Insider Column 22
An Insider’s Look
at Townsend
Chapter #22
First
let me thank all of you that posted messages on the website regarding Column
#21. It really helped me figure out how
I was going to finish this “lame” story. Last week I mentioned that there were
several real oddities about how I wrote part one. I asked the readers if they wanted to venture a guess. Some of the oddities were pointed out in the
message board. Others were not. To name a few:
- I played
with words by including some words as brainteasers. For example, the word lame means a thin
plate of metal. Specifically, a
thin metal plate of which medieval armor was made from. I included the
phrase “prevail over evil.” An anagram for prevail is evil rap.
- I
referred to the devil as “she”.
- I didn’t
use any of the guys’ names in part one.
- I
included misleading information like the wood stakes and the garlic.
There
were other “oddities” included in part one.
But, they will not become obvious until you read part two.
Also
in part one I warned the readers about being careful with the dictionary
version of Incubus and Succubus. I hope
that those of you that looked them up in the dictionary were not offended. I know that I find the dictionary version to
be offensive.
Now,
let me remind you, this is a story!!! A
bad story, but nonetheless, a story. It
is not intended to be a true reflection of the guys’ personalities. Okay?
One
more thing, I wrote the character T Rex into part two only because that was the
easiest way to provided much needed missing information. Sorry!
Part Two – Townsend’s Trip to the Dark Side
“Now
what?” the twin wearing the black medallion asked. “We have to do something, and we have to do it soon because I
have to go to the bathroom.
“I
have to go to the bathroom too and I don’t think that churches have bathrooms.
I’ll tell you what I think! I think we
should get out of here. This is a bunch
of crap and even if it is true, why do we have to save the world? What do we get out of it? I came here to do a music video not to risk
my life,” said the altar boy emphatically.
“We
all came here to make a music video but that’s not going to happen. If Father De Pasta is right, and I believe
that he is, we’re the only ones that that can save others from 500 years of
torment,” pontificated the young man in the black rope that was dressed as a
monk. “We absolutely must do what we
can and we must do it in a way where no one is hurt, not even the creatures!”
“I
don’t understand what’s going on. Let’s think about this for a moment. There are only two of them. How much damage can just two of them
do? The world is full of billions of
people. So what if they are around for
the next 500 years. They can’t do that
much damage, can they?” Offered the
twin wearing the black medallion.
“You’re
right, there are only two of them but didn’t Father De Pasta say that if the
Incubus and the Succubus are not defeated the dark moon will turn the day into
night and good will no longer prevail over evil. I wonder if he is referring to the black medallion that my
brother is wearing?” Asked the twin
with the white medallion. “
The
Rabbi was weighing the words spoken by his friends. “Look,” he said, “we don’t know what we know or don’t know. What I mean is that we don’t know what
information we don’t have so we’re not in a position to make an informed
decision and we owe it to ourselves, and possibly to everyone else, to find
out.”
“Who
cares? Let’s just get out of here,” said the altar boy. “Besides, the creatures have already left.”
“I
don’t think we could leave even if we wanted to. I think that we are destined to do this and no matter what we
want we will have no choice. If we
don’t confront them I’m afraid that they will confront us,” Said the young monk
in the black robe.
“Let’s
call T Rex,” offered one of the guys.
“He’s full of usually worthless knowledge but maybe this time he will
have information that we can use.”
Just
moments later, via cell phone, T Rex was sharing his knowledge with the Rabbi,
“Based on my recollection, the Incubus and the Succubus are medieval
mythological creatures that inhabit the world of dreams by night. By day they often behave as most normal
humans. It takes a lot of energy for
them to remain in the physical world, so they spend most of their time in the
world of dreams. In order for them to
survive during the day or night in the physical world they must feed off of the
life forces of the living at night.
They slowly suck the life forces out of their victims while the victims
are sleeping. According to the legend,
they can feed off of many thousands of victims each night. They come back night
after night until the victim dies.
Sometimes it takes months. The
more time that they spend in the real world, the physical world, the more
victims they need at night. When they
first attack a dreaming victim they appear in the dream as a very beautiful
person, so beautiful in fact that the victim has no desire to wake up from his
or her dream. The dreams start off
being very pleasant, but as each night goes on the creatures lose their beauty
until they reach the point where they are so ugly that the dream becomes a
hideous nightmare. Unfortunately, by
then the victims are too weak to wake up.
They often die in their sleep.
