The Underwater Pyramid where the Twins go, on their adventure to find the Five Crystal Spheres

Book Two

 

This book is ready to be published

 

Story: Diaoji and Leilani’s adventures continue when the Tengu Shaman sends them on a journey in search of the portal into the Middle Earth. They first go to a between-dimensions Mu pyramid in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, which is one of the  portals into the Middle Earth. They discoverthat they need all five Crystals Spheres to place on the pyramid’s mother board, in order to open the portal. They are then dramatically transported to a pyramid in the Himalaya’s, where they have to fight off nine foot tall Monkey Soldiers to recover the most powerful Clear Crystal Sphere. Back in Kyoto they learn more about their missing mother, now convinced she’s still alive. They find the Blue Sphere in Egypt, while playing an arcade game. The book ends with them being kidnapped by the evil ruler of Middle Earth and taken there as prisoners, because he also needs the Spheres to possess the power required to rule the worlds, and he knows that only the Twins can find them.  Twins Two

The Hidden Crystals

 

Chapter 1 

 

Standing in total blackness, they blindly reached out to touch each other. Only one sound, the clink of the golden bracelet hitting a stone floor, interrupted the rapid beating of their hearts. “What just happened?” Daioji whispered. Just seconds before, the twins were spinning out of control, sucked by a powerful vacuum into the long dark tunnel, and now all was still. 

Leilani exhaled, shaking off the shock of being unceremoniously flung behind lava rocks into the unknown. “Don’t know,” she softly answered. “I was ready to do an Aikido roll . . . or hit a back wall . . . or . . .” Silent for a minute, they centered with long inhales and exhales, then quickly calmed their breaths, listening for sounds other than the thump of their hearts. 

“Do you remember going from flying to standing?” Daioji whispered,“No,” she whispered back. “That was too weird.”

“Good thing you brought the flashlights.” Daioji paused a few seconds. “You brought the flashlights, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” she answered, rummaging through her pack, handing one to her brother. She turned hers on, lighting the ground in search of the heirloom bracelet.

“Here it is.” Daioji bent over and picked it up.

“Give it to me!” Leilani said with great excitement as she plucked it out of his hand. “I knew it! It really is Mother’s gold heirloom bracelet. See here. It says PUALANI. Hey, look! Our names are engraved on the inside. Can you believe it? The tengu shaman was wearing Mother’s gold bracelet! He knew her! That old geezer is up to something. I think he put us in here . . . to find her.” 

“Get a grip. Find her is a cave? That’s pretty far fetched. What do you think, she’s been living in a cave for eleven years?” Daioji answered as he stretched his body and pointed his light at the surrounding walls. 

“I don’t know,” Leilani said as she slipped on the bracelet,, and then with a second thought took it off and zipped it into a small pocket in her backpack. “There’s no way I’m going to lose this,” she mumbled. “One thing is for sure,” she continued, glancing at the solid wall, “going back isn’t an option.” 

Daioji carefully stepped forward. “Come on. Maybe this cave will lead us to the ocean. Remember what Chocho said, ‘Under the sea is where to be. The clue is blue?’ All I see is black. Let’s see if we can find some blue.” 

“Daioji. We’re up somewhere on Mt. Kurama, remember? The ocean is like fifty miles away . . .” 

“Yeah, and some mythological tengu shaman just created a tornado out of the clear sky and sent us flying through a cave.” 

“You’re right, it doesn’t make sense, so let’s go with what does. He said . . . ‘trust your ki.’” Leilani was ready to follow any of the riddles she could remember, especially if they would lead to her mother, a possible, but logically unrealistic hope. “My ki tells me to go forward . . . like you said . . . to find the blue.” Quietly and carefully they followed their flashlights through the dark, damp tunnel. 

Soon they were standing atop a wet stone stairwell. Cautiously, they stepped down, one foot in front of the other until they reached a landing. Unlike the cave at the waterfalls, no streaks of light came through natural ceiling holes. They were sealed in and down deeper than they had imagined. Leilani expected the cave to be dazzled with geodes and clusters as they scanned the thirty-foot diameter by twenty-foot high cavern. Unlike the waterfall cave, this one was all dirt and wet rock. A faint blue glow from the middle of the cave caught their attention. 

“Blue! He said the clue is blue. There it is.” Daioji headed toward the light. 

