Chapter 11
“The time is upon us Maryalyan. The humans gather and you will be called.” The male voice is soft and full of love.
“I can’t. I need the time to finish my task. I cannot waste time with those humans!” Maryalyan is clearly upset. She is so close to finishing what she has to do and the thought of having to stop frustrates her.
“Whether you want to or not, they are going to come for you soon. It is time for you to leave the body and come back to me so we can watch the end together.”
“No!” Maryalyan is far from ready to give up.
“What use are you going to be there, come my center I will sooth away your pains.”
“No, I will not, I can not ignore the rest. I need time center of my spirit, give me that time!”
“Not even father could stop what is coming.”
“No not that. I am talking about the humans. Do not let them come for this body, give me the time I need!” Maryalyan begs the one that completes her.
The other is silence so long that Maryalyan begins to think that he has closed himself to her. Just when she is starting to despair, he replies.
“Do what you need to do Maryalyan. I can give you more time but you must promise to be gone before the end. Promise me that, and I will give you as much time as possible.”
“My center you give me that and I will even stop trying to come up with the punishment I think you deserve for what you put me through. Give me time and your next eon will be one of peaceful bliss!”
“And your promise?”
“You have it my center, you have that and more.”
“So be it but be prepared to help me for I will need to be fully aware when I arrive.”
The other withdraws and allows Maryalyan to go back to work, so much to do and so little time.
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Dr. Zimmerman looks out at his office at the assembly. Assembled in his domain are the leaders of the world, as well as the leaders of every major religion. They invade his domain on The Judge’s whim, as The Judge wants them to hear firsthand the questions he puts to the woman and to hear firsthand her responses.
As far as Dr. Zimmerman is concerned, it is nothing but a waste of time and he wishes it all a quick end so he can have his playground back.
“Zimmerman!”
Dr. Zimmerman snaps back to the present. “What is it?”
The man called Farley glares at Zimmerman. “The Judge wants you to get the woman prepared. Now snap to it.”
Dr. Zimmerman does his own scowling before stomping off to the cells. The last time he checked on the woman she was still more unconscious than awake, so he has prepared a concoction that he is sure will bring her back from where ever she has departed, at least long enough for The Judge to get this silly game over and done with.
He is halfway to the cells when his steps begin to slow, another half dozen steps and he finds it difficult to breathe. Five more and the pressure building around him threaten to make his head explode. Four steps; he loses the contents of his stomach. Three, he falls to his knees and there is stays for some time.
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He blinks his eyes experimentally. The last time he came to earth and took a human body as a host it had not ended so well for that body. That was no more than an eye blink ago for him but still…. needing time to become accustomed to the human host he keeps still. He takes one deep breath and then another and one more.
“Are you alright Sir?”
A guard has found him on his knees.
“Yes. Help me up will you.”
The guard helps him up and he holds onto the guard for support until he gets his bearings. Once he is certain that he is not going to fall, he releases his grip on the guard and walks back the way he just came.
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It is only four days until Christmas and usually people would be rushing around doing their last minute shopping. There are still a good many that are doing just that but there are just as many if not more watching the late morning sky.
Even though governments around the world went to great lengths to keep the importance of this day quiet it never the less made its way around the globe. As such, it has become well known that this day had been coming for some time. Furthermore, on this day, right now, keeping the stellar phenomena a secret has become a moot point for the suddenly darkened late morning sky is giving a show that is visible with the naked eye.
In truth, most of those currently watching would probably not be doing so if it were not for the events of three or so weeks ago when Armageddon visited their planet. The deaths and the destruction are still fresh in their minds as they watch the celestial show. Those that watch wonder, whether they are willing to admit it or not, what the end of this show will bring.
For months, the planets have been on the move, for months, those astronomers that the governments had not been able to silence have been telling the populace, a populace who largely ignored them but now there is no need for a million dollar telescope to see the show. Like it or not, impossible or not there is no tricking the millions of eyes as they watch the major planets in their galaxy align.
At the commencement of the phenomenon, day becomes dusk, the sun seems to swell and then retract. Mercury falls in line with the sun blocking some of its rays, next to come in line is Venus blocking enough to turn the mid-day dusk into evening. Then one by one Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto aligned behind the sun, until now only earth is out of alignment.
