Adam shook his head sadly. "Ah, but he was so appealing as a child, his heart was full of good intentions. Tis a pity that he turned away from his innocence and lowered himself into the
loathsome pit of lies.”
“What happened to Heber?"
"He was attacking a village in a remote region of Ireland when he was slain by a former
slave…killed at the hand of Emus....."
"Emus! Emus learned to be free?"
“Yes. Count your blessings. You did good there."
"What happened to Nel and Scota? Did they live the good life?"
"Yes, but nothing lasts forever. Thankfully Nel and Scota did not live to see the hordes of immigrants swamp into Scotland and destroy his little safe haven, nor the soldiers who enforced their doctrine with swords."
"He would have been heart-broken."
"You loved Nel."
"Nel taught me to pray from the heart. What would I have done without him? He unwittingly prepared me to meet the other challenges.”
"Now tell me about the ring."
My eyes fell on the gold ring Karscha had placed on my little finger. “Katscha....gave it to me with the promise that she would always love me and asked me to wear it that she would recognize me should we meet again. It was my utmost desire to go to Ireland and share a lifetime with her. But I knew then that I would never see her again. She knew it also.”
"Then….. why do you wear the ring?"
"Because she asked me to. It would be convenient if I could destroy the love that is in my heart for her. But I can only remember so great a love.”
“Jeremiah gave her in marriage to a prince of Scythia, a cousin of the same lineage as the house of Israel. It was to strengthen the faith and bind the families. The same for Tea Telphi. It was his plan all along. He saw upon you as an impediment to his vision."
"In the broader spectrum it was also my inheritance, but I did not know it then. Did she love this prince of Synthia?" Adam glanced away. Of course she did. It was in the nature of the dear, sweet Karscha to love family and friends. “Well, did she remember me?”
“I can tell you this, she waits for you now."
“You mean, in the spirit world?” My heart pounded excitedly.
“Be patient, my son, you hath not lived out your days…..”
“How much longer?”
He chuckled. “God hath numbered our days. Do I know the moment that I shall pass into the spirit world?”
The old patriarch pulled a blanket to his neck then dropping his head to one side, fell fast asleep. While he snoozed, I reviewed my situation. I learned not. I still wanted the easy way out, to find a better home than the one I’d left. The world had not yet ended and I had not earned my place into heaven. I was deeply ashamed. Adam stirred.
“Are you still here, Regulus?”
“Yes.”
“What is the blessing you want of me?”
“If the battle of Armageddon did not occur, then life continues.”
“Of course, mankind cannot destroy the planet. It is not his to dispose of.”
“I must go back to my own time.”
“What will you do there?”
“Rebuild, I will help to rebuild. This time, I will not run and hide, but set the example and fight evil with all of my strength. Never again will I allow politicians to corrupt government and take away my freedoms. No more will I avoid trouble, but my actions shall make a difference. Thomas fought for his king, so shall I fight for my country and give my life, if need be. My voice will be heard for good. I stand strong in my faith and will face my enemies with power and conviction. And lest I forget, I shall always wear the sword of the brave knight to remind me. “
And that was the blessing Adam gave me.
THE END
Friday, November 26, 2010
Chapter 38
“Yes,” he said seriously. “And it saddens me that even now you do not understand how much you owe to the lion.”
“How can I thank a lion for my life?”
“Are words always necessary? When you found yourself alone in the world with him, did you not communicate in your heart? And did he not answer with his good deeds.“
“I was repelled when he ate the flesh of the priest. I did not understand the savagery.”
“Didn’t you? It is forbidden to take a life. His response to save you was one of the purest of instincts . The beast found himself in an environment of mankind’s evil doings and reacted accordingly. If man is base, so is the beast.”
“I was afraid. Later, when he deserted me, I was angry.”
“You were left to help yourself.”
“Why did you not tell me that you were Adam?”
."What other person would have the power to send you into the past? And who else but myself would have an interest in your outcome? God gave me the power to help my children irrespective of where they are, past or present. The power of my priesthood transcends all the generations of time as well as that of other worlds. Your natural eyes can only see limited space, but there are unending universes and worlds, even a world of spirits which we are not permitted to see into just yet. Soon I will lay down this body and go to the world of spirits, and so will you. It is that paradise which you now seek, because there is no other home to go to until you have finished your work on the earth. What blessing do you wish from me?”
“Now that you hath spoken, I know not. All I ever thought about was the key. You told me that one of my ancestors had it.”
“Some of them did.”
.
"Apparently there is no key which unlocks a door.”
“No, there is only the human experience and decisions that we make along the way.
We must find answers to the hard questions; every answer is a key.“
“You sent me into the past for a reason. What was it?”
“To learn. You can tell me that you are good, but that is not so until you have finished your work and been tested. God promised tribulation to bring about the immortality of man. That is what you are seeking, is it not? To be immortal.”
“I was so stupid asking everyone for a key ….when I was really searching for a home. It was impossible for them to know how much I hated my own generation for reducing my world to cinders.”
“Yes, that is the way of it, but you evoked curiosity and compassion while collecting some relics.” I removed the sword. “Ah, the knight’s sword!” Adam carefully examined the inscription of the fleur de lis lion rampart. “Thomas gave you the treasured symbol of his manhood. The emblem the House of de Hollande adopted from Prince Echoid and Tea Telphi and ...amplified...by the devotion and loyalty of Thomas. And of course, the lion rampart was continued through the royal houses of Europe to the very last as a symbol of power and authority. Something you should be proud of, Laboi." The beast growled. “What happened to the other trinket?”
