Go then, there are other worlds than these.


Silhouettes shift in the empty warehouse office, two faces darkened by shadows.

“What would the United States do if mankind made contact with intelligent life?” asks the Russian.

“Why do you ask?”

“It's been asked of me.”

“By whom?”

“Certain heads of state.”

The voice pauses before replying. “It depends. Primarily on the economic and financial situations the nation is undergoing at the time. If the public consciousness is on edge, the nation might bond together in a way unlike ever seen before in history in retaliation against the invaders. It wouldn't be red-coats, it'd be green-skins.”

“But what if they weren't invaders? What if they were peaceful?”

“Doesn't matter. We'd want their technology, and make a war.”

A vodka-laced exhalation fills the room with resignation. “And what if the contact itself is a September act?”

“I don't like your reference.”

“I'll be clear. What if it is staged?”

“Careful you don't get your hand caught in a monkey-trap.”

Phlegm clears from a disgusted throat. “What makes you so sure that mankind will have the upper hand if it comes to war?”

“You've been though the nuclear physics briefings. Don't play dumb.”

“But what if their weaponry is unlike anything we know about?”

“That isn't something you need to worry about.”

“Excuse me?”

“No other nation spends more on fuelling outdated, immature fantasies than the Americans. Why do you think we're here talking about this?”




* * * *




“Come on Terrali,” calls Octavius from across the universe.

Twins, the brothers exist in the lower densities of the multi-dimensional planes. As they mature, their entities traverse from the current density to the next, retaining the ability to go to the lower ones.

With a silent, exploding starburst in the dark wombs of space Terrali announces his arrival. Hundreds of thousands of years will pass before the poor scientists on Earth see his happy announcement with their telescopes and sensors.

Terrali expresses his joy with existence by playing with the cosmos. His most shining achievement is a solar system with 13 stars orbiting a white hole that circles six neutron binary stars. Around each star spiral 26 planets with many more moons.

“Discover anything?” communicates Octavius as his brother nears. To communicate they create ripples in the fabric of time and space, throwing clusters of hydrogen atoms arranged just so.

“Nope. This sector's been beat to death. Let's go exploring,” says Terrali

“Okay.”

Neither have physical bodies nor a face. A long time ago, their ancestors liberated their souls from crusty, exoskeletal bodies to become angels of the cosmos.

Together, the two race across the light-years in leaps and bounds, scampering amongst the nebula and vanishing through wormholes without a sound.

Such a method of measurement is for the third dimension. Too dense, that dimension is hard to navigate the large spaces with any speed. That and they hadn't ever found anything that caught their attention for much time in the third.

“The Councils haven't found any planet with anything interesting?” says Octavius.

“Well, there's the dancing plant life on Cegaio, and the mysterious structures on Uvequee. But we've seen those. Other than that, there's nothing,” says Terrali with brief sadness. “There's nothing to do anymore.”

“We could go play with the others,” said Octavius, referring to the other entities their small age of eleven billion years.

“They're always so boring. ‘Oh, let's discuss the politics of the search. Oh, have you seen any new dust towers? Did you check out the new stargate'?” mimics Terrali. “It's all they ever do.”

“Why don't we play with your new System?” says Octavius.

“Naw, it's boring,” says Terrali.

“You created it the last galactic synchronization. You're already bored of it?” says Octavius.

“Yeah.”

“Perhaps we could find a new sector. Maybe a place with intelligent life,” says Octavius.

“No kidding. But how can we be sure they'll be advanced like us?”

Turning with a bounce, Octavius blasts off towards the brightest star in the sky.

Frolicking like children, the ancient twins scamper about through the planes of existence, searching for something to do. They play tag in the sixth dimension, mist through the fifth and fourth without a glance, and play AsteroidDodge in the third. They watch a baby star in its beginnings in the fourth, returning to their normal state in the sixth.

Pointing with a spectral limb, Terrali says “See that cross over there?”

“Indeed.”

“Beat ya to it, bro.” Terrali vanishes through a wormhole he spontaneously creates.

Octavius takes a brief moment longer to spawn six clustered neutron stars and zip through the universal reflector between them.

Because it was so quick, the wormhole hadn't been aimed properly. Terrali emerges close enough to the cross that he has to traverse without any shortcuts.

Speeding towards the cross, Terrali notices instability of the structure of the fabric off to the right. He slows and his brother whooshes by, only to return when he sees that Terrali has quit the race.

Motionless, Terrali says “Feel that?”

“Yes. What is that?”

