CHAPTER 27
Signs
I gathered up my laptop, my pillow and my blanket and crawled through the access window in my bedroom on to the roof. I sat there for a long while, thinking over all the information I had already garnered from my sources - the internet, Ty, Michael and Mr. Joshua. While I had learned much about angels, I still knew nothing about my place in all of this.
I was unsure of what I should even be searching for when I suddenly recalled the symbol over the front door of my house. The same symbol, well, close enough anyway, I saw etched into the table in the dream I had where I was wandering all alone through Ty's house. How could I have forgotten about that? Perhaps it would provide a clue. It was a start.
Not knowing exactly what it was, I took a chance and googled "Star of David in a circle". The top result was from Wikipedia which referred to it as the Seal of Solomon. Under the alchemy section, I found the following explanation:
"The combination of the fire and water symbols (up and down triangles) is known as the Seal of Solomon (Star of David). The symbol is representative of the combination of opposites and transmutation. By combining the alchemical symbols for fire (upwards triangle) and water (downwards triangle), the alchemical symbols for earth and air are also created. The downwards facing triangle is divided along the center by the base line of the opposite triangle. This is the alchemical symbol for earth. Conversely, the upwards triangle divided by the base line of the downwards triangle is the alchemical symbol for air. The Seal of Solomon is all that is unified in perfect balance."
Hmmm. An hour later, I was more confused than when I began. Apparently, in medieval alchemy, the hexagram also stood for the fifth element, Spirit. Maybe the symbol was used to protect this house and its inhabitants from evil spirits?
Could our house be special in some way? Miss Ginny had made it sound mysterious that day she dropped by to welcome us. She said it was awaiting special occupants. I quickly checked the Effingham County Historical Society's website only to come to a dead end. I'd have to pay Miss Ginny a personal visit some time soon.
I followed link after link to no avail until I typed in "The Gardens of Eden". Instead of the nursery's website, Wikipedia popped up again in the first position with the Garden of Eden from the Bible. Why not? I thought and clicked on it. What I found interesting was that it said that the Garden was located at the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. That reminded me of something we had studied in geometry - a vertex, the common point of two line segments. Being that we were in a place called Eden, maybe it wasn't the house itself, but the location of the house that made it special. Michael had said that Eden was a "very special place". I googled vertex and was given the auto option of astrology. Curious, I chose a site at random which posited that meeting significant people could activate a vertex and bring events to a pivotal point. Now I was getting somewhere.
Feeling revitalized, I pulled up Google Maps and searched the satellite images for my house. Found it. Next, I located Ty's house; finally, Michael's. Three dots on the map that formed a triangle. Eureka! This had to be it. Just like Miss Ginny had said, this house was waiting for me to move into it and trigger the vertex.
When I combined the hexagram and the vertex, it seemed plausible that the area within the triangle might be a source of spiritual power.
Wondering where to go next, I thought back on the strange dream I had had the same night I went to Michael's house for dinner. I closed my eyes and tried to visualize the sapphire book. I saw myself opening it from the back and there it was - Sefer Raziel HaMalakh. My fingers typed the letters as fast as they could. It was real! How could I dream about something that I had never even heard of?! I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. Deep breath. Sefer Raziel HaMalakh translated as Book of Raziel the Angel and there were 5,520 results. According to one site, it was a grimoire made of sapphire, or angel's tears, and was the first book ever written. It was originally given to Adam by Raziel and contained secret wisdom and magic that was unknown to all other angels. Because of this, it was highly coveted by the fallen angels who stole it from Adam. My dream was starting to make sense, if Ty's parents were really demons.
Armed with this new information, Mr. Joshua would have to tell me something. I felt like a bloodhound that had just been given a scent to track and I couldn't wait until the morning to see him again. I found his number on the school's website and called.
"Hi, Mr. Joshua. It's Essie Jacobs. I'm sorry to be bothering you at home, but I just found some interesting information and I just have to talk to you about it right away. Can you please meet me again? Please?"
"I'm making dinner, Essie. Would you like to come over?"
"Thanks, yes."
"Make sure it's okay with your mother first."
