It Has, It Always Was and Is

Part One: The Trip On The Road

I had a free day coming to me from work, so I thought a three day weekend was in order. I don't know what prompted me to visit my old home town. Maybe, as we start to grow older, we want to look back. Anyway, taking Route 93 north, I turned my radio on and I was on my way! I listened to the Bob "Blues" Nelson program.

Twenty miles from the exit to Shaw, Vermont, I saw up ahead of me a station wagon pulled off to the side of the road. An elderly man was attaching a jack to his car, or attempting to. He had a flat tire. I pulled over to see if I could help. Parking my Chevy, I climbed out of my car. "Need some help?" I asked.

A very thin old man, with just a few wisps of white hair on his head said, "Sure!" He handed me the jack and I stretched out on to my back to fit the lip of the jack, to a hard-to-find spot. After finding the "blessed spot," I got back up to get the crowbar. As I did, I saw a twelve year old boy staring at me through the back passenger window. For a moment, as my eyes connected to his, I had this urge to---bow. I had to chuckle to myself for the feeling, because it was just such a weird impulse to get. What was even weirder-- for a brief second, the impulse to bow reminded me of the urge I had to visit my old home town. Strange?

Putting that behind me, I proceeded to remove the flat tire. I hadn't done anything like this for a long time, which caused me to be on rather the slow side. While I tightened the nuts on the new tire, I could hear the old man pacing back and forth, sighing with impatience. I thought to myself, "Why not be grateful, someone stopped to help you." Brushing the dirt from my pants, I put the bad tire in the back of the old man's wagon. The elderly man went straight to his car and yelled out his window, "Thanks for the help." I had thought a handshake was customary in a situation such as this. I guess I was wrong.

I went back to my own car. I was about to turn the key when I heard the futile cranking of a car. I rolled my eyes and went back over to the station wagon. The old man climbed out and opened the hood to the engine. I came over and joined the elderly man, as he jiggled all the wires he could reach. "Maybe your battery is dead. Let me get my jumper cables," I said. I turned around to go to my car.

It was a loud cracking sound. Everything around me moved in slow motion. I could see the gray dirt of the breakdown lane coming slowly up towards me. Even the sound I made against the gravel sounded slow and distorted. I felt myself turning over on to my back. I saw the elderly man pass over and by me. The boy walked by and stopped. It seemed to me, he sparkled in a blue light. He gave me a smile. I mumbled something to him, "Gau-ch-es-fulth-ruey."

He just stared down at me with his smile. The boy then turned and walked away. I heard the sound of a car engine. I knew that sound. It was the sound of my car's engine. I struggled to get up. When I finally did, I saw my green Chevy zooming down the highway. I kicked the ground several times. After that didn't make me feel any better, I just stood there, taking in deep breaths. I was hoping that would dispel the high-pitched ringing sound I had in my head.

Looking down the stretch of road, I didn't see a road, but a shaft of blue light...a light made up of thousands of spinning spheres. Around the shaft of light were stars. It seemed to me however, there were seven prominent stars in the distance. Rising up from underneath the shaft of light was a hand. A hand that was miles long. The hand rose until the rays of blue light was in the center of the hand, which pointed upward. The light faded. And before me was this giant cosmic hand.

At first it was just a faint circle. Slowly,in the center of the hand, a circle appeared. This circle formed a center. Before me, in the center of the cosmic hand---was Earth.

A dizziness came over me. The next thing I knew, I was vomiting. That strange dream I had was gone. I figured it came from the blow to my head. What else would have caused it? I don't take drugs. The image was quickly fading from my mind. A state-trooper's car pulled up. A beefy built man with a Marine crew-cut and sporting a dark pair of sunglasses, climbed out of his cruiser. He came up to me. I explained to him what had happened. The state trooper drove me to the town of Shaw.

I was surpised to see how this country town hadn't changed much, except for the sign that read, "Visit Shaw on-line..." Well, they still have to keep up on the times! The state trooper pulled into the Shaw Police Station. He came in with me. When the police had all they needed from me, the trooper said, "I hope they can find your car, Mr. Legrasse. And it might be wise to have a doctor check you out." I thanked the state trooper.

Part Two: The Town of Shaw

The doctor gave me a big smile and replied, "I'm sure it did." The doctor did want x-rays to be taken of my head.

As I waited in a hallway for my x-rays to be taken, a group of people walked by. In the center of this group, was a woman around twenty five years old. The individuals around the woman ranged from nine years old to those who looked elderly. When the group was across from me, the young lady stopped. She came over to me. Giving me an understanding smile, she rubbed the side of her right hand over my cheek. I gave out a nervous giggle. She leaned in closer and whispered to me, "My, what a worried look. Don't be worried my tiny Kuu-jar-fncee-uli." She backed up and resumed going down the hallway with her entourage close behind her. A small boy turned toward me and smiled. "What is it with people smiling everywhere?" I said under my breath.

The little boy smirked and said to me, "For you that is a good thing. You see it that way fncee-uli?"

"What did you just say?" I asked. The boy just stood there for a second. He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out an action figure. The little boy slowly walked up to me and with a gentle hand and poked me in the chin with the toy figure.

I was going to ask him a few questions, when he said, "Silly fncee- uli." He waved at me and ran down back to the others in the group. I was thinking that maybe this is why my parents moved from this town in the first place. What wackos. If my parents were still alive, I would have loved to ask them about this town. Yet, I lived in this town till I was twelve, and couldn't remember anything out of the ordinary. I do remember the field that people called Field of the Seven Sisters. Man, I spent many happy hours playing in that field with my friends. I will have to visit it. If it hadn't fallen victim to development.

After the set of x-rays were done, once more I had to wait in the hallway. Shortly, Doctor Meta came and told me the x-rays were clear. He did advise me to take it easy. I told him what had just happened, and if it was me or was there something strange going on in this town. He said to me, "No, I haven't seen or heard of anything unusual happening. The only odd thing I know of and it's not a bad thing..." The doctor stopped talking.

"Please doctor, what was it?"

