Chapter 2 - The Journey Begins

the beginning of the main plot

 

Martin couldn’t stop staring at what had been the foundation of his life. How could it have disappeared completely in so little time? He walked over to the edge of the remaining cliff and down towards where the last stone of the monastery had plummeted into oblivion. With a sigh, he turned around and faced the land, but only went a couple steps before feeling a searing pain in his chest - it felt like he had been stabbed. He became dizzy and staggered a few more steps towards the other monks before passing out.

            He felt himself floating and looking down at all the other monks surrounding his body, shaking it in an attempt to revive him. Suddenly, everything in his vision started to shake and become blurry. He closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the nausea.

            When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a large building with huge windows. Outside the building, he saw strange vehicles with wings and tiny wheels underneath. The vehicles were long and each had a huge fin on its back. They were all painted differently.

            Martin looked above him and saw a large sign . He glanced up to read it. It said “Flight 198B Mortal Realm to the Netherworld - Cancelled. Flight 168C Mortal Realm to Nirvana - On time. Flight 197A Mortal Realm to Heaven - delayed….”

            Martin heard someone coughing behind him. He turned around to see a young Dog who looked a lot like himself. The Dog’s face lit up at the sight of Martin, and he rushed to give Martin a huge hug. “Wha- who are you?” asked Martin. The Dog looked up at him with a gaze Martin remembered from that day he became a big brother. “Hans! I thought you were gone forever!”

            “Martin! I was so sorry to have gone that smoky night - I wanted so desperately to grow up with you, but it was not to be. I‘ve been watching you, though. I knew we‘d meet again some time.”

            Martin now had tears in his eyes. He took his brother in his arms and gave him a hug just like their first.

            As Martin and Hans embraced, a loud voice announced the departure of the plane. “Flight 260D Mortal Realm to Astral Plane - Boarding …”

            “That’s our flight. We better get going,” said Hans. He and Martin got in line to go through the bendy hallway connecting the plane to the boarding platform. It was a long line, and there were creatures of all different races. “I don’t understand any of this,” said Martin. “Where are we and what are we doing?”

            “We are just outside Earth, waiting for our destination in our next life. This astral plane will fly us to the next realm.” answered Hans.

            “How do we know this is the right plane?” asked Martin.

            “Open your paw,” said Hans. Upon doing so, Martin saw that he was holding a shiny ticket with the phrase, “Destination - Astral Realm, Flight 260D. Seat - 25”.

            “Does that answer your question?” asked Hans.

            “Erm, I guess so,” said Martin as he continued to look at his ticket. He showed it to the steward at the portal to the plane. Hans did the same, and the two brisky walked through the hallway connecting the plane to the boarding area of the airport.

            There were many rows of seats in the plane - two on either end and three in the middle. Martin took a seat by the window, and Hans took the one beside it. Before long, they could feel the plane start to taxi before taking off into the unknown.

            Martin glanced out his window and looked below. All he saw were strange light waves at frequencies beyond mortal perception. Although they escaped description, they were of a brilliancy unimaginable to the mortal mind. He never knew there were so many millions of colors in existence, but was only aware of the tiny percent visible to the living.

            “How long do you think this flight will last?” Martin asked Hans.

            “It is impossible to say because Time as you know it does not exist here,” said Hans. He rose and led Martin off the plane and into the terminal.

            As Martin looked around, he recognized the scenery from some of his miscellaneous dreams in which he had flown around the sky. “This place looks very familiar,” he said to Hans.

            “That’s because you have experienced astral projection. Your body was still on Earth, but your soul came to visit here.”

            “How do you know all this?” Martin asked Hans.

            “Having left the planet as a baby, I grew up on this plane of existence instead of on Earth, so I know the workings here,” he answered with a cough. “Come with me,” he continued before leading Martin out of the terminal.

            “Now, you must learn how to move about the astral world. All you have to do is will yourself somewhere - anywhere- and you will instantly arrive. You have no physical needs, so not only is there nothing to eat or drink, but you won’t be distracted by the desire for it. Although you no longer have a physical body, you have an astral one. In it, you can take any form you like. You can also view Earth at any point in its history, and you can go there to visit, although no one will react to you. That might be irritating at first, but you get used to it. Any questions?”

            Martin absorbed his brother’s monolouge while trying to emotionally adjust to this strange new dimension. “Erm, I thik I follow,” he replied.

            “Good,” Hans said with a smile. He led Martin out into the area around the terminal, which was very bright with sparkles floating throught the air. “You know, I think I’d like to go back to Earth and visit where the monastery was,” said Martin.

            “You don’t like the looks of this place?”

            “No, it’s not that…” said Martin as he looked around at the glowing scene around him. “I just want to make sure everything back home is ok.”

            “Martin, home is ahead of you, not behind.”

            With those few words, the seriousness of his situation hit. Life as he knew it was over.

            “Give a howl if you need me,” Hans continued and handed Martin a small glowing device. “Push this, and you will be able to summon me at any time.”

            “Thank you, and farewell, dear brother,” said Martin, who was beginning to fade from the Astral world.

 

            As Martin faded into the scene of the monastery, he again saw the other monks trying to revive his body. Suddenly a rock hurling through the air caught his eye. Where did that come from? he wondered. He then traced the trajectory of the rock and saw that it came from a pale figure, who appeared to be a Rabbit.

            “Malcolm!” shouted Martin. The Rabbit, who held another rock in his hand, was about to throw it when he heard Martin’s call.

            “Martin!” He dropped the rock and floated over to his friend. “What are you doing here?” he asked Martin.

            “I was wondering the same about you,” Martin replied. “Why are you hurling rocks around?”