"Okay. Hold on one second while I ask her." I ran down the stairs and found my mother in the kitchen. She was making dinner, too. With my hand over the phone, I asked, "Mum, can I please go over to Mr. Joshua's house for dinner? I have something really important to discuss with him and it can't wait."
"Sure, sweetie."
"Thanks, Mum," I said as I gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran out the door.
"She said yes, Mr. Joshua. Just tell me how to get to your house."
Mr. Joshua lived in the direction of Michael's house, just inside the triangle, only a few minutes away.
As soon as I pulled in to his driveway, I jammed the shifter into park, bolted out of my car and flew up the stairs of his modest home. Just as I raised my fist to knock, the door opened.
"Come on in, Essie."
"Thank you so much for letting me come over like this. It's just that I think I figured something out and I'm about to bust."
He chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't want that to happen. Would you like to sit down? Dinner's just about ready."
"Sure," I answered, pulling out a well-worn chair from his small kitchen table.
"So, that journalistic nose of yours has sniffed out something huge, has it?"
"I really think so, Mr. Joshua. If I'm right, do you promise to be honest with me?"
"I'm always honest, Essie."
"That's exactly what Michael said."
"It's true. As angels, we're incapable of lying. We can avoid an issue, if necessary, but we're unable to tell a lie."
"Great," I said enthusiastically.
"Give me a second to get dinner on the table and then you can tell me what you found."
"Oh, sure, sorry."
"No worries," he grinned. "Here we go." He placed a plate in front of me.
"Chicken and dumplings is my favorite southern dish. But you couldn't have known that. And you also couldn't have known that I was coming over tonight. So this is just a coincidence, right?" I said in a tone that was meant to reassure me more than it was a question that I expected an answer to.
He smiled. "So, tell me what secrets you've unearthed."
"Avoiding an issue, check," I teased. "Anyway, you know I wasn't happy when I left the coffee shop today. I'm involved somehow in something supernatural and no one will tell me what that is. I understand why you don't want to tell me too much, I really do. But you're going to have to trust that I can handle it."
"I know you can, Esther."
"Essie," I corrected.
"That's your given name, isn't it?"
"Yes, but nobody calls me that. I don't like it. It was my great-grandmother's name."
"It was also the name of a beautiful, young Jewish girl who was unwittingly thrust into an unimaginable situation, due to an unexpected turn of events. Does any of that sound familiar?"
I knew the biblical Esther he was speaking of. My family was Jewish, though not observant. We only went to Temple Emanu-El when my grandmother insisted. Her favorite holiday was Purim, which she referred to as the Jewish Mardi Gras because she said we were commanded to eat, drink and be merry. The temple held a huge celebration, so we never objected to attending.
"I know the story, but what does it have
to do with me?"
"Nothing directly. But there are a couple of uncanny similarities, wouldn't you say?"
"Other than my name?"
"Do you remember the part of the story where her cousin asks, 'And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this'?"
"I'm not sure how to respond to what you're saying."
"Then why don't you tell me what you came here to tell me," he said reassuringly, his kind, blue eyes melting away my sudden anxiety.
I filled him in on all the details I had unearthed on the Seal of Solomon as well as the conclusion that I had drawn.
"You will make an excellent journalist someday. Of that, there is no doubt. I'm amazed at how you went from seemingly random topic to seemingly random topic and yet, somehow, extracted the facts and wove them together to arrive at the truth. I'm proud of you, Esther."
This time, I didn't mind him calling me that. "Thank you, Mr. Joshua. What can you tell me about the triangle?"
"The triangle is known as an Ataroth, which means crown in Hebrew. The Powers and the Gregorys built their homes at roughly the same time. When your home was built, it was situated to be the crown, or vertex, if you will, the common point of two lines. It's not easy to detect because of the way the roads are laid out. You can only see it from an aerial view, as you did using the satellite image.
"As you surmised, the area within an Ataroth is a place of incredible energy; it is neither good nor bad, and it can be accessed by both. Feel free to explore it."
"Now that you mention it, I briefly explored a bit of the forest when we first moved here. I remember feeling kind of tingly when I entered; also, like I was being drawn in. But then I heard Axl whining and I never gave it another thought."
