THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB

“Is that you, Old Bones?”

Aricel sat in a corner taking in the scene. It was almost a classic from the studio lots in Hollywood. An old Black man lay prone in bed, his strength fading slowly. On one side is his daughter trying to be brave. Various other friends and family press close to hear his last words and say their last farewells.

Aricel arrived in the dimly lit back bedroom alone, without his armor and without the usual Host commander at his side. They detected no threat in the area, and none within any of the people gathered. The only other spirits in the area were the Host who had been guarding this man most of his life. Aricel conversed with their leader before slipping quietly through a wall. He did not see any reason for his presence but he always went where he was sent. “Obey first, answer questions later.”

Aricel chuckled at the unofficial motto of the Investigators. He loved his job.

“You won’t find it so funny when I slip through your hands, Old Bones.” The elderly man said, “Death be not proud! You remember that? You ain’t gone hold me.”

Aricel looked over to see the old man looking back at him; he can see me? Aricel thought. No way! He wasn’t even in the same dimension as the people. He could peek in unnoticed, or should be unnoticed, and assess the situation before taking any action. This personal contact might be the first bit of unusual information in this assignment. He decided to address the man.

“Hello, my friend. I am happy to tell you that I am not the Angel of Death.” He made a show of looking around the room as if the walls were not there. “In fact, I don’t see Old Bones anywhere.”

“Don’t you be mocking me son! I—” the old man began coughing painfully drawing his entourage closer. Someone tried to put a cup of water in his hand. Another dabbed at his brow with a wet wash cloth as if to soothe a fever. Those farthest away from the old man murmured he must be delirious, talking to the air like that.

His niece whirled around with a fierce countenance. “You hush now! You may not believe him even after all these year but Poppa has always had the Sight. He sees what other can’t; he can look into the other world. Don’t you go doubting him now after all the help he’s given y’all for so long.”

One of the men might have answered back but this was not the time for a debate. The room became silent as the coughing fit faded. Aricel was not a Comforter but he did have some of the abilities of that other class of Eternal. He placed a hand on the man’s chest and stopped the sore muscles from spasming. He also removed some of the mucus that irritated him so. Immediately the man relaxed. He opened his eyes again and looked at all the faces around his bed, seeing them clearly for the first time in days.

The man called Poppa patted his daughter’s hand. They exchanged smiles in silence for a moment before he spoke again in a low voice. “Thank y’all for coming to see me off, but I’m not quite gone yet. I think I’ll be here for a bit longer to be sure. Why not all of you step out and get something to drink and eat, and wash up? I’m going to rest awhile. Don’t worry! My friend is here,” indicating Aricel though no one else could see him, “he’s going to make sure I don’t go nowhere before you get back. Now go.”

The gathered people reluctantly filed out the door looking back as the departed. The last one to leave, his daughter eased the door closed as if afraid to disturb a sleeping child.

Aricel silently pulled up a chair to the bedside. He masked the room with sleeping sounds so that anyone listening at the door would only hear the old man’s soft breathing.

“It’s about time we formally met, captain. My name is Wylie Houston Everhart; it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Aricel regarded this fascinating man. “My name is simply Aricel. I am likewise pleased to meet you, but how did you know I like to be called ‘captain’?”

“I call everyone senior to me captain, Captain – old habit from my days in the Navy. I was a sailor when I was young, real young; lied about my age. Got wounded in a battle before I was eighteen. Got a commendation and got found out. They cashiered me and that’s when I moved to America. Been here ever since.”

“Interesting,” Aricel said. “My friends call me Aric. And I can see we are going to be friends so you can do the same.”

“Aric—I might try that in a bit but for now I like Captain better.”

“Whatever makes you happy, Poppa.”

“Now, family calls me Poppa, most people calls me ‘Mister Wylie,’ but those who really know me—as I’m sure you do—call me ‘Willie’.”

“Then Willie it is. Now Willie, what is it I can do for you right now?”

Willie looked very old now, more so than before Aricel helped his breathing. “I’m tired, captain, so tired and if I could I would have crossed over days ago.”

That simple statement bounced around inside Aricel’s head. The Investigator in him opened several lines of inquiry at the same time but he set them aside. “I assume there is something holding you here?” he ventured.

“I need to see my son. He moved up to Lynchburg when he got married and raised a family. He got the world that I need him but he has not made it in yet. I don’t know what is keeping him. If you could, would you see what is holding him? I need to see him.”

“I’ll do more than that. You sleep now and let me do what I do.” Aric said with a wink.

Willie smiled as he dropped off into the deepest sleep he dared risk in many a weeks. Aricel checked on the family outside the door. Ministering angels cooled the room and calmed troubled souls. Each person realized they did need a break from their vigil and also got much needed rest and nourishment.

Aricel stepped through the wall and found the Host on watch. The camp was quiet. Aricel scanned above, out to the horizon, and below the ground. He called to his ship in orbit above and they confirmed his observation; all was quiet.

