by A. A. Volts
“I found him!” I said after reading the article yet again.
“Let me see,” said Jonas, hunching over to look at my monitor.
“This is a Wikipedia article about him,” I said, pointing at the screen.
“What, no picture?” said Jonas, disappointed.
“I’ll see if I can find one,” said Carla as she typed on the computer.
“Here’s something,” said Carla after a while.
I quickly slid the office chair over to Carla’s side. I must have pushed the chair too hard with my feet because I ended up closer to Carla than I’d intended, causing a second of awkwardness between us.
“Wow, he looks like the devil,” said Jonas when he saw one the drawings of Phasma. It was a drawing of a small, devilish creature.
“That drawing doesn’t do Phasma any justice at all. He’s way more horrifying than that,” I said.
“That one!” I said, pointing frantically to the screen. It was a black-and-white drawing of Phasma flying in a cloudy night sky before a huge full moon. That silhouette gave me chills. I remembered him flying above me just like that, half hidden in the fog. It was a perfect match.
“He doesn’t look so bad on that one,” Jonas offered.
“Wait until you meet him,” I said.
“Meet him? What you mean?” asked Jonas, looking extremely worried. “I have no plans on meeting him, thank you very much.”
“You never know, if it happened to me, it can happen to you,” I said.
“I wouldn’t mind if it happened to me,” said Carla. “It may be kind of fun, being able to fly around and stuff.”
“Not me, I don’t need any devilish creature chasing me—besides you, that is,” said Jonas, teasing Carla.
With five million results, I had my research work cut out for me; it would be a long day at the library.
“Good luck with that,” said Jonas as he looked over my screen.
Carla was intrigued enough that she was doing her own independent research.
Jonas was the only one not doing anything useful—he spent his time hopping between social networks, music, and video sites.
We had learned a lot after a couple of hours.
“We should break for lunch soon. That way we can discuss what we have learned,” said Carla, looking a bit tired.
“Sounds good. I’m so hungry,” said Jonas, sliding his chair back.
“Is Felicia’s all right with everyone?” I asked. I had chosen Felicia’s mainly because it was just a half-block away from the library. I wanted us to get there fast and get back even faster.
“That’s fine, they supposedly have the best homemade meatballs in town.”
“I think I’ll have a nice toasted sub,” said Carla.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said, getting up and folding my notes before I placed them in my back pocket.
***
Getting to Felicia’s restaurant didn’t take more than five minutes. We walked at a brisk pace, not just because we were in a hurry, but also because we were cold.
The waitress greeted us and guided us to the booth overlooking Main Street. The restaurant was very quiet on that particular Saturday. As soon as I’d walked in, I felt like I was an extra on the set of the Sopranos. They had old-school décor, complete with wall murals and pictures of celebrities who had eaten there.
“I’ve never been here before,” said Carla, looking around the restaurant.
“Neither have I,” added Jonas, also looking around.
“Look! Is that Senator Kennedy?” said Jonas, pointing toward a signed photo of Kennedy on the wall just as the waitress showed up to take our orders and drop off a basket of breadsticks.
“These are really good,” said Jonas, eating one.
“There’s nothing better than warm bread on a cold day like today,” I said, looking out the window. Not many people seemed willing to venture out in the cold, and the few who did were bundled up in oversized winter outfits seemingly regretting their decision to go out.
“How can you live without eating meat?” asked Jonas, as though being a vegetarian was a crime against the most basic human instinct.
“Let’s not start this discussion again. You guys start talking about food and you always end up talking about philosophy and religion,” said Carla.
“Do you guys want to come over my house tonight? My dad went to Phil’s house and should be back late tonight,” I asked.
“Sure, we can rent a movie,” said Jonas, looking impatient.
“What’s wrong?” asked Carla.
“I’m hungry, that’s what’s wrong. Where’s our food?” Jonas asked as he played with his napkin and silverware.
“I’m sure it’s coming soon, besides, it’s only been like ten minutes,” said Carla as she fixed her hair.
Margaret brought us our sodas and more breadsticks, which Jonas readily attacked.
“So, what movie do you guys feel like watching?” I asked, trying to change the subject back.
“Something scary,” said Jonas.
“I think I’ve had enough scares to last me a lifetime,” I replied.
“What about a comedy then?” asked Carla.
“I don’t really care what we watch as long as it’s new and fresh,” I answered.
“And not scary,” added Jonas, laughing perhaps a bit louder than necessary.
Margaret came by and dropped off our meals.
“This is really good,” Jonas said, taking a bite of his sub. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Good is relative,” I replied, hoping I could avoid that conversation. After all, I had more important things to worry about, including Phasma.
“So does that mean that bad is relative as well?” asked Jonas.
“Depends on your definition of good and bad, but as a general rule I believe good and bad are relative,” I replied, even though I knew better. “In fact, I find it very hard to believe that anything in the world is absolute.”
“So what about God?” asked Carla.
“God is an absolutely confusing matter to me,” replied Jonas jokingly as he wiped tomato sauce off his mouth.
