by Jamie Ott
~~~
“SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?” shouted Jacko over the engine.
“WE’RE ALMOST THERE, JACKO!” Dog shouted back.
They continued for a few more miles when the red sky changed to a blurry sort of brown. A few more miles and they came to a fork in the road that divided the ground and the sky. On the left side, the sky was bright blue and cheery while on the right side, it stayed red; naturally, they went left.
After another few hours, Jacko began to weary of riding again. He was about to pull over so he could rest when they saw a large Spanish style villa ahead of them. It was resort style with a humungous set of steps in pink terra cotta stone and lined with palm trees. The house was the size of a small mountain!
He pulled up and to everyone’s amazement, an unnatural looking man in a black suit offered to take their bike from them. Not that he was monstrous, but his flesh had an extremely hardened look to it, even more so than Althenio’s, if that was possible. Naturally, at first, they were resistant about giving him the bike, but the man insisted it would be safe; that he’d been expecting them.
They got off and stretched a moment. Next, the man said, “Go ahead in, he is waiting for you.”
“He?” asked Jacko, but the man said no more.
They walked up a few dozen steps onto a terra stoned landing that had enormous decorative clear bodies of water with white statues of men. The water looked like clear Jell-O and the statues watched them as they walked to the front sliding glass doors which opened automatically.
Inside, the room was the size of a large auditorium. There were many leather couches all crammed together with hundreds of flat screen televisions all over the ceiling and walls.
A white winged angel, about the size of the imps appeared in a wisp of air. This creature sparkled under the artificial lights, as it seemed to be made of a bluish stone, sort of like aquamarine, yet its features were baby like despite that its body moved fluidly.
Briefly, Jacko remembered his mother telling him the story of the ophanim, and he wondered if this was one of them; another cherub-like being.
The winged creature snapped its eyes intelligently at Jacko, and knew it could read his thoughts.
“Be seated and Oganat will be out shortly,” and it disappeared again.
“Oganat? Oh my god!” said Machine.
“Who the heck is Oganat?” asked Jacko.
“He’s an African warrior god,” said Grill, “Machine’s hero.”
“Why? He’s a god of war? You like war?”
“No! Be quiet!” Machine whispered “Do not insult him, he’ll know. He brought peace to Africa many millenniums ago by killing all the crazy gods,” he whispered.
“And none of them were even gods,” they all turned their heads to see a tall black male with the belly of a Buddha. “Most of them were wild spirits and souls who wished to ascend to the level of god by starting wars, possession, and human sacrifice, just as your father and mother told you of every other ambitious being.”
“Is it true you smote them all?” asked Grill
“Well, smote is a rather strong word. More like, I put them in a bottle and up on my shelf for a while.”
As Oganat walked toward them, he motioned them to sit. Automatically, the couches parted for Oganat to walk through with a tray of colorful blended drinks that appeared in his hands. He tipped over and offered them each one.
Jacko picked the funky looking orange color; Grill picked one that was like a color collage; Machine chose one that flashed between fluorescent colors of orange, red, and green; Bouncy was left with the sickly looking avocado green.
Oganat, then, made the tray disappear and sat on the couch opposite to them. He gave them a moment to sip their drinks. Jacko didn’t know how the drinks tasted to the other boys, but his seemed to fill him with life and make him feel whole and empowered.
He looked to his left and saw Dog’s tail wagging a mile a minute as he slurped contents of a silver dog bowl. Grill looked, immediately, as though he were on a roller coaster with the way he grinned and his cheeks pulled back towards his ears. Machine started tapping his foot and slamming his thigh with his hand. They invariably looked at Jacko, catching his eyes, and he wondered if he looked strange too. Despite their interest in each other, they all stopped froze at the sight of Bouncy. “Whuut?” he asked.
They said nothing and only stared – his skin had turned the same color as his drink.
“Now as to your issues,” Oganat began. “Unfortunately, I have not so great news for you.”
They put their drinks down and paid closer attention.
“Drink up, drink up. It is rude to refuse a god in his house.”
They looked at each other and then picked up their drinks again.