It is believed that if someone sees the Incubus or the Succubus while
they are awake the creatures are compelled to feed off of them at night. But that is only the case if the creatures
are seen as beautiful beings. An
individual that sees the creatures as beautiful can be hurt in both the real
world and the dream world. If someone
is fortunate enough to see them for what they really look like, the creatures
cannot harm that person in the world of dreams. He or she can be harmed in the physical world but never while he
or she is asleep. The creatures only
have power over their sleeping victims in the world of dreams. To see them for
what they really are, you have to believe that they exist or you had to have
been touched by an angel.
There’s
more; during the 1300’s the Bubonic Plague supposedly killed off 25% to 40% of
the Asian and European population.
Millions of people died. Many medieval mythological historians believe
that not all of those people were killed by the plague. Many of today’s mystics believe that the
creatures caused many of the deaths.
The creatures were supposedly at their strongest from around 1300 AD
through 1500 AD. For some strange
reason there has been no mention of them in the last 500 years. Oh, wait. There is one other thing that I
recall. Many of the medieval Europeans believed that if they recited a special
prayer before they went to bed at night they would have some protection from
the creatures. I think that it went
something like this:
‘I
fear not the Incubus nor the Succubus for there is light in darkness.
If
ordained, I shall sacrifice myself, for if I die for others we all shall live.
To
love is to sacrifice, to sacrifice is to understand the meaning of life.’
Regarding
the medallions that you asked about. I
have very little knowledge of them other than that they represent good and evil
and that they have to be worn by twins.
They are mysteriously passed down from generation to generation. As long as the bearer of the white one is
alive the white medallion keeps evil in check.
It is believed that as long as the medallions are worn, the individuals
wearing them cannot be killed. And, only the wearer has the power to remove the
medallion from his neck. The wearer of the white medallion can only remove it
from around his or her neck when thinking of doing good for humanity. Each medallion is one half of a key. A key to what, I have no idea. But, of course you know that this is all
mythology. None of this stuff is
true. There is no such thing as an
Incubus or a Succubus, nor are there good and evil moon medallions.”
“Dad,
do you know anything about a place called Jabalkar, a Crosier with rubies and
diamonds and a long staff that once belonged to a rabbi named Rebbe Nachman?”
“Jabalkar
is the centrality. It’s the only place
where there is no right or wrong, no good or bad. It’s the place of perfect harmony. It isn’t heaven and it’s definitely not hell. It’s half way between up and down. It’s in the center of left and right. It’s everywhere and it’s nowhere. It’s as close as a wish and as far as a
dream. There is one way in and no way
out, for the door only opens in. It’s
all black and it’s all white and if you understand that you’re in. Again, I must tell you that there is no
validity to any of this. All this is
good for is late night TV.”
I
know less about the Crosier and the staff than I do about the medallions. I know that the crosier has something to do
with some Christian religious order. I
know nothing about the staff of Rebbe Nachman. If there is any truth to this it
would be the Crosier and the staff.
Both are well documented. I can
look it up and get back to you. When do
you need the information?”
“Dad,
I need it now. Our lives depend on
it. Call me back as soon as you have
something. And dad, it has to be before
midnight tonight.” The Rabbi, shared
with the others what was conveyed to him by T Rex.
The
call was terminated at 10:15. The
biting cold fog had started to seep into Mission, slowly at first, then rapidly.
The fog appeared to be drawn to the black medallion. The fog itself seemed
black, as black as ash cloth. With the
fog came the darkness. The ceiling
lights could not shed their light through the black fog. The only light that was showing was that of the
white moon medallion and that of the Star of David on the Rabbi’s staff. Their light did not seem effected by the
unearthly fog. This was the first time
that the five young men noticed that the Star of David gave off light.
The
fog surrounded the five young men. It
reached out and caressed them, first gently, than less gently until it became
quite painful. One of the young men
scream out in pain, or maybe it was fear.
The
young man with the Crosier did not seemed effected by the fog. He held his Bible tightly. So tightly that his knuckles were white.
They presented a stark contrast to his black robe. The black robe was barely discernable in the black fog.
Again
one of the young men screamed. This
time he attempted to stifle it. It
didn’t work. It started off low-pitched
and barely audible, more like a whimper.
It ended up being high pitched and shrill. The sound caused the young man in the black robe to grasp his
bible even more tightly. The hair on
the back of his neck stood on end.
