The Guardian of Threshold (16 page)

“What do you guys say we start? I’m getting tired,” said Carla, yawning.

“Don’t forget, my note is on top of the pool table,” offered Jonas.

“Mine is on top of the desk,” said Carla.

“And mine is on top of my dad’s desk,” I replied, feeling in sync with Carla like we belonged together.

“Why did you bring the laptop, Jonas?” I asked.

“Just in case we need it for research or something,” replied Jonas, looking like he was hiding something.

“I don’t buy it,” said Carla from the pullout bed across the room.

“Neither do I,” I added.

“Come on, what’s the real reason?” asked Carla.

“Okay fine, I’ll tell you, but don’t laugh,” replied Jonas. “I don’t like to be in the dark, so if the power goes out in the middle of the night, it works great as a night light. Besides, I figure it would be best to set an alarm on the computer in case we have any difficulties waking up.”

“That makes sense,” I said as I looked at Carla, and we both laughed discreetly behind his back.

“Sure, make fun of me now. You’ll both thank me later,” mumbled Jonas, lying on the couch and covering himself with a sheet, comforter, and the sleeping bag.

We wished each other good night and covered ourselves, which was the best thing to do, according to the book.

The room grew quiet. After a while, all I could hear was the relentless ice hitting the roof and windows of the house and the occasional snore from Jonas.

CHAPTER EIGHT

BEYOND PHYSICALITY

I
think I was the second to fall asleep. Lately, I could sleep anywhere; it was like my body had been hard-wired to sleep, perhaps because I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a while.

Just when I was about to completely fall asleep, I saw formless shadows moving randomly. I had the same symptoms as before, which I quickly recognized as the beginning of the astral travel process.

Behind my closed eyelids, I enjoyed a colorful light show. Suddenly, my body started to feel like it had been filled with liquid lead. The sight of my room quickly replaced the lights, although it had a greenish tint, as if I was wearing glasses with dark-green lenses.

I seemed more alert than in previous experiences, more alert than I’d ever been in my life. I paid meticulous attention to all the details of my surroundings, taking full advantage of my increased focus.

I was busy looking around the room when I noticed an exquisite and luminous light being cast on the wall and ceiling. I traced its source with my eyes. That’s when I saw her. She was even more beautiful and charming in the astral realm. Her hair, which was already beautiful, radiated an intense and colorful aura, almost like the sun and its corona, except more vibrant. Her face was diffused and white like snow, making her appear almost angelic and goddess-like. Her eyes captivated me even though she hadn’t seen me yet.

One quick look was enough for me to become eternally addicted to her serenity and sweetness. All my worries dissipated in that single look into her soul, a soul so perfect that she seemed like a dream within a dream.

I stood there in amazement as Carla’s body floated gently just a couple feet above her physical body. She still seemed unaware of her surroundings. I figured I’d give her some time; after all, her physical body was still tossing and turning in bed.

I decided to look at Jonas and see what was happening to him. He appeared to be slowly lifting out of his body as well. He hovered only a few inches, and then went back down again. He was stuck; his legs and arms didn’t move an inch, only his head and torso.

I wanted to help him, but I didn’t know how. When I finally decided to try, I grabbed him by his right arm and pulled upward with all my strength. However, I was pulled down as if a giant magnet had been activated.

I started to pull his arm again, and when I seemed to be having some success, I thought:
If I don’t have a body, why don’t I sink into the ground?

No sooner had I finished that thought then my feet started to sink into the wooden floor, like it had turned into quicksand.

It took me only a couple seconds to figure out what had happened. My thoughts had influenced my surroundings. I thought about floating up, and almost immediately I stopped sinking and slowly started to move up again. Next I thought about the ground becoming solid, and sure enough, the floor turned solid once more.

Pulling Jonas’s astral body out of his physical body proved to be more work and more nerve-racking than I had anticipated. Since I was afraid of doing something wrong, I decided to stop and explore some more.

