by Jojo Brown
On either side of her stood others, dressed just as she was. As I watched, more and more stepped forward from the wall to join the ranks watching me. Letting my eyes trace across these newcomers, I found myself turning slowly.
What I had at first taken to be shadows around the circumference of the space, I now realized were actually thousands of these others. Standing motionless against the walls, their long cloaks, an exact match to the color of the surroundings, they had been nearly invisible, until stepping forward.
I felt their eyes upon me. I felt their anticipation and their love. As I slowly continued to make my way to the center of the vast space, I felt the same sense of safety, that I had perceived emanating from ‘The Lady’. The feeling had been multiplied though; it was almost overwhelming in its power. I very nearly felt invincible.
As I approached what I felt to be the middle of the room, my eyes were drawn to the floor at my feet. Lying there, on the glowing floor, was my amulet. I knew it was the same one, which I had held in my hand so tightly, even though it looked different now.
It no longer looked made out of bone or ivory. It was now clearly metallic, glowing softly silver as it lay there at my feet. Bending to retrieve it, I felt, more than heard, a presence behind me.
Freezing, with my hand hovering a hair’s width above the medallion, I turned my head to glance over my shoulder. What I saw astounded me…
The tallest man I had ever laid eyes on was standing there, looking down at my tiny form. From head to toe, he was covered with an opulent cloak. At first glimpse, it seemed to be the same white as the rest of them. Then he moved, ever so slightly and a dazzling array of colors filled my eyes.
The hem, sleeves and hood of his cloak, held embroidery of astounding intricacy. The tiny stitches of silver and gold threads were twisted and interwoven to form fantastic geometric shapes, symbols and scenery. Moons and stars adorned the front panel, as it lay against his great chest.
Nothing could be seen of this great leader within the shadows of his cloak. It fell below his fingertips; the hem brushed the floor to hide his feet. It so completely covered him that I found myself staring intently into the shadow, within the hood, desperate for a glimpse of his majestic face. Somewhere hidden within that darkness was a face that I sorely wanted to gaze upon.
No introductions were made, no salutations or warm words of greeting. None needed! I knew that I was kneeling in the presence of the elder of the elders. I knew that, as assuredly as I had ever known anything before or since.
Lowering my eyes to look at the hem of his magnificent cloak, rather than take the chance of insulting him with my constant stare, I felt his words touch me, somewhere deep inside.
“Are you certain that it is truly within your heart, to lay claim to the key once again, my child?”
Looking to my hand once again, I realized that I had not moved an inch. My fingers still hovered, trembling just above the amulet. Within my soul, I felt that it held all of the answers.
I had a sudden urge to snatch it up and race away with it. I wanted to take it back, hide it and lay claim to all of the power that it held.
I wanted to keep the secrets for myself, not sharing them with anyone, not even my twin or my beloved Chris. A battle raged within me, as I knelt there on that smooth floor. A battle for more than ownership of the key.
If I took it… would they try to stop me? With the power that it gave me… would they even be able to?
I could just pick it up and leave. I could find some way to make it give me the answers, some way to use the power. I had something of what it was able to do; the power that it held, was what brought all of this here. There had to be more to it than that. All of that power could be mine. I could do whatever I wanted to, be whatever I wanted. The world would be mine to control. No one would ever stand in my way. No one could!
But… what of those gathered in the room? What would become of ‘The Lady’? She had been so kind, so gentle and patient.
What would become of those I loved? The last I saw of them, they were all so happy, would that change if I closed my fingers around the small disk before me? Would the grandchild that I watched Chris hold so tenderly, have a place in my life if the power was mine? Would Chris? Did I care?
Answers to question I never even knew I had… the power to change the world, as we knew it… the chance to be anything I wanted to be… or love! Was there really any competition?
I closed my fingers around the one thing that I knew gave me super-human power. My fingernails bit into the tender flesh of my palms, as I held so tightly to that one small hope.
The amulet… lay powerless and dull upon the floor.
Turning again to face the cloaked figure before me, he no longer seemed quite so big. “The key is not mine to control. I may have been its keeper, I may have been meant to know of its existence for my entire life, but I am glad that I did not. I am glad to let it lay where it is.
“I want nothing that it has to offer. I want none of its false power. I want nothing to do with the questions or secrets that it represents.
“I want only to know the truth. If you can give me that, my heart shall be filled with such joy.
“If you cannot, my heart shall not break.
“I have a power… I hold it in my hand. It is greater than any power your amulet could ever have held.”
Lifting my hand for him to see, I slowly uncurled my fingers, exposing my empty palm. The elder of elders stepped forward, to look more closely at my hand.
“Do you not see it? Do you not see what I hold in the palm of my hand?”
His hand came up under my own, his long, pale, strangely smooth palm resting against the back of my shaking fingers. The same sort of warmth radiated from his touch as that from ‘The Lady’, I felt the same sensation of love and security fill me.
