“Hello Arsac,” the mushroom girl said. “It is almost time for you to get your true-name, but first I must tell you about the mushroom people.” She paused and looked at him smiling, putting him at ease after his recent adventures, “I may look young but my memories go back a long time. The mushroom people are magic, and so we share our memories with magic. We are not like men who have to share memories with words and stories.” She closed her eyes and continued, “We were the first creatures to come to this world. We came after the million year rains turned fire into rock and steam into sulfurous air. We planted our roots and drank deeply of the water that covered the land. We crushed the rock into dirt and made the earth ready for plants to grow. We breathed in the sulfur and made the air suitable for animals to breath. We covered the world as far as you could see and turned it into what it is today. Without us, no plant or animal could walk this land and live. Our great work is behind us but we still do much. We change dead wood and leaves into soil for new life. We change the old life into new and watch over the cycles of birth and death. You will see us on the logs in the forest, high in the trees and springing from the rich black dirt at your feet. You can see where magic pools on the ground like water, for that is where we grow.”
The mushroom girl paused and opened her eyes again, “Now that you know about me and my people, tell me what you have learned these past days.” Arsac thought about the way he had felt laying next to the pool. He thought about the serious tree-man and the playful fairies. He thought about Ison back home and how they would fight over things that seemed childish to him now. He thought about his parents and how they had taught him to respect the life around him and to be mindful of his actions so that they wouldn’t hurt others. He looked at the mushroom girl and said, “The tree-man doesn’t like playfulness and thinks that everyone should be serious. He helped me, but he also seemed old and sad.” Arsac was very tired but he could see how kind the mushroom girl was and he wanted to answer her questions, “The fairies were very playful but they don’t think about other people. They didn’t care how I felt when they stole my things and they didn’t care that I was tired of their play, all they cared about was their fun.” Arsac felt as if he had grown older since he had left his home and he was proud of his answer, “I think you must be both serious and playful. You must enjoy life so that you don’t grow sad and forget how wonderful everything is, but you also need to consider how your actions may harm or help the people around you.”
The mushroom girl looked very proud of Arsac, “Yes, you’ve learned a lot since I last saw you. You have learned of the need for balance. When we are young we tend to be playful and never think about more than ourselves. We may hurt those around us and never know or care about the consequences of our actions. As we grow old we may lose our joy in life, instead dwelling on the hurts we have given others and how we have been hurt in return. Your great task in life will be to learn to balance the opposing forces within you. Your great calling in life will be to teach others how to achieve balance within themselves and in their lives with each other.” She smiled again and said, “You are ready for your true-name. Your life will be about discovering and keeping balance, can you guess what your name truly is?”
Arsac thought for a moment and then he knew, “I am Amani aren’t I? It is the true-word for balance.” The mushroom girl nodded her head, “Travel well Amani , until we meet again,” she turned and walked out of the meadow. Arsac who was now Amani tightened his cloak around himself, shifted his pouch and headed toward home.
That is the story of how Amani came to know who he was and what he was meant for in this world.
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