Group Therapy
I was early. I made my way from the entrance of this non-descript building in the industrial sector of town. The door to room said “Group meeting” It also had the building logo on the door, saying that the building was managed by a company called Vision Spring Inc. I filed the name for future reference, and entered.
The leader of the group got to the front of the room, and said, “If I can have everyone’s attention, I think we are ready to begin. Before we officially start,“ and then she pointed to me and said, “I would like to introduce to you all Dorothy Colleen, who we discussed sitting in on our session last week. “
“As we decided, we feel the positives of having Dorothy relate our stories outweigh any negatives. As we discussed, Dorothy will not use your names, or any details that would identify you unless you give her permission to do so.”
She continued, saying “I also want to mention for Dorothy’s record our gratitude to the company that has given us this space rent-free, and provided everything we need to have our meetings here. We owe a great deal to them, so I would like to thank them. The company is the owner of this building, Vision Spring.”
She then gestured to an attractive woman in one corner, and said, “Hun, maybe you should start, because you were the one most in favour of doing this.”
The woman stood, and gave me a glare. “I was in favour of doing this, because I have read the fictionalized account of my ordeal that has been posted on the ‘Net. And I know that a lot of people like Dorothy have ‘enjoyed’ reading it. So I want those people to know that I was a real person, and I didn’t ask for what happened to me.”
The two closet people to her touched her in support, and she took a breath, and carried on. She said, “I was an ordinary guy. I made a mistake, I cheated on my wife. I deserved to lose her, to get booted to the curb. But that wasn’t good enough for my wife.”
“ She found a drug, that would make me her puppet, make me unable to do anything but what she told me to do. Once she had control of me, she decided to humiliate me, and to force me to humiliate myself.”
“She forced me to get rid of all my male clothes, and to wear woman’s clothes in public. For a while, she allowed be to hide my blouses under a jacket at work, but made me take the jacket off for lunch at a nearby mall, so anybody near would see the blouse and the bra I was wearing under it.”
“Bit by bit, I was forced to make myself more and more feminine, and I couldn’t even tell anybody it wasn’t my idea. Then every night she made me write what I had been forced to do, and she published it as fiction online. Every time, I ended by begging for help, and never got any.”
“At a some point, I lost hope. I felt like I was going totally insane, having to act happy that I had turned into some kind of feminized sissy. People at work were laughing at me, I was totally alone. Worse, guys were hitting on me, assuming I was either gay or maybe even a girl.”
“Then she decided to push it even further. Soon it wasn’t even enough that I was wearing woman’s pants, she had me in skirts and dresses, heels, the whole thing. Not only that, she finally revealed to me that I had been taking hormones since almost the beginning of my ordeal. She made me change my name, and I realized it was never going to end until nothing of my male life was left. “
“I had only one way out- and that was to retreat from reality. I stopped fighting her, I just totally gave up, and even made myself believe that I wanted what was happening. She started getting bored, and ended up taking me to a B D S club, and after showing how submissive I was, offered me up to the highest bidder.”
“The owner of the Club, a man named Alex ended up buying me. He convinced my wife to have me get sex-reassignment surgery. She agreed, thinking that I would try and object, but I was too far gone to care even about that.”
“After the surgery, Alex had me participate in a commitment ceremony. It looked like a wedding, except I was swearing to be the total slave and property of Alex for as long as I lived.”
“After the ceremony, he got my wife to sign over all control to him, and then took me to his apartment for a ‘honeymoon’ Whatever was left of my identity watched this with a sense of sadness, thinking that this meant I would now be his slave instead of hers, but it would still never end. But in his apartment, he surprised me. Instead of having me serve him, he set me free.”
“Seems he hated the idea of someone being a submissive for any other reason than because that is what they were. He apologised for having to make me have the surgery, but he needed to convince my wife that he was going to use me, so she would give him the control so he could set me free”
“He found a place for me to stay while I recovered myself. It took a while for me to really believe him, and longer still for me to learn to take control of my own life again. I considered trying to bring my wife to justice, but it would be hard to prove she did anything wrong without making her formula common knowledge, which would be a disaster. “
“Instead, with Alex’s help, I have made a good life for myself. He has even taught me how to be dominant, and I work at his club as a dom. I learned there is nothing wrong with submission or domination as play or as a fantasy, but respect for the other person is a key ingredient in any real relationship. I hope your readers remember this when they read a story like mine.”
I was silent. I felt guilty for having read stories like hers, assuming that they were fiction, and never thought of what such a situation would do to a real human being. I thanked her for sharing her real story with me, and congratulated her on recovering from such abuse.
The rest of the group shared their stories in turn. I had heard or read stories like theirs on the ‘net, and in each case what sounded good, even erotic as fiction was horrible when turned into reality.
I think the saddest story I heard was a pair of fraternal twins, who had been forced to switch places and live as each other under threat of torture. I wept after they were finished. I thanked them all, and soon, they were filing out of the room, and I was left with the group leader.
“Thank you for letting me sit in:” I said.
“You are welcome. I hope it gives your readers something to think about.” She said.
“I do have one question, however,” I said, “What is the story about this company you mentioned, Vision Spring?”
“I really don’t know much,” she said. “ They are apparently a charity created by a multi-national corporation, but beyond the fact that they seem to really want to help the GLBTGQ community, I don’t have any information on them“
“That doesn’t strike you as a bit odd?” I asked, “I mean, most companies make a big deal of charity contributions, not try and hide them”
“Well, our community doesn’t have the sympathy that crippled children do. But I do have a picture here of the representatives who gave us this place” she said.
We went to her office, and she pulled out a photo of her shaking the hands of two people. One was a tall, slender woman and the other was a short heavy-set man with a cane and a scar on his face.
She said, “ I remember them saying that our group was the first major project they were funding in this area, and they would be looking for more ways to assist our community. So you might be hearing more about them soon.”
Looking at the photo, and sensing something hidden in the smiles of the two, I had a feeling I would.
A Little Nudge: A Vision Spring tale
Michelle sat in the transgender pride meeting, feeling terribly out of place being the only one not dressed as her feminine self. The rest of the girls were moving forward, and she was being left behind, again. She sighed. It was her own fault.
Growing up, she had been part of a very conservative church, and suffered from terrible guilt whenever she gave in to her need to be feminine. The end result had been a frustrating cycle, one where she goes from trying to make her dreams a reality to getting rid of everything connected with the whole experience, just to start all over again a few months later.
Not only that, every time she went through the cycle, it seemed like she had gotten further, only to suffer even more guilt, and then suffer even more when she had to start all over again.
Last time, she had ended up in the hospital on suicide watch before she realized she had to make the change to her body or die. Now she had the girls of the tg pride group to help, and she had hoped she could finally overcome her upbringing and make progress.
But now that she was going to the meetings, she was finding the old fears resurfacing. She had been kicked out of her parent’s house after the last time, and now she was staying at a shelter, with almost nothing to her name, and no decent job to buy any male clothes, much less to spend on feminizing her appearance, so how was she supposed to do this?
She now had counseling once a week, and really would like to go dressed, but how to even start? The only good thing was she had finally had a honest conversation with her mom, and go the impression that she believed this gender issue wasn’t some passing fad, but she wasn’t going to go against
Michelle’s father, who was very conservative.
That meant she was on her own, at least for now. The other girls were good, but most were much further along than she was, and she was starting to feel like they viewed her as a poser, using her family background to avoid having to make the plunge.
The meeting was about to break up, when in breezed in the most magnificent creature Michelle had ever seen. Roberta, the leader of the meeting stood up and said, “Aleece? Long time dear.”
The woman brightened, and said, “Hello, all. I am Aleece Sabanna. I just came by to drop of some clothes for girls who may need them.”
Roberta said to her, “Well, that is a good thing, In fact, we have a new girl here,” Roberta brought Michelle up to the woman, “this is Michelle.”
Michelle looked at this newcomer, and suddenly felt very shy, and stammered a “hello”
Aleece took Michelle’s hand, and looked her in the eyes, and Michelle had a feeling that she was looking right into her soul. Even Roberta became uncomfortable in the silence that followed, and excused herself. Aleece said. “So, Michelle, where are you from?”
“Ha…. Hawaii” Michelle stuttered.
Aleece smiled, and said, “Long way from home, aren’t you? You come to Seattle to get out of the sunshine?”
Michelle shook her head. “My parents moved here when I was in my teens. Dad got a job working for Boeing, and so we came here. “
Aleece continued to hold on to Michelle’s hand, and said “So, you need some clothes. Come over here and take your pick.” And then she led Michelle to the large suitcase she had brought in, opened it up, and Michelle had to gasp.
The outfits were beautiful, and obviously very expensive, high end woman’s clothes. Aleece smiled, and pulled one dress out. “This one will really match your coloring dear. You have a mixed ethnic background, don’t you?”
Michelle nodded. “Yes. My mom was a native islander, and my dad was a mix, with his dad being white and his mom being black.” while she spoke, she fingered the silky, bright yellow dress.
It had multi-coloured flowers on it, reminding Michelle of the classic Hawaiian shirts, but much more richly made than any of those.
“You like it?” Asked Aleece, “it’s yours.”
“I… I couldn’t take something like this, it must have cost a fortune.” stammered Michelle.
Aleese smiled, and said, “I have plenty more, hon. I came by today to donate these to anyone who needed them, and I would say that include you.. Now how about underwear dear?”
Michelle had to blush again. “I … I have a set I bought at Goodwill.”
