Outside Ascension

by Amy Proebstel

  “She’s right,” Amanda stammered quietly as she remembered her amazement over Alena’s ability to hear her unborn child. She watched in fascination as Alena opened the hinged lid of the box on the floor. It was beautifully ornate with many gemstones set into an elaborate design of leaves and flowers. The open lid obscured her view of the contents; however, Amanda assumed the box contained the protective crystals.

  Alena did not hesitate as she reached into the open box. She brought forth a one-inch sized pendant with deep red stones which seemed to shine with a light of their own. She purposefully closed the box as she quickly threaded the pendant onto a delicate, yet ornate, chain which she produced from an almost hidden pocket of her tunic. She then handed the necklace to Amanda and said, “As you place this crystal of protection on your firstborn daughter, say, Saya memberikan ini untuk Anda dengan cinta.”

  Amanda gravely took the necklace. She saw it contained the shape of a tree, and the crystals were the leaves of the tree. She clasped it around her daughter’s neck and somehow managed not to stumble over the awkward phrase. Once finished, she looked at Bryon for the translation.

  He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “You said, I give this to you with love.”

  Pleased with the progress of Juila’s ceremony, Alena used a warm, wet cloth and cleaned the green liquid from Juila’s forehead and hands. She rinsed the cloth in another bowl of clean water. Alena removed the cloth, picked up the cup and handed it to Amanda.

  Confused, Amanda automatically reached for the proffered cup and then hesitated.

  To cover any awkwardness, Alena announced, “I give you this water to drink. By the drinking of the liquid which contains your daughter’s essence, you will seal the bond between your life and Juila’s.”

  Amanda brought the cup to her lips and tasted the minty flavor. Unsure of how much of the liquid she was to drink she paused after the first couple of sips and raised her eyes above the rim of the cup to look at Alena. Alena’s hands twitched to indicate she should finish it completely so she did so with haste and then returned the cup.

  “With this child, Juila, safe and protected from harm, we will now turn to her sister.”

  Performing the same ceremony again, Alena dipped her finger into the green liquid in the bowl beside Jena’s head. As she marked the line across Jena’s forehead she chanted, “I mark Jena’s forehead to be able to divine the thoughts and intents of this being.” Then she continued by marking the circles on the back of each hand chanting, “I mark each of Jena’s hands to be able to divine the actions for which she will be responsible in her lifetime.”

  Again she held each of Jena’s hands in her own. With her eyes closed, she began to rock as she petitioned Jehoban to guide her. Suddenly, Alena gasped and almost dropped Jena’s hands before recovering her composure. Her eyes popped open; she locked her gaze momentarily with Amanda, and then purposefully shut her eyes to continue to see into Jena’s future.

  “This child’s life will be an amazing journey. She will always have those around her who love her unconditionally.” Alena finished, and she released the baby’s hands.

  Unlike with Juila, Alena did not open the box containing the crystals. She then said, “I do not have the crystal which this child requires. I must ask Jehoban to send it to me.” As if this statement explained everything she turned around, remaining on her knees. With hands clasped and her head bowed low, she spoke quietly, “Jehoban, ini anak membutuhkan hitam berlian untuk perjalanan berbahaya. Harap kirimkan kepada saya bersama dengan berkat dari hasil positif.”

  Bryon saw Amanda turn to him for a translation, but he only shook his head. He had translated it to himself as Jehoban, this child requires a black diamond for her perilous journey. Please send it to me along with a blessing of Godspeed. He thought Amanda was better off not knowing how serious this situation was becoming. Bryon knew if Jehoban refused the petition, Jena would not be allowed a protective crystal, which would, in essence, be a curse.

  Silence permeated the room as everyone continued to wait. After what seemed an eternity, but in reality was only a couple of minutes, something began to happen above Alena. There was a shimmer and a sparkle followed quickly by a sharp cracking sound. Alena unclasped her hands and closed her right hand on itself as she turned around with a smile on her lips. “Jehoban has answered my petition.”

  She opened her hand to reveal a pendant of black stones nestled in a delicate gold setting already on a beautifully ornate chain. She handed it to Amanda and said, “As you place this crystal of protection on Jena, your second-born daughter, say, Saya akan kasih Anda di manapun Anda berada.”

  Amanda did as she was told and completed her task. She watched as Alena wiped Jena’s forehead and prepared the second cup of liquid for her to drink. She leaned toward Bryon for his translation of her second phrase.

  With only a moment’s hesitation, Bryon whispered, “You said, I will love you wherever you are.” He then deigned to ignore Amanda’s expression of concerned query.

  Seeing she would not get anything more from Bryon she waited for Alena to offer her the cup. She received it from Alena and brought it to her lips to drink. After the first gulp, she tasted a drastic difference; this drink was bitter instead of minty as Juila’s had been. She forced herself to hurry and finish and returned the cup to Alena.

  Alena then spoke to everyone in the room, “With this child, Jena, safe and protected from harm, we can all celebrate.”

