I swung down off Baruch as Much-Afraid dug into the ground with her paws to loosen the dirt. Baruch joined in helping Much-Afraid, and I stood by and watched. Everything seemed so final. I wanted to return her to the king’s garden where she belonged, but this would have to do—it was what she asked.
Soon the hole was deep enough to bury her. I laid her gently in the cool sand. The strong scent from the apple tree bathed the air like a healing balm. I remembered the day in the king’s garden when I first arrived. A garden peace replaced my anxiety. Cherios would rest here, maybe not in the king’s garden, but under the king’s apple tree.
Baruch started to cover up Cherios with the dirt, but I asked him to wait. I felt the egg in my dress pocket. I’d give it to her.
I pulled the egg out of my pocket and opened it. After lifting out one of the rabbits, I held it up in the moonlight. Belief and disbelief hit me at once. No longer was the bunny broken. I put the bunny back in the egg and lifted up the mother. She was a perfectly carved rabbit, as were all the others.
“What’s the matter with the egg and bunnies?” Baruch asked.
“They—they aren’t broken anymore.”
“Look,” Much-Afraid said.
I glanced down at Cherios and thought she moved. I put my hand in front of her mouth and felt her soft breath. “She—she’s breathing,” I stammered.
“She can’t be breathing, she’s dead.” The voice was familiar but it wasn’t Much-Afraid or Baruch.
I glanced up and saw Worldly Crow sitting on a branch of the apple tree. “Get out of here.”
The crow talked in a cheeky voice. “Now look. Don’t be angry with me.”
“You nearly got us killed. Of course I’m angry with you.”
“Ca-ca. I took you to the king, didn’t I?”
“No, you did not. You took us to demons and shape shifters who tried to kill us. They almost killed Cherios.”
“The vultures said they captured the king.”
“Go away,” I demanded. “Leave us alone.”
“Ca-ca. I’ll be back,” Worldly Crow insisted, “with those who hold your king captive. He’s not what he seems—he’s no king at all. He lied to the people. You can trust me. Better one fool die than all the people.”
With that, the crow took off. Good riddance. I wanted nothing to do with him.
Much-Afraid scooted up to Cherios and licked her face. “She’s coming around, Shale.”
Baruch leaned down and sniffed—like he had done long ago when I slapped him for getting too close to me. Cherios’s whiskers tickled him and he heehawed.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
I crouched down also. Cherios flickered her eyes and opened them.
“Cherios—you’re alive. How could you come back to life?”
“I’m a bunny from the king’s garden,” she said. “He’s the gardener.”
“But Worldly Crow said the king is dead. How can he heal others and not heal himself?” I asked.
“Wait until the morning and you shall know. For now, let me sleep.” Cherios closed her eyes with a broad smile on her face. Could the king still be alive? What did Worldly Crow know? The demons seemed impotent. After all, did I not defeat them with the king’s love?
I looked around for Daniel. I wished he would show up. “Come,” I said. “Let’s huddle up together and keep warm.” The night air was cool. I didn’t want to leave the healing apple tree and hoped by morning Daniel would find us. We would wait. I blew on my hands and snuggled up to Much-Afraid and Cherios.
But Baruch wouldn’t lie down.
“What’s wrong, Baruch? Come on, we need you to keep us warm.”
“First I want an apple,” Baruch said.
“An apple?”
“Maybe two or three. I’m hungry.”
I shook my head at my favorite donkey.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Mysteries of the Seventh Dimension
Disturbing dreams of jeering crowds and angry mobs on the streets of Jerusalem made it difficult to sleep. A Roman guard with a cat o’nine tail thrashed the king, who wore a crown of thorns. Stripes of blood covered his back. Nails hammered into his wrists and ankles left marks of unimaginable pain. I twisted and turned as the terrifying images awoke me.
Suddenly a violent shaking of the ground ended any thought of sleep. Running feet and men’s voices disturbed the silence. I sat up but couldn’t see anything. A little later, distraught voices of women filled the garden. Groggy, I wanted to find them. I got up, leaving Cherios, Much-Afraid and Baruch, and crept over to an olive tree. Oil had beaded up on the leaves and was dripping down the sides of the trunk. The tree was weeping.
I snatched off a leaf, dipped my finger into the oil, and rubbed the oil into my hands. I rubbed more oil on my arms and then my face. My dirtiness and sorrow eased, as if the oil had healing properties.
I stood and watched two women huddled around an opening to a cave. Next to the opening was a large stone. The women’s eyes were red and swollen. They carried burial herbs.
Two creatures in brightly-lit garments appeared beside them. I nearly fainted at their appearance. The frightened women bowed with their faces to the ground.
One of the angels said, “He is not here, but he has risen. Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee.”
The women appeared confused but remained quiet.
