Aiden's Story (A Watcher Novel)

by S. J. West

  “No. Each culture has their own customs.”

  As I looked around at the people, I noticed a lot of them, especially the men, were tattooed. Their pale skin made the whirling blue tattoos stand out rather dramatically. The people Desmond took me to see that day are what you know from history as the Celts. They were just making their way through Europe during that period. They were fierce warriors, which appeared to be what attracted Desmond to their way of living. It was only later that I learned Desmond chose this particular tribe to live with as a Watcher.

  Desmond guided me through many different cultures all around the world, hoping to help me find my place in it. Nevertheless, I kept finding myself drawn back to the small Mesopotamian village God took me to on my first visit to Earth. I would go there whenever I had time and simply watch the people as they went through the motions of their everyday lives. The girl I saw on my first visit was of prime interest to me. As the years passed by, I watched her grow up, marry, and have children of her own. Those children had children and so on. Being part of a family seemed so commonplace for humans. The connection between parent and child was extremely close in most families. It made me start to wonder what it would feel like to have a family of my own. Secretly, I hoped I would be allowed to have one when we were sent to Earth. It seemed like a logical way to become a part of their lives, but I also knew we were being sent down to help the humans, not ourselves.

  On Earth, years passed by before the time finally came for us to be sent down. We all told God where it was we wanted to settle and make our homes. When I told Him I wanted to live in the same village He first took me to, He looked pleased with my decision and agreed. After that, He asked us to envision the bodies we would like to be sent to Earth in so that He could make them for us. We all chose to go down in male form because it seemed as though every society used them to do most of the fighting in defense of others.

  Each of us designed the bodies we wanted to make it easier to assimilate into the societies we chose to live in. Most of us chose the forms of young, virile men, but a few chose to go down in bodies that were a bit older since age appeared to denote wisdom within some cultures.

  I remember the day we gathered in Heaven in our new bodies. My human form felt a bit constricting but not unpleasant. We were all dressed in the ceremonial outfits you’ve seen us wear. Why did God choose to send us down that way? Honestly, I’m not absolutely sure. You would have to ask Him that question. We all just assumed the black feather cloaks were symbolic of how the humans viewed angels with wings. If He had sent us down with white wings protruding out of our backs, I think that would have simply frightened people, which was the opposite of what we were being sent down to do. As it was, we still stood out, but we looked more like Earthly royalty than angels.

  As we all stood in front of God, He gave us our final instructions.

  “You are the first of my angels to be sent down to Earth to live among the humans. I know you will all try your best to help them advance, and that is all I can ask. Humans are very different from you, and because of that fact, I am only giving you one rule that must never be broken. You are not allowed to marry or have children with the females of their world. Humanity is not ready for such a large step forward in their evolution. They are still in their infancy as far as understanding the world around them, much less the universe they live in. They are not advanced enough yet to deal with the consequences of having children with angelic abilities. This is my only rule for you. Do not break it because if you do, you will not like the outcome.”

  The ominous way God said these words made us all realize how serious He was about His one rule not being broken.

  In hindsight, I suppose it should have been a simple rule to follow, but after we lived on Earth for a while… well…maybe I can help you understand why we all broke it. I can’t really speak for anyone else but myself. However, I have come to learn that many of my fellow Watchers disobeyed God’s law for the same reason I did.

  “Mason,” God said, motioning for our leader to come stand by His side. Once Mason was there, God told us, “As your commander on Earth, Mason will be the only one allowed to come back to Heaven. In one year’s time, you are to report what you have accomplished to him, and he will then report your progress directly to me. You are all to meet with him at the location on Earth I phase you. The spot I have chosen is isolated and not visited by humans very often. This meeting is an unbreakable commitment, and you will all feel an overwhelming compulsion to meet with him at the appointed time no matter what else is happening in your lives. I wish you all luck in your endeavors and know you will do your best to serve humanity and me.”

  Without any further fanfare, God phased us as one group to Earth. As I told you before, the place where you met the other Watchers in the Sahara Desert is where God placed us that day.

  After all two-hundred of us phased in at once, Mason stood on a dune and looked out at all of us before speaking.

  “Brothers,” Mason called out, “today is the day we have all been preparing for. We’ve been sent here by our father to help the humans progress further than they have so far, but remember, we are only meant to help them in their technological and cultural advancements. Be an inspiration to them, but don’t try to take them forward before they’re ready. We are their guides to the wonders our father has in store for them, and that is all we are meant to be. Now, go to the places you have chosen to spend your time and may God bless the work you are about to do.”

  We were all so eager to start our work that we immediately phased to our designated locations after Mason spoke.

  I phased right outside the little village onto the one dirt road that lead up to it. I stood there in the sunlight and allowed its rays to warm my skin. I’m not sure how long I just stood there soaking up its heat, but I soon heard a man clear his throat nearby.

  When I opened my eyes, I saw an older man dressed in a white wraparound skirt staring at me.