“Host leader,” he called out. When the mightiest angel appeared instantaneously, Aricel continued. “May I review your logbook?” Of course he had the authority to command obedience but he always preferred to be polite. Eternals were as much teachers as leaders for angels.

The Host leader carried a large book under his left arm. It served as a strong shield in battle being indestructible and as a repository of the events of each assignment. Aricel accepted the proffered book and settled in to do his research.

When a Host is dispatched on a mission they keep the records. The first page holds basic information about the subject, usually a person. The next page holds the requested service and their explicit orders. All of that was written by the Holy Spirit and inviolable through all eternity.

Not to say there is never opposition. In fact, the Host generally expected opposition; you don’t call an armed guard unless you expect violence. This Host had been on duty with Willy Everhart since he turned 13. The record showed many spiritual battles, some quite lengthy, some lost. Willy was at the center of a spiritual storm most of his life – and he knew it too.

The Host did not write the log, it wrote itself. Aricel read the entire volume in no time; really, no time passed in Creation while he read. He made notes in the margins and recorded his thoughts about some of the events. Curiously, the record fell silent two months ago, about the time the old man – Willie got sick.

Aricel looked around again. Certainly it was still quiet now. Daemons fled at the approach of an Eternal unless they were bound to a task or a place. Aricel expected silence now. But he had only arrived fifteen minutes ago in real time. The log reflected weeks of minimal activity in the area. To call it abnormal would be insufficient. This screamed of conspiracy in high places.

Why would the enemy plague a man almost his entire life then suddenly fall silent when the man was dying? The log records many incidents of the man using his spiritual gifts to influence events and people over a large area. Many men came to faith in the LORD because of him. Many families were healed. This man did much damage to the Enemy’s plans and still does. In the silent weeks he has relit a movement in several local churches. Silencing him should be more important now, not less.

Aricel handed back the logbook to the Host leader. “I suspect I won’t find any more answers here, my friend.”

“Where will you look next, captain?”

“The best line of inquiry leads to his absent son. Seems he should have been here by now if the relationship between father and son is as strong as the record shows. I will see what is causing the delay.” Aricel called his ship. “Deck officer, locate Mr. Wylie’s son.”

“Yes sir, just a moment,” came the reply.

In an instant a massive lion stood facing Aricel. Shoulder equaled shoulder, eye met eye; massive paws each as big as a dinner plate flexed glistening claws into the soil. All gentleness fled from his countenance. This armor in the shape of a massive lion stood ready to serve.

“I assume there is a reason my armor arrived, deck officer.” Aricel closed his eyes and leaned in to touch his head to the lion’s.

“Yes sir, he is needed. The son is not in the middle of a battle, he is in the middle of a war.”

 

***2***

“This is serious,” Aricel observed from the outskirts of Lynchburg. Spiritual combat raged as far as the “eye” can see – provided one had the proper set of eyes, that is. If he had to guess he would say most of the daemons in this world were present and expending great energy in the struggle.

Normally, his arrival would tip the scales in the battle. This time the enemy had the force necessary to counter his presence. At least four Mardukim loomed over the battle. The massive arms (all four of them) scattered Host and demons alike with each swing - mighty red giants spewing flames and violence with every step. Not many things could stand up to one of these creatures. An Archangel is one. The other thundered across a valley off to the left. One fist the size of a two-story family home slammed the nearest Mardukim hard enough to drop it on its back.

An Enforcer engaged the enemy’s right flank. He is an Eternal like Aricel but he specialized in direct action. If his kind had been in existence in the early days of Man’s history they would have been the stuff of legend, something above “gods” and titans. And yet the battle raged.

Aricel could see a Messenger bound and shackled in the midst of the enemy camp. Messengers were a special class of angel that had no specific existence, that is, they were a nonlocalized entity until they received a message to deliver. At that point they could be tracked and intercepted though with great difficulty. Whatever was causing this conflict must have to do with him.

He turned to the leader of his Host. “Host leader, report to the Archangel or the Enforcer. Provide whatever support they require until I return.”

Aricel grew to full size in his armor. He was not as big as a Mardukim by a third and less than half the height of an Enforcer. What he lacked in raw strength he more than made up in speed and ferocity. The closest daemons scattered as a Mardukim charged him.

That struggle was as brief as it was fierce. Aricel pounded vulnerable spots one after another faster than the beast could block. Black talons rang off Aricel’s breastplate doing no damage. He stomped the grotesque head into a granite escarpment before bounding across the scaly back.  That major daemon would recover shortly but for now it was out of action.

The remaining dark forces rallied to block Aric from reaching the Messenger. He batted them aside by the dozen but more specters filled their place at once. His march took on the look of a man trying to wade through waist-deep oil. Eventually, he reached the last line of defense. Instead of fighting these golems punch for punch, Aric called down fire from heaven and his ship obliged.

The flame consumed the organic bit holding the stone creatures together. The heat drove the disembodied spirits out leaving the stone to crumble in a heap on all sides. The way was clear for a moment but a moment is forever at Messenger speed. In a flash he was in the home. Aricel followed quickly behind.