Aleese took Michelle’s hand and led her out of the meeting room, saying “That will never do. Come with me, I will take you to the best underwear shop in town.”
Michelle felt like she had lost all control of her life, but said, “They would be closed, surely? Its 10 pm.”
Aleese smile got even bigger, and she said, “Not for me. I happen to be very close friend with the owner of the chain.” and with that, she swept out of the building, with Michelle stumbling behind her, still holding on to the fancy dress.
Michelle soon found herself in a limo, her new dress in a bag beside her, holding on to an alcoholic drink for the first time in her life, and telling her life story to this woman who was more like a force of nature than a person.
After she was done, Aleese excused herself long enough to type on her PDA, saying that she was making the arrangements with the store owner for their private shopping trip.
While she typed, Michelle found herself fascinated with Aleese’s fingers. They were painted a bright green, with a dark green vine that wound its way from the base of the nail to the tip.
Then Michelle realized that green was a theme with this woman. Not only her nails, but her lips, her eyes, and her dress were green, and her neck and ears were adorned with emeralds.
The other thing that was remarkable about her to Michelle was the strong sexual energy she gave off. Michelle had never had any real attraction to girls, even when she had been forced to live as a boy, but sitting beside this woman, she seemed to be unable to help fantasizing about pleasing her, in any way that the woman chose.
They arrived at the store, and were met with the owner, who seemed like he couldn’t humble himself enough for Aleese. Once inside, Michelle found herself soon stripped, measured, and handed a bra and panty set that would have taken her a months wages to pay for, and told to change.
The effect of the new clothes was remarkable. Michelle almost couldn’t recognized herself in the mirror, and for the first time since she had discovered her feminine side, felt like her outside matched her feelings within.
Aleese smiled as Michelle admired her reflection, and said, “You look wonderful dear” Then she said to the owner, “We will take it all” and pulled out a credit card.
“For you, Aleese, no charge.” the owner said.
Aleese then said to Michelle, “ Come, my dear, we must show you off. There is a club nearby we can go to.”
Michelle pulled herself away from the vision in the mirror long enough to say ,“I … I have never been out in public before, Everyone will know I am not really a girl”
“Sweetheart, look at yourself again.“ Aleese said, “You are a beautiful woman, both inside and out. And in any case, its time to let go of fear, don’t you think? And with that, she grabbed Michelle’s hand, and took her from the store back to the limo.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a nightclub, and although shaking with nervousness, Michelle managed to navigate her way with Aleese ‘s help into the club. While many people stared at Aleese, they didn’t seem to give Michelle a second look, and soon she was able to relax a little.
The reaction of people when Aleese introduced her was varied. Some seemed honestly glad to meet her, some gave her a hungry look that frightened her, some were clearly jealous of her being with Aleese, and some were clearly looking past her at Aleese to see how to better ingratiate themselves with her.
The one exception was a strange old man, who moved carefully using a cane, and had an ugly scar on the right side of his face. Aleese came to him, and kissed him, but he seemed unaffected by her charms, and after greeting her, the man came up to Michelle and nodded to her, and then went toward the exit slowly.
The rest of the night was a blur to Michelle, and soon she was being driven home, and fell into her own bed. When she woke in the morning, the only sign that the whole thing wasn’t a dream was the new clothes.
For the next week, Michelle went back to her usual routine, going to work in her male identity, and coming back to the shelter to sleep. Her dreams were full of fear, as she had nightmares of being back on Hawaii, being chased by her family for betraying them by giving in to her need to become a woman.
But, then, the dreams suddenly changed, and when she would run from her family, she would end up plunging in the ocean. Once under the water, she could hear a strange voice that seemed to come from the water itself, comforting her, supporting her, and lending her peace.
When the time came for the pride meeting again, she hesitated to wear the clothes, but thanks to the change in her dreams, she found the confidence to put them on again, and went to the meeting.
When she got there, each of the girls took turns showing a dress from the suitcase that Aleese had brought. It seemed like each dress had been tailor-made for the girl who wore it, matching her style, colouring, size, and personality perfectly.
Michelle asked the leader of the group about Aleese, and she said, “Honestly, I don’t know much more than you do, dear. She came by a year ago, left some gifts for the girls, and then soon left. But she did give me a card from this charity she represents.
She then went to her purse, and pulled out a card, and handed it to Michelle. The card said, Vision Spring Charity. It had email address and a phone number, and nothing else.
The next day, after her shift at work, Michelle went to the public library to do some searching on this “Vision Spring” She had a feeling that there was something going on much bigger than giving away clothes to people like her.
A few clicks led her to find out that the charity had started in Europe more than a year ago, and had started to fund projects in North America about 6 months after that. They seemed to specialize in helping gays, lesbians, and transgender people.
The other fact she was able to get was that the chairman of the charity was a wealthy businessman named Gregory Kolvolenkov, and she recognized his picture as being the old man from the club. But what was Aleese’s involvement?
She tried typing in her name, and found nothing. She then tried the name of the club she had gone to with Aleese, and found a picture of Alesse at the opening of the club, but her name wasn’t mentioned. It seemed that the rich and powerful knew her, but no one talked about her at all.
That night, she dreamt, and this dream was even odder than the previous ones. She was transported to a castle somewhere, and saw a huge room, dominated by a round table, Each chair was totally different than the other. The chair directly across from her was made of stone, and had a diamond in the top of the back of the chair.
The chair to the right of that looked like it was made from a massive tree trunk, with green vines circling around it, with a flower on the top of the back. The chair to the right was even more impossible, as it appeared to be made of water and ice.
Next to that was a chair that appeared to be on fire, then, a chair that seemed to be made of a whirlwind. The next chair was bright as the sun, and the last one was as dark as space.
While Michelle watched, a group of people came into the room and came to the chairs, and sat down. Aleece was there, and she sat in the green chair. Beside her she recognized the old man who was the chairman of the charity, and he sat in the chair made of stone.
As the rest of the group came in, she realized that a couple of the chairs would be empty. The water chair, the chair made of darkness, and the chair of fire had no occupants.
The old man said, “Report.’ Aleese stood, and said, “We are making progress. I have a promising candidate in Seattle, and there is one in Vancouver worth investigating as well. Should those work out, we just need to find the last member, and we will be ready.”
The old man didn’t seem satisfied, and said “Getting recruits is good, but they will need training, and we are going to have little time for them to get accustomed to their powers and roles before the crisis comes.”
Aleese smiled, and said “We are doing all we can for the moment. I believe we will be ready in time”
The old man said. “I hope you are right. Collect the Seattle candidate as soon as possible. I will go and deal with the one in Vancouver.”
The others began to speak, but Michelle couldn’t hear them anymore, as she faded from the room, and woke up. The day after that, Michelle had a terrible scare at the restaurant that she worked at, when her brother Stan came in, saw her, and said, “Mike?”
Michelle tried to hide, but it was too late. Her brother cornered her, and she felt the fear again. Stan said to her, “So, this is where you went. How is life as a degenerate?”
Michelle tried to get away, saying “Let me go. I am working here.”
Stan said, “Dam sissy. You broke your mothers heart with your sickness. Does your employer know you are a pervert?”
All of a sudden, Michelle’s fear evaporated, and it was like she was connected to something, something powerful, and primal, and it was waiting for her to give it a command. It was in the water glasses, in the rain outside, and even in the people around her.
Every molecule of fluid was putting itself at her disposal. Suddenly, Stan felt weak, and fell to the floor. “What are you doing? You’ve taken up with the Devil now, too?”
Michele shook her head, and backed away from Stan. The other customers looked at her in fear, and unable to face them, she went back toward the kitchen. However, there was no relief there either. Her boss was afraid, and angry, and unable to face him, she fled the restaurant.
Michelle ran back to her room at the shelter, feeling like her heart was going to burst with fear. What had happened to her? And just as important, without a job, how long before she lost this place, and then where would she go?
In desperation, she grabbed the card she had taken from the pride group leader, and went to the free phone available in the common area of the shelter, and dialled the number.
She was not really surprised when the number turned out to be a automated system. She decided to at least leave a message, and so said “Hello. If this message gets to Aleese, please. Its Michelle Achazia, you took me shopping a week ago. I hate to ask, but I am in a lot of trouble, and something really weird is happening to me. If you can help, I could really use some right now.”
After she got off the phone, all the energy in her body seemed to leave, and she was suddenly was totally exhausted. She figured her best bet was to rest up, and try to salvage her job in the morning. If that failed . . . Well, she would cross that bridge when she got to it. Weaving like a drunk, she made it to her room and collapsed on her bed, asleep in seconds.
The next morning, she went to the restaurant where she worked, hoping to be able to salvage her job. When she got there, her boss was clearly frightened of her, and offered her three months salary if she would leave and never come back.
She sighed, and realized it was probably for the best, and took the check, and left. At least the money would buy her some time to figure out what to do next.
Not sure where to go now, she found herself just wandering around the town. It felt like the ocean was calling to her, and so she went down Broad Street, toward the waterfront. Then she heard a different voice, one that seemed to be coming from Myrtle Edwards Park, and she felt sure it was Aleese. She started running toward the park.
As she had hoped, Aleese was there, sitting in the grass next to a tree. Michelle ran up to her, but as soon as she got close, she stopped. Aleese had raised her hands, and sang, and although it seemed impossible to Michelle, the tree behind her swayed its branches to her song. Then things got even stranger. The grass also swayed, and the flowers as well.
