He left his side of the Kingdom early and made good time travelling to the abode of the friend with whom Cindy had previously stayed. Her name was Brenda and Masias greeted her warmly.
‘Brenda, how are you? I haven’t seen you in the longest time,’ he chirped cheerfully, as though his heart wasn’t brimming with hatred.
‘I’m well thanks, Masias,’ responded Brenda coolly, not in the least bit disarmed by his apparent pleasantness.
‘Have you seen Cindy lately?’ he asked casually.
‘No, not for a couple of weeks now,’ answered Brenda truthfully.
‘Oh, isn’t she staying with you any longer?’ asked Masias.
‘No, she moved to a new home some time ago,’ replied Brenda.
‘Where did she move to?’ asked Masias, not in the least bit expecting to be denied this information.
‘I’m afraid that I can’t tell you Masias, Cindy has asked me not to,’ Brenda replied in a tone that underlined that she was not going to be persuaded otherwise.
‘What?’ yelled Masias, all of his pleasantness disappearing in an instant.
This shocked Brenda. Cindy had described his mood swings, and his anger, but she had never experienced anything like it.
‘I promised that I wouldn’t tell you, Masias, and I won’t,’ Brenda responded, completely firm in her reply, notwithstanding his outrage.
‘Brenda, if you don’t tell me immediately you will live to regret it!’ Masias demanded, attempting to bully an answer from a gentler spirit.
Brenda may have been gentler than Masias, as was almost every other spirit in the Kingdom, but she was a determined soul of sound resolve. She was of absolutely no mind to release the information under any circumstances.
After more ranting and raving, Masias finally understood this to be the case and left, but only after breathing out a multitude of threats. Masias tried to calm himself down before visiting some more of his old friends but his visits were all to no avail. By the end of the second day he had located all of their old friends. Any that did know where she now resided, were unwilling to release these details to Masias, which only made him wilder at each refusal. During the next week he searched all areas surrounding her old abode, in ever increasing circles until eventually on the sixth day he spotted her.
He saw her at a distance. Cindy was sitting in a tranquil park, located only a stone’s throw away from Mother and Father’s abode. There was a brilliant whiteness that reflected beautifully upon the trees causing the leaves to shine a radiant green. Even the bark of the tree was illuminated by the light such that it sparkled and had a beauty not far behind that of the leaves that crowned the creations. The flowers too were in full bloom, and were no less brilliant. Weed nor imperfection was not to be found. The animals were in harmony one with another and all things appeared to be revelling in their nearness to their creators.
All of this beauty was entirely lost upon Masias, however. The brightness of the light hurt his eyes and his soul, and if anyone discerning was looking at him they would have seen the darkness of his countenance. He had come to prefer darkness, and for good reason. The light that was the backdrop to this dazzling scene was indeed a distraction to Masias, and this temporarily blinded him to anything except the vision of Cindy, whose face appeared to be surrounded in a kaleidoscope of colours, making her appear more beautiful than ever.
Suddenly though, Masias became aware of another participant to the scene. This development centred his senses, focusing them keenly and specifically on the broader scene, as he attempted to interpret the context of what he was digesting. This was the type of experience that takes the breath away and causes all things to move in slow motion. Indeed, Masias had noticed that Cindy was not alone, and that her companion did not appear to be a female, or anyone that he knew. A chill went through his already cold frame. Surely she wouldn’t mock him in this way. She wouldn’t dare.
He hadn’t yet been seen, so he ceased moving directly towards her and took cover in some nearby foliage. As he edged closer, under the camouflage of the flora, he again caught sight of her face. She looked radiant, very different from the last time he had seen her. Her countenance was brighter and she looked happy. In annoyance, Masias actually wondered for a moment why she hadn’t looked that way with him anymore, towards the end of their relationship. Regrettably, intelligence was not a strong point of his.
From his hiding place he watched them for some time and it became increasingly clear, from the looks and interplay between Cindy and this intruder, that they were indeed more than friends. Had he been possessed of blood at that point, it would have boiled. He wanted to attack and kill them both and he wished that Cindy and her new love were mortal so that he could make them suffer in every way imaginable. Though he had heard from Troy that it was possible to attack a spirit, he didn’t yet know how. He thought of confronting them both, but despite his rage he managed enough control to keep this card up his sleeve. He left without being seen and the two lovers were never aware that they had been watched.
37 a useful weapon
A few weeks later, Lucifer and Troy made their way towards an appointment with some new converts. They were early, so Troy asked whether they might visit Masias to see how he was going. Lucifer was annoyed at this, charity not being his strong point. Nevertheless, he was persuaded by his companion. Lucifer had found Masias to be a tiresome character. He didn’t seem to have the enthusiasm for his cause that he would have liked. Although he paid lip service his heart didn’t seem to be in it.
Lucifer’s additional concern about Masias pertained to Cindy. He had noticed her disdain and was troubled by the annoying brightness of her countenance. The last thing he needed was some prissy female getting on her soapbox, in opposition to his message, right here in his heartland. Such was the impression that Lucifer had already formed of Masias. Upon entering however, both Troy and Lucifer found a vastly different Masias.