Daioji and Leilani dropped to their knees on a landing in front of a hottub-sized baby-blue/topaz pool. Leilani gently sank her fingertips into the cool phosphorescent-diamond sparkling water, which was illuminated by an underwater light from deep below, a light that grew brighter with each passing second. 

“Strange. Wonder where the light is coming from,” Daioji said as he turned off his flashlight. They could now see the entire interior of the cave. The perimeter of the landing they were on was lined in a square and engraved with the same symbols as the lava rock wall at the beginning of this journey into the unknown. The pool was lined with cut stones, set in a perfect hexagon. Daioji noticed a small ledge under the landing in front of the pool, from which he found a small ceramic bowl. “We’re obviously not the only ones who’ve been here.” He bent down and scooped water into the cup, ready to unknowingly drink from one of seven sacred Wells of Immortality, a well with the same water their grandfather drank from in the cave behind their home in Kauai, a cave they had no idea existed. “I’m thirsty.” 

“No!” Leilani warned. “It may be poisoned. No way I’m going to drag your lame body out of here . . . if there is a way out of here. Leave it alone.” Looking around some more she concluded, “There’s really nothing here other than this pool. There has to be a way out we’re not seeing.” 

“But I’m thirsty.” 

“I know. Me, too. Let’s get going while the cave is lit up.” 

Walking to the back of the cave they noticed a thin slice in the wall and headed toward it. “I think we can get through here,” Daioji said as he nervously inched through the fault. He reached out to help his sister into the next wet rock corridor, which was the beginning of another tunnel. 

“I don’t know, Daioji.” Leilani thought about the gold bracelet. “Maybe we’re going to end up with Mother afterall, buried in the middle of Mt. Kurama.” 

Daioji felt the reality of the situation begin to set in. “This is nuts. First Mother disappears on this mountain and now us. I’m too young to die in some stupid cave. Why did Chocho seal us in anyway? And what about all the stones that flew in ahead of us? Did he put up another wall right behind us? When? We must have lost a whole lot of time . . .” He paused in order to collect his thoughts. “And if there is no way in or out, what about that pool? And the cup? And the light? It doesn’t add up . . . and somehow it does . . . like we’re on the trail to something.” 

“You’re right brother. We can’t panic. We need to use our common sense and figure this puzzle out.” Leilani crouched down and took several long deep breaths. In the remote corner of her consciousness was the awareness that she is a Twin of Kashal, and with that might come some perks – like ways out of caves. “Remember what Heijo said about overcoming reckless fear and emotions? I think it’s all going to be OK. Were you listening to Chocho’s riddles? ‘Follow the wave to the sea, trust your ki and you’ll be free?’ He knows that there is a way out of here. He sealed the wall so we’d follow our ki, so we’d find the way to the wave to the sea, whatever that means.” 

“But he didn’t give us a choice. He forced us into fear for survival. That’s not cool.” 

“Maybe we needed a bit of a push to get over our fear and into our destiny.” Leilani saw something farther up the long straight wet tunnel. “Hey look! There’s light. Do you see it?“ 

“Barely. This reminds me of the mile-long tunnel through Mt. Wai’aliali in Kaua’i. A little pin-point of light there led to the way out on the other side.” 

They kept going in spite of their soaked Nike’s sloshing and slipping in the ankle-deep water. They fixed on the dim light ahead of them. Breathing in the mossy smells, old, rich and fermented, they listened to the forever sound that no one was ever there to hear: Drip. Drip, drops of water falling from the low ceiling onto their heads and shoulders, further dampening their clothes, soaked a few hours before in another cave. 

Daioji pointed his light on the water. “Are there poisonous water snakes in Japanese caves?” 

“There are,” Leilani answered in mock seriousness as she shook her foot noisily. Daioji instinctively pulled her into a hug. 

“Just kidding, brother. What you fear you draw near. Forget about snakes. It’s the blood sucking bats we have to worry about.” 

“Yeah, right . . . Hey, look! Is that a wave? It looks like a wave . . . a wave in a cave.” Daioji pointed ahead with excitement. 

The twins chuckled with excitement as they hurried through the shallow trench, stopping abruptly in front of a massive curled projectile of water – frozen in mid-air – filling the entire eight-foot diameter of the tunnel. The wave appeared as if someone had hit the pause button, stopping it from rushing forward. An eerie whitish glow pulsated from behind it. 

“Masks!” Leilani whispered. “Dolphin masks.” She pointed at two dolphin-like faces, floating motionless in front of the watery wall, surrounded by star-like water droplets. The masks appeared to have been thrust forward by the force of the wave behind them, and like the water suspended in flight. She reached to touch one, but hesitated. 