He smiled and replied, "It really isn't anything." He gave me a shy smile; "I---happened to notice, a high school student, er...I guess he would be called a jock and who pulls alot of weight around here, trailing around the school---well, don't want to call anyone names but... the school geek. It's like this jock is the geek's servant."

I asked the doctor, "You haven't heard people using an odd term like, I think it goes,'Fencee-uli'."

Doctor Meta said, "Yes ,or something close to it. I heard that expression around town. Kids, always starting some new trend." The doctor then left to make his rounds. I just wanted to know what it meant. If it meant anything at all.

I was about to leave the hospital, when a police officer came asking for me. It appeared they had found my car. It was parked in front of a used clothing store. Nothing was stolen or damaged. It looked like maybe things would turn out ok. I didn't want to face the four hour trip back to Boston. I had decided then, to stay in my old home town for the weekend. I got a room at a Holiday Inn.

Shocker

Walking over toward a river that ran behind a line of stores, I saw, in the dim light, the elderly man whom I had helped. "Hey you!" I shouted. The elderly man just turned toward me, his face bathed in the orange light of the setting sun. He turned down an alley. I ran across the street and down the alley. When I came to him, I said, "Wait just a minute. I have a few questions for you." I started to notice a dank and swampy kind of smell. The elderly man started to shake. I went around to face him. His eyes were wide and vacant.

With hands shaking, the old man lifted up his arms. I heard a slurping sound. The old man's fingers creaked, as they (I couldn't believe what I was watching) expanded! They grew thin with sharp-looking blades forming at the ends. I stepped back a few feet. But I couldn't run away, no matter how scared I was. I had to see what was happening. The hands continued to expand and lengthen.

Webbing between the still-human-looking fingers appeared. The old man's clothes started to disintegrate. What was appearing under the quickly disappearing fabric, wasn't human. God! The old man's face became a mockery of something once human. The face appeared more aquatic. The head became increasingly sloped. The eyes bulged like frogs eyes. That's it! The old man appeared to be turning into a frog!

The transformation seemed to be stopping, when this frog thing started to shrink. Smaller and smaller it became, until there on the ground was a every-day-run-of-the-mill, bull frog. The bull frog made a few croaks and hopped away. I felt stunned. I felt uneasy by it all. I looked off toward the river. Down about sixty feet, I saw a child standing at the river's edge. It was hard now to see. But I knew it was the same boy I had seen in the station wagon with the old man.

Part Three: Phantoms

The boy just kept still. With the sun now set, the boy was just a dark outline. A cool wind blew by. It had the scent of hay that had been recently cut in many of the fields that surrounded the town. Crickets started their evening concerts. A group of fire- flies flew by. As they did, I could see, in the green light generated by the fire-flies, the boy's face. It was intently staring at me.

Taking his silence no more, I broke out with, "Say something damn it! What happened to the old man. And why are you here?"

In a soft voice the boy said, "There was no old man. It was just a bullfrog."

"Yeah I know. But before, there was an elderly man."

"It was a bullfrog and..." The boy stopped. I heard the shuffling sound of his clothes, as he turned and started walking off.

"Wait!" I shouted.

I saw the dark outline of the boy stop. "I have to go. They are waiting for me. But don't worry yourself over the old man." The boy then walked off; vanishing into the darkness. Across the river, I heard voices. I also heard the sound of small steps over wooden planks. The boy, I figured, must be going over the small step-bridge, to join whomever it is on the otherside. I was tempted to follow, but I had enough excitement for one day. I took in the fresh cool air of the evening. The stars had come out. They were all so bright. Above the area, where I heard the other voices, I spotted the constellation Taurus. I lowered my eyes back to the darkness of the field on the other side of the river. I thought I saw for a moment, a few glimmers of light. Enough for today. I went back to my hotel room.

I went to the restaurant at the hotel. I had a good-sized steak. As I was eating, a middle-aged couple walked by me. They looked at me, as they walked by. They seemed to be looking at me, as if they knew me. But they continued on. I decided to have my dessert up in my room.

In the confines of my room, I ate my apple pie. I thought, as I ate the pie, "Halfway around the world, there are places on the brink of war. People scraping up what they can to live, at least for another day. And here in a quiet peaceful town, something strange is going on. An old man turning into a frog, strange voices and people. Yet, it is something I feel is older than any culture there is. A part of man, maybe a forgotten part." I stopped the thought. It is just too crazy to think about. People turning into frogs; the strange speech. I can't waste my energy over such things. But---damn it. I did see it!

Night Travels

I was being carried by someone unknown thing through space. I was hurtling toward seven blue suns. However, they vanished, as I was lowered on a large shiny surface. Coming from behind me, I heard a sound, like marching. I turned around. A group of people in single-file, came up to me. They were dressed in shiny blue nightgowns. I saw women, men and even children. They kept in marching step, as they formed a line to my right. They stopped the pounding of their marching. It became silent.

I looked around me. Except for the line of people, it was just us. Above our heads was a sky of stars. I heard a voice. It was soft and deliberate. It was coming from all around me. I felt a warmth pouring down from above me. Looking up, I saw a huge face coming down at me. It was smiling. The smiling face kept coming down, becoming larger at every second. I thought it was going to ram me!

I closed my eyes. Opening my eyes, I found myself in someone's living room. It was a dark, wooden paneled place. In the middle of the room, was a chest set. I saw all these little life like figures set up in a row on one side. In a flash of light, that boy I had seen in the stationwagon and near the river, appeared on the other side of the chest table. Moving swiftly through it, said, "Be in line. Your place." He pointed to the chest table. I looked down at the chest set. The little figures started moving about, jumping and singing. As I looked, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It felt cold. Turning around, I saw a half human, half frog creature. "Noooo," I screamed. I woke up. Covered in sweat. I was alone in my room. I sat up in my bed. I just stared out the window, looking at the distant stars.

Part Four: Diner Blues

When I woke up the next morning, I found to my joy, I felt quite good. I had no more dreams that night. Could it be normality had returned? I thought so. Or wanted to think so. I had to pause for a moment before doing anything else. I thought how funny it was and important, that normality should have returned to me. I thought about it, because I always thought life is an adventure with many surprises. And now I am glad for normality. Maybe I am being too hard on myself. I think all of us like structure in our lives.

