Soul's Gate

by James L. Rubart

  Marcus slid into the chair across from her and pulled her hands into his. “Are you all right?”

  She answered by pulling one of her hands away and lifting a three-by-five card off the table. “Read this.”

  Marcus took the card and read Kat’s impeccable cursive.

  “You asked God for help and he gave you the victory. God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:8–9

  When he looked up, Kat leaned forward and clasped his hands. “It’s time for you to make a choice.”

  “What choice?”

  “Whether you trust God or not. Whether he is in this journey you’re on with Reece and Dana and Brandon or not. Whether you want to be in this war God has invited you into, or look in the mirror with regret at the end of your life because you left the field of battle with things undone.”

  Marcus stared at Kat, a quiet fire of determination in her eyes. He folded the card with the verse on it and put it in his pocket. “I choose the life of no regrets.”

  At nine Marcus closed the door of his study, sank to his knees on his dark brown carpet, and entreated the Spirit to protect Kat, protect Abbie and Jayla, protect Brandon, Reece, and Dana. His sense of time seemed to melt and his pleas grew in their passion as he gripped the carpet with his hands and cried out to God. He didn’t rise till the soft chime of his grandfather clock rang midnight.

  FORTY-TWO

  “I THINK IT’S DEFINITELY TIME, REECE.” BRANDON pointed his stick at the big man and smiled.

  Dana, Reece, Marcus, and he had sat around Reece’s fire pit on Sunday evening for half an hour, hearing about the attack on the professor’s wife and daughter, listening to the Spirit together, praying for protection, and learning a new song Brandon had written.

  “Time for what?” Reece poked at the coals and a column of red sparks shot into the air. It reminded Brandon of fourth of Julys when he was a little boy, and the parents and kids in the neighborhood would gather in the street and light off what he named Zippy Poppies.

  “For you to speak to us of info you’ve been hanging on to for far too long.”

  Dana leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “I like this already.”

  “And what, pray tell, do you believe you deserve to hear about?”

  Brandon opened his arms. “Your name. Or names. Now that I have mine, the only one we’re missing is yours. That conversation is long overdue, and I think my fellow warriors would agree with me.”

  “I concur,” marcus said.

  “Great call, Brandon.” Dana tapped Reece’s leg with her foot. “You were going to do that ages ago.”

  “Nah, you guys don’t want to hear about my names.” Reece tossed the stick he’d stirred the coals with into the fire and sat back on the dark-stained cedar bench that circled the fire pit. “Let’s stick to calling me Reece. Or OMT.”

  “OMT?” Dana said.

  “Old Man Time.”

  They laughed.

  “Nice try, boss,” Brandon said.

  “I’m not your boss; I’m your coach. But much more than that I’m your brother and I’m your friend. Like C. S. Lewis says, ‘Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”’” Reece glanced at each of them. “And that’s what you’ve become to me during—”

  “Whoa, cowboy! Let’s get the horses back in the corral.” Dana laughed. “While we appreciate the effort, going for the monologue-about-something-else-till-we forget-the-original-subject won’t work, so you might as well save your breath.”

  Reece nodded and almost smiled. “I suppose I owe you that.” He stared into the fire for a long time, the only sound the popping of the pitch inside the logs on the fire.

  “God gave me a name thirty years back. And another one about six months ago.”

  “Interesting,” Brandon said.

  “The most recent first,” Marcus said.

  “Nah, first one first.” Brandon picked up a stick off the pile of wood to his right. It reminded him of something. Something from Well Spring? Yes, that was it. It looked almost identical to the stick Dana had held when they walked the riverbank during their time at the ranch. As he studied it, the Spirit said, Pay attention. To a stick? Odd. He set it on his knees and turned to Dana.

  “It looks like you’re the tie-breaker vote, Dana. What order?”

  “Chronological.”

  “All right, first name first.” Reece leaned back in his chair and looked at the sky. “I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Washington in the late seventies when I heard God say, You’re my Meriwether Lewis.

  “I had no idea who that was. But when I got home I looked up the name. He meant Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark.”

  “He was saying you were a trailblazer in spiritual things,” Dana said.

  “Uh-huh.” Reece’s head fell forward and he stared at the fire. “True.”

  The big man went silent and an invisible weight seemed to settle on his shoulders. Brandon leaned forward and spoke softly. “And the second name?”

  “I was on my Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 on a gorgeous early October afternoon almost to Leavenworth.” Reece motioned with his right hand as if he were gunning the engine of his bike. “The leaves were this lemon-yellow color, the air was crisp, and the smell of fall was everywhere.

  “When I hit Tumwater Canyon, I’m just drinking in God and talking to him about everything, when he says, Stop the first chance you get and pull over. I want to tell you something. So I pull off at this tiny picnic area, park my bike, and walk down to the river and step out on this boulder overlooking the Wenatchee River, the air just cool enough to make me keep my jacket on.

  “It had rained the day before, so there is a decent amount of water running through the canyon for that time of the year. The view to the west makes me wish I had my camera, so I sit on the boulder and stare at the river to burn the image into my brain and wait for God to speak.

