 
Door Posts

By William Cayhews

Smashwords Edition | Copyright 2016 William Cayhews | All Rights Reserved

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

PART SIX

PART SEVEN

EPILOGUE

POST SCRIPT

POST

INTRODUCTION

It was evening in the restaurant at the Hotel Imperial, Vienna. My first impression of them was they were merely another pair of typical American tourists, probably retired, judging by their age. I could not help but overhear their conversation as I sat at the table next to theirs, but I had a difficult time following what the gentleman was saying. I do speak English well enough, but he kept on jumping from one story to another -- from one location in the world to another -- even from one time period to another.

I was transfixed by the things he was saying, so I mustered up the courage to interrupt their supper and ask if I could hear more. They were startled at first, of course, but then I found them to be warm and inviting. After the customary brief personal introductions were shared between us, they commented to each other about how odd their conversation must have sounded to someone like me who was outside the confines of their rather unusual dialogue. But as they gave it further thought, they agreed with each other that my presence might in fact be of some assistance to them in the process of sorting out all the information that was pouring out of his mind.

So, they graciously invited me to join them at their table. As I pulled up my chair, the gentleman straightened up, leaned forward and said he wanted to go back to the very beginning and tell us as accurately as possible about his bizarre and amazing adventure. He said he needed to slow down his mind and reorganize his memories as linearly as possible, in order to keep all of the various elements of his story in their accurate place and in their proper time period.

Eventually, we finished supper, but he was not anywhere near finished with the story, so they urged me to come up and join them in their hotel room, to allow him more time to continue the telling of his amazing adventure. Hour after hour went by, but none of us were aware of time until the sun began to rise and send a warm glow of light into their room.

After that initial session, it was quite clear to all of us that he had merely begun the process of pouring the information out of his mind and into our ears. We were each feeling somewhat spent from staying up all night, and slightly in need of a good long nap. So, they decided to rearrange their travel plans; and I agreed to go home and then return to the hotel later that afternoon, equipped with my recorder, in order to have a better way of keeping track of the wide variety of circumstances about which he was telling us.

_Door Posts_ is the result of that initial happenstance meeting, and then much more subsequent time spent together throughout the transcription process. None of us are writers, but they sensed there must have been some reason why I was brought into all of this. And now, I am inclined to agree with them. This is the most amazing story I have ever heard, and I am honored to be the one through whom it can be shared with the rest of the world.

I am a professor of Art Theory and Cultural Studies here at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. In addition to my teaching occupation, as an avocation I am a painter. My mind works like a painter, so when I set about the task of writing the story down, all of the various parts presented themselves to me as different colors and shapes and patterns on a canvas. This is the only way my mind could make sense of it, due to its unusual nature.

I also felt compelled to represent in writing the unusual way the story was presented to us. It was an oral story, and he presented it as if he were an actor on a stage. It often seemed as though he lost himself and became the characters about whom he was speaking. In addition, he often spoke of himself as though he were merely another one of the characters in the story.

Another unusual aspect of the telling of the story was that some parts of it were elements of history, while other parts of it seemed to defy history. As he went on pouring out the information from his mind, he would often go back and forth between speaking in the past tense about the historical elements, and in the present tense about the other parts. In order to capture the style of the actual telling of the story, the historical parts are here written as he told them in the past tense, and the other parts are written as he told them in the present tense. All of this is true and consistent with the way he was actually telling the story orally.

This suits me perfectly well because the act of painting always occurs in the now. Every painter knows this. It is the reason why we are drawn to the activity. Painting takes us to another world -- another time zone -- a place where there is no past nor future. And this happens to be the exact same place where this particular story exists.

Now, in order to make the various parts of the story easier for the reader to navigate, we decided the past tense historical elements should be graphically represented in a sans serif font; and the other present tense parts should be represented in a serif font.

Occasionally, when the parts of the story were transitioning into each other they would intermingle in shorter segments. These shorter segments are indicated with narrower margins and in an italic font.

I do apologize for the more pedestrian content of this lengthy and seemingly uninteresting introduction, but I do think you will appreciate the advance notice about what to expect as you make your way through reading the story.

And, of course, my hope is that you will be as captivated by the telling of it as I was.

PART ONE

"Adolf... Adolf? Oh, there you are, dear. Did you not hear me calling you?"

"Sorry, Mother. I was simply... "

"Simply lost in your painting world again."

"Yes, I suppose I was. I am sorry. Did you need me for something? Do you... "

"No, dear. It is suppertime. Paula and I have been waiting for you. Did you not hear me call you to supper?"

"No. I am sorry. I will be right there."

After his mother left the room, Adolf dipped the paintbrush onto the pallet one more time and then applied a few more strokes on the canvas. As he lifted the brush from the surface, he looked at the painting and frowned, and said, "Father was right."

Slowly and thoughtlessly, he put the brush back on the canvas and began to smear the area where he was working. With a furrowed brow, he picked up a broader brush and furiously smeared more paint over the entire surface of the canvas.

The conversation at the supper table was about as sparse as the surface of their plates. Adolf knew it was useless to continue thinking he could pursue his love for painting. He knew his application to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna would never even make it to the dean's desk for consideration.

He was also painfully aware that he was now old enough to be the man of the house, and that it was up to him to make sure his mother and younger sister had more on their plates than what they were currently pushing around with their forks.

Toward the end of the meal, Adolf looked across the table, and said, "If I am not accepted to the Academy again, I intend to look for work in the steel mills."

"What about your painting?" asked Paula.

Adolf looked at her and smiled, and assured her not to worry, "It will always be a part of my life, little one. I do know that the life of an artist is always somewhat accompanied by a struggle to survive. We must force ourselves to keep at it, all the while longing to be discovered for our brilliance... " Then he winked at her, and continued, "You do think that I am brilliant, do you not?"

"Of course you are, my child," smiled his mother, tenderly, as Paula nodded in agreement.

"You are a very special young man, Adolf. The Lord will guide your steps. He carefully watches over His children. You will see," assured his mother.

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"Adolf Hitler was a painter? An artist? What? That can't be right!"

"That's what it says."

Daniel and Sarah were sitting next to each other on the sofa in the living room of Sarah's apartment, so Daniel leaned over and looked at the textbook in Sarah's lap.

"See? Right there," pointed Sarah. "It says that when he was a young man he was interested in watercolor painting and even applied to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Twice."

Daniel pushed back, and said, "That has got to be some bogus history book, Sarah. That can't be right."

"Why not?" countered Sarah.

"Why not? What do you mean why not?" said Daniel. "How could that possibly be true? He was a madman. He was a heinous mass murderer." Daniel turned more sideways on the sofa to face Sarah, and continued, "I mean, art is creative... art is beautiful... art is human expression. It is our divine spark. It is how we are like God."

Sarah nodded, and Daniel continued, "God made us creators, like Himself. That is one of the ways we are made in His image and likeness. No way! There is no way Adolf Hitler was an artist. He was a destroyer, not a creator. He was ugly, not beautiful. He was... "

"Ok, Ok, I get it, alright already," interrupted Sarah. "I'm as shocked by it as you are. But it says it right here. And, I don't see why it couldn't be true. We have no idea what his early life was really like. All we know about is his role in World War II. He may have been just another average little boy growing up in Germany and doing all of the same things that every other little German boy was doing. He had a family. He probably had dreams."

"Well, if he did, they turned out to be everyone else's nightmare," said Daniel.

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Daniel had no idea why Y2K popped into his mind. He was sitting in one of his favorite places in the Capital Grounds eating his usual brown bag lunch. Usual, in that every day it was about the same thing -- a banana, a yogurt cup, a peanut butter and jam sandwich on wheat bread, and an apple, which he usually saved for later in the afternoon or to eat on the way home before dinner.

He finished up the sandwich and put the empty plastic baggie and the yogurt spoon back into the brown bag along with the uneaten apple, and wondered why in the world people were so freaked out about Y2K. Nothing devastating happened. The previous millennium had passed and a new millennium began. Computer systems didn't seem to be adversely affected at all. Time marched on smoothly without even the slightest hint of a hiccup.

It could be Sarah, his girlfriend. She had one more history course to finish up before graduating from the University of Minnesota with her Master's Degree in History. The course was 20th Century World History and Daniel was helping her to study for her final exam. That was probably what got him thinking about the infamous Y2K scare.

Through the process of helping Sarah study, Daniel developed the opinion that the last one hundred years of history definitely had a major impact on the world. He saw it as a unique period of exciting discovery and complex human affairs, which provided a fitting capstone on the previous millennium.

But, as Daniel sat and thought about it all, he concluded that there certainly was nothing all that new under the sun. Time merely marched on as it always had. He looked around at the city, St. Paul, and admired its blend of old and new -- the downtown Historic District mixed in with the modern high rise buildings.

' _It's just people... '_ he thought. _'It's just people living their lives, creating new generations, putting together communities, and hopefully... just maybe... someday learning to get along with each other.'_

Then Daniel's thoughts went back to Sarah, as they frequently did. She was a great girl. Daniel loved her dearly, and she seemed to feel the same way about him. They were to be married soon and their two lives were primed and ready for the big commitment. Sarah would be graduating in the not too distant future and Daniel recently got his dream job at Likewise International.

Likewise was founded by a man named Patrick Johnson, who built his humanitarian organization around the simple principle of people helping people. His charisma and tenacious passion had galvanized a few other similar organizations together to form Likewise, which was now a worldwide enterprise.

Daniel was thankful and excited to get the job at the Likewise headquarters right in his hometown of St. Paul. It was a perfect fit for him because he always had a heart for the underprivileged. Even as a young boy, his parents were amazed at the things he wanted to be involved with in their community to help other people in need.

On that particular spring day, Daniel would have much rather stayed in the Capital Grounds for a little while longer. He often considered it a small crime in the cosmos when he was not able to invest more of himself into days like this one, which had so generously provided a gentle breeze of perfectly warm air and a beautiful green landscape of luscious spring growth. He was not all that eager to trade his favorite color of green for his grayish cubicle, demanding computer screen, and impolite telephone.

But on the other hand, he did appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the Likewise team. Unlike other humanitarian organizations that tell a good story, but don't actually deliver the goods to those in need, Likewise truly and genuinely served people and did not merely pad its own bank accounts. Patrick Johnson did not tolerate even a hint of fraud to exist in his company. He worked diligently to maintain its reputation of being above reproach in the non-profit industry, and a shining example of genuine humanitarianism in the public eye.

Daniel was unwelcomely brought back to the moment at hand when the blaring siren from a passing emergency vehicle snapped him back into the realization that time was once again terminating his lunch hour and announcing that his empty cubicle was calling.

As he left the Capital Grounds and headed down Cedar Street, his attention was grabbed by the sound of scoffing laughter across the street near Central Presbyterian Church. So, he stopped and looked over to see what was going on. A few teenage hooligans were harassing a poor bum who seemed to be merely looking for assistance from the church.

Daniel shouted as he checked the traffic and then dashed across the street, "Hey! Get the hell away from him! Get outta here... now!"

The hooligans scurried away as Daniel rushed into the parking lot. "Are you alright, buddy?" said Daniel as he walked up to the bum. "Here, let's take a look at you." Daniel knelt down and did a cursory examination of the bum's general condition. Then he looked into his eyes, and said, "If it's Ok with you, I know of a place nearby that can give you a hand. I'll take you there, if you want me to."

The bum was afraid and hesitant at first, but then sensed Daniel's sincere kindness. He started to collect himself and then stood to his feet.

"They'll have food for you there and some clothes, and maybe even a place for you to stay tonight, if there's room," said Daniel, comfortingly.

The Union Gospel Mission was about a block away, so Daniel walked the bum over, and in through the back entrance. Daniel was well known at the shelter. One of the workers saw them come in, and said, "Hey Daniel. How's it going?"

"Pretty good, Sam. How about you?" greeted Daniel.

"Doing alright," said Sam. "I see you have made another friend." Sam walked up with a friendly welcoming grin, and said to the bum, "Hello, my friend. Welcome to the Union Gospel Mission. I think you will be happy that Daniel showed you the way here. It looks like you are a little down on your luck, so we may be able to help you get things sorted out again." Sam put his arm around the bum and started to escort him down the hall, and said, "Come on down here. Maybe we can start by giving you a nice hot meal."

"See you, Sam," said Daniel.

The bum turned around and timidly offered his gratitude to Daniel, who returned it with a smile and then left the mission.

\+ - + - + - +

Later that evening, Daniel was at Sarah's apartment. He was dressed up nicely and leaning against her bedroom doorway. "It was no big deal, really," he said as he walked into the bedroom and finished up the knot in his necktie. "Those punks were just messing with this poor guy, and I had to do something about it."

"I know," said Sarah, as she put the final touches on herself to go out for the evening. "It's not that I think you should have ignored the situation. But, I worry about you, Daniel. You are way too nice to people. And someday, one of those guys is probably going to go crazy and attack you, or stab you, or something."

Daniel laughed slightly, and said, "Well, it is good to know that I can always count on you to look out for me, right?"

Sarah smiled at him in the mirror as he walked up next to her to adjust his necktie.

"Well, are you ready for a grand night out... the time of your life?" said Daniel, sarcastically. Sarah looked over at him as he rolled his eyes, and continued, "I can't believe I have to go to this thing tonight. Why do they make it mandatory? Don't you think that is kind of weird?"

Sarah shrugged, and said, "I don't know."

"And it's my birthday, for crying out loud," complained Daniel. "Why do they have to have this stupid thing on my birthday. I just want to be with you. I just want to go out and do something nice with you."

Sarah squinted her eyes at Daniel, and said, somewhat scoldingly, "We've already settled that, mister. Don't you try to bring it back up now. Your night is tomorrow, so I don't want to hear anymore whining about it... you got that?"

Daniel acknowledged the uselessness of his ploy, and continued, "Well, I guess they have this event every year at this time -- to have a state of the company address. And, welcoming new employees is part of it. I've met Mr. Johnson, of course. He's a nice enough guy, but I wonder why he thinks it is so important to... I don't know, maybe it's some kind of corporate team building thing, or something like that. They were telling me he gives a motivational speech and rah rah and welcome to the team, or whatever."

Sarah was not the least bit sympathetic to Daniel's whining, and said, "Daniel, that job is perfect for you. You are so fortunate to have been hired on at Likewise. It is the perfect job for a Good Samaritan like you. You're always doing that kind of thing anyway... and now, you even get paid for it."

"I guess you're right... as usual," agreed Daniel. "Fine. I'll stop complaining. Anyway, I heard the food is pretty decent, and I really do like Landmark Center. That place is so great."

Daniel then moved behind Sarah and gave her a hug, and said, "And, I'll be out with you, of course... so that alone will make it a grand and glorious night out."

Sarah turned around and put her arms around Daniel's neck. She gave him a quick kiss, and said, "It is going to be nice, but I am also a little hesitant about going because I really do need to study for my history exam. It's coming up quickly and I want to nail it."

As Sarah turned and sat down on the edge of her bed to put on her shoes, Daniel said, "Don't worry, I'll keep helping you with it. I like it. I'm really learning a lot about that stuff... and I don't have to sit and suffer through those hours of lecture. It's a good deal to me. And, I never knew much about all of those things that happened over the last hundred years. The 20th Century really was packed with a ton of major worldwide events."

Sarah stood up and walked over to Daniel. She straightened his lapels slightly, and said, "I really do appreciate all of your help with my studies. I know I am going to do way way better on the exam because of it."

Daniel enjoyed Sarah's touch. He looked into her eyes, and said, warmly, "I do love you, Sarah. I think you are absolutely wonderful."

"And I love you, too, my boy," said Sarah. "But we'd better get our act together and get ourselves outta here, don't you think?"

"After you, my dear," said Daniel.

Just as Daniel and Sarah walked into the living room, Sarah's roommate, Jessica, came in through the apartment door, and said, "Well, aren't you two just the dapper couple. Where are you off to?"

"Remember... the Likewise dinner," reminded Sarah. "...at Landmark."

"Oooh, I want to go," pleaded Jessica.

"You can take my place," said Daniel.

Sarah gave Daniel a glare, and Jessica said to Daniel, "I was thinking more like you and me, big boy. How about it?" Then, looking over at Sarah, Jessica smiled coyly, and said, "Come on, Sarah. Let me show him what it's like to go out with a real woman."

"Yeah, right," Sarah laughed.

"Ok, Ok, you two," said Daniel. "Let's get on with this, shall we?"

"I'll consider that a raincheck, Danny boy," smiled Jessica. "Besides, I actually have a date myself tonight, so I am doing just fine on this lovely Friday night."

"Really?" asked Sarah. "With who?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," quipped Jessica.

"Really. Who?" asked Sarah.

"Seriously, girls, we gotta get going," interrupted Daniel.

"I'll tell you all about it tonight... or tomorrow... or whenever," assured Jessica.

"Ok," said Sarah, as she gave Jessica a hug. Then, as she and Daniel walked out the door, Sarah turned around, and added, "Every detail, right?"

"Yes, yes," agreed Jessica. "Now get going, you two lovebirds."

\+ - + - + - +

The banquet at Landmark Center was fabulous -- a highlight of the year for many of the Likewise employees. It was not overly extravagant, but definitely high quality enough to let the employees know how much they were appreciated.

Daniel and Sarah sat at a table with a few of Daniel's new co-workers.

"Wow, this is really nice," said Sarah.

"Yeah, I had no idea it would be something like this," agreed Daniel. "This is amazing. Wow, what a great meal."

Daniel's co-workers heartily agreed, as waiters came by the tables and kept the courses coming.

Toward the end of the meal, the people at Daniel's table were finishing up the main course, but he had only taken a few bites. As he poked at his food, he looked over to the head table and noticed Patrick Johnson finishing up his dinner, and starting to look over his presentation notes.

Daniel was pushing his fork at the last part of his dinner when he got a pained look on his face and grabbed his stomach. After a few moments, he leaned over to Sarah, and whispered, "Man, my stomach is messed up."

Sarah was concerned, as Daniel continued, "I'm going to take a quick trip to the restroom and then I think we may have to get out of here, Ok?"

Sarah nodded and Daniel excused himself from the table.

Daniel sat there doubled over on the toilet in the restroom trying to manage his intestinal discomfort as best as he could. He was perspiring and groaning as he loosened his necktie and tried to relieve himself of whatever was causing his stomach to churn and flip flop.

It took a while, but finally Daniel was able to pull himself together enough to splash some water on his face and then grab a few hand towels to dry off. As he walked back to the banquet hall, he reached into his right pants pocket and was surprised that his car keys were missing. Thankfully, he then reached into his left pants pocket and discovered them in there.

Sarah could clearly see that Daniel was not well, so she excused herself and stood up as he approached the table.

"I'm sorry, guys," said Daniel, with a slightly pained look on his face. "Something's not right in my stomach, so I think I'm going to have to sit this one out and go home before it gets worse."

"Hey, no worries. Just go and take care of yourself... do you need a ride?" said one of his co-workers.

"No, thanks. I will be able to manage alright," said Sarah. "Thank you, though. We'll see you later. Good night."

As Daniel and Sarah left the banquet hall, Patrick Johnson walked up to the lectern to begin his annual address to the employees of Likewise.

"This is such a bummer, Daniel," said Sarah, sympathetically.

"Tell me about it," agreed Daniel.

"Your friends were telling me how great the speech is every year," continued Sarah. "I guess he has quite a story to tell."

"Well, I guess it'll have to wait until next year," said Daniel, holding his stomach. "I gotta get outta here."

\+ - + - + - +

Back at Sarah's apartment, Daniel took off his jacket, necktie and shoes. He flopped down on the sofa, and said, "I think I may have to chill out here for a couple of hours until my stomach stops churning, if that's Ok with you."

"Of course, please, lay down," said Sarah. "I'll go get you a glass of water. Do you need a TUMS?"

