CHRYSALIS

Jarret Carter ran to his room after school. He had homework from classes but he also had the entire weekend to get it done. He certainly would when his helper arrived – if he chose to come today. Jarret hoped he would.

He needn’t have worried on that day. The wall next to his desk shimmered gold whenever his “best friend in the entire universe!” waited to receive him. All Jarret had to do was knock and it would open. He fairly dived to that wall with one small fist preceding him. He tapped three times and the door opened—to an empty room.

Jarret peered in. No light switches on the walls, no lights for that matter. It was lighted nonetheless, from—somewhere. Jarret almost stepped inside when a voice sounded from behind. His mother said, “Be careful son. You know the armor doesn’t like surprises.”

Jarret froze; afraid to answer, afraid to turn around lest the massive cat pounce on him. The captain assured him the armor would never hurt him but it’s hard not to be afraid of something so big, so fierce and so – alien to normal reality. Men have worn armor of some sort into battle almost as soon as they figured out how to wage war. But nothing in all Creation prepared a mind to process sentient armor. It is protection in every sense of the word, from everything a mind could conceive of—from rocks to missiles to everything beyond that.

Finally a hand grabbed his shoulder. Jarret instantly knew it was not a massive razor-clawed paw. He relaxed and turned to face his captain and friend. “Aric!” He threw his arms around the big man.

His mother gave him a stern look. “Now, Jarret, I’ve told you over and over you must refer to the captain by his proper name.”

Before he could respond he felt a squeeze on his arm. Aricel said, “Not a worry, Lana. Jarret and I have been friends a long time, practically since he was born. He knows as long as no one else is around he can relax. Right, Jare?” The boy nodded. Aricel continued, “Out in public he always calls me captain and that’s good.”

Mamma Lana shrugged lightly, “As long as you don’t mind, captain, I won’t either. But in all my three hundred years on this Earth I have never met a man like you.” She let herself out of the room on her way to do whatever magic mothers do when children aren’t watching.

Aricel called out to her, “You look good for your age!”

“Shut it!” Came the swift reply from down the corridor, which made Aricel laugh. He walked over to the desktop scanner. “What type of work do you have for the weekend, Jare?”

Jarret was crushed. “Oh man! I thought we were going to do something fun first. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

“Actually no. I took a look at your assignments before I came in and a couple of them will require some time to complete.”

“Hey, no fair! Why do you always ask me stuff when you already know the answer?” Jarret complained.

“Yeah, that’s cheating a bit. But we are not here to see what I know, but to see what you know, what you understand. Now what do you want to tackle first?”

Jarret sat down in front of the open screen. “”Well, I like Math so I’m saving that for last. Communications is just a lot of writing; I can do that in parts before bed each night, so that’s no big deal. Let’s do this science project. Is that okay?” He turned around to see Aricel sitting on a large furry chair. He did not hear the thing move into the room. He shivered involuntarily. If either of them noticed they did not let on.

Aricel scanned the list of projects (that he probably already knew by heart, Jarret thought). He picked the one entitled “Metamorphosis.”

“I figured you’d pick that one; it takes the longest time to complete.”

“Yes it does,” Aricel smiled, “but there’s a reason it’s on your list. Your teacher asked me to help you get through the first run this weekend. I promise you it will be completed quicker than you think. In fact, you can get all of your assignments done in time to meet your father’s ship tomorrow afternoon.”

“Really? Awesome! I miss dad. I wonder how far out they went this time? You know—I know you do—but you’re not going to tell me – as usual.”

“Yes I know; no I won’t tell you, and no I won’t explain. The one thing you need most is patience. Besides, if I answered all of your questions about your dad’s trip, what would you two have to talk about in the coming days?

“Now hurry along to your mother; give her a goodbye kiss while I upload your assignments. We have much to do and plenty of time to do it in.”

Jarret stopped. “That doesn’t make any sense. It’s supposed to be ‘we have much to do and no time to do it in’, or something like that. The way you said it makes no sense at all.”

“Are you sure? Well in that case, don’t worry about it. Move along now; the garden waits.”

