Teddy’s home inside The Bosom of Abraham was just like all the rest; they were all made out of polished black lava stones. Lava stones were in abundance due to the proximity of the earth’s outer core. These homes were mostly built on one level, but a few of them had secondary levels. Some were built side by side while others were built far apart from each other in a more wilderness country setting. Theodore Indiana, or Teddy as he was called by his family and close friends, occupied a residence just a short way from the lava slide but far away from anyone else. Teddy was father to Daniel Indiana, who was Dester’s dad. That made Theodore Jasper’s great grandfather. He was a private individual, riddled with despair, and went years without speaking to his neighbors. He spent most of his days watching the hill, waiting for the day when the slide would reactivate and bring his grandson home.
“Detour, Thunder. Over there, some man just did a head gainer into the dirt…possum.” Jasper guided his thoughts into Thunder’s consciousness, and he changed course. In mere seconds Jasper was bounding off of Thunder’s back and to the aid of the fallen man who was struggling to pick himself up off the ground.
“Are you hurt, sir?” Jasper hesitated to touch the fragile man, not knowing who he was, but more so as not to violate the old man’s personal space. Jasper was a big fan of the eighteen-inch bubble theory; a region surrounding a person which they regard as psychologically theirs. Most people value their interpersonal space and feel anxiety when it is encroached. An eighteen-inch “bubble” is a zone of space that extends from one’s person to his or her close family members and friends, and also to pets. Jasper, in good conscience, would not violate this principle.
The old man did not answer. He rose ever so slowly and just stood there. Jasper looked back at Thunder and sent his thoughts to him. I think this guy rang his bell pretty hard, maybe he can’t speak. Thunder snorted.
Suddenly the old man lurched forward, grabbing Jasper’s dirty face with his hands and kissing him on both cheeks. “Dester, welcome back. This is the happiest day of my life. I’ve waited years and years.” The man began to cry. He threw both arms around Jasper’s waist and hugged him while burying his face in Jasper’s chest.
“What? Wait, who are you? Let go of me, sir. Who did you call me? I can’t understand what you’re saying, stop crying…sir, please, my name is Jasper Indiana.” But the elderly gentleman heard him not. Instead he just squeezed harder. Then, without warning, machine gun fire erupted. “Oh no, it’s a drive-by! GET DOWN!” Jasper shouted as he pushed the old man to the ground, falling on top of him and using his own body as a shield. More machine gun fire. Thunder was spooked by Jasper’s sudden actions and ran off in a bucking jerk toward the back of the house.
“Dester, what are you doing? Get off of me, I can’t breathe,” Teddy said in a huff. What was happening to his happy reunion with his grandson?
More machine gun fire. “Did you say you can’t breathe?” Jasper lifted himself off of the man just enough to hear his reply as he moved his head from left to right, looking for the shooter or shooters. “It seems to be coming from every direction. Have you been shot? Wait a minute…” Jasper paused and pushed himself back up to his feet. He looked down at the old man. “Where is that smell coming from? Holy crap, is that you? Did you do all of that?”
Teddy raised his arm into the air toward Jasper and extended his hand. “Pull my finger,” he said with a naughty grin.
“You scared the crap out of me.” Jasper sent his thoughts to Thunder to calm him and asked him to return to his side.
“You knocked me to the ground. I’d say we’re even, Dester.”
“Well, you broke my bubble, and Dester is my father. My name is Jasper, and that makes you my great granddaddy.”
“You’re not Dester?” he said with a measured amount of disappointment in his voice. “You look just like your father in every way. How did you get here?”
Neither one of them paid any attention to Thunder, who had trotted over to Teddy until he pushed him in the back with his nose. Teddy stumbled forward, and Jasper caught him before he fell again. “He is not normally bad-mannered; he must be thirsty.” Jasper made an excuse for him. Then he shot him a dirty look as if to say “knock it off.” Thunder was persistent; he did it two more times.
