by Caleb Smith
A passage from Genesis (5:18-30) read: “Enoch walked with God, then he was no more, because God took him.” Genesis (5:24) said: “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him.”
Noah had to stop for a moment to mull over the passages and process the gravity of the situation. The first thought that came to his mind was age. These guys must be a few thousand years old. How does that even happen? The information was like a drug; once he started reading and scanning, he could not stop.
According to Noah’s research, Enoch was said to have been the first to invent books and different forms of writing. He also bequeathed to the world the Tarot in which divine wisdom is contained, as well as twenty-two letters of the Hebraic Alphabet. Enoch was of the seventh generation of Adam, thereby making his great grandfather Noah. Enoch’s father, Jared, was 162 years old when his son was born and lived another eight hundred years after. Enoch fathered Methuselah at age sixty-five and lived another three years before being taken to heaven by God where he was transformed into a great archangel called Metatron. This angel was said to be tall and powerful and destined to have a twin.
Noah scanned the links for more brain candy, but the general information was beginning to fade. He needed more – something with substance… something with juicy, mouth-watering meat to fill his mind’s ravenous appetite. He began reading some of the reference sources, and this pointed him in the right direction. Hmm… Encyclopedia of Angels by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. His finger paused on the soft screen leaving a mild dimpling effect on the reference.
Quick like a feline, he was out of his chair and heading back to the front desk to capture his new clue.
“May I help you?” the courteous woman (a different librarian than the one who had greeted him earlier) asked at the front, center desk.
“Yes, ma’am. I was wondering if you could help me find a book?”
“Sure. What is the title?”
“It’s the Encyclopedia of Angels.”
The librarian seemed familiar with the name of the book and didn’t ask for the author. She quickly brought it up in the system. “Well, you’re in luck. It was just returned this morning. Let’s see. I guess it was actually donated to the library this morning and logged into the system at 10:20 a.m. Hmm. That’s strange! In any case, we do have it in our biblical and spiritual section, up on the second floor, room 211 in the left wing.”
He was already in stride to the stairs when he thanked her for the help. The left wing on the second floor welcomed him. The squeaky, old, solid-wood door rattled the pane of glass as the youngster let it swing shut. At one glance, he knew the room was empty, and he quickly went to work. There were several shelves that gave way to four aisles stretching a good fifty feet. Noah contemplated the treasures, all in alphabetical order making it easy for the investigative boy to access what he was after. It didn’t take long to spot what he was looking for on the second row. It was larger than the other books, as most encyclopedias are. He pulled it out and looked over the front and back cover. The book was brand new and full of magical and historical characters of the past. He let his fingers lead the way as they fumbled through the pages finding the “E” section. Keeping his eyes on the pages, he trusted his legs to find him a seat without a doubt, and he collapsed in a corner against a papered wall cradling his new find.
Within the book, Noah swiftly found the entry on Enoch: there were five or six pages of information dedicated to him.
“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, left some divine writings, and this is asserted by the Apostle Jude in his canonical epistle. But it is not without reason that these writings have no place in that canon of scripture, which was preserved in the temple of the Hebrew people by the diligence of successive priests, for their antiquity brought them under suspicion, and it was impossible to ascertain whether these were his genuine writings. And they were not brought forward as genuine by the persons who were found to have carefully preserved the canonical books by successive transmission.”
Amidst all the sludge, Noah detected key words that brought fragments closer to a whole, bringing Enoch more to life. It was so incredibly real to the young boy because it was as if Enoch, this man of ancient mystery, was changing the way Noah perceived his life. He quickly dived back into his refreshing trove of new information.
“Enoch, the son of Jared and seventh descendant of Adam and Eve, is taken to heaven by angels, for God has chosen him to be a scribe and a witness to the consequences of sin and the rewards of righteousness. He makes one or more journeys and has many visions. He is taken to the different levels of heaven and hell, learns the mysteries of the cosmos and the celestial realms, and sees the future, including the flood, the end of the world, and the Last Judgment. He is given a heavenly body of light and shown the books of knowledge.
After these revelations, Enoch is sent back to earth in order to pass on the teachings to his sons and others. God then takes Enoch back into heaven. In some accounts, God transforms him into Metatron, giving him 365,000 eyes and 36 pairs of wings. Two of his functions as Metatron is to be the scribe of heaven and guardian of the Akashic Records.”
What on earth are the Akashic Records? Noah kept reading. “The Akashic Records are like an immense photographic film registering all the desires and earthly experiences of our planet and the life experiences of every human being since time began; the reactions to experience of the entire animal kingdom; the aggression of the thought forms of a karmic nature based on desire, of every human unit throughout time. Only a trained occultist can distinguish between actual experience and those astral pictures created by imagination and keen desire, regardless of the journey one will take in life. It is certain that the soul of anyone who dies in good will be taken in the afterlife to review his or her life’s record with the Lords of the Records. This will be a time for the soul to reflect on its wrong- and right-doings throughout its previous earthly life in order to better prepare and conquer its next life, according to God’s will.”
