Answering Ascension

by Amy Proebstel

  Several turns later, Behn stopped dead in his tracks. Directly ahead of him was the home he remembered. It was exactly the same as it was in his dreams. He turned to make sure the others had caught up to him before he walked slowly forward. His mother would be so excited to see him again.

  Daven walked beside Behn. He already knew the cabin was empty. The people who used to live in this area had moved on. They were going to have to do some more research to find where the people of this community had gone.

  Behn reached the cabin door and somehow could not bring himself to just open the door and walk in. Instead, he lifted his fist to the door and knocked loudly. He waited and waited. He knocked again, but still there remained silence from inside the cabin. Finally, Behn lifted the latch and let the door swing in with its own weight.

  He saw dust swirl as the wind from outside lifted it from the table and other furniture in the room. He could tell it had been vacant for quite some time. A terrible sense of loss overwhelmed Behn’s heart. He had believed he would see his mother and now it was just a dead end.

  “This is the home from my childhood,” Behn said as he turned and looked at Daven. “What happened to my mom?”

  “I don’t know, Behn. I’ll do some research to see if I can find out. At least now we know where to start,” Daven said as he patted the distraught Behn on the shoulder.

  “Where are we? What’s this place called?” Behn demanded.

  “Roanoke,” Daven said as he tried to turn Behn around to go back to the telepod. He did not want to stay around here too long. He had a strange feeling they were being watched even though he could not sense any people nearby.

  “Wait, I want to look in the cabin really fast,” Behn said as he shrugged away from Daven’s hand.

  He entered the cabin and ran his hand along the dusty table. He saw dishes lined up on the shelf above the counter by the front door. As he moved further into the cabin, he opened the cupboard where he remembered his mother retrieving the glass skull. The shelf was empty. He turned and saw several cots along the far wall, including the one where Jon had been so sick with fever on that last fateful day. There was nothing for him here anymore. He wanted to leave.

  Behn turned around and rushed past the surprised Daven and Riccan. He kept walking until he was beyond everyone who had come on this adventure with him. The woods surrounded him again, and he could feel tears of frustration falling from his eyes and down his cheeks. He brushed them away angrily with the backs of his hands and kept on walking until he reached the creek.

  Instead of turning to the right, he turned left. He was going to find the last place he remembered being with his mother. It could not be too much further up the stream. It had seemed a long way in the dark, supporting his sick brother, but now he was nearly an adult. His strides were sure, and soon enough he came upon the fork in the stream. He stopped and stared at the small island where his whole life had changed.

  He flinched when he felt a hand touch his arm gently. He looked down to his right and saw Juila looking up at him with concern in her eyes. “This is the last place I remember my family being together,” he said as he pointed to the island.

  “We’ll find your mother, Behn,” Juila said quietly. She knew what it was like to not be with her parents. Her whole life had been adrift up until recently. She could relate, but she could not share her own journey with Behn. Not yet. She waited a few more minutes in silence and then said, “Let’s go back home. We can work on a plan to find your mother.”

  Behn nodded and took Juila’s hand. It felt good to have someone who cared and wanted to help him through this situation. They walked slowly back to where the others had waited for them on the original trail. Together they led the group back to the beach.

  Juila kept walking along the shore. She knew where they had left the telepod even though she could not see it. Finally, she stopped and pulled Behn around to face her. “I think you should put the blindfold back on now.”

  Behn looked at her with a confused expression, “Right here? In the middle of nowhere?”

  Juila smiled and nodded as she said, “Yes. We will explain it later, but today you’re going to have to trust me.”

  He shook his head slowly and pulled the handkerchief from his front pocket. He offered it to Juila so she could put it on him.

  The other people of their group had caught up to them, talking all around him. Riccan called out from a short distance and said, “Let’s get home, kids.”

  Juila once again held his arm and led him to the waiting vehicle. They walked up the ramp and sat in the same plush seat. Juila fastened his seat belt, and he waited.

  He listened intently for the sounds of an engine or any movement at all. This time, he felt when the door closed since the breeze from the ocean no longer entered the vehicle. With intense concentration he thought he could feel a slight movement, but nothing close to what it would take to get them off of the beach.

  When all of his senses disappeared, he no longer wanted to be a compliant passenger. He reached up and ripped off the blindfold. Everything was still gone, and he turned his head from side to side desperate to see, hear, or feel anything. Another few seconds passed before they were suddenly back in the garage.

  Behn looked around the inside of the telepod with huge eyes. This was unlike any vehicle he had ever seen. He turned and saw Juila looking over at him; her eyes were as big as his.

  “Dad, I think we have a problem,” she called up to the front of the craft.

  Behn shifted his attention to Riccan getting up out of his seat and walking back toward him. He wished he had left on his blindfold.

  Riccan stopped in front of him and said, “I think we can probably tell him everything. We’ve established his origin, after all. Come inside; we have a lot to discuss.” Riccan turned and walked down the ramp. He did not turn to look back to see if Behn were complying.

