Chapter Twenty-Four
I woke to the sound of chirping birds, but I did not want to open my eyes. Deep sadness still flushed through my body from the last time I had connected to the rock. I felt safe here, in bed, with Ben, protected in his arms. And I wanted to stay that way.
But, I also knew I had to return to finish the memory. I couldn’t leave at this low point. The memory had dragged me down like I was under water, in urgent need of air. And it lingered longer than it should have. I had to go back and have closure. And I had to go back to fulfill Gran’s final wish.
I sighed inwardly and traced the outline of Ben’s abdominal muscles. I really wanted to stay here with him. Perhaps I could just simply bail out of Gran’s final wish.
‘Hi.’ Ben’s voice sung to my lavender rose heart.
I loved him with the pureness of my being. ‘Hi,’ I said with a quiet voice.
He placed his hand over mine as I continued to run my finger over his stomach, and moved it to his lips, where he kissed each of my knuckles. His eyes locked with mine and his pupils dilated. He placed my hand over his heart, then brushed a lock of hair from my face. ‘You need to leave the bedroom now, before I lose my self-control with you. This is not a request.’
Silence stretched between us. His gaze remained connected to mine. He raised his left eyebrow at me. ‘Take a walk outside while I collect my scattered, errant thoughts, or we will be watching fireworks sooner than you think!’
I breathed out and closed my eyes. I know his comment was meant to cheer me, but I didn’t want to move. The sadness was too great.
‘Hey,’ he whispered. He put a finger under my chin and lifted my head. ‘Open your eyes.’
I opened my eyes and connected them to his, the cerulean colour of a Terrean.
‘You need to get up, get changed, clear your head of your mourning over whatever happened in Gran’s memories, and get on with the day. Move forward with finishing Gran’s wish. You can’t live in the past memories. Especially memories that do not belong to you. Now go, before you see something you shouldn’t!’
I raised my eyebrows at him. ‘I choose to stay,’ I whispered.
He looked away from me and the corner of his mouth turned up. I reached up and ran my fingers along his lips, and his jaw line.
‘You are playing with a ravenous fire, Cate. I have made you a promise that I don’t want to break.’ His voice was rough. He lifted his chin, looked down at me and frowned.
I nodded my head at him, leaned forward and kissed him with a gentleness. I left the bedroom, buzzing with unfinished business with Ben. I couldn’t wait until one day would be every day.
‘Ben … please hold my hand this time while I’m in Gran’s memory,’ I requested, swallowing my emotional pain.
He moved closer to me on the sofa in front of the “rock” and wrapped his hand around mine. He kissed me on the forehead, and then gently on my lips.
I kept my eyes closed for a moment longer than I needed to before I inhaled deeply, and placed my right hand onto the rock.
Katie remained on the floor for many hours unable to move.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
She drifted in and out of consciousness, dreaming of her love for James, only to wake up to the reality that he was gone.
Katie didn’t care what happened to her now. Death seemed a peaceful option.
But then she felt the bag of jewels and other items, and the vials of hair and tears in her pocket.
She couldn’t die. She had to live so she could see him again—if he survived. She had to get better to be prepared, if that made any sense.
‘Amy! Amy!’ Katie yelled. She didn’t know if Amy was there, but at least someone might hear her.
Hours later, Amy returned home from a shopping expedition to the devastating sight of her mama lying on the floor of the drawing room. She needed medical attention.
‘I’ll call the paramedics. They can come and take you to the hospital.’
‘No, Amy. Just help me up and take me to the doctor. My injury can be dealt with there.’
Katie did not want to go back to the hospital where James had been earlier that day—it might alarm the doctors.
Amy did as her mother asked and took her to the doctor. Her arm was x-rayed and plastered right there at the doctor’s surgery. There was no need for the hospital.
‘How on Earth did you break your arm, Ma?’ Amy asked once they had returned home.
Katie searched deep within her to tell Amy a believable story, for the second time in her life. It had to explain the disappearance of her dearly loved father, and also protect Une Autre Terre. This was not going to be a pleasant time, for either of them.