I stared dumbfounded, recalling the words of the king—and the angel spoke to the women similarly—“The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
A loud commotion took place outside the garden a few furlongs away. I was surprised to see Worldly Crow arguing with three underlings. The entrance to the garden was blocked by a man dressed in a white robe. The king’s power had usurped the evil presence that lurked outside the garden. I sensed the magnificent parting of evil—magnificent because never again would evil be able to triumph. The underlings and Worldly Crow fled, screeching in torment and submissive in defeat—their fate sealed.
Then the king stood before the women. I gasped. “He’s alive!” I said, under my breath. My heart burned within me as I thought about the enormity of what it meant—and remembered what he said on the mountain. The women appeared not to recognize him. Perhaps they thought he was the gardener.
The king said to one of them, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She replied, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
The king said, “Mary.”
The woman turned towards him and cried out, “Teacher!”
The king replied, “Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to my father and your father, and my God and your God.’”
The women took off, running.
Then the king turned towards me. I now knew the king completely—as my heavenly father, the father who loved me, the father who would never leave me or forsake me.
“Your sins are forgiven.” He held out his hands and the fresh scars on his wrists overwhelmed me. Tears flowed freely. He said, “I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
A birdcage gently floated down from the sky and landed in his outstretched hands. He took the cage and hung it on an olive tree. A small bird sat inside the cage. The king opened the door to the cage and the small creature walked from its perch and alighted on his finger. He lifted the bird out of the cage, kissed it, and whispered, “You are a daughter of the king.” I realized at that moment, he was saying those words to me. I felt his tender kiss on my forehead.
I gazed into the sky as the bird flew into the heavens. Before I could say anything, the king was gone.
A female voice called my name, “Shale.”
I felt an otherworldly garden presence
before I saw her. She was beautiful to behold, dressed in dazzling white.
“I recognize your voice, but who are you?” I asked. “I know the king, but I don’t know you.”
“I’m your guardian angel, Astella.” The angel wore a shimmering white robe. “Do not be afraid.”
“You spoke all those words to me. Why are you here?”
“I have come to take you home. Your journey to the seventh dimension is finished—for the moment.”
“The seventh dimension? Is that where I’ve been? I thought I went back in time.”
“The seventh dimension is where the king lives—in the garden, in the great city, in the wilderness, in the secret place of your heart. Reality is transcended in this world that even the angels find hard to understand.”
“Does everyone go back in time?”
“No. The king meets people where they are. A person can even turn away from the king—but the king knows his own, and he’ll pursue the lost soul until the person can no longer hear his voice at all.”
“How tragic,” I whispered.
“People journey to the seventh dimension when something happens that creates a longing—so great that nothing else can fill it, except the king himself.”
“That’s how it was for me. I knew I wanted something, but I didn’t know what it was. The longing wouldn’t go away.”
Astella smiled. “Those who read the Bible go back in time and meet the king. The king opens the door to all who knock. The road is narrow. Many are called, few are chosen.”
“Daniel said it was a parallel universe.”
“Science can’t unravel the mysteries of the spiritual realm. They are too deep, but Daniel is searching, and the king will find him.”
“Must I leave?” I did not want to go. “What about Baruch and Much-Afraid and Cherios and Daniel?”
“They will be safe in the king’s love. What did the king tell you?”
“I am a daughter of the king.”
Astella nodded. “You’re like Neveah. Free to live your life for the king—or not. The choice is yours.”
“I realize now, as a daughter of the king, I’m never alone.”
Three of my favorite animals came over to me.
“An angel.” Cherios beamed.
“You woke up and are alive!” I picked Cherios up and kissed her. “You see Astella?”
Cherios’s eyes shone brightly with her life restored. “Of course I see her.”
“We all see her because we believe,” added Much-Afraid.
“It’s time for me to go home.” Tears filled my eyes. “I hate to leave you.”
We spent several minutes hugging each other and remembering all the times we shared in the seventh dimension. I shed more tears over our imminent separation than I had ever shed in the past.
The angel said, “Treasure all these things in your heart. Take the egg with you as a remembrance.”
“What about my friends here?”
Astella replied, “Daniel can’t leave the seventh dimension yet. Perhaps you will meet again.”
“Can I say good-bye to him?”
“He’ll be here soon. The king planned it this way from the beginning.”
“What about Baruch?”
“He knows the king.”
“Heehaw,” Baruch said. “I used to hate carrying things on my back. I’m no longer a beast of burden. I have carried a daughter of the king.”
Astella explained, “Baruch was burdened by many things not meant for him to carry—things only the king could carry.”
“And Lowly?” I asked.
“He has adventures yet ahead in the seventh dimension.”
“And I promise you, Shale,” Baruch said, “I’ll tell Lowly everything so he’ll know you made it home safely.”
“He’s such a sweet pig, I’ll miss him.” My eyes watered and I blinked to hold back tears.
Cherios begged me, “Hold me one last time.”