Leaving my room, I went downstairs and left the hotel. I thought I would take breakfast in the town's diner. The diner was built to resemble a trolley car, of the nineteen twenties. I entered the diner. I went up to the silver food counter, and pulled up a stool. The bacon that was sizzling on the grittle smelled great. From the sounds my stomach was making, it agreed with me.

The diner had a television set. It was set up on a shelf above a row of glasses behind the counter. A news broadcast was on. It was showing scenes from the Middle East. There were riots on both sides. It seemed a conflict was developing. The camera crews stationed in that volatile area, showed many of the dead victims, victims of the hatred. Many were youths. Several of the faces seemed to jump out at me from the screen. My heart sank inside of me. I felt such grief and waste. An anger started to swell up inside of me. I blurted out loud, "Those were Fncee-uli! And my God I see a Kuu-jar!"

"What the heck does that mean?" asked a middle-aged man in a black suit.

I put several fingers to my mouth and replied, "I think it meant guardian." The cook, a teenager around eighteen, gave me a smile then she turned off the television set. I had my breakfast.

In The Field

As I was running, my left foot sank into something and I went flying down onto my face. I got back on to my feet. I was happy to find I hadn't done any damage to my foot. I did want to see what had caused my fall. Looking around, I saw a depression in the ground. I thought at first, that maybe a period of rain this area had a few weeks back, had caused the ground to give in. Studying the depression for a few minutes, it seemed to my eyes that it ran for a good hundred feet or so. I started to walk it. I also noticed that it felt hard beneath me. It is strange, I started to think. As a kid and all the times I had spent here, I never noticed this depression before. Getting on to my hands and knees, I began to pull at the green grass. Beneath the clumbs of earth I pulled up, I found a smooth gray surface. At that moment I heard a, "Hello."

I jumped up. Standing, in blue jeans and in a gray sweat jacket, was the boy from the stationwagon and from last night! Beneath his wavy crop of black hair, was a pair of light green eyes. Eyes that studied me knowingly. I wasn't scared. Even after what had happened last night; I wasn't scared. "So, you from around here?" I asked, not knowing anything better to start with.

"No. But I needed to be here," he responded, plainly.

This next question was a bit uneasy for me to ask, "I take it then you had an uncle or grandfather drive you here?"

The boy's face became thoughtful, as he said, "No. I was living in a foster home. I knew they wouldn't let me come here, so I had a friend take me."

"Hmm, well I see a..."

The boy interrupted, "Sorry you got hit in the head. My friend got carried away."

I placed my hand on my chin, as a nervous reaction to what I next asked, "How is your friend?"

"Oh he's cool and happy." The boy stept closer to me. "Haven't you had a pet, one that you spoke to, or even in a way, saw as a Friend?"

"I guess I did," I replied. I then saw a group of twelve people entering the field. The boy waved to them. As I watched them, I saw they were groups within groups. While they were one, there were several that seemed, at least to me, to be the leaders (from the way the others acted around them). One I noticed was the young woman from the emergency room. These people were strangers, yet they felt like family. The boy, though, I had a different feeling about. He was something much more and greater.

The fourteen of us stood there in the field. The images I had seen of the dead people on the news program back at the diner, came back to my mind. I thought they should be here too. But because of war and mindless hatred, their destinies had been destroyed. I felt sad. I felt angry. It also made me mad, when the leaders from both sides would make up lies for their actions. Lies in order that they could stay in power, no matter the pain inflicted upon others. If only they knew the ones that had been killed, ones ready to give so much.

My anger, and fears melted away from the touch of the boy. And during that touch, the universe opened for a moment. Strange worlds, ancient and great life forms and behind and part of it all; the cosmic spirit.

When I came back to myself, I was alone in the field. I walked slowly back to town.

Part Five: The Gathering

I was back on the main road and I could see the town. I was passing a lovely old mansion. It had a gable roof, white trim and the rest was painted in a light pink. There even was a widow's walk on top. I couldn't figure why a house built in the country would need one. Houses by the sea usually had them. Widow's walks were for the wives of captains and sailors, who had gone away to sea. With a longing in the heart, these wives waited up in these roof top lofts, waiting for their love to return from the sea.

I was just about to pass the house, when I heard a woman's voice say, "Hey, stranger, what's you doin." Sitting in a large wicker-chair was a middle-age woman, in a white dress, with what I guess was a mink-stole around her neck. Her hair, which was done in the bee-hive fashion, was a light purple. I gave her a friendly wave.

"Why not visit a lonely girl," she said to me, in raspy voice, that had seen too much cigaretts and liquor.

"Thanks for the offer, but I have business in town."

In a rather frustrated voice, she told me, "What is it with this town lately? Everyone is too busy. What the (CENSORED)heck is going on?"

"Sorry," I replied.

"Oh well," she replied; "If you change your mind, come over later, where I'll have nothing on but the radio." She then gave out an air-less laugh. Walking away, I looked once more at the widows walk. I saw a figure up there looking in the direction of the field I had just come from.

Upon entering the town, I saw a lot of tourists. There were all these cars lined up in front of the hotel. I saw a few van full of teenagers. One car pulled up near me. I saw the plates were from Canada. A tall woman who looked to be in her forties; climbed out. She looked at me, as if she knew me. Even though I didn't know her, I somehow did. She said to me, "Hello. My name is Melody Rosenthal."

"Nice to meet you Melody. I'm Mitch Legrasse. On a little trip? Oh, sorry; that was rude of me."

She replied, with a twinkle in her eyes, "No problem, but I'm glad you caught it though. No, I hadn't intended to. When I saw the exit sign for this burg, I thought I should stop by." She had an urgent look in her eyes, as if she wanted to share something with me. Instead, she gathered a few things and went into the hotel. As I watched her going up the front stairs to the hotel, I found she had that special air of authority that I found in that boy.

