Chronicles of the Children of Destiny

The Real World

Taylor

(FOR Taylor Swift)

By

Daniel Thomas Andrew Daly

http://danielthomasandrewdaly.angelfire.com

Chapter One

Taylor was a good girl. A princess. She believed in bunny rabbits, and fairy tales, and prince charmings and kings and queens and her mommy and daddy. And Santa Claus was a big deal at Christmas.

When she was 15 she met Abigail. Abby was perfect to Taylor, with her red hair, and good looks.

And then she turned 21 and she was Queen of the world.

* * * * *

‘Taylor. Are you ready? The show starts in 5 minutes. Come on, girl. We gotta hurry. It’s your biggest audience yet?’

‘Sure. Be right there,’ responded Miss Swift.

Here she was – New York – Madison Square Garden. The biggest night of her life. The president was out there, with his wife. So many of her best friends, so many were here, for the biggest night of her life. And she was ready.

But then, an angel dropped into her room, and whispered to her heart.

‘THERE’S MORE.’

And, Taylor. Sensing something greater than even this night before her, went into the wardrobe, found sunglasses, a leather jacket and a red skirt, grabbed her purse with her cards and, stealing out the hidden back door, disappeared into her porche, destination unknown.

* * * * *

She was at JFK. She had a ticket, to Australia, to Sydney. She was going to escape, now. She had earned it. She had many lifetimes of money in her account, an email address to mom and dad, and the plan in mind. ‘Sorry boss. I have gone incognito. Will check in eventually – it might be a decade or so – you never know.’

And Taylor was gone.

Chapter Two

Sydney was big. She liked living in big cities. Getting away from mean guys. But she heard of Canberra from a girl at a café. Said it had a beautiful spirit. A big country town, so she said. Taylor decided to go and check it out.

She took a bus trip down, found the scenery wild and uncompromising. But Australia and Australians were like that. Tough and hard, but with hearts of gold.

She got to Canberra, the Jolimont centre, still in her red skirt and sunglasses. She knew even here she would be recognized, so would be careful. She didn’t have a minder with her, and didn’t want one. She was starting again, for now. A brave new life. A fearless step for a fearless girl.

She did the mall in Woden that afternoon, realized she was tired, and booked into the nearby hotel. And, drinking a coke, eating a takeaway pizza, she watched the inhouse TV, put it on the country music channel, and laughed as she was the second song on.

She dreamed that night. She was in a field, like no other she had ever been to or felt. It was Australia, so it seemed. But some strange place. And then there was a river, and a picnic grounds, and people walking around. And she heard the name ‘Pine Island’ mentioned, and she felt different here. And then it struck her heart – love was in this place. Pure and honest love. And the deepest heart of salvation.

Chapter Three

She found Lanyon valley, and Gordon, and rented her home there. It was a simple place, and her credit cards were good enough I.D. She had been to the American embassy last month and gone through the procedures for becoming a permanent resident of Australia. The government had just approved her because of her fame and excellent earnings potential. And now she was house-hunting.

She moved in to the place, filled it with all her new stuff within a week, and zonked out.

It was time to do nothing. To be nothing but Taylor Swift. To be who she really was, not just the image she portrayed to the world. To be just a girl, in a big old city, living her simple life, doing her simple stuff.

She saw the advertisement in the local paper – Isabella Plains Newsagent, Counter person required. She didn’t need the work, but wanted to do something. She applied. She got it. They agreed she could wear sunglasses and dress daggily so as not to attract attention to herself. Nobody knew she was here, and the owners were a Chinese couple who didn’t recognize her. She would remain anonymous.

* * * * *

Chocolate cookies were nice, especially with ice cream, but how much could a girl take? She had zonked out for months now, put on a bit of weight, but she didn’t care. She was hear for a real holiday, and didn’t want to have to conform to the image of Supergirl forever. But she was nearing the end of her slack holiday – she would watch her weight now.

