by W. S. Fuller
The sandbag wall to his left suddenly exploded and three of his men were thrown twenty feet back and into the air. John quickly crawled toward them, stared for a moment at the mangled bodies, then moved back toward the gaping hole in the wall. Another direct hit sent bodies flying farther down. He looked through the new breach in the wall. The staccato of automatic weapons signaled the incoming fire was close, but he still saw nothing through the smoke, falling sand, and faint light. His men started firing blindly. Screams and cries added to the hellacious noise and chaos. The wall exploded again just to his right and something slammed into his shoulder and knocked him backward. Struggling up he reached for the man laying across his legs and turned him over. “Private Cristol” was on the name tag and half of his neck and head were missing. John wretched violently, almost vomited. God, please help me.
Rolling over to stay low, he moved back behind the cover of the sandbags and crawled from man to man. “All right, stay calm...take your time and aim...they’ll never get through the mines.” Putting his rifle through an opening he began firing...into the smoke, in an arc. He could see nothing.
Saleh was moving quickly now, screaming louder and louder as the fear rose and gripped him like a giant, clawed hand. “Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Death to the Zionists!”
A mine exploded and the boy running beside him was blown into the air. Another went off in front of Saleh and a large piece of a body slammed into him, knocking him down. Up quickly and running again...he screamed even louder. “Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!”
2012
NEPAL
Sliding quickly down the wild, boiling river, the large raft moved faster, the rapids were more frequent. I was in the very back, with a tight grip on the handholds. With the excitement and adrenaline rush, with all eyes glued on the approaching white water, no one would notice when I fell out. When I didn’t come back up they would assume I had drowned, and only then discover the lack of information on the man with only one name.
I had finally received instructions from the Council on how to find The Wise One, and I was anxious. The situation for the humans and the planet was not good, by far the worst since my initial visit years ago, and continued to deteriorate rapidly. I had assumed a human form as instructed. While in this I form I would have all the feelings and emotions of the humans, and be susceptible to their injuries and death.
“Luggalor, are you all right, lad?” One of the guides looked back and yelled above the roar of the river.
“Yes, I am all right.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yes, I am enjoying myself. It is wonderful…exhilarating.” And it truly was...the motion, the noise, the rushing water...the cool, brisk air against my human skin, the beauty along the banks, the hawk circling overhead. I wished for a moment I could have made the entire trip.
I asked the guide to tell me when we approached the rapids known as ‘Maelstrom’. It was there I must go into the water, locate and enter the hydraulic, then find the opening and be pulled through it. The guides explained the dangers of this particular hydraulic before they put the raft into the river, emphasizing its violence and the deaths it had caused. A sort of whirlpool, it could suck a person below the surface, and once trapped, the forces of the water were too strong to overcome and the unlucky human would drown. It was located just below the biggest drop at the ‘Maelstrom’ rapids.
I had assumed the form of a small male human so it would be easier to fit through the opening, and I would have less of a chance of being injured. My first choice was to take the form of one of the precious human children, but a child would not have been allowed on the raft alone. I hoped I was small enough.
The raft suddenly accelerated dramatically, began to undulate, slide across and bounce off rocks. A loud rushing noise came from forward of the raft, and I tightened my grip.
The guide turned and shouted, “Maelstrom dead ahead, hold on tight lad.”
The raft dipped, then surged forward, as if airborne...again and again. The roar was thunderous...and then, suddenly, we were free of the water as we dropped, nose down, toward a gigantic, bubbling caldron of white foam.
I squeezed the hand holds even tighter, then realized...this is it. Letting go, I leaned back and suddenly had nothing below me but air. My back slammed into the water...the cold shock sucked the breath from my human lungs. Knowing I must get under immediately or I would pass the opening, I turned and thrust my head and shoulders down. There was an immediate tug, my body was violently buffeted, and I began tumbling and spinning. I could not stop, or tell up from down…the power of the water was enormous. I tried to reach my hand out to feel for the opening, but could barely move it from my body against the pressure. My human lungs began to ache. With all the strength I could muster I thrust my outstretched hand forward and the tips of my fingers felt something hard…smooth…a rock. Groping, I felt an indentation. My fingers were pulled away by the force of the rushing water. My breath all but gone, I jammed them back against the rock and found a space. Straining, I began to pull myself forward, then suddenly I was sucked with tremendous speed into a passage so narrow I could feel every inch of my body squeezing between the smooth, hard sides. My sight mechanisms closed tightly as my body accelerated. I knew I must take a breath, even though in my human form I realized I would die. As I opened my mouth I sensed I was suddenly flying through the air, then I landed head first in something soft. Lying motionless, I gasped for air. Finally convinced I had breathed enough to keep from dying, sure I was still alive, I sat up and opened my sight mechanisms.
There was only the faintest hint of light, coming from the distance. As my sight mechanisms adjusted to the darkness, I saw that I was sitting on a narrow, four-foot wide path of soft, loose dirt. On my right was a wall that to my touch felt like damp rock, and on my left a dark chasm that appeared to have no bottom. Standing up, my head hit the wall that I now knew curved out above me and over the path. In a crouch, I began to move toward the light, with my right hand sliding along the wall to make sure I was as far away from the edge and black gorge as I could get. A strange sensation…the humans sense of fear. Could be debilitating if left unchecked.
