The Wind Rose (8 page)

But all is not as harmonious in the Kingdom of Light as it should be. Surprising and erratic changes in the weather occur, small earth tremors are felt, and a brief but shocking eclipse of the sun bodes ill for the city. This latter incident truly stirs fear in the hearts of everyone. It's a reminder of how they lived in a constant state of night when the treacherous Glass Snake and the High Priestess Jaycina ruled the Island of Darkness with brutality and greed, usurping all the energy and light on the Island for their own benefit.

Even David's Wind Rose compass goes haywire, and the Moon Singer sways and rocks uneasily on a perilous sea.

“It's your Dr. Ramirez,” Rami proclaims. “He has penetrated the earth's atmosphere with his irresponsible and dangerous music, and now threatens every dimension in the universe. He must be stopped!”

“But how, Rami? What can we do?”

“I will give you the tools to stop him.”

“Me? Oh, no. Not me. I have a tendency to mess things up. This is too important.”

“Music is a powerful demonstration of man's ability to connect with the Divine Creator,” Rami tells him. “It is a symbol of what you, yourself, are made of, what you are capable of. Once you tap into the Triune Power of universal music you will touch the face of God and put an end to Ramirez's unholy scheme.”

“Triune Power? I never heard of it,” David replies, becoming anxious and feeling inept. “How can I tap into something I don't know anything about?”

“You do know, David.”At least to a limited degree now. You've heard of the Trinity, in religious teachings."

“You mean like Father, Son and Holy Ghost? That Trinity?”

“Yes, exactly. But it's grander than even that. Think of the number 3. Everything that you are, have done, will do, is comprised of the number 3. You've acquired three sacred relics: the Singer, the Rose Crystal, and now the Wind Rose. Separately they are miracles unto themselves: the Singer with its all-encompassing knowledge, the Rose Crystal with its healing energies, and the Wind Rose, with both its power to destroy as well as to transcend reality. Synergistically, they are Divine in the truest meaning of the word: the represent the Power of One.”

“But I don't have them all!” David protests. “And even if I did, what do I do with them? And how will I know what I'm doing?”

…you have merely scratched the surface of your capacity to recognize what you can become…

“What did you say?” David asks Rami.

“I said, you must discover that yourself,” Rami insists. “I will now give you the tools. You must learn to use them as no one else can. You've chosen this path, David. You've invited these experiences into your life for reasons that only you can know, truly know.”

Rami places the Singer into David's hand.

“You had it all along! You didn't lose it in the sea!”

“No,” Rami admits. “I didn't lose it. I saved it for you, to give it to you when the time was right. Now here is what you must do…”

* * *

David now has the sacred Singer crystal, the Rose Crystal Pendant, and the Wind Rose compass - the three most important elements he needs to fulfill the mission Rami has designated for him.

The first thing David wants to do is return to the hospital, to place the Rose Crystal around Sally's neck, to let the pendant work its magic of healing on her.

She'll wake up, I just know it,
he believes.
She'll be whole and healthy and all this will be just a bad dream. But first…

Rami told David it would be the last of his three missions, but he was cryptic with his instructions. He left a good bit of it up to David's intuition, which in David's mind was a fool's errand. Despite all of his best efforts, everything that has happened to him has been either an accident - or not; preordained - or by choice; wishful thinking or divine intervention.

What is this other thing I must do before I can help Sally? Will I even recognize it when I see it? Oh, God, how can I decide what to do? He had to believe that this time it would be different.

Unbeknownst to David, Bianca returns with him as his special guardian. It is to be her last mission as well.

David did not want to leave the Island now, any more than he had wanted to leave the first time. Nor had he wanted to leave Coronadus and Bianca - his mother. He came home with mixed feelings, unwilling to let go of the people he had come to know and love, and had no idea if he would ever see again.

Yet, he wanted to return home, for he knew he was bringing something special back with him, some special knowledge or tools that would help change their circumstances for the better. But more than just being able to help resolve the routine, but urgent, issues of his dad's unemployment or the town's financial woes as he had in the past, there was something more. There was something deep inside him testing his courage and his devotion.

