by Lucia Ashta
Paolo had spent very little time in Rome over the last fifteen years. It was nice to speak Italian again, to walk the same streets he’d walked as a child and see that not much had changed. Storefronts were similar even though some businesses had turned over. Families lived in the same homes they had for generations. Parents and children had grown older and new babies had been born. The passing of time had been accepted with complacency in this neighborhood.
Paolo arrived at his childhood home on Via della Luce. The house, standing proud of its three stories, was painted a soft white just as it always had been. It was in its middle age and showed signs of wear just like the other houses around it. Bright purple and fuchsia flowers adorned the balconies and windowsills. Paolo had forgotten how much his mother loved her flowers.
He rang the doorbell and listened to a sound of his childhood echo through the house. It was early morning, Paolo’s father would already be at work, and his mother would be preparing to go to the market.
A response rang out. “Vengo! Un minuto!”
Paolo smiled. How many times had he heard his mother yell out the same thing to people that waited at the door? Paolo’s mother threw open the door and gasped. Paolo watched her shocked expression transform into a joyous one.
“Paolo! Che sorpresa! Cosa ci fai qua?” She pulled him into a hug. “You should have told me you were coming. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“What do you mean?” Paolo asked from the folds of her arms. She was squeezing him so tightly that he could barely breathe. “I received your message.”
“What message?”
“You called the inn where I’m staying in Sedona and told them to give me an urgent message.” Paolo paused. “Did you not?”
His mother’s brow furrowed in consternation. “No I didn’t. I thought you were in Cuzco.”
“So, Carla is okay?”
“Yes, of course she’s okay. She’s upstairs right now, visiting with little Giuseppe. We were going to have an espresso before I headed out to do the shopping.”
“So who called for me then?”
“Come in, Paolo. We’ll talk upstairs. What a beautiful surprise. I was just telling your father last night that it’d been too long since you visited us.” Her voice trailed behind her as she climbed the stairs. Paolo was relieved to see that she still climbed the stairs with ease. She’d just turned sixty.
“Mamma, who called for me?”
“Ti l’ho gia detto che non lo so. What are you talking about, Paolo?”
“I received a phone message that Carla had been in a car accident. To come right away. That she was dying.” This stopped his mother in her tracks, with each foot on a different riser and turned to look at him.
“That’s not funny, Paolo.”
“I don’t think it’s funny either, mamma.” Paolo started to realize what it did mean. It meant that he was away from Lena at a time when she was very vulnerable, when she was only beginning to see a glimpse of her powers without knowing how to use them. He remembered how strong the unease had been when he’d left her.
“Dio mio!” he whispered. How did anyone know where he was? He hadn’t even told his family he was going to Sedona. How could anyone know he was staying at the Javelina Inn when he’d told no one? And why would someone lie and tell him that his sister was near death when she was healthy and well upstairs with her son?
In Paolo’s panic at learning of Carla’s accident, compounded by the traumatic memories of Angela’s death, he hadn’t stopped to think the situation through. He should have called his mother. Instead, he flew to Rome as soon as possible. He’d been too late to say goodbye to one sister, the one that mattered the most to him; he didn’t want to take a chance on that happening again.
Paolo pawed at his pockets searching for his cell phone. When he found it, he called Lena three times in a row. There was no answer. He left a voicemail asking her to call back immediately. He ensured that his ringer was turned all the way up as he followed his mother up the remaining stairs. Carla was sitting at the kitchen table with Giuseppe and looked up, startled to see Paolo. Giuseppe reacted first, running to Paolo. Giuseppe had been just a baby when Paolo last saw him; uncle and nephew held each other in a happy hug.
Paolo’s younger brother, Antonio, was unmarried and still lived with his parents. Antonio heard his sister’s raucous voice as she greeted Paolo and came to the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. When Paolo was able to extricate himself from his family’s embraces, he told them, “I think I may need to leave right away.”
“But you’ve only just arrived! Don’t be ridiculous,” Carla said. “Why would you leave?”
“Because I think the woman I love may be in danger. Unless I reach her on the phone, I’ll need to leave as soon as possible.” Paolo’s mother, sister, and brother looked hurt and disappointed. Paolo added, “I’ve missed you all. If I have to leave, I’ll come back very soon to spend time with you. Perhaps I’ll even bring her so you can meet her.”
“Who is this woman?” Carla asked.
“You’re in love?” Antonio asked, almost at the same time.
The mother and her two children exchanged looks. Paolo had never been in love before, and it had been a very long time since he’d even mentioned a woman.
“Yes, I’m in love. Her name’s Lena.” He hadn’t prepared to tell them any of this, but he was concerned and didn’t understand what was going on. His usual discretion eluded him.
“Paolo, you’ve never been in love before. This is a big deal,” Carla said.
“It is a big deal. This isn’t just any woman. This is the woman I’ve been looking for my whole life. And now I’ve found her.”
Paolo’s family looked back at him, stunned to hear him talk this way. Paolo’s mother was the first to break the shocked silence.
