Plotting and scheming, Jalal had always felt a certain jealousy about his brother, and a depraved lust for Shayeena. As such, he would lurk around quietly and send his friends out as spies to listen to their conversations and to try to find some dirt on his brother, something that would shame him, so he could take him down and have her to himself. For years he had monitored their every movement, never suspecting that Khalim was always two steps ahead of him, so for all of Jalal’s efforts, everything he had ever done or attempted toward an end of malice had been to no avail.
Both Shayeena and Jalal’s little brother had an enviable and pure relationship built on trust. This made him seethe even more. “How could this much “boring” and fragility possibly exist in one location? I am cantankerous and fun. I am cool. I’ll be the Imam one day. How is it that HE can be so lucky? How dare the villagers love him? I’ll find a way to get back at everyone who has ever deliberately dishonored me.” He would often ask and think to himself. “Tayi defied me, and she paid the price. All I have to do is tell Shayeena, persuasively, that I love her, and then she’ll see reason and seek to be with me. If not, she will defy my will, and we’ll see how far that takes her. We’ll see how far that takes anyone!”
Little did Jalal know that for years, Shayeena had known the true story of his malicious intent as expressed through his actions and as accounted to her by both, Tayi before she died, and later by his brother, who had witnessed each detail to his own horror. In truth, his own brother, Khalim, was always protecting her from him, and Jalal thought they were merely two boring and nauseating friends getting married. He had plans for their wedding night, and in his mind, he had a right to her. He would become friends with Shayeena’s family, be the ever-so-dutiful helper, get his father scheduled to conduct the ceremony, and then the celebration would fly by until everyone but her family and his had left Shayeena’s home. When everyone was fast asleep, he had plans in mind. Things, as they were going to be, were a part of his unique manner of having his way, and whatever he had in store most certainly was not going to be pleasant. “They’ll have left the monster in their home. So, while they are there sleeping and temporarily paralyzed, and while they are wistfully dreaming away, I will do my worst.”
Chapter 48: Shayeena Arezo, Section 3
The wedding day was here. Shayeena was in her bridal gown, flowers from Khalim’s secret garden were everywhere, and a big tent had been set up outside in Shayeena’s front yard, courtesy of her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Jalal, and the friendly but speculative approval of her parents. Jalal had seemed to mature and was helpful every step of the way, as were his friends. Now, Shayeena didn’t trust him any more than she could toss a feather, but she had begun to forgive him despite the horror of five years ago because perhaps a person could change for the better, no matter the crime, if given the right environment and influences.
The ceremony was splendid, the music, the prayers, everything suggested harmony and bliss. The savor of the music hung in the air and the taste of the wedding desserts still lingered on the taste buds of her mind.
The celebration that followed was just as spectacular, and everyone danced with everyone as though there were never any hard feelings between them. Gifts were shared and among them a beautiful and ornate, yet very sharp dagger from ‘anonymous.’ Everyone was ensconced in the details of the handle and the hilt, and then the dishes from China, a toaster and a blender with an electrical converter, and a ‘her and him’ set of romantic night-gowns. Then the dance returned. As the music grew from trance rhythms to the peaceful symphony, to religious and cultural music, family by family, the festivities grew smaller, until all who were left were Shayeena’s and Khalim’s families. Her own three brothers had made a special occasion of it to break from work and visit their sister for her wedding day, and they shared the boy’s room closest to the master bedroom, on the south wing of the bedrooms. Jalal stayed in the second room south of the master bedroom, the Imam and his wife stayed in the third south-wing room. Shayeena and Khalim stayed the night in the girl’s room, retrofitted into another master, with Shayeena’s bedroom converted into her personal study, but strategically used as a storage room, to keep Shayeena’s secret just that.
Once everyone retired, hugs were shared, and the only sounds throughout the house was the white noise blowing in from the breeze outside through the screened windows, the day had been beautiful, the scent of the flowers still lingered in the air, but someone had been determined that day and had quite different plans, then bliss. Shayeena and Khalim were finally together, happily, in a moment of sweet intimacy with only the light of a candle and the sweet scent of rose petals strewn about the room. Their clothes lie disheveled upon the floor, and as beautiful moments turned into memories, they fell asleep.
What they did not know, was that somehow Jalal had hidden in the closet with the ornate sword he had gifted them, as though it was from anonymous. As he had planned, if he couldn’t have Shayeena, no one else would, so he started to open the door to carry out his bloody task, when all of a sudden, he was stunned by a bright light and he blacked out, only to partially awaken as if in a dream. He felt all of his nerves contort, his body fought every aspect of what was going on, and then when he could bear it no more, so he let go, until euphoria set in. All of a sudden, he saw a statue of an angel overlooking a small pond, with fish and frogs swimming around within it. He looked up and he saw a very living and breathing Iridescent Angel standing before him.
