THE EARTHLING INTERVENTION

THE EARTHLING INTERVENTION

1.

The five nearly translucent figures standing in front of a long, tall classroom viewing window cast pale silhouettes that suggested human forms, vague shapes that could understandingly be perceived by Earth dwellers as apparitions. But within their own reality they were celestial entities composed of individual energy fields, entities who purposely chose to retain at least a bare resemblance to the physical bodies that housed their spirits when they inhabited the planet. Beyond this basic accommodation to tradition when each moved or spoke their fields emitted tempered glows that reflected the auras of their personalities and current emotional moods.

The center figure facing the window was a Teacher and her voice was that of an older woman. The other figures, two on each side of her, were her Students.

"Because the four of you have volunteered to participate in our new Planting Doubt, Harvesting Hope experiment I will be walking you through the process to help explain the procedure, starting with a recent example of how we intend to carry out our mission," the Teacher began, then asked, "So how much did The Council explain to you about the experiment?’

"Just that our intent is to curtail or derail the accelerated self-destruction of the planet being caused by the greed, indifference or ignorance of it’s human inhabitants," answered Donella in the voice of a young woman who was perhaps thirty when her life on the planet expired.

"That and that you would provide all the answers to our questions," added Enos in the voice of a man in his late sixties.

"I will do my best," the Teacher replied with a gentle chuckle. "Starting now."

2.

With the wave of the Teacher’s hand the room on the other side of the window was illuminated and the Students could see what looked to them like a thirty foot wide, brick built prison cell with two barred windows on each side of the room and a bare, tattered, single use mattress placed below each window. Though the barred windows the Students could see the devastated effects of a war-torn city.

"Usually the chosen environment is not always paramount when placing Subjects in them as long as it is self-contained. But there are exceptions, like in this example where the atmosphere is essential because both of the selected Subjects are armed warriors fighting in an area that has long suffered from political and religious upheaval," the Teacher informed them.

The Teacher nodded to the unseen Controller and the lights to the prison cell dimmed.

3.

Then with another wave of her hand the lights came on and the Students could see two men, each sitting on a mattress and each with their back resting against the brick wall. The Subject sitting on the left mattress was an American soldier dressed in a desert fatigue uniform. The Subject sitting on the right was a Middle-Eastern man dressed as if he were fighting a holy war. Both were perhaps in their thirties and they sat motionless as if in a state of suspended animation.

"Most Subjects are selected by the Planters because of their opposing beliefs, ranging from philosophical to political or religious or to cases where prejudice and stereotyping are involved. But these two were also paired because each harbors inner doubts about their justifications towards the cause they’re fighting for," the Teacher explained. "And in direct confrontational situations like these hopefully each Subject becomes receptive enough, consciously or subconsciously, to begin to understand how the other perceives the same issues through their own perspective. And in doing so the seeds of doubt are not only fertilized but are likely to spread, creating the possibility for renewed hope through cooperation."

The Teacher nodded and the lights behind the window suddenly darkened.

4.

With another nod the room was lit again and the Students could see twelve monitors displaying people of various ages and genders who looked like they were sound asleep on in their beds, but one by one their spirits seemed to rise from their bodies and float upwards through the ceiling.

"Wow!’ Donella exclaimed.

"At least a wow," Enos agreed.

"Almost like watching The Rapture from a bird’s eye view, huh?" Donella suggested.

"Yes, that about sums it up, but we don’t do The Rapture here," the Teacher mildly reminded them. "The bodies of our Subjects are never in our classrooms, of course, though they will likely think so themselves, because while they are in their natural stage of deep sleep their spirits are transported into a controlled situation with the effect being much like you seeing yourself as alive in a dream you’re having. Anyway, I snuck this ditty in to pre-answer a few future questions."

With another gesture to the Controller of the lights in the monitoring room dimmed.

5.

  

When the prison cell was illuminated again the two Subjects were sitting as before in their state of suspension, but this time assault rifles were resting against the wall near each one’s mattress. With the wave of the Teacher’s hand both men became active, as if being awaken from deep sleep, and they remained seated as each tried to focus on their strange surroundings and how they ended up there. When the Teacher nodded towards their cell they suddenly became aware of each other and both instinctively reacted by grabbing their weapons and trying to shoot their perceived enemy before they were shot. Neither weapon would fire and after several attempts to make them do so, each Subject slung them to the ground and charged the other at full speed. But within near touching distance of engaging in direct physical combat, each man hit an invisible wall with enough force to repel them backwards. After they recovered enough they charged each other again, again with the same results repelling them backwards. And as each staggered back towards their own mattresses their faces reflected varying degrees of confusion and disbelief.

The Teacher waved her finger and the Subjects froze and the lights dimmed in the prison cell.

6.

                    

With the cell lit again the Students could see both men sitting again on their mattresses and they appeared physically and mentally exhausted after repeated attempts to penetrate the invisible barrier that separated them and, because the images through the barred windows had changed, the Students could see hillsides in the distance with the black smoke of fire rising from behind the hills and the Students could see the assault weapons had disappeared. As the Middle Eastern warrior glanced up through his window he finally rose from his mattress and approached the barrier, slapping his palms on the invisible wall.