Jarret gave up trying to make heads or tails of the captain’s words. Most of the time he tells you things ahead of time this way but it takes a while before you understand what he meant – usually after the time when you wanted to know. He found mom in the kitchen talking to his great aunt Winnie while she cooked. The woman in the screen was older than his mom by at least 20 years but they looked more like sisters.

Nobody seemed to ever get old – not as old as the people in his history book. Come to think of it, he had never once met a grey-haired person much less old and wrinkled. He would have to remember to ask Aricel about it some time. Jarret politely interrupted their conversation, greeted Aunt Winnie and then scooted out the door before his mother could kiss him. He didn’t hate the kisses, mind you; he just liked teasing his mother more.

***

Aricel stood outside in his formal uniform. The one Jarret had seen it before and liked the most. All in the purest white imaginable with special adornments. Jarret liked the gold trimmed boots that go up to his knees. The gold belt over the tunic also looked pretty nice.

That necklace was the most colorful thing about the captain. Jarret tried to recall what the different jewels meant. The "name jewel" was obvious; everyone at that level had one to identify their person. The Name jewel, the Name above all names that gave the captain his awesome authority and powers was also impossible to miss. That lion head clasp was his tribal identity.  The rest he would have to learn about later.

They took the long way to the Garden. This was the first time they had walked the corridors since he was a child of about six. He was much older now and could see more things and understand more than he did four years ago.

Like how you can walk along the corridors and see the glow of the Throne above your head, all of the time. It didn’t matter if you were on the north side, west, east or south. Everyone knew that. This time he noticed that it did not matter which floor you were on. Go up four floors or down three or more and when you stepped out the view was the same. It was as if the floors above you did not exist.

The highest floor a normal person could go to was the Garden. That was the biggest park in the world. It was miles and miles across. If you wanted to meet people like the captain, that was the place to take a seat. Jarret followed along as Aricel greeted one or another. It looked like a big family reunion for him. Once he hugged a fellow for a very long time. They spoke quickly in a language Jarret could not understand then hugged again before the other one left.

“Who was he, Captain?” He asked.

“She.”

Jarret looked back at the departing being. “No I mean him, the guy you were talking to.”

“Jarret, that is no ‘guy’; she was a woman and we used to be married.”

That took a moment to sink in. Aricel stood by waiting for the small mind to process the imponderable. Turning first one way and then the other, Jarret looked at the other beings in range of his view. Not one looked like a woman – well not completely. They were all the most handsome of people, not a mark on them, nothing that looked like a blemish. Here and there one would unfurl a pair of wings and take to the air. That one has two pairs. And two over there just vanished!

Jarret sat down in the soft grass. He felt dizzy and sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes tight trying not to get sick. Aricel told him to just look up at the light; everything would be fine. Jarret did and he immediately felt better.  When he stood up he felt rested all over.

“Captain, you are more confusing the more I know about you.”

Aricel laughed. “I know it’s a bit of a conundrum – a mystery. Gender doesn’t work the same way in the Eternal. We are never going to die so we don’t have children, so there is no reason to get married. Just understand we don’t need to marry or fool around but we do still have feelings; we love each other and love to be around each other. Much the same way as you long to spend time with your family, we rejoice when we are reunited. Now, let us be about our business here.”

Every plant in the Garden flourished in the undying light. Their branches and leaves lifted up in lifelong praise. Jarret found a cluster of tiny silvery spheres under a low bush. He walked around the bush looking for just the right set; a cluster of three or four eggs on a single leaf as Aricel instructed him. He plucked the whole leaf carefully when he found one. He then had to find a bush of the same type with no eggs. From that bush he gathered a number of clean branches close to the trunk. He carefully tied the bundle with a vine and cradled the single egg leaf in the palm of his hand. Mission accomplished, they walked back home together chatting along the way.

The standard game in the Carter home began at the door. Jarret had to make his way to his room without being captured in a motherly embrace and forced to submit to kisses and grooming. He never understood his mother’s obsession with combing his hair. It would only fall back into its usual tussled state a moment after she finished.

