THE SLIDE | Part 4

59: Take Off Your Masques - Zone 9

Fantasy: The Mission — Phase One Completes Itself

Recap

Hannah laid out Zed’s story. He had lived thousands of years in the past. He had rejoiced with others nearby. Zed talked with Elijah, a messenger from the Elohim. Zed or Zoroaster walked into and was trapped in the shimmering slide that surrounded a maligned outcropping of rocks.

Hannah and Ko brought them to six miles on the edge of safe space. Farha and Kuzma walked along the rust-red road to a desert region. With each step, they felt the high vibration slip away to one that was lower than Fort Normandy.

They received fragmented and broken messages from Zed that were randomly indecipherable thoughts. The burden that Farha and Kuzma felt was heavy, both emotionally and physically. They experienced severe headaches and nosebleeds. They hobbled to the outer boundary, where paradise was again felt and visible. The higher vibration returned, albeit slowly. It seemed like days had passed. They healed.

A man in a rainbow aura of dazzling lights appeared and smiled.

~ I am Elijah, messenger of Elohim

“He, your friend Zed or Zoroaster, as he is called here. He had to be Earth’s traitor, and that is him as per agreement,” Elijah said in an angelic yet firm voice. “Elohim gives thanks for Zed’s sacrifice.”

~ These are for you and your others. From the hands of Elijah, three small memory crystals fell into Farha’s hands.

A completion dynamic time dilation compass flew over their heads.

The Looking Glass Pond — Zone 8

The six that remained were gathered around the edge of the looking glass pond, as before. They looked down into the vortex battleground. They saw Zed rise with Ombolo the novopus and sacrifice the tentacle.

Farha, Kuzma, on the branches overhead, Sophia, Ra, Tem and Marie were gathered around the pond, looking within.

Tem cleared his throat and spoke. Threads of light came from each of their hearts into Tem’s body as he uttered the first words:

“We are thankful for Zed, who played one of the darkest of roles, to open the door to the end of our conflict and the ignition of our collective light. We must not forget those we judge as ‘bad, wrong, evil or stupid’ as a part of the community, knowing full well they are not their actions. Zed holds all our shadow elements, and I am grateful to him for his sacrifice. I include him with me now.”

All were silent and grateful as they digested Tem’s words And communicated with one another a thought of Zed with the group.

After a time, Ra asked, “What became of Nikos?”

“Maria and myself are two of one. Maria chose to be with Nikos in the time of the Druids, as way-stations in the storms of life and lives,” Maria said, joy and sadness mixed in her tone.

The pond’s surface grew flat without depth or dimension, with a dull white sheen across its surface.

Kuzma floated down from his perch while Farha stepped into the circle with the others.

“Farha, since you ran point for us during much of the mission, could you please speak of the success and shortcomings?”

~ Me? Farha wondered. And she ventured to speak:

“We gave humanity a reprieve from their imperfections. In short, we saved them from fighting amongst themselves for the greater good. Was this a good outcome? Maybe. Maybe it was in the short term, but…”

“I wonder, was this a simulation — in the 21st century vernacular of Meta Worlds and Virtual Realities?” Marie asked.

“What did it feel like?” Tem asked.

“It was both a good dream and a bad one,” Marie admitted.

“Is that the most important or pertinent question?” Ra asked.

“We face two mission phases. Here we identify ourselves as ‘Kuzma’ — me, ‘Sophia’, ‘Zed’, ‘Farha’, ‘Ra’, ‘Marie’, ‘Tem’, and ‘Nikos and Maria’. This is phase one, attachment to their world. Underneath or surrounding those identities or roles are the other selves that belong to Zones Nine through Twelve and beyond in the alternate reality we all call home in a fashion. It is there we begin,” Kuzma extrapolated.

“I only have an inkling of that larger self of the Zone Nine and beyond,” Ra said.

“I guess the question is: ‘Does the second mission phase exist and perhaps is ongoing, currently out of the realm of our knowing?’ ” Sophia wondered.

“Enough!” it was the disembodied voice of Mustafa.

Doorways to Zone 9

“We six hold the keys,” Tem said with cool authority.

The surface of the pond morphed into seven doors, each with one of these symbols on it. The seventh was for the missing stranger (Zed).

They stood before a door with a symbol on it and were absorbed into the door and through one another.

In the playful tumble of light rays crisscrossing and traveled, depositing them in a long corridor.

They ran full tilt down the corridor to the large ornate wooden doors.

“What is this?” Ra removed one of the three small memory crystals from his pocket. He knew he had picked it from Farha’s pocket. He set it spinning in the air above him.

“Do not worry or fret, Farha, I know what I am doing,” Ra exclaimed.

The doors opened slowly, and Ra stepped out onto the ridge overlooking the rich green valley below.

“Oh my,” he said, surprised. “It’s too much.”

His body began to disintegrate into light and tiny birds. There were twenty-four shiny green, red, and golden colored hummingbirds that formed his arms, legs and body. They flew him into the sky above until they and him vanished.

The others stepped gingerly out onto the ledge, slowly becoming younger versions of themselves, or at least resembled who they used to be. They each glowed with light from their heart.

Over an open-air altar, the image of Zed appeared and faded, becoming a tall and powerful looking man with a gentle smile. His image grew and repeated three times before disappearing.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -The End — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Thank-you for reading.

The Previous Chapter 58:

An Index of Parts 1 and 2:

And Index to Parts 3 & 4:

Thank you all for reading and your comments. Mucho appreciated.

Rebecca Romanelli | Blaine Coleman | DL Nemeril | May More | David Price | Dr Mehmet Yildiz | Joseph Lieungh | Camille Grady | Ravyne Hawke | Orla K. | Spyder | madmess’s thoughts | Margie Willis | Noorain Ali | Dr. Preeti Singh | Rip Parker | Melanie J. | Lee David Tyrrell | Libby Shively McAvoy | Ilis Trudie Palmer | Jean Carfantan | Annelise Lords | Dr. Gabriella Korosi