TIME IS MEASURED BY WHAT TRANSPIRES WHEN MEASURED TIME IS UNAVAILABLE (3)
His new height and width supplying far more strength, Evan easily held back against Mom and Dad’s pushes and pulls. “Wait!” He stared at the Savior, about to take a heavy swipe at Limati with that massive light-section arm, to fling the stupid Causalitor far away. “Something’s going on here.” He recalled those several times Limati had stared right at him, and now had landed not far from where he stood. “I want to see this.”
Surprisingly, Mom and Dad eased their tugging grips on him.
“NO! Hear me first!” Limati cried out, yet holding on tightly to the bent clump of golden road, its orange eyes pleading up at the Savior. “Please. Take me with you. I cannot stay with them any longer.”
The Savior halted the powerful swiping motion of his arm.
The Parent and the other colleagues rushed up to the silver floor’s edge, about to leap. But the Savior whipped out his other arm, and strangely, a wall of thick, transparent light formed around the front half of the silver craft, from floor to ceiling, blocking the Parent and the others’ forward motion. It actually looked more like a thick, glowing glass wall, than a light wall.
“Limati! Return to me!” The Parent’s voice came thunderous and frightening; the light wall didn’t block the sound force whatsoever. “We are leaving!”
The Savior stared down at Limati. “You made your decision long ago. Remove yourself!” He reached down for Limati’s arms with his massive light hands.
“Please, don’t throw me back.” Desperation highlighted every syllable of Limati’s words. “Listen to me, first. Please.”
“Limati!” the Parent yelled. “Remove your grasp. There is nothing you need to say to the Collector!”
The Savior looked at the Parent, and then stood up straight. He stared back down at Limati. “All right. I will listen, but keep your words few.”
Limati held tighter to the clump of golden road and kept its eyes on the Savior’s face. “You seldom come near us.”
“But I was here prior to the start of this challenge.”
“But it was not yet finished,” Limati said. “Nothing was accomplished.”
“What are you speaking of?” the Parent demanded, its voice thunderous again, and angry.
Didn’t these beings know each other’s thoughts? And it suddenly felt so strange, Evan realized, watching them communicate, when they obviously didn’t really speak to each other usually. Something was just all wrong here.
“You are always distant from us,” Limati continued, completely ignoring the Parent. “I never…I never had a chance to explain.”
“Then say it now.”
“My soul receptacle and I are one. We have changed, to the righteous side. And if it were not for what I did, you would not now have these seven.”
“That is true. But it was only through their own will not to harm their fellow human beings, even when accepting the false risk of complete death, that they are yet here. Besides, you have deceived your colleagues.” The Savior reached down again, readying to release Limati’s arms. “You need to leave.”
“Yes! Limati belongs with us,” the Parent yelled. “Remove Limati now. My colleague does not belong with you.”
“No! Please!” Limati pleaded loudly. “Please don’t send me back.”
The Savior straightened again. “I am listening.”
“Please. I beg of you. Have mercy upon me. I am trying to change, and I have changed by many increments. I want to be with you. I do not want to be with the Lord of the Dark Causalitors.”
“We never refer to each other as such. Traitor!” the Parent shouted. “I would have had your thoughts had I not trusted you so.”
“I have experienced much I do not like,” Limati continued. “And I have experienced other circumstances which changed me. Please, forgive me. Please allow me to be with you.”
Limati began losing grip of the golden road clump, but the Savior did not help. Limati readjusted its grasp, and held on tighter.
Could any of this really be happening as it appeared? But it didn’t matter, Evan concluded; this was much too interesting and dramatic to ignore now.
The Savior was quiet a moment, watching Limati. “My forgiveness can be boundless. You could exist here, but only after residing in the containment zone. You are not yet worthy of Heaven. With time, we will see if you are trustworthy to join with us. And you must also correct the terrible wrong you commenced. Is that clear?”
“Yes. I understand,” Limati said gratefully, nodding. “And I will correct the wrong.”
“NOOOO!” The Parent’s voice boomed bone-chilling yet pitiful. “How could I have not seen this!”
The Savior stared at the Parent. “It is done. You must accept my decision.” The Savior leaned down and took hold of Limati’s hands. “You will appear as your last life.” In one quick motion, the Savior lifted Limati effortlessly and tossed the being down the golden road.
