A Girl Between

by Marjorie Weismantel

  I quickly jumped in with a question. I was getting lost. “Mr. Kenney, before you continue, you have to explain something to me. What is ‘negative polarity’?”

  “Well, let me see how I can explain this. There are some rather abstract scientific principles involved.” Mr. Kenney scratched his chin and looked at me before answering, “To put it in simple terms, all substances are made out of atoms, which are built out of electrons and protons. The electrons have a negative charge, spinning around the atom’s nucleus, which is made up of positively charged protons. When there are more electrons than protons, the atom is out of balance - making it more unstable - and it becomes negatively charged, creating a ‘negative polarity’.

  “That negative polarity is a more unstable characteristic that diaboles have acquired, and is the reason why you get uneasy and more uncertain feelings or what some call ‘negative vibrations’, when diaboles are around. These negative vibes - the negative polarity – are what make diaboles nasty and evil minded. On the other hand, luminars are very stable because they have an abundance of protons. Their resulting ‘positive polarity’ is why they have acquired a very positive nature and outlook. The luminars’ healing abilities come from this positive polarity.”

  Mr. Kenney continued, “Now, as I was explaining before, the negative polarity becomes an issue when it is highly concentrated in one area. That has been happening around here. Have any of you noticed?”

  Will exclaimed, “Yeah, I’ve noticed all these new kids showing up at school.”

  Mr. Kenney nodded at Will. “Not only has there been a large influx of new students at Woodley High, but also in the surrounding schools. Furthermore, I’ve been making phone calls and I’ve discovered that there’ve been new kids arriving at schools throughout the whole state and even in western Massachusetts and New York over the last few weeks. In fact, the numbers have really been unbelievable.”

  “Aren’t ANY of the new students luminars?” Mercy asked in a panicky voice.

  “Yes, some of them are luminars, but it is apparent to me that the vast majority of the newcomers are diaboles. Have you noticed who has been showing up at Woodley?” Mr. Kenney asked me, his eyebrows raised.

  “Yes, most of them have definitely been diaboles,” I grimaced.

  Mercy added, rolling her eyes, “That’s for sure!”

  Will asked, “Can’t you also tell by the strange turn of the weather?”

  Mr. Kenney nodded. “Yes, I would agree. There are so many diaboles gathering that I believe a zone of concentrated negative polarity has built up. The result is more negative electrons creating a general instability in the atmosphere which translates into more unstable weather conditions.”

  “How bad do you think the weather can get?” Will asked.

  “Well, I’ve done many detailed calculations, and determined that with enough negative polarity, the earth’s magnetic poles can become destabilized. Look at this.”

  Mr. Kenney pulled out a compass and placed it on the floor. We all stood around, including Miss America, and watched the needle, but it didn’t settle on the expected position pointing to the north. Instead, it went around one way, then the other, and kept at it erratically, round and round, as if it were searching but couldn’t find north. “What the…. Wow,” shouted Will, “What’s going on?”

  “Well, as you can see, the compass doesn’t know where north is”, explained Mr. Kenney. “That’s because there’s so much negative polarity that has collected in this area, the compass doesn’t automatically go right to the North Pole. It’s as if it doesn’t know where to go.”

  “Are you saying the earth’s magnetic pole has actually shifted?” asked Will.

  “I wouldn’t exactly say that it’s shifted, but I would say that it is in the process of shifting. I have been keeping an eye on the changing dynamics of the magnetic pole over the last few weeks and it is moving in this direction. I would go so far as saying that we are in the center of where the negative polarity is building. That is why the needle is going round and round right here as we stand, in Woodley, Connecticut.

  Mr. Kenney went on. “As small as our state of Connecticut is compared to the United States, not to mention the globe we call earth, it’s still a large enough area to become an influence due to the large number of diaboles and all of their negative polarity.