"No. Thanks. It's not heartburn," said Daniel, rubbing his stomach. "It's just a bad pain right down here."

Sarah returned from the kitchen with a glass of water, and said, "Well, I guess I get my wish after all. Now I can study for my history final a little more."

Daniel had no problem working with Sarah and quizzing her on the information from her notes. It served to distract him from the annoying pains swirling around in his stomach.

After about an hour, Daniel sat forward and picked up his water glass from the coffee table, and said, "I'm going to get a refill."

"I can get it," offered Sarah. "You just sit right there."

"No, I think maybe I need to get vertical for a moment," said Daniel, as he stood up. He stretched his arms out, and continued, "Yeah, that's better. Whew! I think the worst of it is over. I'll be right back."

In Linz, Austria, a young man is sitting at the bar inside a small neighborhood tavern drinking a beer. The year is 1907. It is the end of a typical workday and the room is full of local townsfolk chatting in German and laughing and eating.

As Daniel approached Sarah's kitchen, he looked ahead of him through the doorway and was shocked to see that the entire interior of the kitchen had changed. It was no longer Sarah's kitchen. "What the heck?" said Daniel, as he peered in and saw that the room on the other side of the doorway had transformed into what appeared to be a European tavern.

"What's going on here?" he said, as he turned around and went back into the living room. "Hey, Sarah, look at this." But as he headed back into the room and walked up to Sarah, something about her didn't look right. It was almost as if a movie got rewound and she was repeating the actions she had done before, when he got up to go and refill his water glass.

The young man at the bar in Linz feels uneasy about how three ruffians at the other end of the bar are looking at him. So, he quickly finishes up his beer and leaves the pub. Once outside, the young man walks away down the sidewalk, but as he passes an alley between two of the shops, he hears one of the ruffians from down in the alley calling out a derogatory homosexual remark at him.

"Sarah... " said Daniel again, but she didn't acknowledge his voice or his presence. It was as if she was there, but he was not.

"Sarah? Hey... Sarah," said Daniel. He walked up to her and reached over to touch her shoulder, but was shocked to discover that his hand passed right through her.

"What the... " said Daniel, as he jumped backward. "What the heck is going on here... "

Daniel suddenly started to feel his entire body tingling. He lifted up his hands and looked at them, and turned them over a few times. He crossed his arms and grabbed his chest. He felt like he was draining out of his own skin and then filling back up again.

He looked back over at Sarah and saw that she was still looping in a weird time warp.

Daniel looked around and realized that the entire apartment around him was gradually beginning to fade away. Everything in the room started to sound hollow and void. The only sounds he could hear were coming from the tavern on the other side of the kitchen door.

He felt faint as he staggered back over to the kitchen and peered in through the doorway again. It looked to him like a movie was playing on the other side of the door, but it was fully dimensional. He saw several groups of people situated in the tavern. They were talking and laughing, but he didn't understand a word they were saying because they were all speaking German.

Daniel turned and looked back at Sarah. He was puzzled to see that she was doing exactly what she was doing before, when he had walked over to her earlier. She was still looping in another dimension of time and space -- a dimension where, apparently, he no longer existed.

The young man starts to run away, but is quickly herded deep into the alley by the other two ruffians. All three of them proceed to give the young man a severe beating. When they are satisfied with their work, they leave the poor young man lying in the alley.

An overwhelming rush of dizziness washed over Daniel. He blinked a few times and fought to maintain his bearings. Suddenly, all of the plots and scenes from the science fiction books and movies he had enjoyed since he was a teenager begin to spew out from his memory banks. _'What is going on here? This can't be real,'_ he thought, desperately. _'Have I jumped into some other dimension?'_

Daniel closed his eyes firmly and took a deep breath. His mind began to settle down. He was thinking more clearly now, _'Ok, this is all some weird illusion. Whatever was going on in my stomach just made its way on up to my head. This is not even happening.'_

Before he opened his eyes, Daniel lifted up the glass in his hand and drank the last bit of water. Then he took another deep calming breath. Unfortunately, he could still hear the sounds of the tavern, but he refused to let himself believe they were real.

He cautiously opened up his eyes. He looked around and saw that everything was still slowly blending into another dimension. It was real. It was actually happening. Daniel was truly experiencing some type of strange shift in time and space.

Daniel turned and took one more look back at Sarah.

He was not there. He finally realized he was not there with her anymore. He realized he could not go back to her. And as bizarre and fearful as it seemed, it became clear to Daniel that his only option for continued existence was on the other side of Sarah's kitchen door, wherever that was. So, he took a deep breath, mustered up his courage and warily walked across the threshold into the tavern.

PART TWO

As Daniel walks slowly through the doorway into the tavern, his entire being shudders and tingles and feels electrified from head to toe.

The water glass in his hand suddenly feels heavy and he almost drops it, so he looks down and is surprised to see that it has transformed into a full glass of beer.

Daniel curiously walks toward the bar. The bartender acknowledges him with a nod accompanied by a slightly puzzled glance. Daniel smiles politely back at him, takes a spot at the bar and puts his beer down. He takes a few moments to survey the tavern. The atmosphere in the room is similar to any bar he ever went to in St. Paul. Groups of people are standing or sitting around and talking and laughing and enjoying each other's company. There is nothing too unusual about it -- nothing, except for the fact that they all look like antiques.

' _Man, everything and everyone in here looks like something I watched in a documentary on the History Channel,'_ thinks Daniel. He takes a drink of beer and casually glances over in the mirror on the wall across from him. Startled by his reflection, he chokes on his beer when he sees that he is not himself. He blinks his eyes a few times, carefully looks again in the mirror, and is completely shocked to see that he has assumed the identity of some other person. He now seems to be a young man of average size, who is well dressed, physically fit, and nicely coiffed.

Daniel's mind reels as he stands at the bar and attempts to make even a modicum of sense out of his shocking new surroundings. Soon he notices that he can understand the German language that is being spoken all around him. He glances around the room again and is amazed that his ears are hearing them speaking in German, but his mind is translating their words into English.

But then Daniel's glance happens to rest upon three rather rough looking men at the other end of the bar. They are staring back at him and talking among themselves in a way that makes him feel somewhat uncomfortable, so he decides it might be best to avoid any interaction with them. He also thinks it might a good idea to do some further exploration of his new environment. So, he takes a couple more quick gulps of beer and, when he sees that the men are looking the other way, he quietly slips outside the front door of the tavern.

The sun set a couple of hours ago, but there are some lamps on the street and a few dimly lit shop windows. Even though Daniel knows he has never been there before, he still has a strange and uncanny sense of familiarity with these new surroundings. As he strolls along the sidewalk, he begins to rifle through the file cabinets in his mind and is fascinated with all of the foreign information that he finds -- about who he is, and where he is, and when it is.

But then his thoughts are interrupted by the sounds of someone groaning. As he gets closer to an alley, he peers down into it and sees that someone down toward the middle of the alley is in desperate need of assistance.

In spite of the fact that Daniel has assumed a new identity, he is still very much himself and his feelings about a fellow human being in need are the same as they have always been. So, he walks into the alley and discovers a young man about his same age cowering on his hands and knees and leaning against some trash bins.

Daniel rushes up to the young man, and says, "Oh, no... here, let me help you."

Daniel is shocked that the German language is fluently coming out of his own mouth.

"Stay away from me! Get away!" yells the young man, but then he tips over onto his side and cries out in pain.

Daniel kneels down and touches him, and says, "It is alright. I am a friend. I am here to help you."

The young man is now going in and out of consciousness, so Daniel is able to look him over as best as he can to assess the damage. As he does, he is struck by the fact that he now seems to be two different people existing together in one life. He knows that he is completely himself, but he also knows that he is completely this other person.

"Why do you not understand, Father... why will you not simply listen to me..." mumbles the young man as he fades into consciousness and then back out again.

' _I can't believe this,'_ thinks Daniel. _'I'm hearing German, but I'm thinking in English.'_ And as he thinks about it some more, he realizes that it probably would be completely impossible for him to speak English now, even if he wanted to. He considers the fact that the new body he now occupies has never formed English words, so even if his brain sent the signals to speak English, the body parts would probably not fully cooperate.

Then Daniel gets back to the business of assessing the young man's injuries. His face is badly beaten and it is quite obvious that a few ribs are broken.

"Get away from him! Go! Get away!"

Daniel is startled and turns around to see a large woman running toward them.

"Leave him alone!" shouts the woman, as she kneels down by the young man.

"I am trying to help the poor guy," says Daniel.

But the woman pushes him away, and says, "Go away! You must leave us alone!"

"He is badly hurt, ma'am," insists Daniel. "I think you are going to need... "

"Away from us! Get away from us now!" yells the woman.

Daniel has no choice but to do as the woman says, so he backs away a few steps and stands aside as she attempts to rescue the young man.

"Oh no, no, not again... not again," cries the woman, as she tries to help the young man to his feet. But he cries out in pain and drops to his knees.

"Look, I do not care what you say! I am going to help you whether you want me to or not," asserts Daniel, as he rushes over and props the young man back up to his feet by carefully pulling the man's arm up and around his own shoulders. "Let me help you to get him to safety, and then I will leave you alone, alright?"

After another worthy but feeble attempt to resist Daniel's help, the woman reluctantly surrenders to his assistance, and the two of them work together gingerly to lift the man up to his feet and escort him slowly down the street.

The woman's home is not too far away, and as they are walking, it is clear to Daniel that she is the young man's mother because of the way she is talking to him and trying to comfort him. But, that is the entire extent of their conversation because the majority of their combined efforts are focused upon getting the poor soul to a place where he can be cared for adequately.

Soon, they arrive at a small modest home and the woman directs Daniel to turn and go up the front walk. Daniel supports the young man as the woman opens the front door. Then they walk into the house and make their way into the living room.

"Oh, no! What has happened, Mother?" cries a younger girl, as she rushes into the room to help.

"Get some warm water running, Paula," orders the woman. "You will find some soft cloths and bandages in the bathroom cabinet."

"Oh, dear... oh dear, God," murmurs the woman, as she and Daniel take the young man into a bedroom and lay him carefully down on the bed. Under her breath, the woman is chanting, "Hail Mary, Mother of God... "

Daniel steps back out of the way, as Paula brings in a pitcher full of warm water and a basin. She lays down some cloths and bandages, and says, "Why, Mother? Why do they do this?"

"Oh Adolf, my poor dear Adolf... " says the woman quietly, as she cleans up the wounds on the young man's face. She is so consumed with ministering to her son's wounds that she is oblivious to Daniel's presence. And he is in a somewhat shocked state of being as his mind desperately attempts to make sense out of what is happening to him. So, he slowly makes his way out of the bedroom and walks back toward the front room.

' _Adolf,'_ thinks Daniel, wondering if he heard the woman correctly. _'Am I dreaming? What is going on here?'_

Daniel's knees buckle under him and he staggers over to a small table to keep from falling. He knocks over a flower vase and pushes several letters off the desk onto the floor. His mind is still reeling as he rights the vase and bends down to pick up the letters. As he places them back on the desk, he squints at one of them and picks it up to read the name of the addressee -- Klara Hitler...

"God, oh God, no... " he says, under his breath, trembling. "How can this... what is... "

\+ - + - + - +

At this point, Daniel is completely overwhelmed by what is happening to him. He can't process any more of it. He spins around the room holding his head with a dazed look on his face. Finally, he rushes back out the front door and runs down the street.

As if by autopilot, Daniel makes his way onto a tram that takes him into an upper-class residential area in Linz, Austria. He gets off the tram and walks down a few blocks in a residential neighborhood. Then he turns onto the front walkway of a very nice house, and walks up the steps to the front door.

As Daniel walks through the door into an entry way and looks into a living room, an older man seated in a chair puts down a newspaper and takes a pipe out of his mouth, and says, "Diener! Thank God! Where have you been?"

The older man gets up out of the chair, and calls, "Andria, Diener is here! Andria! Come!"

Daniel sees a woman rushing out of the kitchen toward the man. "Oh, Diener!" she cries. "Where have you been? We were worried sick about you!"

Diener walks into the living room, and says, "I am sorry, Mother."

The man walks up and looks at him, and says, "Do not tell me that you... where did you... " Then he stops and looks at Diener, and says, "Is that blood?"

Diener's mother gasps as she looks down at his clothes and sees a few bloodstains on his coat by his chest and shoulder.

"I... " starts Diener.

"Do not tell me that you went to the tavern again!" barks the man.

"Oh, Ernst, please... " says Andria as she takes Diener and escorts him up the stairs and into his bedroom. "Are you all right, dear? Are you hurt?"

"It is alright, Mother. I am fine," assures Diener. "I owe you and Father an explanation about my behavior this evening. Let me clean myself up some, and then I will be down shortly to explain what has happened to me tonight."

Andria turns to Ernst, who had followed them up the stairs and is standing in the bedroom doorway. The two of them silently agree and then walk back down the stairs to the living room.

Daniel cannot for the life of him figure out how he navigated the interchange between himself and those two perfect strangers. _'But that's just it,'_ he thinks. _'I am not myself anymore. I am me_ _and_ _this other person. I seem to be able to be both of us at the same time.'_

As Daniel makes his way around the room and finds a change of clothes, information about his new identity begins to flood into his mind. He discovers that he is twenty years old and an art student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. His family is upper class, and his father holds an executive position at a mining company, Alpine Montan Gesellschaft.

Daniel walks into the bathroom to clean up and is shocked again when he sees himself in the mirror. _'Who is this person?'_ he thinks. _'How can all of this be happening? What am I supposed to do now?'_

He knows he cannot tell these two people everything that transpired earlier in the evening, but he feels he should at least offer an explanation that will hopefully fit as neatly as possible into his present circumstances.

Diener finishes the process of cleaning himself up by putting on a comfortable evening jacket. He then walks down the stairs and into the living room, and says, "I do apologize to you, Father. I did go to the tavern again tonight."

"Would you care for some tea, dear?" offers Andria.

"Yes. Thank you, Mother. I could use a good cup of strong tea about now," answers Diener.

"Well, I need a drink," says Ernst, as he walks over to a marble topped buffet and pours himself a brandy.

"I am not hurt," explains Diener. "I was merely involved with helping someone at the tavern who was hurt."

"Which is exactly why I forbade you to go there," asserts his father. "Your mother was worried sick about you."

Daniel feels ashamed of his behavior as Andria walks into the room with the tea tray. Waves of a son's love for his mother sweep over him as he watches her set the tray down on a low table, and lovingly pour cups of tea for him and herself.

Daniel's heart begins to fill with memories of his own parents who adopted him when he was a baby. The room seems to become somewhat hollow as Daniel looks at these two people making snippets of small talk that he doesn't hear. Tears begin to well up in his eyes.

"Are you alright, dear?" asks Andria.

Diener comes back to himself and looks at his parents, and says, "I do so love you both. I am so very sorry."

Ernst looks over at Andria and takes a deep breath, and then another sip of his brandy.

"If it meets with your approval, may I simply go to bed now?" asks Diener. "I am quite overcome by this evening's events. May we postpone our discussion about it until tomorrow morning?"

Ernst and Andria agree, so Diener picks up his teacup and saucer and retires to his bedroom.

Once he is in bed with his head on the pillow, Daniel finally succumbs to the barrage of thoughts and memories that are assaulting his mind. His head reels as though he is intoxicated by the confusion between his two worlds, and the evening that brought them together. He attempts to strike a balance between the implications of what he is supposed to do now and what will happen next, but then all of his thoughts give way to exhaustion and he falls deeply asleep.

\+ - + - + - +

Diener sleeps later in the morning than usual. Thankfully, it is summer recess at the Academy and he has no pressing classes or assignments. As he gets dressed, he thinks about how he is going to explain to his parents why he not only went against their wishes by going to the tavern, but also got involved in a potentially dangerous situation by helping out a stranger in need. He knows it may be difficult for them to fully understand the circumstances that drove him to help another person who was badly beaten and left for dead in a dark alley.

And Daniel realizes there is absolutely no way those two kind people would ever understand that a person from about one hundred years in the future has assumed the identity of their son. He knows he must take it slow and try to put himself in their shoes, and do the best he can not to completely upset their family.

Ernst and Andria are already seated at the breakfast table when Diener walks into the kitchen. "Good morning, Father. Good morning, Mother," says Diener as he sits down at the table and pours himself a glass of juice from a pitcher.

"May I get you some toast and eggs, dear?" offers Andria.

"Yes, please... thank you, Mother," he answers. Then he looks over at his father, and says, "I am simply trying to understand life, Father. I am trying to figure out how to put life into my painting."

"That is not the type of life that anyone needs to know about. Certainly not anyone from this family," says Ernst.

"I do understand what you mean, Father," says Diener. "But, please try to understand my position. I do not want to merely paint buildings, or landscapes, or portraits of important people. I want to paint life. I want life in my art. I want my art to reflect life."

Ernst glances at Andria as she places breakfast in front of Diener.

"Life is at the tavern, Father," continues Diener as he prepares to eat his breakfast. "I do not mean to argue with you, but I must say that real life is there at the tavern. Real people are there. They meet. They laugh. They share their joys, and they share their burdens and their hardships."

"And that is what you discovered last night?" queries Ernst.

"Yes... that... and also that I do need to be careful when I am in those surroundings," answers Diener. "And that I need to remain observant of those around me... to sense if tempers are starting to flare, or things like that."

"Oh, dear," gasps Andria.

Ernst looks over at Andria and takes a deep breath. He knows arguing with Diener will only serve to cause her some more undue grief. He also knows it is time to allow Diener to be his own man. He is not quite sure he has the courage to let go, but he knows it is time to stop being Diener's supervisor and to start being his mentor.

"Well, I do suppose the only way one can learn things like that about people is by going out and being among them," concedes Ernst. "You certainly cannot learn those kinds of things in the classroom, and you will probably not learn them in this neighborhood, either."

Diener finishes up a bite of eggs and takes a drink of juice, and says, "It sounds as though you have been listening to Mother."

"She is far more gracious than I, Diener. I must admit to that fact of reality," says Ernst.

Andria smiles as she pours each of them a cup of coffee.

"But please do not tell me that you are in any way becoming swayed by the Secessionists," says Ernst. "Klimt is an egotistical bohemian buffoon. He is an embarrassment to art and a danger to a peaceful society."

"I suppose, after that assessment, you make it impossible for me to comment, but I will try," says Diener. "Like I said, to me, art must be more than the mechanics. I do not want to merely record something that is in front of me. We have photography for that. I want to capture life. I want to capture emotion... "

"Like The Kiss?" interrupts Ernst.

"Yes... like The Kiss," affirms Diener.

"It is grotesque," shudders Ernst. "All of his art is grotesque."

"Life is grotesque," says Diener, flatly. "But do not worry. I do like his art, but I will not join the Secessionists. I am not at all interested in their platform. Art will run its natural course. We do not have to help it along with our feeble-minded notions."

"Well, thank God for that," Andria pipes in.

That comment spurs Daniel into thinking again about his predicament, _'Is God sovereign in the affairs of man, or are we on our own? Why did I go back in time? Why did I meet Adolf Hitler? Am I supposed to do something? Am I supposed to kill him... to prevent him from... '_

"Are you alright, dear?" asks Andria, snapping Diener back into the conversation.

"Yes... I apologize," says Diener. "I was... well, let me ask you a philosophical question, Father. If you were to go back in time to change a historical event, which one would it be? Or, if you did go back to that event, would you change it, or leave it alone?"

"Philosophical indeed," says Ernst. "Well, let me think about that for a moment." He takes a few sips of his coffee, and says, "Hmmm, yes, I think that would be it. I would go back and change the Crusades and the Inquisition."

"Is that so," says Diener.

