Whistlestop (21 page)

She began to dream about her new
school. All the other children were mean to her, and as luck would
have it, she was the one sent to the principal’s office on her
first day. After sitting outside the office a few moments, she was
asked to step inside. She turned the knob, opened the door and
walked in. The principal was very different from what she could
have imagined. She was quite young and pretty, with long black hair
pulled into a bun, with streaks of lavender and pink. Her top was
quite sheer, and it seemed she had quite a few tattoos on her
exposed skin. “You wanted to see me, ma’am?”

“
Please sit down, my dear.
I am Principal Mithra Breakneck,” the woman said while leafing
through some papers. “I take it you are Lilian Lynette
Iron-heart?”

“
My last name is Winslow,
ma’am.”

The principal smiled and replied, “If
you say so, Lilian.” She stood, walked around her desk and sat on a
side chair next to the girl. “First of all, let me say that I
believe the boys in your class are at fault. Little Asmodeus,
Abaddon, and Pythius can be rascals. Tell me again why you are at
this school?”

“
I am supposed to become a
fortune-teller or something.”

“
You want to be a seer
then?”

“
No, I do not, ma’am. That
is what I am told I must be to help my family.”

“
Lilian, you are about to
become a woman, and quite a beautiful one, if I may say,” Mithra
noted. “You can be whatever you choose to be, my dear. What do you
want to be?”

“
I don’t know, but I want
to protect my parents for sure. If that means I have to be a seer,
then that’s what I guess I’ll be.”

Mithra stood and walked over to a
window and looked out on the schoolyard. “Would you believe me if I
told you I want to protect your family too?”

“
What?”

Instantly, the two were deep in a
cavern with torches lighting the immediate area. Drops of water
splattered on the ground after falling from long, thin stalactites
hanging from a ceiling that was too far above them to be seen.
Lilian was sitting on a boulder now and jumped to her feet from the
shock. “Lilian, like you, I have a brother who has gotten out of
hand. Your brother wants to be a knight. Mine wants to rule all the
realms of the universe. Your brother has big dreams, but is still a
child. Mine has already killed too many to count and will sacrifice
all life in the universe to fulfill his dreams. Who has the worse
brother?”

“
I think you
do.”

“
Come with me, Lilian,”
Mithra said, taking her by the hand and walking deeper into the
cavern. Lilian tried to resist, but as it was a dream, she had no
real control. They descended for a long time until the torch light
had faded and they were walking blindly in the dark.

“
I’m scared, Principal
Breakneck, can I go back to class now?”

“
We’re almost there, child,
just be patient.” A few minutes later, they arrived at a steel door
blocking their path. Mithra turned the knob and the door swung open
outward, revealing the grand scope of the cosmos. They could see
galaxies turning and meteors hurtling by in the vastness of outer
space.

“
Wow!” As they watched, the
image would change from one set of dimensions to the next.
Whistlestop appeared and then faded, to be followed by each of the
other realms of reality. “What is all of this,
Principal?”

Mithra knelt next to Lilian and smiled
at her. “My darling, this is reality, the same reality that my own
brother wants to either rule or destroy. The entire sweep of the
cosmos has been ruled by a perfect balancing act for eternity. It
may be destroyed utterly depending on what you do.”

“
Me? Why me,
Principal?”

“
First of all, I am not
your principal. I am Mithra, Princess of Demons of the Lower Realm.
Unlike my brother Linger, I know that compromise is the only reason
reality continues to exist. If good or evil wins outright, there is
no use for life, death and the struggle. Linger will destroy the
universe if he wins. He doesn’t know, but I know that the only
force capable of defeating him is a small child, granddaughter of
an angel, and the most powerful mortal since the beginning of time.
That is you, young Lilian Lynette Iron-Heart of Winslow. In the
morning, you will begin your training with my uncle. I pray you pay
close attention. All of our existence depends on you.” She kissed
the girl on the cheek.

Lilian woke on a straw mat in a
strange room. The walls were made of paper in a wooden framework.
She stood and looked around the tiny room. One of the walls
appeared to have a sliding section, so she walked over and pulled
it open. She was in a large wooden temple that sat halfway up a
tree-covered hill. A narrow river filled the gorge at the bottom of
the hill and another hill rose up on the opposite bank. Tall,
snow-covered peaks appeared in the distance past several more rows
of progressively taller hills. A gravel path led down the hill.
Twenty yards down that path, Emmanuel Peace sat on a long bench,
surveying the area. She hurried down and sat next to him. “Great
Grandpa, how are you today? Where are we?”

He looked at her and smiled, “I hope
the new location wasn’t too much of a surprise?”

“
It’s okay and it’s kind of
peaceful up here. Where’s Nana and Grandma?”

“
Oh, they’re around if we
need them, dear. I just wanted to have some time alone with you, if
that’s okay?”

“
Yeah, it’s cool,” she
replied. “Mithra said you were going to teach me.”

He patted her on the knee and said,
“She was always a good girl, in her own way.”

“
She told me I was the only
one who could stop Linger from destroying the universe. Is that
true?”

“
My niece has always had a
flourish for melodrama, but don’t put that much pressure on
yourself, Lilian. You do have some amazing abilities, but there are
others out there to help.”

“
Like the white dragon,
Great Grandpa?”

He smiled and said, “Him for one,
dearest. You know, great grandpa is so long and makes me seem
ancient. You can call me Poppy, if you like, or Manny if that’s
easier.”

“
I like Poppy. It fits you.
Can I ask you how old you are?”

“
Let’s just say I’m old
enough, sweetheart,” he laughed.

“
Are you going to teach me
to be a seer, Poppy?”

“
No, I think not,” he
replied.

