A Dark History

It happened suddenly when Leonardo was meditating by the lake, calmly emptying his mind into the state of serenity needed for absolute concentration. He had lost all his random and fluctuating thoughts, his constant flickering mind had become silent and he had closed his thoughts, as if someone were trying to read them. His mind was void.

Yet, even in this state he realised a presence was near to him. It was a soft and glowing presence omitting an aura of serene wisdom that Leonardo knew well. In this presence he felt the memory of all those years he had grown up together with his brothers, forever guided by their Master. It had no shape, this presence, only a spiritual essence, that seemed to cover his own within its own immense power of mind, as if sheing ing his young and weak spiritual self within its own.

He heard the voice, calm and clear through a thousand memories, breaching his own mind without consent. It only said one word, and that one word was his own name, Leonardo, yet he knew the voice belonged to his own beloved mentor, Splinter.

Whatever fhad had dealt this suffering mutant had become irrelevant and unimportant, the triumph of this moment far exceeded any failures. His soul felt suddenly cleansed from all his guilt and regret, and as he stood up and his mind became the cluttered mess of thought and reason once again, his mouth opened and he called out Splinter's name.


XXX---XXX


Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael were playing Trivial Pursuit in the old barn near the Farmhouse. Raphael and Donatello were keeping a steady eye on their younger brother while Leonardo had disappeared to meditate, and in their own concern for this younger one, had forgotten their own selfish despair. It seemed as though Michaelangelo, through his botched suicide attempt had actually served to strengthen them all. In his cry for help, they again found a reason to live, realising he did not have the strength he needed to overcome his own guilt, as they had all once been so sure.

Leonardo came through the barn door with the speed of a tornado, knocking aside the game, all the pieces went flying in all directions. Both Raphael and Donatello glared at him, and Michaelangelo just looked in astonishment as Leonardo kept repeating

"I heard Splinter, he came to me this day while I was meditating"

Raphael got to his feet, took Leonardo by his shoulders and shook him gently, as if trying to wake him from a bad dream. "Stop it Leo" he said with constrained anger, fearing this would affect Michaelangelo, who was watching Leonardo with awe struck expression.

"I know this sounds crazy, Raph" Leonardo continued, undeterred. "But I heard his voice and felt his presence surround me. He called to me, and I didn't imagine it"

Raphael sighed, very much out of concern rather than weariness. He had finally had enough, and was driven to a near state of despair. He looked at Leonardo as if through blurred lenses trying to distinguish the figure of a brother he used to know.

"Then if you don't believe me, let me prove it" Leonardo cried, his hands flew to his head in desperation.

Af hof hour later, due to the repeated cries of Leonardo which were slowly driving Raphael to breaking point, they had all agreed upon a single course of action. They sat together around a camp fire, as the night was very cold, and meditated deeply. Raphael was not concentrating at all, but soon his mind drifted, losing each and every conscious thought. They had reached a pivotal moment, a moment in which all their minds were locked together without thought or reason, as if waiting for a signal, a command or a disturbance.

Nothing came. They continued to meditate falling into deeper and deeper realms of their subconsiousness. There mind's eye became misted and blank. In unison they had become one, a single force or aura which they had never accomplished before. In this state of nothingness they were not divided by the desperation of their own failures, but were freed by the state of serenity, of pure strength of mind. They heard a voice, faint at first, breaking the absolute nothingness. Suddenly, all four minds became focused on this voice, and as if there collective focus magnified the voice, it became louder until they could hear the words clearly and they recognised the voice.

It was Splinter who had reached out to them, in a weakened state of torture, to communicate with those who had made such a united effort to hear his commands. His pupils had achieved something he would never have believed possible at such a fragile time of their lives. They had mastered the art of meditation, and had gone beyond, breaching the astral plane until they had reached him through all the distance that separated them.

They had become solid figures within their own minds, and Splinter stood among them. They were not longer sitting by a camp fire amongst the swaying trees, rather they were standing in their own minds talking g with their leader.

Splinter continued to speak, drawing them closer to him. "My sons, how proud can a father be when his children achieve all the ambitions and hopes he has set for them from the day they learned to walk? How pleased can a father be when his children understand all the values of his lessons, and use the knowledge he has taught them in ways even he would not have believed possible? Tonight, I have become the proudest father of all, and with such joy I have heard your collective spirits call me and summon me from all the pain and torment I have endured to speak with you all. Ah, my children, you must no longer fear about what has happened in the past. You now have the ability, all four of you, to put all these fears and regrets behind you and start afresh. Whether I will live or die now is irrelevant as you have shown me that you curviurvive and draw all the strength you need for every adventure from each other. Look at what you have accomplished here together. This is the finest day for any teacher, when his pupils learn as much and perhaps more so than even he himself. You have become all I have ever envisioned you would become and I leave you now with three words, spoken from my heart to my sons - I love you"

Splinter vanished from their minds, but as each Turtle opened their eyes they realised one thing - they weren't afraid anymore.

The next morning, just after dawn, Leonardo and his brothers silently walked along the bank of the river, looking at the cool still water reflect the first day's rays. Each ray was broken into thousands of different segments as soon as it touched the water, and looked like a broken puzzle upon the water's surface.

"I think we all know what we have to do" Leonardo said, his voice commanding and soft. His tone was patient and commanding once more.

Michaelangelo nodded his head, and said "We have to get ready to go back to New York, don't we?"

Leonardo smiled, and continued to walk, his face bright and his expression thoughtful. "We need to train hard, harder than we've ever done before, so we can get Splinter back again"

The other three Turtles agreed as they walked behind their brother, who seemed to have formulated a plan already.


XXX---XXX


The next three days all four Turtles devoted themselves to a rigorous training schedule which was both gruelling and exhausting. On the fourth day Leonardo gave his brothers a half day to do whatever they desired, as long as what they did not conflict with their training. Another four days passed, and after this terrible week, the four Turtles were almost prepared to go back to New York and face the enemy who had taken their Master from them.