Tom had thought it a great idea, but then had to work the one day everyone else was available, and so, here they were. Mirror heading down the stairs, precariously but cautiously, and soon, it would see the light of day. Its covering was off, and the men were all sweat and smiles.
Well, okay, he observed. Mark’s not smiling, but what else is new?
They had decided to move the mirror before the verdict came in on the case against him. He had insisted; he wanted to help; to be part of the moment that brought it back to the light.
“Who knows,” the man had said as he’d readjusted his glasses over a cup of tea, “maybe we’ll find more of those compartments or something.”
“Okay, we’re turning; slowly now,” Jason said. “Almost there. Seven more stairs and we’ve got it.”
Edward concentrated on what was happening, his hands now around the edges of wing on the right side, as it turned.
He could hear the women talking downstairs; faint murmurings and occasional laughter suggesting a delightful conversation. He could hear the kids discussing their homework in the living room – his own children, as well as the Rutherfords’ and Majesta Jeffries. The Morrisons’ daughter, Izzie, had even shown up, though she rarely came to anything they did together. She had always been welcome, but not taken the opportunity to really get to know the rest of the families present.
Was it because the Morrisons had to stay away for so long? Or was there some other reason for it? Edward would have thought the girl would jump at the opportunity to make new friends.
Within a handful more steps, they were at the doorway, and it would be up to two of them to carry it through; there wasn’t enough room.
Masao and Justice – who had volunteered for doorways earlier – carefully stood in front of the mirror, away from it, but gripping tight enough to carry it still. In this way, they slowly allowed the weight of it to help guide them backward, with Jason giving them directions and Mark and Edward spotting from the back.
When they had passed the doorway, there was a collective sigh of relief. Two doorways and the stairwell down, and the easier patio door to go after they’d had a break.
“Alright, guys,” Justice said. “I suggest we set it in the hallway against the wall to stabilize it, grab something to eat, and then finish once we’re recharged a bit.”
Edward couldn’t agree more.
He was sweating and exhausted, and he wasn’t even carrying the thing. But just thinking of what might have happened to it? He had no words to express his thankfulness that, so far, all was in order.
Paloma watched as the men rested the mirror against the back wall of the Amethyst & Alabaster office and smiled.
They had done it!
The mirror now sat on a long plank of plywood, and was secured at the feet with rope wrapped around some large dumbbells that had been sitting in Justice’s closet for years.
A surge of joy rose within her, even as the sense of eyes upon her heightened more than ever. She shivered in the naked sunlight, surrounded by her friends, thankful for one less task to do in the future. They’d dust and cover it, then, the next day before church, move it into the extra room at the office where it could be appreciated.
She thought she’d have gotten used to the sense of being studied by now, but still, whenever she paused to think about it, she wasn’t sure how to feel. The idea that God watched over them persisted, but the thought that there might be more to it – that there were also eyes from some dark realm upon them – heightened the awareness.
Was Masao right?
Had there been warring in the heavens all these years over something as simple as a mirror? A mirror that held inexplicable abilities to transport people through time and space? A mirror nearly as old as Christianity itself?
“Girlfriend,” Midge spoke up, startling her. “That’s one gorgeous antique. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it; I forgot how beautiful it really was.”
“Alright, ladies,” Justice called, “can we get those rags over here? We’ll get this baby dusted, and let it sit in the open air for a while. I don’t see any signs of rain on the horizon; not even a cloud in the sky,” he told them, moving a few feet out from under the eave and putting his hands over his eyes to look into the distance.
“It sure casts a wonderful reflection, even from a distance,” Jason noted, pointing toward the fence across from it. “For such an old piece, I’m rather surprised.”
Paloma peered over, and sure enough, though the reflection was small and the sun growing high, there was a feather-jagged shimmer of light splayed against the slats of oak comprising the back fence.
She walked closer as she heard the kids open the slider behind her and make their way outside.
“So, it’s all moved now,” Clayton asked, his voice croaking just a little. A bit of a late bloomer, he was becoming quite the young man. His dark green, mysterious eyes and deep brown curly hair, his freckles, and his height, taken together, would surely have girls calling him soon. Too bad he wasn’t interested in anyone but Cherish at the moment.
Paloma chuckled at the thought as she continued walking toward the glimmer against the fence; some of the others followed; some just watched.
As she got near, she had a sense of growing closer to the eyes upon her, and, just as she was nearing it, the light began to waver.
She looked up, then behind her.
Was this some trick of the sun? A prank?
But nobody was moving the mirror; nobody was blocking it. It was still stationary, and they had not begun to dust it yet.
“Hey, guys,” she called.