“Unsure.”

With a close look at the surroundings, they realize a very unusual fabric signature. Not old enough to be able to go to the universal seventh yet, Terrali filters downwards.

“Wizard! Octavius, come here!” Terrali calls out across the ripples and shears in space.

Octavius filters downwards in density to find a young sun blazing not too far off.

“Look at the planets!”

Octavius glances around, seeing that he is close to the largest planet in this system, a reasonably good-sized gaseous planet. Near it is one a little bit smaller, this one surrounded with rings.

“What did you find, Terrali?”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at the Confederation members. Every sphere has representatives in the higher densities, except for the one that's the third rock from the sun. That one's just third density, and looks like it's about to go into the fourth,” says Octavius. “There's like, four cosmic seconds left before the galactic synchronization zaps this whole system with an upgrade.”

“You're right. This is a high-management area. Interesting,” says Terrali.

They have to crouch down and kneel to look at the tiny planet. They haven't seen a pure blue like this since the Ioweget system. They attune to the planet's astral signature, seeing what its configuration is like.

“Well look at that. The astral is a mixture of free-will and pre-destiny,” says Octavius.

“And those veils! They make all that life forget everything!” says Terrali.

“Now how does one create a moon that rotates at the same speed as its planetary orbit?” says Octavius. “That's wizard. Not even the Deux can do that. This is a planet with little activity in the sky. Those veils will keep any life focused inwards, unable to remember hardly anything. This is like a little cosmic closet.”

“Maybe the Radiant One?”

The twins look at each other.

“No way,” they chime.

With an in-breath, they shrink their size, magnifying the planet.

“The fabric anomaly is right here,” says Octavius, pointing at a cluster of islands just off a big land mass.

“What's with that nuclear distortion? It's like the fabric was torn, but patched up. Why would a lifeline want to tear its fabric? No wonder its high management.”

“Maybe an accident?”

Together, they grab hold of the planetary timeline and scrub it backwards to see what happened.

“Wow.”

“Look at all the death in only a hundred seconds. This is a very sad planet,” says Terrali, his heart growing for the lifeline.

“Perhaps we shouldn't be here,” says Octavius. “Perhaps we should be on our way.”

Terrali sends a communication to the highest Council in the system without his brother knowing.

“Guess what,” says Terrali.

“What?”

“They approve. We can visit.”

“Really? They don't mind the interference?”

“They just ask that we stay in fifth density on the nighttime side. Not many can see us here then.”

“Okay. Lead the way.”

Forming white funnels of condensed light, the two reach towards the planet's surface. A small part of them whisks down the tunnels to the Earth. Ending on a soft, green surface, four golden rings pass down over the outside of the tubes. Body schematics load from the local collective consciousness and crystallize over the small portion of their entities. The rings then fade like sunlit fog in a dark, quiet meadow deep in a forest.

“Wow!” says Terrali. “LOOK AT THAT SKY!”

Octavius looks up, a young, shiny face reflecting starlight. The sky above is very still, yet clear. Instead of moving and pulsing like the skies they're used to, it's a quietly reflective expanse. He then glances over at the silvery boy that is his brother.

“Hello? Look at you!” says Octavius.

Terrali tries to look at himself, realizing he can't the way he's used to. “Look at me? Look at YOU! You're all…shining.”

Their entities inhabit dense, silvery encasements that shift and glitter. The fourness of the limbs feels wonderful, but the torso seems to chain them inside. With a big enough breath, Terrali might be able to split out of the firmament.

“It's a pentaworld,” says Octavius, observing the number of appendages their bodies have assumed. “Everything here looks to be based on fives, just like our schooling. Count toes. I'll count the fingers.”

Terrali crouches to count the nubbins on his feet.

“Ten,” both say in unison.

They look at each other.

“That means…”

“Two of five makes it base ten. It's a perfect world.”

Expending little effort, Octavius focuses his vision on empty space between his hands. Imagining it, he forms a spinning star between his palms. A solar flare licks at his right thumb.

With a shimmering, exuberant face, Terrali exclaims, “CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? IT'S JUST LIKE UP THERE!”

“But if this isn't known up there, they likely don't know that down here.”

Terrali looks at his brother, his enthusiasm dovetailing. “No…they wouldn't…”

“Remember, it's a mixture of freewill, pre-destiny and forgetfulness. It makes for fast growth but lots of hurt and pain.”

Terrali feels his heart grow more for the lifeline. Green light dances across his brother's shiny form.

“The colors are right too,” observes Octavius. “No diffraction like in Orion.”

