by Nico Augusto
Am I in paradise? Am I really dead? He left his weapon behind and went closer to the building in front of him. It was like a great temple made out of stone, with towers all around it. It was amazing and it made him felt better. Suddenly he knew that everything was going to be all right. He closed his eyes.
He was dreaming about his death, because he no longer felt that he had the right to live it in this life …
Heaven
Tonobu woke up, he had been dreaming. The sun was shining brightly; he could feel the heat of it against his closed eyelids. The temperatures here were hotter than in his own country. He ran his hand over his face to wake himself up. He felt thirsty. He needed to find fresh water. Leaving behind all the haikus attached to the majestic tree he walked softly through the fields, crossing different paths and going into the forest. He sees that the vegetation in the forest is greener and he thinks that should help him find water.
He felt lost and disoriented in this strange place. He felt like he was dying and he wanted to find a better place to die. Exhaustion was weighing on every part of his body, even his mind. He removed part of his armor, hoping to be more comfortable. At last he located a clear little stream and dropped to his knees next to it. Taking the water in his hands, he gave himself small sips. His body felt numb and he knew that death was close at hand.
After drinking the water, he continued along the path through the forest. At the end of the path he found an entrance to a cave with burning torches on either side of it. He entered, walking along with the walls as support. He felt so tired, his gait was much slower now and his breathing was progressively slowing down.
He looked down at place where he would normally carry his scabbard and in it his precious katana. He’d left it all behind, and he felt naked…empty without it. When he carried the sword he felt powerful, connected to his ancestors and his own inner strength. His katana was no ordinary sword. His was a one that held powerful secrets. Tonobu carried it because his father gave it to him, but unbeknownst to him, the sword was what had brought about the war he’d been fighting. Roshi had mistakenly believed the men he was fighting were trying to kill him because of his relationship with his wife…a woman from the rival clan, off-limits. But the truth he didn’t know was that the sword his father had given him had been stolen…from a king. Legend had it that the sword was forged by the hand of the Goddess Amaterasu. Amaterasu was the Japanese Shinto sun goddess. She was so bright and radiant that her parents had sent her up the Celestial ladder where she ruled the heavens. The main sanctuary of Amaterasu is Ise-Jingue situated on Ise, on the island of Honshu. This temple is pulled down every twenty years and then rebuild in its original form. The legend told that the ancestors of the local king had found the sword Amaterasu had left there for them the first time the temple was rebuilt. He who carried the sword was said to carry great power along with it. Ironically, this was the weapon that Tonobu had used to take his own life.
He found a spot to sit down against the wall. Taking out the paper and writing utensils once more, he began writing down his thoughts again. After he does that, he turns to the rock wall behind him and using his knife he carves the words, “The entrance to another life,” in Japanese. Tonobu closed his eyes and the liquid flowed from them like tears as his heart ceased beating. He died in the cave in the center of Heaven. No one ever died there; it’s a place that only those who are already dead can enter. How did he get there, and why? What would be the consequences of that?
Tonobu was about to reincarnate…
New York City
Police Department
Eddie Nomura was a brave, intelligent man. His origins were both Japanese and American. His parents left Japan after two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was born in USA and decided at a very young age he wanted to be a policeman. He went to the academy right out of high school. Eddie was an athletic guy. He was also very religious. He’s a Buddhist. He began working with Tim when the criminal office of New York opened a small profiling department. The two of them became a great team.
Eddie also became very good friends with Tim and his entire family. He loved to hang out with Tim and play baseball with him and his son. When Eddie heard about Tim and his wife Elise’s car accident he was devastated. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he immersed himself in the investigation that he and Tim began together before his death, he wouldn’t have been able to go on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“SUMMER”
Yann and Any slipped easily through the door, leaving the winter season behind them. Here there was nothing but sunlight and the sights, sounds and smells of summer. It was strange, surreal even, to pass so simply from one season to the next through a door that sat in the thick of a forest. Yann and Ani were facing an extensive stretch of sand. They had entered into the season of summer. The ocean stretched out for miles on their left. The beauty of the landscape around them was once again surreal. The smell of iodine filled their noses as they looked around them. Everything was moving, the ocean rippled and crashed into the sand and the grains of sand moved with each contact of the water. The colors of the sky and the ocean and everything around them were astonishing.
A vast expanse of sand dunes lay out in front of them. Yann knew that they would have to climb and slide to cross this sea of sand, and he also knew they would slide faster if they could catch the wind blowing in the right direction. This adventure had given him an awesome feeling of freedom. Being reunited in this magical place had carved an expression of happiness into both of their faces. So far, they were enjoying their great adventure.
They began to slalom between the dunes at a great speed. Yann carried Ani in his arms, and the wings of his backpack were shining, leaving an almost imperceptible white trail in the air behind them. All at once in front of them a silhouette took shape. Yann could feel that the gentle voice that had been guiding him belonged to this silhouette.
“Follow me and do not get lost!” she told them. Her voice was firm, but at the same time it was gentle and non-threatening.
