The Xidoran Prophecy

by Elaine Bassett

  “The doctor came later that afternoon to check if her father had made any progress, only to avoid eye contact with her and slightly shake his head as he left the room. Genevieve followed him into the hallway out of earshot of the closed door. That is where he informed her, she had done all she could do. The end was near and to just make her father as comfortable as possible.

  “After hearing those dreaded words her heart sank. Genevieve wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She slowly let it out as she reentered the room where her father lay sleeping. She sat at the foot of the bed and spoke softly so she didn’t wake him. She told her father everything that was in her heart that she wanted him to know. She talked about her fond childhood memories of him and her mother. Genevieve scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up. She walked over, bent down and kissed his cheek. She thanked him and whispered in his ear, ‘Thank you for telling me. I will always remember.’ She placed her hand on his and stroked his white hair with her other hand. As she did this she noticed he had taken his final breath and was at peace.

  “After the funeral Genevieve was left to go through her parent’s belongings. During this time a comforting correspondence arrived from her husband stating he would arrive within the next couple of weeks to spend time with her before setting sail once again on his final voyage before his retirement. He sent his love, and prayers for the recovery of her father. Tears slid down her face as she refolded the letter and placed it back into the envelope. She took the letter over to her father’s desk and set it next the stack of books her father had been reading.

  “She sat down in his chair and looked around the office remembering sneaking into the office as a little girl while he worked. She opened the middle drawer and noticed a pair of glasses. She found that odd because neither of her parents wore glasses. She picked up the wire frames and inspected them. Without thinking she put them on. Then she reached over and picked up one of the books on her father’s desk. She opened the book and was amazed at what she had discovered. As she began reading she was intrigued and amazed to find her father had written this journal. After she read it she continued to read day and night his journal entries. While she read she was transported with him in her mind to the adventures he had written about. Within the journals she made more discoveries and learned about Seeking.

  “When her husband arrived he was devastated about the loss of her father. The two of them spent the days, while he was on leave, together enjoying each other’s company. She saved going through her parent’s belongings for when he would leave and return to his ship. The day finally came for him to return to the sea one last time. He reassured her he would return to her in a little over a month and then they would have the rest of their lives to spend growing old together.

  “Every day while her husband was away at sea she learned more about Seeking and put the mysterious pieces together of what her father had been trying to tell her while he was ill. The days came and went as she counted down for her husband’s return. Every day for a week during the time he had told her he would return she would get butterflies in her stomach waiting for him to arrive and walk through the door. While she waited she read her father’s work and explored his treasures. She couldn’t wait to share with her husband what she had learned.

  “Then one evening the doorbell rang. Her father’s servant went to answer the door. She stood up and straightened her dress and hair in order to receive the visitor. As she came around the corner she froze. She turned to go back into the living room when the close navy friend of her husband hoarsely spoke her name. She slightly turned her head as she acknowledged him. All he could say was that he was sorry. When she realized what he was telling her, she began weeping. He came to her side and walked her to the sofa. She heard his words but didn’t fully comprehend all that he had to say about her husband’s death.

  “She wrote in her journal she had never felt so alone and lost. It took weeks for her to recover. Her friends visited often to cheer her up. By this time she knew what the butterflies were in her stomach. She was pregnant with twins. While she spent time alone she continued to learn more about Seeking.

  “After her children were born, she began at an early age to teach them how to Seek. When the Sojourner Government was formed she was still bitter about the loss of her husband and blamed the military. She didn’t want to be documented or a part of the newly formed government and declared she was a Revolutionary. She lived through the Hub War and documented what it was like to be a Revolutionary during that time period. “It wasn’t until much later that her twins accepted amnesty from the Sojourner Government in order to become legitimate and have the same rights as other Sojourners. When they went before the Sojourners’ Council to tell their history the Council was shocked that a woman had been a Seeker. It was thought that women couldn’t possibly be Seekers. A year later the Sojourners’ Council voted to allow women the right to Sojourn. Genevieve’s story paved the way for women to be allowed to become Sojourners.”

  Charles thought for a moment trying to process what he had learned. He looked at Bev and said, “That is an amazing journal. I’m so glad Genevieve learned to Seek.”

  Bev smiled and said, “I am also glad it is part of my history, Charles.”

  Carson asked Charles if he had any questions. He said he didn’t have any questions so Carson closed Genevieve’s journal.

  He put his family journal on top of hers. “This is my family’s journal. This particular journal begins with the founding of the Secret Seekers’ Society. Evan Porter Montgomery was a physicist and alchemist. He collaborated on several major chemical projects of his time with another alchemist who was also a biologist, Orville Goldman. As fate would have it the two men began finding themselves in the same social and professional circles. A professional friendship developed between the two of them. They discovered they thought enough along the same lines that they enjoyed brainstorming and sharing their scientific findings with each other.