Then, the grass, the flowers, and the tree behind her actually grew taller, and music reached Michelle’s brain without passing through her ears, as if the tree, the grass, and the flowers were now harmonizing with Aleese’s song.
Without understanding, Michelle had the impression she could join in as well, but not just her. The rain clouds above, the water from the ocean, all the water around her wanted to join in, if she let them. And she wanted to. So despite having no clue what she was doing, she reached the water, and they let loose with music, and it was glorious.
Soon, the song ended, the grass, trees, flowers, and the water were all still again. “How?” Asked Michelle. “How is this possible? What are you?”
“The same as you.” Said Aleese.
“Then, what am I?” cried out Michelle.
“You, are part of a very unique group. You and I, and the others like us have a connection to our environment that most people lack,” said Aleese, “For each of us, we connect most strongly to a particular part of that environment. I am connected to the Green, all the plant life on the planet. You are connected to the Water.”
“What do I do now?” asked Michelle.
“Come work for us, dear. We will train you on how to use your gift. We can also offer you all the material things you can imagine.”
“And what do you get in return?” demanded Michelle.
“If we are lucky, honey, we will get a chance to save the world.” Answered Aleese.
Michelle looked at her doubtfully, so Aleese added. “Why don’t you take some time and think about it. Meet me here at sunset, if you wish to join us.” Michelle watched her walk away toward a sports car parked at the edge of the park, then turned herself, and went the other way.
She didn’t have a destination in mind, but the need to be close to the ocean was still strong, so she headed towards where the park met the sea, and found a way right down to the water, and sat on the edge of the land, looking out. She sat there thinking for a long time, trying to decide what to do. It wasn’t like she had a lot of options.
She had lost her job, she would have no place to stay, and there was still her brother and the rest of her family out there, maybe looking for her now. Feeling hungry, she got up, and went out of the park down towards the Waterfront Seafood Grill, figuring that she might as well spend some of her last check.
Despite the fact that she was trying to avoid using her “connection” as Aleese called it, it was still present everywhere around her. Not only from the ocean and the rain clouds, but from all around her, even the people. She remembered reading that people were seventy-five percent water, and for the first time, really connected with that knowledge.
After she ate, she went back to the park to wait. She found herself trying to imagine what would happen if she joined this group, and almost changed her mind several times before she finally saw the sports car pull up. At that moment, she decided firmly to make a go of it, and ran to meet Aleese.
Aleese hugged her, and said. “I am glad you have decided to join us”
Michelle asked, “Did you really think I wouldn’t?“
Aleese said, “Not me, dear. I always thought you just needed a little nudge to get you going. Now we can really get to work. Welcome, to Vision Spring”
This is How a Heart Breaks - A Vision Spring story
Six months ago . . . Sara woke from her usual nightmares. Weak and shaking, she barely managed to get herself up and deal with the waking world. She had thought things were getting better, she had made such progress, but lately things had gotten worse again. The first set of dreams involved the case that had sent her on leave from being a social worker.
It had seemed like a very straightforward case. A young boy, about 5 years old, had lost his parents in a car crash, and an uncle and aunt had requested custody of him. He had been there before, a background check had been done, and she approved the move.
She was totally unprepared for what happened six months later when the police had been called in. The photos she had seen of what had happened to him. . .. She couldn’t believe it was possible.
She had snuck one of the photos out of the custody of the police and kept it, punishing herself daily by looking at it. What the photo showed was a travesty, the boy wearing women’s clothes.
But not just any set of women’s clothes, a outfit more suited to a prostitute than to a child of either gender. The look on the child’s face was one of someone who was utterly broken and lost.
She had tried to talk to him after the arrest of his relatives, but he was totally unresponsive. She wondered if he would ever recover from the hell she had sentenced him to. Or if she could ever forgive herself for her part in his pain.
It didn’t matter that she had no reason not to trust them, she still felt responsible for what had happened to him. And this guilt played a big part of the dreams. The other dreams where just odd, or even impossible. It started with a castle, huge, old, but still beautiful in a way. Inside the castle was a table, with the most unusual chairs she had ever imagined.
One was made of stone, another of wood and plants, another seemed to be made of fire, another of water, one of a whirlwind, one of solid darkness, and the last of solid light.
Most of the chairs were occupied, but three were empty, the water chair, the chair of light, and the chair of darkness. After a few times of having this dream, she started to realize that the empty chairs was a major part of the discussions.
They talked about Egypt, about a candidate in Seattle, and what really interested her, of a candidate in her hometown of Vancouver. The leader of the group was the old man who sat in the stone chair.
He had a cane in one hand, and a scar down the right side of his face, both over and under his right eye. The scar was clearly very old, but sometimes in her dreams it seemed raw as if it had just happened. But it was morning now, and she had stuff to do today.
It was time for her counselling session, and then one of her former co-workers had somehow talked her into going to lunch with him. It wasn’t a romantic thing, as he knew her status as a lesbian, but he cared greatly for her, and she felt obligated to keep him informed on her progress.
After her counselling, she had mixed feelings. One the one hand, she felt she had made significant progress in dealing with her guilt, but for some reason, she couldn’t even talk about the dreams of the strange castle and its occupants.
She arrived at the restaurant where she was to meet her friend early, and to pass the time, she grabbed a copy of the paper. She was so shaken by what she saw, that she didn’t see her friend come in and sit down.
He took her hand, and said, “What’s wrong?”
She pointed to a picture on the second page of the paper, where right at the top there was a picture of the old man from her dreams. “Who is this man?” she asked.
Frank, her friend, glanced at the photo. “There is a caption underneath the picture. It says his name is Gregory Kolvolenkov. He is the head of an international charity group called Vision Spring.
Look, there is an article on the next page, and it says he is coming to town to make some big announcement with the three levels of government. Its supposed to happen this afternoon at City Hall.”
Sara recovered herself from her shock, and looked at her friend’s face. “You know more than that, I can tell.”, she said.
“Representatives from Vision Spring have been sniffing around for a while now. They have talked to every charity and government agency in town, and I know for a fact they have met your friend Mary from the Gay Pride Center.
There are rumours that the chairman has bought a house in North Vancouver, near Lynn Canyon Park, and plans to make that his base of operations until after the Olympics.”
After they finished their lunch, Sara went home, and decided she needed to watch the announcement. Frank was right, not only was the man from her nightmares there, so were representatives from the federal, provincial, and civic governments, the head of the Gay Pride Center, Mary King, and the head of the Provincial Employees Union.
They all sounded tremendously enthusiastic about the arrival of Vision Spring to Vancouver. Mary was especially pleased to announce that Vision Spring was going to focus on helping gay, lesbian, and trans persons who need housing, jobs, or anything else they may need. Locals who wanted to donate were encouraged to send donations to the pride center.
Sara turned off the TV, and tried to think. How could she be dreaming of this man, and then have him turn out to be real? She felt she must find out all she could about him.
She called Frank, and he told her that Gregory would be visiting her old office the next day. She realized she still had clearance in the building, and decided she needed to crash the party.
The next morning, she felt strong enough to face her fear. She got dressed as if she was going back to work, and made her way to her old office building. As she hoped, her card still worked, and she was allowed to enter the building, and she headed for her old floor. She planed to tell anyone who saw her that she was there to see her old boss about when she might be cleared for duty again.
She met Frank, and he wished her luck, and headed for his own office. She went to her old boss’s office, but he wasn’t there. She was debating what to do when the elevator behind her opened, and the old man stepped out, and he had her old boss with him.
Seeing him in real life, she suddenly realized how BIG he was, he was built like a wrestler, and despite using a cane, gave the impression of strength. For some reason, she decided she didn’t want to be seen, and so slipped down the hallway and around the corner, and found herself breathing hard.
She listened to her former boss talk to the old man, acting totally out of character for him. He was normally gruff, but he was positively fawning over the old man.
The old man spoke remarkably softly for such a large man, and spoke excellent English, with only a hint of an Russian accent. She steeled herself, went back around the corner, and forced herself to get ready for a confrontation. Her former boss was startled, but introduced her to the old man, and he took her hand gently for such a big man.
He seemed much less threatening than her dreams had suggested despite his size and the ugly scar. He invited her to come to the house he had bought in the north end of the city, and gave her a card with a number to call if she wanted to come.
She found herself rather dazed, and walked away like her mind was a thousand miles away from her body. By the time she collected herself, she was out of the building.
She went home, and thought hard about what she had experienced. The next day, she steeled herself, and returned to the office to have the conversation with her former boss that she had wanted the day before. While waiting for him, she had a chance to talk to many of her former co-workers, and to a person, they had all been impressed with the old man. He was described as “courtly”, “old-world polite”, and “kind of sexy”.
When she went in to see her old boss, he told her “Mr. Kolvolenkov was impressed with you. In fact he told me he wanted to hire you to run things for him here in Vancouver.”
She was shocked, and told him “Did you tell him I am still on stress leave? That I don’t even know if I will ever be able to do this kind of work again?”
“He wants you. And he can offer just about anything you would want” He said.
She looked doubtful, so he added “At least go see him. Decide after that.”
Sara decided to do just that, and phoned the number the old man had given her the other day, and within a few minutes, a car arrived at the office, and a driver offered to take her to see Gregory at the house he had bought in North Vancouver. The house was in Seymour Heights, and was right against the boarders of Lynn Canyon Park.
On her arrival, she was surprised to find that the house itself was not all that large. Gregory met her himself at the door, and asked her to join him in the garden in the back. The “garden” turned out to be the most impressive rock garden Sara had ever imagined. Every colour of the rainbow was represented, and some of the stones shone like precious jewels.