“What is this place?” says Terrali. “It's beautiful, amazing and has the most freedom for its entities while leaving windows open for separation. I wonder what they do.”

“We shall find out,” says Octavius. He tries to move, but falls forwards with his feet rooted to the ground, completely off balance.

Terrali can't help but laugh. Octavius turns around and puts his hands on his knees, laughing as well.

“I forget how to walk!” exclaims Octavius.

“You looked funny!” says Terrali. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm okay. Gravity is such a drag.”

“There's a sequence to it. Let's see…” Terrali looks down at his legs, willing the one on the right to take a step. It performs the action, and Terrali shifts his weight. But the leg has moved forwards too far and Terrali falls as well, landing on his knees.

“Can't we just load the old memories from Ioweget?” says Terrali, turning to sit like his brother.

“Not with the veils as they are now. We must escape the gravitation of this very dense planet to get beyond the forgetfulness. And if we do that too much, we would draw attention to ourselves. Did the Councils say if we may revisit?”

“Yeah, so long as we stay in disguise. But we should explore first.”

They look around at the trees that reach towards the skies.

“If we can find an animal, we can load its memories for mobility,” says Octavius.

“You think there are animals here?”

“Positive.”

Terrali shakes his head. “Wizard. This is like a dreamworld.”

A rustling in the bushes across from them catches their attention. They look towards it to see a small black form emerge. In the starlight shines a white stripe down its back. It stops when it sees the two shimmering forms in the clearing.

“Hello,” says Terrali. “What's your name?”

The animal turns around and sprays Terrali with a fine, stinky mist before running back into the bushes.

“EW!” says Terrali. “That stinks like protopus from Eidolon!”

“That's funny,” laughs Octavius. “A creature that sprays from its bum! Come here, brother.”

Terrali shifts his weight and crawls over. Forming a triangle with his thumb and forefingers, Octavius focuses on cleansing colors, takes a deep breath and blows through it.

Blue mist speckled with white sprays towards Terrali, blooming and churning. Octavius blows up and down, covering his brother. When his lungs are is empty he works the mist in like soap with his hands in the areas his brother that he can't reach.

“There you go,” says Octavius. He move away and looks at the swirls on Terrali's back.

“Thanks bro.” Terrali closes his eyes and focuses on the solidification technique. A moment later the blue and white texture cracks and falls off, taking the stench with it. “Did the creature share anything?”

“There's an area where two-leggeds walk a little ways away. It had been chased by a larger four-legged that makes loud noise.”

“Well let's go then!”

Together, the two crawl through the underbrush in the direction that the four-legged came from. They follow its scent and come to a worn, dirt path that parallels a bubbling river.

“Do you hear something?” asks Terrali.

“Yes, something approaches.”

They crawl to a great, leafy tree that leans forwards over the path with branches that dangle into the river. Pulling themselves up, the two shimmering visitors sit down on gnarled tree roots. They look over a small clearing with the river at their left and forest at their right.

A scurry scratches in limbs above their heads, and the two glance upwards. It's dark, but their eyes make out a masked four-legged with a ringed tail. It looks at them curiously before turning its head to look up the path.

“I don't know why you want to go for a walk in the middle of the night, Theresa. It's late and if Dad finds out, we're toast,” say a voice without a body yet.

“Oh quit complaining Adam. It's beautiful out.”

A bark reveals a third traveler, a four-legged along as well.

A flashlight beam bobs behind silhouettes of young saplings, only a short distance away. Terrali's heart leaps when he sees it.

A boy as tall as a man with a girl half his height at his side steps into the clearing near the big old oak tree. The four-legged slows when it sees the two shimmering forms under the tree.

“What is it Buster?” asks Theresa.

The four-legged tilts its head. A curious whine escapes from its muzzle.

The boy looks annoyed. He slows and stops, shines the flashlight on the dog and follows its line of sight. “Buster, what do you see?” The spotlight shoots across the clearing to bounce up and down the great old oak that squats like an ancient druid, moonlight flickering through a hood of leaves.

Half as big as the girl, the dog looks to the river and back. Brown ears quiver backwards and forwards, unable to determine if the two forms under the tree are threats or not.

Theresa stares at the tree a little bit, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the unique song of creation sitting on old, furled roots.

“Oh wow . You don't see them?” says Theresa as they finally pop into her vision like Magic eye coming clear. Her eyes widen in amazement. She walks closer, but Adam stays where he is.

“See what?”

“The two glittering boys under the tree.”

