*SONG* “Step By Step” by Whitney Houston
I was about 5 years old when I
First dreamed of a lion…
And oddly enough it was in the spring.
It always started the same way.
I dreamt I was sleeping, then I would
Wake up to an empty house. I would look
But no one was there, I would call out,
No one answered…and there were only
Echoes. Everything felt empty.
But it was always sunny and bright,
Like waking up to the clearest shiny
Morning…almost perfect.
I would be scared feeling alone, wondering
Where everyone went…I would go outside
And there would be this powerful stillness…
As though the entire world had gone
Silent, everyone had disappeared.
I would start to walk around, look
Here and there and search…
But there was nothing…The cars were
Always gone…It would be all quiet
Except for the gentle sounds of a
Few birds chirping…It was just nature.
I never understood this.
But then after a while, just when I
Would start to get that growing sense
Of panic of being alone…just before
The fear set in, a lion would appear.
It was always the same. At the edge
Of the woods near the house I would
Suddenly see this majestic, perfect looking
African lion standing there watching me.
He was always completely calm, not stalking
Or hunting me, just watching me.
I would stare at him, he would stare at
Me…I would freeze…
There was maybe a moment of fear, but
Then the feeling changed and inside
It just felt magical, spiritual. Then there
Was awe. I would stare into his eyes
And his voice would fill my head…
“Follow me.” Then the lion would turn
And slowly walk into the woods and
Without thinking I followed him. I was
So curious –I had to!
So I followed the lion into the woods,
I would try to catch up with him but
I never could. The woods would grow
Thicker and thicker until the brush was
So thick I could barely move…
And the light would grow brighter
And brighter until I could barely see…
At the brightest point I would
Wake up?
Challenged by obstacles, by constant
Questions…regardless of what I say
They ask anyway…Pursued by opinions
And hopes and ideas, chased by
Analysis when there was NOTHING to
Analyze…The words were given plainly…
The story, the clues, the stars…
To see only a cryptic message?
So disappointing…why bother? Because
They asked me to.
They said it wouldn’t be easy, impossible.
And the harder it gets the stronger
The Box would become. Maybe it’s the
Manner of the path…You come at
It the wrong way…delays delays,
Come what may…one day there’s hell
To pay.
The wisest walk a silent road, they
Find the best answers.
It’s truly an art form some understand
This. Then at the right moment
You offer them something…The response
Is always the same…huh? You have
To love it…what a great teacher I had.
The music is fuel.
Sudden slams in motion, sounds of
Thunder in the mind and soul, then the
Box opens and the Circle of Light
Is there…
Again, it’s different…This time sitting
Right there in front of me…is a Lion
Man…waiting, sitting proud, strong…
Confident, golden and gigantic. He’s
Dressed in white robes, his eyes are
Shimmering like amber in the sun. He’s
Fantastic! Ferocious, wild looking yet
Magnificent mystical and incomparably
Wise in the same…
You can feel how sharp his mind is in
His eyes, then his voice comes… “Hello.”
Then the beautiful Ceres is there
Standing beside him. “You remember
VIR’riel.”
I nod a bit shaken, I was not
Expecting that.
Then Damara, her sister is there
Standing behind her watching closely,
Studying everything. Her dark blond
Curly hair framing her sweet face
Perfectly…I hadn’t seen her in a
While. She was the science expert, like
A doctor…They had to be planning
This carefully.
Then last Varence was standing there
To the left behind the great VIR’riel,
His arms crossed, his face low and
Expression serious.
“What is this,” I asked, “some kind
Of careful—“
“Relax,” Varence said, “It’s more simple
Than that…It’s just a delicate time…”
“VIR’riel just wishes to speak with you,”
Ceres explained, “Directly…without
Miscommunication…And Damara is here
To observe…for your benefit.”
“But I thought he wouldn’t speak
English?” I asked. “Their code or
Something…”
“These are different circumstances.”
Ceres smiled… “Just relax.”