Although the stones didn’t look like they had been carved or otherwise altered, odd shaped rocks were placed together in such a fashion as to create incredible sculptures.
Adding to the beauty, a ribbon of blue from a small stream wound through the garden, with the water often reflecting the shining stones nearby, and on either side of the stream a flower path added a sweet fragrance to the whole. In the center of the garden, a table and chairs had been set, with an umbrella to keep out the rain.
Near this was a wall that had a waterfall, with the wall itself being made out of sparkling rocks that recalled diamonds, rubies, and emeralds,
It was to this table that her host directed her, and they sat down, and for a while she just listened to the sounds of the water, and smelling the flowers and the fresh turned earth.
She was momentarily taken aback when a person came up to set the table, and she realized it was a man, wearing woman’s clothes. She looked at Gregory, and he said, “He is a very good employee. The fact that he likes to dress up as a woman doesn’t change that in the least.“
“So you do have some connections to the GLBT community” she said, and Gregory smiled. “My announcement that I wished to help them here in Vancouver is sincere dear.“
They talked about his coming to Vancouver, his dream for helping gays, lesbian, bisexuals, and transgender people. He pushed her to consider working to help, and she found herself really wanting to do it. More than that, she found herself charmed by him.
Over the next couple of months, he found excuses to have her join him as he toured the city, and she found excuses to be free to do so. Her nightmares involving her work stopped, and she soon felt ready to go back to work, and his offer became more and more attractive, as did he in her eyes.
One trip in particular really changed how she saw him. They had gone to the pride center, and listened to the stories of some of the people there. As one girl talked she could feel his muscles tense, and when they had left, she could see he was torn between rage and tears.
This girl had spoken of how her family had tried to kill her for her coming out, and afterward, when they had left the center, he was obviously shaking.
“You ok?” Sara asked.
“I would like about 5 minutes alone with her father, but I will be fine.” he said. “That someone would want do that to anyone, much less their own child . .” With an effort, he regained control of himself.
Finally, she had returned to his garden, and for the first time they began to discuss personal lives, and she felt very comfortable in her presence.
The relaxing environment lowered Sara’s guard, and she soon found herself telling her life story to Gregory.
She told him about how she rebelled against her traditional Japanese-Canadian family, especially when she had come out as a lesbian. She told him of the first girl she had loved, a Native Canadian girl, who had tried to get her into Wicca.
She told him about becoming a social worker to help others like her who had lost family and friends due to trying to be themselves. And she told him about the case that had driven her to take stress leave.
He surprised her when while she was talking, he asked permission to hold her hand and then after she finished, he asked if he could give her a hug. She agreed, and he took her in his arms, and gently said to her, “Its ok. You are not alone, and for what its worth, I don’t think you did anything wrong.”
She found herself crying, and he held her until she regained control of herself. Finally, she looked at his face, and saw only compassion in his eyes. “I am sorry.” she said “You may not believe this, but I have been having dreams about you for a while now.”
He sat her down, and went over to an open space and put his hand on the dirt. “Your birth stone is garnet, isn’t it?”
She nodded, and watched as he put his hand into the soil, and a minute later, he pulled something out, and came back over and handed her a garnet stone.
“Is that some kind of magic trick?” she asked.
“No trick dear, watch this.” he said, and he went over to a large rock nearby and touched it. She was totally amazed as the rock began to change shape, and soon she recognized that it had become a sculpture of her.
“Ok,” she said, “What are you?” and what do you want from me?”
“Come with me” he said, and went over to a very large boulder. He knocked on it, and to her surprise, a door appeared in it, and opened.
He held out his hand to her, and she found herself taking it, and they stepped through the doorway . . .
And into the impossible
It was the castle of her dreams, but larger, more beautiful, than she remembered. He stepped onto a stone, took her on it with him, and it rose into the air, and floated into the castle.
They landed on a open spot inside the castle, and he took her to the room she had seen in her dreams, with its round table and impossible chairs.
“What are you feeling right now, Sara?” he asked
“One of the chairs is . . . Calling me?” she managed.
“which one?” he asked
“The dark one.” she said
“Then step over there Sara, into the shadows, and call” he said
“Call? Call what?”
“Call the dark”
Not knowing why, she went over to the shaded spot and closed her eyes.
The darkness began to take shape. It made a man-like form, and bowed down to her, and then, she lost it, and the darkness evaporated.
“All right” she said, “Now, tell me what’s going on.”
“I have one more thing to show you, and then I will tell you my story.” he said.
He then led her out of the room, and soon they were in a high tower with a flat top, and he led her to the roof. When she stepped out, she saw something that took her breath away. In the sky above her was a cloud, of such extraordinary colours.
“What is it?“ she asked.
“That, is the reason why Vision spring exists. it’s the source of our power, the origin of every story and dream and myth the human race has ever had. It’s the home of devils and angels and ghosts and every magical creature that has ever entered our thoughts.
Most of the time, it passes through the earth without damage or even leaving much of a mark, except in our dreams. But every so often, it gets solider, and when it then interacts with our world, then objects and creatures can escape and threaten our existence.
Already some items and beings have crossed over, taken shapes out of the imaginations of human beings, and they can cause great damage if unchecked.
But what’s coming soon is worse, because its got a will, an intention, I believe it is responsible for sending some of the more dangerous objects and creatures across, as part of its plans to merge the two worlds. And if that merger occurs, humans are not likely to survive.
We live in a world of order, of logic and laws and cause and effect. But that is utter chaos, a place where no rules would apply, where nothing would be certain, where past, present and future mix, where time and space bend and skip. And the damage possible when that occurs in incalculable.
Already psychics and sensitive souls are starting to sense something, and are having nightmares about the end of all things. But soon, everyone but the most closed will feel it. Will you help us fight it?”
“I want to hear your story first.” Sara said. “I have told you mine. Then I will decide what I should do”
Gregory sighed, an moved away, looking outward into the colourful cloud above them, and then started to speak.
Gregory’s story
“I was there when the great empire of the Romans ended. I was a young man then, and I joined a group of knights who sought a lord worthy of our loyalty. We swore oaths to act under a code of honour, and trained ourselves in riding and fighting from horseback.
The others thought I was the bravest of them all, but they didn’t know I had a secret, a pain so great I didn’t care if I lived or died. Somewhere within me was a need, a push toward the feminine that I could barely contain. Because of that struggle, I went into every battle without any regard to my own safety, and indeed hoped I could die on the battlefield.
One day, I happened upon a monastery, and due to a wound I had suffered, was forced to stay there for many months while I healed. Stricken with fever, I revealed the secret to one of the monks there.
He counselled me to find a wife, and in that way find a cure for my condition. So I did, but at first, that only made things worse, until I was forced to confess my sinful desires to my wife.
I cant say it made her very happy, but she loved me enough to try and help me cope, and soon made a feminine wardrobe for me to wear about our home. Our servants were those who owed us their lives, and felt such strong loyalty to us that we could trust them with my secret. So for a brief time, I was content.
Until the day came when a beast from another world, a creature I thought to be a demon, came to my home and killed my family.
I had been outside when the alarm reached me, and I arrived too late. My wife, my soul mate, the only person who had truly cared for me was dead.
I was lost in fury, and I called on the earth itself to seek my vengeance And the stones of my home answered me.
And I used the very walls of my castle to fight my foe, and I killed it, destroying all evidence of its existence. But I sat in the wreck of my home, cradling the body of my wife, and I cared not that my enemy was dead.
I don’t know how long I sat there, wondering if God would forgive me if I ran my blade through my own flesh, when the monk came up the road.
He led me away from the ruins of my home, and took care of me again until some level of sanity had returned to me.
When he thought I was ready, he revealed to me his own secret, that he was like me. He could make fire do things I couldn’t even have imagined. He had come to find me, to join him and his group.
I spent years training, then we spent more years filling the seats at the table and fighting threats originated from this place. But what he didn’t know was there was a reason why we needed to exist, not just for the occasional monster, but to prevent a total crisis.
Until the creature that dwells there made itself known to us, and we learned its goals and we were forced to fight for the entire universe against it.
We won, but a number of us didn’t make it through the end. I lost some wonderful friends over the course of that battle, and came out wounded myself.
Then I also learned that the crisis we had faced, the creature from that which you see above is, was not destroyed. In fact, all we had done is delay it slightly. By “slightly” I mean that its about to happen now.
And its going to start, right here, in Vancouver. In Chinatown to be exact, as a deadly crystal has re-appeared there, and we have to get it before someone uses it.
And I believe you can help us. But what makes things hard is … I am starting to develop feelings for you. And that could make everything we have to do harder.”
Sara looked at this man who had been unable to look at her while he had told her this.
Now the feelings she had started to develop for him made more sense to her. She had been sensing the feminine in him, even as he had tried to hide it from her.
And the fact that he revealed his true heart to her now, when he couldn’t know how she would react, made her believe it was all true. She had seen his power, and now she saw his pain, and all she wanted to do was take that pain away for him.
“All right.” She said, “What do I do?”
“As you just demonstrated, Sara, I believe you have the potential to control the Dark, just like I can speak to Stone. We have to unlock that gift. And we have to work fast. We have to go to Chinatown, and find that crystal before someone finds it and uses it.” he said.
“About that,” she said, “I don’t know why, but I have been thinking about my first girlfriend, the one who tried to get me into Wicca. I have no clue why, but her face and name keeps popping up in my head”
“Do you know where she is now?” Gregory asked.