  “After a couple of years and several projects later, Orville presented his thoughts on moving freely throughout time to Evan. Evan pondered the likelihood of his theory. He decided to entertain the notion that Orville’s theory had potential. The two men began a partnership of working together for years in their spare time hypothesizing the existence of a phenomenon within our universe that would make free-movement throughout time possible. It became apparent that what they were searching for was not on Earth or even in this galaxy. They would have to find a way to travel to another dimension to test their theory. To find the answer they were seeking they would have to look elsewhere within the vast universe amongst the countless galactic solar systems for the answers they sought to find. Once they opened their minds to this new way of thinking, what began as improbable, after years of hard work became a possibility, and then eventually the dream became a reality.

  “Evan was the charismatic of the two. He realized that in order for the two of them to go any further in their discoveries they needed to convince other men to join the cause. It was not an easy task but he was a persistent individual and convinced several wealthy professionals in the scientific community to listen. Eventually he had enough men convinced that even if they were proved wrong about their vision they would still be able to form a brotherhood of men that shared the same passion for scientific discoveries. Their group would provide the forum for them to come together in a nonthreatening way and have thought provoking scientific discussions. He presented the brotherhood as a society where they would be considered the “radical thinkers” of the day. To his surprise it caught on. He and Orville were able to found what they called the Secret Seeker’s Society.

  “It began with their colleagues who had a scientific understanding of this world and shared the same passion for dreaming about the unknown vast universe. These men found they shared a passion for the ideas of their youth: scientific experiments, the awe of the constellations in the night sky, the idea of crossing over to another dimension in order to make disco
veries about the universe that we live in and the ability to choose any destination or period throughout time in which to be able to participate in the moment of their choosing. It was that simple. Most men when they thought back to their youth could relate to the dream and that appealed to them.

  “Once they had enough members the men voted Evan as the President. Under his direction the membership to the Secret Seeker’s Society steadily grew in numbers. At that point their members were coming to them and asking to include other professionals. They took a vote and decided to include those who also shared their common interests.

  “He and Orville continued to collaborate on their theory. Evan was the one who had the brainstorm that brought the first Weary Travelers’ Passageway into existence. He was also the first man to travel to the other side of the Passageway. He and Orville documented their original findings of the Hub in its natural state. Later they participated in the construction of the metropolis located in the new dimension.

  “When tragedy struck, of the two men, it was Evan who carried the heaviest burden on his shoulders because of the lives lost. The loss of his friends and colleagues took a heavy toll on him. At one point in time he seriously considered destroying the original Weary Traveler’s Passageway. That’s how the Passageway got its name. He had grown weary of his invention and afraid of what the future held. Time after time they continued to face misfortune as the numbers of deaths grew. It was becoming risky to be a member of their Secret Society.

  “He was the President at the time Prince George II came to the Seeker meeting. At that meeting he had been considering dissolving the brotherhood. Once again fate would intervene and the Prince’s presence changed history.

  “When Evan died the Seekers had already changed their name to Sojourners. The Sojourners couldn’t agree on any one man to fill his role so they decided on a panel to make decisions for them. For years there was either gridlock or indecisiveness within the organization. The members had become frustrated and disillusioned.

  “The members began discussing their options and who they could possibly turn to in order to receive the help they needed. The men discussed looking outside the organization for someone to recruit that might fit the role of being a leader and a forward thinker. Several of the men assembled together and the name that kept coming up was Wendell Scott. He seemed to fit all of their requirements because he was considered an outstanding and accomplished man in his own right. Not only that but he was also a descendant of the late Evan Porter Montgomery.

  “When his name came up at a meeting his friends were not surprised that their peers also thought of him. They each vouched for him hoping that he might be the answer to moving the brotherhood forward for generations to come.

  “It just so happened that Stewart Hollingsworth’s son was marrying Wendell’s daughter. He volunteered to try to convince Wendell to attend their meetings. He was as you are aware, unsuccessful. The men were disappointed that Wendell declined attending their meetings. One of his friends volunteered to go with Stewart to try to convince him. The rest is documented. He turned out to be a wise choice as President.

  “Wendell Scott under his reign as Committee Chairman of the Sojourners’ Society helped to develop and establish the Sojourner government with laws and agencies. He put together a committee to make recommendations to form what has evolved into the Sojourners’ Council. His advice was to send scouts out around the world to profile individuals who fit certain criteria and train them to be Sojourners. These individuals would then represent the Sojourners in their country. The thought was, by doing this there would be global representation. They found that people would come to the future Prime Minister and request that they be chosen as the representative for their country. That is how the Sojourners’ Council became what it is today.”

  Charles looked over at the sculpture. Carson said, “That is the original Weary Traveler’s Passageway. The one all of the other Passageways came into existence from.”

  All Charles could say was, “Amazing.”

