The Zul Enigma

by J M Leitch

  ‘… you mean I’ve reached…?’

  ‘… because you have not yet achieved the fourth density vibration required for you to evolve with your planet.’

  Carlos’s brief expectation was dashed, and seeing as his belief in Zul had started to waver, he was shocked by how disappointed he felt.

  ‘Do not be disheartened Carlos. You have progressed greatly towards understanding the route you are required to take if you wish to continue the pursuit of love and unity, the key to the evolutionary process. Rejoice in your current level of vibration. It allows you to empathise with other humans at the same stage and will help you pass on your message in a way they can understand. And do not forget; each time you say or do anything from a position of genuine selflessness, not only will your vibration level increase but your karmic reward will be to experience genuine pleasure.’

  Carlos recalled his conversation with Corrinne that morning when he’d apologised to her. It had made him feel good and he wondered if perhaps there was something in what Zul said.

  ‘Remember,’ Zul continued, ‘it is easy for you humans to behave in a selfless manner when your basic needs, and more, are being effortlessly met. It is when challenged – that is the most difficult time to put others before self.’

  ‘What about the dead? How do they fit in to all this?’

  ‘You are thinking about Elena?’ and Carlos nodded. ‘When a human dies, only the physical body decays, the energy, the consciousness, the spirit is never lost. It is channelled back into the density in which the entity was focused, in Elena’s case the third density. You will never again encounter Elena as you knew her before. But you may come across aspects of her essence and when this happens you will recognise it.’

  It was the first time since Drew told Carlos about the affair that he’d pictured Elena without the thought of Drew barging in.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ he said.

  Zul smiled, and nodded. ‘We know Carlos. It is impossible for third density entities to grasp this concept.’

  ‘But Elena? I now know I loved her the wrong way. She tried to tell me but I didn’t listen. Learning the way evolution really works? The selflessness? The love? Perhaps now I’m starting to get it.’

  ‘You have done well, Carlos. And indeed true love is unconditional. It is given with no demands or expectations and should be received in the same way.’

  Carlos thought about holding the baby and felt his love for Elena, a rush of warmth, well up inside him. He screwed up his eyes to stop them pricking. It was agony knowing he could never again tell her how much he loved her, especially now he was starting to learn what true love really was.

  ‘Remember, Carlos, painful, difficult experiences can always teach you something positive, if only you let them.’

  ‘Why didn’t I know that before she died? Perhaps I could have made her happy, really happy.’

  ‘Do you know the meaning of the name “Elena”?’

  ‘No… no I don’t.’

  ‘It means “light of the sun”.’

  Carlos’s eyes shone through his tears. ‘She was certainly that for me.’

  ‘Carlos, we believe you have reached a stage where you can go on to guide the other humans on your planet. Your success will depend upon the strength of your free will.’

  ‘And if we do raise our consciousness and the Earth evolves to fourth density, what happens then?’

  ‘Our final task is to explain that it is the responsibility of the Galactic Federation to watch over the evolutionary process from third to fourth density. Our mandate is two-fold. Firstly, once the evolutionary leap is certain to take place, we must ensure that conditions for the transition of consciousness evolving from the third density are conducive for a successful harvest to the fourth. Secondly, we must ensure that conditions for the humans fettered to third density existence will lead to an opportunity for their descendents to evolve to the fourth density in due course.

  ‘Their continued existence in the physical realm must not be seen as “punishment”. Indeed no. These humans will simply…’

  ‘So even if we reach the aggregate level of vibration, not everyone will evolve to the next density?’

  ‘It is unlikely all will make the leap.’

  ‘It’s too much.’ Carlos sank his head in his hands. ‘You want me to do too much. And all on my own. I don’t even know where to start.’

  ‘But Carlos, you are not alone. The humans on Earth who are ready to evolve will support you.’

  ‘But how about you? When will we talk again?’

  ‘We cannot say. We have explained how the universe came about, the process of evolution and the impact it will have on your planet Earth. Our job is done.’

  ‘But I have so many questions. How does the evolutionary leap take place? I mean, what’s the science behind it? And if our planet evolves to fourth density like you say, then what happens to the third density people left behind? I’m confused Zul,’ Carlos shook his head from side to side. ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘It is not advantageous for us to attempt to answer these questions and risk coming up against the negative effect of the “gap” in understanding we mentioned earlier. Carlos – there is nothing more the Galactic Federation can tell you.’

  Carlos leaped out of his chair, hands waving in the air. ‘No, don’t do this. Don’t leave me again.’ He paced up and down. ‘When you first appeared I felt good but now I feel like I’m going crazy again.’

  ‘Be calm Carlos. Be calm and trust.’

  ‘And how about my questions? Hey? My scientific questions? How about them? You said you’d answer them.’

  ‘That is true but now you will appreciate the deeper reasoning behind what we said. The gap in understanding between the levels of consciousness pertaining to our different densities is so vast that it inhibits the accurate communication of scientific information of which you do not already have an understanding. We can pass down concepts, but to explain the mechanics operating behind them is not possible.’