As the earth makes its way into its celestial position, people watch in amazement for the heavens put on a spectacular light show. Millions pray to their God, believing this to be either the end or a grand gift their God has given to them or even the time when the faithful will be reborn. Million and millions of stars shine brightly as if they are competing with each other to be the brightest in the darkened sky. The Milky Way…. the Pillars of Life, stars and galaxies that the naked eyes should never have been able to see are seen as never before; “impossible” those with the education state but there is no denying what the dark skies reveal.
A section of the darkened sky disappears leaving those who see the disappearance perplex as how is it possible to have a whole section of the sky simply gone. The blackness starts as a pinpoint and like a cancerous cell, it grows and expands; more of the darkened sky disappears.
It starts slowly, so slowly that it is barely noticeable but as the blackness grows, it pulls, until it is impossible to miss the dizzying movement of the heavens. Stars, asteroids, would be suns, moons, the Milky Way. The heavens streak towards the blackness and disappear; so beautiful to see, so ominous to consider.
Just when the watchers begin to believe that the blackness will swallow them all the heavens take on another change. It is as if the blackness has swallowed all it can and finally filled it pushes away from the table. The movement of what remains of the universe stops so suddenly that the dazzling effect knock millions upon million onto their knees but it is what they see in that blackness that keeps them there praying to whatever God they believe in or as in many cases suddenly finding that they believe.
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The essence inside the body of Dr. Zimmerman stands in the shadows and listens to the judge speak to the assembled leaders.
“I know that Christmas is only four days away and I promise to make this as quick as I can so you can get back to your families and friends but I felt it important that you are all made aware of the present and current danger we face. The woman I am going to bring before you is dangerous but more than that, she is the sign of what is to come. I want you to listen to her, listen to what she tells you. After you have listened to her, I am going to ask for the “one government” so keep this in mind as she answers our questions for December 21, 2012, will be a day to remember. It will come to be known as the day the leaders of the world gathered and put aside their differences to save humanity. Each and every one of your names will be remembered for doing what was requ
ired to keep the human race viable so please, I beg you, listen closely to what this woman has to say.”
Leaders of the world are never an easy audience and telling them that they are going to be asked to give over what power they have to one man makes them even less easy. Therefore, as The Judge turns and shouts for the doctor to bring in the woman the leaders stir, they stir even more when nobody appears, and even more when Dr. Zimmerman enters alone.
“What is the meaning of this Zimmerman? Get me the woman!” The Judge’s face is almost purple with rage.
“I think you will be more pleased with me than you would be with the woman…or at least that will be your initial thought.” Zimmerman’s voice but not voice replies.
The leaders sit stunned. Now as never before they sit in total silence and nobody wants to be the first to break that silence for even the most unbelieving among them cannot deny the aura of godliness that suddenly surrounds the man known as Dr. Zimmerman. The serenity from the aura is overwhelming and when the light dims enough for them to see again, each sees a vision of their God in place of the man once known as Doctor Zimmerman.
The silence is finally too much for the Catholic Pope and it is his voice that finally shatters that silence.
“My lord, you have come back to us. What does this mean?”
“Come back to you…yes I suppose you can say that. As to what it means, it means that for most of you, it is the end.”
The implied threat creates uproar and the military men and women assigned to protect their precious leaders jump into action, only to find their bodies thrown and held helplessly to the floor by a force unknown.
“You have questions ask them though the knowledge will do you little good and I fear many of you will not be pleased.”
With a trembling voice, the Pope is once again the first to speak.
“All of our beliefs are based on you. Always have we believed that you are our creator and have had a hand in guiding us, tell me that is so?”
Their God thinks this over for an eye blink before choosing his words.
“I suppose you can say I am your creator; me and another that is. As for guiding you, no you were always on your own. The choices you made over the eons were yours and yours alone and neither I nor the other had anything to do with those.”
“The other! You speak of your father God!” The human chosen to represent the Protestant church yells in rejoice.
The god image tilts his head considering the statement then looks at the gathering. “No, father had nothing to do with you. You belong to Maryalyan and me. It is and always was our decision as to what to do or not do with you. And now it is our decision as to who to save and who to leave behind. Father guides us when we ask but usually lets us create our own successes and make our own mistakes.”
“A woman, surely you jest!” The leader representing the Islamic faith exclaims.
Once more, the god figure works through the implication before replying.
“Yes and no. You are incapable of understanding; we are more than a man, more than a woman, but to make it easier for you to comprehend think of me as a male and Maryalyan as female.”
“You say this is to be the end. So then you have come to what…. take your faithful away?” The President of India, a man of deep faith pipes up.
“Faithful?”