  “After six or seven minutes a name fills my head: Roy.

  “’God, is that you?’ I ask, even though I know the Spirit is speaking to me.

  “He says yes and that my name is Roy. This rush of peace fills me and I know the name fits, but I have no idea who Roy is or what the name means. Nothing else comes the rest of the day. But on my ride back to Seattle that night, just as I pass a small thundering waterfall next to the highway, another name comes to me and I know who Jesus is saying I am.”

  “What was the second name?” Marcus asked.

  “Hobbs.”

  “Roy Hobbs? From The Natural?” Brandon said.

  “Yes.” Reece’s eyes brightened.

  Dana shook her head. “I don’t know the movie.”

  Reece rubbed his knees. “It’s the story of this baseball player from the early 1920s who is full of stunning natural talent. When he’s younger he’s one of the most amazing players ever. But he’s targeted by this psychotic woman who has an obsession with killing the best player in every sport.

  “When she discovers Roy Hobbs is the best in baseball, she comes after him and Roy makes the mistake of letting her into his life and she shoots him. It takes him out and he disappears for sixteen years before finally coming back to the game at an age when most players are long retired.”

  Reece stood and plucked a long, thin piece of wood off the pile next to Brandon and held it like a baseball bat. “I’m passing Zeke’s Drive In on Highway 2 when the scene at the end of the movie where Roy hammers a home run to win the series lights up in my mind. I hear God’s voice say, Reece, you are my Roy Hobbs. This is your second chance. It’s time to get back on the field and play again. It’s time for the prophecy to be fulfilled.”

  He pointed to a spot above his home, then swung the stick in slow motion. “You three are my championship game.”

  “So what was the mistake you made, Roy? What took Meriwether off the path?”

  Reece s
hook his head. “I do want to tell you about that, but the right time isn’t quite here yet.”

  They sat in silence for two or three minutes and Brandon used the time to soak in the moment and study the faces around him. Marcus’s countenance had changed. There was a peace on it the professor had never carried before their foray into his soul.

  The perpetual unease on Reece’s face had vanished, at least for the moment, and he guessed his own face was more relaxed than it had been in years. The Spirit had done amazing things over the past three weeks and every indication was that they would continue.

  But the expression on Dana’s face flitted back and forth from one of rest to one of distress. And her gaze kept darting to the stick Brandon had laid across his knees. Something was going on, and he asked the Spirit what it was.

  Be there for her. Be strong. A few seconds later Dana stood and stuffed her hands into her coat pockets. “Will you excuse me for a few minutes?”

  “What’s going on, Dana?” Brandon said.

  “I’ll be right back.” She took three strides away from the fire, then turned back to them. “I think God wants me to do something I don’t want to do. So I’m going to go have a little wrestling match. I’ll be back in a few and let you know who won.”

  She sliced through the tall grass leading to the edge of Reece’s property and a few seconds later disappeared through the maple trees at the edge of his yard.

  “Do you have any understanding of what it’s about?” Marcus said.

  “Yes,” Brandon answered. “I think Dana’s trying to decide if she’ll invite us into her soul.”

  FORTY-THREE

  “I CAN’T DO THIS, LORD.” DANA STOOD ON THE OTHER SIDE of a huge maple tree on the edge of Reece’s property looking back at the fire and the three men whom she would have to give permission to.

  You can.

  “I don’t want to, with everything in me, I don’t want to. Not with Brandon here.”

  I know.

  “Then why?”

  For healing. For freedom.

  “Can I do it later? Tomorrow?”

  There is no tomorrow. The time is now. I am with you. You are not alone.

  A leaf floated down and landed on her shoulder. God’s touch. She ambled back to the fire, feeling like she was about to post her most private journal entries on the internet for the entire world to gawk at.

  No, it’s not like that. Be strong, dear one.

  When she reached the fire pit she stopped on the outside of the circular bench. Deep breath. Here we go.

  “You don’t have to do this.” Reece stared at her with intense eyes.

  Dana shuffled over to Reece and sat, her chin resting on her fists. “Yes, I do.”

  “Now?”

  She nodded. If only Brandon were gone. Anyone else but him. But she didn’t get to pick the actors in this movie.

  Brandon stared at Dana, wishing he could leave. She couldn’t want him traipsing around her soul. But she didn’t say anything and God had told him to be there for her. Words sputtered out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Do you want me to leave—?”

  “Yes.”

  Brandon stood but as he did, Dana’s head fell back and she gritted her teeth. “But you’re not supposed to.”

  He eased back down and stared at the flames.

  “Are you ready, Dana?” Reece asked.

  She nodded and Reece turned to Marcus and Brandon.

  “Ready?”

  The professor nodded and Brandon did the same.

  He glanced at Dana again, hoping to at least make eye contact before they went in, but her eyes stayed closed.

  “Okay, let’s do it.”

  Reece closed his eyes and Brandon followed his lead. A rush of wind and a sensation of falling struck Brandon and he held his breath. Seconds later they stood in a forest of redwood trees that towered above their heads. The sound of birds calling to one another across the canopy filled the air. Sun streamed through the trees, thin shafts of light warming their faces, and the rich scent of the forest swirled around them.