“I’m so happy for you, my dear son.” She rose from her place at the table to embrace him. Paolo found momentary comfort in her support. He pushed aside the concerns that were galloping through his mind and chose to be present. He was in love. It was hard to believe, even for him, that it had finally happened. He’d prayed for it for so long, and now it had arrived. He grinned into his mother’s shoulder, just as he had as a boy.
“Will you tell us about her?” She asked.
“I’ll bring her. You can meet her. But first, I need to talk to her. I’m worried.”
“Why are you concerned?”
“Remember, I came at once because of the phone message about Carla being in an accident.”
“Me? But I’m fine. What are you talking about?”
“Yes, thank God you’re okay, Carla. Someone called the inn I’m staying at and left a message saying you’d been in a car accident.” Paolo didn’t mention that he’d also been told that Carla was dying to spare her son any unjustified concerns about his mother’s safety. Carla and Antonio would get the idea.
“So the question now is: who would do this to me and why?”
The mother, Carla, and Antonio thought for a few moments, but all shook their heads no. They couldn’t think of anyone who’d wish Paolo harm. He was kind to others. No one would want to play such a cruel joke on him.
Paolo pulled his cell phone out of his pocket once again and paced the kitchen while the phone rang, trying to connect across an ocean to the woman he loved. But Lena’s phone rang for an empty room. It vibrated on the night table in their room at the Javelina Inn. Paolo left frantic messages for her to call him no matter the time. He didn’t tell her in his voice messages what was wrong because he didn’t want to alarm her. Instead, he told her that his sister was okay.
Had he told her that his sister’s accident was a ruse, Lena might have suspected that the message she received was also untrue. As it was, Lena had run out of the room crying, leaving her phone behind. She’d headed toward the mountains, those red mountains that conveyed the sense of eternity. The mountains would be there long after she was gone from this world. She ran to them for safet
y and solace.
Chapter 36
More and more, Kaanra offered the twins guidance and instruction only when asked. It was apparent that the twins’ guides were leading them in the way that was most appropriate for their growth, and he left the teaching to them. So it was on a day shortly after Asara and Anak had turned seventeen that Asara heard the insistent prompting of her guides to engage in another lesson. By this time in her life, four years after she’d first met Anak and had been introduced to the idea of their destiny, she’d grown accustomed to the way in which her teachings came.
She was told to go to the water, so Asara stood from where she sat on her bed. Not knowing what her guides would ask of her, but knowing that they’d directed her to the water, she shed those unnecessary outer garments that fended off the slight chill emanating from the stone walls. She walked through the temple’s open courtyard, exited through the main gate, and reached the river within minutes.
There, her guides asked her to enter the water. She pulled off her purple tunic, folded it neatly, and placed it under a giant, ancient tree. Then she walked straight into the river. Asara stood, allowing her body to acclimate to the water’s slightly cooler temperature. Stimulating and refreshing, it awakened all the senses in her feet and toes.
She dipped beneath the water’s surface, already one with it. She lay on the very same rock where she’d first lain years before for her early lesson with the water. Instinctively, she’d returned to the same spot. Asara immersed herself; she allowed the water to flow over her with its usual ease. Her hair floated behind her, making her look like a mermaid. Only a lone bird was there to witness her transformation, but the bird saw who she was.
Asara moved with the river. The water within her body connected to the water around her in precise union. She’d practiced this release many times since the first time. She was comfortable being one with the water and drawing in that breath of water as if it were air. Her body no longer recognized a difference between the water and the air as it replenished itself.
This was a time of nurturing for her spirit. She remained in quiet peace, her eyes closed, feeling her chest rise and fall with the water she pulled into her lungs. She listened to the sounds of the river as its gentle current glided past her.
As soon as her awareness shifted to readiness, the dolphin, Vilu, came for her again. He nudged her, and Asara smiled as she realized her companion had joined her. Vilu nudged her again, and she followed him. Asara would always follow Vilu. Ah-né Asara. Ah-né Vilu. I am Asara. I am Vilu. Vilu was as much a part of Asara as she was a cosmic part of him. They were the same spirit at the core of existence.
Asara swam next to Vilu, but before long, it was difficult for her to keep up with him. He offered his fin to her, and she grabbed it and held on tightly. She leaned her chest into him, and they glided together. The moment held great beauty for Asara. The purity of Vilu’s heart, the power of the cool water everywhere around and within her, and the grand design of the moment renewed her.
Vilu led her once more out of the river and into the sweet water sea to the same underwater pyramid that he’d taken her to before. Again, the beauty of the brilliantly sparkling jewels that adorned the sand at the pyramid’s base struck Asara, and her hand unconsciously went to the ruby she wore at her chest. She rarely took it off since receiving it in this very spot. The pyramid was well built. It was small, just the right size to fit harmoniously under the waters and not impede sea life.
Now at their final destination, Vilu raced around the pyramid several times before leaving Asara there. She was to continue alone. Asara watched Vilu swim away and sent waves of her love to him. As soon as he was out of her range of sight, Asara felt a large concentration of energy building beneath her feet. She wondered about it, but before she had time to imagine what was happening, she found herself hurtling through the waters, straight up. Her body broke the surface of the water, and she flew through the sky without any effort or even conscious intention on her part. Before her whirling mind registered that she was flying, she was deposited at the base of another pyramid above ground.
