The Lights, the patterns…The sky seemed
Bold and limitless suddenly as the
Small menagerie of onlookers stood staring
Up into the night at the ominous triangular
Shape that glided silently towards them.
There was a growing sense of fear and
Wonder in everyone as they
Appeared trapped unable to look
Away. Then the shape froze, yet
Still held its pattern among the
Stars…if anyone had not been watching
Closely they never would have noticed;
It so perfectly blended with the
Night that way.
‘Do you see it, Father?’ Mira asked
Quietly, turning to him. ‘What
Is it?’
Baja just stared with his mouth ajar.
‘I have no idea.’
‘How does it hang there like that?’
One man cried out in fright. ‘It
Glides one moment…then stands
Still the next and does not fall?’
Everyone just stood staring without
Saying a word for what seemed like
Endless minutes. The silence was
Deafening, it made the whole scene
More fearful than thrilling. Finally
Mira could not take it. ‘Someone
Say something!’ She turned to Jon.
‘What do you think?’
‘I don’t want to think.’ He said
Watching uneasily.
Then Raya came out of her wagon,
Walking slowly with heavy steps to
Join them. It was clear she fought
Some ailment, but forced herself
From her bed to join the people, to
See with her own eyes what
This thing was. She stepped up
To her daughter’s side and turned
To view the object. ‘It hovers…
Watching and waiting…’
Julianna held her arms tight as
She felt a chill. ‘I don’t like it.’
‘I don’t either.’ Jon whispered.
Suddenly the triangle’s pattern of lights
Seemed to spin and twinkle. Then
It began to glide away backwards
Slowly until it vanished out of sight
Over the trees. Once it was gone
Raya turned blinking, staring at Jon
And then at his friends. ‘Jon? How
Did I know…I would see you again…
On this night?’
‘On this night?’ He asked curiously.
‘All things happen according to their time.’
She told him watching his eyes
In the dark light of the torches and
Camp fire. ‘You know this.’
‘Will it ever end?’ He fought the
Words. ‘The night we have had…’
‘Tell me.’ She said. And then Jon
Told her and her family what
Happened, with Julianna and the others,
Affirming and adding to the details.
But there wasn’t time to talk
Much. Jon quickly began begging
Raya and her family for help to
Treat Matthias…who was looking
Worse now.
‘I don’t know what we can do,’ Raya
Said as she and her husband
Examined the young man, ‘But we will
Try.’ Then her whole family came
To surround them and carry Matthias
Off to her wagon…where they cleaned
His wound and attempted to stop the
Bleeding and close it. Each
Of them however gave the most
Grim expressions when they saw
His shoulder. All they could do was
Try…and hope.
As they waited…Jon sat by the
Firepit with Julianna and Jona,
Trying to stay out of the way so that
Matthias received the immediate
Attention he needed first and foremost.
They said nothing for the longest time.
The events of the night left each
Of them torn apart by words of
Reason that shook them inside out.
The young nameless man who brought
Them on horses just sat in a daze by a
Wagon all to himself…He was too
Stunned to join them.
‘Have you ever had things like those
Flashes of light happen before?’
Julianna asked, unable to hold it in.
‘No.’ Jon said quietly as he watched the
Fire. ‘But I have had things happen…
Did Sara ever…tell you things like that?’
‘Sara spoke very mysteriously.’
Julianna answered. ‘Odd things
Happened around her…that
Encourage faith in her words. That
Was enough.’
‘It scared me enough.’ Jona said.
‘Where I am from…these signs
Are not ignored. They’re revered.’
‘Then what is it?’ Julianna asked.
‘Why do you want to know so much?’
Jon asked.
Julianna swallowed, reluctant to
Say, then went on. ‘Over the years…
I have seen some peculiar things,
And frightening things. I can not
Explain it really…I’m drawn to it, to
Know.’
Jon grimaced at the idea, but understood
At the least she was a sincere friend.
‘Ever since I can remember,’ he
Said, ‘I have had things happen…
Seen things. I never told anyone. I
Wasn’t allowed to…In living on
The farm, having so much to do all
The time…it was easy to dismiss
It as a dream. But then…over
The years…as it grew and grew
And I got older…eventually you
Can’t dismiss it anymore, I
Saw things before they happened…
How many times can you dismiss that?’