“We know about everything that’s going on, and we have discussed it with the dark gods. I’m afraid they will not pull back the demons. I did, however, pluck that one who came to your home. He is in a castle beyond the road you came upon before choosing my lair, but there’s no telling how long it will be before he comes after you again. As a goodwill ambassador, there is nothing that I can do, except maintain the truce between the heavens until the end-of-times final battle, which should be here any moment.”
“So you’re not gonna help us?” asked Jacko.
“I can’t. My hands are tied.”
“I’m just supposed to sit and let the demon kill me? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Or keep our family hostage in some castle?” added Bouncy.
“I’m not saying you should do anything. I’m only saying that I cannot help you.”
“Where’s our Dad?” asked Bouncy.
“Althenio and Manlo are beyond the road as well. The demons rounded them up and are going to use them as a trade. I assumed the trade would be you, but they are after something else. What? I don’t know. I did manage one thing, however,” and from some invisible source a few feet to their right, out walked Icy, Bull, Brain, Truth, Anle, Alica, Bordra, Dienla, and Forsi.
“Oh my god! You’re alright!” cried Bouncy. They all jumped up and hugged.
“Where’s Sissy?” asked Jacko angrily.
“They wouldn’t give her up.”
“They want to trade her for me?” asked Jacko.
“Yes, a trade for you.”
“Well, fine. Let’s go.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not? It’s my decision.”
“Because they want you for a reason. You do not understand, fully, what is going on here. I cannot tell you much, but let me tell you what I can.
A few millenniums ago, when prophets were a dime to the dozen, there was a prediction that the gods would lose an end of times battle to the dark side, the demons.”
Jacko was getting impatient and sighed aloud. He didn’t want to hear more stories, he wanted to get his sister, Manlo, and Althenio, and then go home.
“This brought the demons hope because they’ve been denied their turn to rule and live on Earth, time and time again. Every millennium there has been a war and a new regime, in heaven and on Earth, but two millenniums ago, the gods lost to the dark side; however, the gods got control of the volcano of life and threatened to destroy it. There was a standoff between both sides for many centuries until an agreement was struck: that the gods would turn over the Earth to the demons at the end of this century, and give them a chance to rule,” Oganat paused for a moment to make sure they were still listening.
“Now, at the time, it didn’t seem such a terrible deal because man was different then: stupid, primitive, no better than a common rat. Centuries later, man had progressed so far that the gods were impressed: they were no longer vermin, or at least not all of them, but they become thoughtful, wise, creative, and intelligent; this made the gods feel they’d made a bad decision in their agreement to turn over the Earth. You see, the demons do not care about technology, philosophy, or wisdom; all they care about is war and they destroy all that
is.”
Jacko felt like he’d swallowed a poisonous fly. He looked at his siblings; they were mostly red in the face.
“Now back to the prophecy,” said Oganat, thoughtfully. “The prediction says a god, son of the morning star, who rises every thousand years to give seed, will be blessed by the orchard.”
“Are you talking about the devil? Lucifer?”
“No! Not Lucifer, you stupid human boy! Did you not, ever, listen to a word your mother told you?” Oganat was indignant. “We do not insult the gods. Lucem is the god of enlightenment. He has nothing to do with your ridiculous Lucifer; another attempt of religions campaign to blacken.”
“Okay,” Jacko said, a little frightened.
“Lucem was supreme over the earth for many of the early centuries. He tried to help man grow in wisdom and knowledge, but with knowledge came greed; greed led to the birth of immorality. In man’s primitive state, immorality could not be contained; it spread to all humans.
Lucem tried to bring peace by setting examples, but man no longer wanted his guidance. He retired to Venus in the sky, only to return every millennium and visit his favorite heavenly orchard. It is said that every millennium, he sends a piece of his goodness into the world. We, gods, have watched as man has changed, slowly, over the years because of it. We wish to see the progression to continue, however, if the dark gods take over, your planet will become a red land.”
“So, you think this is going to happen soon?” Bouncy’s voice cracked.
“Yes, very soon. Some of us are anxious to get it over with. War is such a dreary process. Personally, I’m thinking about early retirement just so I can avoid it.”
“What have I got to do with this? You said they want me for some reason.”
“It was predicted that a boy conjurer would rise to strength. Once the world has been lost to the demons, he would change it back; he would appear here, in the land of hunters, sometime this century.”
