 
### THE STOLEN STAR

### By

### Neonila and Halyna Franko

### Copyright 2013 by Neonila and Halyna Franko

### Smashwords Edition

### Translated by Simon Geoghegan

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner

### Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

### *****

Table of Contents

Part 1

The Dark Powers and Their Plan

The Family

Ben

Michael

Part 2

Michael and Ben's Adventures

Journey into the Past

The Princess's Ring

Michael and Ben's Souls are Strengthened

The City of the Robots

The City of the Angels

Part 3

The Sisters

The Visit to the Secret Island

The Sisters Adventures on Board the Ship

The Island of the Blessed

The Dark Powers are Unmasked

Part 1

The Dark Powers and Their Plan

Demons were scurrying to and fro like an agitated flock of black crows croaking:

"She is returning to Earth! She is going to have to return to the Earth!"

But then everything went calm. Mountains were stretched out as far as the eye could see. A high tech lift had been sunk into one of the highest peaks. Judging by their appearance some very important personages were descending in it right down into the bowels of the earth. One of them kept repeating the demons' refrain:

"This time she won't succeed in getting away from us. We have devised a plan to keep her soul under our control."

"Do you have the plan with you?" asked the other passenger.

"Oh yes..." the former replied eagerly.

"Okay, we'll see in the council chamber, but the most important thing is conspiracy, confidentiality and caution."

The lift came to a stop deep under the ground. They passed along a wide brightly lit corridor furnished on both sides with beautiful and exotic plants. Two guards stood sentinel at the council chamber entrance. They were pressing various buttons and all was quiet. Suddenly, the walls reacted to the visitors' life force and a security all clear rang out. The important looking personages went into the council chamber. The chamber was furnished with the most amazing antique furniture. Next to the walls sat elegant and comfortable reclining ottomans and the centre of the room was dominated by a large table. Soft chairs with ornately worked back rests had been placed around it with a magnificent throne at its head. The chairs placed closest to the throne were intricately decorated with complex coats of arms in the finest precious stones; those nearer the exit were more modest in style.

The personages sat themselves down next to the throne, which for the time being was unoccupied.

"Give me your plan," ordered the first more senior demon. "Here it is, if you please, each page has been mounted in a special frame and you can see it all here."

The document's author obsequiously laid the file in front of his senior.

The big wig nonchalantly thumbed through the opening pages, stopped abruptly and in an irritated voice asked:

"I don't understand! Where is the Princess? What sort of team have you got together here? What do we need this for?" The junior demon literally crumpled:

"We..." He stuttered. "...We have put the whole family under surveillance because many of her close relations have rushed to voluntarily join her on the earth:"Volunteers?!" the big wig asked in surprise. "I have never heard of such a thing. This is something new. So they are going back to Earth of their own free will and not under orders... Well, we're going to have to deal with this you know."

"We will most certainly sort this out; we will sniff everything out and report it back to you. But judging by what we already have, we have covered absolutely everything. The whole family is being researched... They have any number of obstacles facing them. However, there is one little snag that might put a spanner in the works. As you know, the Higher being has given a special and wonderful gift to each family. Well, the thing is... they have..." the junior demon began to hesitate and lose his thread of thought under the icy stare of his boss.

"And what is this thing?" The boss asked angrily.

"Yes, yes, I'll explain. As you know their family line has a star that shines on them and through them. Well, that wouldn't be a problem if that is all it did. Unfortunately, the thing is... this star has magical qualities. It protects the whole family and supports them, even those who aren't exactly perfect and have the potential of letting their guard down and going slightly astray. And this is where the problem lies."

"Well, just take the star out then! Do I have to explain everything to you!" barked the boss.

"Yes, yes, a most perspicacious comment sir. All eventualities in this case have been foreseen and accounted for. And we have come up with a contingent plan. We need to get this star, their star, to work for us. But as you see that is all covered on pages three and four of the report." The boss seemed satisfied.

"Excellent! Well done! Splendid!"

This was high praise indeed.

The lick spittle was so relieved that he had found favour that he prostrated himself on the floor and began to polish the boss's shoes. At that moment there was a ring and the boss rushed to answer the highest of the highest, his most majestic of majesties.

"Yes your magnificence, very good your magnificence, everything will be done as you require your magnificence. No, no need to worry, we will deal with it. I wouldn't dare venture to waste any more of your time..."

He put the receiver down and in a totally different tone said:

"Let us continue. So, what's the latest in the world of cosmic research?" said the boss turning to his next underling.

"When will we find a way into the fifth dimensional universe? I understand the UFO is in full order."

"Yes, but we have already tested everything and it's simply not realistic and then of course, everyone who tries to break into this dimension will have to be reborn," the underling began to explain.

"What do you mean – born again? What sort of nonsense is this?!" shouted the boss angrily smashing his fist on the table.

"Well, this is where you were once in one state and then found yourself... in another," the boffin babbled.

"You see, when we die, we have paid everything off. That is, we become different on our journey."

"Aha, so that's how it is. Just remember that you and all those like you were people once upon a time and became demons during the "journey" from one plane to another. However, I have always been a demon and have never been reborn. Does that mean that I have a chance of becoming someone different? Can I be born again in order to break into this other dimension? Do you understand?"

The boss burst into a loud peal of laughter.

"Give it the tweaking it needs."

The underling shrank back completely, sneaked up to the boss and quietly whispered:

"We have some super-secret material. We came into contact with their UFO. As you ordered us, we are sending them signals that we are from the earth and that we seek contact."

"And what are they?" even the boss was surprised.

"For the time being they haven't come up close but have always flown past us, making some sort of loop and then disappearing. And we suspect, and indeed our instruments confirm that they are not far and have made themselves invisible!"

"Splendid, carry on as you are, but make sure that you behave like typical earthlings. Like kind, smiling and important scientists and..., of course madly interested in the universe and space. Also continue to keep communicating through every possible channel. Well done!" the boss rubbed his hands with anticipation at this possible contact.

For the rest of the meeting, the boss was on great form. He laughed and told jokes and, most importantly, didn't shout at anyone. Indeed he was most amiable with everyone. As far as all the other questions were concerned such as organising terrorist cells and various religious sects, the most important task was to get things rolling, to undermine people's faith and use every possible sort of bribery.

"We still have a lot of gaps in the arts, I so want them to paint pictures and make films about our people... and their music – it's all about their love. We need to show that everything can be overcome by money and in the process turn their values upside down. But there is to be no love under any circumstances!"

The meeting was drawing to a close when the ceiling suddenly opened and a flock of enormous black birds flew in. They screamed above the heads of those sitting at the table and there could only one possible explanation for their appearance:

"A leak, there's been a leak!!!"

Immediately, the portrait of his magnificence that was hanging right above the throne began to stir. It depicted him in all his finery. An immaculate black suit and trousers tucked into elegant boots. In his hands he held a small whip decorated at its base with a huge black diamond. His face was framed by his straight glossy black hair and his beard and moustache formed a pointed triangle. His face was long with a huge nose and the blackest hawk-like eyes, which had strange green twinkle to them. His thin lips were set into a permanent hint of a sneer.

Suddenly the portrait tore itself from the wall and began to beat its underlings around the head. It took on a life of its own and magnificence's whip flashed in all directions flogging his servants all over. They dived for the floor and lay kow-towing servilely. Thunder and lightning poured forth from magnificence, his eyes flickered with a serpentine fire and he was so full of rage that his thin lips were stretched into a huge grimace from ear to ear. The beating continued for nearly an hour and when the portrait finally stopped and stood itself in the middle of the table, the first deputy carefully lifted his head and said:

"Your magnificence, there must be some mistake. There can't have been any leak."

"Silence!" screamed the portrait, "security has detected a beam, which darted out of the council chamber, passed straight through the thick side of the mountain and in an instant had shot up into the heavens."

Once again the whip flashed in the hands of the boss of bosses.

"Have mercy on us, your magnificence but there was absolutely no living thing in the council chamber."

"What about the rose in your lapel Deputy!" Magnificence thundered.

"A rose, what rose? Ah, yes but that was made for communications," said the first deputy trying to explain himself.

"Well, where is it now?!"

And indeed the rose was no longer there in its place hung a small old fashioned school bell.

"I... I bought it for my grandson as a present, he's just about to start at school and I attached it here so I wouldn't forget it."

In truth the deputy had no idea whether it was his little bell or not but he had no choice in the matter. He was one of those people who had at one stage had been seduced and sold his soul for allure of money. But today when the portrait had been hitting him around the head a single humane thought flashed into his brain:

"Why was there only ever the boss's portrait in this place and never the boss himself? Did he actually exist at all? Then why did he have to hide behind such a complicated and ornate disguise?"

Today, the boss reminded him of one of the cartoons from his childhood, which was only really frightening the first time he saw it and then stopped being frightening at all when he understood it.

Well, there was no way that the boss was going to turn himself into something real from this portrait.

The poor chap even smiled to himself at this thought but immediately covered his mouth with his hand.

"Oh Lord, I only hope no-one noticed."

The vice deputy's soul was filled with a pleasant warmth. His demonic persona had been suffocating him for a long time. And now he had remembered God, even here in the citadel of evil, this meant that it was time for him to leave these dark and black people.

Before long the deputy had thought up a decent excuse to leave the demons, he got himself a posting in a religious sect. Of course all the others held on to their posts tooth and nail and the deputy's place was filled as quickly as he was forgotten. And that was the second important leak of information that day.

The first part of the plan was to split the family up. As one they wielded a huge and powerful life force and it would be difficult to overcome them. The plan had to be cunning because in order to split people apart you have to do it on a spiritual level as well. After that it's just a question of "divide and rule".

The Family

The family had a life of its own. The parents worked, the children studied at school, grandmother did the housework and the Star of faith shined brightly above them. The family was like any other, but the light of love shone particularly brightly on this family.

During this period grandmother prayed for everyone, she was old and very wise. She was a boundless source of good advice and had a saying for every event that life could throw at you. Grandmother passed her faith on to her family as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. Thanks to her, the family observed all the Christian holidays and traditions. Even though this was at a time when going church could mean risking many of life's comforts. But God kept and preserved them all.

The children grew up to be kind, clever and generous. The family was untouched by evil. Of course, each member had their own bad experiences, but these were barred at the door of the family home. Then everyone would discuss what had happened together, give their opinion and... everything would carry on as before.

The parents invested their lives and souls into their children. They watched them with great pride. The children were successful in everything they did: in science, in music and in sport.

The happy times continued as the children grew up and began to study in college. The student lectures, exams and, of course, parties passed in the blinking of an eye. The house was always filled to bursting with friends and mirth.

Eventually the girls made their choices and found husbands. Two new people came into the family. The parents welcomed them with joy. They lived on friendly terms and the daughters' husbands had more or less the same values as the family. But their parents were not altogether happy with everything. They began to "preach sermons" to their sons and pass judgement on everyone else. The children began to harbour secrets from their parents, the previous openness and sincerity in their relationship began to disappear. The family began to experience more difficult times. The family's life force had dissipated and dissolved and its vital aura became a pale imitation of itself. During this period the daughters took a very intelligent and adult position in relation to their husbands. The daughters' parents did not meddle in their married daughters affairs so as not to interfere in the young people's independence. But this generosity and nobility only served to deepen the pressure on the family. But what was to be done? Who would come to their aid and where would it come from? Basically, two worlds were rubbing up against each other within one family. Distrust had found its way into the family.

The mother read the Bible from cover to cover. What a wonderful world God had opened up for his people in this book! So much advice, goodness, love and charity! At every opportunity she tried to pass on all these gifts to her children. Her daughters understood, but the others, the husbands, either didn't understand or disagreed with everything. Faith, it seemed to them, was a sign of weakness.

One of the husband's parents placed a complete veto on their daughter in law's spiritual beliefs. And this veto was backed up by a series of threats that the daughter would be cut off from their family.

It was difficult. The father died before his time. The mother remained alone and helped her children silently, patiently and with love.

The old prophet had given her a piece of advice she had never forgotten – "never be slow to turn to the Lord". Of course faith never left their home but at that time it took a particular effort to keep all these negative things at bay. And she could only count on herself and her children. After all you can't tell the local priest everything. If she were to describe every detail it would end up sounding like some sort of thriller.

Everyone worked as hard as they could both physically and spiritually. Natalie was more successful in her work. She mastered the science of psychology, studied human capacities that had been previously remained unknown, spent time in many ancient monasteries and churches and worked her way through so many tomes of literature covering the various branches of alternative medicine that in time she was able to open her own practise.

Sophia supported her husband after he had been in an accident with every ounce of the strength of her spirit. She also nursed her son who suffered from stress related illnesses all through his childhood as a result of a mistake made by the doctors during his infancy. She kept her family's moral spirit up during all these difficult times. She also studied and mastered the different languages, cultures, customs and traditions of the various countries that she had been living in with her family.

The mother also did much to help. She was totally responsible for one of her grandsons and supported his spiritual and physical development. She developed in many ways herself. But she believed these merits to be a blessing from God rather than her own achievement.

And the family had great hope for the future. As St. Paul said in his epistle to the Romans:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit?"

And the daughters gave birth to children: Sophia had Michael and two years later Natalie had Ben. And it came to pass that the two cousins ended up living in different countries. But each summer they would meet up either in Kyiv or Sofia and often went on holiday together by the seaside. Their mothers continued to be very close.

That summer the cousins had the most interesting and illuminating adventure, but first, let me tell you about the two cousins in a bit more detail.

Ben

Ben lived in Kyiv and that year the plan was to go with his grandmother to spend the second half of the summer in Sofia. His mother saw them to the station. The train arrived at the platform a whole hour later than scheduled and when it was announced that the passengers could board, a scrum began to break out. But to their good fortune their carriage stopped right in front of them and all three, not to mention their three colossal bags, were able to get on to the carriage with the minimum of fuss. They had barely packed their things away in the four bed compartment when an old man with a military bearing and an even older woman joined them. They had tickets for the upper two bunks but they were very keen to have the lower ones. The old lady began to complain loudly about her old age and aches and pains. Ben and his grandmother exchanged glances and Ben offered his place to the old woman, who immediately quietened down.

Ben left the compartment and stood by the carriage window in the corridor. The whole of Kyiv lay before him. He loved his native city. It was the city where he had been born and where he had spent the whole of his childhood. Kyiv was sprawled on both sides of the River Dnepr and the whole place was awash with lush vegetation. Modern buildings stood next to ancient monuments. Kyiv was the home of the world famous Pechersk Lavra cave Monastery, St. Volodymyr's Cathedral and the landscaped park of St. Sophia Cathedral. Ben often went to the caves at Pechersk Lavra with his mother. This was where many of the most holy monks or "Startsi", as they are called in Kyiv, are buried. Huge crowds of people would pass through the underground tunnels in the hope that these holy men would somehow help them. But for some reason Ben always felt sorry for the "Startsi". He understood that even after death these holy men gave these huge crowds their divine energy, helping and providing solace to each and every pilgrim.

"But who is helping them?" thought Ben, "they seem so helpless lying there."

And as he went past each tomb he would either try to pat it or say some kind word to its occupant such as:

"Rest in peace."

And he felt that this somehow made the "Startsi" happy.

But the whole of Kyiv is dressed in ancient finery. The noble city's grey architectural tresses stretch from the Pechersk Lavra and St.Sophia Cathedral Park to the monuments erected to Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Saint Olga and Saint Volodymyr who converted the whole of ancient Rus to Christianity. Further on, down Andrew's Descent and into the historic Podil region these tresses flow right into the river Dnieper. Of course the Dnieper is extremely old for it was God himself who created this broad and majestic river. As Gogol wrote:

"How wondrous is the Dnieper, when the weather is calm and its waves roll fluently on..."

In olden times the Cossacks used to navigate its stormy and powerful waves. But what had become of the mighty Dnieper now? It was as if some evil sorcerer had taken a huge sword to the river's banks and created a wide sea in those places where she had been wounded. The Dnieper had become quite docile. This great Ukrainian river's strength had dissipated long ago along with the country's former pride and glory.

"How can people destroy such a wonderful piece of God's work?" asked Ben.

"We can only hope that future generations, and perhaps you amongst them, will return the Dnepr to its former strength and glory," Ben's grandmother answered hopefully.

Beyond the window one landscape followed another. Kyiv's outskirts, forests, fields, villages, stations and towns all streaked past like the thoughts through Ben's mind.

He had travelled a lot and was already used to the fact that something nearly always happened during a journey. He recalled one incident particularly clearly - despite it having taken place four or five years previously. And now these memories came flooding back - maybe because he was now feeling that all was not totally well with the world, like some ill foreboding.

Ben remembered how once the train was rushing at huge speed as if running away from some sort of disaster. Towns, villages and autumnal landscapes flashed past the window. In their compartment the passengers were having a typical traveller's conversation about life.

Ben was sitting in silence and thinking his own thoughts: about his upcoming meetings with friends, about football and whether his favourite team would win the championship. Suddenly a strange man appeared at the door. He was walking past but for some reason stopped at their door. Their eyes met. Ben thought to himself:

"What an unpleasant man, his eyes are like two black holes."

There really was something very unpleasant about his appearance.

"Maybe he's a terrorist?" thought Ben.

It was as if the man was able to read Ben's thoughts because an evil sneer passed over his face.

"How unhappy he must be," thought Ben.

And Ben's guardian Angel, immediately reacted to Ben's thoughts. The man was empty and utterly without a soul, therefore it was very easy for the Angel to enter into him. Straight away the strange man began to think back to his childhood, turned round and quickly stepped out of the compartment. He went to the vestibule between the train's carriages and opened the door to get some fresh air. Suddenly an immensely strong wind lifted him up from the floor, spinning him upwards and out of the train. The angel left the empty human shell as quickly as he had entered it and the strange man fell like a stone to the ground. When he landed there was a large explosion. The train passed by so quickly that none of the passengers even realised what had happened and thought nothing of it. Of course, Ben was none the wiser either, but he clearly felt that something had happened, but what exactly was it? The conversations in the compartment carried on until late in the evening. And it was only then when Ben finally went to sleep that he saw his guardian Angel in a dream. And he explained to Ben what had happened. In the morning Ben told his dream about the terrorist wanting to blow up the train and that the forces of good had hurled him out of the carriage to a safe distance from the train. Nobody believed the boy although everyone remembered hearing an explosion. But his grandmother gave the following explanation:

"At the very moment when you felt sorry for him the Angel instantly entered into the murderer. And then the terrorist had his first humane thought since entering the train – he thought about his childhood. The terrorist realised with terror that he too would die in the explosion. He became terrified by this thought and opened the door to get a breath of fresh air. But the Angel and the forces for good threw the murderer out of the train."

"But why did the Angel not enter into the terrorist earlier? Why did he only enter him after I had felt sorry for him and the fact that he was about to die?"

"Because the goodness in your soul was transferred into him."

"Isn't he my enemy?"

"Yes, but it is a Christian teaching to feel sorry even for a murderer and then it is God who will deal with your enemy as he sees fit."

"What about those who send these murderers out into the world?"

"They are the emissaries of evil and they are all mired in evil. And as the ancient prophet said: "Whoever throws a stone upwards, throws it at his own head."

"But they need to be stopped!"

"We will stop them. We will most definitely stop them. And God will help us and justice will reign again. The chaos of evil will never overcome a civilisation that is blessed with love."

"Never let evil overcome you but conquer evil with good," concluded Grandmother with wise words from the Bible.

Ben remembered this story because there was something about their fellow travellers in the compartment that he didn't quite like. He climbed up on to the top bunk and was once again immersed in his own thoughts. Everything seemed well. He had finished the school year okay.

"Okay?" he asked himself.

Well, yes there hadn't been any big bust ups with his teachers.

During his lessons all sorts of things had happened, there were times when it seemed that he would snap. But then unexpectedly help would seem to come to him as if out of nowhere from above. Ben remembered just such an incident on his way to school.

On that morning Ben had been in poor spirits. He was travelling to school like a soldier to battle. But this was not the sort of battle where one is fighting for one's land and family. Ben was defending his dignity. It was very difficult for him. Of course the main thing was to attain knowledge as his family was always telling him. But it was the way that his knowledge and work was being marked that really annoyed Ben. If you do all your homework for each lesson and then somehow or somewhere made one slip then that was it – the end – a fail would be guaranteed. It was upsetting because often all the work you had done would be forgotten and count for nothing.

Ben was thus debating this with himself, and evidently had said something out loud. Because sitting next to him was a young pleasant looking woman who looked at Ben closely and said:

"You're right the marks aren't really what is important. You must study for the love of it and to satisfy your curiosity. It's not important what marks the teacher gives you or what marks you were hoping for. The main thing is the mark that you give yourself."

"Are you reading my mind? I thought I hadn't said anything," answered Ben.

"I can read minds a little, although I could read your face like a book. I will give you a piece of advice: imagine what you would like to happen at school with each teacher and in each lesson. If something doesn't turn out as you wanted, you mustn't lose yourself control, otherwise you will have started everything over from scratch."

Ben was about to ask the woman a question when she quickly got up to get off the bus saying as a parting shot: "Remember to use your imagination today, right now."

It was with difficulty that Ben got off at the stop right in front of his school. All the school's windows were lit up and in the cold winter dawn it somehow looked cosy and inviting. Ben joined the torrent of other students making their way up the school steps.

On the second floor not far from the sports hall stood his sports teacher. He was holding a football exactly like the ones used in the Champion's League. Ben couldn't hold himself back and ran straight up to him.

"Are we going to play football in our lesson today?"

"If you manage to get two teams of five people, we'll play."

Ben joyfully shouted:

"We'll organise it, we'll definitely organise it!"

Good Lord, do dreams and wishes really come true?

Running headlong into his class, Ben immediately got the lads together.

"There is a chance that we might be allowed to play football if we can get two teams together. But where are we going to get enough boys to play, looks like we're going to have to get some girls on board as well. I do have one idea; our team will be called "Ben's friends". What do you think?"

Ben's friends clapped their hands in glee:

"Brilliant!"

The sports lesson went swimmingly. Ben's team thrashed its rivals 6:1 and Ben was over the moon with the result. He loved football but due to his heavy schedule at school he had had to give up football club.

The rest of his lessons likewise went by without a hitch. Ben succeeded in not withdrawing into his shell if something displeased him and even when he was asked after a chemistry test:

"Did someone help you with these questions?"

And the questions had been pretty tricky, the whole class had taken over an hour to solve them, Ben simply smiled and replied:

"A little bit."

The teacher was satisfied with this honest answer.

Then, during his Ukrainian language lesson he was set the task of describing the Icon of the Virgin. The question was a hard one. No-one had ever seen this icon, which was kept in the museum. Ben sat in front of his blank sheet of paper for a full ten minutes unable to make a start. And then suddenly his mobile phone rang. Ben could feel it in his pocket because he had put it on vibrate. It was his mother calling because he could see her eyes in her picture icon. Ben was unable to answer but suddenly the eyes on the telephone took on a life of their own and the image of a beautiful woman appeared on the screen with a soft gaze that illuminated everything with love, goodness and charity. Ben understood that this was the image of Mary from the Icon and immediately the words flowed and it was as if the essay wrote itself.

"One miracle seems to be following another today and it's clearly all down to that mysterious woman on the bus. Like some sort of fairy godmother!"

Excited and pleased but a little tired after his remarkable day Ben set off home. He got on the bus and was grateful to find a free seat and sit down. After a couple of stops a lot of people got on. Ben spotted one of his teachers with whom he'd had a few problems in the past. Once she even managed to give him bad marks for a piece of homework that he had done very well. She had a heavy bag in each hand and another even bigger one over her shoulder. Right now, she didn't look remotely intimidating – just plain tired. Ben offered her his place. She sat down and perched her things on her knees carefully protecting them with her arms. Suddenly out of nowhere Ben heard someone say:

"Good lad!"

The voice seemed familiar... Ben looked around and didn't see anyone. Perhaps he had just imagined it.

And suddenly out of the window he saw the woman who had been on the bus with him that morning. She was looking at him and gave him a wave.

"She's like the all Seeing Eye and she wasn't even on the bus. I must tell the lads about this. And that's not the only thing," thought Ben.

Ben was already getting quite close to his stop when he saw his friends from school waiting for him.

"We were waiting for you Ben."

"I've been thinking. Let's go to the computer centre and talk about everything."

Ben said with a conspiratorial wink to his friends.

"I've had the most incredible adventures today and it all started with my bus journey this morning."

And Ben and the boys set off in good heart to meet their next adventure. What a day that was!

In the words of that most wise and holy man Sirakhov: "My son, devote yourself to your studies in your youth and you will find wisdom when you reach your grey haired old age."

And that is what Ben's grandmother had taught him.

Back in the train Ben made himself more comfortable and tried to fall asleep. But he just couldn't drop off no matter how he tossed and turned on his bunk. Sleep wouldn't come easily. Something was evidently bothering him. He stuck his head over his bunk, looked down and was amazed by the sight that met him. On the bunk beneath him where the old woman had been lying sat an enormous old crow. One of its wings had been injured and was hanging uselessly by its bony yellow leg. There was something clearly quite evil about the crow and it gave out weird cries. The crow's body was turned towards Ben's grandmother and appeared to be trying to peck her with its huge yellow beak. Grandmother wasn't sleeping; she was following the crow's every move and her expression and body language was making it quite clear that she would beat off any attack. Startled, Ben shouted to his grandmother:

"Watch out!"

The crow spun round to face Ben and cawed at him malevolently. He glanced down a minute later and the old woman was sat on the bunk again.

"Where's the crow?" Ben asked.

"You'd better sleep," the old woman hissed, "and don't go looking where you shouldn't or you'll be getting frightened and imagining things."

All night the old woman continued to transform herself into the nasty horrible crow, constantly trying to peck at grandmother and whenever Ben stuck his head out she would hiss at him. Just before morning Ben lost the struggle to stay awake and finally dropped off to sleep. When he woke up he noticed that the train had stopped and that their fellow travellers were no longer with them. This was the last station before the border. The platform was empty and Ben saw the old man and woman making their way towards the station. The old woman was walking fairly briskly considering her health.

"Thank God they've gone," said Ben with some relief.

Grandmother opened her eyes. It was obvious that she had only just managed to fall asleep before the train had stopped.

"Did she manage to peck you?" Ben asked.

"Who?"

"The crow."

"So you saw everything?"

"So it did really happen? How could it have?"

"It's possible that that old woman was paying me a 'compliment'. She's a very powerful, high ranking witch."

"But we helped them."

"Well, what can you do? When it all comes down to it even a witch is a human being. And she didn't manage to do anything because the Guardian Angel was close at hand looking after us."

Soon the train arrived at the frontier with all its border guards and other officials. It was only after that, while the train passed through Romania that Ben and grandmother were able to sleep off their anxious night. Ben clearly felt out of sorts. Something was bothering him. He thought of home and a flood of unhappy recollections was released. Things were not going smoothly at home. Although nobody was arguing out loud, it was clear things were not easy between the grown-ups. It was as if some sort of invisible battle was going on. And Ben so wanted that they would all be friends again. He had found it very difficult to take up any definite position. Ben simply didn't have the strength. And, of course, it was much easier to leave things as they were. Nevertheless, he loved everyone in their own way and justified each of them as far as he could. After all it was up to the grown-ups to make the decisions! They're all behaving like ostriches, hiding their heads in the sand and waiting to see what will happen. But what was to be done?

"Lord, if only someone would come to help us," thought Ben wearily.

Just before arriving in Sofia Ben fell asleep and had a remarkable dream. Ben was no longer a boy but a small helpless little chick, sitting in his nest and curiously looking out at a puddle lying at the foot of his tree. Rays of sun were playing on the grass and butterflies, bumble bees and dragonflies were all flying overhead. Bugs and beetles pottered around the undergrowth, while a bright green lizard flashed past followed by a slow but purposeful snake. The sparkling puddle seemed to be calling out to the chick:

"Come and join us! Look how fun it is here and look at all this lovely food. Feast your eyes on all those tasty bugs and juicy worms."

"But Mummy says I mustn't," the chick replied sensibly.

"Don't be afraid, just jump and we'll have great fun!"

"Yes, but I......," the chick tumbled out of the nest before he'd even managed to finish his sentence.

The chick fell on to the grass was immediately startled by all the green undergrowth. Where had that inviting sunshine gone? Why was everything so damp and uncomfortable? Huge great beetles and dragonflies were flying at him and butterflies fluttered around his head. The worms were all hiding and the bugs had all crawled out of reach. Somehow it didn't seem quite so jolly to the chick now. And then the snake appeared, reared up and lisped.

"And I was just feeling peckishhhh!"

The chick let out a cry as the snake lunged towards him and suddenly heard his mother's voice:

"Leap up on to the lowest branch! Get ready and jump!

And he jumped! Once sat on the branch the chick looked around him. He was safe! But where was mum? She was nowhere to be seen. But then he felt the slightest puff of wind and the beating of wings nearby.

An Angel! It was his Angel! He had come to his aid in the nick of time.

The chick understood that he needed to jump further up the tree onto the higher branches. But he didn't have the strength. But then mum arrived and she had brought a whole flock of swallows with her. They had all come lend their support. Jumping from one branch to the other the chick eventually reached the nest and everything turned out well.

"Glory is to the Angel!" they all cried.

Before Ben even had had time to think about his dream let alone open his eyes, he sensed somebody standing in front of him. Ben opened his eyes and saw a beautiful slender youth with blue eyes and long fair hair, who was tenderly looking at him. Ben immediately understood that this was an Angel. The Angel smiled and said:

"You asked for help?"

Ben was so surprised that he was literally struck dumb.

"Soon you will be on a most interesting adventure with your cousin Michael. There is much that you will learn and see. But for now I must go. We will meet again soon."

The Angel gave Ben a friendly wave and disappeared.

"My God, am I sleeping or is this for real? I must ask grandmother, maybe this is all just a daydream?"

But Ben didn't have time to ask anyone anything, because the train was coming into Sofia.

Sophia was already waiting for them on the platform, as always, in high spirits and with a ready smile. Ben immediately wanted to know when Michael would be coming and was pleased when he was told that it would only be a couple of days. He couldn't wait to share all his news with his cousin. But most importantly he wanted to tell him about the Angel and the adventures awaiting them.

The sun had just risen and the city seemed to play in its rays. The taxi passed through the centre of the city. The car streaked past a Russian church and the final resting place of its founder Serafim Sobolev, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which had been erected in honour of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turks and the St. Kliment Ohridski University. And here was the Borisova Gradina Park where Ben and Michael would often go to play.

The car careered down Tsarigradsko Shose. The sun had now risen above the mountains, which circled Sofia. The light and sunny city surrounded by magnificent mountains made for an extremely romantic landscape. Towering above the other peaks loomed the peerless Mount Vitosha. When they were younger Ben and Michael had often made drawings of this stunning mountain. And there was the school where Michael had studied and the playground where he and his friends had played football. Ben felt completely at home in Sofia and had even learned Bulgarian.

The long awaited day of his cousin's arrival finally came and Ben went with Sophia to meet Michael at the airport. The London flight was due in the middle of the night but Ben's enthusiasm knew no bounds. Michael had barely walked into the arrivals hall before Ben was upon him like an arrow to its mark.

"I've got some really important news for you," Ben gushed.

"So have I," Michael replied.

"But the most important thing is that you and I are going to have the most amazing adventures this summer!"

The cousins blurted out in unison.

So what had happened to Michael? Well, first let me tell you a little bit more about Michael...

Michael

Michael and Ben used to meet up nearly every winter and summer holidays. Michael loved his cousin; they had been to stay with each other ever since their early childhood. Michael was two years older than Ben and had always protected his younger cousin. He made all his decisions for him and even took command in the most unlikely situations, explaining all this with a single phrase:

"He's still so small."

For as long as Michael could remember there had always been misunderstandings between him and his parents. Michael's mum was very beautiful and special. But Michael would express his feelings for his mother in a very peculiar way. Ever since he was very small Michael would run up to her in order to give her a big hug and end up diving into her and hurting her. Of course his mum would end up getting angry and this would spoil things between them.

There were problems at school as well. Michael's teacher complained that he didn't pay attention. And all this was because Michael loved to let his imagination wander, especially during his lessons. He could spend hours looking out of the window and it would seem to him that everything around him had come alive. The sun would be smiling just like a small child's drawing. The clouds would be chasing after each other as if they had a will of their own and the wind would appear like a powerful horseman sweeping in through the window, tearing at the curtain and whistling with all his might. But the strict voice of his teacher would rudely awaken him from this fascinating little world.

"Michael, can you tell me what I've just said!"

But that wasn't all... When he was quite small Michael had had an imaginary friend who he used to play with. Although, it has to be said this 'friend' often used to let him down. Together they would smash up the dishes, break toys and make the most awful mess in the house. One day his mother said:

"That's it, I've had enough!"

They went to the church and the priest, who was very wise, immediately grasped the situation. He turned to Michael and in a loud voice said:

"Evil spirit, be gone from the child and leave him to live in peace."

From that moment the 'friend' never appeared again.

Michael became interested in all things technical and began to mend and tinker with everything. He learned most of this from his grandfather when they repaired the car together. Despite some of the spare parts going missing the job itself had been a great success.

Now Michael had a new hobby – his computer. And for him the biggest punishment of all was to be barred from his computer. Michael made many new friends from various different countries. More often than not they were girls; somehow it was easier and more interesting to talk to them. One day he told one of them that he just couldn't seem to get on with his parents and that they always seemed to be unhappy with him. The girl asked:

"Have you tried explaining your feelings to them, for example, why you were silent at friends or just said something frivolous?"

Michael answered that everything was already clear without any explanations. He didn't like being with the adults and listening to their conversations and he was really irritated by the insincerity and histrionics of their children. But in order to please the grown-ups he needed to play the part of being a good boy. In addition, many adults depict themselves in a much better light than they are in reality. And Michael began to describe the faults of each and every one of them. This had all come to a head for him after the latest set of guests had been over and he was sat on his own. However, the girl advised Michael not to let other people's faults affect him but to remain true to himself not only in terms of his internal but also external behaviour. What's more, people often hide their misfortunes and problems behind the games and images that they play and project.

Like all children, Michael loved his parents very much. But when he compared his family with his friend's parents and other acquaintances, then his mother and father's standards and also those of Ben and his mother and grandmother were so much higher that there was just no comparison. Michael was extremely critical of himself and then there was the constant upheaval. In his short life he had already moved to three different countries. The first two had been his mother and father's. He knew Russian, Bulgarian and a little bit of Ukrainian and was now beginning to master English as well. He could get by in the more precise subjects very well, but all these different languages and their literatures required a lot more study. He liked his school. Everyone was very kind to him and the lessons were organised around the abilities and knowledge of each pupil. After school he had loads of free time. If you wanted you could watch school tests or read, play a sport or some other favourite hobby. Michael's favourite pastime was his computer. He could sit for hours behind it and loved helping his father with his.

At school Michael preferred the company of girls, although not without some incidents of course. It was just the way he was. If he liked someone, he would nearly always be clumsy in some way and end up saying or doing the wrong thing.

Michael returned home immersed in his own thoughts. He was struck by an idea that would explain who he was and what chance he had of being like his close relations. Then he recalled a phrase about a spring that he had heard:

"It is not possible for sweet and bitter water to spring from the same source."

"That was it. What a wonderful idea!"

If mum and dad were such a wonderful source then it meant that he must be just as pure and fresh. He may just be a small brook, running swiftly next to his close relations but steady streams will always find their way to the big river. And a tired traveller might stop at this small brook, take a sip of its divine water and feel his strength immediately return.

Michael ran home like the wind.

"Mum, mum! The most wonderful phrase has just come into my head."

All Michael's ideas about the spring came pouring out of him like a torrent.

Mum got the Bible out and read:

"Can sweet and bitter water spring from one source? Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine \- figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water?" It was from one of the letters of Saint James.

"But I didn't read it in the Bible!"

"All things come in their own good time, in much the same way that you are becoming a grown up."

Michael was the most extraordinary dreamer. He knew that when he was only one he had been given an inoculation from a defective batch. Michael had fallen seriously ill. It was hard to say whether the mistake had been made by the doctor or not. Like many other events in the family's history this situation was full of mystery and seemed to be a part of the eternal struggle between good and evil. And Michael was not alone in thinking and feeling that an evil spirit had tried to abduct him at the time. Things hadn't been easy in the family at the time. There were certain people who just couldn't accept that it is love and mutual understanding that must reign in the family and evil spirits had tried to take advantage and break and destroy everything by stealing away the child's Spirit using cunning and diabolic ruses. Michael became very ill after the inoculations and his life hung in the balance.

Michael's spirit sent forth a signal that the child was in danger. He had been given a defective injection and he had been running a fever for over ten days. But the most terrible thing was that evil forces were trying to drive his Spirit from the body of this child. The Spirit was in a pandemonium. It had received no reply. And of course, how could the Spirit's message reach where it needed to go if there was such a great black cloud of negative energy hanging over the child.

His Guardian Angel still failed to appear. The black cloud continued to rage and out of it several evil spirits simultaneously flashed like arrows into the child thus harming his aura. The Spirit could feel its energy ebbing away and tried to send another signal, while the black cloud briefly retreated in order to steal away the child's health-giving energy. At that moment the Angel appeared. He received the Spirit's message but needed to find out who had had the audacity to attempt to take the life of a child.

So the Angel set out to investigate the cause of this dark case. The Angel covered himself with a black shroud so that he would not be recognised and set off in search of the perpetrators. Having followed the black cloud he managed to break into a dark chamber. In the middle of a big room stood three warlocks masquerading as faith healers who were weaving spells over some scientific apparatus. These warlocks had been performing their magic under the guise of a scientific experiment. They had been given their errand by the Evil one to destroy the small child. The Evil one was their overseer.

"This child has the most wonderful parents," the Angel explained to the baby's Spirit, "And the Evil one has been overcome by a deep and dark envy. The Evil one wanted to transfer you into a weak and evil person in order to strengthen his overall position. But thank God, he has not succeeded, because the child's parents and relatives turned to God and the forces of good in the nick of time."

"But, the forces of evil have still managed to take away some of the child's energy. He has become severely weakened and lost much of his life force," the Spirit noted with sadness.

"How will things turn out later on in life?" asked the Spirit in some agitation.

"The child's future lies in the hands of his parents. They will need a lot of strength, patience and love in order to restore and return all the wonderful things that have been sent from above. Therefore they are going to have to take the child far away," said the Angel with great hope in his voice.

So in order to keep the child away from the Evil one's "experiments", the parents moved with the child to another country. And that was how Michael ended up in Bulgaria. The child was greatly bothered by the change of circumstance and the huge distance that he now found himself from those that he loved. The baby grew up into a highly strung and naughty little boy. His mother had to summon on huge reserves of patience and even courage and she and her son studied and played sport together.

The child gradually recovered but his Spirit had been affected. After all, a part of his energy had simply been stolen. It was vital that this energy be returned. In order to achieve this, his relations needed to collect the necessary spiritual gifts from God. And the Angel told Michael's relations how to do this.

It later turned out that the Evil one was punished in real life but those who had carried out the experiment remained at large. They opened up their own "schools" and companies. Gullible people went to them for help. Many failed to understand that you mustn't try to heal the soul with dark energy. Evil can never do well!

Michael knew that the warlocks and sorcerers were continuing to persecute him and his parents. Therefore in order to stand up to such a force of evil his soul had to work hard constantly. His whole family persevered with their mission and produced good results! They followed their son's progress with great interest and hope and constantly thanked God that their boy was on the mend.

Michael loved to discuss all sorts of things with grown-ups. But it was his grandmother who he bombarded most with his questions, whenever she came to stay. Grandmother would patiently deal with all the questions he asked her. But the most interesting thing was that with age, Michael's interest in various questions just grew and grew. However, since his early childhood, his grandmother had always tried to steer the conversation towards the most important things.

"Grandmother, is God love?"

"Yes, you've remembered well."

"Then why do we need faith?"

"Faith gives us hope and hope brings salvation. It provides us with an anchor in life."

"So that our boat won't float away in any direction?"

"That's exactly it, my dear."

"Do you have to have faith because God is invisible?"

"Faith is more a spiritual feeling than a physical one."

"But God created the world for us and the world is physical."

"Everything was made by God's word including the world and everything that fills it."

"Grandmother, what about those who don't believe? They live for themselves and do what they want?"

"God is extremely patient and is giving them a chance. But when the moment comes when they have to fight evil one to one, then as the old prophet wisely advised: "Do not be slow to turn to God but don't follow any path to get there."

"And will God hear us?"

"Yes, God will hear if you ask him sincerely."

"And how should we understand evil?"

"Evil is the opposite of good and there is a constant battle being fought between the two."

"What is the greatest evil that children face?"

"Laziness... I think. It's vital that a child studies in order to gain knowledge. Knowledge opens the whole world up for a person and then as the old prophet said: "in the greyness of your old age you will find wisdom."

"But how can we overcome this evil, I mean this laziness?"

"Hard work conquers laziness. You must look at everything you do with interest and always invest just a little bit of love."

"Why love?"

"Love brings you closer to God and then everything you do will work out."

Michael had already been living in London for two years. London is one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. A magnificent giant of a city with its wonderful architecture, parks, lakes and the most radiant flowers planted right outside people's houses. It was the architecture that struck Michael the most. The city had its own bright aura. In London Michael felt free and at ease.

Michael's first pleasant impressions of London began at school. Michael found it a pleasure to go to his school. He was amazed by his school with its clever, kind and attentive teachers who were so patient with Michael because he wasn't the easiest boy in the world by a long chalk. But his teachers even learned to understand his foibles. That year Michael had done well at school, even coming second in maths in his class. But it was literature that seemed to have the most influence over Michael. That year he was studying Shakespeare.

Shakespeare!!! And he had even dreamed about Romeo and Juliet at nights. What a powerful and passionate love! One day he was out for a walk near Windsor Castle: a place with a powerful and secret mysteriousness all of its own. It seemed to Michael that Juliet herself might have once wandered along these grand halls, so lonely and defenceless in her all-consuming love. Michael would see Shakespeare and his characters literally everywhere he went. There under the clock of Big Ben Romeo and Juliet would secretly meet and there was her nanny running to them to warn them of great danger. But soon their love would come to its tragic conclusion.

"However, Shakespeare was wrong about that," pondered Michael. "It's wrong to kill people who are so in love. Love should always be allowed to live!"

At that very moment he heard a voice right next to him reply:

"That's the way of the world."

Michael continued to ponder.

But why should the most wonderful people have to die? Just take Princess Diana, the pride of her people and not only her people, who embodied all the finest characteristics of her ancestors, who had been brought up on the works of Shakespeare and the country's finest traditions, even she had died! Why hadn't she been better looked after? It seems that our times are not so different to Shakespeare's.