She worked casual hours – a few a week. She met new people, new faces, and smiled at them. Sometimes they looked at her a bit funnily, but nobody said anything. She was safe.

She found a rubiks cube at the shops and, deciding to dedicate herself to solving it, she would watch the country music videos on pay tv every afternoon, while working out how to get more than just one side. She knew there were cheat books, but that was not Taylor Swift’s way. She didn’t cheat at anything. She would solve this for herself.

* * * * *

Ralph was a kelpie. A lovely brown dog, a little puppy, and she had named him immediately. She fell in love with Ralph, and over the next few months as he grew, they went on many an adventure around Lanyon.

And then, one day, on a long walk into Greenway, she saw the sign with ‘Pine Island’, followed it out of curiousity, and found the source of her dream. It was unchanged – the same. It was amazing.

Chapter Four

Daniel was a solo dude. He liked girls – that much he admitted to himself. And despite the sneaking suspicion that he felt some people might have thought he might have been gay, he wasn’t. He just didn’t have much of a sex drive and didn’t seem to go for the girls in a major way. He was 38, had had brief friendships with those of the opposite sex, but never anything too serious. He was a single guy, and had presumed he would always stay that way.

He had been a religious nut, was a Noahide, but had just about gotten over most of his fascination with zealotry. He had calmed down in the last few years, recovering from his early Pentecostal zeal. And he was starting to feel better about everything, being less judgemental, caring for everyone rather than just pretending to.

He had a collection of CD’s. Taylor Swift CD’s. He had finally gotten around to something he had wanted to for a while to avoid all the confusion in his schizophrenic mind. One artist only for music. Just one. And while Bon Jovi had been his favourite as a kid, he would rather choose a chick. It seemed more natural. And so he chose Taylor Swift, and let Love Story rule his heart.

* * * * *

Taylor and Ralph were at Pine Island again. It was late summer, still hot enough to swim, and she was in her bikini in the water, Ralph on the shore, in a quiet southern part of the river. Nobody was around and she dared herself to swim naked for a while. She put her bikini next to Ralph and jumped in in her birthday suit.

She felt alive swimming there. Natural. Like Eve herself. Nobody to see her. Nobody to care. And it was wonderful.

Chapter Five

‘Yes boss. No, I won’t be coming home soon. Yes boss, I am writing new songs. No, there won’t be any videos. I will record in my home. I have a basic studio in one of the rooms. You can master the tapes in the US. Use my old photos for the artwork, etc. Release whatever single you like – do the videos from old footage. No, I won’t say were I am. No, I’m not coming back. Taylor Swift is officially a recluse. If you see mom tell her I love her again. Bye,’ and she hung up.

* * * * *

She was in the back yard. Songs had been flowing well, and she was happy. But she missed her men, and hadn’t had anything like that happening yet here in Australia. But she didn’t want it to yet. She wanted to wait a few years, for age to catch up with her, to be less noticeable that she was Taylor Swift. For now she would record her music, live her life, and let love catch up with her in God’s good time.

* * * * *

4 years passed. She had died her hair black. She looked different. She went out now, without the sunnies, and nobody noticed her. She didn’t change her name, but never used her surname with anyone.

And then, one day she was at Pine Island, swimming far down south, near Lanyon, naked again, when a guy suddenly appeared in board shorts, jumping in to the river. She was quiet and he didn’t notice her, but he slowly waded downstream a little and found her near the rock.

‘I’m naked if you don’t mind. Could you go out, please,’ she said to him.

Daniel looked at her, saw her breasts in the water, which she covered quickly and nodded to her.

‘Sorry, I didn’t know,’ he said, and got out.

She quickly scampered for her bikini, put it on, and wrapped her towel around her, and then found Daniel seated just away from her, looking at her. He stood after a few moments, and approached her. ‘Do I know you?’ he asked.

‘I don’t think so,’ responded Taylor, in her dark hair and older looks.

‘You look familiar,’ he said again, but left it at that.

