In the Shadows of Fate

by Rick Jurewicz

  "Child," he said to her softly. "I am sorry for your loss. I lost a family too, back in Russia, when I was a far younger man. No words can make the pain disappear completely. They can comfort you for a time, but the pain still lingers deep within. You must be wary of things that may come. There are forces on opposing sides that would both kill and die for what is in these pages. It is true that there are those that would just as soon see these burned, along with all those who know what is written upon them. I am afraid that even if you had not brought them to me to find what they reveal, they would still try and hunt you down, just to be certain you didn't know what was written in them."

  "Do you know who it might be that is after them?" asked Miranda.

  "No. I can only speculate. Radical factions of the Holy Church. Stray believers in the prophecy of Lucifer's keymaster. Someone either knows or believes you have them. Go with God, Miranda. May He guide you, regardless of what you choose to believe. If you keep Him with you, in your heart, He will help you on your journey."

  "What about you? What happens if these people find out that we came to see you?" Miranda asked him.

  "I have been thinking of making a return visit to my homeland. If they have any indication that we have talked, then perhaps now is as good a time as any to take an extended vacation. Go, now. If you have to, to keep them out of the wrong hands, burn them yourself. It is enough to know for me that they were real after all of these years researching the copies of them. I can't thank you enough for that." He looked at Jake, nodding to him. "Take her, now. Keep her safe."

  Miranda hugged the aged Russian, which caught him off guard just as much as it did when he extended his hands to hers. Perhaps she felt, too, that he was a person that truly might understand her pain. Jake nodded to him in return as they left the office, and he and Miranda walked on down the hall.

  Dr. Vikhrov sat down in his desk chair. He knew when he told her he would visit home that he had no intention of returning to Russia. Everything that once made the old country his home had died years before in a fire that not only consumed his family, but had scarred his very soul. He may have wished God to guide and protect Miranda in whatever trials she may face ahead, but he himself resented God for taking everything that he loved. It was part of the reason he had searched so long and hard through the multitudes of historical and theological texts that had consumed the better part of his life following his defection from Russia. He, like Miranda, had never stopped searching for some greater meaning to make sense of the losses he suffered so long ago.

  Whatever was to come for him now may come. It no longer mattered to him. He was tired, and the best he could hope for any longer was to find his own sense of peace, and to hope against hope that whatever it was that Miranda sought to find her peace, that maybe in some small way, she could find a little bit for him along the way as well.

  CHAPTER 13

  When Miranda was very young, around the age of eight, the family of her best friend at the time, Jessica Kowalski, invited her to take a day trip with them to nearby Mackinaw Island, which is a popular tourist destination in northern Michigan known for its rich historical significance, as well as the trappings of a world famous fudge producing industry. Miranda didn't care so much for the historical side of things. She and Jessica were more excited about having their fill of fudge, going on a picnic, taking the hydroplane ferryboat ride to the island and seeing if they could talk Jessica's parents into going on a horse-drawn carriage tour of the island, as Jessica had overheard her father mentioning to her mother.

  Mrs. Kowalski had called Miranda's mother and asked her if Miranda could go with them on that Saturday in late June. It would be a long day, and Mrs. Kowalski said it would be alright for Miranda to spend the night that night, and they would bring Miranda home after church the next morning. This would be the very first time that Miranda stayed overnight at someone's home other than that of a close relative.

  Ever since she came to live with them, Lorri Stratton had been very protective of Miranda, and wasn't sure how she felt about Miranda being gone somewhere overnight. It was Miranda's father that finally convinced Lorri that she had to let go some and allow Miranda to go along with the Kowalski family to the island. Lorri finally agreed that it was alright, although she wasn't at first sure she knew how she felt about Miranda going along to church with the Kowalskis.

