault has pretty much died out, but there are people working on bringing it back and teaching it. But I don’t know if anyone will ever be fluent. At least not as a native language again.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : We were very close to that point too, unfortunately. My other two children don't speak more than a smattering, and that's more than most, Māori or no, though we're working to change that. It's heartbreaking, to know that these languages could so easily die out.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I wonder if someone with talents in the same field as my son's could assist. Whether the spirit world would allow that boon.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Maybe! That’s an interesting idea. I did find myself in a place and time where it was being spoken, once.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Did you now! In my experience, nothing is truly forgotten, when it comes to the spirit realm. That suggests it could be reclaimed, at least in part.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : One day I would like very much to hear about your experiences.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : People say it’s sleeping instead of dead. I think that’s a better way to think about it, especially when it comes to the kinds of experiences we have…I’m happy to share. It seems quieter here right now, but for awhile it was one thing after another.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I like that description very much. I hope the quiet remains. It sounds, from what my son has said, as if it is very rarely truly quiet for you. Wharariki sits upon a place that is similar to your Gray Harbor, I think, but far fewer people live within reach. Our other places of connection to the spirit world are... less close, I think.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I don’t expect it to last. It’s quiet, but it’s a weird kind of quiet. More like gathering strength instead of resting.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I was afraid of that. I wonder, will it wait for my son's return before it breaks. I won't be surprised: a few months, and he seems to have ended up in the midst of everything.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Yeah, that occurred to me too.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : It's what he needed, I think, in order to achieve his potential. But— that's no comfort, I think. I worry about you all.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Do you have any idea what it is that might be coming?

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I really don’t. Not sure if there’s a way to find out, either. The Doors haven’t opened for awhile, but I wonder if it has something to do with that.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I also kind of got a warning/set of instructions the only time I crossed over…what I mentioned before with people speaking Quinault.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : The Doors were entirely foreign to me. My son requested my input months ago regarding limitations on my skills— and it seems what happened for you was echoed here — but the Doors never opened here, from what I have picked up. None of it is reassuring, if I'm honest.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : A warning?

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Maybe? My grandmother gave me something that’s been in our family for a long time, and it seems like there’s some kind of spirit in it. It pulled me through and I think I met my ancestor. He said something that comes from one of our legends, how this ogre woman was coming and we needed to close the door. Hard to make sense of. But we definitely have had lots of doors recently.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : 'Close the door'. That, certainly, seems to have extra resonance given what you have experienced of late.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I wish this medium allowed for better storytelling, because I would very much like to hear this in full. One day.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Yeah. At the time we just thought he was telling us to try to seal up the thin spot that’s here since there’s so much that seems to feed off pain, but now I wonder. Everyone also said that there’s really no way to heal whatever rift exists here. And I don’t know that I’d want to mess with that anyway. People tend to always think these things are negative, but I don’t think so, even if a lot of it is.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : You’re always welcome here!

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I admit, a part of me would love to come and see your Gray Harbor for myself. But flying and I are not on best of terms.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I don’t blame you there.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : We tend to see our 'thin spots', as you put it, as places where the spirit world is closer to our own. The spirits aren't uniformly good, but they're equally not uniformly bad. I don't see any need to close that door, though I wonder if there aren't other doors, too. It's a big world, and many things going on.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : It seems like an incredibly long time to spend on a plane.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I agree wholeheartedly.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Admittedly, I've never left my own country. Everywhere seems very far away.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Yeah. The locals tend to think it has to do with some settler feud. But we always had some kind of connection to the spirit world, and people used to pass back and forth a lot more. So maybe the settlers just made it worse when they arrived—they certainly brought a lot of evil with them. I tend to think that if it’s worse than it used to be, that has something to do with it.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I’ve honestly never been on a plane. Just long road trips.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : You're not missing anything, I promise. If we'd had time, I would have driven home on this particular trip.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Flying is uncomfortable and— it feels wrong. Our feet are not meant to leave the earth and sea in such a way.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I’d like to try it at least once…but not for a super long trip!

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Exactly how my son managed that flight back I do not know. Sailing may take longer, but at least it feels natural.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I suppose that will make trips to and from New Zealand far more difficult.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Just a little!

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I’ll admit sailing across an ocean sounds a little terrifying to me…I like staying in sight of land.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I admit, I would prefer to keep my feet safely on the ground. But given the choice, I would prefer to sail than fly. I would trust my son at the helm. I suppose that makes all the difference.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : He certainly knows what he’s doing! I had never been on a sailboat before.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : He was born to it, I think. He's taken me out, too, and while I'll never be anything but a person of the land, I can still appreciate that much.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : We took a fun trip down the coast here—just a couple days down and back. I know the coast to the north better, so that was new to me.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Yes, my son mentioned that. I'm glad you had the opportunity to get away, just the two of you. It's important, I think.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : I’m glad we were able to do it.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : Perhaps, one day, you'll circumnavigate our islands together.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : I should let you go. It's late, here. Another few days, and he should be able to be in touch again.

(TXT to Tui) Jules : Thanks for texting and keeping me in the loop—it’s been good chatting with you.

(TXT to Jules) Tui : And you. I've been so pleased to get to know you, Jules. Stay safe.