The road was pretty narrow and after a mile or so he was prompted to take a right turn. The road ran downhill, which gave his legs a rest and the wind through his thin cotton shirt, cooled him down a little. He zipped past a sign for a golf course, its fairways just visible over a well-kept hedge.
Everyone was going about their business as if nothing was wrong and this is how most people live their day to day lives, skimming the surface, either too busy or blinkered to see the truth. He had been one of them, content to sit back, happy to live a controlled existence, where people are ridiculed for pointing out the obvious.
David was entering a residential area, although compared to where he lived it was quite rural, but after a few junctions, he was in the thick of it and dodging traffic just as he did back home. He hadn’t seen a sign in a while, to confirm he was going in the right direction, but that didn’t seem to matter, because he got the feeling he should be heading for the seafront and around the next bend he caught sight of the blue horizon.
He had visited this little seaside town a number of years ago and nothing had really changed. The seafront hotels looked as popular as ever and a good percentage of the residents that lived here were getting on in years. Preferring the slightly slower pace of life and after all the effort it took to get here, David wasn’t complaining.
Things looked pretty normal and he glanced at his watch, only to discover he’d missed the morning rendezvous. It was eleven forty-five, which meant he would now have to wait until three. Of course, he still had to find the rendezvous point and standing around waiting for a sign was a good way to get noticed.
One way to blend in would be to pop into the little cafe across the road and he could hear it saying, come and take the weight off and buy a coffee. There were some tables and chairs at the front of the cafe and the outside temperature was comfortable, particularly as he’d worked up a bit of a sweat.
David crossed the street while remaining vigilant for anything suspicious. Safely across, he propped his bike against a stone planter and sat down at the nearest table. He hadn’t realised until now, just how much damage the saddle had done to his backside and he winced a bit.
David sat there waiting to be served and closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him. The seagulls overhead, the sound of the waves on the beach, children playing and there it was, a siren, distant, but a siren all the same. He listened to it fade into the background and was then aware of someone standing beside him.
“What can I get you?”
David shielded his eyes from the sun in an effort to make eye contact with the waitress but found himself distracted and instead of placing his order he looked out across the beach to where someone was flying a kite.
“Sorry, I’ve changed my mind,” and he hastily got up, grabbed his bike and left the cafe.
Turning his back on a coffee was extremely rare, so today was something of an exception and the kite was the lure that had ensnared him. From this position, he couldn’t see who was flying it, but the silver image of a snowflake glinted in the sunlight and he was unable to resist.
From the waitress’s perspective back at the cafe, his behaviour must have seemed pretty strange and after dashing across the road he descended some steps that led down to the beach. Now with an uninterrupted view, he was able to see the person flying the kite, only it wasn’t the mystery woman he had been expecting, just another dot to dot in this puzzle to find her.
David dropped the bike and continued along the beach, still mesmerised by the kite soaring overhead against the backdrop of a blue cloudless sky. It was only after he was halfway towards it that the image he’d seen, disappeared and he was left wondering if he might have imagined it. He continued anyway and walked past the father and son, whose kite this was and seeing the two of them brought back a memory of him as a kid, trying the get his own kite to fly.
David felt that the sea was where he should be heading, so he rolled up his trousers and took off his shoes, then hopped and jumped from one sandy spot to another, avoiding the shingle, which played havoc with his feet. Finally, in the surf, he found the water chilly, yet invigorating and his feet sank into the soft sand and it was like he was the only one on the beach.
It was turning out to be a beautiful day. The water looked particularly inviting with the sunlight glistening off the breaking waves and he wished he’d packed his swimwear.
The reflecting sunlight continues to dazzle, but despite the glare he notices a shoal of fish, which prompts him to wade a little deeper.
The receding waves tug at him gently and he is soon up to his knees. With the water now making contact with his trousers, this is as deep as he can go unless he wants to spend the rest of the day in damp clothes.
Feeling like a child again, David began searching for shells in the clear water between the waves and then catches sight of something. At first he thinks his eyes are playing tricks on him, but no, there it is again.
Someone is out there, fully submerged, perhaps a snorkeler, only they have a great turn of speed, like a dolphin and maybe that’s what it is.
A big wave rolls in and there within it he sees someone looking straight back at him, which is the last thing he’d expected to see and they dart away as the wave breaks.
He’s intrigued and recalls the image of what he interpreted as a virtually naked person, a woman he thinks, if only because of their long hair. The face had been partly obscured, so maybe it was wishful thinking and David scoured the water for another sign of this individual. After all, they would have to come up for air eventually.
Another wave breaks around him and this time he feels a tingling sensation and notices that the water is behaving a little strangely. Then something slips around his legs, which he thinks is seaweed, only there is suddenly a lot of pressure around his ankles and it feels like someone has him in a vice-like grip.