  Robert and Lorri Stratton had not been a church going family. In fact, the one and only time that Miranda could remember going to church was for her grandmother's funeral when she was only six years old. It wasn't that they weren't believers in God. They lived what could be considered, for the most part, a Christian based lifestyle. They tried to do right by others, and did their best to raise their children to do the same. But watching what had become of the sense of organized religion in the world around them steered them away from any particular denomination, and they felt that living a life by example rather than following the teaching of any particular religious denomination would suit the way that they raised the children best, and would leave it to both Miranda and Steven to choose their own paths as far as faith was concerned when they were ready.

  The Kowalski family was Catholic, so Lorri knew that Miranda would most likely find the whole experience odd and fascinating. She was a very perceptive and inquisitive little girl, and Lorri finally decided that it would be alright for Miranda to go along with the Kowalskis to the church service as well. She had thought maybe she would just pick Miranda up early, before the Kowalskis left for the service, but ultimately decided that maybe if she and Robert got a sitter for Steven that night as well, they could have an evening out that, for the two of them, was long overdue. Lorri called her sister, Kelly, who still lived in Native Springs at that time, and she took Steven for the night.

  Early that Saturday morning, Lorri kissed Miranda in the driveway, and watched her ride away with Jessica and the rest of the Kowalski family. Miranda was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She quickly forgot about the dreams she so often had about the man at the piano. It seemed easier to push those thoughts aside when she had more to occupy her mind, which was one of the reasons that she learned to read so quickly at a young age.

  Books kept her mind flush and occupied, which was helpful to keep the darker, scarier things away. Sometimes even after she went to bed and kissed her mother goodnight, Miranda would sneak a flashlight into her bed beneath the covers and read one of the many books that had found their home on her bedroom bookshelves.

  The car ride on I-75 seemed to pass quickly as the two girls played and laughed with each other, looking at picture books and trying to make up funny stories along the way, always trying to top the other with their wild creativity.

  Mrs. Kowalski told the girls to look on up ahead, and the girls were in awe when they saw the first glimpses of the top of the southern tower of the Mackinac Bridge as they approached the outskirts of Mackinaw City. At that age, the tower seemed enormous, reaching into the clear blue sky over the treetops that day. The bridge is indeed a spectacular sight at any age, spanning the Straits of Mackinac over five miles, and was once the world's longest suspension bridge. But to a child of eight, especially one who had never experienced seeing it before, it seemed a truly wondrous thing indeed.

  Mr. Kowalski parked the car in a large parking lot owned by one of the three major ferry companies along the waterfront areas on the shores of Lake Huron. Mrs. Kowalski grabbed a day bag with the picnic lunch they had packed before they picked up Miranda, while Mr. Kowalski grabbed a small cooler with drinks, and the four of them boarded the large, double-decker hydroplane ferry that would take them to the island.

  The girls of course wanted to ride up top in the open-air deck, even though it was still cool in the morning along the shoreline, so Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski decided to let the family sit up top for the ride. As the boat took off and gained speed, the girls quickly felt how cool it actually was sitting up high in the wind, and occasionally caught some of the spra
y that kicked up above the top deck when the boat would slap across the waves. The waves seemed a little rougher than usual for the morning hours, and the wind was a little heavier as well, but the forecast for the day was supposed to be clear and sunny, with temperatures in the low 80s. The coming days' weather was already evidenced by the clear skies, but the wind and the waves hadn't quite caught up just yet to the soft blue that spanned the horizon.

  Once they reached the island shore, Miranda and Jessica followed along behind Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski in the mad rush of visitors to the island. The people getting off the boat scrambled to get a locker so they could store items that they didn't want to carry all day long around the island, but early in the morning there were plenty of lockers still available. The Kowalskis packed the lunch bag and the cooler into a locker for later, and the four of them emerged onto the already busy roadway that circled the entire distance around the island.