Me’chelle, Anouk Chanel, Midge, and Eugenie behind her, she called to the men again. “Guys!”
Something felt seriously out of place, and her heart sped up within her as she continued walking toward the fence. Now, the wavering light seemed to be taking on shape. Almost as if there were a-
No!
There couldn’t be!
“Hate to order you around,” she said, “but get over here, like, now,” she called again when all she got were a few murmured whats and yeahs.
A scrambling behind her brought the men and youth to her side, and as a group, they stood there, embracing hands, wondering what to do.
“So, now what,” she asked. “I don’t think this is in my head… is it?”
Fifty
Before them, the shimmery, wavery light reflected by the mirror had become a tall rounded doorway.
If Paloma hadn’t said a word, Edward would have wondered if he were hallucinating, but there it was; right in front of them, and every jaw he could see in his peripheral vision was as slackened as his own. He took a few tentative steps closer, holding onto Paloma’s hand. He could see a few of the others edging closer, as well.
The twins held hands with their friends; Anouk Chanel, Masao, and the Morrisons moved closer, as well.
As he got closer, the light began to fade away to the edges, creating an even more distinct sense of otherworldliness about it. The door was open, just a few centimeters, its silver handle glimmering in the light.
The door itself looked as though it was made from rainbow eucalyptus, with swirling swaths of color blending into each other; nothing overly bright or colorful. More of a marbled effect that was highlighted even more underneath the heavy iron hinges that had appeared – hinges trimmed in what seemed to be gemstones or crystals of assorted colors, which also created a loop around the edges of the doorway.
Edward took a deep breath, and then another. Took a few more steps toward it.
This couldn’t really be happening, could it?
Then again, he couldn’t have stepped through a mirror into a different time, either. And neither should the others he had known or learned of.
Not Timothy’s great-niece Galya; not Clementina’s grandfather; not Rose, or Rosemary. But they had. And if others had, too, then time had been shifted even more with those jumps; those changes.
People shouldn’t
be able to pass gifts through time, either, but it had been happening, as well. First, the packet Paloma had shoved through it, and then, years later, the flowers and toy.
“I think,” he began to say, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. “I think now would be a really good time to pray.”
Those who could hear him began to form a circle, and the others took note of it and joined them.
“Uncle Masao, if you would… you seem to be the most… suited to this particular, I think. Or Justice? Whoever wants to pray, really, because I, for one… I don’t know how I’m even talking, I’m so shocked,” he continued softly. “I just know someone has to at least… glance inside the doorway, and I’m not sure who would have the courage to-“
“I will pray, Edward,” Masao assured him. “And it will be brief. We do not know how long this doorway will remain open, but we can trust that God placed it here for a reason.”
Several nodded; a few had tears in their eyes; most still had a bewildered look on their faces they couldn’t quite hide. As Masao began to pray, Edward glanced around at the bowed heads, and smiled a moment.
“Oh, Lord,” he heard Masao begin, on his left, “we are here because, above all things, we are Your okatu. We are mesmerized by You, and all You are ready, willing, and able to do for those who love You. Your grace and goodness are immeasurable. And now, we seek Your guidance and wisdom as this opportunity – this doorway – is presented to us. Show us the way, and help us to walk in the steps You have for us, together as well as individually, in the name of Your Son, the Messiah, we pray… amen.”
“Amen,” Edward murmured in the cacophony of other amens surrounding him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around.
All eyes were on him.
“What’s everybody looking at me for,” he asked.
“Well, it was your mirror to begin with, and it is, again,” Eugenie said after a few moments. “Shouldn’t you be the one to open the door and see what’s on the other side?”
He looked to Paloma, then to Jason, and finally, scanned each face around him as they stood in their circle. A few smiled; a few frowned; a few nodded, but they all seemed to be thinking the same thing.
But would he have the courage to move forward?
He thought back to the storm that started this journey. Back to that long ago St. Cecilia’s Day when everything seemed to be going wrong in the world around him, and he saw Paloma’s reflection in the mirror.
It was a defining moment; a moment that would change his life.
It was a moment he never once regretted, even though at times, he missed his family and wondered what life would have been like had he chickened out of moving to save the woman in the mirror.
And he realized… this was another test. Another defining moment.
Would he be up to the challenge, or back away?
Squeezing Paloma’s hand one last time, he moved toward the doorway and, taking a deep breath, reached out to touch the handle.
It felt solid in his hand; solid and cold and real. He gently pulled it back toward him, thankful for the light within, wondering what it would reveal. For a moment, he had to close his eyes; needed time to readjust them, and behind him, he heard gasps and shouts.
Slowly, taking another deep breath, he opened his eyes.
And what he saw made his heart skitter.