"That was the energy of the Ataroth that you felt. It recognized you as belonging there. If the average person was to wander in, however, they would feel nothing. Its power can only be accessed by those who have a role in destiny.
"As for the Seal of Solomon, it was put there to protect you from harm. The inscription is from Psalm 91:10-11, 'No harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.' Have Ty and Mara been in your home?"
"Only Ty."
"Did he ask to be invited in?"
"He did. And I remember thinking it odd that he was being so formal."
"He wasn't being formal. Because that seal is there, he has to be invited in by a resident of the house. Just so you know, you can also rescind your invitation at any time, but he has to be standing in front of the threshold when you do it. If he comes knocking on your door one day and you've changed your mind about him, just say, 'You are no longer welcome in my home. I rescind my invitation'. He won't be able to enter after that.
"Now, if you're open to it, I'll give you another definition."
"Sure."
"Another word for seal is sigil, derived from the Hebrew word segula, which means special treasure or jewel. You, Essie, are the special treasure, the jewel in the crown, who has been brought to Eden for such a time as this."
"Wow. This stuff never ceases to amaze me." I sat for a long moment, contemplating everything that I had just learned. "Mr. Joshua, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive about the part I'll be playing in this, this..."
"Final battle."
"Final battle," I repeated glumly.
"You said you were familiar with the story of Esther. Don't forget that she proved to be a woman of unusual wisdom and courage, who faced adversity and evil with confidence and grace."
Being privy to angelic secrets and enjoying the benefits of Ty's abilities was one thing; being a soldier was quite another. "I'm just a kid from Massachusetts. I'm not prepared to battle the supernatural."
"When the time comes, you will be ready."
I hoped he was right.
"Oh, one more thing. I almost forgot. I had a weird dream that Saturday night I saw you at Michael's parent's house. I remembered it earlier when I was searching for information on the Seal of Solomon. Turns out what I saw in my dream really exists - the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh. Have you heard of it?"
"Yes," he said gravely. "It's a dark magic book which contains incantations that demons have used over the millennia to wreak havoc. That was not it's original purpose, of course. Raziel was an archangel entrusted with keeping the Secrets of Heaven, but demons take that which is intended for good and pervert it for their own purposes. Tell me about your dream."
I recounted the part of the dream that took place in the library. He sat perfectly still in his chair, staring pensively past me.
"What's wrong, Mr. Joshua?"
"Nothing's wrong, Esther. It's been foretold that in the last days, sons and daughters will prophesy, see visions and dream dreams. I believe this is a fulfillment of prophesy and another indication of your involvement. Have you discussed any of this with Ty?"
"Not yet."
"I think it would be prudent for you to keep this between us. I understand that Ty is your boyfriend and you desperately want to believe in him. But if there's even the tiniest possibility in your mind that what you've heard from Michael and me is true, you'll put yourself in danger by putting all your cards on the table, so to speak. I'm not telling you to lie to Ty, just keep your new-found knowledge to yourself. I'm sure it's been imparted to you for use in the future. Don't show your hand until all the cards have been dealt."
I pondered his words. I guessed it wouldn't be too difficult to keep it to myself. After all, it would probably be more of the same - me, asking reasonable questions; Ty, crafting his answers in such a way as to appear totally innocent. Both sides excelled in that. I needed to continue to research and observe and draw my own conclusions.
"Thank you, Mr. Joshua," I said appreciatively, getting up from my chair to give him a hug.
"You're very welcome, Esther," he said when I had let go. "Please feel free to come by any time you need to talk. Now that you're pretty much up to speed on everything, it will be a lot easier."
"Not everything," I reminded him. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do exactly."
"None of us knows what we're supposed to do exactly," he explained. "Scripture tells us that 'of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.?Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.' But we have faith that all will be revealed at the appointed time."
"Well, if that's good enough for the angels, then it's good enough for me. I'm not going to worry about it any more."
I let myself out, feeling only slightly guilty about the little white lie I had just told. There was no way I was not going to worry about my involvement in a final battle. If the angels in my life didn't have the answers, maybe it was time to visit the town's historian. Unfortunately, it was now after eight, too late to call on Miss Ginny. It would have to wait until tomorrow.