“Okay, then let me get the bucket from the porch, and we will draw you some water from my well behind the house.” Teddy was slightly annoyed but didn’t mind the small interruption. He really needed a few moments to absorb Jasper’s arrival and try to process what it all meant. The older he was the harder it became to keep pace not only with time but with conversations. Maybe if he had more than the occasional one or two a year with his neighbors he’d be more up to the task. He walked to the back of the house with the bucket in his hand. More machine gun fire. Jasper stood off to the side and thought to Thunder, He’s like a Russian backfire bomber. Stay out of his line of fire, boy.
Teddy took a few minutes to bring the water up from the well, where he slowly transferred the water from one bucket to another. He lowered the rope twice in all; he then pronounced the bucket ready for drinking. Teddy then brought the bucket up toward Thunder’s mouth, but it never made it the full distance. Thunder smacked the bucket out of Teddy’s hand with his hoof. Teddy reacted strongly. “Get down! We’re not friends.”
“Thunder, what has gotten into you?” Jasper asked with exasperation as he moved to pick up the now-empty bucket.
Teddy turned and started into his home, leaving Jasper bewildered and angry with Thunder. “Jasper, when you are finished with your horse, would you join me inside and we will have a nice horse-free chat.”
Thunder walked over to Jasper and pawed at the ground. “Is this your way of saying you’re sorry?” Jasper closed his eyes and let his head rest upon Thunder’s brow. He sent him images of home, his stall, the fields, and the river in the hopes to bring peace to him, but Thunder could not or would not accept them. Instead he sent back emotions that Jasper recognized in one word: danger. “What is dangerous here? Come on, boy, what do you know that I don’t, and why are you being so mean to Great Granddad?”
“Jasper, are you coming or not?” Teddy’s voice seemed to have an edge to it, but Jasper didn’t notice. He raced into the house and took a seat at the picnic table that was positioned in the corner of what would be considered the kitchen in most modern homes. Teddy sat across from him. He had poured two mugs of a brown, steamy liquid that Jasper could only imagine was some sort of coffee, or perhaps black tea.
“I arrived on the lava slide. Same as you I would imagine, only I came from the control center in Scotland. Where did you come in from?”
“There’s a control center now? Well, that is cause for flatulation.”
“Don’t you mean celebration? Flatulation isn’t really a word, it’s called flatulence-the act of passing excessive gas from the digestive tract, and don’t ask me to pull your finger.” But it was too late, Teddy had lifted up his right leg from the bench, and Jasper heard instant machine gun fire.
“Great Grandfather, are you okay? Please tell me this isn’t normal for you because if it is, well, perhaps you have been down here way too long.”
“I’m sorry, Jasper. It’s the manna; it gives me gas. I should just cut it out of my diet completely, but I love the stuff. Less filling than the regular ground vegetables, and it tastes great.”
“Manna? Okay, well, that is a new one. We can save that story for later. Now tell me, how did you get here, and do you know where my parents are?”
“Once upon a time a monk holding an hourglass came through the lava slide. He died right there in our manor. Said he had been hunted and attacked by a giant demon named Infernal Maximus. He told me to use the slide and hide the hourglass because he was the very last of his order.”
“The Order of St. Luke?” Jasper commented.
“Yes, exactly. How did you know? Never mind, I’m sure you and your control center folk know much more than I.” Teddy paused bri
efly to sip his coffee. “I used the slide. It was fun. I meant to hide the hourglass, but instead I made maps of the system, away point after away point. One day I stumbled across the end of the line. It was an enormous cave. I found a tunneling ship under construction by creatures that looked like mole-men. I imagine by now the project is complete. This huge drilling machine looked about the size of a cruise ship. Very impressive. I spied on them for a while; I made it my mission to learn all I could about them. They had a leader, and his name was Infernal Maximus. On my last visit to this cave I was discovered by the mole-men guard. They demanded I hand over the hourglass to them. They needed it to power their ship, but I refused. They nearly killed me, but then Abbadorn showed up and rescued me. Some time went by, and I tried to go home for brief visits, but it was killing me slowly. Abbadorn said I had lived in the spirit realm for so long that I could no longer cross over and live there as I once did. So I chose to live here instead. I visited my son Daniel in the manor on prearranged dates until his own death. Afterward my grandson Dester would visit with me from time to time in the parlor of the manor. I never told him all there was to know about the lava slide. I wanted my grandson to have a normal life. My visits to the physical world became more painful with each brief visit. On the night your brother was killed I sent the hourglass and the key through the slide to Dester. I gave them instructions to take you to Allegan. Something went horribly wrong, and your parents somehow became lost. That is all I know. I have been waiting here all this time for them to come back.”
