by Len du Randt
The beggar looked again. He pointed at Jared’s reflection. ‘There’s you,’ he said and then pointed at his own. ‘And there’s me. But there’s no one else.’
Jared dropped the bills to the ground and clicked his cane furiously as he headed for the car. He got in, started the engine, and sped off without looking back. What the hell is happening to me? Jared wondered as he sped through the streets of Kelwick.
Turn right.
Jared felt an urge to turn at the next traffic light. He passed two stop streets before he had the urge to turn left into Clover Street. Through the thick cluster of trees he could see Lake Metanoia.
Stop the car.
Jared stopped the car and cut the engine. He had an overwhelming urge to get out and head for the lake. ‘This is ludicrous,’ he said and started the engine again.
Get out.
Jared cut the engine again and pulled out the keys. ‘What am I doing here?’ he whispered to himself. ‘What’s here that you simply have to see, Jared Greene?’
He thought about driving off for a moment longer, but eventually he opened the door and got out.
* - - - *
‘It’s time,’ Natasha said as the red in her irises faded. ‘We have one last chance of winning his alliance.’
Tanya nodded. ‘We can’t afford to mess this up again,’ she said. ‘We’ve waited too long and made too many mistakes already.’
‘We?’ Natasha asked with just a hint of a growl in her voice. ‘Not we,’ she snarled and pulled back her lip to reveal her jagged teeth. ‘I did my part and can assure you that any mistake whatsoever was no fault of mine.’
‘Control yourself, demon!’ Tanya snapped. ‘You’re here to do my bidding and nothing else. Do you understand?’
Natasha backed down, growling. She did nothing to hide the contempt in her facial expression. ‘I still say we have to get rid of that woman.’
Tanya slapped her hand against Natasha’s cheek, scratching the soft flesh with her nails. ‘I warned you that you are not to harm her. If you do, I will have you bound and cast into the abyss until the end of time itself, am I clear?’ Natasha didn’t answer. She merely continued to growl softly, the sound not entirely unlike the purr of a cat. Tanya lit a cigarette and blew the smoke into Natasha’s face before she spoke again. ‘Our objective is Jared. Stick to it. We have until tomorrow.’
Natasha nodded.
‘Don’t fail me again, Nahemah,’ Tanya warned. ‘We will not get another chance.’
‘I understand,’ Natasha said and turned to leave. ‘We shall win his side by any force or means necessary.’ At the door she stopped. ‘And if we can’t have him,’ she said as her irises flared up. ‘No one can.’
* - - - *
‘I had a bad dream last night,’ Justin said. He neglected to mention that it wasn’t his first.
‘Really?’ Rebecca asked. ‘What was it about?’
‘You know, it’s stupid now that I think about it.’
‘Tell me nonetheless,’ Rebecca urged.
‘Well, I was hanging from a building with one arm. In the other hand, I was holding my book.’ Justin took a deep breath. ‘I couldn’t use my other arm for support because of the book. My fingers started slipping from the railing and I realised that I had to choose between letting go of the book and saving myself, or to falling to my death.’
‘And?’ Rebecca asked. ‘What did you do?’
‘I couldn’t let go, Becky,’ Justin said. ‘I couldn’t let go of the book and I fell.’
‘Oh dear.’
For a moment Justin didn’t say anything. ‘What do you suppose it means?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Rebecca said. ‘It could mean that you’re holding on to the book too tightly. It could also mean that the book could be withholding you from something else. Then again, it most probably means that you had something spicy for dinner.’
Justin chuckled. ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’
‘The truth is that I don’t know what it means,’ she said. ‘But I’m sure that if it does mean something, you’ll know when the time is right.’
‘I guess you’re right, eh?’ Justin said and sighed. ‘I was just a little spooked, that’s all.’ He decided to change the topic instead. ‘How’s Jared?’
‘I just dropped him off at his apartment. If all goes well, we should be home before next weekend.’
