Lost Souls Read online

  “Come child,” the woman cooed. “Come and sit with me again, as we did years ago, and let me tell you what now needs to be done. Time is short and growing shorter each day so hurry now and let’s begin.”

  Marissa kicked the door closed and as if in a trance, walked to the table, set down her food and took the woman’s hand in hers, noticing how smooth and young it had become once again. Not sure if she was dreaming or if this was real, she reached over and pinched the woman. When she was rewarded with a yelp and a questioning look from her, Marissa realized it was as real as anything could be and settled back for what she knew was going to be a life changing conversation.

  Madame Bouvier stared at her intently, wondering how much she could tell her at this point, how much her brain could believe after all she’d been through. Everything was so sacred and so important she hardly knew where to begin. With a sigh and a look at her brother, Madame Bouvier began her tale, a tale that went back as far as time, a tale that began with the beginning of time itself. Slowly and clearly she recounted what she knew and how she knew it and by the time she was finished there was a new determination in Marissa’s eyes and a new resolve to set things right and to find Dalton.

  ***

  SLEEP WAS SOMETHING unimportant to Marissa now. She had a mission. Deep inside her heart she had always suspected Dalton was still alive, surely a love like theirs would have left a scar too profound to ever heal if he had been killed that day. She was still trying to make peace with the gypsy woman and her brother being in the motel room. How in the world could someone come back over 20 years later, and look as if she hadn’t aged a day? Especially since she had looked a thousand years old the last time Marissa had seen her. When she had questioned the woman, she had just waved her hands at Marissa, not unlike her brother had done all those years ago, and told her not to worry about unimportant things, had said they had too much work to do to go on and on about things that didn’t concern her. The brother, Yoska, had sat quietly and let Madame Bouvier do all of the talking, nodding when she looked at him for affirmation on one thing or another. Marissa recounted the incredible story they had come so far to tell her…

  “Ever since the beginning of time, there has been a fight between good and evil. This is nothing new to us, nothing we haven’t known, just something we tend to forget or to dismiss as unimportant. There are believers, non-believers and ones who lay in the middle, too afraid or unsure to go one way or the other. When Jesus was born, He was meant to bring us all to God, to show us how important our faith is, to convince the unsure that this was the way, and to try to sway the non-believers over to believing. When He died and rose again, He told us that he would return again one day when the end was near and take us home to our Father and give us the eternal life we had been promised so long as we believed in Him. Marissa, I know in your heart, you can feel this is true. You have been a part of this for more lifetimes than you can ever imagine. Always trying to get it right, but never quite making it. Dalton is a key element in that struggle. When he was alive the last time, he was hung on a cross for trying to bring us home, this time His Father could not bear to have that happen again which is why he has come back as such a simple man. Even now as we speak, he is on the other side, trying to bring us back to our eternal home, but he needs your help. You are essential in His mission Marissa. Mary. That is what you were called the last time. Does it feel familiar to you? Mary… The only woman Jesus ever loved and has dedicated Himself to for all eternity. A love so deep and true others can only pray they will taste even a portion of a feeling like that in their lifetime. Do you feel him Mary? Do you feel the pull towards him? Only you can tell us where we need to go. You need to open your mind and find him Mary. He will be trying to reach you to tell you what we need to do. Do you still have the ring?”

  Marissa nodded as her hand flew to her neck… “When we are finished with it, leave it on and don’t ever take it off again. He will come to you even as you dream and tell you what you need to know. Now drink this.” The woman handed her an elaborate chalice that was filled with an amber liquid. As she touched her lips to the goblet, her mind swam and the ring which hung at the hollow of her throat began to get warm and pulse as if it had its own heartbeat. As she caressed the gold of the cup, she could see a vision of Dalton in the liquid, beckoning to her to come to him, a single tear coursing its way down his cheek. The ring throbbed now and as she lifted her arms to remove it, Madame Bouvier opened a huge book that was as old as time and lay it on the table.

  “Drop the ring.” she hissed.

  Marissa did as she was told and watched as the ring became a snake that slithered along the page until it reached a certain point where it drew back in on itself and once again became a ring. The diamond glistened like Marissa had never seen it glisten before, its light shining on a single spot on the map. A smile spread slowly across the Gypsy womans face as she leaned in closer to see.

  “Of course!” she cried. “It only makes sense! We must prepare ourselves and go to lead the people. Do you have a passport?” she asked as she looked at Marissa.

  “A passport? What ever for?”

