“I followed orders.”
“All warriors do that, even to the point of abdicating their own humanity.”
“So, what happens now?”
“What else? You'll pack up a few things and be moving out at nineteen hundred hours with your new unit.”
“What makes you think I'll join these people? They're the ones who shot my family.”
“Oh, you'll join them.”
“How do you know?”
“Because a warrior needs a support team to be tactically effective. Group warfare increases the scope of strategic possibility. I don't have to tell you that Mr Crosby. You're the expert here.”
Turning away, as if not wanting to hear, Tom Crosby looks back at where his family's buried and then hears the voice of one of the soldiers calling him from inside the house.
“Hey Crosby, Commander wants to know what you wanna do. We're movin’ out in twenty minutes.”
He looks back at Brianna and hesitates.
“Tell them-”
“Tell them what?”
“Tell them I'll be ready in ten minutes.”
After looking once more at the grave site, he turns and sees Brianna has vanished. A stark and sober realization comes over him as he contemplates his predicament. Then, in complete psychological resignation, he walks back in the house to collect a few things and readies himself for his new life. Thirty minutes later the eight man military unit prepares to leave. A ninth member has been added to their number in the person of Tom Crosby. As they file out of the house, two spirits watch them leaving. Brianna and her apprentice, Calvin, stand unseen in the front yard.
“Where are they going,” Calvin asks.
“They're going on patrol. They have night vision equipment that works to their advantage, enabling them to hunt and kill in the dark.”
“Who are they hunting?”
“Those who they call, the enemy. Those three syllables are a notorious word trap, Calvin.”
“What do you mean?”
“Words influence the human mind. Words we hear ourselves saying each day slowly pull us toward their implied logic. Enemy is a dangerous word. Once we accept the premise of having an enemy, ridding ourselves of that enemy becomes paramount and war becomes the only option.”
“Will war and killing ever end?”
“Yes, they have no evolutionary future.”
“When will that happen?”
“When the young are no longer encouraged to be heroes and warriors.”
“But, there are so many who want to do exactly that.”
“That's very sad for the peace of the world. Heroes and tragedies are always found together. Come Calvin, this place is noisome and perilous. Better things are ahead. Let's walk from this malevolent realm into gentler regions.”
As the militants move out and disappear into the urban landscape, Calvin and Brianna set out in the opposite direction. With every step they take, their surroundings change, and in only seconds the dark, foreboding, war torn battle zone is far behind them.
Chapter Fourteen: A Faithful Wife
Sights and sounds quickly change as Brianna and her apprentice Calvin, leave the armed conflict of urban warfare behind them and in only a few seconds a rustic vista opens before them as they make their way along an unpaved dirt road. In the distance, an unspoiled view of farms and houses gives the appearance of a world that is once again normal. As Calvin has learned to expect the unexpected, the sudden change elicits only a subdued smile in him, and he continues walking with Brianna. The blue sky and tranquil surroundings are a pleasant contrast to the strife-laden chaos of the world they just departed. The bucolic flavor of this new scenery is vaguely familiar to Calvin as he takes in the agreeable view.
“This place is beautiful. It reminds me of home.”
“A place called Pennsylvania.”
“Yeah, that's where I grew up.”
“You were a happy child, weren't you Calvin?”
“Yes, very happy. We lived in a rural area, knew all our neighbors, it was good. When I was a boy, I used to go out at night in my backyard with binoculars and lie on the ground looking at stars. It was great. Sometimes I'd sleep out there with my dog.”
“Your furry companion, Max.”
“Yes, Max. I loved that dog.”
“If you could name the happiest day of your life, which would it be?”
“Oh that's easy. That would be the day I proposed to Clara.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about that day.”
“I remember it clearly. It was wonderful. We were both eighteen. We had just graduated from high school. After spending most of the summer together, I had to get ready to go off to college, so we had a picnic at our favorite spot. I found this beautiful place in the country where I used to set up my telescope. On the weekend before I left for college, I asked Clara to go there with me. This place was special, it’s at the top of a hill with a 360 degree view of the sky. Astronomers liked to go there a lot, but that day we had the place to ourselves. There was a picnic table at the top. Clara brought sandwiches and fruit. When night came, I set up my telescope, and we looked at the moon.”
“Clara brought sandwiches, but you brought something too. Didn't you Calvin?”
“Yes, I did, an engagement ring. That's when I asked Clara to marry me and she instantly said yes. I can’t think of a happier day in my life.”
“That's a wonderful story, Calvin. Do you miss your wife?”