His words came from deep within the hood, “I see what you think you hold in your hand, but do you truly know what you possess?”
Snatching my hand from his, I challenged him, “I don’t think I hold anything. I know what I hold onto. I hold the most powerful thing in creation—I hold the power to move mountains—change lives—give life. I hold love! And there is nothing that you have that is any stronger than the power of love.”
As my emotions got the better of me, my voice rose as I got to the end of my challenge. At the same instant, his hand rose into the air in a signal. He halted the battalion behind him. I had not noticed their number, as they gathered around their leader. If I had, I may not have been quite so brave as to stand up to this figure. While none of them appeared to be armed in any conventional way—it was clear that their sole purpose was his safety. They clearly saw me as a threat.
Noticing my nervousness, at the sudden realization of their presence, the elder lowered his hand to let it rest lightly on my shoulder. “You need not have fear. You are loved here, and gladly welcomed by all. My brothers and sisters here are just anxious. No one will harm you; that is my oath.”
With the smallest amount of pressure, he turned me and led me to an uncomfortably hard-looking chair, which had somehow appeared.
“We know that you have many questions, and there are many things that we wish to explain to you. Please sit and open your heart to me, make yourself open to the knowledge that you are about to receive.”
Thirty-nine
I lowered myself into the chair and was instantly reminded of the last time I had visited the dentist. I knew that this was something that had to be done—it was for my own good, yet I was still scared to death. The chair even had the same feeling to it as a dental chair. It was sleek, streamlined, and molded to my body. As I leaned back onto the headrest, it reclined slightly.
Two metallic bands snaked out from the sides of the headrest, coming to rest against my temples. The cold pressure of them caused me to jump. My heart pounded in my chest. I felt the bile rising in my throat, as I fought the need to vomit. Cold beads of sweat broke out all over my trembling body.
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“What is this?” I cried out. “What are you doing to me? I can’t move. My hands are trapped, my feet are stuck—I am paralyzed. Let me up from here! Let me go!”
He was standing over me, looking down on my helplessness, as a parent looking at their newborn. “No harm will come to you, you have my oath. This is simply a device to help you understand. We progress at a different pace than your kind. Our simplest thoughts are so far advanced to that which you are used to—without this chair, you could be permanently injured.
“Through this, we can direct our thoughts to the appropriate area of your consciousness. You will receive more information in the span of a minute than you could ever learn in a year.
“You must be still, in order to have understanding. Your essence knows this, which is why you cannot move. It is why your body will not obey the commands that your brain is trying to give it. We have not restrained you in any way. Nothing holds you there, other than your own need to know the truth. The answers, which you seek, are now within your grasp. All you need to do is reach for them.
“Let your mind’s eye have the control. Let it follow the path to its end and fill you with the knowledge that you have searched for, so diligently.
“Let us give you the truth.”
Struggling to keep my eyes open and focused on his commanding presence, I whispered, “I am ready. Show me now, before I fade away. Fill me to over-flowing with your knowledge. Give me your truth and then… let me be!”
The last thing I saw, as my eyelids won the fight, was his beautiful, shining face as he pushed back the shield of embroidered cloth.
Human eyes should never gaze upon something so perfect. Our primitive minds have no way to recognize or register such perfection!
* * * *
The multitude, which had gathered, was unnaturally quiet and still as I stood looking out over them. People from every nation, every walk of life, stood shoulder to shoulder, row upon row; surrounding the ‘vault of knowledge’. I don’t know how they all came to be gathered there, it was as if a kind of signal went out to the world at large, and they all flocked to the spot. They all watched me, intently waiting for me to say something, profound.
The re-joining had happened, just the way it was meant to. Perhaps not with as much noise or obvious change, as some had expected. Truth is like that though—it is a quiet, still voice that can only be heard when you allow yourself to truly listen.
As I stepped away from my small cluster of family to speak to the thousands, I shed tears of pure joy. The rainbow was before me; it swam through the crowd. From the darkest of the dark to the purest white and every color in between, it filled my sight.
It had nothing to do with the clothes, the flowers, flags or banners strewn about. The rainbow was—them. Just them. The inhabitants of this great orb, on which we all lived, and it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen!
With no microphone or sound system, I stood before them. I raised my arms to embrace them all and knew that each one would be able to hear every word I said.
Speaking softly, with the voice of love, I began…
“I am Eluna Oyet Anoor. My name is a message to all of you. If the letters of my name are switched around, you will see—we are not alone. This is the ultimate truth, the one that you have all gathered here to learn.
“In your darkest moments, when you feel that there is no way for you to continue, remember these words—We Are Not Alone.
“My life has been lived, so that I could bring you this message. At my conception, I was chosen, along with another, to be the bearer of the key. The key to unlock the truth of our existence. She, who was at my side, sharing the burden, was called back.