And suddenly Michael was hit by a maelstrom which spun around him. Next to him was a curious looking man, about fifty years of age, with piercing eyes and grey hair and dressed in 17th century clothing.

"I'm sure I've seen this face somewhere before," thought Michael desperately trying to jog his memory.

"You know young man. No-one has ever questioned whether the ending of my tale about those two wonderful lovers was right or wrong before."

"And who are you? Shakespeare?"

"I'm at your service."

"You're pulling my leg," Michael thought to himself, but out loud said: "Don't you know, great writer that you are, that love should overcome death."

"As you so rightly noted it indeed does live on because you continue to think about it and with some rapture I must say. You see, their love is eternal. And it is only natural that these young lovers should die, they were too fragile for our cruel world."

Michael wanted to say something in reply but the whirlwind spun him round so fast that he fell to his knees. However, the avuncular man with a remarkable resemblance to Shakespeare grabbed him and pulled him out of the maelstrom. Michael found himself on the pavement with a group of passers-by standing around him and applauding.

"Good lad, you managed to keep your balance, well done."

Michael looked around but the man who had saved him was nowhere to be seen. The passers-by continued to pat him on the back amazed at his fortitude. It was evident that they hadn't seen anyone else besides Michael.

Michael went home mumbling to himself all the way:

"A whirlwind, an argument with Shakespeare, did this really happen or was I imagining it?"

"No, no it was real all right," someone replied.

Michael stopped and looked all around him.

Standing right next to him was the most beautiful young man.

"He even looks a bit like me," Michael thought to himself. However, out loud he asked:

"And who are you?"

"I am an Angel, I saw everything and it really was Shakespeare who helped you get out of that scrape."

"Firstly, Shakespeare died a long time ago – so how could he have got here?"

"Well as you young people say these days, you really 'wound him up' with your generalised prejudices about love when you said that he had made a mistake. But that's no bad thing, not everyone gets to have an argument with Shakespeare. But I am here to tell you the following bit of news. You, your cousin Ben and your whole family are in great danger. Dark forces want to turn you away from the path of righteousness. This summer you and your brother will find yourselves in some very strange situations in which you'll learn a lot about yourselves and your family. But the forces of good will come to your aid. So for now, farewell but we will see each other soon."

And with that the Angel disappeared with a flap of his wings.

Thus, Michael and Ben reported their amazing stories to each other and waited for the next stage of the adventure that the Angel had promised them.

Meanwhile, Sophia was getting everything ready for the trip to the seaside. Nearly everything was prepared: the bags were packed and the tickets bought. Everyone was in a good mood. Then suddenly for no apparent reason the cat let out a loud howl. Michael let out a yelp and tried to calm the poor animal and was joined by Ben, Sophia and grandmother. What a din they made. It was then that Ben noticed a strange dark shadow sliding between them and asked Michael:

"Have you noticed something a bit like smoke?"

"Dear Lord, what on earth could that is?"

And with his hand Michael began to coax the cloud towards the window.

But the cloud only spun round faster and faster glowing with ever greater passion. The cloud went out on to the balcony and stood like a column swaying from side to side. And then grandmother said:

"All living things give praise to the Lord!"

Grandmother repeated this over and over again. The column stood where it was for some time swaying slightly and finally after some time said:

"And I also give praise."

Then it drew itself up, dissolved and disappeared.

Everyone stood in a frightened silence because it was, after all, past midnight. And then Michael suddenly broke the silence again shouting:

"An Angel!"

"Where?" asked all the others simultaneously.

"On the balcony," and Michael pointed.

But nobody saw any Angel, although Ben did hear the flapping of wings.

"Let's go to sleep, we need to get up early tomorrow. Let's hope that the Angel will bring us a good night's rest," said Sophia hopefully.

The holiday at the seaside was a great success. They were blessed with the most wonderful weather every day. The sea was calm and its waves gently and calmly lapped against the shores. Michael and Ben barely left the water. They swam, dived, raced each other and played with a ball by the sea, in the sea and even under the sea. From a distance they looked like two adolescent dolphins gambolling about in the waves. In the evenings they explored the old part of the small resort where they were staying and even swam in the sea by the light of the moon or went for evening boat trips.

And so rested, tanned and full of the delights of the sea the boys and their grown-ups returned home. The coach was pleasantly cool. Michael and Ben were sat next to each other listening to music, exchanging pleasantries and looking out the window. The landscape began to change with each passing mile away from the coast. Huge expanses of fields, meadows and vineyards were replaced with mountains. Initially the mountains seemed a distant feature on the horizon but then they drew closer and closer to the bus. And suddenly they rose up magnificently on both sides of the road. The mountains became especially beautiful in the light of the fading sun. And like a huge orange disc the sun hung above the mountains now on one side of the road and now on the other. The road twisted so sharply and the sun changed its position so quickly that it felt as if the mountains were playfully throwing it to each other. Ben thought to himself:

"It's as if the mountains are playing football with a huge orange ball."

In their turn the sun's rays clothed the mountains in different colours and shades. Those arrayed in forest gave off a deep green hue while those covered in grass produced a mysterious blue. Further away from the road huge giants rose shrouded in a grey-blue mist. And there against the background of this orange sky right next to the window where Michael and Ben were sitting appeared a silver flying machine. It was being driven by an Angel who like his craft was also dressed in silver. Two snow white wings protruded from behind his back. The Angel nodded to the cousins and motioned to the two seats behind him.

"Come and sit down here. The time for your adventure has arrived."

Michael and Ben looked all around them. How would they be able to transfer from this bus going at full speed on to this flying apparatus? But no sooner had the thought entered their heads than they found themselves sat behind the Angel.

"But what about mum and grandmother aren't they going to get worried when they find us gone," the brothers wanted to ask.

But the Angel anticipating their question made a sharp turn leaving the craft hovering next to the window where Sophia and grandmother were seated:

"As you can see, they are fast asleep and they won't even have woken up before you'll be back in your seats on the bus. But now let's go!"

Part 2

Michael and Ben's Adventures

With a feeling of joy mingled with excitement and fear Michael and Ben flew off into the unknown. Two questions sprang immediately to mind: where were they going and why? Why had the Angel chosen them? Had they died and were on their way to another world? Their stream of thoughts was immediately interrupted by the Angel:

"Don't worry, you are alive and well. Soon we will find a place to stop and talk about everything, but for the time being just sit back enjoy the ride. It's not every day that you go on a journey like this is it?"

"Yes, this is just incredible!" the cousins exclaimed in unison.

The starship was going so fast that the world outside was transformed into a blur. The only sensation they could feel was when the machine changed trajectory upwards or to one side. Then they found themselves plunged into darkness as if flying through a dark tunnel. The starship shuddered slightly and they shot out into a light blue space.

The flight path along which they were moving was demarcated on both sides by pink points of light that looked rather like street lamps. Other flying machines of all shapes and sizes seemed to come from out of nowhere: there were big ones and very small ones, long cigar-shaped ones and others that were as round as a ball. They were all flying in different directions, turning at the junction to take whichever course they needed to follow.

"This is the Angel highway," the Angel explained to them, "each one of them is rushing to get to an errand or are on their way home."

"But where is their home?" Ben asked.

"The city of the Angels, you can come and visit once you have completed your mission."

Tower-like buildings sprang up on both sides of the highway.

"These are way-side hotels where you can rest, they are called camping spots and have been designed like normal resting places for earth dwellers. After all, you are tired aren't you?" the Angel asked.

The brothers happily nodded their assent.

The starship made a perfect landing near one of the towers. It appeared to be floating in mid-air without any paths or lawns leading to it – just surrounded by a light blue nothingness. Michael and Ben clung to their seats. "Don't worry," the Angel smiled, "you can get out of the machine without any fear. Look, there's a magic path here." And sure enough, a path appeared out of nowhere the moment the cousins decided to get out of the machine.

Next to the tower were the most stunning flowers, which gave off the most wonderful scent and green lawns bordered with beautifully trimmed bushes. Michael thought for a moment and said:

"This is just like our neighbourhood in London."

"Well, whatever you wish for is the thing that will appear," the Angel informed them.

But Ben cried out: "But I want it to be just like the city of the Angels!"

"So do I, could you make everything be as if it was beyond our wildest dreams," said Michael.

"Okay let it be as your imagination will have it."

And the Angel ordered the boys to close their eyes for a second. When they opened them the most wonderful air gondola had appeared next to them, equipped with a pair of snow white wings instead of oars. They were surrounded by a multitude of stars that instead of staying in one place constantly moved from one place to another giving off a silver moonlike gleam.

"Why are there so many stars?" asked Ben.

"Well, actually they aren't stars at all but the divine hosts."

"Can we see them?" asked Michael.

"Now you can."

The Angel flapped his wings, which until that moment had remained almost unnoticed by the boys.

And all the stars became angels of all ages and sizes. They all sang a hymn, which poured forth in a delicate melody.

The gondola was carpeted with petals, which formed the shape of a seat that would meld itself into the shape of its sitter. When the boys had sat down the Angel asked them if they would like a heavenly or an earthly drink.

"Oh heavenly please!" the cousins chorused.

The Angel waved his arm and a table with two glasses appeared. The Angel explained that this drink would immediately restore the boys' spirit and strength. And indeed, the boys had never tasted anything like it. Its bouquet and taste was extraordinary and seemed to flow directly into the blood stream immediately reviving its drinker. It was as if a friendly hand had removed all the boys' worries and fatigue like a wet coat in winter.

After some time the angels turned back into stars and the gondola slipped seamlessly between them.

"And who's driving the gondola?" Ben asked.

The Angel replied:

"The gondola is itself an Angel."

The cousins' jaws nearly hit the floor in surprise. Then they began to tenderly stroke the gondola on its side and wings. The gondola seemed to purr in pleasure, increased its speed and proceeded to make the most elegant and exhilarating manoeuvres. The boys were completely enthralled! No fairground ride could begin to compare! The Angel couldn't help smiling at their enraptured faces.

"Look. There's the tower." The gondola glided right up to the entrance and the boys and the Angel went inside. They found themselves in a huge space, which appeared to be an enormous room with walls that were completely different from each other. The first wall, which stood opposite the entrance, was completely white. On the walls next to it were the most beautiful paintings with fantastic animals and scenes from nature depicted on them - but the most remarkable thing was that they were constantly changing. The scenes and creatures would move as if in slow motion until a totally different picture seamlessly appeared. On the wall above the entrance shone many different coloured stars, which seemed as big as the sun. They also constantly changed their appearance and in the light of these suns the landscapes depicted on the walls took on the most enchanting forms. Under the light of a bright orange sun, birds would fly and flowers would bloom so that you could even smell their wonderful aroma. The red sun gave the animals greater energy as they went out to hunt and caused the trees to produce the most astonishing variety of fruits. The blue sun gave out a much more peaceful energy. Snakes would lazily bathe in its rays while the birds nestled on the branches and other animals would languidly return to rest in their dens.

In the middle of the room stood a table and a remote control with a large array of buttons. Next to the table were three armchairs. The Angel invited them to sit down at the table and asked:

"Have you read the Bible?"

Michael and Ben nodded their heads:

"But there's a lot that we don't know."

"Never mind, a lot of adults haven't read it at all. Let's have a quick lesson or, to be more precise, let's watch all the most important events in the Bible. In front of each of you is the remote control. If you want you can watch the events that interest you in more detail," explained the Angel.

"But there's only one screen?" Michael exclaimed in surprise.

"Each of you will see what he wishes to see. But now I'll start the film rolling."

The whole wall became a huge screen. At first it showed nothing, just a light blue twinkling light.

"In the beginning was the word, and the word was God."

A huge beam of light exploded on to the screen with an incredible force. Then there appeared the heavens and the earth, the seas, rivers and all the livings things in them or on them that have been preserved over the ages. And there was the Garden of Eden with its bright sun, blue skies and trees bearing various different fruits. It was filled with all sorts of benign and tame animals. And in the middle of all the beauty of God's creation was a man and his wife. They were happy. But from out of a "black hole" appeared the Evil one in the form of a snake. He began to tempt man to try to know the unknown. The snake whispered:

"This fruit is extremely interesting, all you have to do is reach out and you will be all-powerful."

And the man thought:

"It would be good to know everything..."

And he had barely finished expressing this thought before the Evil One had tricked him out of his paradise. And this is how the Evil One came to live among people. Brother killed brother out of jealousy and the earth became filled with wickedness. And then the Evil One launched himself with great force and penetrated the heavenly firmament. A great downpour covered the earth and the world became flooded. But God succeeded in warning Noah about the disaster. He built an ark and took his family on board along with one pair of each animal and bird. When the earth became flooded, Noah, his family and the animals were all saved.

Michael saw how Noah suffered. Surrounded and tossed by rough seas and drenched by a constant downpour with no end in sight for one hundred and fifty days. Michael felt as if he himself was in the ark and even his clothing felt soaked right through. And Noah cried out to God and Michael cried out with him. The downpour stopped, the waters became calmer and the wind began to blow. The dove that Noah released did not return. Land could be seen! Everyone was saved. Michael looked with gratitude at the Angel and he smiled back:

"God promised that the earth would never experience such a flood again."

They leafed on further through the Bible. The boys saw Moses. He had been destined to lead the People of God out of slavery. God performed many miracles in order to win their freedom. The cousins were absolutely transfixed, especially when the waters were parted and the Israelites passed through the sea bed with two walls of water on either side as if it were a pedestrian crossing. Then a huge wave broke down upon their pursuers. They had had to fight for their freedom.

And finally they came to the Promised Land. Life went on, generation followed generation...

The boys observed the selection of the new king with undisguised fascination. David had been destined for this role. Ben was very interested in the duel between David and Goliath and slowed the film down accordingly. The result of their battle would decide which army would be victorious. David \- a slender, tall lad had summoned every ounce of his energy to win a famous victory. But next to the huge and supremely self-confident Goliath, his hopes looked pretty slender. Ben began to really worry for him and, unnoticed, the Angel pressed a hidden button. It was then that Ben saw that several angels were standing next to David. They helped David. His movements were precise and measured. David found just the right stone and hurled it at his opponent, killing him instantly. He then drew the giant's sword from its scabbard and cut his head off. The rest of the Philistine army fled in complete panic. David had won the day. When he became king, David won many victories and his wise son, King Solomon built the most magnificent temple.

God sent prophets down to earth so that they might warn people of the dangers facing them and help them when times were hard. They all performed many miracles. All their prophesies came to pass. Especially the most important one of all regarding the coming of the Christ, were the Messiah and Saviour.

A particularly bright star appeared in the sky. It was seen by the wise men who understood that it was a sign that the Messiah had come down to earth. The Wise Men followed the star and came to Christ's birthplace. Mary and Joseph were bent over Jesus's cradle. When they arrived the Wise Men greeted the Christ and his holy family and gave the baby Jesus many wonderful gifts. Michael and Ben watched in amazement. Michael asked:

"How could an ordinary woman born on earth fulfil the prophesies?"

To which the Angel replied softly:

"An ordinary woman could not have given birth to God."

And the Angel recalled the numerous times that the angels and Mary had helped people. And there on the screen appeared Mary the Mother of God as if summoned by the Angel's thoughts. She possessed and exuded a kind of unearthly beauty. And the clothes that she wore were utterly divine: Her pink dress was clasped at the waist by a huge sparkling precious stone. Her shoulders were covered by a light blue mantle fastened at the breast by another fantastically precious light blue stone. She was surrounded by angels. They were all evidently rushing to get somewhere. Michael and Ben looked on completely entranced. It even seemed to them that Mary was smiling at them. The vision disappeared all too soon and all that remained was the most luminous dawn.

The pages of the Bible again began to flash past. Jesus Christ's arrival on earth was a source of great joy for mankind. He healed the afflicted and brought many that had died back to life. He performed many miracles. Jesus was constantly teaching his followers and those who came to hear him using parables. And his famous Sermon on the Mount showed that everyone would have the chance to be saved regardless of their position in society. But Jesus's most important sermon was to love one another as you love yourself.

Then the people welcomed Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem. Everyone was so full of joy that on seeing their Lord and teacher they began to wave palm leaves. Michael and Ben noticed that the Angel had obviously switched something on because Jesus appeared to be shrouded in a light pink cloud. Evidently this was his divine aura. And whoever came close to him was filled with a charge of divine energy. Even nature seemed to rejoice. The sun shone as never before and its rays were as soft as silk. The air seemed to sing out in joy and the trees seemed to bow down in respect. And even the stones seemed to take on a life of their own making way for people on the road. The heavens were filled with angels welcoming Christ. The cousins were filled with such wonder watching this scene that they barely noticed that they too had palms in their hands and were joyously waving them to greet Jesus.

The cousins watched the next episodes from the Bible with downcast eyes. This was the part where Christ was mocked and humiliated. The Angel switched on yet another special button. And the boys' eyes opened wide in wonder... They saw Jesus in combat with the Evil One. It was a terrible battle. The Evil One had taken the form of a huge monster without any face or specific form like a malevolent black ink blot covered all over in the sharpest barbs. The Evil One threw himself at Jesus from all sides drawing blood. And sometimes the Evil One threw himself at people in the crowd and they would start to deliriously cry:

"Crucify him! Crucify him!"

In the heavens stood a host of angels headed by the Archangel Michael armed with a flaming sword in his hands. They were ready to hurl themselves into the fray to help their beloved Jesus but he forbade them to do so. Jesus wanted to conquer Evil himself in order to release mankind from the disasters, grief and mortal sins that the forces of darkness were constantly inflicting upon the earth. The battle raged on and the Evil One was hurled to the ground! Jesus was victorious! The Evil One melted and disappeared. At that moment the heavens darkened and the sky was smote in two by a huge fork of lightning. The heavens opened in a deluge. Everybody wept - the angels, the two boys of course and even nature itself. But this didn't last for long. At midnight on the third day a bright ray of light came streaming out of the tomb in which Jesus's body lay. It pushed aside the huge rock that had been blocking the entrance and exploded forth – Christ had risen! He had won a great victory over the Evil One and death. He was the saviour of all men! He had shown mankind the true way: that love overcomes all – even death. At the end the Angel concluded:

"And love leads mankind out of slavery and darkness, helps mankind overcome all trials and tribulations and most importantly helps mankind fulfil its purpose with dignity.

The Angel had long since turned off the screen but the boys still sat in silence trying to make sense of what they had seen. Of course that wasn't all that was in the Bible. But it was difficult to make sense of and marshal what had passed before their eyes.

In the end it was Michael who broke the silence:

"It's amazing how much good God has done for mankind."

"That is true," said the Angel continuing his line of thought. "Because God loves and values mankind. Each and every person arrives on the earth with a specific mission. And what a person achieves in their earthly life is their special contribution to the system of the universe and all creation."

"But what if a person dies?" asked Ben.

The Angel smiled.

"In different worlds people carry out different missions."

At these words the boys began to smile with joy.

"Now why do you think you are here?" asked the Angel.

"Yes, I've been wanting to ask for ages what we've done to deserve such a fantastic adventure," Michael asked on behalf of them both.

The Angel explained.

"The thing is, the Star that belongs to your family has disappeared and you need to find and return it to its rightful place in the heavens."

"A Star? We have a real Star?" Ben literally jumped for joy.

"Good Lord, what children you are," the Angel remarked gently, "But that is also a good thing because it means that you can easily take on board anything that is new and unusual. The Star was given as a gift to your family line way back in ancient times. The Star was not only a reward but also performed a very important function: it preserved and stored the vital life energy that your forebears had earned in their lives and helped maintain the life force of other members of your family line in times of extreme difficulty. And in this way your family line flourished. The Star also acted as a point of co-ordination with other stars in the universe and its disappearance makes it more difficult for you to be in step with the rest of creation."

"What do we need to do?" The cousins cried eagerly.

The Angel could see how proud they both were. Firstly, to have been born into such an important family, this had been granted its own Star by God. And then to have been given this great honour...

"So what needs to be done?" The boys asked again.

"You have already received a great charge of positive energy for the very fact that you are ready to fight for such a good cause. Good lads! But you have some very difficult tasks facing you that you will have to complete. But for now you need to return back to the coach, which is already on the outskirts of Sofia. Your relations are already looking for you."

In the twinkling of an eye the boys found themselves back in the starship with the angel heading full speed towards Earth. Starships were flying all around. They had many different shapes and even colours but they all shone so brightly that when seen from the Earth they looked like stars twinkling from billions of miles away.

Soon they were on the motorway and the coach that was flying at full speed towards the city.

"The route that we took back through space was much faster than the one we took earlier," Michael remarked.

"I used a special space transporter button," the Angel explained.

A minute later the boys were sat back in their seats on the coach.

"Where have you two been?" Michael's mother, Sophia asked.

"Oh we just dropped off for a bit and you probably just didn't notice us in our seats," Michael blustered.

"Where did you get those palms? Oh aren't they beautiful!"

Michael looked at Ben – lost for words.

"Um... A man gave them to us. And... said that they were lucky," said Ben improvising on the spot.

The coach finally reached their stop and the boys helped transfer their things into the taxi.

As soon as everyone had taken their seats in the car the Angel appeared before the boys.

"Give the palms to your mother and grandmother and they will be under the illusion that you are with them."

As they set off, the boys gave the palms that had welcomed Christ into Jerusalem to Sophia and grandmother and quickly jumped into the Angel's starship.

Journey into the Past

The boys soon found themselves at the crossroads of the angels. In front of them lay the path of time: one direction leading to the future and the other towards the past. The road to the future was shrouded in a mysterious light blue mist. The starships that dove into it soon became invisible. The highway to the past seemed to stretch back into infinity and above it in certain places a menacing fiery glow could be made out. The Angel explained:

"Those are the places in time that experienced a particularly large number of wars."

The Angel set course for the distant past and added:

"Let's start with the sixteenth century. It's back then in the middle of this century that we will make our first acquaintance with your Bulgarian and Ukrainian ancestors. On the whole, they all followed the commandments and lived worthy and dignified lives. But it's possible that around this time a small oversight happened and this provided a tiny opening for the forces of darkness, which are always looking for ways to penetrate into the lives of men and take possession of their consciousness. I am going to give you two bracelets, put them on straight away. These bracelets have a number of buttons. When you press the white button you will become invisible; press the blue button and you will immediately summon me; if you press the pink button when faced with danger then you will be able to take on the form of any animal or plant and even a cloud or a stream and when you press the brown button you will become clothed in the dress of the time that you find yourself in should you need to take a personal part in events. Is that all clear?

The boys nodded.

"With a bracelet like this we can go wherever we want!"

"Well, here we are already."

The Angel skilfully landed the starship in a shady secluded spot. Nothing could be seen at all, even the Angel, who was sitting right next to them. With difficulty, the cousins made out some sort of enormous structure in front of them.

It was a fortress guarding the approaches to a city. The city lay on a huge rock sitting in the middle of a river on huge cliffs jutting fifty metres above the water. The city and the fortress were joined by a bridge. The fortress had originally been built by the Lithuanians but its main tower had been built by the Turks when they had held sway over the city. Ever since then the fortress had been known as the "Turkish Fort".

The Angel switched on a searchlight that shone like strong moonlight and lit up the fortress for the cousins. The fortress looked extremely forbidding with its huge thick stone walls; cannons peeped out of embrasures, which could fire cannon balls and heavy stones if necessary. Inside the fortress was an enormous courtyard where horses were tethered and large wagons tied. The courtyard was protected by gargantuan gates, which were locked shut.

The boys and the Angel proceeded to fly further above the city perched on the rock. Narrow streets and cobbled roads swept down to the river in several places. On either side of the river the banks rose like cliffs making the city quite impregnable.

The Angel landed the starship close to the fortress gates. He quickly described the situation that was unfolding at that moment in history. A regiment of Cossacks was stationed at the fortress to protect the city from Tartar and Turkish raiders. But now there only remained a couple of squadrons. The rest had ridden out to carry out patrol duties.

"I will leave you here. Some very ominous events are about to take place," said the Angel embracing the boys goodbye.

"But how will we know who our ancestors are?" Ben asked anxiously.

"Among your ancestors is a Cossack called Marko and Darya his betrothed. Another is a Turkish Janissary called Akhmet," the Angel informed the cousins.

"How could he be a Turkish Janissary?" asked Michael, not best pleased.

"Why isn't he Bulgarian?"

"He is Bulgarian, but he is currently serving in the Turkish army. But soon you will get to know him yourselves."

The Angel climbed back into the starship and flew away.

It was so quiet that you could hear the crickets calling to each other. Everything was calm and the quiet, was only broken occasionally by the whinnying of a horse in the fortress courtyard. A night chill set in and Michael and Ben gave a little shiver from the cold. The place was far from cosy and even a little melancholy.

"Michael, are you afraid?" asked Ben.

"No, not so much afraid, I'm just not sure how we are going to manage in a time as long ago as the sixteenth century. Let's press the white buttons on our bracelets, it's going to be safer being invisible just in case," suggested Michael.

In the blink of an eye the cousins had dissolved into the evening gloom. And not a moment too soon... A few minutes later in the distance on the road leading to the fortress a dark black cloud of dust appeared. As it approached the cloud got larger and larger. And horsemen could begin to be made out. They were Turks galloping at full speed and before them they were driving people who they had captured and were taking into slavery. These were mainly fully grown men and women who were tied to each other in a line behind the wagons. As this grim procession drew closer to the fortress, the cousins could see that there were several children and young women tied up and lying on the wagons.

The few remaining Cossacks, who were defending the fortress, strengthened the gates by parking a number of wagons behind it and primed their cannons for the upcoming battle. The Cossacks fired several volleys at the Turkish cavalry. Several horsemen fell and their horses ran away in terror. But the Turks quickly drove the wagons with the prisoners between them and their attackers and the Cossacks stopped firing.

Michael and Ben had no idea what to do and even began to shake in fear. But fear or no fear, they had to help these poor people somehow. The fallen horsemen lay motionless on the floor. One of them had dropped his sword. It was curved with a very sharp blade and of a type that the Turks call a scimitar. The cousins ran up to it and when Ben picked it up it also became invisible. A Turk who was lying nearby had wanted to go and pick it up was amazed when it just vanished into thin air. Completely forgetting about his wounds he crawled up to the place where the scimitar had lain. Ben wasn't quick enough to get out the way and the Turk bumped into his leg. Not knowing what it was that he had touched the Turk became seriously frightened. This caused Michael and Ben to burst into a fit of giggles. This only served to frighten the poor man even more, who shouted with all his might:

"Ambush!"

The main body of Turkish cavalry was near the gate and the few soldiers left guarding the prisoners ran off in fright. Then Michael took another sword from a Turk who had been hit by a shell. Together with Ben he rushed to save the prisoners, cutting the cords that were binding their hands and feet. The remaining guards were rooted to the spot in amazement on seeing that the prisoners' cords seemed to be cutting themselves, and this allowed the boys to free everybody. When they touched the cords with their swords they immediately became invisible. Once they had freed the adults the boys ran to the wagons where the young girls and children lay tied up. They too were soon all freed and the lads shouted to them: "Run away!"

The girls and children quickly jumped out of the wagons and rushed to catch up with their fellow villagers who were soon all safe behind a bend in the road. Meanwhile, having seen the magical way that the prisoners had been freed, the Cossacks proceeded to rain shells down upon the Turks. Michael and Ben, now with pile of scimitars in their arms, saw how quickly the prisoners had hidden around a bend in the road and took a deep sigh of relief.

"Ben, did you notice how beautiful all those girls on the wagons were? One of them was particularly beautiful and I think I heard someone call her Darya. I had no idea how beautiful the girls were back in the sixteenth century!" Michael murmured dreamily.

"You've got a one track mind you have. All this going on... And all you can think about is how beautiful the girls are. And our mothers are no worse looking than them."

Our mothers are very beautiful. No-one's arguing with you there. It's just that I sometimes think that when I come to get married it will be difficult to find a girl who could be like Mum," Michael continued.

"Listen bridegroom boy it's time we took a reality check. We need to think of a way of helping these runaways," Ben remarked pointedly.

But the Cossacks in the fortress were already taking care of the escapees. First they gave the Turks a good pounding with their cannons and then poured forth from the fortress on their horses and carried on the fight with sword in hand. The battle was short. The Turks were baffled by the disappearance of the prisoners and even more surprised when the prisoners' guards had run away. They had clearly lost their fighting spirit and the remains of their cavalry took to their heels. The Cossacks gathered up all the weapons that lay on the field of battle together with those that had been abandoned on the wagons and took them into the fortress courtyard.

Michael and Ben stood in thought for a while wondering what to do next. In the end they decided that they needed to catch up with the freed prisoners who might yet be recaptured by the remaining fleeing Turks. They would probably want to make up for the pummelling they had received.

"But the prisoners are already way ahead of us, how are we going to catch up with them?" reasoned Ben.

"Look Ben, here are some horses that have lost their riders," suggested Michael with an air of uncertainty, because neither he nor Ben had ever been near a horse in their lives.

The boys caught two horses, which put up no objection and tried to get up onto them. This was not as easy as it looked and they had to try several times before they were successful. But in the end they got the hang of it. The first to jump on to his horse was Ben with a bit of help from Michael. But Michael soon managed to master his horse. And soon they were both galloping along the road. However, in the meantime a canny local peasant had spotted the horses, which appeared to belong to no-one now and are always useful on the farm. But as soon as he approached the animals they disappeared before his very eyes. He thought to himself the Turks must have frightened me so much that I'm seeing things. But then he heard the clattering of hooves, the low conversation of two horsemen and saw the dust kicked up from the road. What wonder was this!

But Michael and Ben had already overtaken the escaped prisoners who had taken a sharp turn off the road in the direction of a village that hadn't yet been attacked by the Turks.

Catching up with the runaways the cousins heard them decide to go for help. It was decided the women and children were to hide while the men organised a defence force.

The cousins followed their every move without giving away their whereabouts. As the men approached the village a number of armed men came out to meet them, some of them with swords and sabres and others with heavy clubs. They already knew that the Turks had raided the neighbouring villages and fortress and had taken appropriate measures. The women and children were all hidden and all the men formed into a fighting unit... and not a moment too soon. A rider came galloping in from the neighbouring village to inform them that a huge force of Turks was moving towards them from the direction of the fortress and the other villages. Everyone became very dejected. There was no way that they could stand up to such a large enemy cavalry unit.

Michael and Ben hid their horses in a nearby thicket and moved closer to find out how things stood. All the men were very agitated because the Turks were nearly at their gates and there were a lot of them. However, there was at least one good piece of news: the detachment of Cossacks that had been out on patrol was rushing back to get to their aid. So the peasant farmers needed to keep the enemy at bay until the relief detachment could arrive. But how were they to do it? They were simple farmers by trade, very badly armed, on foot and only a couple of dozen in numbers. The crowd of men was humming. Everyone had a suggestion but none of them were any use. Someone suggested that they form a defensive position of two rows. But it was evident that the cavalry would smash their position in an instant. Others suggested burning the approaching fields. The dry grass would burn well and the enemy's horses might take fright. The suggestions kept coming but time was running out and the enemy was getting closer.

The boys were also putting together their own plans to help defend the village. There was one button on their bracelets, which gave them the power to turn into any animal or plant. But which plant or animal was there that would allow them to stand up to such a large force of fearsome cavalry.

But then on the distant horizon another huge cloud of dust appeared. The Turks were approaching! They had to act!

The cousins ran into the thicket, pressed the relevant buttons and out of the forest ran two of the most beautiful leopards. They looked very threatening, roared loudly and set off along the road on which the Turks were approaching. On seeing the leopards the whole column of cavalry stopped in surprise. The wild animals threw themselves straight at the first row of cavalry. But to their surprise the enemy's horses failed to react at all at to the appearance of these dangerous predators. And the leopards themselves seemed almost embarrassed and dismayed at this turn of events. Of course they roared with all their might but all the same they had a look about them that wasn't at all threatening, a bit like a large pet pussy cat. Overcoming their initial surprise the Turks raised their sabres and charged straight for the leopards.

"What are we going to do Michael?" cried Ben in complete panic.

"Let's make for this forest in front of us. Once there, we can turn into different animals," answered Michael thinking on his feet.

On reaching the forest, the boys cast off their leopard skins and decided to turn themselves into the biggest elephants imaginable. In an instant two huge grey tuckers came crashing out of the forest. On the way the elephants sucked a huge quantity of water into their trunks from a small stream and made straight for the Turks who were literally rooted to the spot in amazement. As they drew close to the first horseman they let fly a jet of icy cold water. Nevertheless, after a little while the Turks pulled themselves together and, sabres aloft, charged headlong at the elephants. Many of them had fought in Southern countries and knew perfectly well that, on the whole, elephants are kind and peaceful creatures.

But at that moment the boys heard the Angel's voice:

"Stop playing silly games with your imaginations and quickly hide in the forest."

And at that moment the sky was lit up with a sheet of lighting and a downpour of tropical proportions lashed down from a very modest passing cloud. Moreover, the rain only seemed to pour on the Turks. The downpour was so powerful that the horsemen were rendered completely helpless. Moving was difficult enough but fighting was out of the question.

At that moment the Cossacks arrived and immediately engaged the Turks in battle. The Cossacks fought extremely bravely but they were seriously outnumbered by the Turks and it wasn't easy for them. But of them all, Marko stood out the most in terms of his courageousness. The Turks swarmed around him from all sides. But fighting alongside him was his best friend Ostap and the two of them together were quite impossible to defeat. However, during one of the attacks Ostap was wounded on the right arm and he had to gallop to one side in order to get it strapped up. Ostap was hoping to get back into the melee as soon as possible. But one of the Turks managed to get in a sneaky blow to his back and Ostap fell from his horse. Marko was left on his own.

The boys watched on in horror not knowing how to help as the Cossacks' ranks gradually got thinner and thinner. Without even thinking the boys threw themselves into the thick of the battle. On the way they picked up a couple of sabres that had fallen to the ground. And in an instant they improvised an ingenious plan. Unseen they quickly sliced through the Turks' saddle straps and the latter fell like sacks of potatoes.

Soon the Cossacks had the upper hand and those Turks that were left alive turned and fled for their lives. The Cossacks quickly formed into a detachment and were just about to give chase when they saw a crowd of peasants running towards them screaming for help. The Cossacks stopped in their tracks and looked towards the village where the peasants were pointing. When they got a bit closer it became clear that another detachment of Turks had split off from the main force and had taken the village from the rear. They had taken all the women and children and were driving them towards the border to the South.

Marko discovered that his fiancée Darya was amongst those who had been captured. A small detachment of Cossacks was sent to the fortress with the wounded while the rest galloped at full speed to overtake the Turks and their loved ones who had been taken captive. The cousins followed the Cossacks on their own horses. They were very proud of what they had done. No-one would have believed them if they had told them that they had been in the thick of a real battle. Although they were no warriors they had nevertheless done a great deal to help their distant ancestors and that was just amazing! But now they had to concentrate on freeing the prisoners because amongst them was Darya and many of the village's children. The lads raced after the Cossacks and could see that the Turks had reached the banks of a large river - the River Dniester.
The Dniester served as the border between the Podolsk Province and the State of Bukovyna. And Bukovyna was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. So, once beyond the Dniester, the Turks would essentially be on their own territory.

Other Turks were already waiting with boats and rafts in order to ferry their comrades over to the Bukovyna side of the Dniester.

When the Cossacks reached the river the Turks were well on their way across the river. The rafts with the Turkish cavalry were close to the other side and two boats full of captives were straddled in the middle of the river. Rescuing the prisoners would be very difficult if not nigh on impossible.

Michael and Ben stood helplessly with the Cossacks at a complete loss as to what to do next. Dear Lord, what was to be done? How were they going to save Darya, the other young girls and the children? Sitting in one of the boats with Darya was her younger sister Varvara. One of the Turks could not take his eyes off her. Varvara heard someone mention that he was called Akhmet. He was the Turks' commanding officer and to the bewilderment of his subordinates had decided to sit in the boat with the prisoners. It was evident to anybody with eyes to see that Varvara had really caught Akhmet's fancy. She was an exceptionally beautiful fifteen year old girl, who was evidently older and wiser than her years. She reminded Akhmet of his sister Ganka with whom he had been extremely close in his childhood. Ganka had been the most beautiful girl in the whole village. Their father had a large farm and often went to Greece to buy food and other things that they needed. It was there that he had learned both Greek and Turkish. On returning home he would pass on this knowledge to his two children. Ganka had the most wonderful voice and she was often invited to sing at big celebrations where she would sit with the highest ranking guests. One day she was spotted by a very important Turkish official, the Vizier to the Sultan himself, no less. He was charmed by her beauty and voice and within a couple of days decided that he must have her for his wife. Ganka's parents were at a complete loss: it was quite impossible for them to refuse such an important personage but to give their daughter away in marriage to a Turk would be to go against all tradition. In the end they agreed to the Vizier's proposal for the sake of their son Akhmet, or George to be more precise. He had already been serving as a janissary for over a year. Naturally, he had been taken against his will. In order to tame his wild and free roaming spirit, they had sent Akhmet (as they had immediately re-named him) to the galleys to work as an overseer with the poor galley slaves. Akhmet found this incredibly hard because he didn't have an ounce of cruelty in him. One day Akhmet refused to beat one of the slaves who had fainted from the hard and cruel work. So they began to beat him instead. They beat him so hard that Akhmet was lucky to recover. But then a chance appeared to free Akhmet from his terrible work in the galleys. The Vizier promised that Akhmet would be transferred to a cavalry regiment and given a promotion if Ganka's hand was offered in marriage. And his sister was more than ready to make this sacrifice for the sake of her beloved brother. In the end, the Vizier turned out to be a kind and most remarkable husband. He was very attentive and tender towards Ganka and did his best to support Akhmet and his parents-in-law.

So now Akhmet had decided to save Varvara who so reminded him of his little sister. And what wouldn't he have given to save her. At the same time Varvara looked at Akhmet and thought:

"Who is that strange looking Turk, he keeps looking at me but he doesn't seem at all fierce like all the others and his eyes are as blue as the sea..."

Varvara nudged Darya:

"Look at that Turk; don't you think there is something strange about him?"

But Darya only angrily replied:

"Don't you go looking at the Turks and don't expect anything but trouble from them."

At that very moment the Cossacks were getting ready to rescue the hostages from the Turks. They were just about to jump into the water when they were met by the grisly sight of the corpses of a number of drowned Turks who had fallen off the raft with their mounts. Swimming out into the turbulent waters of the Dniester on their steeds was not going to be an option.

"Stop it!" Marko shouted, "we need a different plan otherwise we'll all perish this way."

The Cossacks stood there paralysed by indecision.

The cousins were also at a complete loss.

"Michael, have you got any ideas how we can help them?" Ben cried in anguish.

Meanwhile, the river itself seemed to doing all it could to help the poor hostages. It was remembering all the attacks made over the years by the Turks and Tartars on the Southern villages of the Ukraine. The myriad cries of those who had suffered at their hands, and tears of the adults and especially the children made her water turn icy cold. Many times the cold, water and smoke from the ruined villages drew forth storms and even the occasional hurricane. The rafts and boats bobbed up and down on the huge waves like corks and many of the hostages managed to save themselves in the ensuing chaos. But today a particularly black cloud ran on ahead of the Turks, stopped over the river and stretched her waves flat so that the surface of the water became quite calm. And neither wind nor living thing could agitate the waters. The river beseeched a passing white cloud:

"Help...!"

And this sounded out like a light groan... And the cloud sped towards the angels:

"There is a great misfortune afoot, we need to stir up the water so that there will be waves."

So the Angel immediately whispered to the brothers:

"Quickly, turn yourselves into animals that live in the water."

Michael immediately turned into an enormous whale, ploughed straight into the river and began to beat the water with his tail, creating huge fountains of spray and washing the river banks with enormous waves. Then, when the boat with the girls and children found itself at the peak of a huge wave, a crocodile appeared. The crocodile was enormous, his eyes flashed angrily and his great jaws opened threateningly. But, this, of course, was Ben. The Turks were nearly frightened to death and immediately leaped from the boat into the water. But Varvara fell into the water together with the Turks. Akhmet immediately dived in after her. In a few seconds he had grabbed the girl and was swimming with her towards the shore. The crocodile flashed his blue eyes at the Turk and the young girl and everyone on the shore feared the worst. But then the crocodile totally unexpectedly snapped his jaws in the air and swam off in the opposite direction.

Akhmet and Varvara safely reached the shore, although it was the Turkish and not the Cossack side of the river. The Turks rushed to help them get out on to the bank.

But the boat with Darya and the other hostages was hoisted on to the peak of a huge wave and safely surfed right up to the bank where the Cossacks were standing. Everyone rushed with joy to free them from their fetters and help them out on to the bank.

But Varvara, with a growing sense of horror, took her first shaky steps on the Turkish side of the river. She was once again a prisoner of the Turks. Although, the Turks did seem to behave a lot better than she expected. They untied the ropes on her hands and feet, put her on a horse and set off on their long, long journey home. Akhmet rode next to Varvara. She had ended up being the only trophy the Turks had to show for their raid. But so many totally unexpected and unforeseen things had happened that those who were left were just thankful that they had survived the ordeal.

Meanwhile, the river became calm again and the whale and crocodile disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. However, just around the bend Michael and Ben shook the water from their wet clothes and burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter. What fun it had been! They had saved the hostages and discovered what it's like to be such powerful and frightening sea creature. Michael would never forget how he ploughed up and down the river making such huge fountains and waves with his back and flanks. Fantastic! And as for Ben, just the sight of his crocodile had caused the Turks to lose their heads completely. And how frighteningly he had flashed his eyes at them! Of course, everyone had been too terrified to notice that this crocodile's eyes were the sweetest bright blue. And when he had opened his huge jaws! Oh, what fun that had been for Ben. Fantastic! The Cossacks had also been amazed at the appearance in their modest little river of two such a huge sea and river giants. But what had been really surprising was the fact that everything these creatures had done was aimed at frightening the Turks and saving their loved ones. It was divine providence! The only downside was that Varvara had not been saved and was still a prisoner of the Turks. But even this sad turn of events had a strange and inexplicable side to it. Although most of the Cossacks had been concentrating on the fate of the boats with the girls and children, many had noticed how one of the Turks had thrown himself into a huge wave to save a simple Ukrainian hostage. What's more it hadn't just been any Turk but one of their commanders. It was totally unheard of... simply a miracle. Then the Cossacks had seen how respectfully they had sat her on a horse and set off into the distance and into the unknown. The cousins had also witnessed it. And they were very sorry that they had not succeeded in saving one of the girls. How had they let her slip through their fingers? What had they not done right? They almost felt like crying. But then the Angel unexpectedly appeared in front of them.

