This makes me happy, he thought proudly, helping people, healing people. I never thought being dead could be so rewarding.
Returning his attention to the scene, David watched as the old man shook with fear when the snakes hissed at him. Vapours of precious energy wafted from the man, flowing mercilessly toward the serpents. Anger swelled in his chest as he watched the evil beings torture the lost soul.
“Okay, what you're gonna want to do is sneak up behind them, surprise attack. Okay?” Michael coached.
“Alright.” David replied, still uncertain, but determined to try. He knew that if was going to help the level ten, he was going to need to master his powers, and quickly.
“Good luck buddy.” Michael whispered.
Nodding in thanks, David ventured out of the bedroom they were hiding in. Creeping down the hallway, he began centring himself, preparing to use his powers. A warm rush of energy flooded his heart. Pleased that it came to him so easily this time, his confidence went up a couple notches.
The old man wailed as the creatures sucked life out him. A pang of sadness coursed through David, causing the power in chest to subside a little.
“Note to self, feeling sad drains my energy.” David thought as he closed his eyes and focused again on his power of protection. Feeling the energy pulsate through his body, he positioned himself behind the creatures. From his vantage point, he was looking directly at the old man, but the ghost didn't appear to see David. The ghost just wailed and cried as the snakes bullied him.
David allowed the surging energy in his system to pulse harder and faster until he felt the peak approaching. Streams of light swam around his body as he raised his arms, preparing for the release. The energy whirring around him reminded him of a centrifuge.
Before he could release his weapon, however, the shadow snakes sensed his presence and spun their lithe bodies around quickly. They screeched as they lunged forward to attack David.
Remaining calm, he felt his energy spike. Seeing the three snakes slithering quickly at him, David thrust his hands forward, sending an ocean of white energy crashing into the beasts. The wave of light descended rapidly onto the snakes, throwing them in three different directions, slamming them into the walls. Two of the snakes transformed into light before David's eyes, while the remaining serpent lie still upon the floor.
Shaking off his excitement for his success, David quickly approached the ghost man; careful to manoeuvre himself around the dark snake lying on the floor. Still unaware of David's presence, the old man continued to whimper in the corner.
Drawing strength from his joy in defeating the creatures, David created healing energy quickly. Surrounding the old man with white light, he felt the veil of amnesia lift from the old man's spirit.
“Wha...what happened?” The old man asked as he looked around the room.
“Um, well, you were lost and I...found you.” David stammered, hoping he was saying the right thing.
“Where am I?”
“I believe all will be explained later.” David improvised. “Would you like to go to a better place?”
The old man seemed to contemplate every word David said seriously. Though his face still showed signs of confusion, he replied. “Yes, yes I would.”
As they walked slowly down the hall, however, the last of the shadow snakes suddenly leapt from the floor and lunged at them. The old man screamed as the snake snarled. David instinctively shielded the old man with his body, his power of protect forming instantly. The moment the shield touched the snake, it evaporated into the air with a flash of light.
The old man, cowering behind David, huddled himself into a little ball on the floor. Badly shaken, David quickly led him to the bedroom where Michael had already summoned a light tunnel for the three to go home in.
“Wow! David! That was awesome!” Michael gushed as they ascended the tunnel.
“Thanks.” David grinned, feeling pretty pleased with himself.
The old ghost simply stood and stared at Michael, examining his wings and tattoos. Upon arriving in Heaven, the old ghost was led gently away to the Hall of Healing.
“You did great.” Michael complimented as the two walked back the city.
“I should have watched that one snake though; I shouldn't have assumed he was...dead, or whatever.” David kicked himself a little.
“Well, that aside, it was pretty darn impressive.” the angel grinned, obviously patting himself on the back for teaching his student well.
While David was still feeling the rush of his practice run, he was pretty sure that the next encounter with the dark creatures might not be so easy. Especially considering the lost soul he was asked to save. He was sure it wasn't every day that someone had to rescue a level ten being.
“Hurry up, Dave.” Michael urged, “I have something to show you!” he added with a mischievous grin.
Doppelganger
“We’re here.” Gabe stated his voice monotone.
“Yay!” Hope said as she took off her seat belt.
Lily peered out of the side window, confused. This was certainly not the cemetery on Berry Hill.
As they walked toward a large building, Lily read a sign along the path, ‘Wiley Institution Emergency Entrance.’
Institution? She thought, her mind reeling.
Lily followed Gabe and Hope, winding through hallways and stairwells. Apparently arriving at the right floor, Lily looked up to the black and white sign above her, ‘Psych Ward’.
“Oh boy.” Lily thought with a sinking sensation in her stomach.
Upon reaching a room at the end of the hall, Hope suddenly ran into a room on the right.
“Mommy!!” Hope yelled as she raced over to a female figure standing by the window.
Gabe hung back, out in the hallway, to speak with one of the doctors.
Lily forced herself to walk into the hospital room, terrified at what she might see. She watched as Hope hugged the woman, who did not reciprocate the gesture.
Who is that? Lily asked herself, she was sure she knew the answer; but didn't want to admit it yet.