I wanted to figure out how moving worked in the astral realm, so I devised a little experiment: I thought of my dad’s room and suddenly felt myself being pulled into it.

Everything turned into a blur as the scenery sped past. I suddenly found myself in my dad’s room, like I had moved at the speed of light only to come to a full and complete stop less than a split second later.

That was when I first realized that distance only mattered in the physical realm. In the Astral, distance and time seemed inconceivable.

This will take some getting used to,
I thought.

Once the shock of ultrafast travel wore off, I noticed that my dad’s room had an eerie feel to it, even in the Astral. I’d often felt weird in my father’s bedroom, but I thought it was just my imagination. But looking at it in the astral realm, I realized that our emotions created thought-forms that could be detrimental to our living space. The walls of my dad’s room were covered in large, still black larva, as well as other dark creatures I couldn’t even begin to describe.

I didn’t know much about the astral realm, but instinctively I knew those things weren’t benign. Without wasting any more time, I focused my attention on the guest room. And sure enough, I was again pulled as if by a giant magnet to my destination. However, when my body reached the larva-covered wall, I started to move very slowly. So slowly that I felt every cell of my astral body tingle as they passed through the wall. The worst part was when my head went through it. I could see all the interior details of the larva and wall. I saw and felt every nail passing through me. It was a rather disorienting and disconcerting experience, but nothing that I couldn’t get used to eventually.

Not only did I move to the room I thought about, but also to the exact location I wanted to be at.

Looking on top of the desk where the note was supposed to be at, I didn’t find a note at all, but instead I found a yellow rose in an intricate vase I’d never seen before. And that wasn’t all. Just by looking at the lonely and singular rose, I could hear Carla’s thoughts, as though her thoughts had been impressed into that rose.

I hope he gets the hint,
I heard Carla’s voice say in my head. At the same time, the image of her sitting down and drawing a yellow rose came to my mind.

That was when I realized that Carla might have feelings for me as well. I could clearly see that she was thinking about me when she drew the yellow rose. Apparently, that same rose manifested itself in the Astral and carried her thoughts.

I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t notice someone approaching from behind. All I felt next to me was a shadow. At first, I thought it could be my mother, but when I turned around, I found the next best thing. Floating inches above the floor and looking much like an angel stood Carla. I hoped she didn’t notice my slight disappointment.

“Not happy to see me, I see,” she said without moving her lips. I was hearing her voice in my head. I was feeling utterly connected to her. I was in complete bliss when one of my thoughts caught me off guard.
Since I was able to hear her thoughts, can she hear mine?

I sure can,
replied Carla.

All my thoughts about her being beautiful and angelic vanished with the shock of that realization.

Have you seen Jonas?
I asked without using words.

No, I haven’t,
said Carla.

“When I saw him last, he was stuck in his own physical body. I tried to help him, but it was no use,” I said normally.

“We should try again, maybe with the two of us it will be different,” said Carla as she headed toward the door.

“You know, we can just teleport there, we don’t have to use the door,” I said, offering my hand.

“Really? So it’s possible to visit far-off places,” she said.

“I haven’t tried to go anywhere far yet, but so far short distances haven’t been a problem. Here, I’ll show you,” I said while she grabbed my hand and I held it tight, enjoying her warm and soft touch.

I thought about moving back into my room, and a split second later I felt the now-familiar tugging and the sudden stop that told me it was okay to reopen my eyes.

“Wow, this is amazing,” said Carla after she let go of my hand. “How did you do that?”

“I just thought about my room. I just discovered that tonight,” I replied.

“That’s awesome,” she said.

“Look! Jonas’s still stuck,” I said, pointing at him. We could clearly see him trying to leave as he floated mere inches above his physical body. Apparently, his legs were holding him down.

He looked like he was acting out his dreams. He looked like a drunk after a night at the bar.

I couldn’t help but notice how our physical bodies resembled a precise machine more than a person. It was as if I was looking at a used piece of equipment.

“We should try to grab him the next time he floats up,” suggested Carla, getting ready to reach him.