“Heber’s Celtic cross. Caicher believed it.“
"Yes. Caicher seeks relics and signs to validate his druidism. To you he gave the National treasure of his people. You certainly made an impression there. Of course the cross was never worn by Heber, a hoax. No doubt you discovered that for yourself when you met the revered ancestor. What did you think of Heber?"
"Brutal, ruthless."
“How can I thank a lion for my life?”
“Are words always necessary? When you found yourself alone in the world with him, did you not communicate in your heart? And did he not answer with his good deeds.“
“I was repelled when he ate the flesh of the priest. I did not understand the savagery.”
“Didn’t you? It is forbidden to take a life. His response to save you was one of the purest of instincts . The beast found himself in an environment of mankind’s evil doings and reacted accordingly. If man is base, so is the beast.”
“I was afraid. Later, when he deserted me, I was angry.”
“You were left to help yourself.”
“Why did you not tell me that you were Adam?”
."What other person would have the power to send you into the past? And who else but myself would have an interest in your outcome? God gave me the power to help my children irrespective of where they are, past or present. The power of my priesthood transcends all the generations of time as well as that of other worlds. Your natural eyes can only see limited space, but there are unending universes and worlds, even a world of spirits which we are not permitted to see into just yet. Soon I will lay down this body and go to the world of spirits, and so will you. It is that paradise which you now seek, because there is no other home to go to until you have finished your work on the earth. What blessing do you wish from me?”
“Now that you hath spoken, I know not. All I ever thought about was the key. You told me that one of my ancestors had it.”
“Some of them did.”
.
"Apparently there is no key which unlocks a door.”
“No, there is only the human experience and decisions that we make along the way.
We must find answers to the hard questions; every answer is a key.“
“You sent me into the past for a reason. What was it?”
“To learn. You can tell me that you are good, but that is not so until you have finished your work and been tested. God promised tribulation to bring about the immortality of man. That is what you are seeking, is it not? To be immortal.”
“I was so stupid asking everyone for a key ….when I was really searching for a home. It was impossible for them to know how much I hated my own generation for reducing my world to cinders.”
“Yes, that is the way of it, but you evoked curiosity and compassion while collecting some relics.” I removed the sword. “Ah, the knight’s sword!” Adam carefully examined the inscription of the fleur de lis lion rampart. “Thomas gave you the treasured symbol of his manhood. The emblem the House of de Hollande adopted from Prince Echoid and Tea Telphi and ...amplified...by the devotion and loyalty of Thomas. And of course, the lion rampart was continued through the royal houses of Europe to the very last as a symbol of power and authority. Something you should be proud of, Laboi." The beast growled. “What happened to the other trinket?”
“Heber’s Celtic cross. Caicher believed it.“
"Yes. Caicher seeks relics and signs to validate his druidism. To you he gave the National treasure of his people. You certainly made an impression there. Of course the cross was never worn by Heber, a hoax. No doubt you discovered that for yourself when you met the revered ancestor. What did you think of Heber?"
"Brutal, ruthless."
Chapter 37
Adam spent his days inside the inner-court of the temple where he was served by a large staff of family members. He had been alone for many years. Eve had long since died, but he always had the company of those who
resided in Adam-ondi-amen and reminded them of her singular beauty and kindness.
I was directed inside the atrium of the inner-court. It had a high vaulted ceiling which filtered rays of daylight into the room. The windows had no glass nor screens and afforded a spectacular view of the pink and white blossoms of crepe myrtle trees and a hedge of purple wisteria wrapping around the trunks on one side of the room and on the other side a view of potted daisies and rows of pink tulips. On the far side of the room was a series of open archways which displayed another spectacular scene of nature, zebras, lions, antelopes, camels, and a nursing doe. All of nature embraced him there.
Adam stood in front of a huge open fireplace rubbing his hands together over the flames that burned year-round for him. Lying beside him on the floor was a large sleeping lion. Periodically he quit warming the hands to pet the lush mane of the beast.
"I expected to see you," he said not turning away from the fire but cocking his head to one side. As I moved closer to him the lion stirred. "It's all right, the lion is compatible. I dare say, friendlier than the animals of your generation. You see, it was mankind who gave the animals their violence. I named each species, you know, and enjoyed doing it. I have always had a fondness for animals; they are like family.”
“He has a strong resemblance for Laboi.“
“He is Laboi.“
“What?”
The lion reared his neck and acknowledged my presence. Instinctively I stepped over him and touched his soft thick mane. "Laboi! Why did you abandon me?"
“He saved your life. Can you at least thank him for that?”
The lion shorted. “How is it that he understands your words?”
"Regulus, you must be at tentative to the details of your task else the finer points slip through your hands. Actually, the lion is my companion. I only lent him to you in your day of need but first he asked to serve you."
"Apollogoram! Tis you! You are Adam!"
resided in Adam-ondi-amen and reminded them of her singular beauty and kindness.
I was directed inside the atrium of the inner-court. It had a high vaulted ceiling which filtered rays of daylight into the room. The windows had no glass nor screens and afforded a spectacular view of the pink and white blossoms of crepe myrtle trees and a hedge of purple wisteria wrapping around the trunks on one side of the room and on the other side a view of potted daisies and rows of pink tulips. On the far side of the room was a series of open archways which displayed another spectacular scene of nature, zebras, lions, antelopes, camels, and a nursing doe. All of nature embraced him there.
Adam stood in front of a huge open fireplace rubbing his hands together over the flames that burned year-round for him. Lying beside him on the floor was a large sleeping lion. Periodically he quit warming the hands to pet the lush mane of the beast.