Their bags packed and piled by the door, the father sat reading a bible to his two adult daughters. In another room, in her private prayer closet a mother received the long awaited message from above. It was not what she wanted to hear and she pleaded for reconsideration. Nothing changed and soon the mother accepted the word of the LORD. The Messenger, unbound by duty lost locality. Only GOD can find him now.

The woman wept silently for a moment and then composed herself. She joined her family in the other room. Her husband turned to her, reading all he needed to know in her face the way husbands do. He embraced his wife comforting her.

One of the daughters spoke up. “Does this mean Willie won’t be able to make it back in time?”

Their father extended one arm to gather his two girls to himself. “GOD is sovereign over all but sometimes the government can be stubborn. If the Navy says he is needed then they must know what they’re doing. Let’s get on the road. Poppa is waiting for us.”

Aricel did not want to spend too much more time here and appearing to this family would tie him up with a lot of conversation he doesn’t need. He asked his ship to locate the son, Willie’s grandson and namesake. He then spoke into the father’s mind. “You know, the Navy isn’t really an entity. It is made up of people making decisions. Sometimes those decisions are wrong, or capricious or even downright spiteful.”

The man did not know where these new thoughts came from; perhaps his subconscious mind. He answered anyway. “Yeah, that chief of his is an old school – I don’t want to even think of him as a racist because I’ve never met the man. But, yeah, he’s got personal issues with my boy. I wish he could see him for the good man I raised and not for the color of his skin – if that’s the problem, that is.”

“Whatever his problem,” Aricel whispered, “You already know the answer. You said before ‘GOD is sovereign over all.’ If a miracle is required then GOD is a God of miracles. Get on the road and let Him handle His business.”

The father said aloud to his family, “In Him I do trust.” And his family responded, “Amen!” They were smiling as the headed out to the car.

 

***3***

Several hundred miles out to sea a very large ship barely rocked in the heavy Atlantic seas. Long the bane of seafarers the Atlantic struggled against the nuclear powered leviathan late that afternoon. The last flights back to CONUS stood warming on the foredeck. Within hours the ship would transition to the Fifth fleet AOR. Not long afterwards they would see the Straits of Gibraltar. Europe beckoned. But before that, conflict in the Middle East.

Far below the flight deck men sat in berthing spaces with little to say. Each

alone in their thoughts; mostly thinking of home and how long it would be before they returned. Old sailors remembered deployments of almost exactly six months. Now with tightening budgets and shrinking fleets it seemed ships were at sea more than they were in port. On any given day eighty percent of the US fleet was out in the deep.

Petty Officer Wylie George Everhart leaned into his rack. On one hand he had a letter from his mother asking him to come home to see his grandfather one last time. Next to that was a letter from the Red Cross requesting his release for a brief absence. One small piece of paper overrode both; his request for leave.

He had plenty of leave on the books and, as a single sailor with no bad habits he had plenty of money to afford a flight to Europe to rejoin his ship. His chit came back with the ‘NO’ box checked all the way to the executive officer and covered with reasons why he was “indispensable to ship operations.”

Willie did not feel ‘indispensable’ at the moment. His division had the luxury of extra manpower. They had picked up some extra watchstanders when another carrier decomm’d and some of the sailors had to finish their sea tours.

“Hey Willie!” A friend from the department called over to him. “You packed yet? The last flight out is today.” Willie knew the man was in high spirits. His wife had given birth prematurely – “mother and daughter doing fine” the message read – so he had plenty of reasons to smile.

Willie didn’t want to dampen his spirits. “Go on up, I’ll follow along when I can.” He said while stashing the request chit under the other letters.

“Oh. Okay then; see you up top.” His friend pretended not to know the score. He had been on the ship the same time as Willie; they went all the way back to ‘A’ school together. If there was a problem he knew who was behind it. That chief. The friend left before his face betrayed the anger his heart felt.

Ten stories up, high above the flight deck the captain of the ship sat in his personal chair in the pilot house. He did not drive the ship at this particular moment or direct flight operations. He had key people in the right places all over the ship doing those things. He monitored them from his station, anticipating what would be the next step when the current cycles ended.

One thing he needed was more coffee. An orderly appeared at that moment requesting permission to enter the bridge. He held a very special carafe from the captain’s mess. No one was foolish enough to get in his way.

The captain caught the aroma as the steaming liquid filled his mug. This was not his usual roast. He had not had this particular blend since, - Hawaii? CINPACFLT favored this particular Kona coffee in his office. The captain sipped at it. Yes, this was definitely Kona roast.

The orderly was a new man. He read the name on his blouse. “Seaman Aricel, when you get back to the mess let Chief Harris know I said this was the best cup of coffee I’ve had in years.”

“Yes sir, I’ll tell him.”

“Oh and, tell him, this better not be the only cup of Kona I get on this cruise.”

Aricel stammered in the way a very junior sailor does when delivering a threat from one senior to another. You don’t want to be the messenger in that exchange; not without some extra stripes to spare.