She stared at him for a while, but he had sat down again, looking at the river, not saying anything. He seemed ok. He didn’t seem like a freak.

After about ten minutes she was feeling a little better about the company which hadn’t disappeared yet. Perhaps he was a lonely guy. Liked a woman’s company. He seemed a little older, but seemed cute. She decided to say hello.

‘I’m Taylor. Uh, Taylor Jones,’ she said.

‘Hi Taylor, nice to meet you. I’m Daniel. Danny Daly.’

‘Nice to meet you Daniel.’ She searched for the words. ‘Do you live nearby?’

‘Over in Macarthur. The eastern side of Tuggeranong. I came down by the bus.’

‘You don’t have a car?’

‘No. Too expensive.’

She smiled to herself. While she could afford any car in the world, people in the real world weren’t always like that. She remembered, just then, how blessed she really was.

‘What do you do, Daniel?’

‘Well, I write books. About Angels. The Fabulous ‘Chronicles of the Children of Destiny’. You probably haven’t heard about them.

‘No,’ she said.

After a while she spoke again. ‘Do they make money for you?’

‘Not yet. I promote them on Google groups and the webhits each day have grown consistently over the last few years, but no real money yet. I am only self published and online, so it takes time. But I’m getting there. It just takes a little time. A little faith.’

‘And you have to be fearless,’ responded Taylor.

‘Yes, you do,’ responded Danny.

They went silent again. Taylor had a good look at Danny Daly. He was different, quite, gentle, but seemed to have an inner strength. She actually liked him.

Eventually she rose, grabbed Ralph’s leash, and looked at him.

‘Well, see you Danny Daly. Maybe we’ll meet again.’

‘I hope so,’ responded Daniel.

Chapter Six

‘You like Def Leppard!’ she exclaimed.

‘Love them. Have listened to them since I was about 15 or 16. Bon Jovi too. They’re great. But with my schizophrenia I go psycho from time to time and destroy my CD’s. So now I only listen to Taylor Swift CDs.’

Taylor almost gasped. ‘Only Taylor Swift, huh? What, you have a thing for her?’

‘I wish,’ he responded. ‘I’ll never meet her. She lives in a world of Princesses and Fairy Tales. I live in the real world, were Notting Hill’s are just fantasies.’

She giggled. He was funny.

‘Well,’ she said. ‘Do you want to come over? See my place?’

‘Were do you live?’

‘Down in Lanyon. In Gordon.’

‘Umm. Well, do you have a car? Can you give me a lift home?’

‘Sure,’ she responded.

When they got in the car she turned the stereo on and ‘Fearless’ began playing.

‘Uh, maybe I’ll change the CD,’ she said.

Daniel looked at her then, looked at her face, and she stared at him.

He said nothing, and as they drove she could sense he was nervous. He had discovered something.

* * * * *

‘Well, this is my living room. And, in here is the studio. I write music.’

He followed her in to the recording room, saw all the instruments, and knew what he had suspected.

Later that month Daniel was coming around most days. He never did anything. Never approached her. Never said any real compliments, apart from normal things. But she caught him, from time to time, looking at her. Smiling at her. And he spoke softly, kindly. Truly.

She was falling for him.

Chapter Seven

‘I have money, you know Daniel. From my music. I can help you with your books if you like.’

‘Um. Gee, well, thanks. But no, ok. I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right.’

‘Are you too proud to accept help from someone?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘But I don’t like you for your money.’

She said nothing after that.

It was later in the year, he was in the back yard with Ralph, and she was writing a new song. It was called ‘Daniel.’ Love was a major theme.

She knew, in younger years, she had a lot of boys. She knew that. This one was different. He wasn’t demanding. Wasn’t insistent. Let her live her own life, and didn’t complain. Just loved her. Like her dog, Ralph. Just loved her.

And perhaps it shouldn’t be any other way, when you found that one. Perhaps it shouldn’t be any other way.