Four
of the five young men fell to the floor; their bodies were contorting in great
pain. The expression of terror and pain
was written all over their once handsome faces. The young man in black remained
standing, absent of pain. He quickly
realized that the others were in immense pain and that only he was not
affected. He intuitively knew why. Removing the crosier from around his neck he
reached out touched each of the other four guys with it. The pain ceased immediately, the terror did
not. There was a reason for that.
Standing
before the five guys were two exceedingly ugly creatures. One was obviously a male the other
female. They looked like humanoid
cephalopods. Their bodies were covered with suckers of various size; the same
type of suckers that are on the arms of a giant squid. From their heads tentacles squirmed like
worms in the sun. The tentacles were
also covered with suckers. They had two
squid like eyes and a beak for a mouth. Their blue skin looked putrid and
smelled worse.
Four
of the five guys jumped back in horror at what they saw. One did not, for he did not see two ugly
creatures. What he saw were two
beautiful people. The woman’s beauty
was unimaginable. She beckoned to the
altar boy. Dropping his flask of holy
water, he stepped forward. The twins
realized what was happening. Together
they leaped forward; the twin with the black Medallion grabbed the altar boy
and tried to pull him back. He wasn’t
quick enough. The Succubus’s arms reached out and embraced the altar boy. The other twin attempted to place his body
between the Incubus and the altar boy. The closer he came to the creatures the
brighter his medallion shown. This time
it was the creatures that jumped back.
The creatures covered their eyes and fled. They disappeared into the black fog.
The
altar boy was white from head to toe except for the hundreds of red marks that
covered his body. He barely had the
strength to hold himself up. The Rabbi
attempted to support his friend. The
altar boy was barely able to stay awake.
The brief embrace with the Succubus drained him of much of his
strength. The monk in the black robe
touched his friend with the crosier thinking that it might help. It did not.
The altar boy fell into a deep sleep.
“Now
what are we going to do?” asked the monk.
“Try
sprinkling him with the holy water,” offered one of the twins. “Maybe that will
help.”
“Don’t
bother. I saw him replace the holy
water with imported mineral water,” said the young man dressed like a monk.
“It
is obvious that we have to do something and we have to do it soon. Whatever we
do we must find a way to save our friend.
He’s sleeping. That has to be
bad,” said the Rabbi. “Probably the
only way we will be able to save him is to send the creatures back to Jabalkar.
But how can we do that? We don’t even
know where they are.”
“If
T Rex is right, my brother and I cannot be killed as long as we are wearing
these medallions and it isn’t likely that we are going to die of natural causes
tonight. We can go look for the creatures.”
“We
don’t know that for sure. Besides we
have no way of knowing if you can destroy them,” offered the Rabbi. “We were brought here as a team for a reason
and a team we must remain.”
“Have
you guys notice that the black fog is getting thicker?” asked the monk.
“Yes.
And have you noticed how your robe blends in so well with the black fog that
all we can see of you is your face and hands, and the crosier hanging from your
neck?” asked the Rabbi. “That may be of
value later, but for now we must start after the creatures before it is to late
to save sleeping beauty.”
As
they were contemplating what to do next the Rabbi’s cell phone rang. All four guys jumped.
“Dad,
is it you?” asked The Rabbi.
“Yeah,
it’s me. I have some information for
you. The black medallion is also called
the sleeping stone. It has the power to
put people into a deep sleep. The state
of sleep is unique because sleeper can influence his or her dreams. To use it is simple. The wearer of the stone says, ‘I invoke the
power of the sleeping stone’ and then he or she touches the person with
it. That person immediately falls
asleep. The wielder of the medallion can also invoke the spell on himself. He, at anytime, can return to the wake state
by just willing himself awake. He can
also awaken the others by again touching them with the stone and saying, ‘I
revoke the power of the sleeping stone’.”
The
staff of Rebbe Nachman is believed to be the staff of Moses. The Star of David that is affixed to the
staff has the power to guide its followers to their chosen destination. The
Crosier’s powers are not fully understood but it is known that it is most
powerful when the wearer is willing to sacrifice his or her life for the
salvation of others. Supposedly, the
Crosier has the power to heal the sick.
It is also believed to have the power to save others from destruction,
difficulty, or failure. That’s all I
have for you. What’s this all about?”
“Got
to go dad! Bye!” Guys, come here. I
have an idea. The black medallion has the power to induce sleep. I think that our best chance is to fight
these creatures in the world of dreams.
