by J. D. Lander
The next morning Connor readied himself for school. After his shower, he stood in front of his dresser with the drawer open. All of his tshirts lay there before him but he had no energy to decide. He knew his mind was distraught and he couldn’t face anyone. What he had been pushing down inside himself and denying for all these years had finally bubbled to the surface, becoming reality. He told his mother he wasn’t feeling well and asked her to call the school to let them know he wouldn’t be there. Then he laid back down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, examining the imperfections. The cool breeze from the ceiling fan soothed him. His eyes closed as he let his mind find a peaceful place and rest. Abruptly, there was a loud knock on his door. With frustration, he opened it and to his surprise found Adam standing there.
“Did my mom let you in?” Connor questioned.
“No,” Adam replied.
Connor let him in the room, finding it strange that he had snuck in. “I brought you something,” Adam stated as he handed him a pair of glasses.
“I don’t wear glasses.”
“These aren’t regular glasses. I made them for you.”
Connor put the glasses on and looked around the room. Nothing appeared larger, smaller, farther, or nearer.
“Look at me,” Adam commanded.
Connor looked at Adam. At first he didn’t see anything altered. Then he noticed a blue glow emanating from Adam’s body, as if his body was a light bulb, letting off an even and constant brightness.
“That’s neat. How do they work?” Connor asked while waving his hand in front of the lenses.
“It’s how I see the world. I wanted to show you. Look out the window.”
Connor walked over to the window, wondering if Adam had some strange medical condition. He looked down into the yard and saw faded blue footprints through the grass. Everything else appeared ordinary. He glanced back at the footprints just in time to see them vanish, as if they were absorbed into the ground.
“I don’t understand. You see yourself as blue? Is it a color-blindness?”
“I think you need to see more to understand.” Connor dropped the topic for the moment, eager to see what awaited him. Science had always fascinated him and the idea of discovering how the glasses work energized him.
The two boys snuck past Connor’s parent’s room, where his mother still remained, down the stairs, and walked out the front door. Connor gazed down the street and instantaneously was captivated by a green light piercing the sky. When the glasses were off, the light disappeared. He put the glasses back on and the light returned as if it had never left. How could Adam have altered the glasses to do this?
“Follow me,” Adam stated as he darted down the block. Connor quickly followed behind. They found themselves out of breath as they reached the church steps. Connor looked up in amazement as he realized the light was coming from the church.
“How did you do this?” Connor questioned.
“I made the glasses see as I see.”
“What do you mean see as you see?”
“I see lights where I see connections between the Architect and the Earth.”
“The Architect?”
“The one who created this world.”
“You mean God?”
“Your people call him many things but I know him as one. He created this world long ago and it has grown so beautiful.”
Connor looked at the blue light around Adam. “Why is your light blue?”
“You shared your secret with me so its time you learned mine. Take a seat.” Connor sat on the marble church steps.
“ I know you won’t believe what I’m going to share with you but listen.” Adam sat and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. He had not yet reached out to anyone in the way he was about to with Connor. “I’m not from this planet. I lived my whole life on another. It resembled the jungles you have here in many ways. Everything was normal and peaceful until suddenly one day our architect died. Let me be more specific. An architect is the creator of a world. You call yours God. The architect is the planet, everything on it, even the air breathed. When there was nothing, the architects built beauty, keeping a great distance between their worlds. Each had a unique design. Eventually, each world becomes too large for the architect to maintain or the rules the architect set cause the world’s own destruction, killing the architect with it. When an architect is dying a piece of their energy forms a seed, chooses a host to grow inside, and another architect is born.
The energy on my planet sensed the architect’s impending destruction and for some reason I was chosen by the seed. My people didn’t understand why I was suddenly breaking the laws of their world. I didn’t understand how I could. Our planet was being destroyed by natural disasters. The first law I broke was what you call gravity. I only did it to save myself. It was an accident. At the time, I didn’t yet realize the knowledge I had gained from our architect. I broke too many laws and my family and I were to be killed. There was nothing I could do to save our planet. The energy supporting it was rapidly draining. It was only a matter of time. We had to leave to avoid being killed by our own people or the planet itself. I had no idea how to leave until I heard your architect calling to me and I appeared here. He allowed me to model my world after his so my family could escape and would have a place to stay. An architect’s energy increases over time. I am still very young as an architect and am limited by the little amount of energy I possess. I can now travel between the two worlds for inspiration and assistance while my family stays behind. He is loving, forgiving, and generous. There is only one rule that exists for me here. I cannot be caught breaking or bending any of his laws. He has mechanisms in place so his influence can never be proved, and the same rules apply to what I do. ”
Connors face was pale and unexpressive. He knew that the glasses were no parlor trick and that Adam was telling the truth. His gut told him to trust Adam. His belief in something more was finally validated by Adam’s speech. With the glasses on Connor looked at himself and saw his own green glow. He truly believed now without question. Was he glowing before he heard Adam share?
