Chapter 38-Return Home

  I must admit I was excited to be meeting Sionn again, but on the other hand, I was sad to know I would be leaving Zelda.

  ‘You can come back in your dreams, you know.’ Zelda said.

  ‘Oh, really?’ I said.

  ‘Yes, you met Mannus, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’ I now realized I was able to come and go in both the Human and the Non-Human Universes.

  ‘Hold it’ I said, ‘what about Reeas?’

  ‘Yes, also Reeas and Deria.’

  ‘And me!’ Debra exclaimed.

  ‘Ah, yes, and you.’ Zelda said smiling.

  ‘They can’t part the old team eh?’ I said, meaning Reeas and Deria, but Debra said, ‘No, Dan, they can’t.’ I thought I will have to control her more.

  ‘Yes, Dan, you will, but I will still be here.’

  I must admit though the trip home was a cracker! We decided to use the ship to do part of the very long journey just for the excitement of surfing the meridian. Yes, my student friends. It is a phenomenon that happens when two Universe’s meet. You can imagine the awesome gravity. Like an almighty wave of stars.

  And we will be riding that wave for some several trillion miles. We were, as you know, (sorry if I keep saying ‘as you know,’ but, you really do know, don’t you?

  On the human side of the meridian, all we needed to do was wait till the wave was at its highest, then simply, (sorry if I keep saying simply but it is) ride it back towards home. Debra would calculate the exact time. I can tell you my friends; it was a very special experience, why you say, because we rode it as a Santa clause sled. Yes, that’s right. It must have been Christmas somewhere, so we decided to celebrate. We even dressed up for the occasion. Of course, I was Santa Clause. You had to be there to appreciate it but you can easily imagine it. Yes, as students you can actually be there. Yes, I know it is a bit silly, but we felt like being a bit silly for once, and as Zelda said, no-harm-done. God, I will miss her. Yes, I know I can see her in my dreams. I felt a bit melancholy as we flashed through the Universe. It would have taken us a hell of a long time to get home, as you know, so we had to simply, (again) put the ship on auto pilot, and let it return to the nearest base with our physical bodies, as we dreamt our way back to the Earth base.

  Debra was OK about it; she will now be part of the ships fleet when we get back to Earth. We were safe enough in our light suits on the sled so when she turned back into a normal lightship and we slept. I don’t know why I am relating these simple matters to you, as you are Student-Guardians and you know only too well. OK, just one more song as we power down and take in some awesome starry beauty, a Christmas Carol Just for Sionn, Grenwer and company. Now it was time to sleep.

  You students already know you can go anywhere you are allowed to go, and do whatever you are allowed to do. That’s right, my friends, you have to earn your way to heaven, so to speak. The higher you go the more beautiful the experiences. Well, I am going to see just how far I can go. I have a feeling I am needed on a certain plane. I am pulled upwards, how far? I don’t know,

  but I know that I hadn’t intentionally wanted to go in any one direction. I felt as though I was being taken somewhere. My senses were telling me that there was no danger ahead, but I was now in unexplored territory. Imagine this; I see Kallo’s face, his classic villain looks staring at me! Where? You ask. All around the landscape! As I become focused I am now on a mountain top looking out over a vast range of mountains as far as the eye could see and farther. I was looking through my astral-body eyes, or rather, the eyes of whatever body I was in, and whatever plane I was on. All I know is Kallo was here looking at me from all of the mountain tops!

  How could this be? I thought.

  ‘I’ll tell you, ‘Trainee-Dancer!’ He said.

  Not again, I thought.

  ‘Yes, fool.’

  ‘What are we going to do with you?’ I said.

  ‘Nothing, because now, fool, you will be completely unable to do anything. You have been lucky up to now, Trainee. Can’t you see I am vastly more experienced than you? Look where we are!’

  Kallo was now holding out his arms in a gesture of self-assured arrogance. ‘I brought you here to prove I can reach the higher regions. Did you think I was limited to the lower planes?’

  My head was starting to ache, how could this be? I was in the astral, mental, or one of the higher regions and I didn’t know which, with the worst villain in the Universe! I have to get myself together, I thought. Is Kallo trying to control me or my mind, or my spirit? One thing I know is I am in a place that disrupts my whole being, and Kallo knows it! All I wanted to do was have a peaceful time on a higher plane.

  ‘You are going to be here for a very long time,’ said Kallo.

  ‘I’m getting really fed up with this, Kallo.’ I said.

  Suddenly it went very dark, and the landscape changed.

  I was now in a very dark, depressing, and eerie place. OK, I thought could Kallo be trying to bluff me once again! My conscious mind was telling me that I was somewhere in the higher regions, but my inner self was saying no! One thing was for sure, Kallo was having a serious effect on me.

  ‘Don’t worry, Dan, I’m here.’

  God, I was glad to hear Debra’s voice. I was then aware of Mannus!

  The place was filled with the brightest light. Kallo was nowhere to be found. I then realized I was only on the 36th level of the astral plane! How could it be? I thought. Debra said Kallo is very good at influencing people. He has had a lot of practice at it.

  ‘What was he trying to prove?’ I said.

  ‘He was hoping you would believe you were on a higher level then he would try to alter your consciousness.’

  ‘Is that possible?’ I said.

  ‘Yes, don’t forget you are in one of his planes, you were also in a state of disbelief. The mind can believe it is anywhere.’

  But I would have eventually found out.’

  ‘Yes, but that could have taken a very long time. I believe Kallo is trying to get you out of the way for a while. You were on a sort of beautiful dream trip, and unprepared. I suggest you put into cold storage your beautiful dreams for a while.’

  You are right, Debra, ‘I’ve always had a weakness for beautiful places.’

  I know, Dan, as I am part of you, I know what you know.’

  ‘I am eternally grateful to you, Debra; you have certainly proved that you can protect me and anyone else.’

  ‘I only want to protect you, Dan. Would you like to dance?’

  ‘Why not, what type of dance?’ I said.

  ‘I know what you like, Disco.’