  The area around the docks was by far the busiest part of the island at any given time, where the merchants of the lucrative fudge trades set up their shops it seemed every 50 feet or so, with the divisions of shops in between selling every sort of "Mackinac Island" or "Up North, Michigan" sweatshirt or t-shirt that anyone could imagine. Visitors could also find trinkets of all sorts, from sailing vessels in a bottle to toy muskets and pistols similar to that used in the American Revolutionary War, as well as every sort of book on the history of the area back to the times when the Native American Indians were the sole residents of these lands.

  Miranda found the books in these stores fascinating, which amused Mrs. Kowalski that at such a young age Miranda was such an avid reader. In one store, Miranda found a book titled "Lore of the Great Turtle", which was a collection of Ojibwa legends about the island itself, as well as other great stories about the folklore and history through Native American eyes of the upper Great Lakes region. Mrs. Kowalski thought that it might be a nice keepsake from their trip to the island, and bought it for her as a gift. For Jessica, she bought a small, hand-carved Indian princess figurine that had been made by an older Ojibwa gentleman in a small shop on one of the side streets that rose up the hillsides to the higher elevations of the island.

  Miranda loved her book, and thanked Mrs. Kowalski over and over again, while Jessica found herself so lost in the intricacies of her wooden doll that she had actually forgotten to thank her mother at all.

  All day long, the clippity-clap, clippity-clap of the horse-drawn carriages up and down Main Street filled the air, along with the not-so-fresh scent of that which the horses left behind as they traipsed up and down the paved roadways. It was the unfortunate, yet notably important job of the few who had to follow along the paths of the mighty animals to collect the leavings behind before too much overtook the streets of the wildly popular island. Although the reputation of its old-fashioned and motor vehicle free environment was one of the island's many appealing draws, this was one aspect that left much to be desired.

  This fact did not change the minds of the two young girls who were determined to get Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski to take them on a carriage ride. Ultimately, Mr. Kowalski told the girls that after they had had their lunch on a grassy area along the water’s edge, they would take a carriage tour that ended at Fort Mackinac, which would be the final destination of their day at the island.

  Miranda and Jessica ate hurriedly through the sandwiches that Mrs. Kowalski packed for them, although it did little good to speed things along, as Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski took their time eating and enjoying the cool breeze under the now blazing sun. The temperatures were now already exceeding those that were expected, and there were people everywhere chugging drinks from water bottles in every direction.

  Finally, the four of them made it back to the carriage tour stop and boarded the carriage that would take them up through some of the more historic parts of the island; they passed many old houses that were the original structures built on the island through the 1700s and 1800s. Along the way was the magnificent Grand Hotel, where the tour driver had said that a famous movie was filmed back in the late 1970s.

  There was also the mysterious place called the Skull Cave, which Miranda found to be somewhat chilling by the name alone. Skull Cave was a small cave used by the Native Americans in the 18th century as a burial place; years later it was discovered to be strewn with human bones. Next along the way was the wondrous Arch Rock, a natural arch formation of limestone thought to be made in one of the glacial periods. Finally, they came to Fort Mackinac.

  The Fort, as it is today, has its outer white walls built out of limestone, high atop the limestone bluffs that overlook the Straits of Mackinac. Built during the American Revolutionary War by the British, it was not relinquished to the American forces until 1796. During the War of 1812, the British easily reclaimed the Fort during the duration of the war, fighting back and killing many American soldiers during the Battle of Mackinac Island in 1814.

  After the war was over, the United States took over control of the fort once more in the year 1815, and its role as an important military stronghold was greatly diminished. Eventually, the fort became a museum site and tribute to an important era in United States history, and to this day draws thousands of visitors every year.

  The Kowalskis and Miranda toured the buildings of the fort, many of which had scene re-creations of British soldiers and captains that played important roles at the fort from that historical period. Archeologists were almost constantly doing new digs on the fort grounds and the areas surrounding the fort, finding new clues about the lives of the people that lived back in the colonial days and in the more recent years after the wars had ended.

