Cyberia - The City of Ladies

Meeting a guide and learning about the City of Ladies.

©peacebird2006

In the Stitching Room,
I am surrounded by

silks,
woolens,
cottons,
linens,
homespuns,

in
stripes,
florals,
plaids,
figures,
plains,
mottled,
dotted,

I touch their
smooth,
slippery,
coarse,
textures.

I gaze at
whites,
creams,
grays,
blacks,
and rainbow colors
in lights and darks.

Each inspires my imagination
to create every changing
patterns and designs
from piece upon piece.
As I ply my needle and thread,
my psyche dwells in
soothing calm.

Enter the Stitching Room for
respite from the buffets outside.

On the first day of arriving, Imogen Crest came across a place off the main piazza called mysteriously “Villa of Dreams”.  To her surprise, nobody lived there, but many roamed around in different rooms of their own making.  The Villa changed colours with the thoughts of the people, and became whatever they chose it to be.  It was so mysterious and enchanting, she decided to send a postcard back to the Lemurian Hermitage, to show what she had found in the magical city of Cyberia.

(copyright Imogen Crest 2006.)

Walk through wooded paths
hear the sound of healing waters
bring an offering to waterfall spirits
and pass through the sacred temple of trees
with silent footsteps.
Sit on the rocks in the dappled sunlight
close your eyes and listen
for the healing which is offered
by the spirits of the waterfall

When Crone Fran decided to set up her lookout at the gates of Cybercity, she found that the old castle provided a suitable tower site but also knew that in her croneship she must have a comfortable cottage just like the one she knew best so she hired a builder from the old place and had him construct it atop the tower. It was a bit of a task to get her many antenna, her Big Mac, her Little Mac, the radar, the wind catcher,three telescopes and two servers and the necessary other bits and pieces to the top but with the help of several winged monkeys, two friendly wizards, and a helicopter loaded with underaged computer engineers who were kind enough to carry her two cats and the knitting basket they got it all connected. You will be able to connect to the tower by mobile phone, wind chimes, telepathy or whistle. Expect a report to headquarters, either Heather or her alter ego whenever a visitor is arriving.
There will be no further notice until the crone has had some sleep.

Per our agreement, the Proprietess rented to me a tiny loft on the top floor of the Taverna overlooking the Piazza.  A number of artists, writers, and performers lived there as well, and I was very grateful to secure this space among them.  I was equally glad that my loft was ABOVE the flamenco dancer’s studio and not under it.

My space had a skylight and many windows, and sunlight flooded the space.  Though small, the space served my purposes– I needed only a place to read, write and sleep.  I could eat and entertain downstairs in the Taverna, and with the entire city of Cyberia waiting to be explored, I knew I often would not be home.

I could not bear to keep Syren locked up in a livery all day so I arranged for a local horse farm to keep her for a small fee.  She was close enough for me to visit regularly and I planned to go exploring with her on my days off.

Cyberia!   I took a big breath of fresh air as I stepped onto my balcony.  I felt aloft upon a breeze of hope and opportunity.

Lori Gloyd (c) 2006

After leaving Baba’s and experiencing a profound transformation (entirely because of the workings of Baba Yaga’s Cauldron), Imogen has decided to take a working holiday in the famed City of Ladies, in Cyberia near the Mouseion. Magically a villa has materialised, which like her counterpart Orlando’s, has the strange quirk of changing colours according to the weather or the mood she is in. Feel free to visit, fellow travellers.