  Mr. Kenney continued, “This shift in the poles is a sign that the earth’s magnetic field has weakened. This is important to understand, because the magnetic field is, effectively, a shield that protects the earth from the bombardment of cosmic radiation that rains on our planet from outer space. When that shield weakens, more cosmic rays, which are really very tiny subatomic particles, make it into the earth’s atmosphere. These particles then become the catalyst for cloud formation. Basically, cosmic rays are a fundamental ingredient for clouds to form.”

  Will scratched his head, “I never thought about it in that way”.

  “Well, it’s an emerging science that we are just beginning to understand. But, there’s more.” Mr. Kenney said. “This phenomenon of cosmic rays creating clouds goes on all the time. The sun goes through cycles of magnetic storms that vary in strength. These so-called ‘solar storms’ send out particles, called the solar wind, that also protects the earth from cosmic rays, just like the earth’s magnetic field is protection.

  “So, as it turns out, this year the sun has been less active and its storms have been less severe. Meaning there is less solar wind to protect the earth, which means more cosmic rays getting through, thus resulting in more clouds. But, in addition, when the earth’s magnetic field also weakens like is happening right now with the gathering diaboles, and at the same time when there are fewer solar storms, then the combined effect can be devastating, as we are seeing with this awful, very unusual weather. Now, I must warn you. The potential consequences could be absolutely disastrous.”

  “How disastrous? What could happen?” asked Mercy.

  “My belief is that the diaboles planned their gathering for this current time when the sun is having the fewest storms, in order to maximize their destructive powers. If the resulting weather circulation around Woodley and the surrounding area continues, it will soon spread to the entire eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, which will then plunge us into a deep freeze. Ultimately, this weather pattern could spread around the globe, leading to the initiation of another global ice-age. That would be an utter disaster.”

  Will was looking skeptical when he asked, “Wouldn’t there have to be a tremendous number of diaboles here to bring about so much negative polarity?”

  Mr. Kenney stared at Will before answering, “I would say that there must be thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of diaboles who are gathering. I don’t know where they’ve been staying, but they must have come from all over the world to create those numbers, and the greatest number are now massing in and around Woodley.”

  “What do we do? How do we stop this from happening?” I cried.

  “I’m not sure, Tess; I just know that they MUST be stopped, either by chasing them away, or extinguishing their life forces.”

  “What do you mean by ‘extinguishing their life force’?” Mercy cautiously asked.

  “It means that you must kill them,” Mr. Kenney answered in a quiet voice.

  55. The Little Ice Age

  “You know, this kind of crazy weather trend that we’re experiencing right now has probably happened in the past. There are some records of a similar situation,” Mr. Kenney observed.

  “When was that?” I asked.

  Will chimed in, “I think I’ve heard about that. It lasted for around 600 years, starting in the early 1300s and ending around 1850. In fact, it was called, ‘The Little Ice Age’.”

  Mr. Kenney grimly added, “Terrible things happened as a result of the Little Ice Age. Many farms and villages were destroyed due to advancing glaciers in areas of Northern Europe. The Norsemen that lived in Greenland vanished due to the harsh winters and
short summers that could not support crops and domesticated animals. There were violent storms and flooding throughout the continent. Famines affected much of Europe, causing millions of people to die from starvation. Much of the population of Iceland left due to similar issues, although some of their problems were attributed to a volcanic eruption.”

  I gasped, “Something has been bothering me, something I just couldn’t remember. Now I know what it is. Hearing about the Little Ice Age triggered that memory. When I regressed to the time of the Karmic Apocalypse, I had heard about it. The diaboles affected the weather during the Little Ice Age, much as they’re affecting our weather today.”

  “Do you mean that witches also had an effect on the Little Ice Age? What was their purpose?” asked Mr. Kenney.

  “The diaboles believed they were losing power to the commoners and the luminars. A large number of diaboles gathered in Bohemia during the early 1300s to see what could be done. Something very strange happened when they met. Terrible stormy weather ensued, and the longer they met, the more cataclysmic the weather became. To escape the snow, the diaboles moved their gathering to the town of Bern in the Swiss territories, but that didn’t work. The terrible weather followed them to Bern. They finally disbanded without a plan, but it appears they didn’t need one. That weather was the beginning of a period of harsh winters and cold, damp summers. Does that time sound familiar to you?”

