“I can’t pronounce most of them,” blustered Riley.
“The names are only labels, really. Just like your human names. It is the meaning behind the names that matters. Sarina, you know much about the Mayan history, and, Detective, I have shared some of it with you so you have a grasp of the situation, correct?”
“Yes,” said Riley, “and I also have gained more knowledge from Sarina as our connection has grown.”
“Excellent. The spirit world is very powerful and governs the human plane. Your religions and human policies are of no use in the spirit world, as you have seen. As we are short on time, I will not review what I have already told you unless clarification is needed. Do both of you feel secure with that statement?”
They both nodded yes together.
“Sarina, your father was working with some documents regarding the Mayan and the Sumerian peoples and naturally Nibiru was in the documentation. He possesses the same DNA mapping you possess so he discovered how to enhance his powers quite easily, as have many throughout Earth’s history. He began his work more as a hobby but soon discovered its underlying powers and how those powers have been used throughout time. Ann also possessed the DNA mapping but with more information than your father. Even as a teen, she understood these powers and was able to enhance them as you have. She and your father began a journey together those 30-plus years ago. Ann wanted to use her gifts to help the human race see the wrong that was happening and help correct the world’s issues. She knew how to use her gifts well and convinced your father to follow her path of choice.
This succeeded for a time but your father began to see his limitations and turned to Cum-Hau for guidance. Your father was offered a high place in the Knights of Templar order and was then instructed to do Cum-Hau’s bidding without question. Cum-Hau had an agenda to gain power in the spirit world and knew that Earth was critical to his plan and that Jack was vulnerable and in need of a purpose. Cum-Hau placed dark spirits in powerful human positions over time to nurture his plan and help accelerate humankind’s demise. Jack followed Cum-Hau’s direct orders and when he was asked to perform the most heinous crime, he did so never showing the sorrow he deeply felt.”
“Are you insinuating that it was my father who killed Jennifer Banderas?” Sarina asked.
“All I know is it was he who fulfilled Cum-Hau’s request to murder his own daughter, your sister Ann.”
Riley looked over at Sarina and felt a sense of empathy for her apparent rage. “How insane! You are saying that Sarina’s father killed his own daughter!”
“I know this is hard to believe but you must realize the loyalty Jack feels for Cum-Hau. Jack was in no position to argue the point. Sarina, you must believe that Jack felt great remorse for his action. He was under Cum-Hau’s spell and as a devoted Knight of Templar, he was wooed by the power he was offered. But nevertheless he did kill Ann.”
Dana went on, “Cum-Hau’s plan has been in motion since Nibiru’s last orbit around the sun some 3,600 years ago. When the Sumerian brothers split, Cum-Hau fled to what is now Guatemala and began his manipulation of the Mayan people. He was indeed revered as a god and Mayan mythology shows this. His reign has been for over 3,000 years and he gains more unbalanced followers as the end of the current segment of the Mayan calendar approached, the night when Ann was murdered. The Mayan calendar is keeping track of the compression of time. He knows that Nibiru will be near Earth very soon unseen, or cloaked if you will, by humans and is coercing your species to make poor or uninformed choices and Sarina’s father succumbed to the enticement of Cum-Hau’s power.
“Cum-Hau’s best tricks are diversion. He places unbalanced spirits in dictators and religious leaders, but his most effective followers are what you call CEOs of powerful companies. These entities or persons keep humans focused on the trivial components of Earth’s society and away from what is right in front of your human noses. Cum-Hau has accelerated environmental disasters, human wars, and religious trivialities to pit human against human and he is close to success. Humans choose to battle one another for every imaginable cause and yet the real battle is with Cum-Hau. His defeat hinges upon the awakening of the human race. His biggest strength is the attraction to logic that diverts humans as far away from ritual and spirituality as possible. Human power and balance might be restored if humans were to embrace the rituals initiated tens of thousands of years ago before the religions of the world tore them apart for their own greed for power. Cum-Hau saw to that happening but he cannot control human choice, he can only influence it.”