  Behn undid his own seatbelt and scrambled out of his seat. He took the few steps to get down the ramp and then turned to see what kind of vehicle in which they had traveled. His jaw dropped as he looked back on the big, red, spacecraft.

  Juila grabbed his arm and began pulling him away from the vehicle and toward the garage door. “Come inside, Behn. We have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time.”

  He looked down at Juila with wide eyes. She did not seem disturbed by the mode of transportation. He had trusted her before, and he would continue to do so. He smiled down at her with renewed appreciation. Behn felt himself stepping away from the vehicle and toward the door. Even as he turned to take one last look behind him, the strange craft disappeared from view. He gasped and tripped slightly. “Did you see that?” he asked Juila incredulously. “It just disappeared!”

  Juila laughed at Behn’s statement and replied reasonably, “We can’t very well leave the telepod in full view for anyone to see! Of course, it disappeared. Come on, let’s get inside.”

  “No, of course not,” Behn repeated sarcastically. “That thing is called a telepod? Where did it come from? What’s going on, Juila?”

  “Quit asking questions. You’re about to find out. Now move your body inside the house!” Juila tugged on his shirt sleeve to emphasize her statement.

  Behn looked over his shoulder one last time to verify the garage was indeed empty before he took the last few steps to leave the garage. He stepped through the doorway into the house, uncertain of what was about to happen, but certain he was motivated to find out.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  BEHN SAT DOWN in the chair opposite the couch where Daven, Riccan, Amanda, and Jena had taken seats. He looked up at Juila as she came over and sat on the arm of his chair. It was comforting to have her so close for this conversation. He had so many questions going through his mind and yet he could think of nothing to say.

  Daven had been watching the teenage boy carefully. This would be a hard discussion for him since he had no idea he was actually from Tuala. Everything he knew had been from his time on
Earth. He decided to begin with Behn’s connection to Tuala: his necklace.

  “You came to Juila and Jena seeking answers regarding the link between your necklace and theirs. I believe we have proven to you that we are able to help you in your search for your mother. This situation has been complicated by the fact you and your siblings have been displaced, not only from your family but from your world.” Daven paused to let his statement sink in.

  Behn’s eyes darted from his lap to Daven’s face. He had known something remarkable had transpired, but he had never imagined he had just been in a different world. “What did you just say?”

  “You are from a place called Tuala. It is an alternate reality on Earth which coexists with Earth. It is a rather complex idea to comprehend, but both realities exist at the same time, but are very different one from the other.”

  “Tell me about this Tuala, then,” Behn demanded.

  “Tuala is the original creation of Earth. Jehoban lives in Tuala with His people.”

  “Who is Jehoban?” Behn interrupted.

  “He is the one you call God.”

  Behn sat back in shock. This had to be a fantastic story and not his reality.

  “With the exception of Amanda, all of us are from Tuala. We are here on Earth searching for either experience or for the fulfillment of a prophecy. With what you have shared about your mother, I believe you are destined to help us with the prophecy which has only recently been revealed.”

  “What are you saying?” Behn asked in confusion.

  “Your mother has a samara. We believe the samaras are instrumental in bringing the changes needed to Tuala.”

  “Wait! What are you talking about? What is this prophecy? What does my mother have to do with any of this?” Behn could feel his anger rising. He did not like the idea of these people only helping him to find his mother because they wanted something from her.

  Juila touched his shoulder and spoke softly, “My mother discovered a new prophecy in an ancient text. My parents took that new scripture to my grandfather to ask his advice on the matter.”

  Daven nodded and picked up the story by saying, “Jehoban called a group of us together and told us the prophecy was valid and each of us had a part in making sure it came to fruition. We have been charged with a great mission, and I hope you will help us. Don’t answer right now; I want you to think about what this could mean for you and your siblings. You each have a necklace which connects you to Tuala. You have the power available to you through your connection.”

  Daven pulled his own birth crystal from his tunic pocket and dangled it in front of him.

  Behn could hardly believe this old man also had a necklace much like his own. He could not help but ask, “What is this power you are talking about? What does the necklace have to do with it?”

  “The crystal is a gift from Jehoban to His people. It is a bond between the land and the children which allows the people to use the earth’s elemental energy to do fantastic things.” To demonstrate, Daven pulled a sphere of energy from his own dangling crystal. He allowed it to travel in a circle around his crystal before it sank back into the stone.

  Behn’s eyes grew big as he saw the amazing sight before him. There could have been no way for Daven to trick him. Both of his hands were clearly present, and nobody else in the room had moved. “What does that prove?” he finally asked.

  “It proves there is magic in your crystal. You can access that magic to change your life. You are not like the other people here on Earth. You are a child of Tuala. You have untapped potential and talent. We would like to help you explore your talents and achieve the goals Jehoban has set out for your life.”

  “Why would you want to do that for us?” Behn was stalling for time. His mind was reeling with these new ideas.

  “Because I’m a representative of Jehoban. The people of Tuala call me an Elder. I have studied alongside Jehoban, and I understand His will for the people,” Daven replied simply.