The path angled sharply down, and I was slow and methodical with my steps. After perhaps a hundred feet and a bend to the left, I could see it continued down and straight again for some distance. The glow was still ahead for me to follow. Whether the light was stronger or my sight mechanisms were adjusting, I could now make out the gray, pockmarked rock wall that I caressed as I moved.
Coming to another turn in the path, I inched around it and was startled by what was directly ahead.. Huge, craggy, cone-like formations, gray and ominous, hung from the blackness above. I noticed that the walls curve was no longer so low that I must crouch, and I straightened up and stopped for a moment to look around. Moving again, I continued to hug the wall. The chasm was still there…still appeared to have no bottom.
There were two more turns in rapid succession. The light had increased and the hanging formations now sparkled as if each contained millions of tiny pieces of crystal. The path turned again. Similar formations now rose out of the chasm, their ends jutting just past the ends of those descending from above...forming a jagged, sparkling, overlapping formation that reminded me of a set of enormous teeth I had seen on the large carnivores of planet 1003’s jungles and seas. The path continued to wind downward, although not as steeply as before. The glow of light remained ahead, noticeably brighter now.
The formations began to take on a gold, shimmering cast, and I started to walk faster and more deliberately, although still favoring the wall, with my sight mechanisms darting up and down, side to side, so I would miss nothing. The wall now sparkled with gold hued crystals that were embedded in layers of reddish, orange rock.
My fingers suddenly felt heat coming from the wall as they slid along it. A sinister looking steam began to rise from the chasm, and my human face started to drip salt filled water that stung my sight
mechanisms. The path steepened again, and I slowed my pace. The heat quickly became overwhelming, and I heard what sounded like liquid bubbling from the depths of the black abyss only inches away. The steam became a thick cloud, and the formations all but disappeared into it. I could barely see anything and I stopped, terrified that the path might end in the fog and I would fall into the boiling pit. Human fear is no doubt debilitating. Panic gripped me, and I started to turn and run back to the entrance. Then I remembered the entrance, and The Wise One, and I stood very still, and tried to calm myself. Once more I started down the path, but took only small, shuffling steps, my hand on the hot rock wall as long as I could stand it, then reaching for it again as soon as the pain from the heat subsided. I was creeping along ever so slowly, the steam continuing to thicken…when suddenly, without warning, I was falling, dropping straight down. I closed my sight mechanisms, heard my own scream…as I continued to fall...toward the boiling liquid. I splashed in and submerged, but rather than pain a luxuriant warmth enveloped me and coursed through every fiber of my human form. Hanging for a moment, suspended, in this womblike place, the need to breath reminded me that I had to.
Rising through the luxurious liquid, I broke the surface to look out over a shimmering gold lake inside a spectacular, cathedral like cave. The walls appeared to be solid crystal. Shafts of soft, white light poured down and fanned out from above, reflecting off the water and sparkling walls to create a magnificent, glowing, golden haze. Flowers were everywhere...encircling the lake, along the walls. Yellow, pink and red roses… white lilies...orchids of purple, blue and gold, and many varieties I did not know from my time on 1003. All lovely. I had never seen, nor imagined, such a magnificent place. On this planet or any other.
The water held me easily on the surface with a soothing buoyancy, and I was in no hurry to leave it. I stayed very still, let it relax my bruised body and quiet my racing mind. Tilting my head back, I closed my sight mechanisms, sucked in a long breath, then exhaled.
“Luggalor.” The voice was gentle, but strong, and flowed like warm honey.
Standing at the end of the lake was a beautiful, statuesque female human clad in a long, flowing white gown. Cascading light from above illuminated her in a lovely haze, played off her waist-length flaxen hair, and it shimmered with a brilliant radiance. “You must be hungry, thirsty, and tired. Now that you are in a human form you must nourish and replenish yourself.” She gestured to the side with her arm and open palm. “There is food and drink and also something to dry yourself with, and fresh clothes. There is a bed for you to sleep on. I will return when you have awakened and we will talk. I am glad you have come.”
“I would...” I started to speak as she turned and disappeared into the center of the rays of light.
Climbing from the lake, I walked to a low, marble table surrounded by thick cushions. Beside the table was a bed, also of marble, with intricately carved head and foot boards that resembled the front and rear of a sleigh. On the bed was fine silk bedding and pillows, all pale green, and a male human’s white linen shirt and trousers rested across the foot board. A pair of soft slippers were just below on the floor.
I stripped the soaked clothes off and dried myself, then put on the clean set and sat on the cushions beside the table. Silver bowls overflowed with fruit, berries, nuts and vegetables. There was hot bread with a thick, wonderful aroma, and deep red wine in a crystal decanter. A slice of lemon floated in a silver pitcher of cool, fresh water.
Eating and drinking heartily, I thought what a pleasant experience nourishing one’s body could be for a human if they have adequate access to food and drink. But it must also be quite a bother, having to do it numerous times each day. I became aware of a sound, somewhat familiar, and very faint. It gradually became louder, and I smiled as I recognized the lovely strains of the Bach Fugue.
