Celestial Kingdom

by Stan Mason

  ‘We also have further news,’ added Brown, preparing to reveal his ace card. ‘We know that he’s going to return to the television programme ‘Hot Shot’ again. This time, Gordon’s asked to be on it with him... as a member of the Christian Action Group. If his application’s accepted, he contest everything that Warrior has to say. ‘

  The development was all too much for Toomey. He stood up fuming, preparing to walk out. ‘If this is all you can think of to counter the man’s activities, then count me out,’ he told them point-blank. ‘I’ve had enough of this pussy-footing around. This committee could meet a hundred times and Warrior would still be out there passing on his message. Maybe I’ll take the matter into my own hands. I don’t know yet. But I won’t be attending any more meetings of this group because it only issues idle threats, uses passive resistance, and becomes involved in futile actions.’ After that tirade, he left the house in an angry mood. He believed that he was the only member with the guts to declare what should be done to the messenger. Sadly, no one else agreed with him so he had no option but to resign and let them get on with it!

  ‘I’m sorry Mr. Toomey feels so strongly,’ stated the Chairman, despairing that the committee was collapsing under him. ‘It’s a pity he decided to leave.’

  ‘Good riddance is what I say,’ snapped Reilly in annoyance. ‘If you’ll pardon the expression, Mr. Toomey was Hell-bent on murdering our adversary. There’s no two ways about it. That’s hardly a Christian view to say the least. After all, there’s more ways of killing a cat than banging its head against the wall,’

  ‘I think we can use the information in our possession very adequately to do the trick,’ suggested Brown firmly. ‘And if Gordon goes on television to reveal it, the man will be undone. The word is mightier than the sword!’

  ‘Are you prepared to do that, Mr. Dobson... if you’re invited? It’ll be quite some challenge,’ uttered the Chairman.

  ‘I’m ready for it,’ returned Dobson. ‘It’s no challenge. It’s a cinch!’

  ‘What if he refutes what you’re saying?’ checked Reilly.

  ‘How can he. I can tell everyone the details of his arrest. He can’t deny that, even if he was innocent. Mud sticks! He can’t wriggle out of it.’

  ‘You’re taking a chance,’ added Reilly with concern. ‘He’s a free man. You’ve no idea what happened after he was arrested,’

  ‘Surely that’s an advantage,’ claimed Dobson readily. ‘I mean to say, neither does anyone else.’

  ‘We have the ammunition to put a dent in his programme,’ ventured Brown firmly. ’The national newspapers will follow up the story and print all the gory details in the most sensational form. He’ll become a national pariah with very little chance of finding support from anyone.’

  The Chairman raised his eyebrows at the whiff of success. It was the best suggestion made so far and it could be the catalyst to bring down their adversary, ’Well I’m for it, as long as Mr. Dobson can keep up his end. What do the rest of your say?’

  With only three other people in the room it seemed to be a pushover, especially as Brown and Dobson would clearly vote for it, however Reilly had different observations on the issue. He considered that it might backfire making the messenger a hero maligned by others.’

  ‘What if our adversary turns the table son us,’ he forwarded uneasily. ‘What if he proves to the public that he was innocent. Where does that leave us? I mean the newspapers aren’t going to print anything defamatory about a man who was never charged or taken to Court for the crimes he was alleged to have committed. If they did, he would become famous rich from the proceeds he’d get in suing them and become even more well-known to people who didn’t watch the television programme. I’m telling you, we run a huge risk if we go ahead with this plan.’

  There were howls of disapproval from Brown and Dobson who strongly resented Reilly’s comments. In their opinion, he was jealous of their success... jealous enough to resist progress for personal reasons. A vote would deny him preventing them from doing their duty. And, of course, on a show of hands it did!

