He had a special blend of herbs that could be used for poultices as well as a very tasty drink that could do wonders for so many ailments. He spent most of the night tending to the two by keeping hot poultices on their wounds and getting fluids into them. After 7 hours, the woman began to make small sounds of pain but it was good to his ears to hear because it meant that she was at least coming back from the grave as he would put it. The little dog was doing the same and had even woken up and began to drink from the dish that he had placed close to him. Ethan had covered both with warm blankets as the fevers that both had raged through the night. The dog’s was the first to break and that is when he moved to the dish and began to drink. Ethan had to keep adding fluid since the dog would drink the bowl empty and look at him for more. He had kept a large pot on the stove full of hot water and added the herbal tea blend to the cups that he would spoon feed to the woman and the dog until the dog began drinking of his own volition. Ethan had cleaned the little guys leg wound and packed it with antiseptic and then wrapped it after he had soaked it with the poultice. He had done the same for the woman and had wrapped her head with the gauze bandages he had. She was sleeping now more calmly other than the noises of pain. She was unconscious for so long that he had begun to think that she would not recover from the injury. He had worried so bad it made him sick and then when he heard her making the small noises he was very relieved.

Out on the Old Bruce Highway where Kyra’s car had run off the road sat two emergency vehicles with their lights flashing around and around. Two officers were sitting in their car watching the fire engulf the car. As they watched the car fell over right side up and a few minutes later exploded in a fireball of white hot flame. The flame shot up about 50 feet into the night and then just as quick as it blew up it was doused by the hard driving rain. The paramedic/fire engine men had dragged a hose out and were preparing to douse the flames but the rain took care of it for them. The Explosion had caused the car to twist out and fling small pieces into the forest. The men began to move into the forest and make sure the flames were extinguished. Sergeant Lloyd Macky looked at his partner and said “did you get any ID off that vehicle?” Officer Tom Harris said. “Just that it was a late model Dodge Scrammer is all. There were no plates to Identify who might have owned it. Oh and the color was a deeper shade of green.” “Well let’s wait for the Firemen to give us a report of anybody that may have been in the damn thing. I would suspect that if there was anyone in there the body would not be very recognizable at this point.” Lloyd poured himself another cup of coffee and offered some to Tom. Lloyd then called in the accident to his chief. The firemen searched the remains of the blown up car but could find no evidence of a body or anyone being in it for that matter. The rain had washed away any sign of footprints and what not so this whole scene was a mystery. Captain Hiram Welsh told his men to cover the wreck with the heavy tarps that they carried on the engine and this scene would have to be investigated further after the storm subsided. The men of the fire engine covered everything up and left the scene to go back to Innisfail. The two policemen continued south on the old Bruce Highway.

Ethan had fallen asleep on the couch after he was sure that the woman would be okay and the dog was resting again after drinking two bowls of water. He filled the bowl again as the dog fell back to sleep and finally laid down himself. It was starting to get light outside but the grey skies and the rain was still coming down. He kept the fire going in the old fireplace and the heat on from the electric furnace he had installed a few years back. He did not know how long he had been asleep but he awoke with a start and the rain had slowed down. He stood up and looked where the dog was but the dog was gone. He walked over to a window and looked out and could see that the rain was just coming down like a mist. He then walked back to the stove and poured himself a cup of water and another cup for the woman. He made some tea and walked into the bedroom.

The dog was up on the bed lying next to the woman. She was still sleeping but it looked like she had at least moved. He walked over to the table in the room and sat the two cups down. He then walked over to the side of the bed and started to touch the woman’s face to see if she still did not have a fever. As his hand came close to her cheek the dog let out a growl. He looked at the little feller and said “Well now, looks like you are doing better. Don’t you want her to get better also?” The dog moved closer to his master and looked at him with a questioning sideways glance. “How about some good solid food, are you hungry?” Another questioning sideways glance but this time the dog opened his mouth and breathed easy. “Okay some food it shall be.”

Ethan turned and went back out to the kitchen and entered a pantry. He found the dog food that he still had from when he had Blue his best friend. Blue had been run over by a neighbor not more than a month earlier. He could not blame the neighbor but the whole ordeal had made him so sad. He cried for days after he buried Blue over by the line of trees that ran against the hill side. He poured the healthy homemade biscuits that a close friend of his made into a bowl and fetched the bowl of water and moved back into the bedroom. The dog was still lying next to his master and when he came in with the food and water the little guy raised his head. He sat the food and water bowls down and moved to a chair that was close to the bed. The dog looked at him then scooted over to the edge of the bed and looked at the food and water. Ethan thought about helping the fellow down but all of sudden the dog hopped down and keeping his injured leg up he hobbled over to the bowls and sniffed. He took a drink of water first and then bit into one of the biscuits. After the one bite it was like biting into a piece of candy and the dog lay down and began to eat. Ethan watched him for a minute and almost fell backwards when the woman asked him who he was.

“Ah, your awake, I know you probably do not feel very spry at the moment but tha……” “I asked who you are and how did I get here? And suppose you tell me where my garments are while you are at it.” “Okay, my name is Ethan and I brought you here last night because I found you lying in the forest with your head busted open. Your dog, I presume he is yours, was protecting you, and he was not in any better shape than you. There was a crashed car, I again presume that it was yours, lying on its side and on fire. This was the closest place I could bring you; I was so afraid that you would die if I tried to take you back up the road to Innisfail. I do have Medical experience and thought to help you get better. I can take you wherever you and your dog would like to go from here just as soon as you feel up to traveling. Please don’t worry; I am a harmless antique dealer these days. My stint in the Army ended over 5 years ago. Now as for your clothes or garments as you call them, they are right over there. I removed them after I got you somewhat stable last night because they were sop and wet and I thought it would be better for you to be in something a little dryer. My wife’s nightgown fits you well. I do believe that you are both the same size.” “I have no such thing as a dog or whatever you call it and what and where is your wife if I may ask?” “Your dog is right there, are you sure you don’t have a dog?” Kyra raised her head to see where he was pointing and it almost made her scream from the pain. She saw the little creature or life force lying on the floor and eating from a container. She also saw the wrap around it. It was all she could stand at the moment and lowered her head back down. “That is not something I know of or least ways I don’t remember ever having anything like that.” “Well he sure was ready to tear my hand off last night when I approached you in the forest. Can you tell me who you are, what is your name, where you come from?”

Kyra closed her eyes. She could only see a darkness it was like walking in a tunnel of complete darkness with no light at all. It seemed to her that she had always been walking along in this tunnel. Until she awoke in this strange thing she was lying on and saw the strange man she knew nothing, no one or anything. She might have just been floating through outer space and landed on some strange world after an eternity. Her mind was this blank darkness. The only thing she knew was this being, a name, the little white creature whom this being said belonged to her or so he thought and the imagery that flooded her eyesight when she opened them. She knew the pain in her head. She spoke once more “I do not know who I am, I do not know what I am other than a life force and I can only say that I am from a dark tunnel. Where that is I don’t know.”

Ethan had listened to this woman and knew she was in a complete amnesia fog. The crack on the forehead had caused her to lose complete memory and on top of that it seemed that she could not make a connection to being a human being. It was as if she was from another dimension or world and all of this was or had been non existent His mind whirled with thoughts of trying to bring this woman back to this plane of existence.

He had been a medic in the Army during the Chinese invasion. He was only 18 years old when he first joined in the year 2022 and within two years he had become almost a doctor but was assigned to a division of infantry as one of the many medics. He met his wife one year before the invasion on the base in Melbourne and it was instant love with both of them. She also was in the medic corps and they were married just 6 months before the war started. They both were with the 103rd division when the Chinese came ashore up around the Cairns area. They managed to destroy and murder their way down to Brisbane before the three Armies of Australia pushed them back and then destroyed their ships. The Australian Army had killed over half of the Chinese Army and pushed the rest off land and then devastated their fleet. The ones that survived limped their way back to the mainland China and from that point on were sanctioned and blockaded from leaving their lands to the oceans. The Eastern Coast from above Cairns to Brisbane had been burned and sacked but the peoples prevailed and the smaller cities rebuilt.

His wife had lost an arm during the fighting and after the war which only lasted 1 year; he took her and moved up to the area west of the old Mission beach coast. He found the house he was in now and repaired it well enough to live in. Cathy was a real trooper; she would build a garden every spring by tilling the soil and planting everything by hand. She loved to get her hand in the dirt. He had always like to collect antiques and after the first year he found an old store front in the burned out Mission beach and with some help from the other folks that had come back to restore and live there repaired it and opened up his antique store. All the folks that had come back fixed up their own stores and soon folks were visiting from the southern and western regions. One day in the late spring he had decided to come home early from the store and gather Cathy and head up into the mountains for a picnic.

