Narican- the Cloaked Deception

by D M Robbins

*

  I slow my pace to watch not sure what’s going to happen. Light rises in a wide band like a gamma ray cannon exploding from Earth’s surface. Brilliant colors burst up like fireworks.

  The woman spirit and thousands of other spirits rise. Flowing silhouette forms and shimmering auras illuminate the lower atmosphere with golds, silvers, aqua-blues, oranges, pinks. They’re smiling, holding hands, radiating love as they rise.

  The descending dark forces howl and squeal in ecstasy seeing them approach.

  Both seeing the value of the human soul.

  Prisonface’s bones extend out as the two sides mover closer to colliding.

  Firearm rotates his shoulders, loosening up like a baseball pitcher. Buggy Chunkhead’s bugs swirl around his head like a moving halo. The witches begin to conjure—the decrepit hordes follow.

  I can only watch. “Who are these spirits? Why did they choose this?” I ask Tanz, realizing how worried I am about them.

  “Love is their fate. Their commitment,” Tanz says.

  “But who are they?”

  “Pure love unexpressed when in physical form.”

  “They were alive once?”

  “Very much so.”

  I nod, pondering this, watching, worrying, trying to understand.

  Tanz continues, “At death all sentient beings return to pure form.”

  “They’re from Earth?” My anxiety increases learning this as the two sides close in.

  “Some, I surmise. Could be multiple places they have visited during their journeys. Such as yourself.” This comment triggers memories of my past life on Narican and the dark forces that killed my family. Some may be here now among this group.

  The howling frenzy increases as the spirits approach and dark forces descend.

  “But what will happen when they impact?”

  Tanz calculates. “The outcome is uncertain.”

  I pedal more, wanting to help, but Tanz reminds me, “There are powers beyond us…”

  About to hit, the spirits glow brighter and light expands. A raucous rumbling erupts from the descending band like a heavy metal concert. Shrieking and screaming, grunting and growling, horns and fangs—scary nightmare beings seeking carnage.

  As they impact and swirl the light dims then becomes brighter, stronger, then dims again. At first, I can’t tell who’s winning within the swirling, churning winds. But with wave after wave of the dark forces, their sheer volume outnumbers the band of light beings. As the black cloud swirls the light diminishes as if being gnawed upon by a school of piranha. Witches diving in. The frenzy and volume increases—awful squealing and high pitch yelping pierces the air.

  “Nooo, Tanz!”

  “What is happening?”

  “They’re dying. The light, it’s going out… I can’t stop it…” I pedal closer to the spinning winds fighting against the undertow.

  “The spirit light is fading, disappearing. Oh God, what have we done?”

  I travel around the globe to see.

  Over the Alps, the peaks are in darkness as the darkness travels down the mountains’ bases. Darkness spreads across the Earth like an eclipse.

  I pedal more, harder. Darkness passes over the artic glaciers.

  I zip farther and faster. It passes over atolls in the Atlantic.

  I pedal in a fury now lower to the surface. The ocean waters part beneath me like the wake from a cigarette boat.

  I pedal to Big City where building tops are enshrouded in dense toxic clouds.

  People fight in the streets.

  I keep spinning my legs harder, faster, confused, angry, distraught.

  I complete the globe and slow my pace as the thick cloud now encircles the Earth. Though late afternoon daylight turns to heavy dusk.

  The grunting and growling quiets. The howling mutes. Clearly the darkness has won—nothing left to feed upon.

  The light and spirits are gone as the swirling black and gray cloud continues spinning and churning. The rusty sun struggles to penetrate.

  The humans are next. But what can I do? They are no match for the dark forces. And neither am I.

  The thunderous rumbling quiets. There is silence in the darkness: pain, confusion, and silence. Just like on Narican, I couldn’t save my family. Just like here, I couldn’t save my parents. And now this. What good am I or the light beings if we can’t save anyone?

  I pedal slower now, unsure what to do. Empty and lost.

  “Tanz, I feel sick.” But he doesn’t respond.