VIR’riel’s face was strong, his eyes
Powerful, commanding. “At times
We will speak…It will be clear…
I’m talking to Valiant…”
The Box was quick to respond. “Yes?”
“You fight this, you have fought this
For years…this gift. Why?” The Lion Man
Asked. “Why?”
“I have my reasons…The timing and
The purpose must be right.”
He was calm, yet sensed and knew; as
Only a Lion Man would. “You have
Much on your mind…distress. Ignore
Them. Talk to me. Ignore them. Tell
Me what’s on your mind.”
“There is a mystery…I see.”
“Speak it.” He said calmly yet forceful.
“The music…The music is a mystery.
The songs answer riddles, they always
Have. Music is the soothing medicine
Of the soul…it calms, it conquers
Chaos…It can solve many things…”
“But?” He wondered.
“There is a problem to confront…It
Makes no sense, yet is so obvious. I
Need an answer to it.”
“Tell me.” He said.
“This problem…This collapse in time,
When life went wrong and the world
Froze…8 years ago…I see it healing
Now, but the music…it’s holding
Another mystery…I have this radio,
I used to play these cassette tapes with
My workouts or when I painted or drew…
It makes no sense.”
“Go on.”
“8 years ago…it stopped…I can’t
Remember…I put the cassette tape
In to play, but instead of music
It played this awful sound. Like
The deafening sound of an explosion,
Cracking, twisting metal…roaring…
Not rhythm…like an explosion, not music.
These were my favorite cassettes,
Tapes I made…I thought the
Radio was broken…so I tried the CD
Player…it played just fine…
But the cassette tapes make only
This terrible sound? So I stopped
Playing them…something inside me
Snapped…I stopped playing the
Music…”
VIR’riel strained to see the point. “Go on.”
“A few years went by, I played
Music less and less…the passion
Seemed gone. Then for a while I
Stopped playing it altogether. Then two
Years ago, the music came back…
It felt alive again…But the cassettes
Won’t work, only the CDs…The cassettes
Make the terrible noise but not the
CDs…”
“Yes?” The Lion Man asked.
“You don’t understand,” I told him, them…
“The cassettes, I have not touched them
In 8 years…I mean not a lot. I
Would occasionally try one…but all that
Played was that awful sound…
Cracking, screeching, like an
Explosion…It finally struck me the
Other day…”
“What?” He seemed confused but curious.
“There’s no dust. In 8 years I have
Barely touched these cassettes…And
There is NO DUST. My room has
Dust everywhere else…but these
Cassettes tapes have no dust at all,
They never have? How could they gather
No dust in all that time? It
Makes no sense! Everything else has
Dust…But these cassettes have
Nothing…It makes no sense…It makes
My head freeze silent when I
Look at them now…Why are they
Making this awful sound like some
Explosion? It’s like…”
“What?” He asked, again with intrigue.
“It’s like they are in some sort of
Bubble…Why? How is that possible? Can
You tell me?”
“I think you know the answer already,”
VIR’riel replied silently to my mind… “You
Just won’t see it.”
“A mental block?”
“A block or break through,” the Lion Man
Said calmly, “Whatever you wish
To call it…But now that bubble is
Bursting…time is realigning…better
Than before…And things will resume
Properly…Where they left off from…
With no doubt surprises as well…
Of the new, because the old is gone
And the right must reconnect…so
Something new and better must be
Produced to take its place. It is
Unavoidable. You cannot fight this
Any longer. You see that, don’t you?”
The pause, to reflect…And now there
Must be…time to react.
“But the cassettes, the sound they make?”
I asked.
“White noise?” The Lion Man said.
“Huh?”
“Something must have occurred at that
Moment 8 years ago,” he said, “While you
Were listening to the music…and it was
Captured by the radio…”
My head was spinning I saw their faces,
They were studying me carefully…Damara
Had something in her hand…a monitor
Of some sort?