He drove into the yard around 1:30pm and went into the house hoping to surprise Cathy. He could not find her at first and then thought after a head slap that she would be out in the garden. He went out the back door and headed for the patch. When he entered through the gate he saw her lying on her back over a raised row of Lettuce. His worry meter banged hard as he hurried over to her. When he reached her he could see her face was completely white. He fell to his knees and called to her. He put his head to her heart and did not hear a beat. He slapped her face to see if he could revive her that way and then did mouth to mouth resuscitation. He dragged her body off the lettuce mound and laid her flat and continued to breathe into her. All of his efforts after an hour did not revive her. His tears were flowing heavily and he screamed to the heavens, “WHY, WHY, WHY NOW, WHAT HAVE I DONE, WHY DID YOU TAKE HER?” Cathy had died a sudden death. The shrapnel from the Mortar that had taken her arm during the war had lodged very close to her heart and the doctors could not get it out without killing her then so they left it in and told her that it could move and kill her in the future. She lived for another four years in total bliss with Ethan and never told him about the chunk of metal close to her heart. Ethan had buried her close to the garden she loved so much. He was still in the Army and shortly after her death he retired and one week later Blue showed up. He was a stray and just hung around. Ethan came home from the store one day and there was the dog lying at the gate to the garden. Ethan had let it go to seed and for some reason seeing the dog lying at the gate made him want to start it up again. He fed the dog and the dog and he became the best of friends. Blue was around about as long as Cathy had been and when he lost Blue it was like a fire went out in him.

He had been contemplating committing suicide when he came across the woman and her dog as he still presumed. The presence of both of these beings was a strong symbolic kick to him. He resolved to help them get well and he had meant it when he told the woman that he would take her anywhere she wanted to go when she was well enough. The whole idea that this woman had such complete amnesia had stirred his life once again and now he would have to help her regain her memories and hopefully make friends with the little fellow that was so protective of her

23 LEARNING TO FLY

Debra had prepared a place to lay the Captain, as the children called him, down. She called him Otto and it seemed to her that he and she had known each other forever. She had also set the table and had food cooking on the stove. Rene’ had spoke into her mind and told her that they had healed the Captain and he was still asleep. She would be bringing him over to the house while Lonny and Henry were going to get the other two men and bring them over. After stoking the fire in the old fireplace and making sure the food was simmering just right she moved to the rear porch. The rain was still falling but it seemed to be lighter now although the winds were still howling around. The night had closed in completely and the overflowing creek waters were still rushing around the two buildings. She had seen this before and knew that it would be a few days before the water receded and then another week or so before the ground dried out enough that they would not need to wear the knee high mud boots. Her Dad had once said that he was going to fix the creek so it would never flood around the houses again but he never got around to doing that and then he died.

She was standing close to the edge of the porch where the steps went down to the ground when she saw the torches at the barn doors. Her heart was fluttering and she was quite worried about Otto although Rene’ told her that he had been healed. She saw the two torches fly over to the bunk house and could see the lights on. Rene’ had levitated the Captain and herself across the rushing water and lowered down to the porch. Debra placed her arm across his chest as Rene’ levitated him into the living room and lowered him to the big old couch.

Otto had landed next to Debra and she had hugged him and said she was glad that he was back and then they both turned and walked toward the house after she said that they were having company for dinner. He heard her in his mind say “I love you” and then she was telling him that it was time to wake up for dinner. He opened his eyes and the dream faded back into the deeper places of his mind. He remembered running from the wave of water rolling toward him and Lonny and hitting something hard that made him double over and fall backwards. The pain in his leg and his gut had made him tense up so much it made him sick. He raised himself quickly and looked at his leg first. He did not see any thing wrong and then he felt his midsection. It also felt okay. His focus solidified and Debra was standing next to him. “Welcome back dear man, can you get up okay?” He looked at her shinning, smiling face and his own face lit up with a smile. Moving his legs over to a sitting up position he asked “how long have I been out, I remember running from a wave of water when the creek overflowed and….where is Lonny?” Rene’ walked in from the kitchen carrying a bowl of steaming vegetables and walked to the table and set it down in the center. She then covered it with a lid of some sort. Debra asked her if she would fetch the potatoes also, “I think that Lonny, Henry, Leif and Johansson are on their way and should be here any minute.” Rene’ said “yes Miss Debra they have just landed on the back porch.”

“Would you like to wash up, our guests have arrived.” Debra reached down to give him a hand to stand up. He smiled even more as he pushed himself up and took her hand. “Yes my dear lady, I do believe I will do just that but you must show me where the Lavatory is.” “Oh forgive me; it is just down the hall over here.” She pointed the way and kept a hold of his hand. He felt the warmth and the electrical charge from her spirit as she slowly let go of his hand. When he came back to the table, everyone was seated except Debra who was still in the kitchen. He sat down and asked Lonny how he was doing. Lonny looked at Rene’ and Henry briefly and said “I am doing well Captain.” Debra carried in a large pot with a lid on it and sat it down sort of in front of Otto and moved to his side and sat down. “Now shall we eat?” Everybody dug into the food with vigor. The conversation became jolly and the children were laughing.

Otto had cleaned his plate and had a second helping. His taste buds exploded in wonder when he first bit into the main dish and all the other compliments that were on the table were perfect. He had to wonder also how this woman had found time to prepare all of this but his memory of how long they had been at the farm gave him some idea. He looked at Debra and said “This is the most delicious meal I have had in many years, how did you ever find time to prepare all of this?” “Well Otto, I guess I started when we first arrived this afternoon and Rene’ helped me.” Rene’ smiled and the two boys snickered. Otto smiled and watched Rene’ elbow Henry who was sitting next to her. In his mind these children could not be more that 7 to 10 years old and his memory of Lonny levitating him from the pasture flooded his thoughts. He had to wonder just how many other talents these children had. He had so many questions but he wanted to talk with Debra first. He could see that Leif and Johansson were filled with questions also but all in good time. They had many days and perhaps years in front of them to learn so much, Flying was a big one.

He turned his attention directly at Debra who was looking directly at him with a big smile. She looked over at Rene’ while standing up and said “would you like to help me clear the table so we can have some desert?” All three children stood at once and began to gather the plates and empty dishes of food. Leif and Johansson started to stand up but Debra told them to stay sitting and her and the children would clear things up. “We have two kinds of pies and fresh cherries and I even managed to find some wonderful vanilla Ice cream if anyone wants some. Rene’ I do believe that the coffee is hot if you will help me bring some in.” Yes Miss Debra” and all three children cleaned up the table quickly. “Would you gentlemen like some fresh roasted coffee with your desert?” All three of them shook there heads yes and said “Yes please.” Just a few minutes later, the Children were bringing in the dishes full of Ice cream and a big bowl of fresh cherries with cream in a side bowl. Debra started bringing in the mugs of coffee and Otto noticed that the children had Hot chocolate in their cups. Debra had placed the cups in front of everyone and returned to the Kitchen. A few minutes later she carried in the pies which were hot. As she placed them on the table she said “we have peach and apple as that is what our trees are up in the high east end of the farm.” Johansson spoke and said “you have fruit trees on the farm, how wonderful, I remember in my early years, living on a fruit farm and it was such a good time, we always were eating on the fruit and the folks that I worked for would can the fruit for the winter.” “Yes we did that here also when my parents operated the farm and the other folks that took it over also did that.”

The Children had finished their deserts and moved into the kitchen. They proceeded to clean up the dishes and straighten everything out and Rene’ was sitting at the kitchen table and petting River. The two boys sat down and then all three of them were talking quietly while River was getting all the attention he could want. Leif had taken his empty cup into the Kitchen and bent over and petted the dog. “I guess it’s alright to bring the dog in over at the bunk house. I kind of took a liking to him.” The conversation at the table in the big room had consisted mostly of the men and their adventures on the high seas. They had discussed the Last Bastion and what had happened to her and how that brought them to Paradise and how they decided to stay. Johansson had earnestly stated that he did not ever plan on going back to sea. He then talked about the old tractor and said that he thought he could get it back in running order as long as he could find a few parts. Debra told him that the work shop, it was parked in, should have all the spare parts he would need and how the general feed store in Paradise did carry some parts for that particular tractor. “There are quite a few of them still in operation and after the war, they came in very handy so the store owners shopped around and managed to find some old dealers that still had parts and were selling them and shipping them to other countries.” Johansson seemed pleased with that. He was the chief mechanic and engine boss on the Last Bastion and his abilities around anything mechanical was beyond belief as Otto said. Leif was one of those men that could fix anything in the wood working realm and had been Johansson’s main help in the engine room. He could also work with metals and his abilities in welding were amazing. He had noticed the acetylene tanks in the tractor bay and had bumped around until he found the welding torches and rods. He had also examined the well stocked carpenter tools and even noticed the power tools. It seemed that both men were very happy about the tools and other things they could use to repair most everything on this farm. Someone had definitely made sure that whatever was needed would be available.

Otto had talked about his life on the farm and how he had tried to make a go of it when his parents had died. Russia’s economy at the time was thrashed and he lost the whole thing to some bank that foreclosed even though he had been given a paid off farm or so he thought. When the bank sent the STATE police around to serve the papers he found out that his father had taken a second mortgage out to keep the farm in repair and just could not make the payments after the markets crashed in 2003. It wasn’t long after that when he joined the Neptune Navy. The Russians had already lost their Government Navy and had contracted with the Neptune Navy to ship supplies. The Neptune Corporation was off limits to the skirmishes that followed so he was a neutral entity. Leif and Johansson finally said that they should try and get some sleep and Rene’ had already gone upstairs to go to bed. It was around midnight and the rain had slowed down even more but was still falling lightly. Henry came in from the Kitchen where he and Lonny had been talking and offered to fly the two men back to the bunk house. Leif gave the boy a rub on his head and said that would be very nice of him. Henry hugged Miss Debra and said he would stay over at the bunkhouse and sleep there. He told her that the other dog was over there and he wanted to give him a name and he is probably lonely by now. Debra hugged him back and said that would be fine. Henry stepped out on the back porch and the two men came out and they moved to the edge and looked at the water still running around the buildings. It looked like it had receded a foot or so and that was good news. Henry levitated them all and Otto and Debra watched them rise up and move through the dark toward the bunkhouse. “Do you think those kids can teach us how to do that?” He had wrapped his arm around Debra and she said “I think they probably could and you and Leif and Johansson are going to learn how to use the Dreamnet also.”