Still he stood at the same medium height, and had the same thick neck that threatened to swallow his rather plain face, however there was an aggression about him that had not been present to nearly the same extent previously. His countenance had also darkened appreciably, his face was beginning to disfigure with rage and his eyes were more fierce than any spirit or human that Lucifer had ever seen.
In his madness he was pacing to and fro like a caged tiger, and with twice the ferocity. For weeks Masias had been isolated in his abode, picturing the type of pain that he would like to inflict upon Cindy and her new love. Upon seeing him, Lucifer was very keen to understand the reason behind his ‘growth’.
‘Masias, my good friend, you appear troubled in some way,’ the leader stated by way of obvious understatement.
‘Cindy has left him, Lucifer,’ replied Troy on behalf of Masias.
‘Oh, is that all. I wouldn’t be too concerned about that. In my opinion you are far better off without her,’ Lucifer responded casually.
While his own reply was flippant, Lucifer received anything but a casual look in return. Masias glared at him as though he would like nothing better than to wring his neck.
Attempting to both cheer up his friend, and impress his leader, Troy stated: ‘I’ve been reassuring Masias that once the new plan has been implemented he will be a leader in the new order and Cindy will be sure to want him back.’
Lucifer was about to reinforce this message, he being more than happy to promise absolutely anything to absolutely anyone in order to increase the level of support for his cause. He didn’t get the chance however, as he was cut off my Masias.
‘I wouldn’t have that cheating wench back! I’d rather cut her in pieces than look at her lying face again.’
Lucifer loved this reply and simply made room for further explanation by posing the question, ‘Cheating? Why do you say cheating?’
Cheating was an earthly word and a subject that very much delighted Lucifer. He didn’t expect to ever hear of such deeds within the Kingdom.
‘She h
as left me for another spirit, and I’m going to make them suffer for mocking me,’ Masias whispered insanely, focusing neither upon Lucifer nor Troy, but rather on a visual image of his torturing Cindy and her love.
‘Oh, come now Masias, surely they don’t deserve it?’ baited Lucifer.
The whisper disappeared and was replaced by coarse shouting.
‘They certainly do!’ he yelled.
He then paced some more, trying to calm down but not doing a very good job, before lowering his voice only slightly to say:
‘Cindy has only just left me. I thought it was because she was unhappy living at this end of the Kingdom, and because I treated her badly. Now I’ve discovered that she was simply seeking the love of another. She will pay for mocking me in this way, and he will pay also.’
Now Lucifer fully understood the reason for the change in Masias, and something clicked in his mind. He made a mental note of the emotions that could be the outcome of love gone wrong, wondering if he might be able to use this somehow in the future.
Now that the once useless Masias appeared that he could be useful to him, Lucifer attempted to channel his energies.
‘Masias, surely you could get the girl to come to her senses. After all, you are such a powerful spirit, and one who is destined for such greatness. You cannot tell me that she is that stupid.’
For a brief moment a glimmer of hope flashed across the face of Masias, however it quickly disappeared as he reflected upon the happiness that he had seen in Cindy just weeks before in that park.
‘That’s just the problem Lucifer, she is clearly very stupid. At one stage I thought that she was clever, even to exceed my own intelligence, but associating with you and Troy, and studying the wisdom of the earths, has opened my eyes and broadened my mind. She has not experienced the same growth and has clearly been left behind. She is a stupid cow.’
Lucifer liked this. More and more he was hearing the type of contention that he so enjoyed whilst studying the earths.
‘Ah Masias, you are a very wise fellow, and I support you wholeheartedly in your desires to harm her, but I would implore you to also add to her pain by becoming as successful as you possibly can. As you well know, our cause offers you just such an opportunity.’
Pushing his personal agenda was never far from Lucifer’s mind. He would have said more but felt that it would be best to visit with Masias when Troy was not around. Annoyingly, he could only promise a position of supreme power in his new order to so many people. Unless of course he offered it to many people in private and then swore them to secrecy on the matter, insisting that it was best not to arouse jealousy in others.
For his part, although Troy was indeed a sinister fellow, unlike Lucifer he had not yet fully lost all ability to be concerned for one that he considered to be a friend. As such, he left his friend’s abode with some genuine residual concern for Masias.
38 a weakness pried open
The following day Caleb and Tara spent the morning together, but Caleb was ill at ease. Tara was very concerned about him. He just didn’t seem himself lately, and he was particularly restless that day.
‘Caleb, what should we do this afternoon?’ she asked.
Caleb had hoped that she wouldn’t ask that particular question.
‘I’ve got something that I need to do. Maybe we can meet after that,’ he replied.
‘What is it you need to do?’ she enquired.
She didn’t enjoy the secrecy that seemed to be creeping into some aspects of Caleb’s life. Previously, they had shared every detail of what they would be doing whilst apart so that they could better schedule opportunities to be together.
‘There is someone I need to see,’ he answered in a guarded fashion.