Sometimes he skirted by with speed, other times he would try stealth. This time he tried a little of both, to no avail. Mother stood inside his room, smiling with arms spread wide. It was cheating, yes, but not against the rules. Eventually satisfied with his hair and a few extra kisses she left him to his work. A stray lock fell over his eyes before the door closed.

The far wall opened into Aricel’s room as expected. Jarret did not expect to see what was inside.  The captain stood grim-faced in his closet hanging up what looked like work clothes or a uniform of some kind. It was the only thing Jarret has ever seen him wear that wasn’t shimmering white or metallic gold. The smell of smoke and burning hair touched his nostrils for an instant, no more. The armor curled up in its usual place a bit ruffled and licking something red off its massive claws.

Worse of all, the Captain’s face exuded – a “darkness”; nothing evil, just a hard-edged scowl of danger. His eyes flashed fire and lightning, the room felt cold and hot at the same time. Jarret felt afraid of his friend for the first time. He had never seen this part of the Captain and never wanted to see it again. He took a slow step back.

Quiet as he thought he was, Aricel heard him. He turned to look at his small friend. Just that quick his face was normal. The room seemed lighter then, and as comforting as ever. Jarret tried to remember why he was scared but the thought fled away from him faster than the wind. He said, “Where have you been, Captain? I only saw you a moment ago in the hall and it looks like you’ve been away for a long time.”

Aricel smoothed his hair with one hand, “Time doesn’t work the same way in Eternity, my friend. One of your seconds could be a thousand years for me. I can’t explain it accurately until you’ve had your classes in multi-dimensional transformations. And that won’t be for another oh, nine years or so. Meanwhile let’s get started on your assignment, shall we?”

Jarret stepped into the room. The armor must have finished its grooming as it was curled up asleep in the usual spot close on the bed. Jarret laid out his bundle on the clean desk; the leaf floating in a suspension field to the right, the branches in a tube to keep them fresh off to the left. Jarret reviewed his assignment, which was not very precise. “Study the butterfly.”

That was all. Just one short sentence—nothing to tell him what he was to learn or what to look for. He scratched his head and turned to Aricel. “What am I supposed to do, Captain?”

“Well, from what I can see, you have to study the butterfly.”

“I know that!” Jarret became irritated in his confusion. “I don’t see any butterflies around here. Unless you’re hiding them somewhere.”

“They are right where you left them, Jare.” Before Jarret could answer he turned back to see where the Captain was pointing. The leaf floated in the same place he left it, for sure. But it was not the leaf he needed to pay attention to, it was the tiny silver eggs.

Aricel placed a flat metal box on the desk in front of him. It opened to reveal a space deeper than it was thick on the outside. Jarret Was long since accustomed to the weird things the Captain had access to. “Any tools you need are inside of the lid. The branches will be fine in that tube and will never dry up. Now take one egg from the bottom side of the leaf and place it on a clean leaf by itself. Use the tweezers—carefully. Good, now place it in the basin and watch.”

As soon at the leaf touched the lower plate, the egg hatched and a small caterpillar crawled out. It began to munch on the leaf with neither thought nor care for its strange environment.  The leaf quickly shrank as the little bug grew.

“He has quite an appetite, doesn’t he?” Jarret nodded. “Keep him under observation and keep feeding him leaves. I’ll be back to check on your progress after Temple. A word of caution my friend; do not try to leave the room. My ship is a dangerous place for folks like you. If you need anything ask the armor, he’ll get it for you.” The mound of fur didn’t answer just snorted in a way that made it clear it did not want to fetch anything and did not want its sleep disturbed.

Soon the Captain was gone, the armor still slept and the bug began to slow in its eating. Already it stretched to a solid inch in length. It sat in one place for a while not eating. Jarret thought there might be something wrong with it when it turned whitish and dry.  Suddenly it burst out of a dried shell of its former self. It began to eat with all the gusto it had at the beginning.