They watched until the trio landed on the porch of the bunkhouse and turned and went inside. Lonny was lying next to River and was sleeping when they came back in. Otto smiled and asked where the boy was going to sleep and Debra told him to follow her. He reached down and picked the child up while Debra turned the lights off in the kitchen. She led him up the stairs and down the hall to a room and opened the door. Otto carried the boy to the bed that was pulled down and laid him in it. Debra helped him to take off the boys shoes and then covered him with the blanket. They both walked out of the room and Debra held his hand and led him back down the stairs. They moved into the living room and Debra made sure the old pot belly was burning with a couple of nice logs. She started to turn the lights off and Otto asked her if the couch would be alright for him to sleep on tonight. She did not say anything but kept walking around turning the lights off. Finally she came over to him and took his hand. I have a more comfortable place where you can sleep but I would like to talk with you more. He looked around and the only light left on was the one that lit the stairwell.

She pulled him gently toward the stairs and he followed her as they climbed back up. She walked down the hallway to a door and opened it. Otto did not know how to react but Debra put her arms around his neck and pulled him into her kiss. He returned it deeply and they both moved into the room. He shut the door with his foot as they were still kissing. “You can sleep in here tonight.” Otto had let loose of his embrace and looked around. The room was like one of those suites in a high end hotel. There were two additional doors on one side of the room and the other had a row of windows. There was a small table with very comfortable looking chairs in the corner of the wall that had the windows on it. The bed was one of those Queen sized structures. The headboard was very ornate and the footboard matched. He took all of this in and then looked at Debra. “Are you sure about this?” She moved back into his arms and kissed him again. He spoke again, “you don’t even know me very well other than today.” Debra placed a finger against his lips and said “I have known you all my life and in other times my dear man and you mustn’t wake the children so come and let’s talk. She pulled him over to the table area where there was a couch up against the wall and sat down.

Otto had fallen in love with this woman when he first laid eyes on her at the dock. The pull on his heart was so strong it made him want to run to her. He had to wade through the animals and when he finally came within a few feet of her he could feel the static electricity between them. His stomach had jumped into his chest. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“I loved my first wife and I thought she loved me but she was married to mother Russia and what we had was more of an infatuation and perhaps a convenience. I met her the same year I joined the Naval Corporation and we were married within a month’s time because I just happen to be on a 2 month leave. She was a year younger than me and needed to escape her parents. I was young and we spent the remaining time I had on leave making love. ‘I shipped out and the Neptune Corporation kept me very busy for the next year. When I came back to Russia She had a child.’ I thought about resigning from the Corporation but Natasha told me to continue to work. I only had two weeks and once again we made love. This time I was gone for almost 2 years and received a letter from her that she had another baby and now I had two children, one was a boy and the other a girl. Time went on and every year or two I would get to come home to see her and the children. I would come home for a few weeks and sometimes I would get a month off and spent most of the time with the children.”

“Natasha joined the Russian ARMY and when ever I came home she would be very busy. In some places I was treated with disdain and a few times I was beaten by the Russian soldiers. They called me a traitor and other not so nice names because I was in the neutral Corporation that catered to anyone on the planet that needed its services. One night I was walking with Natasha in a nearby park. She was dressed in her uniform and I had mine on because I was reporting back to the ship. We were attacked by 4 Russian soldiers and Natasha knew them. She tried to tell them to leave me alone but they knocked her down and then beat me severely. I could barely get up after the thugs left and limped myself to Natasha to help her get up. I was bleeding and felt some broken ribs but I was determined to help her get back home. When I bent down to help her up she screamed at me and told me to go. I was confused at that point but she made it clear that I was making trouble for her and I needed to leave. She finally stood up on her own volition and said she would write to me later and then she walked away. I limped to the ship and it left port the next morning. The year was 2018 late November and the Russians were just beginning to shut their borders due to the skirmishes flaring up in the neighboring countries. I spent two months recovering from the beating and in the meantime I received a communiqué from Natasha. Do not come home, it said, the Russian ARMY has declared war on Germany and Arabia. It looks like the war is spreading to other countries. Your children have been taken by my parents and they will be safe in Leningrad. Neptune’s Navy has been ordered to stay away from the Russian borders and territories until negotiations can be reached.’ “That was the last I heard from her until shortly after the DC incident in the States, Leningrad had been cleaned with one of those small nuclear devices and Natasha had been killed in a small border skirmish.”

Debra had listened to him tell this story with tears in her eyes. She asked if he had heard anything about his children and he said that all he knew was that they were in Leningrad and the city no longer existed. “I found the whole thing very strange because DC first and then Leningrad, it was like the entire world suddenly lost all sense of reality, reasoning and everything became worse than it had been building up to. I guess it was inevitable that Tyranny would finally prevail. Debra asked if he would like some hot tea. She kept a canister full of the herbal teas she liked and had a small bar with a hot plate on the other side of the room. Otto shook his head yes and she went over and prepared everything. “The water will take just a few minutes to get hot.” Otto looked at her as she prepared the cups and said “well my dear, I have told you some of my history now suppose you tell me some of yours. For instance, how you came by this farm and who built it.” Debra poured the water into the cups with the tea and waited a moment then picked them up and came back over. She sat the cups down on the small table in front of the couch and sat down next to him.

“Well first things first then. My parents moved to Australia in 2003 from Russia when I was 12 years old.” “So you were born in Russia then?” “Yes I was and both of my parents were born there also.” Otto had a big smile on his face and said “I would say then that makes two of us. I was born there in the 80’s.” “I did get that distinct impression when you talked about your parents and the farm and then your wife and children.” ‘My Father bought this land and built the house and other buildings a few years after we arrived to Australia and I grew up here and went to college down in Brisbane and came back to teach in the old city that was called Townsville. The bunkhouse as you see it now and the Barn were added to when My Dad hired The Millers to be caretakers of the Farm. You see, the Millers had lost their farm down in Melbourne and Father could not run this farm by himself. The farm is around 50 acres and it extends to the west on the other side of the creek. Perhaps when this storm is done causing the creek to flood we can take a ride around the boundaries so you can get a good idea of land.” “That would be a great thing. Leif and Johansson should know the boundaries also and we all inspected the barn and the tools earlier when we first arrived so the work is cut out for us.” Debra smiled at that and knew that the farm was going to be beautiful once more. “So, my Father was killed in the battle of Cairns during the invasion of the Chinese and my mother died shortly after that.” Otto felt the pains and sorrow emanate from Debra when she spoke of this although it was a very short accounting. He reached over and gathered her into his arms and they sat in that embrace for awhile. He could feel her sobbing from those memories and held her closely until she moved back and mentioned that the tea was cold and she was going to heat it up.

“I moved into the bunkhouse and gave the big house to the Millers and Barney and his boys who had grown enough by then kept the farm going. I resumed teaching after the school was repaired from the destruction of the war. It was the year of 2029 when Mr. Miller had the accident on the tractor and broke his back. The farm went down hill after that and by 2031, the Millers moved out and I had to move into town and rented the farm out. I was really hoping that the people that rented it would make a go of it but that was not to be the case. They were from the City of Brisbane and had some wandering dream to live as farmers or at least the man did. His wife was some kind of model and could not stand to be away from her fans and the passion of glamour. She wound up leaving her husband to the farm and after 1 year he gave it up. I put the farm up for sale but never got a bite on it and wound up coming out here everyday just to take care of the old cow you see up there and those Chickens. I did bring the children out and they loved taking care of the cow and the chickens. I did move into a small cottage that was part of the project called paradise by a dear man that had a change of heart in life. It has not been that long ago that I decided to move back out here. My teaching became almost obsolete with the children when they started using the Dreamnet and learning on their own. So the idea of coming back home and using the farm as a center of learning for the children was afforded me. I think that it was pre-ordained for this to happen when it did. So here you are and your two companions that just fell off a ship and happen to know something about farming.” She looked into Otto’s eyes and said in a lower voice, “The first time I saw you as you walked off that ship, I knew you, I loved you, and my heart skipped a beat. It was as if we were finally coming back together after a very long time of not seeing each other.” Otto reached out and took her hands into his and said “I felt the same when I first saw you standing on the other side of all the animals. It was like we knew one another forever, like in another life we were husband and wife and now in this life we were finally reconnecting. I have wanted to tell you since that I love you.” Debra reached her arms around him and kissed him passionately.

