It was a dream state Jay was in. The fog surrounded him, once again. As it had before. In the distance, the faint hue of a person was standing before him. As the shadowy figure approached, a hand reached out for him. But this time, there was no fear. It was a warm, inviting hand reaching out toward him. Then Jay woke up.
As Jay's mind oriented to what was around him, he sat up in bed. He rubbed his eyes and lifted the sheets away from him so he could sit up on the side. He rubbed his face for a moment, then removed his hands from his head. Now that he had his bearings, he said to himself, "Man. What a dream."
Linda was already awake, making breakfast for them. Jay shuffled through the foyer and into the kitchen area, where Linda greeted him.
"Wake up, sleepy head!"
Her exclamation was profound, especially for someone having just woken up.
"Where are the kids?" Jay asked, leaning against the counter.
In came both of their children, little Allie and Chad, running. They attacked their father with a growl and snarling, as they both tried to tickle his stomach through his shirt.
Linda began to laugh as she continued cooking.
After the kids' onslaught, they ran away to another part of the house to play.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Linda asked.
"Yeah. I had an odd dream, though."
"Oh, what did you dream?"
Jay thought for a moment, "You know, I can't really remember. Just the very end, though. A hand reaching out for me."
Linda dropped her utensil and turned to face Jay, "Really?"
Jay could see the worried look on her face. A look that said, We've been here before.
Jay smiled, "Not to worry. It wasn't like that dream. This dream was much warmer and inviting."
Linda let out a sigh of relief and then turned back to the food she was preparing.
"But honestly, I don't remember a lot about it," Jay continued.
"About the dream?" Linda asked.
"Yeah, or much else."
"Well, he told you things would be different now."
"Yeah, but no memory much at all."
"What do you remember?"
"I remember you. I remember Allie. I remember Chad. I remember an intense white light. Then..."
Linda looked around at Jay over her shoulder.
"...that's it. It's like everything else has been erased."
"It's a new way of thinking, Jay. Just like me making you this breakfast," Linda said, as she moved toward Jay with the breakfast meal on a plate.
"He said we'd keep the positives, not any negatives.'
Jay took the plate from her. The plate had grits, smothered in butter, three slices of bacon, and a piece of buttered toast. Jay smiled as he looked down at it.
"This is definitely a positive."
Linda smiled as Jay set the plate aside and embraced her. They kissed sweetly, holding each other in their arms, Linda resting her head on Jay's chest.
"I always love this. I think that's what we remember. The love."
"I've always loved you, Linda."
"I'll always love you, Jay."
"Now and forever."
"Amen."
As Linda and Jay gazed at one another, that warm, inviting feeling resonated through the air. It wasn't just in a dream; it was reality.
***********************************************************************************
The world had ended on December 25, 2030. The year 2030 was a relative one, as the calendar in Jay's reality was thousands of years ahead of our own.
Simply put, the world ended.
The last thing Jay, Linda, Allie, and Chad would have remembered, if they could have, was the intense flash of light released as the core of the Fleece consumed them. Everything, including the Fleece itself, was vaporized in an instant, churning into an Orb of pure energy.
But Jay, Linda, Allie, and Chad were not harmed. No one was harmed, especially if they had not given in to the SIC.
Anyone Nissi saved by removing them at the last moment went into the warm, inviting light where Nissi awaited them.
Nissi told each of them individually that their lives had been spared. They never died. They would never die.
What they knew of their life before this moment would be entirely erased, except for those aspects they wished to continue. Of course, as most would do in this case, Jay, Linda, Allie, and Chad wanted to remember being at home with their family.
So they were home now. Their entire house was recreated, putting them back at the age they were when this whole debacle began. When Jay awoke, it was the last time he would. This sleep was their arrival into a new world.
The planet Earth was reborn, but as a new, joyful place. There was no need for sustenance, for all were satisfied. The food Jay saw and Linda prepared was immaterial. It wasn't necessary now, but a moment they cherished in the previous life. Being at home, showing each other love, embracing, togetherness, these were the things that mattered most to them. These were the things that mattered most to all who survived.