‘I thought as much.’ Julianna said
With a kind smile.
‘Did you ever see anyone strange?’ Jona
Had to ask.
Jon met his friend’s eyes carefully.
‘Yes.’ Then he returned to watch
The fire. ‘I was visited…By these
People…they told me things. I always
Fought it…but everything they said, that
They told me…kept coming true.
I don’t know why…It just
Kept happening…over and over again.’
‘Did you ever ask?’ Julianna replied.
‘I tried to…but they spoke so
Mysteriously also.’ Jon answered. ‘They
Were strict about that…about what to
Say.’
‘What did they look like?’ Jona asked.
‘Like us…but better. More perfect, I
Would say.’ Jon answered, looking at him.
‘They showed me places…’ Jon went on
Carefully. ‘And a future that was so
Magnificent…with cities I couldn’t
Even begin to describe…full of all sorts
Of people…so many kinds and colors…
And everyone was healthy and happy.’
‘That sounds nice.’ Julianna said with wide
Eyes. ‘That sounds beautiful.’
‘But it seemed so far away.’ Jon
Said, turning to her. ‘They said so
Many things…it’s hard to remember.
They spoke about times to come, times
Of change…and the past.’
‘There is some connection with time
Then?’ Julianna asked. ‘Maybe with
The lights?’
‘Maybe.’ Jon answered. ‘It’s hard to say.
They talked once about these little
Machines…About being careful with
Machines. How the ancients built
Them…these tiny things to make life
Easier…but people abused them…and
They lost sight of things…Then the
Machines took over…and somehow
Made the world more simple, more
Natural…’
‘They turned on their creators…’ Julianna said.
‘They said one day it would happen
Again…without anyone realizing it…
Until it was too late.’ Jon told them
Nervously. ‘Something about rebuilding
It…and a cleansing. To make decisions
That no one could. I don’t know.’
‘Did they say anything else?’ Jona
Asked, swallowing.
‘It’s hard to remember.’ Jon said, shaking
His head. ‘It was a lot to take in.
And something I had to do…for the
Future. I don’t understand that part.
How am I supposed to make something
For the future…Here? Now? It makes
No sense. Couldn’t they do it?’
‘Well…’ Julianna said slowly, ‘If
You think about it…if they study
History, they would study all sorts of work.’
‘What could I make?’ Jon laughed.
‘That’s ridiculous.’
Julianna stared at the firepit
Recalling things. ‘I was in that
Theater district with Marcel long
Enough…I saw many things…
Careers come and go, and forgotten…
The rumors build and break things…
But I imagine over time…it’s the
Work they remember most. At least
I do…Not the gossip.’
‘Yes, I remember some of that.’ Jon
Replied as he too watched the fire. ‘I
Remember what Joseph said, the never
Ending demands of the people…
It crushed things.’
‘Yes, people are fickle. New trends
Always come.’ Julianna nodded.
‘But maybe, if they don’t understand
It now…they will then?’ Jona wondered.
‘Maybe.’ Jon laughed. ‘It still seems
Funny to me. For time to be out of
Rhythm like that. It almost
Seems like a big puzzle with
Things out of place…scattered
Here and there…For some other
Time to use.’
‘A higher plan perhaps.’ Julianna
Speculated. ‘Maybe that is the
Riddle in everything…And why
So little makes sense now. Maybe some
Higher power scattered pieces over time…
For the future to find.’
Jona stared up at the night sky,
Looking in every direction. ‘Do you think
Those lights will come back?’
‘Now I don’t know if I care to see
Them.’ Julianna said, holding herself
Tightly.
‘Somehow I think they will.’ Jon
Reluctantly said.
They sat quietly then, waiting by
The fire, watching the embers pop
And fly into the air mesmerized
By the glow of the flames. No
Matter what had happened, was
Happening, their main
Concern was still if Matthias
Would be alright. Their worry
Seemed to put a lot into perspective
Then.
Sometime later a shaky-looking
Baja came out of his wagon
And joined them by the fire. They
Watched his face as he sat down
And said nothing. His eyes just
Seemed big and full of confusion.
‘We have done what we can for
Your friend.’ He finally said, turning
To each of them. ‘I am unsure
What to tell you…We can hope…
And ask for a higher power to help
Him, that is all. The rest is up
To him.’