"What king of heathen CIA trickery is this?" he demanded to know.

"In case you haven’t noticed I’m imprisoned here, too," the American soldier reminded him as he rose from his mattress and approached the barrier.

"Maybe you’re part of the trickery to brainwash me?"

"You really think the CIA stuck into you camp at night and drugged you and dragged you here without you or any of you’re fellow comrades noticing?"

The Middle Eastern man backed away from the invisible wall to ponder what his enemy had asked him, then returned to his side of the barrier.

"I - I - can’t - don’t - know why I’m here. But if I am being held prisoner here why are you?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," the American confessed.

              

When a Student named Gasper raised his hand the Teacher dimmed the lights in the cell.

7.

"I’m been wondering about something," he responded softly in a voice that implied he was likely in his early thirties at the time of his demise.

"I’m here to answer any questions I can."

"One of our core beliefs is that all humans have free will, right?" Gasper pondered. When the Teacher answered with an understanding nod he continued. "Yes, I know how important our mission is to try to save the planet and that’s why I volunteered, but isn’t what we’re doing with these Subjects and the many other Subjects somehow counter to their free will?"

"I’ve thought about this, too," Enos told Gasper.

"An excellent question and one I expected to come up soon," she said sincerely. "And I honestly considered the same free will issue myself when I was selected as one of the teachers because I considered it a gray area. When I asked the Elders in The Council about this one told me to look at it like we are implanting a dream into their dream cycle repertoire that they can choose to remember or not when they waken. This makes sense because I’ve read the average adult human dreams between six to eight dreams a night and some of those dreams have enough effect on the subconscious to linger long afterwards in the conscious. I know it’s happened to me at times."

"Yeah, I’ve had those dreams that stayed with me," Gasper conceded. "Guess we all have."

"Gray area or not, from what I understand so far about the mission is we need to save the planet so future generations can continue to have free will," Sayo softly reacted in the voice of a woman who was in her early seventies when her life on the planet ended and her aura seemed to turn into a blushing pink when her fellow Students applauded her.

After letting the applause slowly die down the Teacher wiggled her finger and the cell was again illuminated.

8.

The Students could see the American soldier sitting on the floor close to the invisible barrier as he watched the Middle Eastern man pound on the window the Students were watching through because, from the Middle Eastern man’s physical viewpoint, there was a locked steel door on his side on the prison wall that faced the classroom viewing window.

"Why? And why me?" the Middle Eastern man pleaded to whoever he thought could hear him.

"Forget the door, Dude! I’ve already tried mine and if someone can hear us banging on them they’re not opening it for a reason and we’re both stuck here," the American assured him. When the warrior gave up trying he turned to face his enemy and the American inquired, "You do not have any memory of how you got here? Or how long you’ve been here?"

"All I can remember is I went to sleep on a mat back at our base. And you?"

"The same thing. The last thing I remember is I was exhausted and fell asleep on top of my sleeping bag," the American honestly stated, then laughed to himself, "Hell, I guess one of us really pissed off some ancient god and this is our punishment."

"Do you dare mock my God?" the Middle Eastern warrior screamed as he rushed forward and kicked and punched the invisible wall, visibly hurting his fist as he did so.

"That was just a joke, like ancient gods as in Apollo or Zeus. But it’s good that you felt physical pain because it means we’re probably not dead. And I’m not mocking anyone’s God! But now you have me wondering if you have enough faith in your God to trust His answer."

"Don’t you think I’ve already asked? I just haven’t received a sign yet because perhaps He is testing my faith. I just don’t know," the Middle Eastern man mumbled as if what he said was for his own ears. Then he turned away from the American and the lights in their cell dimmed.

9.

As the lights came back on the Students could see that both the American and Middle Eastern men had pushed their mattresses away from the bared windows and were staring out them and through the barred windows healthy palm trees could be seem growing on a hillside. Soon the Middle Eastern man turned from his window to ask the American a question.

"Have you asked your God why you’re being imprisoned?

"My God? I’ve studied the major religions and there is only one God, not your God or my God but one God for all to share equally. And I didn’t ask God because I’m an atheist!"

"You’re the worst kind of heathen infidel," the Middle Eastern man yelled at the American as he ran to the invisible wall, stopping short of hitting it head on. "Why is a filthy pagan like you fighting? This is not your war. This is a holy war!"

"If there is a true holy war is one to convert others, not kill them."

"Just the opinion of a godless infidel - ."

"If a religion is a pure religion converts will embrace it willing," the American interrupted the Middle Eastern man as he approached the barrier. "And God has not given any man the right to pass judgment in His name and you are not a God who has those rights."

When the Middle Eastern man didn’t reply the Teacher nodded again and the lights dimmed.

10.

When the cell was lit again the Students could see both Subjects pacing their side of their room, with the American running his fingers across the brink wall. He stopped long enough to scrape his fist against one of the course bricks, scratching a finger as he did and drawing a trickle of blood. After staring at the blood on his finger he smiled.