“Uh. You're crazy. There's nothing there.” He bobs the spotlight around the clearing in a circle, annoyed. “Let's go home Theresa. I'm tired.”

Theresa advances slowly across the clearing, a shy smile on her face. Shimmers from the boys glance over her young, star-struck face. Deep blue and violet eyes reflect wide-eyed wonder. Most of her brown hair is cropped short, while spaghetti tendrils of bangs tickle around her chin.

“Hi there,” she says. “What are you?”

Terrali smiles and says, “Brothers. What are you?”

“He's my brother and I'm his sister,” she says. “You sure don't look like any brothers that I've seen before.”

“Who are you talking to?” asks Adam, not moving from where he stands. He shines the spotlight on the place where the boys sit. He spirals it until Theresa is only lit by light that seems to come from within the two boys.

“I…don't know yet,” she says, glancing back over her shoulder. “Let me ask them.” Looking at them she says, “Who are you?”

“I'm Terrali!” says the one.

“I'm Octavius,” says the other.

“Their names are Terrali and Octavius,” she calls out.

“Ask them if they're a figment of your imagination,” says Adam, pointing the spotlight at her feet.

“I'm Theresa,” she says. “Adam can't see you. He must be blind.”

“Some will be able to see us, others won't,” says Octavius. “It's just a limitation of their sight.”

“We'd like to learn how to walk. Did you want to share how to walk?” asks Terrali.

She giggles. “Sure. How do I do that?”

“All you have to do is walk a few steps in front of us and we pick up on it.”

“Like this?” Theresa turns to her left and takes three paces, nearing a grove of young saplings.

“Perfect! Thank you!” says Terrali.

“I can dance, skip, jump and cartwheel too,” she says. Without prompting, she bobs her head with her hands up, pounding to a rhythm in her mind.

“Theresa, you're crazy. What on earth are you doing?” asks Adam.

Ignoring him, she skips towards the river, stops and turns in a whirl. She runs towards the tree and up the trunk to jump backwards in a flip. She finishes with a cartwheel and holds out her arms in a ‘tada'.

“Bravo!” says Terrali, clapping.

“Very enlightening,” says Octavius. “Thank you.”

She rests her chin on her fist. “But I have to ask, if you didn't know how to walk, how did you get to the tree?”

“We crawled,” says Terrali.

Theresa laughs out loud. “But can't you fly? You look like you can fly.”

“We could, we'd just need to find someone who can share how to do that,” says Octavius.

“How would someone share how to fly?” says Theresa, her words bubbles of laughter.

“We just need to see it, and we pick up on it,” says Terrali.

“Theresa, you and Buster are both crazy. There's nothing on that tree but bark. Let's go home.”

“You can go, but I'm going to stay,” says Theresa. She stares at the twins and reaches into her pocket.

“You're talking to gnomes, tree fairies or Peter Pan. Let's go Theresa,” says Adam, starting to back away.

“Go then. I'm staying.” Theresa pulls out a small, silvery box. She presses her thumb against part of it, and a square that covers all of one side lights up.

“What is that?” says Octavius.

“It's called an iPod,” she says. “Something told me to bring this with me tonight.”

“Theresa, why did you bring Dad's iPod? He's gonna kill you, you know that, right?”

“Adam, I'm not going to break it. Something told me to bring it.”

“Yeah, that little evil, red part of you that sits on your shoulder and whispers ‘Steal iPods'.”

The twins glance at the boy further up the path.

“Why is he treating you like that?” asks Terrali, his heart confused. “I thought you were his sister.”

“Like how?”

“His voice imparts anger,” says Octavius.

Theresa shrugs. “He's just like that. Daddy's kind of like that too.”

The twins look at each other. “Brothers don't treat sisters like that where we come from,” says Terrali.

“Where do you come from?” asks Theresa.

Neither Terrali nor Octavius know how to answer. So they both just point upwards towards the leaves.

“From the skyyy?”

“Yeah, that's about right,” says Octavius.

The smile on Theresa's face grows into a starburst. “You're aliens?” she practically screams, jumping and waving her arms.

“Aliens schmaliens. There's nothing there, Theresa. You've gone loopy. I'm heading home.” Adam whistles at Buster who bows and turns his brown head, flickers an ear but doesn't move. “Fine then, I'll head home myself.”

She doesn't look at him, just shrugs. Adam turns and leaves.

“Actually, I think the better word is extraterrestrials. ETs. Aliens can mean people, apparently,” she says, calming down. “Here. If you just need to see things to make them happen, this should do it,” she says, holding up the iPod.