"Don't be upset," he said calming the boys down, "Varvara's capture by the Turks is as it should be. Of course, I shouldn't have told you that, but you both looked so upset and lost. Now, you must rest a little and then I will send you to Akhmet's home and you will see and understand everything. You will need to appear before Varvara as two ordinary young Bulgarian boys and carry out whatever she asks you to do."

Meanwhile, the Cossacks rode past and on each horse sat the happy girls and children that had just been freed. But galloping in front and happiest of all were Marko and Darya. They had decided to get married at the first opportunity. And Marko wasn't going to let his beloved out of his sight a moment longer. There was no way that anyone would ever be able to split them apart again. Then the whole family would get together to think of a way of freeing Varvara and getting her back home.

The Angel told the boys to follow the Cossacks and to have a rest from their adventures while there was still a little time. Michael and Ben decided to stay at Darya's house, which was calm and quiet because everyone had gone to Marko's family house to make preparations for the wedding. Darya's mother and father were very worried that their younger daughter had been captured by the Turks. They were so upset that the cousins decided then and there to try to comfort them. Taking on the form of simple peasant children they appeared in front of the parents who were completely taken aback to see these two unknown boys standing in front of them. Who were they and where had they come from? Why did they somehow look so unusual? One of the youths had dark eyes, very short hair and for some reason seemed to be smiling all the time. The other had bright blue eyes and long fair curls that made him look like an angel. They were trying to explain something in gestures mainly. The cousins had been so affected by Varvara's mother and father's grief surprise that they had forgotten what they had set out to do in the first place.

"Do you think I might have said something wrong?" Ben whispered to Michael.

"I didn't understand anything that you said but I have the impression that you weren't speaking to them in the right language," Michael whispered back.

"Oh yes, how I could have forgotten."

And Ben started to explain to them in his best Ukrainian that all would be well with Varvara because she was being protected by a very high ranking Turkish commander. And having repeated that everything would turn out right in the end, he gave Varvara's parents big thumbs up sign saying:

"Everything will be cool." The two old peasants just looked at the strange boys in complete bewilderment. They couldn't understand a word that these youths were saying because, although Ben had spoken to them in Ukrainian, it was 21st century Ukrainian. And when Ben had given the thumbs up sign the parents exclaimed:

"Dear God they must be Angels!"

The boys looked at each other and their faces broke into the most wonderful smiles. Then Michael turned to them and said: "Cool!" and whispering to Michael said: "Let's go or should I say, let's disappear."

And with a click of a button the boys disappeared.

Varvara's mother and father sat for some time in complete silence trying to fathom whether what had happened had been for real or was some kind of vision. Then they ran to Marko's house telling everyone on the way that they had just been visited by two angels. The only thing was that they hadn't been able to totally understand what Ben had told them. Marko's house was packed full of people making preparations for the wedding. The house was humming like a bee hive with talk of all the amazing events that had taken place on the banks of the Dniester.

In a word, it had been a miracle! First Darya and Varvara's parents listened to everyone's amazing accounts of what had happened. And then they told everyone about their visitation by two young boys, and how strangely they had looked and talked and everyone unanimously agreed that they could only have been angels. Meanwhile, the Angel had been observing the boys and how they had so sincerely tried to console Varvara's parents and could not suppress a big smile – on seeing and hearing their 21st century gestures and slang. Of course this had all been a source of complete amazement to these simple folk who had never been further than the boundaries of their own village. The cousins shouldn't have appeared before the parents of the captured girl but their attempt to console these simple and kind people had been extremely touching. A bright light flickered in the Angel's hands; he raised them up and sent a bright flare up into the sky. The light flickered in the night sky and then disappeared. When enough of these signals of good would be won, then the star would be returned. And no efforts by the forces of darkness would be able to prevent this. Michael and Ben were sitting on the grass in a small clearing in the forest and were arguing loudly and fiercely, because no-one was nearby to overhear them.

"Why did we go to see Varvara's mother and father? Instead of setting their minds at rest we only succeeded in frightening them," Ben shouted.

"Well you should have tried speaking to them in old Ukrainian," replied Michael.

"You try speaking in old Ukrainian yourself, clever clogs. Who knows ancient Ukrainian these days? You could at least have tried to stop me," said Ben trying to justify himself. "There's no stopping you once you get started, and anyway how was I meant to know what you were talking about. I don't know any Ukrainian – modern or ancient. And anyway what were you thinking saying to them that everything would be cool," Michael continued.

"Are you what? I was only trying my best... And you yourself said _"_ cool _"_ And that was after we had already disappeared." Ben angrily kept turning something in his hands. It was a very old, unusual and beautifully worked silver cross.

"That cross is from Varvara's parents' house," Michael remembered, when his cousin tried to recall how he had ended up with it. But what was to be done?

"We will have to return it," said Ben agitatedly.

"But we need to wait here for the Angel," Michael reminded him.

"Let's quickly run to the village, no-one will see us, and quietly put the cross back in Varvara's house," said Ben already setting off.

The boys quickly found themselves back in the village. But it was empty because everyone had gone to the church for Marko and Darya's wedding. The cousins wormed their way through the crowd to the centre of the ancient church. They got there just as the wedding vows were being taken. Marko was in Cossack costume and Darya was in a very long and beautifully sewn shift. Covering this was a wonderfully embroidered skirt. And around her neck were at least a dozen coral necklaces. Her fair hair was plaited into a long pony tail which stretched down to her waist and her head was decorated by a garland of white flowers. And on her feet were the finest red leather boots.

"What a beauty," whispered Michael.

"Well Mr Connoisseur of female beauty, you'd better concentrate on who we are going to give the cross to?" said Ben right into Michael's ear, so that no-one could hear. The boys were concentrating hard in order not to be discovered. But everyone around them was so excited that they didn't hear them anyway. Nevertheless, the boys still needed to find the bride's parents. They made their way past the young man and woman who were holding crowns above the head of the bride and bride groom. Ben quietly made his way up to the bride's mother. She was standing with a handkerchief in her hand wiping away the tears. The occasion was an extremely joyful one but she just couldn't banish the thought of Varvara and her unhappy fate. Ben waited for an opportune moment and when the mother took her hand out of her pocket he quietly slipped the cross into it. When she put her hand back in her pocket she suddenly felt something heavy in the palm of her hand. She opened it and let out a yelp of surprise... There was Varvara's cross. She stretched out her hand to her husband: "Look, our daughter's cross has fallen into my hand from nowhere. How can this have happened! Where did it come from? Maybe her guardian angel has brought it as a sign?"

"Oh no! We've done the wrong thing again," said Ben in despair, "let's get out of here quick!"

And with that Michael lead Ben to the exit. And not a moment too soon, because a few minutes later the whole church lead by the priest was in a furore discussing the mysterious appearance of Varvara's cross. After a great deal of discussion everyone came to the conclusion that this was a sign from God that all would be well with Varvara. The wedding then continued on at Marko's house. Everyone was extremely happy and the bride's parents' faces shone with joy. Michael and Ben were also very pleasantly surprised that their small action had done so much good. Who would have thought it? The Angel knew that all deeds that come straight from the heart bring great joy to all people. And such actions in their turn naturally produce their own rewards – that is the law of life. And at that moment yet another ray of light shot up into the heavens. But now the boys were faced with a new task. They needed to catch up with the Turks who had taken Varvara away and escort her to Akhmet's house. At least this is what the Angel had explained to the cousins. Ben didn't quite understand so he asked the Angel again:

"Are you sure we need to escort Varvara and not save her from the Turks?"

It was then that the Angel explained that under no circumstances were they to change the life that Varvara had lived. Their task was to do everything in their power to ensure that neither Varvara nor her parents suffered too greatly from the separation or fell into too great a despair. When a person falls into such a condition there can be very serious consequences, not only for them but for subsequent generations.

"Why?" Michael blurted out.

"Because when people are like that they are at their most vulnerable to their spiritual enemies," explained the Angel. "Did you at least manage to get a bite to eat in the village? Here is a bit of food which will serve you until you catch up with the detachment of Turks."

The boys' rested, fed and watered horses were waiting for them. The Angel gave them precise instructions about where they needed to go in order to overtake the Turkish caravan. Thus the cousins set off in pursuit of the Turks.

They rode invisibly and in silence, everything was going very well until they reached the Dniester where a large number of people on horseback and foot were trying to cross the river. Some were trying to get on to the boats, while others were fighting to get onto the rafts. The boys were unable to get a raft for themselves so they had to get on to one with fewer riders and more space for them to remain unnoticed. But then a minor mishap took place. As soon as the cousins got on to the raft it became invisible. The people on the raft began to panic because it appeared to them that the timbers had vanished under their feet but yet they were still floating on the water. Michael and Ben immediately jumped up onto their horses and in the same instant everyone on board could see and feel the raft under their feet. It was already getting late and everyone assumed that the disappearance of the raft must have been a trick of the light. However, it was extremely difficult to keep their balance on their horses as they were bucked and buffeted by the stormy river's waves and the boys along with their horses soon found themselves overboard swimming for the shore with their mounts. Fortunately however they were not far from the shore and soon reached dry land. Everyone on board the raft was amazed at the strange sight and sounds that greeted them: they could hear the neighing of horses, the splashing of water and they barely kept their balance the raft rocked so much. Michael and Ben's horses successfully climbed out on to the other bank and the lads carried on their way.

Dusk closed in and the cousins stopped at a village for the night. They learned from one of the village women that the Turks had passed through quite recently and that their raid had been unsuccessful with only one captive for all their pains. Therefore the boys got up at the crack of dawn to gallop off in pursuit of the Turks. They caught up with them at the next village. However, Akhmet and Varvara had joined up with an even bigger military wagon train. It turned out that this was the Grand Vizier's train, the very same Vizier who had married Akhmet's sister. And he had invited Akhmet to join his wagon train. Needless to say, the boys were not best pleased to hear this news. Firstly, how were they to find them and at the same time remain undiscovered? And secondly, how were they now going to help and support Varvara? There was nothing for it but to look for Akhmet and Varvara. Thus, the boys travelled from one village to another and thanks to the fact, the people of Bukovyna spoke Ukrainian they were finally able to discover the Turks' military camp.

The Turks had chosen a spot next to the village to make camp. Night was approaching and the camp was quiet. Akhmet had taken Varvara to one of the houses in the village but had returned to the camp himself. Left on her own Varvara devised her own escape plan. But, of course, without help she wouldn't be able to get anywhere. Where was she going to get this help? The Turk who was protecting her was evidently not a bad man. But why was he behaving like this and what did he have in mind? Oh Lord! How frightening it was so far away from her family and where was fate leading her? The cousins were thinking much the same thoughts as her. They were very sorry for the poor girl. Why couldn't they return her to her family?

They would happily have tried...

"Maybe we can try and persuade the Angel to change his mind," asked Ben.

"As far as I understand, this all happened so long ago that this young girl's life has long since passed. Therefore it would be wrong to change its course too dramatically," replied Michael sadly.

The boys were standing by the window, totally invisible to any passer-by. Suddenly, several very unusual looking men ran past with rifles in their hands. Their dark clothing hugged their bodies and they had scarves tied around their heads like pirates. Silently, they took out the sentries with a single knife blow, which they then wiped clean on their boot straps. Who could they be? And then the cousins heard a language very similar to their own Bulgarian. Of course, these must be Serbs! The lads knew that of all the peoples of the Balkans the Turks feared the Serbs most. They were extremely brave and proud of their freedom. There was no way that they could reconcile themselves to the Turkish occupation of their lands. The Serbs often attacked the Turks' military camps and fought like lions in open battle. Michael and Ben had learned all this from the tales the Cossacks had told among themselves when together they had fought off the Turkish raid. Although the Serbs were enemies of the Turks, the boys decided that Varvara's safety had to come first and that meant warning the Turks of the danger. But first they would have to get Varvara out of harm's way. Ben grabbed the girl by the hand and headed for the nearest exit. In an instant she also became invisible. In the meantime, Michael grabbed one of the rifles that had belonged to one of the sentries. Together the three of them skirted the village's perimeter fence and Michael (who had always been good at technical things) worked out how the sixteenth century musket worked and began to shoot into the air. In an instant, the Turks were woken by the shots and quickly ran out of their tents with their rifles blazing. The Serb force was not a large one and when they realised they no longer had the advantage of surprise, quickly melted back into the darkness.

Varvara stood on the road totally unable to understand what was going. There didn't seem to be anyone next to her, yet someone was holding her by her hand. In order not to frighten the girl more than necessary Ben let go of her hand. At that very moment Michael ran up and quietly explained what was going on. He let off another warning shot from the musket thus saving the peaceful villagers as well as the Turks from this unexpected attack. The moment Akhmet heard the first shot he grabbed his rifle and ran headlong to the house where he had left Varvara. When he found her missing he immediately set off in pursuit. He set off along the road to the North of the village because the Serbs had ridden off in the opposite direction. Soon he saw the girl standing in the middle of the road and involuntarily he let out a cry of joy. Varvara burst into tears, although the Turk had done nothing to offend her, her brief experience of freedom had seemed more valuable than anything. And at that very same moment the cousins decided to save Varvara. Having quickly conferred with each other, Michael grabbed her by the hand and immediately turned into a huge tree, while Ben turned into an enormous snake. The snake hissed menacingly and reared up ready to strike. But this was not going to stop Akhmet. He saw the girl sitting in the tree and immediately made for the snake with his sabre. Now it was Ben who was in danger. However, in the nick of time the tree's branches began to whip the Turk as if they had been blown by a huge wind... Akhmet fell but was soon on his feet and hurling himself at the snake. What were they to do? In a moment the two cousins were standing in front of Akhmet in full view. Varvara was standing behind them, her eyes full of fear and amazement at this turn of events. She was so scared that she had even covered her face with her hands. Akhmet had been preparing himself to do battle with the snake but now it had somehow disappeared. And the tree, where was the tree? And now here was Varvara standing behind two strange looking young lads. Akhmet was at a complete loss and called to Varvara in Bulgarian:

"Come to me; don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. Don't trust these strangers."

Michael and Ben looked at each other in surprise – how did this Turk know Bulgarian? And then they remembered what the Angel had told them about Akhmet and that he wasn't a Turk at all but a Bulgarian serving in the Turkish army. This meant that they would be able to explain everything. Ben nudged Michael and whispered:

"You tell them that we are here to help them both."

"No, no, it won't work if I do it."

At that moment their disagreement was interrupted by Akhmet:

"I don't need any help, but tell Varvara that there is no way back. Let her live with me for a while, and if she doesn't like it I will take her home myself."

Varvara looked out from behind her hands and watched their conversation in complete amazement. It seemed that the Turk wasn't a Turk at all. But then who could he be? And who were these young lads, where had they come from and what had happened to that huge snake? Maybe she had imagined it all in her fright? Varvara listened in to their conversation and understood that they were talking about her. They were clearly not speaking in Turkish but a language with a number of words that she understood. But who was he, this Akhmet? At the same time, Akhmet had persuaded the boys to explain to Varvara that he wasn't Turkish but Bulgarian and that of course he wouldn't do her any harm. The lads agreed that Ben should speak to Varvara because he nevertheless knew Ukrainian, even if it was from a different century. And so Ben explained everything to Varvara. On hearing her native language, Varvara could not hold back her tears and simply threw her arms round him saying:

"My fellow countrymen!"

Then Ben told Varvara that he had seen her parents, and Marko and Darya's wedding and that he had even managed to give her mother her cross. He then went on to describe how her family and everyone in her village had been filled with great joy when they understood that this was a sign from her. At this the poor girl turned quite pale and burst into inconsolable tears.

Dawn was approaching but they all continued to talk and talk. Then Michael and Akhmet also joined in the conversation. And Varvara and Akhmet were especially happy. It was good that they had found these kind lads. It was as if they had been dropped from heaven especially to help them.

Varvara decided that she would no longer be afraid of Akhmet and bravely follow the road that he was taking, and then later... she would see. But for now Varvara knew that she definitely needed to get to her family one way or another. However, the priority for them all now was to think of a way of getting to Akhmet's home. They already all knew that Akhmet was in fact called George and lived with his parents in Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria.

Veliko Tarnovo is in the middle of Bulgaria and after conquering it the Turks very rarely went there except on special assignments. In this part of Bulgaria the native language had been preserved, as had the Christian faith and many other invaluable national traditions. It was decided that Akhmet would return to the military camp with Varvara and then return to George's home with the boys. What's more, with the Vizier being a relation of Akhmet's he would be bound to protect them. Akhmet and Varvara travelled in the Vizier's military cortege, and Michael and Ben followed them out of sight at a short distance. The rest of the journey passed without any notable mishap or adventure. Although there was one interesting event on the way that happened almost immediately after the boys had spoken to Akhmet and Varvara. Near the village where they had been staying, everyone saw the most amazing rays of light in the sky, they looked like falling stars only they seemed to be heading towards the heavens rather than falling to the earth. This could only mean one thing - the Angel was somewhere near. The cousins knew exactly what the sign meant! The Turkish military caravan brought Akhmet and Varvara right to his home. But the cortege itself carried on further to the Turkish capital. The Vizier was also in a hurry to get home.

George's parents were overjoyed to see their son but also Varvara and Michael and Ben who had switched off their invisibility buttons and stood before them in their own guise. And everyone got on extremely naturally. The fact that everything about them was different: from their clothes, to the way that they talked was put down as only natural considering how far away they had come from. Varvara quickly recovered from her ordeal and soon got used to her new surroundings. George's father began to teach her to read and write in Bulgarian and Greek. Varvara got the hang of everything very quickly and soon the head of this old and respected family gathered together a number of important guests and introduced Varvara as a member of the family. At these words everyone looked at George and he just gestured to Varvara. She blushed deeply and everyone understood that the young couple had come to an agreement long ago. Nevertheless they decided not to rush the marriage because the bride still needed to grow up a little.

And so the story that had started so sadly with a young girl being taken from her family had ended with the happiest of fairy-tale endings. It was time for the boys to take their leave and so they went to inform Varvara of their decision. She asked them if they could just wait a little because she wanted to give her parents some news. Soon Varvara had embroidered the whole story of their adventures onto a piece of linen and concluded it with a beautiful depiction of Michael and Ben's faces and a bunch of hollyhocks, her favourite flowers. She knew that her family would understand from the last sign that she was getting ready to get married and that she was happy.

The cousins took this wonderful tapestry in pictures, said their farewells and went on their way. They hadn't gone far beyond the village's boundary fence before the Angel appeared. He was smiling and the boys knew that they had completed their mission well.

When they were already sitting on the starship, Michael asked the Angel how everything would have turned out if they had not been there to help.

"Have a look," said the Angel switching on a screen. And the events that they had just taken part in were played again on screen. At the battle at the fortress, the Cossacks suffered very heavy losses. Twice as many hostages were taken and many women and children suffered especially in the crossing of the river Dniester. Akhmet was able to save Varvara from the river but she was very seriously wounded at the village when the Serbs attacked. Akhmet's parents then spent a long time healing her and she had been left with a limp, which caused her a great deal of suffering for long time afterwards. After the clip had finished the Angel concluded:

"Well, of course Varvara was only able to pass on her embroidered message to her parents via her son and for a long time they thought that she had died."

"And how did our help influence Varvara's future?" Ben asked hopefully.

"Varvara, her family and all the generations that follow her will be highly educated people. Varvara will master Bulgarian and Greek and will be able to speak Turkish fluently. During her life she will find some priceless, ancient manuscripts. Being related to people who are close to the Sultan she will be able to hide them and then pass them on for safekeeping to the Rila Monastery, which was hidden in caves not far from Greece during the Ottoman Empire. Being fit and well, thanks to your help, Varvara will be able to visit Greece many times. Later when they find out that she is originally from the Ukraine the Greek monks will give her these priceless historic and ancient manuscripts to take back to her homeland. Then Varvara's son will take these important writings back to Kyiv where they will be kept in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The monks there also used to collect and preserve important manuscripts. They were the most educated people and at that time and the monastery was the focal point for the most advanced scientific and historical thinking, but look we've already arrived," said the Angel.

Michael and Ben had stopped right next to Varvara's parents' house. They were worried that they might not succeed in passing on Varvara's news in the way that she had asked them because their previous efforts hadn't quite turned out as they would have liked. Michael knocked on the door and Ben turned the handle. That was just the custom in those days – you just knocked on the door and went straight in. At first no-one noticed that they had come in, the mother was busy at the stove and the father was making something at the window. Ben coughed but no-one even turned to look in their direction. Then Ben decided to take the bull by the horns.

"We have come to you from Varvara."

At the mention of her daughter's name the mother immediately turned her head.

"Dear God, it's those young lads again. Sit down my dears, sit down," said the mother.

The father seemed to be struck dumb and motionless. Michael produced the embroidered cloth and gave it to the mother. She turned it over and let out a shriek.

"Dear God, it's a piece of Varvara's embroidery. Dear God, what has she been through," the mother cried. "Oh my dear daughter, you have been taken by the enemy, the accursed Turk! And what flowers are these? Hollyhocks! Has that dirty infidel taken her to be his wife? Oh my poor little girl! Oh, what bitter fate is this?"

Ben quietly whispered to Michael:

"Listen and remember what you are hearing because this type of keening is a typical folk custom of the sixteenth century."

It was only then that the father intervened:

"Wait a bit, wife, you are forgetting yourself. You will be our honoured guests, sit down and tell us everything."

But it was difficult to stop the mother once she had started. For a long time she carried on keening in this vein, all the time holding Varvara's embroidery close and kissing it. Then she set about serving the boys some food. Very soon everyone had sat down and been told the news that Varvara was alive and had sent a message.

People piled into the parents' house. Darya was the first to run in and was overjoyed that her beloved sister had been found! The house was so full of noise and chatter that nothing could be heard above the racket. Everybody looked at Varvara's embroidered message. And already half the village had pronounced that:

"Our poor Varvara has been given away to a foreign infidel!"

The cousins tried to explain that Varvara was happy and that her fiancé was not a Turk, but all in vain...

At that moment Marko appeared. He had just returned from a patrol and had heard the wonderful news that Varvara had been saved and had sent some people as emissaries. Marko soon brought some order to the proceedings and asked the cousins to recount the whole story regarding Varvara. When the boys had finished their tale everyone present was as overjoyed as children. Varvara's rescue had been miraculous with a real fairy tale ending. And once again everyone talked about it being a true sign from God. And at that moment everyone turned to look at Michael and Ben. There was evidently something out of the ordinary about the boys and they had been directly involved in Varvara's rescue. And then Varvara's mother asked them:

"Are you Angels?"

"Oh no, no, no," the boys were quick to reply, "but we did have some help from an Angel" Ben added.

"Glory is to the Angels!" everybody cried and the cousins understood that this was the sign for them to make an exit. They pressed the button on their bracelets and made their way out of the house.

Once outside the Angel was already waiting for them. They flew back deep in silence. Then Michael asked:

"What happened to Marko and Darya? Did we also manage to help them in some way?"

"Yes, you did," answered the Angel, "and in a very real way." The Angel pressed a different button and images flickered on the screen a bit like an old fashioned film. The Turks had captured Darya and had taken her with them across the Dniester. Because Darya was extremely beautiful she was taken into an important Turk's harem. She was forced to follow this Turk's caravan until Marko and the Cossacks were able to free her. The battle was incredibly fierce and Marko was forced to take on dozens of Turks at once. As a result Marko received a very serious head wound. He was left with the most terrible scar down the left side of his face for the rest of his life. Marko and Darya got married, but the wedding was a sad affair, they had both gone through too much and suffered too many losses. Then their first son – Peter – was born. He was a dark eyed, active young boy who already at the age of three had grabbed a sabre and declared that he would fight with his enemies to the death while threateningly flashing his eyes at all those around him. And looking at his son Marko was overcome with doubts that maybe his son might have a bit of the Turk in him.

"Well, you know," the Angel concluded, "Darya was freed without any great harm but Marko become sombre and broody for the rest of his life." But then the Angel added: "Thanks to you Marko and Darya lived happily. Marko went on to become an excellent military leader and ended up in charge of a whole Cossack regiment, which under an agreement with the Podolsk Kingdom went on to serve the Kingdom of Poland. Their children also became military people and their grandson went on to serve under Bohdan Khmelnytsky himself. And all the generations that followed Marko and Darya were rewarded for their irreproachable service and loyalty to the ideals of Christianity. There were also a number of priests among their descendants. One of them was Philip. He lived in Poland and was directly descended from the Poles, in the 19th century he came to the Podolsk Province of the Ukraine. And everything was fine until the revolution at the beginning of the 20th century. Philip's son, Nikolas was also a priest and married a beautiful woman called Alexandra. They had many children together... Seven to be precise: two girls and five boys. The revolution brought them nothing but misfortune. But somehow they managed to cope with the extreme difficulties that they had to face. But we have stopped at the life of your great-grandmother and are going to give her some support at some particularly difficult moments in her life," noted the Angel.

"We are ready to help," Michael and Ben confirmed, confidently nodding their heads.

"Your great-grandmother was born into the family of a priest and was brought up to follow the tenets of the Christian faith. But having lived through the revolution, civil war and the constant changes of government ever since her early childhood, she learned that you can only survive by taking a pro-active attitude to life. 'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you, for everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.' This is the Gospel of Matthew. Now we are going to fly to the very middle of the 20th century where you will witness what your ancestors and some of your close relatives had to live through."

And with that the Angel abruptly changed trajectory and the starship shot off directly upwards. Soon they had joined a stellar highway where the traffic was moving mainly in one direction with only the occasional starship coming to meet them. Seeing an immense stripe of bright light in the distance that looked like it had been projected there by a huge cinema projector, the Angel dropped speed and landed softly on a large dome shaped building. At the entrance an old and august looking man was waiting for them. His hair and beard were completely grey but he himself looked quite slim and sprightly dressed in clothes similar to those of a priest. The old man, (who the boys nicknamed 'the Wise Old Man') had a face and features that seemed very familiar to Michael and Ben.

"Where could we have seen him before?" said Michael nudging Ben.

"You know he looks just like one of the saints," said Michael and was unable to finish his thought before the Angel interrupted:

"Wise man is exactly what you should call him."

"I wonder if our Guardian Angels read our thoughts in our normal lives," Michael wondered.

But the Angel said out loud with a big smile on his face: "Oh yes, they read them, they most definitely read them."

Everyone burst out laughing - it was so obvious what they were all thinking about. The Wise Old Man invited the boys up to the screen, if you could call the huge expanse of light that took up the whole of the wall a screen. The boys sat down behind a long table equipped with a huge array of buttons. The Wise Old Man switched on the screen and it came to life. The boys had the impression that one only needed to step into the screen to be transported to the scene depicted on it in real life. The Angel told the cousins that they would now have to decide for themselves when to take part in the action and when to provide help depending on the situation. The Wise Old Man would help them get there.

"In a starship?" asked Ben.

"No, all that will be required is your decision," said the Angel, "only first be sure to press the red button in front of you.

"And what if we don't choose the right moment to get involved?" Michael looked enquiringly at the Wise Old Man.

"The desire to help, and especially the desire to help your blood relatives, will ensure that you make the right choice," the Wise Old Man assured the cousins.

Thus they found their great-grandmother's life being played out in front of their very eyes. There she was as a young and beautiful woman playing the role of the main heroine opposite her future husband in a play called 'Natalka Poltavka'. Then there was the birth of their first daughter just before the Second World War. Then their second daughter, the boys' grandmother, was born.

Everything was fine and they lived happily in a small Polish town right on the border. Then suddenly one day at the break of dawn the Second World War started. Great-grandfather was away on business and great-grandmother, who was still only a young woman, rushed around the house in a panic trying to decide where they should run to, where they could hide and how to save her children? But the enemy was already at the doorstep. At the last second Nina and her two small children got into the last lorry that was so packed that you could barely stand up. Bombs exploded all around and aeroplanes constantly shot at them.

Immediately the red light began to flash. Michael and Ben ran into the house where their relatives had lived. Running through the house they grabbed as much warm clothing as they could carry for Nina and the children. They found two gold rings that were lying next to a box lying open on the table. In the kitchen, on the way out they picked up some bread and sausage. They were just in time because a couple of enemy Nazi motorcycle riders had just entered the house. The boys spotted their motorcycle and sidecar and immediately jumped in \- Michael on the bike and Ben in the sidecar and set off in hot pursuit of the refugees with bullets flying about their ears. Ben found a couple of German helmets in the bottom of the sidecar, so whenever the boys saw any vehicle decorated with a swastika they would immediately disguise themselves in these helmets. They only caught up with the long abandoned car at the station. The cousins rushed to find the train carrying their relatives, which turned out to be a fairly simple task because it was the only train with a locomotive attached to it. The boys jumped on to the train and, systematically working their way through the carriages, they soon found their great-grandmother sitting with her children in nothing but their lightest summer clothes. The children were crying and Nina just sat there wringing her hands. How could she have left home without taking anything with her? The cousins slipped two bundles next to her: one with food and the other with clothes. Michael nonchalantly asked Nina:

"Are these yours by any chance?"

"What? Where? " she asked in a small lost voice.

"Here," said Ben nudging the bundles closer to Nina.

"How could I not have noticed taking them?"

Nina untied the bundles, fed the children and dressed them in warmer clothes. They immediately calmed down, despite the bombs that were falling all around the train. And when Nina put on her warm cardigan she found the two gold rings in her pocket. Oh, how useful they were going to prove later on. It was only later that she began to wonder, whether it had been an Angel sent from heaven that had left these rings in her pocket. Thus, the family escaped hell on earth in one piece.

Soon great-grandfather was killed and great-grandmother was left alone with the children. It was very difficult for her. Michael and Ben watched on in disbelief at this fantastic story. How could anyone survive such harsh conditions? On more than one occasion the boys were ready to rush to their relatives' aid. But the Wise Old Man stopped them, explaining that the time that they had available was strictly rationed. But then, when their great-grandmother was rushing to cross the great river Volga just as the ice was beginning to thaw out, the red button began to flash! The cousins found themselves flying in a starship right above Nina. But an Angel was leading her over the ice floes and she successfully avoided falling into the treacherous water and finally reached the far shore. Nevertheless her boots were completely soaked through. Nina wearily sank onto a nearby bench and closed her eyes. At that moment Michael and Ben swapped her wet boots for some dry ones. A minute later Nina was already running to get to her work at the bread factory on time, where the bread rations were a bit more generous.

The family moved gradually westwards as the country became liberated from the enemy.

Thus, Nina found herself in a small town in the Ukraine where she had gone to work for some small farmers. No sooner had she entered the farmyard than she was attacked by their vicious dog. In an instant the cousins rushed to help drive the huge dog away from Nina. They were going to need more than a couple of big sticks so Ben shouted to Michael:

"What are dogs afraid of? Do you think they might be frightened of bears?"

"Well give it a try, quick!"

Within a second Ben, who was standing behind Nina, turned into a huge grizzly bear. The vicious dog was completely taken aback. She gave a frightened little yelp like a small puppy and ran off at full pelt.

"Phew, thank goodness we've frightened it off!"

However, the horrible dog had still succeeded in biting Nina on the leg. Later some soldiers helped to make it better. The wound healed but for a long time afterwards Nina wondered what exactly had frightened the dog off? Once the cousins had got out of earshot of the vicious dog and its owners they fell about laughing. Michael told Ben, how funny it had been when Ben, in the form of a bear, had waved his great paw at the dog and said:

"Get out of here, you horrible cur!"

There was one very touching scene when the two little girls, went to the bazaar with two buckets of water. The idea was to sell the water by the cup for whatever the passers-by could afford. The boys' grandmother looked especially funny, the bucket reached right up to her waist and it would take all her strength to drag it around with her crying in her little voice:

"Who wants my lovely cold water?"

The cousins couldn't resist helping her and secretly filled her pockets with so many coins that later everyone was amazed at how much she had been able to earn. But the next day when all the other children who lived in the same huge makeshift hall rushed off to the market to sell water they found that everyone had already drunk their fill the day before.

Later Nina arrived at Kamianets-Podilskyi.

"Is it the same town?" asked Ben.

"Yes, exactly the same, look there is the same Turkish Fortress," Michael replied in surprise. Great-grandmother Nina's brother Ivan lived in Kamianets-Podilskyi. He had now become Father John which was a great surprise for Nina.

"Didn't you used to be a maths teacher?" Nina asked in surprise.

"Well, it's a long story," answered Ivan.

And the following is Nina's brother's highly unusual story. Michael and Ben were all ears.

Several days before the War Ivan had come to Kamianets-Podilskyi to visit some relatives. When the Second World War started they were unable to get away quickly enough before the Germans had taken the town. Expecting our army to quickly repulse the enemy Ivan and his wife thus remained stuck in Kamianets-Podilskyi. At first Ivan remained at home and busied himself writing a new mathematics text book for his senior classes. Then a number of horrendous events began to take place: the Nazis began to herd all the local Jews into a terrible ghetto. Then one day they came knocking on Ivan's door, although he and his family were all Ukrainians. For some reason the Nazis thought that Ivan looked like a Jew and he was taken. Literally the next day his wife ran to the head of the SS and showed him Ivan's diploma proving that he had graduated from a seminary. The SS commander became extremely angry and shouted that the document could have been forged and that Ivan would have to prove himself what sort of priest he was. Ivan's wife went away in despair, they didn't even take the message she had brought for her husband.

Michael and Ben immediately pressed the red button and found themselves standing next to Ivan's wife who was on her way to the ghetto. She was carrying some food and warm clothing for her husband. But at the entrance she unexpectedly met up with Ivan. He had nevertheless been let out with orders to start serving as a priest the following day. In her joy at seeing her husband, Ivan's wife dropped her bundles and ran to embrace him. The cousins quickly grabbed the bundle containing the food. Being invisible the boys soon got into the ghetto where the prisoners were being held. The sight that greeted them defied description! Adults, old people and children were crammed in together like sardines. The door was guarded but unlocked. The boys quietly opened the door, went inside, lay the bundle by the doors, unwrapped it and quickly slipped to one side. They had barely caught their breath before the food disappeared and was given to the children.

"Those swine aren't even feeding the children." Michael angrily hissed to Ben.

"Why would they bother to feed them if they're getting ready to murder them?" Ben sadly replied.

"How could they kill innocent children?" Michael exclaimed in horror.

"Haven't you seen any films about the War?" and speaking in a barely audible whisper Ben said: "Let's set them free tonight!"

"That would be brilliant!" Michael joyfully agreed.

When night fell, the German commanders went their different ways leaving only one guard. The cousins spent a long time trying to think of a way of distracting the guard and finally came up with an idea... That night a German motorcar and sidecar rode up to the main entrance of the building where the prisoners were being held. Two rather small and clumsy German soldiers dragged a big case from the sidecar and left it in the guard's restroom. They put the case on the table so that its contents would be visible to the guards and then muttered something totally incomprehensibly in German.

"This is a present to celebrate the holiday."

The reason being, that it was just before New Year's Eve, and then left on further business. However, there was such a strong smell of coffee coming from the case that it was only a matter of minutes before the guards were crowded together in the guard house. A few minutes later they were all drinking the most wonderful coffee and no-one was in any rush to return to their post.

The two small dispatch riders, who, as you've guessed, were Michael and Ben, opened the gate of the hall where the prisoners were being held.

"We are letting you out, run for it!" Michael shouted to the prisoners. But nobody stirred but just stood there in silence.

"Don't be afraid, we are on your side, the guards are sitting drinking coffee in the guard house. You have ten to fifteen minutes to get away," Ben tried to convince the poor prisoners.

Then one of the older men got up and said:

"We can't all get away; they will catch up with us older ones and shoot us. So, if you can, take the children and young people and we will stay here so that they will think that nothing has happened. At least that way we can hold them up for a while and the children will be saved."

The boys formed the children into a chain holding hands with Michael at one end and Ben at the other. Then they switched on their invisibility buttons. In an instant all the children had disappeared, the grown-ups simply gasped in amazement. What miracle was this! Michael and Ben led the children out of the building and when they had put a safe distance between them and danger, they split the children into several groups sending each one to different villages. There they were hidden by the peasants who looked after them as their own. And thus all the children were saved.

Having become a priest, Ivan did many good deeds. But the most important of them was supporting the partisans by sending them food which people would leave at the church. But when the war ended, Ivan decided to return to teaching. For a long time Ivan was passed from one official to another each one more senior than the last. Finally, Ivan was seen by the most senior official in the town. From his expression Ivan could tell that no good was going to come of this meeting. The official spent a long time shuffling his papers about and then started talking on his telephone. Finally, he fixed his gaze on Ivan.

"And what do you want?" he asked irritated not even bothering to offer his visitor a seat.

Ivan didn't even bat an eyelid, concisely explained his request and ended by saying:

"I want to return to my job as a teacher."

"How can we possibly let a priest teach in our wonderful school!" the party boss replied rudely.

"I graduated from university in the engineering and mathematics faculty. In fact, the same department that your boss graduated from," Ivan replied with dignity.

This only maddened the official even more because he had only finished secondary school with difficulty. He smashed his fist down on the table and said:

"Well, Mr Former teacher and turncoat priest, you can only change back into a teacher again if you renounce your faith in writing and by official declaration on the radio. Repent by telling the people that everything you were doing in the church was a just a lie to trick them," continued the boss.

It was then that Ivan understood everything. He abruptly turned to the door saying:

"That is something that I will never do. I will never betray the faith of our fathers! It is with great pleasure that I will remain Father John," and left the room without another word.

The boss went green with anger and decided there and then to ruin Ivan's work as a priest.

The cousins were very upset when they saw this scene. Ivan needed help urgently. The Wise Old Man pressed the red button. In an instant Michael and Ben found themselves in the self-important official's office and not a moment too soon because he had already dialled the local bishop's number. Michael quickly rendered the petty tyrant's phone useless. When the ring tone went dead the boss became even angrier and began to bang the receiver but all to no avail. Then abruptly he paced out of his office. The boys ran after him, totally unseen. The boss flew into his assistant's office where an urgent meeting was being held. Having stormed into the main department of the administration and aware of the surprised gazes of his subordinates, the boss understood that it would be quite impossible for him to make his phone call from here. Although atheism was the official doctrine, he knew full well that the vast majority of people in the town baptised their children and observed the major religious festivals.

"Oh well, it can wait. I'll go and see the Bishop myself a bit later." He thought to himself.

But as soon as Ivan came home he sat down to write a letter to the highest authorities in the republic, setting out in detail how he had taken holy orders. He included a hand written document from the partisans thanking him for his help during the war and another one from the military authorities for the part he had played in rescuing and hiding some prisoners in the church. The letter ended up being quite long and bulky. Having sealed the letter he set off to post it in the local post box. At that moment Michael and Ben appeared and offered to post Ivan's letter for him.

"Let us post it for you, Father," but having weighed it in their hands they persuaded him that the letter would be best sent from the main post office.

Ivan was very glad:

"Oh yes please, do send it."

The next day Ivan had a meeting with the Bishop. The Bishop knew perfectly well the conditions that our priests had to work in in those days. He thoroughly understood Ivan's position and promised him his support. Sometime later the petty tyrant was removed from his post and Ivan was even sorry that he had sent his letter to the senior authorities. But then one day he opened the door of his desk to find the very same letter torn into small pieces. It was only then that he let out a big sigh of relief: "Thank God I never sent it."

The cousins had carried out a very important mission on that occasion. They had managed to put right a very serious mistake made by Ivan. The Wise Old Man had shown the boys how Ivan's letter would have been sent on by the senior authorities to the secret police with the order: "to take the appropriate measures." An investigation would have been made on Ivan and his close relatives. And at the very least they would have been kept on file. Thus, they forgot all about Ivan and he continued to quietly serve his community.

The post war period was particularly hard. The cousins witnessed how their grandmother and her sister were sent to join the bread queue in the middle of the night. One time when they got near the front of the line, the bread ran out.

The boys immediately pressed the red button and found themselves in the bread shop. Looking into the room behind the shop counter the lads could see several sacks of bread. The boys grabbed the sacks and poured the bread out on to the counter. The people in the queue were outraged and the shopkeeper quickly decided to sell the bread after all. The boys' grandmother and her sister, who were still very small girls at the time, were over the moon – they had managed to get a whole loaf of bread for the family. But when they got home they were even more amazed to see another loaf sitting on the table. But how could it have got there? When Michael and Ben had seen how happy the sisters had been they decided to leave another loaf at their house. Nevertheless, life began to somehow get better especially when the leading positions in the city were taken over by people who had been at the front and therefore knew the value of life. At that time Kamianets-Podilskyi, which was still a fairly modest town, was headed by the former commander of a detachment of partisans. He quickly got the town back on its feet. He had houses rebuilt and replanted the parks, which wound their way around the cliffs surrounding the whole town. But most importantly he restored the old bridge that spanned the huge fifty metre cliffs separating the Old and New parts of the town from each other.

When grandmother was still studying at school her sister, who had graduated with a secondary medical education, began to work as a nurse in the hospital. She was a kind, clever and very energetic girl and all her patients loved her very much. Naturally, she was noticed and invited to join a youth organisation. And she began to invest all her good nature and energy into this organisation as well. However, working in the leading posts of this organisation was a difficult test. These Komsomol organisations had always been full of dark energy. And grandmother's sister had to take a stand on a number of occasions, while agreeing with certain other things on other occasions. And by acting as this buffer, she was able to protect the whole family, although she suffered a great deal in the process.

Michael and Ben observed how things were in those days and their amazement knew no bounds. Next to grandmother's house there grew a huge lime tree. Their grandmother would hide with a book in its branches and read and read and read for many a long hour. And she and the other children would play "Germans and partisans" in the adjoining building that had been shelled during the war. All that was left of it were the walls that kept it standing. But the children would jump from the walls through the empty gaping holes that had once been windows and not one of them was hurt in the slightest. Of course there was a secret reason for this.

The cousins looked at the Wise Old Man who smiled enigmatically and pressed another button on the control panel. Immediately, the boys saw how several Angels flew alongside the children and protected them. Having played their fill in the building the children, with the boys' grandmother amongst them, would happily run down to the river. They would scramble down the sheer faces of the cliffs to bathe in the river.

One day the children set off to bathe a long way from the town. Michael and Ben's grandmother swam out into the middle of the river, got into difficulties and was beginning to drown. Quickly Ben pressed the red button and the cousins found themselves standing on the banks of the river. However, at that moment a big wave washed over the feet of a man sitting nearby on the bank causing him to look up and see the young girl in difficulty. He quickly undressed and dived into the water. A minute later and the young girl was sitting on the river bank and even complaining about being fished out of the water. The cousins were very relieved that their grandmother had been rescued.

