The Emerald Tablet: Omnibus Edition

by JM HART

  “Night.” Daniel left the bedside light on and quietly walked out.

  *

  At the far end of the sweeping wooden veranda that stretched around the country home Jade sat in an egg-shaped white cane chair that was hanging from the roof. Jade had her feet tucked up on the seat and she rested her chin on her knees. She studied her toes, thinking of her parents. Her contact lenses were annoying her but she resisted the urge to rub. Kath and Sally had made themselves comfortable sitting on a cane sofa.

  “Mobile phones are useless these days,” Kath said to Sally. “We can’t just stay here, we have to do something.”

  A warm morning breeze gently lifted Jade’s raven hair as she vacated her solitary chair. She went inside and the screen door closed quietly by itself. Jade agreed with Kath, having tried to call her dad six times this morning, without success. She went to the bathroom to dry her eyes and adjust her contact lenses. She thought about Kevin and couldn’t help believing that he could help her get back to her dad and find her mom.

  It had now been a couple of days since they had arrived and everyone was on edge. Kevin had asked his dad if they could go for a walk up Saddleback Mountain later today, saying it was important, but he didn’t know why.

  Jade could hear the boys at the back of the house, and Daniel and Callie were in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast. The house reminded her of her own home, just a lot bigger. She closed the bathroom door. Her eyes were irritated from crying and she fished out her contact lenses. Sitting on the edge of the toilet seat she grabbed her stomach as if in physical pain, then dropped her head forward and cried. Her tears splashed onto the blue and white tiles. Jade hardly moved for ten minutes, letting it all out. She felt her mind becoming distracted, intrigued by the way her tears had landed in between the tiles and falling close enough together to dampen the grout. How random … but no, it wasn’t random, was it? Because her posture and lack of movement created the same pathway for each tear to fall. It gave her some sense of relief to see order amongst the chaos. “S = k log W,” she said aloud. “S = k log W.”

  Bang, bang, bang. “How long are you going to be in there? I’ve got to do a number two,” Alex’s muffled voice said.

  “Coming out now.” She flushed the toilet and washed her face and hands.

  “Hurry, I can feel it popping out like a turtle head.”

  “That’s disgusting, Alex.” She pulled open the door and held it for him, but he didn’t rush in.

  “Are you sad?”

  “No, just dirt in my eyes.”

  “That’s what Kevin says too.”

  “I thought you were busting?”

  “Is it going to smell? Do I have to hold my breath?”

  “Is what going to smell?” Jade said.

  “In there,” he said, pointing inside the bathroom. “You were in there for such a long time you must have done a number two.”

  “No, it’s not going to smell,” she said. A smile crept across her face and she gave him a little push inside the bathroom. Just before the door closed, Alex yelled, “Oh, K’s looking for you.”

  Jade walked down the long hallway towards the back of the house and out to the veranda. It was peaceful and everything looked so ordinary, it was hard to believe the world was falling apart. She had to stop thinking like that; it didn’t help anyone. Focus on sifting through the disorder to find order. She leant against the rail and looked out across the fields. The hangar side door boomed as Shaun slammed it behind him.

  “And stay away from my brother,” Kevin yelled.

  Jade watched Shaun turn around and lunge at Kevin and suddenly they were both on the ground wrestling. She jumped over the wooden rail. “Stop it, you two,” she said, coming up beside them. Tim came running over and pulled at Kevin. Jade pulled at Shaun’s shirt.

  “Stop it,” she said.

  Daniel came up behind her and pulled Jade off Shaun. “What’s going on here? All of you over here, park yourselves on the steps.”

  Kevin dug his elbow into Shaun’s ribs as he got up and as he went to the steps Shaun smacked him up the back of the head.

  “Enough, you two. Kevin, what’s going on? Why don’t you two get along?”

  “I don’t know, Dad.”

  “Yes, you do, don’t give me that.”

  “Maybe you would like to explain, Shaun?”

