The Rings of Hesaurun

by Peter Harrett

  As he watched, Valerie’s smile faded. The burden being handed to her is a heavy one, Corell thought. More profound than anyone so young should ever be asked to bear. Nevertheless, that very same burden was one she mastered in another life. Corell reasoned that since she had done it once, she could do it again. Inexperience is her biggest challenge right now, but there is no question she has it within her to succeed. She just needs to believe in herself and make it happen.

  Valerie listened intently now as he related to her the oral tradition of the rings he had memorized as a child. She seemed content hearing how she had started a family in the distant past and what happened to them through the ages.

  “You do understand that this is your story, right?” Corell emphasized. “What I have been telling you is your story, as told by none other than yourself, then passed back down to you through your kin.” Valerie’s eyebrows raised, clearly puzzled. Corell swallowed his disappointment, aware that he wasn’t getting through to her.

  In his opinion, Valerie needed to embrace this truth because lives were at stake. Corell was uneasy about what he planned to talk about next, namely the rings and their powers. As he attempted to explain that the rings’ power was transmitted through Osomario of Hesaurun, the girl began blocking it out. She crossed her arms once again and looked out the window.

  Corell stared at her, frustrated. He was wading into water that was getting deeper by the moment. When he tried to explain that Orson, her cat, served as the alien’s window into our dimension, he stepped into a hole that put water over his head. Valerie rejected the notion outright.

  “What?” she cried angrily, standing and waving her arms. “How do you expect me to believe my cat is an alien? I’ve had him since I was four years old! Don’t you think that’s something I would have noticed by now?”

  “Well,” Corell said, flustered, “Orson’s really more my cat than he is yours. I mean mine more than the present you, not including the other you, I mean you later. Know what I mean?” Seeing the confused look on her face, he admitted, “Heck, I don’t even understand what I am saying. I’m sorry, this whole thing must sound like nonsense to you.”

  “You’re right. It sounds like nonsense,” Valerie shot back irritably, scowling with arms crossed. “Try again. I’m listening. What are you trying to tell me about Orson?” No one was more aware than Valerie that there was more to that darn cat than met the eye. She wanted to know more, so she encouraged Corell to continue.

  “What I meant to say is Orson was your cat originally. You took him with you him you when you went into the past.” Corell’s eyes turned away for a moment, and then he breathed a long sigh filled with sentiment. After regaining his composure he went on.

  “You see, father passed him down to me when I was a boy. You were four when I gave him to you. I had Orson for thirteen-hundred years. You’ve had him for fourteen. That’s what I was trying to say to you when I said he’s more my cat than he is yours, but not the old you because the old you had him for a long time too. I’m just talking about the new you—the you that’s now, I mean. God! I’m doing it again, aren’t I?!” he finally blurted out, throwing up his hands in frustration.

  “Alright, I get it!” Valerie exclaimed with a hint of a smile and sparkle in her eye. “My cat is an immortal alien! But, he isn’t actually my cat anyway, because he’s really more your cat than he ever was my cat—I mean the here and now me, not the other me. See? I can do that too!”

  Both laughed at that, which relieved the tension between them. “Yes, Valerie, you could say your cat is an immortal alien,” Corell said incredulously, holding his forehead with his palm. “But he is still a cat, so he isn’t an alien. Think of it this way— Orson is a cat who’s been empowered by an alien so he can keep track of how we are doing here on Earth—that or it is the work of the Heaurun rings. Orson allows the alien to observe and to step into this realm and help us when needed. That darn cat, or DC as you often call him, does seem to be immortal and is connected to Osomario in a way that’s hard for us to understand.”

  Valerie thought for a moment, weighing the concept in her mind. The idea of a house cat somehow being connected to an alien in another world or alternate dimension seemed pretty far-fetched. But wasn’t that true of the entire story? And that was the problem as she saw it; the story was just too weird not to be true. But that did not nullify the need for some sort of verification either.