  Amanda looked at Tana and Bryon to see how they were reacting to the ceremony; they appeared pleased, yet anxious at the same time. Amanda had the distinct impression something serious had happened, but in the end, it had turned out well. She looked down at her now bejeweled daughters, and all concern melted away. She picked Jena up supporting her onto her left arm and thanked Alena as she handed Juila onto her other arm; they had slept through the entire ceremony.

  Tana was the first to approach her. She kissed each baby on her forehead and said to Amanda, “They’re both beautiful babies, with equally beautiful crystals to protect them. May happiness bless your lives.” She then leaned forward and kissed Amanda on her cheek before turning aside to allow Bryon to greet her likewise.

  Even Bryon and Alena’s children kissed the babies and offered Amanda a blessing, which Amanda found curiously special. Alena was last to approach. Amanda was surprised to see Alena had changed her clothes, yet accepted her blessing as she had everyone else’s.

  “Did something go wrong?” Amanda asked quietly before Alena could turn away from her.

  “It could have,” she replied seriously before she smiled and continued, “but everything turned out wonderfully. And look,” she pointed to the two children sleeping peacefully, “They have their protection, and I’ll teach you how to use the crystals to watch over them.”

  Like a dog with a bone, Amanda persisted by asking, “What did you see in Jena’s future which made you look at me?”

  “I’m sorry, Amanda, but I’m not allowed to share those things which I see, not even with the mothers. What’s important for you is knowing we assigned the correct crystal for her life.”

  Still not satisfied, Amanda knew when she was not going to get anything more out of Alena. She looked down on the two crystals with admiration and then remembered something Barla had told her, the more dangerous the child’s life will be, the darker the crystal assignment.

  Juila’s stones were dark red, but Jena’s were pure black which struck a note of fear and despair through Amanda. Hugging Jena closer to her, Amanda vowed to herself she would protect her daughter with her very life if necessary.

  Once the ceremony was complete and Tana had returned home, the children sat with Alena and Bryon on the couch as Amanda returned to the living room after settling the twins in their bassinets in the bedroom. Amanda sat by the fire and waited for story time to be over and the children put to bed. She wanted to ask more questions about the ceremony but thought it prudent to not have the kids prese
nt.

  “Okay, children,” Bryon said, “Why don’t you stand and sing us the Unity Song before going to bed.”

  Immediately the children left their parents’ laps, and the boys added their voices as Andera began the song:

  Crystal around the neck,

  Follow the next step,

  Changes today,

  Changes tomorrow,

  We all become one.

  Both Alena and Bryon smiled as the children ended the song by holding each other’s hands in a circle. Alena clapped and said, “How wonderful! It’s obvious you practiced while I was away. Now who wants to be tucked in first?”

  Alena returned to the living room after putting the children to bed. She knew Amanda was going to have more questions. She settled on the couch and cuddled with Bryon expecting a long night ahead.

  Without preamble, Amanda asked Alena, “Why didn’t you have Jena’s crystal in your box?”

  Clearly not expecting the question, Alena answered simply, “My crystal supply is only equipped with common crystals. I had to ask for an rare stone to be able to handle Jena’s exceptional situation.”

  “What exactly is her rare situation?”

  “You know I’m not allowed to say.”

  “Okay,” Amanda drawled, “Why did the two cups of water taste so different from each other? Did you use two different types of green liquid?”

  That, too, surprised Alena into asking, “What do you mean they tasted different? What did they taste like?”

  “Juila’s was minty,” Amanda started and saw Alena’s confirming nod. She then continued, “Jena’s was bitter.”

  “How interesting,” Alena began. “I used the same steena tea on both of them. They should have tasted the same; I’ve never heard of them tasting different.”

  “You said you’d teach me how to use the crystals. When can I start training? I get the feeling I should learn immediately to be able to help them.”

  “We can start training tomorrow if you like,” Alena said sincerely as she tried to restrain a yawn.

  “I’m sorry, Alena, I’m being selfish. You must be exhausted from doing both ceremonies without much preparation. Tomorrow will be early enough to start my training. I think I’ll head off to bed before my little girls decide it’s time to eat again.”

  Bryon watched as Amanda left the room. He hugged his wife tighter to his side and asked, “I don’t suppose you can tell me what happened tonight in the ceremony?”

  She gave him a disgusted look and said, “Not you too!”

  He raised his hands in surrender and pleaded, “I was just asking. I didn’t think you could.”

  “I can tell you this,” she paused, “there are some interesting things which are going to develop. Rest assured, one way or another, those children are both going to be raised with a lot of love.”

  “Well, you managed to be both cryptic and unhelpful at the same time,” Bryon said with a wicked grin. “Are you ready for bed? I know I am.”

  “Bed sounds like a dream right now,” Alena sighed just at the thought of it.

  Chapter Ten

  DR. GASCON kept one eye on Dr. Medin as he read through her latest notes on Amanda. He knew Dr. Medin was looking at the wall of framed articles he had published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, and the Archives of General Psychiatry. He was proud of all of his research and publishing accomplishments and hoped Amanda’s case would again bring his work to mainstream attention.

  There was always a risk in bringing a new disorder to the attention of his field, but he felt an obligation to his life’s work to keep pursuing the intricacies of the human mind. Amanda’s multi-dimensional disorder seemed rather extreme, yet he was convinced with enough time and medication he would soon have a breakthrough in her case.