“Chinatown.” she said, and suddenly realized what she was saying
As if reading her mind, he said “it’s a good place to start.”
Soon, they were in his car, and headed for Chinatown. As they traveled, Sara told Gregory that the girl was part of a small tribe called Chickliset.
The tribe actually merged with a larger tribe a while back, but still retained some separation. Somehow, the girl became mixed up in a number of different ideas at once. She had become a Wicca, had explored a number of different Native beliefs, and also seem interested in Sara’s Japanese heritage and myths.
Eventually, even the local Wicca group disowned her, and she struck out on her own, creating her own unique mishmash of belief systems. It was at this point that Sara realized she didn’t want to hang around her anymore, and moved on. Nevertheless, she still had the girl’s most recent address, and it was there they stopped.
As they got out of the car, Sara said to Gregory, “Please. Let me talk to her.”
He nodded to her, and slipped an arm around hers as they walked in. Somehow, she didn’t mind it being there at all.
They rang the bell, and her ex answered it. She looked dishevelled, like she had been unable to sleep or eat for days. “Itzel?” Sara said “What’s happened to you?”
The girl looked at her without seeing for a moment, and then said, “Sara?”
Sara said, “Can we come in?”
Itzel let them in, and Gregory said, “Miss Owana, we are trying to track an item down that belongs to my charity I found out it was somehow sent to a occult store instead, and that you might have purchased it. Do you think you could see if you bought it, and I will be very glad to compensate you for it.”
She looked worried, and said, “I . . . am sorry sir. I bought a group of items from the store, I would have to look through them and find what you are looking for. What does it look like?”
Gregory said, “It is a crystal, shaped like the sun, and has Japanese writing on it.”
Itzel said, “I will have to look for it. Now, please, you must excuse me.”
Sara said “Please Itzel. Something is wrong, I can tell. Let me help you.”
But Itzel gained some strength, and pushed both of them toward the door, and said “I am sorry Sara. Please leave now.” and ushered them out the door.
“What do we do now?” asked Sara
“We go back to my house. We have to unlock your power today. And then we have to get back here by very soon, within a day or so at worst. I am sure she has the crystal, and its already starting to work on her. We haven’t much time.”
He took her back to his house, and led her through the garden to a spot she hadn’t noticed before. It was like a hole in the wall of the estate, except it looked more like a cave.
“This actually leads right to Lynn Canyon. But we don’t have to go that far. Just get out of the light, and we can begin.” he said
“You won’t get scared in the dark?” she teased
“I am surrounded by stone dear. Nothing is going to hurt me here.” he replied seriously. Besides, I have light.” and with that the diamond on the top of his cane started to glow and flicker like a torch.
Once in darkness, she tried to relax, and do what she had done earlier, and call on the darkness. This time, it was surprisingly easy. The darkness around her began to shape itself into a man-like figure, and it bowed to her.
“All right, show me what you can do!” she said
The shadow-creature raised a fist, and smashed a boulder in the middle of the cave with a single blow.
“Wow!” she exclaimed.
The creature spoke in a whisper and said to her “That is only a small sample, mistress”
“You speak?” she asked
“Yes, mistress. I can go anywhere there is a shadow, and listen, and tell you what I hear. I can carry heavy weights anywhere as long as its not in direct sunlight. You have only to ask, and I obey.”
Sara called to Gregory, and he came forward, and looked at the creature. “interesting” he said, “your power is slightly different than that of the last representative of the Dark.”
“How so?” asked Sara.
“She became a shadow herself. She became darkness personified.” said the creature.
Gregory looked at the creature, and said “that’s correct.”
“Can you help me against Itzel?” she asked.
“She is tapping great power mistress, or perhaps that power is tapping her” the creature replied, “But I will fight with you, if that is your wish.”
Just then, Gregory got a phone call, and after listening, he said to Sara, “I have to go to Seattle. If you would, keep an eye on Itzel, but don’t interact with her if you can avoid it.
You can access this place from any dark spot, all you need to do is create a door in your mind, and it will take you here. Keep practicing, and I will be back tomorrow, and then we will plan for how we can face this.”
Sara nodded, and Gregory went to a door, and she could see it was not the skyline of Vancouver, but instead she was sure it was Seattle instead.
“Travelling that way would sure save on gas.” she remarked
“It has its uses, but its not easy or without danger. I save it for emergencies.”
He replied.
Sara spent the rest of the night practicing with the shadow-creature, and then rested for a while, and then went to Chinatown to see if she could spot her former friend.
Keeping out of sight was easy enough, and she saw Itzel go out to the local market and come back. She looked worse than before, older, and without any care for her appearance at all.
That afternoon, Gregory came back and he had a beautiful woman with him. He said “We have a good chance in Seattle for a candidate, but she isn’t going to be ready in time to help us.
But I would like you to meet Aleese Sabana, who is our connection to the Green. Nature, if you wish to think of it that way. “
Sara had to stifle a moment of jealousy when this woman came forward and shook her hand, but soon found herself charmed by her, and together the three of them made plans for how to best proceed.
They decided to wait for sunset, and have Sara approach the front door again, while Gregory and Aleese would be at the back entrance.
The shadow-creature would enter from the skylight, unlock the back door for them, and then seek the crystal.
Gregory also spent time creating a diamond, and Sara asked what he was doing, and he said, “One of my gifts is the ability to prepare a stone as a vessel of what you might think of as magic. The higher the quality of stone, the better it will serve.
I wish the others were available, but they are in Egypt looking for the last recruit, one who will be able to control Light the way you can control Darkness.”
He then placed the diamond on the end of his cane. As soon as the sun set, they left, and headed back to the address in Chinatown. Once they were in position, Sara rang the bell.
Meanwhile, Gregory and Aleese waited at the back, and then they heard the lock move, and the shadow-creature opened the door. “I must return to my mistress” it said, the woman is wearing the crystal.”
Gregory and Aleese hurried in, and saw that Itzel had been transformed. She was now huge, and she had a grip on Sara’s wrist. “you cannot stop me, stone-man and plant-lady.”
“ I , Izanami No Mikoto, have returned, and I will have my vengeance on my so-called husband who abandoned me to Hell, and then on all males everywhere.”
Aleese came forward with her palms up, and said “Itzel, you are confused. The crystal you are wearing is tapping into your thoughts, taking what is in your head and making it real. You are not a goddess, and you need our help.”
Gregory said “let Sara go, Itzel, and give us the crystal. Its going to destroy you otherwise.”
Sara said, “Please Itzel. Trust him. He wants to help.”
The creature laughed, and said to Sara, “Him, help? Do you know what these two creatures are? Neither of you have any secrets from me. That creature . . .” and pointed to Aleese as she said it, “was born a male and has deluded himself into thinking that mere surgery can change him into a woman.”
“And as for this pathetic male you have chosen over me, he is a sissy who wears suits and cries because he can’t flounce around in a dress instead.”
“He told me his story Itzel, and it doesn’t change anything. I . . I love him anyway.” Sara said
“Love?” the creature said, “You can do more than summon shadows Sara. Look into his heart, and see the darkness there!”
Unable to resist, Sara looked at Gregory, and suddenly her expression changed to one of hate. “Come Itzel! Come with me” she said, and opened a door in the darkness and stepped through.
The creature started to follow, and turned and faced Gregory and Aleese, and said “Taiyo no masuta no aki ni yoru no kuna no mokugki-sha no ima aijin!” and went through the doorway, which closed and vanished.
Gregory moved to the space where the door had been and cursed. When he turned to face Aleese, there were tears in his eyes as he said “Gone. And now Sara thinks the worst of me.”
Aleese took his hand and said, “We will get her back. But my Japanese is rusty, what did Itzel say?”
“Now may the mistress of the night bear witness to the fall of the master of the sun” Gregory quoted.
“You mean she is headed for Egypt.” Aleese said.
“Yes. Now you must go back to Seattle and get that girl if you can. I will go to Egypt and meet the others there. Its clear this is going to take all of us.”
To be concluded . . .
When Worlds Collide: A Vision Spring story
(Authors note: Its probably a good idea to read the first two stories before reading this one)
Last time … (From This is how a Heart breaks)
“He told me his story Itzel, and it doesn’t change anything. I . . I love him anyway.” Sara said
“Love?” the creature said, “You can do more than summon shadows Sara. Look into his heart, and see the darkness there!”
Unable to resist, Sara looked at Gregory, and suddenly her expression changed to one of hate. “Come Itzel! Come with me” she said, and opened a door in the darkness and stepped through.
The creature started to follow, and turned and faced Gregory and Aleese, and said “Taiyo no masuta no aki ni yoru no kuna no mokugki-sha no ima aijin!” and went through the doorway, which closed and vanished.
Gregory moved to the space where the door had been and cursed. When he turned to face Aleese, there were tears in his eyes as he said “Gone. And now Sara thinks the worst of me.”
Aleese took his hand and said, “We will get her back. But my Japanese is rusty, what did Itzel say?”
“Now may the mistress of the night bear witness to the fall of the master of the sun” Gregory quoted.
“You mean she is headed for Egypt.” Aleese said.
“Yes. Now you must go back to Seattle and get that girl if you can. I will go to Egypt and meet the others there. Its clear this is going to take all of us.”
Now . . .
Gregory stepped off the plane in Cairo, and tried to blend in with the other tourists. He joined a group heading for Giza, and glanced at the Sphinx, and was caught by a fellow tourist, who remarked that he looked like he expected it to get up and walk away . . .
