“And that’s why you tried to reach us,” Blades said a-matter-of-factly.
“Yes, that’s why,” he confirmed. “Because I hoped you would believe me. Perhaps, if you folks gather evidence and make it public, then it would lend more credibility to everything that’s going on here.”
“Logical,” Jake admitted.
“Thank you,” replied the guide with a sigh of relief. “I’ve only been able to see them at night; so, my guess is that they are creatures of the night,” he added. “That’s why I asked we set out now during the day time and camp in the area.”
“Good thinking,” Blades agreed.
“And thank God for silver knives and bullets!” Mark added derisively. “This is freaking amazing! We are about to gather evidence of real life-”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Jake cut him off. “Let’s just let the man get us there safely.”
“Ah, the stick in your butt!” Mark replied with a smile. “So, on to more fun topics now,” he continued, rubbing both hands excitedly, shifting his attention towards the driver.
“How, my dear friend, would you rate Romanian girls in bed?” Mark asked.
Another hour and forty minutes later, they arrived at the intended site and had to hike for two more kilometers. It turned out that hiking was a great cure for a hangover. The scenery was breathtaking. Hills and fields spread across the distance, the air smelled fresh and clean, and everything was just so natural. The weather was also in their favor. The temperatures were mild, and the winds were gentle. The temptation to take a swim in the gentle-flowing stream they walked along was strong. This was heaven! Their guide tried to answer as many of the questions the team had for him as possible. Whether he was telling the truth or not, no one could really say. But they appreciated his efforts.
They found a great spot about two hundred yards from the woods. They mounted cameras at various positions and ran tests to make sure everything was working. It was almost 2 pm when they sat down to eat some snacks. For added safety, the team decided to keep watch from behind a group of rocks. If necessary, they would benefit from their strength in numbers and two cannibals will have nothing on them. Blades had her knives strapped in. Paul was monitoring the video feeds from the cameras, and Duke was working on the sound equipment, checking for any sudden spikes or anomalies. The rest of the team scanned their whereabouts with binoculars.
Jake stared blankly into the forest. His mind was still racing, trying to appease his gut feeling that something was amiss. It was 4:55 pm and most the team was relaxing on the ground, whiling the time away. Jake decided to shift his focus. A few minutes later, it struck him. The camera! Yes, that was it! During the drive, the guide was terrified just from recalling the events of those nights. Even his driving had appeared to be a little unsteady during his narration. But in the video, his was calm, and the camera was STEADY in his hands. He was NOT afraid of these creatures! It was as if… The implications made Jake turn white with shock, anger and most of all fear.
“Oh crap!” Paul exclaimed. “They’re here already?!”
The same naked couple had come into view and was slowing walking in the forest. Everyone but Jake and the guide gathered around the computer monitors. Jake was staring at the guide in utter disbelief, and their guide was grinning. It was all in his eyes, the true windows to his soul, if he had a soul, that is.
“Aren’t they the most beautiful works of Creation you’ve ever seen?” said the guide in a quiet voice.
“Hold up!” Mark exclaimed. “Aren’t they supposed to be creatures of the night?”
“Who or WHAT are you?” Jake asked the guide, barely above a whisper.
“I go by many names,” the guide replied. “But in this realm, you can call me what most have been calling me.”
“And what is that?” Jake prompted.
The team was looking back and forth between Jake, the images on the monitors and the guide.
“The Scientist!” he replied.
“Oh, screw me sideways!” Paul exclaimed, pointing at the laptop monitor.
Everyone turned to look at the laptop monitor.
The naked couple was staring directly into one of the cameras. From this position, the couple seemed to be staring at the team. Jake never looked away from The Scientist. The naked couple then looked at each other and then suddenly zipped away from the cameras.
“Lady, and gentlemen,” The Scientist said, standing up from his crouching position. “I present to you the new breed of those who will truly inherit Earth Realm!”