Debra fetched another two cups of tea and sat back down. Otto said “What can you tell me about these children and how it is that they can levitate/fly and read our thoughts. I am not sure what other wonderful gifts they have but I do know that somehow they healed my broken leg and whatever was stuck inside of me they removed and healed that also.” Debra smiled and said “I had my suspicions about their telepathic abilities but the levitation abilities I did not know about or was not fully aware of and as for the healing they performed on you, it is beyond me at this moment. I do know that they have an intelligence that is far beyond anything I have ever experienced. This Nick Green fellow I told you about has had help in creating the Dreamnet that I mentioned and the children caught onto that in such a very quick time it was incredible to witness. I have heard that the children that have been born within the last 10 years came into this world with full cognitive brain awareness and the capabilities to use almost 100 percent of their brains. Until today I was not fully aware of these children’s capabilities so what they accomplished this afternoon and evening was a real awakening for me as well as you I suspect. I think Leif and Johansson have also been shown something. I think we should have some interesting discussions with the children on the morrow.”

Otto and Debra talked well into the early morning discovering each others lives in this time frame of existence. Otto got up and said he was going to check on the fire in the old pot belly stove and the children and he would be back in a few. The children were sleeping soundly and when he went down stairs, River the dog wagged his tail. River was lying close to the stove on a cushion of some sort that had been placed there, perhaps by one of the children. He opened the door and tossed another small log in and petted the dog for a few minutes before going back up stairs. When he quietly entered the bedroom he saw Debra lying over the arm of the couch and she was asleep. He turned the bed down and picked her up and laid her down in the bed. She had already undressed herself and had a nightgown on so he just pulled the covers up and kissed her. He then, ever so quietly placed the tea cups on the bar and lay down on the couch. There were some throw pillows on the ends so he pulled one under his head and pulled the blanket down from the back and promptly fell asleep himself.

Otto opened his eyes to an angel. Debra had just placed a hot cup of coffee on the small table and was starting to move back to the door. He said “good morning Debra or is it afternoon?” She looked at him with a very sweet smile and said “well it is late morning and we have some breakfast cooking if you’re hungry?” It was Otto’s turn to smile as he felt the warmth from her. He sat up and took a sip of the coffee. “Now this is what I call a wonderful cup of coffee.” He kept looking at her and could swear that he saw a bright aura around her being. He then heard the hammering going on. He looked out of the large windows but could only see the hills and the water that was still running around the buildings. As he gazed he could see where the stream was running back into the main creek that still looked above flood stage. He reached for his boots when Debra put her hand out and said “you can take a shower first and I will make sure that the breakfast is hot for you when you come down.” Otto smiled and stood up. He had the coffee cup in hand and reached to her and pulled her close with his other hand. “Thank you sweet angel, I will not be long. Debra walked into the bathroom and pulled some towels out of the linen closet and draped them over the towel bars and as she was leaving she slapped him on the butt and said “Then get a move on it mister. He almost cracked up laughing as she shut the door.

He had found some clean clothes on the bed and for some reason they fit him very well. He dressed and went downstairs. The living room with the big dinning room table was empty. He heard Debra talking in the Kitchen and went in. Her and Rene’ were discussing what to make for dinner. He could still hear the hammering so he started to move to the back door but Debra turned and said “well now, you look a lot better, if you want some breakfast sit down and I will fetch a plate for you.” Otto was beside himself; this woman was so warm and friendly and treated him with pure love, something his first wife never did, not even when they first met. He noticed Rene’ watching him and thought he had best sit down and eat something. Once he sat down the little girl poured a cup of coffee which he had smelled all the way upstairs, and brought it over to him. She sat in a chair close to him and asked “how you feeling this morning?” He almost giggled with exuberation because this little girl looked so serious. “I feel really well thank you so much, the coffee is very delicious.” “Well your so very welcome” and then she proceeded to giggle. Debra smiled as she was just finishing cooking the large omelet and then she also began to giggle. The jolly nature in the room struck Otto and he began to giggle also and then all three of them began to laugh. Debra had brought a big plate with the omelet and hash browns over and sat it all down on the table. The laughter continued for a few minutes and then started to die down as Otto dug into the omelet and hash browns and filled his plate. Debra filled a plate at her place and was still giggling. Otto looked at both Debra and Rene’ and kept smiling as he forked the food into his mouth. Rene’ took some potatoes and a piece of fruit from the bowl that was full of different kinds.

“So then, I hear someone hammering and I presume it is coming from the barn. Would that be Leif and Johansson?” “Yes dear, that would be them and I think Lonny and Henry may be helping also.” “Okay, sounds like Lonny flew over there as well as Henry and I would guess they flew Leif and Johansson over there also.” Rene’ giggled some more and took a sip of her hot coco. Debra smiled on the verge of giggling and said “Lonny and Rene’ both got up early this morning and flew over to the barn and fed the animals. Rene’ came back While Henry and Lonny, oh he went with them also to feed the animals, anyway they both went and picked up Leif and Johansson and they also took the dogs over. I suspect that River went with them when they first left.” Rene’ spoke and said “Henry has named the other big dog.” She became quiet then and took a sip of her coco. Otto had to ask, “What has he named the big German Shepard?” Rene’ looked at him with a big smile on her face and said “he is called Kapitan.” Now it was Otto’s turn to giggle which caused Rene’ to giggle and Debra could not resist either. “Well then it looks like we have a new Captain of this ship.” They all laughed at that.

Otto finished his breakfast and Rene’ poured him another cup of coffee. He said that he would like to go to the barn and inspect it closer. He was glancing at the big kitchen window and noticed that the day seemed brighter. He could not see any rain coming down at the moment. “Has it stopped raining?” “Yes for now. It has been lightly raining off and on since about 8 this morning. It rained fairly hard most of the night but there were periods that it would slow down. As you can see the creek is still running deep so I suspect that the higher elevations are still getting pounded fairly hard. We are going to have to learn how to fly for the next few days.” Debra stood and began to clear the dishes away. Otto stood and began to help. “Will the children miss school and what about their parents, won’t they be worried?”

“The school is closed, the two boys are orphaned and Rene’s mother is in the military. I am watching her now while Michelle is away on maneuvers.” “Where is her father?” “No one knows where her father is. He disappeared before she was born and Michelle does not speak of him. She raised Rene’ on her own and I have helped to take care of her when Michelle is away.” Otto understood the situation. Rene’ had gone up stairs for something and was just coming back. Otto looked at her and asked if she would fly him over to the Barn. Rene’s smile was big and she said “I would be glad to fly you over. We call it levitation but flying is also a great description.” Debra snickered at the conversation and said “we could have some lunch later so you two get going. Rene’, if you come back I would like to talk with you about some things.”

Otto could see the animals moving around the corral and out in the east pasture that had not been flooded. Rene’ set him down at the front doors “I’ll come back later” and with that she rose and floated back to the big house. Otto watched her move through the air and thought to himself how wonderful it would be if he could do that. He slid the door open enough to get inside and saw the chickens meandering around by their hutches. The horses and the cows had all been able to get out into the corral and the upper east pasture. He did not know where the pigs might have gotten off to. He walked down the center isle and looked at all the stalls and mangers. He heard someone knocking some metal together or at least that is what it sounded like. He also heard the hammering of nails into wood. He finally looked up toward the ceiling/roof of the barn and sure enough, someone was on the roof outside and as he watched, the holes that were there yesterday were being patched over. River came running up to him at that moment and he bent down to pet him. The dog was of a midsize breed and looked to be of terrier mix. River seemed happy and waited for a good pat down before turning and heading back out the rear doors. Otto finally came to the bay that held the tractor and sure enough, Johansson had opened the engine compartment doors and was doing something to the engine. Otto could see an oil pan on the ground and it had some fairly black oil in it.

“Well chief,” as soon as he spoke Johansson bonked his head on the top body frame and backed out of the engine compartment. “Ouch Damnit Captain, if you’re going to sneak up on a man like that, at least have the courtesy to announce yourself.” He laughed a little as he said that and Otto had to snicker also. “So how goes it?” “Well the engine is pretty dirty as you can see by that oil and it had some froze up rods. The battery is completely dead so I found another one in the cabinet back there and put it to the charger. I have replaced all the belts and am working with the rods now. It looked like the power takeoff shaft was rusted shut so I had to do some work on that. All of the implements out by the west side needed to be greased up so Lonny said he could do that and he has been out there for quite awhile. I showed him what the zerks looked like and he took to them so quickly it made my head swim. So anyway once I get this baby back to running condition, I figure to hook up those implements and work them loose somewhat.’ The Hydraulics’ needed some work but I have to get this engine running first to see what else may need fixing.” Otto shook his head and said “well keep at it then Chief, I got a feeling we are going to need this tractor and perhaps another one and preferable a dozer if we can find one before to long. Where are Leif and Henry as if I didn’t know?” “They are up on the roof doing the repairs and have been pecking away at it since right after dawn this morning. It has been raining off and on but they just put on the raingear and keep on moving. Henry is something else, the boy comes down and grabs the bundles of shake wood every so often and levitates it all back up there. I think he has taken to doing the wood work and I have not heard a word out of Leif. Lonny now, well he has more of the mechanical ability to him than I thought so he elected to help me. Ha, we got some real good help with those two. I suspect that if they had been on the ship with us they would have done a fine job of whatever they set their minds to. Did you know, they was brothers?” Otto had his suspicions when Debra told him that they were orphans.