This happened twice more and Jarret began to think about having something to eat as well. He dared not disturb the cat-like thing behind him. Perhaps it wouldn’t harm him, but Jarret was not willing to chance it. He eased out of the chair over to the wall connecting to his own room. It remained open so he went to the kitchen. He wanted a snack and a drink. His mother worked in her office on something and Jarret did not want to disturb her either for a minor task he felt good about doing for himself.

He returned to his room with a glass or water and one of mom’s great sandwiches she seemed to have stocked for just such emergencies.  Jarret stepped through the wall into a very different place than he had just left a moment ago. It was colder somehow. Aricel came in the room at the same time.

“Didn’t I tell you that you needed to watch the little creature closely?” Aricel did not look happy. The little basin held the dark shriveled form of an obviously dead caterpillar lying next to a dry stub of a leaf.

Jarret was shocked. “But I was only gone for a moment. I stepped out, and went straight to the kitchen and came straight back. It could not be even a whole minute!” Even as he said the words Jarret felt the hollowness of each one. The best excuse in the world could not put life back into the little insect.  Jarret no longer felt hungry.

“Well, that’s done and over now; let’s move on Jarret, have a seat. Take another egg and another leaf, place them in the basin.” Jarret did as he was told. Aricel placed the other body out of the way in a cylinder up at the top of the desk where Jarret could still see it.

The new egg hatched. The little caterpillar began to eat as the other had before, only faster. The first leaf disappeared in a flash and a half. Jarret hastened to get the next one in before the tiny fellow finished the first. The cycle of Eat-Grow-Molt then Eat some more proceeded as before just so much faster. In no time at all the caterpillar exceeded the size of the first one. Jarret remembered that time works differently on this side of the wall. He thanked the King for the fact that he did not have to sit through the same exercise again. There are many benefits to living in Eternity.

“I wish I were dead.” Jarret spoke so softly he wasn’t sure he had spoken at all. The look on Aricel’s face assured him the thought had escaped his brain and betrayed him through his big mouth.

“Don’t you think your mother would miss you?” Jarret expected to get a scolding for making such a stupid comment—he knew it was stupid; though he wasn’t sure why it was stupid. Aricel’s soft demeanor hurt more than any rebuke. The question demanded an answer, as do all questions from the Captain.

“I don’t think so, Captain. Once I have a body like yours she could see me any time she wanted, forever. And I wouldn’t have to do all of these lessons. I’d already know all of this stuff like you do.”

“Hm, interesting; hold on to that thought. We’ll discuss it later. Meanwhile, how is the little guy doing?”

The caterpillar finally stopped eating. It sat on top of the last partially eaten leaf, casting its small head from side to side as the plump green body pulsated to its own rhythm. Aricel showed Jarret how to select the right sort of branch for the caterpillar. Before the branch stood fully erect the bug began its clumsy journey. It found the perfect spot under the junction of three leaves and began weaving a cocoon. This part did not go quickly. Jarret had the pleasure of watching the entire process from beginning to end.

Aricel stood up. He moved to the bed and spoke into the ear of his armor. At last he turned and said, “I have another errand to attend to. There is no telling how long I’ll be gone but I should be back in time for the next phase of the assignment.

“The rules are the same; do not leave this room, okay?” Jarret nodded without turning so the Captain could not see his crimson flush. He felt a large gentle hand on his shoulder. “If you need anything I assure you, Mr. Grumpy will get it for you.” This time the great cat made no sound. “In the meantime you can do other lessons or read if you want.”

The Captain left quietly as he always did. He could be next to you one moment and vanish back to his own world before your next heartbeat.  Jarret sometimes wondered why he spent so much time back in the dull human world if the rest of his world held greater wonders than this room; with its changing furniture, its immeasurable size and marvelous food and drink instantly provided with a single thought. Just this one room is a wonder! Can anyone imagine the world beyond that door?

Jarret Carter’s mind always filled with questions whenever he interacted with the Captain. He set those aside this time, determined to not fail in his assignment. The cocoon might be a boring thing just hanging from a twig but Jarret remembered, “Time works differently this side of the wall.” Jarret suspected Aricel didn’t like to waste time any more than he did only his friend could do something about it.

