IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
REASSURANCE
By; Speaker Gerald A. Polley
THE ANCIENT ONE ROSE SKYWARD AND WINGED
WEST, rising and falling in the full moon, just enjoying
the feel of the air. Sometimes a flock of birds would go by
him, chirping or honking as with their animal senses they
detected his presence.
He flew over a northwestern city and waited. From below a
familiar figure in armor rose to greet him.
"What mischief tonight?" The Ax Man asked.
"None," The Ancient One answered. "I sense
your troubled thoughts, old friend. Let's go find a quiet
place and talk."
The Ax Man shook his head. "Always ahead of me!"
he remarked.
They settled onto a mountainside with an incredible view.
"Well?" The Ancient One asked.
His companion stared at him. "We can do so much,"
he complained, "you can get peoples' cooperation to do so
many things, yet we can't begin The Awakening. Our Children
still sleep. Why? Why can't we raise them?"
The Ancient One stared into the night, deep in thought.
"I can easily get people to risk their lives," he
complained, "on one of our little adventures, take on the
forces of our government, drug dealers, every manner of evil, as
long as when they go home they go back to being Mr. & Mrs.
Jones next door, the good Christians who went on and adopted some
blue-eyed, blonde-haired boys and girls from overseas.
People have more than enough courage to take on danger like that.
But when it comes to standing up in public and saying 'You know
what? I'm really an alien from another world. I came
here thousands of years ago in space ships and have been long
among mankind ever since. It's now time fore my people to
awaken, rebuild their religion, and, their nation, and return to
the stars.' That takes a whole different KIND of courage.
That takes being able to deal with your friends you have known
for years not wanting to have anything to do with the crackpots.
It takes being able to face your birth parents and dealing with
their disappointment that you've given up the religion that they
believe in and have gone off with this unsure and DANGEROUS cult.
It's not an easy matter, my friend. You and I have the
courage to accept our heritage and fight for it both in these
forms and our others. But some just cannot muster that kind
of fortitude. Our numbers are not yet enough. They
will be, in time. I know, your patience is not great!"
"Yours sometimes drives me to frustrations!" The
Ancient one's companion put in. "I want to ACT!
I want to DO! I want to build! Openly, defiantly I
want to make them tremble in The Light as we make them tremble in
The Darkness."
"In time, my friend," The Ancient One assured, rising,
"in time! Our numbers grow. With each passing
day, with each passing hour they grow.
The day will come when from one end of this world to the other
children will happily say 'My parents are with The Lords.'
The day will come, my brother, but right now let's go see what
good we can do. Let's go have some fun.
It looks like those young people at the parking spot down there
are about to have some unwelcome visitors. Let's make sure
they get home safely."
The Ax Man picked up his great blade.
"I want the muscle-bound one!" he remarked.
"He's all yours!" The Ancient One answered,
leaping off the cliff and soaring away.
"I've got just one more question," his companion asked
as they were headed down the valley. "Why can't you
use your bound servants?"
The Ancient One laughed. "A Temple," he answered,
"a society cannot be built by servants. They can help,
they can be a part, but it must be built by the faithful."
"I suppose you're right!" The Ax Man answered.
"you usually are. You usually are!"
THE END