“It’s like one of those displays at the mall . . . you know, where you stand on a surfboard and get your picture taken under a wave. But this isn’t plastic. This is real water,” Daioji said as he moved his hand over the wave’s slick frozen surface. “It’s frozen, but it’s not cold in here. How can that be?”

“I don’t have a clue. Chocho said to follow the wave to the sea and we’ll be free . . . except it sure doesn’t look like this wave is going anywhere.” Still in front of the masks, Leilani inched closer and stared into the eyes of one of icy blue-clear glass masks hovering in front of the watery wall. “He didn’t mention masks, did he? Maybe masks are how we get from place to place. Are you ready for another wild trip through a mask , brother?”

“Being sucked into dragon mouths was pretty darn scarey. These look peaceful. They’re dolphins, not dragons. Dolphins don’t eat people. Hey, there’s some writing on the side of this one.” Daioji turned his head sideways and read the kanji: “’The Ki.’ The Ki? ‘Trust your ki and you’ll be free.’ Are these masks the ki?”

“Maybe,” Leilani shrugged. “I say we just grab these suckers and get the heck out of here. What do you think?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. Except I hope they’re not suckers.”

Leilani looked her brother in his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and moved her hand toward the mask. Last time we were spit out 500 years into the past. I wonder . . . She reached out and touched it with her index finger – and nothing happened. No problem so far. Just do it, Leilani. She grabbed her mask. Daioji watched, and then picked the other mask out of the air.

The masks were frozen but not cold, and had a magnifying glass quality. You can see through them, Leilani mu-mu’d, putting the mask up to her face, moving it around, searching for the right angle to bring things into focus. It was blurry at first, but soon the aperture adjusted itself. Wow! Leilani was amazed. Do you see what I see, Daioji? Suspended snowflakes, magnified a hundred times, each one a different hexagonal crystal. These are like the water crystal pictures in Dr. Emoto’s book. They’re so beautiful.

And they’re all so different, six-pointed snowflake stars, Daioji added. Amazing. For a precious moment, the beauty of this crystal wonderland provided a welcome relief to the overall stress of their time in the cave.

Leilani lowered her mask, letting her feelings come forward. Daioji, I feel Mother’s presence. It’s like she’s telling us that everything will be OK, in spite of our being lost in this cave. I see her in all of this beauty. I know we will find her. She sank down to the cave floor, looking into the sweet frozen smile of the dolphin face.

Daioji shifted his view through the masks from one droplet to another until the crystal patterns began to dissolve. He sat back-to-back to his sister. I feel her too. Crazy as it seems, we are right where we’re meant to be. I feel we are being protected. I feel Nani and Grandfather and even Father’s love all around us. Did you feel that? The floor is vibrating. Daioji raised the mask back to his face as he stood up to get another look. The magnifying mask zoomed out to reveal the suspended wall of water moving in very slow motion. “It’s moving!” Daioji whispered as helped his sister to her feet. Their first instinct was to turn and run, but they knew there was nowhere to go.

This is the wave! ‘Follow the wave,’ he said. Don’t move. Leilani mu-mu’d, not having a clue what would happen next.

They hardly breathed and didn’t move a muscle. Water droplets dripped down on Daioji’s forehead. Intuitively, he turned his mask over and held it like a vessel waiting to be filled. Leilani turned hers over too. They stood patiently catching the drips until the masks were both full. The masks then began rippling in a wavy motion and soon they too began to dissolve – drip by drip – until the last bits of the masks dribbled from their fingers to a watery pool that quickly coagulated into a gel-like substance. Yuck, Leilani groaned in silence. The self-propelled oozing gel thickened as it spiraled around their ankles and then up to their knees.

“I’m getting jello’ed!” Daioji yelled as he tried to move his feet. “The goo’s got me!” He tugged his legs up to no avail, while holding his panic in check.

“This has got to be it. It’s the flow! Go with the flow, little brother,” Leilani said taking a deep breath, suspending her rising urge to either scream or laugh.

The front of the wave hit the cave floor as a solid wall. In the passing seconds the twins experienced the same sensation as if surfing in the middle of a perfect curl, a curl of water that again froze in action, trapping them in a custom fitted bubble for two. The gel released its hold on their legs, allowing them the freedom to move their feet. They looked around their cell as they breathed in a fresh clean air, free of the cave’s mossy, fermented smell.