“I think even God is relative… relative to the perceiver’s point of view at least,” I replied after some thought. Then I added, “Only an absolute being could perceive and understand God as an absolute being.”
“Now I’m really confused,” said Jonas, which wasn’t very surprising because I was starting to get confused myself.
“That’s what you two get for trying to play philosopher,” said Carla, laughing.
“Funny,” said Jonas.
“So where does this Guardian of Threshold live? Do you guys know?” asked Jonas.
“According to what I read, he lives in another dimension. The astral realm,” said Carla.
“So that’s where I went in spirit,” I said.
“If I understood it correctly, you were in between dimensions, in the threshold if you will,” said Carla.
“Wouldn’t my mother be there as well?” I asked, unable to disguise my disappointment.
“I don’t know. Threshold is a place that exists between our realm and the astral realm. I can’t say for sure if your mother would be there or not,” Carla said.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I said.
“You’re actually going to confront that Phasma dude?” Jonas asked, looking worried.
“I have to. Apparently, he’s the only thing standing between me and my mother, so yes, I’ll do whatever I need to do,” I said, probably sounding more convincing than I felt.
“Let me see if I got this right… this astral place is where we go to when we die? And you’re planning to go back there?” asked Jonas.
“Yes, according to several articles on the subject, the astral realm is what we would refer to as heaven and hell,” said Carla, enlightening both Jonas and I.
“So does that mean Threshold is hell?” Jonas asked.
“I don’t think so, I think it’s
just a realm between the two extremes,” replied Carla.
“Either way, I don’t want to go there any sooner than I have to,” said Jonas warily.
“When we sleep, our astral body, or spirit if you prefer to call it that, separates from our physical body so we can move freely between our physical realm, Threshold, and the astral realm,” I explained. “It’s supposed to be completely safe to visit, at least that’s what the book says.”
“It certainly doesn’t sound very safe from your description of this Phasma,” said Jonas.
“I have to agree with Jonas on this one,” said Carla.
“What else did you find out about the astral world?” I asked.
“The astral realm is where all the different thought forms exist. Threshold is supposed to be the entrance into the astral realm. It’s a place where the physical ceases to exist and the spiritual flourishes. Apparently, it is where we came from and where we’ll all ultimately go to when we die, or so it’s believed by various religions and philosophical doctrines throughout history.”
“Sorry but I have to ask, is the Guardian of Threshold the devil?” Jonas asked.
“The Guardian of Threshold is perceived by each one of us differently. He’s often seen as a diabolical figure because he’s supposed to be the sum of our collective fears, hate, and negative emotions. However, he also serves a purpose, like everything else in the astral,” explained Carla, demonstrating her photographic memory.
“Yep, I most definitely don’t want to meet him,” said Jonas.
“Mark, why do you hold on to the past? Why not move on and let things just be the way they are?” Carla asked.
Carla might not have known it, but there wasn’t anything she could do or say to change my mind. I was dead set on accomplishing the unthinkable. I was going to see my mother again, whatever the cost or consequences.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel that this is something that I’m meant to do, almost like it’s my dest—” I paused, reconsidering my word choice.
“Destiny,” completed Carla.
“Yes, that’s the only word I can think of,” I said, even though I detested that word. I’d stopped believing in destiny after my mother’s accident.
“Guys, we should get back to the library. We still have lots of research to do,” I said, getting up to pay the bill because I didn’t feel like waiting for Margaret to bring the check and return with the change.
On the way back to the library, Carla kept rubbing her arm and shoulder on mine as we walked side-by-side, sending jolts of electricity coursing through my body. They weren’t much different from the ones I experienced during my astral projection.
***
As we walked back to the library, big snow clumps started to fall heavily from the sky, quickly turning the sidewalk snow into slippery mush.
It was unbelievable that the weather could have changed so much in the past half-hour.
Jonas and Carla were still trying to decide what movie to watch that night while I walked quietly beside Carla. Not even her arm rubbing against mine could divert my attention from something she’d said during lunch: “Threshold is where we came from and where we’ll all ultimately go to when we die, or so it’s believed by various religions and philosophical doctrines throughout history.”
I’d given up on religion a long time ago, but it brought me comfort knowing that various religions believed that we all go the astral realm when we die.
I was brought back to reality when Jonas ran in front of me and stomped on a puddle of slush, sending it flying all over, including onto the bottom of my jeans, which got all smudged.
As we approached the library, I couldn’t help but feel that I’d opened a door that couldn’t be closed. Not that I wanted it to close.
Jonas and I raced to the computer room. We both wanted the library’s newest addition—a top-of-the-line Intel Quad-Core processing workhorse—but it didn’t matter because in the end, all that processing power would go to waste. All we would be doing was browsing the web, checking our emails, and visiting the occasional music and social networking site. These days, a toaster could handle that job just as well.
“God, thanks for making me a girl,” Carla said when she caught up to us.
