by Liam Fialkov
He stopped the car, looked around, and didn’t see any house. Still, he switched off the engine and stepped out of the vehicle to a moonless, dark evening. He stretched his body while deeply breathing in the forest’s air. While surveying the surroundings he listened to the sounds of the place, the rustle of the trees and the night birds that awakened a sense of danger within him. His ears caught the sound of flowing water in a creek nearby. He also heard dogs barking in the distance, so he assumed he must not be far from people’s houses. He wondered where he was.
Michael noticed that the hill, right next to where he had parked the car, was darker than the surrounding hills, apparently because the trees there grew in a denser pattern.
When he looked toward the height of the hill he was surprised to see a huge fire billowing upward. It was a magnificent sight that filled him with a sense of reverence and amazement.
Chapter 58
Howard Hensley
“Call Jonathan now!” Howard Hensley raised his voice, “or I kill her and then I kill you; and I know she is his sister!”
It was nearly 10:00 p.m. and the show was about to begin. On Uncensored News, they played their last commercial. Sarah looked at her phone and made the call as she was ordered, but there was no answer. She then tried one more time.
“What do you want me to do?” Sarah said, “He’s not answering.”
“Call the other number!” HH commanded.
And indeed, Jonathan had two cell phones, though Sarah knew that had he wanted to, he would have answered by now.
“Call now! Your time is running out,” Hensley ordered. “These could be your last breaths.” He stretched his hand that was holding the gun in Irene’s direction and released the safety.
Sarah was at a loss, fearing he was crazy and about to act on his threat while there was nothing she could do. She realized that the situation was completely out of her control.
The noise of a slamming door sounded from the corridor leading to their bedroom. Could it be that Jonathan was back? And if so, he could be in grave danger. On the TV the show had just started, which could have infuriated the strange man, whom Sarah started to think was mentally unstable.
“Good evening.” Once again the host at Uncensored News greeted her many viewers, knowing she’d gained a huge viewership, such as the site never had.
Sarah grabbed the remote control and muted the sound, but she didn’t turn off the TV, sensing in some obscure way, that the clips running on the screen were somehow related to the occurrences in her house.
Suddenly, a voice of another man echoed within the house’s walls. “Put the gun down, Hensley, or I’ll shoot you!”
Hensley and Fowler tensed and looked like they were searching for the source of the unexpected voice. Sarah and Irene were also surprised and wondered who could be the unknown man who might have come to their rescue, whose voice they didn’t recognize.
“Throw the gun to the floor now!” The decisive voice sounded like it came from the unlit corridor.
HH lowered his hand that was holding the gun, to the side of his body, but he didn’t throw down his weapon as he was ordered.
Howard Hensley was not the kind of man who would easily admit defeat. It wasn’t his way, and he was always proud of his courage, self-control, and strong nerves. The voice of the hiding man had surprised him. It sounded somewhat familiar, although he couldn’t remember where he had heard him.
“Who the hell are you?” Hensley defiantly looked in the direction of the dark corridor and continued to hold onto his gun. “You are not scaring me,” he added. Ever since the death of his friend and partner, he always preferred to work alone, but now he regretted not having a reliable partner, upon whom he could trust. He knew he couldn’t count on Willie Fowler.
Sarah, who saw how fearful and shaken Irene was, had laid a comforting hand on Irene’s shoulder and tried to calm her trembles. Both of them realized that they had stumbled upon an unforeseen situation. Here they sat comfortably to watch unusual events on television, and suddenly they were in the midst of a tense drama, and it wasn’t clear how they would come out of it.
“Your time is running out, HH. Throw the gun away; it’s your last chance,” the voice commanded in a calm tone that conveyed confidence and certainty.
For a brief moment, Hensley seemed perplexed. Would he throw the gun as ordered? Would he try to shoot at where the voice came from? He shifted his look toward the women, who sat next to each other; maybe he would point the gun at them?
From where he was standing, he couldn’t see the TV’s screen. But HH was smart enough to assume that he had already failed in his attempt to stop the broadcast. Still, it wasn’t too late to save his honor, and giving up wasn’t in his DNA. Surrendering was not an option. The unknown man had managed to surprise him and put him at a definite disadvantage. Nonetheless, in the past, he had come out of similar seemingly impossible situations. On the television, a massive blaze was taking place, as the Roman soldiers broke into the Temple Mountain, and set the temple on fire. The flickers of the flames had momentarily lighted the corridor.
That was HH’s moment; he vaguely saw the image of his opponent, and he knew exactly where the unidentified person stood. In a split second, he raised his hand and aimed his gun at his enemy. The sound of the shot was deafening, and it echoed within the house’s walls.
