CHAPTER 30

DANTRA

001001011001110

Being dead was not at all what I had expected. It was actually quite cozy. The red velvet surface beneath me was incredibly soft, and the sweetest melody from a flute was drifting from somewhere nearby.

Two faces appeared above me. One was Annie’s; the other, my mom’s. Both were crying.

“He looks good,” said Annie between sobs. “Don't you think he looks good?”

“Yes.” Mom sniffed. “Very handsome.”

“I always loved that suit.” Annie blew her nose. “The funeral parlor did a nice job with him.”

Funeral parlor! I grabbed the side of the coffin, sat up, and hauled myself out.

Mom and Annie continued to stare down at the body in the open casket. It was me-- and I looked dead. But I did NOT look good! Why do people always say dead people look good?

I waved my hand in front of Annie. No reaction. I jumped up and down waving my arms. Still nothing. Was I a ghost? Was my spirit bound to earth for some crime I had committed? I turned and scanned the room. Samuel and Rebecca were sitting in the front row, dressed all in black. If they saw me, they made no indication. I walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at all the sad faces-- row after row of relatives, friends, business associates. “Huh.” I shrugged. All things considered, it wasn't a bad turnout.

A face in the third row caught my attention. She looked familiar-- but I couldn't place her. Her clothing was odd, either foreign, or out of date, I couldn't decide which. I recognized her radiant blond hair and piercing green eyes. Yes, I knew her! Ariel! From the Abby where I’d studied for my appointment as sky searcher. Sky searcher? I knew the term, but, what did it mean? Ariel smiled at me. Could she see me? I stepped down from the platform and walked up the aisle toward her, all the while keeping my gaze fixed on hers.

The room began to warp and expand until I found myself alone with her in a dense forest. Her lovely face turned up toward mine. “I waited,” she said softly. “I knew you were busy with your studies, but I waited.”

I crouched in front of her and found myself saying, “I know it is difficult for you, but my workload is demanding.”

“You will gain what you seek, Charm. I only hope I may share in your journey.”

Memories like a distant dream began to surface. Memories of an entire life lived in a beautiful and peaceful world-- peaceful, that is, until the gods came.

I stood and took a step back.

Her countenance fell. “What's wrong?”

“I’m-- Sam Dejal.”

“We don't have time for this,” came a gruff voice from behind me.

I twisted around and was surprised that I was still in the funeral parlor. Standing before me, unmoving, was a priest with an annoyed look on his face. There was a long pause, and I began to wonder if he had spoken at all. I leaned in close-- looking for a hint of movement.

“Can we speed things up!”

“Whoa!” I leaped back.

The priest rolled his eyes.

I squinted at him. “Do I know you?” I asked.

“My name is Clayton P. Wentworth,” he said gruffly, “but you know me as Humphrey.”

I let out a laugh. “That's right! Of course you’re here. You're dead too!”

“You're not dead, ya dope!”

“What?” I looked around. “Then, what's all this?”

“It’s not real. You're creating this out of the substance of Dantra.”

As he said the word, there was an impression. I knew Dantra. I had been here before. In my mind I saw a wide white bridge with a multitude of people moving across. Angels of God in brilliant orange flame were flying beside the bridge, protecting us from the fallen ones. Explosions of yellow plasma erupted as the ancient ones did battle. God had called us to save one man, Robert Helm.

Humphrey smiled. “That's it, that's a good memory. Hold on to that one. And let's go!”

“Please, Humphrey, I need more.”

Humphrey looked past me and his brow furrowed.

“What is it?” I glanced behind.

“I have been reminded that time is not an issue, and--” his voice lowered and he looked away, “that I need to be more patient.”

“Who reminded you?” I looked around the funeral parlor.

“Someone who knows and loves you,” said a female voice. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and turned to see a familiar face. Her eyes squinted as she produced a smile.

“Becca!” I gave her a long hug, then pulled back slightly. “Are you real?”

“Yes.” She laughed. “I'm real. What you saw before was a creation of your mind, but I’m real.”

I gave her a puzzled look. “How...”

She smiled. “I'm here to explain that, but we will have to take it slowly, because there is great pain if you are shifted through thought too quickly here. It isn't like your dreams. Here in Dantra, your thoughts become reality.”

This idea made me uncomfortable.

“See. You are already beginning the struggle.” She rubbed my shoulder. “It's okay. Humphrey and I are here to assist you. We’re sharing your reality, and the angels are here as well.”