"I expected to see you," he said not turning away from the fire but cocking his head to one side. As I moved closer to him the lion stirred. "It's all right, the lion is compatible. I dare say, friendlier than the animals of your generation. You see, it was mankind who gave the animals their violence. I named each species, you know, and enjoyed doing it. I have always had a fondness for animals; they are like family.”
“He has a strong resemblance for Laboi.“
“He is Laboi.“
“What?”
The lion reared his neck and acknowledged my presence. Instinctively I stepped over him and touched his soft thick mane. "Laboi! Why did you abandon me?"
“He saved your life. Can you at least thank him for that?”
The lion shorted. “How is it that he understands your words?”
"Regulus, you must be at tentative to the details of your task else the finer points slip through your hands. Actually, the lion is my companion. I only lent him to you in your day of need but first he asked to serve you."
"Apollogoram! Tis you! You are Adam!"
Chapter 35
civilization would restart the struggle, this time, with Enoch's grandson, Noah.
Adam’s pronouncement of individual blessings upon the heads of his posterity was eminent. That is what they came for. Enoch would be blessed for the great task of separation which lay ahead and Noah, as the patriarch of a new dispensation of time. Then he would lay his hands on everyone else, and bless them according to their needs.
pinched my way through the crowd trying to get near enough to hear but was elbowed farther back. Everyone stood waiting for Adam. When finally the ancient of days walked out of the temple onto the terrace he hobbled with great difficulty as he passed each foot in front of the other. His feeble body was bent to the waist and leaned over a scepter. His face had the jutted wrinkles of nine thousand years and his cheeks and jowls were thick flabs of folded skin. But the whole story of his life-time experiences were visible inside his eyeballs… saddened by the tears and disappointments of many ages. He wore the white robes of the priesthood and a tall turban decorated with golden emblems covered his thinning yellowish-gray hair which fell in loose curls around his ears. A de Vinci-styled beard grew into his lips and fell eminently low to the waist. My sympathies were with the venerable old man struggling to lift himself onto a rock wall and address his posterity. Then losing his balance, he reeled forward, but Enoch steadied him, and held him poised on the wall. I listened intentlyh. He prayed to God for a mercy blessing upon all of his kin. Then, stepping down from the wall, endowed with his eternal power and authority, Adam laid his hands on the heads of those nearest to him and blessed them according to their fath.
To Enoch, he gave the land southward to the sea and to Noah, the dominion over all of the earth including its animals. Each person, one after another, stepped forward and received a last blessing at the hand of the ancient of days. The hours passed slowly but the boney wrinkled hands touched the heads of his children with kindness and patience.
I desired a blessing for myself and waited. The night passed, and he had not finished the blessings. Then several days of assemblies occurred before the conference finally ended and the families began to leave Adam-ondi-amen. I resolved to stay behind and receive my blessing.
Adam’s pronouncement of individual blessings upon the heads of his posterity was eminent. That is what they came for. Enoch would be blessed for the great task of separation which lay ahead and Noah, as the patriarch of a new dispensation of time. Then he would lay his hands on everyone else, and bless them according to their needs.
pinched my way through the crowd trying to get near enough to hear but was elbowed farther back. Everyone stood waiting for Adam. When finally the ancient of days walked out of the temple onto the terrace he hobbled with great difficulty as he passed each foot in front of the other. His feeble body was bent to the waist and leaned over a scepter. His face had the jutted wrinkles of nine thousand years and his cheeks and jowls were thick flabs of folded skin. But the whole story of his life-time experiences were visible inside his eyeballs… saddened by the tears and disappointments of many ages. He wore the white robes of the priesthood and a tall turban decorated with golden emblems covered his thinning yellowish-gray hair which fell in loose curls around his ears. A de Vinci-styled beard grew into his lips and fell eminently low to the waist. My sympathies were with the venerable old man struggling to lift himself onto a rock wall and address his posterity. Then losing his balance, he reeled forward, but Enoch steadied him, and held him poised on the wall. I listened intentlyh. He prayed to God for a mercy blessing upon all of his kin. Then, stepping down from the wall, endowed with his eternal power and authority, Adam laid his hands on the heads of those nearest to him and blessed them according to their fath.
To Enoch, he gave the land southward to the sea and to Noah, the dominion over all of the earth including its animals. Each person, one after another, stepped forward and received a last blessing at the hand of the ancient of days. The hours passed slowly but the boney wrinkled hands touched the heads of his children with kindness and patience.
I desired a blessing for myself and waited. The night passed, and he had not finished the blessings. Then several days of assemblies occurred before the conference finally ended and the families began to leave Adam-ondi-amen. I resolved to stay behind and receive my blessing.
Chapter 34
I fell into the trap. It had been many days since I'd eaten and the idea of delicious food appealed to my hungry stomach. A large board platter of peasant and duck enmeshed between grapes, figs and pomengrates, was laid before me. I ate heartily, then sipped a peculiar tasting wine, drugged with a sleeping narcotic. I should not have been surprised to find myself bound with cords when I awoke. Even so, the guards were afraid to remove the sword. They planned to wait until I was dead before handing that items over to the Mahan. The Mahan stood over me laughing and licking his thick lips. Around his neck was the bronze necklace covering all the other jewels . They had me tied to altar beneath the statue of their vile god. I would be sacrificed to the sun god Re. The world was upside down. My whole body froze with fear. This is how it would end? A priest donning a tall hat and purple robe dug a dagger into my throat.