  “How do you know that? I didn’t see anything like that in her journal. Do you have any proof?”

  Frustration at the nature of her question raised Corell’s hackles. “Valerie, you—you are the only proof I have,” he contended. “Have you forgotten about your dreams? I think you will find the answers you are looking for in them—I did. Now that you know more about what’s actually happening, I think you just need time to make sense of it, you know, connect the dots.”

  Valerie’s eyes lit up. “You did? You had dreams too?”“I‘ve experienced plenty of dreams similar to what you describe. Over the years, I have come to grips with them and feel like I understand them.”

  Valerie looked like she had just seen a ghost. “I never thought of that!” she whispered. “I never stopped to think you might have had similar dreams!

  “In my dreams,” Valerie went on, “there’s always this— shadowy figure present. I couldn’t know who it was or why he was there, but I always knew he wanted to help me. I always felt like he was on my side, but the fact that he never intervened puzzled me. He just watched. I have often wondered who that was, why he was there. Why do you think he never did anything to help? Do you think it might be him? This Osomario?”

  “Valerie, only you can know. But I can tell you this; I’ve seen it, too. Many of my dreams have had an obscure figure who lays back in the shadows watching. I used to be worried about that until I realized he was more of an observer than anything else, and never a threat. I also got the feeling he wanted to help but was holding back. Why? I have no idea. But I cannot imagine who else would fit the description.”

  “What makes you think Orson is Osomario’s window to our world?”

  “It just adds up. I noticed a long time ago that I only have those dreams when Orson is with me. I’ve never had one when he wasn’t with me, and until last night, I haven’t had one in fourteen years. What do you think that means?”

  Fascinated, Valerie moved to the edge of her chair. “You had a dream last night?”

  “Yes, and it was a doozy, too. Different from anything I’ve ever seen before. I suspect the difference is you. You being here with me has changed things somehow. I often thought there might be an event of some kind when you are reunited with your rings. That makes this is a very exciting time for me.”

  “Event? What kind of event?”

  Corell scratched his head, unsure about how to put his theory into words. Pacing the room as he gathered his thoughts, he knew it was an abstract concept that would be hard to put into words to which Valerie could relate. After all, he had centuries to meditate on the subject, consider it from every angle, weigh every possible outcome. Now he spoke to a young girl who knew nothing about any of this until a couple of days ago. There was only one way to find out if she could understand, and that was to charge forward and hope for the best.

  “Think about it. Essentially, there are three Valeries— you, here in the present, the elder you, and the one who existed in your past. Here’s the problem; how can you exist in the past, present, and the future? It doesn’t seem possible, but here you are.” Corell let that concept sink in for a moment before continuing.

  “What gives me goosebumps is that by existing in three realities, you have become your own forebearer, your grandmother, and at the same time your own grandchild. A paradox is an inconsistency, a contradiction. A time paradox is an impossibility tied to the timeline. Have you ever heard of the multiverse or parallel universes?”

  Never having heard those terms, Valerie simply shook her head, a blank look on her face.


  “The multiverse,” he explained, “is the theory that there is a vast array of universes in which we exist. There are several versions of the concept, but the two that seem the most plausible to me are repeating universes and parallel universes.

  “The repeating universe theory of multiverses is based on the premise that space-time is infinite. Since it’s infinite, eventually the arrangement of particles will repeat themselves, so if you were to travel far enough, sooner or later you would encounter another Earth and ultimately another ‘you.”

  Now Valerie’s eyes were locked on his, her interest piqued, Corell continued.“ The parallel multiverse theory is the belief that the universe we perceive isn’t all there is. There are more, an infinite number of them and dimensions beyond the three spatial dimensions we perceive, plus time. We co-exist in other three-dimensions and space acting as parallel universes.”

