Chapter 2

Chapter 2

            When my eyes open I know it is early. Even though time is not really kept here, I can feel the earliness in the air. For a second I am reluctant to get out of bed but then I remember the exciting day I have ahead of me. I jump up and throw my clothes on for the day. No one is up when I go downstairs. I wait as long as I possibly can and then I finally give in and leave. The walk to his throne room is just as exciting and nerve racking as it was yesterday. Will this walk ever get easier? I reach the huge doors and, just as like yesterday, they open of their own accord. My hands begin shaking as I walk to the edge of the throne’s steps. I bow once and then stand up and await my commands. He looks down at me and smiles.

            “Eager to begin your first day I see. Good! That is exactly why I chose you. I also chose you because I knew that you were smart enough and capable enough to perform huge tasks for me. Today I want to give you one of those huge tasks immediately and see how you fare. There is a young man that is not of our society but of the society below us that is struggling between the two. I believe if we push him enough in the right direction he will choose this one.”

            “What would you like me to do?” I am having a hard time containing my excitement! At that moment I wanted to jump, and scream, and dance and do whatever else made me look like a fool! I did not care!

            “I would like you to create a path way into our world for him. I want you to show him what our society is about and the things he is missing out on. I am asking much of you and entrusting that you will handle the job. Can you?”

            I nod my head eagerly. “Yes, master, I will do whatever it takes!”

            He smiles again. “Wonderful! Report back to me after you are done.” I grin like an idiot, spin on my heels, and practically run out of the throne room. Already I am brainstorming about what I will do. First I must take the short journey from our society to his. Once there, my ruler will show the man I am to help along. I step outside and begin running. For several minutes all I do is run. And then when I am ready I leap. For a split second I am falling but then something tugs at my body and slows my decent and I land on a busy street. People shove past me, barely acknowledging my existence. I search the crowd for any unique happenings. A business man yelling at someone on the phone, a woman touching up her make up while waiting for the bus, and two children playing tag- nothing unique. For ten minutes I stand there and watch and finally something does happen.

            A man steps out of the small coffee shop and begins to walk across the street. At that moment, a car comes by and slams into him. His body flies like a ragdoll across the hood of the car and lands on the other side. A sickening crunch sounds as his face and limbs meet the pavement. Several people scream. The children playing tag are now crying into their mom’s torso. Everywhere people are on their cell phones calling the ambulance. Soon I hear sirens in the distance and finally an ambulance arrives. The woman who hit him is standing beside her car, very distraught. The man has not moved from his spot on the pavement since being hit and now a large pool of blood as surrounded his face. The EMT’s pull him over and sit him up. Blood pours immediately from his mouth and nose. His left eye is swollen shut. An arm hangs limp by his side and flops freely when they move him. He is strapped down to a gurney and carried off into the ambulance. The vehicle speeds off and I impulsively follow.

            Once at the hospital, I know this is my time to intercede. The man is in emergency surgery so I must wait in the waiting room with two other people. Thankfully, the man is announced to be in stable condition. No one is allowed to visit him but I can be sneaky and I will be in and out before anyone notices. I slip quietly into his room and kneel next to his bed. I take his hands in mine and close my eyes so that I can concentrate. I channel my thoughts into his mind. This is something my race has mastered over years and years of experimentation and practice. Or maybe none at all. I honestly have no idea  how this came about.

            I begin to speak to him through my thoughts. I know that outwardly you are bruised and beaten but I also know that inside nothing is much better. Your heart has been broken several times and is desperate need of a healing. I want you to join my society- we live perfect lives where I come from. Our ruler is one of honesty and full of meekness. If you accept my invitation, you will be able to live out the rest of your days knowing that someday you will live alongside me where pain and sorrow is unknown. Hope is still alive and I give it to you today. I let go of his hands and the weight of his mind leaves me instantly. I smile at my accomplished job and leave the room. Now I just have to wait and see if he takes up my offer. I leave the hospital behind and find a hotel to check into. I will be visiting this man, who I noticed on my way out is named James Carpenter, in a few days’ time- once he wakes up and feels like talking.

            I know that my Lord will be proud of what I succeeded in doing today! It is not every day that things like this happens. What I did today was special and worthy of a reward!

            As I check into my hotel room and I feel a surge of pride. When the kind man asks to take my bags I let him. When he asks if he can get me anything I ask for some extra pillows. I do all this because I have decided that, just for today, I should go out of my way and reward myself for an accomplished task. But only for today.

 

            Three days pass before I visit Mr. James again. He is awake and healing well. The nurse is the same that was at the front desk the other day and she recognizes me.

            “Came back at just the right time, they just started allowing visitors.” I smile, amused. I allowed a visit three days ago! I want to tell her this but I know it will only get me in trouble. When she asks me how I am acquainted to Mr. James and I explain to her that I am an old friend.

            “I was just standing on the street, waiting for the bus, and James walks right out of that coffee shop and I am about to call his name when that car just slams right into him.”

            “Wow, what a coincidence!”

            I grin at this lady’s ignorance. “No, that was no coincidence- that was fate.” And with that I spin on my heels and head for Mr. James’s room. I wonder if she will catch the fact that she never gave me a room number. I doubted it- the people down her were not as bright as my society. They tended to miss tiny details.

            Mr. James is sitting up watching a basketball game when I enter the room. When I enter he stares at me inquisitively.

            “Hello, Mr. James right?” I put out my hand for him to shake it. Mr. James does not accept it but gasps instead.

            “Your voice! I heard you inside my head the other night. What are you doing here?” Mr. James is obviously frightened.

            “Mr. James, you are understandably confused but I am just here to offer you a new life. You were in an accident recently. I am a person who can grant you a whole new life full of wonderful and perfect things and I happened to be standing on that street right at that moment- is that only a coincidence?”

            Mr. James does not answer right away. After a few minutes of thought he speaks. “What is this new life you are talking about? What do I have to do?”

            “All you have to do is accept the fact that the man who rules over my society and over my life, is perfect. Trust that he will take care of you until you are ready to come live with us. Can you do that?”

            Mr. James nods his head in a jerky manor. I almost laugh at the funny sight but this is a serious matter. “Yes, I can!”

            “Good, now, someday you will come and live with us but until then I need you to do something. Not very many people know of the perfect society I hail from. I need you to spread the word about this place and bring more people to it just as I’ve done with you.”

            “I promise I’ll do just that!”

            “Good. My job is done here. Mr. James I hope to meet you again someday but in my society, not this one.” I walk out of the room before he can say any more. Once again I smile as I walk out of the hospital. This job was way too easy or I was just way too good! Probably a little of both. There is so much to report back to my ruler! It is time to go back home.      

Reviews

[Calypso]

I don't have much to say but that I love this book.