“Yes, very much.”
“Calvin and Clara, even your names sound like they belong together.”
As they continue onward, Calvin takes in the beauty of a countryside pristine with gently rolling hills and flower-laden meadows.
“This place is so lovely. Are we here to meet our next arrival?”
“Yes we are Calvin, and then your apprenticeship is over.”
“What do you mean?”
“This next arrival will be the last one we receive together.”
“I'm sorry to hear that, even though I knew it was coming. You said we'd eventually part company. I'll miss you Brianna. Have I been a good apprentice?”
“Yes, Calvin, you have.”
“It's so strange, I feel like I've always known you and somehow always will.”
“And so you have, and so you will.”
“Will I be able to do this without you?”
“Yes, you will.”
“I hope so.”
“You needn't worry. Everyone that comes before you goes irresistibly to their appointed end. All you have to do is travel with them along the path a little, and then let them go.”
Brianna and Calvin continue walking as the dirt road ends and a foot path begins an upward grade into a wooded area. Calvin recognizes the oak, birch and hickory trees around him and hears the familiar calls of finches, warblers and sparrows. All the sights and sounds of an Eastern Pennsylvania forest evoke powerful memories of the life he once lived. After many turns in the upward sloping path, the grade levels out and he sees a sunlit clearing ahead.
“It's time to meet our new arrival, Calvin.”
“You said you want me to speak, to do the talking?”
“That's right.”
“But I don't know what to say to this person.”
“Just speak from the heart.”
After entering the clearing, Calvin is stunned by what he sees. There, only fifty feet away, is a picnic table with a woman seated with her back toward him. A telescope, very much like the one he used so many years ago stands only a few yards away. As the woman rises and turns around, Calvin Milner sees the face of his beloved wife Clara, looking back at him. Then, an added surprise, just as unexpected, presents itself. From behind the picnic table a golden retriever comes bounding o
ut and with unrestrained exuberance runs over to greet his master. It's Max. In startled amazement, Calvin is completely taken aback and struggles for words.
“Clara, ... Clara and Max, ... are you, are you, ... real? ... I, I can't believe this.”
“Oh, Calvin, Calvin I'm so happy to see you again.”
“Oh Clara, my dearest Clara, are you really here?”
“Yes, yes I'm here Calvin, and we're together again.”
“How can this be happening? Look at you. You're young again.”
“So are you Calvin.”
“I know this place. It's where I proposed to you.”
“I remember Calvin. I'll always remember.”
After a tearfully joyous embrace with Brianna looking on, Calvin says, “I'm overwhelmed. What's happening Brianna? Tell me.”
“You're greeting our new arrival Calvin. That's what's happening.”
“I don't understand.”
“It's very simple. When your good wife Clara lived with you those many years, her secret wish was to be with you again after death, and now that wish is granted. What the heart is inclined to is where the soul is directed, either to friendly or unfriendly destinations. This is Clara's destination. Her devotion to you is why she's here.”
As tears of joy flow down Calvin's face, he finds it hard to speak.
“This is, ... this is incredible. ... I'm speechless. I don't know what to say. ... Clara, oh Clara, I love you.”
“Calvin, I love you too.”
“Now your work begins Calvin, and you have a worthy companion to help you. Many thousands will pass before you. An unending journey of souls through their countless incarnations is the immutable destiny of collective humanity. Always remember that no matter what they've done or left undone, however grievous or questionable, there's always the possibility of redemption. Every individual soul is loved and valued by a supremely transcendent power. Remember this, and all good things will follow.”
“I promise to do my best.”
“I know you will. So now, your commission begins.”
“Where do I start?”
“Just walk the same path that we walked and they'll come to you.”
“Where will you go Brianna?”
“I go to meet my next apprentice and those new arrivals who come after.”
“Thank you, Brianna. Thank you for everything. I love you. I'll never forget you.”
“I love you too, Calvin. Goodbye, Clara.”
“Goodbye Brianna and thank you.”
As Brianna walks away, she stops, turns back and points upward, “look Calvin, the moon's in its first quarter. It'll be a good night for observing.”
He sees the moon for a moment then looks back to Brianna but she's no longer there.
“Is she gone?” Clara asks.
“No, she's never gone. She's on her way to receive another harvest, and then another and another. There is no end. ... Come Clara, my dearest Clara. Let's prepare for our work.”
The End
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Other works by Michael Mckinney include,
“The Invitation”
“Three Dreams”
“Does God Exist?”
“Cassandra's Gift”
A Journey of Souls Page 25