Messenger's Dawn

by Lior Akerman

  The elevator did not respond to him and refused once again to go up to his floor. He waited, and then turned around. He left the elevator and the building. He turned left and walked on 23rd Street, crossed 8th and headed west towards the Chelsea Waterside Park. He crossed the street, heading towards Platform 63, where he stood in the dark, thinking for a long time. No one passed by, except for a group of boys approaching from the south, listening to loud hip-hop music. Mike did not notice the group of drugged and drunk boys coming up behind him. Two of them called to him loudly, asking for cigarettes, the third boy asked him where his money was. Mike just stood there without responding. The tallest of the group pulled out a pocketknife and threatened Mike. Only then did Mike notice them and he turned around to face them.

  The boats in the Hudson river were sailing at different speeds to the north and south. Earlier that evening, Allen Stuart, an older businessman, took out his motorboat. He had no intention of returning to his home, after the bank at taken it from him, since he failed to pay his debts. His wife Jane left him, after she found out that he had embezzled company funds. His two children had cut off ties with him long ago and he had no reason to live any more. He brought the boat to full speed, dangerously passing other boats, getting out of his way and honking at him. People shouted at him from the ferries he passed, near Battery Park. Allen, however, could not hear them. His heart could not handle the stress and stopped with the boat above the Holland Canal, heading north. From that moment, the boat was at the hands of the wind and the waves.

  As Mike turned around to face the boys, he did not notice the boat that had changed course heading east, behind him. Before he could say anything, the boat hit the platform with force, passing over his head and crashing into the boys standing in front of him. They did not stand any chance facing this huge boat and the speed it was sailing at. When the police force arrived, the grass east of the dock looked like a battlefield, full of dead and bleeding bodies. Mike was not there. Everything was closing in on him and he had to disappear.

  When he reached his building, he decided to take the stairs and not deal with the stubborn elevator. Something strange happened, however. On every floor he reached, the elevator opened for him, as if it was inviting him inside. On the fourth floor, he gave in and entered. He did not press any of the buttons. The elevator door closed and went straight up to the top floor, opening in front of the door to the roof. As he was walking out of the elevator, he noticed unfamiliar words sprayed on the door: Xristos, apostle.

  Mike headed towards the southeastern side of the roof. With the exception of a few large plants that were placed by the concrete railing, the roof was empty. The night was hot and humid, the sky was dark and the only sounds came from the vehicles on the street below. The quiet was disrupted by a strong gush of cold air he suddenly felt. A bright aura of light appeared before him and blinded him. He squinted, trying to see what was in the light. Two figures appeared from within the light and approached him. The cold feeling was replaced with pleasant warmth and the light became less bright. Mike recognized the two figures facing him, he was amazed and had trouble swallowing. He remained silent and waited. Father Mathew and Rabbi Yochanan Aharon Hacohen were standing four meters from him.

  The rabbi was the first to speak.

  “My dear son, we have the great honor of serving the world, each of us in our own way. God works in mysterious ways and one person’s God is different than another’s. The faith of one nation is not the same as the faith of another but we are all one. We all come from the same place and end up in the same place. Religions and beliefs have divided us, geographic borders lead to war and conflict, extremist ideologies brought genocide and tragedy to the world and mankind has lost its path. We must always remember that our true power is deep inside us. It comes from our inner belief in ourselves. There is nothing you will want to achieve that you will not succeed in doing. Believe in yourself and your power; be motivated. The universe marks our paths for us, the world has marked yours and now you need to take it. We have been chosen to act as the messengers of the messenger but you have been chosen to be the messenger.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence on the roof and it seemed as if the entire world fell silent for a moment. Then Father Mathew opened the bible he was holding, reading the 32nd chapter of Jeremiah.

  This is what the Lord says:

  “The people who survive the sword

  will find favor in the wilderness;

  I will come to give rest to Israel.”

  Again you will take up your tumbrels

  and go out to dance with the joyful.

  Again you will plant vineyards

  on the hills of Samaria;"

  This is what the Lord says:

  “Sing with joy for Jacob;

  shout for the foremost of the nations.

  Make your praises heard, and say,

  ‘Lord, save your people,

  the remnant of Israel.’

  See, I will bring them from the land of the north

  and gather them from the ends of the earth.

  Among them will be the blind and the lame,

  expectant mothers and women in labor;

  a great throng will return.

  They will come with weeping;

  they will pray as I bring them back.

  I will lead them beside streams of water

  on a level path where they will not stumble.