That “something” floated around in his brain, in voices that came to him in the night or in daydreams, or popping up involuntarily during conversations with Ishtar, Saliana or Bianca. That “something” was about purpose, about destiny, about a deep desire to give of himself in ways he never imagined.

Other: To save a life that means more to him than his own…

* * *

Back in Port Avalon, people start seeing visions in the night sky, the visions once only witnessed by observatory astronomers with powerful telescopes. An opaque elliptical image with a glimmering outline soars across the evening sky, then dissipates. A translucent obelisk-shaped form moves out of the clouds, illuminating the starless Port Avalon night. A shimmering, cumulous cloud-shaped light glides across a part of the heavens. Each of the images is seen at different times and different places by different people.

After the sightings, other worrisome problems occur. People become more fanatical in their beliefs. Some think they see UFO's, others think the visions are fallen angels or a sign of the Apocalypse. The entire town is on edge as never before. And a mass hysteria begins to rumble beneath the surface of the otherwise tranquil coastal town.

Isaac hurries David along so they won't be late for the discussion at the Port Avalon town hall. Janice has checked on Dorothy, and feels the nurse has everything under control, but has her beeper on just in case. And the status report on Sally is that she is comfortable but there is no change in her condition. She still sleeps her dreamless sleep.

So, the three of them decide they need some diversion for the evening, especially such an important event.

“I don't know why I should go to this thing,” David complains. “Just more psychobabble, especially if Hilyer is there.”

David's “trip” to the Kingdom of Light never registered with Isaac and Janice. They never knew he was gone, as though those moments were frozen in time. It was as though they, themselves, were on some other plane of existence that suppressed their memory of his absence.

And on his return, though he hoped through some magic it would be better, David's relationship with his father has not improved. He doesn't dare mention this latest foray to a world beyond. His father would have him committed for sure.

“There are things going on in Port Avalon that are inexplicable and unacceptable,” Isaac says. “I hear that this guest speaker is really wonderful. I can't remember her name, but Dr. Hilyer said it promises to be a great discussion with her on the panel. Maybe she can provide some solutions.”

The Town Hall is packed. David, Isaac and Janice take their seats in a side box that will allow David to see the sign language interpreter. The moderator introduces Dr. Hilyer who takes his seat on the dais. David's head is bowed in indifference and he does not see the woman who is introduced next as, “Dr. Bianca Creighton, a renowned motivational speaker on the lecture circuit.”

“Tonight,” the moderator promises, “science, psychology and spirituality will intertwine in an evocative and provocative session.”

“Wow, look at her,” Isaac says, poking David's arm. “Isn't she stunning?”

David looks up to see a beautiful, statuesque woman, whose head is wrapped in a colorful, silken turban, one all too familiar to him. His mouth drops open as Bianca,
his
Bianca, takes her seat.

“A real looker, isn't she,” Isaac whispers to Janice. Janice gives Isaac a sidelong glance of disapproval. Or is that jealousy in her eyes?

“There is no Armageddon, a one-time conflict defining all times, all ages,” Dr. Hilyer says in response to the moderator's question. “The battle of good and evil is eternal, constant, day to day. The concept of the final battle is metaphorical, an inner fight for each of us.”

“The things going on in the world,” Bianca Creighton counters, “are not just metaphysical illusions. We can't just meditate them away. They are real manifestations of man's great potential for wickedness.”

“I agree,” Hilyer says. “We have to respond in a real way. Obviously the consciousness-raising of the past 30 years or so hasn't made a dent. Civilization is just as brutal and erratic as ever. We need more education, more psychological help for people who are violent, disenfranchised, and delusional.”

“We pour millions – billions – of dollars into social programs, Dr. Hilyer,” Bianca differs forcefully, “and people are more dysfunctional and violent than ever. There is no accountability. We live in an age where medical science has outpaced morality, where technology is light years ahead of the law, and where ethics is an anachronism. We have all the education and knowledge we need, but we are not using it wisely.”

