The Time Stone

by Jeffrey Estrella

  “Hey handsome, you wanted to see me?” She asked approaching and pecking him on the cheek.

  “Yes, come here” he beckoned and she approached.

  Mercedes realized the setup of a romantic dinner by candlelight. “I never thought I would have a boyfriend. I looked for so long but...” she stopped herself, “what’s all this for?” She asked.

  “For us” he smiled as he handed her the rose and held out the seat for her.

  “Oh my, Juan Carlos, this is too much… but it’s very sweet” she sat down.

  He sat across from her and started to pour some wine into their glasses. “I thought it would be a good idea to go up to the hilltop after dinner to look at the stars. You have been working so hard lately and I wanted to express my gratitude.” Juan Carlos said.

  “Oh it was nothing; I owe you guys for taking me in. I was pretty much homeless here.” Mercedes commented.

  “I know times are tough. It will get better… you have as long as you need in our humble abode.” Juan Carlos replied.

  “Thanks, that’s sweet.” She took a sip of the wine. “I got something to tell you. I am American. I was born in California and somehow got wrongfully deported and I don’t have any way to get back.”

  Is that how the American legal system works? Juan Carlos inquired.

  “Not really. I don’t understand what happened exactly.” Mercedes replied.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “I just was annoyed and embarrassed.” Mercedes replied.

  “I understand.” He grimaced. “I want you to know that no matter what happens. I am on your side. Do you understand that?” His voice coursing with sincerity and virtue made her feel at ease in even the most stressful of situations.

  “Of course” she nodded gleefully.

  “Good, then let’s eat.” Juan Carlos smiled.

  After dinner, Mercedes and Juan Carlos laid up on their backs out in the yard looking at the stars colorfully painting the night sky in the horizon overlooking the hills.

  “They are beautiful” said Juan Carlos turning his head to Mercedes.

  “I think so” she continued to look up.

  “Do you know that one?” Juan Carlos asked.

  “I think that is the Orion constellation.” Mercedes replied.

  “Looks like ‘El Sordado Armado’” said Juan Carlos jokingly.

  “Hmm” she smiled.

  “What do you think? I got this job offer and I am not sure what to do.” Juan Carlos added randomly.

  “What is it?” Mercedes inquired.

  “It’s complicated.” Juan Carlos added.

  “You can tell me.” Mercedes said.

  “I wish I could.” Juan Carlos feels bad about his new life as a potential member of el culto. He begins to feel for Mercedes a love so powerful like any he has felt before.

  “You should weigh the pros and cons and determine whether it is right for you or not. It’s just me but I would take it if it offers a boatload of money.” Mercedes smiled.

  “Thanks.” He said wanting to tell her he was crazy about her from the first day he saw her and tell the truth about the culto. He wondered then if it would affect how he really felt and how she felt and that even though they only knew one another a short while. The very thought of living without her was too much to bear. He thought this is where you felt the other person and almost needed them to remain alive. “I realize that there are some things that must be dealt with alone.” He continued.

  “I can respect that” she replied. “I know I have had a soul searching moment once or twice before.”

  “Do you believe in the power of the stars having an influence on true love” he whispered.

  “What?” She turned with a laugh to look at him, immersed in his big brown eyes for the moment.

  “I think there is something special about the way the heavens interact in our daily lives and how they can bring two people close together and maybe, just maybe if you are lucky you can find that one person you were meant to be connected to.” He uttered.

  “Is that real or just rhetorical nonsense?” She asked.

  “It is real. I felt it when I first laid eyes on you” his slight romanticism was as strong to her as the compounding verb use in his accent. “I have started to fall in love with you.” He said.

  “I agree.” She replied, “but….I didn’t think this would happen but it did. Wow!” She finished her sentence and he kissed her on the lips for a brief moment that she felt lasted an eternity. But then she felt herself grounded back to Earth after the brief flight of fantasy with him. “I got to start thinking of ways to get back home, Juan Carlos.”

  “Can’t you call this home?”