It made me think. There was almost a hierarchy among all these curious souls. I decide to walk by and around this new influx of people. As I had seen, the people were of all ages. One group of teens I followed had more joyful energy, which is the best way to dscribe what I felt. However, one blond-haired male, in this group, had a joyful air about him too, but also that air of authority. When the eyes of this blond-haired teen spotted me, he said with a big engaging smile, "Great to see you." After he had said that, I gave him a little bow. I felt a bit silly for bowing, but it also felt right. I continued on for a while getting my impressions of people. It was all similar. Some people had that friendly air of authority, others did not. I did encounter people who gave me no feeling whatsoever.

I went back to my hotel room to clean up after my morning activities. I saw a Bible next to a stack of clean towels on top of my dresser.When I opened it up, it was at the Book of Numbers. The verse my eyes went to read: "We felt as small as grasshoppers, and that is how we must have looked to them." I shut the book. Something was happening---but what? Did I know what was going on, but refusing to face it? I didn't know.

I Meet The Boy Again and his Mouse

"Sure," he said, in a friendly but in a voice, void of energy. The boy was deep in thought.

"You seem lost in thought," I said.

"Yeah."

I didn't want to press him, but I was hoping for anything that might shed light on what has been happening. "Anything I can help with?"

He gave me a look, you give a child who wants to be helpful but cannot be. "Thinking about the others. I mean people who can't be here cause they're dead. Gone 'cause of stupid people and their stupid games. There lives weren't theirs to fool with."

"Are you referring to politics?" I asked.

The boy gave me a sneer. "If that's what you want to call it. Countless good and special lives with a path, wiped out by the idiots that can't see anything but themselves."

"Pretty strong stuff for a boy to be thinking," I said, with admiration and some surprise in my voice.

The boy sighed. "Maybe that's why I'm always in a foster home. Just a weirdo."

"No, you're not!" I responded back, with conviction in my voice.

"I don't know what to think of it. It's freaky. I have always felt something in me. I had felt it in others. I mean, what I feel inside of me."

"Do you feel that "thing" in me?" I asked the boy.

The boy gave me a slight smile and said gently, "No. You have something different." The boys face then lit up; "But it's also important." He went silent. And his eyes were deep in whatever it was that just entered his mind. He spoke again, "But I'm different from some and others, not."

It was at this point, I had even more questions on my mind, when I noticed something moving underneath the boy's shirt collar. I saw a white tail for a brief moment curl out from underneath the purple material of the shirt. "Is that your pet?" I asked.

"Oh, well---not really, I thought I should have an adult by me, when I'm not with the others." The boy reached up underneath his collar and took hold of what was under his collar. His hand was closed. The boy bent over the table, keeping his hand shut and close to the table. "I don't want the others, who aren't with us to see this," he whispered to me. Opening his hand up was a mouse. A mouse from the mid-section back. From the mid-section forward was---was, a person! There was a chest, shoulders, arms and head of a man. It had a short crop of sandy colored-hair.

"Wha...wha...what is it?"

"I found this mouse and I was going to will it to be human. But I was just too tired to finish the job."

"Then that old man was truly a frog!!"

"Yeah, I needed someone to drive me here, when I felt myself being called here," explained the boy.

Who was I in the presence of?

Part Six: Tobias Derleth

I watched as the half human, half mouse; crawled around the boy's hand. I asked the boy, "How long have you had these powers?

The boy was watching his unusual pet; when he answered, "The power to change a frog into the form of a person, it only just happened several days ago."

"You never found you had any special gifts till then?"

The boy gave me a mindful glance, "As I just told you, I have always felt there was something different about me. But I never could change anything into something else. It was only after I started realizing that I had a duty to come here, that my new powers surfaced." With a fraternal face, the boy asked me, "And what about you my partner?"

"I use to live here and wanted to visit my old hometown," I replied.

"Nothing else?"

I knew the boy was getting after something deeper. Before I answered, I asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Tobias Derleth."

I extended my hand to the boy and said, "I'm Mitch Legrasse." When I shook hands with the boy, I felt a maturity. A maturity that goes deeper than any definition our society in its present form can come up with. What I was feeling, was a maturity of ages. This Tobias Derleth, who might have been seen as a curiosity with abnormalities, by those around him, and I confess to thinking the same, had it not been for the things I have seen, was in reality, a seed. A seed that was awakening. For centuries unknown, it has remained dormant. Only appearing in man's dreams or those who it called out to---until now.

Whatever it was, it was now no longer dormant; in me and in the others I have met. I didn't know what its purpose was yet. All I knew was, that in the body of a twelve year old boy, breathed an ancient greatness.

A Few Members Saved

"No. Being born in this town, isn't a necessary part of our call. This place is a focul plane. And it's one of many."

"Many!" I exclamined.

Before I could ask any further questions, the woman Melody from Canada, came over to our table. She said to Tobias, "A group of our members were killed near the boarder of Bosnia. The N.A.T.O Alliance were testing a new missile program, when there was a malfunction." In tears, Melody added; "And they're all gone."

Tobias looked up at the distraught woman and said, "No, not all of them. I sense several of their souls." Tobias turned to me. "I need your help"

"What can I possibly do?"

Tobias stood up and took my hand, "Come, you are my connector." Tobias put the mouse man in his shirt pocket. We went to the men's room. He locked the door. Tobias closed his eyes. The arm to the hand he was holding; fused with his. They became a single connection of skin. Rays of orange and yellow light, bursted out of Tobias's head. I felt a draining feeling. My head was full of the murmuring of strange voices. Tobias let go of my hand. Everything appeared normal.

"Did it work?" I questioned, not knowing what he had done.

"Yeah! It sure did. I was able to save three of them." Tobias lifted up the front of his sweat jacket. I stared with open mouth. On or in his chest, I saw the swirling faces of three people. They moved and circled around each other. Tobias lowered his shirt. "At the time of our ascension, they can be released with the others."

When we came out of the Men's room, Tobias was straightening his sweat jacket. A couple at a table near the Mens room, gave me a funny look. "I have to go now and speak with the others," said Tobias.

"Tobias, when you say others, do you mean people like me?"