This is no good, Leilani. Daioji thought as he punched the gel wall. His fist just slurped into it, making a swoosh-pop sound when he pulled it out. We’re sealed in a cave. Sealed in a slurpy bubble in a cave. So much for going with the flow. Got any ideas?

I should be panicking, but I hear Chocho’s words in my head, ‘The way out of the cave is under the wave.’ We are surely under the wave right now.

So if this is “the way,” Daioji continued Leilani’s thought, I suppose the answer is to just let the way be.

Yeah, like stop thinking about being stuck. Instead focus on our outcome. I learned my lesson about trying in the other cave – when was that? Yesterday? Anyway, remember when the shaman said ‘Follow the wave to the sea. Trust your ki and you’ll be free?’ Trust our ki, our life force energy, to naturally take us out of here, Daioji. Let’s close our eyes. Breathe. Relax and extend our ki all the way to the sea, wherever that is. Let’s extend together.

As they did, the bubble began to move, spinning clockwise in slow motion, like the dry center of a washing machine spin cycle, gaining more rpm’s with each revolution. The captives centered, extending their ki to the sea. Around they went, slowly at first, then faster with each revolution – spinning and reeling – spiraling and whirl-pooling. When all the spinning and whirl-pooling reached high velocity, the twins

began bouncing off the jello walls and each other, wowing and continuing to visualize the ocean, until swoosh – they were released – flying at breakneck speed – in a DNA tube once more.

This tube was filled with strings and cords of undulating light flowing into and through them – pulsating and dancing to the beat of their now synchronized hearts. Like they had done coming out of the 15th century, they slowed themselves down to take in the experience. Ahhh. They let go – surrendering and merging into the light.

Drifting down the DNA tube, cords moving with them, eyes opened wide, they were now aware of the scene outside the transparent tubular walls. Galaxies with trillions of stars came into overview zooming toward them, then disappearing, flying past the tube at tremendous speed, some coming so close the twins experienced the sensation of being bowled over by a whole planet. Deep space flew through the twins, who were safe inside their space tube.

Hey look, Daioji, Leilani pointed at the manifestation of a thought she barely remembered having. I think we are coming up on the Ki Earth and its four moons.

Before Daioji could respond, the Ki Earth and its moons came into view.

One of the Moons is missing, Daioji thought, feeling like he was in a Stargate SG1 episode.

The next instant they were above a moon. They slowed down to get a good view of the surface. All they could see was water. Then they come upon what looked like a suspended island or floating city. As they leaned for a closer view they were plunged deeply into the water. They had no need to breathe as they glided by sea life that they had never seen before. Mermaids waved at the twins as they passed, as if reacquainting with old friends. Daioji smiled and waved back.

The twins were mesmerized by the beauty in front of them: sea life, coral reefs, glistening stones and shells filled with colors they had never seen before. Ornately carved crystal columns jutted from the seabed, up and through the surface of the water. They came closer to one of the columns and saw a reflection of themselves. Look! Yiiii! Leilani exclaimed as they were suddenly sucked backwards, vacuumed away at incomprehensible whiplash speed.

Swoosh. Then all was calm as their DNA tube filled with water. They took a deep breath . . .

 

 

Chapter Two

 

The twins shot out of the DNA tube and were under the ocean again. This time they felt the plunge and chill of real water. Startled, their surfing instinct took over and within seconds their heads cleared to optimum awareness. They got their bearings, identified up, and kicked toward the surface through the dark water. Filtered rays of the afternoon sun danced toward them. Little fish darted by, attracted to the air bubbles that seemed to tug and lift Leilani and Daioji’s hair like a puppeteer’s strings, as they looked up at a bright and clear path to the surface. It took little effort to propel their bodies toward the light above and to break through to the calm sea surface. 

Pulling hair from her face, Leilani breathed the fresh sea air, “That was . . . whew! Awesome!” 

“Awesome and a bit scary. Good thing it wasn’t too deep.” Daioji spun around in full circle, scanning the horizon for miles. The sea was flat and far from any sight of land. “Where the heck are we?” 

“Looks like the middle of absolutely nowhere.” Leilani sighed as she gazed up at the sun, relaxing even more as she treaded around in a circle quieting into mu-mu thoughts. No sight of land. Follow the wave to the sea, she repeated the words of the Tengu Shaman. Well, we did. Here we are. OK. Now what? 