  “Are you lost?” He asked me in his own language.

  I cleared my own throat nervously because I wasn’t sure if he would be able to understand me when I spoke back.

  “No, I’m fine,” I told him, hearing myself speak his language fluently.

  I guess it shouldn’t have come as any surprise that God would make sure we could not only understand the people we had chosen to live with , but also give us the ability to speak their language.

  The man looked me up and down as if I was a curiosity.

  “You look lost,” he said definitively. “Where do you come from?”

  I hesitated because I wasn’t sure what to say. Finally, I replied, “A long way from here. There was a war in my homeland, and I decided I wanted to make a fresh start somewhere else.”

  “Did your side lose?” He asked me.

  “No. We won. But I don’t think anyone is ever a true victor in a war.”

  The old man nodded his head in agreement.

  I looked towards the village I hoped to settle in.

  “Are you considering our village to make a new home in?” The man asked me, sensing my intentions.

  I nodded. “Yes. Do you think I could?”

  The man rubbed his chin with one hand as if he was thinking hard about my question.

  “Well, you’re in luck. I do know of a home that is vacant. I suppose if you had something of value you might be able to buy it.”

  I understood the concept of bartering but didn’t think I had anything of real value on me.

  “I’m not sure I have enough to buy a home,” I admitted.

  The old man looked down at my throat.

  “Is that made out of real gold?” He asked.

  I reached up and felt the necklace that was hanging around my neck. I’m not sure when God put it there but was grateful that he had. From the glint in the old man’s eyes, I knew it was something worth trading.

  I yanked the necklace off and handed it to him.

  Not only was the necklace made of gol
d, but it was also adorned with a large emerald pendant.

  The old man began to laugh.

  “With what this necklace is worth,” he told me, “you could probably buy the whole village.”

  He slipped the emerald pendant off the gold chain and handed it back to me.

  “The chain is plenty to pay for the house. You keep the pendant and trade it for things you’ll need later.”

  “Thank you,” I said, taking the emerald and sliding it in the top pocket of my pants.

  “You will definitely need some clothing,” he said, eyeing me again. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen clothes like yours before.”

  “They’re traditional in the area I come from,” I told him, not knowing what else to say.

  The man held his hand out to me. “My name is Calev. What’s yours?”

  I had chosen my name before I came and told him, “Adiyna.”

  I will only spell my name that way once so you know the name the others used for me in the village. In the future, I changed the spelling and shortened it to Aiden.

  “Well, come on then. I’ll show you the home you just bought.”

  I followed the old man down the road, amazed by my good fortunes that he just happened upon me the moment I arrived. But was it just by chance or had there been a divine hand that guided the man in my direction? I assumed it was probably the latter.

  As we walked through the village, all eyes were drawn to me. I didn’t even have to announce my presence. My clothing appeared to do it for me. I watched as young women whispered and giggled to one another behind their hands. The men either glowered at me or watched me walk by them with great suspicion. I knew I would need to gain their trust if I was going to help them at all. I just wasn’t sure how I was going to work that small miracle.

  “My daughter’s husband died a year ago,” Calev told me. “She decided to move back into my home with her young son so she can take care of me. We’ve been trying to sell her home, but for some reason, no one has been interested.”

  God at work again? Most likely. I had to assume He had prepared things for all of us in our selected locations so that we could easily integrate ourselves into the lives of those we were meant to help.

  As all the homes were, the one Calev took me to had walls and floors made of mud bricks, and it also had two levels. Homes back then were designed around a central courtyard to allow air and light into the living quarters. A small kitchen was located on the first floor with a raised mud brick hearth where cooking could be done over an open fire. The top floor housed the sleeping areas and already had palettes and blankets set up on the floor for me. There were very few furnishings in homes back then. The poor could only afford what was necessary (tables, stools, benches, and lamps). It looked as though Calev’s daughter left the scant furnishings she and her husband possessed in the house when she left.

  “Do you like it?” Calev asked me after the tour.

  “Yes, it’s very nice. Thank you.”

  “Well, it’s really built for a family,” Calev said, eyeing me up and down. “But I’m sure a young man such as yourself won’t stay unmarried for very long.”

  Calev began to chuckle, but his words worried me. Human societies were built around the family unit. Would I soon become an outsider because I refused to take one of the village girls for a wife? I knew it was a real possibility, but one that I had no control over. God had made his edict, and I would have to abide by it. At least, that was my thinking on that day.

  “You should come to my home this evening and eat with us,” Calev declared. “I think my daughter might have some clothing for you as well to help you blend in better. I’m sure the woolen skirts she makes will be more comfortable than what you’re wearing now.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “How can I pay her for the items?”

  Calev waved his hand at me. “The necklace will cover it all. Have no worries about that. Why don’t you make yourself at home and then come to my house when the sun sets. We live directly across the way. We’ll be waiting for you.”

