The Seventh Chakra

by J. R. Bowles

  “Well for one thing, something is going wrong. There have been several deaths and what I experienced wasn't what I thought it was going to be.”

  “Oh,” his father said into the phone.

  “Well Dad I want all the facts.” Zolar demanded.

  “Now?”

  “Now Dad.”

  “Okay then, do you want me to come over to the hotel.”

  “How long will it take you to get here?” Zolar asked.

  “I can be there in forty minutes.” His father answered.

  “Okay. I'm in room 432. I'll be waiting, and Dad?”

  “Yes.”

  “I've missed you.”

  “We've missed you to.” His father said before he hung up.

  Zolar laid down on the bed and thought about the questions he wanted to ask his father. After what he had seen he didn't believe they were all the direct decedents of Cain and Able, and Seth. Even when he had been told the story, he hadn't completely believed it but had accepted it at the time. Why had his father told him that? He wondered.

  The fact that John was apparently the Avatar was probably the only thing true and even that was debatable. John could also be the AntiChrist. But the fact that they were suppose to be the 666th generation descended from Cain had been a total fabrication. He knew that now because he had seen the creation of the universe itself. Evolution was the way man had come into being. He had literally slithered up out of the water and had evolved into the thinking being that he is today.

  Why had his father led him to believe John was going to save the world, when in fact, John would decide whether the world would continue or end.

  Zolar wondered who was knocking at his door. It was to soon to be his father. He walked over and opened it.

  “Hi, Bernie, come on in.” Zolar said as he opened the door.

  “Have you seen Jackie?”

  “No. She's not in her room?” Zolar asked as Bernie strolled in and made himself comfortable glancing around the room.

  “Don't you think I would have checked there first?” Bernie snipped.

  “Don't snap at me. What's your problem?” Zolar ask.

  “Sorry. I just thought she might be here or might have told you where she was going and not told me. I guess it was jealousy.” Bernie apologized.

  “I haven't heard from her. She probably went shopping or something. There's nothing to worry about. Roanoke's not like New York. It may not be a hundred percent safe but compared to New York it's a hell of a lot safer.”

  “I guess the luncheon got me down.” Bernie wrinkled up his brow and shrugged. “It was pretty depressing. It never occurred to me John might die. We haven't know him long but it just doesn't seem right.”

  “I know what you mean. You know I'm glad you came over. I have a favor to ask.” Zolar said.

  “Shoot.”

  “John thinks only the seven centers should be present tonight. But he figures Michael might be a bit of a problem. You've got to admit Michael is head strong.” Zolar sat down across from Bernie adding, “He suggested we might have to drug him and since Michael apparently brought drugs to sedate Thomas, we could use some of them on Michael. Here's the problem. I tried when I came up to jimmy open his door but I didn't have any luck. I thought I might go down to the front desk and tell them I'm Michael O'Malley and that I locked my key in the room. Since we all checked in at once they might not be able to place names with faces. The only thing is with a name like mine, people tend to stick it to my face fairly quick. I was wondering ... ?

  “Wondering if I would do it.” Bernie asked.

  “Yeah. Besides if he has more than one type of drug I might pick up the wrong thing.”

  “Sure thing. Hey, I grew up in New York, I know how to run a good hustle. Besides that the way I found out Jackie's name the first day I met her. I went into the USO and ran a line on them. “ Bernie smiled as he thought back to the day he met Jackie, seemed like ages ago. “Do you think I can pass for Irish.”

  “All of you Caucasians look alike.” Zolar tried to keep a serious face.

  “Zolar, I think you're part Caucasian, Now aren't you?”

  “Yeah,” Zolar shrugged and furrowed his brow. “I got the pencil dick.”

  Bernie laughed and Zolar joined in.

  Bernie sobered and shook his head. “Did you get a chance to call your father?”

  “Yeah, he's coming over, should be here shortly.”

  “Well I guess I might as well go back to my room. Give you and your father some time together.” Bernie got up and headed toward the door. “Thanks for cheering me up. You're just what the doctor ordered. Catch you later, I've got to take care of a little covert procurement.”

  Zolar didn't protest Bernie's departure. Just as Bernie was ready to shut the door Bernie stopped and turned.

  “Zolar are you scared?” He ask.

  “Bernie, truthfully I would be lying if I said I wasn't. I'm terrified.”

  “Me too.” Bernie said and closed the door.

  CHAPTER 61

  Thomas followed behind Michael and Billy as they left Melrose Avenue. Michael looked down at the drawing Clarets had provided. They stood in front of an abandon lot surrounded by the remains of a brick wall which had crumbled over the years.

  “This looks like it.” Michael said. “This is the administration building in front. Apparently the area we are looking for was detached. There were several buildings, six in all, I believe, and they were spread out pretty far apart. It was strange how they all caught fire at the same time.”

  “It's not what I expected.” Billy said looking at the lot over grown with weeds, brush, and trees.

  “The Star is right in front of us. Looks like the mountain runs directly down to this lot. Anyway the area we want should be further back that way.” Michael gestured.

  “There's a path over there.” Billy said as he climbed the wall. Chunks of brick broke beneath his feet.

