Authors: M.A. KROPF
“Wait,” I started, “first, how did you open that floor?”
“We all have certain, well, talents? Mine is moving things without touching them. Large, small, it doesn’t matter. I suppose I could move you if I wanted to. A telekinesis, of sorts.” He answered my question but was a little preoccupied with the box. Aaron had stopped pacing and stood next to Max. It seemed that this was as far as I was going to get on this subject at the moment so I looked back at the box. “So, this box belonged to Hippocrates?”
Max moved the key to the top of the box, “Yes Megan.” He looked at me with a desperate look on his face. “I’ve had this box for the past forty years but never imagined I’d need to use what was inside. You see, while he chronicled his experiences as an Aurator, he also wrote down what his talent showed him.”
Aaron broke in before I could, “So he wrote down what he saw for our future?”
Yes, Max nodded silently.
So that was it, I thought—Hippocrates had the talent to tell the future? I wanted to be clear. “The future?”
“The future to him, which is now,” said Max.
I was confused, “Now what?”
“He wrote about this moment… about you.” Both men looked at me curiously. “Since I became my true self and met my mentor I have been told the story of Asclepius, Hippocrates, and his foretelling of the future. I never believed that his words would be realized during my lifetime.”
He looked back down at the box and turned the key. I heard the box unlock and watched as it was opened. Inside was an old leather bound book, wrapped in plastic. Now I’m no archaeologist, but I was pretty sure that no paper would last over two thousand years. “That can’t possibly be his, it would be dust. And, plastic isn’t that old, either”
Max looked up and smiled. “You’re right, this information has been passed down through generations of Aurators to the chosen keepers of the information. That’s me. Our main job through the years has been to rewrite the contents of the book by hand into a new book and close it back up for safekeeping until the prophecy became reality.”
I couldn’t help thinking that a flash drive or CD would be easier nowadays.
Pulling the book from the plastic, he laid it on the desk. “I have not read the contents for many years, since the time I transcribed it nearly 50 years ago. The prophecy of a woman’s arrival, what it would mean for us, and what you would bring.”
“Me? I’m in that book?” Even as I said it, I knew how ridiculous it sounded.
“Yes,” he answered simply.
He looked up at Aaron who was standing next to him. They both looked like kids on Christmas morning in front of the largest present in the room. Max opened the book and turned toward the back pages.
Before reading, Max looked toward me. “Megan, these words have been rewritten many times and translated as closely as possible into English.” I opened my mouth to ask a question, but Max stopped me before I could even ask what was on the tip of my tongue. “Just listen. He was trained in medicine, which was based in the Latin language because it was uncommon at the time. He believed that his words would elude most ordinary men of his time if it was in a less familiar language.”
Max started reading out loud, “Let it be known, you who read this, that those before you have given you the truth to move forth throughout history. If she who is to be all-powerful and lead us has been birthed, then take these truths to heart.” Max brought his hand up to his forehead and wiped the sweat that had accumulated. He then looked a little flustered as he searched for and found a handkerchief to wipe his hand before continuing on. “A woman, descended from Asclepius shall be born. She will possess more unique powers of purpose than all men before her. She will be skilled in many ways unknown to us, with much wisdom and medicinal knowledge. Most importantly, she will carry with her as the descendant the greatest gift of rebirth and will lead us to triumph over all. These will be confusing and disastrous times, and our people will need strength and guidance. Mankind will need help to return to the right path. Many will have gone off course, separating mankind and struggling for power, away from the Serpent Bearer. She will bring our kind together as one. There will be a great battle to regain proper balance. Without this woman, we will perish and the world will fall further into darkness.” Max sat back and took a breath.
I waited for more, for the great answer that was supposedly in the book. But he was finished and closed the book.
“That’s it?” I asked. “What the hell does all that mean?”
“Yes,” Max began, “there are a few more entries after this but nobody has been able to make sense of those yet. He died soon after this. You see, Hippocrates could see the futures of certain people, more specifically, he saw his own bloodline’s future. As the story goes he had a dream, a vision, of what was to become of him, his own death and he wrote down all of his experiences. He ended with this vision of what was to be. The coming together of all powers.”
Aaron spoke next, “So, what does all of it mean? I have heard the stories of the woman to come, but it does seem a little unclear as to the specifics. Why?”