The two adventurers followed the silhouette at great speed. The beach was covered in massive rolling hills of sand and the occasional breeze stirred them up transferring the salty and rocky residue from one pile to the next. The rays of the glorious sun dazzled their eyes and t first they were having a great time, sliding on the border between the dunes and the ocean with the salty water spraying up in their faces. Yann felt free and exhilarated as he slid down with his arms held open wide, and Ani came sliding along behind him, racing along towards their next adventure.
This went on for some time as they crossed the great expanse and the silhouette became more difficult to follow. The dunes became taller and the angles sharper and the thick salty air began to consume their breathing until their chests began to hurt and the sand scoured the backs of their throats mercilessly. Their every step sank into the searing sand and their legs were heavy with exhaustion from scaling the heaped up irregularly shaped dunes. The slide down the other side became more perilous as the dunes grew steeper but as they got closer to the end, Yann knew they were on the verge of their next great adventure and in spite of the exhaustion he still that that tingly feeling that spread from his head right down to his toes.
When at last they reached the end of the dunes at the bottom of the last one, they saw a beautiful lagoon that thousands of birds drank from. The sight of the birds was almost surreal. They were different colors and textures, sizes and shapes. Their long, delicate wings touched the blue surface of the water in places and the green dust that floated on the surface was illuminated by their color. Yann looked around at the line of trees in the distance, also varied in size, shape and color. It was a picture so beautiful that there were no simple words to describe it. The two friends were standing in front of a bamboo forest that was as beautiful as the rest of the landscape. Above and beyond it, Yann could see a curl of smoke. He inhaled the air and he could smell something burning. He and Ani
began to walk towards where the smoke was coming from slowly. Strangely as they walked towards it, they both were filled with an incredible sense of well-being.
They were growing closer when they heard a voice coming out of the air. The voice spoke in a strange, foreign language that neither of them could understand. Yann had to push through the thick plants in order to make a path for him to move forward in places and suddenly they came upon the man…or was it a beast…that the voice was coming from. The man stood babbling until he noticed the boys and immediately went silent. Yann was trying to process what he was seeing. The smoke wasn’t helping matters; it was so thick in places that it almost made things beyond it invisible. The smoke began to form small clouds around them and for a second Yann thought he could see something familiar in one of the clouds. It was as if there was a vision being projected there and within it he saw a city. This was no ordinary city and the sight of it frightened him. It was completely devastated. The buildings were crumbling and rotted and people lay dead all over. Yann had to look away and instead he looked at his little friend. He communicated with him through his eyes,
“Can you see it, Ani? What is happening? Is it a nightmare?”
Yann could see that instead of worried, Ani seemed happy. He was confused, but at that moment he didn’t insist upon understanding. He wasn’t fully convinced he wanted to know.
The man suddenly began to babble again and then began moving like he was sleep walking or in a trance. He wore very thin, worn clothing and as Yann and Ani watched him he slowly began to dance. His movements were slow and easy at first but became faster and more urgent as he continued.
More horrible pictures began to appear in the smoke all around them. The pictures showed the end of humanity…destruction and chaos and the horrible slaughter of thousands of people and animals. Yann and Ani had no idea if it was real, or a vision from the future. They were frightened either way.
********
The man’s movements began to slow down and he gradually stopped singing and dancing. He appeared to be “waking up” from the trance he was in and he looked at the two young friends and said,
“Don’t be afraid, friends, nothing is permanent and sure.”
”But what have we seen here? Could it be the end of everything?” Yann asked him.
”Nothing dies forever,” the man told him. “We are all part of a huge circle. Don't forget that boy.”
“Is that a premonition?” Yann asked him.
“I communicate with other dimensions and see things sometimes that haven’t happened yet,” he told him. “What is your name?” The man noticed the boy was hesitant so he said, “My name is Shacral, I'm a Shaman...”
”My name is Yann and my friend here he is...”
”His name is Ani. I’ve known him for a very long time. I can communicate with animals as well as other dimensions.”
”Know him… Why are you here?” Yann asked him. “What are those visions?”
The man’s clear blue eyes looked thoughtful as he said, “Don't worry, you are almost there. To be honest I'm not really here. You can see me but I'm... Somewhere else. I’m trying to find a way for humanity to survive. Dangerous times are coming.”
“I want to help; we want to help!” Yann told him.
“I know you do, but you have done your part. Maybe Ani will still have some to do. The future will tell.”
“So I'm useless?” Yann asked, sadly.
“No little one, don't say that. I will tell you a little secret, I think I have found a way to save humankind from their fate...They told me.”
“Who told you what? What is it?”
”They told me...We need to get back to our place in the chain…”
“I don't understand...What does chain mean?”
”Every species on our planet has a specific role... Humans are the only ones who don’t respect that...We have broken the system in some way.”
”We don't eat things that we are supposed to eat?”
Thoughtfully again the man said, “Smart little, only from kids. Probably...I think you know enough; my role is to spread the word now before it is too late...I will have to leave now and get to my work.”
”Where are you going? Where are we?” Yann was desperate for some answers.
“I can't answer your question; you have to discover it by yourself. We will meet again, don't worry. Life is magic and full of surprises. When you think it is going to end, it is just the beginning.”