The woman, small and very thin, stood still as she stared out the window, mumbling incoherently as Hope chattered about Mr. Binx.
Lily walked with trepidation toward the woman, examining every aspect. The most obvious, and frightening, thing she observed was that the woman was completely bald. Thousands of tiny hairs protruded from her pale scalp, creating harsh stubble. Several huge scars littered the landscape of her head, creating a road map of past pain.
“Then Mr. Binx told me a story about bunnies. It was so funny, Mommy, you would've laughed!” Hope chattered, making Lily giggle.
Glancing back at the hall, Lily could see Gabe and the doctor having a very serious conversation. For once, she was glad to be invisible, it made eavesdropping much easier. Sneaking out into the hall, she overheard their conversation.
“What sort of things?” Gabe asked the doctor seriously as Lily entered into the discussion.
“Well,” the silver-haired doctor replied, “up until a few months ago, all she ever talked about was being trapped in a wooden box, but lately, she's been talking about shadows, snakes, angels and...” his voice trailed off.
“And?” Gabe asked, appearing impatient.
“And...Hope.” the doctor answered as he nodded toward the little girl, a look of disbelief on his face.
“Hope!” Gabe's eyes widened.
“Yes, it appears that she is...improving. Remembering Hope's visits, perhaps.” the doctor appeared as surprised as Gabe. “Of course, we'll have to run some tests and whatnot, could be just a temporary anomaly.” the doctor rattled on in his professional tone, but Gabe wasn't listening as he looked at the woman.
“Is this sort of thing common with…catatonic schizophrenia?” Gabe inquired, still looking at the woman.
“Um, well...” the doctor stuttered, “she's the only case I've ever worked with, so, I can't really say what's common or not. It's a rare case as it is; most schi
zophrenia is caused by psychological and physical abuse, not just sustaining trauma.”
Lily left the conversation, stunned and confused.
What the hell was going on? Anger rose uncomfortably into her heart. I'm not...dead? If I'm not dead, what am I? Looking at her babbling counterpart, she added bitterly, Apparently...I'm crackers. Great.
“...and then I danced like a ballerina with my new dress, it's pink with white flowers. Mr. Binx danced too, except, he didn't wear a dress 'cause he's a boy.” Hope nattered on, holding the woman's hand.
Lily took a deep breath as she walked towards the woman.
I have to see...if it's really me
Lily walked slowly up to the woman and forced herself to look at her face. Observing the bald scalp up close was difficult, but Lily tried not to look.
God, I'm...she's so pale!
The skin on her face reminded Lily of the white pastel make-up she'd used when she was a child dressing up as a vampire for Halloween. Walking in front of her faded twin, Lily looked into her dull green eyes, the spark that had once resided there, now dim and lifeless. Vacancy shadowed over a once vibrant glow.
Expressionless, the void in her body's soul was apparent.
Empty. My body is soulless.
As Lily leaned in to have a better look at a nasty scar on the side of her face, the dormant stare of her lifeless doppelganger suddenly twitched. Instead of staring off into space as she was before, she suddenly focused directly on Lily; eyes wide and alarmed. Opening her mouth wide, her soulless twin began screaming like a siren and flailing her arms, as though trying to swat something in front of her.
Lily jumped back just as Gabe and the doctor rushed in to see what was wrong. Immediately shielding Hope and pushing her away, Gabe tried to calm the screaming banshee by rubbing her back. The doctor frantically examined her, trying to determine what was wrong. Several nurses rushed in to assist.
What the hell?! Lily thought, bewildered.
Once calm was restored, Lily again wandered into her body's line of sight; only to set the hysterics into motion again.
She can see me!
Moving out of the way, Lily allowed her body double to calm down. Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, she began to cry; mostly due to confusion.
None of this makes any sense. How can I be in two places at once? Literally!
Hanging her head in her hands, Lily wept. She just didn't know what else to do. Her life, what was left of it, had been incinerated like ashes drifting through the wind after a fire. She felt torn apart, empty, and hopeless.
Lying on the bed, Lily succumbed to sadness and faded away.
Family of Light
The sunsets were interesting in Heaven. On Earth, an amber sun slowly faded into the horizon amidst shades of coral and gold, swallowed into an ocean of darkness until the dawning of a new day.
Heaven's sunsets, however, could make any on Earth envious.
The Sun in Heaven radiated pure white. Nearly four times the size of Earth's, its rays stretched across all the boundaries of Eden. Silvery beams of twilight reached out to kiss the citizens of Heaven good-night. When this Sun set, every colour in existence danced in the sky, rainbow choreography performed as though bidding the star good-night. As it set into a bedding of clouds, a melodic hum could be heard as though it had sung itself to sleep.
“That's a big Sun, much bigger than Earth's.” David spoke, his voice only an octave higher than a hush.
“Same Sun.” Michael responded, “We're just closer to it.”
David and Michael sat upon the peak of a tall, ancient mountain, looking down upon the wonderment Heaven's sunset.
“Have you ever been human, Michael?” David inquired, his eyes fixated on the atmospheric presentation.