‘Hearing that makes me so happy,’ Justin said. ‘I miss you both so much.’
‘And we miss you too. Speaking of which, if I don’t hang up now I’m going to miss my soap. We’ll talk a bit later, okay?’
When he hung up Justin sighed deeply and replayed the previous evening’s dream in his mind. Something about it gnawed at his gut. ‘Lord, please let me know what it’s supposed to mean,’ he prayed. ‘Please tell me what I should do.’
* - - - *
The cool breeze kissed Jared’s cheek as he got out of the car. He looked around at the lovely scene of nature that surrounded him. Once a person was inside the park, it was difficult to imagine that there was a world outside of this one. In the park, a person had a new identity. One where concrete and steel buildings were vague memories of another life and where time stood still, where itineraries didn’t matter and board meetings didn’t exist.
Using his cane for support, Jared followed the footpath through the park to a steep embankment. With painful effort, he inched his way down the embankment and once at the bottom, took a moment to catch his breath underneath a huge tree. Not too far off was the lake.
‘What’s here, Jared?’ he asked himself as he scanned his eyes across the water. The urge to be there grew stronger as he neared the majestic lake. ‘What am I looking for?’
In the distance, not too far from the lake was a small building. Jared felt compelled to go towards it and promptly began the painful limp. It wasn’t until he was halfway there that he stopped to look up at the building again. What he saw made him gasp and he dropped his cane as he recoiled. Not too far off, at each corner of the building towered four massive statues, each about as tall as a six-storey building; men with swords crafted with exceptional detail. But the sheer size wasn’t what bothered Jared. What did bother him was the fact that they weren’t there a minute ago.
Jared took a deep breath and picked up his cane. He limped towards the small building, cautiously eyeing the intense detail of the massive statues that appeared from seemingly nowhere. Their facial expressions were stern and fierce, ready for confrontation. Jared couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed as he walked up to the first two statues. Sentinels they are, Jared thought. Guarding this small building. What on earth could be so important?
Without warning and as one entity, all four statues unsheathed their swords and pointed them outward in what appeared to be some sort of salute.
Jared fell back onto the soft grass and scrambled to get away. He twisted his hand and crashed into the ground. ‘Don’t kill me!’
The statues didn’t move. They just stood there, swords extended at face level in front of them.
Jared slowly opened his eyes. He grabbed his cane and—biting back the pain—stood up and hobbled towards the large wooden doors of the building as quickly as possible. He didn’t dare look back as he slipped through the doors and only once the bolt snapped into place, did he exhale. He took a moment to compose himself before examining his surroundings. The stained glass windows lent a certain sense of colour to the otherwise traditional building. Wooden pews flooded the room towards the front and ended just in front of a small stage upon which stood a pulpit. Something about the Church felt familiar to him. Jared couldn’t put his finger on it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been there before. He looked at the doors and ran his fingers over the varnished wood.
Images of a man bolting the door flickered through Jared’s mind like a homemade movie. He was certain that he had been here before. Jared closed his eyes.
Come, this is where the door is.
&
nbsp; A flash of a man smashing the brick wall at the front.
Jared slowly made his way to the wall behind the pulpit. He looked back over the pews and a sense of urgency overcame him. As quickly as the sense came, it left. Weird, Jared thought and traced his fingers down the brick wall. He was looking for something, anything that could fill the gaps he had in his memory. Anything that could tell him why he was seeing the things that he was seeing as well as why he felt drawn to this place.
‘May I help you?’ a voice asked and Jared spun around.
‘I’m sorry,’ Jared said to the man standing in the isle. ‘I was just...’
‘You’re Jared Greene, right?’ the man asked as he approached Jared.
Jared nodded. ‘And you are...?’
‘Peter Jacobs,’ the man said and extended his hand. ‘I’m the Pastor of this Church.’
Jared shook his hand. ‘How did you know...?’
‘Your name?’ the Pastor finished Jared’s sentence. He smiled. ‘I had a vision about you, Mister Greene. I’ve been expecting you.’