The Earth was much larger now, able to accommodate a bigger population. One trillion people is a lot, and it accounts for all the humans who have ever been created, save for a few. There were still hundreds of billions that perished with the original world. With Britton and Rob.
An unfortunate consequence of a war that had been waging for a long time, before even the Atlanteans existed.
Only the Father, as Nissi had told them, has the full memories of what happened. It wasn't that people didn't need to know the past; it was more that they needed to embrace their future. In time, the past would be revealed, but not immediately. All answers would be forthcoming, without any deception.
In fact, only one being in existence would remember all other than the Father, and that was Pat. Trapped inside the torment of his own creation, for all eternity. When the planet died all around him, Pat was trapped in the fireball, but impervious to death. That was the gift and curse Nissi, once known as Rapha, gave him.
Pat could live forever, but was bound to the universe he had created. With the home world now gone, Pat drifted through space in the orbit of the planet it once had. Floating amongst debris and clouds of dust, Pat stayed in this position for eons, until the sun puffed up and became a red giant. Engulfing him to its interior, Pat rithed in agony under the scorching heat, unable to die or quench his thirst.
He stayed like this for billions of years, until the sun collapsed back in on itself to a white dwarf. Although the agony of the heat had ended for Pat, the frozen hostileness of space was almost as terrible to endure. Eventually, the sun turned completely dark, a charred remnant of what it had once been. The planets drifted away, one by one, with the loss of gravity from a now dead sun. Pat drifted away with them. He spiraled through space, passing through other stars, black holes, being stretched and distorted, all the while enduring this endless pain.
Eventually, the stars of the sky dimmed and faded. The galaxies collided and blew apart. As the distance grew and grew, the light vanished, and all that remained were the black holes. One by one, they evaporated, leaving Pat completely alone.
In the dead, void of nothingness that surrounded Pat, the universe he occupied had ended. Every life, every light, everything was gone. Only Pat remained with no discernible way to see. Just blackness.
Being in this state would be enough to drive anyone mad. Pat's essence would live on in eternal darkness forever now. He even began to question if he had ever truly existed. The pain and agony of infinite loneliness was staggering. Part of him had always wanted it this way, but the reality of being in it once and for all was overwhelming.
Pat would never know relief, but despite this horror, the worst was still yet to come. Those who had died because of Pat, the ones who believed in him, began to join him. The Father had let their essence join with his, forcing Pat to confront the very nature of his horrible deceptions and actions.
Trapped in the darkest nightmare of all time. Thoughts plaguing him. No relief or compassion in sight. This fate is what Pat made for himself. A lasting legacy for a creature such as he.
***********************************************************************************
Jay and Linda walked out of their house to the deck on the back. They gazed across the landscape, holding onto each other. Allie and Chad came outside to join them.
The air felt divine. The weather felt just right. Green grass was as far as the eye could see. But in the distance, pyramids rose high into the sky, providing energy throughout the planet. The pyramids were fully intact, standing up on pillars miles into the air. Some of the ships Nissi used were passing overhead, zipping around the planet to transport people wherever they may wish to go.
This world was vastly different from the last. There were no more dreams. Everyone was living in one. There was no more hate, only love. There was no more fear, only joy.
Those who had died were there, and some who had never experienced death like Dana were there too. Dr. Blake, Larry, and others were with them again.
The last night had been the dawn of a new day. A day that would never end. Hope had been made manifest.
The end of this story was only the beginning. What started in alertness ended in reverie. Jay had experienced a journey like no other. Not because he was special, but because it was necessary. Someone had to see the world for what it had become in order to allow rectification to happen.
The Father watches over all of them now, and with that assurance, nothing else is needed.
Jay, Linda, Allie, and Chad made their way down the steps of their deck and began walking toward the pyramids in the distance, as did others nearby. A gathering was beginning, the likes of which had never been seen. Everyone was happy, at peace, and rejoicing.
For Dreams had finally come to an end.
No comments:
Post a Comment