"Yes. They are such a black mark on the Church, and such an embarrassment to overcome when telling others about the Good News of forgiveness through our Savior Jesus Christ."

"But we are Orthodox, dear," interjects Andria. "We had nothing to do with that."

"We are all the One True Church of Christ, my dear," says Ernst. "We stand and we fall, together, as one."

"But honestly, Father, it was the Roman Catholic political machine that was responsible for all of that," says Diener.

"One Faith, One Baptism, One Holy Communion of the Saints," says Ernst. "Yes, of course, I do understand what you are saying. And that is all the more reason why I would go back and change it. It caused great harm in the world and it caused great division in the Church -- the very Body of Christ. If I could somehow go back and change the thinking of those involved, I certainly would at least make the attempt."

"So, you would do something? You would not simply let it play out?" asks Diener.

Ernst looks over at Andria, who is staring down at her plate and pushing her food around with her fork. "Yes, I would do something... but it would not help what happened to your mother's family." Andria looks up at Ernst, as he continues, "They were Coptic Orthodox and were completely mowed down by the Muslims as they marched across North Africa toward the end of the Crusades."

"That was a long time ago, dear," says Andria, quietly. "God is the final Judge. And He will be just in His reckoning of all men."

That seems like the best way to put a cap on the conversation, so Diener thanks his mother for the delicious breakfast and helps to clear the table. Then he asks to be excused, so he can go out and work for a while in his art studio.

\+ - + - + - +

Diener's father built the art studio in the back area of their property when it became clear Diener was serious about pursuing painting as an occupation. The studio had become a sanctuary for Diener -- a sanctuary he needed now more desperately than he ever had before.

For the next several days, Diener takes advantage of the sanctuary and immerses himself into his painting. His mind races back and forth between each of the disconnected issues that poured into his life on that one fateful evening. His painting becomes his therapy to ward off the madness of the overall situation and the confusion surrounding his attempts to find some unity among the vast disparity of incohesive events.

Never before has he approached his work with such abandon. He employs new color schemes and uses much more variant brush strokes in his work. He randomly selects between brush sizes and palette knives to create broad blends of color and texture with the paint on the canvas.

He finds himself going into trance-like states of mind and then snapping out of them to find in front of him, there on the canvas, some of the most amazing and thrilling paintings he has ever done. He views this body of his work as a metamorphosis. To him it represents entering the cocoon of life and then emerging as a brilliant butterfly.

\+ - + - + - +

Things finally settle down enough in Daniel's mind for him to realize he must do something about his transcendent encounter with Adolf Hitler. Sufficient time has passed for the young Hitler to be far enough on the mend to warrant a visit from the Good Samaritan who came to his assistance that night.

So, the next afternoon, Daniel travels back to the destination of his fateful passage through time. The town looks much different in the daylight. The summer sun is high in the sky. The air is warm. Linz certainly is a beautiful city, and Daniel is quite overwhelmed by the wide variety of sights, smells and sounds. He recognizes the tavern as he walks by, and the alley where he discovered Adolf. When he finally arrives at the Hitler house, he concludes it was quite a miracle that he and Adolf's mother were able to transport his beat up body all the way down those streets during that dreadful evening a week or so ago.

A short while after Diener knocks on the front door, Adolf's younger sister, Paula, opens the door, and says, "Yes?"

"Excuse me," says Diener. "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Diener Weber. It was I who helped your brother home the other night."

Paula gets a frightened look on her face and runs back into the house, calling, "Mother! Mother! Come quickly!"

A few moments later, Klara Hitler comes to the door with Paula behind her. She recognizes Diener, and says, "Please, do come in."

Diener is kindly escorted into the front room and offered a place to sit on the sofa.

Klara sits on a chair opposite him, and says, "I am Klara Hitler. We greatly appreciate your kindness to our family. Thank you."

"How is... " starts Diener.

"And I do apologize for my rudeness to you," interrupts Klara. "I was terribly frightened about the circumstances. Adolf is very precious to me and I... " she stops talking and begins to tear up.

"How is he recovering?" asks Diener, kindly.

Klara wipes her eyes with her handkerchief, and answers, "The swelling has mostly subsided. And he is looking much more like himself. The wounds are healing quickly, but it will take quite some time longer for the ribs to mend."

After that comment, they are both surprised by Adolf as he enters the front room.

Klara hears him and turns around. She instantly gets up out of the chair and rushes over to him, saying, "Oh, Adolf! You must not get up! Please... please get back to your bed!"

"It is alright, Mother. I am fine," insists Adolf. "I need to get out of that bed. I am going insane in there."

"Oh, please dear, sit down," says Klara as she guides Adolf to the chair where she was sitting.

Diener quickly stands up to assist them.

Adolf looks up at Diener, and says, "It appears that this is becoming quite a habit with you."

"Yes, it does," smiles Diener as he sits back down on the sofa.

"I am deeply in your debt, sir, and indeed quite glad you came along when you did," says Adolf. "My mother told me all about our haphazard introduction to each other in the alley."

"Let me get some tea, boys," offers Klara as she smiles and heads into the kitchen. "Come with me, Paula."

"Thank you, Mother," says Adolf.

"Yes, that would be nice, Mrs. Hitler. Thank you," adds Diener.

Adolf looks back over at Diener, and says, "You are clearly not from this part of town. What were you doing here that night?"

Diener answers, "I am an art student at the Academy of Fine Arts, and... "

"I have applied to the Academy!" interrupts Adolf, excitedly. "I am hoping to enroll in the fall."

"Is that true? That is good," says Diener hesitantly, knowing that it is entirely unlikely that someone from the lower class would be accepted into the Academy.

Klara and Paula return with tea and cookies on a tray. As she is performing the tasks of filling teacups and serving them both, Daniel's mind takes over and he begins to wonder if this is the reason why he has been sent back in time. He considers the fact that maybe he could steer Adolf's young life into the arts instead of into the military. _'Maybe I am here to change the course of his life,'_ he thinks. _'But, what am I supposed to do? Do I... '_

Diener then thinks for a moment, and says, "My father knows a few people in administration at the Academy. I will ask him if he can find out about your application status, and then possibly put in a good word for you."

"Oh, that would be lovely," blurts Klara. "Would that not be lovely, Adolf?"

Adolf agrees, "Yes... yes, of course, that would be most greatly appreciated, thank you... "

"Oh, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. My name is Diener. Diener Weber," says Diener.

"Thank you, Diener," continues Adolf. "Once again, you have been very gracious and kind to us."

"You are most welcome," says Diener. "In fact, I just had another great idea. I would like to bring you over to my house to meet my parents. It would be a good idea for my father to meet you personally in order to make a more convincing recommendation to the administration at the Academy. And while you are there, we could also go into my art studio. I would like to show you some of the techniques that I have learned so far at the Academy."

Adolf and Klara initially resist the offer, but Diener continues to insist that it would be a wonderful way for his father to get to know Adolf, and then be able to be more personal with his recommendation to the Academy. He sets up a time in the following week to come back to their house, and then bring Adolf out to the Weber home for a Sunday afternoon lunch.

\+ - + - + - +

"I am not certain this is such a good idea, Diener," says Ernst, after hearing about the invitation.

"Please, Father," implores Diener. "And besides, it will be good for you. When was the last time you and Mother had interactions with other people from outside your usual circle of friends? It will be good for you to meet him. It will be good for you to meet the poor soul that I was able to help out that night. He is a nice fellow and maybe, just maybe, we can perform a good Christian act of kindness by helping out another in need."

Ernst looks over at Andria, and says, "You are rubbing off on him, also." Then, looking back at Diener, he says, "Yes, yes, of course, you are right. It is the proper thing to do. We will most certainly be delighted to entertain your young friend at our house for lunch on Sunday after church services.

\+ - + - + - +

Daniel is a little apprehensive about his plan, even though he is firmly convinced his objective is sound. It seems reasonable to him that he might be able to create a significant enough shift in Adolf Hitler's life to affect a change in his trajectory away from becoming a violent murderous dictator. What he is not so sure about is whether or not it is the right thing to do.

He arrives at the Hitler house and finds that Adolf is much more ambulatory, so they bid Klara farewell and head back to the tram station. Adolf is carrying a portfolio of some of his watercolor paintings.

"I am not sure why I bothered to apply for admission to the Academy again," says Adolf as they board the tram. "They probably never even looked at my first application \-- it probably went directly into the waste bin. Even though my mother has such faith in me, I know there is no possibility of being accepted into the program."

"Well, I think it is still a possibility worth pursuing," says Diener, encouragingly. "That is what dreams are for. We are to discover them and pursue them."

"You sound like my mother," says Adolf.

Shortly, they arrive at the Weber household. Andria has prepared a multi-course lunch and the house is warm and inviting.

"Please do come in, my boy," says Ernst, after opening the front door and ushering Diener and Adolf into the house. "Thank you for joining us. We are delighted to welcome you to the Weber household."

After exchanging the standard set of social pleasantries, Adolf and the Weber family are seated at the table in the dining room and enjoying a sumptuous lunch.

"This soup is delicious, Mrs. Weber," says Adolf, politely. "I have never tasted anything like it."

"Thank you," replies Andria. "Yes, my family is from North Africa, so the spices I am accustomed to using are quite different."

"Where is your family from, Adolf?" asks Ernst.

"I grew up in Braunau am Inn," answers Adolf.

"Ah, yes," says Ernst. "I did detect a slight Bavarian accent... So, Stille Nacht... Franz Gruber."

"Yes, that is what most people think of," says Adolf. Then he eats a little more soup, and continues, "My father was a customs officer. But, he died a few years ago and we moved here to Linz."

"A lovely town, a beautiful view of the Alps, and a good living for us," says Ernst.

"What is your business, sir?" Adolf asks Ernst.

"Alpine Montan Gesellschaft," answers Ernst. "God knows the world needs more steel."

"Is that not merely feeding the Imperial Machine, Father?" inserts Diener.

"Yes, I suppose it is," answers Ernst. "And it is not doing such a bad job of feeding our stomachs, as well."

"But they are coming at us from all sides. All vying for power," asserts Diener. "It is not right. They are growing and positioning. They are poised and ready to assert their agenda regardless of what the people want."

Ernst looks over at Andria, and says, "Was I not telling you about all of that propaganda being rubbish?" Then, looking back at Diener, he says, "Reading the Deutsches Voksblatt again, are you?"

"I am merely attempting to stay informed," says Diener.

"That is most admirable, of course," agrees Ernst. "But you must make sure you balance it out with real information, Diener."

"Well, if it is not the Imperialists, it will be the Jews," adds Adolf. "They are in control of all the major businesses and the banking, and growing more and more powerful every day. At least, that is what I have heard."

Adolf eats a few more spoonfuls of soup, and continues, "Do you work for a Jew, Mr. Weber?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," answers Ernst. "And, I must say, he is absolutely one of the most brilliant businessmen whom I have ever met."

Ernst eats some soup, and continues, "It is an interesting comment that you make, Adolf. Yes, there might be some truth to that, especially considering the Zionists. But, I would not dare get involved in anything that goes against them, unless I want to find myself fighting with God."

"What do you mean?" asks Adolf.

"Do you not read the Bible, Adolf?" asks Ernst.

"I am a Catholic," answers Adolf.

"Are you trying to support my point?" smiles Ernst.

"Father! Please!" interrupts Diener.

"Yes, yes, all right," says Ernst, chuckling. "I apologize, Adolf. I was merely jesting with you. But clearly, our Father Abraham received absolute promises from God about his seed and about the Land. The Zionists will get that Land eventually and pity anyone who stands in their way."

"Well, I believe that this is the Father Land," asserts Adolf.

"Yes, I am a patriot myself," agrees Ernst. "But, I am not talking about the Father Land. I am talking about the Father's Land -- the Promised Land, the Land promised to Abraham. It belongs to the Children of Israel and, according to God's promises and an abundance of prophecies, they certainly will have it one day."

"Well, hopefully they will not be coming through Austria to get it, dear," says Andria.

"But the Arabs are there," says Adolf.

"Yes, but it was never promised to them," says Ernst.

"But they are also Abraham's offspring," says Adolf.

"So, you do read the Bible," smiles Ernst. "And, since you do, you also know the Arabs are blessed through Ishmael, the first son of Abraham who was the result of Sarah's impatience. Yes, Adolf, you are correct, the Arabs are also sons of Abraham and they are also blessed. But, the blessing of a unique people of God and a land for them to live in is through Isaac, Sarah's only son."

"The Jews," says Adolf.

"Yes, the Jews," confirms Ernst.

"If that is their land, then, why are all the Jews up here?" asks Adolf.

"You would make a good Zionist, Adolf," chuckles Ernst. "That is exactly what they are asking themselves."

At this point in the conversation, Diener has had about all he can take of political discussions, so he says, "Mother, may we be excused and have dessert a little later? I would like to show Adolf my art studio."

Andria agrees, so the lunch is ended as Diener and Adolf express their gratitude for the delicious meal and excuse themselves from the table. Adolf picks up his portfolio, and the two of them walk through the kitchen and out the back door of the house.

As they walk across the backyard toward the studio, Daniel's mind is reeling more than ever. Clearly, Adolf has already formed strong political opinions, and seems to be somewhat passionate about them. Daniel realizes he might have his work cut out for him if he is to be successful at diverting Adolf down a more benign artistic path.

Opening the door, Diener says, "My father had this built for me a few years ago. Come on in."

Adolf is stunned and envious as he enters the studio and looks around. "My father never supported my interest in painting at all," he says. "He was an asshole. Treated me like shit."

Adolf walks over and notices the paintings Diener was working on most recently. "These are quite striking. Did you paint them? I have never seen anything like these."

"Yes, and in reality, my whole experience with you at the tavern is the inspiration for them," says Diener.

"How can that be?" says Adolf.

"I was quite confused about my encounter with you. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. My mind was trying to process everything... and this happens to be how it all came out on canvas."

"Amazing," says Adolf.

"You are an inspiration to me, Adolf," says Diener. "And I hope maybe I can be an inspiration to you." Diener looks at Adolf's portfolio, and says, "May I see your work?"

After looking at Adolf's watercolor paintings and making several positive comments about each of the pieces, Diener says, "You have a natural talent, Adolf, a talent that would be well suited for refinement and enhancement at the Academy. I will definitely have my father talk to his friends in Administration. You need to pursue this God-given creative ability."

"Are you being serious, or merely kind?" asks Adolf. He looks away for a moment and then looks back at Diener, and adds, "I apologize for questioning you, but I have been so suppressed by my father that I cannot even imagine I could ever pursue this dream."

"We will make it come true for you, Adolf," says Diener, reassuringly. "I will try to help you make your dream come true."

\+ - + - + - +

Despite Ernst Weber's recommendation, Adolf Hitler was not accepted by the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. The sad news tore away at Adolf's soul, and then made its way out to his fingers as he furiously tore up the rejection letter from the Academy.

A deeply depressed state of mind followed. Adolf isolated himself from everything and everyone around him. He did not leave the house. He did not speak. He embraced the darkness, and thoroughly wrapped himself in its foreboding shadowy covering. He drank every ounce of his morose isolation and was fully quenched by every drop of its bitter thirst.

Despite Klara's undying encouragement, Adolf's darkness was pervasive throughout the Hitler household. He remained utterly depressed about his future, and nothing she or Paula did to console him was able to snap him out of his defeated view of life.

\+ - + - + - +

When Diener returns to school, he notices that Adolf's name is not on the roster of new students entering the Academy.

Now Daniel is completely confused about why he has gone back in time. He is at his wit's end about what he is supposed to do. _'Nothing is working,'_ he thinks. _'What is the purpose of this bizarre and maddening transport back in time? Why am I here in Linz, Austria, in 1907?'_

At the dinner table one night, Andria says to Diener, "I am so sorry about Adolf, dear. He seemed like a fairly decent boy."

"The Academy has strict standards, Diener. I did all I could do," says Ernst.

Diener takes a deep breath, and says, "I need to go and check up on him. I feel bad about getting his hopes up." He pauses and then looks up, and says, "I cannot... please excuse me. I must go see him."

"Tonight?" gasps Andria.

"Not at this hour!" insists Ernst.

Daniel gets a pained and confused look on his face as several unfamiliar memories flood into his mind.

"Please, Diener... " pleads Andria, starting to tear up. "You cannot go out there. You are all we have left."

Daniel looks over at Ernst and sees an extremely sad and empty look on his face, which releases a flood of scenes into his mind. He sees a young girl. He loves her dearly. He turns around and looks behind him to the living room and sees her sitting on the floor playing with a doll. The front door opens. An evil looking man walks in. He is a thief, who then looks around and sees the girl. She screams silently as he rushes over and grabs her mouth to keep her quiet.

Daniel closes his eyes tightly and winces as the memories continue to assault his mind. Now photos of the Jewish Holocaust from Sarah's textbooks become intermixed with the memories. People are being dragged from their homes. Black and white photos and film footage from concentration camps flash into his mind as the girl is dragged away by the thief.

Diener opens his eyes and looks at his parents, and quietly says, "Anja."

Andria starts to cry.

More images of Diener's younger sister, Anja, flash into Daniel's mind. He sees her twisted body lying naked in a ditch outside of town where they finally found her. He sees more images of bodies being heaped up into mass burial sites outside the concentration camps.

"I cannot do this! I cannot do this!" shouts Diener, as he stands up from the table. "Something is wrong with this! What is wrong with this? What is going on?"

Diener staggers backward into the living room as Ernst rushes to his aid.

"I am sorry, Father. I am sorry," says Diener. "I did not know. I... I had no idea... I... I need some air. I have to... I need to... I need to walk. I am sorry. I have to go out. I will be all right. I only need some air."

Ernst and Andria simply stand there trying to comfort each other as Diener turns and quickly walks out the front door into the night.

Daniel's thoughts assault his mind as he walks quickly down the street, _'He was supposed to die. Hitler should have died back there in that alley. I saved Hitler. The world's most heinous murderer would have died back there in that alley if it were not for me. Why do I always have to be the nice guy.'_ He runs and then stops at the end of his street. _'Now it is me. Now_ _I_ _am responsible for the death of millions. Now_ _I_ _am the murderer.'_

He runs on into the night, thinking, _'Sarah is right. I am the ultimate nice guy. And now I am the stupid nice guy who went too far. I should have minded my own business. I should have just walked by and let him die.'_

He continues to walk quickly down the street, and thinks, _'I have to fix this. I have to go back. I have to make it right. He was supposed to die. And I was supposed to let him. God help me. How do I make this right?'_

Daniel finally comes to an open public area. He is breathing heavy and stops for a moment to rest and let his mind stop racing. Sounds of the surrounding nightlife begin to make their way into Daniel's ears. He calms down and continues to walk slowly along the boulevard. Eventually, he comes to a tavern, and thinks, _'A beer certainly would come in handy right about now. Maybe even a couple.'_ So, he turns in to the tavern and orders a pilsner at the bar.

It seems to help. The generic sounds of people talking and laughing have a sedative affect on Daniel, and help his mind to let go of the confusion and perplexity of his situation.

"Herr Weber?"

Daniel is jolted back into the reality of his presence in the tavern, and looks over to see three men standing next to him.

"I apologize. I did not intend to startle you," says one of the men, smiling broadly. "You are Herr Weber's son, yes?"

"Yes... I... " stammers Diener.

The man turns to his friends, and smiling, says, "You see? I told you it was him." Then, turning back to Diener, he says, "Your father is a good man. We work in the mines. He is a good man. He takes good care of our jobs."

"Thank you, sir, I... " says Diener.

"We want to buy you a drink," the man continues. Calling and gesturing to the bartender, he says, "Another pilsner here."

As the bartender pulls the tap and fills another glass, the man says, "Please tell your father we appreciate his good management of our crew. You can tell him that Georg, Franz and Hermann are happy to be on his crew. He will know us."