  “He’s a bully,” Tim said. “He beats up on anyone who pisses him off and has a fascination for petrol bombs.”

  “Shut up!” Shaun said, swiping at Tim.

  “How do you know this, Tim? Think carefully before you answer. I have only seen Shaun helping out since he has been here with us. He has paid more attention to Alex than you, Kevin. He has just lost his father in a fire and you are accusing him of being a firebug. Did you see him start any fires?”

  “Well, no, because —” Tim said.

  “So you didn’t see him start any. Did he tell you he started any?”

  “No, but —”

  “But what?”

  “I was there.”

  “You were at the scene of the fire?”

  “We were down at the river when we saw Shaun and his entourage leave the area just before it went up,” Kevin said. “That’s all.”

  “We need to work together, guys. You both have seen what happens if you give in to urges of violence. Nobody wins, we all lose. For the rest of the day I want you two to work together. Whatever your differences are, or what you think each other has done, you leave behind now and you start to care for one another. I know it sounds gross, but try it. You understand what I’m saying? Kevin — Shaun?”

  Jade watched Kevin and Shaun avoid looking at each other until the tension seemed to ease as Kevin relaxed.

  “Sure, Dad. I’m sorry, we all deserve a second chance.”

  “Shaun?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, pack a couple of backpacks and we will take that hike up the mountain.”

  Jade stood up and Kevin followed with Tim. “Wait up, guys,” Daniel said to Kevin and Shaun, still sitting on the veranda steps. “Together. If one of you is in the toilet I want to see the other one standing outside the door waiting. Got the picture?”

  Jade found the image funny and quickly turned away. Shaun stood up and fell into step with them.

  “Why do you guys dislike each other?” Jade asked.

  “It’s nothing,” Kevin said.

  “Nothing!” Tim said.

  “He broke my leg, crushed my knee. He is a maniac,” Tim burst out.

  “I knew I broke it!” Shaun said, as if a puzzle had just been solved. “I heard it crack, but then when I fell off the roof I saw you standing next to me. I couldn’t work it out.”

  “There, he admitted it,” Tim said, looking at Jade. “I told you he broke my leg.”

  “Is that when you went into the parallel world to escape the fire?” Jade asked. “If it is, that explains why you saw him walking around, Shaun. He had been healed. Isn’t that amazing? You could create a space for the sick to walk through — like opening and closing a door — as long as they work out why they are sick in the first place, because everything has a cause and effect. Like what’s happening around the world. There has to be a root cause somewhere that we can go back to and correct.”

  Shaun looked at Tim’s leg again and back at Jade and she thought he was going to cry.

  Instead, he said, “Well don’t give me reason to do it again,” and walked off. Kevin followed him and Tim stayed with Jade.

  11

  Seeds of existence: Casey. England.

  Casey waited, sitting at the bottom of the stairs, for one of them to wake up. It was after three in the afternoon and they had been sleeping all day.

  He wanted to burst into Sophia’s room and check she was still there. Twice Amy caught him trying to quietly open the door to take a peek, and twice she scolded him with just a look, ushering him downstairs to this very spot an hour ago.

  “You’re going t
o have to come up with a name for that dog,” Amy said. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

  “Where to? It’s not safe,” Casey said.

  She held out her hand to him. “Come on.” Casey took it and allowed her to lead him through the living room into the kitchen and out the back door. The dog came running out of the woods, glad to see them. The wind had a sharp chill, their breath was frosty. Winter had crept up on the calendar. They approached the edge of the woods and waited for the dog to catch up.

  “I was thinking of calling her Lucy,” Casey said, dropping to his knees. The dog licked his face and Casey wrapped his right arm around its neck, giving it a rough pat and a scratch along its back.

  “After your mom. That would be perfect.”

  “Why?” Casey asked.

  “Because ever since this dog showed up it has done what it could to protect you, just as your mom would.”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” Casey looked down at his boots as they walked.

  “I’m sorry about the other day,” Amy said. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. At first I thought I had the virus and that frightened me so much. I was worrying about you and Terry and the baby.”