“No,” Michael answered, sombre. “can't take that journey.”
“Why not?”
Sighing, he answered, the tattoos around his eyes crinkling as he smiled, “Angels can't be human, David.”
“Really?”
“Nope, we're a different being than you, a different species, to be specific. Human's are members of the family of light, whereas angels are, well, just angels.”
“So what makes us able to become human?”
“You are light beings whose evolution is dependent on adaptation, unique compared to all the beings in the universe. Light beings are the only ones who can inhabit many forms and lifetimes. This,” Michael stated as he opened his arms in presentation of his body, “is my only form, I am body and soul combined. While I cannot die, I also can't experience life from different perspectives.”
“Different perspectives?” David asked, watching a shower of meteorites scattering tiny lights onto the black canvas of the sky.
“Yes, being female or being male. Becoming different races, creeds and ages. A creature of light energy, you guys get to experience everything there is.”
Absorbing the information, David contentedly watched as the white sun made its final descent into the horizon. Twilight succumbed to darkness for only a moment before the light of Heaven's moon shimmered down upon the valley.
“Such a pity.” David spoke with a reverent hush in his voice.
“What is?” the angel asked.
“That we don't truly appreciate life until after we die.”
Valley of Death
Lily slowly opened her eyes and found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. The ground under her was dry and cracked, as though parched by centuries of dehydration. She sat up and looked around to see barren landscape spreading for miles in all directions. The red earth beneath her was hot to the touch. Her eyes adjusting, she could see mountain ranges completely surrounding her, their jagged peaks snarling at her like an enormous mouth of razor-sharp teeth.
Her long hair whipped at her face as a hot, breathy wind tormented the air around her. Searching the area for anything, or anyone, she finally stood and began to walk aimlessly. With nothing for miles, she finally sat again on the crusty, arid ground. Tears attempted to form and run down her face, but the desert air denied her the moisture.
“Where am I!!” Lily screamed into the bleak valley, her voice echoing off the sharp mountain peaks as though mocking her.
Lying face-down in the red dirt, she wept dry tears. Frustrated, lost and alone, she felt as though she'd died all over again.
“You are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.” A male voice, sleek and velvety, spoke.
Ceasing her weeping immediately, Lily sat straight up, and searched the perimeter for the owner of the voice. Upon seeing him, she felt herself blush a little. Before her was certainly the most handsome man she'd seen since Gabe. His dark skin complimented his grey eyes while his black hair ruffled in the wind.
“Hello there,” the gentlemen said as he extended his hand, assisting her to standing. “my name is Gideon.”
“L..Lily.” She stammered, trying in vain to wipe the red dust from her white dress. “Do you know how I got here?”
“Yes,” his voice rang with a mild English accent, “I brought you here.”
Instantly annoyed, she marched up to him with intentions of giving him a piece of her mind.
“I thought I'd save you from that wretched existence you've been forced to endure.” he stated quickly, subduing her anger.
Lily glared at him, her green eyes narrowed in attempts to decipher his motives.
“Why here?”
“I'm only following orders my dear.” Gideon answered with a smile. “Shall we?” he offered her his arm cordially.
“Where are we going?” she asked, hooking her arm onto his.
“Impatient little princess, aren't we?” he answered with a wink.
~
Since sleep was not necessary for beings of the fifth dimension, the Great City was alive with music. In fact, the city came to life during the evening, even more than it did during the day. Children played, people sang and loved ones reunited.
The entire city was illumina
ted by the moonlight. David sat on a grassy hill, alone, a little ways from the city of glowing beings. Taking it all in, he reflected on his life, his death and his existence.
The philosopher in David quietly asked permission to speak. Granting the request, his eyes sparkled with humour at the notion of his own thoughts being so polite.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the energy of his soul to bring forth the words it desired. It gently brought him back to the day he stood in his office, questioning the existence of man through the passage of the raindrops.
“If you were a droplet of water placed into the ocean, could you pull yourself out or would you simply blend with the waters?” His soul spoke softly from the centre of his heart.
David pondered the question once again. It was so different now that he was in this form, from this perspective. The idea of being different, unique, was so appealing when he was alive. Blending with ocean, before, meant giving up power and control.
Now, it meant being a part of the whole. Blending with the waters didn't have to mean conformity, but existing within a community. If one could add to the whole, give meaning to it, the entire ocean could be filled, not with dark waters, but with hope.
It was very clear to him now. The ocean was the Source, and the droplet of water was the individual. The irony of it all was, as humans we feel separate from the whole of humanity, alienated from the Source, the truth is; we never left it. We will always be swimming in the ocean of light, not drowning in it, but enlightening humanity from within it.
“I sensed you up here.” A beautiful voice spoke that could only be that of Evangeline.
“Hi.” David spoke, shifting gently from his philosophical dream and smiling at her.
Seating herself beside him, she looked up at the constellations that shared their powerful energy with the dimensions below.
“Deep thoughts?”
“Mmm...yes.” he responded, “An old, human habit of mine.”
She laughed, her voice tinkling like bells.
Dimensions of Genesis Page 21
