Masquerading Shadows

“Darn it, Jewels! Why did you vanish on me like this? Especially when you know how important your involvement is for the whole of humanity! It’s my task to keep you out of harm’s way and aligned with your purpose. Now Parazantha and the overlords will have more control over you!” For a second, an uneasy recall flared, and he heard the grand council’s warning, “Don’t loose sight of her.” However, this was not the first time Jewels had vanished. It had occurred once before when she was still a novice time-traveler. That time he had found her again, and this time he was determined to do the same. Slowly a tube torus sphere enveloped Darius’s heart center. He blew his love through the threshold towards Jewels and said, “Wherever you are, dear one, I will eventually find you! Take care in the darkness.”  Twirling in a circle in the bedroom at her plantation style house, Julia appreciated the momentary gladness in her heart. She had decided it was best to not share her new faith with anyone. She would give it a few weeks to settle. What was I thinking? Am I truly a born-again Christian? This is nutty. What am I doing? Observing herself, she noticed that her personality bounced like a tennis ball batted around by the opinions of other people. Unstable, she ricocheted from one ideology to another. Yet, for the first time in years she thought, could this be the ticket to sincere peace I’ve been searching for since my childhood? What will Cameron say about all of this when he calls? Mental agony surfaced. Hell, he'll think I've gone nuts. What about my mom? What will she say? Well it’s my life, and it doesn't matter what she thinks. Unfamiliar religious concepts swelled in her brain. It made her woozy. One way or another, the fascination with inner exploration had always activated her motivation button. Recently, she had seen how stagnant and dull her life had become. It’s my time to grow up. It seems I’m being given an excellent way to facilitate that process. The limitations of her life now opened toward an uncharted frontier—or so she thought. Everything is whipping by like a high-speed train! She whirled in dizzy exhilaration. By some act of fate or maneuvering— she could not say— Jeremiah had become her self-appointed scholar. Somehow, she agreed to meet him every five days at a coffee shop in Paia. Three weeks into her salvation, she consented to be officially shepherded by him as he gradually introduced her to “The Gospel of Christ according to Jeremiah.” They sat across from each other at Ariel’s Café one block down the street from the health food store where she worked. He reached into a tattered brown satchel and pulled out his Bible. Julia observed illegible notes scribbled on the sides of the thin pages. Curiosity sparked Julia to ask questions. She wanted to learn more about her mentor. “What about your childhood? Where did you grow up?” Julia probed. Smoothly he shared, “I was born in Portland, Oregon. When I was six my father abandoned my mother and me. For years she blamed me and said I was the reason that my father had left her.” He took a sip of tea and sadly stared at her as if looking for sympathy. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she said, dutifully on cue. Julia nibbled on a peanut butter cookie before dipping it in her black tea with milk. She pretended it was like the chai tea she drank when she lived in India. He continued, “My father’s disappearance triggered my mother to binge drink. She’d forget to feed me because she was passed out on the couch. Mostly I was left to fend for myself.” “Your adolescence sounds pretty harsh.” Inside, Julia had a tinge of pity for him. “God does not test us beyond what we are capable of enduring. So, I left home at the age of fifteen to find another life. I found sanctuary on the streets of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco. It was the early seventies. Those years were consumed with sex, drugs, and living communally. By the time I was twenty-nine, I was receiving monthly Social Security checks. Remember, I told you when we first met.” “Uh, no. Sorry. My life seems tame compared to yours.” “Now that I have Jesus, the slate of my past has been wiped clean. I’m forever free and forgiven.” Julia inquired. “Do you ever talk to your mom?” “Sure. She’s a recovering alcoholic now.” “Oh. Good. Well…I don’t have much time today. I’m cooking dinner with my roommates tonight. I should probably get a move on.” She shook his hand and hastily departed from the restaurant. As she walked home she thought, I’m not sure about Jeremiah. For some reason he creeps me out. Maybe I shouldn’t meet with him so often.