Humphrey interjected. “Remember Arganis?”

It took me a second, but the memories were there. “Yes. I remember him.”

“He taught you how to control the energy coming from The Circle of Ghosts while you were still in Vrin.”

I squinted at him. “Where?”

“Vrin.” He began to pace. “The place he created from the energy of Dantra, the energy surrounding us now, thought energy.”

I stared at him.

He grunted, then tried again. “Vrin is made from thought energy. It is real, because in Dantra thought becomes real.”

“So-- is Vrin a shared hallucination?”

“No.” He frowned. “But that's pretty close.”

Rebecca spoke up. “Let's see if you can follow this. I will stop if I sense any discomfort.”

I nodded.

“Beyond our dreams and past the darkness is a spirit plane called Dantra. We are in Dantra right now. Here, God teaches us about ourselves, and we carry that information back through dreams. It is why we sleep. Do you understand?”

“I-- think so.”

“Well a man named Doctor Solomon began an experiment intended to create a connection between the comatose mind of his friend, Robert Helm, and the physical world. But it did not go as expected, because the scientists had no idea what they were tinkering with. Each time the computer prodded Robert's mind, Robert created substance from the energy of Dantra, and as a result, Vrin came to be.”

“Vrin, yes, now I remember. That’s where we were going on the white bridge.”

“Exactly! God sent you and the others there. So from that time on, whenever you slept, you went to Vrin instead of Dantra. And in Vrin you lived another life, a life completely separated from the one you were experiencing on Earth. Each night, Thomas Tardin went to sleep and became Charm. But then Thomas had an accident and was unable to wake up, which made sleeping very difficult for Charm. Because when Charm went to sleep, he could go only as far as The Separation, but was not able to get home.

For a time, Charm was plagued with sleeplessness, but was otherwise fine-- until one night when he was sitting up late reading Davata Notrals and his consciousness was ripped from his body. His mind was pulled into the void because at that moment, the same computer that had prodded Robert Helm began communicating with Thomas.” Rebecca paused. “Are you remembering?”

I nodded slowly. “It's coming back-- though I'm not sure I want to remember.”

“Should we take a break?”

“No. I need to know.”

“Alright.” She gave a warm smile. “When the computer first began communicating with you, you were terrified because you had no control over what was happening. But eventually you adapted and created an environment in Vrin, which brought you peace. It was then that Sam' Dejal came into existence. And since time does not exist in the void, it appeared that Charm froze at the exact time you became Sam' Dejal. And for a short time you were a god-- or so you thought.

“Sam' Dejal.” An image flashed in my mind. “Yes. But I wanted to be called Jason.”

“Because it was a familiar name to you. But actually, you didn't know who you were, and in your attempt to find your identity, you became entangled in a conflict that was not your own. And with your new abilities, you began to believe you were invincible. This led you to ruin. But when you finally came to the end of yourself, God allowed you to return to Thomas Tardin.”

“Yes. But only after I asked for help.”

“Exactly!” Rebecca flashed a brilliant smile.

I stood thinking, and the memories continued to surface. “I returned to Thomas, but-- I was in some sort of danger. Right?”

“Yes. At the center Thomas’ life was in danger, so Dr. Solomon helped him escape. But that was all Thomas needed to do; to expect any more from him would have been asking too much. His life was riddled with poor choices, because it was tailored to create the man Thomas Tardin would become. But don't feel bad. God knew there would be a Vrin, and he knew there would be a Charm, and Charm's life was fashioned by God to turn you into a hero. All Thomas had to do was fall asleep. You returned to Vrin, and it was once again up to Charm to complete the will of God. And Charm was doing great-- right up to the point where he got shot.”

“Why don’t I remember that?”

“It will come.”

“So-- who am I now?”

“You are the sum of all.” She smiled. “And, Dad, although you have made some poor decisions, I love you anyway.”

“Thanks. I guess.” I gave her a quizzical look. “So how do you know so much?”

“Because I have come to the knowledge of the truth. It is in the understanding of who God is, and of what he has done for us, that we may finally see Dantra for what it is. I no longer have to struggle against myself, I can now focus on the real war. But not all who come to Dantra see it for what it is, and that brings us to Constance. She needs you.”

“--Who?”

“The daughter of Robert Helm.”

“Why does she need me?”

“You are the only one she will listen to.”

Humphrey broke in. “It’s time to go. You have what you need to shift through Dantra. And we have work to do.”

“But, I still have questions.”