  I pedal slower, lowering into the southwestern desert to sit upon red rocks and catch my breath.

  Sitting at the top of a butte I try breathing deep, but it doesn’t help. Too disconnected, sad. I drop my head into my hands, feeling weak, having failed again.

  What’s the stupid point of it all?

  I wonder if my friends are all right. I should probably just stay here and hide. I look around at the beauty of the red rocks, stark and intense. I could camp, live off the land.

  But feeling sorry for myself won’t bring the spirits back. And I have friends who need my help. I take another deep breath letting it out slowly. I rock my head back and open my eyes breathing in the clean desert air. Dragging myself up to stand about to pedal off to Big City when up above buried in the clouds I see a faint light…

  Then it’s gone…

  Nothing but gray and black from other worlds fill the space.

  I scan the sky, hoping. Nothing.

  Then I see it ever so faint again. Then nothing.

  It might just be an airplane but a tiny orange light blinks inside the cloud.

  I realize I don’t hear any airplanes. I listen harder, cupping my ear.

  Wait, there it is again and in the same place. It can’t be an airplane! This time it lasts a second longer. I drop down from the rock and begin jogging along the red dusty soil in its direction. It better not be an airplane.

  I scan the sky… Is the light flickering or blinking? Now a green light pops up near it. I jog faster along the trail past prickly pear cactus.

  I pedal up into the sky to get a closer look. Both lights flicker, expanding a few inches in diameter, then stop.

  Holy crap! I pedal out to the ocean where a red light glows inside the thick gray cloud. Farther out a purple circle hangs over the islands like a dim lamp.

  As I get closer this purple light grows into a band of light that penetrates down to the ocean surface like a spotlight at the circus.

  As I keep going thin streams of blue cut through the cloud like a waterfall illuminating a pod of swimming dolphins. I pedal harder and faster. Lights are popping out all over now.

  Beams of radiant colors burst through in pockets. Colors shoot in all directions like a laser light show.

  “Tanz, can you hear me? Are you there?”

  Still no response.

  I pedal faster zooming around the Earth, amazed by this spectacle.

  “Tanz, can you hear me? The most amazing thing is happening. The dark forces haven’t won. We are,” I say, almost skipping around the Earth. Reds, oranges, deep greens, and blues blast out of the toxic cloud.

  I realize how excited I am seeing this heavenly light. As if everything good in me is coming alive.

  “Tanz? Tanz?”

  “Darkness cannot extinguish even the smallest light,” he says.

  I nod, zooming faster encircling, the globe. Light is penetrating the darkness… evaporating it… The cloud is thinning as the light expands.

  I see the silhouettes again of spirits in these bright colors who simply smile and absorb their furious attacks and frightening howls with gentle love and acceptance. The attacks subside as the light increases.

  The remaining dark forces pass through the light of spirts. Some turn to ash and cosmic debris. This reverse cleansing goes on for several more minutes.

  Prisonface and Firearm try to escape back up into the portal. I get in their way ready to do some damage myself.

  Firearm swings at me.
I kick him back into an approaching light being. The spirit envelopes him. His face turns from anguish to serene as he turns to dust and floats off with the others.

  Prisonface slips past into the portal that closes and evaporates into space. I look up and the portal black hole is gone. Stars shine in its place.

  As the last of the dark forces are neutralized, the heavenly bodies above seem to sparkle a little brighter.

  Slowly the spirits disband, swirling around me with brilliant lights and colors as if from a thousand pure mothers and fathers filled with universal love.

  The smell of lilac and fresh flowers, wet earth, maple syrup and honey, fills my mind. Comforting sensations and smells—all the joys of life surround and fill me.

  They float back to Earth’s surface to complete their daily tasks all over the world and in every country. Even the most troubled regions…

  I descend gradually allowing gravity to take over. Heat and steam come off my body. I drop slower beneath the cloud cover.

  Rain begins falling across the entire world, even in places it hasn’t rained in years. Spinning my legs over the continents less and less on my descending orbit, feeling a sense of rebirth. The rain cools me like a baptism. The heat subsides.