The naked couple appeared next to The Scientist, flanking him on both sides. They closed their eyes and relished the warmth of the sunlight on their bodies. When they opened their eyes, their eyes glowed in the brightness of the day. The Bright Eyes were now day-walkers. In a blink of an eye, Team Jake was eviscerated one-by-one, and in a matter of seconds, it was over. The last thing on Jake’s mind before the painful hands of death seized him was the regret of not quitting sooner.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: HOMECOMING
Young Yeshua, Prince Ganesh, and his entourage made it safely back to the palace. A servant had been dispatched to herald their arrival a few days prior and a second servant was dispatched a day before to reiterate this fact. As such, when the city gates were opened to let them in, the streets were thronged with citizen celebrating the return of the crown prince. Prince Ganesh had opted to ride on a horse instead of staying in his royal carriage because he did not want to feel hidden from his people. The men hailed and sounded the trumpets, the older women spread fine cloths in front of the prince’s horse, young maiden threw flowers at him, and children ran alongside the prince’s horse. Some of the children tried to touch the sole of his royal shoes. It was no secret the love the people had for him.
Prince Ganesh dismounted his horse without warning and opened his arms towards the excited children. His guards immediately rushed in to protect the crown prince, but Prince Ganesh asked them to stay their hands. The guards obliged but remained alert regardless. The children rushed in, and the prince hugged as many of them as he could. Their parents dropped on their knees to apologize for their children’s behavior, but the crown prince motioned for them to rise. Prince Ganesh never cared that the mud in the streets and the unclean children soiled his royal robes. He just wanted to bond with his people. Finally, he peeled himself away from the cheering children, rose to his feet, and made to mount his horse.
But then, the young prince noticed a child heading for the royal carriage. She held something over her chest with both her hands. A guard stepped in to block the child. The little girl, she may have been eight or nine years old, said nothing and just kept staring straight ahead at Young Yeshua, who had stepped off the royal carriage. Prince Ganesh motioned for the guard to stand down and let the girl pass. The guard obeyed and let the girl walk on. She took careful but steady steps towards Young Yeshua, stretched out both hands towards young Yeshua and spoke to him in Hindi. In her hands was a black, uneven piece of rock and she urged him to take the rock. Young Yeshua looked up at Prince Ganesh for help.
“The young girl said,” the prince explained in Hebrew, “that if you truly are the one, this stone will glow brighter than the sun when you take it.”
Young Yeshua nodded and reached for the stone. The moment he stretched out his hand, the stone did glow brighter than the afternoon sun, but without the blinding effect of the sun. Only the three of them, Young Yeshua, Prince Ganesh and the girl, witnessed what had just happened. To the rest of the crowd, a little girl had just handed the strange boy a piece of rock. Young Yeshua stared at the stone in his open, right palm for a few heartbeats before gently closing his fist around it. A surge of energy flooded his body and soul, and for a moment, his entire body glowed with a golden aura that could only be seen by those with a third eye.
The girl then stared into Young Yeshua’s eyes and spoke a few sentences to him.
“She said,” Prince Ganesh translated, “that you are truly the o
ne. Your path has been inscribed on the walls of Akasha. You are he who will undo what has been done; he who will right the wrongs perpetuated by The Anomaly in all of Creation!”
He paused and waited for the young girl to speak again. She never took her gaze away from the young master. When she finished speaking, Prince Ganesh translated.
“She said,” he continued, “that your life will bring death and destruction; but your death will bring redemption and rebirth. Trust in Creation, and it will never let you down. This is your path; this is your purpose Yeshua of Nazareth!”
“And she knows my name,” the young Master said in a monotone. “How do you say, ‘What’s your name?’ in your language, your highness?” he asked Prince Ganesh.
“I go by many names, Young Master,” replied the young girl in perfect Hebrew. “But for now, you can call me Priya, until such a time when you are ready to know my real name!”
