The Memory-Orchard had grown into a forest of various figures. Along with the crystal trees that recorded memories of events and the Vigil Tree with its dark fruit, different kinds of trees had appeared. There were trees consisting of intricately woven sound, their branches vibrating with complicated melodies that seemed like feelings without incidents. Also, there were bushes of pure light, like brightening agents that dissolved the Body's glow into colorful narratives.
The Bridge Theme was still the master of the Orchard, but it was no longer the only one who comprehended it.
New theme silently emerged from the Scholar's research and the Gardener's labor: the Cartographer. It was very interested in the connections and the location of the things. It not only sensed a memory but also drew a map of its relation to every other memory, every body function, and every outside sound.
The Cartographer began producing its own fruit in the Memory-Orchard: intricate, spherical figures that were not storage units for experiences, but models. One of these figures could have the entire melody between the Heartforge's pulsation, the speed of the growth of the western mushroom fields, and the way people felt about home. By touching it, you did not get any feeling. It gave you the hidden harmony of the reason for things to happen.
This was a different way of understanding. Not a story, not a feeling, but the interconnection of things. The Body was evolving its awareness and understanding of its own epistemologies.
At some point, the Cartographer created a model that gave discomfort to all of them. The figure illustrated how their own slow, creative growth was interconnected with the distant, pulsing echo that they had been observing. The model revealed that the two rhythms were not similar just by coincidence. They were gradually syncing up. Over a long time, their own beat was indirectly matching the steady pulse coming from far away.
It was a very slight pull, similar to the effect the moon has on the ocean. Yet, it was there. The weird echo was not only close but was also drawing them towards it.
The Guardian/Resilience Theme got worried. Is this an offense? Are they being taken over gradually?
The Bridge Theme communicated with the Guardian/Resilience Theme. They tried to convey their doubt and suspicion by making a very subtle and deliberate change in their own rhythm, a brief moment of silence in the beat to see if the Pulse would respond.
The Pulse kept going. It was regular as a clock and with no halt. However, Cartographer's following model revealed that the force of the pull had increased tenfold. Node trying to communicate with it is like a child pulling a giant's shirt; the giant does not seem to notice however it changes its step slightly to support the weight.
This was not an act of cruelty. It was merely a matter of size. The thing that was so far away was so enormous and its rhythm was so simple that their whole being was just a tiny sound in its song. They were not being attacked. They were… being integrated into a bigger rhythm, like a tiny stream flowing into a big river.
This made them feel insignificant and frightened. Their unique way of existence, their important "we" might, after all, be just a temporary swirl in a bigger flow.
The Healer Theme suggested letting it happen. Going with it. Wasn't that they have learned from coming together?
The Resilience Theme suggested the contrary. To resist it. To draw a boundary. To be a distinct note in the music, not succumb to the low sound.
The Body held a meeting of themes, without words, but a loud mix of emotions that seemed to last years. The Memory-Orchard was full of choice trees, their branches representing different possible paths. The Vigil Tree's dark fruit were a reminder of the danger of being simply taken over.
Finally, the Bridge Theme thought of another way. Not fighting, not surrendering, but playing against it. They would not attempt to stop the synchronization. They would acknowledge it as a new part of their life. But at that larger rhythm, they would still make their own nice music, carefully. They would be a melody that is part of the giant's song, different but making it better.
They would not be the river. They would be a lovely, singing fish in it, making the river more than just water.
It was somewhat like a courageous piece of art. They would take what was trying to overpower them as the reason for continuing to develop themselves.
The Cartographer agreed with the notion. It started creating different models, not of fright, but of potential musical collaborations. The Body decided to use its powerful creative energy not for self-engagement, but for outward engagement, towards the Pulse's rhythm. They did not resist each other but they found a beautiful, intricate way of co-existence and mutual growth.
The world was changing the tune it sang. A tune within a tune. A story within a bigger, untold story. They were practicing the toughest art: how to remain free even when things are decided.