CHAPTER 18-1
1090 Words
CHAPTER 18Though it was a typical mild Northwest Pacific afternoon, sitting on the curved brick steps of Pioneer Courthouse Square watching Denton perform his healings had induced a slight chill, and Ping had volunteered to make a run up to the Starbucks that sat at the center of the raised rim of the plaza. After off-loading drinks to everyone, he took the last cup and handed the carrying tray to Mara, who jogged over to a nearby recycle can to discard it.
When she returned, she sipped her hot chocolate, then turned to Melanie and said, “How long will he stay out here and do this?”
“He’ll stay for another hour or so, until the sun starts to go down below the buildings and shadows begin to cover the square. It’ll get a little too cold for people to stand around,” she said. “And, by that time, he’ll start to get worn out. He doesn’t show it while he’s doing it, but the healing process does sap his strength a bit.”
“Do you and Mr. Proctor encounter much resistance from people when you do these gatherings, like the man with the Bible earlier?” Ping asked.
“We’ve not been doing this for very long. For a few days after the plane crash, Denton didn’t realize he was in a place where people could not heal each other, so it didn’t occur to him to make a point of going out and helping people.”
“So everyone from your realm has this ability, to heal people?” Mara said.
“Everyone in Denton’s realm, as you call it, has this ability. When someone is hurt or sick, it is normal for them to use their natural healing abilities to help each other. It’s a moral thing for them, like if you were to encounter someone whose car broke down in a desert or someone stranded on a boat at sea. The right thing to do is to help,” Melanie said.
“You said, Denton’s realm. I’m assuming you’re from a different realm than your husband?” Ping said.
“That’s correct.”
“So both your counterparts were on Flight 559 but were replaced by alter egos from differing realities? That must have been very disconcerting at first.”
“You might say we are still adjusting. There are differences other than our innate abilities that we’ve had to deal with.”
Bohannon, who alternately focused on flexing his newly repaired leg and watching Denton Proctor interact with the small gathering a few feet away, turned to Melanie. “The flyer you guys put out said something about you being able to read souls. What does that mean?”
“Probably the best way to describe it is the ability to give someone an objective, outside perspective on what is going on with their psyche—things they may not be aware of.”
“That sounds very intrusive,” Bohannon said.
“It is a very intimate experience, but it’s not about intrusion. We can’t force someone to participate, and, while we remember what was said during the session, the impetus for what is said is not actually known or remembered by the reader.”
“It sounds as if you have the ability to read someone’s subconscious mind,” Ping said.
“That’s as good an explanation as I can give,” Melanie said, “but I think it’s little more complicated than that.”
“So why are you not doing readings for people now?” Bohannon tilted his head toward the crowd. “The flyer said you would.”
“Since the experience can be disturbing to some people, we generally think it’s best to wait for people to ask about it. Occasionally Denton will encounter someone who he thinks might benefit from the experience, and he’ll ask the person to talk to me. It’s a much more difficult concept to explain to people than healing.”
“Yeah, I’m still not sure if I’m following what you mean,” Bohannon said.
Melanie smiled and said, “Detective, would you like me to do a reading with you? I get the impression you are curious about the state of your soul.”
“Ha! I was raised by a Baptist preacher. I’m pretty sure the state of my soul is in disrepair, but thanks anyway. I think I would prefer to stay in the dark for the time being.”
Melanie turned to Ping. “How about you, Mr. Ping? You seem like someone who wouldn’t have any qualms about learning more about himself.”
“Oh, I don’t know. We all have things we’d prefer not to face, I suppose,” he said.
Melanie patted the bricks on the step next to her. “Come, sit with me. I think you will enjoy this.”
Ping hesitated for a second, and Mara nudged him. “Go ahead. What can it hurt?”
He leaned in and whispered to her, “I’m not sure this is a good idea, given the dichotomy of consciousnesses I have inside me.”
“She said she can provide perspective on your psyche. Give it a shot. I’ll be here the whole time.”
Ping looked askance at her but walked over and sat next to Melanie. “What do I do?” he asked.
Melanie placed her hands on each side of Ping’s face, making a point of centering her fingers over each temple. “Breathe deeply and relax. A lot of people close their eyes, but it’s not required,” she said.
Ping kept his eyes open and locked them on Melanie’s.
She rolled her head slowly as if trying to get a kink out of her neck. After three turns of her head, she stopped with her chin slightly tilted to the left, giving her a pose that looked almost inquisitive. Suddenly her pupils dilated, turned into black pools that overflowed and overwhelmed her blue irises, then blotted out the whites of her eyes, turning them into orbs of swirling melted tar.
Ping focused on the roiling blackness in Melanie’s eyes as she said, “I can see where you came from, the life you had there.” The swirling tar disintegrated into clouds of gray dust that formed a vortex, morphed into Ping’s profile. “A strong sense of unfulfilled destiny—you knew one day you would be called away. To here. To this place.”
“Yes,” Ping said, in a slurred whisper.
“You are the mentor, the navigator to The One.”
“Yes.”
“But you carry a burden that burns away at you, a fear that consumes you.”
Ping’s eyes widened, and he whimpered, “Yes.”
The gray dusty profile that filled Melanie’s eyes spun apart into a sandy storm and coalesced again into the head of a serpent, a dragon. A stream of smoke flowed out of her nose, followed by a lick of flame. “There is another.”
“Yes, the fear that consumes me.”
Melanie swung her head haltingly back and forth, dragons still in her eyes. “It is not the beast that consumes you. It is your fear.”
“No, it is the dragon.”
“You fear ignorance. You doubt yourself. You think your knowledge is inadequate to fulfill your destiny.”
“Yes.”
“You have the knowledge you need, somewhere. However, you must learn the lessons you have taught others. Embrace the nature of existence. Embrace the many facets of you. And when the time comes, you will be free of the beasts inside, the dragon and the doubt.”
Melanie’s hands slid from the side of Ping’s face, and her head dropped to her chest.
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- Writer