"Yes. I will," says Diener.

The other one, Franz, says, "We saw you about a month ago on the other side of town, at the White Horse."

Diener looks puzzled.

"Yes. I am certain it was you," continues Franz. "It was him, right boys?"

Georg and Hermann agree.

"We were going to talk with you then, but you left before we could," says Franz.

"Why were you there?" asks Georg, curiously. "It is a shit hole of a place."

"I was... " starts Diener.

But Hermann interrupts him, and says, "Yes, and we were there to clean out some of the shit, right boys?"

The three laugh hard. They have obviously already put away quite a few beers.

Diener looks confused, and asks, "What do you mean?"

"You would not know about it," says Georg.

"Yes. Just stay here and you will not have to see that shit," says Hermann.

"The place is crawling with faggots and queers," explains Georg. "It is disgusting. We do not want them here in Linz. We need to get them all out of here."

Daniel now realizes that these men are the same three ruffians he saw in the tavern when he first traveled back in time. That is why they were looking at him back then -- they had recognized him as their boss's son then, also.

And, they must have been the ones who were responsible for beating up Adolf. It is all starting to make sense. Now everything is circling back around. Daniel thinks he must be coming back to a different version of when he first got there.

But then, Diener turns slightly to his right and sees the tavern door opening as if in slow motion. He is shocked to see Adolf walk in, and quietly says, "Oh, no."

Franz turns to see what Diener is reacting to and gets an angry look on his face, and says, "What in God's name is that fairy doing here?"

Georg and Hermann turn and have the same reaction. "Son of a bitch! What the hell does he think he is doing here?" says Georg.

"We pounded the hell out of that one," says Hermann. "How in the hell... "

Adolf walks further into the tavern. He looks forlorn and merely stares at the floor as he makes his way into the room. Lifting his head slowly to find a place at the bar, his eyes happen to land upon Diener. He gets a surprised and somewhat pleased look on his face, but that quickly converts to fear when he sees Georg, Franz and Hermann next to Diener.

Adolf quickly retreats back out the tavern door.

Georg says, "That asshole." And the three of them quickly make their way across the tavern to follow Adolf out the front door.

Diener stands to follow them, but then he sees the bartender and realizes he is stuck with the tab. He quickly takes out his wallet and fumbles to take out some bills. They drop to the floor and he struggles to pick them up. Then he quickly places them on the bar, puts his wallet back into his pocket and heads toward the door.

By the time Diener makes it out the door of the tavern, Adolf and the three ruffians are nowhere in sight. He runs down the street to his right and finds nothing.

Daniel then thinks, _'Wait a minute. What am I doing? This is good. This is supposed to be happening. The reset button must have been pushed. It is all going to be Ok now.'_

But then he looks the other way down the street to his left and senses a strong feeling that he knows where Adolf is being beaten. Part of him wants his feet to be cemented into the sidewalk, and part of him wants to walk down to the dark area looming between the market and the bakery.

In 1930s Krakow, Poland, a wealthy Jewish family is gathered for an evening meal. The house is finely furnished and lovely classical chamber music fills the room. A team of dutiful servants is effortlessly and mechanically waiting on the family.

Once again, Daniel's compassionate soul takes over and he finds himself in front of the market. He can hear the sounds of Adolf getting badly beaten. He can't take it. He can't just stand there. Something at the core of his being goes off like a fire alarm. He rushes forward and down between the two buildings.

One young Jewish man at the table is receiving a great deal of attention. He is handsome and strong and charismatic. Toasts are being made in his honor.

Daniel notices a steel pipe leaning next to the wall. He grabs it, and shouts, "Hey! Get the hell away from him!"

Georg, Franz and Hermann are oblivious to Daniel and continue to aggressively beat Adolf. Everything around Daniel becomes hollow sounding. The only thing that can be heard is the sound of light chamber music.

Daniel swings away at Georg with the steel pipe. But to his amazement, it passes right through him. He furiously tries again and again to beat the ruffians away from Adolf, but he is not able to have any affect whatsoever on any of them. He falls on top of Adolf to protect him, but the beating continues as the men punch right through him.

Daniel is no longer there.

He rolls over onto his back and then sits up and kneels next to Adolf. He weeps as the three finish their work, stand back and brush themselves off. Adolf lies in a heap, bleeding out of his head. There is nothing Daniel can do about it.

Daniel stands up and steps backwards away from the crime. His body starts to tingle and feel electrified again. He looks around him and sees that the alley is slowly fading away. The hollow sound around him is swallowing up every noise from the street except for some light chamber music that is coming from the delivery door to the bakery on the other side of the alley.

He realizes that now, the only sign of life in his world seems to be coming from that bakery door. From where he is standing, he looks over at the door and sees what appears to be a luxurious dining room. The light from the dining room remains inside the doorway, and does not spill out into the night where he is standing between the two buildings.

Daniel looks on as Georg, Franz and Hermann walk away up the alley and then turn onto the sidewalk back toward the tavern. He looks over at Adolf as he bleeds to death. He realizes that, like before, his only option for continued existence seems to be through that side door of the bakery.

\+ - + - + - +

Adolf Hitler was laid to rest in a simple pine coffin in the St. Barbara-Friedhof Linz cemetery. Ernst, Andria and Diener Weber were the only people who attended the service to pay their respects and offer comfort to Klara and Paula Hitler.

"We are most grateful to you for being here with us," said Klara.

Andria moved in closer and clasped Klara's hands into hers, and said, "We too know the horrors of losing a child to the brutality of evildoers. Please let us know if there is any way we can help you walk through this pain."

"He was a good boy," Klara continued.

"We are happy to have met him," said Ernst, kindly. "It was only briefly, of course, but we were still able to see the spark in his eye." Then he shook his head, and added, "Such a shame that it was so quickly snuffed out."

"We do thank you for your kindness to our family," said Klara. "We thoroughly appreciated all you did to help him with his dream to become a painter."

"Yes, we did try," shrugged Ernst.

"We will keep you in our prayers, Klara," said Andria, looking into her teary eyes.

"God's will is a mystery that we most often do not get to know on this side of heaven," said Klara. "We must wait and see what He has for us."

\+ - + - + - +

"Is there not anything we can do to help them, Father?" asked Diener as they sat around the supper table that evening.

Ernst merely took a deep breath, looked down and shook his head slowly.

"Do you think Klara would be willing to work at the orphanage with me, Ernst?" posed Andria. "I could check with Charlotte. She does seem to be a hard-working woman. And we could teach Paula how to help with the children."

"That sounds like a perfect idea, Father," said Diener, excitedly.

"Yes, it certainly does sound worth a try," agreed Ernst. "Do you think Charlotte would consider the possibility of bringing her on?"

Andria smiled, and said, "Well, I do have a way of helping people see my way of thinking." She winked at Diener and he smiled broadly back at her.

\+ - + - + - +

"Adolf left these in my studio," said Diener after Klara opened the front door and invited him into the house. "I came by to bring them back to you. And I also have some news that you may be interested in."

"Please do come in, Diener," said Klara. "Thank you so very much for coming to see us."

"Thank you, Frau Hitler," said Diener, politely, as he walked into the house. "Well, hello there, Paula. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you, Herr Weber," answered Paula, shyly.

Diener looked around behind him and then smiled at Paula, and said, "You had me fooled, little fraulien. For a minute, I thought my father was here."

Paula giggled, and then Diener continued, "We are friends, little one. Please do call me Diener." Then he walked into the front room, laid Adolf's art portfolio down on the low table and sat down on the sofa.

"He left these in my studio, so I wanted to bring them back to you," said Diener as Klara and Paula also sat down. "They are quite good, indeed. If circumstances had been different... I mean... well, I knew that you would want to keep them with his things."

"He was so excited to show them to you," said Klara. "I think you may have been the only person outside this house who ever showed an interest in his art. He debated for hours about which of his paintings he should bring over and share with you that day."

Diener smiled.

"If you do not mind, I would like you to keep them. I think Adolf would want you to have them," said Klara.

"That is very kind of you, but I am certain these mean much to you," resisted Diener. "I could not begin to... "

"You mean much to us," interrupted Klara. "We would like you to have them in order for you to better remember your brief friendship."

Diener looked over at Paula, who smiled and nodded.

"Well, thank you... very much," said Diener. "I accept your gift and will treasure it always."

"Thank you," nodded Klara.

After a brief moment, Diener lifted his index finger, and said, "Oh, yes, I also have some news for you."

"Yes," said Klara.

"My mother is on the governing board of the All Saints Orphanage here in Linz and she checked with the director to see if there were any employment opportunities for you. I hope you do not mind," said Diener.

"No, not... " said Klara, with a gasp of surprise.

"Well, they have work for you if you would be interested," finished Diener.

"I have nursing experience," smiled Klara, eagerly. "And I can cook. And I can clean. And I... I can do whatever they might want me to do."

"Well, then my mother was correct," smiled Diener. "She already knew in her mind that you could be of great benefit to the staff there at the orphanage." Then he looked over at Paula, and added, "And it will not be a problem at all for Paula to be there with you when she is not in school. It is always good for the children to have friends outside the orphanage."

Paula smiled, and said, "That sounds fun, Mother."

\+ - + - + - +

Klara Hitler proved to be a valuable member of the All Saints Orphanage staff. She possessed the heart of a servant, which began to blossom when she was age sixteen and hired to serve in the household of Alois Hitler, whom she would then wed ten years later, after the death of his second wife. Year after year, she served the children wholeheartedly in various capacities throughout the orphanage.

The guiding principle at All Saints was not merely to care for the children when they were young, but also to prepare them for gainful employment when they became too old to reside at the orphanage. Klara contributed greatly to the course of training in which the children were prepared for both nursing and domestic services. Soon, the orphanage established a solid reputation for providing high quality workers in those capacities. As the children grew older, they frequently found employment positions in the upper class homes in neighborhoods throughout Austria and the surrounding area.

Paula also became quite involved with the children at All Saints. She eventually finished her schooling and took a teaching position at the orphanage. Over the years, she touched and shaped the lives of many needy children. But she became particularly close to two Jewish girls whose families had perished in a tragic garment factory fire. Many children were admitted to the orphanage as a result of the tragedy, but Dinah and Tamara were the oldest. They had no hope of ever being adopted, so Paula took them under her wing and cared for the two of them like the little sisters she never had.

PART THREE

As soon as Daniel walks through the bakery door, he instantly feels a draft between his legs and realizes that he is now a woman. He looks down and confirms that he is indeed wearing a dress. He also notices that the steel pipe in his right hand is now a sterling silver carving knife.

"Dinah! Do not just stand there! Get that table set, quickly!"

Daniel snaps to as he looks over and sees an older and larger woman who is barking the orders at him. He knows exactly what to do as he sets the carving knife down, walks over to the buffet and begins gathering plates and silverware. He takes them over to the dining room table and meticulously sets places in perfect order for each seat at the table.

As the older woman brings a beautiful ornate menorah into the dining room and carefully places it on one of the side tables, she says, "We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive and well so that we may celebrate this holy occasion."

She then respectfully and ceremoniously lights each of the seven wicks that are resting in their respective bowls of oil on the menorah.

The entire dining room is bustling with servants who are preparing for the celebration in a variety of different ways. Some are bringing in fresh flowers and arranging them in centerpieces on the large dining table. From there, they move to the side tables and carefully insert the rest of the flowers into gorgeous cut glass vases placed perfectly at each serving station. Other servants are lighting candles that stand perfectly straight like soldiers inserted into the grand candlesticks, which are strategically posted at various locations in the room.

The smells of food cooking in the kitchen are wonderful. Daniel has never encountered such inviting aromas.

"What is wrong with you?"

Dinah looks up at another servant girl who is setting places across the table from her.

Then suddenly, from behind her, Dinah hears, "What are you two jabbering about? Get busy! We do not have all day!"

The other servant girl scurries away to the kitchen and Daniel turns around and observes one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen. She has a perfectly shapely body and long dark shiny wavy hair. Her eyes are brilliant green and...

"I said get busy!" orders the woman. "Everyone is ready for the meal!"

So, Dinah quickly finishes the table settings. Then, as people begin to enter the dining room, she also scurries away into the kitchen.

The other servant girl stares at Dinah in unbelief, and says, "Are you out of your mind? She will have your head if she catches you doing that again!"

"What is going on here?" barks the older larger woman.

"Sorry, Rebekah, we were merely... " starts the servant girl.

"I know. I know," says Rebekah, pointing behind her. "Now you two scoot over there and get ready to serve the salad."

As Daniel helps the other girl put salad on small plates, he realizes that he now understands and speaks Yiddish. He searches for more information in his mind and discovers that he has now assumed the identity of a sixteen-year-old Jewish servant girl in Krakow, Poland, in the 1930s.

Back in the dining room, the guests have all found their seats at the dining table and are ready to begin celebrating their annual Passover Seder.

At the head of the table is an elderly gentleman, Solomon Barshevet, the patriarch of the family. Seated to his right is his son, Judah, who is extremely handsome and strong and charismatic. Next to Judah is the beautiful woman who Daniel saw earlier, Deborah, Judah's wife. Mrs. Barshevet, Solomon's wife, is seated at the other end of the table, which is lined on both sides by other family members of varying ages.

Dinah and the other servant girl, Tamara, set the salad plates in front of each person at the table, while other servants fill the wine glasses. Solomon then raises his wine glass and nods to a boy seated at Deborah's right, who then asks, "How is this night different, Grandfather?"

Solomon raises his glass, and answers, "I will bring you out from under the burden of Egypt." Then he looks across the table to his wife, Esther, and she lifts her wine glass, and says, "We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine."

Esther then looks at Judah and he raises his wine glass, and says, "We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has made us holy through mitzvot and lovingly has given us this Festival of Matzot, celebrations of our freedom, and a holy time to recall our going out of Egypt. We praise You, Adonai our God, Who makes holy the people Israel and the festivals."

Deborah raises her wine glass, and says, "We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive and well so that we may celebrate this special time."

As the family drinks their wine, Dinah and Tamara place pitchers of warm water and bowls and towels between each person at the table. Silently, Judah positions his hands above the bowl that is between him and his father. Solomon lifts the pitcher that is next to the bowl and pours out warm water over Judah's hands. Simultaneously, Deborah and her son, Caleb, the boy seated at her right, perform the same ritual, as do every other pair of family members seated around the table.

Judah dries his hands with the towel as Solomon positions his hands over the bowl. Judah then pours water over his father's hands, and the same ritual continues around the rest of the table.

After this, Dinah and Tamara systematically clear the table of the washing items and replace them with bowls of salt water and plates with sprigs of parsley on them.

As each family member takes a sprig of parsley and dips it into the salt water, and then gently shakes drops of water back into the bowl, Solomon says, "We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth."

While each person around the table eats their parsley, Solomon looks over at Judah, and adds, "Soon, instead of this being a symbol of our tears of sorrow, it will be a symbol of our tears of joy."

At this point, Judah reaches out to a plate in front of him that is covered with a fancy linen cloth. He removes the cloth to reveal three flat pieces of matzo. He picks up the middle matzo, breaks it in half and then puts one half back on the plate. Next, he wraps up the other half of the matzo in a different linen cloth and hands it to Caleb, with a wink, saying, "Hide it well, my boy."

The other children at the table smile gleefully as Caleb leaves the dining room with the wrapped up matzo.

Judah replaces the linen cloth over the matzo plate, saying, "This is the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, come and eat. All who are needy, come and celebrate Pesach with us. Now we celebrate here. Next year may we be in the Land of Israel. Now we are slaves. Next year may we be truly free."

As the servants are filling a second glass of wine, Solomon adds, "We may indeed be in our Land of Israel next year. Is that not correct, Judah, my son?"

"It certainly does appear as though we may be, Father. That, or possibly the year after," answers Judah.

"No. It will be next year," asserts Deborah, as she gently, but deliberately jabs Judah with her elbow. "Certainly, it will be next year."

Caleb then re-enters the dining room, and says, "How is this night different, Grandfather?"

Solomon raises the second glass of wine, and answers, "I will deliver you from bondage."

Rebekah then motions and instructs all of the servants to take their seats in chairs lining the walls of the dining room. After which, Solomon begins telling the story of the deliverance of the children of Israel out of bondage in the land of Egypt.

As Solomon retells the events of the exodus, Dinah is comforted by how well she knows the story. She thinks about how it has been woven into the fabric of her being throughout her entire life. She recognizes the story of Moses being rescued from the Nile by the daughter of Pharaoh and subsequently being raised in the house of Pharaoh. She remembers the part about Moses returning to Egypt as an eighty-year-old man and calling down the ten plagues that finally convinced Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go. She can almost feel herself walking across the dry Red Sea bed between two giant walls of water. And she trembles at the thought of Mount Sinai smoking and thundering with the presence of God as Moses is given the tables of the Law.

Solomon raises his glass again, and says, "God promised Abraham that after four hundred years of servitude, his descendants would leave the foreign land of their bondage and witness the judgment of their oppressors. It is this promise that has sustained the Jewish people in each generation as enemies arose to destroy us. And it is the Holy One of Blessing Who saved us from their hand, enabling us to say, 'Am Yisrael Chai' the Jewish people lives."

Esther then says, "Adonai took us out of Egypt... "

Which is followed by everyone in the room saying, "Dayenu."

After which, Judah says, "...punished the Egyptians and destroyed their idols... "

Again, everyone replies, "Dayenu."

Deborah says, "...divided the sea and led us across on dry land... "

Again, "Dayenu."

Caleb adds, "...took care of us in the desert for forty years and fed us manna... "

Again, "Dayenu."

Esther bows her head slightly, and continues, "...gave us Sabbath... "

"Dayenu."

Judah adds, "...brought us to Mount Sinai and gave us the Torah... "

"Dayenu."

Deborah looks at Judah, and finishes by saying, "...brought us to the Land of Israel and built the Holy Temple."

"Dayenu."

Solomon finally says, "For all these, alone and together, we say, "Dayenu."

"Dayenu."

Everyone at the table lifts their wine glass, and says, "It is our duty to give thanks, sing praises, and offer blessings to the Holy One Who did these miracles for our ancestors and for us; and Who brought us from slavery to freedom, from sadness to joy, and from darkness to light.

"Let us sing a new song. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Give praise to Adonai. Sing praises, those who serve Adonai. Blessed is the Name of Adonai now and forever.

"We praise You, Adonai our God, Who has freed the people of Israel. We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine."

Everyone at the table then drinks the second glass of wine.

Rebekah stands and signals the servants to stand up and begin to perform their next duties for the meal. Dinah and Tamara quickly bring a second set of pitchers and bowls and towels to the table and everyone performs the washing ritual a second time.

Judah again removes the linen cloth from the matzo plate and takes one of the full pieces, and the one remaining half piece. He breaks a small piece off each of them and then hands one of the larger remainders to Solomon and the other larger piece to Deborah. They in turn each break off a small piece and hand the larger remainder to the person next to them.

When everyone has a piece, Judah says, "We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth."

Everyone then eats their own piece of matzo.

Deborah signals for two of the younger children to come and help her make sandwiches with the last piece of matzo, some grated horseradish and a mixture of raisins and nuts from a bowl on the table.

Each person is given a sandwich and, following Deborah's lead, they all eat them in unison.

Immediately after the sandwiches are eaten, all of the servants shift into high gear and begin to serve the Passover meal. A lentil soup is served and plates of salad are brought out. Platters of gefilte fish and lamb are set on the table with large bowls of potatoes and steamed vegetables.

The meal is heartily consumed amidst light conversation and laughter, and then, after the dessert of egg glazed fig tarts, Caleb asks, "How is this night different, Grandfather?"

The servants then work their way around the table and fill the third glass of wine, after which Solomon raises his wine glass, and says, "I will redeem you with outstretched arms and great judgments."