Chapter 59
Michael
The earth shook lightly, and Michael had the sense that he was in a strange and unusual spot. Fear engulfed him, and he considered returning to the car and driving back to the main road.
It occurred to him that the GPS had led him to the wrong destination, but upon further reflection, an inner voice told him that this was the place where he was meant to arrive. From here he should continue toward his concealed destiny, toward the pillar of fire on top of the hill, and there he would know what to do. Would he meet his mother?
He took a deep breath and started to climb up the hill. The darkness closed in on him, and it wasn’t an easy hike. The trees grew unusually close to one another, but for some reason, they didn’t block his way. They actually assisted him in the sections where the slope was particularly steep because he could hold the branches and pull himself upward.
He continued his climb toward the huge fire and the light that it emitted, which every once in a while penetrated through the branches. Ascending on the steep and winding path and the excitement that took hold of him increased the pounding of his heart.
The earth shook once again. This time it also sounded its deep rumble, and Michael was frightened and asked himself what he was doing in this strange location. Still, his inner voice instructed him to continue on his way toward the concealed unknown that was waiting for him.
He reached the top of the hill and removed the last branches out of his way. He found himself in a glade that was well-illuminated by the immense light emanating from the fire.
He encountered an unexpected scene. Jonathan, Walter’s brother, stood facing the heart of the fire, which was swirling in front of him. Jonathan’s face had a concentrated and stoic expression. Suddenly, it occurred to Michael that Jonathan might step into the fire and disappear in it forever.
“Jonathan, don’t!” Michael called, and Jonathan turned a surprised look toward him.
“Where did you come from?” Jonathan wondered. He remembered Michael from his visit at his brother’s house.
“Walter is worried about you,” Michael said, “and I’m sure that your wife is also.”
Jonathan nodded, to signal that he had heard, and returned to his focused standing facing the pillar of fire, his gaze captivated by the charm of the enormous blaze rustling in front of him. Deep inside his soul, Jonathan felt that it was an auspicious moment, one of the most important moments of his life, a turning point. From this point on, his life was going to change, although he didn’t know in what way and he continued to wait for a sign. He didn’t intend to jump into the flames, but it was cle
ar to him that if this would be the call . . . he would not hesitate.
For a moment, Jonathan saw in his mind’s eye how the fire in the site united with another fire, the blaze that consumed the temple in Jerusalem, in the film that he had just sent to Uncensored New, now being broadcast all over the United States and the world.
Michael understood that he wouldn’t be able to stop Jonathan from stepping into the fire and disappearing from the world, if that was his wish.
Chapter 60
Sarah
The gunshot was brutally accurate, and delivered a direct blow to his right hand, knocking his gun away from him. The piercing bullet overwhelmed HH with intense pain, and even then, he knew that the physical pain was nothing in comparison with the mental humiliation, and the recognition that he had been defeated.
“I warned you!” Stewart McPherson said as he entered the room with a drawn gun in his hand.
Howard Hensley groaned as he held his injured hand. “Son of a bitch,” he uttered toward McPherson, and Willie Fowler raised his hands, signaling surrender.
At that moment, the door was broken in by a powerful bash, and cops stormed into the house. “I called you,” Stewart McPherson said. “Arrest these two felons, one of them suffered a hand injury and requires medical attention.”
Irene, who was frightened and shaken following the difficult ordeal, got up from the couch and hugged McPherson with tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” Irene wept. “Thank you for saving us from that horrible man. McPherson hugged her back, and Irene felt that his embrace conveyed strength, caring, and trustworthiness, and that she was safe in his firm arms. And McPherson, who hadn’t been intimate with a woman in years, felt that there was something right and authentic about the unfamiliar woman, and that he would like to get to know her.
But Sarah wasn’t interested in the occurrences within her house; neither was she captivated by the horrendous pictures that the TV projected, which showed the Roman soldiers surging into the Temple Mount’s square, killing everyone who was in their way without mercy, and setting the temple on fire.
She rushed toward the door and stormed out of the house. Immediately, she saw the outstanding pillar of fire, and she had no doubt as to where it sprang from. She then made her way in the direction of the blaze, while for a brief moment, the fire in front of her had merged with the fire of the burning temple, which she had just seen on TV.
An ominous gut feeling told her that she must hurry in order to prevent Jonathan from performing an act, from which there was no turning back. She must herald him the news for which she had recently received confirmation. Intractable bushes scratched her face on the slope leading down to the creek, but the bushes didn’t slow her sense of urgency. In the creek she got soaking wet, as she didn’t have time to look for rocks that protruded above the water. The pillar of fire guided her on her way to the strange hill, where at its base the dogs were waiting and they joyfully jumped on her.