‘I was serving meals to the homeless when I received a phone call. It was the hospital asking me to hurry there because your father was feeling poorly.
‘They wanted to keep him at the hospital, but your daddy didn’t want anything to do with that—you know what he is like—he can’t stay away from his girls! I brought him home to look after him myself.
‘After a couple of hours he said he was feeling really good, so I went to the drawing room to do some work.
He came in full of life and overly excited about something he wanted to show me. He was so full of enthusiasm that I did consider his request—but I had obligations I could not break.
‘He became troubled when I would not go with him. He left the drawing room and the house in haste, slamming the front door behind him. He was so angry. I had never seen him react like that before.
‘I felt bad. So I ran after him, but tripped on the floor rug and fell, and I knew in an instant I had broken my arm. But I don’t know what hurt more. The sadness I saw on your dad’s face when he left, or my arm. I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch up with him. Thank goodness you came home!’
Katie was positive the story she had just made up was convincing.
‘So where is dad now?’ asked Amy.
‘I don’t know. But he’ll be back,’ Katie lied.
Night passed, and then another day. But Amy’s dad did not come home. And Katie knew that he would never be returning to this world.
Katie was afflicted with heartache at the thought that her beautiful Amy would never see her father again. How her heart was in agony for her. And, what made it worse was, Amy didn’t have the chance to say goodbye to her father.
Katie’s hope of seeing James again was only slightly better. She knew James could die. And she knew that he also had a chance of being saved from death. It would seem like eternity waiting for the sign that he was alive and waiting for her to join him. But, there was a chance at least, if only a little, that she would see the love of her life again—she didn’t know when, but she would, she hoped.
After a week had gone by, the police announced on the advice of the doctors who had seen James at the hospital, that the cause of his apparent disappearance was his death. There was no way a person that ill would ever survive even a couple of days, let alone a week. The doctors believed him to be on his death bed that very day they saw him.
And so started Amy’s journey of deep grief, and blaming her mother for not telling her about her dad being so sick that fateful day. And for not being given the chance to tell him how much she loved him, or to tell him what a fantastic father he was to her.
Katie felt so alone. James was not here with her, and her only daughter had become distant. Her heart pained at the thought that she had betrayed her beautiful girl.
But James was her life, her soul mate. She could not live without him. She would remain loyal to him and Une Autre Terre forever, above and beyond anyone or anything else on the Earth...
Slowly, as time heals, Amy started to reach out to her mother. And Katie was there waiting for her. They needed each other. And Amy decided that they should help each other through the dark days until the sun shone for them again.
Two years later Amy met a most wonderful man and fell in love. They were
married within six months of first meeting. Amy said it was like love at first sight—even though she had not believed in it before.
1985 was a year of great celebration. For Amy had given birth to her first child, a beautiful baby girl. She named her Catherine, Cate for short, to honour her mother.
Emily, Katie’s own mother, whom was now very old, suggested that Katie should be called Gran, as it rhymed with Katie Anne. It made Katie laugh, and Gran stuck.
Cate was given two brothers and one sister in the following years.
The children had impeccable manners and were well behaved—most of the time, and had compassion for others.
Katie was besotted with all of her grandchildren. But it was Cate who was always her favorite. But she dared not show her favoritism because that would cause a rift amongst the grandchildren.
Of all of her brothers and sisters, Cate was the one who loved a challenge. If there was ever a problem, Cate would persist until she solved it successfully. There was nothing that Cate could not solve. She was a highly intelligent girl.
Katie wished that her James could be here to see his grandchildren. He would absolutely love and adore his grandsons and grand-daughters.
As the grandchildren grew, Katie started traditions of sorts with them.
She loved when they would come to visit her. She would make sure she always had something baking; like cupcakes, or cookies, and brewing coffee and pots of tea to add to the aromas of the house—just like her own mother did when she was growing up, except for the coffee—when she was young, her mama and papa could never afford to buy coffee.
Of the four grandchildren, it was always Cate who visited regularly, or spoke to, or emailed her Gran often. Never a week would go by without some sort of communication from Cate.