Immediately, all of the children let out squeals, push away from the table and run out of the dining room.

Judah looks at Deborah, and says, "I hope he did not make it too difficult for them this year."

After several moments of the sounds of children running throughout the house, Caleb's younger sister, Miriam, pokes her head into the dining room, and says, "Momma, we cannot find it! He made it too hard to find again!"

The adults at the table laugh a little and then Caleb comes up next to Miriam, kneels down next to her and whispers in her ear. Miriam's eyes widen and she dashes back into the living room.

"It will not be long now," says Deborah.

"Afikomen! Afikomen!" squeals Miriam gleefully, as she races back into the dining room waving the hidden piece of matzo in her hand.

All of the other children return to the dining room laughing and assuring each other that they would be the one to find it next year.

As Caleb pulls up the rear, Solomon raises the third glass of wine, and says, "We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who in goodness, mercy and kindness gives food to the world. Your love for us endures forever. We praise You, Adonai, Who provides food for all life.

"May the Holy One, Who makes peace in the heavens, make peace for us, for Israel, and for all the world.

"We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine."

After the first few drinks of the third glass of wine, Esther slowly and quietly begins to sing a psalm of praise. Solomon joins in, followed by Deborah and then Judah. Soon the entire room is filled with beautiful psalms of praise to God.

As the tempo of the singing slows down, Rebekah signals the servants to go around the table and fill the wine glasses one last time.

After a good long worshipful silence, Caleb asks, quietly, "Grandfather, why is this night different?"

Solomon slowly raises his wine glass for the last time, and says, "I will take you for My People.

"We praise You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

"Our Seder is now completed. May our service be acceptable to You, Adonai our God, and may we be granted the blessing of celebrating Pesach for many years to come. Pure and Holy One, dwelling on high, raise up Your people with love, and lead us to Zion in joyful song."

Deborah stands up, and says, "May we celebrate Pesach next year in Jerusalem!" She gives Judah a cool glance, and then looks to the children, and says, "Come children!"

Esther stands up and motions to all of the children to leave the table and follow her. Deborah and the rest of the women join them as they all walk out of the dining room.

Caleb lingers until they leave and then turns to Judah, and asks, "May I stay, Father?"

Judah is inclined to say yes until he looks over at his father, who has a commanding look on his face.

"Come here, my son," says Judah, turning his chair sideways.

Caleb walks up to his father.

Judah looks at Caleb eye to eye, and says, "I know how you feel. This time of life is difficult. The bridge from boyhood to manhood is troublesome at best and treacherous at worst. And it is certainly never good to walk alone. I am with you, Caleb. I am right here with you. You know that, do you not?"

"Yes, Father," answers Caleb.

Judah puts his hands on Caleb's shoulders and looks him in the eyes, and assuringly says, "You will be a Son of the Covenant next year. This time next year, you will be seated at the table with us. You will be seated right here with me and your grandfather and your uncles."

"You are a good boy, Caleb," agrees Solomon. "You may be ready now, but it is never wise to rush God. He operates according to His pre-determined plans, according to times and seasons.

"We merely have to look at our Father Abraham to see this principle in practice. If he had not listened to Sarah and had been obedient to the promises of God, there would be no Ishmael. Ishmael is an example of what happens when we are impatient with God, and take things into our own hands, and attempt to help God. God does not need our help, Caleb."

Caleb looks back at Judah, and says, "I understand, Father."

"We love you dearly, my son," says Judah, as he warmly embraces Caleb. Judah then gets a serious look on his face, and says to Caleb, "Now, please swear to me by an oath that you will report to us immediately if Elijah comes to take his seat. That will be very crucial information for us to know."

Caleb salutes, and says, "You have my word as my vow, sir." Then he quickly skips out of the dining room.

Rebekah always waits and allows enough time for those types of intimate family moments to become fully realized. She is keenly aware of how the family feasts frequently stimulate that type of togetherness. She believes that this is the reason why God instituted the annual feasts. She knows His Word. She knows His Law. She knows about His admonition for the parents to teach the children these things for generation after generation until the coming of the Messiah.

The servants under Rebekah's management have also learned this from her, so all it takes is a quick look and a nod from her to put them back into action. They immediately enter the dining room, clear the table and put all of the food away.

Other servants bring a few small incense censors into the room and place them on the various serving stations. After they are lit, and the smells of dinner are replaced by the fragrant aromas of frankincense, Solomon says, "Rebekah, will you please... "

"Right away, sir," she answers, without letting him finish. She leaves the dining room and, moments later, returns and hands Solomon his well-worn Torah.

"Thank you, Rebekah," says Solomon. "And thank you, of course, for another magnificent feast. Everything was perfect. You are a treasure to this family, and we greatly appreciate you and your wonderful staff."

"You are most welcome, sir. It is our esteemed pleasure to serve this family," says Rebekah, as she bows and then retreats to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Father," says Judah. "I certainly felt myself bending."

Solomon looks puzzled.

"I mean, about Caleb," explains Judah. "He is such a mature boy that I find it difficult to view him as a boy. He is such a little man."

"Yes, I agree," nods Solomon.

After a few moments, Judah poses, "But are we not doing the same thing?"

"What," questions Solomon.

"Are we not rushing God? Are we not moving too aggressively with our plans?" continues Judah.
"On the contrary, Judah," says Solomon. "Everything is falling perfectly into place. These are clearly not the plans of mere man. God's mighty Hand of providence is all over what is happening around us. He is moving and we must move with Him. We have been over this and over this. What is troubling you now?"

"There are people there, Father," says Judah, quietly. "There are people living right there in the Land. There are families. There are farms... "

"You must be strong, Judah," interrupts Solomon. "They will be cared for. They will be allowed to live in the Land. Their families will be safe and provided for \-- under our rule. I have no evil intention toward them. They will be well cared for in our Land and under our rule."

Judah ponders the short silence.

Solomon then continues, "Unless they resist."

"Yes, unless they resist," sighs Judah.

"Judah," says Solomon. "You are assuming that they are like us. You are thinking that we are going to break into families like ours here in Poland, and begin to rip away at decent civil lives like ours. They are not like us. They are dogs, Judah. They are like wild animals."

Solomon picks up his Torah, and continues, "Even Moses teaches us that. Right here in the Torah. Moses himself describes Ishmael as 'a wild ass of a man'.

"Judah, we will not be marching into places like this here in Krakow. We will be marching into Zion, miles and miles away from here. And anyone who stands in our way will feel the fury of the Holy One of Israel."

\+ - + - + - +

Dinah busies herself in the kitchen and, while understandably tedious and uninteresting, she finds the task of washing dishes peaceful and somewhat refreshing. Daniel is able to put his busy mind on autopilot, which is quite helpful in the process of transitioning from Diener's life into his new identity as Dinah.

As the last of the sparkling clean dishes and utensils are returned to their proper places in the kitchen, Rebekah finally says, "The Pesach is finished. May we celebrate it next year in Jerusalem. Good evening, everyone. Tomorrow is another day."

"Ugh, at last," says Tamara, tiredly, as she takes off her apron and hangs it on a hook. "Let us go home, shall we?"

The sun had set a couple of hours earlier, so it is a dark, but pleasant evening. The spring air is crisp on the girls' faces, and it carries the refreshing aromas of new growth and budding flowers into their noses as they walk along the sidewalk to their apartment in the Jewish District of Krakow.

Daniel is enjoying the stroll home, but he then senses a conflict in his mind, and tunes out Tamara's meaningless chatter for a moment. He suddenly remembers that he is a young girl walking down a dark street at night. His masculinity was providing him with a sense of security in this potentially dangerous situation, but then he realizes that it would be of no use to him in his new identity as a sixteen-year-old girl.

Unfortunately, Daniel's intuition proves to be accurate. Suddenly, a group of young men rush out from an alley as Dinah and Tamara walk by. The men quickly grab both girls and gag them before they can let out a scream. They are then forced deeper back into the alley.

Daniel is completely horrified and shocked by his inability to fight back. He keeps expecting his male body strength to be employed against the grip of his assailants, but Dinah's young female frame simply will not respond.

He is jarred into overwhelming terror and complexity of mind as he is shoved to the ground and stripped naked of his clothing. Shock takes over as his legs are forced open and the rigid male penis repeatedly penetrates Dinah's virginity.

Unconscious blackness follows as he finds himself completely incapable of preventing the assault on his being. His last memories of the horrible event are the jeering faces of the young men and the terror-stricken face and eyes of Tamara lying next to him.

\+ - + - + - +

As Daniel walks out of Sarah's kitchen and back into the living room, he is surprised to see Sarah sleeping peacefully on the sofa. _'Poor thing,'_ he thinks, as he quietly puts the glass of water down on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

He kneels down next to her and begins to gently stroke the side of her head. She has never looked as beautiful to him as she does now, as thoughts of their future together waft into his mind. He envisions their wedding and their mutual dreams of establishing their home and raising a family together.

Daniel becomes somewhat lost in the rapture of these dreams, but then is brought back to the moment when his hand senses some resistance in Sarah's hair. He continues to gently stroke her head, but then he feels a gooey liquid in the palm of his hand. As he turns his palm toward him, he is shocked to see it is covered with blood. He looks at Sarah and is startled to see bruises forming all over her face and blood flowing from several wounds.

"Sarah!" he cries, as he reaches over to see what is happening to her. "Tamara!" she cries.

Then the entire apartment begins to slowly transform into a dark alley. The walls of the living room become the exterior walls of buildings. The furniture in the room changes to a variety of large boxes and trash cans. The air in the room becomes cool, and the sounds of an early morning quiet street start to fill Dinah's ears.

Dinah is lying naked in a heap next to Tamara. She looks over at her. Tamara is not breathing. Dinah begins to weep, as she reaches over and caresses Tamara's face. The life that once filled those twinkling green eyes is gone.

"No," she sobs. "No... no... no... "

Dinah can barely move. Her whole body feels ravaged. Pain is throbbing in every limb, and she feels like there is a fire burning on her belly and between her legs.

The darkness in the alley is beginning to vanish as the rising sun initiates a new day. Dinah looks over and sees the street several meters away down at the end of the alley. Slowly, and with great difficulty, she manages to get up to her hands and knees, and begins to crawl toward the street. She sees a few early risers making their way hurriedly down the street, but her hoarse voice is unable to call out loudly enough for them to hear her.

Slipping in and out of consciousness, Dinah finally makes it to the end of the alley, and collapses there in a fetal position.

Moments pass and then, "Oy! Oy vey!" screams Rebekah, as she lifts her hand to her mouth. "Oy... oy... oy... Adonai... El rafa na... " prays Rebekah, as she takes off her coat and covers Dinah's naked beaten body. "Come! Quickly!" she calls to a few of the other servants who are following behind her.

Carefully, and as quickly as possible, they wrap Dinah in Rebekah's coat and begin to carry her to the Barshevet house. Two other servants run down into the alley and find Tamara's lifeless naked body lying in a heap on the pavement. They quickly wrap her up as well and gently lift her into their arms. Then they rush to catch up with the others.

\+ - + - + - +

"Master Judah! Master Judah!" Rebekah screams as they all rush up to the house. Judah is awake, but still lying in bed. When he hears Rebekah, he jumps out of bed and hurries over to the bedroom window quickly enough to see her and all of the servants carrying Dinah and Tamara into the back of the house.

Deborah rolls over sleepily and sees Judah quickly put on a robe and then rush out of their bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen.

When Judah comes into the kitchen and sees what is happening, he says, "Take them to the guest room. I will call the doctor."

The next several hours are devoted to cleaning and bandaging wounds, and assessing the damages from the attack. The doctor is able to provide adequate treatment at the Barshevet house and determines that a trip to the hospital would be less helpful than the quiet healing process there in the servants' quarters. Solomon and the rest of the family are completely willing to open their house for the benefit of the servants. In their way of thinking, the servants are a part of the family and are entitled to all of the basic privileges that the home can provide.

Fortunately, Dinah suffered no broken bones or internal injuries as the result of her trauma. She is made as comfortable as possible and stays in the downstairs quarters.

For the next few days, Dinah slips in and out of consciousness as her body works to heal its injuries. She is not quite sure what is real and what is imagined as a wide variety of images splash across her groggy mind. She sees a man being harassed in a parking lot and then being comforted at a homeless shelter. She sees the terrified face of Rebekah as she kneels down and wraps her coat around her. Then Rebekah's face dissolves into an extremely concerned look on the doctor's face as he bandages some wounds on her abdomen. After that, she sees some friends sitting across the table from her at the annual Likewise banquet, but then they dissolve into the faces of the three ruffians in the tavern in Linz as they notice Adolf and rush out the door after him.

The complex mixture of madness and confusing unfamiliar scenes finally resolves to an image of herself sleeping peacefully on the living room sofa in Sarah's apartment. Daniel is kneeling at her side and gently caressing her hair.

She smiles and sighs with contentment as she slowly opens her dreamy eyes and sees Daniel bending over her and looking longingly into them. She loves him so much and her heart is warmed as she reaches up to put her hand on the back of his neck. As she does this, she is troubled to see Daniel's face begin to change its appearance. Then she looks over and notices that the entire living room around her is also starting to change. She soon realizes that she is lying on a bed in the Barshevet house, and that it is Judah, not Daniel, who is sitting next to her in a chair by the bed, praying.

Startled, Dinah instinctively tries to sit up and then is immediately halted by a sharp pain in her midsection.

"Hey, hey," says Judah, softly as he stands up and gently helps her back to a lying position on the bed. He cradles her head back onto the pillow, and says, "Calm down, Dinah. Calm down. Everything is all right. You are safe now. Do not worry. You are here at our house. You are... you are going to be well again."

Dinah blinks slowly a few times and slows her breathing.

"There, that is much better," says Judah, tenderly. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head, and says, "It looks like you have made it back. Yes. It certainly does look like you have made it back. Just lie still. I want to tell the others that you are back with us."

A short while after Judah leaves the room, Dinah hears a few joyous exclamations from outside the room. Rebekah comes in and rushes up to her side, and says, "Dinah! Oh, Dinah, my dear Dinah. Oh, Adonai, Aleinu l'shabeach la'Adon hakol... "

Judah re-enters the room followed by Deborah. He says, "I knew she would make it. Our Dinah certainly is a strong young girl."

"Indeed," agrees Deborah. "Well... maybe now we are on the way to getting this house back in order. Praise to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

"Momma?" comes a young voice from the bedroom door.

"No! No, Caleb. You cannot come in here," orders Deborah.

But Judah walks over between Deborah and Caleb, and says, "No. This is good. This is a good lesson for you, Caleb."

Deborah scowls as Judah reassuringly escorts Caleb into the room, and says, "This is an example of courage for you, Caleb. Dinah put her trust in the hand of God and she fought for her life."

Judah brings Caleb over to the side of the bed and kneels down to look at him eye to eye, and says, "Life is harsh, Caleb. Dinah has been through a harsh and terrifying experience. But through it, she learned the lesson of King David. She listened for the voice of the Shepherd, and He led her through the valley of the Shadow of Death. He comforted her with His goodness and mercy. This is a good lesson for you, my son. Great is the loving faithfulness and mercy of our God."

\+ - + - + - +

Dinah is not in a deep sleep, so she awakens when she hears the bedroom door unlatch. Sleepily, she turns her head toward the door to see Judah looking in.

"Oh, I am sorry," says Judah, quietly. "Did I wake you?"

There is something calming about Judah's voice. And there is also something simply reassuring in the way he carries himself. He is not only handsome in appearance, but he also has a certain air about himself. He is a perfect blend of disarming when things are a little tense, and charismatic when things need to be energized.

"I am terribly sorry, Dinah," Judah continues, as he walks into the room. "The doctor asked me to check in on you regularly and... well, I just tucked the children into bed and... Are you well? Do you need anything?"

Dinah's mouth is parched, but she manages to quietly say, "I am fine, thank you."

"I need to bring you some water," says Judah, kindly. "Your voice is dry." He turns and leaves the room.

A few moments later, Judah returns with a glass of water and walks across the room, and says, "The doctor says you are doing quite well, Dinah. God's hand of healing is upon you."

Dinah winces slightly as she rolls over and props herself up on her left arm.

"Do you need help?" offers Judah.

Dinah reaches out her right hand and takes the glass from Judah.

"I brought this in case you spill," says Judah, holding out a small white towel.

Dinah giggles and then takes a drink.

"I suppose that was a little silly of me," says Judah. "It must be a habit. You would be surprised at how often I still need it for my children."

The water tastes wonderful. Dinah takes another drink and then hands the glass back to Judah.

"I will leave it right here in case you want more," says Judah as he places the glass down on the bedstand. "Are you sure you do not need this?" he says, smiling and holding out the towel.

Dinah gingerly rolls onto her back and lays her head down on the pillow.

Judah takes a deep breath, and says, "I am so sorry this happened to you, Dinah. And poor Tamara... poor, poor Tamara. I should have been more aware of the potential dangers out there. I have been so blind... so focused on events going on out in the world that I was not even aware of what is going on in my own neighborhood. It is terrible. I should have been more aware that the same thing that is happening over in our homeland has already crept in right here as well."

Dinah blinks a few times, and quietly asks, "Is Tamara dead?"

Judah sighs heavily, and says, "Oh... I am so sorry, Dinah. I thought... yes, she did not make it. She was not as fortunate as you. I am sorry. I thought you knew. I thought they told you. I am so sorry."

The memory of Tamara's bloody face lying in the alley rushes into Dinah's mind, and she weeps, "She was my closest friend."

"I know," says Judah, tenderly. "I am so sorry, Dinah."

"I should have stopped them," weeps Dinah. "I should have protected her."

Judah looks puzzled, and says, "How... "

Daniel realizes how stupid that must have sounded. He didn't think about the fact that he was remembering the event as though he were a strong young man.

"It is fine, Dinah," says Judah, kindly. "I think I know what you mean. I think I know how you feel. But in my case, I am in fact, responsible. I should have known. I should have known our safe neighborhood is a thing of the past. The dogs are coming into the country and we do not seem to be able to keep them out.

"But do not be concerned, Dinah. Things are changing. The time is now. The time is perfect. God is moving and Zion is ours. We are going to go home. I vow to you. We are going to go home."

\+ - + - + - +

Almost a week after the attack, Dinah is lying in bed in the afternoon when Judah, Deborah, Rebekah and the doctor come into the room.

"Good afternoon, young lady," greets the doctor. "Judah tells me you are healing well. May God be praised. We thank Him for his ever-healing hand upon us."

The doctor pulls up a chair next to Dinah's bed, while the others stand a few feet behind him. He says, "I am going to take a look at your wounds today and then redress them with new clean bandages."

Dinah looks past the doctor, and is confused by the severe looks of concern on the faces of Judah, Deborah and Rebekah, who is quietly muttering prayers.

The doctor carefully removes the bandages from Dinah's head and comments about how well those wounds are healing. Then, after the doctor removes some bandages from her abdomen, she knows something is seriously wrong. Deborah gasps and turns her face away. Rebekah looks up toward heaven and prays more fervently. And Judah lowers his head slightly and gets a stern glare on his face. He looks as though he is an angry bull getting ready to charge.

Dinah's abdomen is quite bruised and starting to scab over, but they are all shocked and dismayed because they can still clearly see the symbols that were blatantly carved deeply into Dinah's pure white skin.

"What?" asks Dinah, quietly.

The doctor turns to the others, and says. "It is Arabic. It says, 'Jihad.' The men who did this to Dinah and Tamara are Muslim."

Judah's face grows even angrier. He turns and storms out of the room.

"No... no... no... " weeps Rebekah.

Dinah closes her eyes. She is overcome with confusion. She has no idea what is going on.

The doctor turns his attention back to Dinah, and cleans up and redresses her wounds.

