“I do. It’s tremendously rewarding.” Avery relaxed as Philippa engaged her and was at once intrigued by her. “Are you in Alexandria for work?” Avery asked.
“Ashley called me about the archeological finds in the harbor, and I couldn’t resist coming to hear about them and see what she had found. Truly fascinating. It would be wonderful if it proves to be Cleopatra’s palace. Where do you go from here, Avery?”
“Back to Florida in a couple of days.”
“Ashley told me only a little about your work. We share so many common interests. I’d love to hear more about microloans and your experiences. Perhaps you would come up to Viareggio and stay at my place for a day or two.”
A decision raced through Avery’s mind as she sorted the odd feelings vibrating between them. She wanted to get to know this woman better. Another day or so wouldn’t matter.
“Thanks, that would be lovely. I’ve heard so much about the joys of the Italian Riviera.”
“It’s settled, then. You’ll come to Viareggio and enjoy our lovely sun.”
As they chatted Avery learned Philippa was married to an Italian entrepreneur and was from an old French family. Her manner was both warm and regal, offering a comfort and welcome Avery had rarely experienced.
Avery said she wanted to spend a little more time touring the harbor, then confirmed to Philippa she would be along. They exchanged contact information.
Then Ashley came over to take Avery on to meet other guests. As they walked away Ashley glanced back at Philippa who nodded and smiled.
As the party was ending, Avery caught up with Ashley again. “Tell me what you know about this Philippa person. I’ve been invited to visit her in Viareggio.”
Ashley smiled. “So, you connected. I thought there would be something there. I think you’ll find it a valuable connection. The family is very wealthy, but they’re not stuffy. Go for the visit, make yourself at home.”
“It sounds, Ashley, like it’s more than a matter of support for our work. What are you saying?”
“Good question. I can’t define it. Somehow I knew you two needed to meet.” Avery felt there were things unsaid both by Philippa and Ashley.
Chapter 19
A New World
Viareggio, Italy
Avery took a ferry across the Mediterranean to Italy where she wanted to travel by train and see some of the Italian countryside.
She called ahead and Philippa was waiting at the station. When Avery saw her through the window of the train, she felt a rush of happiness. It was like having a family member who had come to welcome her—something that had been missing from her life.
Philippa’s villa at Viareggio was a dream opening before her. The flowers, the sun, the rush of sensory fulfillment. Meals were al fresco on the terrace overlooking the sea, as they spent time sharing stories about their lives and work. Philippa was fascinated by Avery’s assessment of the villages she had visited and what she had found culturally. What Philippa didn’t say was that she had a good idea of what Avery had experienced in Laguna and a couple of other villages she had visited in Denmark and Ireland. She knew they were the rare entry villages for the Tethys housing the Progenitors.
As Avery talked, Philippa was enchanted by her free spirit and intelligence. This kind of relationship with a young woman was something she had always hoped to have someday with a daughter.
For her part, Avery was finding a peace and comfort that should not have mystified her, but did. By the second day, she was feeling torn. Avery knew she needed to get back to her job in Miami and she was missing Beck. But she also clung to time spent with Philippa and loved the comforting experience of the villa. The light over the Mediterranean was mesmerizing and the warm breezes caressed her. The cascading flowers on the villa and down the hillside were enchanting. As much as she loved her life with her colleagues and the people in the villages, this felt like home. Philippa was not intrusive but engaging. It would be hard to leave.
That evening over dinner, they talked about their dedication and missions. But Avery wanted to know about family. She recalled what Ashley had said about this family and Paolo. “Tell me about your husband, Philippa.”
Philippa smiled and felt Avery’s need for greater intimacy.
“I’m a fortunate woman. My darling Paolo has enriched my life. We share our passions of all kinds. I always miss him when he’s off on business as he is now. That’s part of the reason I’m loving your company. Let me rephrase that. You are a lovely young woman, and I’m so glad we met. It is wonderful having you here.”
Avery studied her. “Do you have children?”
In a flash sorrow ravaged Philippa’s face. Avery was immediately sorry she had asked.
“No,” said Philippa as she regained her composure, “I have no children. Once I…” She stopped. “No, it was not meant to be, it seems.”
Avery knew to change the subject.
The next day while Avery was enjoying the morning by the pool, Philippa took some time for a shopping expedition to Viareggio. As it happened her good friend Reuben De Santis had come for a vacation, and they chanced upon each other when she stopped to take refreshment at a waterside café. She had felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and looked up to see her elegant friend standing over her. Jumping up she threw her arms around him.
“Reuben, it’s so delightful to see you! What brings you to Viareggio?”
“Obviously, Philippa, it was to have a reunion with you.” He laughed.
She took his hands and stepped back to appraise him. He was tall and had impeccable bearing. She always appreciated his elegance and élan. His movements were as fluid as the dresses he designed in Milan. And in all regards, he had the greatest appreciation of all things beautiful and fulfilling, whether it was the man who was the love of his life, women, couture, music, or simply a glorious morning. He always brought beauty and a rich affirmation of life.