‘Thank you for trying.’ Jon said to him.
‘Yes, thank you.’ Julianna said.
‘We truly were doing nothing
Wrong. This is horrible.’
‘Good reason escapes these days
It seems.’ Baja almost
Groaned. ‘I have seen such
Tragedies before…I wish I could
Tell you they always end well.
You can never tell by how things
Look…’
‘I’m always too worried to hope.’ Jon
Said, staring angrily at the fire. ‘I
Wish there was more.’
They sat silently again for some
Time until the hours of the night
Could not be measured. No one was
Tired enough to sleep, their minds
Were too frantic, torn one way and
Another. It was a cruel silence,
Without words to think…only
Waiting.
As the darkness appeared
To lift by a haze on the horizon
By a Sun struggling to come…
Jona was the first to rise,
About to search for some water.
But when he stood, his eyes
Caught the sight of a pattern
In the sky again…of a triangle
Of lights lingering while the
Stars around them faded away.
‘Look!’ He pointed to it, gasping.
‘There it is again!’
They each quickly jumped to their
Feet again. Staring at it. ’Oh my
God, what is it? How long has it
Been there?’
Jon was about to speak when his eyes
Caught something else in the sky above
To his left, then right…One was a long
Cylinder shape…the other, a large dark
Sphere. ‘Look!’ He said pointing, his
Eyes bulging as he directed the others to
See. They watched as more shapes
Appeared…crosses, triangles and
Bright glowing spheres all flashing
With arrays of lights and colors.
The early morning sky suddenly
Seemed alive with starry-like
Objects that glided out of nowhere.
‘My God, what is this?’ Baja exclaimed
As more of his family came out of
The wagons to see.
‘What is going on?!’ Julianna cried
Holding her face, feeling a panic swell
Within her.
Jona stepped back to stay close to his
Friends as he eyed the sky with a
Low brow. ‘It is like the heavens
Are alive…Where did they all come
From?’
Jon just looked every which way above
As the objects maneuvered in different
Ways as though they were unsure
Of each other…First, similar shapes
Moved together, then they began
To aim at the others different
Than themselves…gliding to, and
Then away from them. Slow,
Then fast, until it was like every
Object was racing all around the
Others.
‘What are they doing?’ Julianna
Asked, mesmerized by the show.
‘They are organizing in some peculiar way.’
Baja said.
‘No…’ Jon said carefully, studying them.
‘They’re not all the same. I don’t
Think they’re all happy to see each
Other at all…look at them.’
‘The way they move…’ Jona said, pointing
To the spheres and triangles. ‘It is like
They are…fighting in some way that
We can not see.’
‘Fighting?’ Baja cried out. ‘Fighting
For what. Are they not all from
The same place?’
‘It does not feel that way.’ Jon
Moaned.
‘This is frightening!’ Julianna cried
As the tension in the air grew. ‘This
Is awful!’
Jon’s insides just kept reaching out,
Bouncing back to and fro, receiving
Some sense his mind could not
Understand from what he knew
And felt from the specters. ‘It feels
Like some fight of territory…or
Right of way…’
Jona moved close to him. ‘You feel
This?’ He asked of his friend’s skills…
‘It does seem that way.’
‘What right of way?’ Julianna
Asked. ‘Why?’
‘Us.’ Jon said quietly. ‘All of us…
Everything here!’
‘Is this some property to them?’
Julianna wondered.
‘What reason would we know…’ Baja
Insisted. ‘From what we know…What
History has been told to us that
Is certain.’
‘God made the world…’ Julianna
Seemed to beg for reason.
‘What would that mean to them?’ Baja
Said then. ‘Who made who?’
‘Maybe that is what they are
Fighting over…or searching for
Also?’ Jona responded. ‘We have
No answers…Could they?’
As the small crowd watched the
Strange illuminated starry fight
Above…A tall strong looking figure
Quietly stepped out of the woods
And joined them. He was pale
Unlike the rest, chiseled and
Finely dressed in clothes so tailored
He was immediately out of place.
He simply came up behind Jon
And his friends and said, ‘If
They had all the answers…they
Would not be fighting, would they?’
Jon turned quickly to the familiar
Traveler. ‘You?!’
‘Me.’ The man said in a presence
Beyond a dream.