The End

Taylor 2

(For Taylor Swift)

Chapter One

‘There is a heart in God. A heart eternal, a heart of love.’

‘Your point,’ said Taylor, turning from the set to look at Daniel her boyfriend.

‘In this heart of Love, in the world of Destiny, there were matches made, partnerships, soulconnections, probably, more than soulmates. Soulmates at times, but the conclusion was not necessarily. Just someone who is meant to be there forever as well, a source of sibling affection, rather than, probably, romance in the end. Ambriel concluded as such. Let Meludiel alone in the end. Let her be. Torah, Israel’s Torah, reminded him of sibling sex problems. Never quite got over that.’

‘What the hell are you on about?’ Asked Taylor, looking at him strangely.

‘Steven is a hell of a guy.’

‘Yes, uh, he is,’ she said confused.

‘But of all the children of God under the 7 heavens, he is NOT the one for you. He is your brother, your comforter, your strength. But being lovers is just weird.’

‘Steven?’

‘Your destiny soul mate. The angels of God communicate such things to me.’

She looked at him. ‘You talk to Angels?’

‘Sort of. They mainly talk to me. Telling me about Destiny, the heart and plans of God, which sometimes mirror reality, the real world. Like the 70 Pseudepigrapha as opposed to the Reality of the 24 Scripture Texts.’

‘Huh?’

‘Never mind.’

‘Religion,’ she said, with a smile on her face. ‘It is not for a girl like me, Daniel. I like Jesus. But church is for yesteryear. A long time ago I grew up. I don’t need that anymore.’

‘Your values are set?’

She nodded. ‘I write them all the time. They are my life story. My music. My history. Taylor Swift, unveiled to the world, for all to see.’ She looked squarely at him. ‘Who is your sister?’

‘Kayella,’ he responded.

She nodded. ‘Nice name. Do you know who she is?’

‘I have an idea,’ and he said nothing more.

Chapter Two

She picked up the bone, and threw it down the pathway a little, and Ralph ran and grabbed it, returned to her, and was jumping around at her feet. ‘Good boy,’ she said, petting him.

Taylor was lonely. Daniel was gone. Off to Sydney for a few days. A miracle had happened. A publisher had found his website, asked him to come and see him about the potential of publishing his work in paperback to a much larger audience. This could be his break. His lucky break.

His books were – interesting. Sometimes very compelling. Sometimes very deep. But very sarcastic at times, which was not always her taste in things. But the latter works, now that she had read most of them, were more promising. Later on in the main saga, when it became ‘The Angels Saga’, there were far more colourful and deeper passages in his stories, were the characters seemed more alive than ever, more passionate, more purposeful, more real. More alive. His early work, so she felt, was him learning his trade. His new work, more professional. Probably, in truth, more publishable.

She slept with him now, from time to time. They had been very careful to start with. He didn’t express any marriage ideas, and she never asked. But she liked him. Really, quite a lot. And those ideas in his books, about eternal life, and about eternal relationships – and about choosing them very, very carefully. And she felt, now, she had almost chosen him. That he was on a list, somewere in her heart, that she wouldn’t quite get over. It might not ever really work out perfectly, but something might be there, in the end, when all was said and done.

Time would tell, she thought, as he said time and time again through his voluminous angelic saga.

Chapter Three

She was digging around in the garden, pulled up a toad, and looked at it.

‘If I kiss you, dear old Froggy, will you turn into a handsome prince?’

A French accent responded. ‘Madame Moiselle. Your prince is already here.’

She turned and there, in a most gay outfit, stood a man next to Daniel who had returned, dressed in bright yellow and pink, and looking ever the scene from yesteryear.

She stood, dusted off the dirt from her knees, and came over to see them. Daniel kissed her on the cheek and said ‘This is Jacque. He is my publisher. We have a deal.’

She looked at the Frenchmen, who was gazing at her figure – quite obviously without hiding it – and took an instant disliking to him. What a jerk, she thought to herself.