The captain did not notice a piece of paper added to his short stack of forms while he was distracted by the smell of coffee. Now he picked up his clipboard as the mug cooled. He initialed the fuel status report on top. The second was a request for leave. He read it over carefully.

He turned to the bridge officer, “Executive officer to the bridge.”

 

***4***

Aricel stood by holding a small snack tray, an unnoticed seaman apprentice while a captain addressed another captain. In turn, a commander arrived attempting to explain his comments on the request. More officers of lower rank arrived covered in sweat from more than the effort to get to the bridge.

Finally, the captain ended the debate. “I command a ship of thousands, with an embarked air wing of thousands more. And you’re telling me that we cannot operate this ship without this one petty officer? What would happen if he died?”

No one had an answer for that. Of course the ship would sail on even if the captain dropped dead. He spelled out “Approved, Immediate” on the bottom of the request and signed it. "Gentlemen, Petty Officer Everhart just died."

The captain then said, “Master Chief.”  ABFCM (SW/AW) Koehnig stepped forward to receive the request form. He could smile because his head was not on the chopping block. “Make sure this man is on the next flight off the ship. When you’re done with that, find out who is responsible for this screw-up and bring him to me.”

Master Chief Koenig left the bridge with a smile. This was the part of his job he enjoyed the most. Someone, as a result of their own questionable judgement, was going to be very disappointed with their next performance review.

Twenty two minutes later, Petty Officer Everhart got a quick pre-flight orientation in the island before stepping out onto the flight deck. Someone grabbed his hastily packed sea bag and ran to the waiting S-3 COD. Willie had heard planes landing on and launching from the flight deck for years. This would be the first time he had the opportunity to experience it for himself.

Soon he buckled into the window seat behind the cockpit. The crew chief checked his straps, tightening them more. Willie’s friend smiled from the other side giving him a ‘thumbs up’ because the whine of the turbofans made normal conversation impossible.

The flight deck personnel directed the plane to the bow catapults. Willie watched all he could through the window. He had scorned ‘Airedales’ for years as little more than “mobile ballast” taking up space on the ship and standing in lines everywhere. To be fair, the air wingers tended to have an equally low opinion of the ship’s company.

Soon it was time to assume the position. He leaned hard into his seat burying his cranial helmet into the headrest to avoid whiplash. He braced his boots against the railing below, and crossed his arms on his chest as the engines ran up to full power. With a sudden rush the plane accelerated at 4G in less than two seconds to about 140 knots indicated airspeed. Willie knew all the mechanical details that made this launch possible. He worked in the enginerooms where the steam formed from nuclear heat. He qualified Surface Warfare and would also qualify Aviation Warfare Specialist when he got back. Technical understanding is one thing, flying is another.

He heard himself let out a long “YEE-HAW!” as the shuttle pushed the plane off into space.

 

***5***

Lower Mississippi gets a lot of rain this time of year. Sometimes tornadoes push through too. The storm approaching from the North was nothing as minor as that—except this storm would never reach its destination.

The enemy regrouped for a final push against the assembled Hosts gathered in defense of Willie H. Everhart’s home. It might have been an epic battle except it would never happen. One Eternal could tip the tide of battle, two or more could assure victory – 12,000 Eternal was a foregone conclusion!

Together they formed a wall as impenetrable as the Word of GOD Himself. They imposed their collective will on events and nothing beneath the Throne itself could say them, “Nay.” The war ended before it started.

Aricel sat chatting with Willie when his daughter burst in with good news. She paused because this time she could see the handsome man sitting in the chair across the room. Willie assured her he was a friend and to go ahead and speak.

“George is here! His wife and daughters are getting out of the car right now. I’ll try to get him in as soon as I can tear him away from the family.” She nodded to Aricel and pivoted to leave again as quickly as she came.

“She always was excitable.” Willie said. “Just like her mother; probably why I love her so. She reminded me of the crazy young thing I first met and fell in love with. You know, it was like living with the same angel twice.”

Aricel knew real angels. Women were far worse and far better than those Sons of Heaven. Having been in love himself he knew the sentiment quite well. “I never had children but I have a niece. She was the best thing to come into my life. Made me wish I had gotten married before –”

“But you didn’t?” Willie finished. “You can tell me about it someday. My son is here.”

George Franklin Everhart appeared at the door alone. Willie was happy to see his long absent son – but not happy enough. Aricel sat unnoticed in the corner while son hugged father for a long time. He knelt by the bed, ignoring the chairs in the room. He looked like a man who was comfortable kneeling in prayer for long periods.

Once they were disturbed when the rest of George’s family came in to see Poppa but they could see this was important between the two men and departed. Again, they were interrupted with the offer of food and drink. They declined.

After talking together for more than an hour, they were disturbed once more – this time with the arrival of a tall young man in Navy whites. His rows of ribbons spoke of honorable service and his three blue chevrons spoke of responsibilities weighing down his shoulders. But there was more.