A bright, blinding light arc flashed. Evan squinted, but didn’t close his eyes. Some of the nearby hull people and other beings rushed away to the opposite side of the golden road, allowing extra room for Limati’s landing. But Evan didn’t feel the need to move at all, though he kept his eyes on the motion.
Limati landed about fifteen feet diagonally behind Evan.
Not sure what he was now looking at, Evan blinked several times. The being that landed, palms flat upon the road, knees bent, head and back arched over, was not Limati. Gone was that enormous body covered everywhere in brownish-orange scales. No, this was definitely not Limati at all. This was a much smaller figure, and dressed in clothing.
In fact, this being was not even a Causalitor. This being was a woman.
A woman?
Evan stepped closer, curiosity erupting within him, though he hesitated to get too near.
“Why, Limati, why?” the Parent called out, its voice desperate, sad.
The woman stood up. This wasn’t exactly a woman, but someone younger, a young woman. No, better yet, a teenage girl, not much different in age than Evan was now, though older, so she still felt more like a woman to him. She was maybe a foot shorter than his tall height, and she was wearing a short, flared denim skirt, a close-fitting pink, short-sleeve top, and beige boots made of light, lacy material with medium-height wooden heels. Her hair was wavy, blond, a little longer than shoulder length.
But most importantly of all, she was beautiful. Very beautiful.
She turned toward the Parent. “Because it is true what is said of you. You are the father of the lie.”
“And I see you have learned well.” Hateful sarcasm now masked the sadness in the Parent’s voice. “You had your own little game, didn’t you. But you knew this. You have always known this of me.”
Even though there was over a hundred feet distance between her and the Parent, mysteriously the Parent could hear her soft voice with no trouble. Just more of the strangeness here.
The young woman looked over at Evan and he felt the breath knock out of him; she was not only very beautiful, but she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She looked back at the Parent. “No. I thought I did. But now it is far more clear to me.”
“I gave you everything!” the Parent yelled, anger pushing its loud, direct words. “You have lived many times! You have gained massive information.”
“No,” she said. “You did not give me everything. You did not give me honesty.”
Something moved, up high, from Evan’s left peripheral view. He looked up. From the far upper edges of the Heaven structure, and out of the thinner, encircling light bands, many glowing beings emerged, similar in appearance and form to the Savior, though thinner, shorter, yet emanating strength and don’t-mess-with-me power. They could fly, effortlessly, and twenty or more of them quickly glided down and hovered in the airspace around and above the young woman.
Angels? He didn’t see any wings. But who really needed wings here?
They were probably getting ready to take her away, so she would stay isolated from the others.
“All of you!” the Parent suddenly roared, its tone terrifying. Evan jolted. He looked in the direction toward the Parent, behind the wall of light. The Parent pointed at Evan, and then at Dad, Kyleigh, and the other hull people. “All of you will not receive any rest from me!”
Finally showing its truest colors, and those colors certainly didn’t express a nice guy, that was for sure.
Disturbingly, fire began igniting all around the Parent, even near its eyes. Child One and the other faceless colleagues backed away from the Parent. “Your supposed mission will not be accomplished, because we will not allow it!” the Parent yelled. “But it will require little effort and concern.” The Parent now spoke calmer though the flames burned brighter. “Even if we do not intervene, no one in your realm will ever believe this, any of this.”
“Enough,” the Savior said. “Be gone!” The Savior swept out his right arm and the transparent light wall around the silver craft exploded like a gush of hurricane force wind against the Parent, Child One, and the seven colleagues. The flames instantly vanished from around the Parent and the angry being broke apart into thousands of those crystal sections. The same happened to the seven colleagues. They then continued to break apart into even smaller and smaller crystal pieces, until all of their numerous crystal sections flew out of the silver craft, dispersing, in many different directions, into that deep darkness.
Mom’s words rang true; these beings could exist everywhere.
But it didn’t happen to Child One; that being was merely pushed backwards, intact, landing like a thrown rag doll against the universe engine.
“We are leaving,” the Savior said. The entire Heaven structure, including the golden road, began moving away from the silver craft, the distance between both edges growing quickly.
But that beautiful woman.
Evan immediately directed his attention back to her. The angel beings were about to seize her upper arms. “No, wait a second!” He ignored his own unease, and Dad and Mom’s words to stay away, and rushed over to her. Fortunately, the angels listened, lowering their hands, though still hovering closely.