So it was an easy choice for Katie when the time came to choose the person to fulfill her last Earthly wish. And Katie knew instinctively what to do, and how to do it, just as Jenika had said.
She had sorted the plan for her complicated myriad of riddles in her head. She found the bag of jewels and began working to start the return journey back to James.
Tipping the contents out of the bag, Katie saw the most beautiful jewels she had ever come across. Many of them she had seen the colours of, but did not know the names of. There was also a bag of what looked like sugar in there. But it sparkled far too brilliantly to be sugar. Katie inspected the jewels carefully, researching the names of them as she did so. There were five diamonds as well as a ruby, a rose quartz, a lavender jewel called a sugilite, a jewel called a chrysocolla, coloured bluish-green, a malachite which was teal, and an opal. There was also another tiny green and purple stone. And although she researched it, she could not find any record or details or history of it anywhere.
Katie had also bought quirky shaped keys on her many shopping sessions in preparation for her plan. She used the jewels to insert into the keys, but before she did so, she chipped a portion of each jewel off, to have it set into the final item of importance—a ring, the last piece of the puzzle.
Katie decided to use her locket and James’s fob watch. Cate would love these personal items. She also needed a copy of the large key to open the floor door underneath the floor rung under the coffee table, for there was no way to get to the portal without the key, and she must take hers with her when she returned to James.
And the serious side of the myriad of riddles of course, were the two vials.
Katie worked painstakingly in preparing the myriad of riddles, going over it again and again to make sure that only Cate could be the person to activate it.
She had meticulously covered everything she had to. She had even written letters that were necessary links to be placed in strategic places when the time came.
But she had two items from the bag of jewels that she was uncertain what to do with. She wanted a closer look at the small stone that was coloured green and purple. She thought to add a drop of water to it to see the colours better.
She was just about to drop some water onto it, when she thought the better of it. By instinct perhaps, or intuition, she found herself collecting a tear from her eye, and dropped it onto the stone.
Incredulously, the small stone grew into the size of a football. It was an uneven glittery teal colour all over, except for the purple crystals that jutted out of it.
Katie touched it, and could feel it scanning her mind. Katie removed her hand and then replaced it. She discovered that she could see her memories, as if she was watching a movie of herself.
This was perfect.
She would use it to tell Cate the whole story of her life, and how to fulfill her final wish—when she finally figured out everything else in the room.
Katie smiled. Everything was falling into place superbly, and she knew in her heart that she would see her James again.
She was now prepared for the next part of the journey. She was ready to go as soon as the Messenger turned up. The only problem was, she did not know what form the Messenger would be in—human, animal, plant or object?
If only the Messenger would just turn up, then Katie would know for certain that James had survived. But, until then, she would have to wait, and be patient, and pray for that time to come.
I thought of Ben and disconnected from the rock. He remained sitting next to me holding my hand as I had asked him to. I lifted my head and looked at him. ‘I think I am over the worst part of Gran’s memories. And, I know what needs to be done to fulfill Gran’s last wish. There is just one small part of the puzzle missing. Once I know who, or what the Messenger is that comes into her life, I can complete the last wish!’
Ben squeezed my hand gently and released it. He turned his body towards mine and placed his hand on my arm. ‘You were connected to the rock for quite some time, Cate. Let’s go to a quiet café for a change of scenery!’
I shook my head at him. That was the last thing I wanted to do right now. ‘Thanks. But I think I’ll go straight back into Gran’s memories. I am so close to the finishing line.’
‘Your wish is my command!’ he said, giving me his coy smile that I loved so much.
I positioned myself comfortably on the sofa, and placed my hand carefully on the rock. I was more than ready to accept the final puzzle piece in the journey.
Katie found herself to be in a pleasant place emotionally in her life. She was in regular contact with her daughter and grandchildren, and she was thoroughly organised and ready to reunite with James once the Messenger came.
Katie had everything to look forward to, and had plenty of distractions, mainly in the form of her grandchildren to help her absorb the time while she waited.
She watched as, one by one they each finished school and then attended university, and was there to congratulate them on attaining the career of their choice.