  “Come on Thomas.” Michael ordered as he followed after Billy. Michael paused after he crossed the wall to ensure Thomas would follow. When he was satisfied he would follow he fell in behind Billy's lead.

  They walked through the skeleton of what must have been the hospital. The structure must not have been very large compared to present day hospitals. Billy didn't feel the magnetic pull that the other two felt. He watched their faces and could tell they were experiencing some kind of connection with the place. He wondered why he was involved. He was even younger than Morgan but her parents had prepared her for this. Until he had met John he had never given much thought to God or even religion. Why was he connected. Had meeting John just been a coincidence. It didn't make any sense. Morgan had been put in to the empty chakra spot. Had it been predestined that he was to fill the other empty center. Was it possible it had only been a coincidence. He shook his head as he thought about it. There were just to many things bringing them together for any of it to have been mere coincidence. He just didn't know.

  Through the years of neglect the grass and thistles predominated the hilly terrain. They followed along a well worn path which kids must have used for bicycles or trail bikes. White and bull pine, thickly grew over all around them and it was peppered by smaller oaks. The grass thinned as the pine trees thickened. A blanket of pine needles smothering it.

  “I thought this was going to be obvious. Out in the open.” Billy said as he bent over to keep from hitting his head on some over the overhanging tree branches.

  “So did I.” Michael said as he glanced around to check on Thomas.

  “Do you think we will know the place where the center opening will take place when we see it?” Billy asked.

  “I hope so.” Michael said.

  After several minutes of walking the trees overtook them, looming overhead, blocking out most of the sky and inhibited their view of the Star on the mountain.

  “I don't know about this.” Billy said just as they came to an open space. Billy stopped and Michael walked right into his b
ack. Thomas stopped just short of doing the same thing to Michael when he heard Billy grunt from the force.

  They were there. There was no need to question if it was the correct place. They could feel it. The energy that radiated from the area was peaceful and inviting.

  The ground was bare in a circle about thirty feet across. The rich dark soil naked of even a single blade of grass. In the center of the clearing was a large limestone that jutted up conspicuously to form a natural flat bed. To them it appeared to be an altar. Scattered throughout the area were discarded beer cans, soda bottles, condoms and paper. The area was popular.

  Michael pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and a trash bag and began to clean up the area.

  “You think of everything, don't you.” Billy said to Michael as he began to help with the clean up. “I'll leave the rubbers to you since you've got the gloves.”

  Thomas just stared at them as they rapidly cleaned the area. He had many mixed feelings about the area. Warm, cold, peaceful and nervous. He felt them all. Dear Lord, why did he have to be involved in this? What was he suppose to do now? What could he do except put his faith in God?

  CHAPTER 62

  Finally, Zolar thought, as he heard a knock at the door. He had started pacing fifteen minutes earlier.

  “Hello Dad, I was beginning to worry about you.” He said opening the door.

  “Sorry I got stuck in traffic.” His father embraced him.

  “I know this is all of a sudden but I wanted to talk to you before midnight. I don't know if you're aware of what has been happening but I'll fill you in later. What I need to know is more about what happen the night we were born.”

  “Okay, just let me catch my wind.” His father walked over to a chair and sat down.

  “Could I get you a glass of water?”

  “I'm fine just give me a second.” His father cleared his throat. “You're as impetuous as ever.”

  “I know,” Zolar said, “I take that after you.”

  That brought a smile to his father's lips. “I was on call the night you were born. That was back when I was still practicing. I was the only doctor here that night. Of course back then hospitals were small not like they are now a days.”

  Zolar leaned back and listened. He knew that when his father began there would be no hurrying him. After Zolar began to teach he could better understand the many lectures his father had given him over the years. It had been a shame that his father had given up surgery but his hands weren't as functional as they once had been. He smiled remembering the day when his father had told them his plans to teach. “As shaky as these hands are,” his father had said, “I liable cut somebodies nuts off while trying to remove their appendix.” He had joked about giving it up but down deep Zolar knew how hard it had been for his father to admit he could no longer trust himself to operate on anyone.

  “That night there were only three of us on duty. “ His father continued. “Me, Thelma my RN, and an orderly named Sam. The whole hospital only had three patients and they weren't all that sick. Then all of these pregnant women started showing up. It was unbelievable. Eight of them. Damnedist thing I ever experienced. A Jewish woman and her husband that had been on vacation. A Black woman here visiting her sister from Lynchburg. Three white women and their husband. Your natural mama and an Indian woman. We had them stacked up practically.”

  “An Indian woman?” Zolar interrupted.

  “Now if you're going to let me tell this don't be interrupting. If you've got questions wait tell I'm finished. Boy you aught to know that when I get started I can't backtrack and then find my place again.”

  “Sorry Dad.”

  “Now where was I, oh yes, we had them stacked up. Back in those days we weren't suppose to treat any non-whites. We were suppose to send them over to the colored hospital but these woman were to far along in labor for me to be sending them over there. I caught hell for it the next day. They even gave me static about letting the Jews in, thank God those days have changed.”

  “That's only seven. I thought you said there were eight?”