Rebecca gave me the most wonderfully loving look. “Humphrey's right, you need to go. But I want you to know, I am so glad to have you for my father. I'm proud of you, Dad, and I will see you when you return.” Her form began to shift and flutter into ghostly transparencies, until she dissolved away completely.

My heart sank.

“You'll see her again, lad,” Humphrey said, “when we’ve finished our work.” He waved his hand and the funeral parlor dissipated, leaving us standing on the white bridge. Here we were enveloped in a light that was love. It eased the burden on my heart, and a feeling of complete peace washed over me.

Beings of light traveled in all directions, near and far. Two of them floated down to us. I stared open mouthed as they came in close. “Where are you going, Humphrey?” said one, with unmoving lips.

“To see Magnus,” replied Humphrey, in like manner.

“Can we help?” he said, his voice like a song.

“You could give us a lift. Thomas doesn't completely remember yet.”

“Sure thing.”

They swooped down and grabbed us by the armpits. At the being’s touch, a soothing warmth flowed through me, up into my face and out into my chest, soaking me in peace.

They lifted us high into the air, and in the distance I could see our destination beginning to take form; a brilliant crystal fortress with the base appearing as a frozen spire. --And beyond this, a darkness as black as night. Cries echoed from within, desperate voices crying out in tortured agony, pleading for an end to their torment. Holding the darkness in place was a transparent barrier. Powerful angels of light hovered before it, strengthening it with coils of energy from their hands. The sight of it made my skin tremble.

“Wh- what is that?” I pointed.

“That is the lost land.”

If not for the calming effect from the being of light, I would have lost myself in panic. My eyes grew round. “Is-- that where we’re going?”

Humphrey scowled with disgust and nodded.

The being leaned in close to my ear and spoke out loud. “You are brave to return.”

Return?

My heart beat faster as we approached the fortress. The being gently placed me onto the translucent bricks at the entrance, then rose back up into the air. I lifted a hand toward him. It was meant to be a wave goodbye, but as I did it, I realized I was reaching for him, not wanting him to go, not wanting him to take away the feeling of peace. The love I’d felt back at the bridge was fainter here, and my own emotions were disconcertingly strong.

“Thank you,” I said, still reaching. My voice sounded faint in my ears.

“You are very welcome,” he sang. “It is not often we get to help a prophet.”

A prophet? The word forced a memory to surface. I was not yet a man of God, but God had chosen me anyway. He’d sent his angels into the dark land to bring me out. I had been in Dantra-- but the struggles of life were weighing me down. I remembered the pain of being in the love of God. It was painful because I held on to destructive things. Thomas was a shrewd businessman, an overachiever driven by success-- but with success came difficult choices-- choices that effected the lives of thousands...

Humphrey smacked me. “Think while you walk, lad. If you stop every time you get a revelation, we'll never get there.” He turned and entered into an enormous engraved archway. Reluctantly, I followed.

Deep inside the courtyard of the crystal fortress, the light was much stronger than the light outside, and this light was also love. Love and light were the same. In my mind, words from Davata Notrals echoed: Good lives for the day and the brightness of the sun, but evil flourishes under the dim light of the moon. It was a metaphor. The sun was a representation of God's love. The moon was simply a reflection. Kric' tu was the moon. He was once the greatest of God's angels, but he was merely a reflection, a reflection that grew dimmer as he moved away from God. Some loved Kric' tu, because they loved darkness, they believed the darkness would hide their wicked deeds.

At the end of the courtyard was another angel and the light reflecting from him was blinding. Though the light was weaker here, this angel seemed to magnify its reflection.

He lifted his wings high into the air. “WELCOME!” His voice was deep and resonating. “I AM MAGNUS. I STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ONE TRUE GOD. COME. I WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU MUST DO.”

“Do we have to do this?” I whispered.

“I don't,” said Humphrey.

My throat constricted. “You're not coming with me?”

“I'm coming with you.” He scowled. “I just don't have to.”

We approached the foot of Magnus.

“DO NOT BE AFRAID. GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU, AND YOU HAVE DONE WELL. THE DAUGHTER OF ROBERT HELM IS IN THE LOST LAND-- AND YOU MUST MAKE A CHOICE. WILL YOU RISK YOUR LIFE FOR HERS, THAT YOU MIGHT SAVE YOUR ENEMY?”

Save my enemy? Thomas would have said no, he would have chosen his own needs. I did not like what Thomas had become, and was thankful that God had given me a second chance with Charm. He had learned the value of selflessness. I liked Charm. I chose Charm.