  “Does that have something to do with a big famine?” asked Mercy.

  “Yes,” I exclaimed. “It was the time known as ‘The Great Famine’, a terrible time for the commoners and the good witches to be alive. Most of the people didn’t have enough food to eat. Everybody, except for the diaboles were brought to their knees. Crime became rampant along with disease and starvation. As always, the good witches were blamed for everyone’s misfortunes. It was a way for the diaboles to distract from their own plenty during a time of such misery. Since the diaboles could still tax the common folk they were affected the least.”

  “Did the diaboles realize they caused that bad weather?” Mercy asked, frowning.

  “I don’t think they did, at least not in the beginning. After they moved to Bern, they figured out what they had unleashed, even if they didn’t know why,” I asserted.

  Mr. Kenney stared at me before saying, “There were probably a number of natural factors that contributed to the strength and duration of the Little Ice Age; however, it is very probable that the extreme negative polarity of the diaboles did affect the magnetic field all around Europe, and that helped to initiate and prolong their inhospitable weather.”

  Mercy was incredulous. “So, basically you’re saying that the type of terrible misfortune the diaboles brought to humanity 700 years ago during the Little Ice Age could happen now.”

  Mr. Kenny nodded tiredly. “It is very probable.”

  56. A Visitor

  “Speaking of weather, take a look outside,” Will exclaimed.

  Mr. Kenney peered out the window. “Kids, it looks bad. I think it might be a good idea if you stayed here tonight. I don’t believe that your jeep can make it through this blizzard.”

  Will went to the back door and opened it a crack. We could hear the wind shrieking and some snow blew in. “You’re right. It’s gotten so much worse.” He turned to Mr. Kenney, “Thanks for having us. I wish I could call home but I have a feeling that won’t be possible.”

  Mr. Kenney picked up the phone and held it out. “Unfortunately, it’s dead, along with most of the area phone service, I imagine. I know your folks will worry; however, they’ve probably come to realize that you’ve had to hole up somewhere. The weather forecast was way off. No one predicted a raging blizzard tonight.”

  “My aunt believes that I’m staying at Mercy’s, so she’ll be OK.” I looked over at Mercy to see if she was worried. She was already curled up on the rug, her head on a cushion, fast asleep. Guess she’s fine. I tried to stifle a yawn. “Thank you for having us here, Mr. Kenney.”

  “No problem, no problem. I haven’t had this many people in the house since my daughter moved out to California over six years ago.” Then, he stopped for a minute and looked at us with a sad smile. “Truth be told, I like the company. I’ve been a little lonely since my wife, Doris, died.” He stood there looking so sad and forlorn.

  Will clapped his hands. “Well, what can we do to help Mr. Kenney?”

  He cleared his throat and smiled at Will. “How about you bring in some wood from the shed? I’ll grab some sleeping bags and toothbrushes. There are some old clothes upstairs that belonged to my daughter, if you would like to change into something nice and dry, Tess.” He glanced down at Mercy, “I think she’s all set.”

  The evening turned out to be rather romantic. Mr. Kenney had a fireplace in his bedroom so he retired there for the night. Will and I spread the sleeping bags over an old braided rug near the fire. It was obvious that Mercy was a goner so we stuck a pillow under her head and covered her up. Will built up the fire so we’d have enough heat to last for a while. I felt like a new person after I washed up, put on a pair of old flannel PJ’s and crawled into a sleeping bag.

  “Tess, come on over here.” Will leaned against the wall and stretched his long legs out. I shifted my sleeping bag over and snuggled up against him, putting my head on his lap. Will stared down at me and gently stroked my hair. “Are you feeling better?” he asked softly.

  I shuddered, thinking about what happened today. “I’ve been through some bad crap lately and being buried in snow was right up there. Fortunately, we’re OK, thanks to you! You always seem to know what to do, Will. Plus you’re a sweet guy,” I glanced up at him smiling, “that is, when you want to be.”