That night, he slipped out of his hotel, and headed for a slightly less attractive area of town. The old place was still there. During the Cold War, it was THE hangout for all the “assets”, from all sides. KGB, CIA, and all the other groups were welcome, as long as they left politics outside the door.
A middle-age man held court in one corner, and beside him was a very old man in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank. One of the companions of the man noticed Gregory, and nudged the younger man, who got up, and came up to Gregory.
“Gregory!” he said, with a thick Russian accent, and the two men kissed cheeks.
“You look well, Anton” said Gregory.
“YA delayu, a kak i sledovalo ozhidat'” (I am doing as well as could be expected) said Anton
Kak starik? (How is the old man?) Asked Gregory.
“po-prezhnemu s nami. Bukval'no na dnyah on rasskazyval nam ob etom britanskiĭ shpion vy vstretilis' dva, kak yego zvali. . . Ian? “ (still with us. just the other day he was telling us about this British spy you two met, what was his name . . . Ian?)
Gregory chuckled. “Da” (Yes)
“chto s nim sluchilos'?” (what happened to him?) Anton asked.
“on stal pisatelem” (he became a writer) Gregory answered.
Anton shook his head, and said in English, “Well, I am assuming you are here for more than small talk. What can I do for you?”
Gregory said, “I need a place to hang my hat while in Egypt, close to the temples. Ground floor only.”
Anton nodded, and said, “Give me a day, and I will have something for you. I should tell you to be careful while you are here, some of the people who visit this place have long memories”
“You can tell anyone who cares that when it comes to memory, I have a longer one, and a longer reach should I need to use it” Gregory said
Anton paled, and said “And what message should I pass along?”
“Tell them that the past is the past. I have no desire to go there again, unless I have to.” Gregory said.
Anton nodded, and relaxed, and Gregory left the bar.
The next morning he got a message with an address near Luxor. He went to the address, and found it to be a small hut, and it was fairly bare, with one notable exception. There was on the wall a tapestry, of a knight from the Crusades, looking wild and fierce. Gregory allowed himself a little chuckle at Anton’s peacemaking gesture.
That night a sandstorm moved in, and suddenly Gregory’s house was buffeted by winds, and then a whirlwind came to his door, stopped spinning, and became a man.
Gregory nodded to the athletic Oriental man, and showed him inside.
“Any news?” Gregory asked
“Méiyou xÄ«nwén, méiyou rá¨nhé jÄ«xiá ng nuzi” (no news, no sign of either woman) the man said.
Gregory shook his head. “This is very bad. What about our perspective member? Any sign of tampering”
“Méiyou” (no) said the man.
“I don’t like this. Last time the creature reacted more on instinct, and now it seems like it has learned to plan, and to delay gratification. Well, keep me informed. I am going to open a portal to the castle, and wait for news there.” Gregory said.
The man nodded, bowed, and left. Soon a whirlwind span away from the house, and headed back into to the desert. Gregory watched him go, and then went to the back wall of the house, which was made of stone, and opened a door and stepped through. . ..
Once at the castle, Gregory went to a room where he stayed when he was here. He paused at a curtained area, and went inside. Within the area was an alcove, with a statue of a woman in it. It was a beautiful work, with exquisite detail of a woman wearing a beautiful gown from the early middle ages, kneeling with one hand skywards. Only one thing marred the work, and that was her expression, which was one of pain, fear, and betrayal.
Gregory went up to the statue, and caressed a cheek, and said softly “Soon, my love. Very, very soon.”
Days pass . . .
Michelle joined Aleese in her red sports car, and they left Myrtle Edwards Park, and zipped almost right past the space needle. Aleese soon was heading north, and stopped at Lake View Cemetery, and walked into Volunteer Park. There was a large tree in the park, and Aleese headed for it, and began to sing.
The tree shuddered, and suddenly there was a door right in the middle of the tree. Aleese ushered Michelle to this door, opened it and they stepped inside. Michelle thought she had seen just about everything in the last couple of days, especially since she had witnessed Aleese make plants dance, and she had found out that she herself could control water, even the water inside people.
But nothing had prepared her for the sight she saw on the other side of the doorway. In the distance was the castle she had seen in her dreams, and instead of a path going to it, there was what looked like a cable car system.
Only the “cable car” looked more like a person-sized flower basket - made out of real flowers.
Once in the basket, it began to move slowly up toward the castle. While they traveled, Aleese told Michelle about the colourful cloud that hung over the castle. She told her that it was the source of their extraordinary abilities, but it also was the source of the threat to mankind that Vision Spring vowed to stop.
She also told Michelle about Sara Song, who was supposed to be another recruit, one who could control Darkness. Only she was now influenced by a former friend named Itzel Owana, who had become controlled by a creature from the cloud, who claimed to be Izanami No Mikoto, an ancient goddess of Japan.
“Do you really think that she is a goddess?” Michelle asked Aleese.
“Stranger things have happened.” Aleese said, “during the last major incursion a being claiming to be a Slavic god named Svantevit was a major player.”
“Wow” said Michelle
“What’s really worrying is that this happened more than a week ago, and we have had no sign of either of them since. From something Itzel said before they disappeared, we have expected an attack on our last recruit, who will control Light. We have a candidate under surveillance in Egypt, but there hasn’t been any attempt to contact him from either of them.”
“What do you think that means?” asked Michelle
“We are not sure. It could mean that they are waiting to be sure he is the right person, just we have been. He shows some signs of being the one we have been looking for, but its not clear, and we don’t know why. But Gregory and the others will check in soon from Egypt, and maybe they will have some news.” Aleese said.
A few moments later, Michelle gasped, as she saw a large stone floating toward the castle, with a figure on top of it. As he came closer, she recognized the old man from the club Aleese had taken her to.
After his “craft” settled on the surface, he carefully made his way off the rock. She noticed that he had to lean heavily on his cane, as he was moving very slowly toward them. Aleese took his free arm, and brought him to Michelle, and said “Gregory, you remember meeting Michelle?”
His voice was shaky, and his attempt to shake her hand was weak. “Welcome to Vision Spring, miss Achazia. The others will be arriving shortly, and I need to freshen up before they arrive. Aleese can show you where you can change for your first official meeting.” He then moved slowly away from the women, and carefully headed down a hallway.
Aleese showed Michelle to a room with a wave carved into the door, and said “There is a good outfit for you inside to wear to the meeting dear.”
Michelle went in, and soon found a beautiful gown, sea green in color, with white lace at the hem, styled to look like foam. She put it on, and went to the meeting room, with the round table with its impossible chairs. Aleese was already there, dressed from head to toe in green. Her dress looked like leaves woven with vines, and She had a large rose acting like a pendant just above her left breast.
Michelle went to her chair, which seemed to made of dancing water and ice. Aleese sat in a chair that looked like a tree trunk, and a few minutes later, Gregory came into the room. He looked stronger, younger, than when he had arrived, and sat down in the chair made out of stone.
After a few moments, others came in and sat down. First, A young black woman came in and sat in a chair made out of fire, and then lastly, a middle-aged oriental man came in and sat in a chair that looked like a whirlwind.
Gregory tapped a gavel on the table, and said “I call this meeting of Vision Spring to order. First order of business is to officially welcome miss Michelle Achazia to our fold.”
He gestured to Michelle, and she rose, and said nervously, “Thank you. I will try to do my part in what’s coming up.”
Aleese then stood, and said “Welcome, Michelle. May I introduce to you Anaya Jefferson, our mistress of fire,” At which the black woman stood, and nodded to Michelle, “And this is Feng Chan, our master of the Wind,”
and the oriental man rose and bowed slightly.
Anaya said, “I would like to share some of my story with you, Michelle. I was born a slave, on a plantation in Georgia. I became a “inside” slave, working directly for my master’s daughter. When I had been called inside, I was afraid the master would use me, as happened often. As it turned out, it was the daughter I should have been afraid of.”
Michelle said, “You mean, she …”
Anaya said, “Yes. I don’t know how long I would have survived it, but the next year a man bought the plantation and all of the property, including me.
That man was Gregory Kolvolenkov.”
“He arranged for me to ‘escape’, and thanks to a friend of his who was part of the Underground Railroad, I came north. He found me again in Detroit, and this time, he showed me what I was capable of doing.”
Then Feng said “I was born in China, and had the misfortune to be an official in the last Ming Emperor Chongzhen, who was overthrown by the Manchus. Somehow, Gregory found me before I could be killed, and took me to a safe place, and showed me how to control the Wind.”
Gregory said, “Let me see if I can get you up to speed quickly, because we are very short of time. A creature has crossed over from the chaos above our heads, claiming to be an ancient Japanese goddess. It has possessed a human female, and now has taken our potential representative of the Darkness with her. Mr. Chan, what is the status of our potential recruit in Egypt?”
The oriental man rose, and said “We have our candidate under constant watch, and have seen no sign of tampering. But we have also seen no absolute proof that he is in fact the one we are looking for.”
Gregory nodded, and said “Keep him under surveillance, and lets hope we can figure this out soon. Frankly, I have expected a major incursion by now, and we may have only days left before things really get rolling.”
The black woman stood, and said “As for that, I have been in contact with our agents around the globe. There has been an increase of activity at almost all ancient worship sites everywhere, but nothing that we can say represents an actual breach.”
“All right,” Gregory said, “that matches what I have heard as well. For now, we need to focus on Egypt. Not only is our potential recruit there, but its loaded with potential hot spots where we could see a breach. Feng, you have spent the most time with him, you have any clues why we haven’t seen a breakthrough before now?”