"Blood and pain is still real to me," he laughingly announced to himself then, after looking for his wristwatch and seeing it wasn’t there, turned to the Middle Eastern man and inquired, "Any idea how long we’ve been here?"

"No idea. And you’re asking a man who can’t explain why he feels no hunger or thirst?"

"Or how come I haven’t needed to pee?"

"Don’t think about it, you fool. The stench is bad enough," the Middle Eastern man sighed.

"Blood and pain and stench," the American contemplated after he allowed himself to smell his surroundings. "Damn lousy maid service, but at least we’ve got most of our five senses working."

"Why do you find humor in our imprisonment?"

"If I had the choice I would rather die with laughter on my mind than with terror in my eyes."

As the Middle Eastern man stared at his fellow captive the lights dimmed.

11.

When the lights came on again the Students could now see each Subject was staring out the barred windows and the American could see what looked like to the Students an imagine of himself as a young boy in front of his house with his parents and what was likely his younger sister and could see the Middle Eastern man looking at an image of himself as a young child sitting at a table with his parents.

"What do you see through your window?" the Middle Eastern man asked the American as he backed away from his window and addressed his enemy.

                   

"My family during happier times," the American told him. "And you?"

"I saw me with my parents when we were all younger. If this is madness have I been infected with this madness or died without knowing I’m dead?"

"Alive or dead, how can we both be sharing the same madness at the same time?"

"If true why is it happening?" the Middle Eastern man considered softly as he glanced back through his barred window and saw the war torn city again.

"I don’t know," the American acknowledged. "Maybe some malevolent god captured us and forced us to share a prison as his idea of a sick joke?

"A heathen’s answer is to mock a God he doesn’t believe in."

"Heathen or not, do you want to know why I’m here fighting?"

"It’s not your war to fight."

"I chose it to become mine personally because I believe in freedom of religion and freedom from religion and no one has the right to force their beliefs on others. No one!" the American solider countered after he turned to face the Middle Eastern man.

"Who is forcing who?"

"Perhaps not you personally, but when rebels invade a city or state most of them try to force the locals to abide by their dogma. Forced religion is false religion."

"Some believe it’s justified," the Middle Eastern man insisted as he stared at the American.

"And you think a true religion gives you the right to rape local women, steal the processions of the locals and treat fellow humans as animals, sometimes to the point of killing them?"

"I haven’t done that," the Middle Eastern man protested as he walked towards his enemy.

"Maybe not you but too many of your people thinking it’s a holy war do, don’t they?"

The Middle Eastern warrior turned away as the lights in the prison cell dimmed.

12.

As the lights came back on the Students could see the American sitting on the floor close to the barrier as the Middle Eastern man paced the floor near his side of the invisible wall. "You think your pious cause is so pure, so noble?" the Middle Eastern warrior suddenly grilled the American.

"I only know I volunteered to try to ensure personal freedom for as many people as possible."

"A crusading heathen with his version of freedom?"

"Not my version, but what the world needs," the American corrected him. "And you seem to think everything who disagrees with your beliefs is a heathen, so I ask you if you can prove in a sane court of law that some prophet actually talked to a God who dictated to him what to say to us?"

"The scriptures," the Middle Eastern man claimed as he approached the barrier.

"Scriptures are words written by men and do not prove a great flood covered the whole Earth or that the Earth is only ten thousand years old or that a prophet talked to his God through a burning bush or that some holy man parted a sea," the American soldier argued.

"The words of a non-believer carries what kind of conviction?"

"Truth can come from any free-thinking person and the thing about some atheists is that we really want to believe. We just need to see proof first."

                

"And can you prove there is no God?" the Middle Easter warrior challenged him.

"Exactly my point, because religion is faith based, not fact based, and I consider the question a stalemate. But I still stay willing to be convinced otherwise."

When Donella raised her hand the Teacher dimmed the lights as the Subjects froze.

13.

"And you’re wondering?" the Teacher quizzed Donella.

"Sort of. I mean, I can understand the points the American is making and how they will create doubts in the other Subject, right?"

"But you’re wondering what, Donella?"

"Well, so far the points being made seem so one-sided."

"It does seem that way," Enos agreed.

"I was thinking this, too, Ms. Michelini," Sayo admitted.

"Yes, it does seem that way. But the Planter that provided us with this sample has carefully done her research and chose these two Subjects for a reason. So let’s have faith in her choices."

As Donella nodded the lights in the prison cell came on again.

14.

               

With the prison cell illuminated again the Students could see through the barred windows what looked like a tropical paradise and both Subjects were pacing the floor on their side of the cell. When the American glanced through his barred window and saw the thick foliage he approached his side of the invisible barrier and called to the Middle Eastern warrior.

"If this is some dream could we call it realistic surrealism or surreal realism?" the American whimsically wondered.

"So, you would have Dali marry Plato and turn it into some stupid pagan comedy?" the Middle Eastern man countered with a smirk.