  ***

  It was very late that night but Warrior could not get to sleep. He twisted and turned in the bed over and over again without success. It was one thing to clear his mind but another to fall into slumber. He wrestled with the problem even though, in reality, it didn’t exist. The death beam which had emanated from Xantha Vesta’s hand flashed constantly through his mind. He saw it move at tremendous speed from her finger to the body of Gabby Saunders. It was so powerful that the bully’s clothes caught fire immediately and he was burned to a cinder in just over a minute. As a Goddess, she obviously possessed superior powers which were awesome for a human-being to witness. He recalled the moment when the bully was about to stab him with the knife, and he had called on the Goddess of Love to help him. If she hadn’t arrived at that particular moment, he would have been found dead on the floor of the church in a pool of his own blood. Such violent action against him was too much to accept. He turned over in the bed again, pulling the sheets closer to him to gain the extra warmth to allow him to sleep. He gazed at Rebecca’s face but she was in the arms of Morpheus, sleeping peacefully, completed undisturbed by his traumatic actions. He glanced at the illuminated bedside clock which read eleven minutes past one o’clock but sound sleep seemed to be a million miles away, Then suddenly he heard a light sound which seemed to come from the direction of the bathroom. Climbing slowly from the bed, he moved his naked body across the room and opened the door quietly, listening for a few moments before edging stealthily into the hallway. The night world was absolutely silent; there was no reason for sound! He looked into the box-room to observe both of his children asleep on mattresses and then moved to the bathroom. There was a slight noise inside and he opened the door slowly. The room was in darkness but a shaft of light reflecting from the moon shone through the small window showing the outline of the naked body of Sheila Warrior. She had been unable to sleep and decided to take a shower. Rubbing her attractive body with a rough towel, she turned towards him as he entered the room.

  ‘Stephen!’ she uttered in surprise. ‘You’re up late. What’s wrong?’

  ‘I couldn’t sleep!’ he told her tiredly, gazing at her naked body in the dim light. It had been a long time since they had slept together and he forgotten how beautiful she was to look at. In a flash, he recalled the many nights he had kissed her seductively, caressed her body gently, and made passionate love with her. They had been halcyon days until the visions began to reach him from the celestial kingdom. Then everything in his life went haywire.

  The moment proved to be one of great opportunity for Sheila. Here was her husband, her first and only love, the man of her dreams, alone with her in the bathroom, both of them were naked, and there was no one else around at this time of the morning. She could win him back quickly with one short session of passionate love as their bodies became united once more. With this in mind, she allowed the towel to slip from her fingers to the floor, presenting herself in all her glory. He stared at her silhouette for a while as if trying to repress his sexual desire although it was far from the truth. He told himself that he was in love with Rebecca and was therefore loth to become involved in any sexual activity with another woman... a Goddess was something else! Secondly, he was far too tired to even think about seducing her.

  She preened herself in front of him, swinging her hips so that her breasts shook seductively. Then she held out her arms to receive him to her bosom. Suddenly his tiredness vanished but he didn’t see his wife in front of him, it was the vision of Xantha Vesta. She had appeared once more to assume the body of his wife. In his eyes, all he could see was the Goddess of Love... beautiful, desirous, naked, ready to receive him!

  Warrior’s wife was absolutely delighted when he moved towards her and took her in his arms. She believed that she had stimulated him to seduce her as he had alwa
ys done in the past. She had no idea that he saw only the lovely body of Xantha Vesta. She was only happy to be with him, once more in the flesh. He caressed her breast gently, his warm hands running over her nipples until they began to stand out, Then he moved his hand slowly down her spine until her back arched, knowing that it was one of the erotic regions and he kissed her firmly on the neck causing her to melt slowly in his arms. They gradually lowered themselves to the floor where he moved his body across her and touched her gently between the legs. She shuddered slightly, excited in anticipation allowing him to work all over her before penetrating her body. He moved himself up and down continuously rubbing her breasts and kissing her passionately on the neck. He continued to seduce her for quite some time his mind moving into the realm of unreality. He felt himself no longer a man but a God capable of seducing the Goddess of Love. He was a supreme being enjoying every moment of the glory. Then all of a sudden he came down to Earth with a violent shudder as he ejaculated. Sheila didn’t mind at all because her orgasm, by coincidence, occurred at exactly the same time.