Julianna and Jona, then the others
Turned to the new man…as Raya
Came out of her wagon to join them.
Raya saw the man and gasped,
And slowly came to join them. She
Recognized him at once…A man
She had seen on a strange and
Starry moonlit night when she
Gave a young village girl a fortune.
He had not aged at all… ‘You!’
‘You know him?!’ Jon asked in shock.
‘I saw him once.’ Raya gasped.
Jon studied him fast, almost wanting
To reach out and touch him, he was
So real now. ‘How?’
The man smiled. ‘In time, no questions
Now.’
Julianna eyed the new man up and
Down with awe, she had never seen
Someone dressed so well. Yet somehow
She also seemed to recall a night
In the city when she was with Jon…
And a stranger had appeared in the
Night…But she hadn’t seen him clearly
Enough then; no one ever did.
Suddenly, sharp banging sounds
Echoed in the sky. The starry
Objects fight was becoming very
Active now…
And then the sounds of horses came
From the woods…3 men appeared,
Dressed in black, with robes and
Metal armored adornments, and quickly
Rode up to them.
Jon turned to the man Apollo. ‘What
Is happening?’
‘There is no time for this anymore.’
Apollo said, almost irritated by the
Intrusiveness. ‘It’s time to go now.’
‘What?’ Jon asked, completely confused.
‘Go? Go where?’
Apollo eyed the men on horses heavily
As his eyes seemed to sparkle with
A shiny color. All of a sudden,
As if by silent command, a giant
Silvery saucer materialized above
Them…glowing to life as it had
Been hiding unseen somehow.
Everyone froze and stared upward at
The bright circle as it bathed them
With light. But before he could
Make the order, a new
Sphere of light appeared beside it…
So fast it happened… The bright
Sphere, unlike all the others,
Descended upon the crowd…
It seemed to move with lightening
Speed as it dove through the people…
It paused only briefly, seconds…and
Suddenly enveloped the
Young man resembling Jason as
He stood watching by a wagon…and
Then it went into the wagon with
Matthias inside and took him…
Then it aimed at Jon, swallowing
Him and Julianna and Jona before
They could react…then paused
Again, outside the crowd…Then
Shot straight up into the sky so
Fast, no one could blink.
Apollo stood quietly with his mouth
Ajar as he tried to fathom what
Happened. Then he nodded and
Smiled with some mysteriously, wild
Sense of content. ‘Time to go!’ He
Said to himself…He was about to
Turn when…
A gray-haired man in black leapt from
His horse and walked briskly to the
Crowd aiming for Apollo. He was
Eager and intent on words. ‘You…
Stranger…Who –‘
Apollo simply turned to the man in
Black with a smile. ‘To that
Which you need to know…A rose.
A rose by its scent and form…
And by some manner its color
Will help you…The aroma no
Machine can understand…only
The senses will.’
The man in black froze upon his
Words. His expression became
Paralyzed by them. ‘A rose.’
Apollo then turned to Raya…
’See you again in about…4-500
Years…Maybe, possibly in some way.’
Then he looked up at the sky
And its war-like confusion, at the
Shapes and lights and disturbance
They made. ‘Hopefully…no rage
Or noise will come to attract them…
Hopefully a better course can be
Set in motion…We do try.’ Then
He seemed to lower his head and
Walk away vanishing into thin
Air…with the illuminating saucer
Shape above disappearing immediately
After him.
‘Where did they go?’ Baja
Cried out.
Raya eyed the area up and
Down searching with stunned
Belief. Then a gentle voice
Filled her head alone. ‘They
Won’t remember…but you will…’
The crowd watched as the battle
Of lights slowed then…as if
Some far away inaudible
Conclusion was found…by no
Peaceful manner, only more chance
To wait…And when it grew quieter
Totally…and the lights were gone
The crowd settled in a state they
Could not explain, struggling to
Find their wits and memory…
Each staggered a while
As the Sun broke free of a dark
Crescent that marred it…For
Some reason they could not talk
To each other about what they
Saw, it had been concealed
Within their minds…not to tell
Or say.
Then slowly, the men in black
Collected themselves on horseback
And rode away into the new
Day…The silvery haired one
Could only recall one haunting
Thought… ‘Something about
A rose…’
Valiant.