"I wouldn’t call it pagan but considering the crap that ends up on TV it would probably be a hit series in my country. And that’s a pretty quick and pretty clever comeback, my strange friend."

"We’re not all goat headers."

"I know that, so give me a little credit. You’ve produced doctors, great artists and educators."

"Yes, true, but right now I have no time for your silly joking because I’ve been thinking about just how to respond to your non-believer, but still pious arrogance," the Middle Eastern warrior rebuffed his cell mate as he approached his side of the barrier.

"Arrogance?"

"I studied at one of your East coast universities and studied your American history and a lot of your history of treating people is not so grand and noble and you surely understand why I have to question your motivations for being here."

"Mine? I gave you my reasons," the American quickly recounted to his fellow captive.

"I’ll accept your reasons as honest but I’m talking about the rest of your peoples’ motivations."

"My people’s? Are you stereotyping a large segment of people?"

"No more than you do," was the Middle Eastern man’s retort. "And remember, I studied your history."

Before replying the American considered what his enemy was implying.

"If you’re talking about what many European settlers did to Native Americans it is something we should be ashamed of. Too many settlers believed because they were non-Christian heathens it justified their rights to take their land, kill them or try to force them to accept the Christian God."

"You should feel shame for that and for your buying of and owning slaves," the Middle Eastern man lectured him.

"Another part of our dark past not to be proud of. But at least with the slavery enough Americans came together to fight and end it," the American responded defensively. "So many of my people can come together to fight for what they believe is right. Is this not true?"

When the Middle Eastern man stood silent the Teacher nodded to the unseen Controller and the Subjects froze and the lights to the cell dimmed.

15.

With the prison cell illuminated again the Students could see the Middle Eastern warrior pacing the floor, considering his response for a moment before he spoke, as the American soldier waited patiently near the barrier.

"I will agree that when you remove the war profits, the pure greed of some of your heartless businessmen and the ego driven political opportunists you vote into office, your people in general can come together to fight a noble cause at times," the Middle Eastern man remarked finally.

"Like with World War Two?"

"Yes, because you were praised as heros by the free world and carried this ideal forward when you helped rebuild their countries after we defeated the fascists. And in South Korea you were still heros for helping them fight off an invading communist army."

"Thank you for admitting it. And least you forgot, there’s Kuwait."

"A United Nations effort and our people were grateful, but by that time your own government’s motives had become very suspect to us. Far too many times your government, at the coaxing of powerful and greedy businessmen, went into other countries and either bribed that country’s leader or, if he had scruples, your government conducted subversive means to overthrow the leader to put into power a puppet dictator with your government’s intent to control that country’s natural resources. Is this not true?"

"I suppose it has happened at times."

"With my people far too many times. Like how your government helped create the coup to overthrow the prime minister of Iran because he had nationalized his country’s oil reserves. And your president illegally selling arms to Iran to fund an illegal war in some Central American country. And your government helping put Saddam Hussein in power as part of a business deal that you turned a blind eye to his gassing his own people as long as Hussein lived up to the agreement. It wasn’t until he got too greedy and wanted a larger share that he became your country’s enemy. It this not true?"

"I don’t know all the real facts about Hussein, but we all remember the Iran / Contra scandal."

"Learn them quickly."

"And if a leader comes into power by telling the lies his followers want to hear? Hitler relied on this weakness to gain power."

"Do you not have a leader now who relies on the same tactic of lie telling?"

"And none of your people have ever been lied to by some scheming, deceitful leader?" the American soldier obviously figured, then shook his head and held up his hand as if to imply he needed a moment to think and started pacing the floor as the lights in the cell dimmed.

16.

"I’m stopping this example because I’m sure some of you have pressing questions you want to ask and I want to address them before they’re asked," the Teacher explained with a wink.

"Were you a mind reader or psychic on the planet?" Donella teased her.

"Not exactly a question I expected to be asked, but that’s funny. And no, but I did teach Behavior Science and became fairly efficient at interpreting body language."

"Uh, how well does body language reading work out with us?" Gasper mischievously asked her.

"Cute, Gasper. Let’s just call it aura interpretation. Anyway, I wanted to clarify several things first so we can focus on the rest of your first sample and I’ll start by showing you several other examples while I do so. They’ll just be quick frozen moments and quick replies. Then we can concentrate on our lesson, if that’s just spiffy with you guys? Oh, Lord, I just said spiffy, didn’t I?

"Showing our decades is nothing to be ashamed of," Sayo reassured her.

The Teacher nodded with a grin and pointed to the window.

17.

               

Then she wiggled her finger and the lights behind the classroom window were lit and the Students could see two Subjects, an older woman sitting in a wheelchair on a sidewalk while talking to a young woman who had just stepped out of her car. The image the Students saw looked like a captured still from a movie.

"The woman in the wheel chair is chastising the young, healthy woman for illegally parking in a handicapped space." the Teacher informed the Students.

"Good for her," Sayo nodded in agreement while clapping softly.

"Yes, good for her, and this was my favorite example I showed my last group of Students," the Teacher responded and waved her hand to the Controller to dim the lights.