Remember what my dad said earlier?
He said that an individual that sees the creatures as beautiful could be
hurt in both the real world and the dream world. If someone is fortunate enough to seem them for what they really
look like, the creatures cannot harm that person in the world of dreams. He or she can be harmed in the physical
world but never while he or she is asleep.
The creatures only have power over their sleeping victims in the world
of dreams. That means that we need to
fight the creatures in the world dreams where they cannot hurt us.”
The
Rabbi explained how the stone worked and shared with the others the rest of his
plan.
“Let’s
hope that we can get close enough to use the black stone on them.”
“Okay
guys, I guess it’s time for us to kick some Incubus butt, let’s hip-pop and
rock,” said the twin with the black medallion.
With that the four remaining members of Townsend headed in the direction
that the creatures had departed, directly towards the wall of black nothing.
Instinctively
the Rabbi waved his staff in front of himself as if to part the black fog. And,
as if in a trance, the Rabbi said to his friends, ”Do not be afraid. Stand
still, and see the salvation of the holy, which I will accomplish for you
now. For the Incubus and Succubus whom
you saw moments ago, you shall see again.”
Then the Rabbi stretched out his staff over the black fog; and the staff
caused the black fog to be divided. Just as Moses had parted the red sea, the
black fog parted before the Rabbi.
So
the young men went into the midst of the black fog on lighted ground, and the
black fog were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left, and in a
distance before them stood the Incubus and the Succubus. With great resolve the four young men
approached the creatures.
The
Rabbi looked at the twin with the white medallion and very slightly nodded his
head. On cue, the twin pulled his
glowing white medallion from within his tunic.
He ran towards the Incubus, separating it from the Succubus. He thrust the medallion in the hideous face
of the Incubus. It jumped back but did
not run as it had the last time.
At
the same time that the Incubus pulled back from the Succubus the other three
guys jumped the Succubus and threw it to the ground. A battle of titanic proportions ensued. The guys were tossed from
the creature as if they were little more than rag-dolls. They redoubled their
efforts. After much effort, the twin
with the black medallion touched the creature with it and said, “I invoke the
power of the sleeping stone”. The
creature immediately disappeared!
“Just
as I thought,” the Rabbi said rather brashly. “They cannot maintain their
physical form in the real world if they’re in the world of dreams. Am I brilliant, or what?”
“Yeah,
you’re brilliant alright. You can pat
yourself on the back after we take care of the other creature,” the older twin
emphatically stated.
The
act was repeated again. This time it
was easier because four were fighting the creature instead of three. The four
young men’s effort did not come free.
The four of them each had multiple wounds inflicted upon them by the
creatures. Nonetheless they were
pleased.
The
Rabbi said, “It 10:30, we have 90 minutes to return the creatures to Jabalkar.
We need to enter the world of dreams where we can fight the creatures on our
terms. It is time for us to sleep. But before we do, I suggest that we each say
the prayer that T Rex told us about.
So, repeat after me; I fear not the Incubus nor the Succubus for there
is light in darkness. If ordained, I
shall sacrifice myself, for if I die for others we all shall live. To love is to sacrifice, to sacrifice is to
understand the meaning of life.”
Together
the three repeated the prayer as conveyed by the Rabbi. One by one the black medallion was used to
put the four remaining members of Townsend to sleep.
“It’s
about time that you guys got here,” said the altar boy to his four friends. “Would someone please tell me where I am and
what happened? One minute an off the
hook babe was making advances at me, and the next minute I’m wondering around
in this psychedelic, phantasmagoric horror house. And another thing, how come you all look so much older?”
“You’re
asleep and you’re in the world of dreams; actually, we’re all in the world of
dreams. And you’re right!! Everyone looks older; even you. What is going on with that? Gee, one twin looks older than the
other. Thank God we’re only dreaming,”
said the Monk.
“Yeah,
my dad once told me about this. He says
that everyone has a dream world image of himself or herself. For some they appear in their dreams as an
older person. For others they appear to
be younger than they really are. My dad
also says that the image you have in your dreams is the same image that you
will have when you die and pass on into the next plane of existence. Heaven, if you will. It looks like our young friend here will go
to heaven looking like a thirty-five year old.
The rest of you look like you will go through eternity looking like
you’re in your late thirties to early forties.
I would imagine I’m just as gorgeous as ever.”
”Yeah,
in your dreams,” said the twins in unison.