And with these words, she bowed to the young Master, then to the young prince and walked into the crowd. Prince Ganesh was too stunned to say anything, but then he quickly regained his composure and motioned for the young Master to return to the royal carriage as he returned to his horse.
Young Yeshua returned to the royal carriage as the entourage resumed its march towards the palace. He searched for Priya in the crowd to no avail. Her words kept replaying in his mind, and he wondered who she really was. Meanwhile, Priya, wormed her way through the crowd. She crouched behind a tall man to pick up a non-existing object from the ground just as Young Yeshua scanned the section of the crowd in which she was. So predictable, she said to herself with a smile. When she stood up, she was now a six-foot, broad-shouldered man in his late twenties, with neatly trimmed beard and clean clothes.
The young man continued to expertly navigate his way through the crowd until he arrived at the city gate. He mounted his horse that was not there a blink-of-an-eye ago and waved at one of the guards as he rode away towards to open land. No one noticed his presence or absence, and even if they did, they would not remember. He was like a passing shadow or a speck of dust in the desert. And no one noticed when the rider and his horse melted away into thin air a few seconds after trotting through the city gates, like the morning mist in the rising sun. And even if anyone did notice, they would remember.
At last, Prince Ganesh and Young Yeshua arrived at the palace. Court and palace officials lined up on either side of the aisle leading to the throne where King Rama and Queen Sangita, his wife, sat on their thrones. Queen Sangita sat to King Rama’s left and their two other children, Prince Gulam and Princess Suri, sat to their mother’s left. Suri was sixteen years old and would be betrothed to some prince from another royal family any time soon. Gulam had just turned fourteen and was already looking forward to the day when he would go on his ‘March to Manhood,’ just like his older brother, his father and grandfather had all done.
When a prince turned eighteen years of age, he was sent to the outside world and given three years to find himself or discover his purpose in life because a prince could only become a successful ruler after he had experienced an awakening within. Ganesh was the crown prince and heir to the throne. Hence, the reason why the seat to the king’s right was vacant and reserved for him. Three years ago, he had left for his March to Manhood even though he had already discovered what his purpose was. Stumbling across young Yeshua in Jerusalem on that fateful day was anything but a coincidence.
There was a thunderous applause as Prince Ganesh walked in with Young Yeshua walking by his side. Officials cheered, young maidens danced and threw flower petals at his feet, guards moved in military choreography and clashed swords and shields ceremoniously, drums were beaten, and trumpets sounded in rhythm, and more young maidens sang. Prince Ganesh was overwhelmed and genuinely appreciated the warm welcome. He waved and nodded his thanks at everyone as he slowly made his way towards his father’s throne. He had his right hand on young Yeshua’s right shoulder during the entire walk towards the stairs leading to the throne. When they were a few feet from the bottom of the stairs leading to his father’s throne, Prince Ganesh bent down and whispered something into the young Master’s ear. The young Master nodded.
Young Yeshua had never been in the presence of royalty and had never he beheld such riches. The palace was the biggest building he had ever seen. Every wall, both inside and outside, was covered with something white and shiny, which he would later learn was called marble. The paintings on the walls and the ceiling were surreal, officials in the palace wore expensive and magnificent garbs, and the women, he had to admit, were very pleasing to the eyes. He noticed that the young maidens wore clothing on their legs like men and their bellies were exposed. He swallowed at the sight of their exquisite physiques and hoped no one noticed his embarrassment.
And gold! So much gold! Yahweh be praised, he had never seen so much gold in all his life, let alone in one building before! The window frames had gold on them. The middle portion of the stairs leading to the king’s throne was made of gold. The king’s throne and all the seats next to him were made of pure, solid gold. The king’s crown was golden and glorious in sight, with precious stone ornately and artistically placed on it. Of course, the king’s crown had a remarkably distinguished design from the other crowns on his wife’s and children’s heads, but even those were breathtaking beauties to behold. A sword made of pure gold hung from the king’s left hip and a golden ring with a diamond the size of the human eye protruding from it. Young Yeshua would later learn that this was the royal ring worn only by the king. It goes to the heir after the king’s death.