More than just the white color of the uniform, the man seemed to glow. Aricel had seen the man before on the ship several times but had not seen this aspect before. Beyond that, Willie began to glow as well, much brighter than the other. George did not seem to notice but Aricel did and marveled at the spiritual display.

Willie ‘Jr.” (as Aricel began calling him in his head to make the distinction) entered alone and hugged his grandfather. Three generations of proud, hardworking men talked and prayed together for some time. Something passed along from Willie Senior to George to Willie the Younger. When it was over it was time to say goodbyes.

The rest of the family gathered into the room to hear Poppa’s last words. He blessed them, each one with his right hand. His escorts arrived while he was speaking and stood with Aricel in silence. This was no sad occasion for them; this was the most joyous day in their existence, “a Saint was returning home!”

Willie’s body lost its glow and faded into a peaceful rest. His spirit rose up in the room and faced Aricel. He looked a lot like the younger Willie, probably more like himself than he had been in years. Aricel smiled and memorized his face, they would meet again soon!

His family sang joyous hymns of praise while shedding tears of sorrow. Poppa had finally gone to his rest. Their lives were all diminished by his absence but they possessed the hope of seeing him and Big Momma again in the Hereafter.

Everyone wandered out to let the mortuary man do his job. People swapped stories about Poppa and how he had touched their lives. He would remain an inspiration for many years. No one bothered Willie Jr. as he walked by himself through Poppa’s garden. He would never see his tomato crop this time.

When he was sure no one could hear him, Willie said, “So, who are you?”

Aricel step up next to him. “I’m just a man with a job.” he said. “This assignment seems to be finished so I’ll be on my way shortly.”

Willie was puzzled. “You’re not going to stay? With all the stuff going on around here, I thought you were in charge.”

“No, my friend, I don’t run things. I come and go as needed. You are going to discover that things in the Spirit Realm often come and go in a flash. Before that time you’re likely to face a big decision.”

“The Navy.” Willie said without looking up.

“Yes, the Navy,” Aricel added. “It is possible you might have to choose which path you will follow; the Cross or chief’s anchors. But understand this; even though you have what Poppa called ‘the Sight’, it is a gift that has uses everywhere. You might already be in the place GOD wants you to be. If not, you’ll know soon enough. But one thing I can assure you, your life will never be boring again.”

“Oh, I’m sure of that.” Willie was already wondering what he was going to do about having the Sight on a ship sailing into combat. Interesting times awaited his return.

 

***epilogue***

 

One person was not looking forward to Willie’s return. He emerged from chief’s berthing on the third deck to find the command master chief waiting for him. All of his personal possessions were in two sea bags, a suit bag and several boxes hastily filled. Anything else remaining would be shipped to his final destination. Two junior petty officers from the master-at-arms office carried the possessions without daring to say a word.

They walked down the portside passageway to the Personnel Office. Senior Chief Corpus had orders already typed up transferring him to the beach detachment in La Maddelena, Italy. With luck and the grace of GOD the chief would be able to retire at his present rank.

The chiefs walked in silence to the stairwell leading up to the hangar bays. Neither man noticed the seaman apprentice that stopped his sweeping to let the two senior men pass by. Neither man was likely to ever see “Seaman Aricel” again during their journeys.

 

***END***

 

SUN DOWN

“That Jarret Carter is a good kid.” Aricel said to no one in particular. His armor snorted and rolled over. Aricel reached down and scratched behind both ears on the massive maned head. “I know you like him too. And I know you like pretending not to like him because you like how he’s nervous around you – that’s okay too. There is value in learning proper fear and respect at a young age.”

Aricel turned, sat on the floor and leaned back into the soft fur. “We love them so much that we tend to want to protect them from everything. There is no better formula for ruining a child.”

He opened a window in the space above him. In it he could look at dozens of things at once, hundreds if he chose but that was unnecessary clutter. An assortment of scenes played out before his eyes; children at play in one spot, a herd of animals in another, jellyfish rising to the moonlight in yet another, and a comet speeding through the dark away from a star next to that.

“You know, I’m thinking about going home.” He said. The armor didn’t respond. “I like being on this ship and enjoy every mission we go on—I go on, yeah—I’m sorry if I don’t always take you with me. There are just times when fear and intimidation are counterproductive, okay?” That warranted a flick of the ears. “Next time we go home, what say you join me on the Dog Run with the boys? I know they’d like that.”

That did it! The armor bucked hard enough to straighten Aricel in a seated position. It stood up on four massive paws, talons flexing, shook its entire body from shaggy mane to long tawny tail. It walked away to curl up in a ball again in its personal cubby hole. Aricel didn’t notice all of that, he was too busy laughing. Aricel knew that whenever the armor was around the dogs it became their favorite plaything. It detested the way the dogs chased it continuously whenever it moved, climbed on its back when it didn’t and never stopped barking. How is a cat to get any rest in that kind of noise?

Aricel started to close the screen when a star caught his eye. He looked at it and noticed a marker in the corner. That red flag meant something worthy of investigation was happening in that region of the universe. He tagged his name to the flag letting all of Eternity know he was on the case. That didn’t prevent anyone else from getting involved; it simply gave them the option to bypass the notice knowing someone was already involved.

