Premortal

by Damien Passmore

  The colonel noted with great pride that all were in attendance. Of course this did not surprise him, considering the brilliant nature of his previous lesson. He picked up precisely where he had left off by cursing his parents, their plan and any who saw any merit in it. His inspiring words were cut short, however, by the arrival of a significant party of spirits. When the colonel first spotted them he swelled with pride, assuming that this new group must have heard about the quality of his first lesson and had come to enjoy his second. This illusion was quickly shattered however, when he spotted among the new arrivals, the teacher he had replaced.

  ‘We don’t need you any longer, I’m teaching the class,’ he shouted gruffly at the teacher.

  ‘Oh you are, are you? The question then is whether the class likes your teachings?’ responded Michael.

  ‘Of course they do, they’re here aren’t they?’ responded the colonel to generous laughter from his troops.

  ‘That may be so, but I can tell you that if I wasn’t coming today then neither was any of the class members,’ retorted Michael.

  ‘Oh, and how would you know that?’ demanded the colonel.

  ‘They sent an embassy to me yesterday to enquire as to whether I would be returning to the class, because if I wasn’t they would cease to attend. So clearly they do not appreciate the rot you’ve been teaching at all,’ replied Michael.

  This comment bit into the delicate pride of the colonel in a like manner to their first meeting, and the colonel did not appreciate it at all. Like most brutes that consist more of brawn than of brains, he resorted to violence as a solution.

  ‘I thought that you would’ve learned your lesson last time, but we will be happy to re-teach you,’ he said menacingly.

  ‘Well, I would suggest that you might find it a little more difficult this time around. For one, these brothers will at least ensure that it is a fair fight. I’m well aware that cowards prefer to outnumber their opposition but you won’t have any such luck on this occasion,’ replied Michael.

  ‘That won’t matter the result will be the same. You are no match for us,’ said the commanding officer with confidence, as he strutted to a nearby window that overlooked the common area outside. Pointing to that area he said,

  'This time however, our battle will take place outside, before all that are gathered there. I would like for them to see our strength, and your weakness, so that they might comprehend the folly of opposing our plan. They need to understand that Mother and Father, and all those who support them, will be defeated,’ said the colonel.

  ‘If you insist,’ responded Michael.

  The colonel’s suggestion was exactly what he desired so he was happy to concede on this point. The colonel would not have been so wise. If Michael had requested an outside fight he would have demanded an inside battle. If Michael had said the wall was white he would have insisted that it was black.

  They filed out of the classroom and into the vast common area that the colonel had referred to. Approximately thirty thousand spirits were located in and around this area and the colonel bellowed to get their attention, informing all that there would be a battle. He not only succeeded in gathering the thirty thousand but another ten or so thousand exited nearby classrooms and play halls to see what the commotion was about.

  When all were gathered the colonel spoke.

  ‘My brothers and sisters, I have called you from your activities because I feel that it is important that you witness what is about to occur. I am the colonel and we are the first division in a grand army whose purpose it is to assist in the promotion of a new plan for mortality,’ stated the colonel with authority, as he motioned to introduce his men to the crowd.

  ‘Many of you will be aware that there are significant flaws in Mother and Father’s plan, and that an alternative has now been developed by a brilliant few. We wholeheartedly support this wonderful new plan and have been enlisted in this cause. Those who stand opposite us are blind followers of our parents who fail to see the significant flaws in their plan. We are going to teach them a lesson so that each of you may see that Mother and Father are weak, and we, and those who guide us, are strong.’

  Michael and his band saw no point in responding. They were confident in the outcome of the battle and would speak when it was over and their point had been made. In the meantime, they were completely comfortable with the attention that the colonel was drawing to the impending skirmish. The colonel then turned and faced Michael ready to attack, and each of his men chose a target. They glared menacingly at their opponents but each was disappointed by the absence of fear in the eyes of their potential victim.

  After a few moments the colonel sounded the attack, and each member of his battalion attempted to enter their opponent in order to deliver a vicious attack. On this occasion however, the battle was over before it started as each of the colonel’s men bounced off their opponents as though they had just flown into a thick glass door. The colonel and his men had each had the same experience. The second they tried to attack, they were confronted with such strength that their opponents became as an immense shield that could not be penetrated. Each attacker was appreciably drained by the experience.

  To summon all of one’s energy, and to unload it upon an opponent, only to have that opponent repel the attack as though it was nothing, was not only exhausting it was demoralising. Each member of first division lay upon the ground looking up at the majesty and strength of his opponent and praying that the colonel would not order a second attack. To draw a mortal equivalent, they would have far preferred to run at a brick wall than attempt a follow up attack. Luckily for his division, the colonel’s experience had been the least pleasant of all. The commanding officer lay completely stunned and could not have uttered the command for a second attack, even if he had wanted to.

  Michael, on the other hand, looked as though he had just swatted a fly. For Michael, repelling the colonel had been child’s play. Ejecting three thousand spirits in the recent past had strengthened him and hardened him for battle. He knew what to expect and the colonel’s repulsion was quicker, and more brutal, than any of the others. Seeing the colonel laid out, and each of the other troops in first division with a look of fear in their eyes, Michael took the opportunity to address the gathering.