18.

With another wave of her hand the lights came back on and the Students could see two vehicles parked on the shoulder of a country road. One was an older truck with a Confederate flag on it’s rear window and the other was a newer jeep. The driver of truck was a middle-aged white man and he watched as the driver of the jeep, a younger black college student taking a camping trip during Spring Break, offered him gas from an extra gas can he kept in his jeep. To the Students this image also appeared as if it were a still from a movie.

                

"The young man offered the stranded driver gas and when the older man asked why someone like the young man would offer to help someone like him the younger driver said if just seemed like the right thing to do." the Teacher clarified the image for her Students.

"It was the right thing to do," Enos agreed.

"Exactly, but the point I felt I needed to make is that most cases will not nearly as intense as the sample in the prison cell one I’ve been showing you. However, when you become Planters if you chose to place your Subjects in some of the planet’s hot spots they will likely get pretty intense. But generally, the rest of the time doubts can be spread much more tactfully and take up less dream sequence time. The one I showed you of the older woman in the wheel chair took less than ten minutes of human time."

"I’ve done the same thing. I mean, I didn’t carry an extra gas can but I’ve called out someone stealing a handicapped space more than once," Donella announced modestly.

"Thank you, Sweety, for being you. So the second thing I wanted to bring up is if you’re been wondering how a case like the example I’ve been showing you as your first lesson can cover so much pent up doubt and confrontational anxiety in a short period of time just remember these two men have had years to ponder their suppressed doubts and what their replies might be if they are confronted about those doubts."

"How did the Planter seem to know how to pair these two Subjects so well? Enos inquired.

"A fine question, Sir," she complemented him. "Through prior research, something I’ll get into a little later. But still, in this example, to bring out the many issues Sofia, the Planter who gave us this example, provided this as a teaching sample by editing and compressing three dreams in which she used the same Subjects in the same setting," their Teacher continued.

"Would this be considered another grey area?" Gasper considered quietly, almost to himself.

"Fair enough question," the Teacher acknowledged, then addressed his concern. "But the concept behind what we’re doing with implanted dreams is to mimic natural dreams, right?"

"After I passed, during the transformation, I had many good, sweet dreams about my beloved wife and I together, so I think we can understand how it can work like this when implanting dreams," Enos stated as he remembered those dreams after leaving the planet.

                

"I was also guessing it’s because one implanted dream isn’t always enough to affect some people’s ingrained beliefs, right?" Sayo surmised correctly and her aura again seemed to blush when her Teacher gave her a warm smile and her fellow Students applauded again.

"You are astutely correct, dear Sayo. So, unless there are any more questions, this Public Service Announcement is over so we can focus on the rest of your first example," the Teacher asked, then waited for her Students to nod their heads yes. When they did she dimmed the lights, then motioned to the Controller to bring the example happening in the prison cell back.

19.

With the prison cell was illuminated again the Students could see the American soldier staring out his bared window at what looked like the Redwood forest in Northern California and they could see the Middle Eastern warrior sitting on the floor close to his side of the invisible wall.

"How long did you study at that East Coast university?" the American wondered as he turned and walked towards the barrier.

"Long enough to get my engineering degree. Why is that important?" the Middle Eastern man suspiciously responded.

"I was just curious if you became radicalized while living in my country?"

"I’m not a radical!" the Middle Eastern man claimed as he quickly rose to his feet.

"So why did you say you’re fighting a holy war?"

                

"Maybe it’s not a just a holy war for those of us who are more moderate in our beliefs," he answered as he calmed down. "But our fight is still a just cause to me."

"Just proves again the old adage that war creates strange alleys."

"What does that mean?"

               

"I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said about some of the wrong things my country has done. Not from our older past but from the more recent past," the American admitted as he sat down on his side of the barrier.

"And you understand now?" The Middle Eastern man queried the American as he sat down on his side of the invisible wall to face his enemy directly.

"Yes, I understand your right to be suspicious," the American replied as the lights dimmed.

20.

When the cell was lit again the Students could see both Subjects seated in the same position.

"You know, my friend, I admit I’m not nearly as educated as you and I’m mostly self taught. But besides religion I have studied history on my own, including the history of your area, and many of your people have hardly been saints, have they?" the American baited his fellow prisoner.

"There are imperfect people everywhere."

"Didn’t some of your own people invade other lands in North Africa and Spain and ran off or killed or forced the original people living there to convert, at least those that would?" When the Middle Eastern man didn’t reply the American continued, "And from what I hear, even now aren’t some of your own people in Africa selling slaves on the open market?"

When the Middle Eastern warrior turned his head away the lights in the prison cell dimmed.

21.

When the room was illuminated again the Students could see the Middle Eastern man pacing the floor near the barrier as the American sat watching him.

"I read that at one time your people and Jews fought side by side to repel the Crusaders from your land and for decades your people and people of other faiths lived peacefully in the same area. What happened with all that?" the American sincerely wanted to know. "I mean seriously, what happened?"