“No longer will you hurt or harm. From now on you will heal by connecting to the hearts of others through compassion and the skills of persuasion. Instead of taking a life, your physiology and neurology will be optimized, you will be healed, and at the appropriate time, you will be sentenced to enter a correctional world where you will receive experiences that will increase your wisdom and enlighten your mind tenfold. What you did to Tayi was unforgivable, yet we and all who you know will forgive you anyway because they have love in their hearts and a hope for the beautiful potential that lays deep and buried within you. I will take you to your bed, send you on a temporary journey through time, and when you awake, you will confess to those you love, of the innocence of Tayi, and seek reparations to help further the advancement of civilization for a beautiful journey to the stars. Your life will not be in jeopardy, and you will find that everyone you know, now has the same abilities as you. It is up to you to secure your place amongst the distant stars. By studying further and working with others, you will find a depth of joy and promise you never thought possible. Enjoy your journey, Jalal.”
Like that, the angel disappeared, and Jalal found himself living out a variety of sequences of life, up to and including the life of one Eliza Amber Williams. He learned how hospitable her heart, how pure her mind, and how kind her soul was. She was the one who had begun this peaceful revolution, and he would help to carry that banner from this point forward within his village. His mind had clarity, and he saw that he would protect Shayeena and his brother, Khalim and that he would support the efforts that their clarity would give to them.
Jalal then experienced the horrible scene from the point of view and the mental clarity of the mind of Shayeena and then Tayi’s father, and with full understanding of the error of his ways, he felt the horror and anguish that they had felt and vowed that he would change his way of being and serve the village, Tayi’s parents, Shayeena, and Khalim for the rest of his days. He would put his skills to good use to build a village university, for both boys and girls, and to educate men and women alike on all of the technologies that were designed to increase longevity, well-being, quality of life, preserve and beautify the planet, and much, much more. The next morning he woke up with tingling all over the left side of his body, and an acute tingling sensation on his right buttock cheek. He looked to examine it, and it appeared to be a glowing tattoo of an iridescent scorpion. “The Iridescent Scorpion,” he thought.
As he arose, he stepped out into the hallway and looked to his left to see
his parents, who each looked twenty-five again, his mother was healed from the wounds brought to her by his father, the Imam, and with his father’s saddened yet apologetic appearance, both were glowing, and he noted a very contrite and compassionate look in his father’s countenance. He then looked to his right and closest to him were Shayeena’s older brothers, and all three looked as though they were twenty-five again, with a similar, yet somewhat unique countenance. After looking at Shayeena’s brothers, he saw her parents, and then Khalim and Shayeena.
They all looked at him with forgiving eyes. They knew what he had planned to do the night before, but they were waiting for him to speak the first words.
Jalal spoke, “I mean to address you, each of you, as well as Tayi’s family, and the entire village. I have some apologizing to do and some amazing experiences and plans to share. Please bear with me. I deeply apologize to each of you now, and will again for many years to come, until I have paid my dues with my burden to bare and I am sent to this ‘correctional world’ where everyone I have ever hurt can and will receive vindication. Until then, I will help each of you with whatever clarity you’ve been given through your dreams last night. Come, let’s eat, and then gather everyone into the village. I have a speech to give, and I’ll want to hear your dreams.”
Even his father, the Imam, knew what had transpired, and for him, much the same had occurred. He had also been given a shared link to his son’s mind and had vowed within himself to support the more benevolent efforts of both his children and his wife. She was now rejuvenated and young and beautiful again, and her mind was healed from years of abuse. She was someone who he had taken for granted all of his life, who he had mistreated, yet she had been someone who loved with temperance imbued within her soul throughout all of these years. She had forgiven him, despite his monstrous behaviors toward her. He would serve her now and strive to be a source of happiness and promise to all whom he knew from this day forward.
Shayeena and Khalim Aliah had gone on their journey together; they had felt the glow of healing, understood each other deeper than they had ever thought possible, and they had taken the time to train each other on both their new and old skills. During that one night, they had spent a lifetime together. Following Jalal’s address, Shayeena and Khalim journeyed often, using the two biopods Sky Taylor had left behind for them in their shared room within the Arezo residence and had completed several Virtual Universe University courses from beginning to end, together. They looked at each other; they smiled, and they knew that while there was much to do for their part in the advancement of civilization, around their farm and their village, joy was about to be a very regular occurrence.
Jalal, his parents, Khalim and Shayeena, her parents, and everyone throughout the village felt a special kinship that grew as the days passed by. Together, they built water aqueducts, farms, and mines, healed the parched land, constructed a university, innovation centers, and prospered together, while developing defenses, should the Oppressive-extremist-hierarchy seek to reinstall the brutality rampant before.
Sky combed those sentiments in her mind using her links to all whom she’d visited, she saw that they now had a lot of promise, that they would be invincible to anyone or anything that would try to tear them down, and she continued on.
