by S S Bazinet
Annabel tried to be understanding, but something told her she was kidding herself. From the vibe coming off of Arel and William, she had to brace herself for something that was sure to sidetrack any promise of a normal life.
Things were so dire that Rolphe had been summoned from Paris. That wasn’t good. If Arel and William thought they needed Rolphe, things were probably very grim.
Thankfully, Annabel had the support of her old, angelic friends. She was seated on one of the two sofas between Michael and Raphael. Their gentle, kind energies soothed her body. Maybe if she didn’t move or let herself tune into anyone else, she’d have a chance to settle her nerves. The thought was instantly replaced by a more realistic one. Given the agitated moods of the other occupants in the room, she doubted she’d have a chance of remaining peaceful.
* * * * *
Arel sat on one end of a sofa, and Rolphe sat on the other end. Arel glanced at the formidable man and saw the worry lines on his face. When it came to showing his emotions, Rolphe was a lot like Annabel. Arel let his eyes wander over to where the ex-angel sat. Her hands were latched on to the sofa cushions, crushing the soft plaid fabric with her tight grip. A quick peek at William presented a different picture. He was perched in his recliner, alert and ready to spring into action. His eyes were aglow with an anger that he was barely keeping in check. Arel understood what was fueling William’s anger. The man knew when he was facing a very dangerous and unpredictable adversary.
Arel shared William’s agitation. He didn’t know how to stop a malevolent ghost from coming back and wrecking their lives. Thankfully, Michael and Raphael were in attendance. In the past, he’d found angels to be a bit annoying since they always remained composed, even when he was in a panic. Over time, he’d learned to be grateful for their unflappable natures. In this instance, he hoped their balanced energy would help when it came to finding a solution.
When the meeting got underway, Annabel was the first to speak. “I have a request. Perhaps Michael could give us an overview of what we’re going to discuss.”
Michael nodded. “If it’s alright with everyone, I’ll be happy to share what I know. Things are still fluid—”
William cut in. “Fine, but just answer one question. Is Elise pregnant or not? Arel and I have tried to tap into the ethers, but neither of us can tell for sure.”
Annabel frowned. “Please, William, could you hold your questions and comments until Michael finishes?”
William gave her a scolding look. “Forgive me, but I’m a little edgy. There’s a monster on the loose.”
Rolphe fidgeted in his seat. “I’m sorry, but I agree with Annabel. I’d appreciate any information you could give us, Blessed One.”
Arel’s impatience flared. “Rolphe please, can’t you call him Michael?”
Rolphe stared down at his clasped hands. “Again, I’m sorry, but angels are God’s messengers, and I feel very fortunate when I’m in their presence.”
Arel shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Look, when Michael first came calling on me, he made something very clear. I was to think of him as a friend, not some airy-fairy messenger.”
Rolphe shrugged. “I didn’t mean any disrespect to you, Arel.”
Annabel sat up and glared at Arel. “For goodness sakes, Arel! Please let it go.”
Michael patted Annabel’s hand. “I think everyone is nervous, and maybe there is cause for concern. You see, the soul that William referred to as a monster is in a very dark place, a hell of sorts.”
Rolphe unclasped his hands and slowly got to his feet. “Excuse me, Blessed One . . . I mean Blessed Michael. I don’t understand something. I once believed when I died I was going to hell for all of my sins. However, I was told by the Blessed One, Carey, that there is no hell. He said we only experience such a place if we create one for ourselves.”
Michael gave Rolphe a knowing smile. “Sometimes, a person’s personality is so rigid and determined to remain rooted in darkness they won’t allow themselves to return to the light. The person you’re facing is one of those types. In his last lifetime, he called himself Col. Since that time, he’s continued to hold on to his hatred and need for revenge even though he’s no longer in physical form.”
William stiffened. “Didn’t he get his revenge when he made sure Arel burned at the stake? Wasn’t it enough that he threw me into the flames like a log on the fire?”