“Yes. I will.”

“WELL CHOSEN. TAKE YOUR SWORD AND ENTER THE PORTAL.”

I could see the portal behind him, swirling around in melted gold and silver spirals. But I did not see the sword he spoke of. I looked at Humphrey.

He let out an irritated sigh. “Your sword is in your mouth.”

My tongue rolled in response.

“Words are our sword.”

I gave him an uncomprehending look.

“In Dantra, even in the lost land, truth cannot be denied. If you speak truth, it must be obeyed.”

“And--” I looked at him sideways. “What is truth?”

“It is what sways the hand of God. He is our weapon.”

His reply did not answer my question, but I didn’t press the point, partly because of the towering angel watching me with fierce eyes, and partly because Humphrey was already walking toward the portal. I hurried to catch up. He passed through without hesitation, but I was not so comfortable with the idea. Although this was not my first trip to the lost land, it was my first time entering with the understanding of what it actually was-- to an extent. The memory had not completely returned, but what I did remember made me realize that I did not miss this place.

I closed my eyes tightly, and pushed through.

On the other side, was darkness. And it was complete. My short nervous breaths sounded much louder than they should have, as if the sound was reflecting off a hard surface inches from my face. I reached out my hand. But there was nothing there.

“Humphrey!” I whispered.

“What?” His voice made me jump, like he was right next to my ear.

“Why is it so dark?”

Something flashed in my face. The sound, and subsequent reduction of flash, told me it was a match-- before my heart could fully leap from my chest. Humphrey’s face appeared in the orange glow, his wrinkles deepened by the harsh shadows.

My feet sloshed in water upon the hard obsidian surface we were standing on. I turned and squinted into the darkness, listening. There was no sign of life. Just me and Humphrey. In the middle of endless black. I should have been afraid, but I wasn’t.

“--That's weird.”

“What?” The way he said the word, I realized he already knew what I was going to say.

“I didn’t expect to feel God's love here.”

He nodded. “His love fills Dantra, even in the lost land, but it is fainter here because the inhabitants cannot tolerate the light.”

--Cannot tolerate the light. The words echoed in my mind. The idea was so familiar, so...

Humphrey smacked my arm. “Come on!”

I shook my head, and followed closely behind him, unable to take my eyes off the match. As we walked it continued to burn, but did not get shorter. I was about to comment on it, when a tortured scream broke through the darkness. I stopped abruptly and peered around. “That was creepy,” I said in a low voice.

“And to think,” Humphrey said, half sympathetically, “you used to live here.”

A memory surfaced. Pride and selfishness brought me to this dark place. I would come here to try to work through my financial troubles, always carrying my burdens with me, never able to trust God with them.

As I explored the memory, our surroundings began to flicker and change. Light filled the darkness and objects took shape in the receding shadows. Soon we found ourselves walking through an enormous office space with cubical after cubical of men and women frantically trying to get work done. The dark obsidian chamber had completely dissolved. “Did I do that?” I asked, startled.

“Yes, and yes.”

“What?”

“Yes, you changed our surroundings, and yes, you used to be one of these people, struggling to make a name for yourself, never trusting God, only trusting in the talents God gave you.”

“How? How did I do that?” He looked as though his answer was going to be a smart one, so I cut him off. “I mean, how did I make all this appear?”

He looked disappointed I had ruined his fun. “Don’t get your undies in a bunch. It’ll come to you.”

I looked into one of the cubicles at a man in a business suit. He was staring at a screen filled with charts and graphs. In the corner of the screen, a stock ticker flashed red. He laced his fingers into his curly hair and gripped hard. His elbows dug into the desk.

Peering down at him, I suddenly realized, I had once been this man. In fact, I had shared this very office! I looked around at the other workers. They were all here because of the same lust, the same perceived need for something more. I was once one of them, constantly worrying about money, caught in a cycle of endless frustration.

I had not created this room. These were real people sharing the same reality, the same struggle. I had simply merged my reality with theirs-- but this was not a place I wanted to remember. The emotions were growing stronger, painful emotions, and I had no desire to revisit them. I turned toward Humphrey. “Can we leave?”

“Yes, you are in control,” he answered. “You need to search for Gaza's daughter. Her mother is dead and her father’s in a coma. Look for someone dealing with loss.”

Could I do that? Could I find her by searching for her own personal hell? Wherever she was, she was experiencing the loss of a loved one. I thought of my love for my family, and of how I would feel if I lost them.