"If you are a sorcerer, who is your god? " The Mahan asked.
“He is the God of Noah.”
He spit in my face. "Noah is dead. I am the living god ," Mahan bragged. "And here is my prophecy. If the taste of your blood is sweet, I shall cause rain to fall and end the drought; if not, then I will cause your body will be dissected and scattered in the mountains."
"You do not have the power to summon the rain nor any part of the heavens!" I said. "You are not a god, but the devil. The true God will punish you."
The priest raised his dagger over my heart. A smile was on his lips and his eyes were glazed with ecstasy. "Quick!" Mahan said. "I thirst for the blood." The priest gritted his teeth and prepared to deliver the fatal blow. I shut my eyes and waited. My body shook with fear. Suddenly the world was spinning. I had known this scene before , seen others face death. My parents died from the effects of the bomb; Thomas gave his life in Normandy to the king who’d killed his father; Agnomon drowned trying to escape his own shame; and Heber's prisoner was tortured to death. Then there were those whom I murdered at the instance of Heber. I remembered Caicher's vision, the marriage of Tea Telphi and Heremon and the humble Nel who prayed to the true God. Perhaps I had a redeeming virtue which would also save me. I opened my eyes and stared into the face of the priest. My voice found words. "Dear Father in Heaven, thou knowest me; please save me!" The priest stumbled backwards. There was noise and wild screams. Not of narcotic delight, not of my death, but something else. I struggled to observe a lean and hungry Laboi ripping open the chest of the priest and everyone running.. Even the cowardly feet of the self-proclaimed god, the Great Mahan, ran with great speed. I managed to loose my sword from the scabard and cut myself loose. The wild dancing eyes of the beast were fixed on his prey as he tore flesh and broke bones. The sight of it sickened me and I vomited. Suddenly he stood erect and dropping the flesh of the priest from his teeth walked towards me .
“Get away from me!” I screamed, frailing my arms . “You are eating human flesh!”
His answer was a ferocious howl while showing me a full set of grizzly carnivorous teeth.
I ran through the streets and out of the city gate. All that I cared about was finding that other world, that city of love and peace promised by Allegoram. It must exist in this millennia. The scriptures spoke of Zion, a city which Enoch built to protect the righteous. I threw off the tunic and wore the sword proudly over my tartan kirk. I was not afraid. No one would stop me now. Instinctively, I journeyed into the south country asking for directions as I went. But no one had heard of Zion. My reputation of conjuring up a lion to rescue me from being sacrificed on the altar of the Great Mahan allowed me to move freely among the peasants. A simple life was preferred by the peasants rather than the fineries and luxuries of the city which included the evils of the Mahan cult. I took up with a band of nomads who fed me in exchange for tending a small herd of horses. Their flocks were a ragged selection of sheep, goats and chickens. The father of this group was Geran. He had not faired well because he had seven daughters. After being with his company awhile and trusted to tend the horses, he asked me to marry one of them, but I declined. I could never love anyone but Karscha.
"Do you know of Zion?" I asked him. His eyes told me that he did not. "Enoch?"
"Ah, Enoch! We have heard of Enoch. He is one of the grandfathers hundreds of years old.“
"Do you know where I might find him?"
"We only have the legend of this austere patriarch."
"Where is his camp?"
"It is rumored that he lives near a crystal sea so green in color that all that you need do is reach down into the water and grab your fish for dinner. The land is bountiful with figs, olives, grapes and citrus fruit. No man labors; he simply picks the fruit off of trees. And the herds are never hungry because the grass is always green. A paradise. But I cannot point my finger one way or the other to find it. Only those who worship the one god know of its location."
"I worship the one God."
Suddenly the whole story came together for me. Enoch, the city of Zion, which was taken from the earth and translated to its heaven. It's separateness from the human family was not enough for those who obeyed God's every law: they had reached an epitome of perfection and were worthy of translation. My heart beat wildly with excitement. This thousand years was to be the last phase of my search. I knew how I would leave the earth. The key meant answer. It was the entrance into the city! I would be translated with the inhabitants of the city. This is what Allegoram meant.
Geran breathed a long frustrated sigh. "Such a waste when you are so gentle with the horse. Ah, but you must follow your own course."
Although he was fair-skinned and a kindly man, it was unlikely that Geran was my contact in this generation. He was too greedily enmeshed within the culture. Surely that one person who has all of the answers will come along, take me by the hand and show me the way. But as solutions are difficult to discover and rarely fall into our path, so it is that the struggle for answers within my own soul continued. I was troubled over whether or not I was actually ready to pass into the glorious heaven. If Zion is the key, is there no one to help me find Zion? I walked for hours with the hot baking sun blistering my neck. When nightfall came and I still did not know the direction to the city of peace, my feelings of self confidence oozed away. Laboi was not tracking me. But with the eating of human flesh his wildness was unconstrained. Yet it was this ferocious wildness which saved my life! He was the answer to a prayer. Somehow the lion was linked to the quest for peace. This knowledge provided some sanity to what had occurred.