“Yes, those of us that have spend our lives praying to you, who build churches for your faithful to gather into; those that abide by and pass on your teaching.”
“Though the prayers do occasionally creep into my thoughts I have never bothered to listen when you humans pray. As for my teaching, I have never passed any teachings onto the human race. I have visited a few specials, those with spirits so bright they cannot be ignored but nothing more.”
The last statement causes a loud explosion of exclamation. Their god waits patiently throughout, not caring one way or another for his real reason for being there is to give Maryalyan the time she requested, not to answer questions from foolish humans. The Pope finally pipes up loudly enough to voice his question over the commotion.
“Are you trying to say that the Holy Bible is not based on your teaching?”
“Correct.”
“If it is not your teaching, then whose or what is it?”
“Which part?”
His God’s reply sets the Pope back for a second so the Russian President is the one to reply.
“The book of John, what about that?”
“John…Oh yes I remember him, though his real name was Johanson. What about it?”
“Well did not John or Johanson as you call him base his book on what you taught him?”
Their god laughs. “No, I never taught Johanson anything. We met briefly the last time I visited. He was one of those bright lights and a very talented and amusing minstrel but one without a subject so after my little misfortune he wrote his story. It really is too bad you changed it for the original was very entertaining.”
“Story! I cannot believe that. How about the cross! You were crucified. You died for us.” The Pope once more.
“Died for you? You humans think so highly of yourself. Judas never liked me, or at least the human that I occupied at the time so when he got into trouble with the Romans authorities he took the first chance he had to get himself out of trouble.”
“But then he wrote about you, about your teaching, his sorrow for turning on you. He became one of your most….”
“Judas was a lazy and greedy man that never had an original thought of his own, so like others he took Johanson’s story and adapted it for his own needs. You can not fault me if you humans took the writings of entertainers and turned them into something more.”
“The Koran! Then that is the true book!” The long bearded fellow at the end shouts.
“The Koran…. writings of a man gone mad, a man whose only goal in life was for absolute power and control, much like the control your judge is asking you to give him. He was a bigamist, a man that hated women to the core. He managed to gain some followers but his madness was his downfall. One of his followers killed him and then that very same follower took up his writings, and he in turn used it to secure his wealth and to justify his cruelty.”
“The old testament, your father’s words, Moses, Noah, Adam and Eve!” Each statement is shouted louder and louder, a measure of the Australian Prime Minister’s disbelief.
“The old testament is actually quite interesting. A part of that is based on human memory going back eons and eons, before we put you on this planet actually. Maryalyan and I are still uncertain how it is some of the first remember their linage but…. as for the rest once again written by men of power to try to obtain more power or to protect what they already have. Think of it as…The Declaration of Independence. Given time, what do you think future generations would think of it in say 5,000 or 10,000 of your earth years? How many times would it change, what would be the result? As for they being my father’s words, if he ever thought he had the need to intercede we would not be here talking today.” Their god stops and gives them an appraising look before continuing.
“Moses was a man that used manipulation to rule those that you call the Jews. Noah was a man with enough foresight to listen to what others told him about the rains that befell earth during Maryalyan’s tantrum. Because of his foresight he managed to save himself, his family, and a few animals and don’t be silly; do you really think I would allow Maryalyan to flood all of the earth’s land mass and set us back eons to a time where we only had a handful of specimens. As for Adam and Eve, that story is naught but fancy but funny enough the closest the bible comes to reality. Adam and Eve is the concept of the first two and if you look narrowly at what we are doing you could relate that to one of the pairs we put on this earth when we first put them here, much like we are about to do again.”
“How many are you to save.” A soft female voice inquires.
“Thanks to your and Dr. Zimmerman’s actions, you have only left u
s a few hundred pairs. It is enough to start over but fewer than what we wished for.”
“And what determines if the individual is worthy of saving?” The voices are becoming quieter and quieter as the reality sinks in.
“The spirit within determines the worthiness. Just like you and Dr. Zimmerman we have been searching for the bright ones…. as it is these bright ones that we will eventually breed our ultimate creation.”
“But Lord, we converted thousands to your cause you can’t simply ignore that.” The Catholic Pope voices in earnest.
“Nor can you ignore the fact that we have killed thousands in your name!” The Islamic leader pipes in; uniting the religious leaders as no other cause could.