  “I’m concerned about Amanda’s latest recounting of having delivered two children. She appears to have abandonment issues with which she is trying to come to terms in her account of Alena coming back home just in time to deliver the children. Also, while she seems to feel she has done her part for society by taking care of Alena’s children while she was away, she doesn’t seem to have much interaction with other people. What are your thoughts on this?”

  “I think taking care of three small children would be exhausting enough. She probably didn’t feel she had enough hours in the day to interact with other people.”

  “Dr. Medin, it sounds as if you believe these things actually happened to Amanda. We know this can’t be the case, so how do you explain her desire to have children of her own?”

  “Well, she was gone for fourteen months so it is possible she got pregnant.”

  “Her medical reports from the time when she was found do not have anything signifying this to be true.” He waved his hand as though dismissing the conversation and began looking over the details of the latest session again.

  “Aha, here,” he looked up and kept his finger on the spot where he found the next thing he wanted to discuss. “Amanda has residual guilt regarding the disappearance of Nealand and the Golden Jesisca. She has even admitted she found the yacht by saying Alena told her it had been located in the Old Soul Engineering Facility. Obviously, she knows something about where Nealand is located. I want you to delve further into that angle so we can get some closure for the Taivas family. They deserve to know what happened to their son.”

  Jasmine turned away from the trophy wall of articles written by Dr. Gascon. She knew he was an excellent doctor of research; however, it did not mean she agreed with his methods for producing the results of his studies. More than once she found herself dialing the phone to begin an investigation on the facility so he would leave a patient alone. As though Dr. Gascon had known she was close to breaking he would always find a way to calm her enough to allow the study to continue.

  “I’m meeting with Amanda this afternoon. I’ll see what I can find out about Nealand. If that’s everything, I must get going. I still have some other notes to dictate before my next session.” Jasmine walked toward the door.

  “I look forward to reading your notes, Dr. Medin.”

  Jasmine returned to her office and thought about her next steps with Amanda. She could not get around the order for medication which Dr. Gascon had set up on her chart, but maybe she could figure out a way to meet with her before her next dose was administered. After only taking a few steps into her office, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room and down the hall to Room 426. She would be at her most lucid with the medication five hours in her system. Instead of eating lunch Jasmine decided to have an impromptu session in Amanda’s quarters.

  She politely knocked on the door and waited for a reply. She knew such courtesy was never shown to the patients by the attendants so she made a point in being more considerate. A few seconds later she heard a female voice telling her to enter. She slowly opened the door, poked her head into the room, and asked, “Do you mind if we talk before your next session?”

  Amanda cocked her head to the side and smiled as she answered, “I’d love to have some company. Come in.”

  Jasmine quickly entered the room as she heard an attendant talking at the nurse’s station just around the corner. The last thing she wanted was the staff telling Dr. Gascon about her not following protocol by meeting with a patient in their room. This was just one more thing on which she did not agree with the good Dr. Gascon.

  “We don’t have much time before your next scheduled medication round. I’d like to try to hypnotize you while you’re still un-medicated and lucid. Would you mind?”

  “I’ll try anything if it will get me out of here sooner.” Amanda put down the book she had been reading and crossed her hands over her stomach. She was already lounging on her bed so she just had to close her eyes to prepare. “I’m ready.”

  Jasmine smiled at Amanda’s eagerness and began immediately…

  Alena was good on her word to immediatel
y begin teaching Amanda how to use the crystals. Amanda could really appreciate the complexities of the pendant necklaces as she began to learn more about their capabilities. If used properly, not only would Amanda be able to both see and hear everything her daughters did, she would be able to deflect harm from them as well.

  Alena insisted she learn how to set up simple wards to protect the twins from ill intent and neglect. She seemed oddly intent to make sure Jena’s wards were thorough and specific. Amanda wondered again what Alena had seen of her future to make this precaution so urgently necessary.

  By the time the twins were two weeks old, they were sleeping through the night which allowed the household routine to almost return to normal. When the twins were about a mesan old, Amanda decided she could take an hour or so to go down to the market to buy some groceries. She hoped Andera would be around to help Alena watch the sleeping children.

  As it turned out, Andera was extremely helpful with the babies. Even though she was young, she took it upon herself to be a second mother to the twins, always staying close by and making sure Amanda had everything she needed including an extra pair of hands to hold a baby. Amanda began to depend on Andera to be by her side whenever it was time for the babies to eat. Andera would hold and entertain whichever baby was not being fed.

  Andera was anxious for the chance to show Alena how well she could take care of the babies. Alena smiled at her first-daughter’s enthusiasm for the task and said to Amanda, “Take your time at the market; the fresh air will do you some good.”

  “Thank you,” Amanda replied. “I don’t think it’ll take me very long to get the few things we need.”

  She left the house with a light heart and an open mind. She was going to see if she could ask discreet questions about crossing the veil to get back to Earth. It was a long shot, and she did not know if this were even possible, yet she was going to keep her ears alert for any opportunity to bring it up.