The sounds of the night sharpened my alertness.. Crickets, frogs, something moving in the brush. A howling wolf. The natives could not be trusted; they believed in appeasing their gods with human sacrifice. I was alone. The next morning after a sleepless night my aching body was drained of its strength; the hips were stiff, ankles swollen and the legs would only bend slightly. While rubbing the legs to try and restore agility, my empty stomach groaned. I searched for a clump of Laboi's meat, then remembered that he'd quit me. I dismissed the hunger. Somehow I must go on. I calculated a logical course southward towards the green sea and started walking. The noon sun shone directly overhead when I came upon another group of fair-skinned nomads also traveling south. A veiled woman seeing my weakness led me out of the sun into her tent and gave me a bread cake. After devouring it, I slept for many long hours. Upon waking and finding myself alone, I followed the trail of the nomads. The trail ended at the top of a wide crater of white sand stacked on a high ridge overlooking a basin of lashing waves of a green sea which were washing away the clay foundations of houses. I ran to the ridge where the nomads stood . A mushrooming cloud of smoke surged towards heaven while the sea closed in on the cataclysmic basin and swallowed up its remains.
"Zion is fled," the veiled woman said.
My heart sank. The supposition that I was worthy to be translated with the city of Zion choked in my throat. My search for someone who had the key eluded me and the supposition that Zion was my destination was erred. But one thing was certain. No one had the key but me. I was searching for answers. Allegoram had given me the test that no one on earth had ever been able to avoid and that is to discover a purpose in the eternal scheme of things. Enoch finished his work on the earth. His wisdom went with him. I had to find my own way.
"Did you know him?" I asked. "The man, Enoch?"
"He was a legend to us, that is all. What will you do now?"
"I wonder that myself."
The nomads eventually packed up and left the region. Once again I was alone. For some unknown reason, I began searching for the wild Laboi, but he had long since deserted me. I longed to see the gentle face of Katasha and to hear her consoling voice. The sadness of having lost her company was more heart-wretching than being too late for Zion. Once again I was displaced. For lonely persons, there is a time for tears and a time for self pity. I pushed back those feelings. My journey was not ended.
All day I sat there on the bank watching the sea waves churn to the surface an array of jugs, pots, clothing, all of the evidence of daily living, then splash over these items with a furious vengeance and bury them deep under crater. This millennia was shutting me out.
Adam-Ondi-amen. There was no memory of my placement into the era of the final thousand years. I was in an open country which stretched for miles across a flat terrain and ended at the foothills of a ridge of purple mountains. Sultry red roses grew in abundance alongside a road and a gentle breeze floated the petals across a meadow of yellow dandelions. Flowers of every imaginable color painted the landscape and the fragrant blossoms of white magnolia trees scented the air.
Hordes of families were all journeying towards a towering white temple which seemed to rise up in the clouds. It was unlike any other structure that I had seen in my journeyings. Nineveh’s temple, nor the tower of Babel, nothing of the Greeks or Romans, could not match its supreme majesty. Strangely, the generations after Adam had failed to achieve such architectural beauty. It was as though God himself had given the blueprint. A row of tall columns surrounded the temple and a vast terrace separated a declivity of steep mountain slopes. A cascading waterfall splashed down the mountainside into a basin of flat stones and fed a watery pool, then trickled down rocky cliffs and fell into a network of cisterns which served the temple.
I found myself following others along the yellow dandelion path to the temple. The closer we came, the more beautiful was the countryside. It was an earth I had never before seen or imagined. Adam’s memory of Eden seemed to be reflected in the landscaping and care of the gardens. It was as though Adam and Eve, having remembered the beauty of the garden of Eden recreated it in the wilderness. The private sanctuary of Adam and Eve. "What is the white cloud over the lodge?" I asked someone. "It is the cloud of God." I looked around me. Adam’s children were being called to a the last family conference with the ancient of days. It was both a joyous and sad occasion because only the better part of his heirs were assembling. As they staked their tents in the meadows and valleys, thousands more poured into the region. More than twenty seven generations had passed and the children numbered in the millions. If this were the better part, what is the count of the greater part not assembled? In my own cinder world the greater part oppressed the populace by using the tools of wealth and power. It’s over powering influence seemed impossible to stop. Apparently they were mimicking something which had been done before….the evils of all the generations which had passed. While the activities of the good people of every era bear criticism and tyranny, likewise these respectful children would afterwards return to that same frail human condition among their oppressive brothers and sisters were it not for Enoch‘s plan.
A festive mood prevailed in the center of the meadow where young children played music on their clay flutes, lyres, harps and sistrums and women cooked bread cakes in the smoldering coals of a dug pits and turned roasting pigs, deer and sheep over a spit. Excitement stirred as a group of men wearing turbans on their head and dressed in long white robes entered the arena of festivities. One of them sat on the ground next to a young boy and listened while he played his flute. When the boy stopped playing, he hugged and thanked him. His gentle spirit commanded the attention of those around him and they gathered to hear him pray. Never having heard anyone pray so lovingly for his brothers and sisters and with such concern for each one of them, my heart told me that this was the Enoch for whom I had so frantically searched in the last millennia. I listened to every word of the prayer, and understood. When he finished, he stood to his feet and addressed the crowd.
"It is time to build Zion," he said, pausing momentously to observe questioning eyes and anxious faces. "I know your thoughts. How is it that we are worthy to have God dwell among us when there is too much wickedness? Who among you hath not wished it? Our father is old and will soon die. Those sacred ordinances with which he has blessed us must not be scattered among the greater population where it's purity will be lost. We will build a city and a temple to preserve the link between ourselves and our ancestors in the spirit world. And we will baptize and bless our children and prophesy unto them of the savior who is to come and redeem the world.”
"Will we no longer preach to our apostate brothers and sisters?"
"The time is come to cease pleading with brothers and sisters. They have already condemned themselves by their own testimonies."