  “Babies! And it’s okay, I get it,” he said. “I know you’re sorry. The twins will make you smile.”

  She bit her bottom lip, hesitated and in a soft voice she asked, “What do you see?”

  “One image, just one image, of you wearing a white summer dress, sitting on your knees on a picnic blanket on green grass trying to control two babies determined to crawl all over you. You are laughing. They are giggling and climbing over you and you nearly lose your balance and have to throw your hands behind you for support, while they continue to keep climbing. One is trying to suck your chin. I can’t quite tell if it is two boys, or a boy and a girl. One is definitely a boy. You are very happy.”

  “What about you and Terry, and everyone else?”

  “I don’t know, that’s all I see,” Casey said.

  She put her arm around him and gave him a squeeze and kissed his head. “You still need that haircut.” He put his arm around her and together they walked to the front of the house.

  They came across Father McDonald on his knees on the ground, praying, his eyes closed. When did he wake up? Casey approached Father McDonald and knelt beside him. Amy did the same so that they were all side by side. Casey closed his eyes and imagined an angel hovering above, ready to take their prayers up to God.

  “May your light shine upon us Lord, and enter our hearts so we may be filled with your mercy and strength. I pray …”

  Casey listened to Father McDonald pray and his body filled with effervescent light. He was unaware the prayer had finished. He was still on his knees, but felt the movement of sand under his feet and between his toes. His mother was walking next to him, pointing to the eastern star in the sky. It was dawn and it was the only star, the sun not quite woken from its slumber. He thought he caught a glimpse of a man wearing robes and a funny nightcap, with a ginger beard. He vanished as soon as Casey tried to focus on him. His mom told him of things to come, and that people needed to dare to dream. She talked of him growing up into a man and how he was to teach the others when he was of age. But not once did he see her lips move or hear her voice. They walked in silence and after watching the gentle rhythm of the whitecaps she was gone, the feeling of the sand was gone, the ocean and the morning star, all gone. His knees started to feel the ground beneath him, his ears heard the sound of Amy’s voice. He took in a deep breath and opened his eyes. His face was wet with tears, but he didn’t recall crying or why. The images faded as a dream fades, their meaning passing, like the sweet fragrance of flowers in a garden. He looked up to see Father McDonald and Amy talking, waiting patiently for him to come around.

  “Sophia is often doing this,” Father McDonald said. “You just have to be patient and wait for them to return.”

  “Return from where?” Amy asked.

  Casey cleared his throat and said, “I’m right here, I haven’t gone anywhere. I may have dozed off but I can still hear you.” He got to his feet. “Why were you out here praying? Couldn’t you have done it just as well inside?”

  “Casey don’t be rude, he can pray wherever he likes.”

  “No, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “It’s actually a good question. I was outside for a reason. I was reading paragraphs for protection. We are all in great danger of losing our souls. Our bodies are always destined to return to the earth, but our soul is for eternity. If we lose that we will be outside the gates of heaven forever.”

  “Great, just when I was starting to feel a little better,” Joe said from behind.

  Casey spun around and there she was standing next to Joe wearing Amy’s jeans and sweater. Her hair was in a plait that draped over her shoulder.

  “You remind me of someone,” Amy said to Sophia.

  Sophia smiled at Amy as she walked closer to Casey. They fell into step and walked away from the adults.

  “Where are you two off to, hen?” Joe asked.

  Casey had to wait for his brain to interpret the accent. But before he could reply, Amy said, “Don’t go into the woods or past the garage, and don’t let the dog out of your sight.”

  “Lucy, here, girl,” Sophia called to the dog and it ran up to her and sat down in front of her. Its tail dusted the ground waiting for praise. Amy and Casey held each other’s gaze. Casey pulled away first.

  “Why did you call the dog Lucy, Sophia?” Amy asked.

  “Isn’t that its name?”

  Amy looked at Casey, Sophia looked at Casey, they both waited for an answer.