“Can you elaborate on that, Dr. Creighton?” the moderator asks, giving her more time.

“People, especially men, choose violence as a solution to everything…”

Boy, does this sound familiar,
David muses.
That's what Bianca said on Coronadus before my disaster of a debate in front of the War Council.

“Hold on,” Dr. Hilyer interrupts, “are you saying that only men are violent?”

“Women don't wage war, Dr. Hilyer. Men do.”

“More and more women are getting involved in foreign affairs and making military decisions,” Hilyer rebuts Bianca's remarks, “and today, young girls are becoming aggressive, committing violent acts.”

“Because they live in a man's world. And because there isn't enough money in peace these days. We have the science to neutralize radiation at the source. It would save lives. But a cleaner bomb would also be easier to use. It would eliminate the threat of annihilation, but normal people don't make these decisions. Everything is controlled by the oil conglomerates, the banking cartels, the munitions manufacturers.”

“Well, we're getting off track here,” the moderator reminds them. “We are talking about the Millennium phenomenon, the behavioral changes that occur when a moment in time has historic implications on people's spiritual beliefs, their fears and their behavior.”

“Excess, fear, self-indulgence, intolerance – these are not just qualities of the 'millennium' generations. Every civilization has demonstrated them for centuries. But no civilization before this one has had the means at their fingertips to transcend the temptations of self-aggrandizement, of brutality, of destruction of the environment. And yet, we don't transcend. Instead, we repeat our destructive habits over and over again. If we pay heed to this new Millennium as a catalyst for change, then let's hope we use it wisely.”

“Well, I'm not as disillusioned with the human race as you are, Dr. Creighton,” Hilyer interjects while he has the chance. “When a catastrophe happens, people come together to help their neighbors and to find solutions.”

“Yes, yes, this is true.” Bianca acquiesces. “But in time they forget to be compassionate and unified, and resume their old ways. Then, another catastrophe occurs to bring people together again, and the cycle goes on. As an analogy, people sleep, then they wake up, then sleep again. Over and over. How many times must we do this until we
Get it
?”

…I have so grown tired of the journeys, the repetitious teaching of the same lesson over and over again…

The applause is deafening. The message is clear and tough. Tonight, it seems, the audience does Get it. How long will they keep it?

After the debate, Isaac invites Dr. Creighton to dinner. David keeps his counsel and says nothing to disclose that he and Bianca know each other,
more
than know each other, that they have a bond that transcends time and space, past and present. Bianca herself maintains a cordial but aloof recognition of David as only a charming boy who is Isaac's son.

Throughout the evening, Janice is strangely perturbed. This is not like her. She is acting differently, not the gracious woman she usually is with guests.

Later, when they are alone, Janice and Isaac have a fight, their first real disagreement.

“I don't understand why you are blowing this so out of proportion, Jan,” Isaac chastises her.

“Don't talk to me like that, Isaac. I'm not a child. That's how Nathan used to talk to me, patronizing and paternalistic.”

“Believe me, I know that. And Nathan certainly discovered you were more than a match for him. But I've never seen you like this. Pouty and sullen. It's not like you at all.”

“No, it's not,” Janice agrees, and feels an anxious chill up and down her spine. “And I hate it in myself! I just have this sense of foreboding around Dr. Creighton. I can't explain it, but I feel I'm losing you to her.”

“Losing me? But we just met today. That's not even possible, let alone feasible.”

“Maybe you'd better take me home, Isaac. No, on second thought I'm going home on my own. I'll call a taxi.”

“Don't do this. You're being…unreasonable, Jan. This is so unlike you.”

“Perhaps…we should call of our engagement…for now. Until Dr. Creighton leaves, or I can sort out my feelings.”

“What!” Isaac is shocked. “No…Jan…wait. Don't go!”

Janice rushes off and Isaac is left with bewilderment.

“Now what the heck was that all about,” Isaac wonders aloud, exasperated and confused. He looks at David beseechingly, and pleads “What did I do?”