“The boys are orphaned and Rene’ has a mother in the military. We are going to have to talk about what we call each other and perhaps change our appearances somewhat. You know that the Neptune Corporation is going to come looking sooner or later even if Tom tells them that story he made up. Those goons don’t like to loose anything even if it was that old scow. So what do think about growing Alfalfa around here?” “Well that would be good and we could have our own feed for the animals, which reminds me, I think the Mare could be pregnant.” “Well that sounds good, seems we are already getting a good start with this farm.” “Yeah, there is a real good well on the west side of the barn but it needs a good pump house built over it. Leif said he could get to that after he got the barn repaired enough to slow down the drafts and any leaking from rains.” “Well good then, I am going up to the tackle room and see what else we have and Debra said something about making some lunch for us before I came over.” “That would be good, Leif and I got up pretty early this morning and the boys flew us over. Them kids had already came over and fed the animals. You said something about the boys being orphaned; well maybe we should just adopt them or something.”

An hour or so later, Rene’ and Debra flew over to the barn. Both had baskets and some blankets or something and when they came through the doors Debra went to the second manger and unfolded a table and some chairs. She placed a cloth over the table while Rene’ picked up an old fashioned metal triangular shaped object and took another metal rod and began to bang it around the inside of the triangle. Otto stuck his head out of the door of the tack room and smiled while down at the tractor bay Johansson wiped his hands off with grease cleaner and moved out into the center isle. He looked toward the front and knew what the sound meant, “chow time” Lonny came in the rear doors with the two dogs tagging behind him and a few minutes later, Henry and Leif drifted in from the roof. The sun was peeking through the clouds as they became scattered in the sky and the day had warmed up somewhat. As they all converged to the front area of the barn Debra and Rene’ began to uncover the plates of food and even had two hot plates with some hot drinks cooking.

Debra had known about the tables and chairs and the hot plates that ran on batteries that held a good charge for long periods of time. This had been one of the favorite lunch spots when the farm was operating with her father and mother and the Millers. There were times that they would have neighbors over and set up the table and chairs and have good times while the children would play outside or even in the barn. She remembered those times as being some of here favorite as she grew up. The meal was great and the men talked about all the things that they could do. Leif had done a short inspection of what he could of the fences but he wanted to inspect around the entire farm when the weather permitted. He talked about repairing the corral fence and the front fence that ran to the east around the pasture. Debra told him that the entire farm was not fenced in and some of the most western boundary had been left open so the aborigines could use that land. When her father had bought the farm he had met the folks and had long talks about the use of the land. There were always Kangaroos running across the land and the areas that were fenced held the cattle in but the Roo’s always ran through no matter what. The fields were mostly open but when they were planted there was always abundance for everyone. Her Father and Mother were great friends with the aborigines and they would have get together’s quite often. Her Father learned how to farm the land in a most healthy way and he would teach the aborigines other ways that would help them. After lunch, everything was put back and Debra told everyone that dinner would be ready around a certain time. Her and Rene’ took the baskets and flew back to the big house.

Shortly after the lunch, the three men were getting ready to go back to work when the two boys asked if they could speak to them. They all moved to some benches that were lining one of the mangers and sat down. Lonny spoke first, “Henry and I would like to know if you would be our family? We kind of mean will you be our big brothers? You see, our parents were killed when we were born and we have only had Miss Debra to take care of us since we were cut loose from the orphanage. We really like it out here on the farm and we can do so many different things. Henry and I have talked about you three since you came along with that ship and then came out here to help Miss Debra. You are the first men that we have met that have treated us like we could be family.” All three men looked at each other and actually had tears but they were happy tears each thought. These two boys had come into their lives or the other way around and touched their hearts. It had been the same with Devlin when they first met him. It was the bond of pure friendship and love of a brother. These men had all had their orphan experiences in life and knew the devastation of being left alone and not having any family.

Henry spoke this time. “You are the first to see our abilities and not try to use us or harm us or take us away for money. We felt at ease to let you see that we can levitate and you must know that we can also speak and read each others minds and other people around us. We will not speak or read your minds without your permission because that is the first lesson we knew when we understood we could do that. We are well connected to the Dreamnet and Nick has shown us so many things and since we became connected to the dreamnet we have learned and grown in knowledge of who and what we are, where we came from and we would like to show you how to be part of the dreamnet and use it.” Leif asked “can you show us how to fly?” “Yes we can show you how to unlock the door in your mind that keeps you from being able to do what has always been a gift to human kind.” Kapitan and River had both wandered into the manger and were calmly resting next to the boys. Lonny bent down and beginning petting River and then Kapitan and said “you see these two brothers, they came here on that ship and they both are orphans. Henry and I have taken them in as our brothers and they have told us that they love all three of you and us and this is the perfect home for them. Miss Debra saved River last night from drowning and took him in while you Mr. Leif and Mr. Johansson took Kapitan into the bunkhouse and gave him a warm dry place to sleep. These two brothers were also on a ship that sank, it was called America.” All three men did tear up then and hugged the two boys and the dogs. Otto was the first to speak and said “well I understand that we have a new Kapitan for this crew so” he then saluted the big German Shepard. Everyone laughed at that and they all saluted Kapitan. Leif looked at Henry and said in a warm way, “Well little brother, shall we see if we can make it dryer in here for our other brothers and sisters?” Henry took his hand and they both walked into the center isle and headed for the rear doors. Johansson put his hand on Lonny’s shoulder and said “how is the greasing going? If you got it all taken care of I could sure use a hand with the engine.” Lonny smiled and the two headed off toward the tractor. Otto looked at the two dogs standing by and looking at him. “Well you two can come with me and we can finish up the inventory of the tackle room or you can go romp outside with the others.”

Late afternoon had rolled around and the sky was becoming clear. During the afternoon Leif and Henry had watched the clouds roll toward the south and west as the sun shined through and warmed them up. Leif could see the creek going down and the water that was running around the two houses had lowered around 2 feet. There was still a steady stream running but he could see that it was slower moving. The debris that was so ferocious the night before was no longer moving in the stream. He wondered if he could wade through it but decided to give it another day before trying that. Henry had flown down three different times and back up with bundles of shake wood and a good part of the holes had been patched. The roof was expansive and Leif knew it would take a number of days before it would be complete but today he and Henry had covered the larger holes. He was getting worn out and told Henry that they should knock off for the day. “Tomorrow looks to be a great day. I think that storm may have worn itself out or moved back out to sea. Leif untied himself from the rope and Henry lifted him and they both floated down into the corral area. The cows and the horses had all moved up closer to the barn and were slowly but surely munching their way toward the rear doors. Leif did notice that the pigs had found a mud hole close to the overflowing creek and had been mud bathing during the day while also rooting around in the pasture. He watched them get into the edge of the creek and wash themselves and then they started heading for the barn. Henry had gone in and when Leif came in he saw the two boys and Johansson standing around the tractor. “I do believe we should go and get cleaned up for dinner, don’t you all?” Otto was standing up near the front door and opened it just in time for Rene’ to drop down and say that dinner was cooking and it would be ready in about an hour if they all wanted to get cleaned up. The two boys headed toward the front with the two men and as they all stood around Rene’ picked Otto up and flew him toward the big house. Lonny and Henry then picked up the two men and they flew toward the bunkhouse. The animals had all meandered into the barn and the big rear doors were left open. The front doors were closed and the Sun was setting in the west as everyone went inside.

Debra had stoked up the fire in the old fireplace that was built into the south wall or front of the old house. Otto came in with Rene’ and Debra promptly told him to go and take a shower. He went upstairs and Rene’ giggled. Her and Debra moved into the Kitchen and gathered up dishes. Over in the bunk house the two boys went into a sleeping room that had a bathroom and while one took a shower the other read a book that Debra had brought home from the school. Once every one had cleaned up they all found clean clothes and spiffed up themselves and the boys lifted them up and flew over to the big house. Rene’ had went over to the barn and brought the two dogs back. The dinner had been quite tasty and the conversation was more history of each and was warm and touching to the heart. The two men and Henry and Lonny flew over to the bunkhouse with Kapitan. Lonny came back after awhile and went up to bed. Rene’ had already gone up and Debra went and tucked her in. All three children truly felt the family and for so many years had not been this content in their lives. Rene’ thought about her mother but she also thought of Miss Debra as her mother as well as did the boys. Otto and Debra stayed up downstairs and talked more about their past lives and then Debra took him up the stairs and into her bedroom once again. Otto was an honorable man and told Debra that they should get married. Debra said “of course my dear man we should do that but our hearts are entwined and always have been. Otto sat on the couch again and Debra went into the bathroom and changed into her nightgown. When she came out Otto saw the bright light aura around her and it made his heart leap. He loved this woman deeply and the words were locked up in him. He wanted to hold her and be with her forever.