“Okay but what’s that got to do with me?”
“Thick, thick, thick is your skull, Jacko. You are the one they think will overrule them. It was you who wandered into the red lands. No other human has appeared there in centuries.”
“Okay, but how do we get our family back?” asked Machine. “What do we have to do?”
“You don’t. There is nothing you can do.”
“What do you mean ‘nothing we can do?’ We will fight and do whatever it takes to get them back! Now, maybe you can’t help, but send us to someone who can!” shouted Machine.
“There is no one who will help you. We have convened, and the decision was unanimous, which was that we leave this part up to fate; it’s the only way to see if the prediction comes true. We want the Earth to be saved. Still, if you are determined to interfere, there is only one person who can help you, if he chooses.”
“Who?” asked Jacko.
“Lucem, of course.”
“Why would he help us?”
“He has been known to interfere, from time to time, in matters of importance. If he decides to give you his blessing, you will come, fully, into the power of a god. You will have enough strength to get your family back.”
“How do we reach Lucem?”
“You can reach Lucem by going to the patron fig in the heavenly fig orchard; there you will find his essence, and there you can communicate.”
“What you’re forgetting to ask,” said Anle, “is what will a blessing like that do to you, and will you ever be the same again?”
“It doesn’t matter. I really don’t think we have time to go looking for this orchard, or whatever. We should go get Sissy, Manlo, and Althenio. Who knows how far, or how long, it would take to reach that orchard. What if they killed them before we got back?” asked Grill.
“You could try, but it will be a waste of time. If they catch you, they will recycle you; perhaps into the volcano.”
“They’ll throw us in a volcano?” asked Jacko.
Oganat sighed, “The volcano of life, the fountain’s parallel.”
“How do we find the orchard?” asked Grill.
“WOOF! I could do it!”
“What, Dog?” asked Jacko annoyed?
“I’m sure I could sense it, if I had something with its essence!” he wagged his tail.
“You are a wise Dog,” Oganat smiled and scratched his ear. “Althenio went, a long time ago, to the orchard to receive Lucem’s blessing. I know he brought back a stone of some sort. It is said to be a molten stone from the surface of Venus. He said when he first got the stone, it glowed, but as he moved away from the orchard, its light faded. It’s my guess that you can use the stone as an indicator. You must find this stone, and from that, you’ll be able to track your way to the orchard,” and then Oganat closed with, “I’m afraid you’re going to have to go quickly, kids.”
“What’s wrong, Oganat?” asked Machine.
“It seems some of the demons know you are here. Go back to Althenio’s, find the stone!”
“Yes, Woof! They are coming, we must go, Jacko!” and Dog bounded for the door and the others followed him.
“But, wait a minute. If I get this blessing, does that automatically mean I am the boy of the prediction? Will I have to fight? I don’t want to fight. Isn’t there another way?”
“I do not know,” but Jacko had the distinct feeling he was lying.
“Bye, Oganat,” they all said.
“Goodbye and goodluck! May our side win!”
Jacko opened the door of the villa, and walked out onto the landing, followed by his siblings. They all looked around in surprise because, although they saw the terra cotta, they didn’t step onto it. When they stepped, it was onto brown gravel with green plants and blue sky. “Oganat must’ve sent us back to our side,” said Brain.
Jacko looked around and saw his bike was there behind them.
A few hours later, they made it back to Althenio’s house. The troop was hungry and all complaining about it. Apparently, the demons didn’t give them human food, but tried to feed them hunks of bloody, raw meats, of some sort.
“Jacko brought sandwiches,” said Machine.
“Yeah, but that’s not enough,” cried Bouncy.
“It doesn’t matter because I’m gonna take you all home.”
“I’m not going hooome!” said Anle.
“Well, you can’t stay here! Listen, Manlo and Althenio disappeared here. I, myself, was brought over to the other side of heaven by spell and I didn’t even know it; things can change with the blink of an eye. I think Bouncy, Machine, and Grill should go with me. Manlo would have wanted that.”
“It won’t do any good,” said Brain, “you are not our father. You can’t make us return.”
“Listen to me. It will be quicker if fewer of us go to the orchard. If something happens to any of you, it will only slow us down,” but no one listened to Jacko.
Brain Food