Jasper sat stunned. His intuition was telling him something wasn’t adding up. Great Grandfather wasn’t telling him the whole truth. All that meant to Jasper was he had found yet another adult he could not trust; the only difference this time was this guy was family. Right then Jasper remembered what Thunder had conveyed to him…danger
chAPTER twenty-five
There came the sound of something like bird wings flapping in the wind. Jasper and Teddy looked toward the front door, and standing on the porch was Abbadorn. “Come, follow me, and let us take a walk together; for there is much I need to tell you both.”
Thunder joined them on their walk through the countryside. They moved slowly, stopping at every new tree or flower that Jasper was seeing for the very first time. So many different and colorful varieties, yet similar to what grew on the surface of the planet. Abbadorn walked in the center with Jasper and Thunder to his right and Teddy to his left.
“You have so many questions about your parents, Jasper, and I wish I had answers for you.”
“You’re an angel; can’t you just ask your boss?”
“Jasper, I have asked, but not all angels are equal and some of us are on a need-to-know basis when it comes to the determination and manifestation of human destiny based on free will choices. Believe me, I want to know the answers to your questions, but I also know they will not come until it is in the Father’s time, to the honor of his name and for the purpose of his glory. Then all shall be revealed. So ask me something I can explain.”
“Okay…my belief in God has only been with me for a couple of days now, so don’t be surprised if I’m a little behind the learning curve on all things supernatural. I’m trying to sort all this new stuff out in my head. Can I even pray to a God that I have never believed in? What is real anymore? Santa, Easter bunny, aliens, source energy, baby Jesus in the manger, and ghosts.”
“Source is another name for God. Santa and the Easter bunny are unreal; ghosts, baby Jesus, and aliens are real. Do not fear the aliens. They do not abduct people out of their homes who have large dogs; aliens fear large dogs. They really are man’s best friend.”
“Aliens are real? How is that even possible? Next you’re going to tell me Atlantis is a real place.”
“Atlantis is a real place, and when all this is over I shall take you there, a vacation getaway. I am way overdue for some personal time off.”
Teddy’s patience was wearing thin. Other important topics needed to be covered, and the lost city of Atlantis wasn’t one of them. “Can the two of you just stop? We need to focus on information that will help Jasper find his parents,” Teddy snapped.
“Rude much?” Abbadorn stopped in his tracks with a cold, knowing stare at Teddy. He waited for Teddy to look away, then continued. “Very well, Jasper. It is time for a short history lesson. I will put this in terms you can relate to and fully understand. The big picture of what you are up against is simple. It is called the sin of pride. Humans know it as ego. It alone caused a war in Heaven that is still playing out all across this and other universes, and even human history. Angels are like God’s police force for the universe and the trillions of life forms therein. Lucifer was the chief of police. One day he became a corrupt police officer of his own making and eventually started the very first criminal mob with himself as the mob boss. These days he is called Satan. Have you heard this name before?”
Jasper nodded his head. “The red guy with the horns, pitch fork, and pointed tail. I’ve seen the movies.”
“Hollywood has never done him justice. All part of the devil’s misinformation campaign he uses to hide in plain sight so that humans cannot recognize evil when they are face-to-face with it. A truly brilliant scheme.”
“He can trick even the most devout followers of the Lord,” Teddy said as he looked away from Jasper’s gaze. Jasper knew at once that meant something. Thunder’s “danger” feelings washed over him suddenly, and then all at once they were gone, replaced by emotions of love and peace. Jasper looked over his shoulder and saw Abbadorn had reached his arm behind his back and was gently brushing Thunder’s side as they walked. Jasper realized that Abbadorn could feel it too. Could all angels have the power to read emotions or even unspoken thoughts? Abbadorn looked directly at Jasper with a knowing smile…then he nodded his head as if answering a question.