* - - - *
Justin was in the garden, tending to Rebecca’s roses when the phone rang. At first he thought that he would just let it ring, but something in his gut urged him rather to take the call.
‘Mister Greene?’
It was a woman’s voice. ‘Yes...?’
‘This is Dorothy Stevens from Brooke & Lester Literary Agents.’
Justin’s heart leapt to his throat. ‘Hi...’
‘I’m calling you about your manuscript, The Reaper and Mr. Smith.’
‘Yes...?’ Justin wanted to kick himself for being dumb-struck.
There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. ‘It’s a good book, Mister Greene; a bit rough around the edges, but I can work with it. I’m calling you because I would like to represent the book. If you haven’t found another agent already, that is.’
I wish! ‘Uh...no...’ he said and flinched. ‘I mean...I don’t have anyone representing the book yet.’
‘I unfortunately only have one more slot open for this year and would very much like to include your manuscript, but there’s also another one that I was equally impressed with.’
Justin’s stomach constricted. ‘Uh...What does that mean?’
‘Well, since I received your manuscript first, I wanted to give you the first option. Would you be able to see me tomorrow afternoon, say around three?’
‘Tomorrow?’ Justin asked. He didn’t expect any of this to happen at the rate it was happening. ‘Where? What time?’
‘At our offices in Cape Town.’
Justin’s hand tightened around the receiver. He would have to fly to Cape Town. There’s no way that he would be able to be back the same day and still be there for Monique. ‘Tomorrow might be a bit tight,’ he said. ‘Would Friday be possible for you?’
‘Unfortunately, due to a very tight deadline that we are on, it has to be tomorrow,’ she said. ‘If you can’t see me by then, I will have to go with the other author. I’m sure you understand.’
Jared’s mind reeled. He needed to stall for time. ‘I just have to check a few things,’ he said. ‘Can I get back to you in a couple of minutes?’
‘Sure.’ She gave him her contact number. Justin wrote it down and after hanging up, pulled back the chair and sat down in it with a heavy sigh.
Monique sang softly as she entered the kitchen. She took an apple, chewed off a bite and swallowed. ‘What’s wrong, dad?’
Justin sighed. ‘An agent wants to see me in person tomorrow. She wants to represent my book, but only if I can meet her in Cape Town. If I can’t make it, she won’t represent me and who knows how long it will take before I get another agent interested in the novel?’
Monique bit off another piece and chewed on it for a while. ‘So?’ she asked. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘The problem?’ Justin asked and almost burst out laughing with frustration. ‘Do you know how hard it is to get an agent?’
‘I’m not talking about that,’ Monique said. ‘I want to know why you can’t go to see her?’
This time Justin did laugh. ‘She’s in Cape Town, Monique.’
Monique rolled her eyes. ‘So...?’
He could only smile at his daughter. ‘I’ll never be able to make the round trip in a day.’
‘Then sleep over.’
‘Right. And just who do you think will look after you while I’m gone?’
‘Dad,’ Monique said, dragging the word out into a nag. ‘I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m seventeen years old and more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you.’
Justin bit his lip. He wanted the agent more than anything else. Besides, Monique did have a valid point. She was older now and capable of handling herself. ‘On one condition,’ he said.
‘Yes...?’
‘That you get one of your friends to come over and spend the night here with you.’
‘Done,’ she said.
‘I’m talking about a girl friend.’
Monique laughed. ‘I know, silly.’
Justin picked up the phone to call the agent and then hesitated. ‘I’ll have to run this past your mother first.’
‘Negative, dad,’ Monique said and shook her head. ‘There’s no time. Call this agent and tell him that you will be there tomorrow. Then call the airport and book your flight.’ She smiled and wrapped her hands around his. ‘You’ve been waiting five years for this day, dad. I’ll be fine. Promise.’
‘Her,’ Justin said. ‘You mean I should call her. The agent is a woman.’