“Unfortunately, he got more than revenge,” Michael said. “You and Arel felt so helpless that you both gave up on the idea of the Creator and goodness. Col seized hold of your loss of faith and used that loss to prove to himself that evil and darkness are the true powers. He plans on bringing that mindset back into the world when he reincarnates.”
Arel continued to massage his temples. “But that lifetime took place in the middle ages. That was so long ago.”
Annabel raised a hand. “When you’re on the other side, time doesn’t work the same way. For a soul, hundreds of years on earth have no meaning.”
Raphael, normally a rather quiet angel, glanced at William than Arel. “Annabel’s correct. For Col, time doesn’t matter. What does have meaning is honing his hatred for the two of you. He uses that hatred to strengthen his ideas of evil and dark power.”
Rolphe got to his feet again and averted his eyes. “I have a confession to make. I think I’ve been in contact with him.”
Arel stopped rubbing his temples and stood up too. “You’ve been in touch with that fiend?”
Rolphe backed up. “I’ve been having these terrible thoughts about you and William. They were so horrible I didn’t want to say anything.”
William was on his feet too. “So what are you planning now, Rolphe? Are you fantasizing on trying to murder me again?”
“No, I swear, I don’t want anything to happen to you, William. The thoughts I’ve had didn’t belong to me. I’m sure of it.”
Arel took a moment to reflect on Rolphe’s statement and compare it with what had happened to him. When Col invaded his mind, he’d had no doubt about who was attacking him. But Rolphe’s experience sounded a little different. He looked at Michael. “What’s Rolphe talking about?”
Michael leaned forward. “From what I can gather, Col is using his power to try to influence people’s minds. In your case, he was very direct, but with Rolphe, he took a more subtle approach.”
Rolphe sat down heavily on the sofa. “I thought I was being tempted by the devil.” His green eyes looked forlorn as they flitted from Arel to William. “When I was tempted, I did the only thing I know to do, I prayed. And when Arel called me and asked me here, I hoped I could help in some way.”
Six
AREL LISTENED TO Rolphe’s statement, but he still had his doubts about Rolphe’s loyalty. He looked at Michael for an answer. He didn’t communicate verbally, but sent out a telepathic question.
Michael, we need some help here. So tell me if we can trust Rolphe?
Michael smiled indulgently, like a patient teacher with a student.
If you doubt Rolphe, don’t look to me, my friend. Look into your heart and find the truth there.
Arel squinted back wearily. As usual, the angel wouldn’t give him a simple answer. He laid his head back, feeling suddenly very tired. William was right. They’d been through a lot. Now they had a new problem, and he didn’t know if he had the energy to take care of it. Maybe that was why he’d contacted Rolphe. He and William needed a strong ally. But had he made a bad call?
Rolphe had been quite the villain in the past. When he was still caught up in darkness, he’d tried to kill William repeatedly and almost succeeded. Arel abhorred violence, but he found himself retaliating. He did everything he could to punish Rolphe and keep him at bay. There had been extreme behavior on both their parts.
All that had changed, but Arel still wasn’t sure about Rolphe’s dependability. Like Michael advised, if he wanted to find the truth, he had to access a less biased part of himself. He put his hand on his chest and prac
ticed a technique he’d been using when he wanted to clear his emotions. For starters, he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. As his body began to unwind, he realized how stressed he’d been. Since Elise’s call and the thought that she might give birth to some unholy demon, his fear had taken over. Hopefully, he’d been able to hide that fear when he talked to Elise a second time.
But fear didn’t solve anything. Michael had expounded on that concept repeatedly. The angel also believed in Arel. Slowly, Arel had begun to believe in himself. But could he believe in Rolphe? When they chatted before the meeting, Rolphe had shared a picture of what he was currently working on, a large elaborate painting of the Garden of Eden. Remembering how beautiful it was, Arel couldn’t help but smile. The man did know how to paint inspiring art. One day, he hoped he could visit a place like the one Rolphe was painting.