Debra did not know what to say to Otto, she loved him and he was the only man that made her feel this way. Her advances to him did not seem to make him want her. She had never been with a man and did not know what to do, how to act. It was as if she was in a barren land and could not speak. Whenever she was close to him her heart would flutter. She felt like she was going to faint. She had already told him that she had always known him and that they were soul mates in the manner that they were one and had always been. She could feel his love for her but something was keeping him from letting go. When he had talked about his first wife or only wife and his children it had made her cry deep within. It had hurt her that he had been hurt so badly. She tried to wrap her spirit around his but she was lacking. Her experience in the dreamnet did not give her the where withal to deal with this, this rejection or so she imagined. She envisioned herself completely engulfed with his soul his spirit but still he stood far off in a distant land as it seemed to her. She was finding her patience falling away. Her heart ached to hold him, to feel his essence deeper within her own soul. When she walked out of the bathroom she saw his light shinning and the way he looked at her gave her pause in wonder. She knew he wanted to be with her. She moved to the bar and began to heat the water. “Would you like some tea, I find it helps me to sleep soundly at night.”

Otto had watched her go into the bathroom carrying her nightgown. His heart was thumping against his chest. His spirit was soaring and his soul ached to hold her. He took off his boots and shoved them aside. The night before he had restrained himself so hard that it had made him sick and tonight he had tried to open the door by mentioning that they should get married. He could hear the knocking on his heart and in his confused mind he was afraid to open the door. He remembered the first time he went out with Natasha and how he thought she was his soul mate. She turned out to be a user, or no she had just needed someone to get her out of a bad situation and he just happened along at the right time. The children were the heartbreakers. He never seemed to have enough time to be with them and it seemed that Natasha did not want them. The thing that happened in the barn today opened up old wounds for him but the boys were saviors to him. Orphans at birth, is this not what he did to his own children? Did he and Natasha orphan the children for their own selfish lives? Today he gained the love and respect of children. His locked up door with Debra only made sense when he thought of Natasha. The hurt and the pain of not holding this woman and feeling her love wrapping him so warmly of him not wrapping her in his love actually did make him ill.

When Debra walked out of the bathroom and moved to the bar and then asked him if he would like some tea, he could not hold back the dam in his heart, his soul anymore. He swallowed hard a few times before saying yes in a whispering voice. Debra heard the cry for help and moved to him quickly. She sat down and wrapped her arms around him. He began to cry, to shutter with heaves of sobs. He wrapped his arms around her and she could not hold back the sobs and then they both were sobbing and crying. She let the door open in her own heart and the death of her parents flooded forth, the loss of a baby brother before her family moved to Australia came rushing to the surface. The loss of Otto’s children, the loss of his parents all merged with Debra’s pain and loss and the light from their hearts was released and became one. The one moved into the universe and was one with the Divine Creator.

Leif and Johansson had gone to bed shortly after the two boys had brought them and the Kapitan back. Henry spoke to Lonny and then Lonny flew back to the big house and went up to bed. All three children entered the dreamnet and brought Leif and Johansson in. Rene’ could see that the Captain and Miss Debra were entering the universe with love and light. The children all shinned brightly and showed Leif and Johansson how to unlock the doors that kept them from using their levitation and telepathy abilities. They knew that once the two men knew how to unlock those doors that they would soon learn how to unlock other doors. They were now part of the dreamnet. Rene’ also knew that Miss Debra had been locked up as well as the Captain and they would soon enough enter the universe through the love and light and sure enough they did. The doors in there minds would be unlocked and sooner than later they would be of a whole mind.

The next morning Debra was the first to wake up. She turned and saw the beautiful man lying on the other side of the bed and a large smile cracked her face. She almost broke into a very happy laugh but slid from the bed and dressed and went downstairs. Rene’ was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of hot coco and the coffee pot was perking. Debra was still smiling and when Rene’ saw her walk in she broke into a big smile also. “Is father up yet” she said. Debra looked at her and said “Father?” Rene’ giggled and said “yes.” Debra walked over and grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee, “well I guess he is a father and no he is not up yet” and with that she tickled Rene’. Rene’ wiggled around while giggling and said. “I think the electric came back on sometime during the night so I turned off the generator and switched it all back.” “Well that was very nice of you young lady. Is Lonny up yet?” “Yes he made some toast this morning very early and flew over to the barn to feed the animals.” “Very early you say, its only 6am right now so just how early are we talking?” “Well it was still dark outside so I am not sure about the time. He said something about the two older brothers learning to fly today and they would be testing out the tractor.” “Older Brother’s?” “Yes mother, yesterday, Lonny and Henry asked Leif, Johansson and Otto, I mean Father if they would be there older brothers and then told them how they were orphans.” “May I ask why you are calling the Captain, father and me your mother?” “Because I want you to be or I would really like you and the Captain to be my parents. Lonny told me that he and Henry want that too. That would make me their sister and Lonny said that would be great. We could all be one big family living on this farm.” Debra started to say something about Rene’s mother but the Vidphone started to beep in the living room. She heard the thing saying “Deb Petrovski, you have an important urgent call from General Orson Roberts.”

Debra got up and went into the living room and flipped the Video on. General Roberts was sitting in a chair with a big map behind him on a wall, The General spoke as soon as he could see her from his end. “Miss Deb Petrovski?” “Yes general, how may I help you?” “You are the Guardian of Rene’ Wheeler I presume?” Debra was very confused of a sudden and asked “what makes you think that I am Rene’s Guardian and why are you asking this of me?” “Well first things first Miss Petrovski, do you know a sergeant Michelle Wheeler?” Debra felt a rush of something wrong. “Yes I know Michelle, she is Rene’s mother, is something wrong, what has happened?” The general let her finish and waited for a minute why he reached off camera and retrieved a sheet of paper from someone. “Sergeant Michelle Wheeler was killed in the line of duty two days ago while trying to defuse an unexploded bomb left by the Chinese during the war. It is very unfortunate that she was killed but she saved the lives of 10 other soldiers during the encounter.” Debra had been raised to a very stressful level and now she sat down with tears flowing from her eyes. In the kitchen, Rene’ was silently crying and then got up and walked out the back door. She flew up and toward the east orchard. Debra looked at the general with tears flowing and asked, “how does this make me the guardian of Rene’?”

“Well, Sergeant Wheeler has made out a legal and binding will and had it recorded into the military records as well as the town of Paradise and the State of Queensland for you Deb Petrovski to be the full guardian of Rene’ Wheeler if anything should happen to her. The will essentially give you full authority to raise the child as if you are her mother?” Debra made the connection to the conversation that just took place with Rene’ She knew that her real mother had died and was trying to tell her that she wanted to be here. “Miss Petrovski you have the right to deny this will in which case we will instruct the state to collect the girl and she will be cared for at a chosen state institution until she is of legal age to do as she wishes. The Army will pay for her education and living conditions until that time and then she will be given a small pension that was her mothers.”
Debra was silent for almost a whole second before she spoke. I will keep Rene and take care of her, she has been under my care whenever Michelle was on active duty and I see no reason to stop. Is there any belongings that can be sent to this address” and she typed in the address on the pad in front of the screen. “We will forward all of Sergeant Wheeler’s belongings to you very shortly and thank you very much Miss Petrovski.” Debra was still stunned when the Video cut out and the connection was broke.

Otto came down the stairs and saw Debra sitting in front of a blank screen of the Vidphone. He could see her shivering or thought that was what she was doing. When he moved closer he could hear her silently crying. He knelt down and put his arms around her. She turned and put her arms around him and the crying became louder. He just held her and then she stood up, and said “Rene’.” She moved into the kitchen and stopped. Otto followed her in and she turned and said “we must find Rene’ her mother has been killed and she knew it. Oh Otto she is now also an orphan and she asked me to be her mother and you to be he father. I think she is afraid that we won’t. I just told a general that I would keep Rene’ and raise her as my daughter but I think she had left before that. We must find her, I am afraid she will do something harmful to herself.” Otto took her by the arm and moved to the back door. He stood on the porch and looked around and then asked. “Does she have a favorite place she goes to when she is here?” Debra thought for a minute and then said “yes she likes the eastern orchards.” Otto gathered her into his arms and was thinking about flying. They both rose up and Debra had the vision of the orchard in her mind and that is the way they flew.

Rene’ had heard Miss Debra asking about the guardian thing and whether or not she was. She had heard how her mother had died and had known that she died the night before but not how. She was thinking that Miss Debra might not want her. The loss of love flooded her being and she had to get up and run. The only place she could think of was the eastern orchard. She had a favorite tree that she would sit in the higher branches and talk with. The old fellow was quite slow with his speech but she loved the way he talked and his vibrations always felt so soothing. She flew directly to him and sat into the bowl shaped branches. His fruit was always delicious but today she did not feel like eating any. The tears were running down her face and dropping on the leaves and branches of the old tree.

Harmony had fallen into a deep slumber when the water beings had begun to fall in great amounts on his leaves and branches. The wind beings had rushed in great groups over him and he swayed to and fro as the water beings were blown around. He felt so comfortable with the steady rocking that it made him fall into the slumber. Two light and dark times earlier he had talked with the little flyers that landed in his branches and fed on his fruits. They had talked about the coming waters and wind beings and how they seemed to be in a great hurry. He always liked these beings when they would visit and most of the times they were gentle beings that would make the most beautiful sounds of vibrations. The ones that passed through recently made very loud sounds and vibrations and the great thunder beings that followed always announced themselves with great booming fissures in the vibrations. They would throw large shafts of crackling energy that would smash into the earth and other brothers and sisters. When these shafts would hit his brothers and sisters, they would knock their life force back into the universe until they could find another seed in the earth to sprout forth. The broken and burnt physical skins of his kin folk could be seen still standing but there was no life in those skins anymore. The brothers and sisters would sprout anew around the old skins and in most cases would cover the old skins with new bodies.