David panics and tries to pull his legs free and resorts to plunging his hands into the surf to help himself. In this bent over position, his face was only inches off the water and what happens next, takes his breath away, literally.
A face appears and in a flash their mouth parts clamp onto his own and a pair of arms slip around his shoulders. In less than a second he’s underwater and being dragged into the depths. There is nothing he can do; the strength of this individual is immense.
From the moment the stranger’s mouth clamped onto his, he hadn’t breathed, partly through sheer terror and it felt like he was going to choke.
A voice came into his mind and told him to breathe. “Breathe through me, breathe through your mouth.”
On any other day that would have sounded gross, but he didn’t have much choice. The mouthparts of this individual were soft but incredibly firm and his first attempt at getting some air was a bit like sucking on a straw, but then his mouth relaxed and he was breathing.
David’s eyes were open, but he couldn’t see a thing and the voice was back in his mind again and explained that he was being prepared for a deep descent.
He could feel his body getting heavier, as it was cocooned to ensure he would survive the pressure. That was good news; at least he wasn’t being prepared for lunch.
The process didn’t take all that long and they were travelling at speed again. His lips were still engaged and for all the preparation, the journey was a relatively short one and he found himself surrounded by flashes of light and shapes that he couldn't piece together.
While his mind grappled with what he was seeing, his body struggled with the heaviness, which was still pressing down on him. He still wasn’t in complete control of his breathing because he was taking far deeper breaths than normal. These deep breaths helped calm him and the heaviness lifted. It felt like his body was being filled with helium, becoming strangely light, as if floating on a cushion of air.
After a moment or two, the pressure around him equalised and the lips that had been clamped onto his all this time, released him and he could breathe normally again. He ma
y have been breathing normally, but something was wrong, actually, there was a lot wrong. He couldn’t move and his vision was all peculiar. It was like he was looking through a frosted pane of glass.
Feeling his anxiety, a soft voice told him everything was all right, “Just relax and the cocoon will fall away.”
He could feel pressure around his eyes and a hand like he had never seen before started removing material that was covering his face. After a minute or two, he was able to move his head and see that his body had been vacuum packed, like bacon slices at the supermarket.
Just as the voice had promised, the cocoon was losing its firmness and beginning to feel like jelly, which was melting, turning to water and little rivers were running into the pool directly in front of him. He was eventually able to sit up and expected to find himself saturated, but instead, his clothes were bone dry.
He didn’t dwell on this impossibility for too long and looking around him, he could see that he was in a sort of cavern; only the smooth surfaces weren’t polished stone, but something else, perhaps manufactured by these people. Except, come to think of it, this chamber looked like the inside of a giant shell, with its soft lines and pearlescent colours. That hardly seemed possible, but then neither was being snatched off the beach by a water nymph and yet how else would you explain what just happened.
The light in the chamber was coming through the walls of this structure and it wasn’t constant, it was changing, moving as if alive. He was captivated by it and felt a lot calmer than he should have. Then came a surprise, the chamber began to sing and the sound took him to another level and it was like his whole life flashed before him. The singing faded and David was sure he heard someone say, welcome. The still water in front of him was disturbed and he watched the simple ripples change into geometric shapes, as the voice continued.
“Hello, David.”
“You know me?”
“It’s been a long time.”
“I do recall the sound of your voice. I feel that I should know you, but I can’t place from where.”
“A lot happened that day. You were but a child when we called to you.”
“The singing I heard on the beach?”
“Yes. That was us. You were chosen to carry the message that day.”
“I’ve been carrying it since then?”
“Yes. We were sure the time would come, either in your current incarnation or the next. And here you are.”
“Why have you brought me here?”
“We owe you an explanation. Our race is partly responsible for your creation. Long ago we agreed to terms that we thought would help save us from certain death, only to find that we had been tricked. We were tricked by a race of deceivers. Manipulators of time and space and since this race appears to have no form, they have become known as the Formless Ones.”
“The Formless Ones,” said David, thoughtfully.
“Our decisions back then led to much suffering, which continues to this day. The message that you carry will bring an end to that suffering.”
“What is in this message?”
“It is a countermeasure to help neutralise these manipulators and the plans they have for this dimension.”
So why had they waited so long before taking action?
“It was mostly fear, fear that should the Formless Ones discover we survived, they would be back to finish the job. Knowing we had collaborated with these beings, even the planet turned its back on us. Those were hard times.”
“So you hid yourselves away?”
“Yes, knowing that the Earth was being populated by a race we helped to create. A race that is programmed to serve. The Formless Ones see with their eyes, eyes that are windows to the soul, a soul that belongs to them.”
David shivered. “So what are you exactly?”
“We are the first ones, known to many races as the Aquatics. The human race knows of us only through myth and any memory that your kind retained of its aquatic origins, was forgotten.”