                

"Wasn’t your government sat up to allow everyone the same rights without worrying about some religious group dictating your laws? And yet you’ve got you own fundamentalists trying to force their own personal beliefs into common laws."

"Yes, because they think they’re being empowered by some of our officials. But I’m actually more worried these days about the political fringe empowered to push their own agenda."

"And still, you just answered your own question you asked me, didn’t you?" the Middle Eastern man countered. "When fanatics are empowered the only peace to them is enforcing their version of the law on others. I’ve seen it happen with too many of my own people, too."

"Yes, I know it’s happened. But considering your own people’s past, you really haven’t explained why you’re fighting."

"What am I fighting for? I just want my country and my people to be free, be free from outside interference," the Middle Eastern man reacted as he slowly stood up.

"And does this freedom you seek include the right of everyone in your country to live or worship as they wish?" the American asked as he stood up.

"We have phones and internet connection ourselves and I follow the news from your country and shouldn’t you be worrying about the same thing starting to happen in your own country now?"

"Answering questions by asking another question instead of answering the actual question is getting us nowhere, is it?" the American soldier mocked their conversation lightly.

"Are not answers in the asking itself sometimes?"

The lights in their prison cell dimmed as they faced each other at the invisible wall.

22.

As the lights returned to the other side of the window the Students could see through the bared windows the same city as in the first scene, but this time the city was restored to it’s pre-war condition. They could also see both Subjects again sitting close to each other on their side of the invisible barrier.

"Because we seem to have arrived at some kind of exhausted truce I think it’s safe to mention that I’m not exactly an atheist," the American confessed to his fellow captive.

"Then why did you tell me you were?"

"Because I knew it would piss you off," the American soldier snickered.

"How many times have you been called an a*****e?"

"Ah, a standard American phrase. So I guess you’re not so radicalized after all, are you?"

"You really are an a*****e, you a*****e," the Middle Eastern man exclaimed, then laughed for the first time since being imprisoned. "And most languages have their own words for a*****e."

"I like to think of myself as more of a smart a*s."

"A*s or not, you shouldn’t have lied to me."

"I didn’t exactly lie because I really do believe religion is still faith based, not fact based," the American corrected him. "But to me I believe in some kind of Creator because I refuse to believe all the wonders I’ve seen in nature and all the art and literature and advancements in science and medicine made by us was because of some random chance, some big bang whatever. You can call him God or the Creator or whatever you want but somewhere, somehow there had to be a higher intelligence involved and there had to be a Creator or group of Creators."

"Deep thoughts for a man who would likely be a beggar on the street if he hadn’t joined the army."

"And how many times have you been called an a*****e?" the American blurted out playfully as he gave his fellow prisoner the finger, a common obscene gesture understood in many countries.

"Not nearly as often as you."

"An a*****e by another name in your language perhaps?

As they both laughed the Teacher motioned to the Controller and the lights in their prison cell dimmed.

23.

When the prison cell was illuminated again the Students could see both Subjects pacing the floor on their side of the barrier They could also see the assault weapons each warrior tried to use before leaning against the bared brick wall under each barred window. But this time when the Subjects noticed them neither man tried to pick their weapon up.

"If we both seem to want the same type of freedom and peace how can we make it happen?" the Middle Eastern man addressed the American as he stopped pacing.

"I really don’t know, my friend. The tactics used by a Gandhi or a Martin Luther King won’t work very well in a world where too many feel no guilt in killing unarmed people or even the innocent children," the American concluded sadly.

"There must be some way to avoid the control the fanatics have over us?"

"Well, in my country we still have the power of the vote but distorting the truth has become almost as powerful," the American answered as he sadly shook his head.

"Why can’t religious and political fanatics just live their own lives and let us live ours?"

"I don’t know. Gandhi and King did what they could but it wasn’t enough, so I don’t know. I really don’t know. About all we can do is talk to those who will listen."

"And pray enough will."

"And I’ll actually pray, too, and hope the she-god, he-god or it-god is listening."

After the American said this the lights in their cell dimmed.

24.

When the lights return the Students could see both Subjects sitting near their side of the barrier and they noticed the assault weapons had disappeared.

"This is just some weird dream, isn’t it?" the Middle Eastern man contemplated aloud.

"Of course it is. I’m just wondering why you showed up in my dream."

Your dream, you arrogant a*****e?" the Middle Eastern man scolded him light-heartedly. "You mean my dream."

When both men laughed and reached out to shake hands the Students could tell the invisible wall was no longer there as their hands touched and the lights dimmed.

25.

As the Teacher nodded to the Controller the prison cell was illuminated again and the Students could see through the window that the cell was empty. After studying the reactions of her Students the Teacher waved her hand and the lights behind the classroom viewing window faded out for the last time.

26.

In a more informal lobby away from the classroom the Teacher and her Students sat in ethereal chairs forming a circle.

"Well?" the Teacher started with an open-ended question.

"I’m wondering how effective the Planting Doubt part of the experiment has been so far," Donella remarked first.