I don’t know, but what we just experienced was frickin’ amazing. Daioji thought back, rising, filling his lungs and then relaxing. The Ki Earth and its moons? I thought there was supposed to be four moons – there were only three. That Water Moon with floating islands – that was incredible – the underwater city. So cool. 

Leilani nodded and then focused her thoughts on the situation they were in. He did tell us to trust our ki. ‘Trust your ki and you’ll be free.’ Trust our ki to do what? Everything that’s happened seems like some sort of set up. There has to be a good reason we’re in the middle of the ocean. Trust our ki, Leilani thought about the words. Trust the ki. Yes! Ki-pa. Kipa! She reached for the hook that she had carved from bone when she was eleven, which had rarely ever left her neck. “My hook’s gone!” she said in 

shock. “Where’s my hook? It must have fallen off when we landed in the ocean. It has to be down there somewhere. Has to be . . .” 

“Maybe you put it in your pack with Mother’s bracelet,” Daioji offered. 

“I’m sure I didn’t.” She removed her pack and reached into a small upper pocket. Fumbling around she felt her flashlight, Daioji’s Power Bar, a hair clip and some other soggy things. She knew better than to go into the pouch with the heirloom bracelet. There was no way she was going to lose that to the sea. In the lower pouch, tightly zipped was the Red Crystal Sphere, which she had almost forgotten about. 

“It’s not here. I must have lost it when we landed in the water. It must have floated up with my hair. It can’t be gone!” She said while consciously calming her rising panic, allowing all the possible implications to fill her mind. She looked down into the sea. Wish I had my snorkel and flippers. It’s down there. I know it is. 

We were at least twenty feet down when we landed, and it’s probably sixty or more to the bottom. It’s most likely still on its way down to the ocean floor. We’d better think of something fast, Daioji said, checking to make sure his hook was secure around his neck. I guess using the Kipa is out of the question. We still have the Crystal Sphere. I don’t know if we can get it to do anything. What’s real is the fact that we can only tread water for so long. I’m getting cold. 

“I’ve got an idea,” Leilani said out loud as she raised her eyebrows and smiled a half smile. 

Remember how we used to sit on the rocks at Secret Beach and tone for the dolphins? Let’s tone and see if they come and help us. There’s got to be dolphins around here. 

Leilani began to tone:
“EEEEooooooooowwwwwwwooooooooaaaaaahhhhhhhh . . .” Daioji swam next to her and 

joined in, bringing his mouth as close to hers as he could, making one blended harmonic overtone: “EEEOOOOOOOWWWWWOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH . . .” 

Sixty feet below, a pod of six bottle-nosed dolphins swam along the sea floor, happily racing down long, grand promenades, spinning with playful abandon through massive pillar-lined terraces and majestic 13,000 year-old staircases still intact from the ancient civilization of Mu. They tag-relayed a playful game along the monumental coral and sea-life encased ziggurat. The pod was suddenly halted mid-game by curiously high-pitched tones, sounding down from the ocean’s surface. 

“EEOOOOOOOWWWWWOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH.” 

At the same moment, the adolescent dolphins were equally drawn to sudden flashes of light coming from the end of a wide boulevard. A pyramid, which had been dazzling and crystal clear many millennium before, was now encrusted with green lichen. The curious dolphins shot down the length of the boulevard and began to rub their noses on the glassy surface, scouring out a clear look. Inside, an altar dimly flashed with red, yellow, blue, green and metallic pulsating lights. 

“EEEEooooooooowwwwwwwooooooooaaaaaahhhhhhhh.” 

I’ve never seen this before, Jamu, one of the young dolphins, said to his sister Shapa, who was next to him peering into the pyramid. Glowing lights down in the middle of the pyramid? The Prophesy! It’s time. And those tones . . . he chattered in glee. 

The twins! Shapa smiled, relieved that the day had finally arrived. They are calling us. We’re hearing them, us, twins, a brother and a sister . . . we too are chosen ones. I have always known. 

Then let’s all go welcome them, Jamu called to his sister and four friends. Follow me.

Jamu and Shapa, followed by the younger dolphins, moved quickly through the expansive ruins of the once glorious city. Broad avenues lined with ornately carved stone columns spoke of a flourishing civilization, the root-race of Mu, long ago lowered under the ocean and surrendered to Neptune’s changes in time. 

They sped along the ocean floor until they were beneath the water-treading Daioji and Leilani. Looking up toward the surface, Shapa saw a white object on a cord slowing drifting down toward the sea bottom. 