Noah sat back against the wall for a moment and began to take himself back through what he had already experienced in his relatively short-lived life. It wasn’t much, but it was all good. He had never wronged or harmed anyone or intentionally done any bad. Then he began to think: that’s why kids are so special, because they are all new to this world of damage and are not flawed. It’s when they become adults and have full freedom that the real struggle begins. For some reason, he could see it so clearly. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew that with age, he too, would endure a physiological battle with a hungry non-compliant force deep within him. He could sense that, but right now as it stood, his age served him well, like a knight’s shield against the opposing force.
He didn’t care about the time, nor did it register in his mind when he moved within the book from Enoch to Elijah. He wasn’t going anywhere until he knew the full story. At least an introduction to the full story, anyway. Noah wanted to surprise the twins with his newly-acquired knowledge on his next trip to the shop.
“Elijah, a prophet transported directly to heaven in a fiery chariot, sleeps, at which point an Angel of The Lord appears and tells him to arise and eat. Elijah awakens to find a jar of water and a cake baked on hot stones. The angel urges him to eat and drink more in preparation for his journey. The food and water last him for forty days and nights as he journeys to Mount Horeb. God tells Elijah that he has much work to do. He must anoint a new king and train the prophet Elisha to carry on his work.
Kings 2:9-11: ‘Elijah passes his role to Elisha in a dramatic scene. He strikes the waters of the Jordan River with his rolled-up mantle, causing them to part. The two cross. A chariot of fire and horses descends from the sky, separating the two. It takes Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind.’
Luke 9:28-33: ‘Jesus, on the Mount of Transfiguration, appears to his disciples in a vision along with Moses and Elijah.’
In rabbinic lore, Elijah is credited with being an
angel from his beginnings; he becomes Sandalphon, the angel of prayer, in heaven. He also serves as a guide for the souls of the dead. He stands at the crossways of paradise and helps the righteous find heaven. Elijah is synonymous with the prophet Enoch, who also was taken directly to Heaven and who became the angel Metatron.
In Kabbalistic lore, the Angel of Death is not happy with Elijah’s translation, insisting that humans must die under his jurisdiction. God tells the angel that Elijah is not like other men and can even replace the angel of death if challenged to do so. Elijah and the angel of death confront each other, but God holds Elijah back to keep him from destroying the angel of death. God instructs Elijah to be the guardian of his children and to make himself known as God’s messenger throughout the world. Elijah is then transformed into the Archangel Sandalphon, twin to Metatron. They work together on important joint tasks, one of which is to guard the Akashic Records.
In Talmudic lore, Elijah is a champion of the poor, losers, and victims.”
This last sentence made Noah put the book down for another moment of reflection; this directly correlated with him – he was a victim. Certain elements of these two characters were beginning to grow clear in Noah’s mind: the scribe of heaven, the first to record words, creator of early alphabetical letters, and now a protector of the outcasts and victims. Noah was beginning to understand his connection with these two cosmic beings while being a little less reluctant to search his mind for doubt. One thing was for certain, everything that was happening to him was for a greater reason, and all in the time that the Greater Power had intended. He made his mind up then and there. He would do what was expected of him, no matter the consequences. For the first time in his life, he finally felt the comfort of belonging, and he’d be damned if anyone was going to take that away from him.
Chapter 17
As soon as he made it home, he made a beeline to the bathroom. He was in a mild panic trying to figure out how he would explain the marks on his face accrued earlier in the day. Caught up in after- school activities, he had not thought about it or made a plan. He closed the door behind him and peered in the reflecting glass.
The bathroom was dim with an evening shadow, so he flipped the light on. His face looked completely normal. No bruises or red marks were evident. His glasses were restored to normal. He didn’t understand. The sight of his reflection took him by surprise and made him think. He enjoyed things that made him think. What his gentle face reflected in the mirror proved that anything was possible.
Scooting back to his bedroom for a moment, he heard the door swing open and shut. He glanced at his alarm clock: it read 5:35 p.m., just about the time his mother came home each evening. He left the latest reading material that had been checked out of the library, as well as the next book in the training series: Book V: The Boy Who Could Drive, in the bathroom. These books, he knew, would draw him into the story line, and he was excited.
Though he had first thought they were merely fun, he now knew they were meant to give him important experiences. He had been gaining skills from these books, skills he knew would eventually play a bigger role in his time line. It was not a coincidence that everything had been planned at the right time. He knew enough to stop taking things for granted. This new chapter in his life was quickly acting like a cleanser to wash away all doubt and coincidence.
He resolved now, to quickly own up to whatever challenge presented itself to him. He would henceforth aggressively embrace every aspect of learning and understanding this new, bizarre world, just as he had done in school. The very notion boosted his confidence levels, and he was keen to leave adversity behind. His shyness was turning to confidence, and he felt himself growing less timid and more bold with each learning day.