She whirls her finger over the white box, pushes against it and the small square lights up, the word ‘Heroes' appearing.

“This is amazing,” says Octavius as actors appear on the screen. “Is there actually a whole theater inside this tiny box?”

She giggles. “No no, it's a file transferred to the chip inside.”

“So there's a theater inside the…chip?” asks Terrali.

“No, there's no theater. It's just a television show. Uncle Milgram sends discs with files on them to Daddy, and Daddy transfers the files from the discs to the iPod with his laptop.”

Terrali has to look away from the screen. “That hurts my attention. It's like it's sucking everything out of my brain.”

“That's because it's like a theater,” says Octavius. “All the energies of a theater put into a tiny little screen. It takes more than it gives.”

“Daddy does like to watch it a lot,” says Theresa in reflection. “Sometimes he takes the iPod fishing and will be gone all day.”

“So what am I looking for?” says Terrali.

“Here, I'll fast forwards it for you,” says Theresa. She swirls her hand around on the box a moment before showing it to them.

“Hand motions like that?” says Terrali. “That's a magic box.”

“No no, it's just technology,” says Theresa, holding it back out.

On the screen a man runs to a chain-link fence. He turns around to face pursuers who point things at him. Terrali and Octavius squeeze together and squint their eyes. The man jumps up into the sky and flies away.

“Wizard,” says Terrali. “He's a bird!”

Theresa giggles. “No, he's just a politician. There are other things I can show you too.” She giggles like mad. “Man, if only people could do what you do.”

“What's that?” asks Octavius.

“Look at something and do it.”

The boys look at each other.

“You can't?” says Octavius.

She gives them an annoyed look. “People can't do that. That's just computer animation making it look like he can fly.”

Terrali looks at his brother, who scratches his head. “He didn't actually fly?”

“No, it's just a television actor and computer animation.”

“What do you mean?” says Terrali. “You see things that look real that aren't?”

“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.”

Buster makes a whine and pushes his nose towards Octavius' knee. The ancient boy smiles and gently pets the dog's head.

“But that's illusion,” says Terrali. “Illusion isn't truth, it's deceptive.”

Theresa shrugs. “That's what television is. Actors and computer animation.”

Terrali grabs his brother's hand. “But how do you tell what's real and what isn't?”

Theresa shrugs again. “Outdoors is real, but most of what's on television isn't.”

“If your Dad watches this tele-vision on the iPod all the time,” asks Octavius, “Doesn't that mean he's more in illusion than reality? And in reality, transferring the illusion to your brother?”

Theresa tilts her head and smiles at Octavius, a light going on in her head. “Uncle Milgram says I'm a smart cookie, but I didn't see that. I do now,” she says. “You're way smarter than me.”

Octavius remembers the veils of forgetfulness that surround this planet.

“How many people watch this tele-vision?” he asks.

“Almost everyone?” says Theresa. “There aren't many others out here in the woods, but when we go visit family in the city, that's what we usually do. That is, watch television.”

Terrali squeezes his brother's hand hard, not liking what he hears. Octavius looks over to his brother with concern.

“But, that's wrong! If you can't tell what's real and isn't on this vision-tele, it's messing with your brains!” says Terrali.

Theresa gives him a resigned look that says ‘maybe so, but there isn't anything I can do about it.'

“You've given up power,” says Octavius with a soft murmur, remembering all the war transpired in the past hundred galactic seconds. “There are deep divisions on this planet between its inhabitants.” He focuses on Theresa and says “Why don't you think you have any influence?”

“I'm only nine. I'm a little kid. I shouldn't have any influence because I'm not mature enough.”

The boys look at each other again.

“This is also a very confused planet,” says Octavius. “I can feel it getting to me.”

“My head hurts,” says Terrali, putting his hands to his temples.

“But…you're younger, right? You're going to spend more time on this planet than those who are older. Why would your words be less important than those who are here less?”

“I like what you're saying,” says Theresa. “It isn't that I like how things are. It just seems that it's the way things are.”

“Does that mean that's how things have to be?” says Octavius.

Theresa looks confused. “Sure, I'd love it for things to be different. It'd be nice if what I said mattered. But one has to be influential, like a politician, to make anything different.”

Octavius shakes his head back and forth. “But you have influence. With the gift of voice, your influence is so great that with a word, the seas can part and the trees grow at your command.”

Theresa smirks with a giggle unfenced. “Now that sounds like something from the bible. That's just hocus-pocus.”