Soon after that Michael and Ben witnessed a real wonder. It was raining but nevertheless the sun was shining brightly. The sun's rays played on the large drops of rain lending them all the hues and colours of the rainbow. It looked as if diamonds were being scattered from the sky. The children ran barefoot in the rain, opening out their arms and joyfully taking in each drop. The Wise Old Man explained:

"This sun rain comes from directly from God's heaven and is extremely good for you."

Quickly Ben pressed the red button. In an instant he and Michael were also running under these wonderful shining droplets of rain. When the cousins raised their eyes to the sky it seemed to be full of smiling angels.

The Princess's Ring

Michael and Ben's strange and mysterious adventures continued. They were now flying with the Angel in his starship and had no idea what to expect next. To all their questions the Angel simply replied:

"We have no time to waste; I will explain everything on the way."

The Angel looked tenderly at the boys. Their childlike gifts of spontaneity, hope and faith in their success had helped them produce miracles. They firmly understood that it was vitally important that they find the Divine Star that was so priceless to the whole of their family line. And the Angel thought to himself:

"What great kids."

Meanwhile the cousins were trying to analyse all that they had seen in the Archive House of Lives. They had witnessed so much about the lives of their family ancestors. Although truth is told they had often been at a complete loss as to what to do because their ancestors both alive and dead had been simply remarkable people. They had worked and brought up their children honestly and had successfully overcome many difficulties in their lives. Michael and Ben had been exceptionally keen to rush to their aid and the Wise Old Man and the Angel had helped them do this in various ways. The Wise Old Man, who was in charge of the amazing House of Lives, and the Angel had given them the ability to change into anything they wanted: be it a tiger, elephant or crocodile. In their wildest dreams the cousins couldn't have dreamt up anything more fantastic than what they had been through. And they had been a great help to their distant ancestors at some of the most difficult and trying moments of their lives. They understood this from the number of times that the Angel had sent up rays of light up into the sky to add strength and light to their own family Star, their pride in their family roots. Michael and Ben understood everything about their family's personal histories from various times in history and the adventures and events that their ancestors had been through ranging from the curious to the tragic. But even when their ancestors had died, it all made sense.

Grandfathers Peter and Paul had died during Second World War in the twentieth century. One had died fighting at the front, the other in a concentration camp. They were brave and courageous men and had perished in the defence their country as the Angel put it:

"Their fate was a cruel, yet beautiful one."

However, there was one life history that, try as they might, the boys just could not understand. They were amazed that such a thing could have happened to one of their family line. It was all so unusual for their family. The life of a Princess... How could there possibly be a Princess in their family tree? They stared in open eyed disbelief at the Wise Old Man and the Angel but they both insisted that this was so.

"Yes, yes this story has a direct link with your family line and pay close attention to this story because it is very instructive. It is a most a mystical story almost on a par with a fairy tale..."

Once upon a time there was a Princess. She was beautiful, young, and clever, and loved by everyone in her family. She had other brothers and sisters and her father and mother were very kind and noble people. In a word, they were a royal family. Everyone loved each other and got on very well. When the Princess was still very young, her grandmother gave her a golden ring crowned with a huge pearl for her birthday. The ring was like any other except that it had one very special peculiarity. If you looked at the ring for a little while... about a minute or so and then said:

"Princess, oh Princess sing me your song: The pearl would open out and a tiny little girl with a crown on her head would appear, curtsy and begin to sing the following song in the most beautiful little voice:

Rejoice in the sun,

The twinkling of the stars

The tender looks

That surround you

Rejoice and never be sad.

Having finished her song the little Princess would wave farewell, disappear and the pearl would close again. The Princess really loved her ring and never ever took it off. Her sisters and brothers also had rings but none of these contained a singing Princess.

But one day the family suffered a terrible misfortune: they were captured by people serving the forces of darkness. For a time these people kept the family in captivity. And during this period each member of the family was kept under close observation. They studied the family's each and every movement around the clock. And thus our Princess was also kept under observation.

One of the evil prison guards noticed that she would often look at her ring and quietly talk to it... The Evil One understood that the Princess had transferred a part of her soul into the ring. And he began to hatch an evil plan. After a while the royal family were executed in cold blood. As she was dying the Princess saw the Evil One rush up to her and wrench her beloved ring from her finger.

Then she heard him malevolently hiss:

"Well, my little Princess, when you come back for your ring I will personally extinguish your soul."

The Angel who had come to collect the Princess's wonderful spirit also overheard the Evil One's loathsome promise. When the royal family's souls were undergoing rehabilitation after the evil deeds that had been done to their bodies, it became clear that the Princess would have to return to the Earth because a tiny part of her soul remained in the custody of the Evil One. And the Princess's brothers, sisters and parents beseeched the Higher Powers to allow them to accompany the Princess back to the Earth and to live whatever life might be ordained for them - if only they be allowed to be near their beloved Princess. And some of them were granted their wish.

When the sad story of the Princess was over, Michael and Ben asked in one voice:

"What's going to happen now? Who is this Princess?"

"You will know everything presently," the Wise Old Man answered.

"Does this mean we are directly related to such a famous family?" asked Ben.

"Not by blood, but in spirit," smiled the Angel.

"Hooray! A royal spirit lives within us, a royal spirit lives within us!" Ben cried out in uncontained joy.

Everyone burst into peals of laughter.

"You are still so naïve and innocent, Ben," said the Angel stroking his head, "the fact that you have royalty in you is in fact a stone around your neck. Do you know why?"

"Why?" the cousins cried simultaneously.

"Because this is why the forces of darkness are taking such a keen interest in your family and this could be one of the reasons why they have stolen your Divine Star," proposed the Angel, "although, of course, there are many other different reasons as well."

Michael and Ben were bursting with curiosity: Who was this Princess and into which of their relations had she been reincarnated? But the Angel and the Wise Old Man kept their own counsel on these questions. Perhaps it was because of this secret that they had not shown the boys many of the conflicts that had taken place in the lives of their close relatives? The boys were so overwhelmed by these thoughts, and their imaginations were racing so far ahead that the Angel decided to bring them back down to reality:

"Don't worry yourselves too much my dears; you will learn everything in its own good time. But now you need to get yourselves ready because you still have a very important job facing you. Listen: We are going to fly to the City of the Robots. The Princess's ring is being kept there and it is vital that you find it and bring it safely out of the city."

"And return the ring to the Princess?" Ben interrupted impatiently.

"And then everything will be made clear?" Michael murmured hopefully.

"Oh, you two and your impetuous curiosity!" smiled the Angel. "First you will need to get into the city and find out where the ring is being hidden. Then you will have to work out a plan to get it out of there unnoticed. The city itself and everything in it are closely guarded. In addition to security cameras there are energy sensors everywhere, which fix on to anyone and anything which gives off a life force. Therefore, they will be able to get a fix on you even if you are invisible."

The boys became somewhat alarmed when they heard how the city was guarded.

"Is it very important to get this ring back?" Michael blurted out.

"Yes, it is very important if you are to ensure that the Princess's energy and the energy of your whole family line is to be restored. The Princess's soul is in a state of constant agitation because a small part of her spirit is being held by the servants of Satan. And things could come to a terrible pass: Because by studying the part of her soul in their possession they might be able to insinuate themselves into the Princess's life force - taking it over completely. Although, the forces of darkness are working hard on this evil plan, thankfully they haven't succeeded in reaching this stage yet.

"That's good," said Ben.

"Yes, the forces of darkness have already been warned a long time ago not to overstep what is permissible," the Angel reassured the boys, "but they are insatiable in their desire to control the world, and especially to control the vital life force granted to humans. But you already know this well."

And the Angel switched on a small screen in the starship. And right in front of their eyes there flickered famous clips from various documentary films that they had seen. The boys now looked at all this information with totally fresh eyes. This meant that the traditional idea of the struggle between good and evil for supremacy over the world was just the tip of the iceberg! There, hidden in the depth of the dark waters the real aim of the forces of Satan remained hidden - they were planning to capture the soul of mankind and control it completely.

The boys were thoroughly deflated. The task of taking back the ring from the powers of darkness seemed impossible. Everything that they had achieved so far had simply been child's play in comparison. And everything had been much clearer and more straightforward in that world of the distant past.

Then the Angel explained a bit more about the City of the Robots: Not only was there this incredible security surveillance of all visible and invisible beings that might differ in spirit to them but also once discovered, any hostile source of energy would immediately be liquidated by special apparatus that was installed everywhere and even in the robots themselves.

Michael and Ben began to whisper among themselves.

"I don't think I can do it," Ben admitted and Michael added: "Yes, we won't make it past the city gates."

"You can do anything," said the Angel, "the main thing is not to be afraid. We will all be supporting you, but only you are allowed to go into the City of the Robots because your energy is exactly the same as the Princess's. It is for this reason that kindred spirits sense each other's feelings so well and you have a chance of finding the Princess's ring. And perhaps one or both of you have been sent to help the Princess?"

And the Angel gave them both an enigmatic smile.

The boys seemed to be somewhat relieved on hearing this. Gone was the despondency and indecisiveness. Their eyes were flashing, they were bubbling over with energy and a smile was never far from their lips.

"Oh my dear cousins, I fear you are closet snobs?" said the Angel tenderly looking at the boys who were chomping at the bit to get into battle. "But this is no bad thing; it will give you confidence and strength. God grant you the best of luck! But now let us start our preparations for this mission. First we will give you as much information as we can gather on the City of the Robots and most importantly a secret map of the city. The map is currently with a scientist who worked as a consultant for them when the security system in the Museum-House was installed. Look we are already getting near to his house."

"Will we be present during the discussions with the scientist?" asked Michael with some interest.

"Of course, I will introduce you as young researchers but you leave me to do the talking. Apart from the City of the Robots I have several other matters that I want to talk to him about. So you sit quietly and try to look intelligent... Like budding scientists."

The Angel glanced at the boys and burst into peals of laughter.

"My dear lads, looking intelligent is a very enigmatic state, it's not about looking morosely down at your feet. I guess it's just you trying to take everything so seriously."

Soon, below them, they could make out hundreds of lights. This was the town that the scientist lived in. The Angel landed the starship in a park next to the scientist's house. And in an instant the lads and the Angel were standing in his study. The scientist was sitting behind his desk gazing intently at his computer screen while simultaneously writing something on a pad of paper. He was evidently unhappy about something. He would regularly screw up a pile of notes and throw them angrily to the floor. The scientist was so engrossed in his work that he hadn't even noticed his visitors. The Angel coughed quietly but this produced no result. Then the Angel lightly placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Would you mind terribly if we distract you from this for a few minutes? We have a small favour to ask of you."

On seeing the Angel the scientist was at a complete loss. He sat for a while in silence and then with a guilty look asked him:

"Do you know everything? I...I...I," he began to stutter, "I don't know how it happened myself."

The scientist spoke to the Angel in a manner that suggested they had been acquainted for a long time. They had clearly met before.

"How can I be of help?" the scientist asked somewhat sheepishly.

The Angel pretended not to notice his discomfort, letting him know that, for now, the discussion wasn't going to be about "that".

"We really need a map of the City of the Robots for these two young researchers," said the Angel indicating Michael and Ben. "They need to get into the City and also remain unnoticed there."

The cousins were doing their best to appear quiet and calm but their eyes sparkled with anticipation. They were so overcome with curiosity and even a certain impatience that even the distracted scientist noted:

"Oh, what are splendid lads! They are simply burning with impatience to achieve their goal. But unfortunately, the problem is that I don't have this map to hand. The map is highly classified. But something has remained in my memory."

The Angel handed the scientist a tiny pocket computer, no bigger than his hand and the Scientist set about painstakingly recalling and setting down the whole city – block by block and street by street. Before the Angel had even lifted his hand to point something out the scientist impatiently answered:

"Yes, yes, I will note down where all the security cameras and liquidation machines are. You see here? I have noted all the cameras in blue and the liquidators in red."

Before long the map of the City of the Robots was ready. The scientist was pleased; he had managed to remember everything.

"Well that's remarkable – even though I say so myself. You see I haven't been there for more than ten years. But what exactly are you interested in?"

"The Museum-House", answered the Angel, "Especially the hall in which the jewellery is exhibited. Maybe you remember the Princess's ring. It's also known as the singing ring."

"Here is its location in the exhibition hall... and here is where the guard stands. It's a very famous ring and the robots prize it very highly. At first glance the ring seems to be exhibited like all the other most valuable pieces. But in reality the ring is only put on display at the special order of the Mayor of the City of the Robots." "But why is the ring so rarely shown?" said Ben unable to hold back his curiosity.

The scientist went silent, scratched the back of his head and looked towards the Angel, who nodded his assent for him to answer.

"Well, when the pearl in the ring opens and the tiny Princess comes out and sings, the ring gives off a wonderful source of energy. I would say almost a divine source of energy. Well, their Mayor recharges himself on this positive energy when he is feeling down and this has the effect of restoring his strength completely. But this is all kept under the strictest secrecy. For the sake of appearances the ring is shown to the most honoured guests. But the Mayor of the robots sits in the front row right in front of the ring so that he gets to hog all the singing princess's energy for himself. You can see for yourselves how valuable the singing ring is, therefore it's going to be very difficult if not nigh on impossible to get it out of the Museum-House."

"And do you know of any other devices that they have guarding the ring?" the Angel asked.

Although he knew full well that the Museum-House was the most securely guarded area of the city and that no-one was ever allowed into it.

"I don't know anything about that I'm afraid," the scientist replied. "Although I do know that a famous self-educated master jeweller and security expert was invited to build the system. However, no-one has seen him since; he disappeared not long after he was invited."

"But do you know anything about the security systems in the Museum-House itself? Even the smallest most insignificant piece of information could be vital to us," the Angel asked with some hope.

"I only know the following details: The outside of the building is guarded by dogs with in-built cameras. When a camera fixes on something suspicious then they begin to bark in a very strange way. These switches on a loud siren and not even a fly would be able to get through after that. The glass of the exhibition cabinet, which holds the Princess's ring is protected by cameras and underneath it lives an enormous snake. When the siren is switched on the snake jumps out of its compartment, coiling itself around anyone trying to get the ring until it is given the signal to let go of its prey. And that's all there is to it. I saw all this once when we were working there. But I understood that this had all been a training exercise that had been put on just to frighten us all."

The scientist finished his story and again immersed himself in his own thoughts. The Angel thanked him for such valuable information and began to make his goodbyes. But then the scientist asked very quietly:

"So am I forgiven?"

"The main thing is that you have understood everything yourself... And then... I am here after all. And that means that all is well," the Angel replied.

The cousins did not understand what they were talking about at all. What had the scientist done?

"You know," the scientist continued, "not long before this disastrous assignment I had an extremely heated debate with an eminent evolutionist. And I proved to him that life on Earth could not have originated from molecules. And, what's more, I proved it all in four dimensions. There's no way life could have started this way! And it's simply not possible that mankind could just be some sort of highly developed animal. And I set out my arguments in great detail on this point."

"Yes, yes this is all well known. Along with your life's work in science and your knowledge of the Truth and also that you discovered many things and opened up great vistas of knowledge. The Satanists used the most hi-tech and cutting edge technology on you. They desperately needed to have that discredited atheist nonsense spouting from the lips of such a famous and respected scientist as you. But what you came out with was so anachronistic that it only served to surprise people, even the most unlighted of them. And although absolutely everyone understood this, the thought even entered my head."

"But how could he be saying this?!" The Angel continued.

To the boys' complete surprise for the first time since meeting him the Angel was evidently agitated.

"I don't know how it happened, it all seemed to happen automatically against my conscious will," the scientist despondently tried to explain to the Angel.

The boys began to feel quite sorry for the scientist. Michael even whispered to Ben:

"Can you imagine what it must be like to be in the scientist's shoes right now?"

"It must be simply awful, how on earth could any man stand up to such an onslaught!" Ben replied.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Angel answered: "In this life, as the folk saying goes: 'Look with both eyes and see with three'."

"And there is another saying that is very apt here look before you leap!" Ben blurted out in reply.

The Angel and the scientist could barely suppress a smile at the audacity of the cousins to come to the aid of the scientist. And the tension really was taken out of the situation. And then the scientist in the same vein as Ben added his own proverb:

"Sometimes even pigs can fly."

The scientist's joke was so audacious that everyone doubled over with laughter. When everyone had calmed down the Angel began to say goodbye to the scientist.

"It's time for us to go; I will leave you this notebook. Write down all your requests and wishes in it. Down here there are two buttons: the red one allows you to send information, the blue one allows you take back something that has been uttered."

The scientist turned the note book over in his hand. There was something unusual about it and it gave the impression that it was somehow full of spirit and light. He looked gratefully at the Angel. The scientist understood full well what he needed to do. The Angel nodded towards him as sign that he fully understood:

"Yes, yes it will also be your defence."

The scientist evidently wanted to throw his arms around the Angel but held himself back and instead began to shake everyone by the hand in turn.

Several minutes later the boys and the Angel were already sat in the starship.

"Now we are going to strengthen your spirit because you are going to face some serious tests, therefore we will start with your parents. They are both in Sofia and are beginning to get a little anxious. I will land the starship right next to Michael's block of flats. You can tell your relatives about your adventures but don't mention anything about the dangers facing you. It's better if you talk more about what your ancestors had to go through, and, of course, a little bit about your own achievements. Besides I will be with you, and even though they won't be able to see me I will be controlling everything. Well, let's go."

And the Angel lightly pushed the boys forward.

Michael rang on the door bell. Literally a second later Sophia had Michael and Ben embraced in her arms.

"Where did you both get to? And you're probably both very hungry, how worried we were!" Michael's mum's torrent of words touched both the boys' hearts.

And then Natalie came rushing up and poured forth a tirade of reproaches of her own:

"You haven't been home the whole day! It's a very dangerous thing to do!"

Ben asked incredulously:

"Really, the whole day?"

He and Michael exchanged mystified glances.

It had seemed to them that they had been away much longer. Michael nearly asked the Angel to explain how this could have happened. But the Angel just smiled silently and put his finger to his lips to indicate that they shouldn't give away his invisible presence. He gave them a silver DVD disk and quietly said:

"This recording of all your adventures has been made especially so that you can show your relatives what you have done."

But the sharp eyed mothers noticed the disk seemingly appearing out of thin air.

"And what's that?" asked Natalie.

"Mama, it was me who threw the disk to Michael, it will show you where we have been, about our meetings with our family ancestors... with the help of the Angel and the Wise Old Man of course. And also how we transformed ourselves into all sorts of different animals, not to mention journeys into the past and many, many other things," Ben explained with pride.

"It is all really important for the fate of our family and the whole of our family line," Michael added significantly.

"Well, my little heroes, give us the disk and we'll have a look," Sophia put the disk in the machine, "is everyone sitting comfortably... then let the show begin."

Of course, Michael and Ben's mothers were amazed and extremely proud of their sons' exploits. During the showing they laughed, cried and at times were simply astonished. At various moments they even jumped up from their seats and smothered their sons with kisses. The boys literally bathed in the praise and love heaped on them by their parents. Soon after the disk had finished the Angel whispered to the boys:

"It's time to go."

And Michael turned to Sophia with a request:

"Can Ben and I go on holiday to the school camp? It's right next to the sea. There will be a lot of my former classmates there."

"Of course, you can go," Sophia replied, "but I hope it's not going to be today?"

"Unfortunately, it's got to be today Mum, if we are to make it on to the bus. We've already packed our things," Michael replied sadly.

And within a few seconds the boys were gone like the wind.

"There's something about the way that they rushed off like that that I don't like," said Natalie, "it's not as if they haven't already been on holiday."

"Don't worry, they have an Angel with them," said Sophia reassuringly.

"Do you think so?" asked Natalie hopefully.

"I don't have the slightest doubt about it. For example, where did that disk with their mysterious adventures come from? I immediately sensed that an Angel was amongst us," said Sophia joyfully. "You know I could feel it in the atmosphere and energy that was all around us. What a true wonder!"

"I would so like to see an Angel!" Natalie whispered in awe.

At that moment the final image appeared on the television screen. It was the Angel.

"We will meet!" he promised. "We will most definitely meet."

And with that both mothers jumped up and down clapping their hands like two small children.

Michael and Ben's Souls are Strengthened

But the children had some serious trials facing them. And the Angel was getting them ready for them. The two mothers understood this and the appearance of the Angel in the midst of their family was not only a joyful event but also gave them hope that this vital mission would be successfully completed.

The starship flew purposefully straight up into the sky. The Angel explained:

"We are flying to one of the smaller angel bases (at least that is how you humans would describe it), where you will recuperate your strength after all the difficult tasks that you have completed on Earth."

Soon the starship was flying in a horizontal trajectory through white fluffy clouds. The Angel stopped driving and told the boys to get out. Michael and Ben were clearly perturbed, how were they to step out on to thin air? The Angel immediately sensed their discomfort: "Don't be afraid this cloud is as stable as solid earth. Put your best foot forward here on this little green path."

The cousins gingerly stepped out on to this doubtful looking surface.

"Phew, it seems more or less okay," exclaimed Michael.

The boys looked out onto a small square in the centre of which stood a tree of the most astonishing beauty. It had huge green leaves and each one seemed to radiate with a multi-coloured tongues of fire. And this fire seemed to be alive. It moved constantly from leaf to leaf making the whole tree resemble a huge living firework.

"Wow! That's beautiful!" the two cousins chimed in unison, under the tree stood a table with three chairs. And on the table were three cups. The Angel touched the trunk of the tree lightly and the cups immediately filled with a sparkling beverage, shot through with the tiniest multi-coloured sparkles of fire. The Angel invited the boys to sit down and did so himself. Michael and Ben looked on entranced at the magical draft.

"Drink," said the Angel, "It will restore your strength and reinvigorate your spirit. This is the libation of angels."

The drink was so unusual that after a few sips the cups remained as if frozen to the boys' hands. The overwhelming sensation that greeted their taste buds was of concentrated air made out of various types of aromatic flowers. With each sip of this almost gaseous drink, the most miraculous energy began to pour into every cell of their bodies. While the cousins were sitting at the table, different angels would come to join them, each with their own illuminating story. Then their old friend the Wise Old Man appeared. He explained many things to the boys and recounted many wise allegories and teachings from the ancient prophets. Then he turned to Michael and Ben with the following words:

"My sons! Be firm in your convictions and in your word. Keep the commandments of your mother and father – for a commandment is like the lamp and instruction is like the light and enlightened learning is the pathway to life. Take no advice from those who wish you ill and hide your intentions from those who envy you. Don't open your heart to any man, for he might be malignly ungrateful. Don't bend with any wind and don't follow just any path. Always be true to your own soul."

Michael liked the quote from the Prophet Isaiah most of all: 'But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.' And Ben was inspired with hope for the success of their mission by the words from the Gospel of John: 'A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.'

The colour of the sky kept changing. Initially it had been a light orange colour, but then it had turned into a tender blue but now it had taken on a dark blue hue carpeted with bright silver stars. And when little golden tongues of fire appeared over the leaves of the tree, the Angel said: "It's time for us to go."

When they were already sitting in the starship Ben asked the Angel:

"Were we in Heaven just now?"

"No, here the soul merely finds rest but in Heaven in addition to the all-encompassing beauty there is the most fascinating creative life to live."

They flew on deep in silence. The boys were clearly preoccupied with something. Michael's brow was knitted with dark thoughts.

"What's the matter?" enquired the Angel.

"Angel, do you know if we will be up to carrying out such a difficult task?" replied Michael. "So much love and attention has been lavished on us, but we are just ordinary boys with all our faults and flaws, and as my mother is always saying, we know absolutely nothing about life. Ben here is much better than I am, and I, I... have real doubts about myself. And I remember so little of what I've been told."

"And I feel the same." Ben interjected.

The Angel hugged the boys tenderly:

"You have both already completed a large part of the mission, and I must say that you have completed it remarkably well! And the Angels were very taken with your imaginations. I will let you both in on a secret; you came here today on their insistence. And you will remember very well everything that was said, it has been fixed in your memories. You will remember everything that you need when the time arises."

"As if it a signal from above?" Ben asked.

"Of course, we are always at people's sides throughout their lives, but in such an important a situation as this we will definitely be with you. And we will come to your aid at a moment's notice. You have seen us do this for you on more than one occasion. You know that don't you?"

The Angel looked at the boys and seemed to them to be slightly perplexed.

"Yes, we understand everything and the fact that you have so much confidence in us is a source of great pride and joy but maybe our mothers might carry out this mission better than us." Michael suggested, although admittedly not in totally convincing tone.

"Your mothers are remarkable people, but their childhoods were spent in happier times and conditions than yours. The forces of darkness were kept firmly outside the family door; they grew up bathed in their parents' love, the powerful positive energy of the family and under the protection of the Divine Star. Natalie and Sophia had already been formed into a certain stereotype: they are kind, noble minded and trusting. But you've been under pressure ever since your early childhood. The Evil One has penetrated deeply into you from the earliest age, and both of you, but Michael especially, has had to overcome many things that would appear to be impossible to an outsider. And it hasn't been easy for you either Ben. But to the great credit of your close relatives and you yourselves you have overcome everything. Therefore, it could be said that you have some experience of struggling with the Evil One. That is the first thing. But, the fact that you still both have a child's mind-set is also another big advantage. Therefore, you perceive and sense things very easily and simply. For it is said in the Bible that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the children," the Angel concluded significantly.

The cousins breathed a big sigh of relief and the Angel thought sadly: 'We are living in dark times, when evil people have overstepped every boundary and with their odious and low—minded technology they are attempting not only to destroy people's lives but dreaming of taking over their souls. And the time is coming when the whole world will have to fight to restore the Divine Spirit.' But out loud the Angel said:

"We are now going to fly over all the holy places that you, your family and your ancestors have visited."

And with that, the Angel abruptly turned the starship in the opposite direction.

Soon the bright sky disappeared and they found themselves in some sort of grey fog. But after a little while Michael and Ben could see a small dull planet below them. Everything there was grey: the houses and streets were dour and even the trees were a late autumnal greyish-brown. Strange half-human half-mannequin figures wondered the streets talking and moving for all intents and purposes like real live people. But the most amazing thing was that their legs, hands and even heads were all completely stuffed with cotton wool.

"What on earth is this?" Ben murmured out loud.

"How are they able to move? They're made out of cotton wool," Michael also asked in amazement.

"That's just the way they are – made out of cotton wool and apparently alive. I am showing them to you because they often worm their way onto the Earth. They look like people but their souls are stuffed with cotton wool. And these half-people half-mannequins thrive particularly well in such places as the City of the Robots. You will therefore need to be particularly careful."

The Angel flew the starship very low. The mannequins were running and capering about and to all appearances seemed quite harmless. Seeing the boys' smiles as they looked at the mannequins' antics, the Angel quickly reminded them of the words of the prophet:

"There is a wickedness, that walks bent double in despondency but inside it is full of guile that will catch you out when you least expect it."

The cousins could see that the Angel was evidently disturbed. On the one hand it surprised them but on the other it made them glad. Could it be that the Angel was worrying so much on their behalf! The Angel immediately answered the boys' thoughts:

"The followers of Satan have so many snares and you are still so young."

The Angel turned the control stick and in an instant they had left the unpleasant grey gloom behind them. The bright sun and boundless blue sky flashed in their eyes. Soon the Earth was beneath them, the sun had gone down behind the horizon and evening was drawing in. Stars lit up the dark sky and because they were shining brighter and brighter, the cousins knew that they were flying in a Southerly direction.

"Yes," said the Angel, "We will start our pilgrimage of holy places with the Sacred Earth itself. We don't have much time, therefore we will only fly over these places and I will tell you about them. But you will remember a lot yourselves. Right below us now is the most holy place in the world for all Christians," said the Angel slowing the starship down until it literally hovered in the air. The lights of a huge city twinkled below them. And the whole earth right up to the horizon was illuminated with a soft light. But the light was not just radiating from below but above, from the heavens, which poured down in a stream of golden yellow rays as if from a giant projector. The starship was literally bathed in these rays. Michael and Ben felt the rays on their skin and they felt as if they could literally hold them in the palms of their hands.

"Your ancestors have been here many times," said the Angel, "And the energetic charge from this light lasted them for a long time, one could say for the whole of their lives."

Paths of light stretch away from this holy spot in various different directions like the rays of the moon on the sea. The widest of these lead to Rome.

"Here is where many of the first Christians made their second home," the Angel pointed out, "and the most famous of all of these were the Apostles Peter and Paul."

"Can we go down and have a look?" Ben asked.

"It would be very interesting for you to go and see what life was like in the first century A.D. It might be a bit tricky but I'll see if I can make it happen."

"Do you have your bracelets on?" the cousins showed them in keen anticipation.

"Well, that's great. Hit the button to clothe you in the costume of those times and you will find yourself in a catacomb with the first Christians. I hope you will understand everything going on. So, God be with you!"

The Angel gently shepherded the boys into an unfamiliar space and... in an instant they found themselves in a dark cave.

The caves were packed full with people, men in the main. They were all crowded around a respected elderly man. Michael naively tugged the sleeve of one of the youths standing next to him and silently pointed at the preacher. The young man looked at the two unusual looking boys in some surprise and said something in reply. Michael didn't understand much of what he said, but both he and Ben caught the name Peter. Everyone was gazing at the Wise Old Man with immense reverence. And even though the cousins didn't understand the language he was speaking they began listening very attentively. After some time they felt themselves to be early Christians themselves, who, risking their lives, had come here to this cave by secret routes because there were soldiers and other people everywhere whose job it was to catch Christians, subject them to the most horrible tortures and demand that they reject their faith. This came home to the cousins with a jolt when two people who had been detailed to keep watch cried: "Danger!"

Immediately a group of people lead the Wise Old Man away and everyone quickly melted away in different directions. But a couple of the more elderly men were not able to flee so quickly. The guards were already running towards them when Michael and Ben having pressed their "invisibility" buttons grabbed the two old men by the arm and calmly lead them past the guards, out of the cave and into safety. And thus they were saved from a horrible death. They soon ducked into a nearby door. But once in safety, the two men could not understand what had happened: who had grabbed them by the hand and lead them away from the guards? They hadn't seen anyone... They came to the conclusion they must have been helped by the very Angels of the Lord that Peter had just been preaching about. And to think that they had just doubted him! For a long time the old men remained astonished at this miracle and the next time they came to the cave they told Peter about everything that had passed. In silence, he simply raised his hand to heaven thus letting them know that that was where their salvation had come from.

The boys were walking along the street, happy that they had been able to help someone when suddenly not far from the city centre they heard the most pitiful weeping. The street they were on lead to a crossroads and there, near one of the buildings, stood a big crowd of onlookers. The boys drew closer and saw that the building had bars instead of windows. On the massive iron doors next to them hung a huge lock. And next to the door stood a guard who seemed totally oblivious to what was going on around him. Behind the window bars the cousins could make out a boy, about sixteen years of age, who was covered in blood and obviously being held prisoner. It was clear that he had been very badly beaten. The boy held two sticks in his hand that had been tied together into a cross.

"Oh dear God, that means that this boy has been captured for being a Christian," said Michael to Ben in horror.

"And it looks like they're getting him ready for something even worse," replied Ben.

Not far from the dungeon, the boys could see an arena very similar to a circus, where a large crowd had already begun to gather. On the other side of the arena there stood a number of cages full of lions. That was why the poor boy was weeping so bitterly! Once again Michael and Ben tried to think what they could do? How could they help the poor child? However, they soon found themselves just bursting into tears from the sheer pitifulness of it all. The onlookers, initially with surprise, and then with unconcealed interest began to scrutinise the cousins. Then out of the blue a young man came up to them and addressing them in Bulgarian said:

"Let's get out of here; I know what needs to be done!"

And quickly he made his way from the accursed place taking the cousins with him. Michael and Ben were overjoyed that at least one person shared their pity for the poor prisoner. But the most important thing was that now there was a small chance that they might be able to help, so they ran full speed behind their new found ally. For some time the young man lead them from one backstreet to another until they found themselves standing in front of a small house with two windows facing out onto the street. The young man quickly rapped on one of them. A minute later another man with a small beard appeared. His inquisitive gaze quickly ran over all three figures standing in front of him. The young man who had knocked on the window expressed no surprise and looked at the cousins with interest. He started saying something very quickly to the bearded man, pointing to the cousins and then up to heaven. The bearded man's reaction was instantaneous: having placed some money into the young man's hands he showed them that they needed to go back to where they had just come from.

Meanwhile, he rushed out of the house with uncommon speed, literally running to the centre where the rich patricians lived. In the meantime the Bulgarian speaking youth, set off at such a pace that the cousins could barely keep up. On the way he ducked into a local shop, grabbed a small rolled bundle from the shopkeeper and then ran straight towards the circus arena.

All the most distinguished Roman citizens were already gathered in their boxes: the senators and the richest patricians. But for the time being Caesar's box was empty. Further round the stadium sat the free citizens of Rome and then the poor and foreign visitors who had come to watch the spectacle.

As Michael and Ben came running into the coliseum they noticed that the bearded man was sitting with the most important and respected citizens. Right behind him were a number of young men, many of whom the cousins had seen at the gathering of early Christians in the catacombs. The thought flashed through Ben's head: "That is a group of support that could come in handy."

Very soon the crowd became noisier and more excited: one of Caesar's consuls had appeared. Everyone, and especially those in the front rows, obsequiously smiled and bowed to him. Then the cruel and bloodthirsty show began in earnest. First, the lion was let out. He let out a terrifying roar and began to run around the arena. Meanwhile Michael and Ben were standing unseen in the passage, they had noticed how their friend the young man had sneaked on to the arena opposite the lion and, unseen by anybody, had quickly thrown the bundle right under the overhanging edge. The lion was quick and clever and sidled up to the unseen package lying in the shade and in a couple of seconds had swallowed the meat - package and all. Happy and sated he stretched himself out on the edge of the arena and like all cats after a good feed, promptly fell asleep. This all happened so quickly that the audience failed to notice anything, especially the high ranking spectators who were sitting right above the arena wall where the lion was so soundly asleep.

In the meantime the poor child had been brought into the arena. Someone had at least washed him and dressed him in some respectable clothes. The lion continued to sleep peacefully on the other side of the arena and didn't even twitch an eyelid at the appearance of the poor boy. While this was going on the cousins noticed how the man with the beard had greeted the consul and handed him some sort of scroll. The consul's face dissolved into a big smile and he invited the man to sit next to him in his box. Before he had even sat down the man with the beard whispered something in the Consul's ear, pointing at the poor defenceless boy in the arena. The Consul made a helpless gesture and quietly said:

"Free him."

That very second the group of young men took up the cry and soon the whole crowd was following suit. After a little while the Consul pronounced in a much louder voice: "Free the brave young boy. Look... even the lion is afraid of him."

And immediately the fortunate child was lead to safety. A little bit later the boy was taken away from the frightful arena on horseback.

"Who is that man?" -Ben asked himself out loud, because it was he who had organised the miraculous rescue of the child. Michael looked at Ben unable to answer. And then someone nearby said:

"That is Paul."

It was the Bulgarian speaking young man who was now standing right next to them.

"And another thing... Thank you both," he added.

"What for? We did nothing to help; it's you who did everything." The cousins replied in unison. "It's us who should be thanking you."

The young man smiled:

"You were so sorry for that boy that you were prepared to immediately rush to his aid. Only in these troubled times it would have been difficult for you to have known how to act and you could have suffered yourselves. You see for this merciless crowd the greater the number of victims the better the spectacle. But your desire to help the child was like an immediate summons for us."

And with that, the young man disappeared and melted into the crowd.

Later when they were back on the starship, the Angel told Michael and Ben how the boy had later been sent by Saint Paul to be brought up in one of his churches. Consequently he went on to become one of Paul's best students.

Michael and Ben, who had been so talkative before, had been so affected by what they had seen in Rome that they sat in silence for a long time. Then Ben began to say something in a quiet but strong voice:

"Faith is a virtue, but a virtue tempered by necessity is... well... it's patience."

Then Michael took up his line of thought:

"And patience brings forth piety and in piety dwells charity."

"And charity in turn gives rise to love," the Angel concluded, "those are the words of the Apostle Peter."

"But how did we know them? We didn't understand them back in the cave, because he was speaking in a foreign language," said Ben in amazement.

"Peter has so much strength that he fills whoever is listening to him with faith and love no matter what language he is speaking," said the Angel with pride, "and Saint Paul helps you feel this and be certain of it."

Further on the Angel took a course towards the ancient churches and monasteries that Michael and Ben's ancestors and indeed the boys themselves had visited. A screen shone in front of them, which showed them where all these events had taken place. Sometimes the Angel would provide them with a bit of commentary. Flying over so many places and countries Michael and Ben realised that they had a wide-branching and far-flung family tree. Thus when they were in Greece, where Varvara and George had spent many years with their children, their two sons had settled here and a whole village was filled with their Greek descendants. Darya and Marko's descendants lived in Poland. And in the 19th century one of three brothers, called Philip came to live in Podoliya in the Ukraine. His son Nikolas went on to marry a great beauty called Aleksandra. And they were Michael and Ben's great-grandfather and great-grandmother. Nikolas became a priest and served in one of the oldest churches in Kamianets-Podilskyi, where his son, Ivan, also later served. And Michael and Ben had also been in this church when they were very small.

One particularly touching scene stuck in Michael's memory. His mother was standing in front of the priest explaining to him about Michael's apparent nervous disposition. She had tried her best to teach him things but they just wouldn't sink in and she looked so terribly sad. But then the priest said to her:

"Just you see, your son will grow up to be the most remarkable person," and even underlined this statement with uncharacteristic thumbs up sign. To this day Michael still remembers this scene.

Ben had also been in this small church with his mother. He remembered how he had stood in front of a huge full length icon of St. Nicholas. The saint seemed to look straight into his eyes no matter where he stood in relation to the picture. Ben even specially ran to all four corners of the church and wherever he went the saint's gaze would follow him. And now sitting in the starship Ben nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Of course that's where I'd seen him before! St. Nicholas was the Wise Old Man!"

"It's possible, everything is possible," said the Angel, "but the main thing is that you were touched at that time by a source of wisdom. Look, your mothers have also been here."

And the cousins were now looking at two young girls. They were standing right at the front of the church next to their grandmother, completely absorbed in the proceedings, like real grown-ups. Then Natalie, Sophia and their grandmother went down some very steep steps carved out of the side of the cliff and having crossed the small bridge spanning the river they climbed another almost vertical set of stairs which came out next to the church. There they were met by a very powerful image of a great battle of wills, which covered the whole wall. This was Saint George the dragon slayer their grandmother explained to them. Michael also remembered this church. And he recalled something else... or had he just been imagining it... but it had seemed to him that Saint George had lightly touched his hand at the time. And Ben had asked his grandmother:

"Who did Saint George defeat?" And she had answered him with one word:

"Evil."

Further on the starship hovered over Pochaiv Monastery, which the boys' great-grandmother had visited many times. And now the Angel showed the boys how she had walked on foot from Kamianets-Podilskyi to Pochaiv.

"What? The whole way on foot?" said Ben in amazement.

"She came up with the idea," replied the Angel, "that by undertaking and overcoming such a difficult journey she would leave all that was bad in her life behind and arrive at the monastery in Pochaiv full of joy and with a renewed and purified soul, because all the prophets and saints are constantly exhorting us to rejoice in their teachings."

And a great wave of joy also touched the boys. The starship was now hovering over Kyiv. The cousins saw how their mothers and their grandmother went into a church on the banks of the Dnepr. It was the Church of the Prophet Elijah, which stood next to a convent. It was here that the girls had literally grown up before the nuns' very eyes. And grandmother, who was still quite young, had stood there in a head scarf that had been pulled low over her brow so no-one would recognise her.

"They had to sneak into church like mice," said Michael, "it must have been quite interesting - a bit like a game of cops and robbers. Nevertheless, what is done at night appears by day."

"Yes, things were pretty bad back then," the Angel replied, "but God looks after those who look after themselves."

"Yes, I have also heard about this," Ben interjected, "and there's another saying that comes from those times: and the walls also have ears."

"What ears are you talking about?" Michael asked in surprise and then all three of them burst into laughter.

"How do you know so many folk sayings?" asked the Angel.

"Just try not learning them," replied Ben with a look of resignation, "first our great-grandmother had these sayings for every eventuality then our grandmother followed in her footsteps pouring them into our ears at every opportunity..."

"Oh, therein lies the rub," added Michael, "because my mother is also always quoting them."

"Well, what's to be done? Now all the generations that come after you will be bequeathed with a rich inheritance of folk wisdom," said the Angel, "just look at the screen."

And Michael and Ben now saw themselves when they were tiny babies. First Sophia held Michael in her arms and then two years later it was Natalie holding Ben in hers at the Church of the Prophet Elijah. Michael and Ben then noticed the Angel standing next to them during their christening.

"An Angel is always present during christenings, he is always unseen but you are now able to see him because you are watching from above," explained the Angel looking at Ben, who then said:

"And also this is because you are with us now."

"Yes, when an Angel is next to a person, they always see that which is invisible to others," the Angel explained.

"How good it would be if you were always next to us," Michael exclaimed wistfully.

"An Angel is always near, you only need to remember that, but sometimes people's thoughts and actions cause their Angels to withdraw from them," the Angel added sadly.

"But let's have a look at the next episode," and with that the Angel turned on the screen.

Once above the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra the Angel brought the starship lower and lower until a huge burst of positive energy penetrated right through the ship. The first time Michael had visited the underground caves of the Lavra was when he had come to Kyiv with Sophia at the age of six. It had seemed to him that the great meandering river of pilgrims would never end and that somewhere far away he could hear singing.

Michael had asked his mother:

"Who is that singing?"

"It's the choir," she had replied. "But evidently it's the wise 'Startsi' saying something to the people," Michael had thought. And then Ben saw a large man in black robes looking, for all intents and purposes like an integral part of the walls. He put his finger to his lips. And quietly said to the grown-ups who were rushing this way and that: "You need to come here in quiet prayerfulness."

At the time Ben didn't fully understand what the man meant, but later when he had grown up and used to come to the caves to simply talk quietly with the 'Startsi' who were resting in peace he understood more fully. Ben had also noticed that Michael and all his other relatives behaved in a slightly mysterious way in the caves of Pechersk Lavra and likewise when in church when standing in front of the icons.

"And do the icons listen to us?" Ben asked.

And the Angel answered him:

"No doubt about it."

And as if to confirm what the Angel had just said, they could hear the singing of a huge choir coming from the depths of caves, the 'Startsi' were obviously wishing them well on their mission! The boys could feel pure love woven into the rhythm and melodies created by this wonderful choir and even make out the occasional word:

"Be adventurous, be strong, and be victorious."