The news was both joyous and disheartening. The preparation for the separation of siblings was underway. Zion represented peaceful co-existence and unified purpose in those who desired to serve the God . But Enoch's Zion would only exist about two hundred years before the world would pay the utmost farthing. Then the end could come at last to the idolators, murderers, persecutors and oppressors. Their bodies would wash under the sea when the earth was flooded.
"If you are a sorcerer, who is your god? " The Mahan asked.
“He is the God of Noah.”
He spit in my face. "Noah is dead. I am the living god ," Mahan bragged. "And here is my prophecy. If the taste of your blood is sweet, I shall cause rain to fall and end the drought; if not, then I will cause your body will be dissected and scattered in the mountains."
"You do not have the power to summon the rain nor any part of the heavens!" I said. "You are not a god, but the devil. The true God will punish you."
The priest raised his dagger over my heart. A smile was on his lips and his eyes were glazed with ecstasy. "Quick!" Mahan said. "I thirst for the blood." The priest gritted his teeth and prepared to deliver the fatal blow. I shut my eyes and waited. My body shook with fear. Suddenly the world was spinning. I had known this scene before , seen others face death. My parents died from the effects of the bomb; Thomas gave his life in Normandy to the king who’d killed his father; Agnomon drowned trying to escape his own shame; and Heber's prisoner was tortured to death. Then there were those whom I murdered at the instance of Heber. I remembered Caicher's vision, the marriage of Tea Telphi and Heremon and the humble Nel who prayed to the true God. Perhaps I had a redeeming virtue which would also save me. I opened my eyes and stared into the face of the priest. My voice found words. "Dear Father in Heaven, thou knowest me; please save me!" The priest stumbled backwards. There was noise and wild screams. Not of narcotic delight, not of my death, but something else. I struggled to observe a lean and hungry Laboi ripping open the chest of the priest and everyone running.. Even the cowardly feet of the self-proclaimed god, the Great Mahan, ran with great speed. I managed to loose my sword from the scabard and cut myself loose. The wild dancing eyes of the beast were fixed on his prey as he tore flesh and broke bones. The sight of it sickened me and I vomited. Suddenly he stood erect and dropping the flesh of the priest from his teeth walked towards me .
“Get away from me!” I screamed, frailing my arms . “You are eating human flesh!”
His answer was a ferocious howl while showing me a full set of grizzly carnivorous teeth.
I ran through the streets and out of the city gate. All that I cared about was finding that other world, that city of love and peace promised by Allegoram. It must exist in this millennia. The scriptures spoke of Zion, a city which Enoch built to protect the righteous. I threw off the tunic and wore the sword proudly over my tartan kirk. I was not afraid. No one would stop me now. Instinctively, I journeyed into the south country asking for directions as I went. But no one had heard of Zion. My reputation of conjuring up a lion to rescue me from being sacrificed on the altar of the Great Mahan allowed me to move freely among the peasants. A simple life was preferred by the peasants rather than the fineries and luxuries of the city which included the evils of the Mahan cult. I took up with a band of nomads who fed me in exchange for tending a small herd of horses. Their flocks were a ragged selection of sheep, goats and chickens. The father of this group was Geran. He had not faired well because he had seven daughters. After being with his company awhile and trusted to tend the horses, he asked me to marry one of them, but I declined. I could never love anyone but Karscha.
"Do you know of Zion?" I asked him. His eyes told me that he did not. "Enoch?"
"Ah, Enoch! We have heard of Enoch. He is one of the grandfathers hundreds of years old.“
"Do you know where I might find him?"
"We only have the legend of this austere patriarch."
"Where is his camp?"
"It is rumored that he lives near a crystal sea so green in color that all that you need do is reach down into the water and grab your fish for dinner. The land is bountiful with figs, olives, grapes and citrus fruit. No man labors; he simply picks the fruit off of trees. And the herds are never hungry because the grass is always green. A paradise. But I cannot point my finger one way or the other to find it. Only those who worship the one god know of its location."
"I worship the one God."
Suddenly the whole story came together for me. Enoch, the city of Zion, which was taken from the earth and translated to its heaven. It's separateness from the human family was not enough for those who obeyed God's every law: they had reached an epitome of perfection and were worthy of translation. My heart beat wildly with excitement. This thousand years was to be the last phase of my search. I knew how I would leave the earth. The key meant answer. It was the entrance into the city! I would be translated with the inhabitants of the city. This is what Allegoram meant.
Geran breathed a long frustrated sigh. "Such a waste when you are so gentle with the horse. Ah, but you must follow your own course."
Although he was fair-skinned and a kindly man, it was unlikely that Geran was my contact in this generation. He was too greedily enmeshed within the culture. Surely that one person who has all of the answers will come along, take me by the hand and show me the way. But as solutions are difficult to discover and rarely fall into our path, so it is that the struggle for answers within my own soul continued. I was troubled over whether or not I was actually ready to pass into the glorious heaven. If Zion is the key, is there no one to help me find Zion? I walked for hours with the hot baking sun blistering my neck. When nightfall came and I still did not know the direction to the city of peace, my feelings of self confidence oozed away. Laboi was not tracking me. But with the eating of human flesh his wildness was unconstrained. Yet it was this ferocious wildness which saved my life! He was the answer to a prayer. Somehow the lion was linked to the quest for peace. This knowledge provided some sanity to what had occurred.