  “Here’s what intrigues me; according to some theories, universes can intersect or collide. So what would be the outcome if that were to happen to you? I suspect we are about to find out because I believe there is a high probability you are about to cause that to happen. I think you are about to collide with another version of yourself, and when that occurs, anything can happen.”

  Corell smiled at Valerie, and Valerie smiled back, although uncertainly. “By reappearing twice in our universe,” he continued, “you already may have altered the space-time continuum in a way we cannot perceive. In other words, you may have already altered our reality, creating another universe without us being aware of it. Or maybe nothing happened—or is ever going to happen. We may never know.

  “So,” Corell continued, “the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room is this: what happens when you are reunited with your rings? Will something happen that we can see and feel? And if it does, will we even be aware that our reality has been altered? Will sparks fly when universes collide? Since I was a boy, I have wondered what happens when I hand you this ring. This is the single most fascinating moment of my entire life! Do you understand now?”

  “Uhmm, I guess so,” Valerie said, appearing overloaded with information. Corell needed a break, so he made a suggestion.

  “I need to get some air. What do you say we go for a walk? Plus, there’s something I’d like you to see,”

  Valerie agreed, grabbed a power bar and a bottle of water from the kitchen, stuffed the bar in her hip pocket, and followed Paris out the door. As they made their way across the backyard toward a well-worn stockade fence, she perceived Corell was intimately familiar with these surroundings. As he led her through the gate, past the barn, and into an expansive field, he moved in a way that only one who had done so thousands of times could do. The morning was late, with the sun near its apex in the blue expanse. Although motionless, the air was filled with life as crickets chirped, grasshoppers jumped, and bees went about their usual business. Meadowlarks made their plaintive calls in the distance. As Valerie trailed behind Corell, she breathed in the scent of dry soil and wild grasses, which reminded her of camping trips made with her family.

  The pace was leisurely as they followed an animal trail breaking into the hills. The knee-high grass was dry, the day’s warmth already having long since burned away the dew. In the distance, perhaps half a mile beyond the edge of the field, the terrain rose into an undulating mixture of hills carpeted in wild grasses, punctuated by madrone and mature oaks.

  Corell, who now led by several paces, turned and called to her, “It’s just ahead,” pointing toward a treeless knoll which by then was just a short distance away. When they finally stood atop the summit, they turned standing side-by-side, enjoying the fruits of their labor.

  From their vantage point, the entire Rogue River Valley spread out before them, a woven tapestry of colors and shapes. The view was an intricate mosaic of woodlands, farms, and pear orchards intermixed with homes. Downhill, the farmhouse appeared as little more than a speck of white. Faraway, Medford lay in the shadow of RoxyAnn, a humpback mountain shimmering like an illusion in the midday sun.

  “It’s wonderful,” Valerie gasped, a hitch in her voice, her eyes searching every piece of the puzzle that lay in front of her. “This is your special place,” she said matter-of-factly. Corell’s continued silence served as confirmation. Soon they were sitting side-by-side in the grass and had taken up the conversation they had left behind in the farmhouse.

  “My son and I hiked up here many times,” Corell said, his voice filled with melancholy. Then he added, “Mark loved it here,” the emotion in his voice, and in his expression, palpable.

  “Where is Mark now?” Valerie asked, treading lightly, attempting to sidestep the apparent conclusion that somehow a father had the misfortune of losing a son.

  A moment passed before he responded. “Mark has been gone for a long time.” Then added solemnly, “He died in a riding accident.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, Corell,” Valerie offered.

  “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to bring that up. I just wanted you to see this place,” then paused for a moment gathering his thoughts.

  “It is very a special place; thank you for bringing me here,” she assured him, her soft voice appreciative.

  “Valerie, this morning, we were talking about the people who followed you in the past. I brought you here to show you what you left behind all those years ago.” She spun her head quickly to face him, her expression twisted in a quizzical mask. “What are you talking about?”

  “I want you to understand and appreciate that while forty-five hundred years sounds like a long time ago, it really isn’t when you realize that just five people lived in that span of time.”