He approached within several feet of her. “I…I thought you were male, a guy, I mean.”
She blinked several times, and then looked down at her body. She lightly touched her stomach, her breasts. She touched her arms and her upper legs. She couldn’t seem to grasp how she appeared. She then stared into Evan’s eyes. “I was a female human, in my last life.”
Evan stepped a little closer, his fear gone, and kept his stare locked into her eyes, clear, entrancing green eyes. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life.”
She glanced away from his stare, and touched her cheekbones, her nose, her lips. She kept blinking, her thoughts again appearing to decipher her new form. “I am?”
“Yes, you are.”
“It is not really me, though.”
“I understand. You want to behave differently now.”
She stared back into his eyes, with a dreamy, wondering gaze. Evan felt himself slipping away, from everything around them, deep into her presence.
“Why did you do this to us?” Dad asked, arriving suddenly. The mesmerizing connection shattered. Evan quickly noticed Mom, Robert and Nahas were standing nearby too. “The actual reason, not what the Parent told us.”
The girl sighed quietly, and stared down.
“Dad, you don’t have to be so direct.”
“We were all very affected by this.” Dad spoke sternly. “We deserve an answer.”
“That’s one whopper of an understatement.” Robert eyed the girl. “Not only did we have our lives turned on their heads, we had them thrown into a wood shredder as well.”
“Robert can get a little dramatic,” Nahas said, “but Lang is correct. We deserve an answer.”
The girl stared directly at Dad, and shrugged gently. “Some got what they wanted…and so did I.”
The Savior walked near her. “She must leave, soon.”
“That’s rather vague,” Robert told her. “What sort of answer is that? And what is your real name, anyway?”
“Sirah. But what does it matter?”
She looked at Evan, and he again felt her mere presence overtaking him. Why is she absolutely owning me? He studied her beautiful face quickly, trying not to stare too long. The lines of her jaw flowed softly to a small, fragile chin and her nose was thin and dainty. Her lips were full, perfectly formed, and absolutely luscious. He suddenly envisioned himself landing a passionate kiss upon her mouth and never stopping. No! Snap out of this! Find a flaw. He did. Slightly dark areas swept out paths under her eyes, revealing someone tired, or maybe world-weary. Though her green eyes were actually penetrating, disturbing, overall she didn’t appear tough in the slightest. So why was she so devastating?
And then he realized what it was. She appeared helpless, fragile, in need of a close, warm embrace. And yet this was the same being that only a short time earlier stood so tall and threatening?
Okay. Enough staring. “Sirah,” Evan said. “Or, is your name…Sara?”
“No, Si-rah.”
“Can I ask, how did you die? I mean, I’m sorry, what happened to you?”
Dad took hold of Evan’s left arm. “Evan, the Savior wants her to leave now.”
Light flashed from up high. Evan looked up. A bright, vertical line, about ten feet tall, had formed near the angel beings, the line and beings together positioned about twenty feet up from Sirah. Wow, incredible; the vertical line began widening, revealing a sand-covered surface and some futuristic, metallic buildings in the background. An entrance to another dimension? He lowered his gaze to Sirah. She was looking up at it too, but then directed her eyes right at Evan.
“I was hurting everyone, and myself,” she said. “And, so, I ended my life. But then, I hurt some people even more. It wasn’t the answer I thought it would be.”
“I’m sorry, Sirah.” Evan wanted to say more about this, sensing her pain, but time was running out. “Was it you, who allowed me to move the other hull people around, and take us places?”
“I deceived my colleagues…but yes, it was me.”
The Savior motioned for the angel beings. “She must leave. Now.”
The angel beings floated down and carefully encircled their wispy, light-section fingers around her forearms. They slowly lifted her up, toward the vertical opening, now much wider. Sirah kept her eyes on Evan as she rose, her expression blank, yet slightly hinting sadness.
But there was more he wanted to ask! “Why did you show me those underground places? The alien hybrids?”
“Because I wanted you to see what is really happening. They need your help.” The angel beings began moving her into the widened vertical opening. “Good-bye, Evan.”
Disbelief flooded through him. He couldn’t believe she had just said his name. He blinked several times, releasing tears that were not supposed to be there. He quickly wiped his eyes, not caring if Sirah or anyone else noticed. He swallowed, suppressing a lump in his throat, and then had to respond back. “Good-bye, Sirah.”