"No, ones just like me." Tobias also told me, "Don't try to block what is happening. It's very real." He turned and left the hotel. I saw Melody follow after him. I also saw, a rather stout man, in a red tee-shirt with a light red goatee, leave also.

A man at a table, who looked to be around my age, said hello. I saw he was holding a sketch book. "Hi, my name is Ivor. Don't look nervous. It's ok, I'm here just as you are here."

"Ah...yeah. It's just getting used to, well, what is happening," I told Ivor.

"It is," responded Ivor. He stood up. "I don't want to appear rude, but I have to find where my friend Joe, who also happenes to be an artist, went."

"Sure," I told him.

I shortly, left the hotel and walked. It seemed I was doing alot of that lately. I went to another field. This one was called the Potato Field, though I saw no potatoes. It was a rather small field, surrounded by white birch and apple trees. I went up to an old gray granite stone fence. It was covered with green lichen. The wall was in bad repair. It must had been close to a hundred years since human hands had last touched it. I sat down in front of one large boulder. It was under the shadow of an apple tree. I sat there listening to the sounds of the field. I could hear the buzzing of bees and wasps. Somewhere from out of the field, came the plaintive cries of a fly making a spider's dinner.

I closed my eyes. In a brief moment, my mind and heart became still. Opening my eyes, I stared. I just stared. Walking above and around great cities of man, were beings of monumental size. The great cities of man, appeared as ant hills or small models to the gigantic beings.

My vision became blurred, as something behind me thrusted itself into my back. I was face down in wheat. I stood up in the field. I turned around. Before me stood a block. A mighty block. I was motionless before the cliff-like side. The front of it slid to the side with not even a sound. I stept back gazing up at the black opening. I found myself in a living darkness. The shadow of a youth climbed out from the opening. For minutes, so it seemed, to took this giant youth to straighten up.

The bite of a mosquito woke me up. I stood up and stretched. I ran a hand over my head of hair, as I thought about the dream and the giant youth. I knew it wasn't a dream, not really.

Part Seven: Great Mighty Ones

Later that day, I stopped in at the local bar: The Cat and Mouse. The bar was rather dark and the somber color of the Cherry-wood paneling even added to the subdued atmosphere of the establishment. I pulled up a gold and black leather stool and sat down at the bar. Getting a nice cold brew, I glanced up at the large television set. A baseball game was scheduled to begin. On the screen for the moment was the news. The President had been going on endlessly about a new tax plan. The Vice-President and the members of his cabinet stood around him. They reminded me of vultures I had seen once on a long stretch of highway in Arizona. The Vultures had been picking at the remains of road kill.

As I watched the President and his cabinet making smiles for the camera, I noticed a shadow pass in front of them. At first, I thought it might have been a shadow cast by one of the television crew. But it kept happening. As I watched, I felt, as if I was there in person. And when I found myself standing in the Oval Office, with beer still in hand, I knew I was. This shadow I had just seen, appeared again. I gazed around the room trying to see where it came from. Dust and debris started to fall from the ceiling to the Oval Office. A blinding light appeared in the room. The ceiling had been ripped off. A huge finger came down through the now missing ceiling. I noticed a shiny wet substance on the end of this finger. The tip of the finger came and rested on the President and his cabinet.

Whatever the substance was; it caused them to stick to the gigantic finger tip. The finger withdrew, while the President and his cabinet cried for help. I heard a pounding sound. Rushing over to the window; behind the President's desk, I saw the two legs of a being that had to be miles high.

The next thing I realised, I was at the bar. Up on the television screen was the President and his cabinet still smiling. The scene then switched to news in the Middle East. Different political leaders talked about the situation. I found myself once more in the landscape that was up on the screen. However, this time, the whole area filled my vision. Pushing its way through the center of every major Middle East cities were these enormous beings. They appeared to me to be youthful. They took humanity in hand, which scattered at their toes, which rose above the people as cliffs. Was this all humanity was or going to be. Did humanity fail? I looked up at the youthful beings that extended into the sky. Looking off toward the mountains of old, I saw huge beings perched on top, keeping a keen eye on humanity below.

When I found myself back at the bar, I took a handful of nuts that was in a bowl on the counter; finished my beer and left. The energy of the people outside, was different from the people I had seen on the television. These people were so full of life and purpose.

In the crowd of people in the streets, I saw Tobias. He ran up to me. His eyes looked thoughtful. He said to me, "There is a reckoning that comes to all."

Part Eight: Human After All

"Yeah, everything in creation has a point where it gives account of its existence." Tobias looked deeply into my eyes. "You have been getting a taste, a look."

"Is this what it is all about? I mean what is going on?" I asked.

Tobias replied, "No."

I started thinking: in our every day lives we don't see or have time to see how out lives, for good or bad, affect others. But a question did form in my being; I had to ask Tobias about. Anticipating my question, Tobias said, "Yes."

"Never could understand a ruler, who outwardly said he followed God, then rallied his people to kill ohers, strangers, in a form of a holy war."

Tobias replied, "Only God and God alone can create and destroy. God doesn't look for the destruction of any of his creations. Anyone who claims they are motivated to kill for the good of God and others; (innocent people) is either crazy, evil or both. To kill innocent people is the mark of a coward. A coward who can't face life or deal with real problms, so he incites his people toward another group, thus diverting attention off of him and his goverment. But, to hide behind and use peoples faith and the name of God, to promote ones political or monetary power, is the darkest thing a person can do. Such a leader, business man; who ever, is the lowest and most disgusting creature in creation. They are a real abomination. But enough of these people of darkness."

I had to fight from smiling. I agreed in what Tobias had said, it was just hearing such lofty thoughts from a boy.

A teenager, who looked around seventeen came up to Tobias. He was holding something in a clenched fist. When he saw me, the teen gave me a friendly nod of the head. "What you got there?" asked Tobias.

The teens face grew red. He said, with some unease, "Ah, I'm having problems putting these people back into human shape."

Tobias said to the teen, questioningly, "Where did you get them?"