  “Yeah, her name is Lucy.”

  “Okay, then that’s settled. Lucy it is,” Amy said. “Dinner will be ready in an hour,” she said, reaching to touch Joe’s shoulder. “Come on, I bet you’re famished,” she said.

  Casey felt a sense of gratitude towards Amy. Father McDonald, Amy and Joe wandered inside the house and the smells of Terry’s stew came drifting out as they opened and closed the back door.

  “Hmm, that man can cook,” was the last thing Casey heard. He was alone with Sophia for the first time since she had arrived. Now that they were together and alone he didn’t know what to say or do. He could feel she was feeling a little strange too. He felt her hand brush his and he gently took it.

  *

  Pigeons cooed in the loft and light streamed through the rafters. Sophia passed an eye over the items in the barn and sat on the motorcycle. She leant forward, holding onto the handlebars and said, “We have to meet up with the others, although I can’t see how it’s going to happen.”

  “We can chill and wait a day or two and see what happens,” Casey said. “I keep coming back to this one thought: we are all that is, all that was, and ever will be. We carry all the seeds of all existence. From the stars in the sky to the table in the kitchen to the pain in our hearts, we are the light and the darkness.”

  “You’re right. Can you see how we meet the others? I think we will come together when we least expect it, but sometimes I just want to know. It can be so annoying at times not knowing, but sort of knowing, if you get what I mean. Can you start this motorcycle?”

  “I get it.” He didn’t need to be asked twice. He directed his energy smoothly over to the motorcycle and it roared into life.

  Sophia’s body tensed. She smiled in joy and trepidation. “That’s so awesome,” she said. “I have never been able to do anything like that. I can feel its power. It would be marvelous to go for a ride.” He watched as her energy expanded with joy and excitement.

  “Can we take it for a ride?”

  “I … I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, come on. Just out the front and back,” Sophia said.

  “Okay, why not? We’re probably going to die anyway, might as well have fun.”

  She climbed off the bike and pushed him. “Don’t say that. Take it back, right now! We’re not going to d
ie Casey.” She gently put her hand on the side of his head. “It’s all in here, remember. If you think you will be defeated, then that’s what you will be — defeated. If you think you will be successful, then you will be successful. Put out negative thoughts, you get negative results. Put out positive thoughts and you get positive results. Simple. If you don’t believe me, try it.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” Casey said, defending himself.

  “Nobody does. I know. You have to put consciousness into each thought, otherwise you become a drifter and then you are open to all sorts. That’s better, your aura just changed. Now I can see flashes of emerald-green, peachy-orange and violet. You balanced yourself, excellent. Let’s go for that ride.”

  “Do you always see auras? I don’t.”

  “No, not always, and I have worked hard not to see. It’s paying off.”

  “You will have to get off while I push it out.”

  He wheeled the Bonneville backwards out of the garage and climbed on. He held it steady while Sophia threw her leg over the back. She held onto the passenger side-bars. Casey wished she would hold onto him. He slowly let out the clutch. It revved out in first gear, but it didn’t matter. Casey worked out the clutch and how to shift into second. The bike jerked and accelerated a little faster down to the gate. They skidded slightly at the fence. Slowly, Casey maneuvered the motorbike and did a wide U-turn. He saw Terry on the back steps with his hands on his hips. Casey rode slowly up to him.

  “My turn!” Terry said.

  Casey had been sure Terry was going to be cross. “No worries, she’s all yours,” he said, putting the motorcycle in neutral.

  Terry held the bike still while Casey and Sophia dismounted. Terry popped the stand down with his foot. Climbed on and flicked it back up. He gave the Bonneville a couple of revs and took off. It wasn’t long before Joe came out and wanted a turn. Amy sat on the step with Father McDonald and watched. It was Casey’s turn again and this time he went solo and felt the freedom, the wind in his hair. He felt alive. Casey settled into the seat and the joy and freedom of riding. He could have headed out the drive and down the road and just kept going.