Chapter 3: Breaking Camp

What else did you see in Newt Reno's imagination?” Newt Rahn asked Alec Tron after they had slept on it that night, “Do you remember?”

“It isn't just his imagination, you know?” Alec said.

“Did you see the all powerful one, the creator of reality?” Newt asked excitedly.

“No,” Alec said, “He was there, but he is invisible, ain't he.”

“In a way,” Newt said, “But not really, for anything real is evidence of that one.

For example, if that one was to walk on the lawn we could see the grass too. Grass is like an imprint of a that one in reality too. But if a man walked on the grass his body would move the grass under his feet making the grass bend a certain way. But both the man and the grass are like that one's tracks on reality just as much as the tracks in the grass. They tell us something about the man and the grass. They tell us the grass bends easily and the man was something that didn't bend as much and weighed more so and left the track that was left. That one you called on for help is like that for that one is between what we didn't know about reality and what we find out about reality. That one is between both of them, what I call the known and the unknown. That one is neither one, but that one made them both. Does that make any sense to you?”

Alec shook his head before he said, “He was like everything we can imagine about reality and what really is reality. He can actually cause us to know things that are real the in same way in any way He wants to. But we have to understand his reality to understand what he is. Then in a way we can see him by knowing what is real, and then believing it is real instead of what we imagined it to be.”

“And we have different ways of using our minds too,” Newt said, “Some people don't picture much of anything in their minds and some people picture everything in their minds.”

“For example it was really hard for me to picture myself as being anything in my mind. But I could picture Newt Reno as being almost nothing even though it took a lot of concentration for me to do it. And it was really hard for me to see anything in it even Newt Reno.

Then as I got into it I could see him falling and the rest of my mind too. I had to ignore until I could see everything I might ever think falling in behind him. But when I saw him explode there was space around me and him. And just before He pulled me out of my imagining I saw space expanding out away from Newt Reno and me with the part of my mind I don't picture any of my thoughts in, retreating as space got bigger and bigger. That must be what He is like pure thought.

I think that is what spirit is,” Alec said continued, “Thought so pure it can be perceived by someone in some way and cause them to know they are there, and affect their thoughts and imaginations to the point they react to the reality of them too as if they are really there like anything physical is there too. It's just that He is pure thought and perfectly able to effect us any way He wants too.”

“I can buy that!” Newt said.

“And not just that,” Alec said, “I think He wants us to know He's there even when He doesn't make us picture Him with our minds like what happened to me when I was all caught up in Newt Reno's imagining. All I had to do was believe He was there and I did, thanks to you, Newt.”

“Then that one's reality was opened up to you, wasn't it?” Newt smiled.

“He helped me, didn't He?” Alec said.

“I believe that one really did,” Newt said.

“I believe He did too,” Alec agreed.

“Why do you think that one is male?” Newt asked, “I can't picture that one being either male or female.”

“What's the difference?” Alec said, “He can be anything like that He wants to be. I think all that stuff matters more to us than Him anyway, if there really is anything to it at all. If He was female and I thought He was male, that's just something to work on if we are all hung up on gender. I mean being hung up on anything is our problem and if it's something we should work on He'll let us know we should work on it, won't He?

He is spirit. And He can do anything. So He could let you know that for sure if it was important to what you were interacting about anyway. For me an all powerful woman that could do anything is unacceptable to the way I recognize authority. And it must not have mattered with getting out of the situation I got myself into.

He either is male or it didn't matter.”

“I get your point!” Newt said, “I just can't picture that one being respected if you just use a pronoun to talk about that one. And I don't think it matters that much either. Religious people are all hung up on sexuality and I am not that kind of religious about anything, but the truth and that's the same whether we hear it from a female or a male and the same to either sex we share it.”

“Yeah,” Alec said, “I think the truth is what it's all about too.”

“I'm glad we settled that,” Newt said, “Aren't you?”

“I think you got into it a bit too much, Newt,” Alec said, “Maybe you should ask Him to work on it with you?”

Newt was embarrassed for he realized he had intended to prove to Alec he knew more about the all powerful one than Alec did. And he was a little ashamed of being proud of it.

So, he said, “I'm sorry, Alec.”

“For what?” Alec said and looked a little puzzled, “It's your right to think of Him the way you think of Him.”

“I'm not up about that,” Newt said, “I just thought I knew Him better than you did. And well, I was proud of that. But it ain't like we can know Him better than anyone else that knows Him. We know Him and that's all that counts. When we get all puffed up with pride like some preacher or something it's wrong. And I'm sorry I was so intimidating with you. We are more than just friends now. We both know Him. We have something real to share. Forgive me?”

“You were a little intimidating, you know?” Alec said, “But I was an idiot for allowing it to be such a big deal. Do I have to ask you to forgive me too?”

“It's best if you do,” Newt said, “I mean, if you're ready? We have to be real about what we do, if we are going to be able to help people with Him, right?”

Then the two boys just stood there in silence a while before they turned to each other and hugged like best friends do sometimes.

“Do you forgive me?” Newt asked.

“Of course I do,”Alec said, “You?”

“Yeah, sure!” Newt said and they broke off their hug.

“Do you think we should forgive, Newt Reno?” Alec asked.

“He can't ask us to forgive him, so I think we just have to accept what he did,” Newt Rahn said.

“It was bound to happen,” Alec said, “I hope He can help you forget Newt Reno sooner than you would on your own. I mean he was your best friend and all.”

“He let me down,” Newt Rahn said. “Big time!”

“It's best if we forget him and what he did,” Alec said, “He was nothing if he wasn't conceited and that was all he had in the end just like it was in the beginning.”

“Let's make a pact,” Newt said, “If either one of us sees the other one heading that way, we help the other out by reminding them what they're doing. Okay?”

“I'm game,” Alec said as he picked up his tent and his rolled up sleeping bag, “See you, Newt? I really will. Sometime. Right?”

Newt picked up his sleeping bag, nodded Alec's way and headed for the van that brought all the boys out there to camp in the first place.

Just as they got to the van Alec stopped Newt and said, “Thanks, Man.”

“I'm just glad you're okay,” Newt said and let Alec get in the van first.