Temple of the Rainbow
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About the Author R. J. McBride lives in Minnesota with his wife and their two inquisitive love birds, Tinker and Belle. He first developed Freemont as a cartoon character who appeared in an Oregon Coast newspaper and on T-shirts. But Freemont had a bigger story to tell, and Temple of the Rainbow is just the beginning of a series of books for young and old alike. |
Temple of the Rainbow
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| Introduction |
 "Good morning. My sincere apologies for disturbing you so early. My name's Gahkis and I have been asked to deliver an important message from..." "Good for you, Gaw-koose, but you're wasting your time." Whatever this odd-looking character was peddling, I didn't want to know about.... All I wanted was for him to go away and to stay away. |
 The following afternoon, while snoozing beneath a pile of leaves deep in the forest, I had a series of dreams... I was greatly upset that they had to be so frightening. ...I awoke in a daze, the crackling of flesh and the stench of burning feathers still firmly fixed in my mind. What kind of prankish mind-twaddle was going on here? |
 The great and grand figure I had so long loved and supported had become a loathsome-looking creature who sent pangs of fear rippling through my body. HaKata's mouth had become an oversized, black hole, with two large fangs protruding past his lower lip. Above his eyes were two horned growths. His once-majestic-looking body had become a blotchy-skinned, red and yellow bean-bag-like greasy blob. "You-u-u-u ha-a-a-a-ve failed me, Freemont." HaKata's eyes glowed like red-hot embers. More about HaKata . . . |
 "Let me ask you a question, Freemont. Say you make it out of Ahtam-Sar. What will you do with your new freedom?" "What will I do?" I answered. "Whatever I want to do. That's what I will do. My troubles will be over. I'll be a free frog." A look of amusement came upon Sunam's face. "Interesting thing about this thing we call freedom," said Sunam. |
 Each day the guards would bring me food and each night I would poke it out the back of the cage, assured hungry critters would make short work of my actions. I hoped to be dead before the guards caught on to what I was doing and informed HaKata. Awakened by a tapping sound on the back of the cage, I half opened my eyes and looked around.... "I've come to set you free," said a young-sounding voice. |
 Seething with anger, I noticed some gray, slimy-looking mud holes beginning to appear ahead of me. As I cautiously poked one of my toepads into the slippery sludge, I heard a sucking sound followed by the appearance of two blood-red, angry eyes glaring back at me. Doubling up my fists, I yelled, "If you miserable, ugly blobs want to tangle then let's do it. I've been itching to beat the living pulp out of someone, and you're it!" |
 Weaving from side to side, the frightening monster stood on four short, powerful legs, each foot armed with five razor-sharp claws that kept digging into the sand.... Like a soggy leaf, I felt myself going limp at the sight of a large gaping mouth, which threatened to suck me up at any moment. |
 Chapter Eight: Pea-purs"I wish I had the time to get to know you better, Freemont. I saw first off that you were someone unique; someone who saw life differently than most. Struck me you might be on a special mission of some kind." Pea-purs was the second one to tell me they thought I was on some kind of a mission. "Have you got that one wrong," I said. "If I've got any kind of goal, it's to get as far from my past troubles as I can..." |
 Using whatever I could get hold of, I grunted, puffed, and pulled myself upward. Arriving beneath a water-soaked ledge, I reached up to grab hold of a knob-shaped bulge located above my head, when my hands began to cramp. If I let go to relax my hand I feared I would surely fall to my death. suddenly a movement caught my eye. Turning my head, I saw a tan and gray frog with dark brown spots ascending the cliff. "Thank goodness," I hollered. "Can you help me? I'm stuck and afraid I will fall." ...Most amazing was the fact that it had been a one-legged frog who had saved me. |
 Asilus gestured for me to sit alongside her. "Rest awhile, my friend. You look like someone who's been on a very long journey. Refresh yourself with some of this fruit. It's rare and delicious. Not like any you've eaten before." About to reach out and take a piece of fruit, I remembered my rules of never ever and pulled my hand back. "No thanks," I said. "You eat them. I'll find my own food later." |
 "There is a great burden that hangs over you, Freemont. Its weight is heavy and sharp-edged. Long held beliefs say others are responsible for your life and the way it is, yet the added weight is of your own doing..." I was outraged that he thought he could talk to me that way. "It's always me, isn't it? Me. Me. Me! Not HaKata. Not Hela. Wasn't Anaram or Eshmar. And it certainly wasn't you, was it? Just cold-hearted, mean-eyed, old Freemont." Eyes reflective of compassion and understanding looked into mine. "We each create our own way of life, Freemont..." |
 A slimy, dirty-gray path snaked its way through a haunting forest of dead trees and bushes. Looking past wilted clumps of grass, I saw an ash-covered, dead-looking pond whose rancid odors drifted across meadows of chalky clay, mold, and decay.... A voice inside was telling me what I was seeing were possibilities of my own creation, yet all could be changed if I was willing to take responsibility for my own actions. Unwilling to accept this dead world as any part of my own doing, I flew into another fit of rage. |
 In the center of a small meadow, illuminated by the colorful rays of the rainbow, was a small pond backed by a large, red-barked tree surrounded by brightly-colored bushes, yellow rocks and various sizes of blue crystals poking their odd-shaped tips up above patches of flowers. Sitting by the pond, eyes closed, holding a rainbow-colored crystal in his hands, was Eshmar. Golden-colored skin, highlighted by just a hint of reddish-orange, made his small but stout body stand out like a golden gem. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked upon the one I had so greatly misjudged. |
 "Some say a rainbow represents a new beginning because they so often follow a refreshing rain which brings nourishment and renewal. Then there's the intriguing view that rainbows shield an invisible realm, connecting our outer lives and inner worlds. Some go even further, saying they've seen and spoken with those unique beings within these rainbow worlds...." "I rarely speak of this," answered Eshmar, "but I have, in dreams as well as waking moments, experienced these colorful creatures. Those approaching with love in their hearts, are more likely to see or feel their presence." |
Epilogue |
| Glossary Definitions and pronunciations of terms, characters, and places in Temple of the Rainbow. |
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Last updated May 7, 2008