Today, he was coming awake when the little human flew into his arms and began to drop water beings on his branches and leaves. He could hear her vibrations and they were of a sorrowful nature. He had known other human beings in his past and this little one he loved. She would come and talk with him and they could vibrate for times upon times. She would hug him and eat of his fruit and laugh and be serious and the other little flyers would land close to her and they all would vibrate together. This little one would help his brothers and sisters grow. She planted new babies and they would grow with love. She had other human beings that were like her and they would plant the little brothers and sisters also. He spoke in his slow talk to her and asked why she was sorrowful. As was her way of vibrating the words came in a hurry. Harmony, I am so sad today, my mother has passed from this plane to the Divine realm and my teacher does not want me. Harmony had listened and took awhile to discern all her words as he could pull the string of vibration apart. Little one, you say that your mother has passed, is she not still in your being? Yes she is in my memories, she is in my heart but you see my teacher, Miss Debra has been given the responsibility to keep me and raise me but I don’t think she wants to do that. Did this Miss Debra tell you that she did not want to keep you? No, she did not tell me directly but I heard her telling the Man on the Video that she did not understand about being my guardian. What is a guardian? A guardian is someone that will take over and love someone that needs to be given that love when the parents die or are not around anymore. So this Miss Debra you refer to, does not want to be your guardian? Oh Harmony, I don’t know, it just seemed that she did not know that my mother made her the guardian and it appeared that she did not want to be. Harmony had taken all of this in and in his slow time, he thought deeply. Rene’ was still dripping tears and sobbing and without thinking she reached over and took a piece of his fruit and absent mindedly bit into it. Harmony smiled in his essence and continued to ponder all that the little human being had told him.

Debra and Otto had flown up to the eastern orchard without being aware and landed softly in the large grove of fruit trees. The both started to walk along while looking for Rene’. Otto finally stopped and the entire flight registered in his mind. He sat down suddenly and within his mind he could see the open door and a bright light shining through. Debra had walked a little further into the grove before she realized that Otto was not with her. She stopped and turned around. Otto was sitting on the ground about 20 feet behind here and his face was lit up with a surprised look. She started to go back to him but the epiphany of flying here overtook her also at that moment. She promptly sat down and saw the open door and the light flowing from it. She opened her eyes and looked at Otto as he did the same thing. They both began to laugh and then the mind speak became intertwined with both of them and he said you are so beautiful. She spoke back and said now we are married my husband, our hearts and minds and souls are as one. Now we must find our daughter before she gets away. Otto new within himself at that moment that Rene’ was his daughter. He also knew that the two boys were his children. He stood and walked to Debra as she watched him. He bent down and picked her up. She hugged him and then when they turned to continue walking she saw another open door and the memory flooded into her conscious of another little girl that came here and talked to an old wise tree. She was called Devora by her parents then and the tree loved her as she loved him. His name was Harmony. She took Otto’s hand and began to walk faster. Otto smiled and moved with her. He had a deeper feeling that something wonderful was about to happen.

Rene’ was still waiting for Harmony to talk back to her and perhaps give some of his wisdom to her so that she could figure out where to go next when Miss Debra and the Captain walked under the big old tree. She had stopped sobbing but was still shedding tears and almost stopped breathing when the two came into view. She did not move but stared very hard and long at them. Her heart was aching with a longing to be their daughter. Debra let loose of Otto’s hand and stood next to the big trunk and wrapped her arms around it as much as she could. Oh Harmony it has been so long and I had locked you away inside of my soul, my heart. I am so happy to see you and know you once again. Harmony had been deep into contemplation over what the little human had told him he did not see or hear the two big human beings approach. When Devora wrapped her arms around him and spoke with her vibrations, her frequency, it also woke up his deep hidden memories.

Otto was standing close and glancing around through the other trees looking for Rene’. When Debra spoke in the mind to the tree, he looked at the large trunk and saw a face looking back at him. In his mind he heard the tree talk back. Devora, it has been so long I suppose in your time but for me it has not been so long but I had grown over the memory somewhat. Welcome back, I look so forward to having you climb my arms and eat the fruit that I give to all. I see you have another human with you, is he a special being of your heart and soul? Yes he is, Please meet my husband and soul mate. Harmony had been staring at the human man and then spoke, Welcome to the orchard Kapitan. I understand you were a being of the sea. Otto heard Harmony loud and clear and spoke back with his mind. Yes I was but I am a farmer and you are the most wonderful tree I have ever seen. Harmony smiled at that and said Well thank you and you are a very gracious human being. Otto smiled back and a large piece of fruit fell and he just managed to catch it. He took a bite and his face lit up with a shine. Wow your fruit is very delicious thank you very much. You are very welcome and now, what brings you two out to this old tree in this large home of ours?

Debra looked up at the tree and said Harmony, we are looking for a little girl and she has said that she loves to come here so perhaps you have seen her? Yes I may have. Last time I spoke to her she was very sad and told me that her teacher a Miss Debra did not want to be her mother or so that is what I listened to. Debra’s hopes sprang forth and she said Harmony, I am that teacher, that Miss Debra and I never would want Rene’ to go anywhere but here with me and her new father. So then you have told her this and that you love her? She told me that her mother had passed from this plane to the Divine Creator. Oh Harmony, I so want to tell her that I love her, I always have and now her two or should I say 4 brothers love her and they surely want her to come home. My husband and I want her to come home. Harmony thought once again very deeply and waited.

Rene’ had heard the conversations with Harmony from Miss Debra and Otto, the Captain. She had let the pain and sorrow flow away but still would always carry the memories of her mother. She had said she wanted Miss Debra to be her mother and that was after she knew that her other mother had died. She also told her that she wanted the Captain to be her father and Henry and Lonny and now Leif and Johansson to be her brothers. She said this in so many words at the table this morning before the Video from the general came on. She could feel Harmony’s vibration of waiting for her to do something. He had not told Miss Debra or the Captain that she was in the tree up high. She loved them all so when Harmony shook his branches and she was bumped out, the surprise was shocking and she did not have time to react. She fell and then there was the Captain with his arms out and catching her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried with relief. He held her and then Miss Debra was there and put out her arms and took her. She cried in her arms and they all sat down next to Harmony’s core being and he proceeded to drop some fruit on them. The laughing was infectious and they could hear the trees of the Orchard laughing with them. The sound frequency of Harmony as he laughed was deep and jolly.

Rene’ levitated herself and watched as Otto and Debra did the same and they all flew toward the house. As they approached the barn Otto could see Leif and Henry floating above the roof while nailing down the shakes. Up toward the creek where it had breeched, he saw Johansson on the tractor and he had hitched the front end loader up and was pushing rock and dirt into the breech. Lonny was riding next to him on the tractor and the creek was slowing and stopping its rush toward the buildings. He saw Lonny levitate a big boulder from the ground and place it in the breech while Johansson pushed more dirt and smaller rocks all around it. They all just hovered for awhile getting the absolute feeling of flying and then moved to the house where Rene’ and Debra started to make some dinner. Otto flew back to the barn and met with the sons and brothers. He told them how he and Debra had been married and from now on the farm would be called Harmony. He also told them of the eastern orchard and how it was going to give them all such great times. The creek would not flood around the buildings from that point on and the work of the farm became a wonderful thing for the entire family. Late summer came and Cloudrider had her baby. The children helped deliver the foal or colt. Debra had moved her class room to the Farm and the children were learning and teaching and planting more trees on the acreage across the creek. Otto had purchased some fine goats and the children loved them and cared for them as well as the other animals.

Otto was coming back from his visit to the old Balcooma Mine where someone had given him information of an old bulldozer for sale. He looked at it and decided it would take to much work for the price. On his way back he had dropped into an Aborigine village and had some drink with them. He invited them to come to the farm. As he flew across the west end of the Farm he could see the alfalfa fields swaying with the breeze He crossed the Speed Creek and saw Debra standing on the hill top where she had commemorated her parents and began to drop down to her. She reached out and touched him then hugged him and said “I am so glad that you made it back safely and don’t you think we should go back to the house now. You can tell me all about your flight at the dinner table. We are having company tonight.” His love for this woman was so deep and he knew her all his life and it was like forever. He put his arm around her and they both turned and walked down the small hill. He could see the old barn on the hill and the two houses. He felt so warm and his stomach growled. “See I knew you were hungry.”

24 THE DREAMS OF KYRA

The darkness was complete as she floated along. Her legs were moving like she was walking but there was no solid ground. It all was dark, there were no stars or points of light, there was no sensation of anything only the thought of suspension in nothingness. She opened her eyes and the light of the opposite illusion flooded against her corneas. She blinked and held her hand over her eyes to ward off the brightness. The pain in her head still made her winch. She felt the cloth that was wrapped across her forehead and around her entire head. She had been this way now forever it seemed. It was nothing forever and then it was Darkness with suspension in nothing and then she became aware of the blinding light and other beings. An illusion formed and another being such as she spoke to her. The little white being that was different did not speak to her but it would jump to the surface she was laying in a prone position on and stay there until the other being came into the illusion and placed some sort of container on the floor surface. She had learned the names or what to call the different parts of the illusion by the other being that was like her.