The teen responded, "I saw them on the news and wanted to study them. I guess I went too far." All I saw was two tiny shapes squirming silently in the teen's hand.

Tobias took the two tiny figures into his own hands. I will reshape them back." He gave the teen a thoughtful and stern look as he said, "You have to be careful with your power and not choose to use in a way it wasn't meant to. I know for all of us this is an exciting time as we get ready for the ascenion. We have been given special powers but to misuse them..." The teen cut Tobias off.

"I wasn't looking to play power games, I just wanted to know what makes these type of leaders the way they are."

"Ok," replied Tobias; I believe you. I will just mark this to over- excitement. Otherwise, you would need to stay behind and still grow. We are human after all."

As Tobias was kneading the living flesh of the two tiny individuals; the teen asked, "Can you fix them?"

"Oh sure," said Tobias with confidence; "They hadn't lost too much of their humanity. But it does remain to be seem how they live the rest of their lives. For now; they still have sufficient human shape to continue."

After Tobias had reshaped the two little ones, they vanished, right there in his hand. The teen thanked Tobias and went over to join another group of people. The teen I saw was with a group that was following that young woman I had seen the other day in the hospital. That teen then was like me and not a leader.

Tobias had gone off. I headed off for the common. I was passing the general store which also served sandwiches. The store had a few picnic benches out in front. I noticed under one of them, a little girl with braids was playing with something. Walking over and squatting down, I heard the sound of high pitch voices. The little girl turned toward me and said, "Do you like baseball?" In front of the little girl and hidden under the shadow of the picnic bench, was what appeared to be a model of a baseball stadium. But appearances can be deceiving. This was no model but the real thing!

"What are you doing? I asked her.

"I'm just playing."

"Just playing," I said; "There must be close to a thousand people in that tiny stadium."

"Much more. I wanted to play with them. Sometimes, I have one team (the little girl pointed to a group of players, and after I squinted my eyes, that were in red.) win and all the people from one side cheer them and like them. When I have the team in red lose, the crowd hates them." The girl gave me a puzzled look.

I told the little girl, "When it comes to sports and games, people can be fickle." I also told her, "Maybe you should send them back to where they came from. Before something happens to them. They may be tiny to you now, but they're still human."

The little girl hesitated for a moment. After a sigh, the stadium vanished. The little girl climbed out from underneath the table. After I got up, I saw Tobias with an approving look at the other end of the table. He smiled and went off again. All I did was scratch my head wondering if this was some sort of test.

That Night

Ivor said, "Sure." I sat down next to him. Ivor handed me his sketch book. On one page, done in pencil, were these enormous beings walking over a tiny landscape. Another page was of many human beings floating before seven stars. And the next page in detail, showed massive beings with small beings circling around their heads as they were like planets.

"These are very good Ivor. And strange as it sounds, like pictures from dreams I have had over the course of my life."

"I know what you mean," responded Ivor.

"How about these," said another voice. I looked up. I saw another man, who was holding up a few color pictures. The picture was of people floating in front of seven blue suns. He also had a picture of a being standing over the earth.

Ivor turned to me and said, "This is Joe. He's another artist."

I got up and said, "Joe, I'm Mitch." It didn't seem necessary to me, to give my last name out. I sat with Ivor and Joe for a while enjoying myself over their work.

Later I had dinner. I went over and seated myself with a large group of new arrivals. Normally, in the past, I would have been too shy to go over and eat with a bunch of strngers, but these weren't strangers. They were people like me, drawn here for a purpose.

During dinner, my vision became blurred. I was still in my chair. I was in my chair except, I was traveling at great speeds through space. A glowing orb of light appeared before me and quickly grew in size. As I entered the light, I found I was entering the atmospere of a planet. My body started to shake. I was flung out of my chair into the air. With a thud I landed on the ground. Getting up I looked around the landscape. It was barren. Void of life. Out of this barren world I heard a voice. A faint voice. I looked around trying to find where it came from. When I went to sit down on the ground, I spotted a black haze moving over the ground toward me. It stopped at the base of my shoe. It was no haze but living matter. I heard that faint voice again. "You came back."

"You ok?" I heard one woman ask me. I was back at the table.

"Sorry," I told the people at the table; "I had a dream."

"Or vision," said another person. Gathering my thoughts, I finished my meal.

To Be Continued....

Part Nine: Struggle Within

As we finished our meal, the teen that Doctor Meta had me mentioned to me about at the emergency room, came over to our table. As the doctor described, he looked like the archetypal high school nerd. I am not judging his character, just describing how he looked. The high schooler looked to be about six feet tall, thin and of a nervous nature. His face was blue with acne. And on top of his head were wisps of light brown hair that flopped in every direction. His speech, however, was kind and full of knowledge. "Hi. I'm Jeff Tracy. And tomorrow is the big day folks."

"Where do we meet?" asked a woman.

Jeff responded, "Our ascension will be in The Field of The Seven Sisters. It will take place right after sunset. You will get the call. Tomorrow should be a very special day for all of us." Jeff was about to leave, when he looked down at me and said,in a questioning voice, "Your a Fncee-uli?" The teen then left. I was going ask someone what that meant but a fatigue came over me. Whatever the word means, I will find out tomorrow. After I excused myself from the table, I went to my room. I felt as if all my energy was gone. I went and fell onto my bed.

During the course of my sleep, I turned and tumbled out of my bed. I landed with a thud onto a hard cold surface. I felt chilled. I reached for my bed but couldn't touch it. I stood up. It took me a few minutes to let my eyes and mind adjust. I was no longer in my bedroom but outside. It appeared I was in the middle of a street. From the sparse illumination coming from a few street lights, I was in the main street of a town. I could see a few houses, stores and a broken down church. Everything was cast in a gray light.

A bright light burned; no, I should say, ripped into my eyes. It was so bright and unexpected. When I could somewhat look into the bright light, I saw that it had ripped right through the center of the street. It was like tearing a picture up. But this was no picture. As the rift of light lengthened and tore through, I could hear and see the buildings it cut through, falling apart. Two giant hands came and pushed aside the edges of the rift of light. First, a huge bare foot came through, followed by a leg. I stepped back when the full form of the giant came through. As best I could judge, by the fact I barely was higher than the giant's big toe, I was a mere bug to who or whatever this was.

I moved slowly in the hopes, I wouldn't be spotted. When I heard a voice; a male voice say, "Drkeve, look what I found." I saw, to my dread, the giant raising his foot. As futile as it was, I tried to escape. A heavy object struck me on top of my head, followed by an intense pain. I cried out. I heard laughter. The pain subsided somewhat. "Drkeve, this tiny one is different."

"Give it here brother," boomed a girls voice. I was released from under the foot. I quickly started gasping for air. But just as quickly, huge fingers picked me up roughly. I was dropped into a gaint hand. "You're right, brother. It does seem different." A titan of a finger came down and pressed down on me. All of the air that was in me was pushed out. At first I thought I had been crushed.

Feeling air re-entering my lungs, I started to come to my senses. I saw the giant finger coming down, slowly. I had the feeling I was being toyed with. When the finger was within a few feet of my chest I yelled, "Cut it out."

Both the giant boy and girl repeated in unison, "Cut it out." Their cruel eyes glared down at me while they laughed. I din't know what to do. But staying here didn't make any sense, so I jumped off the hand.

"Oh no you don't," said the giant boy. His hand came sweeping up at me. It struck me hard and fingers wrapped tightly around me.

Part Ten: My Human Shape

"Ok Drkeve. I just want our new little pal to know who is master."

Drkeve moved closer to her brother and told him, "We are both his and the others masters." The brother nodded his head. The pain was subsiding. But my fear of these two was starting to grow. "So what do you think of our little village?" asked the giant boy. He poked me with a finger and said, with a bit of menace in his voice, "Well, what do you think?"

The bright light that had proceeded the giant brats' appearence had faded. And I found myself back in the dim gray light. "From what I see of it, I guess it's ok."

"What about the people? What do you think of them?" questioned the boy.

"I don't see any people," I replied.

"You don't?" The boy then pointed with his other hand to the town below. "What do you call those?" Walking the streets I saw the outlines of people.

"Put him down. He should meet our people," said Drkeve. The giant boy squatted down and shook me off his hand, as if I were an unwanted bug. I got myself back onto my feet. The vague outlines of people, I had seen from the giants hand took form. These phantom people, either gave me a smile or a slight nod of the head. Three of the town's citizens circled around me. Their slow movements around me made me feel like a trapped animal; ready to be pounced on. I did not like this feeling.

I turned around to ask the giant boy something when I jumped back in a startle. Squeezing out from underneath the toe-nail of the big toe, was another one of these phantom townspeople. With great effort, he freed his body. The man, who like the others was gray in color, wiped off with his hands, bits of dirt from the giants toe-nail. The man just glanced at me and moved on ahead down the street. Several other people crawled out from underneath his other toe-nails. Many of the people who I had been able to get a better look at, were well dressed. They looked, as if at one time, they were people of great social standing. "If you're good. Maybe I will let you live under my toe-nails," spoke the giant boy to me.

Feeling more agitated, I asked, "What is this place. Am I dead and this is hell?"

Both the boy and his sister frowned. Drkeve said, "I know it isn't London, New York or Paris, but I wouldn't call it hell."

"This place is your world," said the boy; "It has always been part of you and your fellow man. You made it."

"I never had seen this town before or its people," I replied.

"Sure you have. Everyone in the world has helped in a giant and tiny way to help build it," explained Drkeve.

"You can stay here. It is a nice place," said the giant boy, with a sweet voice and a face that became lovely to behold. "Your troubles are over. You're home!" he continued.

"I'm sorry," I told him, cause I did not want to anger him; "My home is elsewhere."

"No, you're wrong. It is here. That is why you were brought to us. Anyways, out there in the outer reaches, you had nothing but pain," said Drkeve.

"Yes pain brought on by those so called civilized people," responded the boy. The giant boy slid his index finger between my legs and lifted me hundreds of feet into the air. "Now see what me and my sister are talking about."

I was looking down in the parking lot of a school. I recognized it. It was my former grammar school. In the lot several kids were talking. In the corner being held by two other kids, was another kid-- it was me! One of the other kids was telling his friends how a guy like me would be chewed up in junior high. Yes, I remembered it all. At the time I remember thinking how cruel and unfair it was to single me out, as if I was meat for their sport. And junior high was hell for me. I remember getting pulled under several benches in the boys locker room after gym and getting beat up. God I hated gym class. And ninth grade, when in science class, several girls stuck me with pins. I could feel the pin pricks, as if it was happening all over again. And one of the hardest things about it was, no one came to my rescue or defense. When my parents' house had burnt down, the first things my school chums asked was, "Did you piss on the fire."

"Is this the type of people you think you want to be part of?" questioned the giant boy. I had no response. I tried to think of the many more good people I had meet. But the old fire of hatred from all the humiliations swelled up inside of me. Anxiously, I rubbed my hands together. As I did, I noticed they had taken on a grayish hue.

"We are on your side," said Drkeve. Her brother then put me down. I found myself suddenly under a blue sky. I was next to several red blocks that came up to my waist. These blocks had windows. I found, however, they weren't blocks but red brick buildings. It was my junior high. Looking over the top of one part of the school, I saw down in the court yard large numbers of students. In the middle, were the group of guys who had made life hell for me. With saying a word, I lowered my giant hand down. I saw them look up in terror. I pressed them down under my hand. I applied just enough pressure so they couldn't escape and weren't harmed.

"Go on. Do it," said the giant boy.

"But if I crush them I become just like all the other idiots of the world."

"These are the idiots of the world. So you see, you wouldn't be doing anything wrong," replied the giant boy. I looked down at my hand. I felt the futile struggles of the people trapped beneath my hand.

"If you don't want to crush them now, humiliate them as they did you," said Drkeve.

I stood there thinking. If I crush them, then I'm no better. I lifted up my hand and screamed, "Enough of this!"

I found myself back at the edge of the giant boy's finger. The boy yelled at me, "You're nothing but dirt! Only fit to live under my toe-nail." He tilted his finger down. I grasped on to it with my hands and legs. I could see the hard ground below. I also saw the towns folk getting on to their hands and knees. They crawled up and under the giant boys' toe-nails. They were gone.

"Why can't you be like the others and obey," said Drkeve, with hatred in her voice.

"Maybe, because I try to be good and not a (blank) slave to myself," I responded back.

The giant boy, flicked me off his finger. I was falling head first toward the ground. I heard the giant boy calling after me, "You're nothing but toe-nail dirt." And for a brief second I thought I heard him say, "Take us."

I closed my eyes just before I hit the ground. I heard a loud smack. I opened my eyes again. I was on my bed. I was in my hotel room. I turned and sat on the edge of my bed. A blue light filtered in from the window. The first rays of dawn had appeared. It was a new day. And it was Sunday.

(part 11, conclusion, added but not edited--shrinkingman)

Part Eleven: Talk With Tobias

I took the elevator down to the lobby. When the doors opened; I had a surprise, there was Tobias. He had a big grin on his face. "Hope I didn't surprise you," he said, still grinning.

"Wasn't that the idea," I replied, with a straight face.

"Yeah, it was." Tobias took my hand and lead me to one of those large rooms used for parties. On the way he said, "Are you exited my Fencee-uli. I know I'am."

I asked Tobias to stop for a moment. I asked him a few questions that have been on my mind. "Tobias, what does Fencee-uli mean?"

"Servant of the great one."

I looked into Tobias's knowing green eyes. I told him, "I don't know how I know, but your're a great one."

"Yes. A Kuu-jar," he replied.

"Tobias did you know what this was all about?"

"Several years ago Mitch," Tobias stopped and gave me a warm smile; "I should say my Fencee-uli. Well, three years ago I started having visions and wild dreams. At first I thought that's all they were; dreams. With each pasing week, however, they became more powerful. I then had visions of a planet. Of life never before seem by man. At least not of thousands of years. This planet, our home world, orbits a star in a cluster known as the Pleiades."

I nodded my head. "It is also known as, The Seven Sisters."

"Yes," responded Tobias; "Beings from that world came here and started a race with their Fencee-uli's. They also brought many of the Kuu-jar; the great ones to stand guard. When I had arrived here, I knew about the ascension back to our homeworld. The others that had the call of being a great one, knew as I did what was going to take place. It seemed with many of the Fncee-uli's, that information took longer for it to become part of your consciousness. And my friend; that 's why that first night I really couldn't say much to you. How could I. It would have been too much to give you, until you were ready."

I replied, "And those others you were meeting in that field across the river were Kuu-jars like you?"

"Yes."

"How many have this call Tobias?"

"There is a seed planted in all of mankind. But by virture and the mystery of the orignal great ones; only some are called. Now let us go meet up with the others." Tobias brought me to the convention room. It was crowded with people. I was told by one fellow Fncee-uli, many more will be meeting us at the field.

The Wait

I still had good part of the day before the ascension. As the day progressed, it seemed time for those who weren't called was slowing down. I felt it was a safty device, if you will, set down by the ancient ones, to safe-guard against interference by those not called to the ascension.

I pretty much stayed near the hotel for the rest of the day as did the others. Part of me felt guilty in leaving Earth. I would be heading for a better place, while sons and daughters of man still struggled to survive. I knew though, there must somehow be a reason for it all.

When the sun started to set, Tobias and the other Kuu-jars, told us the time had come! Among the Kuu-jars, I saw Melody, the woman from Canada, Ivor the artist and Jeff Tracy. Also Justin, a nineteen year old, who I had briefly spoken with. No one said a word on the way to the field. We did all hold on to each others hands as we walked.

The Field

The field had been waiting for us for years past counting. The depression I had found earlier in the weekend, was now a round blue colored disc. On the other side of the plate, was another group of people. Meldoy was the first to walk on to the great plate. She walked slowly to the middle and stopped. Silence. Beneath her, the object started to glow. Melody started to increase in size. The lower section of her body turned into a pillar of pulsating light. The top portion of her body expanded right up into the darkening sky. Twelve individuals walked up to the base of the pillar of light. They slowly started to ascend upwards and circle around the column of light. A brilliant beam of light descended down over the towering figure of Melody. In an instant, she was gone.

For hours I watched these awesome and beautiful ascensions. When Tobias was next, my heart melted. I would be forever connected and with my great one. I bent my head back as Tobias stretched into the stars. All twelve of us, who were going to be Tobias's Fencee-uli hugged each other. I was filled with a never felt devine joy as I was ascending up past the miles high figure of Tobias. When I came level to his face, He spoke to me. "Mitch, you are not called to be a Fencee-uli. You have been chosen by the judges on home world, to stand guard over Earth."

"What!?"

"Those visions and dreams were tests my son. It is time for a new guardian. My you always find your strength from God. And my friend, know also, we at homeworld will also be with you. I was enveloped in light and a cosmic love.

Guardian

The highest mountains became my seat. My legs disappeared through the clouds. My feet extended past valleys and oceans. Smaller guardians, came and nestled on my knees as they peered out over humanity. On my first day, God granted me a favor. Man had started to drill for oil in Alaska and midwest. I saw a nation wide drought, which would cause the death and suffering of millions. I stretched forth my hand and removed those physically and politically responsible. I scooped them all up in hand. And with the other hand, formed them into a living ball. I could hear all the different thoughts of the souls fused together. Blowing on the living ball, I shattered it into a million tiny fragments. They became colorful fire-flies. As long as the world was; would provide pleasure with their little lights for children. They would also be a reminder to those open of heart, to always seek the light.

I created a special valley for the souls of babies and children whose lives had been prematurely ended. Sometimes, these young loving souls would come down onto my hands and dance. They would sing such beautiful songs too.

I sent forth little drops of light down to Drkeve and her brother, in that gray town of theirs. In time, they would reclaim their humanity.

I sat and listened. Listening to the song of life.

THE END BY Timothy Lacey 8-23-2001