“You have some green in your light. Does that mean you are a part of the Architect?” Connor asked.
“I modeled myself after his world. In order to do that, I needed to have the Architect as a piece of me as well. The Architect saved me and I will forever be reminded of his kindness by bearing his light. Nothing changes now, Connor, and you can’t tell anyone or I will need to leave. You may also want to keep quiet just to avoid being locked up.” Adam chuckled then smiled at Connor, feeling he did the right thing.
Connor punched Adam’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, freak. I won’t say anything.”
They walked back to the house side by side. Instead of asking a million questions, Connor remained deep in his thoughts. It crossed his mind that Adam may be mentally ill, but it didn’t matter to Connor because it didn’t change the way he felt about him. When they reached the front yard, Adam turned to Connor. Neither of them said anything. Connor stared into Adam’s brown eyes and felt there was something inside them he had never found in anyone else. Adam leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips. “Thank you for keeping my secret.”
Adam didn’t try and probe Connor’s thoughts because he knew it would take time to sink in. He walked slowly toward the woods. Connor headed to the door with excitement in each step. He planned on running upstairs and yelling into his pillow. Life was suddenly so dreamlike and fantastical. Nothing was impossible. When he reached for the door, he suddenly stopped and turned around. He wanted to know where Adam went home. Keeping his distance, Connor followed Adam deep into the woods. Tracking Adam was very easy using the new glasses. The footprints in the dirt lit up like an airport runway for him to follow. They eventually came to the waterfall. Adam climbed to the top while Connor stayed hidden below. When Adam reached the top he leapt gracefully out over the water and disappeared. Connor watched, amazed, as a blue mist hovered over the wa
ter and then dissipated.
Connor turned and slowly headed back to his house in a daze from what he had witnessed. The world that was once so full of science and facts suddenly seemed flexible. His thoughts raced so fast in his head that he had moments of lightheadedness. The dry and dreary future he imagined his life would become no longer existed. He had hope and it showed in him as a green light. No longer would he question the existence of God or a greater being because he had met Adam. God truly was with him every moment of his life.
CHAPTER 8
Not Everything is
Worth Seeing
Connor awoke early the next morning, excited to get to school. He ran out the door and immediately put on his new glasses. Once again, he saw the green light shooting into the sky from the church. As a school bus passed he could see flickers of green light coming from inside. Everyone suddenly seemed connected by this green light, even Adam. For the first time in his life, Connor felt as though he was a part of something bigger than him. He was so caught up in looking at everything around him, he forgot to take the glasses off when he entered the school. Before he could take them off, Dylan yelled, “and I didn’t think your face could look any gayer!” Everyone in the hallway turned and stared. Connor had no choice but to leave them on or everyone would assume Dylan was the cause for their disappearance.
In homeroom, Alice obligatorily commented on how nice his glasses were. Today he didn’t make much conversation back because he was distracted by Adam’s absence. Connor entered his first period class, Advanced Placement Biology. Once everyone took their seats, Mr. Kramer immediately starting talking about DNA replication. He was a middle-aged man who always dressed in khakis and a polo shirt. His conservative appearance may have fooled parents, but the students knew from older siblings that in his past he smoked marijuana with students on his lunch break. Mr. Kramer was a very laid back teacher but had a passion when he spoke. He often walked in late claiming if he didn’t grab a donut in the teacher’s lounge they would be gone before the next period.
The glasses didn’t reveal anything unusual in the classroom, only varying degrees of green light emanating from students. Connor tried to focus his attention out the window, but the sun was too bright to make anything out. He couldn’t stop thinking of Adam. Had something happened to him in the blue mist? Did he plunge to his death in the waterfall after revealing his secret?
Connor tried to focus his attention back on class. Mr. Kramer started saying something about single-strand binding proteins when Connor felt a cold chill on his neck. He turned his head toward the wooden classroom door to the right of Mr. Kramer and froze. Not realizing it, Connor held his breath, shocked and afraid. A tall, muscular, red-skinned man stepped into the classroom. His legs were covered in hair with giant hooves as feet. His horns were dark brown, enormous, and swirled around his ears like a ram. His chest was bare with thick arms at its side. His light was not green or blue, but red, a color Adam had not explained. Connor slowly let his breath out, hoping not to be noticed. He knew he was staring at the incarnation of evil itself, the Devil.