“I’ve found something interesting if you want to follow along.” No movement from the corner and no sound, “Suit yourself, buddy; I’ll call you if I need you.” Aricel stepped into the bridge from his spacious cabin. A low growl leaked past the closing door. Aricel laughed. He enjoyed having armor with a personality. It made life more interesting every day.

Life on the bridge remained busy as well. The regular crew monitored communications and handled a great deal of information related to anything their captain might take an interest in. In the process they learned a great deal about how people viewed the world. The concept of questioning reality was foreign to their kind before the birth of Man. From the beginning there was only the Creator who knew everything and made everything and those who served the Creator.

The one time any of their kind questioned the order of existence resulted in a great war in which one in three of their number had fallen. Those who remained swore to be ever loyal. They ministered to Man all through the unfolding of his story—that is what “History” means—because that was their duty. Since man had ascended through the sacrifice of the Son of Man everything has changed. As soon as Aricel tagged the red flag his crew began looking into the situation around the star.

“Deck officer, report.” Aricel took his seat so he could look over all the screens at once.

“All we have now is a decrease in stellar luminosity about seven hours ago. There are eleven planets orbiting the star, four are gas giants, four are ice balls and one is a scorcher. We set course for the system and will arrive early in the morning.”

That was standard for his ship. Aricel could be anywhere in the Universe anytime he wanted. He just preferred to arrive early tomorrow morning; whether Earth to the Moon or Milky Way Galaxy to the Kirill Nebula, 7 trillion lightyears away. Since time is irrelevant in Eternity they never arrive “late.” More precisely, they are always a bit earlier than they need to be – better to assess the situation properly.

“Sir,” the Host watching their particular star spoke up. “The star has dimmed 1.8%.”

“That’s another 0.9% in a matter of hours.” Aricel began to calculate the change curve in his head.

“No sir that is an additional 1.8%.”

Aricel did not need to finish his plot, “Increase speed to flank. I want this ship in close orbit of that star in 30 minutes.” Aricel stepped off the bridge into his cabin to prepare for his investigation. The deck beneath his feet rumbled as the engines strained to meet the new demand.

None of that was necessary. Aricel didn’t need a ship and he didn’t need engines—he actually didn’t have engines. He didn’t need any of the trappings of his office – he just preferred it this way. His life in Eternity suits him. His existence is endless and could easily be stressless – and boring. Living in this fashion, with a purpose, with companions, and with consequences is really everything he ever wanted. Even though he didn’t know it, he was born for this.

His fierce armor was another part of his personal flair. All the abilities in the mound of fur came from him. Aricel simply externalized some of his aspects, concentrated them in a location, and gave it an appearance and a basic personality.  He is not the only one in Eternity to have an independent companion. Mortals called them “spirit animals.” In reality, the Eternal were simply expressing an unconscious affinity for a particular species.

“I’m going down to look at a star, do you want to come?” He asked the mound of fur. He opened a closet door and selected a few gadgets he also didn’t need but liked to have. Each one fit neatly into a pocket of his tunic without adding bulk or weight to it. “If you’d prefer, I can just go down in a bubble and leave you here to get some much needed beauty rest.”

As he turned to find something else on his desk a massive weight fell on him. Flat on the floor, face to face with a snarling face, he smiled. “I guess this is your way of volunteering to go along?” He hugged the massive neck, feeling the soft fur against his face. “I wouldn’t want to be without you buddy.” When a lion purrs it is a deep, frightening reverberation. And it feels pretty good.

***1***

Walking on the surface of a star in an experience like no other in the universe. It is both exhilarating and frightening and most of all the closest thing to being in the presence of the LORD you can imagine. One should take that walk at the earliest possible opportunity. Aricel had walked on the surface of several stars before. Thanks to those experiences he could see the problem immediately. This star was dying.

He could estimate the life remaining to the star and from there predict the effect on the surrounding system. He didn’t have to do that, though. “Bridge, ask for the services of a Creation Engineer, if you please.”

A brief moment later the form of a giant mechanical humanoid approached from Aricel’s right side. It did not walk on the two legs but thrust forward on four bright jets of plasma-white flame. Its sudden stop created a wave in the star that vanished in the distance beyond Aricel before running out. Aricel recognized the blue, red and yellow suit as belonging to an old friend going all the way back to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Aricel did not need to explain the situation to the Engineer. Being another Eternal he had access to the same source of Infinite knowledge that Aricel accessed at will. Engineers had a different bent, a different perspective on Creation that they analyzed. Where Aricel was more interested in things that affected the lives of creatures, the Engineer was more interested in the evolving nature of Creation and the underpinning mechanics.

The Engineer Tamas planted a long slender probe into the roiling surface of the star. No doubt it extended to the deepest core in no time. Raising two arms created a translucent display screen that should not be visible in the presence of so much light, but there it was.