  ‘That was perfect, darling!’ she whispered into his ear as he rolled aside any they lay back on the cold tiles together. ‘Absolutely perfect. Let’s do it again!’

  He was dazed at the sound of her voice and turned slowly towards her. His body ran cold at the sight of her... she was not Xantha Vesta... she was his wife! He had seduced his wife! How could he have possibly mistaken one for the other? He was positive it had been the Goddess of Love. He had seen her face and body... there could be no mistake!’

  ‘Say something nice to me,’ she continued bathing in the aftermath of his love.

  He shifted to his knees and stood up. ‘I must go!’ he told her as though he had an urgent business meeting.

  She sat up as he left the room and reached out for the towel she had dropped, draping it around her shoulders. She had done it! He had made passionate love with her and she felt on top of the world. She believed in her heart that they would soon be together again as they had done in the past. In an instant, she had won him back from his mistress... the harlot Rebecca! Hopefully it would be plain sailing from now on. Wife in... mistress out! Then she felt a warm glow inside her which she recognised from way back. It was something quite unique and she knew that it would benefit her greatly. It would secure her relationship with her husband and she had to tell him before any further time elapsed.

  Warrior was exceedingly angry with himself. He couldn’t comprehend how he could make such a mistake. The last thing in his mind was to seduce his wife yet he had done so. He climbed back into bed more fully awake than before and he wrestled with the problem to the point of torture. Just as he began to believe that he was going out of his mind, Xantha Vesta appeared as a vision at the foot of the bed. He stared at her in disbelief because he hadn’t called for her.

  ‘Do not concern yourself,’ she told him smoothly. ‘I came here of my own accord.’ The messenger glanced at Rebecca to note that she was still asleep. However the Goddess calmed his fears. ‘Be assured she will remain asleep while I am here.’

  ‘I saw you in the bathroom before,’ he told her bitterly. ‘I saw you and mistook my wife for you.’

  ‘I know,’ she returned with a smile gracing her lips. ‘It was my fault. I played a little trick on you.’

  ‘Do you mean that you made me believe I was making passionate love to you? Why?’

  ‘Because I’m the Goddess of Love! You would have gone back to bed and nothing would have happened if it wasn’t for me.’ He nodded slowly. ‘That’s why I did it. I mean you are in love with me, aren’t you?’

  He stared at her with open eyes. ‘You’d know that anyway, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘I know many things about you, messenger. I even know that your body is now drained of desire.’ She smiled at him easily. ‘don’t think too badly of me. I am the Goddess of Love.’ Her laughter echoed throughout the room as she vanished from sight.

  He sat up in bed for some considerable time thinking about the incident. It was deceitful that he had been deliberately misled but what could he do about it? The Goddess was his protector... he was forced to go alone with whatever she said or did... regardless of her romantic whims. There was no doubt that he had enjoyed the sexual exploit but he had believed that his lover was Xantha Vesta, To discover the truth was a bitter pill to swallow. Where did it leave them all now. He was making love to Rebecca on one side and to his wife on the other. There was little doubt that confusion would reign with regard to relationships from now on. As that moment, the door opened and Sheila stuck her head inside.

  ‘Can I speak with you now?’ she whispered in her softest tone. ‘Just for a moment... out here in the hallway.’

  He climbed out of bed and wrapped his dressing-gown around him. What did the woman want with him now? He had already made love to her which was what she had desired. He left the room to go into the hallway closing the bedroom door behind him. By this time Sheila had gone into the lounge and he followed her inside.

  ‘Sit down a moment,’ she ordered quietly. ‘I’ve something I wish to tell you.’

  He obeyed reluctantly, unwilling to remain awake to listen to the ranting of his wife all night. ‘What is it?’ he demanded irritably, scratching his head,

  ‘You remember when I fell pregnant with Robert,’ she began, with an edge of excitement in her voice as she spoke of her eldest son. ‘I knew I was going to have a baby a few minutes after we made love. My body told me so.’

