* * *
Lowenah, with red, puffy eyes and a tear-stained face, sat silent on the bench in the middle of her garden courtyard, elbows on a stone table, head resting in hands, dejectedly staring blankly at one of the garden’s walls.
RosMismar quietly approached, humming some ancient tune that had no words, for it was a favorite tune of his before spoken words existed. Still, it had meaning and the melodious tone drifted across the air, sinking into Lowenah’s pained heart and aching eyes, easing her suffering. The Cherub came to a stop behind Lowenah and, while continuing to hum his tune, began to gently massage her shoulders.
Time passed. The sun began its journey to the west. RosMismar stopped his tune. “Have you not attained your very dreams, ZoeStethos? You wished to feel life in to the full, did you not?”
Lowenah reached up, clasping one of RosMismar’s hands. Wearing a half-smile, she replied, “Be careful what you wish for. You may well receive it...” She then asked him to sit with her a while.
She reached over and again took one of RosMismar’s hands and began to play with his fingers. “You know, if I could, I would abandon these worlds to their own destiny and seek the solace of my hidden lands. You and I could build anew a universe of living things, and those children would never fall into wickedness.”
RosMismar shook his head. “Our Zoe could not do such a thing! It would be impossible for her to give up this great experiment, especially when we stand so close to realizing its full accomplishment. Besides, you have changed so much since the age of my making, when I came into being, filled with knowledge and understanding, born without birthing, a babe fully grown, without childhood or innocence. No, the time of the Cherub is over. The future belongs to those who share not only your spirit and soul, but also your heart and feelings. There is no returning to the cocoon once you have spread your wings, no matter how cold and stormy the night may be.”
Lowenah’s head sank in sadness. “What am I to do then, when even my most cherished daughter ignores my loving counsel and abandons wisdom to the Fates? Even now she throws my counsel to the winds and seeks the emotions of her heart, listening to the prattle of the foolish while disregarding the speech of the Eighty, whose unwavering fealty is assured.”
RosMismar reminded Lowenah, “The heart cannot live if it is chained by the mind. Will it suffer because of its foolishness? Yes! Is it worth the price that is to be paid for such foolishness? Aboslutely! Remember your own words: ‘The heart is treacherous. Who can trust it?’ Did you not speak such truths to your children because of your own experiences? A foolish heart is not a wicked heart. Wickedness comes from the mind and heart working what is treacherous and deceitful.”
Lowenah sadly nodded in agreement, adding, “The soul that is in agony forgets the heart grows from pain. Far easier is it to run away than it is to face that tribulation, especially when I know the extent of suffering that is to come upon others because of my daughter’s failure to exercise wisdom.” A tremor of frustration shook her body. “Oh, why must my child act so?!”
Taking both of Lowenah’s hands firmly in his, RosMismar asked, “Zoe, do you not recall your own prophecy concerning your heart? For, by your own mouth, you spoke such foreknowledge. ‘Rachel will weep over the loss of her own children.’ Did you not cry on my shoulder when you came to understand the final days of this Rebellion, and uttered those words to me?”
“Yes! Yes I do remember, but it felt so far off then. My heart could handle the knowledge of that future day. But the storm sweeps down upon me now, and its anger only begins. With my darling Tizrela now dust, and soon others so close to me following her path, the pain, I fear, is too much for me to bear.”
“You must let the storm winds blow or you will have fought your wars all in vain!” RosMismar warned. He looked Lowenah in the eye. “Long ago you spoke of the need for Michael to suffer as yourself, for you said, ‘A mountain cannot rise from the sea until it has faced the violence of change. It must shed the ocean’s swaddling bands and confront, alone, the rage of fire and storm before its peak can cast its cooling shadow across a parched and desolate country’.”
He spoke with firmness. “Let the child grow! For, should the universe around her dissolve into nothing, it will be of little consequence if the girl succeeds. Tizrela and all the others will have a rebirth, planets and star systems will heal, innocence will again live in the hearts of those born in future days. Has she not been called the ‘Mountain of Yehowah’?”
Lowenah affirmed, “That is what she is one day to become.”
RosMismar squeezed her hands. “Then let her become that, no matter the cost to us now...”
Lowenah smiled through more tears as she offered, “You understand me so well. From the first of my heart’s stirrings, you have held me close. Let me, please, give to you the heart and soul like that of my children, and escape away with me to the hidden lands. There we will conceive new children who will never cause us pain and suffering.”
