Chapter 2 - Someone’s watching
“So much despair!” observed the compassionate Jasmine.
“I know Dear One. The lies of Discourager cause much pain. And then, when the fragile human heart is at its weakest, Destroyer strikes! Arise my Faithful Servant! The Day of Preparation is at hand. Assemble the Healing Ones and have Captain Aza stand ready. You and your sisters will have much to do in the coming days.
“Eli, My Prince, the time for action draws near. Call forth Major Cyrus, the Slayer of Lies. Strategically place his warriors as decreed. Their participation is vital in this battle for the souls of mankind.”
“As You have commanded, Mighty King” reverently replied Prince Eli and Princess Jasmine in unison.
From the highest heaven, a voice thundered over the face of the whole earth crying, “Man has forgotten that the Creator of all things has the right to judge all things.”
Those with ears to hear proclaimed in one accord, “Worthy is He who sits on the throne for He alone is Just and True!”
As Trin was blowing her nose, out of the corner of her eye she caught glimpse of a faint light moving in the extreme northeastern corner of the estate. Carefully scanning the horizon to determine if she had actually seen something real or if her weary eyes were just playing tricks on her, Trinity became convinced there was indeed some kind of luminous object in the nut grove. The ghostly glow looked purplish in color and appeared to be suspended in mid air. As her focus switched back and forth from the odd light to the surrounding woods, suddenly the object plummeted to the ground. Trinity stopped crying. She was now too frightened for tears.
“What should I do?” she wondered. “I know the Henry’s are on vacation, but maybe I should call Mr. Lawrence. He’s probably still awake and I know he’d come right over.”
But before Trinity could formulate a solid plan of action, she began to hear the faint echo of voices coming from the direction of the light. Straining to see who or what was hiding in the distant shadows, Trin watched with growing alarm as the nut trees nearest the light began to shake violently. Dust began swirling around the base of the trees nearest the glow. Leaves appeared to be flying through the air in every direction. It was as if an invisible battle of some kind were taking place in the treetops.
Suppressing the urge to scream, Trin swallowed hard and whispered, “Ok...now... just calm down and breathe! You’ve got to find out what’s going on out there, especially in light of the disturbing events at school today.”
Trinity placed her mug on the patio table then ran inside the house to get a flashlight from the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink. Quickly stuffing her feet into a pair of rain boots and throwing a long trench coat over her shoulders, Trin walked out the sliding glass door and back onto the patio. Taking a long deep breath, she turned on the flashlight and gingerly descended the deck stairs.
Trin walked past the flower garden and out the north gate then crossed the moss-covered, stone bridge at the northeastern corner of the pond. Continuing along what was now a pebble trail, she passed the old oak tree where her and her brother had carved their initials as children.
“Boy, I sure wish Ben were here now,” she thought. “I forgot how creepy these woods can be at night.”
Seeking some measure of comfort in the midst of the intense darkness, Trin turned around to see if she could still see the house. An icy chill went down her spine as she realized even the external security lights she had switched on before leaving the kitchen were barely visible from where she now stood. Setting the flashlight down between her feet, Trinity quickly put her arms inside the sleeves of her raincoat then securely fastened all the buttons and knotted the belt tightly about her waist. Picking up the flashlight, she flipped on the high-beams and resumed her trek towards the mysterious commotion.
Just then a great horned owl swooped down from the shadowy branches overhead. Trinity screamed! Instinctively, she dropped to her knees and covered her head with her arms to protect herself against the unknown assailant. But it only took a moment for Trin to realize her close encounter had been with a common, non-threatening, winged creature of the night. Getting back on her feet she watched as the nocturnal bird of prey headed for an open meadow on the west side of the estate.
Smiling momentarily she chuckled, “He’s just out looking for a furry, midnight snack.”
It was a good ten minutes before Trin reached the edge of the dark nut grove. Refocusing the high beam on the dim path ahead and strengthening her resolve to press on, the young woman entered the secluded woods. Passing row after silent row of aged nut trees, the only sound she could hear was the increasing beat of her own heart.
About halfway through the woods, she noticed the intense darkness was fading. Long shadows now covered the ground and clung to the back sides of the large wooden trunks. Cautiously walking past several more rows of nut trees, Trinity finally arrived at the source of the mysterious light. She let out a long, deep sigh of relief as she discovered that the ghostly glow was not caused by any wild animal or dangerous, two-legged prowler bent on revenge. The source of the alien light was nothing more than a small, heart-shaped stone.