These were the parting words of encouragement from the Saints before the boys' upcoming trials. As the starship flew away from the Pechersk Lavra hundreds of hands waved in farewell.

"So there is an invisible thread of communication that exists even between the living and the dead," Michael asked the Angel.

"Of course they are alive, how else would they be able to help people and their holiness gives them immense power. Look a bit further over there," said the Angel turning the ship so that it hovered right over Volodymyr Cathedral.

There on the front steps stood an extraordinarily beautiful young woman together with an extremely distinguished looking holy man. She looked straight up at them, smiled and waved her hand.

"Saint Varvara!" Ben involuntarily cried out.

"Yes, that's her," the Angel replied smilingly and made several turns around the cathedral.

A moment later and they were flying over the monument to Princess Olga the first person to convert to Christianity in Kyivan Rus. Then they flew past the restored St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery the ancient Saint-Sophia Cathedral, the Pokrovsky Monastery and many other holy churches. It felt as if all the saints were channelling their positive energy towards them. The starship made several circles around each of them as a sign of thanks.

In recent years Natalie had often travelled on business to various different places and would use the opportunity to visit many remarkable, beautiful and ancient churches and monasteries. Ben could see on the screen how his mother had been to one of these monasteries for a meeting with a very famous monk. But she looked very lonely. Ben's heart contracted looking at the expression on her face. And in general Mum was an enigmatic figure. Who was going to unlock her secret and when? Ben looked at the Angel searching for an answer but he only replied with a phrase from the Gospels:

"Everything will be revealed in its own time."

In the meantime the ship had gained altitude and was speeding away towards the West. And there in the south of Bulgaria stood Rila Monastery that has been famous since the first millennium and which was founded by Saint Ivan of Rila. This place had not only been visited by Varvara and her family but also by Michael's parents. The starship flew low over the path leading to the monastery and Michael and Ben saw Sophia and Alexander. They were met by one of the monks who blessed them before inviting them to come into the monastery.

Soon they were headed for Sofia.

"Stay for a little while with your family here, have a rest and visit whichever of these holy places you would like," said the Angel landing the starship next to their block of flats and once again wishing them good luck.

"I'll be waiting for you on this exact spot in two days."

The boys dashed up to the eighth floor – they were so full of energy and the desire to fulfil their mission. They really felt that they could move mountains. The next day they set off with their mothers overflowing with joy and high spirits. In the centre of the city the boys and their mothers agreed to split up and meet again in a couple of hours. The boys walked along light-heartedly, joking with each other and singing songs. Ben suggested that they go and have something to drink in one of the many cafes that faced right out onto the street. Michael had just got his wallet out when out of nowhere a young lad, about ten years old, grabbed it and ran away as fast as he could. But the young thief hadn't reckoned on his two victims being such fast runners. In two bounds Ben had caught up with the young scamp and had gently put him in an arm lock face down on the floor. His judo lessons had come in handy after all. But the nasty little scallywag started howling so loudly that anyone would have thought he'd been beaten half unconscious. This dreadful wail soon had a policeman running along with a whole crowd of onlookers. The young thief pointed accusingly at the cousins.

"This is news to me that I've done anything wrong," said Michael in bewilderment.

"It would easier to prove to them that you're not a camel. Quick run for it!" cried Ben who was already in full flight.

But where could they run to? At that moment they saw that they were right next to the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

"Let's leg it over there!" cried Ben and in an instant the two cousins were hiding behind the cathedral's doors. The crowd that was chasing them had barely come to their senses before they had disappeared. It had not occurred to any of them that the boys could have run into the church but the cathedral was full of peace and serenity. People stood in groups by the icon lamps lighting candles and occasionally leaving messages for the saints. Ben dug into his pockets, found some small change and bought some candles. The boys placed them in front of different icons and then sat in silence, each thinking their own thoughts. When the cousins came out of the cathedral, there was no-one about and everything was calm. Everyone had gone away. It was only then that Michael realised that in all the commotion he had twisted his ankle.

"You're going to need to get that strapped up," advised Ben, "here I've got a handkerchief, Mum is always putting them in my pocket just in case. We'll need to wet it with cold water first. Let's go back into the cathedral."

The woman who had sold them the candles wet the handkerchief with water:

"This water will sort you out," she said tenderly.

Ben tied the handkerchief tightly around Michael's ankle and the pain immediately eased.

"You know what Ben; let's go down those stairs over there. That is where Seraphim, the founder of this church, was buried. If we ask him to help us he is bound to help. I know this, because Mum has told me many times and she is absolutely convinced."

The boys stood for a while in front of the saint's marble flagstone and each left their own message for him. Without having agreed beforehand, both of them had asked something for each of their mothers.

When the boys got to the agreed place their mothers were waiting for them. And as Michael liked to put it: they were in a bit of a tizzy. For the last fifteen minutes they had been harassed by a street beggar with an unpleasant voice making wild complaints about her lot in life. Sophia had seen her many times before, even paying for expensive taxis. Nevertheless Natalie had given her a coin, but this hadn't satisfied her and she just continued to harangue and even abuses them. Michael immediately summed up the situation, went up to the beggar woman, spoke to her kindly and gave her two Leva. The woman was taken aback and mumbled:

"You're a good boy," and then quickly scuttled off and really did hail a taxi.

"Granny would have said:

There's nowt so queer as folk," Ben concluded.

They all burst laughing and with a light heart went into the Church of the Holy Week. A priest had been watching the scene from a distance and came up to them and blessed them with the following words:

"It is the lot of the poor to ask for money and it is for you to give it in silence. And you are remarkable people for doing just that."

Then they all went to a café and spent the rest of the day just wandering around the park and the city. That evening Ben persuaded Michael to come and play football. Thus ending off a perfect day!

The Angel met the boys with a broad smile on his face. Michael rushed to assure him that:

"Everything has been fine with us."

"Yes, I know. I sent a very young junior Angel to keep an eye on you. It was he who kept the crowd from catching you. You are still such children. But you did come to your mothers' aid in the nick of time. It wasn't out of poverty that beggar woman had latched on to them. She was so irritated by their beauty, youth and happiness that she would have gone on to say many other horrible things and that would have been most undesirable," said the Angel explaining the whole scene like a teacher to his pupils.

"But how do you avoid these sorts of people?" Ben asked sadly.

"By doing exactly what Michael did. You must give the poor what you can in good faith and with kind words as well and then go into the church to get away from her petty spite."

The Angel invited the boys into the starship and they flew off.

"I am talking about this in detail now, because there won't be an Angel next to you in the City of the Robots and you will need to pay close attention to the smallest details."

It was clear that the Angel was very worried about the boys.

"You know, maybe it's not worth us going into that horrible city? Maybe we can somehow find another way round things?" asked Ben in the hope that they might be able to avoid this serious test.

"Unfortunately, there is no way out of it. People have to act for themselves against evil and win back their lives and souls for themselves. But most importantly they need to bear witness to the truth, like in the saying...

"...Or else everything will go to wrack and ruin?" Ben ventured interrupting the Angel.

"Well, that's not quite the folk saying I had in mind." giggled the Angel and all three of them burst into peals of laughter.

"Well my dear boys, I have just one last thing that I want to show you before I have to leave you in front of the City of the Robots, you will be met there by one of our people in a car who is working in the city as restoration artist. He will pretend that you are his children who have just arrived for the summer holidays to see the sights of the city. From there on, you will just have to take it as it goes. So, God be with you!"

The Angel gently patted each of the boys on the shoulder.

The starship flew in front of an enormous platform that reached right up into the sky. One end of the platform touched the ground and the other went way up into the sky. There were many, many people on the platform and they were all wearing light hooded macs, which left their faces obscured. They were all kneeling and praying. New people would arrive from the earth, put on one of the macs and join the ranks of those who were already praying.

"My goodness look how many there are. Are they all praying? And are they alive or dead?" Michael asked.

"They are all very much alive and all praying. Amongst them are many people that you know," and the Angel pointed to the ranks of people who had recently arrived. One man had his hood pulled back slightly and he was staring straight at the boys with a knowing look.

"Oh, I think I know him," drawled Ben trying to get a better view of the man.

But the starship began to move away leaving the mysterious praying man waving his hand in their wake.

"Yes, I also seem to recognise him from somewhere," Michael exclaimed.

"Well that's great; it means that your relatives know about this mission and we will all be wishing you success."

And with that the Angel gave a friendly wave in reply and the starship sped away from the mysterious platform.

The City of the Robots

It was going to be a fairly long flight to the City of the Robots. The light in the heights of the heavens through which the starship flew changed many times. Initially it was the softest of blues, but then it became increasingly darker until eventually they found themselves flying through threatening black clouds and even thunder and lightning. Ben could control his curiosity no longer and asked the Angel:

"Are we going back to the past again?"

"Oh, there are plenty of these sorts of cities in our times as well, but there are a lot of dark forces swarming around them. By approaching from this side our starship will be mistaken for a dark cloud that is being driven by an evil wind. But we'll be there very soon. We will be landing right onto the road. There will be a car waiting there with two other boys. You will swap places with them and they will get into a different car and return home. This will all take place fifty miles away from the city so that no-one sees anything and gets suspicious. You will pretend to be the children of the restoration expert who will be driving this car. You have come to see him for the holidays and to see the sights of the city. This will give you the perfect cover to wonder around the city, have a look around and come up with a plan to carry out your mission. The restoration artist does not know all the details of your mission but does know that he needs to help and protect in whatever way he can. The man who will be able to help you infiltrate into the Museum House is disguised as an inoffensive tramp. You will meet him right outside the entrance to the city next to the security check point. After that you'll have to act on your own initiative. Once again, I repeat: do not forget that you are on holiday and that you should always appear calm and relaxed. So, God be with you!"

The starship landed on the road with barely a sound. The car was already waiting for them. Michael and Ben went up to the driver.

"Are you our 'dad'?" Michael asked.

"That's one way of getting acquainted," smiled the driver welcomingly, "and from now on you will be Nick and Bob. But how did you get here?" asked 'dad' looking all around.

The starship was parked on the side of the road but was invisible to everyone but the boys. When the boys had sat down in the car, the Angel waved goodbye and disappeared out of sight.
Soon they were approaching the security checkpoint at the entrance of the City of the Robots. The boys had the impression that the checkpoint was closed with not a soul in sight. 'Dad' suggested that the boys should get out and have a look around while they waited for the gate to be opened. The boys' first impressions were not positive. Around the gates the only sign of life were a few scruffy tufts of sun scorched grass and the occasional scraggy jaded tree. At a short distance from the city wall was a completely dry canal. The bottom of the canal had been cracked by the sun and it was evident that it hadn't seen water for a very long time. The cousins descended down a set of steps into the canal. There in the shade under the wall of the canal lay a huge snake. The snake made no move so Michael decided to touch it with his hand. Even then the snake didn't stir but just lay there under the wall looking parched. Further along under the wall was a dog that was also in a terrible condition. Its coat was matted and had dried into great clumps and its eyes were sad and lifeless. A little bit further on they found the tramp, unkempt, unwashed and in incredibly old and threadbare clothes.

"What's the matter with him?" Ben wondered out loud.

"The water hasn't been turned on here for a long time so all life here is dying out," 'dad' answered. The checkpoint had still not opened so he had decided to join the boys.

"Well, let's turn the water on then," Michael suggested.

"There should be a faucet here somewhere, but it's probably in a hidden recess and won't be easy to find," said their 'father' shrugging his shoulders.

Then the tramp stirred unexpectedly and beckoned with his hand for somebody. Ben ran up to him and leaned close to him. The tramp was barely able to whisper:

"Give me a pen and paper and I will draw a plan to show you where the faucet is hidden."

'Dad' handed him his note book and pen. With great difficulty the tramp sat up and drew a very precise plan of all the concealed water pipes on the blank piece of paper. The faucet was located in one of the canal's well holes directly under the city walls about one hundred metres from the gate.

"Well, what have we got to lose? We'll quickly turn it on and pretend that it was nothing to do with us," 'Dad' proposed.

They all nodded to each other as a sign of agreement and even the dog and the snake lifted their heads out of curiosity.

'Dad' gave Michael the map and proposed that he should go down the well while he and Ben would create a diversion. They approached the checkpoint from a different direction chatting away loudly so that all eyes would be on them. Michael quickly opened the manhole cover and jumped in. Using the tramp's map he quickly found the faucet, gently turned it on and was relieved to hear the gurgling sound of water passing through the pipes. Soon water was spurting into the canal. The water had already covered the bottom and had risen up one third of the side of the canal but neither the tramp dog nor snake had come out yet. How glad they were to be in the water! The tramp dived here and there, the dog capered about and the snake wound and unwound its whole huge length like a ribbon being waived by a gymnast. Michael recalled some pictures he had seen of his mother with a ribbon on the gymnastic podium. Having bathed their fill, the tramp, dog and snake formed themselves into a line like happy and contented soldiers. Although the snake stood to attention by wrapping himself around his favourite post and his eyes almost seemed to be smiling.

"It doesn't seem possible! But I think they're going to tell us something," Ben quietly whispered to Michael.

And then the tramp, who, now clean and combed, no longer looked anything like a tramp, quietly whispered to the cousins (while 'dad' had gone to checkpoint):

"I have been told to expect you and I know what you need. Come here tomorrow or any other day that you can by ten o'clock in the morning. At that time the gates will be open, but make sure you come to this very spot. I will have everything ready for you. But... not a word to anybody!" And he pressed his finger to his lips.

At that moment the driver waved to the boys. They got into the car and entered the strange city. The boys' new Dad worked in the city as a restoration artist because it had recently become fashionable to restore old churches. However, these churches were only a church in name. They had been closed as places of worship long ago and were now being used for various uses: some as warehouses, some as night clubs and some as offices. And each time the building was used for a new purpose it would be re-painted and "modernised" according to the taste of its new owners. One of these churches was currently being restored by our restoration artist. Under the layers of gaudy paint he had discovered the most wonderful murals on biblical themes painted by ancient artists. The ascetic lives of the saints and in the centre of the church right above the altar was the most wonderful depiction of Christ's resurrection in beautiful golden hues.

"How could they have plastered such temporal and spiritual beauty with this rotten paint?" The artist had exclaimed as more and more murals were revealed.

When he came back from work, 'dad' would tell the boys what he had managed to restore that day.

"Just a little bit more and I will be able to take you on an excursion round the church," he promised.

The boys had got used to dad's house and had decided to find out a bit more about the city. Dad warned them not to speak too much on the street and only to address each other when really necessary.

"Under no circumstances should you ask passers-by any questions, or make any comments on what you have seen."

"And what are we permitted to do?" Ben asked in surprise.

"You need to know exactly where you are going and with purposeful step head directly towards it without deviating from your path at all," 'dad' explained.

"Like in those maths questions," laughed Michael, "if a man goes from point A to point B..."

"Yes, yes that's exactly it, so that you don't get caught on camera and it might even be an idea if you walk at a short distance from each other," 'dad' continued telling how them how they should behave, "and always be sure to avoid any suspicious people."

"And who are these suspicious characters?" Ben asked in surprise.

"At first glance they might seem to be the most ordinary looking people but you will recognise them when you meet them. Well, okay, off you go – but let's make it for only an hour or so and then we can discuss everything when you get home. So, I'll be waiting for you in an hour or two."

The restoration expert saw the boys to the door and waved them on their way.

"Let's get to know the streets in our district and gradually work our way towards the centre where the Museum House should be." Michael suggested.

The boys walked along several streets near their house. The blocks of flats here were very uniform, mainly nine storeys and looked like rows of dull boxes. The only adornments on these streets were the uniform rows of trees planted along the pavements. Occasionally the monotonous blocks of flats would be broken up by a small playground or square. The boys walked next to each other sharing their impressions with each other having completely forgotten the dad's instructions and advice.

"You know what Michael, those children playing football over there remind me of the figures in one of my computer games and the old people and mothers with their babies and prams remind me of those really old films where the hero never does anything wrong and everybody's lives follow pre-ordained rules," opined Ben.

"And just look at the dogs," said Michael pointing at a dog who was walking right next to them, "they seem to bark at regular intervals and all at the same pitch."

And the dog really did walk about twenty to thirty metres and then give a very strange-sounding and uniform three barks. When Ben decided to shoo it away, instead of running off like a normal dogs it just gave out a long and uninterrupted monotone howl. What on earth could this mean! Moments later, a strange looking old man appeared out of nowhere with a square shaped rucksack on his back. He walked in front of the boys at a uniform distance and even crossed the road when they did. The lads decided not to pay any attention to him and leave him to his own devices. But after a while Michael and Ben began to argue so heatedly that even passers-by began to look at them. The boys decided to sit down on a bench in one of the squares to at least calm down a bit. And right opposite them sat the old man.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves being such bad lads," the old man began to admonish the boys.

The man produced the most repulsive impression on Ben but summoning up all his strength he controlled himself and politely replied:

"I don't understand, what you mean?"

"Well, you're about to find out," and with that the old man began screaming for help. "They're attacking me! Help! "

Soon a crowd began to gather and the tension began to grow.

"What are we going to do Ben," Michael asked in alarm, "I don't think we're going to be able to leg it out of here."

Michael grabbed Ben by the arm.

"Oh, yes, use our bracelets! Let's press the invisibility buttons."

The next instant the boys had disappeared before the eyes of the old man and the crowd. The old man let out a yelp of disappointment:

"Grab them, they must be hiding somewhere!"

While the crowd assiduously looked for them behind every tree and bench, the boys hightailed it as far away as possible. Although there was no-one following them, the boys went straight back to dad's flat in a terrible sweat. It was only in front of the door of their new temporary home that they turned off their invisibility bracelets. The Angel had warned them not to let the restoration expert in on everything just in case.

Once inside the door the boys began to breathe more easily. 'Dad' called them into the kitchen.

"Have some tea, calm down and then we'll calmly discuss what happened."

'Dad' prepared supper for the boys and once calmly sat at the table all three began to discuss their unsuccessful stroll in more detail. It immediately became clear that they had both completely forgotten all the good advice that dad had given them.

"You just can't act like that here," 'dad' warned them again, "that man with the rucksack wasn't simply a kindly old man but a "neutraliser", who was carrying surveillance equipment in his rucksack. This had evidently fixed itself on to your alien energy fields. The old man also had another piece of apparatus in his rucksack, which he had obviously aimed at you. It was emitting a ray that affected your nervous systems, which is what caused you to start arguing. Thank goodness you were able to get away in time."

"What sort of old man could allow himself to fire harmful rays at children?" said Michael.

"People like him don't bother themselves with such questions. They just follow orders and all the robots here are specially selected. There isn't a drop of humanity flowing in their veins. Well, let's just say, all's well that ends well," and 'dad' patted the boys on the head and told them some interesting news from his work.

"If you want I can take you to see my work?" he suggested to the brothers.

"Of course, we'd love to," the cousins answered in unison.

The next day the boys went to have a look at the latest place being restored by 'dad'. It was an ancient church on the outskirts of the city; therefore they had to cut across the whole of the city. It was vital that the lads remained unnoticed. 'Dad' told them to crouch down in the back seat of the car, and Michael and Ben also pressed their invisibility buttons just in case. Everything went smoothly and they weren't stopped at a single checkpoint.

It was the weekend so no-one was working and 'dad' was able to show them all the work that the restoration experts had done. In order to get to the ancient frescoes they had had to remove layer upon layer of paint and this had taken many years. However, they had already broken the back of this arduous job. The whole of the dome, the depiction of Christ's resurrection, the altar screen and all the central walls of the church shone with an extraordinary purity resulting from the holiness and divine strength innate within the murals. Rays of sunlight softly streaming in through the windows set high up in the church only added to this wonderful light. Michael and Ben were filled with a marvellous lightness and joy. They felt as if they could drift up and fly under the huge arched vault of the church.

"How can such beauty and spirituality exist in such a city as this?" thought Michael out loud.

"Well firstly, their leaders are unlikely to understand and feel all this in the same way as you, and secondly it's become fashionable in recent times to pretend to be democratic. When they finished restoring the church they even signed a resolution condemning their own government," explained 'dad'.

"Why did they do that?" asked Ben in surprise.

"Because the energy that flows out of these frescoes and icons and from the church, it is fatal for these robots' black souls. The robots that worked with us have all become normal people. Here they are in some photographs with the rest of us," and the artist lead the lads to a table with a snap of all the restoration experts and local people and their assistants. The people's faces in the photograph were all smiling, friendly and radiant with joy. It was clear that this was a team united by the joy of creative work.

"Did they change because of your influence?" asked Michael.

"Most likely it was the effect of this aura," and 'dad' gestured towards all the holy faces depicted on the walls and which seemed to have come from another wonderful world to lift the spirits of those living in this one.

"Why are the robots restoring the church if it's dangerous for them?" Ben asked.

"Shall we just say that it's simply been pre-ordained and that the process of restoring spiritual values is already in motion? But for the moment this is all a secret and the robot's leaders know nothing about it," 'dad' whispered enigmatically, "but let's go and it's high time we were gone."

The journey home also passed without mishap. After dinner the three of them sat chatting together for a long time. The boys talked about themselves and then they all settled down to watch a film that 'dad' had managed to smuggle in from the normal world. They played a number of different games together and when it was already quite late and dark outside the boys decided to go out and explore the next district. This time they followed dad's instructions and their "innocent" stroll went off without any mishaps. Having studied many different routes around the city, the cousins decided to make an excursion out of the city to the place where the tramp would be expecting them.

The next day the boys pressed their invisibility buttons and set off for the city gates. They were open and a line of cars tailed right back to the highway in front of the city. The lads hunkered down at the check point thus successfully escaping detection. Once outside the gates the cousins noticed that the trees, bushes and grass have become much greener and the leaves on the trees shone brightly in the sun. There was still a little bit of water left at the very bottom of the canal. Michael and Ben soon found their old acquaintances at the bottom of the canal again. The snake laid full length like a log, the dog was dozing right next to her and the man sat on the steps that lead down to the canal. On seeing the boys the dog began to wag its tail, the snake raised its head and the man waved them over to join them. Michael and Ben happily ran down the stairs to meet them.

"It's good that you've come," said the man, "we know that we have to help you carry out a very important task. I have already drawn up a plan of the security system at the Museum House. It shows you everything you need to know down to the last detail. And I am really glad knowing that when I hand all this over to you I will now be able to return home."

"But why were you waiting for us here instead of somewhere in the city. It's obviously been difficult for you surviving out here." Ben exclaimed sympathetically.

"I made a small slip up and lost the robot's confidence and for that I was banished to live outside the city. As a matter of fact the dog and snake were both forced to live here for much the same reason. It's a shame they can't explain their own stories to you themselves."

"But we can find out from them," Michael exclaimed, "if we transform ourselves into a dog and a snake for a while we'll be able find out what happened to them."

And there in front of the former security expert the two cousins turned into a dog and snake respectively. The dogs and snakes soon found a common language. The dogs ran to one side of the canal and barked to each other deeply engrossed in their own doggy conversation. The snakes remained in the canal, one of them lay in the water while the other sat coiled on the lowest step but with his head at the same level as the other serpent.

After a while both snakes slid out of the canal onto the grass in order to remain unseen. After about half an hour Michael and Ben returned and the dog and the snake joined them in the canal. The boffin (as the boys had decided to call him) rushed up to the cousins:

"Well, what did you manage to find out?"

"Your hunch was right. One day the dog didn't bark in exactly the way she was ordered. Initially she was severely beaten for this, but then they began to beat her for no reason at all, so she decided to escape the city while still in one piece. Ever since then she has been settled here. She told me about the dogs that we need to fear most. These are the specially trained dogs patrolling around outside the Museum House. They have a small camera sewn into them that can fix on to all living things and radiation that differs from those given off by the robots. Therefore, the only way to get into the Museum House is with a tourist group. The dog was very kind and gave me a lot of useful advice and even offered her help if we need it." Michael finished recounting the dog's tale clearly very pleased with the information he had gleaned.

But Ben's conversation with the snake threw light not only on the security outside the Museum House but on the exhibition hall where the Princess's ring was being kept. The snake had worked in the hall and knew many of the finer points of its security system. She knew all the entrances and exits of the hall, where the alarm system was turned on and how to turn it off again. The snake had been replaced when she had got old because her reactions had become a bit slower. She had managed to save herself from certain death during her transfer from the museum in a locked cage. She had made a hole in the bottom of the cage and, when the lorry carrying her to her destruction stopped for a few minutes, she was able to crawl out unnoticed and hide in some bushes. Later, she managed to crawl under the city's perimeter fence unseen at night.

"The snake has promised to help us when we start our mission to retrieve the Princess's ring. We have even arranged to produce an agreed sound, which she has taught me and I have remembered, to signal the start of the operation. The snake understands and knows many things. It's not for nothing that people consider them wise." concluded Ben.

"That's great, make that sound that is the signal for action and I will record it. And you give me a ring on my mobile Ben to let me know that it's time to act," and with that their new ally, the former security systems expert recorded the "snake" signal on his mobile phone.

The boys returned home with the satisfied feeling that they had repaid a debt, albeit only half of it. They were bursting to tell 'dad' everything. Happy and excited they opened the door of the flat... when... horror of horrors! They were met by a strange woman who screamed wildly:

"Where have you been skulking about?"

"And who are you? And what are you doing here?" the boys hurled back in the face of the unknown harpy.

"I am your new housekeeper and just you try not listening to what I have to say!"

"Who? What do we need a housekeeper for? Surely we can manage for ourselves?" the brothers asked 'dad'.

He just helplessly shrugged his shoulders and mumbled: "She's been sent to us. I've been told that this is the way things are done here."

"'Dad', tell this... this housekeeper that we don't need her," said Ben in a desperate attempt to keep their accommodation arrangements unchanged and unaffected.

"What? I'll show you, what is and isn't allowed! You'll learn the hard way from me!" yelled the harpy.

At that moment, to the boys' horror and surprise, 'dad' rushed to calm the dreadful harridan down.

"Don't worry Miss Victoria; the boys are only reacting like this because it's all a bit of a shock. I'm sure you will become good friends and everything will be fine." The boys' faces became longer and longer as they listened to the conciliatory tone in dad's voice.

"That's just how things are!" 'Dad' continued.

"We've made a lovely lunch for you. You tuck in while I pop out for a minute and buy us something for dessert."

Michael and Ben hardly had time to blink before 'dad' had disappeared like the wind. After the shock had sunk in, the cousins sat down to lunch.

"There's some fried potato and sausage in the frying pan, eat it up and have some salad as well. It's all delicious, I tried it myself," said the harpy.

The boys had long finished their lunch but 'dad' still hadn't returned. They were already sitting in their room and had just turned on the computer when Michael got a message on his mobile. It was short but to the point:

"The housekeeper has been sent by the authorities, I couldn't say no. Don't say anything to each other out loud in the flat, it might be bugged. If you need to talk use the computer but turn the screen to face the wall. Be strong, dad."

Michael and Ben's mood took a nosedive. Ben couldn't control himself and said out loud:

"Does that mean we're imprisoned?"

Before Michael could even reply the housekeeper had barged her way into the room. Michael switched window and started playing a computer game and Ben tried to give the impression that he was watching.

"Did you want something?" Ben said, unable to hide his irritation.

"You know, I don't like the way you are looking at me," the harpy whined.

"A look is just a look, what exactly don't you like about ours?" said Ben continuing to be riled.

"It seems to be me that you're not happy having me around," whined the housekeeper.

Ben was about to let her know what he really thought of her when 'dad' came bounding into the room. He had a bag full of biscuits and sweets which he immediately handed over to the housekeeper.

"Take them; these are for your children. I'll make a point of improving the boys' behaviour; lately they really have become very lippy."

The harpy took the presents, and very pleased with herself, left the room.

"The weather's really great outside, let's go for a walk," and with that 'dad' dragged the boys towards the door.

Once outside and at a decent distance from the house, 'dad' pointed to a bench in one of the little squares in their neighbourhood.

"Let's sit down on that bench over there on its own away from the others. Now press your invisibility buttons."

The boys obligingly disappeared.

"Yes, yes, I know all about your bracelets. Right, now I will sit here with a book and give the impression that I am reading out loud on my own, when in fact I'll be talking to you. We will talk in whispers and if anyone comes near or sits down next to us, we will get up and go. I will give the impression that I am strolling along deep in thought and thus lead you somewhere else. But for now, chin up, you have a mission and it needs to be completed."

The boys did exactly as 'dad' had told them. And within a few minutes they were able to speak quite freely. Knowing the robots' habits well, 'dad' hurried to tell the boys his main piece of advice.

"It's vital that you give the impression that you are schoolboys on holiday. That means reading books and playing on the computer at home. When you're on the street and learning the layout of the city you must also go into a shop or a cinema or something of that sort. You mustn't talk to each other at all, especially outside the house, and when you're indoors you should only communicate via the computer. When you sit down to lunch you must invite the housekeeper to sit with you. You should make tea and coffee for yourselves."

Michael and Ben had no idea what advice to ask from 'dad', because they had never been in this sort of predicament before. At that moment an old lady began to make her way towards their bench. The boys got up quietly and the restoration expert, pretending to be totally engrossed in his book, sat where he was for a couple more minutes. The three of them were forced to move to a couple more squares in this fashion. But in that time 'dad' managed to explain a few more things about the Robots' habits:

"Superficially Robots appear to be very efficient and full of team spirit and a desire to make it to the top robot rung. But in actual fact they can't stand people who are so different to them, especially in terms of their energy. They have a huge number of important and petty rules, which they use to persecute normal human beings. Moreover, they particularly like to pick on these sorts of people."

"Why are working here when it's so unpleasant and dangerous for you?" Michael asked anxiously.

"I am a specialist with a reputation as they say. I am known in many countries and they are afraid to touch people like me," and 'dad' showed them some photographs of himself with various other restoration experts from all over the world.

Looking at the photos Michael and Ben quickly came to the conclusion that their surrogate father was a real man of the world.

"It's possible," 'dad' laughed, "if you carry out your mission well and gain the necessary experiences maybe you will become either specialists or experts in something very important in this life."

"What sorts of experts for example?" Ben asked. "You need to study a lot for this".

"Well, let's take the law of the conservation of energy, because you learned about it from the other side. Firstly, energy can be both negative and positive, what's more good deeds increase a person's energy but evil deeds exhaust their energy. Secondly, good energy can be wielded by the natural world and animals if you treat them well. But the most important are the higher forces of Good and Love for mankind and one need to turn to these forces for help. It is a good thing that you learned to do this early in your childhood. And that in short is what you need to know about your achievements and talents. But let's go into a club so that we will have some excuse for our housekeeper."

And the boys and their surrogate father turned into a club for animal lovers but inside it looked much more like a bar for beer lovers. The only animals in the whole place were rare endangered birds and animals that had been stuffed and put on display in glass cases along the walls. Each cabinet had a plaque with instructions on how to hunt and kill these beautiful creatures. 'Dad' and the boys didn't even bother sitting down at a table and having taken a good look at their surroundings, for the sake of form, they set off home.

When they arrived they found yet another pleasant surprise waiting for them: the housekeeper had brought her children with her. They had made themselves quite at home and were happily sitting at the table drinking tea.

"Sit down, sit down, why not join us for some tea," the newly ensconced housekeeper generously invited them.

"Thank you very much. You're most kind," 'dad' replied politely, and without the slightest hint of irony.

The conversation at table was stilted and stuttering. Michael and Ben were simply unable to stomach the falseness of it all. And to make matters worse, the housekeeper's children (a fourteen year old boy and twelve year old girl) constantly made digs at the boys. They pretended that Ben was a girl and said that Michael's loud laugh sounded like the braying of a donkey, although they themselves laughed in the most unpleasant way. So Ben decided to get his revenge:

"Do you have a football team in this city that plays on the world stage?"

"My children have no interest in such a common sport as football," the children's mother pronounced after a lengthy and uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, do you play tennis then?" said Michael politely trying to keep the conversation going.

"And I suppose you play then," the girl spat out.

"Yes I go to tennis and Ben is very good at football," Michael replied calmly.

"Well, everyone knows that sportsmen are all a bit thick," the housekeeper's son rudely added.

Michael and Ben were barely able to control themselves. But 'dad' poured oil on the trouble waters by saying:

"Children, why don't we go and play some games together. We've got chess, draughts and there's the computer or perhaps you'd like to listen to some music?"

"You're right, children need to be organised," said the housekeeper.

"Let's go and play football, I saw a sports ground not far from here," Ben suggested.

Unexpectedly, but reluctantly, the housekeeper's children agreed. 'Dad' fished out the football and the whole crowd of them piled out of the flat, except the housekeeper, of course, who stayed at home sulking at the fact that even her children had ignored her parting phrase:

"Don't run too fast and no more than thirty minutes."

She shouted something else as they descended the stairs but no-one was paying any attention. Of course only Ben played football at all well, but the game was fun, and as Ben put it, a success. The goals piled up for both sides with 'dad' playing the role of referee. He joked and chivvied everyone along, which made the game all the more fun. However, just as the match was getting interesting the housekeeper turned up. She immediately stopped the game and forcibly dragged her children from the playground. The boys and 'dad' returned home an hour later because the latter decided that he also need a bit of a run-around. Thankfully when they got home there was no-one there – the housekeeper had left to go home for the night. The boys and 'dad' sat down to a cup of tea with only themselves for company. It was so good not to be spied on! They were able to laugh, joke, argue or just do nothing.

"If only we could get rid of her for good," Ben said dreamily.

"Boys, you have to understand that she is only doing her job. This is how she earns her living and it's clear that she's also making things up as well; therefore she'll never get removed from this post. "'Dad' interjected.

Michael elbowed him in the ribs and gestured towards his ears. Everyone burst into a fit of giggles.

"Off you go and play on the computer."

A few minutes later he joined the boys on the computer and typed:

"Sometimes I will say things that are forbidden so that they won't think that I'm a complete idiot, but also to let them know that they can't completely "cow" someone from the free world. But you two had better keep quiet so that you don't raise any suspicions in their minds."

"But they don't pick on their own," wrote Michael.

"Not everyone can join the elite – only a selected few, or those who particularly stand out, but the average citizen here just has to follow orders. And if something is noted somewhere, sometime then it is put in the black list and it's very difficult to get yourself off this list once on it. There are cases when they banish totally innocent people and animals from the city for no reason, like the dog who didn't bark the way they liked."

"That's just the way life is here," Ben noted sadly, "what they really need is a revolution."

"They have already had one revolution and this is the result," the restoration expert typed in reply.

As time went by life in the City of the Robots became more and more difficult for the boys. The housekeeper had either started cooking badly or had just started buying sub-standard goods – whatever the reason the cousins and 'dad' began to fall ill. They seemed particularly prone to stomach upsets followed by spells of dizziness, which was uncomfortable rather than life threatening. This time it was the restoration expert who could control himself no longer. Just as the housekeeper was getting ready to go home she came up to him asking what he would like her to cook them the next day.

"Thank you very much," he said through gritted teeth, "but we won't need your services any longer."

The woman was so surprised that she was completely dumbstruck. Then a torrent of words poured out of her all at once:

"What do you mean... but you have to have a housekeeper." "You know I like to cook for myself," 'dad' said firmly.

The boys had to control themselves in order not to clap their hands in glee.

And then 'dad' continued:

"What's more you have greatly exceeded your authority."

"What? What have I done?" the housekeeper shrieked in alarm.

"I could mention it to the appropriate authorities," 'dad' hinted directly, "but I hope we can part on civilised terms."

"Yes, yes of course," said the woman deflatedly, "we... will be very civilised."

The cousins had to summon up all their strength not to giggle with glee at the tragi-comic scene. In a matter of minutes the harpy had collected her things, said goodbye and disappeared.

What a miracle! Ben had been dreaming of this moment for ages. Within half an hour 'dad' had called up some friends and the flat was completely cleared of "bugs". There were hundreds of them! After that they had another check and even found something hidden in one of their taps. However, the restoration expert decided not explains what it was to the boys in order not to upset them. He only noted quietly:

"That's why we all had stomach upsets. Well, you horrible woman, just you wait, I'll find a way of paying you back."

The boys never found out if 'dad' did indeed go and report her but she never darkened their door again. And life once again got back on to an even keel. In this calmer environment the cousins were able to gradually prepare for their vital mission. The boys got to know the city like the back of their hand. They found out where all the surveillance cameras and neutralisation apparatus were located and also where the security dogs patrolled most often. The dogs were the most dangerous hazard for people with a normal energy field. Michael and Ben would more often than not wonder around the city in "invisible" mode. No matter how careful the boys were, the dogs would always get a fix on them. Then they would start howling, switch on their liquidation apparatus and out of nowhere unpleasant old men with rucksacks would appear. However, the boys soon learned to get the better of them. They would turn into animals much smaller than the dogs while remaining invisible and thus fall out of range of the dogs' neutralisation equipment. Having got to know the whole city, the boys began to explore the area right next to the Museum-House. Here their task was even trickier because the museum was guarded from all sides, literally above and below. The only possible way of getting in was with a tour group and each member of these groups would be assigned their own special "observer". In terms of its architecture the museum reminded the boys of the ancient Chinese Imperial palaces. It had a huge ornate roof which sat atop the walls like a separate structure. In the evening hundreds of multi-coloured rays would radiate out of the building and especially the roof making it look a bit like a hedgehog. In addition to this hundreds of searchlights were pointed at the Museum House.

"Not even a fly would be able to get past all this," Ben noted sadly.

The restoration expert burst out laughing.

"But at least it is beautiful to look at even if it is a little bit pompous. Because the thing that is being protected here is very important to the robots and far more valuable than the finest of jewels." said 'dad' thoughtfully.

"Well that means we'll have to act during the day," Michael suggested.

However, it's clear that these rays are invisible in daylight and just as dangerous to an intruder as they would be at night," 'dad' pondered.

"But what about the robots?" asked Ben.

"I noticed during the excursion that all the people working in the museum and the security guards were wearing special costumes and that during our visit the security system was not switched on to "full". The main thing is to ensure that the machines don't get a fix on your positive energy flows. On the one hand it's good that you have been so well prepared and trained for this mission. But on the other hand your energy is so positive that the robots' instruments will sense you from a hundred yards. Of course it's going to be very dangerous for you to go into the museum," said the restoration expert.

Then Michael remembered:

"Our kind exiled friends promised to help us."

"Yes, I'd forgotten. Let's ask their advice," Ben added, "they promised to help us. I suggest that we go and see them all together tomorrow."

"No, no I mustn't. My absence from work would be noticed and what's more I can't get past the city gate unnoticed," said 'dad' sadly folding his arms, "and anyway I will have my own role to play in this operation. First you need to agree on a plan with the specialist and his comrades in misfortune. You need to agree everything down to the last detail then I will tell you what my part in the mission is going to be. We need to agree an exact day for operation 'free the Princess's ring'."

"Our friend the security specialist will start by turning off the part of the security and alarm system which the snake moves through so that it can be substituted by our friendly snake under the display cabinet. Then he will swap the dog in front of the museum for our one and do his utmost to disable the observation equipment used to track visitors," said Ben relating the details of their plan.

"I will be in my car next to the museum with a sign saying: "excursion". After you have completed operation 'free the Princess's ring' you will switch on your invisibility bracelets and sit down next to me in the car and we will drive out of the city as fast as we can. Operations will start in two days, which will give us time for you to speak to our helpers and for me to get everything ready for our escape out of the city. But for now, let's just go for a casual walk around the city," and with that 'dad' hugged the boys like a proud father and stepped out on to the street.

The next day the restoration artist went to work and Michael and Ben set off to see their friends. Having successfully made it past the city checkpoint the brothers headed to the canal - only to find that their friends weren't there. Next to the canal they found a sign saying "Forbidden Zone". The boys looked further along the canal... but to no avail.

"Where could they have gone?" said Michael wiping his forehead with his hand.

"Look, in that forest in the distance, there they are," said Ben.

Everyone was overjoyed to see each other. The dog wagged its tail, the snake raised its head high and the specialist rushed forward to greet the boys. The cousins soon informed the others about their plan of action.

"It's a really good thing that we start operations tomorrow, because it's getting more and more dangerous for us to stay here. I am still pretending to be a tramp but tramps don't usually live in the forest. They prefer inhabited places where they can beg for food from people. But now, let's get down to business. Tomorrow you need to bring me a museum worker's outfit, your dad knows the sort that I need. And we'll need to find a way of getting around the check point robots at the city gate because they're very vigilant," said the specialist looking at the boys inquiringly. "As a matter of fact how do you manage to get past it so easily?"

"We were given bracelets by the Angel which have an invisibility button," said Ben switching on the button as he did so and thus producing the rest of his speech out of thin air. "And that's how we'll get you past the checkpoint. When we touch you, you will also become invisible."

The specialist whistled in amazement and said:

"Wow, remarkable! Can you do the same with your energy? Because that is what the machines immediately fix on to."

"We wait until a car goes past and then sneak through low under the beams," Michael explained.

The boys and the expert discussed everything down to the finest detail; there was no room for error because the robots would be utterly ruthless with any "spies".

"If you want I can tell you what they do in their torture chambers," the expert suggested.

"We definitely don't want to know," said Ben decidedly, "what we see on television is bad enough."

"We will just have to hope that everything works out for you, but if the machines do get a fix on you, or to be more precise, your energy here are two small devices. Put one in your chest pocket and they will trick the surveillance machines into thinking that you have a different type of energy. The most important thing is that you manage to avoid the neutralisation machines. They are my invention," the expert said with evident pride.

Michael and Ben hid the priceless devices in their pockets while Michael asked:

"Do they only work once or can you carry them around with you all the time?"

The expert laughed:

"They will protect you against the robots' evil instruments whatever the situation."

"But surely there must be some people in the city with positive energy?" said Ben in surprise.

"Of course there are, otherwise the robots wouldn't be able to survive. There are many cases when robots marry good people with excellent positive energy levels. And they proceed to live and flourish at their expense."

"How can good intelligent people go through life married to humanoid robots," asked Michael in disbelief, "and what happens to them later in life?"

"Sometimes they even die. There are many ways of seducing a person and once they have made the wrong choice they have a real job getting them out of this "dark hole". The most important thing for a person is to protect their soul, and then they will see things as they really are and stop dangerously experimenting with their own lives. But don't you worry just yet, as far as I can see it's going to be a little while before you two get married."

Then suddenly Ben asked:

"Is it a sin to marry?"

"No it's more like a sort of ordeal. But it's upsetting when this suffering is borne for such an artificial reason. And moreover they say to you – it's all down to fate..." and the experts eyes filled with tears, "I have seen these sorts of families. It turns out that the robots are more inventive in their struggle for life than good but gullible people. But that is the key thing here, the most important thing is to knock a good person from the true path and Satanists of all sorts are working towards this end with all their modern technologies and inventions."