  “What did I tell you about interrupting me. I'll get to that, now just listen up.” Zolar's father peered over his glasses with a severe warning. When Zolar saw that look he had learned to do as his father said or there would be hell to pay. Funny how his father could still make him feel like a small boy.

  “Now I forgot where I was.”

  “You caught hell for letting them in.” Zolar prompted.

  “Oh yeah. They gave me hell for it. We had blood and sack water all over the operating room. Damnedist sight you ever could see. We had the tables full, filled up all the gurneys and even had to lay one woman on a slab of limestone that they build the labor room around. We were in the back building at the foot of Mill Mountain. Anyway, that was the eighth one but I'll get to her, so just be patient. That limestone, he said remembering back. They always said it was limestone but limestone's not usually that hard. They tried to blast it out before they built the place but didn't have any luck. So they just incorporated it in the design of the delivery room. Made it into a table. We couldn't even get them all to the delivery room. We couldn't fit them in and they were all having contractions about the same length apart. I even had to have Sam, the orderly, scrub up and help us. We were lucky that we only lost two woman that night.” He reached and patted Zolar's hand. “I'm sorry your mother had to be one of them. I guess that was one reason your mother and I adopted you. Of course we had never had children and we had always wanted one. We probably would have adopted the other one but he had relatives that claimed him. That was the babe born to the woman on the limestone.”

  His father leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. Tears formed in his eyes as he remembered. “I thought we were going to lose all of them and the babes too when that light came down from the sky. The ceiling of the delivery room caved in and this bright white light filled the room. It seemed to come out of the heavens. Right at midnight the ground shook and we very rarely have earthquakes around here. Well the ground shook and we heard the ceiling began to crack and fall but the strangest thing was the room didn't cave in, it caved out. You know how a tornado pulls windows out. That's what it was like. It was like something just pulled the roof right off that part of the hospital. There were a few fragments that fell on us, dust and plaster but the main part of the roof just blew off. Then this white light came down from the sky and filled the room. It was so white it hurt your eyes but didn't blind us. In the center of it was a bright yellow light that shone down directly on the woman on the limestone. All of the women's labor seemed to respond to it. But the woman on the limestone hadn't died yet. She had been screaming from pain and fright but she became quiet. We were working as hard and fast as we could. Then in the center of the yellow beam a large florescent orange orb flowed down through that beam, right out of the sky. This piercing orange sphere settled down on her and the babe, which was still attached by the umbilical cord. We were still tying and cutting but you couldn't help but watch what was happening. It was mesmerizing.”

  His father stared off into air as if the image he had created with mere words was becoming visible before them. As his father spoke, Zolar began to picture the scene being described.

  “Then that orange ball began to shimmer.” His father continued. “And it began to change in color. It changed to something else. It's color was indescribable. It wasn't color it was light. Pure unadulterated light. It was a clear cold light.” He squinted his eyes and pushed his glasses up on his nose as if he were still staring at the light. “It wasn't warm. It was cold, oh such a cold, cold light. Like darkness, a black light, but it wasn't an ultraviolet light.

  It was the purest purity of the very essence of light. And when this happen seven rays of light shot out from the babe. Each ray fell on one of the women in labor. It was the colors of the rainbow, or a prism. Plop, plop, plop, babies came popping out. Each couldn't have been more than a few seconds apart. Soon as one of those l
ights touched the mothers they popped out a baby.” He shook his head back and forth. “Damnedist thing I ever saw. Back then they didn't have lasers or at least us average folks had never seen them but that's about the best way to describe those rays, like laser beams. Violet, purple, blue, and red, ever color of the prism to be exact. And when them kids were born they didn't cry at first but as each one inhaled we heard musical notes. Sweet notes with each birth. Like a musical scale. Seven notes and seven rays. Pretty crazy was exactly what it was, just plain crazy.”

  He paused and looked into Zolar's eyes. “Thelma, Sam and me, we never mentioned it to anyone for a long time. Like a UFO sighting, you see one of them damn things flying around and next thing you know folks think you're daft.”

  He paused and took off his glasses and rubbed his nose. “We didn't talk about it for years. We adopted you and you were our pride and joy. When I gave up surgery and started teaching was the first time I had talked about it, except with your mother of course. That was when we met Ing Hue and he taught us the eastern philosophy. The more your mother and I learned, we came to realize that you were special. All eight of you kids were special. According to Dr. Ing Hue, your births had been predicted through the alignment of the stars and we taught you as much about it as we could. Even sent you to Tibet when you were still a kid. We figured we owed it to your mother.”

  He leaned back and put his glasses back on. “I guess I'm finished with my lecture. Ask your questions.”

  Zolar thought for a moment as he watched his father. His mother had been from Tibet and her parent before her. Then she had met his father an American GI. He had talked her into coming to the states and be married. Under Virginia law at that time they hadn't been able to marry because of the mixed races but his father had been killed. It was all so confusing. The joining of the religions and language sometimes confused his thinking. Dr. Ing Hue had taught him the ways of his mother's people and even his adopted parents had learned from him. He had taught him how to locate the other centers by using his nerve endings. That had been how he had located Jackie and Bernie that first night when they had been running from Jamal.