"Children," said The Ancient One, "are a blessed thing, not to be used merely to satisfy one's perverted desires."
The heater slipped from his fingers. The man tried to jump from the tub, but there was no time. His cry rang through the house as it was plunged ito darkness by the tripping circuit breakers. The man's fear of pain had caused him to flee from his body and snap the silver cord of life before death claimed his flesh. It was little trouble for The Ancient One to revive the body and plant the seed. There came a banging on the bathroom door and The Ancient One dematerialized. The new occupant of the body lifted the heater from the water, sat it on the floor and then opened the door. The still naked boy came in.
"Daddy! Daddy!" he cried, "What happened? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," the new occupant of his father's body answeed. "I am fine, Davy, finer than I
have been for a long, long time. Come, get in the bath. Clean yourself up. I'll go fix the lights."
The boy looked afraid. "Please, daddy," he said, "we just did it."
The older man straightened the boy's hair. "You'll never have to do that again!" he said. "And from now on you won't have to come home from school right away, like you used to. You'll be able to stay and do some of those other things you wanted to do, and you can have some of your friends over...girls, as well as boys! Wouldn't you like that?"
The boy backed away. "Who are you?" he said. "You're not my father. You look like him, and you sound a little like him, but you're NOT him. Where's my father?"
The new occupant of the body turned toward The Ancient One. "Tell him the truth," he said.
"Your father died," the man said, "as his body was good, and will live for many more years. I have come into it, so I can do good for my people. My name is Sitting Bull. You must never tell anyone this. It must be a secret between you and me."
"You're not like my daddy?" the boy asked.
"I am a man," said Sitting Bull. "My desires are for women, not for boys and especially not for my son, a proud and good son who will someday do great things, and bring his people many honors!"
The boy climbed in the tub. "I think I'm going to like you!" the boy said, "But I feel bad about my dad. He didn't mean to be the way he was. He couldn't help it."
"All men," said Sitting Bull, "can keep themselves from doing evil if they wish. They know what is right and what is wrong. We will speak no more of your father. He is passed. When you finish school this year, we will be renting this house and going west. There may be some others going with us. Now get your bath and get to bed. You are going to find that life will change for you greatly."
"What should I call you?" the boy asked.
"You shall call me what you always called your father," said Sitting Bull. "Now wash. I must fix the lights."
The Ancient One followed the old Medicine Chief to the door which the Chief opened for him.
"He is a good boy," the Chief said. "he will not betray our trust. Go in peace, Crippled Bear, I will await the call of my woman."
The Ancient One nodded. He took wing and landed by another house on the other side of the city. Entering, he found an older woman and young girl sitting in the livingroom watching t.v.. The phone rang, and the woman picked it up. "Yes," she said, "you can come over. Sherry, dear," she said, hanging up the phone, "one of your friends is coming over to visit you for a little while, and he's going to bring mother some medicine. You go upstairs and get your pretty little things on. He's in a hurry and won't be able to stay very long."
The girl got up and headed up the stairs. A few moments later the woman followed her. She watched the girl undress in her bedroom and put on a skimpy little nightie and get in the bed. The woman turned and started back towards the stairs. The Ancient One's hand drove into her back, and sent her flying down the stairs. As she tumbled head-over-heels, her neck broke about half-way down. She landed in a heap at the bottom. The Ancient One descended, pulled the body out straight, and was about to revive it, when a cry came from the stairs.
"You leave my mother alone!"
The Ancient One looked up to see the girl standing about half way down the stairs. Realizing he was not materialized, The Ancient One was startled. "You see me?" he said.
"Yes!" the girl said. "I don't know what you are, but I see you, and you're not going to hurt my mother!"
"Your mother is dead," The Ancient One said, "I only wish to revive her."
The blue light extended from his hand, passed over the woman on the floor. She took a deep breath, shivered, and rose.
"That is not my mother!" the girl said.
The new occupant of the body and The Ancient One looked at each other.
"A very gifted child!" the woman said.
"And a very pregnant child!" The Ancient One remarked.
"You could take care of that," the woman answered. "It is very small, and would not cause her that much discomfort."
The girl covered herself with her hands and backed up the steps. "No!" she said. "No! You're not going to kill my baby! That's what they were planning, but I was going to run away!"
The woman started up the steps and held out her hands. "Don't be afraid, child," she said, "you will not be forced to do anything. If you want the child, you may have it. We were only thinking what was best for you."
The girl's hand slowly came out and took the woman's. "You're nicer than my mother!" she said, "Lots nicer!"
They were interrupted by a knock on the door and a look of terror came over the girl's face. The Ancient One took on a human form and opened the door. A rumpled looking man in a dirty suit stood at the door holding a paper bag. "Hello," he said, "you just leaving?"
"No," The Ancient One said, "the young lady's services are no longer available. Do not come here any more!"
"Hey!" the man said, "I've got the goods and I was promised a turn. What are you going to do, hog her all to yourself?"
The Ancient One reached out and seized the man by the chin. His fingers dug in until blood began to flow. He lifted the man several inches off the ground.
"I could very easily," The Ancient One said, "rip yor head off! Feel very glad that I am not inclined to do so at the moment! You have been warned. The next time you knock on this door or any of your friends, we will not be so kind."