How could something on earth be as beautiful as what was right in front of him?
And how could he not reach a hand back to his wife, who tentatively stepped forward, entwining her hand with his tenderly as tears streamed down her face.
“I once had the courage to purposefully step through a mirror into the unknown,” he told the group quietly. “And I believe I am being called once more to take a step of faith.”
His friends and family began to murmur; all but Mark looked elated and in awe of what was happening. Mark, though, was the sullen dark cloud amidst the sunshine of the group.
“Who will go with me?”
Whispers from Siloam
Book Six in The Angels’ Mirror Series
by
Harmony L. Courtney
Whispers from Siloam: Book Six in The Angels’ Mirror Series
1st Edition Kindle- Published 2014
Copyright © Harmony L. Courtney
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, American Standard Version (Public Domain).
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Public Domain).
Acknowledgements:
First of all, I’d like to say thank you to those who have been my patient and encouraging early readers. Thanks, also, to my family, without whose support this would not have been accomplished as easily.
From minions to Charlie Parker to two words written on the wall of a pizza shop in Lincoln City… from aversions and proclivities to opportunities for growth, and for all other ways you’ve inspired me… Kevin E. Good, thank you. For Everything.
Steven Winston, Cynthia Yagi, Bridget Mahoney, Nan Barber, and Lisa Marie Farfalla, thank you, as well, for your helpful input, your support, and your encouragement.
Last, but not least, thank you, Cheryl Good and Gerald Darnall, for your help with editing and suggestions. It is highly appreciated.
Thank you all!
Dedicated to the One
Who made all of this possible…
My Heavenly Father
Disclosure:
As with any novel that brings in characters who were real people once upon a time, it is not this author’s intent to malign any person, historical or current. I have sought to create as true-to-life characterization as possible for all who you find on these pages, but at some point, real people must, of course, become fictionalized to tell the story.
I have done as much research to assess the characters who once lived as those who are purely fictional and done my best to create scenes that are realistic regarding earlier settings as I possibly can. Any omissions or commissions that are incorrect are solely due to an error in my own research, and is not to reflect on the people or settings portrayed in the text.
A number of the characters in earlier timelines – or those discussed by the historians within these pages - were real people. In instances where real persons existed but names are not known, names were created to enhance the storyline. Other than a handful of specific buildings, places portrayed within the text are real.
Any errors to foreign language portions within this text are the interpretational error of this author.
Though this is a book from the Christian perspective, this novel contains some more mature content than some readers may prefer. Please be advised.
With that, I leave you to enjoy Whispers from Siloam. Thank you for your support of this book. Stay tuned for And the Angels Rejoiced, the final book in The Angels’ Mirror series, to learn the rest of their story.
Prologue de Trois
Vancouver, Washington… May 10, 2025
Edward looked around him at his family and friends.
Other than his wife, everyone else stood stunned for a few moments before a round of yesse
s and nos went up. Relatively few were no, but he could pinpoint who they were with ease: Mark and Izzie. Clayton and Cherish.
His own daughter didn’t want to share this with him… but could he really blame her?
She hadn’t even been born when Edward had been transported through the mirror. She had met but didn’t remember Rosemary, and she knew Rose. She saw what the older girl had gone through and what she was facing as a consequence of falling through.
How could he expect his daughter to understand that he came through the mirror on purpose? That he had seen her mother in trouble and decided wholeheartedly to help her?
“I can’t take everyone, even if I wanted to and everyone wanted to go, but…”
“Where you go, I will go,” Paloma whispered to him, a smile wreathing her heart-shaped face. “You know that. Whatever is beyond that door, we will see together. We will live or die together, come what may.”
He glanced at each face for a few moments; at each family: Masao and Anouk Chanel Ogawa; Justice, Midge and Izzie Morrison; Mark, Eugenie, and Majesta Jeffries; Jason, Me’chelle, Charlotte, and Clayton Rutherford; his wife and their children, Chosen, Duncan, and Cherish.
Faces he knew and loved. People he knew had come a long way in the fifteen years he had been living in this time and space. Children that had been born as a result, and children born as the result of other time travelers’ experiences. Children with a legacy they had no idea how to truly carry… or did they?
He looked at each of the children again a moment before looking back at the light-filled doorway. He took a few steps toward it, Paloma’s hand in his.
“I don’t think any more than three of us should go,” he said. “Possibly four, at the most.”
He turned back to his loved ones again, wishing Tom and Tawny and their kids were there; wishing S. Gillam and Angelique were there. Even, in some ways, wishing that Francis and Gracie Akito – whatever had happened to them when they’d dropped out of their lives – were there.
The Angels' Mirror Pack 2: Books Four through Seven Page 60