Look, Shapa said. The twins must have dropped it. I’ll grab it and take it up with me. 

My sister and I will come up from underneath, Jamu chirped out to his friends. You guys go to the surface and let them know we’re here. I’ll call for Bo’jon to join us. The pod nodded in agreement, rolling in excited delight. 

The next instant, to Daioji and Leilani’s surprise, four dolphins appeared, swimming on the surface of the water. At the same time the twins felt a tremendous percussion and heard a huge splash from another direction. A whale breached for the sky not far away. “Look! There they are. And a whale!” Daioji yelled in excitement as the four dolphins leapt into the air with simultaneous back flips. All of a sudden the open sea came alive with life. 

We’ll have to take them to the pyramid, Shapa said. They’ll love the lights. With the leather cord of Leilani’s bone hook secure on her beak, they swam up toward the twins. 

How? They are land mammals. They do not breathe under water.
Neither do we. We’ll teach them what we do. They can learn.
Wait. Jamu looked Shama eye to eye. How do you know we can even communicate with them? And 

even if we can, how can we teach them anything underwater. Can you?
First of all, they are the twins of the Prophesy and they knew how to call us. They know how to reach us. And second, if they are at all willing, if they have learned to trust life, we can bring them into our energy vortex and show them how to entrain with us. We’ll know how to teach them. 

You mean for them to be like dolphins? Jamu asked. 

We’ve seen it before . . . humans underwater with us for long periods, forgetting their human limitations. What else can we do? We’re not going to leave them out here in the middle of everywhere. We have to get them to the pyramid. It’s our part of our Prophesy. 

That’s true. What’s going to happen once they get in? 

Don’t know, Shapa smiled as they chirped and spun around in delight, flipping their tails. Looks like another day of dolphin surprise. This is the best fun. Yes! Surprise. 

Well then, let’s surprise them. 

 

Chapter Three

 

Sensing movement below them, the twins looked down into the clear water. Two shimmers of dolphins circled up toward the surface, surrounding them in a ring of bubbles, emerging with wild, gleeful chirps. One had Leilani’s hook around its nose. 

Hey, a smiling dolphin mu-mu’d as the pair held their heads above the water next to the twins. Did one of you lose this? 

Both Daioji and Leilani stopped treading, coughing water through wide smiles. The two young dolphins now effortlessly stood chest high out of the water, grinning, squeaking, laughing and chattering a happy greeting at them. 

Did you hear that? Daioji looked over at his sister. The dolphin is talking to us. 

Yes, indeed, Leilani answered as the dolphin sank back down so she could take her hook from Shapa’s nose and place it back around her neck. Thanks, she thought to the dolphin. This is very dear to me. I don’t think I could have . . . I was scared when I lost it. Thanks for showing up. 

We’re here to serve. My name is Jamu and this is my sister Shapa. 

I’m Leilani. My brother Daioji. It’s good to meet you. Where is land? Can we hop a ride to shore? How far is it anyway? 

Too far, Shapa joined in. You can relax for a minute. Hold on to us. We’re safe. 

I know you’re safe, but are we? Leilani thought back, as she welcomed the offer and grabbed a fin, finally relaxing her legs. Can you help us? Can you get us to some place that we consider safe? Like land? 

Too far, Shapa repeated. That’s not what you’re here for.
Too far? What are we here for?
You’re here to go to the lights in the Mu Pyramid. We’ll take you there. That’s why we’re here? To visit a pyramid? Leilani questioned. Tell us more. 

It’s under the water. Not far. We’ll swim down together. 

Excuse me. Swim down together? Under the water? Daioji interrupted, amused that he too could communicate telepathically with dolphins. Dogs. Dolphins. That made sense, sort of. What didn’t make sense was that the dolphins were here to greet them. It seems like you were expecting us. How did you know . . . 

You called for us, didn’t you? Shapa kindly offered, sweetly avoiding the question. Well . . . yes . . . You mean the toning?

Did you think we wouldn’t come?

We hoped dolphins would come. I’ve never talked with dolphins before. 

You probably have never landed in the middle of the ocean before either, Jamu joined in with a chuckle. 

You’ve got a point. OK. I’m ready. I want to see this pyramid. Leilani realized that whatever was to happen next wasn’t going to happen on the surface of the ocean. We can only hold our breath for about two, maybe three minutes underwater. And how deep is it? How are we going to get down there? 

I have some ideas, Jamu answered. Our friend Bo’jon will help. He’s got air to spare. 