"It’s been overall positive so far and with a case like these two men in the cell it’s worked out very well. The Planter has been monitoring them and reports they’ve been very active reaching out to family, trusted friends and on social media sites where they feel comfortably safe while expressing their developing concerns."

"Though these Subjects shared three dreams together they talked about a lot of issues, didn’t they?" Enos thought out loud while stating the obvious.

"Yes, Enos, but there are many issues that weren’t mentioned about that area of the planet, like ethnic cleansing, culture racism and the inequality of the genders. And we can certainly use more Planters in those areas. But then again, we need then just about everywhere because there is so much to address."

"When I was a volunteer at a hospital in Eastern Africa most of the foreign aid was going into the pockets of the corrupt officials. Yeah, we’ve got a lot to work with," Donella offered as another example.

"Exactly, but just remember we won’t be able to reach everyone because some minds and hearts will never respond to common decency," the Teacher interjected with a word of caution.

                

"Which is why you was stressed how important our selection process is, right?" Gasper added.

"Yes, because our mission is to try to save the planet’s future with what we can work with. As I mentioned to Enos earlier it’s about doing the right research to pair the right Subjects together."

"About the tools we’ll have, how expansive will they be?" Sayo wanted to know.

"Because it will my last commit about the first lesson I’ll try to make it long and boring," she told Sayo with a wink and a smile. "As Planters you’ll be on the planet as long as you chose to be and I suppose you can justly call yourselves Investigating Angels because you’ll be doing your own investigative research. You all already have the needed tools of kind hearts and keen observations and a desire to help, right?"

"Seems like we all do, Ms. Michelini," Enos answered modestly.

"I know you all do, and those precious tools will be augmented with you earning a seventh sense that allows you to monitor the lives of numerous possible Subjects at the same time in your chosen area. It will be like you can envision as many multiple visual screens as you wish to select your Subjects. You can also find inspiration from direct on-sight physical observations of any possible individuals or by gathering tips on possible Subjects through viewing media news reports or any other sources that can aid your search. One of the amazing gifts about gaining the seventh sense is that this sense can easily accommodate them all."

"Can I select a single Subject and create an implanted dream tailored for him without him actually being in the dream?" Enos considered. When the Teacher nodded yes Enos explained, "I’m thinking about having a white cop who sees nothing wrong with shooting or beating an unarmed black person who is no real threat to him," he told the other Students. "and I would have him dream a dream where he sees another cop killing his own unarmed wife or child or friend to let him see the effects such an unjustified act has directly on his own life."

"Go for it, Sir," Gasper replied as he clapped his hands.

"We certainly need examples like that now," their Teacher responded, then added, "And with your new tools you can envision actors making a point in a dream you conceive for a Subject. And you can select your Subjects from actual experiences they’ve had. The young man with the gas can and the old woman in the wheel chair happened in real time. The Planter just selected them so they would re-live that experience in the implanted dreams."

"How about a dream where a CEO of a company that illegally pollutes the water? And in the dream he dreams he or someone in his family dies from the company’s own contamination?" Sayo pondered.

"That’s good. I really like that," the Teacher praised her, then asked, "Any more questions before we move on to the next?"

"Can I call myself an Avenging Angel?" Gasper wondered humorously.

"A perfect oxymoron to fit your gaming generation," the Teacher responded with a chuckle.

"When can we start, Ms. Michelini?" Sayo impatiently implored.

"You guys have been the most intuitive and quickly receptive Students I’ve had so far and as far as I’m concerned you’re already ready, but I think the Council still wants you to view a few more examples to refine you skills to ensure a world where hope will thrive. And very soon you’ll be in a lab were you’ll be able to personally select your own examples and place them in their own controlled situations. So, anything else for now?"

"Any possible precautions you haven’t mentioned?" Donella injected as an after-thought.

"First, the obvious one and a rule you already know. If you appear in human form as an on-sight observer no one can know what you’ve transcended from. We don’t need any new ghost stories showing up in sleazy tabloids. The second is more of a precautionary suggestion because, in case any of you have seen Wings Of Desire or City Of Angles or Heaven Can Wait, falling in love with a Subject doesn’t work like in the movies. Even if you chose to be reincarnated you can’t go back as a human adult. You’ll be born an infant," she informed them with a warm smile.

"Is it okay to fall in love with one of our own?" Gasper whimsically questioned her.

"You mean you haven’t already?" Donella gently laughed. "You’re French, right?"

"I’m still getting used to my new place in the cosmos, and I still have some lingering issues, but I was just wondering, just in case," Gasper admitted as his aura seemed to blush.

"I was just teasing and love happens everywhere," Donella offered her fellow Student.

"Yes, it does," the Teacher quickly confirmed, then addressed all of her Students, "So, I’ll meet you all soon for your next lesson."

"And when will that be, Ms. Michelini," Gasper wondered.

"You’ll know yourself when it’s time," she answered with a wink and the Students watched as she appeared to vaporize before their eyes.

27.

Gasper, Donella and Sayo are sitting around a table in a surreal courtyard adjacent to the building that housed the classrooms.