She enjoyed the social interactions of her grandchildren with their friends, and after a while, their girlfriends and boyfriends. She found their journeys of young love quite fascinating, and looked forward to each new episode in the days of their lives.
Cate was the only different one. She had plenty of girl friends, but, she seemed too picky with the boys. None of them had ever swept her off her feet, not even in the slightest. She was the type who believed that, “there was one destined to be her soul mate”, and that she would know him the instant they met. She was such a romantic—and so much like her Gran.
One particular evening, Katie was helping Cate and her sister prepare for a Masquerade Ball. She spoke in light heartedness to Cate about finding a boyfriend. ‘Cate, dear … I look forward to the day that you finally find Mr. Right. I know that you are persnickety about the character traits he must have. I hope your standards aren’t so high that no man will ever reach them,’ Katie commented.
‘Gran, believe me. You’ll be the first to know when a guy finally sweeps me off my feet. But so far, not even the most attractive, sweetest of guys I have met, are even worthy of my love and devotion,’ Cate said, holdi
ng her hand over her heart in a melodramatic way.
That night, late after the Ball when the family were doing the post-mortem of the evening about people they met, the food they ate, the music, and most importantly, what great things were achieved for the beneficiaries of the ball, Cate spoke up about someone she had briefly met.
‘Gran, I did meet a guy tonight. He had the most amazing eyes. They were … beautiful. He appealed to me in some way, but just as we started talking I had to leave. He mentioned something about me being Cinderella! I probably won’t ever see him again. But he was—nice, very nice.’
‘Well ... someone caught your eye, Cate! You’ve never spoken of a boy like that before,’ Katie said smiling.
Two days later, Cate rang her Gran to say she was coming over with a surprise.
Katie was beside herself with excitement, but that wasn’t unusual for her, she found the rainbow in every situation. Katie was secretly hoping it would be that boy she had met at the Masquerade Ball. He would have to be particularly outstanding for Cate to like him.
Promptly, at 7pm, Katie heard a knock on her front door. She opened the door and saw Cate standing in front of her, and an attractive man behind her!
Katie smiled, happy for her grand-daughter.
Cate entered the house, holding his hand.
Katie followed them to the sitting room. She noticed that he was certainly tall. Physically, they made a stunning couple.
But, Katie didn’t get a chance to study his face. He had been looking down watching his step as he entered the house. Katie liked to sum up a person’s character by reading the features of their face and eyes—the window to the soul. Then she would watch their behaviour, to see if it matched up to what the face and eyes told.
‘Gran, I’d like you to meet Ben—Ben, this is my wonderful Gran.’
Ben looked at Gran Katie and smiled, ‘Nice to meet you. I’ve only known Cate for a couple of days, and she has already told me so much about you. I can tell how fond she is of you, and I know that you are ranked at the top of the family pyramid, because she brought me to see you first.’
Ben had spoken this to Katie while touching her arm the whole time.
And, as Katie looked into Ben’s eyes, she knew that he was the sign, the Messenger. He had the exact same cerulean coloured eyes as the people of the parallel world.
Katie’s heart accelerated. He was the one. He was the one who would put the final parts of the journey into motion. His very presence was the sign that James had lived and was waiting for her.
Euphoria flowed through Katie. James was alive!
An intense joy lifted her. She felt more alert, more focused, more aware. And she felt above all, that everything was right with the world.
But it wasn’t.
She couldn’t return the vial’s of hair and tears to the parallel world. Katie’s boyfriend was the one who could only return them.
Unbeknown to Ben, he was one of them—a Terrean.
Two tears rolled down Katie’s face; a tear of joy that James was alive, and a tear of sorrow for Cate. She had finally found someone who had swept her off her feet, someone who she could love truly and deeply … only, he would be taken away from her when he had to return to his world, and his people.
‘Oh, Cate, what have we done?’ Katie asked herself quietly with great concern.
Katie pushed all of her emotions to the side, picked herself up and made Ben feel welcome in her home as she should. She knew that Cate had chosen a man who would go far beyond her exceptionally high standards. Only, this man was too good, and he was not of this world.