My soul reached out into the maelstrom of realities. In this realm, as in Dantra, thought became reality. But here, the fears and lusts of its inhabitants generated horrific self-made prisons. It was difficult sifting through the realities of unstable minds, but I realized, much to my surprise, that I had been created for this task. I could walk this realm because I had lived this realm. It spoke to something deep within me. A core belief? An insecurity? Regardless, it was the part of me that caused mistrust in my Creator, but ironically, it was the same part that allowed me to connect with these wretched souls. It was why I was uniquely qualified to rescue Gaza's daughter.

I latched on to the feeling of loss, and the world changed again. It was night and we were walking across a bridge. Several hopeless souls stood poised on the railing, working up the courage to jump. A young man leaned out and I reached to grab him, but Humphrey held my arm. “We can't help him. He has to work through this on his own.”

I turned to Humphrey and studied his face. “We're helping Gaza's daughter, how is that different?”

“This trial is made for that man. He would not respond to you.”

I understood what he meant. God knew I would respond to the angels when they came for me. He knew I had come to the end of myself and was ready to receive their message. I turned from the suicides. It was pointless to try to help; I did not have the message they would hear.

“There was a car accident, right?”

“Yes,” said Humphrey.

“Then maybe we're looking in the wrong place.”

The bridge dissolved and a new scene took form around us, this time, a busy city street. There was a flutter and a woman screamed. I searched for her amidst the sea of pedestrians shimmering into view across the street. She was standing over a body. A crowd was beginning to form.

“We're looking for victims inside a car,” said Humphrey.

“I know!” I snapped at him. “This is all new to me!”

“I'm just saying...”

“If you think this is so easy, you try it!”

“Now you're just being disagreeable,” he said, folding his arms.

The environment shifted again and we found ourselves on a remote road. In the air, droplets of water hovered, like a million tiny tears-- as though time itself had frozen on the most tragic of moments, and nature could not contain its sorrow. I reached out and poked a drop. It left a hollow space, and ran down my finger.

Through the curtain of rain, I saw a woman kneeling by the side of the road. I approached her, creating a path through the droplets. At the bottom of the embankment was the object of her interest, a silver BMW, wrapped around a telephone pole.

I looked down upon the still and somber woman, then back at Humphrey. “She is too old.”

Humphrey’s brow furrowed. “She's not a little girl anymore, the accident happened over twenty years ago.”

“Twenty years? Wouldn't she be past the grief?”

He gazed down at her. “It is not grief that brings her to this dark place. It is guilt.”

I studied her for a long moment, then knelt beside her on the wet pavement. “Excuse me, Miss. What is your father's name?”

She stiffened. “I don't have a father.”

“I'm sorry, what was your father's name?”

“Robert Helm.” Her voice was distant. “Did you know him?”

“I still do.”

“That's not funny!” She stood up.

“I'm not making a joke.” I followed her into the road. “I know your father.”

She stopped on the center line, and for a moment her eyes were uncertain. Then her face contorted in agony as she looked up into the darkness. “HE'S DEAD!” The sky opened up and rain poured down in torrents so thick I had to shield my eyes to see her. She had collapsed to the pavement and was shivering in the downpour.

I knelt beside her. “Come with me, Constance!” I hollered over the roar of the rain. “I will bring you to him!”

“You lie! He's dead! You can't know him!”

I tangibly felt her sadness and guilt, and although she appeared as a woman, I sensed that inwardly she was a still little girl. “Constance, listen to me! When I saw your father, I saw him do this!” I held my pinky out and swooped it in a J shape, then tapped my knuckles together three times.

Her eyelids flicked at the rain as she looked up at me.

“I understand that it was a secret between the two of you! but I know about it! Please believe me when I say I know your father! He loves you very much, Constance. And I can bring you to him!

“But you don’t understand! I can't leave! If I leave, Mommy and Daddy won't wake up!” She looked up at the sky. “I CAN’T LEAVE!” The rain fell harder.

I leaned in closer and shielded my eyes from the deluge. “Come with me! The ambulance is here! They won't let anything happen to your mommy and daddy!”

The scene shifted forward in time and the car was swamped with activity. Lights flashed from the emergency vehicles, paramedics descended the embankment. Constance clutched my jacket and wept. “Please don't let anything happen to my mommy and daddy.”

I gave her a hug. “Everything is going to be all right, Constance. I promise I won’t let...”