Deborah simply stands there motionless and in shock. Tears begin to fill her eyelids and then spill out onto her cheeks. She has not cried in many years, but under these traumatic circumstances, her maternal instincts for Dinah's well-being start to well up inside her. This type of yearning has become latent in Deborah, and she does not quite know what to do about it. So, she wipes her tears and simply says to Rebekah, "Come. We must let the doctor do his work," as she escorts Rebekah out of the room.

\+ - + - + - +

A few days later, Dinah is healing nicely, so she begins to spend the afternoons outside the house in the gardens. The spring air is refreshing in her lungs, and she feels as though her skin conducts the radiance of the sun -- sending its healing warmth throughout her entire body.

She feels slightly guilty about not getting back to her duties, but no one is expecting her to do so. They are all simply happy that she is alive. To them, she is a daily reminder of the goodness of God and of His providential hand of care upon their lives. They all are fully experiencing the grief of losing Tamara, but that does not diminish their faith in God's almighty sovereignty. They faithfully believe that it was Tamara's destined time to make her passage, and join the multitude of God's children before her who went to be gathered to their people.

"Good day, Dinah," says Judah, as he walks up behind her.

"Oh," says Dinah, startled. "And good day to you, Master Judah."

"So, what is the report?" queries Judah.

"The report?" asks Dinah.

"Yes," answers Judah, pointing to a large garden area adjacent to the house. "What have they been telling you?"

"Who?" asks Dinah, confused.

Judah smiles and points, and says, "Them, of course. The doves. You have been out here frequently, and they are the only other ones out here with you. So, I was supposing they were giving many important messages to you."

Dinah thinks for a moment and then smiles. She points over to a few doves pecking away near some bushes, and says, "Well... do you see that one there? The one by the lavender bush?"

"Yes," answers Judah.

"Well, that one reported... "

"Yes... " says Judah, curiously.

"She reported that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is over," says Dinah, cleverly.

"Oh... I see... yes, that is very interesting information," says Judah, stroking his chin. "But, I could smell the leaven as I walked by the kitchen. Certainly a dove of her stature would have something more important to report."

"Yes... of course... you are correct, of course," says Dinah, allowing herself to be drawn into Judah's make believe game. "It was that and... it was that and, that the dry land has appeared."

"Oh, so she is that dove, is she," says Judah.

"Yes. She wants us all to know it is safe to go out now," says Dinah.

A thoughtful and somewhat incredulous look appears on Judah's face. _'How does she do it?'_ he thinks. _'How can she be so brave? After all that has happened to her, how can she have such faith? Such faith and such a strong sense of rest and safety in God's hands.'_ He looks at Dinah kindly, and says, "You are quite a young woman, Dinah. You are very courageous and very insightful."

Judah takes a deep breath of fresh spring air and looks out over the beautiful garden, and says, "What else do they say?"

Dinah breathes in and also looks out at the garden, and says, "They say that it is time for war."

Judah turns his face quickly toward Dinah, and says, "What?"

"It is time for war," Dinah repeats, as she continues to look out over the garden. "You and your father talk about it all the time. So, I know it is coming."

"My, my," says Judah. "You certainly do not miss a thing, do you."

Still looking out, Dinah answers, "I do not miss anything that happens in your house. It is all very important to me. Your family is kind, and generous, and good to all of us. So, I want to do everything I can to serve you well."

"Which includes listening in on my private conversations?" smiles Judah.

"They are not exactly private," says Dinah, looking at Judah.

Judah laughs, and says, "Yes, I suppose you are correct about that. They probably hear us in the next house over."

"More like the next country over," quips Dinah.

Judah gets a serious look on his face, and says, sharply, "Young lady, your disrespect is intolerable. You must leave these premises at once."

A look of surprised shame comes across Dinah's face. She gasps and puts her hand to her mouth.

Judah laughs out loud, "Ha, ha, ha! Now that was a look! Ho, ho! That was a priceless look!"

Somewhat relieved by Judah's laughter, Dinah sighs for a moment. Then she furrows her brow and cocks her head slightly, and says, sternly, "You are terrible, Master Judah. You are simply a terrible cruel man."

"I know. I know," laughs Judah. "Believe me, I know. Oh, that was a funny one."

They laugh together for a few moments.

Then Dinah asks, "Why do you talk so much about war?"

Judah answers, "It is not so much about war, Dinah. It is about going home. It is about going home to the Land of Israel, and... well, war may happen to be the best means to that end."

"Have we not already had enough war?" comments Dinah.

Judah is somewhat taken by her comment, and says, "Where do you get your... How old are you?"

"Sixteen," answers Dinah.

"You were barely alive during the Great War!" says Judah. "What do you know about war?"

"I know that it is bad," says Dinah.

Judah takes a deep breath, and agrees, "Yes Dinah, you are correct, but let me explain the good that has come out of the Great War. You see, before the war there were powerful imperialistic empires. There was the German empire, and the Ottoman empire, and the Russian empire. But now, after the war, they are all gone. For all intents and purposes, they killed each other off trying to gain each other's empires."

"And that is good?" asks Dinah.

"Yes, it is very good... for us," answers Judah. After a short pause, he asks, "Have you ever heard of Teodor Herzel?"

"Yes, I was told some things about him and how he wanted all of the Jews to go back to the Land of Israel," answers Dinah.

"He was a genius and a visionary," continues Judah. "He saw all of this coming. Oh, how I enjoyed sitting for hours listening to him and my father and the other men. We lived in Austria at that time. They talked for hours and hours about Zion. Oh, the dreams we had."

Judah's excitement saddens somewhat as he continues, "I was about your age when he died. It was a sad sad day. But, we are working to keep his vision alive. He would have been so amazed and excited to see how perfectly things have taken shape in the world since the war. It is all lining up perfectly."

"What is?" asks Dinah.

"They are all out of our way now. That is what," answers Judah as he breathes in and looks out at the garden again.

Following several moments of reflection, the conversation shifts when Juday says, "You know, it was quite strange... I have to tell you... But, one day not all that long ago, I was sitting out here, and I was watching the blackbirds and the squirrels out there by the trees."

"What?" asks Dinah.

"I could not believe... well, I could believe it, but it still amazed me," continues Judah. "You know the blackbirds out there, and the squirrels, correct?"

"Yes," says Dinah.

"Well, one day when I was sitting here on the patio, I looked out into the garden and noticed one of the squirrels scampering around with a nut in its mouth. It was sniffing around in the grass looking for a place to bury the nut for later. Then I also noticed a few blackbirds perched up in the trees, watching the squirrel. Well, the squirrel finally decided upon a place to bury the nut so, he dug into the grass, dropped the nut into the hole, and then scampered away.

"Right away, one of the blackbirds swooped down near where the squirrel buried the nut and began searching for it. Is that not amazing? Never in a million years would I have been able to find that nut, and I was looking right at the area where he buried it. But these birdbrain blackbirds are able to zero in on the exact place where the squirrel buried the nut. Is that not amazing?"

"Yes," agrees Dinah, tentatively. "I suppose so."

"So, of course, the squirrel ran out from the bushes and chased the blackbird away," continues Judah. "And this happened over and over again. The blackbird got chased away, the squirrel left, the blackbird swooped down and then got chased away, and on and on it went."

"This is quite an interesting story," says Dinah, sarcastically.

"You have not heard anything yet," assures Judah. "Because then I noticed that during the entire time all this fighting on the ground was happening, there was this one woodlark perched calmly and patiently in that tree right over there."

Judah points out across the garden, and asks, "Do you see it?"

Dinah looks out, "The woodlark?"

Judah laughs, and says, "No, no, the tree. He was on that one tall tree to the left. He was perched out there in that nice high vantage point watching the whole war over the nut going on down below him.

"Well, finally the squirrel and the blackbirds both gave up and left. Then the woodlark simply flew down, hopped around a little, found the nut and flew away. It was amazing!"

"Yes," says Dinah, unenthusiastically. "Amazing."

Judah looks at her, and says, "We are the woodlark, Dinah. We get the nut. They fought and fought and neither one got the nut. All we do is wait patiently and observe everything from a higher perspective. And that is why we will get the nut.

"Oh, if Teodor could have only seen this. Everything is perfectly set up for us to move in and get the nut."

"Jerusalem is the nut?" asks Dinah.

"Yes, Jerusalem and all of the Land of Israel," answers Judah.

"And the blackbirds and the squirrels are the Germans, and the Arabs, and the Russians?" asks Dinah.

"Amazing, is it not?" says Judah.

"Is that truly the status of the world?" asks Dinah.

"Very much so," answers Judah. "There are still a few other squirrels and blackbirds in the Land, but they do not appear to have all that much interest in the nut."

"And you believe that God made it all happen this way?" asks Dinah.

"Who else could have?" says Judah. "We are going home, Dinah. Zion is ours."

\+ - + - + - +

Deborah and the children are in Vienna for a visit with her parents and siblings. The children always thoroughly enjoy these 'away from home' excursions to spend time with their cousins. It is a magical experience for them to be in a different place doing different things and reconnecting with family.

Dinah had only a few vague memories of her parents before they were killed in a tragic fire accident in the garment factory where they worked. She did have some memories of being with her mother before she died, but her father merely occupied a vacant hole in her soul. She was only able to make a few memories of her younger brothers and sisters because they were taken away and incorporated into the families that adopted them many years ago. She and Tamara were the oldest, and were therefore never even considered for adoption. Dear, dear Tamara. She was the only person in Dinah's life who ever felt like a real sister. But now, she was gone also.

Daniel is wrestling fiercely with his thoughts as he sits at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. It is about midday. The house is quiet for a change. _'What am I doing here?'_ he thinks. _'Why in the world am I a sixteen-year-old Jewish girl? I know I am in Krakow, Poland and that it is the early 1930s. What happened to Hitler? Did he die, or not? Are the Germans going to invade? Am I going to be taken to a concentration camp? Am I going to be a victim of the Holocaust?'_

"Oh, excuse me, Dinah," says Judah, as he walks into the kitchen and sees Dinah seated at the table.

Dinah immediately stands up, and says, "May I get you something to eat, Master Judah?"

"No, no, please sit down, Dinah," says Judah. "I do not even know why you are back to work. Are you well enough to be working?"

Dinah, still standing at attention, says, "It feels better to be working a little. I was going somewhat out of my mind sitting around all day."

"Please, Dinah. Please sit down and enjoy your tea," says Judah. "I am fully capable of getting myself something to eat."

"Thank you, sir," says Dinah as she sits back down at the table.

Part of her feels the nervousness of being a servant in the master's presence, and another part of her welcomes Judah being there. She has always found him quite tender and comforting, and lately, she has come to enjoy their playful and stimulating conversations.

As Judah makes his way around the kitchen preparing his lunch, he says, "I will be joining them tomorrow, and then you and my father and mother will have the entire house to yourselves for a while."

"And Rebekah and Reuben," adds Dinah.

"Yes, and them, of course," agrees Judah.

When Judah sits down at the table, Dinah asks, "May I at least pour you a cup of tea, Master Judah?"

"Yes, yes, please," says Judah with a mouthful of food. "Thank you."

As Dinah pours his tea, she asks, "How are your war plans coming along?"

Judah puts down his fork, looks at Dinah across from him and smiles, and says, "You certainly are no ordinary girl, Dinah. Are you sincerely interested in these things, or are you merely toying with me? There are not many people around me who seem to be as interested in these things as you are."

Dinah merely takes a sip of tea and looks back at Judah over the rim of the teacup.

"Well, if you must know, that is where I have been for the last few days, and it is why I am late in joining the rest of the family down in Vienna," says Judah. "My father and I and our partners met with a very interesting man. You seem to know everything. Have you ever heard of Mustafa Kemal?"

Dinah shakes her head, no.

"He is a Turk down in Anatolia, and he is a perfect ally for us," continues Judah. "He is in the same position as us. His land is ungoverned as a result of the Great War, and his people are scattered all over without a homeland. We clearly have the same objective as him. We both want to gather our people. We both want to build our nations."

Judah takes a few more bites of food, and continues, "He is a brilliant militarist, and that was the piece missing from our team. My father and his business partners have the resources and are already setting up factory operations, but we desperately needed someone to help us with our military strategy. Kemal appears to be the perfect fit for that missing piece."

"What about the Germans?" asks Dinah.

Judah looks puzzled.

"Are the Germans not a threat?" asks Dinah.

"I already told you that there are no Germans," says Judah, chuckling. "Why do you insist they are involved in this?"

"What about Adolf Hitler?" asks Dinah.

"Who?" asks Judah.

"Adolf Hitler and Mussolini," clarifies Dinah.

Judah laughs out loud, and says, "You certainly are a silly girl! What are you talking about? Mussolini is just an impotent fat little Italian rat, and the Germans are... well, I told you about them already. And besides, Dinah, that is all West. We are going East. I do not care in the slightest if they keep on fighting with each other over there. That could even continue to work to our advantage.

"We are going home, Dinah. We are going East, back to our Land. Back to the Land of Israel. Back to Zion."

Judah takes a few more bites of his lunch and some sips of tea, and then says, "I do know of an Adolf Eichmann. He is a German. But his efforts are probably going to work right along with ours. He wants the Jews out of Germany as much as we do. And, he is already involved in the Land by supporting the Kibbutzim ground forces, the Haganah. Our army is already starting to form right there in the Land, Dinah. Believe me, it is all coming together perfectly. The Lord of Hosts is His name. And Zion will be ours."

"Who is the army fighting against? Who is there in the Land now?" asks Dinah.

Judah smiles and finishes chewing, and says, "The British and the French are the other squirrels and blackbirds that are currently poking around in the Land, but neither of them seem to be at all interested in the nut.

"Yes, Dinah, it is the Land of Promise, but it is a harsh land. And it is a land filled with conflict. It always has been and it always will be until we go in and set up Zion, which is the true and ultimate purpose of the Land. Zion is the final glorious place for the people of God. Zion is our destiny. Zion is the rest and the peace of Israel. We will praise His name and enjoy His presence as we are nestled and protected in His mighty arms. We will be comforted and fruitful in the Land which He swore to our Father Abraham -- a land flowing with milk and honey."

Judah's charisma is intoxicating and infectious. Dinah feels herself getting completely swept away into his enthusiasm. He is obviously going to be a galvanizing leader of this movement, and although he might not quite see it yet, she sees it clearly.

But suddenly, Daniel begins to see more World War II newsreels of Adolf Hitler. He sees the speeches and the marching armies and the people cheering and rallying around Hitler.

Dinah blurts out, "What about the U.S.?"

Judah looks at Dinah and takes a few moments to finish chewing and swallowing. Then he says, "Well, now you are being realistic. Yes, we have invested a great amount of discussion about a potential U.S. opposition to our plans. And honestly, we cannot begin to understand why they previously involved themselves in the Great War. There was nothing in it for them. It was not their land. Why they were willing to travel all the way over here is a mystery to us. But, we know one thing -- they will never be interested in the East. There is nothing there for them to concern themselves with, or to even remotely care about."

"They seem to care about human suffering," says Dinah, quietly.

Judah's typically light and charismatic expression is quickly replaced by a darker, more serious look on his face, as he says, "I have said this over and over again -- we are going to take care of the people who are currently living there. We will bring prosperity with us. There will be a plenteous good life for everyone."

"What if they do not want anyone to take care of them?" asks Dinah. "What if they like things the way they are? What if they are happy... "

"Dinah!" interrupts Judah. Then he continues, calmly and deliberately, "Please listen to me carefully. I know you and I are different. I know about your childhood. I know you are more connected with the people. And, I know my experience is completely different. I grew up with everything I wanted. I grew up surrounded by love. I know these things, Dinah. Believe me, I do."

Dinah looks down at her tea.

"Do you remember Pesach, Dinah?" asks Judah, softly. "I do not mean the one a few weeks ago, and I apologize if that brings back bad memories for you. But, I mean Pesach in general. I mean, all of the many times year after year, century after century that we, the Children of Israel, have celebrated it.

Dinah nods her head.

"Do you remember the four cups?" asks Judah.

"Yes," says Dinah.

"Do you remember the four answers? The four 'I wills'?" he continues.

"Yes," she says.

"Well, as a matter of fact, there are two more after those four," Judah continues. "God said, 'I will' two more times after those first four."

Dinah looks puzzled.

"I suppose we stopped at four to prevent everyone from getting too drunk during Pesach," smiles Judah. "But, please listen carefully to me, Dinah. In that very same conversation, God further said to Moses, 'I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.'

"He is Adonai, our God, Dinah. We are merely walking in His promises. His hand is upon us. He is setting the stage. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. We are simply being led home to our proper pasture. We are going to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. We will be thankful unto Him and praise His name."

Judah sits back in his chair and thinks quietly about his vision for the future of Israel. Dinah stands up, clears the dishes from the table and begins to wash them at the sink.

Judah stands up and walks over next to her. He picks up a towel, dries the dishes and puts them away.

Dinah giggles a little.

"What?" asks Judah.

"Nothing," answers Dinah.

"What?" insists Judah.

"It is alright. I will fix it," says Dinah.

"What?" asks Judah again.

"Dinah puts her hands on her hips and, imitating Rebekah, says, "There is a place for everything and everything in its place."

Judah laughs, and says, "You do that very well. Have you been practicing?"

Dinah giggles.

As Judah picks up a piece of sweetcake and sits back down at the table, he says, "It certainly is quiet around here." Then he looks over at Dinah, and adds, "I do so enjoy our conversations, Dinah. You are quite easy to talk to, and at the same time, you have so many interesting observations to make. You are quite a girl. We are fortunate to have you in our home."

Dinah busies herself putting the dishes away in their proper storage places.

"You remind me a lot of Deborah when she was younger," continues Judah. "You are similar to the way she was when we first met. She was much like you. She had a spark in those lovely green eyes that would light up a room. She was full of life and full of dreams."

Dinah is not aware of it, but she doubtfully raises her eyebrows.

Unfortunately, Judah sees that expression on her face, and says, "I know. It probably is difficult for you to believe that."

"No... no, not at all... " says Dinah, embarrassed.

"I am not as stupid as I look, Dinah," interrupts Judah. "But, do not worry. I am aware of how she treats you. I know how you all feel about her."

Dinah looks away, but what she wants to do is look at Judah. She detects the sound of a hurt little boy in his voice, and all she wants to do is look into his warm brown eyes and comfort him.

"Sadly, she has grown to be quite a contentious woman," says Judah. "I do not mean for that to sound critical because she certainly is a loving mother to our children, as you know, and a good wife to me. But, something has happened to her. She is striving after the wind and frustrated because she cannot contain it."

Dinah turns slightly toward Judah, and says, "Are you saying that you are going to move up onto to the roof?"

Judah looks puzzled for a moment and then laughs out loud.

Dinah joins in and begins to laugh, also.

"Dinah, oh Dinah... you are certainly a sly one," laughs Judah. "I am definitely going to have to keep my eye on you. You certainly can be as smart as a whip.

"Thank you for that. I needed a good laugh. Yes, indeed... thank you very much for that one. Hoo... that one certainly made my day."

Judah looks at Dinah, and says, "Yes, yes... I am definitely going to have to move up onto the roof. Ha, ha, yes, that is a good one."

\+ - + - + - +

In those dreamy moments between asleep and awake, Sarah hears Daniel come into the living room. She does wake up when he sets the water glass down on the coffee table, but she doesn't move. She keeps her eyes closed and pretends to still be asleep. She loves it when Daniel runs his fingers through her hair. Her body tingles as she thinks about the day when they would finally have sex. They had both agreed together they were going to wait for each other until their wedding night. But times like this make it difficult to wait. Daniel's tenderly touching fingertips on her face make her want more and more.