  Carlos stared at Zul and collapsed back onto the chair. ‘They’re taking me to Vienna. I leave,’ he looked at his watch, ‘in less than an hour. Then Monday I go to Hospital Psiquiátrico in Madrid. Do you realise that? So tell me… what can I do from there? Once they lock me up they may never let me go. How can I help the planet then, hey?’

  ‘Carlos, you have a vital role to play if you so decide. If you choose to, you can help your fellow humans, your planet Earth and your whole galaxy to successfully evolve to the fourth density.’

  ‘But HOW?’

  ‘Keep your faith strong and believe in yourself. Believe in the truth of evolution. Remember “service to others” is the key for any human aspiring to the fourth density. Now, Carlos, we must say goodbye.’

  ‘No, don’t do this. Don’t leave me like this,’ he pleaded.

  ‘Rest now, Carlos. Rest before your journey. We trust in you. We know you will follow your conscience. Goodbye, Carlos, goodbye.’

  CHAPTER 18

  Waking up after what seemed like an eternity, listening to voices arguing in his head, it took Carlos some seconds to realise where he was. A tension he couldn’t shake made him anxious and he looked at his watch, panicking about how long he’d slept. It was getting on for four o’clock. Nearly time to leave the house for good.

  Rubbing his eyes he walked over to the fridge for a can of something to take away the sour taste in his mouth. He bent down to open the door and felt a ghostly touch of cold air on his cheek that made him shudder. The light threw up eerie shadows, emphasising traces the past week’s trauma had left on his face.

  After days of wrestling his doubts as he’d become increasingly disenchanted with Zul, his astonishing appearance was the last thing Carlos had expected. It jogged him out of the self-absorbed state he’d drifted into since the night at the motel when his previous life had swirled out of control down the toilet, and gave him something other than his own dismal situation to dwell
on.

  Zul’s revelations were incredible. That it was a conflict in the rates of vibration causing instability on Earth was a phenomenal yet, Carlos thought, believable claim. No wonder he’d been so concerned with it himself. He’d sensed something serious was wrong, but this – that the Earth and everything on it was heading for destruction by the end of the year? The magnitude and immediacy of the situation exceeded his worst fears.

  However, there was still so much that didn’t add up. The moment Zul had appeared, Carlos expected all his doubts to be dispelled, but to the contrary he now had more questions than before.

  For a start, what did Zul expect him to do, given his current circumstances? He was being watched over every moment and once in the hospital that would be it: he had no idea how long they’d keep him there.

  Would he ever see Zul again? From what he’d said, it seemed not and Carlos shook his head, angry with himself for not having asked how he could summon Zul if he ever wanted, ever needed to.

  And another thing… why hadn’t Zul appeared sooner? Could Carlos believe what he’d said? Nine and a half months! Was that really enough time for Carlos to save the world?

  But most disturbing of all was that he had no evidence to prove Zul was what he claimed. Perhaps he wasn’t a higher being at all. Perhaps he was just a man, one of a group with a secret agenda or worse, as the American’s claimed, a figment of his own imagination.

  As he tilted his head back to drain the can, he noticed a tiny black speck on the cornice. Of course! It was a safe house and every room would be equipped with surveillance cameras. They would have recorded Zul’s virtual visit. He wished he could steal a look at the CCTV records. Of course there’d be no point in asking. Even if they had evidence of Zul’s appearance, the National Intelligence crew was hardly going to admit it.

  Then it dawned on Carlos, it didn’t matter whether Zul had been captured on CCTV or not, since the NI was sure to have recorded all Carlos’s communications since he’d arrived, including his holovideo calls. Of course they knew about Zul’s visit and they’d have alerted Barbara the moment he appeared.

  He wished he could look into her mind right then. Zul’s appearance by hologram would prove that Carlos had been telling the truth. Dismissing him the way she had – trying to make out he was mad – now it was her turn to look like an idiot. At least that thought gave him some satisfaction.

  He wondered what she’d do. Whether she’d contact Bob immediately or wait, first mounting a full-scale investigation to establish where the contact had come from. He smiled to himself, imagining the furore that must be going on behind the scenes of the safe house right at that very moment. They’d be making phone calls all over the place and contacting experts from every discipline to examine the recording. They’d break it down and pull it apart in every conceivable way, glean every single piece of information, comb through every detail, analyse every aspect, every nuance. But however much she delayed the moment, at some point she’d have to tell Bob that Zul had appeared. Then they’d have to decide whether he was of this world or not.

  As did Carlos, who in spite of some nagging misgivings, kept coming back to the one fact that no one could explain: there was no known technology capable of lodging Zul’s e-mails on the UN network, let alone initiating a holovideo call. It was not humanly possible.

  No matter how hard he dwelt on this thought, in contrast with the elation he’d experienced on Zul’s appearance, he couldn’t ignore the tug of an uneasy sensation in the pit of his stomach jagging at him as if he was a fish on a hook. He was so weary of his mind being a battlefield for contradictory thoughts and conflicting emotions. It was exhausting and he’d had enough. All he wanted was to know the truth – one way or the other – and disperse the thickening mist of uncertainty once and for all.

  Just thinking about Zul’s theory of the universe and the evolution of the One that a few days ago had made so much sense now seemed laughable.