Chapter 18
Noah was beginning to walk with a hop in his step, and his questions and conversation were more direct. His mother noticed it but kept it to herself. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her son, but whatever it was, it was positive and reassuring. She had always thought that her boy would be living against odds, and she had hoped he would one day find a way to overcome them. She had tried to do her best to encourage him, and she had done it alone.
“Hey, Mom,” Noah greeted her as they met eyes in the kitchen. “Did you have a good day at work?”
“I did have a nice day, sweetheart. Thanks for asking. It was a busy day and went by fast. What about you? Tell me about your day?”
What could he say? Surely not the truth! Instead, he gave her the potatoes and left the meat behind on the counter.
“I went to the library today; I needed some new books, and it only took me fifteen minutes on my bike to get back here.”
“Oh. You did?” her interest was piqued. “I don’t know how I feel about you on your bike downtown. There seems to be a lot of traffic there. It makes me nervous.”
“Everything I do makes you nervous, Mom. I’m safe on my bike – I promise. Plus, this library has books upon books of interesting material that you just can’t find anywhere else.”
“Oh yeah? What did you find down there?”
“I found some interesting material on a couple of important figures in history. My history teacher wanted us to do an end-of-the-year report on the most influential figure of the 20th century.”
“Oh, interesting! And who did you choose?”
He was digging himself in a hole. There was no report and there were no influential characters that he had in mind from the 20th century.
“Well to be honest, I have mine narrowed down to two people: FDR and Gandhi. He wanted to change the subject. “Hey, Mom. What are we having for dinner? I’m getting hungry.” This was another small fallacy. He was nowhere near hungry.
“I don’t feel like cooking tonight, so I thought we would order out for pizza.”
So, perhaps he had been wrong; he was always hungry when it came to pizza!
After the feast was delivered and consumed, he found himself breaking away to his sanctuary, as he had done so many times before, leaving the day and conversation with his mother behind. He would have to clear his mind to prepare for the next instructional read. It was hard to clear his mind of the prior visit to the book shop and library and all that he had discovered because it continuously kept the hamster wheel turning in his mind. It kept his hunt fresh and exciting and ready for more. In order for him to dive into these books, he needed to have utmost focus and be able to live in the moment, essentially washing away his prior dealings of the day. It was similar to a meditative state; everything was slowed. Then, like a magnet, he could be sucked into a different world of magic and possibilities.
This time, he found himself in a race car lined up with others among the streets of an empty city. No one was watching. There were just a bunch of different cars, of all sizes and colors, queuing to race. Beyond his bright, fire engine-red race craft, four car lengths ahead, was the countdown. He was always surprised by the situation he would find himself in the middle of and by how quickly he would have to adapt in order to survive its elements.
Three! Two! One! Go, Go, Go!
Wheels screeched and engines screamed as the race pack moved ahead in a large group from a stand still position. Noah had no idea where he was, or what he had to do, but he quickly found out the gas pedal was on the right and the break was on the left. The steering wheel was gripped tightly in both hands, and he had a clear view of the traffic in front of him. He thought his first cruise in a car would have brought more anxiety, but everything felt natural to him, like he had done it before.
As the cars revved and started to pick up speed, Noah made sure to follow the pack in perfect form. As the turns emerged in his line of vision, distance between cars became evident. Noah was no exception to the lagging pack who gave up position on their turns. He went in low and tight to the inside corners and recovered his speed faster when turns gave way to the straighter stretches. It wasn’t long before he was at a top speed of 140 miles per hour, hanging in with the top four
cars and paving the way for those who had fallen behind. Corners came faster at this speed, and his brakes became vital. He found it strange to be in a race car, but he quickly knew what this test was demanding. His hand and eye coordination and reaction time were being tested. This exercise wasn’t necessarily about winning a race, but rather, how he would react with his coordination under pressure, another important tool that would need to be employed in the future.
He gave in to the moment completely as he drove faster. He was able to predict corners and straightaways better. And, though he tried not to give too much thought to Wendy because his concentration was much needed, in the back of his mind, he knew she would be in heaven doing what he was doing at this moment.
Whatever land, dimension, or place he was in now, it sure was bright – at times even blinding. While flying up over hills and turns, great gobs of sunlight shone through, burning his line of vision. He had no helmet or visor for eye protection. He was naked to the elements, so he lowered his head and embraced the struggle until the sun was behind him. Now full speed into a 180-degree turn, he witnessed many crash victims, but he powered through it just nicking an outside wall. He maintained a consistent speed, allowing himself to pass the third place car and gain many lengths to secure second place.
First place was not out of sight. His aerodynamic craft cut through the oncoming wind, and he accelerated to two hundred miles per hour on the longest straightaway. He had gained a few links, and the car in first place was looming in sight. After three more sharp turns, he was right behind. Just as he was about to pass, he heard his mother’s clear voice. He closed his eyes, counted to three, and appeared back in his room lying on his bed with his book in front of him, just in time for his mother to barge in. He was immediately annoyed.