The boys could see that the expert was upset and realised that he had gone through something of this sort in his own life. So Ben tactfully asked:

"Is it from your own personal experience that you've learned so much about their tricks?"

"Yes. Everything is fine with me, but my sister..., but let's not talks about this; it's very difficult for me to think about it."

"And is there no way of helping?" Michael interjected. "Because you seem to know so much and are able to do so many things."

"I tried to be very careful and tactful. But it was hard enough for me to handle the cutting edge technology that had been aimed at her. Evidently everything will be decided in a different place."

And he looked up towards the heavens.

"We all love her very much and give her all our support. And that is the main thing."

"So is she living in the City of the Robots?" asked Ben, "then it will be impossible to drag her out of here."

"No, no, she doesn't live here. But the robots congregate in other countries and cities as well and can easily entrench themselves in a normal country... although, it's more difficult for them to gain a foothold in these places. You know, in the New Testament according to Luke the Lord said to his disciples: It is inevitable that temptations to sin will come, but how terrible it will be for the person through whom they come! But temptations come in all forms, for example the desire to have a family regardless of the cost. But there is an explanation for everything. If something bad happens you just have get through it. And having got through it once you'll be better equipped to get through it a second time. But the most important thing is not to besmirch your soul... Well, that's enough about that lads, I appear to have got side-tracked and seem to rubbing an old wound. And as far as I understand there would seem to be similar problems in your family, otherwise you wouldn't be here in this horrible city taking such risks to free that part of the Princess's energy that has been stolen from her and kept in captivity. Isn't that so? The time has come to stand up for the wonderful ideals of your family. And the forces of heaven have come down to earth to help you in this. So, God be with you! We will be waiting for you early tomorrow morning."

And with that the expert lead the boys right up to the city gates before melting away into the forest. On the way home the boys talked about what the expert had said about the wiles of the humanoid robots and the inexplicable way that this exceptional man was helping them. Staying out here likes a tramp in the forest on the outskirts of this foul city and all just to help them and what about the restoration artist? He was behaving towards them as if he were their real father: He fed and watered them, told stories and went for walks with them but the most important thing was that he treated their problems as his own.

"It just means that they were sent here for our sake, and for the sake of the successful completion of our mission," Michael pondered out loud.

"With friends like these there's always going to be a chance that we will succeed," Ben murmured.

At home Michael and Ben went through everything with 'dad' right down to the smallest detail. They had researched and forearmed themselves as much as possible. In the morning the boys left for the outskirts of the city with the worker's outfit that 'Dad' had acquired for the security expert. The boys safely brought the expert through the security checkpoint, while the dog and the snake sneaked into the city using holes in the perimeter fence that they had found. Then they all set off in the direction of the Museum House. The restoration artist arrived in a small van with a group of "tourists" and parked close to the entrance of the museum. Invisibility buttons on, Michael, Ben and the expert joined the museum excursion group and entered the museum building. Holding hands all three of them moved from one security control box to another while the expert put the system out of action. The main thing was not to be noticed by the robot guards. When this was done, the cousins went into the exhibition hall. And there in the display cabinet shone the Princess's ring! The ring looked fairly modest next to the other priceless and ancient valuables. Nevertheless, it was displayed right in the centre of the display cabinet and was lit from all sides. When the hall became full of people, Ben pressed the remote control signal button for the snake who was now waiting in the special compartment under the display cabinet. The snake soon moved into action, it raised its head and began to squeeze the glass of the cabinet with all its might. The cabinet even began to buckle under the pressure but no-one seemed to notice and the tour continued as normal. However, a few minutes later the snake had broken the display cabinet and with a wild hiss hurled itself at the tourists. A terrible commotion ensued; everyone rushed to escape the snake who herded them closer to the display cabinet. Michael, Ben and the expert nestled up close to the glass. The security expert soon had the power, light and alarm switched off. Michael quickly cut a hole in the glass of the display cabinet and Ben grabbed the ring!!! All three of them and the snake rushed straight for the exit. But they had only managed to take a few steps before they were greeted by the howl of a siren and a terrible racket behind them. The rod holding the cabinet together began to pulsate and then slowly made its way towards the roof of the museum building and disappeared. And a few seconds later the whole pagoda-like roof began to stir and flew away!!!

What a shock that was! Suddenly the tourists were confronted with the open skies. And the roof of the museum had transformed itself into something resembling a UFO and flown away.

"Run for it!" the expert shouted and all three of them dashed for the door. There was a scrum of bodies all trying to get out but they managed to squeeze their way through and jump outside. The restoration artist's car was running and waiting for them. All three of them jumped into the back seat.

"Is everything okay?" asked 'dad' anxiously.

"Yes, we've got the ring," answered Ben's disembodied voice. The restoration artist had only guessed that they had got into the car when he felt their weight in the back seat. So with some trepidation he asked:

"Are you all here?" and when they all chorused yes. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks are to God!"

When the boys had taken stock of what had just happened both of them asked:

"What happened back there? How was the roof able to lift off and fly away like a transformer robot?"

"It was a shock to me too. Even though I'd worked there I had no idea that the roof had been made like that – it must be some kind of kind starship," said the security expert in amazement. "They were clearly frightened by the fact that the ring had gone missing. For the robots it must have been a very momentous sign. Some sort of danger signal. But what was it that flew away and where did they go and why? It's possible that the robots' top leaders have a secret alternative bunker or even another city."

"Perhaps they have some sort of secret linked with the valuable things that they were holding there. There were so many priceless valuables and precious things there – each with their own special energy," the restoration expert ventured, trying to fathom the answer to the mystery himself.

They passed through the checkpoint at the gates without any problems, chaos reigned everywhere and no-one bothered to stop and check them. They stopped close to the gates, the security expert jumped out to see if the snake and the dog had got out of the city okay. The dog had been detailed to protect them as they left the entrance of the museum. The dog's job was to hurl itself at any guard who might get a fix on anyone. But everything went to plan without her having to do this. Very soon the snake and the dog appeared through their respective holes in the fence. They put the snake in the boot of the car so that she could go back to the forest where she belonged and the dog jumped into the car. The security expert had decided to take her home to live with him because she had become such a loyal friend.

They drove for a long time without stopping until they had passed through all the robots' cordons.

Before long the restoration artist stopped the car at a crossroads. On the verge stood another car, which was to take the security expert home. Everyone took a long time to say goodbye. They had become so close that it was sad to part.

Michael asked:

"Do you think we'll meet again sometime?"

"It's probably not possible, because we don't even know your real names," said Ben sadly.

And at that moment the Angel appeared saying:

"Everything is possible."

Everybody greeted the Angel with great joy and even the snake poked its head out of the boot of the car.

"What a fantastic triumph! I have good news for all of you. Your sister no longer lives with her husband, although it was on his initiative that she had to leave. However, I hope this doesn't bother you too much," said the Angel looking at the boffin. He was so overjoyed that he was completely lost for words.

"You my dear artist have a big choice to make: You have been invited to work either in Germany or England in order to restore some of the most ancient and beautiful churches that were built over a thousand years ago. And this means that your children will get an excellent education. The book of frescoes that you have restored is published and ready to go to the shops."

'Dad' literally shone with happiness at the news of these gifts.

"And you, Michael and Ben have been invited to the City of the Angels," said the Angel in conclusion.

"What? Us?" said the boys smiling and jumping for joy.

"But how are we going to get there?" Michael asked naively. The Angel simply smiled at their spontaneity. Then Ben remembered that the ring was still sitting tight in his fist. He opened his hand and the circlet shone in the light of the sun, its brilliant gold flashing and its huge pearl gleaming softly. The Angel took the ring, the pearl opened and the little crowned Princess appeared. She curtsied and sang her sweet little song, then waved her handkerchief and the pearl closed once again.

"My little Princess, your song has filled everyone's hearts with the most wonderful memories."

"Are we going to return the ring back to the real Princess?" asked Ben curiously.

"We will return it in good time, be patient and you will learn everything in a little while," said the Angel hiding the ring in his pocket.

"But why was this modest little ring so important to the robots that it caused the roof of their museum to literally fly away and leave the whole city in such disarray?" the artist asked the Angel.

"An ancient oracle warned them that as long as they controlled the Princess's ring they would flourish. But losing it would spell their doom. This sort of half-baked mysticism sits at the basis of their whole world view and belief system. However, building a starship in the shape of that roof and flying away in it once they had lost the ring was a piece of the most wreck less folly. However, the leaders of the robots have paid a high price for this violation of the higher laws. The city is rid of their cruel regime and will eventually be restored back to normal, which means that the remaining robots will become fully functional human beings again."

The Angel also told them how the "transformer" starship was stuck in space unable to return to the earth. At that moment the Angel received a signal and said:

"I'll be back soon, wait for me here." And with that, he flew off.

Several minutes later the Angel returned with news that amazed everyone: An enormous source of light had been discovered on board the robots' spaceship that had been successfully blockaded by the Angels.

"It looks like these could be Divine Stars that have been stolen from people who have served God. The robots wanted to use them for their own evil ends," the Angel explained excitedly. The Angel received another message:

"The robots are completely surrounded and are unable to carry out their dastardly plan. There's a possibility that your Divine Star's energy might be on board," said the Angel turning towards Michael and Ben.

"Can we fly out there on your starship and take back our Star?" Ben implored the Angel.

"No, that is impossible, our starship is not designed for such a task and it is really up to the adults in your family to get the star back. And... haven't you got a lot of suggestions to make for one so young! Don't worry we have the situation perfectly under control," said the Angel smiling at everyone. "You my dear boys have more than earned your reward. The City of the Angels awaits you."

The boys gave the restoration artist and security expert a big warm hug goodbye. Then they all went their separate ways. Their wonderful temporary 'dad' set off for the city where the greatest opportunities awaited him. And the security expert, who really was a specialist of the highest calibre headed off to the South. And with him went his true and loyal friends: the snake and the dog. Michael gave the dog a big hug and Ben gently stroked the huge serpent's wise old head. And despite having been through some pretty hard ordeals in the City of the Robots, thanks to their true friends the cousins had spent an extremely interesting time that they would never forget for the rest of their lives. And of course without these friends it would have been quite impossible to get the ring back.

When both cars had sped out of view, Michael and Ben sat down in the spaceship and the Angel set a course to the highest heavens. After a minute or two Michael asked:

"Are the artist and security kind of human angels?"

"They are wise, kind and noble minded people, who are capable of achieving the most amazing things for the sake of others. They are very close to the Angels... in spirit. I am very glad that you became such close friends."

And with that the Angel set the starship on an ever steeper course taking the boys to unknown and joyful worlds.

The City of the Angels

This time the starship took them in an ever increasing upward trajectory. And at the highest cusp of the heavens an immense gleam of light appeared. Then the boys saw it from the side, then below and then above. Unknown to them the Angel had decided to fly around the city so the boys could admire it from all angles. The light steadily increased in intensity and shone with all the colours of the rainbow. However, two colours prevailed over the others: a light pink and a pale blue. The gleam of light fizzed and grew. And soon the boys could make out the fantastic buildings constructed in the most wondrous shapes and forms. Some were shaped like flowers and others like balloons or precious stones with delicate transparent walls. Some buildings fluoresced with a pink or yellow light while others were white and mottled with different flecks of pulsating colour. Each building had its own design. Some were like trees laden with huge succulent fruit; others were like beds of flowers, which constantly changed form and colour. Some were adorned with technicoloured, transparent, very-formed stones that stood proudly sentinel outside their entrances. But what the boys found most amazing was that in front of each building stood a children's playground. However, these were no ordinary playgrounds, they boasted merry-go-rounds with live horses and swings held in place by huge elephants and real miniature steam trains that sped around on rails and tooted at the children as they went by. There were also a huge number of lakes inhabited by countless swans and other birds of all shapes and colours. Tiny little machines buzzed between, over and around the houses like friendly bees. And everywhere you looked there were children playing in fun parks that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The starship flew over a wide central boulevard and stopped in front of a high pyramid made out of bright coloured transparent stones that looked as if they had been weaved together on an invisible thread of bright rays of light. This was the official welcome building for honoured guests. The Angel led Michael and Ben to a lift made out of pure light. No sooner had they entered the lift than they found themselves on the uppermost floor of the pyramid. The Angel escorted the boys to a balcony that led out on to the central boulevard.

"Who are all these children?" Michael asked, "and why are there so many of them?"

"They are all undergoing rehabilitation after particularly cruel deaths on Earth. There were many such children on Earth in the past and even now attacks on children are not rare. Here there are children who were unable to make it through wars. Here you will see what state the children and adults are in when they are brought to our city," and there was so much sadness in the Angel's voice that Michael and Ben felt at first hand just how much the Angels feel and share the suffering of humans on the Earth.

Soon the balcony was filled with many angels and one fantastic scene followed another. A cavalcade of golden carriages drawn by magnificent white stallions and packed with children who had died during the last world war triumphantly trotted along the main boulevard. Small child Angels threw flowers and presents to each of the children. The air was thick with the most beautiful toys: squirrels with fluffy ears, old plumped up teddy bears and children's cars of all types and varieties. Then the train of children stopped near a huge table laden with wonderful effervescent drinks, all sorts of ice-cream and chocolates... and sweets to satisfy all tastes. The heavens were adorned with three suns: our golden sun, accompanied by a light blue and light pink one. The rays of these different suns interspersed and blazed, and as if this wasn't enough the sky was lit up with millions of little tongues of fire like an endless and infinite firework display.

Each cavalcade was followed by another full of those who had suffered on earth and all of them were welcomed with whatever their hearts desired.

But there was one spectacle that particularly stuck in Michael and Ben's memory: a squadron of open topped aeroplanes parading along the boulevard. Each plane was surrounded by angels large and small. Leading the squadron was the Archangel with his fiery sword in hand and a warlike expression on his face that seemed to say: 'we will brook no more suffering for the people of the earth'. Then he flourished his sword producing an explosion of sparks which floated to the ground as a multitude of roses of all sizes, colours and shapes. The Earth's victims of suffering were literally showered with flowers. And all the proceedings were accompanied by the most melodious and extraordinarily tender music. During the triumphant angelic fly-past another wondrous thing happened. A fourth sun appeared shining like a huge diamond. What a wonderful display! Of course the cousins had never seen such a wondrous sight and the heavens seemed to flash with vary-coloured diamantine stars. Michael wanted to ask the Angel: "Who is that wonderful Archangel?"

But the Angel was not standing next to him at the time and instead replied thought with thought:

"That is the Archangel Michael."

"How wonderful, that I have been named in his honour." Michael thought in reply.

The Angel simply smiled.

"Who are those people in the aeroplanes?" asked Ben.

"They are the people who died on September the eleventh in New York," several Angels who were standing nearby replied simultaneously.

It was evident that the monstrosity of this event and the callousness of the Satanists who had carried it out had not just reverberated around the Earth but had even reached the heavens. It was clear that the Angels' souls ached at the sheer unheard of evil of this action.

The Angels were not just hospitable to the cousins but positively spoilt them. Every possible facility was put at their disposal. Their each and every desire was granted. At the sports centre Ben played football while Michael played tennis on an adjacent court. But who was Michael's tennis partner and who were the members of the football team that Ben played with? At first glance they looked like nice looking boys in their fine sports kits. Or were they Angels? The lads swam in the sea, rode scooters and rowed boats of all types and when they tired of this they swam with dolphins.

The boys were given the most advanced computers imaginable which had the most wonderful and magical games and they were even able to write e-mails to their mums, although they naturally didn't tell them where exactly they were writing from. Michael and Ben also had a go at flying on the bumble bees as they were called in the City of Angels and glancing up at the Angels flying by, they thought to themselves:

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to fly like them if only for a few minutes?" And no sooner had the thought formed in their minds than it became a reality! Although of course they were only allowed to fly in the company of the Angels. What a magnificent feeling! To fly and to experience the levity and joy of feeling one's body softly lifted and buffeted by the tenders of breezes.

In the meantime, while the boys enjoyed their well-earned break in the miraculous City of the Angels, the Angel who had accompanied the boys on their adventures now went to hold council with their mothers – Natalie and Sophia...

Part 3

The Sisters

Life's storms had buffeted Natalie and Sophia hither and thither and it had cost them a lot of effort just to keep their heads above water. Their trials began as soon as they got married. For them, marriage and happy endings were strictly the stuff of fairy tales. In life, it seemed, everything had turned out to be the opposite. But the worst thing was that something very precious and valuable was destroyed in their relations with their family. However, superficially, everything seemed fine. And this is how things were at that moment. The two beautiful tanned sisters were sitting in the living room at Sophia's Sofia apartment surfing the TV channels and fondly remembering the holiday by the seaside that they had just returned from. The conversation then turned to their children and also about the shopping bargains they had just made.

In short, the two sisters, who since early childhood had been not just close sisters but close friends, were having a bit of a gossip. But that wasn't all of it... Both Natalie and Sophia felt that somehow, somewhere they had lost that close spiritual link that had so strongly united them previously. They were both intelligent and experienced in the ways of the world and understood perfectly well that "clearing the air" would only muddy the waters further. And they were both very much afraid of this.

Separately, each of the sisters had begun to analyse their past down to the finest detail. Admittedly, they did this in silence but consciously or not, they began to reminisce about the past. They recalled their serene childhood and youth when they were still living with their parents. As very small girls they used to go for walks around the town with their mother and father and at the end of the outing Dad would always take them for a ride on the big Ferris wheel. He wanted to show them how beautiful the Dnepr was and how high the Volodymyr's Hill were, and when they got to the very top the girls let out such a squeal that their cries could probably be heard well beyond the river. And then there were the figure skating lessons! How many times had they fallen before they were even able to stand up on their skates. Natalie's love affair with figure skating stayed with her into her adulthood and she would go with her son to the rink at the slightest opportunity. And the summers! The summers were simply unforgettable. They didn't like to go to the communal summer camps but going to the seaside with their mum and dad was a completely different matter. They both quickly learned to swim and soon they were diving off the pier and swimming so far under the water that their mother would soon be shouting to them:

"You two, out of the water immediately!"

It was as if the two of them were joined at the hip. Now they were both staring at the screen together. It was then that a miracle happened. Suddenly on the screen, they could see themselves in the foam of the sea and an instant later they could see Michael and Ben's smiling faces looking straight at them from the mist caused by the spray. How could this be possible? Was it a CD playing? But there was none in the player. However, the real explanation turned out to be much simpler, for standing right next to them was an Angel. He was smiling at them.

"I didn't know how else to get your attention. You were both so distracted with your memories that I decided to transfer them on to the television screen."

There was a long silence. Natalie and Sophia were so taken aback that it was as if the cat had got their tongue.

The Angel was the first to speak:

"Your children need your help. Don't worry, they are fine, but in order to return your family's Divine Star to its rightful place, you need to carry out a task, or to be more precise put something right."

The sisters felt as if they were in a trance and understood very little of what was being said to them.

"I will now show you the adventures that your sons have been on. I won't bother repeating what the boys have already shown you on their disk earlier but let us have a look at their adventures since then."

And with that the Angel switched the film on. But everything that appeared on the screen seemed so real to them that their amazement knew no bounds.

After the film Natalie asked the Angel:

"Are our children really so brave, clever and extraordinary?"

The Angel smiled:

"So even you, their own mothers, have failed to recognise these qualities all this time? But, seriously, they have always had these qualities, but many of them had remained deeply concealed, because your children have had many problems in their childhood: Michael's started very early on in his infancy, while Ben's started later when he started school. But if children are given a push in the right direction and support at the right time they can achieve miracles."

"That means that there's been something very important missing from their upbringing," Sophia noted sadly.

"Human beings cannot foresee everything but you, Sophia, fought so hard for your son that your efforts were nothing short of miraculous. But, as they say, all your problems really started when the Divine Star disappeared. You had the rug pulled from under your feet. Just look."

And the Angel indicated towards the screen. What did they see? There was a light green space and hanging from above was a white thin root, and Mama, their mother was holding on to it, lightly touching it with her hand and not falling. It was such a thin little root and that was all that was keeping her from the abyss!

"That is her faith", said Natalie thoughtfully.

"And what's more it takes a huge amount of work and spiritual labour on her part to keep herself aloft and not let her fall," the Angel added.

"Did the Star shine when the war was on?" said Natalie. "You see, back then your grandmother and her children had to live through so much." Natalie looked at the Angel very boldly.

"Back then during the war, it was a miracle that your family escaped through one of the most dangerous frontiers and it was a miracle that the train carrying them made it through all the enemy shells and bombs. Then they made it to a safe place and everywhere they went they were helped by kind people. And the most important thing is that your grandmother and her children were united, they loved and supported each other. Bad thoughts were just not allowed to take root, although your grandmother and aunt were complex personalities." The Angel looked at the sisters with understanding.

"Oh, yes," laughed Sophia, "when we were children grandmother would make it hot for us if we didn't drink our milk before bedtime."

"And if grandmother didn't like a particular boy. In fact all my friends knew about grandmother and would literally tiptoe around her – like mice around a cat. Each of them making out that they were very serious and behaving like top notch students." Natalie recalled those happy days with a laugh.

"But at that time the family was friendly and blessed with a bright aura. And in order to restore your family's energy you will need to work very hard. It will not be easy. You will have to dive to the deepest depths in order to find the priceless pearl that was once so carelessly lost. So are you up for it? If so, let's go!"

The sisters nodded their heads, but Natalie cautiously asked:

"Are we going to have to go back to the past?"

"Oh, Natalie, as ever you want to know everything in advance." The Angel had seen that she was still worried about how confidential it would all be.

"It will all be confidential." The Angel looked at Natalie. "You will each of you see everything separately right up to this very moment in time. And each of you will decide what needs to be resolved and how. Of course, the moments of your lives that are entwined together cannot be changed, but at those especially difficult times it would be desirable to at least recognise your mistakes and allow your souls to get closer to the truth."

Natalie and Sophia went out of the house with the Angel. Next to the entrance on the open square stood the starship shining like a huge, elegant silver bird with its wings folded.

"This is the starship that I flew on my adventures with your sons."

The Angel waved his hand and the doors quietly opened.

"Please take a seat. Our road now takes us to the House of Lives, but in order that you see everything as it really is we will visit an island, which is home to the most wonderful doctor. He will help you restore your strength. After all, now on the Earth nearly everyone is trying to categorise and encode each other, for their own benefit of course."

"Because they then have to pay for everything later," the two sisters thought simultaneously.

To which the Angel answered them out loud:

"So it will have to be unfortunately, but many only live for today and are totally incapable of thinking about their actions."

The sisters' amazement knew no bounds, as they were walking up to the space ship no-one even turned to look at them, which could only mean one thing - both the Angel and the starship were invisible. The starship took off at such speed that within a matter of seconds the Earth seemed far, far away below them. The craft continued to fly upwards for a while, and then took a more horizontal course from the Earth, although our blue planet had long since dropped out of sight. Soon there appeared various signs on both sides of the ship – they were obviously on some sort of highway.

"Yes, this is the Angels' highway," said the Angel, once again reading the sisters' thoughts, "you know you two are very alike, your thoughts often coincide..."

Natalie and Sophia blushed in surprise and Natalie asked: "Do you also read all our thoughts down there on Earth?"

"Of course, that is a well-known fact, in order to help people when they most need it."

"Do you mean there are people who do not ask for help?" Sophia asked interestedly.

The Angel replied sadly:

"Now more than ever..."

The Visit to the Secret Island

The starship effortlessly slipped through a cosmos the tender colour of a light blue dawn sky until a light orange cloud appeared in the distance and seemed to get larger and larger. The ship was flying straight towards it and an island appeared underneath them. The island was magically beautiful. In the distance on the horizon there was a range of orange mountains, the peaks of which shone like diamonds in the sun. From the very shores of the island there grew the most wonderful trees with huge diverse shaped leaves. On their branches sat beautiful technicolour birds that sang the most varied songs so loudly and beautifully that their trilling could be heard from way up above the island. The earth was carpeted with silky grass, which shimmered in the breeze and gave the impression that the island was covered in soft green lapping waves. In a different spot there shone the mirror-like surface of a lake with the most translucent water full of the most wonderful multi-coloured fish like an enormous aquarium. The sisters simultaneously let out a sigh.

Then the Angel spoke up:

"No, this is not paradise, but after a lot of hard work one can rest here. This is where our wonderworking doctor lives."

The starship landed effortlessly in front of a huge, round tree with a trunk that was immeasurably broad. Somewhere, very high, up the foliage rustled. Then right in the middle of the trunk a door, that they hadn't noticed before, opened. The Angel invited the sisters to go in.

A large spacious hall opened out before them furnished with the most ingeniously crafted and extraordinarily beautiful wooden furniture. In the middle of the hall stood a large wooden table perched on a single leg, which made it look rather like a huge oversized mushroom. The surface of the table had been inlaid with small pieces of wood to form an enormous rose, which changed colour depending on the glancing rays of the sun. The table was surrounded by soft chairs woven from thin branches, which were covered by blankets decorated with huge leaves of every imaginable shade of green. Light streamed down on to the table from a completely translucent ceiling above through which the sound of the great tree's rustling leaves and the singing of the birds could be heard. The rest of the hall was shrouded in darkness but opposite the door a large writing desk could be made out. It appeared to have a multitude of different appliances and gadgets. One of them had a big screen rather like one of our computers, the screen was continually lighting up with new bits of information. Behind the desk sat a young man on a revolving chair. One had the impression that he was talking to the apparatus as if it were a living person, since the computer reacted not only to his voice but also evidently to the minutes fluctuation of his thoughts. But most interestingly of all, the computer even announced the arrival of the guests and even offered a welcoming hand on its screen. The young man turned round and on seeing the Angel with the young women immediately turned off the computer and invited them to sit down at the table.

The young man, one could even say that he was a youth, was dressed in a long dark cassock-like garment of the sort that monks usually wear. He smiled at his guests and pointed to the table:

"Help yourself; you must be famished after your journey."

And with that he pressed a button and the table was instantly covered with berries, nuts, wooden cups and several jugs containing drinks of various sorts.

"This will restore your strength."

Natalie and Sophia tried the different berries and nuts with relish and each partook of the juice to their own taste. The young man, (the sisters thought to themselves that he was probably also an angel), suggested that they go for a walk in the forest.

"Feel free to go wherever your heart takes you. You can sit down by a tree that takes your fancy, climb into the hollow of a tree or simply lie on the grass. Come back when you've walked your fill."

Natalie and Sophia left the hall and plunged into this woody wonderland. Close up the trees were even more awe inspiring, huge and monumental and their shaggy green caps seemed to touch the heavens. Their trunks were encased by soft and tender branches that hung down loosely at their sides like arms. The giants seemed to be standing at their posts like sentries, humouring those wandering by with the delightfully, refreshing and soft caresses of their leafy hands. The silken grass shimmered under their feet like a carpet. Alongside them strolled large self-important and stunningly beautiful birds like the fire bird in the fairy tales. They were totally unfazed by the sisters' presence, boldly standing in front of them, staring them in the eye and speaking to them in their birdlike tongue in a manner that was both comprehensible and clear.

"Don't be sad. Everything will be fine." and then calmly continuing on their way. The other birds were arranged on the branches of the trees like the notes on a musical score: at the very top sat the smallest with the highest voices while the larger and fuller voiced varieties were perched on the lower branches. The most colourful ones would jump right onto your shoulder or hand producing sounds like the peals of tiny bells with each step.

The sisters had walked through this magical wood for a little while and were both feeling a little bit hungry. No sooner had the thought entered their heads than a whole meadow with the most wonderfully scented and mouth-watering berry bushes and nut trees opened up before them. Sophia only had to feel the slightest weariness and a hammock woven out of the soft branches of the trees would appear in front of her and immediately rock her into the sweetest sleep. Natalie found herself in a large hollow of a tree, set about with soft moss, finely scented grasses and pungent leaves. She didn't even recall how she laid down in it and fell into a deep, deep sleep. And each of them had the most amazing dream.

Sophia was running through an impassable forest in her dream. The prickly branches tore at her head and hair, scratching her arms and legs. In her arms she held Michael as a small baby. He was crying hysterically and hitting her in the face with all his might. Next to her ran her husband Alexander. He was trying to support her but then a huge tree fell right on top of him striking him on the head. Alexander fell and with all her might Sophia tried to drag him out from under the tree. Finally, with great difficulty they found their way out of the wild forest into a glade. They had just sat down to get their breath back when they noticed an old man sitting under a tree. His grey beard stretched right down to the ground.

And then he asked Sophia:

"Go down to the spring and bring me some water."

And with that he gave Sophia a wooden chalice.

"Where have I seen that chalice before?" Sophia asked herself, but took it in silence to the spring as the old man had asked.

At the spring she met a young woman with a jug:

"Help yourself to this water and be sure to have some yourself. Give it to the old man and then let your husband and son have a couple of mouthfuls. He will help you get out of this forest."

Sophia drank deeply from the spring, filled the chalice to the brim and turning to the woman asked:

"But how do you know the old man?"

However, she had disappeared as unexpectedly as she had appeared. Having drunk a couple of mouthfuls from the cup, the old man passed it to Michael and Alexander. Michael began to grow before their very eyes and had soon turned into a young man and Alexander's strength was restored completely. The old man got up, thanked Sophia, and left her with the chalice as a parting gift.

"Your son had been crying because his soul was in pain, but now he is well. Whenever you find yourself beset by troubles, drink from the cup and all your woes and sorrows will disappear."

And with that advice the old man got up and left. Sophia was woken by the singing of the birds to find the very same chalice resting in her hands.

Sophia was overcome with the same surprise that a person feels on finding a treasure trove and set off as fast as her legs could carry her to find Natalie and share her joy with her. But instead of the tree with the large hollow where her sister had been sleeping she found herself in front of the huge tree with the hall. The door opened, the young man appeared and invited Sophia in for a cup of tea or coffee:

"We grow it all ourselves."

The coffee was most unusual, with a strong stringent smell yet soft and tender to the taste and restorative to the body. Having drained her cup Sophia felt that she had poured herself full of strength. She began to patiently wait for Natalie, but still Natalie did not come.

"She is having a long and deep sleep, why not sit down here at the computer," the young man suggested.

Meanwhile, Natalie had crawled into the hollow and immediately fallen asleep; the curative scent of the grass, moss and leaves littering the floor all took their effect. But she soon awoke and sensing someone near her she opened her eyes and saw a small fragile old woman leaning over her and stroking her head.

"You were groaning in your sleep and evidently something was wrong, which is why I have come to help you," the woman said, explaining her presence in the hollow.

"And who are you?" asked Natalie.

"I live in the hollow of a different tree. You used to often come to me for help in the past and I heard your cries. But for now sleep, sleep. And I will comb out all the black bindweed that the enemies of light have woven into your hair. Just look how much there is and I've already been combing it for quite a while now. See, there they go flying out like black smoke. When I have freed your head of all these dark tendrils, my dear, you will have the most wonderful allegorical dream about your life. It will begin sadly but when you see the deceit and lies that surround you on the Earth then everything will turn out wonderfully. But now, sleep, sleep."

The woman continued to stroke Natalie's head as if she were a small child. And Natalie once again fell asleep. And her dream continued where it had left off.

Natalie and Sophia were running out of the institute where they were studying and heading towards the tube along the path that cut through the park. Their route took them past a fortune teller.

"Cross my palm with silver my beauties and I will tell you your fortunes."

Sophia replied:

"Go away we don't want anything to do with you."

And with that she ran away up into the student hostel where she had arranged to meet up with Alexander. Natalie also quickened her step. She also had a meeting under the clock of the institute's main building. The gypsy woman continued to follow her. Natalie strode up the street towards the institute with the woman close on her tail. She then ran up to Natalie, tore the headscarf from her head and, in an instant, had disappeared.

Natalie was completely bewildered. At that moment a flock of pigeons flew straight towards her. Natalie crumbled up her sandwich for them. One of the pigeons particularly caught her attention. He was the sorriest looking one of the bunch, his wings were all pecked and he looked so piteously at Natalie. She quietly went up to him and took the poor thing into her hands and thus brought him home.

Everyone at home took pity on him, they made a special place for him, gave him food and of course attention. Having eaten and warmed itself the pigeon began to show his true colours, becoming increasingly aggressive and impudent. But for Natalie he was just a normal blue-grey pigeon who would coo and eat out of her hand. Then one night Natalie woke up to find him sitting on her chest. She barely had time to wave him off before he pecked her hard right next to her heart. Natalie was filled with an excruciating pain. The pigeon quickly flew back to its perch and immediately and calmly went back to sleep.

What was that about?" cried Natalie.

"All is well, all is well," cooed the pigeon.

Soon Natalie forgot all about the event and became more and more attached to the bird.

One day Mama said:

"It's getting a bit difficult having him in the flat. Why don't you set him free to live with his own kind?"

No sooner had the words left her lips than the pigeon viciously pecked her and then jumped back on to Natalie's shoulder and cooed and cooed.

But one day the pigeon pecked Ben right in the eye. Ben's eye swelled up badly and he cried for a long time.

"Why did you do that?" Natalie asked the bird severely.

The pigeon just obsequiously jumped on to Natalie's hand and presented her with a small fly.

"Oh, aren't you clever," said Natalie and began to stroke the pigeon.

"He'll have Ben's eye out at this rate," Mama said sadly.

"But the poor thing has nowhere to live and he's become so attached to us," said Natalie looking tenderly at the pigeon.

During this part of the dream, Natalie once again began to moan in her sleep.

"What's the matter with you, my dear, why are you groaning?" asked the old woman who had come to Natalie's aid. From the depths of her sleep Natalie murmured:

"He is torturing me, he's torturing me. Oh my poor soul! Help me I can't take it anymore."

"Be calm my dear, we will sort it all out," said the woman continuing to stroke Natalie's hair. "Falcon, oh falcon," called the woman.

And in an instant a large proud and handsome bird was standing in front of her.

"This young woman has suffered much, she needs our help. That part of her soul which has been stolen from her by taking advantage of her kind and gullible heart needs to be returned!"

The falcon nodded its head and sped away. The falcon was gone for a long while. The woman rang a little bell. In an instant a young man came in.

"Go and see what is happening and where the falcon is?" said the woman reaching her hand out imploringly.

"I have already looked," said the youth, "he has been battling it out with a whole flock of crows, but he has captured the priceless ray of light, placed it in a drop of water and is already on his way back to us."

After a little while the sound of flapping wings could be heard at the entrance of the hollow and the magnificent bird of prey dived in. The old woman turned Natalie onto her back and the falcon very carefully placed the priceless drop on that part of her breast where the human soul dwells. The drop flashed like a ray of sunlight and immediately penetrated inside Natalie. The woman gratefully stroked the falcon's wings and a second later he flew off.

Soon Natalie woke up full of joy and happiness:

"Was there a golden bird here? I dreamed that it was sitting on my chest and everything became so warm.

"Everything will be fine with you my dear. It's time for me to go; I have other cases and other people to help. I will leave you with this little bell, if you ever need me, ring it, and I will be sure to come."

And with a wave of her hand the woman disappeared.

When Natalie returned to the hall, Sophia was working out how to use the hi-tech computer but on seeing her sister she immediately jumped up and literally threw herself into her arms. The sisters hugged as if they hadn't seen each other for an eternity. Then the Angel came in along with the young man. Both of them had broad smiles on their faces and looking at, the sisters were evidently very happy for them. Natalie drank a cup of the most wonderfully aromatic tea and the sisters began to take their leave of their kind host.

"Thank you so much," Natalie enthused, "we have both undergone such a fantastic renewal on this wonderful island."

"It's amazing how well you knew us," said Sophia looking gratefully at the young man.

"It was said by the ancient prophets long ago that those who put their hope in God have their strength renewed. But for the upcoming mission facing you let me give you one more blessing from the ancients: fight to the death for the truth and God will fight for you."

When they were back sitting in the starship Sophia asked her sister:

"Which of our favourite saints did that delightful and wonderful young man remind you of?

"All that I can say is that I'm certain that that young man smiles down at your mother every morning – from one of her icons of course!" said the Angel.

The Angel was very glad that the visit to the island had been such a success. Overwhelmed by her emotions Natalie hugged her sister again:

"Of course in the depths of my heart I really wanted my inkling to have come true, but this is all beyond my wildest dreams."

Sophia laughed:

"Tell me about it! I'm still in shock!"

At a complete loss what to do, Natalie looked at the Angel.

The Angel also smiled:

"Everything that has ever been given as a gift by God finds its way back home."

After a little while the starship found itself approaching the House of Lives. The house reminded them of a huge transparent drop of water, but the building's transparent building materials moved in a multitude of planes that were constantly shifting. They thus reflected the light at various angles making the interior of the building invisible.

Natalie and Sophia entered into a huge hall with transparent ceilings and walls. In the middle of the space stood an enormous oval table with a green coloured surface, which looked like malachite shot through with a multitude of veins. However, on closer inspection the veins themselves had silver coloured ends. Buttons of various sizes and colours were positioned along the edge of the table.

To one side of the table sat a middle-aged man with a tidily trimmed beard and a healthy thatch of dark hair that flowed down onto his shoulders. Like the young man on the island, he was simply dressed. His dark coloured garment was set off by his severe white collar.

"That is the Wise Old Man," Sophia quietly whispered to her sister.

And both of them were at quite a loss in his presence. They of course immediately recognised him from the look in his eyes that were so full of goodness, love and care. The Wise Old Man walked up to the sisters, took their hands and, on to each of their palms, placed a tiny egg shaped stone, which seemed to be lit up from within by a golden light. The sisters were as thrilled as small children by the presents and began to look at the gifts more attentively. Then, like a great magician, the Wise Old Man produced two golden rings and set the stones into each of them. Then the rings began to reflect the light all over their hands and fingers.

"These rings are a gift that you will soon have great need of." And with that the Wise Old Man invited them to sit down at the table. The sisters took a place - each equipped with a keyboard and buttons. The Wise Old Man pressed some buttons and the walls in the room came to life. One scene from their childhood after another began to flicker before them. All the events played out on a pink and light orange background.

As very small girls the two sisters were running to meet their parents whose arms were wide open in a ready embrace. And there were their mother and father taking them on their first day at school, then music and sport lessons and then finally to the institute. All their holidays flashed past one after the other like a fairy tale. And even the difficulties and trials that they faced all seemed to pass off on a positive note. The main thing was how their mother had taught them to make a correct assessment of anything that happened. Like in gymnastics – to choose the right spot in order to make that leap more graceful, or to put yourselves in the shoes of the heroine in order to play a part in a play or how to solve a difficult problem.

But now the rosy background began to fade and the golden rays seemed to disappear somewhere although the girls' weddings had only just been playing on the screens. Natalie and Sophia were as full of enthusiasm as ever. Michael was born or "Mishunya" as he was tenderly christened by everyone. For his family the first year of his life was spent in the pleasant task of looking after him.

Initially, no-one seemed to notice that the colour surrounding their lives had begun to change into a greyish or simply grey hue. And only when the sisters met up together did the background return to a tender light lilac colour.

At that moment the Wise Old Man pressed a button, pausing the action.

"Now each of you will watch separately."

"Yes, with the exception of those times when we met." Natalie rushed to answer.

And at that moment Sophia left with her family for Bulgaria to her husband's homeland. Later the images again began to flash from all sides. Natalie could see her life and Sophia hers. The further the sisters' fortunes moved from one of life's blows to another the darker and darker their faces became. And finally they arrived at Sophia's Sofia apartment where they were both sitting in the hall.

The Wise Old Man stopped the film at this point. Both sisters remained silent for a long time. Then Natalie said with difficulty:

"How can this have been? How could I have not seen all this? Now I really am in shock."

"And so am I," added Sophia sadly.

"Why don't we help you? We will lift the veil, so to speak, and help you sort out what happened. We will start our story back when you were studying at the institute." And with that the Wise Old Man pressed several buttons simultaneously like an experienced pianist. "Each of you will get your reward for your work," the Wise Old Man managed to say as the pictures began to flicker into life again.

At that time everyone had had a warning dream. Sophia was sitting with her legs crossed on a sofa in the hall preparing for her end of term exams. She was all on her own in the house. Sophia read and read and seemingly began to doze. The sun was shining brightly through the window, the weather was wonderful and there was nothing to suggest any threat in the offing. But then, with a hiss, a fireball shot through the open balcony door. Sophia gripped the sofa in fright not making a move. The terrible ball of fire bounced around the corners of the room, rolled up to the sofa, stood there for a second, (to Sophia it seemed like an eternity), and then jumped out again through the open door. Sophia immediately opened her eyes and ran to find Mama. She had gone for a walk nearby with the baby, Michael.

"You will face a great danger, but you will overcome everything," was how Mama explained the dream.

Meanwhile Natalie had had a dream that an enormous snake had been crawling around their apartment.

But Mama had an even worse dream: That she was on the edge of a precipice a little bit further away was Natalie and next to her were some unknown people. Then suddenly someone pushed her into the precipice as she hurtled downwards an Angel helped saying:

"Spin as fast as you can and your landing will be a soft one."

Mama has always joked that she's been in a spin ever since.

"After this, the events will be shown selectively like on the internet. You have all the buttons that you need in front of you. You should act as you see fit. If you need any further explanations press the red button and don't be afraid of anything," said the Wise Old Man encouragingly.

Natalie and Sophia alternately watched events from their lives. How Sophia left with her family to Bulgaria and how Natalie stayed with her family at their parents. Of course Sophia should not have gone, Michael was still weak after his illness and she herself needed to get her strength back in the comfortable conditions that her parents could provide. Therefore the decision to go had been premature. But when Sophia pressed the red button it became clear that she, Mama and Papa had all been extremely frightened and had thought that it would be better for her to go. Nevertheless, a great deal of wonderful energy had been expended for nothing.

However, with Natalie, on the contrary, it would have been better if she and her family had lived independently away from her parents. It had been wrong for her to live in the shelter and protection of her nearest and dearest and not to solve her own problems. And how much positive energy had gone up in smoke as a result of that decision! Admittedly, Mama is convinced to this day, that the family home with its positive energy was nevertheless vital for Natalie.

Things only got worse for baby Michael in his new surroundings and Sophia had to overcome yet more difficult trials. Things weren't all plain sailing for Ben as a baby either, he had come down with a nasty bout of bronchitis and in order to stop his choking fits, Mama and Natalie set off for Bulgaria with Ben. And the journey ended up being one mishap after another. They had been kicked off the train at the border in the middle of winter with a small baby. The winter... The cold... The station... What were they to do? Thankfully, a driver was found who could take them to the city, where Sophia was living, for a small sum. But the address turned out to be incorrectly written down. They ended up having to ask the police the way. And thankfully they were helpful. But what a lot of bother!!!