She is not afraid. She yearns for him. She wants him. She opens her eyes and looks up into Daniel's loving face. She reaches up, cups her hand behind his neck and slowly and lovingly pulls him toward her. They kiss. She loves him so much.

Daniel moves in closer to Sarah and presses his chest against hers. Their two hearts are beating in unison. They kiss again.

She is gone by now, abandoned in the moment. She has never before felt such a powerful and overwhelming physical feeling. It feels as though every cell in her body is doing a happy dance.

More and more skin is revealed, and more and more skin is tenderly caressed. Oneness is on its way. They will no longer be two. Now they are one being celebrating with itself. It is strong. It is passionate. It is life at its core. It is release. It is freedom. It is ecstasy.

The empty hole in Dinah's soul is filled. She finally feels whole. She finally feels protected. She finally feels loved. The weight of Judah's heavily breathing body on top of her feels like an overwhelming blanket of comfort, and she gladly receives the full weight of his body pressing her into the mattress. But, rather than a crushing feeling, she embraces it more like a shield against the loneliness that has plagued her during her entire life. She feels perfect peace and contentment. They are breathing as one. They are one body. They are Adam and Eve, one, together in the Garden.

\+ - + - + - +

It is well beyond Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. The Barshevet house is back to normal and the warm summer months have rolled in. Judah and Solomon are rarely at home. Their campaign has begun and they are at rally after rally delivering the message of Zion. Jews from all over Europe are uniting. Resources are pouring in and momentum is increasing daily.

By the time the Fall Feasts arrive, it becomes clear that Dinah is going to be experiencing a harvest of her own. She is going to reap the fruit of a seed that was sown in her at Pesach.

Everyone around her is kind, but the development in her womb is definitely not embraced the way pregnancy normally is in a Jewish family. There is too much pain associated with it, and too many memories of the horrific event. There is also entirely too much confusion about bringing a foreigner into the house. The thought of a Gentile growing inside of Dinah is too much for them to process. Yes, they are kind, but now they rarely look Dinah in the eyes anymore. It is too painful and confusing for them.

Judah does catch her glance once when he and Solomon are home for the feasts. But that is about all it is, just a glance across the table at one of the many festival meals.

There is too much activity going on now. There are too many people coming and going, and there is entirely too much talking -- talking, talking and more talking.

Dinah just wants a moment with Judah. She just wants another intimate conversation at the kitchen table. She wants to laugh with him. She wants to tease him. She wants to see that little boy in him again. But, she knows she may never have that opportunity again. That one glance across the table may be the last time she sees him, in person.

She does see him again and again in the newsreels. And whenever she does, everyone else around her seems to disappear. There he stands, at the lectern, with Solomon seated proudly behind him, and thousands cheering in front of him. Dinah knows she is the only person in the world who can see that frightened little-boy look in his face. She sees it, right there in the newsreels. It is inescapable. Right there between the sweeping oratory statements, it suddenly and briefly flashes across his face. She knows he wants to be somewhere else. She knows he would possibly rather be sitting at the kitchen table, talking and laughing with her.

Dinah also knows she and Judah are the only people on earth who know it is entirely possible that he is the one who planted the seed that is growing inside her womb.

\+ - + - + - +

Daniel has never experienced such excruciating pain. He is absolutely certain the bottom half of his body is being ripped away from him. As the pain starts to subside and he feels himself drifting into unconsciousness, he hears someone say, "Mazeltov, Dinah! Zeh ha'yeled."

Dinah opens her eyes and sees the doctor smiling down at her. She looks over and sees the nurse carrying her baby boy away to get him cleaned up. _'A boy,'_ she thinks. _'I have a baby boy.'_

The delivery went smoothly, without complications. Another nurse is cleaning up the area between her legs following the delivery of her afterbirth. Then she is transferred to a recovery room.

A short while later, they bring Dinah's baby into the room and lay him in a bassinette across the room from her bed.

In 1940s Aleppo, Syria, Arabs are being herded into concentration camps. Men and women and boys and girls of all ages are being pushed around and beaten and severely mistreated. Soldiers are forcing them out of their homes and herding them into train cars.

After a while, the doctor enters the room and smiles at Dinah. He is followed by a rather official-looking man who is talking to the doctor and making notes on several pieces of paper that are fastened to a clipboard. The man keeps looking over at Dinah and asking questions of the doctor. He listens to the doctor's answers and then makes several detailed notes on his forms. Dinah can hear them talking, but she cannot quite understand what they are saying.

The man finally closes the lid to the clipboard and nods to the doctor. He shakes his hand and leaves the room. The doctor looks once more over at Dinah, gives her a half smile and then follows the man out the door.

Arab people are being lined up and shot in the streets. Hundreds of lifeless bodies are being dumped into mass graves.

After a few moments, the baby stirs slightly and starts to whimper. Maternal instincts and moist breasts spur Dinah to sit up and get out of bed. She walks over and looks into the bassinette. The boy is absolutely beautiful. He is perfect -- a beautiful baby boy with milky white skin, large dark eyes and dark curly hair.

Dinah feels the desire to nurse him, so she reaches over, picks up a hospital baby blanket and puts it on her shoulder. The baby looks up at her lovingly as she reaches down to pick him up.

But Dinah is shocked and dismayed when her hands pass right through him. She cannot move him. She cannot touch him. Her whole being is aching to touch her baby boy, but her hands pass right through him as she tries to touch his soft little round cheeks.

It is happening again. _'No, no, no... not now, no... '_ thinks Daniel and he starts to weep. _'I want to stay. I want to hold him. Just once. Can I hold him just once?'_

But then the room begins to sound hollow and Daniel's body starts to tingle all over. He looks around and sees that most of the room appears to be frozen in time, and that now the only evidence of life is coming from the other side of the recovery room doorway. Daniel looks down at his child one more time. He is still aching deep inside to pick him up and hold him.

But he knows all too well that this particular part of his crazy adventure through time has come to an end. He walks slowly over to the door and looks through the doorway. Everything on the other side of the door looks bizarre and all out of proportion. Everything is too large, like the fun house at a carnival. But it is definitely not fun at all. Daniel hears people crying and wailing, and it is dark and dusty inside.

Daniel walks over, leans forward and peers through the doorway to get a better look. Suddenly, he is snatched up by the back of his shirt, lifted high up in the air and thrown across the room onto a pile of frightened children.

\+ - + - + - +

"Why does she sit there like that? Day after day after day, she simply sits out there gazing off into the gardens." Deborah turned away from looking out the kitchen window at Dinah, and continued, "When will she allow herself to get beyond it?"

Judah sat at the kitchen table and stared at his cup of tea. He watched the rhythmic ripples on the surface of the liquid that were being caused by the pulse in his fingertips as they were firmly clasped around the edge of the teacup. It was as though his heart was sending him a message in Morse code.

Without a single move, Judah quietly said, "Would you not mourn the loss of one of our children?"

"One of our children, yes," Deborah quickly answered. "But certainly not the loss of one of those dogs."

Judah stiffened and quickly placed both hands flat on the surface of the table. He looked at Deborah sternly, and sharply spoke her name, "Deborah!"

It took a few moments of silence under Judah's stern glare for Deborah to realize that those foul words actually came out of her own mouth. She put her hand up to her mouth and touched her lips with two fingers as though she were trying to push back the venom that had just dripped across them.

Judah's face softened, as he said, "What happened to you, Deborah?" Then he looked back down at his tea and sighed, and said, "What happened to us?"

Deborah slowly walked over and sat down next to Judah, and put her hands on his. Judah looked up at her face and was pleasantly surprised to see the sparkle had somewhat returned to her beautiful green eyes.

He knew he could not say it, but he dreamed he could take Deborah into his arms and run away from it all. He wished he were a different man. He wished he were a farmer or a fisherman. All he wanted was to be outdoors. He wanted life to be simple. He wanted to run away. He wanted to run away with Deborah.

Then Judah turned and looked out the kitchen window. Deborah cocked her head and was puzzled by the look of longing on Judah's face. Maybe all he desperately wanted was to run away with Dinah.

\+ - + - + - +

When the United States entered the war and more people became aware of the atrocities being committed against Arabs at the hands of both Mustafa Kemal and Judah Barshevet, those who were running the Barshevet home in Krakow came under severe abuse by the people in the surrounding city.

Jews in general were being viewed as savage monsters, and even though the household staff had nothing to do with the war, they were regularly yelled at in the streets or had things thrown at them when they were walking between the Barshevet mansion and the Jewish District.

It did not take long before the entire Jewish District became empty. All of the Jews were driven out because people could not help but take out their anger and frustration on the 'Zionists' who were raping the Middle East.

British troops finally took over the Barshevet mansion in Krakow. All of the servants were put in military prison for their own protection from the people in the city. Once again, Dinah found herself yanked out of her home and deposited into another orphanage, of sorts. Once again, she was cut off from the only family she had.

For their own safety, all of the Barshevet family servants were advised to move to other areas via military transport. The British troops did not want them to be hunted down and killed because of their relationship to the madman who was terrorizing the world with his torturous death camps and fierce insatiable hunger for the Land of Israel.

\+ - + - + - +

By the time the war was over, it looked like the epitome of a haunted house... probably because that is what it actually was -- haunted by the memories of murder and torture and the most extreme human suffering imaginable. As Dinah walked past it every day, she felt as though she may be the only person alive who remembered what the house was like before Judah Barshevet became one of the world's greatest villains against humanity.

When the British forces came in and took it over, and put her and the rest of the servants into the prison camp, she knew it was coming. She knew they would not allow any semblance of goodness or kindness in Judah to continue to exist. He was a murderer, an animal -- evil incarnate. He was a heinous vicious tyrannical madman. How could he have ever been anything else? How is it possible he loved his children? How is it possible he honored his parents? Or that he was kind to his servants, or maybe even loved one of them... and saved her and made her feel protected and secure and whole?

The people of the city took great joy in throwing rocks at it. Every window was broken and the entire front surface of the home looked like the face of an old man scarred since adolescence from a severe case of acne. If it were not for the surrounding barbed wire fence, the entire house would have surely been pulled apart and ripped to pieces, board by board.

The people of Krakow would have also ripped The Barshevet household servants to pieces if they had access to them, but the military prison had temporarily served to protect them.

Now Dinah was the only one left in the city. The rest had all fled in an attempt to find anonymous lives elsewhere.

But no one dared to touch Dinah. They knew she was also one of them -- a victim of cruelty at the hands of evil men. Even though it happened many years ago, it was well known what she had endured. She had suffered enough, and she had the horrible scar on her belly to prove it.

As she looked at the empty dark shell that once housed her joy, Dinah contemplated the fact that she was probably the only person alive who ever saw that lost young boy in Judah's face. The rest of the world saw a madman. She saw the lost boy -- the boy who simply wanted to be home... with his family... with her.

That is why she stayed in Krakow. There were too many strong memories treasured up in her heart. She remembered her beloved friend, Tamara, not her trauma and death, but the good fond memories of her that far outweighed that single senseless act of terror. To her, that part was easily erased by the laughter and the feelings of sisterhood, and the joy that twinkled through Tamara's lovely green eyes.

She remembered the Barshevet family and how well they had treated her. And, she remembered Rebekah and Reuben and all of the rest of the servants. They were as close as family gets. She remembered Judah -- the real Judah. She remembered the talks and the laughter and the kindred spirit they had shared. And she remembered the one early morning moment when they were one -- when she was whole -- and when she became two.

She knew her boy was out there somewhere. She felt an aliveness in her -- an assurance that his light was still on. She felt it the day he was born, and it had never ceased since then. He was out there somewhere. He would be close to twelve years old now. He was almost a Son of the Covenant. He was almost a man.

Dinah worked in the Garment District, and lived alone in a simple rented apartment of her own. The rest of the people in town were at least kind, but she knew she was a pariah to them -- a member of the Barshevet household, a tainted woman, damaged goods. To Gentiles she was a murderous Jew, and to Jews she was a half-breed, a Samaritan, a dog.

But, she knew the truth. She alone. And, she felt no one else deserved to know. It was a private matter. It was her own little treasured secret that no one could take away from her. She cherished the way it lifted her above the sneers and the cold shoulders. She was at peace in herself. She was content. She saw herself as a dove in the midst of the deluge. She merely wanted everyone to look at her flying overhead, and then know that the time had come and it was safe to come out.

PART FOUR

"Silence!"

Daniel is pierced to the core of his being with fright as he looks up and sees the massive formidable being marching toward him. He feels as though he is sitting in the middle of the street and looks up to see a Mack truck barreling down the road and heading straight for him.

Instinctively and quickly, Daniel pushes back with his legs and outstretches his arms with his palms facing backward to protect the pile of children behind him.

"Get up! Move!" commands the Mack truck.

All six of the children behind him and Daniel immediately stand up and begin to move toward a large double-hung sliding doorway. They are shoved outside and met with such a severe heat that Daniel feels as though tiny razor blades are slicing at his lungs with every breath he takes. And the brightness of the sun seems so close that he can reach out and touch it.

People all around him are crying and letting out sporadic terrified screams as they are herded out of train cars. Armed soldiers are strategically positioned to keep the crowds of people moving toward a fenced-off area filled with rows and rows of lined up bungalows.

Daniel suddenly realizes he has now assumed the identity of a young boy who is being herded into a concentration camp in the middle of some God-forsaken desert.

Now he knows why everything looks so large and out of proportion to him. As he walks into the yard, he thinks about the fact that the normal human growth transition from being three feet tall to six feet tall is so gradual that people don't even notice it. But now, in a brief moment of time, he has transformed from a full sized adult into a young boy. Everything around him looks bizarre. The people look like giants. The buildings look like massive structures. The windows are way too large and the doorways are immense.

And that feeling of being picked up off the ground by the Mack truck was another bizarre experience. He thinks about the fact that children get picked up all the time, and that it is a normal experience for them. But, adults do not get picked up. It was a completely bizarre feeling to be lifted up off the ground and tossed across a room like a piece of baggage.

Everything around Daniel is completely foreign to him and disconcertingly out of proportion. It is so different that he feels as though he is not on earth anymore. The environment is austere and hostile, and everything around him is so huge that he feels like he has been transported to some other planet.

Finally, after hours of standing and sitting, and sorting and shifting from one location to another, Daniel finds himself seated on a wooden bunk in a dormitory with a couple hundred other boys and girls of all ages. As he looks around at the other children, though, he notices they all look alike in appearance. They all have the same dark hair color and brownish skin color. They all do look alike, but at the same time he also hears them speaking several different languages.

Daniel is exhausted by all of the physical and mental abuse associated with being violently plucked away by a band of marauding soldiers; and then herded into a boxcar and traveling for hours along miles and miles of train track; and then being dumped into a concentration camp out in the middle of nowhere. In the midst of attempting to manage all of this stress, he is also trying to navigate the instant transition from being Dinah as she is recovering from giving birth, to being a random young boy who has just been birthed into hell.

So, Daniel lies back on the bunk and begins searching his memory banks for information about who he is. As he looks back into his mind, he finds profound sadness, loneliness and abandonment. He finds struggle and a life of doing everything he can to simply stay alive. He is an orphan. He has grown up in an orphanage in Bucharest, Romania. His name is Danut.

\+ - + - + - +

The next day, Danut wakes up and quickly finds the other children from the train. They are all friends who were snatched together out of the same orphanage in Bucharest. Danut talks with each one of them and does what he can to ensure that they are all doing as well as can be expected under the harsh circumstances in the camp.

"We will have to stick together in here, also," he says to them.

Danut is strong and mature for his age, and he has always assumed a leadership role among his peers at the orphanage. He has a long track record of taking good care of them, and they have learned to trust him and are always ready to follow his lead.

"Where are the others?" asks one of the girls.

"I do not know," answers Danut. "They only took us, the darker ones."

"I do not understand their words," says the girl.

"We must be from all kinds of different places," says Danut. "But we all look the same. We all have the dark hair and darker skin."

"You are lighter," says the girl. "Why did they take you?"

Danut did know he was the lightest of the bunch, but they had always been grouped together at the orphanage, so he also knew he was one of them.

"Because I am with you," he answers. "And we are going to stay together in here, too. We are going to survive like we always have survived -- by working together as a team."

After a few weeks in the camp, all of the prisoners have adjusted to the regular daily routine -- a routine of mistreatment, degradation, deprivation, exposure, hunger, starvation and death. In the same day that piled up carcasses are loaded onto huge wagons and hauled off to mass grave sites, the next train arrives carrying another load of confused and terror-stricken people.

They have learned that they all have something in common because they are constantly referred to as 'Ayrabs' or 'Ishmites' as they are shoved here and there, or beaten, or loaded into trucks and taken away -- never to be seen again.

Mustafa Kemal is ruthless in the West as he hunts down hundreds of thousands of innocent people and drives them out of their homes and businesses, even going as far as searching orphanages like the one Danut and his friends came from in Bucharest. And Judah Barshevet is no different in the East. He fully intended to habilitate the occupants in the area and provide a comfortable life for all of them, but when he was met with resistance, he quickly changed his tactics and went to war with anyone who stood in the way of re-establishing Zion in the Land of Israel.

Aleppo, Syria was the obvious choice for the camps. It was a perfect no-man's land in the exact middle of the two rampaging tyrants. What was once a busy hub of major trade routes and the center of bustling business and shipping activity became a dark nightmare of human trafficking and annihilation. Aleppo's glory days are long gone now as it transforms into a sewer for the waste products of two dictators striving to establish their respective utopian kingdoms.

\+ - + - + - +

In the midst of this madness, Danut answers his call. He is tireless in his daily efforts to assist any of his fellow prisoners as they all struggle to survive in their particular camp located in the outskirts of Aleppo. And, while this current environment is more extreme and intensely difficult than any he has ever experienced before, still, it is not getting the best of him. Danut's entire existence up to this point has been one of struggling to survive. That is his world. That is his construct. He has always been a citizen of struggle and survival. He has had to fight for his life with every breath he has ever taken. So now, here in this dreadful death camp, it is no different.

He becomes known in the camp as the delivery boy of comfort. He works tirelessly to identify needs and then devise the best possible solution to deliver the remedy, whether it is a little bit of extra water, or an article of clothing, or a morsel of food, or merely a kind encouraging word to an anguished heart.

One day, kind words from Danut are comforting an older man named Addiv, who is lamenting the loss of his children and grandchildren. Danut had befriended Addiv after discovering they both spoke Romanian. They became as close as kindred spirits could become in the rotten damnable death camp.

"I am your grandson now, Addiv," says Danut. "You have me and all of the other children here. We love you."

Over time, the salve of these healing words repairs Addiv's broken heart and he becomes less and less despondent. And as their relationship develops, Addiv realizes that he is having the same type of healing affect on Danut, because deep down in Danut's heart, he is craving a father. His soul is crying out to feel the touch of paternity he knows will connect him to some sense of belonging, some sense of who he is in the world.

\+ - + - + - +

One evening, Danut looks down at a piece of rotten food he and some of the other children have stolen from the mess hall garbage cans. He is picking off some of the more moldy parts before giving it to Addiv, when he stops and thinks for a moment, and says, "I have an idea."

Since this is not an uncommon phrase to come out of Danut's mouth, Addiv says, "Am I supposed to look surprised?"

Danut hands the food to Addiv, and says, "We can poison the guards and then take over the camp."

Addiv thinks for a moment, and then says, sarcastically, "Yes, of course, my boy, that is brilliant! That is how we handled our rat problem back home, so why would it not work here?"

Danut smiles, but his conviction is not diminished in the least by Addiv's sarcasm. "You have seen what the rotten food does to us," he continues.

"Yes," agrees Addiv.

"We need to poison them," urges Danut. "We need to make them all so sick that we can overtake them and they cannot resist us."

"I have not seen them eating rotten food lately, have you?" says Addiv. "I do not think that is their preference."