  It felt like midmorning on a summer day. Patches of blue sky framed the branches three hundred feet above. Behind them a dark jade-green river flowed through the trees.

  “My assessment is we’re in the California redwoods,” Marcus said. “This is reminiscent of places where I camped as a kid.”

  Reece gazed at their surroundings. “Dana must have done the same.”

  “Why?”

  “People rarely create places in their souls they haven’t experienced personally. So Dana must have been to a place or seen a place like this when she was growing up. A peaceful place. Beautiful. A place to escape. A place of safety.”

  “Any idea where we are?” Brandon asked.

  “Dana’s soul,” Reece answered.

  “Duh. I get that part. I mean, what area of her soul are we in? And what are we supposed to do?”

  A beam of light flashed and a little girl stood before them. Dana? The girl smiled, but not at them. She spoke as if she were staring right through them—a lonely look in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here. I know you can help me.” She turned and waved her hand in front of the trees. “This is my forest. I hope you like it.”

  It was Dana’s voice—younger and with a trace of sorrow—but there was no mistaking it was hers. She skipped in between the trees, disappeared behind one, then poked her head out from behind it. “I created it for myself. It took a long time to get it the way I wanted it to be.”

  “Dana?” Brandon called.

  If she heard him she gave no indication.

  “Take your time here.” She came out from behind the tree and skipped along the border of the trees like she was playing hopscotch. “It’s beautiful, don’t you think? Sit by the river, or skip a rock, or just sit and listen to the birds.”

  “Dana!” Brandon called.

  “I have to go now.” A sad smile rose to her face as she again looked through them, then turned toward the forest. “I love having you here.” Dana waved over her shoulder and skipped into the trees, where she vanished an instant later.

  “Why couldn’t she hear us?”

  “That wasn’t exactly her,” Marcus said.

  “You think?” Brandon said.

  “What are you hearing from the Spirit?” Reece asked.

  “That we follow her into the forest,” Brandon said. And in his gut he heard the echoes of isolation. He knew they wouldn’t find anyone else in the forest.

  “Marcus?”

  “I agree, although I didn’t receive that from God. I’m simply flummoxed at what else we might attempt.”

  Reece stepped forward toward the forest. “Don’t get separated in here. Things are never what they appear to be. Ten feet apart, max. Understood?”

  Brandon and Marcus gave confirmation and the three stepped into the trees. The forest floor was covered in bark and needles. The birds had gone silent or had vanished. The only sound was the crunch of their feet on the ground as they wound through the massive redwood trees.

  After fifty yards the trees grew closer together. After one hundred they were less than a foot apart and Brandon and the others had to turn sideways to slide in between them.

  “If the trees get any closer together, this is going to be a problem,” Reece said.

  “No kidding.” Brandon pushed through an opening, his front and back scraping against the trees.

  Marcus pushed through the same opening, then pointed to a line of redwoods ten feet ahead that were less than a foot apart. “You mean like that?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Interesting forest,” Brandon said.

  “And obvious.” Marcus turned to watch Reece struggle through two trees behind them.

  “Care to enlighten us?” Reece asked when he got through.

  “She’s built a forest to keep people out.”

  “Exactly.”

  Brandon glanced to his right and left. “If you’re thinking wh
at I’m thinking, and I am thinking you’re thinking what I’m thinking, we could go back out to where the trees are thinner, circle this thing for eternity, and we wouldn’t find an opening.”

  “You could be a songwriter with catchy lyrics like that,” Reece said.

  “ The man who never smiles makes a joke.” Brandon laughed. “Miracles still do happen.”

  “They do indeed.” Reece motioned toward the trees. “Time is always against us when we’re inside a soul, so let’s figure out a solution.”

  “Why is time against us?” Marcus asked.

  “The longer we stay in, the greater chance the enemy will notice our work to set someone free and send his soldiers through the gate to attack and thwart what we’re doing.”

  “Then let’s move.” Brandon smacked the giant redwood in front of them. “Let’s grab a chainsaw the size of the Space Needle and cut all the trees down.”

  “You’re thinking in the physical realm. Here we are spirit and we’re not bound by the same rules.”

  “What are you saying, we should fly over the tops of the trees?”

  “That’s an option.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “No. But I’m not sure you’re quite ready for that,” Reece said. “But you will be in time.”

  “Do you have another option in the meantime?”

  “If we can’t go around the trees, let’s go through them.”

  “That makes perfect sense.” Brandon nodded. “How?”

  “Like Jesus did. He walked through walls. So we should be able to walk through trees.” Reece held out his arms. “Grab my forearms and close your eyes.”

  Brandon reached out and grabbed Reece’s arm with his left hand. Marcus did the same on the other side, then closed his eyes.

  “Can you believe?” Reece flexed his forearms. “There is infinite space around every molecule in our bodies. All that has to happen is the empty space in those trees needs to line up with the empty space in our bodies.”