‘The deal?’ she asked him, with eager eyes.

Jacque spoke. ‘He will gain 35% for the first decade in royalties. After that we have options for renegotiating, depending on the success of the books.

‘Oh,’ she responded, disappointed. Daniel had wanted 45% as a minimum. ‘So you are going to publish his stuff,’ she asked him.

‘Only if a maid as beautiful as yourself grants me the grace of her company at dinner this evening.’

Daniel spoke up. ‘We are dining out later. You can come if you want.’

She eyed Jacque, who was quite obviously lusting after her, and almost said no, but to make sure nothing went wrong she said ‘I’ll put on my red dress. The one you like,’ eyeing Jacque carefully.

That evening Jacque was all over her, yet Daniel said nothing.

‘You seem so familiar,’ he said with an elusive French accent. ‘Like someone I know, but I just can’t place.’

‘I get that,’ she responded, looking at the menu.

‘Yes,’ he continued. ‘Somewhere. Somewhere I have met you. I am sure of it.’ Daniel interrupted. ‘Now, Taylor, I will be in Sydney for a while, available for editorial reasons for the book, and then there will be some advertising and some book signing duties. I have contributed quite a bit of my own finances for the advertising costs, which got me the deal, but the company has fitted over 90% of the real costs, including all publishing costs.

‘How good is your market?’ Taylor asked Jacque.

‘Oh, we are a rather new publisher,’ responded Jacque, with a business like look on his face. ‘But the boss is a very experienced lady in the industry, and has high hopes about taking on some of the more offbeat types of fictional writings – things which just might hit a new niche. We liked Daniel’s work. It’s original. Angelic fantasy – not too much like his own style out there. There are comics and other things like him, but it is an underexploited market at the moment. We think his stuff has great potential.’

Taylor smiled, and touched Daniel’s hand, smiling at him.

‘You’re an actor, aren’t you?’ Jacque asked her.

She shook her head. ‘No, nothing like that,’ she responded lying, for indeed she had been in movies.’

‘MMmm,’ he responded. ‘I’ll figure it out.’

They talked business for a while longer, and Jacque opened up more, and she found him, slowly, more tolerable. He was indeed a ladies man, but he did not push it too much. And Daniel seemed alive – glowing – in a new life. He finally had his breakthrough, and she couldn’t possibly be happier for him. Not even one little bit.

Chapter Four

Taylor looked at the ring. The diamond, really, was impressive. How could she possibly say no to Daniel, beaming, down on his knees. She did, though. Say no. He didn’t really complain, but accepted her decision quietly. He left it alone after that. She thought on that, his acceptance of her choice, his acceptance of her own decision, and made a little tick in her head of the things she was looking for, and left it at that.

THE END

TAYLOR 3

(For Taylor Swift)

Times come and times go. Seasons of life come to be and people, in time, get old. They get old. They get old.

Daniel still looked 30. He was 312. Taylor was a little younger. She didn’t understand it.

Society ignored the couple now, and the few thousand others, some in Jerusalem, some scattered here and there, those with unnaturally long lives. That was just weird. The life of trees, according to Isaiah 65, some said. The elect of God.

They were believed, now, to be the powers pulling the strings in society, which was not completely true. Yes, they had influence, but it was not much more than that. The elect mostly did their own thing.

‘Well,’ he said, handing her the same ring, which he had done once a year at exactly the same date. Taylor looked at it, smiled, and said ‘Well, you really are consistent, aren’t you Daniel? But how many times do I have to say no?’

‘Until you say yes,’ he responded, a gentle smile on his face.

She looked then, deep into his eyes, and soul. ‘Until I say yes?’ she queried him.

‘Until you say yes,’ he responded.

And then Taylor, having made her ticks on her list for the last few centuries, finally ticking some of the final requirements on this Daniel in just the last few months, she could no longer find any further objections.

‘Yes.’

And he smiled.

And they were happy.

The End