Again Carla sat at the computer facing Jonas and me, while Jonas settled for the computer next to mine.
I guess our talk during lunch had spiked Jonas’s curiosity because when I peeked at his computer screen, he seemed to be actually reading articles about astral travel, more specifically about astral sex, which apparently was so far-fetched that the library’s Internet blocking software failed to flag it as inappropriate.
“Look who’s doing actual research for a change,” I said sarcastically.
“I don’t know, man, this stuff is really out there. I mean, have you heard us talk lately? Other realms, astral realm, guardian…” said Jonas, frowning.
“You forgot to mention ghosts, spirits, and devilish creatures,” added Carla.
“Trust me, I know how it sounds, but like it or not, things are happening,” I said.
“I want to trust you, mate, but it’s hard,” said Jonas.
“Why don’t you try to astral travel too? In fact, why don’t you both try?” I said.
“No way!” said Jonas, looking shocked.
Almost at the same time, Carla replied, “Sure, I’ll try almost anything once.”
“What? Are you serious? Are you actually going to try this?” asked Jonas. “What if that… thing chases you too?”
“Then I’m sure that I’ll figure out a way to get rid of him,” replied Carla.
“Jonas is right, it may be dangerous,” I said trying to discourage Carla. The last thing I wanted was to put Carla in any kind of danger.
“Oh well, you didn’t listen to me. So now I don’t have to listen to you. Besides, I’ve already made my decision,” said Carla. Once she said that, the decision was set in stone. She was determined, much like myself. It was one of the things I loved about her.
Jonas was the complete opposite. I could get him to change his mind as many times as I wanted to. All I had to do was to show him a new point of view, and his opinions would shift quicker than the wind.
“I guess I’ll try it as well. After all, who’s going to protect you guys when you get into trouble?” said Jonas.
“And who says that we’re going to get into trouble?”
“Mark, I’ve known you long enough to know that it’s only a matter of time,” said Jonas, laughing.
“I second that. As a matter of fact, you already did,” said Carla.
“Well, it’s settled then, we’ll try to astral travel tonight,” I said. “After all, we stand a much better chance of defeating the Guardian of Threshold together.”
From that point on, Jonas seemed to take our research more seriously. He even kept his jokes to a minimum, which rarely happened.
***
The weather outside continued to get worse. It got dark much sooner than normal due to the low and overcharged clouds surrounding Stoneham.
Around 3:10 p.m., I started to get tired. There was something about watching the snowflakes drifting to the ground that seemed to relax me.
I was sitting back on my chair with my feet up on the windowsill, watching the sky get darker by the minute as the winter night loomed. Although it was dark, none of us felt like getting up to flip the light switch on.
I just sat there relaxed, alternating between reading the astral projection book and watching the snow outside. Suddenly, I felt as if the back of the chair gave away, and I fell. My first thought was that Jonas had pulled my chair back, but then I realized that I hadn’t fallen. I was once again floating freely. Everything was covered by a faint, dark green tinge. To my right, I saw Jonas focused on his computer screen, while Carla had immersed herself in a book. They were both so busy that they didn’t seem to notice me.
That’s when it occurred to me that I must have fallen asleep an
d astral projected. To make sure, I decided to take a look at my own body. My body was still there, peacefully dozing with the astral projection book resting on top of my chest.
When my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the big window, I jumped back in shock. Standing outside the window was Phasma. He wore a dark hood that completely covered his face, as though he was trying to protect himself from the little daylight still left.
As soon as he saw me, he charged through the glass, pushing me straight into the wall just like before. It hurt when I first hit the wall, but soon the pain gave way to fear.
I screamed for help, but my friends didn’t pay any attention. Apparently, they couldn’t hear me. I was all alone.
“What do you want from me?” I screamed as he stood there.
“Your dreams, your desires, your hopes and wishes,” he replied.
“Leave me alone!” I screamed and then turned around and ran toward the library hall, zigzagging through the bookshelves in a futile attempt to delay him.
I ran past people and noticed that many seemed to have a certain energy emanating from them. They all had auras of different colors; some were dark green, others dark blue, while others were dark purple or different shades of grey. Regardless of their auras, they all had shadowy creatures following them wherever they went. Yet they didn’t seem to notice. It was almost as if they were one.
After reaching a dead end, I stopped to catch my breath. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance. As soon as I looked behind me, I saw Phasma flying straight through the library’s bookshelves. He stopped just a few yards away from me. Then he slowly walked toward me, passing through anyone who stood in the way.
I was still debating if I should continue to run or face him when I heard a female voice say, “STOP!”
I couldn’t quite make out where it was coming from, but it seemed it was coming from all around.
Suddenly, Mrs. Barnes materialized in front of me. Her skin shone a soft, light-blue color and her hair floated in midair as if she was underwater. A powerful yet comforting energy emanated from her, an energy that seemed to stop Phasma dead in his tracks.
“Get back, Phasma,” said Mrs. Barnes.
He didn’t obey, but he didn’t charge either. He stayed still as if considering his options.