“It’s escalating again.” Damara said. “As we
Discussed…The more it opens now the
Stronger it gets. The aggravated emotions are
Escalating it.”
But the eyes of the Lion Man were heavy
On me…I could see why he was there now…
Like a powerful anchor to help control
Something uncontrollable. “Say it.” He said.
“Just let it come out.”
“No, but he said it wasn’t time…”
But the words were meaningless yet
Full of power and guiding at the same
Time… “The white noise…The radio
Isn’t broken…it caught the moment
The singularity began…I keep looking
For the right song to balance it.”
“When one singularity is formed…” The
Lion Man said. “Quite often it is, reflected
In another. Sound is a powerful force…
To move, or to break…It is perhaps
The best weapon against a disruption
In time…”
“Others play music…”
“It has no power without the right
Fuel.” He said. “Like the voice of a singer,
The poet with his pen, the artist
With his brush or pencil…to turn the
Lead into gold…The instrument has
Only the power of the one who possesses
It…The Box, these lines and light
In your head…are a force unlike we
Have ever seen…only a rare few
Can move them. That is why you must
At some point open the Box all the way.”
“No one understands this…They analyze
And draw conclusions…”
“The only ones that matter are the ones
You care about, what they think.” The Lion
Man said. “This is true for everyone. Tell
That to everyone. It doesn’t matter
What others think, only the ones you care
About. If you constantly worry what others
Think…you will spend an eternity
Questing for everything but the truth…
Chaos, randomness…a constant nowhere…
That is why most settle for something
To hold on to. They cannot travel through
The Void searching for what they want…
The search drives them insane…Answers
Seem everywhere, but what they are, are
Only endless riddles…The answers are
Always simple…The right choices are
The hardest to make because they
Take patience…dedication…and work.
“If something came so easy, it would
Mean nothing. And then spoil would come.
Few appreciate the serenity of true
Peace…Instead they see boredom. That
Is why corruption comes so easily
Everywhere…They say they want peace,
But when it comes they grow bored
With it…spoil it…Then the process
Begins again…The cycle of things,
Peace and destruction…”
“Have the Lion Men found this peace?”
“Yes, but it took time.” VIR’riel said. “All
Things take time…Answers are simple,
But not easy…That is how my
People fell long ago…Because they
Wanted easy answers…When the conquerors
Came they were masterful…They offered
Easy answers and made my people
Weak, dependent…and lazy…Then
When everyone was at their weakest
By the constant craving for easy
Indulgence…They struck…And the people
Had no confidence or strength to defend
Themselves…”
“Consider this…A light comes on…are all
The answers there? Do you see everything,
Know everything? It is merely an
Awakening…And the exploration
To understand begins…It takes a
Long time to understand this…
“Something happened years ago.”
“Yes.” I reluctantly answered… “Just
Over 26 years ago…The red light in
The sky…”
“Ah.” He nodded. “There is a belief
That we have…The dawn, the
Awakening of the true self occurs
When we first really see ourselves
For what we are…Not just how we
See ourselves but how others see us…
This is a shocking process…Many
If not most are struck with a powerful
Numbness, a silence of the soul…
And then the learning begins…
This is like a rebirth…from
Adolescence to maturity…” He laughed.
“Many think they are mature, they
Are not…Maturity is patient…
Immaturity is not…
“The path to enlightenment begins this
Way…The first road…Some agonize
Because it takes so long…It is
A spiritual process…in your time, it
Takes 27 years…from the seed to
Grow and then bloom…There are no
Short cuts…It is what it is. For
Some it takes much longer, but
For the way of the master it starts
This way…then continues and gets
Stronger.”
“We are in school for at least 30 years
This way.” Ceres added, then sarcastically
Turned to Varence. “For some it should
Be longer.”
The Lion Man held up his hand for the
Lead, for them to be quiet. “This mystery
Of the noise with the cassettes of
Yours…Would you say that is when
The imbalance in your life occurred?”