  Carlos Maiz – chosen by aliens to save the world?

  It really was quite absurd.

  Jumping at the ring of the phone Carlos slopped the can of drink down his shirt. It was Mary. Time to leave.

  ***

  Carlos had been sitting in the car for some minutes with the driver at the wheel, the engine running and the heater on when the back door opened. Barbara? The opulent note in the perfume that preceded her as she slid into the back seat next to him was oppressive and caused him to catch his breath.

  ‘What’s up Carlos? Surprised?’ She raised her voice a notch. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting, we can be off now,’ she called to the driver. Then turning back to Carlos. ‘Sure you’ve packed everything?’

  ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked.

  She knew. Carlos felt a thrill of excitement.

  She placed her over-sized animal print handbag on the seat between them and smiled, a little too gaily, Carlos thought.

  ‘I was on my way to Baltimore to visit friends when I suddenly thought,’ she looked down as she buckled her seat belt, ‘why not spend a few days in Vienna to look at the sites? After all, I deserve a break don’t you think? So I did a U-turn and,’ she shrugged, ‘here I am.’

  As she dropped her head to adjust the belt so as not to crease the lapel of her cashmere coat, Carlos slipped her a sideways glance trying to discern any tension in her bearing. But he was disappointed and she settled back into the seat looking as relaxed and confident as ever. She was a good actress. She didn’t betray the slightest hint that she knew Zul had made a virtual appearance in Carlos’s room to inform him that, without his help, the world would cease to exist before the year was out.

  ***

  Three men were already on board the jet when the car drew up. As Carlos entered the cabin, he recognised the doctor who had conducted his psychological assessment the day before, but he’d never seen the other two and assumed they were his new minders.

  He was relieved that Barbara made herself scarce for the first couple of hours into the flight saying she had things to do, although to his irritation but not his surprise, she joined him at his end of the cabin when dinner was about to be served.

  ‘Glass of wine Carlos?’ she asked.

  The flight attendant presented a bottle of white with one hand and a bottle of red with the other. Carlos grunted towards the red.

  The food was of gourmet standard. The American government didn’t stint in looking after its top echelon employees, or its detainees come to that, at least not in Carlos’s case.

  Barbara tried to make small talk, but Carlos was positive she had only joined him for one reason: to pump him for information. For sure she knew Zul had appeared. The very fact she’d changed her plans and was accompanying him to Vienna confirmed it.

  In spite of wanting revenge he promised himself he wouldn’t say anything impulsive, however much he was tempted. The future of the planet must come before everything else and he wasn’t about to jeopardise its chance of survival by making a stupid attempt to try and get his own back. He would tread the path most beneficial to his cause.

  Up until Barbara joined him Carlos had spent the entire flight putting himself in her place and thinking through every scenario she might come up with to explain Zul’s appearance, so he could decide on the best strategy to take when she questioned him. As he saw it, he had three choices. He could pretend nothing had happened, tell the truth, or play up being crazy.

  After much reflection and contrary to his initial gut reaction Carlos decided Barbara might still believe he was playing Zul. She might think he’d videoed himself acting out Zul’s part of the virtual conversation, initiated his own holovideo call and streamed the video recording of Zul through to try and fool them into thinking it was a real time virtual meeting. While she waited for her people to confirm how he’d rigged the technical side she may still believe he was mad, in which case it didn’t matter much what he said.

  Or she may think the Zul part had been played by someone else, in which cas
e she would have to establish how the holovideo call had been initiated. She might even wonder if one of her own people could be in on it. She may believe Carlos was also involved, since if he wasn’t she would have the added problem of proving how the e-mails had been lodged on the UN network. If this was so, he would be best off telling the truth because he was sure, if they wanted, they would get the truth out of him eventually.

  Alternatively, if Barbara couldn’t find evidence to prove Zul was human, she may have to accept he was what he claimed. This could be the first time the US government had received information about the true process of evolution and if they believed it, they may agree to help Carlos. In this case, Carlos had nothing to fear and he could be totally honest.

  Then he remembered Zul’s warning that there were people who already knew the truth about evolution and wanted to keep it secret. Some could be high up in the government or its agencies and those people may want Carlos out of the way. They may already know Zul was authentic and be aware of the very large can of worms Carlos could let wriggle free. Perhaps they were already taking steps to shut him up. Perhaps that was why he was being shipped to a mental hospital or worse being taken to some isolated detention centre. If this was the case, it wouldn’t matter what he said, since the chances were he’d never see the light of day again.

  But wait! There was one other possibility: that Zul was a figment of his imagination. In which case there was no record of Zul’s appearance for anyone to tell Barbara about.

  As it turned out, all Carlos’s preparation was in vain. Barbara did not try and pump him for information and as soon as she finished her meal she wished him a good night and went to the bathroom before settling down to sleep.

  CHAPTER 19

  They landed at the airport in Vienna a little ahead of schedule and one of the Austrian immigration officials who had boarded the plane stamped Carlos’s passport. There were two black sedans parked alongside the jet and after the luggage and everyone was loaded, they drove in procession to Carlos’s penthouse.