The sounds of the night sharpened my alertness.. Crickets, frogs, something moving in the brush. A howling wolf. The natives could not be trusted; they believed in appeasing their gods with human sacrifice. I was alone. The next morning after a sleepless night my aching body was drained of its strength; the hips were stiff, ankles swollen and the legs would only bend slightly. While rubbing the legs to try and restore agility, my empty stomach groaned. I searched for a clump of Laboi's meat, then remembered that he'd quit me. I dismissed the hunger. Somehow I must go on. I calculated a logical course southward towards the green sea and started walking. The noon sun shone directly overhead when I came upon another group of fair-skinned nomads also traveling south. A veiled woman seeing my weakness led me out of the sun into her tent and gave me a bread cake. After devouring it, I slept for many long hours. Upon waking and finding myself alone, I followed the trail of the nomads. The trail ended at the top of a wide crater of white sand stacked on a high ridge overlooking a basin of lashing waves of a green sea which were washing away the clay foundations of houses. I ran to the ridge where the nomads stood . A mushrooming cloud of smoke surged towards heaven while the sea closed in on the cataclysmic basin and swallowed up its remains.
"Zion is fled," the veiled woman said.
My heart sank. The supposition that I was worthy to be translated with the city of Zion choked in my throat. My search for someone who had the key eluded me and the supposition that Zion was my destination was erred. But one thing was certain. No one had the key but me. I was searching for answers. Allegoram had given me the test that no one on earth had ever been able to avoid and that is to discover a purpose in the eternal scheme of things. Enoch finished his work on the earth. His wisdom went with him. I had to find my own way.
"Did you know him?" I asked. "The man, Enoch?"
"He was a legend to us, that is all. What will you do now?"
"I wonder that myself."
The nomads eventually packed up and left the region. Once again I was alone. For some unknown reason, I began searching for the wild Laboi, but he had long since deserted me. I longed to see the gentle face of Katasha and to hear her consoling voice. The sadness of having lost her company was more heart-wretching than being too late for Zion. Once again I was displaced. For lonely persons, there is a time for tears and a time for self pity. I pushed back those feelings. My journey was not ended.
All day I sat there on the bank watching the sea waves churn to the surface an array of jugs, pots, clothing, all of the evidence of daily living, then splash over these items with a furious vengeance and bury them deep under crater. This millennia was shutting me out.
Adam-Ondi-amen. There was no memory of my placement into the era of the final thousand years. I was in an open country which stretched for miles across a flat terrain and ended at the foothills of a ridge of purple mountains. Sultry red roses grew in abundance alongside a road and a gentle breeze floated the petals across a meadow of yellow dandelions. Flowers of every imaginable color painted the landscape and the fragrant blossoms of white magnolia trees scented the air.
Hordes of families were all journeying towards a towering white temple which seemed to rise up in the clouds. It was unlike any other structure that I had seen in my journeyings. Nineveh’s temple, nor the tower of Babel, nothing of the Greeks or Romans, could not match its supreme majesty. Strangely, the generations after Adam had failed to achieve such architectural beauty. It was as though God himself had given the blueprint. A row of tall columns surrounded the temple and a vast terrace separated a declivity of steep mountain slopes. A cascading waterfall splashed down the mountainside into a basin of flat stones and fed a watery pool, then trickled down rocky cliffs and fell into a network of cisterns which served the temple.
I found myself following others along the yellow dandelion path to the temple. The closer we came, the more beautiful was the countryside. It was an earth I had never before seen or imagined. Adam’s memory of Eden seemed to be reflected in the landscaping and care of the gardens. It was as though Adam and Eve, having remembered the beauty of the garden of Eden recreated it in the wilderness. The private sanctuary of Adam and Eve. "What is the white cloud over the lodge?" I asked someone. "It is the cloud of God." I looked around me. Adam’s children were being called to a the last family conference with the ancient of days. It was both a joyous and sad occasion because only the better part of his heirs were assembling. As they staked their tents in the meadows and valleys, thousands more poured into the region. More than twenty seven generations had passed and the children numbered in the millions. If this were the better part, what is the count of the greater part not assembled? In my own cinder world the greater part oppressed the populace by using the tools of wealth and power. It’s over powering influence seemed impossible to stop. Apparently they were mimicking something which had been done before….the evils of all the generations which had passed. While the activities of the good people of every era bear criticism and tyranny, likewise these respectful children would afterwards return to that same frail human condition among their oppressive brothers and sisters were it not for Enoch‘s plan.
A festive mood prevailed in the center of the meadow where young children played music on their clay flutes, lyres, harps and sistrums and women cooked bread cakes in the smoldering coals of a dug pits and turned roasting pigs, deer and sheep over a spit. Excitement stirred as a group of men wearing turbans on their head and dressed in long white robes entered the arena of festivities. One of them sat on the ground next to a young boy and listened while he played his flute. When the boy stopped playing, he hugged and thanked him. His gentle spirit commanded the attention of those around him and they gathered to hear him pray. Never having heard anyone pray so lovingly for his brothers and sisters and with such concern for each one of them, my heart told me that this was the Enoch for whom I had so frantically searched in the last millennia. I listened to every word of the prayer, and understood. When he finished, he stood to his feet and addressed the crowd.
"It is time to build Zion," he said, pausing momentously to observe questioning eyes and anxious faces. "I know your thoughts. How is it that we are worthy to have God dwell among us when there is too much wickedness? Who among you hath not wished it? Our father is old and will soon die. Those sacred ordinances with which he has blessed us must not be scattered among the greater population where it's purity will be lost. We will build a city and a temple to preserve the link between ourselves and our ancestors in the spirit world. And we will baptize and bless our children and prophesy unto them of the savior who is to come and redeem the world.”
"Will we no longer preach to our apostate brothers and sisters?"
"The time is come to cease pleading with brothers and sisters. They have already condemned themselves by their own testimonies."