The Ancient One threw the man down. The man wiped the blood from his face, looked at The Ancient One with bewildered, terrified eyes, then ran off into the night.
"Should you have demonstrated your powers so greatly?" the woman asked.
"It doesn't matter," The Ancient One said. "The blood vessels in his brain are so thin, within a day or so they will burst. Where he will be after that, what he saw he will tell no one."
The Ancient One went to the table and wrote an address on a piece of paper by the phone. "This is where your man is," he said, "it is not safe for you to stay in this house. Take what you need for a short time and go there. You can be married tomorrow. "
The woman nodded and turned to the girl. "Go pack your things," she said, "you're going to meet a nice man who we will be living with. He has a son who you will find will be your good friend!"
"Yes, mother!" the girl said with a smile.
There was no need for further words. The Ancient One nodded, went back to his true form, and winged skyward. In the next few hours he spread many more seeds; The Winedot Indians, The Mohawks, and others all had charges for him. When these were done, he sped to the lower Americas. Time was short, and he had much to do, but he carried it out swiftly.
Returning north, he had some final charges to be rid of in this continent...at least for this night. He landed at a secluded cabin by which was parked many cars. Inside the cabin were a dozen or so bunks, most of which were occupied by men. All totaled there were eleven men but there were also five women sharing the bunks with some of the men. They were all quite dead. The Ancient One went over to the gas heater at one end of the room. Reaching down, he shut it off.
"Stupid people!" he said, "That bypass is a safety feature!"
He opened all the windows and let the cabin air for a few minutes before he began reviving the bodies. Unlike the others he had left, many of these moaned and groaned as they awoke. The women all cried and began to gather up their clothes to cover themselves. When The Ancient One
was done, he waited a few minutes to make sure this particular group could function before he left. Finally one of them rose, came before him, and saluted in the manner of his people. The Ancient One returned the salute. BR>"Why do you despise us?" the man said. "Why do you so hate us? The Ancient One only looked at him, then turned and started for the door. "We're trying," the man said, "that's why we're here. We're trying to undo what we did. You must help us."
"I will help you as much as I can," said The Ancient One. "That is our way. But do not ask me to like you. That is NOT my way. What amazes me is that those you so bitterly treated forgive you. I would not have been so kind."
"That," the man said, "we know."
As The Ancient One turned once more the man cried out "We will find you. We know who you are. We are creatures of obedience. Our leader has said you are his successor, nothing can change that. No matter what you feel about us, no matter how much you hate us, you are ours...you are our only hope. You have always been just. You do not know what it is like for us. You do not know the pain. We have to have you; we WILL have you!"
The Ancient One did not look back, but continued to walk out of the cabin. "You will forget who and where I am," he said. "I have already blocked that knowledge in your minds."
The Ancient One was about to take flight when something wrapped around his legs. He looked down to see one of the women holding him. He pushed back her hair and just smiled. She nodded, and let go, and The Ancient One winged onward. He was weary, but most of the seeds he carried were gone. There were only a few important ones to deliver.
He sped east across the great ocean and came to a shore where war was the way of life. Here, he found a boat washed up on the shore. Seven bodies lay in it. The Ancient One revived each. Six backed off, hiding their faces. Only the seventh stood and faced him.
"I am Saladin, called The Great. In The Name Of Allah, and Mohammed, his servant, I bow down before you."
"And these?" asked The Ancient One.
"Six men," said Saladin, "who were once Kings and Presidents who could have brought glory to The Name Of Allah, but instead they brought him shame. They fear to look upon you, for you can see what is truly within a man, and your eyes have no pity. They are not your servants, they are your slaves. Each of these bodies was from a different land. They were training to commmit acts of terror. Now, they will bring joy.
"I must go," said The Ancient One. "My time is done."
"Then make haste!" the other bade him. "We know our tasks and will be about it."
The Ancient One sped north. Reaching out with his senses, he saw five more forms to complete his night's work. Below him in a land he once tread long ago, he saw a vehicle tearing along a rocky road. Even as The Ancient One watched, the vehicle left the road, flipped several times through the air, and came down with a thundering CRASH! The Ancient One descended. The vechicle's five occupants lay scattered about the ravine. He quickly revived them. When he was done, the first greeted him.
"I am Joshua," he said, "this is Saul, David, and the two Herods. They wish not to look upon you."
"Nor do I!" said David, "Considering what I did the last time we met!"
"That is long forgotten!" said The Ancient One. "The price for that was paid a long time ago. I am glad you have returned to again serve your people, and I am sure that you have learned from the past and will betray no man again for his wife. I only wish you now goodspeed, and success. I wish that for all those I have left this night. May they all be successful! I must hurry. Already that body I call home stirs. I will be weary enough after this night's work!"
"We will meet again!" said Joshua. "Destiny will see to that. Goodspeed, Lord Of Light, Bearer Of Truth. May all your enemies fall before YOU as mine fell before me."
The Ancient One smiled and sped homewhad. It would take him a couple of more nights to finish his work, but the greater part was done. Let these great people rise again. Let them find their true destinies. All that he had done this night was good....maybe not completely pleasant, but it was good.
He awoke wearty, the night's adventure foggy in his mind, but remembered, nonetheless. He would think about them much in the days to come.

THE END

 

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