  Will gazed at me, seemingly at a loss for words. Did I see a flush creeping up on his cheeks? Was he BLUSHING? Will has always such a confidant guy that I found his apparent shyness a real turn on. I leaned up and put my arms around his neck, kissed him lightly on his mouth, than I rested the side of my face against his chest and sighed. This was like heaven, flickering candle light, a crackling fire and cuddling up to Will. I closed my eyes. It was so quiet I swear I could hear Will’s heartbeat.

  What was that? It sounded like a chair being pulled away from a table. Who’s that sitting over there? Is that Miss Cassie, sitting at the kitchen table? I wonder how she got here in this terrible weather. Where’s her coat? I better wake up Mercy and Will to tell them. She’s holding her finger up to her mouth and barely shaking her head. She doesn’t want me to wake them. I went over to her, dragging my sleeping bag with me and plopping down next to her.

  “Hello, dear,” she whispers in her soothing voice. In the flickering light from the fire place I catch swirls of gold dancing around her head.

  “Miss Cassie, how are you?”

  “I’m fine dear, and you?” she asks while taking my hand. An immediate sense of contentment washes over me.

  “Tess, I believe that it is time that I introduce you to The Between.”

  “You mean the time between lives?” I gasp.

  She continues to hold my hand. “Dear, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Things are happening very quickly here. You have conducted yourself admirably, but you need help.”

  “How are you going to bring me to The Between?”

  “I have my ways. Don’t worry, Tess. It is simple and painless. I don’t normally bring a live soul to The Between. In fact, I’ve only done it once before.”

  “How would a soul normally go to The Between?”

  “Actually dear, there are two other ways reach The Between. One way is to die. The other way is to be regressed to The Between before your present life.”

  “Why wouldn’t you simply regress me to a previous Between?”

  “You need to know what’s going on today. The luminars existing in the state of The Between have a unique perspective.”

  “OK,” I whispered. “What should I do?”

  “Just stay right where you are. And relax,” she smiled, h
er eyes twinkling.

  57. The Between

  Miss Cassie leans over me to place her open palm on the top of my head. I start trembling violently so I cross my arms over my chest to still myself. As soon as her hand touches my head, I feel a gentle flow of energy tingle down my neck, through my heart and into my limbs. Suddenly, a blinding flash! I can’t see a thing. Sounds like a bee in my ear. A loud buzzing while I whizz through a long dark tunnel to a fuzzy light. As I leave the dark, an eerie luminance enfolds me. Strangely, I am not frightened.

  I observe in the distance, a complex interchange of highways. There are no cars or actual roads, just tiny points of lights, in varying shades of brightness moving in some systematic, ordained directive. I am pushed in that direction, as if someone were behind me. There is no one. As I approach the lights, I accelerate and quickly merge into the stream. Where am I going?

  I am abruptly steered in another direction, away from the main stream. In the process, I almost veer into one of the lights. I am startled when I sense energy, movement from the light. It turns and looks at me, as if in acknowledgement. Other than the gleam of light, its only defining feature was two fathomless holes for what might be construed as eyes. At that moment, I knew what it was. This light form was the essence of a being, a soul, orphaned from the earth’s sphere, moving to its next destination. The Between.

  Another quick turn in this ethereal byway. There were noticeably fewer souls in transit here and my rate of speed was decreasing. The scenery has altered, from linear lights to a more circular style. The lights exist in clumps, or groupings that are primarily located off to the right or left. It should be emphasized that there is no darkness here. I am surrounded by an opaque brightness, as you might see with an early morning mist on a bright day, or sunbeams shining through the clouds.

  I am now moving at a slow enough speed to view the groupings of lights. They look like clumps of large sparkling bubbles. In front of me, I see these groupings throughout a huge expanse of space. There are thousands of them before me. They are now within range for me to get a closer look. I stare within a bubble as I pass and view six soul beings, with their black orbital holes gazing back at me. At this time, I would like to stress that I feel no malice of thought from these spirits, only a harmless curiosity. In fact, the atmosphere of this entire plane was one of benevolence, so different from what is commonly experienced in the realm of earth.