The man slowly faded out of sight until he was gone like a puff of smoke as the boys stood watching in disbelief.
********
James sat leaning against a tree, still recovering from the trauma of his horrific vision. What was that thing and what did it want from him?
The jungle surrounding him was an assault on all of his senses. The vibrant hues were in the foreground, the background and as high up as James could see. The heat and humidity pressed in on his skin, and the sounds of the birds created a symphony of nature that seemed to be calling him in deeper. The leaves brushed up against him where he sat and the air tasted both sweet and fresh as if flowers bloomed across his tongue. Everything was a glorious, luxuriant green….
“Focus James! What is this place? Where is Sarah?” With a sharp intake of breath, he said, “Oh shit! Here it comes again….”
There were more of them now, numerous two-dimensional beings. Silhouettes without mass, vaporous, distorted bodies. They moved fluidly at first and then rapidly hopping to first one side of James and then the other. Some of them danced around him in wiggly motions. Some of them appeared male and some female and some of them appeared to be running and screaming. James had a feeling they needed help…yet they were immaterial.
He tried to ignore them and stick to his goal; climb the cliff in order to see where exactly he was. He grabbed a few vines in order to make some ropes. He had to be careful. The cliff in front of him was at least sixty feet high. James didn’t understand all the feelings he was having, but he suddenly believed that something…or someone important had created the cliff. The surrounding area was flat.
James was in good shape and athletic, but he’d never climbed before. The climbing holds were tiny and his hands were big, making them difficult for him to hold onto. The vine was his security guard and he managed to pass it around a small tree that grew in the center of the cliff. It was his karabiner hook. He began moving…slowly but surely advancing up the cliff.
James arrived to the top after twenty minutes of difficult climbing. He was panting and tired, but satisfied by the accomplishment of a necessary task. It was a small victory, but his first one since awakening in this place. He stood up straight and looked out upon his surroundings.
“Holy shit … what is that place?” He was looking out on a magnificent landscape with a brilliant horizon. Every color was so intense; it was more like a painting than real life. He could see mountains, covered in lush, green grass…volcanos jutting from the rocks, leafy jungles and dense forests…. But one thing was particularly strange…There was not a trace of another human being. Where was he? James’s feelings of accomplishment were being rapidly replaced by those of doubt and fear. Why was no one there? If that was the case, where had Sarah gone? He thought about his earlier vision…everything was so strange…so unsettling.
The darkness was falling and once again the magnificent colors against the sky gave the impression that the Milky Way was so close. He felt almost as if he could reach out and touch a handful of stars.
Resigned to another night in this strange place, James found some small branches to make a fire. The night air was turning cold. He would try and rest first and when the sun came up again, he would head north. He needed to find water and make some sort of compass. He thought that with all the dense, green vegetation it shouldn’t be too difficult to find water.
The fire warmed him and he lay down, protected by a big tree behind him. His eyes became too heavy to hold open and he fell into sleep.
James woke up after a short night….Slowly getting his bearings back. His fire was small, but still cracking. If anyone could have seen him with his tousled hair and two days growth of beard they may have mistaken him for a caveman rather than one of the best surgeons in his field. Only two days had passed since he came to this place but the stress of it already showed on the lines in his face.
He stood up to stretch and noticed something strange…A fire! James could see the thick, black smoke pouring out from the trees and he followed it. The path was long, but he was determined. He went to the other side of the cliff and further into the jungle where the trees were sparser and the precipices more frequent. He had to climb over both rocks and trees. Using vines as cords he was able to climb the more difficult rocks and after hours of roaming he was at his most exhausted. Thankfully he was able to stumble on a small body of water. He leaned forward and plunged his face into the water to cool him down. When he finished cooling off and drinking he took a good look around. It was a big lake, an amazing turquoise color, like the sea in the Fiji Islands.
“James, you have to reactivate them…” It was a woman’s voice, whispering on the wind.
“Who is it? What do you want? Show yourself!” James yelled back.
“What was am I supposed to activate?” He felt like he was at the beginning of a journey that might never end. He was in a place where suddenly chaos was the new order. He stood up and walked along the ragged bank of the lake in staggering exhaustion. The line between the jungle and the water was a tangled mass of gnarled and twisted roots that started at the surface and writhed their way down. Even with the adrenaline surge he’d gotten when he noticed the fire, his feet were slowing and he could feel the vomit rising in the back of his throat. He walked until he could walk no longer and then all at once, he plunged into the water, hoping for relief from the aches and the pressure of his tired muscles...He began to swim, but his limbs were so exhausted that it wasn’t so much as swimming as it was drowning. Every few strokes he had to stop and tread water and sometimes his tired, heavy body would begin to sink. His head would fall underneath the cold, clear water and he’d begin to panic and claw his way back to the sun-sprinkled surface. His head was pounding and every cell in his body screamed for some kind of relief as he continued to swim forward in a slow crawl. Getting sucked under again and again was leaving his body deprived of precious oxygen and his thoughts were beginning to become more confused and disoriented. He began to wonder if he would make it…or if this beautiful river was going to turn into a watery grave just as the far side came into view. He told himself that he was almost there. He had to keep going…just a little while longer.