“Well, Aric, what do you need me for?” Tamas said without turning around. “This star is well past dying on its own. I’ve got iron in the core already and it’s accelerating.”

“That’s big trouble Tam because I’ve got an inhabited planet over there.” Aric indicated a region above them invisible from their current position. Immediately a swirling, blue-green sphere appeared on the display. Data flags in dozens of colors covered the planet in the next instant.

Tam’s armor stroked its slender chin. “That’s a whopping load of beasties. Not to mention the sentients. What do you want to do? Let ’em fry or move them?”

“Letting them die is not an option.” Tamas nodded in agreement as Aric looked into stellar chart still floating in the background. “I was hoping you could reset the core back about a few thousand years. Give these creatures a chance to develop space drive and evacuate themselves.”

Tamas pulled out a scroll from a pocket of his suit. He set up a desk below the display on the probe. In no time he was scanning tangle of equations intently. Aricel stood speechless, not willing to believe his eyes.

He finally said, “Hey Tam is that paper?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You know where we are, right?”

“Uh-huh, right – about – here.” Tamas pointed to a series of squiggles on the scroll.

“I just wanted to remind you of one other little detail, not very important right now, but paper is flammable.”

Tam checked some more figures before answering. “You’re right there Aric; it’s not important. The main issue we have is the star has got to go on time. There is a gravitational alignment passing through here in a matter of hours. If I delay this star by as much as a day it could throw the entire galaxy off balance, threatening a billion times more lives over the next 50,000 years. No this star has got to give up its energy soon.”

“So that means Plan B – we move the population to a new world.” Aricel logged in to his ship’s records. They had several candidates for resettlement worlds capable of absorbing an established biosphere with minimal adjustment. Aricel rejected two that would need Moons placed in orbit. One had too many radionuclides in the soil. The best candidate only needed adjustment to its magnetosphere plus a few minor changes.

The distance from this star was no problem. Moving a sentient population numbering over 100 million can be a daunting task. You can’t just drop out of the sky one day and yell, “Everybody get on the ship right now or you’re dead!” They had to be prepared well in advance.

Tam offered a solution. “Do you work with any Comforters?” Aricel nodded; he knew quite a few. “You could have them go back a thousand years ago and plant a legend.”

Aric paused before breaking into a wide grin. “That usually works with people who respect the past. We can foretell of a day when ‘space arks’ would descend from the heavens to rescue the people from their dying Sun. All they have to do is look for signs in the sky to know this time was coming.”

“No doubt they have seen the flare-ups and the death of the inner planets. That alone would be enough to make the population think they are going to need outside help.” Tam produced another scroll with script and sketches on it. “We’ll suggest the size and shape of the ships and tell them where to gather on their world. Not everyone will want to go, however.”

Aric shrugged. “Choice is always a factor in important issues. Some are going to reject our help out of fear or suspicion. Some will blame us for messing with their star. Some are simply skeptical of our type of life existing at all. That can’t be helped. There has never been 100% consensus among sentients on even the most obvious situation. We’ll only save those willing to go, plus enough of the biosphere to quickly reboot the environment.”

Tam pulled up his probe and tucked it away on the back of his suit. “He said, “I’ll get started on prepping their new home. By the time they arrive it will look like a paradisiacal version of their homeworld.”

Aric said, “Thanks for the scroll, Tam. I’ll get together with an old friend and get this planted in their past. The script might need adjusting, though.”

“Tam checked his suit over out of habit. “No it won’t. It’s written in Protoscript. It will fix in an old but translatable language for whatever region you plant it in. Just keep it dry.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to the paper we created on the Sun.”

“Is that sarcasm, laddie? Because it sounds an awful lot like sarcasm to me.”

“No way, Tam. I just had gas from something I ate . . . last year. Um, bye!”

The two Eternal blasted from the star. Hundreds of thousands of miles from their launch point below their feet the core finally collapsed. A wave of energy surged in all directions bringing doom to most of the worlds in the system.

***2***

The Day of Deliverance arrived exactly as foretold in the ancient Scroll of the Elden Valley. The name derived from the location where the scroll was found among other documents from a past civilization. The modern people had argued about the accuracy of the scroll for nearly 150 years after it came to light. The debate intensified when a radical archeologist unearthed the first “landing pad.”

The scroll predicted the locations of the gathering points more than a thousand years ago. Incredibly, it had calculated the precise location of the all of the world’s major population centers. Over 90% of the population lived less than a day away from a pad; yes, there was more than one.

After the first one emerged from the soil the rest were easy to find. If one followed the Golden Mean in either direction from the first lead to the second. Knowing the distance to the second lead invariably to two more. Soon all twelve were cleared off and ready for use—by whatever “others” who dropped by, in giant space ships.

Not everyone agreed with the prophesies as interpreted. Some opposed clearing the launch pads without proper scientific study. Others simply objected to spending significant funds preparing for an event told in old fables that may not have been properly translated. Less than half of the population expressed even moderate beliefs in the scroll.