  After Calev left, I spent some time looking around my new home, amazed at how easily everything had come to me in such a short span of time. I walked out into the inner courtyard and gazed up at the clear blue sky. I knelt down and prayed to my father, thanking Him for His blessings and promising to do my best in the job He sent me to do.

  After the sun set past the horizon, I walked over to Calev’s home and knocked on the door, but Calev wasn’t the one who answered it.

  Standing in the doorway was a strikingly beautiful young woman with long raven black hair and light brown eyes. She wore a simple blue wrap around dress common in those days.

  She seemed to try to keep her eyes focused on my face, but I think her curiosity got the best of her as she allowed her gaze to quickly drop down the length of me. Pants in this society were very uncommon. Most of the men wore skirts belted around the waist and little else. She didn’t speak, only opened the door wider for me to enter the home. After I stepped across the threshold, I saw Calev wave me over to a small table situated in the center of the courtyard of the house.

  He sat there with a small boy sitting to his left who was playing with a spinning top on the surface of the table.

  Calev stood from his chair, and I was aware that the woman had veered off behind me towards the kitchen area.

  “Good to see you again, Aiden,” Calev said to me. “I hope everything is to your liking in your new home.”

  “Yes,” I said, taking the seat directly opposite Calev at the table. “Everything is fine.”

  “Good, good.”

  “Gil!” I heard the woman call out. “Come here.”

  The young boy stopped playing with his toy and scampered off to his mother. He soon returned with a plate of sliced bread and set it on the table. The woman was right behind him and placed bowls of red lentil soup in front of Calev and me.

  “Aiden,” Calev said, “allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Hanah.”

  When I looked up at Hanah, she bowed her head to me in greeting, and I did the same.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Hanah said in a soft voice. “I hope you enjoy living in our village.”

  I smiled at her, which appeared to relax her somewhat because she smiled back.

  “I’m sure I will,” I replied. “Thank you, Hanah.”

  Hanah turned around to return to the kitchen, but I caught her glance over her shoulder at me and smile one more time.

  I didn’t know it at the time, but that first meeting with Hanah would not only change my life forever but hers as well.

  And not for the better…

  CHAPTER TEN

  While Hanah was in the kitchen cleaning up after the meal, Calev and I ate some dried date palms. He mostly spoke to me about working for him as a field hand and helping him with his flock of sheep.

  “I am getting far too old for all the work involved with plowing a field,” Calev stated. “You and my daughter are young and can handle that sort of work. Gil and I can take care of the sheep while they are here around the house. But when they need to graze in the mountains, I will need you to go with them. Hanah makes cloth from the wool we do not sell, and you can keep half the profits from the sale of both the wheat and the wool.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “You don’t even really know me. Why would you entrust me with the livelihood of your family?”

  Calev smiled. “I see a goodness inside you, Aiden that I don’t believe you see in yourself. And I am almost never wrong about people.”

  “Almost?” I asked, wondering who Calev had been wrong about during his many years.

  “None of us can truly know what lies in some men’s hearts,” Calev told me, looking as if he was remembering a dark episode from his past. “I have made mistakes in trusting others, but something tells me placing my faith in you is not a mistake. Please, take me up on my offer and do us both a tremendous favor, Aiden. I need the help and you need the work. Hanah is
my only child and her son is far too young to be of much help. Even if he believes he is much older and wiser than his eight years of existence allow for.”

  Calev ruffled the hair on Gil’s head making the boy look embarrassed.

  “Are you sure your daughter is fine with this arrangement?” I asked.

  “She will be once she gets to know you. Her trust in men has been shaken, but I believe you might be able to help her with that also.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Calev looked at Gil with worry in his eyes.

  “Gil,” he said, “ask your mother to give you the wine bottle and then bring it back to us.”

  Gil slipped off his chair and did as asked without question. Only after the boy was out of earshot did Calev look back at me.

  In a hushed whisper he confided, “Hanah’s first husband was not who we thought he was. He was a harsh man and a cruel father. Given enough time, Gil will probably forget his father’s brutality because he is so young, but Hanah was left scarred in more ways than one I’m afraid.”

  “Did he beat her?” I asked, feeling my temper for this dead man flare.

  “He did…unspeakable things,” Calev admitted with a shake of his head. “The last crime he committed against her was causing her to lose the child she was carrying at the time. The injuries left her womb barren which has made the prospects of a second marriage almost non-existent.”

  I understood why, even if I didn’t agree with the reasoning.

  Most families relied on their children to help with the workload of feeding a family. If Hanah was no longer able to produce children, men would not see her as an asset. Even though she was extremely beautiful, her inability to build and strengthen a family made her undesirable. Physical beauty did not help put food on the table or give a man a legacy.

  “I suppose,” Calev said slowly, “you are planning to make your own family one day?”

  “No,” I automatically replied. “I have no intentions of ever having a family.”

  “Why?” He asked in surprise. “You look fit enough to produce many children in your lifetime.”