“What on earth is this?” said a greatly relieved, yet curious young teacher.
It was lying near the edge of a clump of exposed, twisted and tangled tree roots. Focusing her flashlight on the object, she moved in for a closer look. The surface of the stone was remarkably smooth and about the size of a large hen’s egg. A soft glow emanated from the stone. It was the kind of light which provided some relief from the darkness but was not actually bright enough to see anything clearly. It reminded Trinity of the nightlight in her bathroom. In the midnight woods however, the stone’s eerie light was anything but comforting. But what really captured her attention was the way the unusual light emanated from the peculiar object.
Determined to discover its secrets, Trinity reached down to pick up the stone. But to her astonishment, the moment her fingertips touched the rock, a single, brilliant ray of light shot straight up into the night sky above. Startled and temporarily blinded by the intensity of the light, Trinity threw the rock a short distance from where she stood. Landing in a pile of dead leaves, Trin then watched as the stone’s supernatural beam instantly reverted back to its original soft glow.
“This is incredible!” she thought. “I’ve never seen anything like it! Where did it come from? Why haven’t I seen it before? And what kind of energy or force has the power to transform light itself?
Trinity reached down and very cautiously picked up the stone once again. Placing it in the palm of her hand, she realized it was heavier than the first time she tried to pick it up. She was prepared for the brilliant light to appear as before, but curiously it did not. Trin also expected the rock to be hot, or at least warm, but it was neither.
Realizing such a remarkable discovery required closer examination under better lighting, and the fact that she was getting cold, Trin decided it was time to head back to the house. With stone in hand, she turned towards home. But she had only taken a few steps when she again heard the voices. Only this time they were very distinct and coming from somewhere very close.
Trin was too scared to run and for a moment too frightened to move. Since her discovery of the rock, Trinity had ruled out the presence of angry parents lurking around the yard. But still, she had to find out who or what was obviously still roaming around her nut grove in the dead of night. Tightly clutching the flashlight, Trin bravely turned around to face her midnight intruders. To her astonishment, she discovered there was absolutely nothing to see, but there was plenty to hear. Wide-eyed, Trin stood perfectly still and listened to the conversation of her invisible visitors.
“No, I already told you. We only need one,” said a commanding male voice.
“But I think she would like the pink one better,” softly replied a tender, obviously female voice.
“Jasmine, the purple one is fine,” said the male a bit more sternly than before.
“Anyway, you know purple is Papa’s favorite color.”
“Very well. Not to change the subject brother, but it appears I will need much more practice if I am to gracefully maneuver with these new wings. Just look at me! I’m dripping wet!” continued the anxious female. “Oh, how I wish I had not fallen into that lake. It will be morning before these feathers are completely dry. And what will she think of Papa when she sees us? First impressions are very important to teachers you know.”
“I promise, our Beloved will not mind. But she grows weary and there is still much to do before daybreak. Now, are you ready?” asked the male once again.
Trinity sensed the growing impatience in the male’s voice and knew something was about to happen whether the female was ready or not. Her instincts were correct. A split second later a pure, white light burst through the darkness of the nut grove. Eerie shadows evaporated as the dazzling, holy radiance engulfed the surrounding woods. Trin stared in awe, as if frozen in time, at two incredible creatures now clearly visible and standing where she first saw the glowing stone.
The one on the right was an enormous, silvery white unicorn. From the tip of its horn to the tip of its long, silky tail, the entire animal was glistening white in color. It had four slender yet powerful looking legs with a magnificent silvery mane flowing down the side of a thick, muscular neck. And placed right between two extraordinarily large, midnight blue eyes was a massive single horn. Trinity estimated the ivory horn was three feet long; a measurement she later learned was accurate.
Standing to Trinity’s left was an animal which reminded her of Grandpa Eddie’s miniature Shetland pony, the one she used to ride when she was a child. Although impressive, the appearance of the second creature was far less fearsome than its companion. Apart from its ears, the body of the smaller animal was barely as tall as the other creature’s hind quarters. The pony-like creature had a soft, glossy, grey-brown mane which covered the animal’s entire body. It hung so low, even the creature’s hooves were hidden behind a thick velvety veil of horse hair. However, what captured Trin’s attention were the pony’s golden, almond-shaped eyes. They were filled with light and had an almost hypnotic effect. As their eyes met for the first time, Trinity felt a strangely warm sensation, as if her entire being had just been wrapped in a soothing blanket of peace.