That number shifted sharply higher as the foretold signs in the sky began to occur on schedule. As many as 3 in 4 sincerely hoped the scroll was true once official palace ministry admitted their sun had entered a terminal phase. None of their available technology could save even a token percentage of the population. Even if they could get a hundred or a dozen into space, where would they go? Their entire species and all the life they knew would soon burn and the ashes carried away on a solar wind.

Four days before the End of Days, three days before the Day of Deliverance a new star appeared in the night sky. The next day telescopes the world over determined there were several large vessels in a line, possibly more. The following day they were visible to the naked eye.

Most of the population streamed to the launch pads. Governments emptied the hospitals and jails; no one deserved to be left behind. Low levels of chaos broke out as some took advantage of the emptying and unguarded treasures of civilization. Others refused to leave their homes while still more fled to the mountains determined not to be “abducted by aliens.”

Twelve massive space arks settled on the launch pads. Despite their size they could never hold more than one in twelve. Before the populace could panic a voice full of hope and authority calmed them as if by magic.

“Dear children, fear not,” it said as if it were speaking to each one in their own language. “By means beyond your understanding we will carry all of you away from that which is to come. The ramps on either side and to the rear all lead to different levels. They are wide and can handle many people at once.

“Gather together in families or whatever groups you desire. This is important; if you get separated from anyone just tell your host on the ramp their name and a brief description. We will reunite you to them. Do not worry or fear; we will help you.

“Now as the ramps descend walk in an orderly fashion, don’t rush, we have enough time and room for everyone here and more.”

Despite the admonition more than a few fairly sprinted up the ramp the moment it neared the ground. Every person attempting such action stopped as if by some magical force and carried to the ground, kept aside from the rest. People quickly realized haste would avail them nothing. Nervous panic dissipated before it could spread into a dangerous stampede. The feeble and infirm went up together followed by families with small children.

Atop each ramp a line of very tall, oddly “foreign” men moved the groups through ten doors. Once inside people found themselves in a room of reasonable size for the number of people present. There were drinks provided, large comfortable seats, and several comfort rooms. A large screen displayed the nearly endless lines of worried faces waiting to board, skeptical they’d ever find room.

Hour upon hour the people flowed into the twelve ships. Radios broadcast pleas for the holdouts to come and join the rescue. By midnight in their capital city it was

clear that possibly six percent of the population would never come in. By dawn the ramps retreated into their recesses.

A few desperate stragglers veered into each of the landing pads. Odd flying pods took those people aboard. Everyone who wanted to go could still make it – until the sun flashed.

***3***

Aricel stood on the pad below his ship. It appeared to be 700 meters long, 220 meters wide, and 95 meters from the ground to the upper deck. He could have made it bigger but he had orders to “make it look like a miracle” that so many people fit inside. Against all common sense more than nine million people sat in comfortable compartments that in total should hold no more than ten percent of that number packed in tight.

“These people don’t even realize how many animals occupy the lower two levels.” Aricel permitted himself to smile. “This is truly an ‘Ark’ experience that will become legend before long – especially when no one will ever find evidence of our presence in their new home.”

Above the sky flashed then became dim as the sun collapsed. The Host looked around and saw more vehicles approaching at dangerous speed. “Do we wait for them to arrive, Captain?”

Aricel could hear the engines laboring to go faster. “No, my friend; decisions have consequences. Give the order.”

The host blew his shofar. The sound carried on the aether to all of the ships at the same time. Flaring bright cyan flames twelve space arks rose as one. Aricel could speak to any of the twelve ship commanders, all Eternal like himself, but they already had clear instructions. They will travel for six days to their new world many light years away.

On the seventh day their spiritual leaders will consecrate the new world. The next day the animals will be released. On the next day the able bodied people will begin constructing shelters for their people from the kits the Eternal provided. Plus they will all land on the same large continent near plentiful fresh water and fertile fields.

Tamas made sure to engineer the planet to support their life quite well and to have numerous sources of food to give the people a good start.

Back on a dying world Aricel stood vigil with the dozens or hundreds who gathered too late. Some wailed, some cried, others prayed. The shock wave started small when the ships rose up in the blazing sky. It filled half the sky when the ships disappeared. Minutes later the first moon burned. The second moon exploded. Then the air began to burn. The screams of the hopeless did not last long.

Aricel looked around at the once vibrant planet, now bare and toxic to life. The Host walked with him in silence. “I wonder,” Aricel said more to himself, “I wonder if the Engineers have any plans to salvage this world?”

The Host answered anyway looking at the red dwarf sun swelling above. “Possibly, the Engineer said this world had to die – or more precisely the star had to die. They have now a sterile system to work with again. I’m sure they will enjoy the challenge of restarting the world.”

Aricel kicked something hard from a crack in the ground. Against all odds a

child’s toy survived the scorching heat. Aricel decided to bring it along as he prepared to rejoin his ship in flight. “It’s possible; with Hope all things seem possible. Shall leave the dead and join the living?”

Two bright lights burst out of the smoke shrouded orb heading off into deep space.

**END**

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