  “Because we are off to China, to Tai Shan, Tai’an, China, the home of Heaven’s Gate. Ah the irony! This is where Dalton waits for you. He needs you now like he has never needed you before. Put the ring back on and gather your things. We don’t have a minute to waste. We must hurry!” and with that the woman jumped up from the table and carefully wrapped the book back in the silken cloth and tied it with an old, worn rope. With that done, she gently fed it back into the huge bag she had pulled it from only a short time ago. Marissa watched in a daze, unsure of what she needed to do now until Yoska turned to her and smiled. “I know this must be very hard for you to understand. It has been written that you are not to be born with the knowledge you have had in past lives, the knowledge that would have made this so easy for you. That, unfortunately, is your cross to bear. We however, weren’t cursed this way. We know the plan, we know the rules. We are here to guide you and help you in any way we can. We will try to explain while we are on our way but Raaida is right, we must hurry. There are forces trying to stop us even now as we sit here.”

  Marissa threaded the chain back through the ring and once again fastened its clasp behind her neck, securing it once more. She ran her finger around the diamond, hope gleaming in her eyes for the first time since Dalton’s disappearance.

  ***

  BACK IN THE passenger seat, Marissa glanced every once in a while at Yoska. He had taken the wheel with no protest from either of the women. It gave both of them time to dwell on their thoughts and for Marissa to try to put things together. She was a pool of self-doubt and anxiousness right now but even though she felt that way, deep inside her heart, she could feel him, could hear him calling out to her. She leaned back in the seat and without any trouble at all, she slept.

  She could see him. She could see him with a machete in his hand chopping through a dense forest of trees, sweat beading on his forehead and making a path down his face, even dripping into his eyes. He chopped with a resolve that showed anyone who looked at him that he was not to be disturbed. When a few of the men had asked if they could help him, he had paused only long enough to tell them that at least for now, he felt this was something he must do on his own, part of his retribution for things that he had left undone in his past life, or perhaps even the one before that. His muscles ached, his legs trembled with exhaustion and his body cried out for water, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. When Amelia had come to him and asked him why he felt so compelled to do this, he had stopped only to tell her, this is the way home. He had dreamed it while he had slept last night. His Father had come to him and had told him to clear a path, to make the way to the center of the jungle to go west of the path that lead to Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. His Father had told him that this was the beginning of the end; that the time was now! The urgency in His voice had prompted Dalton to jump out of bed and to run t
o the edge of the forest and to start chopping as quickly as he could. By the time dawn had broken, he had chopped enough trees to walk into the jungle about an eighth of the way to the center. He had made great progress but now he was growing weary. He knew he would soon have to stop and rest or he would collapse from exhaustion. Dalton dropped to his knees and prayed like he had never prayed before…

  “Father, please, I need to know if this is a mission I must take upon myself or if I am allowed to have help from the others? I am so weary Father but I will not quit if this is what needs to be done.”

  Dalton waited for an answer, a sign, for anything… but there was nothing. Amelia quietly came over to him.

  “Dalton, please; let us help. This is a mission that is almost impossible for one man to take on ... even a man as great as you.” She gently reached out and took the machete from his hands and turned them over to see the huge blisters that had formed there and were weeping.

  “Come back to the sanctuary and let me dress these before they become infected. You will do no good at all like this.”

  Dalton’s shoulders drooped in failure as he nodded and he knew she was right. He followed her with his head hung down, ashamed at himself for not being able to do more. As they grew closer to the house, he heard a commotion and as he turned, he was rewarded with the sight of every available man grabbing up the primitive tools and chopping the trees, felling them faster than he ever could have alone. He was so grateful for the help, so grateful that the work would be done faster now. He sighed in relief knowing that he was not alone and that His Father had allowed the people to help him. He thought of Marissa, a sudden welcome thought, and his heart ached for her. It had been so long since he had been able to touch her, so long since he had heard her voice and his body felt like it was missing its other half. He needed to eat and get some rest. He would fulfill his duty once again when he woke up.

  Amelia watched Dalton and felt so bad for him. His undertaking was more than any man should have to bear, but then again, this was no ordinary man. She knew that. They were all blessed that he had come to take them home. She missed so many people; her family would all be gone now, lying in their resting place and patiently waiting to go to their permanent home as well. It would be so wonderful to see them, especially her father. He had always understood her better than anyone else. He had understood her longing to fly and to travel like a bird and to invent things that made life so much easier and more interesting. She remembered being a little girl, always grabbing and inspecting his tools when he was fixing things. How her mother would shake her head in despair and go on and on about how hard it would be to get the grease and oil that inevitably got on her clothing, out. Her father would always look at her and smile, and to her mother would say, “So we will buy her a new dress. What is the money for anyways?” And her mother would smile and say, “Fine. She can be the son you never had then. Next thing I know she will be stealing your trousers as well and not even wanting to wear a dress…” Little had she known! Amelia smiled at the memory and was saddened to think that although it felt like just yesterday, it had been over 100 years in earth years now since she had been born. Here, it was like just a year or so ago since she had gone missing, strange how the time flowed so differently on this plane.