Remembering the conversation she had just overheard, Trinity chuckled softly when she first noticed the pony’s wings. Unlike the magnificent wings of the silvery male, the wings of the Shetland in no way appeared strong enough for flight. Trin wondered how any creature could become airborne with such a short wing span, especially since its feathers were still in fact, dripping wet.
Trin the Educator was by nature an inquisitive individual. But it was still several minutes before she found the courage to formulate any kind of words to address her remarkable visitors.
“Who are you? Or should I say, ‘What are you?’” she asked timidly.
“My name is Eli,” announced the massive animal on the right. Then with a hit of sarcasm he added, “And it’s really quite amusing to hear you ask what we are. I would think an elementary teacher with your education would know a unicorn when she saw one.”
But Trinity was not ready for such a lighthearted exchange. And curious or not, she was still prepared to flee should either creature take aggressive action.
“Well, I’m sorry,” she replied. “I thought unicorns were only make-believe creatures in children’s fairy tales. I never imagined they were real and I…I certainly never imagined I would come face-to-face with one in my own back yard!”
“There you go again, brother. Maybe I should take it from here,” suggested the gentler, female pony.
“Be my guest,” laughed the enormous male, apparently unconcerned with the intimidating effect his presence was having on the human standing before him.
“Dear one, I am Jasmine and the one with the big horn and dry sense of humor is my brother, Eli. I know we don’t look very much alike, but trust me. We are members of the same family,” Jasmine began. The small creature then raised her head towards her male sibling as he lowered his and the two tenderly rubbed noses.
“But where’s your horn?” Trinity asked the pony-like creature.
Giggling, Jasmine replied, “Oh, bless you my child! But only the males of our kind have horns. In the beginning of the beginning, some of my sisters were also given such a distinguishing badge of honor, but that was simple ages ago.”
“What do you mean, ‘in the beginning’?” Trin asked. “Where are you from?”
“Well now,” answered Eli. “As one who claims to possess the knowledge of biblical truth, you should know the answer to that question.”
Unicorn or not, Trin was finding conversation with this creature increasingly annoying. “Do you always answer a question with such ridicule?”
“Please, brother,” lovingly interrupted the soft-spoken creature once again. “Allow me.”
Eli raised his horn to the sky and gently shook his head from side to side. As he did, silvery beams of light flew out from the tips of its mane. Light seemed to dance around his head and looked like shooting stars to Trinity. She later learned this gesture was a unicorn’s unique way of expressing impatience.
Resuming her discourse with the curious human, Jasmine continued. “Beloved, what my brother means to say is that we are servants of the Most High God. Our kind has been in your world since the dawn of creation. We sang when the universe exploded into existence. Together we stood and rejoiced as the foundations of your world were laid in place. And when the crown of His creation was given life in His image, in unison we shouted, ‘Hallelujah! Glory to the Lord Most High and to Him who sits on the throne.’”
Then for a moment, it appeared the non-terrestrial being forgot it was in the company of hearing human ears. Recalling those majestic, ancient moments, the enraptured creature continue its’ testimony.
“Darkness fled, light danced, and sound worshipped as creation sang praises to the Maker of all things,” Jasmine proclaimed.
Behaving as if Trinity could not hear, Eli said, “Sister, I know how much you love to declare His story. But Tender One, we have not come this time to discuss the origin of all things. Remember our assignment.”
After listening to the tender way the two beings spoke with one another, Trinity found the courage to again address the fearsome silvery unicorn directly. “What do you mean, ‘assignment’? Why have you come and what are you doing in my walnut grove in the dead of the night?”
“All in good time,” Jasmine interjected. “But first, we have a question for you. Why were you crying earlier this evening?”
Becoming suspicious the unicorns were not telling her the real purpose for their visit, Trinity asked, “How did you know I was crying? Have you been watching me?”
“Well, yes and no,” replied Eli. “But be at peace, Dear One. You have nothing to fear from us. Now please, answer my sister’s question. What has caused one so loved such despair?”