He’d barely had the thought when he found himself standing in a garden. But it wasn’t an ordinary type of garden. He was standing in a life-like version of Rolphe’s painting. But even Rolphe’s handiwork couldn’t compare to the beauty that surrounded him.
Was he having a lucid dream? Or perhaps he was astral traveling. He couldn’t be sure. He only knew that he was looking at colors that went beyond Earth’s colors. The sparkling greens, reds and yellows were dazzling and glorious to behold. He took a deep breath and smiled broadly. The air wasn’t only pure, it was intoxicating. Surely he was taking in something blessed, something as wonderful as the breath of the Divine.
“You’ve always loved being here.”
Arel jerked around and saw a strange creature standing behind him.
“Strange? Oh heavens, don’t use your labels on me,” it said.
Arel’s brow furrowed. “You read my mind.”
The serpent laughed. “Unfortunately, I did.”
“Where am I? This place reminds me of a painting—”
“Did you say, ‘this place’? How can you refer to this glorious creation in such a dismissive manner?”
Arel flexed his hands impatiently. He needed to find answers, not argue with some disruptive being.
“I’m actually quite nice,” the serpent said. “You may call me Aki.”
Arel scratched his head. “I think I remember that name.”
“Of course you do. You used to come here often. We had many conversations.” Aki paused and bent down to caress a large, white petunia. “But that was before.”
“Before what?” Arel asked.
“Before you needed your problems.”
“You say that like I want them.”
“Of course you want them,” Aki said as he suddenly leapt to a standing position.
The movement was so fast that Arel jumped back. “You’re not making any sense. If you knew me, you’d understand there’s nothing I want more than a peaceful life.”
Aki laughed, looking at Arel with eyes that held an amused innocence. “If that were true, why are you so troubled? You weren’t always a troubled species.”
Arel knew Aki was trying to tell him something. Two words slipped out. “What happened?”
Aki’s bright, black eyes seemed to expand. They were filled with tiny stars as he reached out and touched Arel’s chest with the tip of his clawed finger.
Arel staggered back and almost fell. Aki’s touch was light, but it loosened something inside of him. That something began to open, and a panorama of events began to play out in his mind.
At first, he was filled with joy. But the joy wasn’t only in him. It filled all the space around him. Then he made a discovery. He wasn’t alone. He was with a group. They were bright, sparkling beings. But they were also the closest of friends, so close that they felt like they were part of who he was.
Everyone reveled in happiness. Everyone was playful and unaware that there was any other way to be. The wispy dimension where they existed didn’t have any boundaries. Time didn’t have any meaning. The only thing they knew was the pleasure of being free to enjoy themselves just as they were.
Arel didn’t understand what changed, but he did know that they were curious about something they’d heard about. The information was carried in some particles of creation that passed their way. They learned of something called an incarnation on a place called Earth.
Being the spirited group that they were, they dived into the possibilities with even more joy. Their story was sublime at first. Arel and his friends entered the physical world with starry ideas and hopeful dreams of an earthly paradise. They found it too. Aki was right when he said Arel had visited the garden before. It was a place where he and his group learned about being in a body. They learned how to smell and touch and taste. They learned that joy could also be seen with their eyes. That kind of joy was called beauty.
They also began to understand a thing called time. It happened when they wandered out of the garden. It wasn’t that they wanted to leave it, they were simply curious. What other wonders were waiting to be experienced?
Everyone in the group was surprised by what they found. Besides joy and curiosity, there were other feelings that they could have. Many of these feelings were very strange. They began to know what it was like to feel separate from one another. The idea of someone being “the other” was mostly fun at first. But as lifetimes slipped by, the feeling turned into something called “being alone.”
More lifetimes followed. With each one, the group learned more and more emotions, emotions that many who lived on the Earth experienced as part of life. The group didn’t understand anger and hatred, but they felt its effects. They were different than most humans, and they were often mistreated because of it.
They held on to their ideals for quite some time. Yet, as they struggled through the dense, emotional experiences of life after life, they began to go astray. They began to experience failure. As they continued to try to regain what they’d lost, their collective failure became so heavy a burden it felt impossible to overcome its effects. Despair often followed.
Arel cringed as his mood mirrored disaster after disaster. He opened his eyes and moaned. “So much horror and misery.”
The serpent, Aki, stepped closer. “I’m sorry, but you can’t bring that misery here.”
Arel shook himself out of the vision he’d had. He’d witnessed so much, his mind couldn’t process the overload of information.
Aki must have sensed his difficulty and called out for help. “Michael, your boy needs you.”
When Michael appeared, Arel’s mind was reeling. “Michael, after all that I saw, I don’t know if I can go on. I think it’s hopeless.”
“Arel, I didn’t mean for you to access the negative aspects of the past. I’d hoped you’d experience the golden thread that ran through all your lives.”
Arel shuttered. “Golden thread? I don’t think so.”
“No matter what you saw when you looked at your lifetimes, there was always a spark of your soul there, too.”
“I didn’t see any spark, only the darkness and wretchedness we suffered.”
Michael led Arel over to a bench. After they were seated, Michael continued. “Sometimes seeing the past helps you to understand the present, but more than anything, you have to stay in the present.”
Arel thought about how much he loved Elise. “The present? I was in the present, living a wonderful life. Then, out of the blue, just when my life finally turned around, a monster is going to ruin everything.”
“Col’s still lost in the darkness, but the spark resides in him too.”
“Then you have to get busy before Elise gives birth to a baby who has horns and a forked tail. Help him like you helped me.”
Michael returned a mischievous grin. “I’ve tried, but he isn’t as willing and congenial as you, Arel.”
Arel balked at Michael’s teasing tone. “Fine, we both know I was a bit difficult to say the least. You don’t have to rub it in.”
Michael’s eyes flashed so bright, the entire garden lit up for a moment. “Don’t give up. I have fait
h in you. You’ve worked very hard, and now your own spark is bright again.”
“Thank you, but what about Rolphe? He’s the reason I came here, and I didn’t get any answers.”
“He needs to know you still think of him as part of the group.”
Arel remembered his vision and sighed. “You’re right. He’s part of our original group. How did I forget that?”
“Help Rolphe to have faith in himself. Help him to feel wanted when you’re tempted to shut him out. Can you do that?”
“Are you kidding? With everything I have on my plate already?” Arel was still asking the question when he found himself transported back to William’s lower level. He was sitting on the sofa when he opened his eyes. He flinched when he saw William standing over him. “What is it? What did I miss?”
William’s eyes were filled with resentment. “Arel, what are you doing sleeping on the job? We’re in the middle of some dastardly ghost invasion and you’re taking a nap.”
Arel blinked back, not understanding why William was so upset.
William turned and headed for the stairs. “You promised to take care of Col, but I can see that’s not going to happen.”
Arel tried to protest. “William, what are you talking about? I meant every word I said.”
William ignored him and continued up the stairs.
Arel didn’t know what more to say and looked around for advice. “Should I go after him? I don’t want him to think I don’t care.”
Annabel crossed her arms. “When William gets like this, he always insists that he needs space.”
Seven
ELISE ANSWERED THE doorbell clutching a damp tissue. She hoped her nose wasn’t cherry red, but what could she do. Earlier in the week, she’d invited Carol and Peggy to lunch on a day when they were both free. She didn’t want to cancel.
Freddie was jumping up and down excitedly. He couldn’t wait to welcome in the guests. She picked him up and held him close. He’d been her little friend when she’d found out she wasn’t going to have a baby. Her period had simply been late. When she cried, he sat next to her, letting her know she wasn’t alone. But it wasn’t the same as Arel being there for her. She tried to call him a couple of times, but he didn’t answer his phone. It seemed so inconsiderate of him. Where was he when she needed him?