She, like I, was given her name at the exact moment when the cells split, to form a new life. Her name is Zandemy Misherol. Just as my name is, a message… so is hers—Zandrel Is My Home.
“Most of us spend our whole lives looking for our own Zandrel—we all want a place where we are accepted and loved, unconditionally. We all want a place to call home.
“What is Zandrel? Where is it? I know these are the questions, running through your minds right now, consuming you thoughts.
“Does it really have to be an actual, physical place? Can you only accept it if it is a tangible thing, that you can touch and see? Can we not just look to the stars and feel contentment in the knowledge that we are cared for?
“For generations upon generations, this is what we have done. Unfortunately, we have lost it in recent years. We, as a people, have become so wrapped up in the physical that we have forgotten about the more important things in life.
“We have made it clear that we needed some sort of physical sign; some object that we could turn to, in order to justify the belief that there is more to life than just what we see. Belief in anything, just for the sake of belief has become a faint memory, from our ancestors.
“Do any of you believe that we have been alone in the universe, all these many years? When we look to the stars, have we truly only been seeing emptiness? Or, has there been some power looking back at us?
“The structure that you are all gathered around is a gift from the people of Zandrel. It is their way, of letting all of us know, that we are not in fact alone. Never more will we have to gaze at the empty expanse of space, and wonder.”
Turning to look at the monolithic silver structure, now firmly attached to what used to be the high school library, I took a moment to revel in its simple beauty. The rounded edges of the tower gleamed in the sun, as it beamed upon its surface. Rising into the air, in an ever-widening octagon, it resembled a high-tech chrome funnel.
With no visible support holding its massive top in place, it balanced perfectly on what had been the roof of the library.
Scenes played across the surface, showing the complete history of our world. From the time when the light first shone upon the cold rock, caught in the gravitational pull of our sun. We were all witness to the birth of our planet.
We watched as land and seas were formed. Great forests sprang forth before our eyes. Dinosaurs roamed the plains as first man stepped forth to make his place in the wilds.
Turning back to address the awed crowd, I was thrilled to see all eyes filled with tears. They understood. They knew what a wonderful sight was before their eyes.
“I have spent time with those who gave us this gift, and I have learned many things. The ancient ones were here, before time began. We are all their children, we are all of the same race—the human race.
“They gave us this home, to care for and enjoy. They entrusted us with the life of this planet. There are many others throughout the universe, but they should not be our concern. Our time and energy would be best spent, seeing to the needs of the planet that we were given.
“Each inhabited orb was supplied with everything that could possibly be needed. Every illness was foreseen and a cure was put in place, to be discovered by us. Some of these cures have been destroyed, by our own foolishness. Rather than taking the time to discover the treasures hidden within the great forests of this planet, we saw only what could be done with the land and lumber.
“We have polluted the land on which we stand, as well as the water that makes up so much of our world. In the last thousand years, we have cared more for ourselves, our wants, our progress, than we have for the life of this planet.
“Every creature was given a purpose, from the time before the dinosaurs. If it were not for their remains, we would not have the oil deposits that we have made use of for so many years.
“For thousands of years, the elders have been diligently sending messages to us. They have tried to show us the way, without interfering. They have watched and waited, hoping that we would realize our mistakes and correct them, before it was too late.
“You could say that we are an experiment, of sorts. Each of the inhabited planets throughout the universe was given its own special quality. There are many that are much older than ours, they are so much more advanc
ed than us, we are but children in comparison. There are also some that are much younger than us.
“When we were placed here, our special quality—or gift—was free will. We all have it and always have. From the time when teeth were pressed into the forbidden fruit, we have been exercising our free will.
“Over time, secrets have been shard with us by the elders, as well as visitors from some of the other solar systems. Guidelines have been given; written in stone.
“Messages have been sent, knowledge has been shared. At times this knowledge was too much, too soon and had to be washed away or swallowed by the waters. But always, we have had the free will to chose for ourselves, what to do with the knowledge.
“Some secrets were held within the knowledge of the pyramids. The shape, the materials, the brute physical strength needed to build them, was in itself a message. One that has long since been forgotten.
“Others stand, still gathered in circles, waiting for us to remember their meaning. We have moved so swiftly forward, we have forgotten much of the lessons of the past.”
Forty
I spoke for hours. I told them all that I had learned in that chair. I told them of the elders’ pleasure at our accomplishments as well as their disappointment at our foolishness. I did my best to make them understand that we were one family—all of us.
* * * *
“There is no truer phrase than the old saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. This world is little more than a village and we are all responsible for each other. If your neighbour is hungry, your food should be tasteless, unless shared. The roof over your head does nothing to protect your homeless brother or sister.
“The mountain of gold you hold so tightly behind locked doors, is worthless. Money is nothing more than a symbol of all that we have done wrong. Should our young ones fight in the streets, because they covet another’s expensive shoes? Should the land be choked with bigger, more elaborate dwellings, just so we can prove how much better we are than the rest?