by L. Todd Wood
“Why me?”
“Who better than a famous writer. The pen is so much mightier than the sword. You can change minds, change hearts with your words. People respect you. You are famous. They will listen to every little word you say. Plus you are a descendant of the Old Believers. Where could I find a better pedigree? Yes, you are my guy. I can’t think of a more powerful messenger to destroy any talk of a future Holy Roman Empire than a son of the original Russian Orthodox Church. “So now, Rafe, I need your answer. Will you help me or not?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rafe held Clare’s hand as they walked through Central Park in New York City. The leaves were falling and created a remarkable palette of colors framing the stone walkway. Fall had arrived and winter was approaching. Hundreds of children ran and played, laughing on the Saturday afternoon, as they jumped in the piles of multicolored leaves along the pathway. Rafe was at peace, as Clare was safe and happy. She didn’t remember much about the ordeal. She occasionally talked about the nice man but that was it. She had no idea her life had been in danger. Rafe was thankful for that. But there was something else, something that disturbed her, deep down in her subconscious. Perhaps even as a child she had sensed the evil. It was in her dreams that the man came back to her. She would wake up screaming with fear. Rafe would dash into her room and hold her for the rest of the night. He felt guilty, as he realized he enjoyed these times when she needed him so desperately. Rafe saw her now only on the weekends, as he was so busy now with work. Rafe treasured his times with Clare and his older children. Today was a special day, as it was Clare’s birthday, a Daddy and Clare day. He had her all to himself.
Except for one quick thing he had to do. The two of them continued hand in hand up the paved walkway and eventually came to their destination. The playground sprawled before them, the bright, colorful obstacles beckoned her. Clare squealed with delight. “Can I go, Daddy?”
“Yes, my love. Of course!” responded Rafe. Clare bounded from his arms and gleefully ran to the jungle gym rising from the soft, wood-chipped earth. She soon scampered up the slide the wrong way and came tumbling back down, laughing with delight, sawdust sprinkled in her hair. Rafe beamed with pride. I made the right decision, he thought. He glanced over at the bench located underneath one of the massive oak trees dotting the landscape of the park. There sat Neal, smoking a cigar and waving at him. Rafe walked over.
“How are you, my friend?” asked Rafe.
“I’m great! Thanks for asking. It’s good to see you again!”
“You as well. I’ve missed having a friend around. You are a friend, aren’t you, Neal?”
“I have been always, mate! Want a cigar?”
“Yes, don’t mind if I do! Time to celebrate I should say.” Neal reached into his pocket, and withdrew a nice Cuban, and handed it and a lighter to Rafe.
“So I'll see you at the rally, right?” asked Neal.
“Yes, I’ll be there. I’m rather enjoying my newfound occupation. How is the promotion for the event going? Do we have a head count yet? I really want this rally to be a rousing success!”
“I think we are up to around twenty thousand confirmed. I’ve got you speaking second in the lineup. Hope that’s okay with you?”
“Sure, works for me. I’ll give a fabulous speech!”
“Great. Then I’ll see you next there. Be sure to get there early in case we have any last-minute hiccups we have to deal with. I want this to go smoothly. I don’t want you know who pissed off again.”
“Yes, I know what you mean! I’ll be there early.”
"Also Rafe, I hear there is a possible government position opening up for you. A rather prestigious post I'm afraid. Don't let it go to your head! You know our leader likes to reward his supporters."
"So I hear. I'll believe it when I see it. See you at the rally."
“Great. You know, Rafe, I did what I had to do as well.”
“I understand, Neal. We all do that from time to time.”
Neal threw away the stub of the cigar into the bushes and got up to leave. He shook Rafe’s hand and slowly started to walk away. “See you soon, let's have a drink sometime. What do you say?” asked Neal as he left. Rafe nodded in agreement.
Rafe watched him walk away but then called out to him one last time. “Neal. I’ve been wondering something. What was the offer you couldn’t refuse?”
Neal turned and stared silently at Rafe for what seemed like an eternity, the color draining out of his face. “You don’t want to know the answer to that question. Let’s just say it was my worst fear. Don’t ever ask me that again,” the Englishman responded with a vengeance. With that, Neal turned and angrily walked away, his shoulders held somewhat less high than they had been before. Whatever it was, it must have scared him badly, thought Rafe.
After Neal left, Rafe called for his daughter to return. Clare came walking up slowly, obviously tired from jumping all around for the half hour she was engrossed in the playground. Rafe picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, and they began to walk back down the hill to the exit from the park. She played their normal game of trying to fall sideways from his grip, but he stopped her at the last minute. “Do it again, Daddy!” she cried. This went on for several minutes.
“Clare, I have a special treat for you now.” Ice cream was next on the agenda. She bounced on his shoulders with happiness as they walked, nearing the southern park entrance.
“I want chocolate! With sprinkles!” she demanded.
“Okay, okay! Today is your day, my love.”
As they approached the ice cream stand near the subway station, Clare noticed a homeless man sprawled on the sidewalk. His meager belongings were stuffed into two plastic bags. A half-eaten plate of food was near his face, along with a few beer cans that were definitely empty. His head rested on a brick barrier that separated the sidewalk from the rest of the park. His hair was matted with dirt and his teeth were black.
“What’s wrong with him, Daddy?” Clare asked innocently as Rafe lifted her up off his shoulders and put her back down on the concrete.
“He’s homeless, my dear.”
“What does that mean?”