“So my father was drawn to Cum-Hau to quench his thirst for power?” asked Sarina.
“In a way, yes. He was drawn to Cum-Hau because his fear of death was so great. He wanted to live as an immortal, like the ancient Sumerians. He was blinded by his own imbalance. He and Ann fought as did he and your mother. Eventually it became clear to him that he was better off in the spirit world and he left to be by Cum-Hau’s side, where he thought he was appreciated. And to the extent Jack is useful for Cum-Hau’s purposes, he is appreciated. This destroyed Ann’s faith in spirituality and your mother turned to the church because it promised her salvation. She gave in easily and yet was never satisfied by the church’s fearful presentations. Ann left as soon as she turned 19 and let go of her gifts and fell asleep again, falling backwards into the illusion of science.”
“Dana, she never was able to fully let go, was she?” asked Riley.
“No, Detective, she was not. That is why she led you to her body and ultimately you are here. Sarina, your bond with the detective is almost complete and Ann held the key to complete this journey you both are now on, provided you make wise choices.”
“The bracelet …” muttered Riley.
“And the urn … with Ann’s ashes …” said Sarina.
“Yes, these items play a very powerful role in this story. Keep them close. Through Ann’s life, the spirit world’s continuum has been disrupted. Through her death and your connection with the detective, the prophecy of Cum-Hau is coming to a close, whatever that may be. But that is enough for now. I feel the collective has lost our trail so we must go now.”
They got up and walked out of the school and turned right towards the Magic of Chin Chin and ducked into a couple of alleys until they were at the familiar doorway once again.
Dana again led them through the portal into the large room and over the precipice and onto the next level, as Riley put it. The space was completely dark. Sarina and Riley closed their eyes and saw the space fill with an infinite number of tiny particles of light. The particles were vibrating and began to swirl and they felt as if they were in water. Sarina and Riley found their surroundings comforting and warm. They were floating suspended in mid-air. The particles moved independently of one another and then one by one they began to merge and bond together as if creating greater organisms of two, then three, then four and so on. Each merging created new images of what seemed to be life forms. The beings began to take the shape of cell structures pulsing and expanding. The life forms began to divide like cells, pushing, pulling, and dividing again and again until specialized cell functions took the form of a fetus. All the while, Riley’s and Sarina’s heartbeats were in unison, beating as one in perfect thirds as musical notes. They watched as another group of cells parted and formed an identical twin of the other. Riley’s body had been stationary, but now he projected himself toward the grouping of cells that were forming. The pulsing grew more prominent and Riley’s projection began to merge with the cell structures. He formed into one of the fetuses, pulsing all the while in unison with the other. The fetuses began pulsing quietly and purposefully.
Sarina seemed to be witnessing this dance of the two fetuses as they grew larger. Riley’s fetal projection and what seemed to be his twin were dancing in this body of water and Riley felt a great sense of bliss as the beating grew louder. The sound was the same as the song they received from the Sangoma woman in the gift shop.
Sarina watched
as the two separate yet similar beings continued to grow. Sarina realized that the other was Riley’s twin and was developing into a girl. Riley was glowing bright but his twin was more of a dim light. He was alive and thriving, kicking and moving, but his twin was pulsing yet less developed. Sarina wanted to help Riley’s twin grow and thrive like Riley, yet nothing that she was able to offer seemed to help. Riley bumped into his twin from time to time and she pulsed as if coming back to life but when he moved away her glow softened and faded. Nine months passed and Riley was beaming with anticipation, but his twin grew smaller then began to fade away.
Riley was emerging, bursting out while his twin was breaking apart and returning to the small particles of light. Riley looked around for what indeed was his twin but lacked the ability to see her. A bright light appeared at the end of a long tunnel and Riley, after one last glance to find his twin, swam with all his might toward the light and he pushed hard and passed through the light. The light faded. Riley was gone and his twin completely dissolved away and returned to the infinite number of tiny particles eventually unrecognizable from any other particle.