Shapa let out a dolphin chatter-chatter, and within seconds a huge humpback whale rolled from below, water cascading off his barnacled skin. 

Bo’jon, a slick blue-gray moving island, glided close enough for the twins to touch. 

“Iiiiiiiit’ssss-yooooooooooo-uuuuuuuuuuuu,” Bo’jon belched out in a deep rumbling voice, water squishing through his baleen fringe, spraying his companions. 

Did he just say ‘It’s you?’ Daioji asked Shapa.
Shapa smiled. If you need to breathe, Bo’jon will be right here. 

My brother hasn’t spent as much time swimming with dolphins as I have, Leilani explained. When I swim with my dolphin family in Kauai, I can hold my breath for what seems like forever. 

That’s because you entrain with them. You become like a dolphin. 

Exactly, Leilani said excitingly, remembering all the fun she’d had swimming with her aquatic friends. I can swim next to them without even moving my body . . . like they are propelling me along. 

We’ll do the same, Jamu said, pleased that the twins were so willing. All you have to do is swim along side us and before you know it, we’ll be there. Ready? 

I’m not sure, Daioji answered, spinning around peering into the depths below. I don’t see a pyramid down there. 

Trust us. You’ll make it to the pyramid. The first thing to do is relax, Shapa kindly instructed. You will quickly merge with us and forget about your need to breathe. 

That seems easy enough for you to say. Daioji looked around nervously, more than ever aware he was a land-based mammal. Never mind. I can merge. Yes, that’s it, merge. 

Leilani looked deep into her brother’s eyes. Trust what’s happening. Trust the ki. 

Shapa looked over to Daioji, supporting what Leilani had just said. Let’s just say that when you’re present in the moment, in the wonder of what you’re experiencing, breathing or not breathing takes care of itself. It’s really a matter of allowing yourself to merge and surrender past thoughts to this now moment. 

What do you mean, surrender the fact that humans can’t breathe underwater, to the now moment? 

Daioji asked, not knowing how to apply the concept to a long period of time underwater. This was a lot different than getting wet under a waterfall. Suddenly he was threatened by this extremely foreign environment. 

Relax and be with what is, Shapa answered. Blend with us. Blend with the water. Become a dolphin. Let this reality be your creation. We’re mammals too and we stay under water for long periods of time. Allow yourself to be one with us and then it will be no problem swimming to the pyramid. 

Well, I’m open to this. But I’m also scared. And, I believe you. I trust my ki and I trust you. He breathed in and let out a long sigh, OK. Daioji surrendered into his Aikido still point; allowing an opening for new ideas and thoughts to present themselves. I’m ready. 

The twins relaxed and began floating on their stomachs, looking down to see if they could spot the pyramid. They couldn’t. I’m ready too, Leilani said as they surfaced. 

Take a deep breath and down we go. And remember, Shapa added, if you run out of air, Bo’jon is here to help. See his blowhole over there? Just tap on it and he will shoot you some air. Sort of stinky but it will do. 

I get it now, Daioji laughed. Thump the hump! This is wild! Chocho knew!

He’s a master! Leilani grinned, reflecting on the shaman’s brilliance.

The twins took big breaths and swam down about twenty-five feet, clearing their ears, before they bolted to Bo’jon’s blowhole. A couple of big bubbles came out and as they bit into them, warm, fishy air rushed into their mouths, filling their lungs. Feeling the effects of compression, they rubbed their heads, cleared their ears again and mentally relaxed, naturally relieving the pressure. They continued swimming down holding to a dolphin dorsal fin for a longer period of time before going over to Bo’jon for more air. They slowly descended until they moved effortlessly along the ocean floor. Each twin was met with a comfortable dorsal fin under each arm. They looked like a pair of tri-hulled crafts, flying formation along the sea floor. Dolphin propelled, Daioji mused. Awed by the beauty of the underwater life, they soon released the reflex to breathe. The sight was wondrous. The twins were in a state of relaxation and effortlessly entrained along with the dolphins, enjoying their journey to the underwater pyramid.T h e y soared around stone buildings, across curving balconies and through pillars and alleyways, all green with lichen, seaweed and long strands of unique plant forms blowing like ribbons in the wind of the ocean bottom currents. Corals and sea anemones dotted the greens with reds, yellows, pinks and purples. All sorts of colorful fish, sharks, eels and barracuda glided through the open arches and windowless rooms. Light came from structures all around them as if there was electricity. Did they see people in them? 