“He doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
“That’s sad. Is he going to be okay?” she asked.
“Don’t worry, Honey, the government will give him everything he needs. He’ll be okay. I’m sure he’s just not feeling well. And you know what the best part is, my angel? Daddy’s been writing a lot of articles in the paper about how good it is for the government to take care of everybody. I’ll make sure someone comes and helps him. Would that make you feel better?” Rafe noticed the pride in his daughter’s eyes. It was nice to feel like he was doing something positive, even if the results told a different story. Clare enjoyed her ice cream, and Rafe enjoyed the day with his daughter.
Epilogue
The young man shifted the sands slowly and quietly with care, watching intently for any sign of something important as he worked. He operated in small, soft, delicate strokes. His team had discovered many significant artifacts during this excavation, and he was excited about what they would find next. The savage wars had long been over, and now that peace ruled the land, the people had an opportunity to learn about the past. This one area had been a gold mine of discovery. It was outside the capital city of the empire, where the cemeteries were placed, since the graveyards had not been allowed inside the city limits. The cemetery had yielded many secrets, but he was confident she had many more to give. Many of the common people had been buried in this area. The discovery had given the research team insight into the daily lives of the empire’s citizens. You couldn’t understand a civilization by just studying the ruling elite. However, each discovery only whetted the team’s appetite for more information. They were never satisfied, and there was much more work to be done. The young man was proud to be part of such an important effort.
His tool hit something hard. It was stone, but it looked to be a sculpture
d one, not natural. It was too smooth. He carefully dug farther around the edges. As he meticulously removed the soft material from around the large rock over a two day period, it became obvious what he had found. Once enough of the earth around the stone was removed and the shape revealed, he called the rest of the team over to inspect the find. Over the next several days, they were able to remove the rest of the dirt from around the large, circular rock. He suspected it was another tomb, but there were no markings. It was a common, simple grave. His whole team was working on his find now. Several days later, they had made room for the stone to be removed. The dirt to one side had been extracted and they were finally ready. The moment was at hand. The young man quivered with excitement. He had studied for years about this place, and now he would witness the history for himself. He had heard of the wonderful and amazing things that happened here, long ago. How the civilization had formed a republic, and the people had ruled themselves for centuries, before being taken over by a corrupt dictator, and eventually overrun by the barbarians. He had heard of the magnificent discoveries and inventions this civilization had brought to light. Scientists in this age couldn’t even agree as to what secrets were lost when the empire fell. They only knew there was much to discover. There was so much to learn.
His superior was managing this part of the excavation now. It was too important a find to leave to a young researcher. Plus, the man wanted the credit for the discovery, which they all surmised would be a substantial one. The young man was okay with this. He was interested only in the science and the knowledge. He didn’t care who took the credit, or received the inevitable glory. And yes, there would be glory, as the find was significant. The young man was only dreaming of mingling with the souls of the past as he carefully excavated their bones and burial relics, saying a small prayer for each one as he did so. He felt connected to the remains in some way.
He was jerked back to reality as his boss called for all of the team to gather and help move the stone. Six of them now were ready to push the rock away and reveal the secrets of the tomb. He could barely keep his excitement in check. They began to collectively apply pressure and the stone moved, slowly but surely, inch by inch. Soon, the entrance was open before them. It had all happened so quickly! the young man thought to himself. The moment is here!
The team peered inside and shined a powerful search beam before entering on foot. There were safety precautions to be followed. It was indeed a tomb. Several white skeletons lay on stone tables, placed perfectly along the walls. They had obviously been carefully prepared for burial centuries before. However, one body lay on the floor, curled up near the opening of the tomb. The skeleton was in remarkable shape considering it had been lying there for several thousand years. The young researcher perceived it had been a female. After the technicians declared the tomb safe to enter, the young man stepped inside.
After a cursory walk-through, he turned to examine the interior of the rock that had guarded the tomb, for this piqued his interest. He carefully went over the entire surface, taking pictures, and then signaled his leader. His theory was right. There were scratches on the stone—most likely having been made by the female body that lay in front of them. She must have been buried alive and tried to claw her way out. What a horrible death. I wonder what was her crime? The young man looked at the carcass more closely, all the while taking more pictures. Then he noticed something else. There was an item that had been wrapped around her neck. It was a small, stone cylinder. He carefully removed and catalogued the find. The ends were sealed. He began to shake with excitement. This could be incredibly important! Perhaps this could be the breakthrough they had been looking for all this time! He forced himself to remain calm and to follow procedure. Meticulously, he prepared the item for removal and inspection.
Several days later, the team was in the laboratory at the university. Every possible procedure had been followed to ensure the item would not be harmed as they examined it more closely. The technician carefully removed the seal of the container with gloved hands. Inside was a delicate parchment, which he slowly removed with care and unfurled on the sterile table. One of them had a video camera and was recording the whole exercise. No one said a word as they stared at the remarkable words written on the parchment. They were amazed at what they said.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America…
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About the Author
L. Todd Wood is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has been an aeronautical engineer and an Air Force helicopter pilot. In the Air Force, he flew for the 20th Special Operations Squadron, which started Desert Storm. He was also active in classified counterterrorism missions globally supporting SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force. For eighteen years, he was an international bond trader with expertise in Emerging Markets. He has conducted business in over forty countries. Todd has a keen understanding of politics and international finance. He is a contributor to Fox Business News, The Moscow Times, NY Post, and others.
www.LToddWood.com
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