"Am I the only rookie here? I mean, there is so much I haven’t figured out yet about this whole time / continuum thing, so what’s the deal?" Gasper questioned his fellow Students.

"Well, perhaps it we’re lucky we’ll have Albert as a guest lecturer and he can explain it himself," Donella reacted whimsically.

"Ha! I doubt if even Einstein can explain how we all seem to know when we’re supposed to be somewhere."

"What do your new artist, writer, philosopher and poet types at the coffee house you’ve been hanging out at think about all this?"

"How did you know where I spend my time?"

"You’re letting me see you there."

"Guess I need to learn to control the though emissions, huh? But to answer your question, they offered a gauntlet differing opinions, from it being part of our sixth sense to ‘Just go with the flow and don’t worry about it," Gasper replied, then seemed surprised when Enos appeared out of a vapor and stood behind the remaining chair at the table and turned to him, " Enos, how do you just happen to know when you’re supposed to show up?"

"Something inside me tells me, I guess. It just happens that way," he calculated as he took the last seat.

"Another thing I don’t understand," Gasper continued with his quest for understanding, "is the whole language thing. Like what if we chose Subjects who speak different languages? That Middle Eastern man said he studied in America so that I understand, but what about the rest?"

"Maybe the answer is in us considering how we’ve all commutating without all speaking the same language, isn’t it?" Sayo responded, then asked "How many languages do you know, Gasper?"

"French, of course, but I studied Latin in school and learned a little German. And you guys?"

"Just American with a slight Southern accent," Enos went first.

"Italian born , but I speak Spanish well and was trying to learn several African dialect phrases," Donella acknowledged.

"And I, just Korean and Japanese." Sayo stated.

"Ha! I think we can enlighten even good old Albert and I could help him translate his theories into Latin, even pig-Latin," Gasper laughed.

"Isn’t he one of the Planters working on scientists having a sense of humor? Donalla teased him.

"I’m glad you guys are full of enthusiasm and ready to start, though I think some of us trying to be stand-up comics should keep our day jobs," Enos grinned as he shifted in his seat and uttered a stifled moan of pain, a gesture his fellow Students noticed.

"Whoa, how come you let yourself feel pain?" Donella enquired with an innocent curiosity as she looked at Enos.

"Just the smaller aches and pains sometimes because it reminds me of when I was back there."

"I should try that myself. I suppose it helps to remember when life wasn’t so good to appreciate how good it became after overcoming the obstacles," Sayo told Enos.

"Don’t go there unless you’ve learned to master the memories." Gasper warned her. " I tried to let myself feel the smaller pains but the brutal ending overpowered everything. Now I just - can’t - "

Without finishing Gasper suddenly disappeared from the courtyard.

"Oh, Lord, I shouldn’t have let him hear me moan, should I?" Enos apologized. "I’m so sorry if I caused this."

"How could any of us know?" Sayo reassured him.

Donella placed her hand over the seat where the departed Gasper was sitting and gasped out loud.

What happened, dear? If it’s okay to ask?" Sayo approached the subject as tactfully she could.

"He had just turned thirty and just had his first novel published and was heading home after telling his folks and witnessed a car, with two drunken teenage girls in it, crash into a guardrail and the car caught on fire. He pulled over and managed to pull the driver to safety but when he went back to save the passenger the car exploded in a ball of fire," she told them as her aura turned a dark color.

"Oh, my! I’m so, so sorry." Sayo exclaimed with what an Earthling could perceive as a tear running down her cheek.

"And he let you see all that?" Enos wondered.

"I suppose he didn’t block that out because he wanted you to understand why he reacted the way he did and it was too painful to express it in words himself," Donella suggested.

"The tragedy of a hero dying young," Egos mumbled to himself.

"I think he was just trying to do the right thing and didn’t think about being a hero," she assured them after touching the seat where he was sitting, "But he’ll be okay because I can sense he’s making peace with that memory now."

"Because you’re so young yourself, Donella, I was wondering - " Enos started to ask.

"My passing?" Donella asked Enos and when he nodded she explained, "We were trying to stop poachers from killing rare rinos and one of the poachers shot me.

"I’m so sorry, Sweety," Sayo told her while patting her arm.

"It’s okay. I mean, I had a happy childhood and loving parents and in Africa we were there fight hunger and disease. We saved lives and I don’t regret my time there."

28.

When the door to the classroom building opened Donella, Enos and Sayo could see Ms. Michelini standing on the porch talking to another energy field that bared a striking resemblance to Einstein himself. After they shook hands and his field vaporized she motioning for her Students.

As they rose from their chairs and ambled towards the entrance Gaper suddenly reappeared walking beside them, the four of them ambled towards the porch.

‘Was that - " Donella started to ask as they reached the steps.

"Yes, it was," Ms. Michelini assured her," and, no, he’s not a Teacher. He’s a Planter focusing on Subjects who are climate change deniers."

"Tough mission he’s on, huh?" Gasper jovially replied.

Ms. Michelini nodded yes and warmly smiled at him because she sensed he was making peace. Then the motioned for her four Students to follow her towards their classroom.