  “An Elder,” Behn whispered. He could vaguely remember hearing that title as a child. His mother had wanted to seek out an Elder to help heal Jon from his ailments. Grobin had denied his mother’s request. “How come I don’t recall anybody using the magic from these stones before my mother made us leave?”

  Daven nodded and considered Behn’s question. He eventually answered, “From what I know of the people with whom you were raised, they are a different community. They are very superstitious and did not allow people to use their talents.”

  “If they were so superstitious, then how did we come to have the crystals in the first place?” Behn asked reasonably.

  Daven liked how Behn’s mind worked. He was able to assimilate information rapidly and ask intelligent questions. He answered, “I’m not sure. It’s something which I will be looking into when I get back home.”

  “In Tuala?” Behn asked.

  “Yes. I live in Tuala.”

  “And you’re saying we traveled in the…I think you called it a telepod…in the garage to Tuala?” Behn was trying to make sense of the pieces of information he had ascertained. He looked at Juila as he finished the question. He still had a hard time believing he had traveled in a spaceship.

  “Yes. Your mother lived in a community called the Roanoke Colony.”

  An idea popped into Behn’s head. He could not remember where, but he had heard of that colony before. When he left this meeting, he was going to do some research of his own.

  Daven watched Behn closely. Finally, he offered, “If you’ll allow me, I could show you how to access your own crystal.”

  “I think I’d like that,” Behn replied. The easiest way to convince his sister of this day’s crazy events would be to show her evidence of its truth.

  Elder Daven rose from the couch and took the few steps around the coffee table to stand in front of Behn. He knelt down and put his hands on Behn’s head. He spoke softly, “Open your mind. I believe you have already learned what I have shown you, but you have let the knowledge slip to your subconscious.” Even as he spoke, he sent tendrils of inquiry into Behn’s mind. Almost immediately he found the memory he was after and pulled it forward so Behn could access it. He removed his hands and stepped away to return to the couch. The rest of the work was up to Behn.

  Behn had thought it was strange for the old man to put his hands on his head, but then a forgotten memory stepped forward in his mind and shocked him into gasping out loud. “How did you do that?” he asked.

  In his mind, he could see his mother sitting across the small wooden table from him and his two siblings. She was laughing at one of their attempts to do something with their crystal. Jon had decided to take the lead and performed perfectly the sphere of energy Daven had just shown him.

  ‘You did it,’ his mother had exclaimed as she clapped her hands in approval. She had turned to Behn and Valentina and said, ‘Okay, now it’s your turn.’

  Valentina was the next to produce the expected result, and then finally, Behn achieved the same level of success. Behn had looked up at his mother and smiled at his own success. He remembered exactly the feeling he had when his mother nodded in approval.

  He looked up at the people sitting across from him and announced, “I remember doing it! My mom taught us how to access the energy in the crystal when we were little!”

  Riccan and Daven both nodded with understanding. Each of them had been taught by their own mothers when they were little, before entering school. It was expected for the children to have a rudimentary knowledge of their crystal’s power by the time they entered school. At eight, Behn and his siblings would have learned several levels of skill.

  “You have the memories; you just have to recall them,” Daven instructed. “Don’t try to force your memory, let it come on its own.”

  Behn nodded seriously. He had a lot to consider from today’s revelations and wondered how much of what he had learned today he would share with his sister. Maybe once he could use the energy in his crystal he would talk abou
t it with her, until then, he would wait. Too much was at stake for him to mess this up by revealing too much, too soon.

  This whole afternoon had the qualities of a very elaborate dream. He looked up at Juila and realized she was implying she, too, was from Tuala and not Earth at all. Was the story about South Africa just that: a story? Everything was so confusing. Behn leaned forward until his elbows rested on his knees and his hands hung down in front of him.

  “Okay, let me get this straight. All of you, except for Mrs. Stel, are from Tuala. You are living here because you want the girls to experience Earth. You are telling me that I and my brother and sister are all from Tuala as well and the place you took me was not here on Earth, but in Tuala?”

  “Yes. You’ve summed it up pretty accurately,” Amanda spoke for the first time.

  “Where do you fit into all of this?” Behn asked her.

  “It’s quite complicated. Eventually, I will be moving to Tuala permanently. For right now, we will stay here for the girls to finish school,” she answered.

  “Tell me more about this prophecy and how you think I fit into it,” he asked.

  Amanda retold the story of discovering the new scripture and quoted it perfectly so he would understand their mystery. “We think the crystal skulls are a part of what will make the changes take place. It’s still unclear how, but the more samaras we discover, we hope we’ll uncover more clues. If your mother possesses one of the samaras then she may be a part of this as well.

  “We would help you find your mother regardless of her custody of the crystal skull. I had enough help finding my girls, and I want to do the same for you as well.” She smiled and stopped talking.

  “I’m confused. When did you lose Juila and Jena?”

  “It’s another long story. Let’s just say for simplicity’s sake, we have been reunited after sixteen years apart.” She patted Jena’s hand and smiled lovingly over at Juila.