  As fast as they came the raindrops stop. Yellow sunlight dazzles through the thinning clouds. I stop pedaling and surf down to Tanz in the financial district.

  I’m smiling as if I just witnessed the birth of life itself.

  “You did well…” He says as a proud father would nodding up at me.

  “It was not me at all but the spirits.” I’m giddy like a child landing on the sidewalk.

  Tanz looks at my feet, “I will find you better shoes. Come. There is more work to be done.” No rest for the weary or for the joyous.

  He turns to walk. “This hidden battle is no longer hidden. Sides will be chosen. We must find Qualmsy and end his local reign.”

  “People just need a chance,” I say.

  Tanz nods. “Some will refuse. Yet the opportunity to evolve will be offered.”

  QUALMSY NETWORK

  As we get downtown and watch his building for the right moment, it’s around rush hour. A lot of people walk past while cars sit waiting to go. About to step out from behind the building we see Dino and Laurie-Ann shoved forward by his goons toward his warehouse.

  “So innocent… You two are coming to work for us. Gonna make us a lot of money.”

  They shout “No!” and struggle to get free.

  “Tanz, we have to help them.”

  “Then go. You are strong enough.”

  I nod. My legs begin pumping like a running back. I step out from the shadows and see the strangest thing.

  Dino is growing larger. His face grows angry while his entire body glows blue like an electric fence. The men holding him get zapped and blown twenty feet in the air, crashing down onto cars, setting off their alarms half a block away. People look then quickly turn away, not wanting to get involved.

  Dino and Laurie-Ann start to run.

  “Dino, Laurie-Ann, wait up,” I say. We catch up to them down the block.

  Dino is normal again, though hyperventilating. “Reuben,” he shouts from his sweet self, calming. “Who’s that?” Dino points to Tanz standing behind me catching this breath.

  Dino walks closer, poking him in the belly while looking up. This shocks Tanz with an electrical wave from Dino’s fingertips. Tanz’s blue eyes shimmer as he squats.

  “Come closer, boy.”

  Tanz places his hands on Dino’s chest and stomach and is instantly knocked to the ground.

  “Cannot be…” he says, lying on the sidewalk. Blue imagery shimmers above him: a baby shooting into space from his wife onto a sunbeam and transported while a dark blade takes her life.

  They look at him with mouths and eyes wide open. He leans up, muttering in disbelief. “My wife died. Our boy died.” He pauses, then says to me, “Our boy died.” I place my hand on his shoulder. He looks at me with tears, speaking ever so quietly. “My boy died.” He then stares at Dino again.

  His face is overcome with emotion, shock to tenderness, to joy and sorrow wrapped together. Tanz dives in, wrapping his arms around Dino while tears fall from his face. Dino lays his head on Tanz’s shoulder. Laurie-Ann and I look at each other.

  Tanz wipes away the image so as not to scare them. Leaning on one knee he releases him and asks, “Are you his mother?”

  “No, I’m his sister. Our mom died when an electrical line fell and killed her as they walked.”

  I look at Tanz, that sounds familiar. She nods to Dino, patting his head, ruffling his hair. Tanz and I glance at each other.

  “And what about your father?” he asks.

  She shrugs. “He has a different father. But we never knew him. My mother was kind of a free spirit.”

  Tanz asks, “Has he grown big like that before, electric?”

  Dino watches the adults converse.

  “Only a few times, mostly when he doesn’t get his way. Right, Dino?”

  He playfully scowls up at her, crossing his arms.

  “And can you do that?” Tanz asks her.

  “No, not that.”

  He nods absently, clearly overwhelmed. I stand silently, my mind spinning, trying to understand.

  Tanz says with a kindness in his voice I’d never heard before. “Since our families are gone, too, perhaps the four of us could be a family and watch out for one another?”

  Laurie-Ann shrugs then glances at me. “Sure.”

  “Yay!” Dino hugs us both. I can see Tanz wanting to tell them more but not knowing how.