  Carson stood up and walked over to the vault and returned the journals to the drawer where they were kept. He motioned for Charles to come over and said, “They are right here when you are ready.” Then he closed the drawer and locked it. Carson returned the drawer keys, closed the vault and locked it. Then he returned the vault key to the secret compartment in his desk drawer.

  Airabelle and Bev were talking. She stood up and stroked Airabelle’s feathers. Bev said, “Well gentlemen I have to start packing. So, if you’ll excuse me I am going to get started.”

  Then, she turned to Charles and said, “Your mom brought over some clothes for the vacation we are going on.”

  Charles looked at her and asked, “You told mom what we are doing?”

  Bev shook her head. “Oh good heavens no!” She laughed and said, “She thinks we are going on vacation for a couple of days. I asked her to bring some of your things and I bought a couple of suits for you for the interviews. The wardrobe is all in your closet. Before you go to bed tonight be sure to try them on. If the suits need altering I will have enough time to take them up before we leave.” Then she hugged Carson and went to the house.

  Charles picked up the letter from Rebecca Blackwater and reread it. He folded it and placed it back in its envelope. He turned the envelope around in his hands thinking about what Nana and Paw Paw had said. Then he placed it on top of the other mail. He walked over to where Carson was sitting at the desk and looked over his shoulder. Carson looked up at him and said, “I told you about our family history because I want you to understand the history behind Sojourning. Nana and I come from two completely different Sojourner Societies.”

  “Is there anything more I need to know about our family history?”

  Carson shook his head. “Not a thing.”

  Charles went over and sat down in the chair. Airabelle was watching him from the lectern on Carson’s desk. As soon as he looked in her direction she asked him silently, “Are you tired?” He shook his head slowly. She spread her wings and flew around the room landing by Esmond who was sitting by the vault. The two of them began a conversation.

  Charles just sat for a moment thinking of what to do next. He looked around. He thought: I wonder what it must have been like for Genevieve to live in that time period. Were there any other women Revolutionary Seekers? What would it be like to be a Revolutionary Seeker? The Revolutionaries were able to do whatever they wanted before anyone could keep track of them. That’s somewhat appealing. I wonder what living during the time of the war was like. Amazing that people throughout time have always discussed the possibility of time travel, but only a select few know that it is actually possible. I am so glad I am one of the privileged few to have this knowledge. As much as he wanted to tell Caroline he knew time travel was possible the time wasn’t right. Airabelle made eye contact with him from across the room.

  Carson interrupted his thoughts by asking, “Charles, when you can would you please bring the mail to me?”

  Charles stood up and said, “I’m bringing it now.” He stood up and took it to Carson.

  Carson looked through the mail, got up and went to get a journal from the shelf. He turned to Charles and said, “Since we do not have visitors, I think we should work a little longer tonight. How do you feel about that?”

  “That would be fine.”

  “We will stop for dinner and you can try on your clothes for Nana. If she has to make changes she can alter the clothes while we work.” Charles nodded.

  Carson sat at the desk and took out a brand new journal. He ran his hands over the leather and inspected it. Then he held it out to Charles. Charles looked at it. Then he took it from Carson’s hands. He looked it over, and then opened it. It had a fresh odor to it. He breathed in the scent as if to memorize it. It wasn’t like anything he had ever smelled before. He looked at the pages. “Is it mine?”

  “Yes Charles. It is time you begin writing your own adventures.” Carson opened the mi
ddle desk drawer and took out the keys to the vault. He went to retrieve Charles’ crystal and his spectacles. He brought them to him. Then Carson sat and took out a shiny etched pen box from the desk and opened it. When he did the inside of the box sparked. He lifted the shimmering pen. The beautiful pen had a strange crystal on top of it. Carson held it out to Charles.

  Charles put the spectacles on and took the pen. “What does it do?”

  Carson cocked his head to the side and said, “Anything you can imagine in a journal.”

  “Whoa.” He looked it over.

  Carson stood up and pulled out the chair for Charles. Charles sat down. Carson leaned over him and explained how it worked. “You can write what you want and you can change it before it becomes permanent. You can create anything you can think of. If you can dream it you can create it.”

  He showed Charles some examples. Charles gave it a try and created a few layouts before Carson left him to begin documenting in his own journal. Charles suddenly felt rejuvenated. He created, built and hid items. He continued to produce mind-vision creations.

  Carson turned down the lights on the other side of the room and turned on a reading lamp. He sat and read. Every once in a while he stopped and had fun watching Charles. Sparks flew and shimmers were everywhere. It was sort of like the Fourth of July. Carson could only see Charles’ silhouette against the light display. As he watched Carson would catch a glimpse of what Charles was entering in his journal. At one point he saw words jump from the page, JACKPOT and then LOTTERY. Carson laughed to himself. He was excited to see what was going on over there.