RosMismar laughed. “You speak so much with the heart, but you know what you say is impossible. Never would you abandon these children. This, I know. Besides, I have no desire to become like you and your children. I am very happy with who I am. I suffer not, but joy and peace are still my companions. What more could I want?”
Lowenah sat silent, deep in thought. The sun passed through a cloudless, late winter sky until the palace garden was hidden in shadow. When the evening thrush began its night song, she finally broke the silence.
To RosMismar, who had been humming his ancient tune while caressing her fingers and hands, she declared, “Then I shall make for me a man who will have your mind and spirit, and my heart and soul. To him I will give all things, for, in his wisdom, he will make justice and fairness abound. But in his passion for life and freedom, he will cause all creation to be refreshed and renewed. From him I will bring forth a new race of children that will bond all my creatures together. Those from the heavens, the earth, and my Cherubs shall all become one under his hand. And their blood will mix as in one person.”
“So, who is this fellow? Is he yet come or is the day of his birth still future?” RosMismar queried. He leaned close, gazing into Lowenah’s eyes, peering deep within them, studying all movement. Finally, he sat back. “I see you have chosen. Tell me, please, is he the same one born to stand your throne in future days?”
Lowenah said it was so.
RosMismar cautioned, “The boy is young and not tested as to fitness yet. Is it wise to put all hope in a young sapling?”
Lowenah sadly shook her head. “If he fails, all will be lost anyway, for I have seen into my own heart and know it cannot survive such a blow. Do remember I spoke of the matter long ago, for I said if Elijah does not come, I would strike all heaven and earth with complete destruction. He is my Elijah...” She bent her head down and closed her eyes. “The child must succeed or my heart will break and, in my madness, the universe and all that’s in it will perish...”
RosMismar reached out, gently squeezing Lowenah’s hand. “Then we shall all hope that he succeeds. But for now, you must find some rest from the woes pressing in upon you. Come away with me into forgotten lands that you have not visited since the day your firstborn was delivered into your arms. Refresh your soul in the things your servants have been doing. We have not been sleeping in your absence. Mountains of gold and jewels abound, and creatures, strange even to your eyes, we have made. Relax for the moment from your cares in this world and let your children carry out their duties. You can do nothing here, for you have sworn an oath to the wicked chieftain that you will not interfere in this world’s business for now. It will do you good to escape for a day.”
Lowenah protested, but RosMismar silenced her. “The Cherubs stand in their places, prepared to assist as they can. They live in the Eighty, the swords, and the souls of those you have chosen. They will not fail…never have…never will.
They ever stand faithful watch over the boy, who, in his foolishness will need watching over… and disciplining. It is better that you not see some of his foolishness, I think. His love for you is strong, but his heart yearns for many things.”
Lowenah stood. RosMismar did the same. He took her by the arm as they started strolling along a narrow lane in the garden. As they walked along, Lowenah told him of her future plans. “When the boy has become a man in his wisdom and strength, when he has won his contest, I will give your spirit to him so that he will have a mind like yours.”
RosMismar thought a moment, then asked, “Are you sure you want such a man to rule over all things?”
Lowenah smiled, a gleam in her eye. “He already has my heart. I think the combination will serve him quite well.”
She looked toward a small pool, its bubbling waterfall agitating the surface. “I have worked on that child for over four millennia. Part of the reason I had Tolohe form my nation was to create a controlled environment to make my perfect child. When I saw great genetic potential outside my nation, I made sure to add it. And by doing that, I have tricked his father into watching over his soul. This I did many times.” She smiled. “I think I have been quite successful.”
RosMismar agreed, fully aware of what she was talking about. He then suggested, “Let us leave this world and its fate to the Cherubs. They will not allow any lasting harm to come to those loving you. When you return, refreshed and rested, you will see that your efforts have been well rewarded.”
Lowenah took hold of RosMismar’s hands, staring into his eyes. Evening darkness pressed upon the little garden hidden deep within the ancient palace walls. A mist rose up around the two, both quietly standing while peering into the sparkling pool, slowly fading into the mist, silently departing the world Lowenah had called ‘home’ for so long. It would be many years before her haunting voice was again to be heard echoing off those garden walls.