“Was that intentional?”
“It was necessary for us to remove ourselves and reflect upon our decisions because ultimately we were to blame. We turned to the planet for help and in time it forgave our misdoings. Perhaps the Earth realised that in spite of everything, we were its best hope. Without this collaboration, there would be no message and the Formless Ones would be unstoppable.”
“Is the human race at risk too, due to its association with these Formless Ones?”
“Once the Formless Ones have been neutralised, the human race will be safe and in control of its own destiny, but the Formless Ones will not give up its creation without a fight and its withdrawal from this planet is gathering pace.”
“Withdrawal! They’re retreating?”
“Yes, but don’t think of their retreat as a good sign. Think of it like a wave drawing back from the beach, only to return with crushing force.”
“Where are they going?”
“We don’t know for sure, but they are intent on taking the human race with them.”
“My God.”
The chamber fell silent and David tried to clear his mind of all those people disappearing. He knew that people disappeared every day, but could these Formless Ones really be behind it?
“In most cases they are responsible and this has been happening since the time of your creation. It is how they have grown into such a formidable force. The races you share this dimension with have been trying to help and that is the reason there are now humans on Shalasing.”
“Yes, the people on Shalasing made contact with me and that is how I learned about the mandala.”
“Yes, the mandala opened their eyes to the truth and in turn, they awakened you, the messenger.”
“The mandala was your creation?”
“The mandala is a manifestation of the message that you carry. We helped with its creation, but the Earth is the main contributor.”
“And it now falls to me to deliver this message and stop the Formless Ones?” there was a question of doubt in David’s voice.
“You are wondering why you were chosen?”
“Yes, considering I am human.”
“It made you the ideal choice and since that day on the beach, you are fundamentally different.”
“The message changed me?”
“The message permeated your being, raised your vibration and in doing so, severed your link with the Formless Ones, making you one of the few humans to be truly free of them.”
“Couldn’t you do that for everyone?”
“This is where you come in. And for the message to be effective, it has to reach the heart of the Formless Ones. To achieve this, you will first make your way to the planet Shalasing, where you will be guided by the Hidden Ones.”
The reality of it all was beginning to sink in. “The Hidden Ones,” said David thoughtfully. ”I’m assuming there’s a clue in the name. Trust me to get the ones that are going to be hard to find.”
“Worry not, as they will very likely find you.”
“What if something goes wrong and I don’t make it?”
“Failure is not an option. We believe the very fabric of this dimension is at risk.”
David sat there, quietly processing what he had been told.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but we felt it important that you knew what was being asked of you and why.”
David didn’t know what to say, he was overwhelmed. “There are a hundred and one things running through my mind. How am I meant to get to this strange planet?”
“We must return you to the surface, where your first contact awaits and she will guide you to a portal.”
“A portal?”
“Yes, it is the only option open to you. Now, please enter the pool and we will prepare you.”
David approached the pool of water with more than a little trepidation because he knew what was coming.
The water vibrated and from its depths, a shape emerged and oddly enough his body bent forwar
d automatically. Shortly after, the lips of another clamped onto his and he was packaged and ready to go. The journey up to the surface was as swift as the descent and his ears popped as they broke through the waves and he was released. He was still in the cocoon, which was dissolving rapidly in the sunlight and since his arms were fixed to his sides, he kept his eyes closed against the glare.
The surf brought him up onto the sand and he tried to sit up, but what was left of the cocoon rolled in the water and David was unceremoniously deposited into the sea. An approaching wave made sure he wasn’t going to get off lightly and some children playing nearby, enquired to why he was swimming with his clothes on.
He stood up and removed his shirt and the children ran off laughing. The beach was strangely deserted on such a beautiful day, but he reminded himself that this wasn’t the weekend, so most people were at work. Despite the warmth of the sun, he shivered in his wet clothes and headed back to where he’d abandoned the bike.
He glanced at his watch, it was a little before two and he wondered about going back to that cafe for a bite to eat, but first, he would have to change into some dry clothes.
After reclaiming the bike, David headed into one of the numerous beachside shops, where he bought himself a towel, a tee-shirt and a pair of brightly coloured shorts. On his way to the till he also picked up a cheap pair of flip-flops and once he’d paid for his purchases he changed into his new attire and a glance in the mirror confirmed how horrifying he looked.
Before leaving the shop he made some additional purchases, a bottle of water, a baseball cap and some shades.
He was beginning to wonder whether getting soaked was meant to happen, forcing him into a new set of clothes. A disguise. Well, he certainly didn’t recognise himself and he was rather hoping that no one else would either.
He headed back to the cafe, which was busier now, although he was still able to find a table looking out over the beach. A quick look at the menu and by the time the waitress arrived, he was ready to order.
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