  “I don’t belong here. I belong back in California. I got a life there, a job, an apartment, a cat.” She laughed. “But seriously, I was wrongfully deported and I want to clear that. I want to find out that the people are who did this to me. It’s important to me.”

  “God works in mysterious ways… maybe he sent you here for a reason.”

  “Maybe,” she thought for a moment.

  “Maybe, it is bigger than anything you have ever dreamed about. I would miss you a lot if you left, but I respect your desires to return home.” Juan Carlos smiled remembering the old adage that to truly love someone sometime is to set them free.

  “Sometimes I feel my heart is in constant motion, jumping from life to life, experiences things that I was never meant to experience in time.” Mercedes felt herself speak freely. “I can be myself with you and be open. I like that a lot.”

  “I like you a lot. I know God has a plan for all of us and put each of us in time for a reason. Maybe next time your heart decides to jump in time, you should remember that. You could look at your old ways with a new purpose.” Juan Carlos added.

  “That’s deep philosophy for a poor farm boy.” Mercedes spoke deeply.

  “I try.” Juan Carlos smiled.

  “You could come back with me.” She said.

  “I can’t. I don’t belong anywhere else but here. It’s a simple life plus I can’t leave my mother here alone.” Juan Carlos added.

  “Well maybe we can work something out.” Mercedes smiled.

  “Maybe,” he grabbed her by the hand and they looked up at the constellation Orion together.

  “Look, he does looks like ‘El Soldado Armado’” said Mercedes pointing up at the view. They both laughed.

  CHAPTER 57

  The winds blew over the small mountain overlooking the rolling hills and the distant clouds evidencing a major storm on the horizon, lightning and thunder beckoning amongst the treetops. Juan Carlos donned his culto uniform and joined his cousin and their crew of culto warriors. The caverns were high up in the hillside regions of the mountains.

  “Is this where the item is?” said one of the culto warriors.

  “The legend says its right here,” said the leader holding the picture as he led the small troop of four into the cavern. “We are the guardians of the secret and are seeking our destiny.”

  They approached a small cavern inlet and the leader reached into the rock face under a series of small stones and pulled out a box made of metal with painted red and black symbols of thin coding lines and orbs symbolizing their ancient right, a dagger piercing a crescent object with a flash of lines emanating from the center. There was writing, on the box, that was foreign to them etched in gold. The leader carried the box out of its hiding spot and opened it, retrieving from within it a small green pentagonal shaped emerald that glistened in the sunlight with five orbs etched inside of it. He held the object firmly in his grasp as it fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. It rotated and began to glow brightly unleashing a single beam of golden light swirling and vibrating in a rapid pulsar succession towards the back of the cave and within seconds the entire mountain started to shake, rocks fell from the sky, trembling noises rumbled above, and the mountaintop exploded in a brilliant blast as the gild
ed light permeated the air above them in a sudden flash making the entire crew cover their masked faces at the intense brightness. And what emerged from the rubble and soon fading light was a creature flying through the air, the face and wings of an eagle and body of a lion.

  “It’s the griffin” said the leader. They looked up in awe at it as they exited the cave and saw it fly over them and head towards the town.

  “What incredible power?” Juan Carlos said.

  “Come on” said the leader beckoning to them and they began to run down the mountain after the creature, the storm on the horizon drawing closer to them.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “The storm is getting closer,” yelled Mercedes staring up at the sky in front of the farmhouse.

  “Help me get the animals into the shelter.”

  “Yes Ms. Hernando” said Mercedes running to help herd the sheep, chickens, and cattle into the barn shelter and then placing wooden crates and plywood sheets around it. They head into the house but before closing the door shut, Mercedes sees an unusual sight, a weird looking creature flying overhead with long wings that look like an eagle but it is a four legged beast. “What the heck is that?”

  “Get in, child. The storm is coming. I am trying to reach Juan Carlos on his cell phone but he is not answering,” said Ms. Hernando.

  Mercedes looks out into the distance and sees a carrier truck with four men dressed in ninja garb shimmering in the daylight. She recognizes Juan Carlos who had taken off his mask.

