Redemption: Supernatural Time-Traveling Romance with Sci-fi and Metaphysics
Page 33
“Sure. Wait a moment… Ann and Wu, get ready. I’m switching it on…. now!”
Even as Michael thought the words, the man stopped and craned his neck to look up at them. Ann watched as his eyes widened and he suddenly dropped to his knees on the stony path, reaching out a hand towards her.
“It’s the blessed Virgin!” he cried, and though his Russian was archaic, Ann understood him well enough. “See! She is holding the Christ child! God has blessed me!” And with that he bowed his head down to the ground.
Michael passed a hand over the Projector and the image faded, the old man, the field and the houses vanishing to be replaced by the softly lit room and the distant columns and towers.
“What was that all about?” said Ann. “Did he think we were Mary and Jesus?” She nodded to her son, still snuggled in her arms.
“Mommy,” he said, looking up at her, and she kissed him gently on his curly hair.
“It looks that way,” said Michael.
“But shouldn’t I have said something to him? Do we even know who this guy is?”
Michael smiled up at her. “He’s someone who needed a little nudge, something to help him on his spiritual path. That’s what our job is here, to develop people’s spiritual awareness. And I reckon you did just fine in that score. Perfect in fact! Do you want to see?’
“Er, sure.” Ann bent down to watch as Michael began to fiddle with the Projector again. He was turning a small wheel that was set into the pearl casing. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Just tuning it, that’s all. It’s quite simple, a bit to the right and we move into the future, a bit to the left, into the past. Difficult?”
“Piece of cake!” said Ann with a smile. “Especially after Rob.”
“Great! And now we’re shifting forwards a few days ahead and moving to the church in the nearby village.”
He ran his hand across the surface again and an image burst into life across the wall. Ann stared out into the inside of a small church, its wall covered in icons of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin and various saints, the air full of the sound of the choir. There was a large crowd of people, kneeling before the altar, their lips moving in silent prayer as a priest, dressed in his immaculate robes, a black hat perched on his head, spoke blessings over them.
“It’s alright,” said Michael. “They can’t see us this time. I’ve set it to project one-way only.” But Ann wasn’t worried about that. She was busy studying one of the icons.
“Michael,” she said at last. “The handsome guy in the icon, with the long, blond hair, thrusting a sword in that dragon-like creature… is that you, by any chance?”
He walked across to stand next to her, taking her hand in his, their fingers intertwining. “Yes, that’s me all right,” he said, peering at the icon. “‘And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon.’ Not a bad likeness either! That was painted a few hundred years ago though, back when I had my own mission to Russia. Good times! You’re going to enjoy working here.”
Suddenly the door of the church flew open and, for a moment, the choir faltered in their singing.
“Ah!” said Michael. “Here’s our old friend, right on schedule.”
Ann watched in amazement as the old man, still in his short trousers and shirt, though without the bundle of sticks, hurried towards the priest.
“Father!” he shouted. “Father! It’s a miracle, a miracle, I tell you. The Lord has blessed me with a vision. I saw her. The Blessed Virgin and the Lord. I saw them both as clear as I see you now.”
The priest had made his way through the crowd towards the old man.
“Is this true, Ivan?” he asked, holding the man by the shoulder and looking him in the eyes. “God has granted you a sacred vision?”
“O Father! You should have seen it. Such a blessing!” Tears were welling up in the old man’s eyes.
“Come,” said the priest, placing an arm around him as they walked together. “Let us talk about this great wonder, and pray together.”
The image faded once again and Michael turned to face Ann. “That old guy, Ivan, hadn’t been into a church since his wife died seventeen years ago. As I told you, our work is close-up and personal, helping, guiding and shaping one individual at a time. And today, for that fellow, Ivan, you made a real difference. That vision of you and Wu will last him for the rest of his life, and he is only forty-five now and, without a doubt, his story will spread. There will be icons of you two, encouraging people to believe that God watches over them and blesses them, reminding them of the importance of the Blessed Virgin and the power of motherhood and of woman. This has been a great start, Ann. Congratulations!”
She took a step closer to him. “Come on, Michael. All I did was stand there. You were the one who did all the, whatever it was you did with the Projector. You were the master here.”
“Let’s say it was both of us,” said Michael. “The three of us, even. Wu played his part, after all.”
“Yeah, he did pretty well, didn’t he?” She let her son down so he could stand next to her and ruffled his hair with her fingers, while he seemed quite content waving around an angel’s feather, which Ann realized he had pulled out of the wings.
“It’s wonderful to be reunited with Wu. I love him.”
“Oh?” said Michael, slipping a hand around her waist and drawing her closer. “And what about me?”
Ann turned her face up towards his, enjoying the warmth of his body pressed against hers. In the distance the waterfall sparkled, its light reflecting in her eyes, and from somewhere the sound of gentle birdsong could be heard. She smiled as a wave of deep contentment and joy washed over her.
“Let me show you,” she said.
“Ask, and it will be given to you;
Seek, and you will find;
Knock, and it will be opened to you.”
—Holy Bible