The three of them had to go through so many scrapes that it was as if they had just had to pass through enemy territory.

Michael and Ben grew. The sisters would go to see each other with enviable regularity. But then they were confronted with new misfortunes: quickly and unexpectedly father literally died in Mama's arms. Despite understanding full well about life and death, Mama couldn't reconcile herself with the loss of her husband. But one night he came to her in a dream. Papa calmly explained to her that he had not died but was simply in another place and that he was extremely proud of Mama and his two daughters. And finally he added:

"Look after them - they have a lot of trials to face."

"After that what misfortunes wormed their way into our family, like that snake in Natalie's dream," thought Mama with terror.

Mama sought advice from her own mother, who was so worried about her children and grandchildren.

"What should she do?" She kept asking her mother.

"You know there is a very good piece of folk wisdom regarding this: God is older than man."

Thus it is to God that one should also turn for help. And this was the vein that everyone, even the little children, worked towards. And, of course, everyone made their "small" contribution to the family.

However, unfortunately the misfortunes only continued. And Mama, Natalie and Sophia suffered a great deal. Grandmother died worrying greatly about her great-grandchildren right up to the end. As the priest put it at her funeral, she had evidently gone over and above the call of duty on this earth.

But the family continued to battle for life and asserted itself despite all the difficulties and trials it was going through. The sisters tried to keep in close contact with each other in spite of all the difficulties that each of them was facing in their own families. Sophia was suffering as a result of being so far from home and Natalie was suffering as a result of being too close. But then the Wise Old Man pressed the red button and all the real reasons for these sufferings became clear.

"Natalie, in your family there is an envoy of that dark project. I think that you noticed it earlier but you didn't want to believe it. The time has come to close that black hole through which all the misfortunes found their way into your family... but everything in its own time... For now you can continue the viewing." Natalie quickly pressed the button to carry on watching confidentially so that no-one else could see. Even now when everything was clear she remained closed and secretive.

And now there appeared the scene when Natalie breezily informed Mama that:

"I can't carry on like this anymore, something has to be decided."

And the next day one of her girlfriends came to visit and said:

"Oh Natalie, I've just been to this amazing woman and she literally opened my eyes to everything."

But Natalie immediately interrupted her:

"I don't like fortune telling."

"But you don't need to, she can cure you of any illness, tell you all about your character, who your enemies and who your friends are. But the most important thing is that she understands everything about Karma. I happened to have your photo with me and you know she said an awful lot of interesting things about you. Go to see her - you won't be sorry."

The girlfriend continued to nag Natalie saying:

"Well, what's so bad about it? And alternative, non-traditional medicine is very much in fashion now."

On hearing about the non-traditional medicine Natalie began to get interested and decided to learn a little about the healing methods employed. Natalie already knew quite a lot about these things herself. The psychic healer turned out to be really quite an expert in many areas of folk medicine. The fact that she appeared to be a Christian also caused Natalie to drop her guard, and her room was full of icons and candles that burned throughout the so-called session.

Then the Wise Old Man pressed the red button and Natalie saw that the woman had a completely transparent pink coverlet in her hands.

"And here is an interesting question, which you have never had the courage to ask regarding your family relationships," said the woman waving her hands over Natalie's head and lowered the coverlet over her face like a veil. "Now everything will go absolutely perfectly for you, you could say that you will experience nothing but perfect harmony."

Natalie left the wonder worker in a great mood; she wanted to sing out loud everything seemed so rosy. Natalie shuddered when she observed the scene: It had turned out that the wonder working healer and her so-called friend were one and the same person.

"Is it possible to put this right?" Natalie asked quietly.

"Everything is fine with you. Don't you remember the island? And the tree hollow?"

"Yes, yes of course," said Natalie nodding her head.

"These are now just sad memories. The coverlet has disappeared."

Sophia had come across a similar type of girlfriend. One of them had been a close friend of a man who liked to call himself a bio-energy expert. Their friendship was purely pragmatic and based on the mutual favours that they did for each other. One day he asked this girlfriend:

"Find me a young girl or woman with a strong and healthy energy field."

"What? You know you're not so wonderful looking these days you know." the girlfriend noted spitefully.

"You are so naïve. My energy field is absolutely unique or have you forgotten already how I came to your aid after your numerous split ups?"

"I thought you had other energy donors." It has to be said that she was fairly clever and resourceful.

"Well I can sort myself out, and if I draw upon this energy then it will be from a very reliable source."

"Okay, okay, I believe you..."

"There is a young woman although you could call her a girl who is suitable for your purposes. She has one very important fault – she is kind and trusting."

"That is great."

"But she is also clever."

"Ah, that's not so great. Well, give me her contact details, her internet details will probably be better, a chance acquaintance will arouse less suspicion."

And thus Sophia soon found that she had a new internet acquaintance. They talked about this and that. In addition to a bouquet of compliments the most interesting thing was the impression that he seemed to know her so well: her tastes, her habits and he seemed to second guess many things about her life. Sophia thought to herself, he seems too good to be true, what does he really want? And at that very moment her girlfriend rang:

"How are things? What's news?"

Sophia confided to her that someone had insinuated himself into her life. And the girlfriend asked lots of detailed questions so that she might give lots of good "friendly" advice.

"I think that he sounds like a most unusual and interesting person."

Sophia joked:

"He seems to be some sort of sorcerer; he knows everything in advance and is offering to share his experience with me."

"Well that's great. You'll learn something new. Oh, how I envy you, I never have anything interesting happening to me."

At that time Sophia's mother was staying with her in Sofia and Sophia told her all about these strange conversations. Mama warned her:

"I don't suppose he offered to teach you how to ride a broomstick?"

And they both fell about laughing. Very soon the "sorcerer" set his dark energy to work. He began to fly off the handle for no reason often talking complete nonsense and even making strange complaints that their conversations were having a bad effect on him.

"After speaking to you yesterday I fell ill and my eye became swollen."

"What?"

"No, no I was only joking."

"Well go and jokes like that with someone else."

Sophia began to avoid having any contact with him. But the sorcerer instigated a terror campaign against her. With the help of Sophia's girlfriend he found out her telephone number and began to ring her ceaselessly. Sometimes he would be pleasant then; once again, he would start spouting complete and utter nonsense.

"Sophia he's shaking all the positive energy out of you", one of her other friends advised her.

And Sophia decided to break off all contact with him forever. And then everything came out into the open. It was the behaviour of her girlfriend that was the most upsetting thing. Why had she decided to betray her in this way? Sophia had considered her a much better person than this.

Sophia had more than enough on her plate what with Michael and all the housework. And on top of that she had the job of finding and buying a flat. Alexander had left for Britain under his new job contract and she had had to do everything herself. Quite unexpectedly everything worked out and Sophia bought a wonderful flat with money to spare. However, it was a great deal of worry and bother. Sophia had had to organise all the building and repair work all on her own. But everything turned out swimmingly which just goes to show that miracles can happen in this life! Thank God! Sophia got everything done: she completed the repair of the flat, bought furniture and finally flew to England with Michael to join Alexander.

In this way she managed to keep herself at a safe distance from the poisonous arrows being fired at her by the Satanists who had been persecuting her family.

However, Natalie and Mama remained under fire from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (although it's more fashionable to put everything down to karma these days). Natalie began to experience problems at work. She had been working in her firm for over ten years and had become a respected member of the team. The material rewards weren't great but she had gathered a good team of employees around her and she enjoyed being their manager. Then suddenly she began to be given additional responsibilities and more and more petty checks and so on. It was then that Natalie looked at the Wise Old Man.

He nodded his head at her and the Natalie overheard the telephone conversation of a "well-wisher", who was pretending to stand up for her but was evidently making hints and threats about her. Then there was another secret call: giving orders to "let the dogs lose" on Natalie. At first Natalie couldn't imagine who this traitor might be. And then Sophia and the Wise Old Man heard her laugh out loud.

"Of course, of course," she said to herself, "how did I not guess straight away?"

After numerous attacks made by the "traitor", Natalie gave up fighting, handed in her resignation and left. As she used to say in her student days:

"It was hurtful, annoying... but not the end of the world!"

In order not to stagnate Natalie became a whirlwind of activity: she made new friends and acquaintances, sent off her CV everywhere and to everyone and of course, she read and read and read. But amongst the wonderful contemporary classics Mama noticed an extremely suspicious looking essay. She was very surprised and asked Natalie:

"What are you reading this for?"

"What's the big deal; it's just literature for spiritual development.

"Natalie, this isn't literature but some sort of surrogate masquerading as literature."

"Okay, Mama, I have to admit that the fantasies and personal theories of these authors don't interest me, I just didn't notice it.

"Well, that's fine then."

Natalie seemed to get one call after another. One day Mama picked up the phone when Natalie wasn't at home and a voice hurriedly spoke to her on the other end of the line mistaking her for Natalie.

"Come along there will a lot of interesting things going on. Our teacher is the source of the most amazing knowledge."

Mama wondered for a long time – what sort of teacher this could be? Then she asked Natalie. But she told her that it all must just have been a wrong number. And Mama understood that Natalie had decided not to tell her about this affair knowing her opinion about such things.

Jesus one day said to a woman in the crowd:

"Your faith has saved you."

So Mama waited and hoped that this distraction would just disappear of its own accord as the saying goes: mosquitoes only bite when the time is right. And in accordance with God's laws evil returns to its initiator like a boomerang to its thrower.

The Wise Old Man pressed the pause button.

"You have only seen a part of what you had to live through and experience, but this is enough to help you understand just how much divine energy has been drained from you. Unfortunately, evil powers have hidden this energy away in order to use it for its own purposes and it is vital that we return this Divine Gift back where it belongs. Your children especially need it now in order to carry out a very important task. My dears you will now have to complete a journey to the island of the Venerable Elders. They will help you to get your Divine Gift back. But the road will not be easy; do not let yourselves be overcome by fear or temptation. You have been prepared for this task. Let me remind you of the words of Saint Paul: If we live in the spirit then we must act in the spirit."

The Wise Old Man blessed the sisters and they set off to meet the latest trials that life had to offer them. The Angel brought them in his starship to a quay where a ship was waiting for them. The ship was very modern and very handsome – completely white and utterly majestic. The evening was coming in and the sunset danced on the bare canvas of the ship's sides. People were promenading on the deck, music was playing everywhere and through the port holes you could make out the finest cabins. The Angel appeared with two suitcases in his hands.

"You will find everything you need for your journey here."
The sisters looked gratefully back at the Angel.

"Do not take off your rings under any circumstances. When the stones darken that means that you are in potential danger. When they shine brightly that means that a small part of the priceless vital energy has returned."

And with that the Angel waved his hand in farewell and disappeared.

The Sisters Adventures on Board the Ship

Natalie and Sophia, with their tickets in one hand and suitcases in the other, made their way up the gangway to the ship.

"Looking at all these twinkling lights and the happy smiles around me, it's hard to imagine this as some kind of trial. What do you think?" Natalie asked her sister.

"Tell me, do you know if there are going to be any icebergs on our journey?" Sophia asked one of the crew members jokingly.

"Good Lord no, we are in the tropics," he said calmingly, "and we are not expecting any storms either."

"And when are we going to get to our island?" asked Natalie.

"We won't be going there directly but will drop you off on a special launch," a respectable looking man in uniform explained, "come through, make yourselves comfortable in your cabin and then you can come and join us in the dining hall."

The sisters set off for their cabin and having only taken a few steps heard a voice say:

"Welcome!" And the deck shuddered slightly.

They looked all around but couldn't see anyone. Entering their cabin the voice boomed out once again and on an electric panel right above the port hole a message lit up.

"This is the ship itself speaking. Welcome on board. However, you need to know that biological terrorists have managed to penetrate their way on to the ship. I will help you but be very careful. They need to be stopped."

At that moment the door opened and a girl in a black evening gown came in.

"Oh! I'm sorry; I thought there were a couple of men in here. I heard a man's voice and came in because my key has got jammed in the door. But where did the voice...?"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence, because the cabin's television screen was now showing a detective series. And in the same instance the electronic display screen above the porthole was inviting them to dinner in the mess hall. The girl ran off to find a man who might be able to help her and the sisters were left standing in complete bewilderment. What were they to make of all this? The message is on their screen and then the television turning itself on when the woman from the neighbouring cabin came in.

"Oh well," said Sophia with a decisive wave of the hand, "someone has evidently got us mixed up with someone else. Let's unpack our cases. It will be supper soon and we need to get changed."

To their great pleasure the young women found everything they needed in the suitcases: a dressing gown, pyjamas, a couple of elegant dresses and equally fine shoes to go with them. And each suitcase also had a mysterious package containing a beautiful pair of lightly tinted sunglasses on a chain and instruction on how they should be used. It turned out that when wearing these glasses you could see the true face of any person, if you put them on your head just above the hairline you could change your appearance but if you let them hang loose on their chain then you would become invisible.

The sisters immediately decided to try out the glasses and were both amazed. The effect was astonishing, especially when they moved the glasses up above their hairline. Each time they did so their appearance and even their clothing changed completely. Admittedly, if you looked carefully, the only things that remained unchanged were the eyes. What a miracle! Then they tried lowering the glasses on their chains... Natalie and Sophia burst out laughing loud enough to be heard all over the whole ship. And at that very instant their neighbour looked in and noted in surprise that there was no-one in the cabin. Natalie quickly turned the television on again. The neighbour swept her gaze round the cabin one more time and then went out.

Sophia whispered to Natalie:

"I can understand being on your guard, but why do you think she's taking so much interest in us?"

"Oh, pay no attention to it; it's just her natural feminine curiosity. Let's go up for dinner, it's time we met the passengers on board this ship." And Sophia quickly changed into her elegant evening dress.

"We won't take the glasses with us for the time being."

And then she noticed in the bottom of the glasses case another small note. They were some extra instructions regarding their use:

"Use only when you really need to. At first you must observe and analyse everything around you very closely and carefully."

"Well, we will do our best," said Sophia in reply to the note.

And suddenly the voice sounded out again:

"Try your best and I will help you."

The sisters looked at each other in amazement.

"Do you not think Sophia that maybe the time has come for us to use our glasses?"

And without the slightest hesitation Natalie put the glasses over her head and her sister followed her example.

But there was no-one else in the cabin except the walls which barely perceptively seemed to tremble and on the electronic screen an image of their beautiful boat once again appeared and bobbed slightly and the same voice said: "Welcome! "Welcome! It is me! Welcome!"

The sisters' mouths dropped open in amazement.

"Yes, yes, the voice continued I will show you where you should and shouldn't go and who you should and shouldn't approach use arrows. Black arrows mean that you should turn back and avoid following their direction. You will also see light arrows that might be of various colours and shades. When you see these you can act with confidence as you see fit."

And with that the ship's voice went silent.

"Thank you for your help."

Sophia turned on one leg like a ballerina and made a deep bow to the screen as a sign of gratitude and then turned to Natalie.

"Fasten your seatbelts, my dear, there are some serious trials awaiting us."

"Yes, that is clear already, but let's not assume that they're all going to be bad in advance because everything has been hunky dory so far. And let's use every minute that we find ourselves in this wonderful place."

"That is very true." The ship's voice agreed.

And with that the sisters gave a friendly wave, flashed a smile and in high spirits set off to meet the mysterious guests on board the ship.

The huge dining hall was extremely elegant. There were places for four people at each table. Two men were already sitting at their table. On seeing Natalie and Sophia they immediately stood up and, having introduced themselves, politely sat them down in their places. The one who was sitting next to Sophia was a businessman, and the sisters noted no "small" businessman at that, the second was a member of his firm's security team. The "boss" was more independent and distant with his employee offering this, pouring that and passing other things. After supper they all headed off to the ship's lounge. Here everyone could do whatever they pleased. Some danced while others sat at the bar drinking cocktails. A significant proportion sat at table's playing cards, draughts, chess and other games. These were the especially important and particularly pompous passengers burdened with huge quantities of medals, titles and other high badges of rank – and most likely thought the sisters – huge piles of money.

The sisters' dinner table companions invited them on to the dance floor. The boss danced with Sophia, but continued to be a little formal as if he were only doing it as a favour, as his position as a captain of industry with numerous employees dictated. Sophia, who loved dancing and could do it well, soon tired of her stiff partner and announced that she would like to order a cocktail at the bar in order to change the scene. They were soon joined by Natalie and the bodyguard. Having finished their drinks the sisters decided to take a tour of the ship.

They looked round the billiard room which was immediately behind the lounge, then the casino with roulette and card tables and flashing one-armed bandits at the end of the hall. Everyone was so wrapped up in their gambling that they barely lifted their heads. These were the most passionate gamblers who were almost duty bound to lose all their money. Later they would be joined by the more occasional and blasé gamblers whose aim was not so much winning but to feel the thrill of the game.

Beyond the casino was the conservatory, which was packed full of exotic and wild flowers and trees. And amongst all this beauty a special quiet corner for relaxation, quiet conversation and various drinks on offer at the tables and benches dotted in and around the winding creepers and leaves of the plants. The sisters loved the huge pool filled with the most wonderful translucent turquoise sea water. They couldn't resist the temptation of going for a swim there and then. With great foresight they had brought their swimming costumes along with them. Like the conservatory, the swimming pool was equipped with recliners and tables laden with drinks.

Late that evening once they had got back to their cabin Natalie said:

"What bad could there possibly be here? What a beautiful place!"

But as soon as they entered their cabin they were greeted by a disturbing message on the screen above the porthole, which flashed at them several times:

"Intruders have been in here. Follow the arrows and on the right you will see a bugging device and on the left behind the picture a hidden camera. Don't give the impression that you know about this, continue as if you are as merry and carefree as before."

For a few moments Natalie and Sophia just stood in silence frozen to the spot. What a "pleasant" surprise!

It was Sophia who was the first to find her tongue:

"Listen Natalie, we forgot our swimming costumes at the pool."

"Oh yes," said Natalie, who was still in complete shock, "but that's not important." Then after pausing a moment she said: "If we hurry we might get back there before it closes."

"Well, never mind!" said Sophia trying to stop her sister but Natalie had already left the cabin and she had no choice but to follow Natalie's proposal.

They had barely got outside before Natalie said:

"We will have to agree beforehand what we are going to say in the cabin. Therefore let's get away from here and discuss what we need to do."

Sophia was lost in thought.

"I don't even know if I want to give them any information at all. It's evident that these people are interested in everything. The surroundings around here might be incredibly beautiful but we definitely can't be so sure about the people."

"There are certain situations where it's simply vital to tell or warn someone about something," said Natalie already beginning to get irritated.

"Well then let's be like the heroes in the films we used to watch when we were children. So when I say: let's go to the lounge, it means there's a suspicious looking man, when I say: casino that means there's a card-sharp and when I say: let's go and find Auntie it mean let's go to the dining hall, and when I say: let's go to the swimming pool – that means there's some good news and then everything will just sort itself out as we go along." suggested Sophia.

"Well, let's go and find Auntie," said Natalie and both sisters burst out laughing.

But no sooner had their laughter subsided than their supper time acquaintances arrived on the scene alerted by their loud laughter.

"Tell us, what's happened that's so funny?"

"Oh we are just so amazed by the ship," said Natalie smiling sweetly.

"So there's a chance that you are having a good time," the bodyguard blurted out.

"Yes the surveillance system here works so well that a fly couldn't make it on board unnoticed," said Sophia nearly spilling the beans about the new additions to their cabin facilities.

"Funny you should mention that because we have come across some very strange things in that respect. A very good friend of mine, who has worked as an expert for various special services, came to our cabin and..." and then he began to hesitate because his bodyguard had grabbed him by the arm.

"Did you want something?" the boss asked innocently.

The bodyguard shook his head.

"Then don't interrupt me then. Where was I...? Oh yes, well we discovered a number of bugs and hidden cameras and maybe something even worse in our cabin – but we've checked everything out. Some sort of holiday this is." The boss spat out angrily.

Natalie nearly jumped out of her skin and was just about to open her mouth to let them know what they had discovered in their cabin, when Sophia was pretended to have a coughing fit.

"Natalie can you pat me on the back."

And as Natalie bent down to help her, Sophia managed to whisper:

"Don't even think about telling them anything," and then her cough immediately subsided.

The sisters made a helpless gesture of commiseration and quickly headed off in the direction of the ship's lounge. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sophia quietly whispered:

"We mustn't tell anyone about what has happened because we still don't know who is who."

However Natalie didn't agree:

"We still need to tell someone, what sort of holiday is this?"

"Have you already forgotten that this is far from a holiday for us, and what's more we've had more than one warning from the ship itself to be on our guard?"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand but it's seems such a pity. I was so looking forward to a bit of undisturbed peace. And that businessman's assistant seemed such a nice man."

"Oh, Natalie, I've got a feeling that our trusting natures are going to be very bad travel companions on this voyage. The people who are spying on us already know how high the stakes are."

"I understand, but in order to give the impression that we are on holiday we will need to genuinely relax."

"Oh don't tempt me, I am all for it. Let's try and combine business and pleasure."

Natalie began grinning from ear to ear:

"It's great being understood."

The girls quickly passed through the lounge but as they approached the dance floor they slowed their pace and were joined by two young men: one was pleasant and the other... very pleasant.

"Just like in the Gogol play," Natalie thought to herself repeating it out loud to Sophia and causing her to smile.

They both recalled the writer's famous phrase, although admittedly he had been talking about women.

"Would you like to dance?"

And with that the two young men made a bow like eighteenth century courtiers. The sisters were silent for a second and then nodded their heads in agreement. However, they had barely reached the dance floor before they were greeted with a loud bang and sparks that showered them like a firework display. Several yards away from them two couples fell to the ground. Everyone rushed to help including Natalie and Sophia. The two couples were lying on the floor - they had evidently been deafened by the blast. The men eventually got to their feet but the girls continued to lie on the floor. Soon a doctor was on the scene. And he quickly administered first aid.

"What's the matter with them?" everyone asked.

"Everything's fine, in a couple of days they'll be right as rain. It was just an ordinary short circuit that caused the explosion," the doctor replied.

Natalie and Sophia got out of the hall as quickly as they could. And literally ran through the casino hall.

"Let's go and get our breath back," Natalie proposed, "did you notice those black arrows on the floor, when we stopped dancing?"

And Sophia craned her head in order to better see where the arrows were showing now. And there they were: light thin arrows that were barely visible.

"There, there they are, can you see them Sophia? Haven't we been careless." said Natalie with a bitter wave of her hand.

"Relax, you said! There's your relaxation with clogs on!" said Sophia testily.

"All right, but you weren't exactly against the idea yourself. Let's sit down here and just observe what's going on around us as we were told."

Natalie and Sophia sat themselves down behind one of the vacant tables. Nobody came up to them. So they had the opportunity to unhurriedly and safely talk everything over. But being unable to come to any agreement they both decided to remain silent. Having calmed down a little, they began to scrutinise the other passengers. A group of professional gamblers had gathered around the roulette table and their chips were piling up like leaves around an autumn tree. The players would carelessly shove huge sums of money from one to the other depending on whose luck was in or out. Everyone here was just interested in gambling and money – and that was all that gave them any satisfaction. Behind the players stood their "supporters" who were simply watching the proceedings and... a few "financial" supporters who were evidently funding the whole spectacle for their own unknown ends. Among these "big wigs" one particularly important looking man stood out who clearly had a very large fortune and occupied a particularly elevated place in society. Almost involuntarily the sisters began to observe his every move. He was closely following the game, would occasionally nod his head at one of the players, sometimes approvingly and sometimes sharply, but everything he did was done with restraint and dignity. Various different people would constantly come up to him with this or that piece of information and each would receive their reply in the form of a slight nod, next to him stood several similarly high ranking men and women.

"He must be some sort of big wig. I noticed that one of the people he talked to was the Captain's Mate who is responsible for the ship's security and safety," Natalie quietly informed her sister.

"And look, the woman standing next to him is the woman who has the cabin next door to ours. Which is very interesting, let's see if we can sit a little bit closer," Sophia suggested.

"As the old song goes – it wouldn't all be so melancholy, if it only weren't so sad. It would all be much better if we were just here on holiday. Talking of which, look: those black arrows have started appearing again – so let's get out of here."

Natalie and Sophia got up calmly and amicably and followed the path indicated by the light arrows.

As they were walking away Sophia said:

"It looks like we were rather overdoing it with our observations."

"And what's so bad about that? Maybe they took a shine to us, especially that top dog. Eh? What do you think? We get to know him, get into his confidence and find out everything we need to know. ... How does that plan sound?"

"It doesn't sound like a plan at all. It sounds more like something out of a pulp fiction spy thriller. Although, hold your horses! Where is our bodyguard friend going?"

And with that Sophia pulled Natalie back into the casino. For the time being there no arrows were showing and the sisters hid themselves out of sight behind a group of revellers in order to see what the businessman's bodyguard was up to. They were both completely amazed when he went straight up to the big wig nodding to everyone else in his circle. The bodyguard went straight up to "his Excellency", as the sisters had decided to nickname him, and to their surprise he smiled sweetly at the young man and even gave him a friendly shake of the hand. Immediately afterwards the bodyguard ran off to the other side of the room with a huge smile on his face.

The sister's amazement knew no bounds.

"So – does that make him the servant of two masters?" said Natalie turning to her sister.

"I don't know... But all I do know is that we are going to have to be extremely careful with this character, but for now, let's get out of here before anyone notices us."

They quickly made their way to the conservatory where it was quieter and there were less people, with only the occasional couple deep in private conversation. Natalie and Sophia sat at a bench just a little bit away from the central alley. There was nobody around and all was silence except for the singing of the birds in the trees.

"Perhaps we could stay here for the night?" said Natalie lifting her legs up on to the luxuriously comfortable seat.

Sophia laughed:

"And do you not think that there might be the odd snake or two in the grass around here as well?"

"Unfortunately, there seem to be so many of the two legged variety around here that I don't know where to put my feet."

And at that moment Natalie noticed a priest:

"That's strange what a priest is doing here?"

"What else. He's on holiday."

"In a cassock?" said Natalie calmly meeting his gaze.

When the priest drew next to the girls he amicably invited them to his church.

"I have to admit that it's a bit small but nevertheless big enough to provide balm for the soul."

Natalie was just about to get up and follow him when Sophia held her back.

"Let's just sit here a little while longer."

When the priest had moved out of earshot she said:

"Even in the church don't say any more than the bare minimum, he might not be a priest at all. I suggest," said Sophia whispering in her sister's ear, "that we go back for our glasses and generally keep them on or about us."

Once they got back to their cabin they noticed that although their things had been very tidily folded they were not in the place where they had left them, nevertheless nothing seemed to have been tampered with. Unseen by the camera the sisters quickly put their glasses into their bags and left. As soon as the door closed behind them Natalie and Sophia lowered their glasses on their chains and... became invisible.

In the empty hallway between the cabins laughter could be heard, however, its source remained invisible. They literally hopped after the light arrows that lit up their way, and soon arrived at a small cabin with a large cross on the door. The door was unlocked and opened easily. Although small, the church was extremely pleasant. The walls were covered in frescoes depicting biblical scenes and there was a small altar with several old icons, in front of the altar stood two men with their backs to the door. On hearing the door open they both looked round. The sisters shuddered: One of them was the bodyguard from their table and the other was one of the people who had been in his Excellency's circle at the casino. Natalie and Sophia just managed to slip in before the young man rushed to close the door shut again.

"So where were we...? Quickly put on this priest's cassock, he's having a break at the moment and won't be back today. Have a word with the young women. Firstly, find out what the purpose of their trip is and secondly, try to frighten them so that they'll get off the ship at the first opportunity. You yourself understand that if they are who we think they are, and then they can expect nothing good here." And with that he gave the "priest" a friendly slap on the back. "I must run because it wouldn't be good if they saw me around here."

And like a bullet he flew out of the chapel. The man who had been left behind began to put on the priest's vestments started to express what was on his mind out loud:

"What a horrible man, I just can't understand what on earth he has in common with such an important gentleman. His sorts always have a ready smile and are always ready to carry out his slightest whim. Such a respectable man with family and children and a general no less. Maybe the rumours going round the military about him are true? And now this absolutely ridiculous favour he's asked of me. What could such sweet young girls have done to bother him? It all seems very wrong to me."

At that moment he heard a knock at the door and Natalie and Sophia came into the cabin with the most disarming smiles. Of course it didn't require a genius to work out that the man standing in front of them was anything but a priest. He immediately invited them to sit down and started a conversation on the most secular themes. And as the sisters listened to his good natured monologue it became easier for them to talk to him about various things. Natalie and Sophia vied with each other to stuff his head with the emptiest nonsense, such as how much they liked being on holiday, where they had been, what they had seen and where they wanted to go... The "priest" was more than happy to engage in such light conversation and was evidently in no rush either to frighten them or persuade them to leave the ship. However, when he bid them farewell he did say that they should be very careful because even on a ship as wonderful as this one there were nevertheless all sorts of different people. Then having finally remembered the role he was meant to be playing he wished them well bestowing on them the strangest blessing:

"You may return home with a feeling that you have paid off all your debts."

Natalie couldn't resist and kissed his hand as a mock sign of respect, but this only made him even more embarrassed.

And Sophia thought to herself:

"He really is a good man underneath."

They returned to the cabin in high spirits and when they saw the camera they decided to lull their eavesdroppers into an even greater sense of false security by loudly complaining that not everything seemed to be quite as wonderful on the ship as it would first appear and that they would definitely follow the priest's wise advice. The sisters slept like babes – the day had ended very successfully and they had managed to erect a smokescreen in front of their enemies.

The next morning, Natalie reminded Sophia with a silent nod of her head to bring her glasses with her and the latter with a similar gesture suggested that they put the glasses on "invisible" mode. Once out of the door and unseen they made their way as carefully as possible in order not to give themselves away. Not far away they noticed two young lads loitering with intent. The elder one noted:

"Don't forget to turn the Dictaphone on as soon as they come out, then follow them to the entrance of the hall then I'll take over from there."

Sophia whispered to Natalie:

"If I'm not very much mistaken I do believe they are waiting for us. Let's check shall we?"

Unseen round the corner from the boys Natalie and then Sophia made themselves visible again. The boys were only a few feet away and as soon as they heard the sisters' voices one of them immediately sidled up to them. Sophia and Natalie couldn't help themselves and immediately burst out laughing.

Then Sophia whispered:

"Let's have an innocent little chat about his Excellency the general."

"You know what Sophia; I liked the look of that imposing looking gentleman at the casino yesterday."

"Who had his eye on us?" Natalie nodded.

"It's a great idea! Let's introduce ourselves because the men on our dinner table are beginning to get on my nerves, especially that bodyguard. He's as thick as two short planks and makes out as if he's the big boss."

"The boss is much more pleasant. You could even say that he's quite sweet."

One of the boys ran on ahead to keep tabs on the sisters while the other followed them so close that he was practically under their feet. But the sisters didn't say another word all the way to their table but just laughed inwardly.

At the entrance of the dining hall Sophia noticed the bodyguard. He took something from the lad who had gone racing ahead and hid it in his pocket. Sophia and Natalie nodded to each other and, in invisible mode, the two sisters rushed to catch up with the two faced security man.

When they finally caught up with him he had just finished listening to the recording and immediately made a phone call:

"You have caught their attention."

"Excellent, let's try to get to meet them somehow." replied a voice at the other end of the line.

"What about our plan to put them out of action for a little while?"

"Leave the one who said she liked me and slip something into the other one's drink. It will be easier to deal with just one on her own."

The sisters ran back to their table as fast as they could and when the bodyguard arrived they were already seated at their places. Both of them gave the impression that they were utterly unperturbed and greeted their fellow diners with the sweetest of smiles. Breakfast passed very pleasantly. The bodyguard applied all his attention towards Natalie, after all he needed to groom her for her acquaintance with the bigwig, and Sophia was once again looked after by the "boss".

The bodyguard rushed off to the bar and brought back the most wonderful wine and sweets. And then from out of nowhere the big wig appeared. He, of course, was completely charmed by the sweet young women and proposed a toast: "To the wonderful ladies."

Natalie was showered with compliments by the general, while the boss suggested to Sophia that they go and get to know each other better at the bar. Sophia accepted his suggestion, which for some reason caused the bodyguard to be quite put out. This had evidently not been a part of his plans. Sophia was interested to see how he would worm himself out of this situation. After a little while the bodyguard had a bottle of the most exquisite wine sent from his table to Sophia and the boss. The latter was only too pleased to suggest that they try this "liquid sunlight". Sophia didn't know what to do. It was obvious that she must not drink the wine. While her companion opened the bottle she poured some non-alcoholic wine into her glass and put it to one side. But what was she to do to help the boss. He clearly had nothing to do with the games his employee was playing and Sophia decided to try out a classic manoeuvre.

When the glasses were full she moved hers to one side and, unseen, poured its contents into an empty food dish that was standing nearby. Grasping her non-alcoholic glass of wine she turned to the boss proposing a toast to friendship, but then, oh, so clumsily accidentally spilled the contents of her companion's glass down her dress.

Sophia immediately jumped off her seat and said:

"I'll just pop back to the cabin and change my outfit."

Having run to her cabin Sophia threw off the dress, placing it in the shower and washed the wine off her leg. In a couple of minutes Sophia was already sitting back at the bar in her new dress. The boss was there waiting for her.

"Let's have a long cocktail, I'm really quite thirsty," Sophia suggested. Several minutes later the bodyguard appeared at the bar.

"Would you mind if I try the wine that I sent you?"

And without another word grabbed the bottle and stalked out of the bar.

The boss nearly choked on his drink at the unexpected rudeness of it all and shouted after his employee:

"What the devil do you think you're doing?"

Sophia stroked the naïve man on his shoulder and soothingly said:

"It's no big deal; I guess he just doesn't want to see such good wine go to waste."

After their eventful breakfast the sisters headed off to the pool. Once mingled with the crowd, they put on their glasses and calmly set off for the ship's conservatory. They found a bench in a quiet corner and began to review what had happened. The bodyguard's cunning plan hadn't worked on this occasion but what were they to expect later on?

"We can't find out everything that they are going to come up with," said Sophia," at the moment they are organising full-scale war against us, albeit an invisible war. We need to be one step ahead. Let's go to the casino and try to overhear what they are going to plan next."

Natalie nodded her head and decisively got up from the table. As ever, the casino was a hotbed of gamblers, one exchanging places with the next, however, the people watching proceedings remained the same. Unnoticed, Natalie and Sophia sidled up to the table where the ship's top dogs were standing. It seemed as if invisible threads were spreading out all over the ship from this table. But where else were they leading? That would have been a good thing to find out but the conversation of these social lions was extremely banal – who had just won at billiards or bowling and how a party thrown in honour of this or that sports star had passed off. There was no information to be gleaned here at all. Maybe the sisters had been mistaken and perhaps the boss at the centre of all this intrigue wasn't to be found among these self-important gentlemen. Then suddenly Sophia noticed their unpleasant table companion playing cards with a number of junior officers from the Captain's staff. Sophia nudged Natalie and they both inched their way towards the card table. The players seemed to sharing the most insignificant and irrelevant pleasantries with each other. But then the bodyguard unexpectedly said to the man sitting next to him:

"I have hidden the dress."

Then a few minutes later his neighbour said:

"Have you sorted out the make up?"

To which the bodyguard replied after a few more rounds: "Yes it looks like the finest quality that money can buy."

Then they returned to their normal pleasantries. Natalie and Sophia moved away to a quiet corner.

"Let's go to our cabin and see if what they've been saying has anything to do with us. I've got a funny feeling that one of these characters has been up to something there. Let's go and check right now."

And with that Sophia set off for the cabin at such a lick that Natalie was barely able to keep up with her. The sisters had barely opened the door before they noticed that someone had been in their cabin and going into the bathroom Sophia immediately noticed that her dress had gone missing.

"That means that the make-up might be."

Natalie was barely able to finish her sentence before the woman from the next door cabin knocked on the door and came in.

"Are you already lying down for a nap? I wanted to invite you over to my cabin for a cup of tea; I've got all sorts of different cakes and biscuits."

"Thank you very much, but we seem to have overdone it at the swimming pool today and need to have a bit of a rest," Natalie replied politely.

"Why are you being so boring?" said the young woman insistently.

So Sophia decided to pretend that she had been poisoned slightly by saying:

"I have to admit I really don't know what is bothering me? Although I did have a bit more wine today than I would normally."

The neighbour's eyes flashed and she started telling so many stories about the dangers of drink that Natalie was forced to forcefully but politely interrupt her:

"We are very grateful for your invitation..."

But she had barely got the sentence out before their nosey neighbour had ducked out of their cabin like a flash. The sisters began to get ready for their nap. Natalie picked up her face lotion but Sophia stopped her, making a number of signs with her eyes that it wasn't a good idea to use the make up in the cabin. In reply Natalie let her know with a number of equally colourful facial contortions that she thought it was nothing but a bit of nonsense.

After a few minute Natalie's face had turned a deep red. There could be no doubt of course that the bodyguard was behind it. What were they to do? They decided to leave everything as it was, and only use the make-up that they had with them in their handbags.

Irritating trifles seemed to happen them nearly every hour. People would drop money and even a valuable ring right in front of them. Once when they were sitting at lunch the sisters mentioned that they couldn't believe how careless the people on the boat were - constantly losing things.

The boss listened very carefully and said:

"Whatever you do, don't pick these things up or even touch them."

"Why?" Natalie asked innocently.

"It could all very easily end up in a scandal. My bodyguard knows all about these sorts of tricks. Why don't you tell them about a couple of the tricks you know," said the boss turning to his employee.

But the latter just made a lame excuse that he was in a hurry:

"Oh definitely, but it will have to be another time, I've got a very urgent meeting at the moment."

And with that he ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. As soon as the bodyguard had gone, the boss literally showered the two sisters with compliments. Despite everything they were all having a good time and were in high spirits. Then they decided to accept their pleasant dinner companion's invitation to visit his cabin. He had moved from his old cabin into a separate luxury suite. He had furnished his table with the finest sweets and cakes and wonderful smelling coffee in honour of his beautiful young female guests. The boss turned out to be a most interesting person. He had two daughters and a wife who he adored.

"Then why are you on holiday all on your own?" -Sophia asked in surprise.

"Oh, I'm here on business." he replied.

And Sophia nodded her head in understanding. But the boss had evidently not said everything that he had wanted to because having escorted the sisters to their cabin he quietly let drop:

"Beware of my bodyguard."

And he proceeded to tell them a number of other stories about him. The sisters popped into their cabin for a short while, grabbed their glasses and then set off for a walk in order to review and discuss what had happened to them. However, unexpectedly they were intercepted by their great friend the bodyguard.

"I know that you've just been round to my boss's, you should remember that he is married."

"And are you a bachelor?" Sophia asked.

"I am always at the service of such great beauties as you two. I have a very pleasant errand for you," he said pausing for dramatic effect.

The sisters carried on their way, without waiting to find out what this errand was.

But then the bodyguard took them both by the arm and said: "Don't be in such a rush! On behalf of the most respected male passengers on board I would like to invite you..."

But he didn't manage to finish his sentence before Sophia interrupted:

"We have already just been to visit one of the most remarkable representatives of the menfolk on this ship."

And Natalie wanted to add her own tuppence worth but at that moment the general himself came to meet them.

"We would be most grateful if you would lighten up our dull male company, all we seem to talk about is business and more business, even when we are on holiday."

The sisters were somewhat taken aback but having signalled to each other with a couple of subtle squeezes of the hand, they gracefully accepted the invitation.

The general offered Natalie his arm and the bodyguard offered his to Sophia. The hall they entered was quite small and cosy and abutted onto the conservatory. With the exception of their companions the sisters did not recognise any of the faces here. A table was furnished with food at the side of the hall and the rest of the space was given over to various amusements and the dance floor. The crowd stood in circles around the dance floor and several people sat at the bar, which faced the table with the food. Everyone behaved in a free and informal manner helping themselves to whatever they fancied from the buffet. And contrary to their companions' words, there were young and middle-aged women to spare. Music was playing but no-one was dancing. The general led the sisters to the buffet but they politely turned down the food, then they went to join the largest and most distinguished looking group. Everybody addressed the general with the utmost respect and the unknown young ladies who accompanied him were likewise showered with attention and civilities. The sisters nodded their heads and smiled to left and right as if they had always been habitués of these sorts of parties, but inwardly they were constantly on their guard... What were they to expect? However, everything went off fairly uneventfully. The sisters had already danced with the general, members of the ship's crew and various artists and actors who they had never seen before and they had also tried a number of different cocktails. They were simply passing the time in a carefree and merry fashion.

"Shall we go and powder our noses?" Natalie suggested to her sister.

"Yes let's go."

And with that they both disappeared with the aid of the glasses. Once invisible, the sisters made straight for the general's circle. There was nothing suspicious and no-one made any mention of the sisters. But then the bodyguard sidled up to the general and Natalie and Sophia immediately followed on his heels. The main thing was not to miss the slightest word or sign between the two of them. And on this occasion they hit the bull's eye! It was a very good thing that they had come to this party.

Sophia was the first to hear their plan when the bodyguard quietly went up to the general and whispered:

"Shall I turn the apparatus on?"

The answer was spat out quickly and quietly:

"Be sure that you don't hit any of the others. Make sure that the dose is not too strong so that it won't do them too much damage."

The bodyguard hesitated a bit and looked around this way and that. Natalie was so close to him that she was worried that maybe he had sensed something. Finally he forced his words out so quietly that it seemed that only his lips were moving.

"But we need to stretch things out until the airborne assault troops arrive and then..."

At that moment the general stopped him short:

"Not a word more, gets to it and make sure that the others aren't seriously poisoned. But before that be sure to cause a diversion with your assistants and make sure that everything is measured."

And with that he looked severely at the bodyguard. A second later and the underling had melted into the crowd and disappeared. Natalie and Sophia ran out to the conservatory as fast as they could.

"What are we going to do?" said Natalie planting her glasses on her head, "we really need to talk, move your glasses up onto your head as well. There you go, now you and I have changed beyond recognition. We will circle around close to the general's circle."

"I think it will be better if we split up, I will stand by the entrance to the hall in order to find out who will be operating the ray gun and where it's located." Sophia said decisively and with that she headed off back towards the hall.

In order not to arouse suspicion Natalie waited a few moments and to her great good fortune the boss arrived.

Natalie immediately went up to him and said:

"My dear table companion, will you allow me to accompany you."

The boss looked at the young woman next to him with surprise.

"It's me Natalie, I've just had my hair done differently and am in a different outfit to usual."

"My goodness, you women are chameleons - able to transform yourselves at will. Of course, I'd be happy to accompany you," said he offering Natalie his arm, "Let's go, I am completely at your service."