“You’re looking well, dear Reuben. How long are you going to be gracing our coast with your presence?”
“Just a few days. I needed some rest and distance from my business.”
“Well, I’m deeply offended that you did not call and come stay with me at once. You know I’ll give you the peace you need, even solitude if that’s what you require. Please come stay with me.”
A slow smile crept across his face. “It was simply an oversight, Philippa. I have been a little too focused and my first thought was to escape.”
Philippa could not define why, but she didn’t believe his presence was merely a matter of chance.
At the villa, Philippa clasped his hand and led him into the house. “And there is someone you must meet.” She took him out to the pool where Avery was sunning.
“Avery, this is my dear friend, Reuben De Santis.”
Avery looked up and smiled, not quite sure what to do. Reuben took her extended hand with a gentle touch. There was silence for a moment as he appraised her. “Truly my pleasure, young lady.”
Philippa was amused by how quickly they became attached. She broke the spell. “Reuben is a world-renowned designer of women’s fashions who has come to visit us from Milan.”
“And I must say I would love to design for you, Avery. You are enchanting.”
Avery found this man of considerable interest, but he was not from her world and left her searching for words. She stammered, “H-how… nice.” Then she blushed, which annoyed her.
Philippa came to the rescue. “Let’s put some lunch on and get better acquainted.”
Avery jumped up. “Let me go put on some clothes.”
She glanced at Reuben and rushed to her room, wondering what kind of clothes she should wear when meeting a famous designer. Her stock in trade was jeans and shorts while she sat in the sand or on a board where someone had recently been cutting fish. In the end, she decided all she could be was just who she was.
Reuben was charming and reassuring as he asked her about her lif
e and work. For some reason, Avery was immediately at ease with him. She knew he was Italian, but wondered about his cultured generic accent somewhere between British and American until he told her about his diverse years of study abroad.
Avery could see there was a deep bond between Philippa and Reuben. They exuded such warmth and comfort that she found herself opening up. She even talked about her experience in the waters off Alexandria. And, as with Ashley, neither Philippa nor Reuben were dismissive, although she felt odd talking about the disorientation and other feelings and didn’t share about the woman and child she’d seen.
The next day Reuben came to the luncheon table with his suitcase and announced that after lunch he would have to return to Milan. Pressing business. Philippa and Avery protested, but he was firm. The women got up to get some dessert and glasses of wine to celebrate their time together.
When they were in the house, Reuben carefully picked up Avery’s water glass and slipped it into a plastic bag and then his suitcase.
Chapter 20
They’re Real?
Viareggio, Italy
Avery was torn. The visit had been brief, and the villa and Philippa had given her the sense of a home she had been missing. But her commitments were calling her and she missed Beck terribly. She was sure the bond with Philippa would endure and she could return at any time. For now, she felt she had to leave.
On their last evening, she and Philippa sat by the pool.
“Philippa, there’s something I need to share. I’m not sure where it’ll lead, but when I have one of these intuitions I have to do something about it.”
“I understand about intuitions, Avery. Whatever it is.”
On impulse Avery poured out the full story about her experience in the harbor of Alexandria, including the sighting of the mermaid woman and child.
“The contact with that woman in the water at Alexandria has been on my mind. Her eyes were fixed on me as if there was something she wanted to say.”
For a moment, they listened to an insistent songbird. Philippa felt a stirring inside. She became quiet as she wrestled with an important decision, hoping her intuition about this young woman was leading her down the right path. Something was essential and at last she said, “There’s something I think I must share with you. Avery, I don’t believe what you experienced was a chance occurrence. What you saw in the water was real.”
Avery drew in a sharp breath. “You’re telling me it wasn’t my imagination or some form of hallucination? Such beings exist?”
“Yes, they do. But there’s more to it.” Philippa talked about Gaia, and the cities that were the Tethys in the sea. “The people who live in the sea we call Progenitors. They’re the primordial people and can live underwater and on land. Most of them stay in the sea, but they can come to live on the land if they have a mission or desire to.”
Avery sat mesmerized, her mind flying from disbelief to wonder. “So the woman I saw was a Progenitor?”
“Yes. And I suspect she was a sign that you were to be here and learn what I have to tell you. Surely the woman and child were near the entrance to the Tethys which is there off the coast of Alexandria. It has a name, in fact. It’s called Thonis. There’s a legend of a lost island in that area of the Mediterranean. Almost surely the legend came about because of sightings related to the people of the Tethys.”
Avery felt disoriented and drew back into her chair.
“What’s wrong?” Philippa asked.
Avery took a deep breath and gripped the arms of the chair—in silence.
Philippa waited patiently.
Avery turned toward her. “I felt fear at the time, Philippa. I don’t know why. I know what I saw, but I think I hoped I hadn’t. What you’re telling me makes me feel less loony. The discovery of the reality of a myth is an amazing experience.”