“
But Grandpa Arthur said I
had to be a seer, Poppy. Why won’t you teach me?”

“
Darling, I am certainly
going to teach you,” Emmanuel noted. “However, there are some
things that I know and no one else does, except perhaps Mithra,
which is a bit disconcerting. If you promise not to be afraid, I
will tell you something wonderful.”

“
Why would I be afraid of
something wonderful, Poppy?”

They were now sitting on a park bench
in a huge city full of people. Tall buildings stretched to the sky
all around them. Hundreds of cars rushed along the broad avenue,
horns blaring, and taxis dropping off clients and picking up new
ones. Men and women in suits pushed by, rushing to their next
appointments. “Lilian, every mortal is born in a world with certain
rules and expectations. They learn, they grow, they live their
lives and then they die and return to me. Believe me that I cherish
each and every one of them. Some become saints while others become
ruthless butchers and thieves. And still, I honor and cherish each
one. Do you know why?”

“
Where are we,
Poppy?”

“
It doesn’t matter, Lilian.
Please watch.”

A man rushed across the busy street to
catch up with his girlfriend who was looking through magazines at a
small newsstand. He was just feet from the curb when a city bus
struck him, pushing him under the wheels before the driver slammed
on the brakes. A taxi just behind the bus slammed into the back of
the bus, pushing it forward. People screamed as they watched the
man’s body crushed under the wheels. Suddenly, it was deathly
quiet. Others rushed to the scene to try to help the victim. The
silhouette of the man stood in front of Emmanuel Peace. He knelt in
front of him and begged for another chance at life. Emmanuel rose
and opened his arms. The dead man put his arms around him and
cried.

Now they were in the middle of a
battlefield. A line of men in armor rushed forward with their
swords raised high. They passed by and attacked another group of
armed men. Bodies were hacked apart and blood stained the ground as
the dead and dying fell to the ground. Some screamed in pain while
others passed quietly. Silhouettes of the dead formed a line in
front of Emmanuel. He opened his arms and each man hugged him,
passed inside of him and disappeared. In less than the blink of an
eye, they were back on the hillside looking down on the quiet
river. “Well, Lilian, what do you think?”

“
Why did they choose those
lives, Poppy?”

He picked her up in his arms and
kissed her cheeks, and then set her down. “That is exactly my
point, darling. They chose; not me, and I love each and every one.
But there is something different about you, my dear.”

“
I don’t want to die,
Poppy.”

“
Did they all die, Great
Granddaughter? Did their existence truly end?”

“
In a real sense, I guess
they did not, Poppy. Is that your point?”

“
Yes and no, Lilian,” he
chuckled. “It is absolutely true that their existence carries on,
and they can choose a new world or life to lead. But that has
nothing to do with the reality of you.”

“
I don’t understand,
Poppy.”

“
Somehow, you are different
from them and from me,” Emmanuel began. “There has never been one
like you since the beginning of time. Do you see what I mean? Why
did Mithra come to you in a dream, daughter of Winterpast? She
commands the forces of evil, and yet she came to you begging for
help. Why?”

“
She was the wife of
Mordechai Davis Iron-heart, my other great grandfather.”

Emmanuel patted her on the head and
replied, “So you are both angelseed and demonseed; and perhaps
immortal as well.”

“
But that would be true for
my brother Jeremy as well.”

“
I suppose that is
possible, although I think unlikely. My darling, I can feel the
power within you. It is because I believe you are the Chosen One
that I have decided to train you personally.”

“
Poppy, I thought the
Knights of Winterpast were supposed to save the universe?” she
asked. “Why me?”

Now they were inside a marble temple.
Outside everything was absolute inky blackness. In the center of
the temple, an image of the universe floated before them. All the
realms of reality were visible, and became more detailed as each
was focused upon. Both Emmanuel and Lilian sat on gold thrones on
opposite sides of the universe. “Dearest, we can choose to let
things take their own course. In a particular rage, we could decide
to end reality and begin again. All life would end and the souls
would return to us. We could then decide if and when the next
reality would begin. Do that now, if you like.”

“
Poppy, I could never do
that!”

He laughed and said, “Either could I!
You have to look at reality for what it is, dearest. Your
grandmothers keep asking me to intervene and stop Linger. Now, do
you understand why I cannot?”

“
People need to make their
own choices?”

“
That’s my
girl!”

“
What am I supposed to do,
Poppy?”

They were back on the busy street. The
man hit by the bus suddenly stood up and walked back to the
sidewalk and began talking to others about his close-call. “Lilian,
I cannot tell you what to do. Please know that the universe will do
whatever you ask it to do. In a way, I’m glad to share that ability
with you, although you have to know that my nephew will be watching
you closely from now on. The most important thing I can tell you is
to not be afraid of evil. Linger and the others have no power over
you, unless you let them have it. If your brother, father or
grandfather face death, you must know that is both inevitable and
their choice. You can destroy Linger Bartholomew Breakneck with a
single thought, although I wouldn’t recommend killing him. For some
reason, the Creator has chosen to entrust you with control over all
of creation. I do not know why, but be that as it may. You were
chosen to resolve everything. It is your destiny.”

“
Poppy, it is too much,”
Lilian complained. “I’m just a kid. There’s no way I should be
responsible for the universe! There has to be a
mistake!”

“
My darling, I am not going
to send you now to fight to the death with Linger. Your education
is just beginning. Perhaps I said too much in this lesson, but I
thought it better to put all the cards on the table now. Try not to
overthink this. Let us just enjoy each other’s company and see what
we can discover. Why don’t you take us to a place you would like to
see? Start exercising your gift, Lilian.” An odd smirk filled her
face and the two disappeared.