“Exactly,”
responded the Rabbi.
“Now,
all we need to do is find the creatures and figure out how to get them back to
Jabalkar,” stated the Monk. “And, I think I know how to do it. Didn’t T Rex say that the Star of David on
the staff of Moses could be used as a tracking device?”
“You’re
right! He said that the Star of David that is affixed to the staff has the
power to guide its followers to their chosen destination,” affirmed the Rabbi.
“Okay, staff and star, do your thing.
Lead us to the creatures.”
Absolutely
nothing happened!
“Try
again,” offered one of the twins.
Again
the Rabbi tried and again nothing happened. “Maybe the star doesn’t work on
something evil.” At that very moment
the staff felt as if it was being pulled from the Rabbi’s hand. The staff quivered and the star glowed. Instinctively the Rabbi pointed the head of
the staff before him. He slowly turned
himself in a 360-degree circle. As he
turned the star became brighter. He
reached a certain point in his rotation where the star started to become less bright. He rotated again until he located the
direction in which they were to proceed based on the brightness of the
star. The four followed the one.
“Remember
what T Rex said. An individual that sees the creatures as beautiful can be hurt
in both the real world and the dream world.
If someone is fortunate enough to seem them for what they really look
like, the creatures cannot harm that person in the world of dreams. He or she can be harmed in the physical
world but never while he or she is asleep.
The creatures only have power over their sleeping victims in the world
of dreams. To see them for what they really are, you have to believe that they
exist or you had to have been touched by an angel. That means that the creatures can only hurt our young friend. For he still sees them as beautiful people.”
“Hey,
what if the creatures are a long way away? We have to be running out of
time. And, to make matters worse, my
watch doesn’t seem to be working. It
still says 10:30,” said the Monk.
“I
believe that we will all find that our watches do not work,” suggested the
Rabbi, “time is irrelevant in the world of dreams. What purpose would it
serve?”
“Time
may be irrelevant but I know one thing that isn’t. My bladder. I have to
take a leak,” said the oldest twin.
“Well,
that makes two of us,” said the younger twin.
“Ya
know, if I were you guys I wouldn’t take a chance taking a leak while you’re
dreaming. You wouldn’t want to make up
to wet robes, would you?” Before the
Rabbi could say another word the staff he was holding was wrenched from his
hands. It flew through the air directly
towards the two creatures that the four holy men and the one apparently not so
holy were searching for. The staff
stopped several feet from the creature.
It hovered in the air just beyond their reach.
The
creatures tried to turn and run. The
staff anticipated their every move and blocked their bath. The creatures tried to separate, thinking
that the staff could only block one of them at a time. They were wrong. The staff started to revolve around the creatures. Faster and faster until it was moving with
such great speed that the staff was no longer visible. All that could be seen was a hoop of light
that imprisoned the creatures.
“Well,
that’s all well and good. But, what do we do with them now?” asked the tall
skinny monk dressed in the black robe.
“I
think I know what to do,” said the man dressed as an altar boy.
“I
have no clue,” stated one of the twins.
“Nor
I,” stated the other twin.
“I
think I know what to do,” repeated the man dressed as an altar boy.
The
Rabbi removed the yarmulke from his head and wiped his brow with it. “Geez, there has to be something we can do,
he said.
“I
think I know what to do,” the altar “man” repeated for the third time.
“Would
you be quite for a minute? Can’t you see that we’re trying to think?” grunted
the Rabbi.
Again
the altar man spoke up. Except this
time he was not going to be ignored. “The answer to our problem is in the
riddles. Everything that we’ve been
told about the creatures has been expressed in riddles. We don’t have to destroy them. All we need to do is send them back to
Jabalkar. We were selected because the
Archangel Michael touched one of you, and because another of you is pure of
heart. Two of you are searching for love and understanding. I know that I do not fit any of those. That
means that I am the one that needs to learn about the goodness of
humanity. According to T Rex the
Crosier is most powerful when the wearer is willing to sacrifice his or her
life for the salvation of others. I am
the only one among us that can be hurt by the creatures. Therefore, I am the only one who can make
the ultimate sacrifice. But it is not meant for me to do it alone. I will need the help of one of the twins.
Remember the prayer? ‘I fear not the
Incubus nor the Succubus for there is light in darkness. If ordained, I shall sacrifice myself, for
if I die for others we all shall live.