  They will be like a well-watered garden,

  and they will sorrow no more.

  Then young women will dance and be glad,

  young men and old as well.

  I will turn their mourning into gladness;

  I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

  I will satisfy the priests with abundance,

  and my people will be filled with my bounty,”

  declares the Lord.

  Father Mathew fell silent for a moment, he looked into Mike’s eyes, cleared his throat and continued:

  This is what the Lord says:

  “Restrain your voice from weeping

  and your eyes from tears,

  for your work will be rewarded,”

  declares the Lord.

  “They will return from the land of the enemy.

  So there is hope for your descendants,”

  declares the Lord.

  “Your children will return to their own land.

  The Lord will create a new thing on earth—

  the woman will return to[b] the man.”

  This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,[c] the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’

  ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,

  and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

  Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.”

  Mike listened in amazement to the verses he was familiar with from his days in a religious school in Jerusalem. It was all coming together now, with the occurrences earlier.

  Then Father Mathew added:

  “Man does not know his fate. Not all decisions in our lives are in our hands but there are times when the world needs us and our strength. You need to believe in the power in you and in your ability to lead the change and make the world a better place. You will need to do things you never knew you were capable of doing. You will have to believe in yourself and in the forces leading you. Many people depend on your faith and power. Take this path my son and do not stop.”

  Then the roof returned to complete darkness and Mike found himself alone again, ten floors above the city. He felt that his life was on hold and he had no idea where to go from here. The words wer
e imprinted in his mind. He was familiar with the chapter Father Mathew had read and he realized then that he was chosen to be the messenger, to bring the message, to lead the revolution to victory. Yet there were so many unanswered questions. Whose messenger? Who chose him? What message? Who was he to overcome? Why him? Mike knew the world was in a terrible state - at war, with endless killing, religious extremists carrying out suicide attacks, economies falling, the weather out of control, with storms destroying entire cities. Was he the man chosen to lead humanity to a new alliance between mankind and to create a new world order? He was not a man with any special power or skills.

  Mike did not have much time to ponder. He had no one to ask. The occurrences left him no time to think things through. The terrible August was about to begin.

  15.

  New York, September 1st

  Two dark figures made their way on Edgecombe Road in the late evening hour. They crossed the intersection in front of the Methodist Church on West 140th and entered the loft building, opposite the large playground on the other side of the road. Harlem was quiet and peaceful at this time of night. Crowds of worshippers gathered around the church in attempt to receive advice and encouragement following the wave of global terror attacks.

  The two figures did not stand out in any way. They chose this location intentionally in order to carry out their plan. That night, just like the nights before, was planned to pass quietly. It was the time given to the people to think, following the terrible incidents the world had experienced that August because of them. It was all planned to begin the following day but they still had to get rid of the obstacle in their way. They knew who he was, they were aware of his existence and they almost had him three weeks earlier on the day they destroyed the office, burning and destroying everyone in their way. They did not succeed, however. They had not been able to find him since then. They were hoping this was no real threat to their mission and that it was just a matter of time before they eliminated the problem. Their plan was much bigger than him or them, and there was nothing that could stop them from fulfilling it. At this point, they still believed that their failure to find him and neutralize the threat was chance and that they would get rid of the problem very soon. Reality, however, would turn out to be different.

  Throughout the month, they had succeeded in their mission - spreading fear, death and terror all over the world and preparing for the ultimate attack they were planning. So far nothing had stopped them but they feared that their failure to find and eliminate him may delay the implementing of the final and main phase of their plan. By no means was this an option they were willing to accept.

  16.

  New York, August 6th

  Mike awoke in the fetal position because of the cold air in his apartment that he had gotten used to by now. Just as he had been doing every morning recently, as he woke he recalled the strange encounter of the previous night on the roof and the many messages he received before the August incidents began. The messages started to sink in. It was 08:00 already and Mike needed to get to work. He quickly changed, put on his shoes and ran out. On the steps descending to the floor beneath his apartment, the wooden rail he was holding on to suddenly broke in his hand and Mike lost his balance, falling over the railing, two floors down. He hit the railing and the ground of the 4th floor hard, hurting his head and back.

  Naomi and Jennifer, the young roommates living on the 4th floor were standing outside the elevator when they saw what happened. They rushed to help Mike. Naomi bent over him. He was not moving.

  “Oh my God. He is dead. He can’t be alive after a fall like that. Call an ambulance,” she said to her roommate.