“Yes.”
“Did anything else happen?” He asked.
“There was a crystal skull that appeared
Over my bed one night…after these
Shadow people attacked me to try and
Take the light out of my head. The
Crystal skull downloaded everything in
My head and insisted that I await
Activation.”
He nodded. “I see.”
“But when will it be activated?”
“Isn’t the answer clear?” He asked,
Nodding and pointing to the notebook.
“You are doing it right now. You have
Been doing it for some time…with these words you
Write…it’s activating you and others.”
“It is?”
“Do you question what you write?” He
Asked.
“No, I just…Find it fascinating. I
Have no idea what I am doing. But
I am constantly fascinated by it.”
He nodded. “There, you see.”
“But some keep asking me questions?”
He shook his head. “Don’t answer.”
“Why?”
“Just listen to me. Don’t answer. Read it.
It’s there.” He nodded. “Do the words
Find good timing?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“There, you see. It is reflected in
The timing. That’s perfect.”
“Ok I’m trying to understand you. The
Writing is still a mystery.”
“More stories will come at the right time.”
He said.
“Why are you here?” I asked him.
“Because I wanted to witness this too,
Like the others. It is fascinating
For me also.”
“So the music then…I have to keep
Searching for the right song…to
Keep finding the rhythm that matched
The words and things…that will help
Realign things?”
He nodded. “And for others as well. Tell
Them to align the music they like
To how they feel, it will help…It
Must be positive though, not destructive.
The fuel to get them through it will
Come this way…It will help. It will.
Remember sound is a powerful
Force.”
“So this can be fixed.”
“Yes, I believe so.” He nodded. “At
Least for those who want to…for
Those that fight it, nothing can ever
Help them. There is no miracle
Without effort. Faith must have its
Way too…Science has no power over
Faith, it never has. Science is a
Scheme of the mind to control
Things…Nature is a spirit that will
Always fight this…And logic is but
A child in between the two.”
“And faith always wins?”
“In a battle between good and
Evil,” he said strangely, “Faith
Always wins yes.” He grinned.
This was a really intriguing conversation
I have to say; or write rather. The Lion
Man grinned wide at this observation, he
Was a very noble being.
“May I ask you something?” VIR’riel said.
“I don’t think I could say no.”
“Why do you fight this?” He asked.
“Because it’s beyond words, explanation
Or understanding…And because some think
It is nonsense or rather I’m nuts. It’s hard
To do something when they question and
Analyze every little thing you say or do.”
“Ignore them.” He simply said. “This is
Important. Let them find reason in their
Own questions…no answer will ever be enough.”
“I’m still trying.”
“Stop trying.” The Lion Man said.
“Just do.”
“You mean just go on instinct?”
“Yes.” He said, then pointed. “This gift,
This mission is more than that…You’ll
Waste a lot of time trying to please
Everyone. Ignore the distractions and
Pursue your dream, the goal…That
Is what we do.”
“But—“
“Do they know you? Do you know them…”
He said. “There is a lot of time in that.”
“Well…”
“If you constantly stop for others you
Will get no where.” He said firmly, his
Eyes low. “Can you understand this?”
“Yes.”
“Make time for the ones who you care about,
The ones you wrote this for.” He nodded.
“Everyone else will pull you the wrong way.”
“I can understand, I mean…for as long
As I can remember people have said
They know me…They don’t…They, friends
Always tried to, it’s like they say they
Want to be around me. But then all they
Want to do is change me, to like what
They like, to do what they do…The way
They want. I accept them as they are
But they do not accept me as I am.”
He grinned then laughed. “Then you
Really need to stay far away from
People like that. That is what destroyed
My people.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” VIR’riel went on. “That is the
Path of destruction…when others say
They accept you…but then try to change
You, shape you into what they want.
It’s very deceitful…Beware this.”
“I’ve encountered that a lot when people
Talk about love.”