  “Oh my God,” she ran out of the house.

  “Where are you going?” Screamed Ms. Hernando.

  Mercedes ran to the carrier truck rapidly approaching over the hillside as the storm commenced and winds blew rapidly over the fields. She fought her way passed the turbulent winds to the truck that stopped as she approached it. The carrier stopped near her.

  “Mercedes, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be here.” Juan Carlos said.

  “What am I doing? Why are you with these men? Why are you dressed like that? They’re cold blooded killers.” Mercedes screamed sarcastically and angrily against the strong winds.

  “We don’t have time for this Juan Carlos. Finish her now like you promised,” said Julio, the leader.

  “What?” Mercedes backed away. “Why did he say that? You want to kill me?” She began to cry.

  “It’s complicated.” Juan Carlos uttered looking at her teary face and cried himself.

  “Do it, cousin if you really want to be part of el culto?” Screamed Julio as he exited the vehicle with the others except for Juan Carlos as the others ran towards the far end of the town where the creature had landed and begun to wander. “Kill her, Cousin,” yelled Julio in Spanish as he ran off with the others armed and ready.

  “You want to hurt me.” Mercedes looked at Juan Carlos in the eyes and with tears in her own eyes she began to back away. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”

  “No” he grabbed her “I don’t want to hurt you. I was told to but I couldn’t because I am in love with you too and I want to be with you. I don’t care if it costs me my membership in the culto. I don’t need it.”

  “They killed innocent people. Were you a part of that?” Mercedes cried.

  “I was brainwashed by their ways. I know it was wrong. I just want you.” Juan Carlos uttered.

  “Oh Juan Carlos” she softened and embraced with him. The storm grew more fierce and louder.

  “We got to go” she said.

  “Get in” he said and she jumped into the carrier as he hopped into the driver’s seat and chauffeured it to the house.

  They saw the creature grazing in the distance and the crew of warriors running towards it with weapons. The creature became defensive and started to rear up on its hind legs and back down as it was beginning to retaliate forcefully knocking them back one by one as they came and tried to attack it with their spears and swords.

  Mercedes and Juan Carlos watched as the creature maneuvered around them as the storm and winds blew fiercely and the rain started to come down in a torrential downpour.

  “We should help.” Juan Carlos said.

  “How can we do that?” Mercedes yelled.

  They sat in the car pulling up by the house as the creature pounced on Julio with its front claws and squashed him like a grape, splattering his insides all over the field and the others began to run but the creature flew up and swooped down in an instant grabbing one with its beak and piercing the warrior’s heart. The third stood in paralyzing fear as the creature reached with its beak and grabbed the spear from his hand then lunged forward and stabbed the warrior knocking him to the ground. The creature roared up loudly with a screeching howl in the rain as it stood over all three victims. Juan Carlos and Mercedes stood in shock as the creature laid its eyes on them and began to run towards them seeing Juan Carlos’ ninja garb glistening even in the glooming darkness.

  “I think it recognizes you as one of them, Juan Carlos. Take off the suit” Mercedes screamed.

  “I don’t have any clothes under it” he whispered.

  “Run in the house,” screamed Mercedes. They ran to the door and banged on it loudly. “Ms. Hernando, let us in please” screamed Mercedes again and again as Juan Carlos yelled.

  “Ma, open the door.” They looked back and saw the creature approaching and ran around the house. Juan Carlos knelt on the ground as he and Mercedes ducked down below the back of the house near the shelter. “Will you marry me?”

  “What? This isn’t the time or the place.” Mercedes yelled as the rain poured down on them.

  “It won’t be any better … I realize I want to spend my life with you. I think that is why we were meant to meet and why you were meant to come here.” He spoke sincerely.

  “I …” she turned as the winds howled blowing at them and the rain poured onto them, his wet face before her and drenched clothes as wet as hers, their hearts racing, and eyes twinkling for one another as the griffin roared in the backdrop coming around. “The answer is yes. But let’s get out of here!!!” She screamed as he smiled and kissed her on the lips.