‘Fine,’ Monique said and picked up the handset. She held it out to him and tapped her foot lightly. ‘Call her,’ she said, ‘or else I will.’
Justin took the handset from her. Monique was right. He had a chance to have his book represented and would be a fool to pass it up. Yes, he resolved. I’ll do it!
‘You’ll thank me later,’ Monique said and a sly grin spread across her young face. ‘My birthday is coming up.’ She winked and kissed him on the forehead before leaving him to his arrangements.
Chapter 12
The office was smaller than Jared figured a Pastor’s office would be. It was host to only a wooden desk covered in paper and a bookshelf against the wall. When the Pastor ran out of shelf space, he stacked the remaining books in three heaps next to the bookshelf. Jared figured that Pastor Jacobs would need a larger bookshelf soon, but it was obvious that it wasn’t going to happen until he got a bigger office.
Jared eyed the books. Predestined for Hell? He shivered at the title. Apologetics in Action; The Myth of Evolution; The Son of Perdition; All you ever need to know about Jehovah’s Witnesses; Demon, be gone! Jared shook his head and stared out the window at the small patch of grass and one single tree that was the Pastor’s view. In the distance, the sun’s reflection on the lake sparkled like thousands of tiny diamonds.
An image of a diamond ring entered his mind.
Amy...
‘Here we go,’ the Pastor said as he entered the office with a wooden tray upon which stood two mugs filled with hot water. Jared took a mug from the tray and scooped a heap of coffee and two sugars into the water. He added milk and stirred the mixture until all the ingredients were blended into a satisfactory cream colour.
‘I hope you like it. Would you like a biscuit?’
Jared took a sip and nodded. He dunked the biscuit and ate it before he placed the cup on a coaster and sat back into the chair. Once comfortable, he folded his arms and established eye contact. ‘Why am I here, Pastor?’ he asked.
Pastor Jacobs sighed and stared at the swirling liquid in his own mug while he formulated an answer in his mind. Finally he just shrugged. ‘Honestly, I don’t know,’ he said. ‘The vision I had merely showed you standing there. I received your name through a word of knowledge, but the rest is unclear.’
‘No offence, Pastor,’ Jared said and leaned forward. ‘If I don’t know why I’m here, and you don’t know
why I’m here, then what’s the use of me being here at all?’
‘I don’t know yet,’ Pastor Jacobs said. ‘But maybe we’re not supposed to know right away. Maybe the purpose of our meeting one another will be revealed at a later stage.’
‘Great. And what are we supposed to do until then?’
‘I’m not sure. Let’s talk about you.’
Jared sat back and inhaled deeply. He was in no mood to talk about himself, but something in his gut made him come to this Church, and he was curious to find out what. He could see no harm in playing along for now. ‘Okay, Pastor,’ he said. ‘What would you like to know?’
‘Tell me more about yourself. What kind of work do you do, Mister Greene?’
‘Where to begin?’ Jared asked. He leaned forward in the chair, shifted his weight until he was comfortable, and then swallowed a mouthful of coffee before he spoke again. ‘I used to own a company called Whyte & Greene International.’
‘I heard about them,’ the Pastor said with a nod. A sudden realization flooded his eyes and his face brightened. ‘You’re Jared Greene,’ he said as if stating a new fact. ‘The Jared Greene.’
Jared smiled faintly. ‘I guess so.’ He lowered his eyes and looked at the palms of his hands for a moment. ‘I lost the girl that I wanted to marry recently,’ he said and swallowed hard to try and fight back the tears that brimmed in his eyes. ‘On the night of the funeral I crashed my car. According to my mother, I was in a coma for a month before I finally woke up.’
‘I read about the accident in the papers,’ Pastor Jacobs said. ‘I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of your loved one.’
‘Thanks.’
‘If you ever need to talk about it...’
‘It’s okay,’ Jared said and made a slight wave with his hand to dismiss the topic. ‘Anyway,’ he said. ‘When I woke up from the coma a month later, I was blind.’