I love this! Leilani mu-mu’d in delight. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done! Are there people down here too? Who are they? 

What’s going on with the lights in those buildings? Daioji chimed in to Shapa, who hadn’t told the twins the story of the Mu city that went under 13,000 years ago. 

Those are places where present-day humans come in their dream state for shamanic or tahuna training. All of them had once lived in this city when it was above water. Now they wish to help others find the peace and love they once knew and experienced when the Mu culture was flourishing above sea level. This is where they re-connect to their heart center – you call it aloha – and take that love back to your reality, Shapa explained. 

So they’re breathing underwater, too . . . except they’re doing it in their dreams, Daioji added. Life is just a dream, Shapa answered with a smile. 

 

Chapter Four

 

The twins and dolphins glided effortlessly through the lichen-laden ruins, taking in the wonders around them. Rounding a corner, Daioji and Leilani yanked gently on the dorsal fins, bringing the dolphins to a stop. At the end of a long broad avenue, flanked with gigantic pylons, an enormous ceremonial center with vast promenades opened to an even more astonishing structure. There arose a perfectly proportioned four-sided pyramid, at least eight stories high, in green splendor. They continued on and as they got closer they could see spots of lichen-cleared glass through which colored lights softly blinked. 

This is awesome, Daioji thought to his companions. A pyramid in the middle of the ocean. Is it made of glass? What are those lights? Can we get in? 

There is a way in, Jamu answered. We hadn’t seen the lights until today. We thought maybe you could tell us what they mean. 

Us? Leilani broke in. How would we know?

We’ll see, Shapa thought back. Let’s go in.

They swam around the pyramid to a small opening, through which only Jamu, Shapa and the twins entered. The expansive interior was much the same as the exterior; encrusted with thousands of years of ocean exposure. They swam straight for the flashing lights, which were glowing dimly on top of an unimposing circular altar. Barely discernable carved faces with stoic guarded gazes peered out from around the altar. 

This looks like some sort of control panel, Leilani remarked as she turned to Jamu, who was no longer there. Jamu? Shapa? Did you see them leave? 

Daioji looked around, a bit uncomfortable without the support of his new friends. They‘ll be back. They can’t just dump us off . . . As he spoke Bo’jon floated by, casting a huge dark cloud outside the pyramid and was gone. 

Here, help me scrape this lichen off. Leilani focused her attention on the altar and began rubbing away the sea coat, revealing a glyph-etched marble tabletop. Working together, they soon cleared the growth, uncovering five softball-sized depressions in the marble center. Light was glowing from the bottom of each hole. The center light glowed green and the others were red, purple, blue and clear white. 

You know, Daioji surmised, pointing at the central hole. I’ll bet this one represents the Ki Earth and the others are its four moons, just like in the Migration Chant. Those holes look about the same size as our Crystal Sphere. Let’s see if it fits. 

Leilani unzipped the lower pouch and took out the Red Sphere, placing it in the red hole. It fit perfectly. 

Now what? Daioji asked as Bo’jon came around for another look. One side of the pyramid was darkened by his massive body, reminding the twins that he was still holding a lung full of warm air for them just in case, and that they hadn’t taken a land-based breath for quite a long time. 

I don’t know, Leilani answered as she held on to the side of the altar. Do you feel the ground shaking? In the next instant a powerful tremor shook the pyramid, slamming the twins together. Earthquake! 

The twins huddled next to the altar as the rumbling continued and the vibrations increased dramatically with each passing second. Then, as if someone suddenly turned on the wash cycle, they were pulled away from the altar and tossed and turned like clothes in a Maytag. They hugged each other for dear life while waves of water pushed them back and forth inside the pyramid. The vibrations recycled and changed to a whirlpool spin filled with deafening sounds and blinding light. Like rag dolls they let go with no choice but to surrender to the chaotic commotion. 

Then it all stopped. Abrupt. Sudden. Like the done ‘click’ of the washer. They were softly dropped on the cold, but dry floor. 

They opened their eyes and adjusted their breathing to clean fresh air. Air! The twins deeply inhaled and filled their lungs as they slowly stood up and looked around in awed silence, wondering what just happened and why, and grateful that it did. 

Soft lighting from nowhere filled the silent interior space. All the sea life was gone. Not a drop of water anywhere. The world inside the pyramid had completely changed. It was now perfectly clean and filled with fresh air. Before them was a huge pyramid waiting to be explored.