IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT
By; Speaker Gerald Polley
All rights reserved.
Chapter 16
It was hard to say good bye to dear friends.
Carol would miss her doctor. There's no doubt he would miss
her. Their parting was tearful. But many friends were going
with them. When they got to the airport they had a big plane all
to themselves! "We'll be picking up some more people in Israel,"
Mr. Asad explained, "and then some more in England before going on to
The United States."
"My only regret," Carol remarked, "is that I'll
never get to visit Palestine. I'd like to see what he
accomplished there. That the foundation of the first city was
cleared by a meteorite and it's now an object of worship still
fascinates me!"
"Still fascinates everybody else!" Mr. Asad
agreed. "Two days after the site was chosen the thing comes down,
takes the top off a mountain, and clears out the very area they wanted
to excavate, exposing artifacts from two ancient cities!
Everybody says it couldn't be a coincidence, it was the hand of
God."
He got up and went up to the front of the
plane. A few moments later he returned. "Do take the window
seat over here," he remarked.
A few minutes after they were in the air the pilot
announced "Ladies and gentlemen, I've been asked to make a swing down
to Palestine and do a circle of The City Of Abraham, now coming up on
your right. I'll do a circle, swing back, and pass over The City
Of Ishmael on the way back."
Carol looked out the window. The city below
was beautiful! She saw flashes and puffs of smoke. "What's
that?" she asked.
"A twenty-one gun artillery salute," Mr. Asad
answered. "They heard somebody special would be passing over."
Carol smiled. "Thank them for me!" she insisted.
When the plane landed at Tel Aviv there was a band
and flags everywhere. Children waited with flowers. Carol
came off the plane and greeted them. A little girl came to her
being led by her grandmother. The grandmother said nothing but
just looked at Carol and, to the little girl. Carol knew what she
wanted and could tell she wouldn't have too much more time with
them. She put her hand on the girl's forehead, then whispered in
the grandmother's ear, "It'll happen in a couple of days. Don't
say anything." The grandmother smiled back at her. They
flew on to London.
"Good Lord!" Carol remarked as they entered the airport. "This place is a city unto itself!"
"When their anti grav station gets finished," Mr. Asad remarked, "it's going to be even busier!"
A British soldier came up. "Excuse me, madam,"
he snapped, "the King would like to greet you and invites your entire
party to lunch!"
"The King?" Carol muttered. "Most certainly! Thank you!"
Carol was led to where the King was waiting. She
curtsied and he extended his hand. "Your majesty!" Carol
managed. "I am overjoyed at the honor!"
"Please!" the King insisted, "William! And I
would be very delighted if I might call you Carol. Madam Speaker seems
inappropriate for such a lovely lady."
The woman beside him cleared her throat. "Ah,
yes!" the King continued, "My wife, who is also overjoyed to meet
you. And, my daughters."
Carol shook hands with the Queen and greeted the
daughters warmly. "My goodness!" she exclaimed, "They're even
more beautiful than their photographs! They definitely take after
their mother!"
Everyone laughed. "Actually," the King remarked,
"they both bear a striking resemblance to their grandmother! Oh!"
the King snapped, "I have something for you. It was given to me by him
many years ago. He told me to always keep it and when I met a
lady astronomer going to the moon to give it to her."
He took a metallic case from his pocket and opened
it. There was a golden chain inside, and a Star Of Spirit.
In the middle of the Star a lens was mounted. "The lens," the
King explained, "was recovered from Galileo's workshop. No one
knows exactly what he made it for. But it was given to him and he
decided that it should be given to someone else and had it so mounted."
Carol looked at the lens. "Magnificent!" she
remarked, "That they could make such craftsmanship so long ago!
Well, I'm sure there's a reason for me to have it. You know, I've
yet to obtain a symbol." She took it out and put it on. The
King beamed with joy! They headed into the restaurant and a man
approached.
"Excuse me, your majesty," he snapped, "I am an agent of
The World Court. I have a warrant for this woman's arrest.
I would appreciate it that if you would assist me in performing my
duties."
The King sighed. "You know full well," he
remarked, "the airport is neutral territory. The citizens of all
nations may come and go unmolested. If you have a grievance with
this lady you will have to serve your warrant someplace else. You will
not serve it here! Now depart before I have you removed!"
Two armed soldiers approached. The man
sighed. "We were hoping," he continued, "you would respect
international agreements, but as it is obvious you will not, we will
wait for another opportunity."
Carol giggled. "What's so funny?" the man snapped.
"In a very short time," Carol answered, "I'm going
to be far beyond your reach, far beyond your authority! So as a
man we admire very much used to say, shove it where the sun don't
shine!"
Everybody roared with laughter. The man huffed
and headed off. "It's sad," the King commented. "They once
tried to do good for the world, but now they are lost in the twisted
insanity of a society that's fading away, of a dream that failed.
It is so sad!"
"Agreed!" Carol answered. "How is the reconciliation going with Scotland and Ireland?"
"Very well!" the King answered. "I don't think
we'll ever have a joint government again, but the levels of cooperation
are increasing daily. The Scottish King and The Irish King often
have functions with me."
"Britain was very wise," Carol praised, "simply letting go."
"How true!" the King agreed, "How true! Well, let's get that lunch! I'm hungry!"
Everybody laughed again. The lunch was
fantastic! They got on the plane and were almost to The United
States when Carol saw two flashes go by them. "What was that?"
Carol asked Mr. Asad as he sat down.
"American interceptors, F36s. There's an aircraft following us ordering us to divert to Canada."
There was a sudden flash. "Well, it was following us!" Mr. Asad snapped. "Don't think it is any more."
The two aircraft reappeared, one on each wing and
stayed with them until they landed. "Damn!" Carol moaned.
"Damn!"