  She followed Dalton into the house and went over to get him a bowl of soup. It was hot and filling and soothing to the soul and she figured it was just what he needed now. She spoon fed him knowing that he would not be able to hold the crude spoon himself with his hands blistered the way they were. She felt like an older sister to him and had vowed to protect him at all costs. He was, after all, everyone’s way out of there, their Savior. She watched as his eyelids grew heavy and his breathing grew deeper and she knew he was going to fall asleep right in the chair. Amelia set down the bowl and got the bandages they had foraged from his own backpack the day he had come there. He’d had a bunch of gauze and bandages and different kinds of medicine in a waterproof first aid kit and it had come in very handy since his arrival. She’d smoothed the ointment over the blisters, wincing herself as she did so. Several had already burst and were oozing what liquid was left, wetting the gauze as soon as it was applied. She did the best she could do and helped him up from the chair and led him down the hall to his room.

  “Sleep, Dalton. The world wasn’t made in one day and you aren’t going to recreate it in one either. As anxious as everyone is, we all know how hard you are working to try to get us home. No one is rushing you Dalton. Some of us have been here for so long that this is home to us now. Rest and regain your strength. Tomorrow is another day,” and with that she leaned in and kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair with her hand and watched as Dalton stumbled to the bed, falling into it and drifting into a deep sleep almost immediately.

  ***

  THE SKY RUMBLED with a distant thunder and as Dalton awoke, he realized he had never seen it rain here. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked out the window at the dark clouds and fragmented lightning crawling like disjointed fingers across the sky. As the first drops hit the window, Dalton climbed out of bed and with a quick intake of breath he realized it was raining blood! He stared at the rivulets that were coursing down the window pane and pooling below the window on the stones. He watched as the stones began to move and turn into rats, twisting their heads around to glare at him and hiss. Then they turned into snakes and slithered below the window trying to gain purchase and get inside. Dalton was horrified and turned to see what he could grab to kill them with. A crude club lay beside his door and he rushed over to grab it, appalled when he seen it was crawling with fire ants. He looked around the room, desperate now to find anything to defend himself with but could find nothing. As he turned back to see if the serpents had made their way in, there she stood. Marissa. Daltons jaw dropped open and words escaped him as he ran to her and went to put his arms around her. She stood like a statue, cold, not moving, not blinking, not even breathing and although there was no way she could have spoken, Dalton could hear her.

  “I am coming Dalton. I am on my way. Please help me and prepare the road. You know what you have to do. Your mission is my mission and we need each other to finish it. Help me Dalton, you have always been there for me, don’t disappoint me now. I love you so much and I am so sorry for everything. I will be there soon.” And with that, she dissipated into a mist and disappeared.

  Dalton awoke with a start and sat up in bed looking around the room for Marissa, the snakes or the fire ants he had seen but now there was nothing. It had been a dream. She had looked so real Dalton thought. What did she mean she was sorry? It hadn’t been her idea to go to Judge Magney State Park, it had been his idea. Oh how he wished he could turn back the hands of time and be there with her once again. He knew that he must get the path to the middle of the jungle finished. It was imperative. Why? He still wasn’t sure, but there was one thing he did know, he was running out of time. He felt like he was just a vessel in a large sea, blindly sailing to some unknown shore. All he knew for sure was that on that shore, he would find Marissa and they would be together once again.

  Dalton went into the bathroom that was attached to his room and stepped into the makeshift shower. This was the one thing he missed more than anything else, a hot shower. He braced himself for the shock of the cold water and when it hit he inhaled sharply forgetting about his hands which burned like the fires of hell when the water hit them. He unraveled the bandages and held them under the flow of the water hoping it would rinse out the dirt and grime that had become embedded in them and stop the infection before it started, gritting his teeth against the pain. After a while, the cold of the water blessedly numbed them and he offered up a quick prayer of thanks for it.

  He cleansed himself as best he could with the rough bar of soap whose scent vaguely reminded him of sandalwood, and inhaled deeply. At least something about the shower was enjoyable. After he rinsed, he got out and toweled off. He had no idea what kind of material they used here
for the towels but it was the most absorbent material he had ever seen. He had seen the women from the Eskimo tribe crocheting them with crochet hooks that had been carved from some kind of bone, teaching Aguta how to make them also. One quick pass over his body and it was as if he had never been wet. In a flash he was dressed and off he went in search of Amelia to discuss his dream with her and to see what she made of it.

  She was at the border of the jungle directing people and making sure they stayed true to the path he had started early that morning. He was stunned at how fast they had cleared so much as opposed to his slow progress that morning. They were three men wide and 3 men deep and Dalton couldn’t help but compare the number to the trinity and he knew the number was good. Dalton had been around long enough to know, there were no coincidences and that things happened for a reason, all things. He walked over to Amelia and she smiled when she seen him. She was happy to see he looked refreshed and well rested which was a huge relief to her. She wasn’t quite sure what was happening but she was sure it was important. It was big, and she was humbled to be a part of it all.

  “Their progress is amazing,” Dalton said. “I could never have made that much headway on my own. Thank you.”