Colors swirled inside of the thin shell. Toward the end it was almost like watched food in a processor turn from almost entirely green to reds, orange and purple. In no time at all the casing cracked and the little creature struggled to emerge into the wondrous world. The small head was the same as before size but completely different. Almost beautiful in a buggy sort of way, the large eyes and feathery antennae looked almost elfin.

The new bug-form seemed to get stuck after the wings slipped out. Jarret took the tip of a tiny knife and helped to spread the crack in the seam a little wider. Only a thick strap held the two parts of the clamshell capsule together. Once cut, the top sprung open. The butterfly climbed out on the stem for a well-deserved rest after the struggle for rebirth. The bloated abdomen pulsed in an effort to transfer blood to the wings. Here Jarret noticed a problem.

The insect kept pumping its base but the wings would not spread. Jarret reached in and took the butterfly on the tip of one finger. Drawing it closer to his face he could not figure out the problem.

Aricel returned about that time. “I see you have a puzzle on your hands young man. Do you mind if I take a look?” Jarret passed the bug over and watched Aricel place it in another cylinder opposite of the basin and next to the carcass of the previous failure. He then sat next to Jarret, looked at him gently and said, “Do you know what went wrong?”

Jarret thought everything over carefully. He never left the table, never took his eyes off of the insect and observed it through what Aricel called “pupation.” From egg to emergence the project proceeded naturally—right up to the part where Jarret picked up the knife. “I was only trying to help him out of his shell.”

Aricel nodded. “That was good thinking, but you know; sometimes we do bad things in an effort to do good. This particular species of Empress Butterfly has a natural block in their wings that keep them from being inflated before they clear he chrysalis. It keeps them from being damaged in the process. After the wings are out the lower part of the body is forced through a narrow band. That breaks the block and allows the wings to unfurl properly.”

They worked together to reset the experiment. It all went very smoothly this time since Jarret knew what to expect at each stage now. He fed the caterpillar like clockwork until it was ready to pupate. The chrysalis developed quickly. In what felt like ten minutes they had a fully developed, shimmering butterfly fanning new wings above a leaf.

Aricel passed the butterfly to Jarret’s finger. “Jarret, you now have a complete picture of the life-cycle of this single species. A lot of insects go through something like this in their turn. The details vary, but they process from egg to adult stage is usually the same.”

Jarret nodded. Aricel went on. “What you have not yet connected is this cycle of life applies to more complex lifeforms, too. Most creatures start out as an egg of some sort. There is a developmental period in which the body grows in size and cells become specialized. Then there is some sort of transition—whether hatching or birthing—when a fully developed body emerges.

“The same thing happens with people, even you my young friend.’ Aricel swiped Jarret on the nose which made him smile. “You were an egg and someday you’ll be an adult.”

“Like mom and dad.” Jarret concluded.

“Yes and no, Jarret; life is more than you know it to be.”

A revelation like that is too much for a child’s mind to completely grasp. They had to be introduced to it gently as they matured. In the past they were not told at all until they were adults and even then not everyone got the full, unadulterated truth. The presence of the King on Earth changed everything.

And people like Aricel who did the amazing and miraculous everyday with ease had to be explained. “Jarret, in the past people believed in different theories of where we as a people came from, and where we as individuals came from. We all needed to know what we were here for and what the purpose of life was.

“Over the next few years you will learn a lot about those ideas and why they were wrong. This particular lesson is to lay the foundation for those lessons. Simply put; you were once an egg in your mother’s body. Knitted together with a cell from your father, you became a new being. Right now you are a caterpillar taking in nourishment and growing. Your body will change in different stages, like when this caterpillar molted.

“Eventually you will stop growing in the ways of childhood. As a chrysalis you will learn to be a butterfly. Your parents aren’t butterflies yet but in their own chrysalises. At the right time they will emerge from their own shells into Eternity. They will either fly like this last one or fail like the others. There is no guarantee that every egg will survive to be a full butterfly.”