Feng stood and said, “No. He has come to the temples at Karnak, and paid special attention to anything relating to Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun. Plus, we know he has looked up Vision Spring online, trying to get someone from the charity to contact him, but left no details as to why. I don’t know what we are missing.”
Michelle murmured under her breath, “Family …”
Gregory turned to her, and said, “What was that, Michelle?”
Michelle blushed, and said, “I … I don’t know why, but the word ‘family’ entered my head”
Feng said, “He still lives with his father and mother, and he has a twin sister. The father seems unremarkable, and like many Muslims, the women rarely are seen, especially the sister”
Gregory said, “Its worth checking out. See what you can learn about the sister.” He then banged the gavel again, and said, “we are adjourned.”
One by one, each left. Gregory said to Michelle, “I was quite concerned when no attack came in Egypt. It occurred to me that Itzel was faking us out, and that there would be an attempt on you.”
Michelle started, and asked, “Do you think she was behind my brother finding me? His reaction was so violent, which isn’t like him normally”
Gregory said, “Its not impossible. As the representative of Darkness, she could touch the darkness in him, and even bring it to the surface.”
Aleese said, “How could she do that? For that matter, how could Itzel make her see the darkness within us?”
The creature controlling Itzel is from the very source of our abilities. She would know what we are capable of better than we do. You may recall that the former mistress of the Dark said she had trouble being around people, because the darkness within them would call to her.”
Aleese nodded, and said, “Ok. So what do you think we should do now? My abilities are not going to be as useful in Egypt, there isn’t a lot of plant life.”
Gregory said, “ I would like you two to go to Port Said, and then head for the Nile. Those will be the biggest sources of water for you to use, Michelle.”
He then took Michelle by the shoulders, and kissed her on both cheeks, and said, “Good luck”
Michelle nodded, and Aleese said, “Come on. I will show you your own transport site.”
They made their way back to the room Michelle had gotten changed in, and Aleese showed her a door at the back of the room. Opening this, inside was a pool.
“This goes all the way to your own residence in this realm. If you take the stairs over there,” she points to another corner, “it leads to a spot on the roof where you can “take off” and “land” when you want to come to this castle when you are coming from earth”
“Do all of us have a residence?” asked Michelle.
“Yes” said Aleese.
“Do you think it’s possible that this woman, Sara, went to her residence, and that’s why we can’t find her?” wondered Michelle.
“Hmm,” thought Aleese, “That’s possible. Its almost impossible for anyone to get into her residence unless she allowed them.” said Aleese.
“So what do you suggest I do when I get to Egypt?” Michelle asked.
“I will meet you at the port,” Aleese decided, “then we will go to Cairo, and look up the family of our candidate. You may be on to something there, and I want to check it out.”
“Ok” said Michelle, and went up the stairs to her “take-off” place, while Aleese went to her own spot, and left for Egypt.
Egypt . . .
On her arrival in Port Said, she found a small park, with a juniper tree. She approached the tree, which began to shake, and then suddenly there was a door in the tree, and Aleese stepped out.
Aleese hugged Michelle, and the two of them went through the city. Aleese asked, “How do you feel? It’s not a perfect environment for either of us.”
Michelle replied, “I am ok. I have gotten enough strength from being by the port to handle whatever comes. So you think we should go to Cairo?”
Aleese nodded, and said “Yes. Fortunately, Gregory was able to get us some credentials from the Egyptian government. It might help us get in to see the sister.”
While they were traveling, Michelle asked Aleese, “You know, you know my story, but I don’t know yours. We have a little time, would you care to share?”
Aleese sighed, and said, “My story isn’t a happy one until I met Gregory. I was a street urchin in Rio. Even as a child I knew I was really a girl, but Brazil is a strongly Catholic country, and such things were and are frowned upon. With no money, and no support, I felt I had no chance to be my true self.”
“Then Gregory came, and somehow picked me out of a crowd of street kids. Soon, I was wearing the clothes I had always dreamed of, and more than that, he taught me how to be a lady as well as a woman. When the time came, he paid for my surgery to make me complete.”
“By then, I was terribly in love with him, and when he turned me down, I rebelled, left his organization, and ended up working in a brothel in Nevada, where I learned how to please both men and women. I also learned about my connection to plant life, and at the time, even animal life as well, and used the power ruthlessly, as if I could hurt him for his rejecting me in that way.”
“ But then there was an incursion in my hometown, and I ended up going home to defend it, and he was there, and helped me save my city at great cost to himself, and I decided I couldn’t be angry with him anymore, and rejoined, and haven’t regretted it since.”
“Thank you for telling me, Aleese.” said Michelle. “I guess I am lucky I met you before I went down those kind of roads.”
“You are welcome, my dear. I am glad I was right that you were our candidate. I had a good feeling about you, and you haven‘t proved me wrong.” smiled Aleese.
“You said you could control animals as well?” Michelle asked.
“Yes, but I have lost that ability. Which is too bad, we could probably use it now.” Aleese said.
It was evening by the time they made it to Cairo, so they found a hotel near the neighbourhood where the young man they were trying to see lived, with his family. The next morning, after the morning call to prayer was over, they went to the house, and knocked on the door.
The young man answered, and said “NÊ»mØŸ Hl 'StÅ£yÊ» MsÄÊ»dtkØŸ” (Yes? Can I help you?)
Aleese was about to pull out the credentials Gregory had gotten for them, when Michelle interrupted, and said, “Actually, I think we can help you. You are scared for your sister, because of her dreams, aren’t you?”
He looked at Michelle in shock, and switched to English, saying, “How did you know that? Who are you?”
Michelle said, “We are from Vision Spring”
He said to her, “That’s … that’s one of the names she keeps repeating in her dreams. Something about it frightens her terribly.”
“I can imagine. We can help though, if you let us.” Michelle said.
He shook his head, and said, “No! Please leave, now.”
Aleese and Michelle left, and Aleese asked, “Why didn’t you let me use the credentials I got from Gregory?”
“I … I don’t know Aleese. I suddenly saw that he was terribly frightened, and thought that he would be more frightened of the government getting involved than a private agency.”
As they moved away from the door, suddenly it became very dark, and both of them looked up, and saw what at first looked like an eclipse. Within a few moments the sun was covered with darkness, and everything on the street stopped.
At first, the darkness was total, but then a glow appeared in the sky. Michelle watched in wonder as the multi-coloured cloud she had seen over the castle began to form in the sky, and soon filled it from horizon to horizon, casting a odd light.
Aleese grabbed Michelle’s arm and said, “Come on, we need to find a TV, I think things have finally gotten interesting.”
“Interesting isn’t the word I would have used,” said Michelle, and they ran back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel, they found a television, and soon found that the darkness was world wide, and it was the mildest symptom of what was going on. All over the globe, reports were coming in of bizarre events. Most seemed centered on places of worship from ancient times.
For example, at the Parthenon, there were reports of a flying horse with a rider carrying what looked like a head with snakes attached . . ..
In Tibet, a statue of Buddha came to life and its conversation with the monks of a temple was caught on film by a couple of tourists . ..
“We have to go back and talk to that family.” Michelle said.
“I agree.” Aleese said.
“What are their names?” asked Michelle.
“The family name Is Nashwa. The boy is called Aden, and his sister’s name is Arjadah.” stated Aleese.
“Ok.” said Michelle, then taking a look outside, she added “Do you think we can see well enough to make it back?”
“That will not be a problem” said a voice from outside.
Michelle looked, and saw what looked like a whirlwind, with flames inside.
She watched it come down and land just outside the door. A moment later, two people were standing in front of her, Feng Chan, the master of Wind, and Anaya Jefferson, the mistress of Fire.
“I can light our way” stated Anaya confidently, and produced a flame that danced above her right hand.
The four of them made their way back to the Nashwa home. Feng said, “Gregory will meet us there. He was keeping an eye on things at Karnak, but so far, the temples there have not been affected by the incursion. Although its only a matter of time”
But when they got there, there was no sign of Gregory, but his cane was by the doorstep. Alesse picked it up, and said, ‘Oh, no. Gregory . ..”
Elsewhere . . .
Sara Song sat in a dark room, bathed in dark light, singing along with a song on her MP3 player.
“She sits in her corner, singing herself to sleep. Wrapped in all the promises, that no one seems to keep” she sang.
While she sang, shadows moved through the room, quietly serving her and her guest.
“She no longer cries to herself, no tears left to wash away. Just diaries of empty pages. Feeling gone astray. But she will sing . . .” she continued
Her guest sat quietly, watching Sara, and said nothing.
“Till everything burns, while everyone screams. Burning their lies, burning my dreams. All of this hate, and all of this pain, I’ll burn it down. As my anger reigns. Till everything burns.”
Sara stopped the player, and her guest moved out of the shadows toward her.
“Yes dear, soon. Everything will burn” the woman said.
“Yes, Itzel. And I a especially glad we could start with the man who abused my former client.” She indicated a figure that twisted in the corner, and added. “He is now enjoying what he subjected his adopted son to, feeling every bit of the agony his son endured”
Itzel smiled, and said “And he is only the first. Next, we will deal with Gregory Kolvolenkov”
Sara smiled back, and put on the MP3 player again, and began to sing,
“Walking through life unnoticed, knowing that no one cares. Too consumed in their masquerade, no one sees her there. And still she sings . ..”
