“I have seen thy faithfulness in these last days. I know you are my Brother.”
“Master, please forgive me my sins. I need Thee more than ever.”
“As I need thee, Little Brother, you will receive.”
“You have but to ask, ma Lord, Thee are ma Savior!”
“Don’t be silly, you saved yourself. You redeemed yourself the tick that you chose a life of service and love of all.”
“How may I serve Thee now, Lord?”
“I need you to collect a soul for me.”
“How am I to do what you cannot, Lord?”
“I, in my God form, cannot operate on the physical plane. That is why the Master formed me thusly and sent me as a child of man to try to save all. I did what I could and came back here to see how it went. Seeing you here gives me a sense of peace that I have not had since your brother was here.”
“What did Shannon do, Lord, to break thy peace?”
“Well, you saw the mirror back there.”
“Aye, I did.”
“For some souls, more living on the physical plane is requested. As one asks and one receives.”
“I’m thinkin’ one life’s a’ plenty fer me, Lord.”
“Most folks agree, but the key was that I needed to be asked.”
“I’m with you so far.”
“And, once asked, I must give my blessing for another trip through your vale of tears.”
“I see.”
“Well, a certain Shannon MacTarn was in this line a while ago, passed me by like any pilgrim and jumped through the mirror without my permission. To top it off, he re-inhabited his own body rather than a baby’s body as the others do.”
“Goodness! What can I do about that?”
“You must find him and get him to return to me what is mine, his very soul.”
Zeer looked sheepish, “I am sorry to say that I had already planned to kill him if I had to.”
“You don’t understand. In his present state, he cannot be killed. He is already dead. Once I became aware of your murderous thoughts, I had to intervene. The only way to set this situation aright is that he must agree to cross back through the veil himself.”
“Whew! That’s quite a chore, I imagine.”
“I believe that he will agree to pass over if you give him his fondest desire.”
Zeer was stunned, “I must give him the Emerald crown? Even if I knew where it was, I dinna wish to give him that.”
The Son put his hand on the big man’s shoulder. “I know where it is and it is safe, for now. I have placed thee in the center of a situation that will give both you and your brother the opportunity to have your heart’s desire. If you handle this correctly, everything will come to you and your brother can come home to me where he belongs.”
“And me dad?”
“Even your father, Zac, has been involved in the Master’s work, whether he knew it or not. His special mental ability was needed for a proper search, so, we allowed him to linger half in and half out of two planes.”
“Does he know what he is doing there?”
“He has no memory of our discussions. When we are all satisfied, he will finally make that last journey.”
“So mote it be, Lord.”
“I’m counting on you, Zeer.”
“I will not fail.”
The man touched Zeer’s forehead and he was startled awake. He was sitting by Ka-lo-Prim in the great room of their dan. He stirred stiffly. They were alone. He rose with out speaking and shuffled off to his home, groggy from the experience. Saying nothing to anyone, Zeer went straight to his bedroom and slipped into the bed with his warm wife. She stirred and nestled in close, “You came back to me.”
“I will always come back to thee, ma love.”
“You love me then.”
"Always and forever..." in a tick, he was snoring away. She held him and prayed to the Master. "Oh, Lord, help us be who You would need most. Let us be Your tools for this work. Guide us. Protect us. Keep us in your Hand. Thankee... O main..." She went off to check her kittens.
As she arrived in the nursery, Little Zac woke his brother, Shannie, with tiny meows. They mewed for attention. Paris nursed. Even at their age, it felt wonderful. After feeding both children, she tucked the boys in by their father. He never came fully awake. He just tucked one in one elbow and one in the other. The warmth of their big dad put the boys right back to sleep.
The women slipped from the room. Mrs. T hooked her thumb at the closed door as they went into the kitchen, "Now that's what dads were meant to do."
"Do ya have a cuppa, Mrs. T? I’m parched. Those boys do drain me."
The old Parcat woman put her hands on her hips, "Have I ever not had yer cuppa, Missus? You come with me!" She took her elbow and led her into the kitchen.
Paris sat and drank her warm drink, "I am sorry, dear, I am so tired... "
The look on Paris's face stirred the old woman's heart. She put her arms around Paris's shoulder, "Dinna fret, Missus. The Master only chooses the strongest. He does not call thee to larger tasks than thee can accomplish, says the Word."
Paris turned and buried her face in the older woman’s ample busom, "But, he looks so tired, Nana. In the last cycle, he has seemed to age twenty. His hair is nearly white, his beard is barely red at all."
"There, there, dear. We must be strong so our men can be strong. Now, wash thy face and go to bed. He will need thee, so rest and be ready."
They went in and resettled the boys in their cribs. Zeer awoke and made room for her in the big bed. Mrs T. tucked them in and went off to sleep, feeling more needed than ever.