Sarina felt an overwhelming sadness as she watched Riley fade into the light. Riley returned to his body next to Sarina. He was holding her hand and weeping in grief. Sarina tried to comfort him but knew he needed to walk this journey alone. Dana came to Sarina’s side, took her hand and guided her gently away from Riley who curled into a ball embracing the tiny particles of light. Riley gathered the tiny particles and caressed them as if he were stroking the hair of a woman. The tiny particles broke free and swirled around him and danced around him, bumping off his body as they moved away, one by one. The parting of these particles was gentle and loving. As the last particle floated away from him, there was a slight hesitation and in unison the particles rushed off through the water-like surroundings into oblivion.
Riley sobbed for what seemed to be hours until he looked up and blew a kiss in the direction of the departing particles. Dana and Sarina slowly moved off far away from Riley who remained unmoving in his fetal position. Sarina so wanted to go to Riley but Dana held her back until Riley uncurled and stood, and in his own time, moved toward them. Riley and Sarina embraced as they did in their dream for what seemed an eternity. Riley finally unlocked their embrace. In his outstretched hand was an eagle whistle, which he placed around Sarina's neck. Sarina looked at the whistle and felt the tears well up in her eyes.
Their time here was complete and Dana led them back the way they entered and out into the alley. They all stood in silence with a knowing that needed no words.
The three walked back to Sarina’s apartment in silence. When they arrived Dana said his farewells and left them to be with each other. Dana knew their union was now complete and he sensed safety for them and walked away.
Sarina and Riley walked into her apartment, her arms wrapped around him as he gently wept for the loss of his twin sister. She was gone, he never knew her, but he was able to share a brief time in her presence. He felt reassured by her that this was meant to be and that she was happy to be with him again if only briefly.
Sarina walked Riley to her bedroom, removed his shoes and put him to bed, stroking his hair the entire time as he heaved sobbing until he fell asleep. Sarina held him as he slept. His breath was light and full and she knew he was for her.
Sarina fingered the eagle whistle. She always wanted Joe’s eagle whistle but he took it with him when he left for Guatemala and promised it to her when he returned. She now realized that he was not returning and that, through Riley, Joe was able to help her let him go. The experience was as much hers as it was Riley’s.
Sarina made Riley comfortable and changed into her night clothes and crawled into bed beside Riley and slept wrapped around him all night, their connection now complete.
Riley was letting go of his own past and accepting what is now. Here with Sarina, by his side, he felt complete and on task. As the realization came to him that whatever was about to happen was part of his destiny, another rite of passage came to a close.
Chapter - Twenty one
“Rise and shine, sleepy head.” Riley practically danced into Sarina’s room with tea and pastries. He felt alive and free. His life had felt like a burden up until this moment in time and Sarina was happy to see him so vibrant.
“Riley, it’s 7 o’clock in the morning. What’s wrong with you?” She said with a big smile.
“It’s going to be a big day today. Dana will be here in an hour and then the real party begins! Whatever the spirit world has in store for us, I’m ready.” Riley flexed his muscles as if mimicking a super hero. “C’mon, bright eyes, let’s move it!”
Sarina picked up a pillow and hurled at Riley who caught it and pounced on her in bed. He tickled her, which made her laugh and squirm. Then he stopped and stared down at her as tears of laughter rolled down her cheeks and he bent over and kissed her on the lips. He backed off somewhat in shock, but she grabbed him and pulled him down again for another passionate kiss. “I’m so glad I can’t read your mind,” she said.
“Me too. Now get up!”
“Do you mean that you’re glad I can’t read your mind or that you can’t read my mind?”
“Yeah, that’s it,” he said and ran out of the room.