“Once upon a time a war took place in Heaven; a war that would wage on in all three levels of time all at once, past, present, and future. Humans look at time with a fixed beginning as well as an ending, running along a straight line, point A to point B. In the spirit realm, time is a circle, having no sense of self. It all started in this place called The Mount of Assembly, a sacred mountain at the highest height of all Heaven. Deep inside this mountain, reaching all the way up to the peak, is the throne room of the Lord. It was from here that the Lord clapped his hands and a big bang bore the entirety of all into being, we are all made of star stuff. God Almighty sits in this place on his throne. Behind the throne stands a wall of pulsating light that reaches from floor to mountain peak and side to side. It pulses like a heartbeat of restrained energy. Many angels believe it is the reserve containment of the Holy Spirit, a cosmic battery of sorts sending power into the throne. No one knows for sure because it was here in the Mount of Assembly when the firstborn of creation, the angel Lucifer, was created. This is a mystery to each angel, and nothing but the Lord can touch it and live.”
Abbadorn paused for a moment to allow Thunder to munch on some grass. “Three hourglasses sit to the left of the thrones. They are the timepieces of the Lord. Their names are simple: Past, Present, and Future. The higher-ranking angels, known as archangels gather, here to the right of the two thrones. This group is called the Council of Host. The Lord gave this council the authority to build whatever was deemed as necessary to the multiplying of HIS glory in the universe. Some of the members of this council are well-known throughout human history. Names like Lucifer, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Volnar, and Gabriel, just to name a few. They all made their voices heard in this place. The construction of anything began with a majority vote. This is how intelligent design began. The council met both day and night, for there was much to do.”
“Another throne sits to the right-hand side of the Lord. It is covered in precious gems and balances on a gold floating disc. A small black hole swirls around the disc, and nothing in creation can cross over to it. This smaller throne belongs to the Son of God. The Christ consciousness sits
here. He knows one day he will be needed to save all of human creation. That the Holy Spirit will overshadow a virgin named Mary so that he can be born a man in the physical realm. But today, he just sits and listens, for that event is thousands of years away. Right now a great debate is taking place. A war in heaven is about to erupt. It would become the second most defining moment in the universe, an open revolt led by the greatest of all created angels, Lucifer, and he would bring about the fall of one-third of all angels in heaven. Gezon was Lucifer’s second commanding officer. It all began when the Lord went against The Council of Host recommendations, stating that humankind should not be created with a spirit. Lucifer didn’t want man created at all, but that was too radical of a position for the council to support. God created Adam, then Eve, and made a place for them and called it the Garden of Eden. It was their earthly home. The Lord gave authority over everything above, on, and below the earth to Adam. Humankind was created with something new: a spirit that would be sent from God to merge into a body with its own mind, creating a soul and causing mankind to be of more value to the Lord than anything he had previously created. The angels were not created with a spirit; we are energy, universal cosmic energy.”
“What happened next angered a great many of the angels. The Lord ordered his angels into submission to mankind. Lucifer held this action in utter contempt. Insulted by this turn of events, Lucifer began to spend more time away from the throne room. He rallied many other discontented angels. Those angels were fanned to a fury by Lucifer. He told them since they were God’s first of creation, the only one they should bow down to was the Lord God Almighty, and anything else was degrading. As the rebels grew in number, so did Lucifer’s plan. It was then that Lucifer started construction of a new throne, a throne he would one day hope to plug into that great wall of power and rule as God himself. He planned to take the Mount of Assembly by force. He would then destroy the Lord’s throne and that of his son. After putting his own throne in place, he would bring down the Mount of Assembly and rise above the stars of God and rain down fire upon the earth, killing Adam and Eve.”
Jasper: Purple Flamingos Fly at Midnight (Jasper - Purple Flamingos Fly at Midnight Book 1) Page 15