Tara was not at all happy with the absence of detail and was determined to make this point. They had never argued but this would be the first.
‘Caleb, I don’t understand why such secrecy has crept in between us. We used to share everything with each other, but lately there are so many things that you seem to be keeping from me,’ she complained.
‘I’m sorry Tara, but it is nothing that you need to be concerned about,’ he said unconvincingly.
‘I am concerned, Caleb. If you appeared to be your old happy self then I would be less so, but you are not,’ was Tara’s sharp reply
‘Tara, you don’t understand. I’m doing this for both of us and you just need to trust me,’ Caleb countered with a sharpness of his own.
‘I do trust you, Caleb, but if you are doing something for us why don’t you include me, rather than ducking off here, there and everywhere in secrecy. If this is some kind of surprise then I don’t want it because it is driving a wedge between us. If it is something other than a surprise, then let me be part of it.’
Her argument sounded completely logical to Caleb, but he knew that he couldn’t tell her all that she wanted to know. He knew that she would dismiss the idea entirely and that he would never have the opportunity to ensure her safe passage back to the Kingdom.
‘I’m sorry Tara, but I cannot tell you,’ he said quietly and left.
Tara remained and wept, her ability to be open with her emotions being one of her great strengths.
The meeting that Caleb was to attend was different from the others that he had been to previously. He had left Tara’s abode earlier than planned, because of their argument, so he had more time than he needed to travel to the appointment. Accordingly, he flew most of the way and then walked the last few kilometres of the journey through the darkest part of the Kingdom. Though he was largely distracted by his thoughts, it was not entirely lost on him as he flew, and then walked, that the light gradually faded as he moved further south. Had he been thinking clearly he would have known to avoid like the plague, both the area and the company that he was about to keep.
As he moved slowly, but purposefully, to the appointment Caleb thought of Tara and their relationship. It was not hidden from him that their relationship had become strained since he had begun attending the rebel meetings. Nevertheless, he reassured himself that they would be closer than ever if they were provided with a guaranteed passage back to the Kingdom to live together eternally. There can be no doubting that his intentions were pure. He still wanted exactly what he had always wanted. He just questioned the way in which it was best obtained.
He wound through streets that had gone from being brilliantly lit to quite dull. As he did so, he was so deep in thought that he failed to note that the inhabitants of the area did not look as happy or content, when compared to those in the area that he had recently departed from. Had he been less troubled he would also have noticed far fewer classrooms, as many of them had been converted to additional play halls. Indeed, he would have noted that an unhealthy measure of slothfulness had crept into this area, even though he was still a few kilometres from his destination, which was the epicentre of all idleness, laziness, uselessness and stupidity.
Had his ears been open to the sounds around him, he would have noted the different tone of some of the discussions between the inhabitants of that area. The kindness, praise and love that he was so used to were diluted, and bitter and unkind words could commonly be heard. Still, his mind and his senses were blind to these things, as his heart brimmed with fear concerning the trials that Tara might have to face under the original plan. Ultimately he drew close to the appointed meeting place, which was within Lucifer’s abode itself.
By now, the dancing golden glows of his parents’ abode had been completely replaced by a far dimmer light, and the epicentre of this diminished light was the very abode into which he was about to enter. Lucifer was the only one present as Caleb entered, as this was to be a personal discussion between the two of them. He was greeted so warmly by Lucifer that it passed for genuine.
‘Caleb, it is wonderful to see you and thank you for coming!’
‘Thank you for the invitation,’ replied the fly to the spider.
‘How are things on the other side
of the Kingdom?’ enquired Lucifer, who was eager for an update without having to travel there himself.
‘Yes, very well thank you. Things seem to continue there as they always have,’ replied Caleb.
‘That is good,’ said Lucifer, not a little disappointed. He was hoping that a measure of contention might even have penetrated that area but it did not appear so from Caleb’s reply.
Lucifer next sought to move the conversation in the desired direction. He was willing to endure niceties if he had to, but preferred to keep them to a minimum.
‘Now tell me Caleb, what has been troubling you? I’ve been very concerned of late as you just don’t seem to be your old self.’
Of course Lucifer knew the answer to the question, but he wanted to know whether Caleb did.
‘Yes, you are correct, I have been troubled. At the moment I’m in a very difficult position as I would like to consider further the plan that you are proposing but I don’t feel that I can discuss it with Tara,’ said Caleb honestly.
‘Don’t you think that she would understand what you are trying to achieve?’ asked Lucifer, happy to play the ‘devil’s advocate’ so to speak.
‘No, I’m afraid not, Lucifer. Tara is just so one-eyed when it comes to Mother and Father’s plan that she would never consider an alternative.’
‘Don’t you think that she would understand that you are very worried for her?’ enquired the deceiver.
‘Maybe, but I don’t think that it would make any difference to her. I know precisely what she would say. She would insist that she is extremely confident of enduring whatever is necessary on earth under the original plan. She would also maintain that even if she did fail, she would rather receive whatever lesser reward was due to her under the original plan, in preference to rebelling against Mother and Father.’
Premortal Page 13