  “Come on, we are gonna have to act like a true team to survive this.” He got up and grabbed her hand helping her up and they ran around the other side of the house as they saw the griffin approaching them. They ran hand in hand in the pouring rain and strong winds to the open field where they saw Juan Carlos’ fallen former comrades. They saw something glistening on the floor near one of them and they were shocked to see a box that fell open during the struggle. There was a small green pentagonal emerald lying on the floor. Juan Carlos picked it up. “What do you suppose…?”

  “That is beautiful” said Mercedes. Then as they admired the object and the five orbs etched into it, they both turned to see the griffin charging towards them. The griffin approached and they ran in separate directions trying to confuse it.

  “Here, you want this?” Said Juan Carlos as the creature ran towards him first stopping before him roaring loudly. “You got to get to me first.” Juan Carlos shouted as he moved back and forth turning his hands and the object rotating it unknowingly. Within seconds a beam of golden light swirled and pulsated out of the object and into the air before them. “Whoa” yelled Juan Carlos as he tossed the object forward as far as he could and Mercedes ran and caught it with both hands. The creature turned to it as the light suddenly exploded between them and a portal vortex presented itself. The rain began to subside and the winds calmed down but the roaring portal intensified in brightness of every color of the rainbow reflected from a hot white halo of light. The creature turned to Mercedes and ran to her. She turned and ran away yelling as she got an idea.

  “Juan Carlos, I’ll distract this creature while you use those weapons to get it into the light.” He nodded in response without saying a word. He saw the griffin run and about to catch and snap with its beak towards Mercedes. He ran over to the beast and reach
ed out and yanked its tail causing it to pull back and roar loudly turning with a sudden chagrin.

  “Come on big fella,” he yelled as the beast turned to him with an arrogant glare of annoyance and charged to him.

  Mercedes called out to the beast “Hey, come here. Look what I got” she yelled waving around the object and the creature turned in confusion. The creature snarled at Juan Carlos but turned to chase after the object. It charged towards Mercedes again as she waved her arm out with a determined glance. Juan Carlos ran to the creature. “Uh oh” Mercedes felt the object slip out of her hands and as she fumbled to get a grip on it she twisted it and another beam of light emitted from the object and struck the griffin causing it to grow in size to thirty miles in height. Both she and Juan Carlos stood in shock at this immense creature before them. “What the …?” They uttered simultaneously as the creature maneuvered around one heavy footstep at a time. Mercedes strained her neck looking up.

  “What do we do?” Juan Carlos said.

  “Come to me” said Mercedes moving back as the creature marched toward her closer and closer to the portal of light and as it was inches away from it, it changed into a ball of light and was sucked into the portal of light that faded seconds later.

  “That did it” she screamed as Juan Carlos nodded and the two ran to one another and kissed and embraced, the object glowing brightly between them in the setting dusk. That night, time hung back the moon.

  CHAPTER 58

  The next morning, Mercedes awoke to the loud knock on the farmhouse door of the Hernando residence. She got up and walked to the living area and peeped across the room to the front door. She did not realize she was still holding the green pentagonal emerald. She saw that three men in dark suits and sun glasses were talking to Juan Carlos and his mother. She kept her distance and tried to overhear their conversation but did not hear anything and one man removed a weapon from his breast pocket, pointed at Juan Carlos and his mother and fired a beam of concentrated red energy into them vaporizing them on the spot. Mercedes heard their screams and gasped. The three men looked up and saw her and pointed at her. She jumped down the few feet to the ground floor and instantly ran out the back door. She hopped in the carrier and drove off. She drove and drove wiping back the tears after seeing her new fiancée murdered before her. “Damn you!” She snarled out to herself as she drove past the city limits and closer and closer to the U.S.-Mexican border. She didn’t realize the three men were not following her and no one was following her. She looked beside her and saw the emerald object and the trouble it caused but also the adventure it brought them and success in defeating a very powerful beast. She drove forward and passed the border riding into the desert of the United States of America.