  ‘My brothers and sisters, I hope that you will not only remember what has just occurred but that you will also publish it widely throughout the Kingdom. Today’s battle is evidence to you that good will always prevail over evil. Light will always repel darkness. Our parents hold all power within this Kingdom and their plan is perfect. While some might dare to speak against it in the short term, their end will be as it has been for our opponents today, and far worse.

  ‘While Father and Mother may permit evil to exist here temporally, to allow each of us to make our choice, in due course all evil will be cast out. The rebel plan is flawed and will not succeed. If you support it then you may be cast out of the Kingdom before mortality even commences. You will then forfeit the privilege of receiving a mortal body and undertaking the earthly journey.

  ‘Today you have witnessed evidence of an eternal truth. The key of knowledge that has been revealed to you is the fact that if you will exercise faith in your parents you will be given the strength necessary to repel all evil, and to overcome any trial. This principle is important to you now and it will be essential for you in mortality.’

  The crowd surrounded the armies on all sides so Michael, who had his back turned to part of the crowd, turned one hundred and eighty degrees so that he could face the spirits who were behind him.

  ‘To any of you who may have aligned yourself with the rebel plan, I counsel you to immediately return to your parents. Meet with them, beg their forgiveness, and you will receive it. Then accept their counsel about how best to prepare for your mortal experience, so that you may regain any ground that you may have lost.

  ‘I also implore you to give an accurate account of precisely what has transpired here today to
every spirit that you come into contact with. In so doing, you might just prevent some soul from making a terrible mistake.’

  Having addressed the crowd, Michael then turned back to his attackers. Except for the colonel, who was still out to it, each of them was still cowering upon the ground, hoping that they might have been forgotten. They had not.

  ‘Now to each of you who attacked me last week, and attempted to mount such a feeble attack today, I fear greatly for you. I do not expect that you will turn from your current path for you appear to have progressed too far down it. I felt what you were made of during the attack. You are full of hatred, pride, cruelty, viciousness, ingratitude, lies, filth and vice. You are despicable and appear beyond cleansing. Despite this, I believe that the grace of our heavenly parents is still sufficient even for you. If, by some miracle, you would turn abruptly from the path that you are on, then there is still hope for you.

  ‘If, as I expect, you do not, I issue you with a warning that all the good that has ever come to you has come by virtue of your parents. Should you cut yourself off from them and rebel, then no good thing will ever come to you again. You will cease to be fit for this Kingdom, or for any lower Kingdom of Glory. You will be banished to outer darkness and there you will remain in misery to torment one another forevermore.’

  As Michael spoke, wisdom that he did not previously possess was revealed to both him and his listeners by ‘the spirit of truth’. While once he did not know what would become of the rebels in eternity, he now had some comprehension.

  As he shared this prophecy, Michael could not help shudder. It amazed him that anyone would choose this for their destiny. Unfortunately, not all saw as clearly as he did, but all those within the sound of his voice had now been warned.

  Having finished his speech he commanded first division to depart. They gladly complied and slunk away from the common area, taking their stunned commander with them.

  Michael and the other Sons then left the crowd to ponder on what they had just seen and heard.

  58 a change in fortunes

  News of the incident spread rapidly through the Kingdom and the effects were dramatic. Many tier one students, and a proportion of tier two students, extracted themselves from their respective programs. Just prior to the battle some nine billion spirits were associated with the cause in some way, from the inner circle right down to those attending a class that was in the process of being targeted by the rebels. Within a week of the battle a billion and half of those spirits were permanently lost to the rebel cause. Their eyes opened, many of these spirits sought to relocate from the dimmer areas of the Kingdom, and started to do what they should have been doing all along.

  Father and Mother had seen this hour coming. Although they had freed up their time in advance, it was not possible that they could interview each of their repentant children personally. They would need help in this regard. Many who returned had a renewed vigour for progression and a determination to prepare for the mortal journey. They realised that they had allowed themselves to be deceived and that it could have cost them dearly. They had been stalled in their progress and now had additional ground to make up. For those who were coming back from tiers one and two, they also had an Achilles heel or two to overcome. There needed to be a return to purity and faith and this would require the exercise of great strength.

  For those who had always been faithful to their parents it was a time of great rejoicing. Their faith was strengthened by the victory of good over evil, and they were overjoyed at the brothers and sisters who had returned. Nevertheless, it would be anything but an easy road for those who had previously associated themselves with the rebel plan. For those who completely changed there was great hope, but for those who were willing to settle back into mediocrity the outcome would be far less glorious.

  Mother could not hide her joy at this time. She had foreseen these happenings, but this did not dampen her joy, now that the day had arrived. Father felt her joy almost as intently.

  The Sons of the Morning, who were esteemed highly before the battle, were treasured after it. They were bigger souls however, than to allow themselves to be burdened by pride, despite the recognition that they received. They spoke not of the battle, but rather spent their time teaching and strengthening the lost who had returned to the fold. The Sons met to debrief after the battle. This gave those who had fought, the opportunity to share their experience with those who hadn’t. Having met, they departed once again to concentrate on their individual good works.