Terrali screeches and jumps up. “What? How can you say that?”

“Everyone knows the bible is just silly stories.”

Octavius shakes his head. “What does the sea parting and trees growing at command have to do with so-called silly stories in something called the bye-bill?”

“Because that's what happens. Moses parts the sea and God makes a tree grow over Jonas' head. Daddy says the Bible was written by a bunch of prehistoric neo-conservatives. Whatever that means.”

Terrali reaches his hands towards the river and concentrates. He utters the primordial word and the river parts. Mud, a few fingers of sand and a submerged log reveal the bottom. A turtle pokes a startled head out of the log and looks around. A lily pad drapes the log in single, big green polka dot.

Her eyes widen in surprise and her mouth drops.

Octavius looks at a small mushroom growing near the base of the tree. “Here, look at this,” he says and reaches his right hand down.

Theresa can hardly pull her attention away from the river. Clear, the walls of water look like glass has formed to keep it back.

“How…how…did you do that?” she asks Terrali before looking at Octavius' shimmering eyes and following them down.

Beneath his hand, the mushroom grows until its big enough for her to sit on.

“The science of words and concentration. This is a part of our daily cosmic studies,” says Octavius.

Terrali watches a beaver swim close to see what has caused the water to stop moving. He lets the animal through the wall of water where it examines the muddy bottom with interest and sniffs at the sand.

“It's magic,” breathes Theresa. “Am I dreaming?” She rubs her eyes as if waking up from a long, deep sleep.

Octavius takes his hand away from the mushroom. An ant now the size of a squirrel runs up the tree trunk to disappear into the darkness.

“What's a dream?” he asks.

Theresa looks down and shakes her head. “A dream…something I see when I'm sleeping.”

Octavius gives his brother a stern look. Terrali gently lets the water back down. The turtle retreats into the log and the beaver watches water swirl around its feet and lift it up to the surface.

Octavius looks at the mushroom and shrinks it.

“Why'd you do that?” asks Theresa. “I kind of wanted to sit on it.”

“So you've never seen such things that you honestly believe, even though you see such things on tele-vision?” asks Octavius.

Theresa is looking at him in a reverence that he doesn't like.

“Can you please make me loose ten pounds?” she asks, clasping her hands.

“No. Perhaps we shouldn't have shown you that science-magic. At least it will be a memory that such things are possible,” says Octavius. “But Theresa, think about this. If such things were detailed in something called the bye-bill, and then over time forgotten about with people calling them silly stories, what happens if someone demonstrates them again? The look you just gave me was one of worship. If anyone or anything ever demonstrates science-magic or what looks like science-magic and tries to get you to place faith or belief outside of yourself, you should be running, not worshipping. Because if you're seeing things on tele-vision that were possible a long time ago, and you believe that such things can happen on tele-vision but not in the real world, what happens if something is staged in the real world that appears on tele-vision?”

The look on Theresa's face is of extreme confusion. She sits down on the ground to put her head in her hands and think.

“It's easy to impress the ignorant,” says Octavius. “But science-magic is best practiced for service to others, not for the ego.”

“We want the best for Theresa, and that is not worship,” says Terrali. “Planetary harmony among individuals is much more important.”

“But just because you can do that doesn't mean anyone here can do that. That's just…science-magic?”

Octavius isn't sure if he should tell her that the only requirement is a world based on tens.

Theresa looks at them, a genuine smile slowly spreading. “Thank you for that. I know you have my best interest in mind, because I was pretty stupid there, wasn't I? You could have taken advantage of me, but you didn't.”

“Not stupid,” says Terrali. “Just sleeping.”

Theresa stares at the boys a little bit. “So why does an extraterrestrial want the best for me? It seems like there's so much more than this boring planet.”

Terrali starts to laugh. A sound like wind-chimes serenades the darkened clearing.

“Our perspective in the state we were prior was a little more diffused,” says Octavius. “The level of detail in a dense planet affords greater intimacy. Sometimes the diffusion can get boring. For any being we encounter on a planet when we visit we'll do everything we can to help propel them along their path.”

“I found you on the path I walk on every day,” says Theresa. “But I don't get what you mean by propelling me along it. If anything you caught my attention in a very different way.”

“Well, where do you want to go? What do you want to do?” says Octavius.

“I liked what Terrali said about planetary harmony being important. I think that is important.”

Octavius furrows his brows as he thinks. Obviously she doesn't know about the galactic synchronization occurring in only four cosmic seconds, or years for her.