“I’ll get this side,” I said after I floated to his left side.

“Now!” shouted Carla.

I grabbed his left arm while Carla grabbed his right. She counted to three, and then ordered, “Pull harder!”

I pulled as hard as I could. I wanted Jonas to feel the way Carla and I felt. It felt great to be truly free. Only then did I realize that my physical body was actually a sort of a prison for the soul.

Without any warning, Jonas became loose and sent us flying through the air.

Jonas was heading straight toward the wall, out of control as he waved his arms and legs frantically in the air. Carla’s destination didn’t seem much better; she was heading straight toward the wooden floor.

As for me, well, I wasn’t in a better predicament, for I was doing uncontrollable somersaults in the air. However, before I hit the wall I realized that all I had to do to stop was to think about standing still. And I immediately stopped.

As Jonas hit the wall, a loud thud was heard, followed by a scream. I could only imagine how much it hurt at first, but I knew the pain would quickly subside. Carla hit the floor but passed right through it, probably to the floor below.

I figured it was probably best to help Jonas first, because he would probably be scared to death.

As soon as I finished thinking about it, I was pulled toward him. He was stuck upside down with his back inside the wall; only half of his body remained visible.

“Hey, buddy, how are you hanging in there?” I asked.

“Ha ha ha ha, no time for jokes, help me out,” said Jonas.

“I’ll get you out in a second, just hang in there,” I said.

“Very funny… this is great,” he said. Then he laughed hysterically.

I couldn’t help myself: I started to laugh like crazy at his predicament and my choice of words.

We laughed for several seconds before he finally asked, “How do I get out of here?”

“I guess I’ll have to pull you out again,” I replied.

“Wow, you’re flying,” said Jonas, amazed.

“Well, technically I’m floating, not flying,” I explained.

“The technical details don’t matter. It’s cool. Can you please get me out of here? I want to fly too,” he demanded.

“All right, hang on,” I said, still laughing.

I grabbed his hands, then placed my feet on the wall and pulled, careful not to overdo it again.

This time it was fairly easy to pull him out, and soon we were both floating gently.

“This is freaking awesome,” Jonas said as he hovered just inches off the floor. “I must confess that at first I didn’t think it was possible, but apparently it is.” He floated up, down, left, and right rhythmically.

To be honest, I’m not sure if this is real or not. I certainly hope so, but I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out for sure,
I replied mentally just to mess with him.

“Holy cow… how did you just do that?” Jonas asked while hitting his head as if he was trying to get water out of his ears.

Did what?
I asked him mentally.

“That… how are you talking inside my head?” asked Jonas.

“Apparently, here we don’t need words to communicate. We can mentally transmit thoughts,” I said.

“That feels weird as hell. How do I do it?” Jonas asked.

“All you have to do is put some intent behind your thoughts. Try it, it’s easy,” I suggested.

Can you… this isn’t going to work… can you hear me?
Jonas asked mentally.

“Yes, even the ‘This isn’t going to work’ bit,” I replied honestly.

“Wow, that’ll take some getting used to,” said Jonas normally. “Where’s Carla?”

“I don’t know. She helped me pull you out. The last I saw, she was tumbling through the bedroom floor,” I replied.

“We have to find her,” said Jonas, looking around.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” I said. “I must say that I’m surprised to see you adjusting so well to being in the Astral. When I first came here, I freaked out, but then again it wasn’t this pleasant,” I said. I’d imagined he would be scared and confused, much like I was the first time, but I guess it helped to have a friend around.

“Maybe I’m just braver than you are,” Jonas replied.

“Ha ha, very funny,” I said.

Jonas hadn’t even finished his sentence when I saw a female vampire creature minus the fangs fly swiftly through the floor. It quickly approached Jonas from behind and whispered with a deadly voice, “I have come for you. I’ve been waiting for a long time.” Jonas got so scared that he stopped floating and was about to take off running when the creature started to laugh uncontrollably. The more it laughed, the more it sounded like Carla. Slowly, the vampire changed into Carla.