To love is to sacrifice, to sacrifice is to understand the meaning of
life.’ Again, I remind you that two of you are searching for love and
understanding. I’m sure that the twins
are the two searching for love and understanding. It’s not the love of a person that the riddle is referring
to. It’s the love of humanity. Every thing that you guys do you do ibecause
you want to love and be loved.
“But
what about the understanding part?” asked the younger twin.
“That
I do not have an answer to. Besides, I believe that only you can answer that.”
“I
don’t think that I have ever heard you speak so much before. You said a lot but I have no clue to what
you’re talking about. You sound more
like T Rex than T Rex does,” said the Rabbi. “Now I know for sure that I’m
dreaming.”
“Wisdom
comes with age,” said RYAN.
“Okay,
what’s the plan Ryan?” asked Todd.
“We
do not have the time for me to tell you the plan. You’re just going to have to trust me. Matt, give me the Crosier.
Nick, give Dom your Medallion.
Dom, you will need to return to the real world and wake up Todd, Nick
and Matt. After you do that, return to
the world of dreams. I will be waiting
here for you. Make sure that you bring
back both medallions.”
The
steps were implemented as directed by Ryan.
In less than a minute Dom was back in the world of dreams. In his hand he held his brother’s white
Medallion. The black Medallion was
still around his neck. Ryan had the
Crosier in his hand.
“Dom,
take the medallions and hold one in each hand.
When I tell you, I want you to put the two medallions together. They should fit together like the Ying and
Yang. I have the Crosier. Remember, it has the power to save others
from destruction, difficulty, or failure.
Together we will walk into the circle of light that is holding the
creatures in bondage. If I am right the light won’t stop us and the creatures
will not hurt us as long as I’m holding the Crosier. Are you ready?”
Dom
nodded his head and the two of them stepped into the circle of light. As soon
as they were within the circle of light Ryan nodded his head. Dom put the two pieces of the medallion
together. Upon doing so a brilliant
flash of intensely bright “darkness” filled the space in which the two guys and
the two creatures were standing. Within
moments the dark light vanished. They
were no longer in the world of dreams.
As Ryan had anticipated, the medallions were the key to the portal to
Jabalkar. The four were now in the
centrality.
Ryan
took the medallions from Dom and hung it from the neck of the Incubus and the
other from the neck of the succubus.
They offered no resistance.
“How
did you know that the creatures were twins and how did you know that the
medallions were the key to Jabalkar?” inquired Dom.
“When
you piece together all of the information that we were given there could be
only one right answer. As long as the
creatures are wearing the medallions they will be in perfect harmony in a place
of perfect harmony. The best part is
that they will never realize that they are even wearing the medallions. To do so would be disruptive to the
centrality. That isn’t possible.”
“That’s
all well and good. But aren’t we stuck here for ever?” asked Dom.
“I
may be, but you can leave anytime that you want. Even though we are no longer in the dream world you are still
asleep. Your true physical being is in the
real world. You can command yourself awake anytime that you want.”
“But
what about you?” Dom asked. “Your
physical form is back there too. Why
can’t we just wake you up? The
creatures are safely trapped here in Jabalkar.”
“It
is true that they are trapped here in Jabalkar. I’m still under their spell because I still see them as two
beautiful people. I don’t know
why. I just know that I cannot wake
myself up. I’ve been trying since I
first fell asleep. I’m hoping that
after you will yourself awake, you and the others will figure out how to get me
back. I can only hope,” said Ryan. “It’s time for you to go. Goodbye my friend.”
“Don’t
worry. We will figure out how to get
you back. Until then, goodbye my
friend.” With that Dom willed himself
awake.
“It’s
about time you woke up. It’s 11:55 and
we still can’t wake Ryan up. I’m
positive that if we do not wake him up within the next five minutes he will
never wake up,” Todd stated in a very shaky voice. “All of the sacred artifacts are gone. All we have left is Ryan’s bottle of mineral water.”
“I
think I understand what this is all about.
It’s the answer that I’ve been searching for, for as long as I can
remember. Doing the right thing when it
is easy isn’t virtuous. Doing what is
right when it is difficult and painful is virtuous. Ryan had the most to lose.
Ryan needed to learn about the goodness of humanity. He found the answer in himself. I also learned that ignoring the truth is
just as dishonest as telling a lie. You
need not worry about Ryan. He will wake
up at midnight,” so said Nick.
At
exactly midnight Ryan woke up. Do you
know why?