  ‘Why bring that up now. I’ve got work to do in the morning. I need some sleep!’

  ‘And the same thing happened with Janice, Do you remember?’

  ‘I remember,’ he uttered in a tired tone. ‘What of it... or are we going through our history in slow motion?’

  ‘Well it’s happened again. A short while after we made love I felt the same glow as with the other two. What I’m saying, Stephen, is that I’m pregnant with our third child!’

  He stared at her bleakly and swallowed hard. ‘Pregnant!’ he managed to say. ‘Tell me this is some kind of a joke!’ If anything was to relieve him of his tiredness it was news of this kind. He sat bolt upright staring directly at her.

  ‘It’s true,’ she went on. ‘I’m definitely pregnant.’ ‘Can’t you see the glow in my face? It radiates all through my body just like the two occasions before. I radiate!’

  His mind refused to accept the news and he fought against it. ‘You feel that way because we made love together. That’s why you radiate!’

  ‘No, Stephen.’ she said warmly, kneeling down to take his hand., ‘I know without doubt that I’m pregnant again.’

  He pulled away from her swiftly with consternation showing in his face. ‘You realise this creates an impossible situation here.’

  ‘Not at all,’ she went on. ‘You have two options. We can either all live here together, until the baby arrives or Rebecca will have to go.’ It was clear he wouldn’t be able to cope with two women... wife and mistress together. One of them would have to go but she had a distinct advantage now as a result of her pregnancy. It would be sufficient for her to keep him with her for as long as she desired., What a wonderful position to be in, especially as she wanted him back. She could now claim to be in pole position for Rebecca would almost certainly want to leave him when she learned that he had seduced her passionately in the bathroom. But, when all was said and done, she was still his wife!

  Chapter Ten

  There was an air of repetition at the television studio. The messenger had been invited to return and he had accepted. From the network’s point of view, it had improved its ratings after the last performance with Warrior, especially due to the fisticuffs with the priest. As a result, they made it a priority to ask him to come back again. At first, he considered declining the invitation. He believed that he had passed on his message to the public on a wider s
cale than he could ever have imagined. However when he thought about it more carefully, he realised that many people hadn’t watched the programme while others had listened to it with only half an ear. A second foray on television would give him the chance of driving home his message to those who saw him the first time and to influence those who had not. There was so much at stake that he was grateful to have a second bite at the cherry.

  It was the first time the network had asked anyone to return for a second performance and Warrior recognised that he was regarded as someone special. He had learned from a recent conversation with Brendan Moses that there would be two other people appearing with him this time. The first was Professor James Parfitt, an authority on major religions from a well-known university. The second was a man by the name of Gordon Dobson of the Christian Action Group. The messenger recalled the organisation relating to the latter from the brief discussion with Gabby Saunders on the fateful night of his death.

  On the evening when the programme was due to be broadcast, Warrior sat in a comfortable chair in the preparatory room being treated by the same make-up artist who had prepared him the first time.

  ‘Can I do something with your hair?’ asked the man affectedly, recalling the rebuff he had received on the last occasion.

  ‘No you can’t!’ snapped Warrior. ‘Leave it as it is!’

  ‘Suit yourself!’ commented the man in mock annoyance. ‘You can look like a tramp on the show for all I care!’ In a huff, he applied some make-up to the messenger’s face.

  Dobson sat quite still in the next chair, continually running the index finger of his right hand along his white moustache in a very nervous state. He had never appeared on television before and his nerves were becoming threadbare at the though of it. He was aware that the person sitting in the next chair was his adversary. The information he knew about the man was on the edge of his tongue but he realised it was essential for him to reveal nothing at this stage. There would be ample time to expose the man on television to the rest of the nation when the programme was on the air. Until then, he was forced to bite his tongue and remain silent.