I patted her on the head and ran my fingers through her soft fur. I didn’t want to believe this would be the last time I would hold her.
Astella waited a moment before continuing. “Gifts come in many ways—but the seventh dimension is the best.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When you arrive home, you will see.”
Cherios squirmed out of my arms. “Do I get to go home now?” she asked excitedly.
Astella nodded.
Cherios bounced up and down. Then, seeing how sad I was, she hopped back into my arms. “Oh, Shale, don’t be sad. I will always be with you. You will see.”
How could I be so joyful and sad at the same time? “What about Much-Afraid?”
The dog stood with her eyes to the ground and her tail between her legs.
The angel smiled. “Much-Afraid, why are you and Shale so sad? Whatever is bound in the seventh dimension is bound on earth.”
“Much-Afraid does come with me?” I asked.
“Of course Much-Afraid comes with you.”
I squatted down and clasped my arms around her. With much exuberance, she knocked me backwards. We continued to embrace as she licked me on the forehead.
“Remember all the king has done. Some you won’t understand until later. The hard things will make you strong if you let them. Bitterness will creep in if you allow a foothold. It only takes a foothold to become a stronghold.”
I treasured in my heart all the counsel Astella gave me. “Could you explain once more about the seventh dimension? I want to be able to tell Rachel where I’ve been.”
“The seventh dimension is within you. When you call out to the king, he takes you to a place where he can perform magic not found in this world—a magic that goes back before the curse and deeper than evil can reach. Even angels long to understand this mystery.”
I reflected on the past three years. Troubled, I asked, “Will I see my father again?”
“Do you want to?”
“I don’t know. Seems like if he loved me, he would have sent letters to me from Jerusalem, taken responsibility for his absence. I don’t want anything to do with his wife.”
“It requires humility to face our mistakes. Don’t give up hope.”
“Things will never be perfect here, will they?”
“If it were possible, the king would not have been crucified. He died for all—those who love the king will one day live in the king’s garden with him.”
“He’s alive!”
“He is risen indeed.”
“Why was he slain?”
The angel explained. “In the beginning, the king created a beautiful garden. He made all the plants and animals. Then he created Adam and Eve. He declared that everything was good.”
“One day the serpent convinced Eve to eat a fruit from a tree the king told her not to eat from. After she ate of it, she gave the fruit from the same tree to Adam.”
“Their eyes were opened. Fear, one of the first symptoms of sin, entered the garden. The king knew there was only one way to get rid of this terrible disease. He had to be slain.”
“When the king died on the cross, he broke the dark magic of the underlings—the power of the serpent. The king’s death made it possible for everyone to live in the garden of heaven.”
“I saw the scars on his hands.”
“Anyone who asks for forgiveness and believes in the king will live forever in the king’s garden.”
“Will the king always be with me?”
“Always. The seventh dimension is within you. The animals represent parts of your character. Your suffering has produced good fruit. And always remember, the king is your heavenly father.”
“What about Judd?”
“Forgiving him set you free. No one is beyond the king’s power. You must forgive everyone, just as the king has forgiven you—even forgiving yourself sometimes.”
Astella cautioned. “Don’t let a day go by without giving thanks, even for the hard things.”
“Will Nathan be okay?”<
br />
“Nathan and all those who come to the king. The king is the great healer.”
Astella continued. “While you may be impatient and want things right away, it is in the process that you glorify the king. The outcome is in his scarred hands.”
She smiled. “Look behind you. Daniel is coming.”
I turned around as he approached.
“Sorry I didn’t come last night. I was detained.”
“It’s okay.” We embraced for a minute as I felt his heart beating.
“I must go, Daniel. It’s time.”
“I came to say good-bye.”
“I wish I’d asked the angel more about you. I was saving you for last, but I ran out of time. Too many questions—my father, how is he?”
“He’s fine. But he hasn’t made an effort to see you—like I have.”
“Oh, Daniel, I hate to leave. The angel said we would meet again—possibly.”
“The angel?”
“Daniel, you must believe in the king. He is who he says he is. Your life depends on it. He’s risen.”
Daniel laughed. “Risen? Calm down. I’ll be helping Doctor Luke. He wants to do an investigation into his claims. I know there’s something different about this man. I want to know the truth.”
“Will you be at my father’s estate or with the doctor?”
“Both.” Daniel lifted up my face with his hand under my chin. “There is a mystery in all of this I don’t understand, but I will. Tell Rachel shalom for me when you return home.”
“I will.”
Daniel continued. “That you met me is strange enough. I want to learn more about this man of God.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll find you in Israel.”
Daniel grinned. “I have no doubt that you will.”
“I’m already seventeen now. I’ve been here three years.”
“Remember, I’m from your future.”
“So you need to be back by 2015 to meet me. You will be back?”
“Do I control that?” Daniel asked.
“Yes. Believe.”
“Believe? I need help with my unbelief.”
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