            “I’m angry because God won’t let me go back into the world,” he said. “He’ll only let me haunt it, but I need to go back so I can live the perfect life and be worthy of Heaven.”

            “Malcolm, you’re not thinking straight,” said Martin.

            “Oh, like you know any better?” Malcolm threw the rock, which hit one of the living monks.

 

***

 

            While Brother Bartholemew of the Bears stood over Martin’s body, he felt a rock hit his back. He turned around to see more rocks flying through the air, thrown by an invisible entity. “My friends, behold!” he called to the other monks, who turned around and witnessed the flying rocks. “What the - ?” they cried.

            “It’s the work of a poltergeist,” said Bartholemew. “We must depart these haunted grounds immediately!” He led the other monks away from the cliff and towards the nearest inland town.

 

***

 

            “Look what you did,” said Martin. “You just terrified the rest of our Brothers!”

            “I need some kind of release,” retorted Malcolm. “I don’t want to leave Earth because I haven’t done enough to be a good Brother.”

            “Malcolm, going back would be futile,” said a disembodied voice.

            “Who said that!?” asked Malcolm before jumping into Martin’s arms out of fear.

            “No need to be afraid,” the voice replied. As the two gazed at the cloud of light from where the voice appeared to originate, the form of an angel appeared, like a photograph just coming into view while developing. The spirit was huge - as tall as a skyscraper. “I am the Archangel Michael,” the specter said.

            Malcolm climbed out of Martin’s arms and began to bow before the angel.

            “No, don’t do that. Bow only to our God,” said Michael firmly.

            “Sorry,” said Malcolm.

            “Michael, our friend here is in need of a little guidance,” said Martin. “He thinks he can earn his salvation.” Martin gently nudged his friend towards the benign entity.

            “Malcolm,” said Michael quietly before kneeling to talk to the befuddled Rabbit, “Let me show you something.” He pulled a small screen out of his pocket. It showed an image of the Crucifixion. “See, that is Jesus paying your way into Heaven because you can’t afford it on your own.”

            “Why not?” asked Malcolm, now overcome with curiosity instead of fear.

            “You are in a fallen state of existence, and only Divinity can raise you from it. If you could save yourself, there would be no need for Christ as a Savior. Now do you understand?” Michael stroked the fur on Malcolm’s head, causing him to noticeably relax.

            “But I need to get living right!”

            “You can’t. If you could you would not have needed Christ to justify you by His blood. No matter how many times you go back, you’ll never get it right anyway, so accept the fact you’re gone and move on.”

            “But I thought you had to be good on Earth or you’d rot in Hell,” said Malcolm as he chewed his claws.

            “God doesn’t send anyone to Hell,” answered Michael. “If you go there it’s because you chose to reject Him and His offer of salvation.”

            “The Old Testament is full of people being punished for doing wrong things. You’re saying that there’s a way past that?” Malcolm had a quizzical look on his face.

            “Yes,” replied Michael. The New Testament came to replace the old. That’s why Jesus doesn’t require us to do everything in the law, but in Him.”

            “Wonderful! Now that I have that information, can I go back to Earth?” asked Malcolm.

            Martin slapped his forehead in frustration. “You don’t get it, do you?”

            “If I went back I could live a better life,” said Malcolm, trying to justify his request.

            “No can do,” said Michael. “Like I said, there is no need because you are incapable of living a good life no matter how many times you try.”

            “Dang it! I want to live again! I want to hug and be hugged, and feel the sun on my back, and see pretty sunsets, and run through the fields!”

            “From what I’ve seen of the Astral world, you can do that there, too,” ventured Martin.

            “Sorry, kid, once your body fell into the ocean, it was over for you on this plane,” said Michael. “Your time on the stage of Earth is past, but you can relax backstage until the curtain call.”

            “Wha-?” cried Malcolm. “What ‘curtain call’?

            “The ‘curtain call’ is a euphemistic phrase I use for the Apocalypse. I call it that because everyone will be raised from the dead (brought back to the stage of Earth), to receive their due applause (reward), at the final act in the script (end of time). Until then, they can relax back here behind the curtain of Life and Death. Am I making any sense?”

            “Erm…. no, to be honest,” replied Malcolm.

            “You will see,” said Michael.

            “But I’m not done yet!” Another rock flew across the cliff. “I’m not going to wait that long. If you don’t get God to reincarnate me now I’m going to make a tornado and sic it on the nearest town!”

            “Bad idea, Malcolm,” said Michael. “If you do that, you will remain a poltergeist forever and will never enter Paradise, unless you turn back and accept your fate.” He crossed his arms and looked sternly at the stubborn little spirit creature.

            “No!” Malcolm began to gather dust and vegetation before setting it twirling the way a child releases a top.

            “Malcolm! How could you? This could kill our brothers!” cried Martin.

            “Too late…” Malcolm gasped.

            The twirling mass picked up more and more momentum as it headed away from the cliff and towards the town of Witterdam, which was a short distance from the ruins of the monastery. As it came closer to town, it picked up speed and began to tear roofs off of houses and send trees flying through the air. Even as they stood on the hillside outside of the town, Martin could hear children crying and horses panicking as the town slowly fell apart, house by house.

            “What have I done?” Malcolm fell to his knees.

            “See what happens when you can’t handle frustration?” said Michael. “You shall now haunt the Earth until Doomsday.”

            “What?- no, this can’t be happening!” said Malcolm. He began to weep before fading away.

 

Reviews

[Calypso]

Yet another good chapter. I think it's interesting how Pastor Chip is. He reminds me of a real pastor. He talks like one.