“Planetary harmony is only possible when the individual parts are harmonious. To start that, one has to start with the self,” says Octavius.

“I'd do anything to make things better,” she says. “To make things right again. I have to do it. It's part of why I'm here. I just don't know what to do.”

Octavius gives her a smile and touches her shoulder. “We can help, but it involves you more than anything. One has to know thyself before they can help others. That path is an inward path, not necessarily one that you walk in the world, although sometimes it might be. Once one has found the inner treasure, that's when the worldly path opens up wide.”

Theresa's face blooms into joy, her eyes shimmering. “Please please. I'll do anything.”

Octavius leans forwards to kiss her forehead. “Keep that enthusiasm, friend. Let's start at the bottom and ascend up the ladder. You mustn't share if it's outside your comfort zone. Rather just let the thought come to mind. Ready?”

“Absolutely,” she says with excitement.

“What was the scariest moment of your life?” says Octavius

“When the three big towers came crashing down.”

“How old were you?”

“Umm…two? Mommy and Daddy don't believe me when I say I can remember it, but I do.”

“Do you remember what exactly it was that it made you fear?”

“That I'm too late. That I didn't get here soon enough.”

The boys give her gentle smiles, a golden light radiating out from their hearts to cast the clearing in a flickering aura.

“You were on time,” says Octavius. “You came into the earth right when you needed to.”

“Thank you for that,” says Theresa. “But I'm still afraid that they're going to do awful things.”

“What goes around comes around,” says Terrali.

“Karma,” says Theresa, brightening a little. “I'm always concerned about my own, but I never thought about others.” She bounces up and gives Terrali a hug.

“Next one,” says Octavius after she sits back down. “When did you feel the most guilt?”

Theresa squirms a little, ducks her head.

“You don't have to say it out loud,” says Octavius.

“I want to. I need to. It's just…hard to say. I don't want people to judge me so I don't talk about things that make me feel guilty. But I don't think you'll judge me.”

She takes a breath and sits up straight. “I once left the side door open, and a bear tried to get inside to eat our food. Daddy thought the bear had broken in, but I never told him otherwise.”

“Did anyone get hurt?”

“Daddy got scraped on his arm bad. He had to get stitches,” she says. She adds quietly, “He still has a scar, and I start to cry whenever I see it.”

“So there's an untruth in your guilt,” says Octavius.

“I thought not saying something would make it go away, but it's only made it worse.”

“What do you think you should do?”

She doesn't say anything for a moment. “I should tell him.”

“Why?”

“Because he believes a lie, and I never corrected him.”

“Why didn't you tell him?”

“Because he'll get mad, and I don't like to see him when he's so angry. He might send me back to live with Mommy in the city, and I don't want to go. I like this out here. I need this.”

“Why can't you tell him that?”

“Because he won't listen. When he gets mad, he gets mad . Sometimes I hide behind the firewood when he's really mad.”

“So there's fear?”

“Yeah. I love Daddy. But sometimes I'm afraid of him.”

“If there's fear overriding guilt over a particular issue, it's going to be destabilizing as it's what the guilt has to sit on. One will want to resolve the fear before one can resolve the guilt. Perhaps there's something you can say or do to reach him and let him know that you hold onto truths that hurt you because you're afraid of his hurtful response. It sounds like it puts you into a position where you're getting hurt no matter what.”

Theresa draws in a breath. “I can try.” She gives Octavius a smile. “Thank you. I wish I had someone so even and non-judgmental to talk to all the time.”

“Why not ask Daddy for that?” says Terrali.

She sighs. “He's distant, as if he's elsewhere half the time.”

Terrali kneels to give her a hug. He crosses his legs and sits next to her.

“The next step up would be shame. What was most shameful for you?”

Theresa blushes a deep red and looks down at Buster, pets him behind the head.

“You don't have…”

“I will. One second. This one's really hard.” She takes a few deep breaths before she continues. “IonceplayeddoctorwithaboyandhedidsomethingandIlik editbutwebothgotcaughtandweneversaweachotheragain. ”

“Why would you feel shameful for something you liked?” asks Octavius.

“Because we got in so much trouble. So much. His Dad spanked him and they moved away a month later. Daddy and Mommy both screamed at each other for days after that. I felt so bad about it. I cried for weeks. They tried to forget it happened as soon as they stopped fighting. I felt both guilty and shameful. I still feel guilty and shameful about it. I don't know if it'll ever go away. Sometimes when I'm with just Buster out on the lake I'll still cry about it.”