The news was both joyous and disheartening. The preparation for the separation of siblings was underway. Zion represented peaceful co-existence and unified purpose in those who desired to serve the God . But Enoch's Zion would only exist about two hundred years before the world would pay the utmost farthing. Then the end could come at last to the idolators, murderers, persecutors and oppressors. Their bodies would wash under the sea when the earth was flooded.
Chapter 33
"Bow to the living God!" He ordered , but I instinctively grabbed my sword. After all that I'd suffered in my own age and the misery of all of the ages I'd visited, nothing could make acknowledge this creature as the true God. Mahan's personal guards rushed to seize me, but my fencing out maneuvered them. The sword slashed deep gashes into their arms and they cowardly withdrew to nurse their wounds.
“What magic is this?” He asked pointing to the sword.
"Bow to the living God!" He ordered , but I instinctively grabbed my sword. After all that I'd suffered in my own age and the misery of all of the ages I'd visited, nothing could make acknowledge this creature as the true God. Mahan's personal guards rushed to seize me, but my fencing out maneuvered them. The sword slashed deep gashes into their arms and they cowardly withdrew to nurse their wounds.
“What magic is this?” He asked pointing to the sword.
“It is the knight’s sword,” I said boldly.
The Mahan hesitated, eyeballing me with his keenly brown eyes. His long fingernails pointed towards the Celtic cross . "Is that also part of your magic?" He asked.
"It is from another country. Ireland.”
"You lie! There is no other country . Give it to me. I want it for myself." The continents had not yet divided, Canaugh was in the east and surrounded by oceans.
"No, and do not try to take it," I said swishing the sword in a fencing demonstration.
"What is the power of the knight’s sword?”
"It is swift and deadly. If you touch it, you shall die."
“Bring forth the cross that I may examine it’s magic," he said with a cunning persuasion. I stepped forward and removed the cross. He was fascinated with the design. “What is the meaning of these circles and the cross?”
“The emblems represent the sun god and the moon god. And the cross is a symbol that the gods protect Ireland on four sides.”
“This Ireland, does it have more treasure?”
This country of Ireland has great wealth.”
Then the Mahan took counsel with his cowardly guards who, fearing that I might cut them again with the sword, persuaded him not to agitate me further. “Let us more fully discuss the treasures. Are you not thirsty for food and wine," he coaxed.
“What magic is this?” He asked pointing to the sword.
"Bow to the living God!" He ordered , but I instinctively grabbed my sword. After all that I'd suffered in my own age and the misery of all of the ages I'd visited, nothing could make acknowledge this creature as the true God. Mahan's personal guards rushed to seize me, but my fencing out maneuvered them. The sword slashed deep gashes into their arms and they cowardly withdrew to nurse their wounds.
“What magic is this?” He asked pointing to the sword.
“It is the knight’s sword,” I said boldly.
The Mahan hesitated, eyeballing me with his keenly brown eyes. His long fingernails pointed towards the Celtic cross . "Is that also part of your magic?" He asked.
"It is from another country. Ireland.”
"You lie! There is no other country . Give it to me. I want it for myself." The continents had not yet divided, Canaugh was in the east and surrounded by oceans.
"No, and do not try to take it," I said swishing the sword in a fencing demonstration.
"What is the power of the knight’s sword?”
"It is swift and deadly. If you touch it, you shall die."
“Bring forth the cross that I may examine it’s magic," he said with a cunning persuasion. I stepped forward and removed the cross. He was fascinated with the design. “What is the meaning of these circles and the cross?”
“The emblems represent the sun god and the moon god. And the cross is a symbol that the gods protect Ireland on four sides.”
“This Ireland, does it have more treasure?”
This country of Ireland has great wealth.”
Then the Mahan took counsel with his cowardly guards who, fearing that I might cut them again with the sword, persuaded him not to agitate me further. “Let us more fully discuss the treasures. Are you not thirsty for food and wine," he coaxed.
Chapter 32
A massive limestone temple was being constructed in the shape of a pyramid with one hundred stone steps. T At the top of the steps were sacrificial altars and the entrance into the edifice. There was a flurry of excitement in the open markets surrounding the complex. All of the peasants were being herded into the city to praise the Great Mahan upon his ceremonious inspection. His grand presence meant that the society would use the coin minted with his face to purchase fish from the fisherman's traps and bread loaves from the farmers. Mahan was proceeded by a walking entertainment of musicians, astrologers and jesters. Priests dressed in white robs and tall hats uttering chants carried odorous incense burners which trailed purple smoke. Members of the society queued according to their exalted rank . They wore a breastplate of red rubies and long purple robes which dragged the ground behind them. Then an embodiment of guards with praying hands cupped towards the Mahan surrounded him on all sides. At the foot of the steps to the temple was the onyx statue of an mystical animal with slit eyes and the ears of a wolf overlooking an altar. The Mahan was brought sitting in a couch to the steps and a bright red carpet sewn with a shiny silver border was spread on the ground before him. A hush was heard as his feet stepped gingerly onto it. He turned to face the crowd. He was a tall boney man with broad shoulders and a high butt. His brown eyes bore were keenly observant as he flashed them about the crowd to assure himself that all eyes were upon him. He had a large hook nose which cast a sinuous shadow over his thick lips. His skin was black and his finger nails were long and shagged was typical of the society. When he raised his scepter high above his shoulders the crowd prostrated themselves by bowing. I was conspicuously standing. Suddenly I felt cold hands on my neck shoving me into the dirt, then dragging me before the Mahan.
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