Nobody in the class noticed the Devil but him. How could they not see this blazing fire-like red light in the front of the classroom? The chill Connor had initially felt was far-gone. He began to feel sweat bead on his forehead. The Devil entered further into the classroom, breathing deep into his chest and expelling the air with force. The Devil started to walk down his isle, its eyes darting back and forth searching for something. Everyone was acting normal, unaffected by the pure evil adjacent to them. The noisy room seemed silent and slow motion to Connor. The creature looked down at Connor, who could feel his breath. Connor felt faint, his heart racing, but knew he had to act normal. If the Devil knew he could see him, what would the consequences be? As the Devil made eye contact with Connor, Connor pulled the glasses off and pretended not to notice. He stared straight at Mr. Kramer as if he were listening. He could no longer see the Devil but his hands still began to tremble. Slowly, he looked down at his glasses and wondered if he should put them back on. He lifted the glasses halfway to his face when the left lens fogged.
“Connor? Are you paying attention?” Mr. Kramer interrupted.
“Yes,” Connor replied, snapping back into class.
“Can you tell me what the purpose of gyrase is then?”
“To introduce negative supercoils…”
“Just stop daydreaming and make me believe you want to be here.”
After a couple minutes passed, Connor put the glasses on and looked around the room. The Devil was no longer there. Had he been there at all? Was it a daydream, or daymare rather? He wondered if dreams and reality were suddenly blurring together. When the bell rang, Connor leapt out of his chair and ran into the hall. He hurried to his locker and shut the glasses inside.
“Hey freak!” Alice yelled as she approached.
“I need to tell you something but it can’t be here,” Connor replied.
“Ok, but can it wait until lunch? I need to get to my next class.”
“No, lets skip.”
“Connor, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“Please, just trust me!”
Connor grabbed her arm and pulled her through the exit at the end of the hall. Once they reached the outside of the building he released her from his grip and walked full speed toward his house. Alice ran after, doing the best she could to keep up. When they reached his neighbors yard, Connor cut across and headed into the woods.
“Connor! What is going on!?”
“Just follow me, please…” When Connor felt they were deep enough into the woods he started to cry. “It’s real. It’s all real, Alice!”
“What do you mean? What’s real?”
“God is. Heaven. Hell. It’s all real.” His arms swung wildly in desperation.
“You pulled me from school and brought me out here to tell me that?”
“The light, Alice. Adam showed me the light.”
“Connor, do you hear yourself? The light? You sound crazy!” Alice yelled out.
Connor collapsed onto the dirt. Realizing he had forgotten his only proof, the glasses, in his locker. At the sake of sounding even crazier, he started to share his story.
“Adam’s not from around here. He can see things. He showed me that we all share the same light. I saw it, Alice! The church, you should see its light strike right up into the clouds. We have it too, a light. But today, I saw something that I didn’t want to see. I saw the Devil in biology class. Not Mr. Kramer, the actual Devil! He stood right before me. I think he knew I could see him. What does that mean? When evil knows you saw it?”
“Connor, please don’t take offense. Are you doing drugs with Adam? You’re having hallucinations. It’s like people say, you’re having a bad trip.”
“I didn’t do any drugs, Alice! You know I wouldn’t! He made me glasses. They’re in my locker. I wish I could show you. Tomorrow, I will.” Then Connor realized he could show her the waterfall. “Wait! I can show you where Adam goes. He jumps into some kind of portal over the waterfall! Just walk with me. If you don’t believe me after you can commit me!”
“Fine, I’ll walk with you but only because we have nothing to do until school is over. Why couldn’t you have pulled me out in a later period? You're lucky I didn’t have a test today or I would have called your mom already.”
Even though Alice had been Connor’s friend since she was old enough to remember, she still didn’t believe him. In her mind, Adam was to blame for whatever was happening to Connor. As a good friend, she walked with him. She noticed the panic in his every step and wondered if he was in more of a hurry to convince himself or her. The hike up to the top of the waterfall was not pleasant and she had to coach herself on the meaning of friendship the whole way up.
“It’s right there. He jumped right there and disappeared. Then there was this blue mist for a second, then nothing.”
“How is this supposed to convince me? You’re showing me
a patch of air you claim is a portal?”
Connor threw a rock out over the waterfall and waited for a blue mist to appear.
“Ahhh. You need to have the glasses to see it. Did you hear it hit the water?”
“No, but all I can hear is the waterfall. Lets just go Connor. You’re creeping me out, like that time Barry told us there was a ghost next to us.”
“Let’s throw something bigger! Help me grab this log!
“I’m sorry Connor, I’m leaving. If you want to stay and throw things, go ahead. I promise you can show me the glasses tomorrow at lunch.”
Connor knew there was only one way to get her to turn around and look.
“I’m going to jump.”
Before Alice could say anything, Connor was running toward the edge of the waterfall then leaping through the air. He began to come down. Her heart stopped in her chest as she watched him falling. Then his hand suddenly caught onto something and disappeared. He was hanging over the waterfall with his hand seemingly invisible. His wrist looked as if it were being suspended in the air by nothing. Not being an athlete, Connor struggled to get his other hand onto the invisible ledge.