  At Dino’s level he says, “We have more work to do but we’ll be back soon, okay? We’ll play in the park. That’s a promise. You guys go home now and stay safe.”

  He glances at them several times as they walk up the block. Creating a little equation in his hand, he holds it over his chest when it jumps into his heart.

  *

  We enter Qualmsy’s building. There are no guards protecting it and no dark forces enveloping it. It’s not cold and clammy. We get close to the main room and overhear, “No more, Mr. Qualmsy, I don’t want to do this anymore… I want to see my mother.” The woman who had come into the grocery store speaks to him on his red velvet couch.

  Tattoo guy, standing near, says, “Come on, Doreen, let’s go get a coffee. I’ll take you to your mother’s.”

  “You mean it, Sam?”

  “Yeah, I mean it.”

  I lean over to Tanz. “There’s nothing for us to do here.”

  He agrees and we walk out.

  On the street, people walk in sunlight as remaining haze balls dissolve. The sunlight shines brighter than usual with a yellow the color of sunflowers. People are being released from imprisonment, turning away from the darkness.

  One haze ball floats down the street as a sunbeam catches it. Legs pop out of the haze, then the body of a man. He takes one step then falls to his knees on the sidewalk weeping.

  *

  Near the waterfront we find the spirit lady tending to flowers on Business Street. The flowers grow as she tends to them. I look down the road and see half a dozen other spirits doing the same. They all glow with smiling colors, auras, energy fields surrounding them. The spirit lady looks up and smiles at us.

  She approaches then encircles us with her colors. We’re transported to another dimension.

  “Where are we?” I ask Tanz through my forehead, looking around. My mouth is not working again. There’s a bright light, azure clouds, and a sense of floating in a swimming pool on a warm day.

  “We are here to visit God,” Tanz says.

  “What did you say?”

  He doesn’t answer, straightening his back. I know the Sun Clan works for the Gods but I, I have not. I swallow hard, looking around this strange place. Mostly just colors and odd shapes.

  Every cell in my body is tingling, dancing, buzzing like static electricity.

  Tanz nudges m
e. We kneel humbly in thanks.

  His forehead pulsates with light. “We are in your debt…” Tanz says, bowing his head slapping me again. I am so stupefied I feel like if I say anything I would simply end up drooling on myself.

  He/She/All chuckles in a pitch and sound that surrounds us from all directions. “The Sun Clan owes no debt. There is only light and the choosing of light…”

  Tanz projects an inquiry: “We must get to Narican yet cannot jump there. We must evolve, yet that will take too long. Can you help us?”

  “Ride the dimension energy wave. Find the entrance. It is a stream through all dimensions,” He/She/All says, and is gone. “Owes no debt at all.” we hear echoing.

  *

  Back in Big City, I fall to the ground needing to catch my breath as my body is overloaded. Too much happening. Nauseous and hot. I’m overwhelmed and need a moment.

  Tanz says, “Before our journey, we must first stop for supplies.”

  “I must first stop right here. Just give me a moment, okay? I’m fighting dark forces, have spirit friends, and now I meet God?” I stumble over to a building stoop to sit down.

  “Your first God?”

  “Yes, Tanz, my first God.”

  “Then do take a moment. We will need crystals for our journey. It’s only a few blocks from here. Then on to the energy wave.”

  I sit accepting that this is my new life. The cells in my body calm. I take a few more breaths then stand. “Yes, Tanz, my first God,” I say rolling my eyes at him.

  It’s a warm day walking uptown when a question comes to me.

  “When you went into the room at the hangar, you spoke to someone. Do you mind if I ask who?”

  “That is my guide, an ancestor who is always with me.”

  I nod as we step off the curb at 38th to cross the street then back up onto the following sidewalk.

  “Hmm.” I get quiet for a moment as we continue. But then say, “A woman visits me. She comes through my thoughts with warnings and kindness. Who do you think she is?”

  “She will reveal herself in time. Truth yearns to be known.”

  “Well, should I trust her?”

  “She is part of you. Has she provided helpful knowledge in your best interest?”

  I nod.