Max thought about this for a moment. “It is unfortunate that we don’t know exactly what to expect from you, Megan. I suppose only time will tell. What I do know is that you will be a leader for us. You are meant to be great.”
I couldn’t take it all in. So much information. I suddenly flashed on something he had said earlier. “Max?” He was flipping through pages of the book and stopped to look at me.
“Yes.”
“What did you mean when you said all of this will be harder for me to accept than others?” I had been perplexed by this and was glad I remembered to ask. So frequently I leave a situation or conversation frustrated that there was something I forgot to ask.
He raised both eyebrows and looked over his glasses that were low on the bridge of his nose, “You have not completed a purpose yet, there is no proof to give you reason to accept what we are telling you. Usually an Aurator has completed a purpose, then connects with one of us and is able to find out about our kind and accept the explanation because… well, it’s hard to deny at that point.”
Aaron cleared his throat and we both looked toward him. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to mention that Megan and I were discussing why she had a red aura if she had not completed a purpose. That’s what prompted me to call you the other day.”
“Ah, yes.” Max replied, then handed the book to Aaron and got up. He walked over to the window behind his desk and looked outside. I looked at Aaron, who shrugged his shoulders in confusion at me. We waited for Max to reply. He suddenly sighed and hung his head. Without turning, he began to speak.
“You won’t yet understand Megan. Who you are to us… to the future of all of us.” He turned from the window and looked at me. “We, as a people, have been trying to keep up with the changing face of ills in this world. Over the past century we have become so outnumbered as our world is changing. I’m sure you’ve noticed how things have changed even since you were a child. Children can’t play out in their front yards or walk down the street without fear of abduction or harm. If you take a leisurely evening stroll anywhere in a city, there’s a fear of being attacked or mugged. And women… well, except for you… are at risk everywhere of physical or sexual attack. Our world has become an unsafe and sad place.” He put his head down, slowly shaking it from side to side. “Our identity isn’t even safe anymore,” as he motioned toward his three computers on a table next to his desk.
I reflected on what he was saying. I was full of angst daily when it came to my girls. Always worrying about where they were and what they were doing. Was it safe for them to go to that friend’s house? Did I know the parents well enough? If they were on field trips without my husband or me, was someone else watching them well enough? I experienced the fears Max was speaking of on a daily basis. From what I’ve heard from other mothers and fathers with older kids, that fear and worry never goes away. On several occasions I had tried to talk with my parents about this, thinking that they would understand exactly what I was feeling, but they both just shook their heads and said, “Things were different when you were a kid, hon. We just didn’t have to worry the way you do today.” I sighed at this… Max was right… sad.
I then noticed that Max had come over and knelt in front of me. “You, my dear, represent the birth of hope for us. A chance we can actually have a bigger impact in our world.”
“I don’t understand. I don’t want to be a killer. How can I be one of you?”
“In time, in time.” He then got up from the floor and went back to his chair, suddenly looking very tired. “You have a red aura because you are already stronger than any of us. You are already emanating the power of purpose. Your skill, whatever that will be, will come after completing your first purpose. You’ve had this aura your whole life.”
“Well, what if I don’t want to complete a purpose?” I asked.
“You don’t have a choice.” He said this so matter-of-factly and without looking at me that I paused to question myself.
“If that is true then why didn’t I kill the boy in high school?” His eyebrows furrowed and he leaned forward. He spoke so slowly and with such intensity that I felt my breath catch.
“What… boy… from… high… school?”
Taking a moment to compose myself I took a deep breath. I retold the story of high school including the dark aura around John, the subsequent dream, the pain, shuddering at the memory of the pain, and the deaths of my fellow classmates.
Max appeared rattled and a little out of sorts. He began mumbling to himself, “That’s impossible… he can’t be… you would need incredible… that’s impossible.”
Aaron was the first to speak coherently. “Max, is this some sort of innate self-control?”
Max snapped out of his daze and looked at Aaron. “I don’t think so, but I don’t know.” Then turning to me, “Megan, whatever happened to the boy?”
“I don’t know exactly. He went to a juvenile detention facility but whether he got out or died, I have no idea.”
Max pondered this for a moment, looking back and forth through the room as if searching for something. “We have to find out if he’s still alive.” Then he glanced at me with a curious look on his face. “There will be much to learn from you. I can see already that you are not cut from the same cloth as the rest of us. I will also call the Seniors to consult with them. They have all the original documents, aside from Hippocrates’s journal, and these may hold answers.” Nodding his head, apparently to himself, he stood and walked over to his desk, sat down, and began scribbling notes onto a yellow legal pad.