"Well, I only have one request - please don't call me by my name and please don't be surprised at anything that might happen."

"Ah! A little conspiracy?" said the boss getting into the spirit of the game.

"Yes, it's just a silly game," said Natalie with a laugh.

Natalie and her new companion walked arm in arm right under the general's nose without him registering a thing. After a little while the boss's bodyguard appeared. Natalie made her excuses and disappeared into the crowd. At that moment an unseen hand grabbed her by the arm. It was Sophia of course, who quietly whispered to her:

"He's already been up to two of the ship's crew, raised his hand as if to greet them and then headed off towards the general. Both sisters were literally standing right next to the general's ear.

"Everything's ready but where is our sweet little sisters?" said the bodyguard rushing about here and there. "Where are they?" he repeated and then let loose a quiet oath.

"What a hot head you are. I only saw them a few minutes ago. Let's go and get something a little stronger inside us," said the general gently taking his underling by the arm and leading him to the bar.

At that moment the boss, seeing his head of security in a conspiratorial conversation with the general began to get very worried but decided to go up to them and pretend to make light of it:

"Are you poaching my staff?"

But his joke was answered in the most serious tone:

"Not at all, we were both just looking for those two attractive young sisters, but we seem to have lost them for the time being. If you help us find them we will make it worth your while."

The boss waved his hand nonchalantly:

"I was looking for them myself," and quickly made an exit. "I must warn them, that character is up to no good," he thought to himself.

Sophia felt that it would be good to at least partially let someone in on what she and Natalie had found out so that they could quickly take the necessary measures. Sophia left Natalie to keep an eye on the general and his sidekick while she ran off to find the boss. She caught up with him in the conservatory. Sophia literally grabbed him by the hand.

The boss was very glad to see Sophia:

"I have just been speaking with a very influential gentleman and it seemed very strange to me that he was taking such an interest in you and your sister, not to mention the attentions my security expert has been lavishing on you."

"I will now let you in on a secret. Natalie and I happened to overhear your bodyguard tell the general that an airborne helicopter attack is expected – that's the first thing. The second thing we heard was that they are planning to take Natalie and me "out" with some sort of special apparatus. But the general has at least shown a little bit of compassion and insisted that we are not exposed to a very serious dose."

"Do you really mean to tell me that the general has gone soft? That he's developed a humane side. But you are a very clever girl to have done what you have done."

The boss had not expected such resourcefulness and success.

"Now run to your sister, here are the keys to my cabin and hide there immediately for the evening and wait for me."

Sophia asked carefully:

"Are you planning to warn someone about this?"

"Well everyone is playing such dangerous games. There had been a signal given earlier that they were planning to take the ship hostage." The boss laughed carefully trying to choose his words.

So Sophia chose them for him:

"Terrorists?"

"Well these people are always trying to justify their foul actions with some slogan or other, but in the end they're nothing more than common thugs and criminals. All they think about is money and there is never enough of it for them, which is why they will serve any idea that will justify their thievery."

He handed Sophia his key and they both quickly ran their separate ways, each rushing to carry out their vital mission. Sophia once again changed her appearance, turning into a blonde searching for her friend, thus when they did catch up with each other Natalie barely recognised her sister.

"Let's get out of here quick, I will explain everything on the way." And taking her sister by the arm Sophia led her to the exit.

"But this isn't the way to our cabin."

"We are going to the boss's cabin he gave me his key." And Sophia explained to her sister the whole situation.

"I understand, but let's pop into our cabin for a second," Natalie asked.

"Well, all right then but let's go there in invisible mode." said Sophia.

"Don't you think it's time that we wore the glasses normally so we can see people's true natures" Natalie proposed.

"Now is definitely not the time, we may see that which is invisible to the eye but that will leave us only too visible to everyone else," Sophia objected and Natalie nodded her head in agreement.

They had just turned the corner of the corridor on which their cabin was located when they stopped stock still. Opposite their cabin three men stood in a triangle. The sisters quickly stepped back behind the corner.

"We simply have to put the glasses on and really see what they are like or we will never find out what they are planning," said Natalie decisively changing the setting on her glasses and Sophia followed suit.

"Now we'll discover the real truth. But only for a second and then switch back to invisible mode."

Thus the sisters quickly peered through their glasses at the three men and saw that a malevolent looking stream of black mist was flowing out of the three men through which a sinister ray of light could be seen. All three rays of light were encased by streams of black smoke and they all joined into one source located opposite the sisters' cabin.

"Let's change into invisible mode and see what these scoundrels are planning to do next," Sophia said quickly.

And a second later both sisters had vanished into thin air. The sisters changed so quickly from one mode to the other that the men had no time to even sense their presence.

While in both states, despite the danger threatening them, they both felt a pleasant sensation. Of course - it was the Angel! Always ready to help! It was simply remarkable! The sisters soon found their way to the boss's room. There was nobody to be seen in their dear friend's luxurious apartment. It had turned out that he really was a very good person. They now had time to discuss everything that had happened and decide what to do next. Unfortunately, they were not able to tell anyone about their magical glasses but how else were they to explain the surprise that their enemies had in store for them. At that moment the boss appeared and was overjoyed to see the sisters in his room.

"There are three low ranking members of the ship's crew waiting for you outside your cabin. They were only employed the very day that the ship set sail."

"We saw them and they seemed suspicious to us, which is why we turned round and immediately came to your room," Sophia reported.

"In what way are they dangerous?" Natalie wanted to hear what their friend knew.

"Each of them has been issued with a very dangerous apparatus, which can shoot a ray of light and cause various degrees of injury. It all depends on the dose and the amount of time that you are exposed to the ray. It's not clear what dose they were planning to hit you with. But the fact that there are three of them and that they were planning to direct their rays at one target suggests that they were planning to hit their victims very hard."

"Do you mean... They wanted to kill us?" said Natalie with a shudder in her voice.

"This sort of ray attack can cause extreme pain, heart attacks and spasms in any part of the body. It all depends on where the rays are aimed. This could result in a person being taken out for a very long period, but if the dose wasn't too heavy it might just be used to frighten somebody. I hope that we'll be able to smoke them out and find out. At least you aren't their main target. They seem to have even bigger plans. You seem to be a secondary target for them but you seem to be disturbing their plans nevertheless."

"Let us help you with your investigations, we can't just sit here and let you take all the risks," said Sophia looking at the boss defiantly, for he had already somehow become their boss as well _._

The boss's face melted into an admiring but nevertheless condescending smile. "Oh my dear girls, if only you knew what powers are at work here..."

"Nevertheless we might come in handy..." And Sophia squeezed her sister's hand as a sign that they shouldn't say too much. "We will sit tight here and if we do go outside then it will only be for a short time and we'll be very, very careful."

"You're being very sensible, but I need to go now. I need to warn someone else about what is going on."

And with that the boss flew out of the door. The sisters sat for a while in the room and also tried to fathom out to what extent they and the ship were in danger. The first thing they decided to do was to get into their cabin with the help of their magic glasses. This time there was no-one standing in front of their room. What's more the light coloured arrows were pointing them in the direction of their cabin. Having switched to invisible mode they stole into their room. There was nobody there. They put their glasses on to see what the real situation was. From several points on the wall they could see black wisps of smoke forming a spiral. Looked closer at them they understood that these were bugs. In the bathroom on the shelf under the mirror their cosmetics bag was wreathed in an evil looking black mist. Likewise all the drinks in the fridge had all turned a very unappetising dark grey colour. But the most unpleasant thing was that the electronic screen appeared to be silent. It was then that the sisters realised that it was obviously under surveillance by a hidden camera. And they soon found the guilty object on the opposite side of the room. The sisters began to muck about and throw various things at each other with the result that eventually the second camera, pointed at the screen accidentally got covered by a head scarf. And immediately the screen came to life manically scribbling one text after another.

"You have understood well that there are so many bugs in here that even the slightest whisper will be overheard. Don't use anything be it your make up or any of the drinks in the fridge. You had better not sleep in here at all right until you disembark. Be very careful, even if they try to execute a group of hostages. You must move around the ship in disguise so that no-one can recognise you. Both now and in the future do not give in to fear."

The sisters read all these messages from the ship and were buoyed by the fact that they were not on their own fighting their ruthless enemies. They were being supported by loftier powers! And that meant that they were in the right. But it was obvious that yet more trials would be in store for them. Natalie and Sophia made out that they were getting ready to go to bed, turned out the light, put on their glasses and went out of the cabin unnoticed. Outside all was calm. The sisters followed their normal route from the dining hall through the casino and into the conservatory. They couldn't see anyone that they recognised anywhere. So they decided to go up on deck. There they found all the main suspects gathered! Thank goodness that none of them had seen them. They noticed the general and next to him a large group from the lower ranks of the ship's crew as well as a few others. And there also was the bodyguard. He was hovering around the general and was constantly running from one group to another. They gave the impression that they were getting ready for something very important. There wasn't much to be gleaned from their conversation because they were talking totally incomprehensible nonsense in the main. Then quite unexpectedly the ship's Deputy Security Officer appeared with a formidable group of guards. They went up to the general and greeted him.

"Are you enjoying the fresh air? The Captain is holding a meeting in an hour. You remain our most respected guest but the crew will have to go below deck. However, let us put more of the deck's lights on while you relax and our waiters will bring you some refreshments on deck."

At that moment a large group of waiters made their way on to the deck with trays of cocktails and various other drinks. Having served the drinks, instead of leaving, the waiters positioned themselves along either side of the deck like a guard of honour.

Totally failing to understand what was going on, Natalie and Sophia decided to put on their glasses in order to get a better view of the situation. No sooner had they made themselves visible than they were immediately grabbed and bundled away below deck. It was their good friend the boss. He controlled himself with great difficulty:

"What are you doing here?! Get down to my cabin at once and stay there!"

"What's the matter?" said Natalie defensively, "there are a whole load of people relaxing there. Or are we expecting a storm?"

"You will see soon enough but now it is extremely dangerous. I am extremely busy at the moment but to be absolutely certain I will take you to the cabin myself." And with that he really did see them to the doors of his room and then ran off in a different direction. The sisters went into the cabin and after a few minutes heard gunshots and a lot of running about.

"Come on, let's go and see what's going on up there," suggested Sophia.

"I still think we should wait for a little while. We are unlikely to be any great help, especially as there seems to be a gunfight going on. And look! Look at all those black arrows around the doors. Oh my goodness! Even at the door!"

Natalie and Sophia both rushed to examine more closely what was going on with the black arrows. The black arrows continued to run around the doors for another hour but as soon as they disappeared, the sisters put their glasses on and headed outside to find out what was going on. Although the shooting had stopped, everyone was still very much in a state of alarm. Members of the ship's crew came running past with one hand hidden in their pockets and there wasn't a single passenger to be seen although at this time the decks were usually full of people out for a walk. There was no-one in the ship's lounge although all the alcoves in the conservatory were occupied and a little way from them stood some other people who were evidently keeping watch because their heads were alertly looking this way and that. The sisters sneaked up to one of the alcoves. And right in the nick of time! For there in the middle of a group of ten to fifteen people they saw the bodyguard. He was seriously frightened and getting a bit closer the sisters heard his desperate excuses.

"I wasn't with them, I am just a partner in the casino with the ringleader I had no idea there was going to be an attack many people will back me up on this."

And a lot of those around him squawked in agreement.

"He isn't guilty... he had nothing to do with it, it's the general who's to blame..."

In the second and third alcove were seated various other people from the lower ranks of the ship's crew. They were all saying the same thing, they either hadn't been involved or they weren't to blame. On their way out of the conservatory they saw one of the General's close sidekicks - the man who had earlier disguised himself as a priest. He seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere so the sisters decided to follow him. He went into the office of the Ship's security services. Before he closed the door the sisters also slipped in. Many of the ship's high ranking security officers were there.

"I haven't seen anyone anywhere," he reported to a member of the ship's team.

"Yes," said the senior security officer, "the surveillance cameras showed that all is clear at all the main collection points."

At that moment Natalie raised her voice, confident that she wouldn't be noticed in the crowd, and said:

"All the lower ranking members of the ship's crew are sitting in the alcoves in the conservatory."

"Quickly go and check," the order rang out.

Within a minute the entire room had emptied along with the sisters who quickly made their way to the boss's cabin. Turning the door handle Sophia noticed that it was unlocked. Quickly putting their glasses back on their foreheads, the sisters went in. The boss was already waiting for them impatiently drumming his fingers on the table.

"Where have you been?"

"We just went out for a minute to get a few things after everything had quietened down." said the girls in order to explain their new outfits.

"Please tell us what has been going on," asked Sophia.

"There was an attempt to take the ship hostage, an airborne raid had been planned. But the Captain's security assistant was able to warn the appropriate authorities in time. The helicopters with the attackers were intercepted and the ship's security personnel were able to catch the chief conspirator and his accomplices on board the boat. The rest less important conspirators have all gone to ground. The ship's security people are looking for them now as we speak."

"Who was their leader? And why did he need the ship? And why was there so much surveillance on us? And in general what did this group bandits want from us?" said Natalie firing one question after another.

"I will answer all your questions," said their friend with a smile, "the leader was the general, although he might be protecting somebody. And this fantastically luxurious ship would bring in a lot of money; they could have easily raised the prices to holiday on board. And they would have made a killing on the extras like the excursions and other things like that. But it remains a mystery as to why they were interested in you. Therefore you need to remain on your guard. It's evident that you are a nuisance to one of them or that you have something that they need."

"We saw a lot of the lower ranking personnel and your bodyguard in the alcoves in the conservatory," Sophia announced.

The boss immediately grabbed his phone but Sophia stopped him:

"We have already informed security and they've already sent people down there."

He stretched his arms out and said:

"I still have to run. I really need to know what role my employee was playing in all this. I already know a thing or two about his little affairs. I have the distinct impression that he takes great pleasure in doing the most horrible things to people. I'm sure we will bump into each other a bit later but now I must rush."

The moment he had gone Natalie said:

"Now it's time to get our glasses on and have a look round the ship."

And with that Natalie and Sophia put their glasses on and left the cabin.

Passing from one room to another the sisters kept changing their appearance so that they would remain unnoticed. The passengers were all getting ready to relax, the night was in full swing, there was practically no-one going anywhere although around the Captain's cabin and other high ranking officers' offices there was a big crowd of people. Through their glasses the sisters could see that many of them were shrouded in a black mist. Some of them gave off a strange grey mist but there were no good people among them at all. Natalie and Sophia turned their glasses to invisible mode so that they definitely wouldn't be noticed. They began to listen to what these people were saying. Again they were all expressing amazement that they were under suspicion. It also seemed that many of them were armed. The sisters quickly stepped to one side and phoned the boss warning him that many of the people in this part of the ship were armed. Their friend's reaction was instantaneous: the ship's security officers arrived within minutes formed everyone into a circle and asked them to hand over their weapons. As a result the security officers soon had a pile of pistols and even a couple of small machine pistols and grenades. After a little while all the suspects were sent onshore by helicopter. The sisters and the rest of the passengers on board breathed a big sigh of relief.

The next day the dining hall was full again. Natalie and Sophia had put on their best dresses and had brought their glasses just in case, having fixed them into their hair just before entering the breakfast hall. Just imagine their amazement when they got to their table and found it with its full complement. There was the boss's bodyguard sitting happy as Larry. He got up and even managed a smile, (albeit a rather forced one), when he saw the sisters.

"Very glad to see you both on such good form," he said through gritted teeth as he took each of them by the arm and sat them down at the table.

"We are also very glad to see that you weren't among those that were arrested," said Sophia pointedly.

"Me! What are you saying! On the contrary I was one of the victims."

"Really?" asked Natalie innocently, "it seemed to me that you were a very close friend of the general's."

"Yes, I was very nearly let down by my good nature and willingness to do other people favours. We used to work together and out of habit I carried out a couple of small errands and requests for him," said the bodyguard desperately trying to justify himself.

"What wonderful glasses you girls have. You simply look like Princesses in them, shining like tiaras on your heads. May I have a look?"

"They wouldn't fit you; let us show you how they look on us instead," said Natalie in a bit of a fluster.

And with that the sisters put their glasses on over their eyes. Natalie and Sophia's expressions changed completely, the smiles vanished from their faces, their eyes flashed with fear and they had difficulty keeping themselves composed.

"It would appear that our eyes haven't quite got used to the sun," Sophia eventually managed to force out.

The boss sensed that something was wrong and promptly changed the conversation:

"Let's celebrate our wonderful holiday, although I and my bodyguard are strictly speaking on business, and raise our glasses in a toast. I have some wonderful wine here." said he flourishing a very special bottle.

After their breakfast the boss accompanied the sisters to the swimming pool.

"Do your sunglasses have x-ray qualities? What did you really see? Do tell me, he is, after all, my employee."

"He is a snake, do you understand, a real snake, be very careful of him," said the girls letting the boss in on their secret.

The boss was very taken aback by this discovery.

"I'll think of something and dispose of his services. I have been aware of his little tricks for a long time, but he has a very particular interest in you. We will be leaving the ship soon. It will be a pity to say goodbye."

"And if you don't mind we would rather not have to go back to our cabin," asked Natalie.

"Tell me could there possibly be anything in your cabin that isn't to your satisfaction?" said the boss drawn with strain.

Sophia smiled sweetly:

"Well, how about listening devices, hidden cameras and some poison or other in the drinks. I'll also give you another piece of advice – you'd be best off keeping your own counsel in the cabin, not bringing young girls back and stick to slaking your thirst at the ship's bars rather than the mini-bar," Sophia joked.

Now their friend's face changed in surprise.

"Well bless my days! I've got a feeling I should be taking lessons from you. I will be waiting for you at any time in my cabin."

And with that the boss set off on his business rounds leaving the sisters by the pool. The time soon arrived for the sisters to leave for the island. Before their departure Natalie and Sophia went back to their cabin for one last time. Everything there was as they had left it. The second surveillance camera still had the headscarf obscuring it. Therefore the screen above the porthole immediately lit up when they came in:

"Don't be in a rush to get into the dinghy. The frightening things that will appear before you will be nothing more than that – apparitions – you have nothing to be afraid of. When you get to the island, hand the glasses over to the Angels."

The sisters exclaimed in unison: "How?!"

"Put them in your palm and they will fly away themselves. You have completed your task here on the ship with distinction and have dealt with all the difficulties encountered remarkably well. All the energy has now been liberated."

The sisters thanked the ship with a deep bow and perhaps because of this the ship seemed to bow in response causing the whole cabin to list slightly.

Early the next morning at sunrise the sisters approached the side of the ship where the dinghy was to be lowered. They were accompanied by their remarkable friend and three sailors from the ship's crew. They were going to accompany them in the boat right up to the shore of the island. As instructed the girls had brought their glasses. And this time they were going to need them much sooner than they expected. Out of nowhere the bodyguard appeared, with a false expression of goodwill on his face, he offered the sisters his hand in farewell.

Immediately one of the sailors stepped between him and the sisters:

"You shouldn't shake hands it's considered bad luck."

"Oh that's a pity because I have this lovely little present for these two dear little ladies."

He glanced to one side and the two young lads that Natalie and Sophia had seen loitering around their cabin appeared. They were holding a scuba mask each with long tube hanging from each.

"You never know when these might come in handy."

The boss quickly whispered to the two of them:

"Whatever you do, don't take them."

"I think they're a bit too big for us and they're really more suitable for deep sea diving." said Natalie.

Almost unconsciously both sisters put on their glasses. Black mist wreathed out of the tubes. The dinghy was lowered without any particular mishap. But both Natalie and Sophia remembered not to get in to the boat straight away. Therefore Sophia asked:

"Could you just wait a minute I need to go back and get myself a drink."

The dinghy was lowered into the water and the three sailors took their seats waiting for Sophia. But she was standing to one side unnoticed, observing all that was going on. Black arrows flashed into the dinghy and a second later a snapping sound was heard and the dinghy began to fill up with water. The three experienced sailors nimbly jumped clear of the boar before it sank an instant later. The sailors climbed back on board up the rope ladder and went off to get changed. The bodyguard quickly disappeared along with the young lads and the suspicious looking masks.

The boss darkly muttered:

"This is all the work of that scoundrel."

And with that he immediately rang the head of the ship's security to tell him what had happened. The ship's security soon had the runaways detained. The bodyguard was arrested but the young lads were set free and the masks and snorkels were taken for analysis.

A little later the Deputy Chief Security Officer arrived and said:

"I will personally take charge of seeing you safely to the shore."

A few minutes later he was phoned and informed that the criminal had been caught and that as he was being led away by two guards he had brushed his hands against their faces causing them to fall down unconscious there and then.

"He had been able to do this," the deputy explained, "because he somehow managed to persuade the guards to undo the ropes that had been tying his hands behind his back."

"That was why he was so keen to say goodbye and shake hands with both of you," said the boss.

"And we had thought that all the terrorists had been dealt with."

The Deputy Head of Security led the sisters to the ship's security headquarters, while they continued to hunt for the bodyguard. For a long time they could not find him and the sisters offered to help.

The deputy replied:

"Under no circumstances are you to go near him."

"Let me go," suggested the boss, "only I have just one request."

And he moved close to the sisters and whispered:

"Lend me your glasses; I guessed a long time ago that they have magic powers."

However, out loud for the benefit of the rest of the company he said: "I need them because my eyes are bothering me," and held his hand out for the glasses. Natalie gave him her glasses, and Sophia gave him a big grin. She had noted a while ago that they had a bit of a soft spot for each other.

Having put the glasses on, the boss literally jumped with surprise:

"My goodness, what sort of wonder is this!" and immediately rushed off to search for his former employee. Barely half an hour passed before the odious bodyguard was caught.

As he was brought past in handcuffs he literally hissed at the sisters in spite:

"I wouldn't be so happy if I were you. There are a couple more surprises waiting for you before you get to the island. There are going to be things out there that are a hundred times worse than anything I did..." But at that moment his vile tirade was cut short. The boss had heard quite enough and had aimed a well-deserved blow on the coward's chin, which soon put an end to his attempts to frighten the sisters.

Soon they were sitting in the dinghy and on their way to the island, having said a fond farewell to the ship's crew and, of course, their dear friend – the boss. He thanked Natalie particularly warmly for the use of her glasses, gave both sisters a big hug and a telephone each with all his contact details so that they could keep in touch. Natalie and Sophia lowered themselves into the boat and three strong sailors accompanied them to the island.

"It's going to be difficult to find somewhere to land," said one of the sailors anxiously, "as far as I remember, the island is surrounded by cliffs."

The sea was very calm and the waves lapped softly on the side of the boat. Evening was drawing in. Suddenly, from out of nowhere dark rain clouds came scurrying in.

Then the helmsman shouted:

"There's a whole school of sharks ahead!"

The huge aggressive fish jumped out of the water right in front of the boat. One of them even leaped right over the dinghy flashing its enormous jaws as it flew past. Everybody shuddered, even the sailors.

Sophia shouted to Natalie:

"Where are our glasses?"

They fished their shades out of their bags, and as they suspected, this was exactly what they had needed to do. Once they had them on all their fears evaporated. It turned out that the school of sharks were nothing more than dense black spirals of mist that writhed and twisted in all directions.

"That's an illusion and a half if ever I saw one," said Natalie.

And no sooner had the words left her lips than the sharks and dark clouds disappeared in to thin air and the sea became calm again.

The sailors looked at each other in amazement:

"What happened back there?"

Sophia laughed:

"They are just demonic visions that have been sent to frighten us."

There were yet more unpleasant surprises: A huge snake seemed to appear from nowhere in the bottom of the boat, which turned out to be nothing more than harmless hose on closer inspection. Then right on the shore of the island they all saw a huge dragon with three fire breathing heads. Everyone shuddered. The sisters put their glasses on and instead of a three headed dragon they saw a very attractive little bay with three bonfires burning on the hill behind it to safely guide the boat into harbour.

"They have come down to meet us and that's why they've lit the bonfires," Sophia explained to the sailors.

Like the boss the sailors also understood that these were obviously no ordinary glasses.

"I'm afraid we can't give the glasses to you as a present, we have to return them, but a prayer is often just as powerful a remedy against fear." Natalie advised the sailors.

"Yes, yes, we know but often when you get very frightened you forget what your own name is let alone the words of a prayer."

"To have a pair of glasses like yours would be something," said one of the sailors dreamily.

And with that Sophia took pity on them:

"It will all be as you hope; ultimately it's all in your own hands."

The Island of the Blessed

On the shore, what appeared to be an extremely ancient old man was waiting for them.

"My goodness, how did he manage to get down here?" Natalie thought to herself in sympathy.

"I got here on my own two feet," the old man replied forthrightly, "all you need is faith and you'll be able to fly."

And with that the old man really did levitate a metre above the ground, flew fifty metres, stopped in mid-air and then returned to the sisters and stood in front of them shrugging his shoulders in a gesture of mock dismay.

"You can see."

"Unbelievable," said Sophia in amazement, "do you think we would be able to learn how to do that?"

"In order to this you need to live in peace, like we do. It doesn't work where you secular people live. The world is too weighed down with human cares and it's difficult to fly through an aura like that."

The Elder paused for a second and then continued. "We will now cross this mountain and visit the community where I and my spiritual brothers live, but now you need to release your angels."

Natalie and Sophia looked at the old man in bewilderment, and then remembered their glasses. Taking them out of their bags they put them on the palm of their hands and lifted them up slightly. The glasses disappeared but the sisters could see no angels. However, somewhere behind them they did hear the flapping of two large pairs of wings. Evidently the angels had flown away. The sisters gratefully waved them goodbye. The mountain facing them seemed to reach right up to the sky. The sisters stood indecisively at the foot of the mountain.

"I know a path and will lead you along it. When you get tired you can sit down on the stones."

And without any more ado the old man led them right up to the sheer cliff. They hadn't gone ten metres before a cave opened up in front of them. And in they went. They passed through it and then a second and then yet another. And thus by passing from one cave to another the sisters and the Elder passed underneath the mountain. Every time they passed through a cave it closed behind them and the mountain once again became impassable.

"It is not possible for just anyone to reach our community. We are all guarded by this impassable mountain from all sides."

Once they had passed through the mountain the most picturesque valley opened up before them. A pure mountain stream, as translucent as crystal, bubbled rapidly through the valley and its flashing surface twinkled in the distance. The whole area was luxuriating in greenery and amongst the magnificent trees, cosy little one storey houses peeped out. The sisters and the Elder made their way down from the mountain along a narrow winding path. Their guide led them through the valley showing them all the most beautiful places and telling them all about this most unusual community and its inhabitants, embellishing all his tales with parables and wise advice on the way.

"Man should live in harmony with his soul and show honour and dignity to it. Our spirit itself makes its petitions to us." And with these words the Elder glanced back at the sisters, because he had been showing them the way, had been walking a little way ahead of them, so when Natalie and Sophia looked at him they let out a little yelp of exclamation:

"What's happened to you?"

Standing in front of them now was a young man, no more than forty years old, with a black beard and dark long hair that framed his handsome face and eyes that seemed to pierce right into the soul.

"What's had this effect on you?" Natalie asked in amazement.

"Of course this unusually pure air is known for its curative qualities," their guide laughed, "but to be serious, many of us here have the ability to renew ourselves amongst other talents. We try to help people and come to their aid when they find themselves in inextricable situations."

"You probably have to work hard and long to reach such a state of mastery," Natalie asked interestedly.

"I will quote you the words of the ancient prophet: 'Seek not the things that are too high for thee, and search not into things above thy ability. But the things that God hath commanded thee, think on them always, and in many of his works are not curious, for it is not necessary for thee to see with thy eyes those things that are hid. In unnecessary matters be not over curious, and in many of his works thou shalt not be inquisitive. For many things are shown to thee above the understanding of men. And the suspicion of them hath deceived many, and hath detained their minds in vanity. Therefore, follow the counsel of thy soul. But above all pray to the almighty that he might show you the path to truthfulness.' Such is the advice of the ancients."

"Will the wise people on this holy island help us or do we have trials to face here as well?" asked Sophia with some trepidation in her voice.

"As Saint Paul said, each will be rewarded according to his labour. You need to restore the energy that God sent you at your birth and during your life. And this is not our decision but sent to us from above."

"It would have been so good to have met you earlier," said Natalie dreamily.

"There was one meeting, although admittedly it was with your mother."

"How, when?"

"We were of course present when there was that accident at the Chernobyl atomic station near Kyiv. Around the third day after the accident your mother was in the Rusanovka area of Kyiv. The air was full of radiation although all around nature was in full bloom. But your mother was overwhelmed by a sensation that she was trying to move forward under water. Her soul was filled with a feeling of calamity and alarm. And indeed that's how things were. The underwater rivers had been blocked by the accident and were building up to such an extent that it might have ended in tragedy for many regions and then coming towards her came this man who at first glance looked like any other pedestrian. He was young and handsome, there was something unmistakable about him, and even from a long distance away it was quite possible to guess who he was in actual fact. And when your mother came level with him she said in her thoughts:

"Well, do something," and reproachfully added, "We can't just do nothing! You must stop this disaster!" He did not make any reply to her but merely gave the slightest of nods to let her know that he had heard her plea for help. And once they had passed each other your mother and this person simultaneously glanced back at each other. And your mother was given confirmation that she hadn't been mistaken. And he was most surprised that she had recognised him, because there was a whole crowd of other people who had passed him by. Very soon, some very brave people went underground and succeeded in pumping out the water and sorting the blockage out. And thus the whole region was saved. Of those who went down underground to avert the disaster, six died and their names have been written in gold letters in the Book of Life along with other heroes."

The sisters had heard nothing about this mysterious meeting that their mother had had and how she had managed to survive this terrible time.

"You were so carefree and wrapped up with your lectures and college life."

"That is indeed how things were," the two sisters said ashamedly, "oh look, we have already gone past the village."

"We are going on to that island, can you see it, there in the middle of the river. The others are waiting for us there."

They came to the banks of the river to find neither bridge nor boat. Before the sisters could even ask the Elder, how they would get on to the island, the wise man had taken both of them by the hand and they had flown across the river and landed on the island. How wonderful it was to feel themselves flying, how light and weightless their bodies felt. And in their souls they felt an indescribable sense of happiness and joy.

The trees on the island were exceptionally tall and stately. They went out onto a platform that was surrounded by these huge giant trees of all varieties and types. They were interlocked with each other and even seemed to commune with the heavens themselves. Around the platform there grew a number of smaller trees that had formed themselves into a number of sheltered arbours. Above one of them rose the most exquisite wooden cross.

"Is that a church?" Natalie asked. And the Elder nodded his head. "But why are there no icons?"

"I will try to explain it to you, although it's probably difficult for you to understand. When we offer our prayers to the Virgin, or Christ or the Archangels or the Great Saints – we see their holy image in the living nature that surrounds us."

At that moment Natalie wanted to ask him about God the Father, but hesitated, however he answered her:

"Only the most deserving see him as a result of their divine energy, when they need an answer or advice to the questions that disturb them immediately."

In the church there appeared a table in the middle of the platform with chairs placed around it. Trays laden with fruits and berries appeared on the table. From the arbours and from all sides came other venerable and holy men..., but they looked anything but Elders, as they were all men of differing ages. Even those with grey beards were extremely energetic and handsome with quick pleasant and kind smiles.

"My children, we welcome you here and with great joy we will help and support you."

They all sat together at the table and offered the sisters the fruits and berries that were as rich as their island. Strangely, it was already night but the sisters felt no fatigue whatsoever. The beauty was extraordinary! The trees seemed to straighten and the sky opened out before them littered with huge shining stars. It seemed to Natalie and Sophia that they could even hear them ringing and the light shining forth from them was so bright that they could reach out and touch it. One of the Venerable Elders got up.

"You have liberated your energy from the powers of darkness but, at present, it is scattered throughout space. Now we must gather it all up."

Then the rest of the Venerable Elders got up from the table and disappeared, leaving Natalie and Sophia sitting in their chairs. The Elders raised their hands to the heavens and the stars saluted in return with a multitude of bright rays. And all these rays flowed and concentrated into two light yellow columns that stood right in front of the sisters. Initially the columns looked like two lines but as more and more rays added their power the columns filled out and grew. When all the rays of light had entered into the columns the Elders lowered their arms. They then went down on their knees and after a certain amount of time the columns of light disappeared. The sisters were left literally shining with the light of the energy that had been returned to them, an energy that gave them the strength and desire to complete any task there and then.

Natalie whispered to her sister:

"I feel like I could explode from this seat and fly like a bird."

"Best not," smiled their guide, "better save your energy, you are going to need it."

The Venerable Elders and the sisters flew back across the river and landed on a forest glade, the sisters were now able to fly themselves independent of the others. There they found the Angel already waiting for them. The sisters bade a fond farewell to each of the venerable brothers going up and embracing and kissing their hands as a sign of their huge gratitude. The sisters got into the starship and the Angel made several circles around the island. Natalie and Sophia's eyes were filled with tears, but these were tears of joy that our sinful world could contain such islands as these.

"That was simply a miracle!" Sophia murmured.

The Dark Powers are Unmasked

The starship did not fly very high.

Sophia whispered to her sister:

"It would be interesting to know what faces us now."

And the Angel replied with a smile:

"You are on your way to meet up with your children. They are now on a space ship with their old friends checking out its latest military technology. We cannot help them in their efforts, we are waiting for reinforcements. Give them all your love and leave them with some of your new found energy because their strength is getting low after all their efforts. We will stay with them for a while and then..."

"And then what?" asked Sophia unable to control her impatience.

"Oh, how like your children you are, or to be more precise how similar they are to you. And then..." said the Angel smiling openly at the mothers' childlike questions, "things will get very interesting. But for now let's get to the space ship," the Angel informed them.

When they got there neither Natalie nor Sophia had seen anything like it. Not far away was a rose coloured cloud and a little further off was a dark black cloud under which a multitude of white clouds raced to and fro. And all this was going on right above the Earth. Apart from these different coloured clouds there was nothing else to be seen, Natalie bent right over trying to get a better view of the expanse of the heavenly space. The Angel gave the sisters their glasses back.

"They are very good at magnifying things."

Having put on the glasses the sisters gave out a gasp: The pink cloud was a space craft, further away from it was a transformer, which managed to change shape three times in the short time that they observed it, and below swarmed a multitude of starships very similar to their own. The angels were blockading the spaceship from the City of the Robots preventing their return back to earth.

"Our ship was trying to carry out negotiations to ensure that the Divine Stars' energy that has been stolen would be returned to their rightful place. We tried to make this understood by flying in a small ship to the compartment in the Robots' ship where the stars' energy has been hidden. But this is all very dangerous. The robots repeatedly fired weapons and beams at us from their ship. So we decided to wait for a while until reinforcements arrive.

"But what will happen if the boys aren't allowed to shoot or use this military technology?" said Sophia getting noticeably more anxious. "And what might happen to our children?"

"The children are absolutely safe; the most effective way of fighting with these dark hearted robots is to use child-like energy. We have trained them well but they have lost a lot of energy needlessly as a result of being unnecessarily heroic. Therefore I have arranged this meeting so that you can transfer a part of your energy to them to give them the strength needed until help arrives.

"How should we behave towards them?" asked Natalie.

"Like any normal meeting between any parent and their children: give them hug, speak to them, and give them confidence in their final victory."

Literally a few minutes later Natalie and Sophia found themselves hugging their two boys in the space ship. Michael and Ben didn't stop talking for a second. They reported everything they had been doing, right down to the smallest details. They were particularly proud of how they had flown around the robot's transformer and discovered a light source in one of the enemy craft's compartments. Of course, they would have happily liberated our Star there and then if they hadn't been given the order to return immediately. Listening to their story the Angel smiled.

'Yes, yes," the Angel thought, "only they didn't notice that their reconnaissance flight was accompanied by several angel starships."

And he told their mothers about this so that they wouldn't worry unnecessarily. The children talked on with their mothers for a long time and then, completely exhausted, fell asleep in their arms. The mums very carefully lay them down in some nearby armchairs and flew off with the Angel so that the miraculous reinforcements might arrive more quickly.

The starship flew ever higher and higher. The Earth had already long ago disappeared out of view and still they flew and flew. The sisters managed to sleep, relax and restore their strength after all their worry and fears for their children. And all the while their starship flew ever on into the heavenly distance. The sisters looked expectantly at the Angel.

"I will outline your next mission to you very soon," said the Angel in reply to their inquisitive glances. And soon the starship moved alongside a huge space ship. It looked slightly strange, at its tail floated a flying saucer that could have come straight out of a UFO movie. And in an instant the sisters found themselves transported inside the central body of the ship where there were a great many people. It seemed to the sisters that they were all moving very purposefully from one place to another. The Angel sat them down in some comfortable armchairs and went off somewhere. Very soon he returned.

"It appears that this place not far from the fifth dimension is the site of an emergency."

One of the eyewitnesses quickly explained the situation:

"A UFO has appeared here that had been secretly hidden in the mountains by the Earth's demonic forces. They had constructed it back in the middle of the twentieth century. Then it had an accident when it hit a part of an asteroid. Somehow they managed to repair it and for a long time it flew around here on the very edge of this world that is more perfect than our Earth. The patrols of the fifth dimension reported to the Higher Authority that there were earthmen that wanted to befriend them and had invited them to the Earth. Of course the forces of darkness were quickly exposed and handed over to representatives of the Higher Authority. Our space ships took them prisoner and their UFO is now tied on to the end of our ship."

The Angel showed the sisters how the discussion had gone with the demonic crew.

"How could you violate and overstep all the laws of life granted to the Earth by the Higher Authority?

"We wanted to improve the civilisation of the Earth."

"Of the Earth or was it done in your own interests? After all, you did do everything in secret. And also how many of the best scientists did you take hostage and force into hard labour? How many human lives did you destroy?"

"Well, we..." the chief began.

"So, tell us, each of you, for example, what is your favourite animal?"

They all began to babble at once: some liked cats, some dogs and other various types of predatory animals.

"And thus you shall return to the Earth."

The Angel said sadly:

"How much misfortune would have been prevented if these Satanists had only been spotted in time? Now all the angels are going to have to leave the ship and the rest of the mission is going to have to be carried out by you, with the help of the ship's crew of course. Here, at the entrance to the fifth dimensional world you will need to wait for the arrival of a bright ray - this is the light from a large Divine Star. The energy from it is enormous. Originally this Star used to shine constantly, keeping humans from misfortune and supporting them in their moments of tribulation. But the Earth's dark forces formed themselves into clouds and prevented its healing light from reaching people. And when the black clouds formed into a particularly powerful layer, catching up all the star's energy, it even began to be go out and now everything depends on people, their behaviour and most importantly their strength of faith. Then the Divine Stars will come to their aid and send their shining light. Now my dears you have to do everything in your power to wake the star up and reignite it. And its divine light will help your children prise your family's Divine Star away from the robots. You have already done much to pave the way for your victory; all that remains is for you to give it one final push. I have to go now but God will help you along with all the Higher Powers!"

And with that the Angel flew away. For some time the sisters just sat there deep in thought. But then a huge black cloud appeared and enveloped the whole ship. Natalie and Sophia were immediately stirred into action. They began to fervently recite a huge number of prayers, holy verses and repeated them many times like the incantation of many psalms. The threatening cloud began to get a bit lighter, but it only required the sisters to take the slightest break and it would once again fill the heavens with its wreaths and spirals of black mist. The space ship was becalmed in the foul mist and moved only with great difficulty. The sisters went to see the ship's crew. Passing through the ships halls and compartments they discovered that some of the crew were in contact with the demonic forces. The Satanists had taken on the form of beautiful women claiming to have been taken hostage by pirates in order to take advantage of the crew's good nature and pity. And in some cases they had succeeded. Natalie and Sophia were shocked at the naivety shown by some of the members of the crew allowing the forces of darkness to have almost taken the ship hostage. The sisters approached the Captain and informed him of their fears and their displeasure at the behaviour of some of his crew. The Captain immediately gathered everyone together for a meeting. Natalie and Sophia explained what the black cloud was and what the consequences might be of having any communication with the demons at all. After this meeting the cloud ebbed away from the ship a little bit.

Sophia asked the Captain:

"Has this ever happened before?"

"Yes sometimes these clouds go around in great banks and we find ourselves escaping one only to be embroiled in another. However, this is the first time that I've ever seen such a dense formation of them. Evidently the Satanists are afraid of losing something very important and valuable to them," said the Captain looking in some alarm at the sisters, "evidently, you are going to have to continue to keep asking for the Saints to keep coming to our aid. Do you know how to do this? We aren't going to be able to do this on our own."

The sisters recited huge numbers of holy texts and prayers and remembered all sorts of saints and holy men in their prayers.

Then in a moment of inspiration Natalie remembered:

"We have forgotten about the Venerable Elders, they always come to your aid at critical moments."

So the sisters began to recall the Elders in their minds and simply talk to them explaining how impossible the situation looked and asking them what they were to do. And the Elders heard their cries for help... The sisters had barely started communing with them before the venerable inhabitants of the holy island were sitting with them in a circle. The sisters made a helpless gesture in apology.

But the brothers answered:

"You were right to call us; you are under attack from these demonic forces. First they need to be chased away, then you will have to pray hard to stop the Star from extinguishing."

The appearance of the Venerable Elders on the ship soon produced results. The black cloud stood its ground for a bit longer but then dispersed into thin air like smoke. The space ship was able to make significantly better headway and they were nearly at the entrance to the more perfect world. But it was no easy matter to ignite the star, time was required to restore and repair the cosmic space that had been defiled by the presence of such a destructive satanic presence.

Golden rays of light began to appear in the tender blue heavens. The rays began to get brighter and brighter. And then a blindingly golden light shot past and through many worlds eventually arriving at the Earth. The space ship quickly found its way to the spot where the black transformer lay, the transformer, which contained the divine stars' energy that had been stolen from Michael and Ben's and many other families. As soon as the huge current of light illuminated the two cousins' starship, they literally flew along the star's rays towards the robot's diabolic ship and in the same instant the compartment containing the divine starlight broke loose scattering its priceless contents free. Once liberated, the stars made their way through the heavens to their true and proper place in the universe.

Victory! The Star, the family's Divine Star had been restored and was now shining in its rightful place in the firmament where God himself had placed it. At that moment the demonic transformer disintegrated before everyone's eyes and disappeared. Michael and Ben along with their mothers found themselves back together again on the Angel's starship. The Venerable Elders also disappeared as quickly and mysteriously as they had arrived. Although Natalie and Sophia did manage to bid each of them farewell before they left.

Very soon they were back home. Michael and Ben embraced their mothers and the Angel congratulated them all on their great victory.

"Never forget that we are always near you!" their wondrous Angel said in farewell.