Itzel joined her, and they sang. “Till everything burns, while everything screams. Burning their lies, burning my dreams. All of this hate, and all of this pain. I’ll burn it all down, as my anger reigns. Till everything burns…”
Gregory awoke in darkness. He could not see anything, but he could hear the singing nearby, and recognised the voices. He soon realized he was bound, and couldn’t move.
At that moment, he hoped the little present he gave to Michelle would be helpful, because he knew that he was in trouble, and it was going to fall on the others to come through . . .
Egypt . . .
Michelle, Aleese, Feng, and Anaya went to the Nashwa house, and Michelle knocked on the door. As before, a young man answered, and seeing Michelle, said to her in English. “Please leave us alone. My father has gone to the mosque to pray for us, or he would be here himself to tell you, that this is a private matter.”
Michelle said, “I know you are scared. But I am sure you have heard what is going on, with the darkness and the weirdness that’s happening worldwide. You and your sister are the only hope the human race has.”
Aden looked doubtful, so she added “I also know your dreams. You have been seeing things as though you were your sister.”
Aden and Aleese said at the same time. “How did you know that?”
Michelle said “I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. The fact is that we are the only ones who can help you both.”
Aden paused, and then said “Come in.”
As she entered the house, Michelle suddenly felt a burning sensation on her back, and cried “Ouch!” and tried to reach to the spot.
“What’s happening?” asked Aleese.
“I feel like something is burning on my back.” said Michelle.
“Let me see.” Aleese said, and looked at Michelle’s back. She saw something glowing, and picked it off her back, and showed it to Michelle.
“It’s a crystal” she said.
“Gregory must have put it there when he kissed me before we left the castle.” said Michelle, taking the crystal.
As soon as Michelle took the crystal, it began to glow stronger, and soon it lit up the whole entry room of the house.
“Take me to your sister, please.” Michelle asked Aden.
Elsewhere . . .
Although he couldn’t see anything, Gregory could hear that the torture of the other man in the house had stopped. A few minutes later, he could hear the click-click of two pairs of high heeled shoes, and knew that his captures were coming.
“Well, Gregory, are you ready to pay for your crimes?” asked Sara.
“Sara, you don’t want to do this. Itzel is poisoning your mind. I have done nothing to you, in fact I risked a great deal to find you, and to tell you my story.” Gregory said.
“But you didn’t tell me the whole story, did you? For example you lied to me about your wife.” Sara said.
“Tell her the truth, sad male, and maybe your death will be swift.” mocked Itzel.
“You cannot lie to me now, Gregory. I can see your dreams.” said Sara, “the creature you blamed was not responsible for the death of your wife. You were.”
Egypt ...
Aden led the way, and they went to the girl’s room, and saw that she was laying on top of her bed fully clothed. She tossed and turned as if trapped in a nightmare.
Michelle held the crystal, and put it on her forehead, and as soon as she did, smoke seemed to pour out of the crystal. Soon, the smoke took the shape of a female, and it said “Who summons Nox, the Queen of the Night?”
Michelle stepped forward, and said, “Vision Spring summons you, your majesty. I believe you owe Gregory Kolvolenkov a favour.”
“And where is Gregory Kolvolenkov?” the creature asked.
“We believe he is a prisoner of our representative of the Night. To free him, and to save the world, we need to wake this girl.”
The creature said, “The two must become one, as they were at the beginning. Then you may take this crystal to any dark spot and I will open a door to the House of Night. More I cannot do.”
Aleese asked, “The two must become one, as they were at the beginning?”
Michelle smiled, and said “Twins”
Elsewhere . . .
“Are you going to tell her, Gregory, or should I?” mocked Itzel.
Sara said, “Remember that moment Gregory, and let that memory be the beginning of your torment.”
Gregory gasped, and suddenly was plunged into a memory. He was headed for his home, his bride, and the first opportunity to let out his feminine side in months. He saw the strange creature in his bedroom, and called on the earth to protect his home and family . . .
“I didn’t know my power” he said, “I killed it, but I also caught my wife in the power. I … I turned the only woman who had ever accepted my feminine side into stone.”
Itzel smiled, and said, “And that wasn’t the end. When the breach started, and you learned there was an intelligence behind it, you thought you could restore her, didn’t you. But then you made the choice to banish it, rather than let it help your wife.”
“I couldn’t ask the whole world pay for my happiness. I had no choice but to let her go.”
Sara said, “But you didn’t let her go. You still have her, in your place back at the castle. Well, now you can experience what her existence has been like!”
Gregory began to scream . . .
Egypt ...
Aleese smiled back and said to Aden, “Take your sister’s hand, and call her. Join with her, and she will wake.”
Aden hesitated, so Anaya said to him “Please. For the sake of your sister, and for the sake of the whole world, trust us.”
He moved forward, took his sister’s hand, and said “What do I do?”
Michelle said, “Close your eyes, and remember your dream. The dream where you are your sister. Then call her name.”
Aden took his sister’s hand and closed his eyes. Everyone in the room held their breath, and after a minute, he said “Arjadah!” It’s me, Aden!”
Michelle gasped as she watched what happened next. The two began to merge, and soon there was only one person was standing in front of them.
“We are one, now. Aden and Arjadah are now one. We are Light.” the figure said, and moved to a window, and turned into a beam of light, and they were gone.
Michelle took the crystal that was now on the empty floor, and said, “Come on. They will do their part, but we have to try and save Gregory.”
Feng said “This way. There is a prayer room over there, and it will be dark enough for the crystal to work.”
They followed him, and when they found the room, Anaya opened the door, and Michelle threw the crystal inside. A moment later, there was a door in the darkness, and it opened for them…
Elsewhere …
Arriving in darkness, Michelle used the crystal to make a light, so they could see. Ahead of them was a dark mansion, and it had a forbidding look.
“Let me do the knocking.” said Anaya, and suddenly there was a fire that blasted through the door.
As soon as they went through the door, they could hear the screaming . ..
They followed the noise, and soon found Sara and Itzel standing over the huddled figure of Gregory Kolvolenkov.
Itzel and Sara turned towards them, and Itzel said, “Well, the gang is all here. You are just in time to witness the end of Gregory Kolvolenkov, and the world will soon follow.”
Aleese stepped forward, and said, “It’s over, Itzel. Aden and Arjadah are now united, and they are the Light. Soon, Sara’s darkness will be gone, and the incursion will be ended.”
“I am not defeated as long as Sara stands with me, fool. Sara, show them who they really are.”
Then each member of the group was plunged into a individual nightmare.
For Michelle, she was back to the day she had attempted suicide because of being a girl trapped inside the body of a boy …
Aleese was back on the streets of Rio, starving and desperate …
Anaya was once again a slave on a plantation in Georgia …
Feng was forced to witness once again the Manchus defeat The last Ming Emperor Chongzhen…
Egypt …
The combined person that had once been Aden and Arjadah Nashwa was lighting the skies, and bit by bit, the darkness was forced to retreat. Soon, it was day, but the strange coloured cloud remained in the sky. …
Elsewhere …
Michelle stumbled forward and fell into Gregory, and passed him the crystal. Gregory took the crystal, forced himself to stand, and called out “Aden and Arjadah! The door is open, come to the house of the Night!”
Almost instantly a bright flash came to the mansion, and the combined figure of the Nashwa twins was in the room pushing back the darkness.
Gregory said to Itzel “Its over. Go back to the dreams of men and women, and be content. Izanami no Mikoto, exalted female, go back to sleep.”
Itzel said, “I can cure your wife, Gregory. She could live again”
“Humans could not survive you. She would live only to die in confusion and agony again. I could not do that to her.” he said.
“I may go, but I will take your new love with me!” shouted Itzel
“No! Take me instead. I have lived past my time. She deserves to have a life.”
While he spoke, Sara blinked and shook as though she was waking up from a deep sleep, and looked at Gregory, and said, “Gregory? Please, don’t. I deserve to be punished for what I have done.”
He smiled at her and said, “No. I am sorry I didn’t tell you everything before.”
The others came forward, and Aleese said “We will all fight to keep you, Gregory. We all owe you for giving us these lives, and we need your leadership.”
He said, “No. That’s the mistake we made last time, and it meant that we would have to fight this battle again.”
Gregory said, “Izanami no Mikoto, take us to the castle”
And without any fanfare, they were on the roof of the castle again. Gregory said, “Give me a moment.”, and left them. Shortly afterward, he returned, with a new cane, and floating behind him was the stone remains of his wife.
“I am ready Izanami. Let there be an end.” He said, and suddenly, he, his wife, and Itzel were gone, and the cloud retreated.
Earth…
Everywhere in the world, people rejoiced. The darkness was gone, the strange cloud was gone, and although most people had no idea what had happened, a good feeling was almost universal.
The Castle of Vision Spring …
Sara sat on the roof, crying. Aleese and Michelle stood behind her, and tried to comfort her. They hugged her, and led her back to the table. When they arrived, they noticed that a glass of wine had been placed at each chair. They took their seats, and Feng said, “Let us pause and toast our fallen comrade. Knight, companion, leader, mentor, friend, and more. We will always miss him, but he will always be with us. To Gregory Kolvolenkov."
They all drained their glasses, and sat for a moment of reflection. Then Feng said, "I feel that we will still be needed. We must find a new Stone Master, and prepare for the future.”
Somewhere in the Ural Mountains …
A small girl sat by herself. She had snuck away from her family, and she found a quiet spot. She concentrated, and a pebble began to dance …
The End. (for now)
“Everything Burns” written and sung by Ben Moody, produced by Jay Baumgardner and Ben Moody)
here is a link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKCccyZvtIo