The Game
Page 43
Chapter 44
Popular theory is that the pyramids were constructed between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago. However, when the experts take a look at all the available data and do a proper estimate, the numbers are much different. True authorities on the pyramids date their construction at between 20,000 and 25,000 years ago. How can this be? When regular man was huddled in a cave eating raw meat, not even able to build simple tools from metal, incredibly massive chunks of stone were being smooth-cut and transported hundreds of miles away and then stacked hundreds of feet in the air on top of each other to make pyramids? The answer is yes. Did ancient civilizations have technology advanced far beyond what we have even today? Once again, the answer is yes. With today’s technology, we can’t cut and move and stack stones the size of the ones used in the pyramids. The ancients remain a mystery to us still — a mystery that may never be answered.
Earth program on the ancient pyramids
Stephanie
This dream is a particularly disturbing one…
I open my eyes and suddenly I’m in a maze. I know I’m under a large old building; the walls are solid stone and it’s cold. Water trickles down the rocks and I can feel hot air coming from some of the paths and cold air from others.
I’m being chased. I can feel their hunger — to catch me and rip me apart with their bare hands. Their rage at my presence is like a high pitched scream inside my brain, and it doesn’t help me concentrate on the race I know I am about to run.
I sprint forward, turning right, then right again, with a quick left. It’s always the same pattern, and even though I know it’s leading me into trouble, I can’t change my path.
I’m exhausted and panting by the time they first catch me. I never see their faces, but I know that I’m caught. The despair in my head is overwhelming; my job isn’t to escape the maze, it’s to rescue someone else. To find them and then get out before either of us are caught. But I’ve been caught, same as always.
Before I can be hurt by my captors, I see a flash of light and they disappear. No, I disappear, and materialize right back where I started. I look around and feel the same panic as the chase begins again. This time I take a different route, but in my mind I know it’s not different…it’s the same second route I always take.
This is how my dream goes. It’s an exhausting night and I never succeed. Each time I’m caught I respawn at the same point. I can feel my rescue target getting weaker and more frightened as the attempts increase, until suddenly, in a flash of pain, their presence is gone.
Then I wake up.
I hate this dream. I wipe the sweat from my face and look over at the clock. It reads 4:15 AM, same as always when I have this one. I just get up and get in the shower. Experience has taught me that these are early mornings; I can never go back to sleep after I wake up from this dream. I’m afraid of going back into it. As I soak my head under the hot water, I’m afraid of something else, too…
That this isn’t a dream, but a warning of an event that will happen in my life.
After my shower I get dressed and head out for a coffee at my favourite local greasy spoon diner. I walk towards my table at the back and see that someone’s already sitting in it. His back is towards me, but he raises his cup in greeting without turning to face me.
“Good morning, Sister,” he says without looking up from his paper. “The chase dream?”
“Maybe I just felt like getting an early start to the day, Raphael,” I say.
Raphael chuckles. “This is too early for anyone sane to start their day.” He takes a sip of his coffee.
“Yet here you are,” I say.
“I stand by my statement.” Raphael grins.
“I bet you do,” I say. My coffee arrives and I add some cream and one sugar, then take a sip. “So it looks like we are finally going to have to get together in front of the kids.”
“Looks that way.” He finishes with his paper and places it on a pile with a dozen others. “I guess we pretend to be strangers? Or is it time to let them in on our little secret?”
I give him a tiny grin. “Which secret? It’s a delicate house of cards built around our secrets, Raph. I’m not sure we could show them one without the whole pile falling down on top of us.”
He shrugs. “I think before it all ends, we will end up sharing most of our secrets with these two,” he says. “Time’s running out. And if it’s not them, then who could it be?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re right.” I tap the pile of papers. “But our instructions are to pretend we don’t know each other. For now, anyway.”
Raphael grimaces but nods. “It will be tough to convince Trew that we’re strangers. You played the question game way too many times with that boy. He’s lethally effective at finding out the truth with his ability to get answers out of people.”
The question game; two people have a discussion and they are only able to ask questions. When one person fails to ask a question, they lose the game. “I barely played the question game with Trew,” I say.
“Because he quickly started to win?” Raphael asks.
“No, because the two of us went for days only asking questions. Our second game lasted three weeks. It ended with me asking him if we should call a draw, and instead of agreeing, he asked if a draw was acceptable. Then we both laughed, nodded, shook hands, and started talking normally.”
“That would have been fun to see,” Raphael says.
“It was,” I say. “Don’t worry, it’ll be a busy day. Hopefully he won’t have time to ask too many questions of us. Can you believe they’re getting married already? It’s so good to see them happy.”
“They deserve it,” Raphael says. “I hope they can hold onto this joy over the coming years. It could get really rough for them.”
“You think so?” I ask.
Raphael nods. “He’s determined to follow this path. I understand it’s different from the one he planned before his play, although it’s so structured I find it hard to believe that it wasn’t always the goal.”
“Do you think he can do it?”
“Yes.”
“That was a pretty quick answer, Raph.”
“How can he fail? He's incredible. I haven't seen a leader of his calibre for a long time. And don't forget, he has one of the best protectors on the planet watching over him, and now he gains me as an addition to his team when he marries Danielle. You know better than anyone that my experience in these matters is extensive. I will guide him easily through the process of creating a revolution, just like I’ve done so many times over the ages. With his talent and my knowledge, this revolution will engulf the planet.”
“Revolution?” I’m confused. “I thought he wants to start a religion?”
Raphael nods. “It’s the same thing, Sister. The very same thing.”