  Again, Lucifer was the only Son who failed to attend.

  59 crime

  The colonel had not passed out per se, spirits don’t, but similar to Michael he was in a stunned daze that was actually very similar to being unconscious in a mortal sense. When he came to his senses he found that he was back in a dimmer part of the Kingdom. He had a very groggy recollection of having been guided somewhere by his men, but it had been more like a dream than reality, so he was still surprised to come to his senses in a new and different location to the one in which the battle had taken place. The colonel found that he had been placed upon a bed and, as he turned his head in order to take in more of his surroundings, he jumped. The reason for his being startled was that he had just noticed that he was not alone, and that Lucifer was sitting upon a seat right next to his bed. The expression on Lucifer’s face was no mystery, it being contorted with intense hatred and disgust.

  ‘Ah colonel, you are finally with us,’ said Lucifer, in a voice that barely concealed his venom.

  ‘Yes Lucifer, what happened?’ replied the colonel.

  He genuinely didn’t know but he suspected that the battle had not ended well. He hoped against hope that Lucifer wouldn’t know anything of it.

  ‘Well it would appear to me, colonel, that you have operated outside of the authority that I granted you and the outcome has not been good for our cause,’ hissed Lucifer.

  ‘In what way?’ asked the colonel meekly.

  ‘I thought that you would never ask. Let me bring you up to date. Many of the brothers and sisters we had enlisted in our cause have now left and returned to Father and Mother. Whereas before your stunt we were on the cusp of gaining a majority, today we are nowhere near it!’ screamed Lucifer, feeling hatred and anger that humans are not even capable of.

  The colonel could see himself losing his office, but he didn’t know the half of it.

  ‘I’m s-sorry L-Lucifer there was this teacher and he was arrogant and we gave him what he deserved. I’m n-not sure where h-he gathered his army,’ said the colonel, defending himself desperately.

  ‘That teacher was Michael the Archangel, you idiot! The only way that you could have selected a more powerful and influential opponent would be to have attacked Father himself, and such is your stupidity that was probably your next strategy!' shrieked Lucifer.

  To call him furious would not adequately describe his level of agitation.

  In a desperate attempt to retain his office the colonel pleaded for another chance.

  ‘Lucifer, my men and I will not make that kind of mistake again. We have learned a lesson and will be far more careful in the future.’

  ‘Future? You will not be involved in any future, you twit! Did you honestly think that you would be permitted to retain your position in my army after such a costly defeat? We are haemorrhaging more supporters every day and we simply don’t know where it will end, and you dare to think that you will be given the opportunity to do more damage. You are more stupid than I thought, Sturd.’

  Hearing his name, instead of his office, was as a dagger to his heart. He had not been called that name for many days, and he had hoped that he would never hear it again. 'Colonel' suited him so much better and to have that office ripped from him, the office upon which he had pinned his brittle self-esteem, was more pain than he could endure. He pleaded pathetically with his leader for another chance.

  ‘Lucifer, please give me another chance, you will not regret it. First division an
d I will make you proud. Removing me from office is more punishment than I can hope to endure,’ pleaded the pathetic soul.

  At this juncture, Lucifer’s face took on a whole new level of contortion. His voice lowered and he was calm as he spoke: ‘Oh, Sturd, you cannot possibly think that your removal from office will be the full extent of your punishment?’

  ‘What do you m-mean?’ asked Sturd, his voice shaking.

  ‘I mean exactly what I say, you imbecile!’ Lucifer bellowed. ‘Do you really think that you could do this much damage to our cause and have me simply remove you from office and no more? Really Sturd, with each moment you reach new heights of foolishness,’ Lucifer was menacing as he enlightened his victim that worse was yet to come.

  ‘What are you planning to do with me?’ asked Sturd pathetically.

  ‘Not I, my dear Sturd, but we. In a few hours we will hold a large meeting in your honour. Your fate will be decided at that gathering.’

  ‘Who will be there?’ Sturd dared to enquire.

  ‘It will principally be my army,’ replied Lucifer knowingly.

  Sturd looked nervously around the room, wondering about the prospects for escape. Lucifer saw this and cut off the thought, calling four fierce looking spirits into the room from where they had been posted just outside.

  ‘Now Sturd, these are some of second division’s finest who have been assigned to guard you. If you think to escape they will make you pay. You won’t have to wait long to discover your fate so I encourage you to maintain your dignity.’

  ‘Will my division be attending?' asked Sturd hopefully.

  ‘Of course they will,’ Lucifer said confidently before turning to leave.

  Everything that Lucifer had said filled Sturd with horror, with one small exception. His final flicker of hope lay in those of his own division. Surely they would support him. As he lay there he focused on this final hope, reassuring himself that they would mount a powerful defence on his behalf. Time passed agonisingly slowly for Sturd as he awaited his fate. If there had been a clock he could have counted every tick.