“But what, Avery? I hear a but in what you’re saying.”
“This—this is not my world. How can I accept what you’re saying?”
Philippa studied her for a moment. “You’ve always sensed a different reality, haven’t you?”
Avery’s hand went to her mouth and she nodded. “Something about my experience in the water was real, but I couldn’t make it mesh with reality as I understood it. I still don’t know what it all means.”
Philippa looked at Avery and decided to continue. “Among our people are not just the Progenitors. There are the Primals and the Primal families who came to live on the land long ago. The Progenitors make their lives in the sea. The Primals are related and live on land. We’re very old families who are dedicated to stewardship of the land and humankind.”
For Avery, the word we stood out. She spoke slowly. “What does ‘we’ mean?”
“Paolo and I are a Primal family. I’ve retained Progenitor abilities and can return to the sea if I choose. You’re surely Primal and possibly a Progenitor. Why else would you have been led here?”
Philippa stopped to let that sink in.
The real meaning came rushing at Avery. “Led here? Has my whole life been constructed for this?” Her mind was running away with possibilities.
“I can’t answer your questions precisely, Avery. But I believe what has been happening to you is not by chance.”
The words flew from Avery. “Oh my God. Those villages. The artifacts I’ve been finding. What I saw in the surf at Laguna. Was it a Progenitor woman? Was she one of us?” Avery stopped herself. Had she just said ‘us’?
Avery sifted through memories. “The other women I saw in Laguna. They weren’t villagers. I think you’re telling me who they were. One of them knew my name when I saw her later.”
“Yes, it does come together, doesn’t it? There was a Progenitor woman in the surf at Laguna. She was injured, but survived.” Philippa waited for Avery to react. But Avery was far away in her own thoughts.
After a while Philippa pulled her back. “It’s a long story, but I believe you’re meant to know it. Our Earth Mother Gaia shaped how our planet developed, including the animals. She believed that we humans held tremendous promise, but also tremendous threat. There might come a day when we would bring the earth to its knees and Gaia might need to start over with our species. For that purpose, she kept some of us in the sea. Our mission is to be stewards of our planet and ensure the future of humankind.”
Again Philippa stopped to gauge Avery’s reaction. “There’s a third group you should know about because you’ll inevitably become involved with them. They’re the Andromeda, who are the defenders of our people. With few exceptions, they are women. All these groups of people together we call the Tethyans.”
“Is there lots more? I’m feeling overwhelmed.”
Philippa pressed on. “You’ve visited a lot of villages and a few of them were close to our Tethys. You seem to have noticed differences among the people.”
Avery’s eyes got wide. “There were people in other villages who looked different from the rest of the people. I think it may have something to do with their eyes.”
“Do you remember the eyes of the woman in the water near Alexandria?”
“They were luminous.”
Slowly crept memories of dreams she had had and then she recalled the eyes of the woman in the surf at Laguna.
“Yes, the eyes are different because when we’re in the water our eyes change slightly to take in more light. The difference doesn’t remain completely when we’re not in the water, and the change takes time.”
Avery focused on Philippa’s eyes. “I should have seen these differences.”
“You had no reason to look for them. The people you noticed would have been Primals who lived in the village or the rare Progenitor who was coming from or returning to a Tethys.”
Avery narrowed her eyes. “I just made another connection. I’ve been collecting what appear to be bone tools. I find them near the villages I mentioned and I had some dated. They’re really old.”
Philippa nodded.
“Those would be tools used by our people in the sea.”
Philippa stopped, then lowered her voice. “There’s one other piece of information I need to share. It relates to the Tethyan mission of stewardship.”
Avery had a sense of foreboding.
“I told you Gaia reserved our people against the need to restart humankind. There are people who are against us, and you should know that there is a growing conflict. These people we call Overlords, and they are endangering not just people, but our planet, as well. They’re dedicated only to power and profit. There’s danger for all people but especially our people because we oppose them.”
What Philippa had just said was like a blow to Avery. Her mind jumped to Beck, Laguna, and what he had said about his company. Now she understood. Beck was employed by an Overlord, which meant danger for both of them. Fear was making it hard to breathe. At last she composed herself, managed to thank Philippa for what she had disclosed and said she needed to go to bed.
Philippa watched her go and, feeling her distress, could only hope she had done the right thing.
~~~
In the morning, Avery woke with a start, recollections flooding in. She began to pack right away.
Philippa heard her and looked into the bedroom. “Please don’t feel you have to leave.”
Avery turned away from her packing, a light in her eyes. “Philippa, it’s a happy leaving. Remember how you talked about intuitions? My intuition is telling me I need to get back into my life. It’s hard to explain. It’s like the world has opened up and it’s filled with so many things to be explored. I don’t know how it’ll work, but I’ll figure it out somehow.” She ran to Philippa and hugged her. The child in her wanted to cling, but Avery knew she had to let go. “Thank you for taking the risk to tell me all this.”
“My intuition told me you needed to know.”
“I might have run away.”
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