  It was almost 4 p.m., and many of the visitors were told that one of the final reenactment scenes of the day was going to be starting in just a few minutes. Miranda and the Kowalskis headed out into one of the open areas where a crowd had gathered, and stood along the sidelines watching many of the actors that were dressed like British colonial red-coat soldiers lined up in a battle scene. Although there were no major battles within the fort walls, the actors put on a show nevertheless, firing authentic muskets loaded with powder into the air, and finally finishing with a cannon firing harmlessly without cannonball out towards the waters of the straits.

  As the costumed soldiers ran around the grassy yard of the fort, yelling and firing and feigning mortal despair, things had caught Miranda's attention that escaped the eyes of all of the others.

  There were more soldiers there than just the ones that played their roles in the reenactment. But these soldiers had far more serious looks on the pale faces they wore. The clothing they were wearing was far more tattered and covered with what looked like soot and blood. Some were wet, as if they had been caught in a storm or a wrecked ship; and more than a few did not wear the familiar red coats of the British soldiers. These soldiers wore blue jackets and white, dirty trousers, with high black, once shiny boots.

  As one of the men in blue walked past Miranda calmly as the red-coat actors scurried about, the man turned his head towards Miranda and revealed that his left cheek and lower left part of his jaw were completely missing, as if blown off by gunfire. Miranda gasped and drew closer to Mrs. Kowalski, who looked at Miranda with concern when she saw the terror in her eyes. The man promptly looked away and kept walking at the same pace as before, and it was then that Miranda noticed that there were more there like him, intertwined with the play actors, but some lying about missing a limb, or writhing in agony in the grass as they bled from their gunfire wounds.

  That was the first time that Miranda has started to hyperventilate. The terror had overcome her, and Mr. and Mrs. Kowalski quickly noticed and took the girls away from the area and outside the walls of the fort. Mrs. Kowalski got Miranda to calm down, and gave her cold water from a vendor outside of the fort who had offered it at no charge, seeing the condition the young girl was in.

  After a short time, Miranda was feeling much better. Mr. Kowalski blamed the heat of the day and the fact that th
e girls probably had not been drinking enough water to stay properly hydrated. When Mrs. Kowalski asked Miranda if there was anything else wrong, Miranda silently just shook her head side to side, finally telling her she was okay now.

  They made their way back to the docks, and caught the 5:30 p.m. ferry back to Mackinaw City. Mrs. Kowalski considered calling Miranda's parents and letting them know what had happened, in case they thought perhaps she should come home that night. But after seeing the girls laughing and playing again on the ferry ride home, and seeing that both girls had quite an appetite for the pizza they had for dinner at a tavern-style restaurant in downtown Mackinaw City, Mrs. Kowalski had decided that it probably was the heat that had affected poor Miranda. The four of them decided to stay for the fireworks display that took place at dusk on every Saturday of the summer in Mackinaw City.

  They arrived home late, and both girls had fallen asleep in the car well before they had arrived back in Native Springs. They wandered wearily into Jessica's bedroom, and both quickly fell asleep again in Jessica's bed after the long, enjoyable day at the island.

  It was around 9 a.m. when Mrs. Kowalski came into the bedroom to wake the girls and tell them to start getting ready for church. The service was at 10 a.m. at the Catholic Shrine, and Miranda's mother had packed a nice, light colored dress covered with a purple floral design throughout. She got dressed in the bathroom, brushed her teeth and her hair, and was not nervous at all about going to church. She was actually quite excited, more so than Jessica was. She had never been to a church service before, and was interested to see what it was all about. This pleased Mrs. Kowalski, who came from a family line that had all been Catholic for as far back as she could trace her lineage. Not that she was trying to influence her religious beliefs on Miranda in any way. She was just glad that Miranda had the interest to be open to new ideas and experiences. Jessica was not ever interested in going to church, and Mrs. Kowalski often found herself nudging her to keep her from falling asleep during mass.