  Holding up one hand, he counted them off on his fingers. “First there was you, then Pearse, Amos, Bede, and finally me —that’s five. Now you have completed the circle. The time loop you set in motion has returned to you. Do you understand?”

  Valerie nodded. Encouraged, Corell felt like he was making headway.

  “Good. Now I want to show you the nature of this ring and what it can do. My father Bede was born almost twenty-five hundred years ago. He knew Amos personally. Amos knew Pearse, who knew the elder you. Let me show them to you.”

  After pulling up a fistful of grass, Corell pushed himself to his feet. Then with a wave of his arm, he tossed the handful of grass into the air. But rather than returning to the ground as one would expect, the grass expanded and continued rising until the valley view disappeared entirely. The panorama was gone, replaced by what seemed to Valerie to be a shimmering dome of energy.

  “Cool! What is that?” Valerie exclaimed, gaping at the fascinating effect that continued expanding as she watched.

  “It’s a time distortion,” he pointed out. “Local time will continue as usual, but within this distortion zone, time has temporarily halted. Now I can show you some things that will go unobserved by others. We can’t have anyone watching. More importantly, the distortion prevents any unwanted effects outside the field.”

  Valerie was fascinated. “Is it a force field like in SciFi movies?”

  Corell paused, contemplating the question for a moment before answering. “In a way,” he said slowly. “But a force field wouldn’t alter time as this effect does,” he explained. “Keep in mind this is just one of many of the possible ways to apply the power of your Hesauronic ring. It is a tool that can be used in a variety of ways. Removing yourself or others from the timeline can be a very powerful defense in desperate times.

  “Think of the ring as a lens that magnifies what is already within you,” he said, pointing at his heart, tapping for emphasis. “When someone good uses a ring to help others, it intensifies their good qualities, and good things tend to happen to them. But when that ring is used selfishly or to hurt others, one becomes even more selfish and violent. That one is likely to withdraw from others, become unhappy, sadistic, and dark.”

  Valerie nodded as he continued, acknowledging her agreement. “Like karma, right?”


  “Exactly,” Corell confirmed. “People don’t realize how true that can be. The old adage, ‘What goes around, comes around,’ is more powerful than you can imagine. That’s why you always want to use your ring to help others. If you are smart, you will only use it to help, not to hurt. If you use it for good, you will never lack anything. It makes no sense to use your ring to make money or for selfish reasons because the rings bless goodness. You will have far more success in life if you use it strictly for charitable purposes. Never use your rings to take from someone else or to hurt others unnecessarily.

  “Alright,” said Corell, moving on to his next topic. “Let’s say that a ring wearer attacks you, and you have only a moment to react. What do you do? You can use your ring to stop time or to send yourself or your attacker forward or backward in time. Either will allow you to escape and live to fight another day.”

  “Or get the bad guy out of my hair for a few minutes while I save the world. Right?” Valerie joked.

  “Absolutely,” Corell agreed. “And there’s no reason to hide the fact that you have the power to do so. You should want your enemies to know your capabilities. The bad guys need to know you could send him all the way back to the Stone Age if you choose to. Fear of reprisal is one of the best tools you have at your disposal.”

  “So how do you do it? How do you make the ring work for you?”

  “I already told you, it acts as a lens magnifying what is already within you.”

  Valerie felt frustration building within her, which drove her to her feet. She felt like she had asked the question every way she knew how to, without ever getting a direct answer.

  “That doesn’t answer the question,” she snapped. “I want to know how you operate it. What do you do to make it work? Push a button, click your heels, or wiggle your nose? What!” she pleaded.

  The moment she said it, Valerie regretted the words. She hadn’t meant to snap it just happened. She scolded herself for allowing frustration to build to the point she lost composure. After all, she knew Corell was simply trying to help her. “I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated,” she said, throwing her hands up before he had time to respond.