Sarina pulled the pillow over her face, said men to herself and let out an “ugh.” Sarina had developed feelings for Riley and had been wondering how he felt but was afraid to ask. Now she knew more and so did he. She was not completely in control of her feelings and this terrified her somewhat. She got up, changed, and wondered what the day might indeed bring. As she washed her face, she stared into the mirror and was amazed at the color change of her eyes. How was she going to explain this to Mary? Mary! she thought, “OH SHIT!” she screamed. She was trotting down the hall and said, “Riley, I have got to call Mary and fill her in!”
“Too late,” he said. “I already spoke with her this morning …”
“YOU WHAT?!”
“Calm down, Sarina. I told her that we were working on your sister’s case, which involved the spirit world and beings from another dimension and that you were still asleep.”
“You didn’t …”
“She said, ‘cool,’ and ‘make sure Sarina keeps track of it all and gives me an amazing story to publish.’ And then she hung up.”
“Arg …”
“What?”
“You answered the phone in my apartment, this early in the morning, and told her I was still asleep?”
“What? Did I do something wrong?”
“Where’s the phone?”
“Sarina, who cares about the phone, we have to be ready to save the human race in an hour and you want to call your editor?”
“Look, I have an outside life I need to tend to so don’t nag me about saving the human race when I need to call my editor. Where is that freakin’ phone?”
“Oh, you’re worried about what Mary will say to your colleagues. Not about saving the human species, but about a man in your apartment so early in the morning. Well, fear not I told we didn’t make love, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Jeez, Riley, are there no discretions in your world? Now where is that phone? Men … oh here it is.”
“You know, Sarina, if you just stop for a second and listen to me you might want to hear what I have to say.”
“And what is that?” Sarina asked as she dialed the phone.
“Well, I had a most amazing experience yesterday…”
“Hello, Mary?”
“And I think I have fallen in love with you!”
“Mary, I wanted to let you know that… what did you say? Not you Mary, I’ll call you right back. Riley, what did you say?”
“I said ‘I love you!’” Riley was grinning from ear to ear. “Before you respond, how do you like your eggs?”
Sarina was staring at Riley. She was feeling the same but was unsure about any of this. What does falling in love really mean? How ca
n I react to this right now when I am needing to talk with Mary, am dealing with whether or not I can get any work done, am wondering how I got this eagle whistle from the spirit world and these blue green eyes and am dealing with the fact that I AM about to save the human race … “I need a break right now. I’m going call Mary back, take a shower, and sort this all out. Give me ten minutes, okay?”
“Certainly.” Riley knew Sarina was never going to be able to do all that in ten minutes.
Sarina called Mary back and filled her in, changing the subject often whenever Riley’s name came up. Mary was so persistent, but Sarina was able to keep her on track with details of how the wild journey she was on was unfolding. After about ten minutes, Sarina was able to get Mary off the phone by assuring her that she was keeping detailed notes about everything and that a great story was emerging.
Sarina stepped into the shower and all of her angst washed away with the hot water. She knew that this was going to come to a head sooner or later. To a head, she thought and laughed. I do really feel like I am letting all this go to my head. I feel like Riley is rubbing off on me with all this thinking about every detail. If my gifts are real, and they are, I need to give my head a job so it will stay out of my way. I need to be able to respond to my feelings and not get slaughtered; so Head, make sure I respond to my Emotion Body decisions in short order so I can stay alive. “Done,” said her head. Good.
“I like them over medium, not gooey. Thanks, Riley. And you know what?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen drying her hair twenty minutes later.
“No, what?”
“I love you, too.”
They stared at each other with smiles on their faces and Sarina blew Riley a kiss. That was all it took for Riley to drop the pan on the stove, race over and embrace Sarina, and give her a big long kiss. When they parted, Sarina almost fell to the floor.
“WOW!” she exclaimed.
“So, what now?” he asked.
The Song_A mysterious tale of the Mayan spirit world and the Mayan calendar Page 30