“It sounds like Dads and Daddys and Mommys don't know a lot about their younger ones,” says Terrali. “It sounds like they'd rather get mad and angry than talk and listen.”

Theresa lifts a single sad eyebrow. “You could say that. It's not that they don't talk, or listen. They do, sometimes. But they're not there . It's like they're trying to fix something when it feels like they're breaking things.”

“And telling them this doesn't help?”

“Adults never take me seriously. They think I'm just a little kid. Maybe I am just a little kid in their eyes, but I'm still me. What matters to me doesn't matter to them most of the time. They try to forget about things.” She thinks a moment. “But I guess I end up doing the same thing, don't I?”

Octavius gives her a pointed look. “Such is the gift and challenge of sight. What one sees is the model one perceives. If you're not being very careful and aware of what those around you are doing, you'll just reflect back to them what they show. You're not being authentic to yourself if you're just reflecting back what everyone else is showing. Think for yourself. Feel for yourself.”

“So me not telling Daddy about leaving the door unlocked is like them trying to forget what I did with Benny?”

“You're both trying to forget something happened when it has severe consequences. The two incidents don't make each other equal or cancel each other out, but they both come from the same root cause. Addressed quickly, root causes may be easier to resolve than pretending they don't exist. Addressed later and the roots they set make them much harder to remove. As far as roots go, what's deeper, the physical wound or the soul wound?”

“They both can be deep,” says Theresa, yawning.

“You're right,” says Octavius. “Did you want to talk about grief yet?”

Theresa looks at her shoes. “Grief. That's like when someone dies, right? Or moves away?”

“However you want to define it.”

She's quiet for a bit. “I guess I kind of grieved when Benny moved away. We were best friends and then everything got so bad at the end.”

Terrali leans close to give Theresa a hug. “It's too bad that happened the way it did. Know that you are loved,” he says.

She returns the hug and smiles. Her eyes widen as she sees herself reflected on his silvery body. “You're beautiful, you know that?” she says to Terrali, watching her face distort as he moves his arm.

“You're far more beautiful than this shell. This is only temporary while we're here on this planet. It'll fall away when we mist into the upper planes,” says Terrali. “You'll join us soon enough.”

“Mist?”

“Yeah, become less dense. All bodies are just instruments for a short stay.”

She yawns again and shakes her head. “I can't believe I've just told extraterrestrials my deepest secrets,” she says with a giggle. “But somehow, it feels right. And you know what? I don't feel as heavy. I feel lighter thanks to you two. Thank you.”

Buster looks in the direction she came from and his tail wags. Theresa looks at Buster and then down the path. “Uh oh, is Daddy coming Buster?”

The dog looks up at her and then back towards the path, ears twitching. A big flashlight starts bobbing, coming closer.

“I think Daddy is coming. Thank you so much Octie and Terrali. I think I feel like Peter Pan now,” she says with a ginormous smile. “I hope we can talk again soon.”

“I'd like that,” says Terrali.

The boys wave goodbye as she stands up.

“THERESA? ARE YOU OKAY? WHERE ARE YOU?” calls a deep voice.

“I'm right here Daddy,” she says as she steps back onto the dirt path.

“OH SWEET JESUS! IS MY BABY DOLL OKAY?”

The light bobs closer as Theresa walks away. She glances over her head to look back at the visitors and wave one last time.

“Daddy, I'm fine.”

A man wearing red plaid pajamas hustles along the path, a shotgun in his right hand and a mag flashlight in his left. He runs up, kneels and sweeps her into his arms.

“Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you weren't harmed,” he says. His eyes squeeze tight as he holds her close. “I don't need to know why you're out here. Let's just go home to bed, okay?”

“Okay.”

He turns and with a relieved sigh, carries her back down the path. With her small chin on his wide shoulder, she waves good-bye to the boys with her fingers.

Buster sniffs at Terrali's right big toe where a ladybug crawls. He looks at the shimmering figures before turning to follow.

“Octie?” says Terrali. “I haven't heard that since Ioweget.”

Octavius looks up into the tree. “There's more to do before we leave.”

Time to get chonged before I even attempt to read that lol

wow. I read that whole thing. From the instant I began I couldnt stop. Did you write this?

I'm glad you liked! Thank you for the support! Yes, I wrote this. I'm a writer and intend to have a novel out before end of year. The current working title for the novel is 'The Atlantis Code.'

pure eloquence mate. I loved it down to the last drop. When it comes out let us all know. I wanna buy one.