A piercing screech filled the air and my head snapped around. A dark form descended onto the hood of the car. The metal gave way under the weight of its massive body. “You do not belong here!” It hissed.

Another creature, thin and humanoid, came out of the shadows. “She cannot go with you.” It droned.

Humphrey stepped between us and the creatures. “Take her back to the portal! I’ll meet you there!”

The creature on the car opened its deformed mouth and let out another screech.

Humphrey’s face snapped back. “Go!”

I pulled Constance by the arm and we headed down the opposite embankment.

Through the wind and rain I heard shouting behind me. “I am a servant of the most high God!” Humphrey declared with confidence. “It is HE you do battle with!”

The air filled with a piercing shriek, but I did not hear what followed, we were in a corn field now, bursting through a flapping flurry of green. I looked over my shoulder. Through the cornstalks I caught a glimpse of a tall gray shape pursuing us. And it was gaining. If we did not get out of the field soon we would be overtaken.

I applied my will to the substance around us and the cornfield morphed into an open air field. Our footfalls echoed on the tarmac. I looked back again-- at an army of thin shadowy figures. My heart pounded in my chest as Constance pleaded with me to stop.

“We can't stop! It's just a little farther!”

If I had been alone I could have escaped easily because the memory of Dantra had fully returned. But Constance did not remember yet and shifting through thought quickly would be painful for her.

“This way!” I pulled her into an airplane hanger. It was large, hollow, and empty-- except for a tool table to the right. I snatched a large wrench off the table and pulled Constance toward the other side. Creatures poured into the hangar from every entrance. Constance screamed in wide-eyed terror as I pulled her toward the exit. “This way!”

We burst out of the hanger and were now running across rooftops. The creatures were everywhere now. Constance let out a screech as something dove at her from the side. I twisted and pulled her out of the way. “We're almost there!”

But it was too late. We skidded to a halt. We were completely surrounded. I swung the wrench wildly at the tall shadowy creatures. Their yellow eyes burned with hatred, their long thin fingers made clicking noises as they groped closer, and closer. Constance pressed against me. I held the wrench out menacingly, but it was no use. We were toast.

A large shadow passed over us and the creatures cowered back. I looked up to see a dark angel hovering overhead. The air from his mighty wings beat down on us.

“LET! THEM! GO!” His voice rattled the rooftops.

The creatures shrank back and I grabbed Constance by the arm and brought her to the edge of the building. She looked down and let out a shriek.

“Constance. Constance! Look at me! You can do this. I know it doesn't make sense to you, but you can do this!”

She was hysterical.

“Trust me! Everything will be okay!”

She looked down at the water far below, then clutched my jacket.

“I promise you, it’s okay. You can do this.”

She took my hand and squeezed her eyes shut. “I trust you.”

Together we leaped into the void.

The water was frigid, and a frenzy of bubbles surrounded us. I pulled up on Constance and kicked hard until we broke the surface. Then with great effort, and a lot of coughing, we made our way up onto the sandy shore. It was still dark, but God's love was stronger here. The portal was close.

“Thomas!”

I looked up the beach. Humphrey was standing in front of a sheer cliff. “This way!” he hollered.

When we reached him, he placed his hand on the rock face. It shuddered as the portal opened, then the three of us stepped through.

“Man, am I glad to see you!” I said, grabbing Humphrey's arm.

“It was easy to get away once you took Constance,” he said.

“We wouldn't have made it if you hadn't sent that angel.”

He gave me a puzzled look, and a grumpy response. “I didn't send an angel.”

“Well whoever sent him is okay in my book.” I turned toward Constance. Her eyes were wide, her expression, one of awe.

“What is this place? It- it feels like church. Is this Ethral?”

“It may take a little time.” I grinned. “But it will come to you.”

She looked at Humphrey, then back to me. “You know.” She gave a small chuckle. “I don't even know your names.”

“Well, I'm Thomas,” I said, “and grumpy here is Humphrey.”

She smiled.

He grumbled and walked away. “We have work to do. I'm supposed to take you to the overlook.”

Constance and I looked at each other. “What's the overlook?” she called after him.

“Just follow me and you'll find out.” Humphrey took another step, then froze in his tracks.

“What's wrong?” I approached and circled around him, but he gave no response. I looked back at Constance. She too had frozen.

Before my confusion could completely take hold, I found myself caught up in a familiar force which drew me toward the gray porous ceiling high above. Humphrey and Constance grew smaller and smaller until I could no longer make them out next to the crystal fortress far below.