Aaron stood and approached Max, “What now? Do we search for the boy? If he is a designated purpose he could be creating chaos and will need to be removed.”
Max stopped writing and fiddled with his pen for what seemed like several minutes. “You’re right, Aaron, he will need to be dealt with if he’s still alive.”
“Wait a minute,” I interrupted, “are you both talking about killing my old schoolmate?”
In unison, they quickly stated, “Yes.” Then they went back to talking to one another.
Aaron first, “We will need to consult the Seniors. They may have some record or experience that will tell us what to do.”
“Of course,” Max replied. “I will contact them I do have a lot of questions for them. And, if you don’t mind, try to research whether this boy…” turning toward me he continued, “what’s his name?”
Slightly confused by the direction of the conversation, I replied, “John Steele.”
Max clarified, “S… T… E… E… L… E?”
“Yes.”
He then looked back at Aaron, “John Steele. See what you can find out about him and we’ll go from there.”
I was thoroughly and completely overwhelmed at this point. How had we gone from finding out more about me and this dysfunctional life I’m supposedly destined for to
Hey let’s kill one of her old schoolmates.
“Excuse me gentlemen,” I interrupted their mutterings to each other. “You’ll have to excuse me but I think I’ve heard about all I can handle today.” Then turning toward Aaron, I said, “My girls will be out of school soon and I need to get them.”
Max was the first to speak, “You have children?”
“Yes.”
“Boys or girls?” He leaned forward with interest.
“Three girls.”
“No boys?”
I tried not to sound annoyed restating my answer, “No, I’m pretty sure they’re girls.”
Max chuckled and nodded, “Yes, that makes sense. I admit that we did not focus as much as we could have on your questions today, Megan. This is all so new to us and we’re all learning. Please be patient with us as we try to figure things out. Okay?”
I sighed and nodded back, “That’s fine. I’m sorry, I know that I may seem a little irritable. I don’t mean to be rude. I have never felt like I fit anywhere, rather out of sorts. Now I’m finding out that I do fit somewhere but to fit in there I have to accept that I’m a freak. Some sort of genetic mutant. It’s a little more than I bargained for.”
Something I said caused a look of sadness on Max’s face. He rose from his desk and came over to me. Standing in front of me, he took me by both shoulders, urging me to stand. Then looking into my eyes his voice was smooth and I could almost feel his concern, “Megan, I’m sorry for your torment regarding feelings of not fitting in. Your life must have been confusing for you. You do fit. You fit with us. I’m sorry, but in time this will be easier for you, and eventually I believe you’ll feel a sense of ease when your two halves become one.”
His softness and sincerity caught me off guard and my eyes welled up. “I just want to feel whole. I don’t want to have to wonder anymore where I belong.”
He placed one hand alongside my cheek. “Then trust us, dear child. We will help you. But you will have to drop these walls you’ve erected to protect yourself and for once… trust completely.”
I looked into this man’s eyes. They were clear, intense, yet showed nothing in them that gave me reason to doubt. “I will try.”
Max game me one of his cards. Same as Aaron:
Max
415-555-3422
We said our good-byes and left. Aaron and I didn’t speak for the longest time on the ride back, and I appreciated the quiet. Then, breaking the silence Aaron spoke, “If there’s anything I can do for you to make this easier, let me know.”
“Thanks.” That was all I could muster. I was completely spent.
I picked up my girls, thankful again for some normalcy. I listened to the goings-on at school. Who’s playing with whom, who’s mad at whom. How each one of them hated homework. I chuckled.
We got home and I sat to help each girl complete homework. As I sat at the table my mind toggled back and forth between the earlier conversation and new math. Ugh. I suddenly flashed to my most recent dream and the girl who had come to the emergency room. So much for remembering to ask everything, I thought. I filed the question away and pulled Max’s card from my pocket, placing it next to Aaron’s in my wallet.
My husband got home. It was Friday night. At our house Friday night was Couch Bed Night. We all dragged our top mattresses into the living room and watched movies until everyone fell asleep. We used to just sleep on the pull-out bed in our couch when we only had our first daughter. But after she learned how much fun it was to jump on the bed it broke. Hence, the mattresses. We just never changed the name. It was a simple tradition but something the family looked forward to all week.