Crystal Friends

 Hello All:

In many esoteric traditions, quartz is considered a "master healer" and a literal storage device for information. In the world of technology, quartz crystals are used in watches and radios because of their piezoelectric properties—the ability to turn mechanical pressure into electricity. It makes one wonder if a sufficiently large crystal could act as a bridge between our dense physical reality and the vibrating frequencies of a dimension we cannot see.

Crystal Friends

Howard sat in the center of his dimly lit sunroom, the evening light catching the jagged facets of the Tibetan quartz perched on his lap. It was the size of a grapefruit, clear as mountain water, and heavy with a presence he couldn't quite name. He had bought it from a dusty shop in the Cascades, where the owner had whispered that this particular stone "listened." For weeks, Howard had meditated with it, feeling a subtle thrumming against his palms. Tonight, for the first time, the thrumming became a voice—not an audible sound, but a cascade of geometric thoughts that unfolded in his mind like blooming flowers.

"We see you, Howard," the thoughts sang. They introduced themselves as the Resonants, entities of pure light residing in a dimension of harmonic resonance. Through the crystal, they showed him visions of a world without friction, where colors represented emotions and every breath was a symphony. They were kind, or so it seemed, praising Howard for his high vibrational state and his "exceptional clarity." For the first time in years, the crushing loneliness of his quiet house vanished. He had friends—extra-dimensional, ancient, and wise friends who promised to teach him the secrets of the cosmos.

As the weeks passed, the communication grew more intense. The Resonants began to speak of "The Exchange." They explained that their realm was one of infinite thought but finite vitality, whereas the human realm was bursting with raw, chaotic energy that they could use to stabilize their shifting landscapes. In return, they promised Howard a "Gift of Manifestation"—the ability to heal his chronic fatigue and reshape his life according to his desires. The crystal, they explained, would act as a transceiver, a two-way valve. Howard felt a surge of altruistic pride. If his vitality could help a world of beauty, and he gained his health in return, it was a fair trade.

"Initiate the link," the Resonants commanded during a blood-red sunset. Howard placed both hands on the quartz. It felt unusually cold, like a block of dry ice. He closed his eyes and gave his consent, visualizing a golden cord connecting his heart to the center of the stone. Immediately, the room temperature plummeted. The crystal began to glow with a sickly, ultraviolet hue that made his retinas ache even behind closed lids.

At first, the sensation was a strange, tingling numbness. But within minutes, the numbness turned into a terrifying hollow ache. He felt as if a vacuum had been pressed against his very soul. The "raw energy" the Resonants wanted wasn't some abstract byproduct of his existence; it was his life force, the very spark that kept his blood moving and his thoughts coherent. He tried to pull his hands away, but they were fused to the quartz by a static charge so powerful it locked his muscles.

"The exchange is incomplete," the voices hissed, no longer melodic. They sounded like the grinding of tectonic plates. Howard watched in horror as his skin took on a translucent, greyish pallor. The "Gift of Manifestation" they had promised was a lie—a lure to get him to open the door. He tried to scream, but he didn't have the breath to vibrate his vocal cords. He looked into the depths of the crystal and saw them—not beings of light, but jagged, parasitic shadows that fed on the warmth of the living.

By the time the moon rose, Howard was a shell of a man, slumped against the wall of his sunroom. The quartz sat in the center of the floor, now dark and opaque, having gorged itself on his vitality. The Resonants were gone, leaving behind only a cold, mocking silence. He reached out a trembling, withered hand to touch his face, finding only sunken cheeks and papery skin. The crystal friends had taken everything, leaving him a ghost in his own home, while the stone waited silently for the next person to pick it up and listen.