The queen and the princess wore more jewelry on their bodies than Young Yeshua had ever since any woman wear in his young life. Golden jewelry extended from their noses to their ears, golden jewelry hung from their necks, golden jewelry with precious stones embedded in them hung from their wrists and ankles, and even their long, beautiful garments seemed to have gold threads sewn into them in certain areas. The queen and princess had their long, black hairs pulled back in tight buns and fancy markings graced their hands. He wondered how long it took them to get ready! Young Yeshua would later learn that the royal family’s clothes were only sewn with the finest silk.
Prince Ganesh advanced a few paces ahead and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. The royal announcer peeled himself from the left side of the palace and climbed to about half way up the stairs. He raised both hands in the air and a deathly quiet swept across the palace. He turned towards the king, dropped to one knee, extending both arms to the side and bowed so low his head almost touched the ground. Then, he stood up and began addressing the king.
“Oh, greatest and mightiest of kings!” he said. “Your wisdom and love for your people is as boundless as the River Ganges itself. Your power and leadership are like unto none other before you. May your name be inscribed forever in the stars, but most especially in the hearts of your loyal subjects!”
The royal announcer placed a closed, right fist to his chest and bowed towards the king. Everyone within the palace walls did the same.
“All hail the king!” cried the general of the royal army, thrusting his sword upwards.
“All hail the king! All hail the king!” everyone chanted, including Prince Ganesh.
The royal announcer raised his hands again and once again, there was silence.
“Oh, great King Rama!” continued the royal announcer, “Oh greatest of kings, spawned from Krishna’s loins himself! We all are gathered here today to welcome back amongst us, our most beloved crown prince.”
He gestured and bowed in Prince Ganesh’s direction.
“Three years ago, he left these palace walls to embark upon his March to Manhood. Three years ago, a young prince left us to journey into a world unknown to him, and three years later, a young man, a great prince, a true heir to the throne returns to our midst; an exact but much younger version of his father, our great king in every aspect-”
“No!” the king bellowed, standing up with a broad
smile hiding behind his thick, long beard. “Not an exact version! Never an exact version!”
He walked towards his son, who dropped on one knee and bowed his head so low his face almost touched the ground. Young Yeshua did the same.
“Your majesty,” the royal announcer stammered, with his head bowed low, “I deeply apologize! I did not mean to offend his majesty with my words of praise-”
“No, Dilip” the king assured him, as he continued his slow walk down the stairs towards his son. “My son will never be like me.”
He paused in front of Ganesh, whose head was still bowed close to the ground. There were murmurs of confusion sweeping across the palace.
“Rise, my son!” said the king.
Ganesh rose to his feet. His father hugged him tightly and whispered, “Welcome home, my son” in his ears.
Ganesh embraced his father even more tightly. The king withdrew from Ganesh, held his son’s face in his hands, kissed his son on both cheeks, took hold of his son’s left hand and turned him around so he could face the crowd.
“You say I am a great king: the greatest of our times!” he bellowed. “I have been proud, honored and blessed to hold such high esteem among my people. After all, what is a kingdom without a people? What is a king without people who love him? Who am I without you, my dear people?”
He then raised his son’s left hand in the air with his right hand and held it there.
“Behold the man who will be far greater than I have ever been!!” he bellowed even louder. “Behold the man who will be much wiser than I have ever been! Behold the man whose legacy will dwarf mine for all eternity. Behold your future leader and king, my son, Ganesh!”
A deafening applause followed, and the drummers resumed drumming, the trumpets sounded, and the guards chanted “Long live Ganesh!” for a full minute.
King Rama and Crown Prince Ganesh took it all it. The royal announcer almost collapsed with relief when he realized that he had not offended the king in any way. Young Yeshua was still bowing this whole time.
The Bright Eyes (The Soulless Ones Book 1) Page 13