  They ran into their apartment to call for help. Two minutes later, someone answered and promised that an ambulance was on its way. Naomi and Jennifer went back outside and were shocked to see that Mike was gone. The railing was broken but there was nobody there. They looked at each other speechless and searched for him up and down the stairs.

  Mike was already running into the 8th Avenue subway station. He did not understand what had just happened. All he knew was that he woke up lying on the ground on the fourth 4th floor, with the railing next to him broken. He stood up, shook off his clothes, looked around and continued on his way.

  Upon entering his office, he accidentally bumped into Alice. He apologized and said:

  “Good morning. How are you today?”

  He noticed that Alice was very embarrassed and a bit sad. His first instinct was to continue to his office and not get involved in her business but despite this, he stopped and asked her:

  “What is wrong?”

  She did not answer. Mike asked her to step into his office where they could talk.

  “Do you believe in dreams and their interpretation?” she asked.

  He looked at her intently, smiled and replied:

  “Until recently I did not but in the last few days, some things have happened that have changed my mind. Why do you ask?”

  “I have been having the same strange dream for three weeks. Remember Father Mathew from the church?”

  Mike swallowed and cleared his throat, he almost choked.

  “Umm, yes, of course I do.”

  “I see him in my dream every night. He says the same thing every time: ‘You will not marry John, your fate is different. The universe has a different path for you’. It is very scary and weird. I thought of going to talk to the Father.”

  “No!,” Mike answered too firmly, seemingly in panic. He tried to downplay it and added: ‘I mean, I don’t think that is a good idea.’”

  “Why not?”

  Mike was silent for a moment before answering:

  “I don’t think you will get an answer from him, Alice. It is your dream and it is a result of your own thoughts and apprehensions.”

  “You think the dream is because I am afraid of marrying John?” she asked, on the verge of tears.

  Mike sat beside Alice, held her hand and said:

  “I think you are the only one who knows what the best thing for you is. Deep down inside you know what you need to do. You just need to connect to this inner voice, and you will know what to do.”

  In his heart, he hoped Alice would know what was right for her. He felt certain that he was the right person for her but he did not think he could ever tell her. Alice looked out the window, lost in thought. Eventually, she got up and left the room. Mike sighed in relief and returned to his chair. Two hours later, John came to work, clearly very troubled. He did not speak to anyone and was very busy with phone calls. In the afternoon, Mike noticed John calling Alice out to the corridor. They had a very long conversation. Alice started to cry and turned her back to John. He grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around and they continued talking for another 20 minutes. Then John turned around and Mike could see he was very disappointed. John headed towards the elevator and left. Alice returned to her office at the end of the corridor and did not come out until the evening.

  In the afternoon, Mike called the café downstairs to order coffee and a croissant.

  “Actually, make it two coffees.” He changed his order.

  When the coffee came, he took the two cups and went over to Alice’s office.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  She nodded and Mike handed her the coffee and sat down.

  “I couldn’t help noticing the conversation you had with John earlier. Is everything alright?”

  Alice burst into tears and fell on his shoulder. Mike was very embarrassed, he put his hand on her shoulder affectionately. She hugged him and continued to cry. It took her a while to calm down and stop crying. Only then was she able to tell him what had happened.

  “John was offered a senior position and is required to move to Buenos Aires. He asked that we get married earlier and that I join him there. I told him I don’t want to move there and to be so far from m
y family. He tried to explain to me that our relationship was more important than anything else but…I answered that I am not sure that that is true.” She looked into Mike’s eyes and added: “I really am not sure that is true. I think it is not.”

  They continued to look at each other for a while, until Alice pulled herself away and wiped her tears. She turned to look out the window. When she turned back, she said:

  “He said that this can only mean we are breaking up and then he left. Now I know that I am staying here. I am not going with him.”

  She seemed very upset but at the same time she was at peace and confident in her decision. Now she truly could be his own. Mike wanted to be happy but he did not let himself smile. He could not help but remember what Father Mathew had told him a few days earlier, that the wedding would not take place. He remembered and felt fear, something in his stomach went dark. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then he saw something that was like a vision. He saw the Trump building collapsing, followed by the Rockefeller Center. Mike opened his eyes, returned to reality and looked at Alice.

  He was not sure there was a connection between what happened to her and what he had been going through recently but the combination of all these events gave him a strange feeling that something else was about to happen. Was it the vision he saw?

  This was the last thing that went through his mind when suddenly small explosions were sounded beneath them, the windows shook, the fire alarms started beeping and the water sprinklers went off, flooding the office. The entire office turned into a mush of dust and water.