“Yes you killed millions in your feeble attempts to control the world and your need for conformity. The Crusades, the Jihads, the Romans, the Greeks, Ireland, France, Britain, Afghanistan, India, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Africa, Iraq and I could go on until the end comes. You proclaim that the killing were in the name of your god…did I ask you to kill them…to kill in my name. Admit the truth here and now, the killings were not for me, they were to sooth the personal pride of an injured party or to advance some personal ambitions and for no reason other than those. And while we are at it, let us talk about the men and women that were burned, tortured, and raped in my so called name, by those that enjoyed the raping and torturing of men, women, and children. Once again I ask you…. How many did I actually ask to have killed, how many wars did I ask you to start, how many bombs…”
Total silence follows their God’s statement.
Maryalyan we must be gone soon.
Almost there, go ahead and finish off with the humans and I will join you shortly.
“I see I have shattered your illusions. You believe I have deceived you, that I should have given you more so I will leave you with one last thought to consider and a gift.”
Those gathered begin to feel hope again.
“Look inside yourselves, look deep inside with total honesty and find your spirits. You all have one and I will help guide you to them. Find it and examine it thoroughly and honestly. Then tell me I am wrong in what I say and in what I am doing.”
Their god waits patiently as those gathered do as he requested. Some hesitate and these he gives a push, those with fear he calms, those who deny he shows the reality until all have examined and none of them come away happy with what they have seen in themselves.
“Now for the gift…picture this… Picture a world with no laws, no governments, and no greed. A world of love and happiness, a world where individuals are free to advance and discuss their thoughts without fear of reprisal.”
“That world would be chaos, much worst than what we have now. We need laws, we need someone to take and keep control.” The Judge screams.
“You are not seeing the gift. This other world has none of your human weaknesses. It is filled with laughter, happiness, love, respect…”
Those gathered look to their god in disappointment for the gift they expected was much more than words, more than a request to imagine something they could not comprehend fully even if they had a thousand years to consider.
Their god releases a much too human sigh and it is at that point when Maryalyan joins him. She has shed her human body but for the sake of those gathered, she keeps a semblance of humanity, though no one can deny the divinity, the power, and the femininity that she projects.
No longer, do any of those gather doubt who or what stands before them; she is the mother. Her breasts are swollen with the milk of life and her stomach is vibrant with fertility. It is plain that even as they rallied against her, she was the one that nurtured them, that nurtured the earth and the animals. She is love, she is birth and rebirth, and she is compassion. She is the vision of all women, yet none. She is one that expects obedient behaviour from her children and one that will not hesitate to hand out punishment or rewards for that behaviour. So glorious is she that to lie in her arms would be to burn into nothingness, and all those gathered want to be the first to burn.
They cannot grasp the concept my center. If you truly want them to know, you must show them. Maryalyan states to him.
The male god considers Maryalyan for a few human heartbeats.
You still love them. Even though you try to separate yourself from them, you love them.
Of Course, but that does not mean I am willing to allow them entrance into the next world.
Chastised the male god bows his head.
Then help me give them a real gift.
All you have to do is ask.
The conversation between their god and Maryalyan spans no more than a few human seconds. The god looks at and then addresses the still disappointed assembly.
“Maryalyan has just pointed out that you cannot come close to comprehending our goal. Therefore, I have what you would call a double-edged gift for you. We will touch your spirit and take away all that is corrupted, diseased, and unwanted. When we do you will finally understand and for a short period live our dream. The cutting edge of this gift is that it is temporary. We are not able to change the spirit forever and very shortly after the change, it will start to change back. The lost of the perfection will be painful to you and you will feel that pain and lost for the rest of your life. The up side is that your life can already be counted in your earth minutes so you will not suffer long.”
Those gathered look at their god in a mixture of hope and shock. They obviously want to take what the god is offering them but most are thinking that they can postpone the end that their god is talking about by postponing his offer.
Do it my center. The time grows short and as you stated, we must not be here when the end comes.
You are right. Let us get this over with and be gone.
The god joins with Maryalyan and together they delve into the spirits of those gathered. They strip away all that is diseased, leaving only perfection, perfection so pure that it is blinding. When they withdraw, it is looks of joyous wonder that prevails over the gathered.
It will be nice to remember them thus. Let us go.
“Enjoy the last eight minutes of your lives.” The god tells those gathered.
Like Maryalyan, he elects a humanoid shape when he strips himself from the human body. The shell that was once Dr. Zimmerman falls to the floor and burns away to nothingness. To those witnessing his transformation he is power, raw energy, and a king of kings. His light joins Maryalyan’s and the two shoot to the heavens just ahead of the screams of agony that those they leave behind emit when their spirits start to return to their norm.