The food and wine were so delightful, and their presentation, the setting, and the music so exquisite...that I ate and drank considerably more than was needed for nourishment. My eyelids felt heavy when I finally finished, and it was all I could do to make my way the few feet to the bed and tumble in before falling asleep. Those last moments before the unconscious, sleep-state the humans need was, at least in this case, delightfully comfortable.
Coming awake, I again stared in amazement. The chamber seemed more beautiful than when I had first seen it, if that was possible. The marble table had been moved to the center of a small island in the lake where the rays of light rained down in concentration and brilliantly, but softly, illuminated a single, silver vase filled with beautiful flowers, and a matching pitcher and goblet. Two large, high-backed chairs, covered in what appeared to be white satin, were to the side of the table, facing each other.
I climbed off the bed, slid my feet into the slippers, and began to move toward the narrow marble bridge with gold hand rails that led to the island, when suddenly I realized the female human in the white gown was standing between the chairs. Startled by her sudden appearance, beauty and magnificent presence at this close distance...I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Come, Luggalor, please sit down. We have much to discuss and we should be comfortable.”
I took small, slow steps…mesmerized by all that surrounded me…but also a bit unsure. My mind churned, but without any thoughts I could hold. I glanced around, then at her, then around again, until I reached the island, and then the chair. I sat down.
We were separated by about six feet and the center shafts of soft white light, which bathed and slightly obscured her with the lovely, bright haze. Her face looked old and wise and young at the same time, without the wrinkles and sagging skin that I had come to associate with humans as they age. Her thick, golden hair was pulled back from around her face. Her simple elegance and beauty were magnificent.
“You were very wise to discover the lens and duplicate them. I would like to know your thoughts on how they affect the humans, and impact the critical issues on this planet that you have seen. Her voice was so calming, so soothing, that I felt my apprehension and anxiety melt into a warm glow. Subtle excitement, mixed with a feeling of comfort and ease.
“You are the Wise One? The human I was told I must find?”
“The answer to your first question is yes. The answer to your second is more complicated. And not important at this time. Please begin with your story.”
“There are so many diverse and often harmful thoughts and actions by so many humans on matters of great importance,” I said. “There seems to be little universal sense of what is right or wrong, or what is accepted as truth, or at least no consistent agreement on what it is. And it all seems to start with the lens.”
“Luggalor, when a child is born their lens is clear. There are no distorting filters that cause distorted perceptions of information processed through their senses. An infant will awaken in the morning and greet everything and everyone with a smile...with enthusiasm for experiencing...for adventure and learning. And that child will feel...will give and accept...that most powerful and positive human dynamic...the dynamic that melds thought with feeling, and comes from the depths of the soul. Love. Their perceptions are clear and true. This is the natural state. A state based on a Truth that fosters universal harmony and is lodged in every thread of matter, every action, from the past, through the present, and into the future...on this planet and throughout the great breadth of all creation. It comes from the Gods, the Spirits, the Prophets...who are one...and who will forever be guardians of the enlightenment and salvation that comes from striving to understand and live according to the Truth...from living a life filled with love.”
She continued. “As there are no distortions of the lens at birth, the Truth resides in the heart of every human, waiting to be discovered, nurtured and followed. New little humans have to learn how not to trust, how to judge falsely, and how to hate. With the explosion in access to unrestricted communication and information that can destroy fact and civility through appeals to insecurity and fear - evil l
essons are more available than ever to the adults whom the young learn from and emulate. Make no mistake about it, Luggalor...the fresh, fertile minds of the earth’s children can be easily manipulated into following the many paths that lead away from the Truth. Paths that lead toward the ignorance, greed, and self absorption that serve the ego and its world of illusions...that obscure and eventually obliterate the Truth and eliminate any chance at true peace and harmony through love.”
“When a child’s eyes first open...this is when the process begins that will determine if they will be wise and productive and content...enlightened...if they will understand the Truth and contribute to the welfare of the planet and its inhabitants…or if they will be ignorant and dominated by self absorption, greed and the illusionary world the ego creates to survive. The incredible amount of information a human absorbs in a lifetime, and particularly in their early years, can form filters on their lens with alarming efficiency. If these filters obscure the Truth and provide defenses against threats to an exalted temple of ego, they must be eliminated. But it is much harder to remove them and clear the lens, to teach a person with distorted perceptions to embrace the natural state of the Truth, than it is to nurture and develop it from the beginning.”
“Everything on this planet, in the universe, is connected.” Her voice softened slightly. “And everything, regardless of how seemingly insignificant, must work in symphony to achieve the natural balance and harmony that has been inherent in the grand design since creation. But humans, because of the great power of their minds, have a much more telling effect on the prosperity or destruction of the planet and its life than any other form of life. By far the most critical factor in how humans handle this enormous responsibility is what they learn, the filters that form on their lens from what they learn, and how the filters affect their perceptions, thoughts and actions. There are only distorted perceptions of reality and the Truth. A peaceful, harmonious world can only be maintained if the lenses are clear, if the Truth thrives in the minds, hearts, and souls of the humans.”