“That isn’t love, that is selfishness, ego…
Destruction.” He said heavily. “If someone
Says they love you and then try to
Change you into what they want…
That is a dark practice. Run.”
“How exactly did your people fall?”
I had to ask.
“That is a complicated answer,” He said,
“But essentially…it happened slowly
Over time…Again like I said, by this
Deceitful practice…The Dark Ones came,
They promised friendship and brought
Gifts…but only wanted to control us,
Change us…To have us their way…
And they always pursued the young
First…because the young were hopeful,
Impatient and naïve…They wanted
Things immediately…The Dark Ones
Indulged them this way and won
Them over…reshaped them by indulging
Their desires…turned them on their
Elders…They always want the young
First. Always.”
“I have to ask…About the Lion Men…
The Lion Women…Where are they?”
He hesitated carefully. There was a sadness
In his eyes…and a great mystery. “You
Have to understand how the Dark
Empire works…It is very complex, but
Also very simple…
“In order to understand something you
Have to study it…That can take
Years…Do you see?”
“Alright.”
“But the greatest elements in any
Civilization are its science…and
Its faith. I told you this…” He said.
“Yes.”
“Faith always wins over science,”
VIR’riel went on carefully. “Therefore
Religion is the most powerful weapon…
Every world, every race has their
Religions…and the more you have the
More conflict you encounter, one always
Wants to be right and call the other
Wrong…They invaded with false religions…
Of their own creation…which the young
Were seduced by…
“The Dark Ones are primarily a Female
Hierarchy…of One Queen…She rules
By neutralizing all other females and
Enslaving the males…The best way to
Do this is to have the males dominate
The females…and subdue them for her…
“Any religion that violates basic rights
Of life is not a religion, it’s a sign
Of a dictatorship…The Lion Men fell
Because they put rules of religion in
The young of our race that males
Were superior…They dominated them…
Abused them…And they eventually…
Separated the sexes…Then enslaved us,
Experimented and when they had they
Fill of entertainment…of abuse…they
Altered our DNA limiting our reproductive
Process so that it became difficult
For females to conceive naturally.”
“Birth control?”
“Yes.” He said. “Then it became a matter
Of only having genetic specimens and it
Became a matter of creating slaves
Artificially in laboratories…clones…When
They decided they were done with our
Kind the females were exterminated…
Only males were made for their
Size and strength as slaves…Time
Passed…Then they decided to end
Our race…and then the males
Were eliminated. Some escaped this…
That is how we survived.”
“So there are no women of your kind?”
“There are some,” he confessed, “but
They are half-breeds…hybrids. That
Is a story of another time. We will
Get to that…It involves a bond
The Lion Men share with humans…
We share a special bond.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“You will understand in time.” He said,
Then nodded to everyone around him.
“They have certainly shared a lot with
You…a lot of work…you must be
Tired.”
“I am sleeping more than ever.”
“That will continue as the timelines
Merge and correct.” He paused, studied me.
“Do you understand the message we
Are trying to tell you here?”
“That faith is a powerful weapon…
That any religion that does not
Practice respect of all life is not a
Religion…That anyone who says
They are your friend, or loves you…
Is no friend or doesn’t love you at all…
They only want to control you.”
“That’s very good.” He nodded and
Grinned. “I believe we’ve succeeded.”
“I told you that you would like him.”
Ceres smiled. “They do like you.” She
Said to me very proudly.
“This timeline that was corrupted?”
“Yes?” The Lion Man asked.
“It hasn’t changed the final outcome
Of things…of the Earth I mean…”
Ceres watched closely. “That’s Valiant
In him talking…”
“The Great Final Battles won’t really
Be of science…They will be of
Religions…That’s the most dangerous
Thing…The power of faith…You
Said it yourself…Science is a scheme
Of the mind…Logic is a child between
The two…Faith is the power…That’s
Why it’s always tested…That’s why
Divine intervention takes place…
No peace will ever come until the
Respect is found between the two…
In the logic of a child.”