Chapter 49: Ariel Boshka
Database Moon Archive, Celestial-Sol Date: 2022 July 26. Erin Carter and Joanne Gallant, Pathway President and VP, summarize the experiences of Ariel Boshka and one of Sky Taylor’s many critical journeys through 2023. We also learn of Ariel’s “sisters.” These memories are from Ariel and Sky, as recorded within the Virtual Universe and interfaced within Pathway Melrose Campus. Input by: Erin Carter, VP, 2018-2022, and President of Pathway, 2022-2029, Joanne Gallant VP of Pathway, 2022-2019.
Ariel had lived in fear every moment of every day for the last four years. Living or barely surviving in the dungeon-like basement of a dingy old hotel that had born more than its fair share of brutal stories, with plenty of stains on the walls and the stench of offal in the rooms as evidence of what remained. It seemed like forever ago when, during those first few days, they had hoped for a compassionate mind to come their way, someone who could make right what had been made ever so wrong, a person who had mercy etched into their soul. Instead, there they lived, far and away from an exit door, far and away from home, and on the inside of a dark place where they were entrapped which was more like a musty, moldy, filthy dungeon.
Ariel remembered during her few hours of sleep, the younger years in school in North Western Europe. Everyone seemed pleasant, full of goals, and energetic with the promise of an amazing future. Life was vibrant, fun, and full of promise. Her family had been one of humble resources, and as such her parents had never seemed particularly impressed with cell phones or other technological devices—they were “distractions of the highest order.” So, instead of chatting with her friends through social media, she studied. She wanted to be a scientist when she grew up anyway, so she knew the hours would fly by quickly in the labs, on the computers, and doing field experiments in the interest of making life better for mankind. The fields of biology and genetics interested her most. Her grandmother had passed away from cancer a year ago, and Ariel felt it was time to make some changes to the healthcare industry. There was a lot she believed she could do, but she felt that before she could write a new chapter in her life, it had to begin with a field trip after enrolling in college. She wanted to do something to clear her mind and reawaken her spirits, especially following the loss of her grandmother, whom she loved so much and looked at as a best of friends.
Things seemed squared away. Ariel had recently finished high school and was going to begin her studies in biology in a technical college during the next semester. It was not too long after enrolling when she happened to be walking to get some lunch at a street food stand when she met a seemingly friendly couple who talked about how everyone should go for a stroll through Europe, a getaway vacation, before getting swamped with school work and the responsibilities of education.
They finally convinced her, after showing her the bus pick-up location, what she could expect to see, and how she could travel on pennies alone and enjoy Eastern Europe. She remembered how she had bid farewell to her family. They were so happy for her and proud of her upcoming commitments. Now, here she was, getting ready for a relaxing and exciting journey since she was going to be gone from home for a couple of weeks on vacation. Once done, she would return to prepare for technical schooling.
Everything seemed warm, welcoming, and well-planned. The bus ride was a bit dank, but it was okay. The sun had been out, the windows down, and the air was sweet. The countryside, which extended for hours, was beautiful. Ariel Boshka happened to look around the interior of the bus to assess her company. She was with twelve other girls, between the ages of approximately thirteen to fifteen, each of whom was fairly attractive and seemed to come from a variety of locations and monetary statuses. There, on the bus with the girls, was the couple who she had met at the college campus, both of whom seemed pleasant and attentive. He had a dark and trimmed beard, his hair was cropped on the sides, his hair on top was combed up and over, and he wore motorcycle enthusiast gear. She had dark hair, with a series of facial rings, a tattoo that came up from her shoulder to her neck and then to her ear. They wore a stark sense of concern and seemed amiable. Ariel enjoyed their unique creativity and looked forward to what was ahead.
There they were; headed on a field trip she had been promised she would never forget. At the time she had thought it would be a field trip filled with all kinds of zoos, museums, cultural centers, warm beaches, and wonderful people. Instead of what she had hoped for, she noticed that they had started driving through forests, then farms, then broken down cities; which were most likely under disrepair since World War II. When the location seemed sufficiently horrific enough, the bus stopped, and the nice couple told them to walk down the road until they reached a tall willow tree. Once they saw the tree,
they would turn right onto the next crossroad. From there, once they got into town, they would be able to check into a hotel for the night.
Once Ariel and the group of twelve young women had retrieved their luggage, the bus drove away. The nice young couple waved with smiles that faded as the distance widened.
There they were, officially stranded. There were no tour guides, like those that had been promised, yet they trudged on, as darkness seemed to fast approach, still with hope in their hearts. Each girl offered to help the other as they walked down the roads, reached the willow tree, and turned to the right as suggested. After walking a while longer, the place they came upon looked overgrown with dark forests looming all around the broken-down grey stone walls and somewhat gloomy and toppled buildings. Ariel and the twelve girls, who had been dropped off, stayed close together and had gotten to know each other rather well. After a couple of hours of trudging forward, they arrived at a crumpled old war-torn portion of a city in Eastern Europe, at least six hours from their hometown.
Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars Page 82