She left the dogs behind and started to climb up the hill, where it seemed like the dense trees cleared a passage for her. She made her way, panting, toward the glade, while the light that was stemming from the fire, penetrated through the branches and illuminated her way. One more bundle of trees, one more bush . . . she removed the last branches out of her way and walked into the site. She only needed a split second to grasp what was taking place: Jonathan stood in front of a huge blaze, gazing at the flames, and he looked like he was about to step forward into the fire.
“Jonathan stop!” she shouted. But he continued to stare at the glow that called and pulled him to step closer. The earth shook and sounded a muffled rumble. “Jonathan I’m pregnant!” Sarah called, “You’re going to be a father!”
He turned his head in her direction, questioning her, his face expressing hope as well as doubt, and disbelief.
“Jonathan, it happened here, on this site, when we made love, I knew it right away, but I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure.”
He gazed at the pillar of fire for another moment, and then took one step backward. In response, the blaze diminished to about half its size, and still, it was a fairly large bonfire, which illuminated the place for them. The earth calmed, stopped shaking, and its muffled rumble turned into silence. The couple made their way toward one another and embraced each other. Jonathan felt her warm tears moisten his shoulder.
He too had cried, without sound and tears. He cried about his life, about his parents whom he didn’t know; about his difficult times at foster homes. He cried about unrealized dreams, about the suffering, the doubts, and the fears.
And the fire consumed it all: the anger and the sorrow, his troubles, the evil, darkness, and the depression of the world. The fire left him clean, and immaculate, and Sarah accepted him all over again. She accepted who he was, the one she had always seen in him, the one he could be, and the one he would be. For a long time they stood in a loving embrace, and the fire continued to illuminate the site for them.
Suddenly, Sarah noticed that they were not alone. A handsome young man stood and affectionately looked at them. He stood patiently and waited. Looking at him sent shivers throughout her body. There was something familiar about him, and also unknown and enigmatic. She parted from her husband and turned in the direction of the young man, who seemed like there was something he wished to tell her. His eyes shined at her and conveyed complete acceptance. She didn’t know why she felt that her soul was stirring toward him. Her heart was pounding and her eyes filled with tears. The young man turned to her and said the one word she had longed to hear for so many years: “Mommy.”
Epilogue
Six years later
Daniel
My name is Daniel and I’m almost six years old.
I live in Corralitos with my parents and not long ago I started to go to school.
I have a few friends and my best friend is called Nathan.
He is a little younger than me he’s five years old and his parents are much younger than my parents. Actually my parents are kind of old but I don’t mind because I love them a lot.
My father’s name is Jonathan and my mother’s name is Sarah. My daddy works on computers and he drives to work every day in his car.
When he is not working then we play and he likes to teach me to take apart and assemble all kinds of things.
My mom doesn’t work and she stays at home and works in the garden and also she likes to cook. We have two cute dogs that I really like to play with. One of them is called Nipo and the other is Ramayana. We also have many cats.
My mom stopped working after I was born. She told me that she was a psychologist but I don’t really know what that is.
She said she used to sit in a room and talk to people about their problems, so I think this work is weird.
I also have a big brother that his name is Michael who is much older than me. He is like thirty. He lives far away but sometimes he comes for a visit with his wife that her name is Melanie and with their little daughter whose name is Linda.
Melanie’s dad is the brother of my father and it’s a bit confusing.
Sometimes we have earthquakes here and it’s kind of scary. When I was little I was really afraid of earthquakes but now I’m not so afraid. Only a little and my mom says that it’s OK to be afraid.
Sometimes when my mom works in the garden and I play next to her I look at her and I see that she’s crying a little. I ask her why do you cry mommy and then she come to me and she hugs me really tight and says because I love you sooooo much.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the kind people who read the manuscript and contributed their illuminating suggestions.
Amanda Safran, Mark Bunyard.
Lee Ann and Nick of First Editing.
Thank you Angie of Pro Ebook Covers for the cover design.
I wish to thank:
Dave and Kate Workman.
Magy Speelpenning, Erela Gafni, Laurette Maillet, and Lucia Van-Diepen.
Molly, Nathan, and Eve.
My parents, my sister and my brother.
Jacob, Cécile, and Nathan.
And Linda, who has been patient with me during all those long hours I’ve sat in front of the computer. I’m grateful for your insights, and for your love.
Thank you all,
Liam Fialkov
[email protected]
Contents
The Broadcast
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