Jarret inhaled sharply, “You are a butterfly!”

Aricel stood smiling. His four wings burst forth spreading from wall to wall. The full glorious shine around him banished all shadows. Heavenly singing poured from the walls, the floor and everything in it. The armor roared loud enough to crack the walls of a normal house.

Aricel scooped up the insects and Jarret. They flew through walls and sky, through mountains and waterfalls. As far as they went they were in the Garden as quick as if they just stepped into the next room. Aricel touch the two failed experiments and restored them to full health. All three flew off to join their kind in search of food and companionship.

Aricel took Jarret on another short trip to the Northern Gate of Judah. The launch pad was usually busy with people-made spacecraft going to and fro. It was always a special time when one of the grand intergalactic ships returned. Humans could not match the speed of the Eternals but they have made strides undreamed of before the Millennium began. Science yielded up fantastic secrets when tethered to the truth of Creation.

Jarret’s father specialized in exotic lifeforms. He always had a few specimens with him when he returned from his trips. This time Jarret would have a few stories of his ow to share. “Oh, I can’t wait to see my dad!” He gushed.

“Why wait?”

Jarret looked up smiling. “Yeah!”

In a flash they were 480 thousand kilometers above New Jerusalem. Jarret found Doctor Esteban Carter supervising the placement of cargo pods. He was surprised to see his young son appear from nowhere tightly hugging his waist. However, he felt no real shock as he had long ago become accustomed to the ways of Eternals. If there is any way they can intervene to make a child even that little bit happier, they would gladly do it. With a wave of a hand and a flash of light the Captain departed the ship.

***

Lana Carter walked the lonely halls of their home. Her time in this place drew to a close. Shortly after her “husband” and son returned she would make a “voyage” of her own. She knew where she was going and what awaited her there. The comfort offered by these strong walls, these cool walls, did nothing to ease the dread of the fires to come. “Sometimes I wonder what sort of Hell is worse?” she said to no one.

Someone was listening. “It is only a matter of perspective.” Aricel said to her.

Lana didn’t turn around. She knew she was being watched; she was always being watched. She could always see the Host hovering over her, she could always feel their mind in her mind keeping her from saying the one thing she longed to say so much to her son. “I’m sorry.”

“I know how you feel, Lana but you must never let Jarret know what you did. It is important that he only know you as the loving mother he always wanted.”

“Will he ever know the truth, about the operation …?”

“The abortion. The choice you made that took away all of his choices. Never forget that. And yes, I already told him and Esteban – but they won’t know it for a number of years.”

“I hate your ungodly sense of humor.”

“It’s not a joke. You know quite well that time is not the same after the seventh dimension of existence. The past is the future and the present is the past. The question of ‘when’ loses all meaning. Esteban still doesn’t know you died during that plane crash or who you were with. As for Jarret, he is a special case.

Children who returned to Eternity without having been born are always children. Since the King returned, He gave them a choice to remain a child forever (which is a great thing) or to come into the world and grow into adults before going home again.”

“I just wish I knew why I’m being tortured like this. I can’t look out of a window and I can’t rest in a chair. I can’t eat anything because it disappears the moment I swallow, not that it has any taste. No drop of water even touches my tongue. I can’t even feel my son no matter how hard I squeeze him!”

“So why hug him at all?” Aricel stood waiting.

“Because it’s the only time I’m not in pain. The burning stops for a little while when I hold him in my arms. I can’t feel him but at least I know he’s there. I just don’t know why this is the way it is.” Lana wound down. If she could cry she would. Not a tear fell to cool her cheek or soothe her shattered soul.

“This life is part of your punishment. You can see the life you should have had with your son but not enjoy it. It was your choice. But I’ll give you this one thing; the time when you have no pain is a gift from your son to you. His love is what cancels out your suffering for a time. Love overcomes all.”

Lana slumped over. “I wonder when this is all going to end?” she walked to the only door she could open. “I had two abortions, you know.”

“I know.” said Aricel as he closed the door.

THE END