Asara stood cautiously for several moments. Her head spun from the suddenness and momentum of flight. She worked to get her bearings. She brought her attention to the feeling of her feet planted on the ground. Finally, she was steady enough to move forward and did so in a haze of astonishment. She moved closer to the pyramid and leaned into it, finding stillness again. Then she circled the pyramid, skimming her hand along the outer walls, before entering it.
Asara stood still for several heartbeats, giving her eyes the opportunity to adjust to the interior darkness of the pyramid. The tunnel-like entryway ensured that no light filtered into the main chamber. She knew she was there to learn some type of lesson. She didn’t know what it was yet; she waited for guidance with a mixture of nervous apprehension and excitement. She walked to the center of the pyramid and sat with her legs crossed, hands on her heart center. It was at the point in between the swell of her breasts that she felt the source of her love concentrate, and it was there that she brought her focus.
She stilled the thoughts of her mind and waited. Soon enough, she heard the guidance. She was to release energy into the pyramid by herself, without Anak. This would be new for her. She’d only emitted light once through a pyramid when Anak wasn’t present. That was at the underwater pyramid, which had felt like a very different sort of energetic experience. Also, when underwater, Asara hadn’t entered the pyramid, but had held it on the outside and the light transference had happened from there. Aided by the conductivity of the water, the light emission had seemed amplified. She’d felt herself an instrument as much as the pyramid was in that moment.
She sat on the sandy floor of the pyramid, focused on the beating of her heart, and waited for further direction. As soon as she understood what she was to do, she acted. There was no need to think. She focused her consciousness inward with strong intent. She focused on all the love that surged within her. She focused on the peace and acceptance that occupied her heart. She felt the knowing of Creator’s universal love and beauty. She acknowledged the protection that she received constantly from her spirit guides. She felt her fellow angels with her and accepted the gentle support of the other enlightened beings that were there with her too. She connected to Creator’s eternal love and knew she was ready to direct that love and energy outward.
She willed the light to project from her body. She directed light from the center of her heart out through the surface of her skin. She allowed it to radiate out of her being in waves, in great surges. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense that there were visible waves of light energy emanating from her and spreading throughout the pyramid.
Compelled to see how it looked, Asara opened her eyes. She gasped at the beauty of it. A dance of sparkling light swirled about her. Waves of energy left her body and flowed to the walls of the pyramid’s base. The energy, which appeared as a golden light, bounced off the walls as it spiraled upward, increasing in intensity with each turn. By the time the golden light reached the pinnacle of the pyramid, it had grown even brighter. Then, in an upsurge, it exited through the top of the pyramid where the capstone had moved out of place. From there, it shot straight up into the sky.
Asara hadn’t realized that she was capable of directing this incredible power without Anak’s combined strength. Had he done this without her also? The twins allowed each other to learn independently as it became appropriate for each of them. Though their lives were inextricably interwoven, they took caution to honor their individuality. They understood the need to respect their unique rhythms to foster the harmony that existed between them. And so the twins allowed lessons to unfold in divine timing and were sensitive not to discuss them until they felt certain that each had been able to gain the intended wisdom from the lesson.
Asara was calm. She felt no immediate need for reflection in search of a deeper understanding. She’d been shown another miraculous unfolding of her l
ife that would greatly help others. She was grateful. She uncrossed her legs and sprung up from her seated position. She thanked Creator and walked through the tunnel that led out of the pyramid.
Chapter 37
Paolo was confused. Was there reason for him to panic? He was worried that Lena was in danger. The message he’d received at the Javelina Inn made no sense at all. The only thing that was clear was that someone wanted to bring him to Rome. Was it to separate him from Lena? Now that Paolo had found her, he’d do anything to keep her safe.
“There’s still no answer,” he fretted, phone to his ear. The family looked up at him from the kitchen table. “If Lena doesn’t call me back, I’m going to leave on the first flight I can get. Something feels wrong even though I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t stay. You understand that, si?”
Yes, they understood. Paolo’s mother and Antonio nodded, Giuseppe smiled, but Carla had an intense look on her face. Carla spoke in a voice that Paolo hadn’t heard before. “Paolo, don’t wait to see if she picks up. Go. Now! Something’s wrong. The message was too cruel in light of what happened with Angela. I can think of no one who would do that to you. Something isn’t right.”
Paolo nodded. He did have to go.
“Go now. Just promise to come back and see us very soon. And bring Lena with you. Come on, I’ll take you to the airport. If luck’s on your side, you might be able to catch a late morning flight to the United States.”
Paolo nodded again, unable to believe the strangeness of the last twenty-four hours.
Carla gave Giuseppe a kiss and rose to her feet. Giuseppe could stay with his grandmother. “Let’s go right now, Paolo. I feel what you’re feeling.”
Paolo said his rushed goodbyes and got in Carla’s car. She pulled away from the curb before Paolo had fully closed his door and started weaving through Roman traffic. Cars and Vespas came at them from all directions but, accustomed to the chaos, neither Paolo nor Carla flinched. They headed toward the airport.