The other being had said he was a man and she was a woman and the little white being was a dog. The man being said his name was Ethan. The concept of a name was confusing to her but she accepted it as she accepted the names for the other things she saw in her illusion. She learned from the man being that she was in a room and she was lying on a bed. He told her so many things with names that she would become weary and close her eyes because it was too much for her to consume. The darkness would enclose her as she would become very tired and fall into it once more. The cycle of being in the complete darkness and then being in the bright illusion appeared to be forever and she thought that is was all she knew. Whenever the dog being would jump off of the bed or onto it she could feel the vibrations. The little being emanated a light when she looked at it and she could feel a heat signature from it also. The man being would bring a container of fluid with little pieces of chewy stuff in it and help her take it into her mouth. The fluid was always warm and sometimes it would be to hot for her. When that happened the man would set it down and give her another fluid that was not as hot and help her swallow it. The bed would move up and down where her head rested so it would be easier to swallow the fluids and then it would go down and she would fall into the darkness once again.

When she had first opened her vision to the bright illusionary place, it made her think of creating it through some dream within her existence. When the man being first spoke to her she could understand what he was saying even if she did not know what he might be at first until he told her? It seemed like this room, this illusion and all the things inside of it had always been now. She would come from the darkness into the bright illusion and the man being would always be there but something changed and she came from the darkness into the illusion and the man being was not there. All she knew was that something changed in the illusion.

It had been close to 5 days since Ethan had found the woman and the dog and brought them home. This particular day he thought the woman was well enough that she could manage on her own at least for a day so he left early in the morning and headed to his little antique store in Mission beach. As he drove over the El Arish Mission Beach Road he saw quite a few trees lying along side the road and the forest area looked as if a number of the trees had been blown over. The road itself still had piles of debris in various places and he had to dodge around them as he drove slower toward Mission Beach. As he swung down into the town he had to stop and look with amazement. It appeared that better than half the buildings were missing roof structure and even the walls had big holes in them. He could see huge piles of debris that had been washed up against light poles and buildings. He had known that a very high tide could come through with the storm but it was now apparent that a title wave may have come ashore and into the town. He had to park the truck and walk down to his shop. As he walked he could see the damage up closer and it was almost as bad as the destruction that occurred during the war of 2025. He was only 21 then and life was rough for everyone. As he approached his store he could see that the roof tiles had been blown off but the main walls and roof structure were still standing as well as a number of other buildings around his store. Pappy Yangstrom came out of his little pub with a trashcan full of broken bottles and other stuff and walked across the street and dumped it all into a large dumpster that had been placed on the street. “Hi Pappy, how’s it going, I see that we all have a lot of work to do to get this mess cleaned up, We getting any help?” Pappy stopped and shook his hand and said “good to see ya Ethan, I was worried about ya since I ain’t seen ya for over a week now.” “Well I been hole up at the place, that storm was a doozy.” “Yeah, I guess we got lucky, ifin you can call this luck, the damn thing stalled out in the Coral and moved off toward New Zealand. I hear that they got blasted pretty badly down there.” ‘The Army came in here and placed the dumpsters around town and said they would be back to haul them off but they could not help us anymore than that. Guess they are short on man power these days and we gotta help ourselves as best we can.” Ethan shook his head and said “well guess I’ll go and see what is left in my store, see ya later” and with that both men walked through the piles of junk and vegetations that lay in the street.

Kyra woke again into the bright illusion. She had been floating along in the darkness and had begun to see a visible grayness. She could not make out any shapes but just grayness as if something was there. She reached out to touch the unidentifiable substance and felt like she was falling. She opened her eyes and there was the illusion once again. She was lying on the floor. The little white dog was standing right next to her and making a sound. She had fallen with her arms out and landed on the floor with her hands. The pain in her head made her actually sit up and lean against the bed. The dog moved around to give her room to do just that and then tried to get into her lap. She was holding her head in her hands and pushed the dog away when he tried to get in her lap. The dog then scooted away and went over to the blanket that had been placed on the floor and lay down. She could here the little whimpering noises from it. She finally pulled herself up to her knees and leaned against the bed. She stayed there for a few minutes while hoping that her head would quit hurting. She finally pulled herself up and sat on the side of the bed and held her head with both hands. The man had told her about another room that had a bath and toilet in it with a sink. She had asked him what those were and he had explained with some detail what they were used for. She had wondered how she had never used them before and why she would have to use them now but her inner being made a light bulb come on so she stood up shakily and had to grab anything she could as she made her way to the little room. When she came back out, the little dog was still on the blanket but he was looking at her as if she would allow him to come over to her. She made her way back to the bed and finally lay back down. Her head was aching badly so she lay back and tried to calm herself.

Cody did not understand why Kyra would not pet him or let him get into her lap. It had been days since she had not gotten up from the bed. The strange man that had made him feel better had always brought food for him and Kyra and he would feed her before she could almost do it herself. The pain in his leg had kept getting better and finally it didn’t hurt much now. He watched her fall from the bed to the floor and went over to help her. When she sat up he tried to climb into her lap but she pushed him off. She had been very strange to him since the car had crashed. He watched her go to the other room and felt like he needed to help her but was almost afraid because of what she had done to him while on the floor. When she came back out he looked at her in anticipation of being called to her. He watched patiently until she fell back on the bed. He lay his head down and within his being he cried. He felt abandoned but he was never going to give up on Kyra.

Ethan had entered his shop and saw where the water had been up to 4 feet deep inside the entire shop. The furniture and other items were lying in heaps. He stepped over debris and pieces of furniture and other small pieces of antiques until he reached the safe at the back of the store. He then opened it and sure enough the inside had stayed dry and the important stuff he had placed in it before he left the day the storm was raging. He grabbed the briefcase and shut the door again before making his way back to the front. He walked out onto the porch and Pappy was sitting on his own porch. “You gonna start cleaning that up?” “Yes but it won’t be until tomorrow. I got some important things to do at home so I’ll see you tomorrow and maybe we all can get together and get this town cleaned up. I think Bill Thomas has a backhoe and some of the others may have some equipment we can use.” He meandered his way back to his truck and headed back home.

She was touching the grayness. It felt semi-hard. All she could see was the indefinable wall of gray as she walked along. She was running her hand over the surface when a bright flash of light shot forth. She heard a sound that made her stop. The sound grew louder while the flashes of light came faster from the gray wall. EEEEERRRCH, EEEERRCH, she coverer her ears with her hands, she looked back at the grayness and the flashing lights were becoming dim. She reached out and tried to take a hold on one of them but it moved away from her grasp. She tried to step through the grayness but she bounced backwards. She turned around and around and began to run. The EEERRRCH, EEERRRCH began to fade away and then there was another noise. She thought she knew what it was but when she tried to understand what it was it faded and came back over and over. ARRRRRRK, ARRRRRRK. She covered her ears and the sounds subsided away into the grayness. She began to walk again and the darkness had moved to one side while the grayness stayed on the other side and then something like a white streak shot from the grayness and disappeared into the darkness. She thought it might be more of the flashing lights but it moved so fast in front of her that she could not grasp it or even identify it.

She opened her eyes to the bright illusion of the room and the man that said his name was Ethan was standing next to the bed holding a container that was steaming. He sat down on the bed and placed the container on a table of some kind and asked her if she was feeling better. “You were twisting and turning when I came in just now so maybe you are remembering something. Kyra had listened to Ethan talk about remembering things but did not quite understand what he was talking about the first time. Her experience in the tunnel just now made her begin to understand because the whole thing was still with her. So remembering had something to do with memory and how she could know something that happened before now. She glanced over at the little white dog and saw that he was eating. She looked at Ethan and he said “are you hungry?” Hunger, something she made a connection to, a feeling within her being. She shook her head in a yes fashion and he raised the bed so she was sitting up. “You think you can do this yourself?” She wasn’t quite sure again but he demonstrated to her how he would do it and she caught on. He placed a shiny table thing across her lap area and lowered some sort of legs on each side. This made her smile. Ethan had to smile also. “Well that is the first time I have seen you smile, it is beautiful.” He placed the container with the warm liquid and small bits of hard food in it and gave her a cloth of a small nature and handed her a metal object that had a scoop on one end and said “here you go.” She looked at him and then a memory was there of what the metal object was and what it was used for.

Ethan had gone over to where the little white dog was lying and sat down on the floor beside it. Kyra was eating the food and it was very delicious she had decided as she watched Ethan go over to the little white dog. The being looked so sad she thought. She had caught it looking at her almost every time she looked at it. Lately whenever she did look at the dog something stirred within her. She watched as Ethan proceeded to remove the old cloth from around the dog’s leg. The cloth had been wrapped around the dog’s body as well as the leg. When Ethan had removed the cloth she could see where a large gash had been stitched up with some black looking lace. Ethan dipped another cloth in the fluid of the container and dabbed it on the wounded area. The dog lay quit still and every so often would look up at Ethan. She heard him talking softly to the sad little being and it seemed to sooth him. Ethan finally wrapped a fresh cloth around the dog and patted him softly. The dog lay back and it seemed that he fell asleep. Ethan then stood up and took all the things he had brought back to the outer room area. When he came back he had similar things and came over to the bed and sat all of it down on a table.