Danut frowns, and insists, "It would work."

Addiv softens and puts his arm around Danut, and says, "Yes, you are correct, Danut. It would work. Let us try to figure out a way we can get those rats poisoned."

One afternoon, a short while after that conversation, Danut is sitting alone by the barracks. He is trying as best as he can to fight off the relentless pressure to yield to the incessant tug of despondency, when Addiv and another younger man walk past him.

Danut does not remember seeing the other man before. He is in his late twenties or early thirties and looks somewhat more refined than many of the factory workers he has seen come into the camp.

As Addiv walks by, Danut looks up and sees the inconspicuous signal for him to follow them. He lets a few moments go by to avoid any hint of suspicion, and then he stands up and slowly strolls in the same direction as Addiv and the other man.

He knows where they are going because he and Addiv discovered a space between a few of the barracks that is hidden from the guards' view during their regular rounds.

"What?" asks Danut.

Addiv points to the younger man, and says, "This is Almaj. He has your rat poison."

"What," says Danut, puzzled.

"Shhh," urges Addiv.

"I arrived here two weeks ago... " starts Almaj. But, then he gets a shocked look on his face and stops talking. He stares at Danut, and says, "You are the boy from Krakow."

Addiv and Danut silently stare at each other.

"Praise be unto Allah!" exclaims Almaj. "How can this be? This is a miracle! You are a miracle child!"

"Shhh!" demands Addiv, as he puts his hand over Almaj's mouth. "Are you out of your mind? You are going to get us all killed!"

Almaj is completely overwhelmed, and says, "I never thought I would see you again. How did you get here? What are you doing here?"

"What are you talking about?" asks Danut.

"I know you. I have known you since you were born... since before you were born," says Almaj. "My family is from Krakow. We all knew about you. I went to the University of Bucharest. I used to watch you play at Parcul Sfantul Gheorghe all the time."

Danut is instantly transported back to that public park in his memory. It was his favorite place in the world.

"You are the boy! You are the boy from Krakow!" says Almaj.

"Quiet!" insists Addiv, whispering sternly. "We must go! We must talk later." As he quickly ushers Almaj and Danut out of their hiding place, he says, "Let us meet again between the evening meal and sun down. We must go, now!"

As Danut leaves their place of seclusion and each of them walk in different directions, Daniel's mind is reeling. He instantly remembers his life as Dinah in Krakow. _'What was he talking about?'_ thinks Daniel, as he walks away to the children's barracks and collapses on his bunk.

\+ - + - + - +

After Danut gets his bowl of watered down vegetable soup, he walks over and sits down next to Addiv. He finds it excruciating to not be able to say a word to Addiv, but conversation is strictly forbidden during meal times. Extreme curiosity is eating away at Danut as he looks over and sees Almaj sitting across the room staring at him. He also knows that Addiv and Almaj must stay separate from each other as much as possible, so as not to arouse any suspicion from the guards. If any of the adult male prisoners are observed as being frequently in each other's company, the guards immediately cease that behavior.

If there could be a peaceful time in the camp, it was the hour or two after the evening meal. As long as the prisoners returned to their barracks quietly, the guards were completely content to be done with their day themselves and then close the camp down for the night.

Danut walks over to Addiv's barracks wondering what more he might learn about the mysterious statements Almaj made earlier that day. Addiv is sitting down on a bench outside the barracks, so Danut walks over and joins him. A few moments later, they see Almaj strolling innocently toward them. The guards across the yard do not seem to be suspicious of an old man and a boy, and a young man who casually stops to talk to them. It is obvious that this random trio could not possibly pose any type of threat whatsoever to them.

Almaj stops and stands by them, and says, "I do so apologize to you, Danut, for telling those things to you in such a haphazard fashion. Let me please carefully explain how I know so much about you... and about what an amazing miracle it is that I am even talking to you right now.

"I am from Krakow, Poland, and we... my family and I, were aware of the Barshevet family long before they launched the Zionist movement and took over Jerusalem. My father worked for the Vacuum Oil Company. He and Solomon Barshevet had many business dealings together.

"It was a close community. We were all aware of the attack on their servant girls. It was so horrible and shocking. We could not believe it. The entire community was saddened and grieved and stunned by the event. In fact, my father's company even removed him from the Barshevet account because we were Arab. It was a sad and dreadful time.

"Then I went down to study chemistry at the University of Bucharest National School of Medicine and Pharmacy. We assumed that the servant girl's baby boy had been sent down to one of the orphanages in Bucharest, so I did some checking around at the orphanage near the university and discovered that the baby... well, you... lived there."

Danut looks up at Almaj with a confused look on his face. He can't seem to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Daniel is desperately attempting to sort out the details about what Almaj is revealing, but Danut's underdeveloped childish mind simply cannot grasp the complexity of the information.

"I have essentially been watching you grow up during most of your life," continues Almaj. "That is why I was so shocked today when I saw you standing right in front of me. But on the other hand, I am not at all surprised to see you here... because Kemal is ruthless. He is tracking down everyone with Arab heritage, ripping them from their homes and sending them down here to Aleppo. It is terrible. People are being taken from their homes and stuffed into train cars. It is horrible, simply horrible."

Danut shakes off the confusion in his mind and gets right back to the point at hand, and says, firmly, "That is why we must get out of here. Can you help us, or not?"

Almaj pauses and smiles, and says, "Addiv did warn me you were a feisty one. I understand the poison was your idea. You certainly are an amazing boy, especially considering... well, I mean... oh, I am so sorry, Danut. I am so very sorry for the trouble you have been thrown into."

Danut looks right at Almaj, and asks, directly, "Do you know how to make the poison? Do you think it will work?"

Almaj takes a deep breath and looks over at the guards, and answers, "Yes. I know exactly how to make a poison. And I can make it from things that are right here available to us in the camp. And yes, I do think it will work. I have been employed at the university medical laboratory since I graduated, so I know much about these kinds of things.

"But the difficult part will be up to you, Danut. We are going to need you and some of the other boys to get all of the supplies and ingredients for me to make the poison. And then, we are going to need you to get it into the guards' food. It is certainly going to be a difficult endeavor, but I think it can be done."

"I can take care of the logistics," says Addiv. "I have a good relationship with the Bedouins and together, with them, we will be able to rally the rest of the prisoners for an escape."

Almaj continues, "So, after the poison is ready, it will merely be a matter of getting it into the guards' systems and having it take its sickening effect. Then hopefully, we would be able to take over the camp."

Soon the guards order everyone to go back to their barracks for the evening, so Danut bids the men farewell and walks back to his barracks. As he sits on his bunk, he cannot stop thinking about the information Almaj has just shared with him.

Then he reaches up to loosen the scarf around his neck and is suddenly assaulted by a memory that is triggered when he feels the material in his hand. He instantly goes back in time and sees himself as Dinah standing by the bassinette and admiring her beautiful newly born baby boy. He re-experiences the desire to nurse the baby, and sees Dinah reach over and pick up a blanket to put on her shoulder.

Slowly, as if in a trance, Danut unties and removes the scarf from around his neck, and takes a good long look at it. He realizes, without question, the scarf he has been wearing his entire life is the baby blanket from the hospital recovery room. It is the blanket that Dinah picked up to wrap around her baby boy. Danut is that baby boy. Daniel has given birth to himself.

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Danut never had any reason to question his heritage. He learned early on he was Arab, like several of the other children in the orphanage. He also knew that being disconnected from parents was a normal aspect of every orphan's life. None of the children in the entire orphanage ever knew much of anything about their father or mother. They all simply accepted the fact that they would walk around for the rest of their lives with holes in their souls where their parents were supposed to be.

But Daniel has finally been able to put together many of the pieces of his time traveling puzzle, so Danut now has an even more bizarre set of information to process. He must now deal with the knowledge that he is either the son of a crazed young Arab rapist, or the son of a murderous tyrannical Jewish dictator.

So, it is quite therapeutic for Danut to be busy planning and executing the acquisition of everything in Almaj's recipe for 'rat' poison. He and Almaj meet frequently to discuss the various supplies that are needed, and from where they might be able to procure them. Many of the boys work in the mess hall, and Danut was fortunate enough to have been assigned clean up duty in the infirmary because the camp doctor is from Romania.

One day, after the evening meal, Almaj walks over to the children's barracks to talk to the boys who work in the mess hall. "Here," says Almaj, as he walks up to a few of them who are sitting on a bench outside the barracks.

"Here what?" asks a boy, questioning the old beat up boot in Almaj's outstretched hand.

"Here is a way for us to talk without raising the suspicion of the guards," explains Almaj, as he turns sideways and swings his arm behind him and then forward releasing the boot to fly about twenty feet away. Amazingly, the boot lands right side up on its sole. Almaj reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rock about the size of a walnut. With the grace of a professional bowling champion, he takes a balanced stance and swings his right arm behind him and then underhandedly tosses the rock toward the boot.

After the rock barely misses landing inside the boot, Almaj looks at the boys, and says, "Ten points if you get the rock inside the boot. Five points for the rock that lands closest to the boot. Now, go find a good tossing rock, and then give it a try."

So, each of the boys quickly go and find a nice round tossing rock. They come back, line up and take turns tossing their rocks toward the boot. After they have all had their chance to toss, they walk up to the boot to determine who is the closest.

"That is the closest one, right there. Five points," says Almaj. "What is your name?"

The boy picks up his rock, and answers, "Suliman."

"Very well," says Almaj, as he picks up the boot. "Let us see if we can give Suliman a run for his money." Almaj tosses the boot back to where they started from, and says, "Suliman goes first, and then we all try to beat him."

It is amazing to see how the boy's spirits are lifted after just a few rounds of this insignificant makeshift game. As they are setting up the next round, Almaj says to Suliman, "You work in the kitchen, correct?"

"Yes," answers Suliman, taking aim.

"We need you to steal some potatoes," continues Almaj.

"That is what I have been doing," says Suliman, as he lets his rock fly. "Yes! Beat that one!" he says to the boy next to him.

"These are special potatoes for a special purpose," explains Almaj. "I need the ones that have greenish skin, and I need the ones that have begun to sprout."

Suliman cheers the next boy's toss and then gives Almaj a puzzled look.

"And tomato stems if you can get them," adds Almaj. "That would also be useful."

"The cook rejects those anyway," says Suliman. "I will not have to steal them. They go in the garbage."

"Then simply get them out of the garbage and bring them to me," says Almaj.

Almaj looks over and notices Danut is not playing the game. He is merely sitting alone on the bench, so Almaj walks up and hands him his rock, and says, "Give it a try. It is fun."

So, Danut stands up, takes the rock from Almaj and walks over to where the other boys are playing. While Danut is waiting for his turn, Almaj says to him, "Your task may be more difficult. I need you to get some rubbing alcohol. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes," answers Danut. "The nurse at the orphanage had it in her office."

"Good," says Almaj, as he checks to see if any guards are looking their way. Then he reaches into his shirt and takes out a small leather boda bag, and says, "Here. Take this and tuck it into your pants."

Danut also checks to see that no guards are looking toward them. Then he takes the boda bag from Almaj and tucks it into his pants, and says, "Like this?"

"Yes," says Almaj, and then he adds, "One of the Bedouins gave it to us. You will be able to conceal it in your pants and then take it out to pour the alcohol into it. The doctor will notice if a bottle is missing, but he may not notice if some of its contents are gone. So, you can fill up that bag a few times and bring it to me."

After Danut tosses the rock, Almaj says, "I hope you are a better thief than a rock tosser. You throw like an old woman."

Danut smiles up at him, and says, "Just watch me. You will see."

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"City dwelling drained the life out of them. They lost contact with the land. But now they are returning to it. From the dust of the earth to the dust of the earth."

Addiv and several other prisoners were shoveling lye pellets on top of the bodies that had been dumped into a mass grave outside the camp.

"Many of these poor souls perished right here in the process of digging their own grave," continued Mohab, the leader of the camp's Bedouin group. Then he looked at Addiv and nodded, and said, "We will help you, my friend. We will most assuredly help you."

"The plan is in place and we believe you will be most helpful in organizing the people for the march into the desert," said Addiv. "We cannot go north into Kemal's territory and we cannot go south into Barshevet's domain. The sea is to the west, so we must go east into the desert."

"We know it well. Do not worry," assured Mohab. "We will also be able to stay away from the main roads. We will blend into the land. They will not be able to find us."

"Praise be unto Allah, and his prophets," said Addiv.

"Shall we not refrain from our praise until we have escaped this end," suggested Mohab, as he dumped another shovelful of lye pellets onto the bodies that were lying sprawled in the grave in front of them.

"I believe we should praise Him in the midst of our adversity," said Addiv, piously. "It is how we make it through the valley of the shadow of death."

"We will lead you through that valley," said Mohab.

"Do you not believe in Allah and the prophets?" asked Addiv.

"We believe in Allah and prophets who do not kill," answered Mohab. "Muhammad's attack on Mecca was not in keeping with the prophets before him."

"They were idol worshipers," said Addiv. "And they were resisting the spread of peace through Islam."

Mohab looked at Addiv, and said, "And I suppose that is the same reason why we are here now."

Addiv took a deep breath and continued to shovel. Then he said, "You dishonor the Prophet."

"I do not dishonor the Prophet. I honor every man equally," said Mohab. "And, I reserve all of my worship for Allah alone. He alone is worthy of our worship.

"True peace is individual peace with Allah, and a community of peace with each other. Peace can never be forced upon anyone by another's concept of peace. Submission to Allah, I believe in. Submission to others, I do not. The purity of Islam is good. The practice of Islam is not good. Muhammad may have received good information, but it did not take long for it to go bad. His family began warring with each other right after his death. Where is the peace in that, may I ask?"

Addiv thought for a moment. Then he looked down into the grave, and said, "I suppose we should ask them."

"If we are going to utter anything at all to Allah, it should be a request for His mercy to be upon them in the Great Day of Judgment," said Mohab.

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Fortunately, the cook is the least aggressive of all the Jewish and Turkish guards at the camp, and does not prevent Suliman in the slightest way from taking tomato stems and old green-skinned potatoes from the garbage.

The doctor, on the other hand, is not an easy prey. He keeps a strict eye on everything that goes on in the infirmary, and is not one to miss anything Danut might do to relieve the infirmary of any medical supplies. Day after day, Danut must report to Almaj that he was again unable to fill the boda bag.

"It is alright. Just keep trying," says Almaj, encouragingly. He and Danut are sitting in the concealed area between the barracks, and Almaj is working diligently on the poison. He looks up from what he is doing with a smile on his face, and says, "The alcohol is for the end of the process anyway. For now I have plenty to keep me busy."

He then goes back to grinding up the sprouted potato eye roots and tomato stems, and the green potato skins in a bowl that the boys were able to steal from the kitchen.

"How can potatoes be poison?" asks Danut. "We eat them all the time."

"Because you are not a beetle or a rat," says Almaj, looking up at him. "Are you?"

Danut looks puzzled.

"If you are small like them, it is poisonous," explains Almaj. "That is how the plants protect themselves from being eaten by their predators. The plant makes a poison called solanine to keep the bugs and vermin away.

"My chemistry professor was a good man. He was a Christian. He said that God built all of these things into His creation to balance it all out and to keep it running perfectly. He said we have much yet to discover in nature. He was convinced that someday cures for every disease would be discovered in plants or in nature somewhere. He was a brilliant man and taught us much about this type of thing."

"But the guards are not beetles or rats either," points out Danut.

Almaj looks up at him and smiles, and says, "Are you so sure about that?"

Danut smiles.

"That is why I am doing this," says Almaj, pointing to the bowl. "I am going to extract a concentrated dose of the solanine out of the plants, so we can put it into a batch of soup and give the guards one big bad stomach ache."

"Will they die?" asks Danut.

Almaj stops grinding and looks up at Danut, and says, "Honestly, there are too many variables to answer that question for sure. I simply cannot say for certain. Some of the guards may get quite ill, and I suppose if they are not attended to, they could die."

Almaj goes back to grinding, and quietly says, "I could make something that would kill them."

"No," says Danut, quietly, "We do not want to become like them."

Almaj looks up at Danut, and agrees, "No, we certainly do not want to become like them."

Almaj then dumps the mash of skins and stems out of the bowl into a piece of linen cloth. He wipes the bowl clean with another cloth and squeezes the juice from the mash through the linen and back into the bowl. Then Almaj reaches over and picks up a pair of spectacles, and says, "The old man gave up his vision for a while so we could cook our poison."

Almaj positions the spectacles above the bowl in such a way that they create a focused beam of light on the mash inside the bowl. "Little by little, we are creating one big problem for the guards," says Almaj. "You came up with a good plan, Danut. All we need is a few more green potato skins to increase the strength of the dosage, and that alcohol to further purify our troublesome potion."

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About another week goes by with no success for Danut at relieving the cabinet in the infirmary of its precious recipe item. Danut feels as though he is failing the entire camp as he walks outside of the infirmary after yet another failed attempt to acquire the alcohol. He is dreading the thought of having to deliver the bad news to Almaj once again, when he looks up and sees Almaj staggering across the yard toward him. He takes a few more wobbly steps and then collapses in the middle of the yard in front of Danut.

"Almaj! Almaj!" cries Danut as he runs up to him.

Other prisoners and some of the boys immediately run over to help Almaj.

"What is wrong? What has happened to you?" cries Danut, but Almaj merely looks up at him and winces in pain.

Danut turns and runs back to the infirmary, and yells, "Doctor! Doctor! Come quickly!" He sees the doctor coming into the waiting room, and cries, "Doctor! A man... outside in the yard!"

The doctor looks out the doorway, and then back at Danut, and says, "Damn prisoners. Go! Get a bed ready!" Then the doctor walks out into the yard where Almaj is lying in a fetal position and grimacing in pain. Two guards also walk up to keep the situation from getting out of control.

Danut is deeply concerned about his friend, but he also knows this is a perfect opportunity for him to steal the alcohol. So, he pulls the boda bag out of his pants and runs over to the storage cabinet. He quickly grabs the alcohol bottle, unscrews the cap and carefully fills the bag. Then he caps the bag and puts it back into his pants. Quickly, he puts the cap back on the alcohol bottle and then returns it to its place in the cabinet.

Danut barely finishes preparing a bed when the guards bring Almaj into the infirmary and plop him down on it.

"Bad food," says the doctor as he opens Almaj's shirt and examines his distended abdomen. "Gastric lavage," he utters as he walks over to the cabinet.

A flood of terror pours over Danut as the doctor opens the cabinet. He scans the shelves and stops momentarily at the alcohol bottle. But then he quickly grabs a bottle of halogenated ether from the cabinet and picks up a cloth from the counter. He takes these and walks over to Almaj.

As he is administering the anesthesia, he points to the other side of the room and orders Danut to wheel a cart over to Almaj's bedside. Then he tells Danut to leave the room as he begins the process of pumping Almaj's stomach.

A few hours later, Danut is ordered to report back to the infirmary. When he walks in, the doctor says, "He is well enough. Take him back to his own bed."

As Danut helps Almaj make his way across the yard, Almaj takes a labored breath and says, "It works."

"What?" asks Danut.

"The poison," answers Almaj. "It works."

"What?" says Danut, incredulously. "You took the poison?"

Almaj nods.

"Why?" asks Danut.

"I wanted to test it," answers Almaj.

"You are a madman!" says Danut. "Why did you do that?"

"Did it work?" asks Almaj.

"Did what work?" asks Danut.

"Did you get the alcohol?" asks Almaj.

Suddenly, it occurs to Danut that Almaj must have also taken the poison to create a diversion in order for him to have an opportunity to steal the alcohol.

"You are a crazy man!" says Danut.

"So, it worked," says Almaj. "You got the alcohol?"

"Yes. It worked," says Danut, as he helps Almaj into the barracks and onto his bunk.

As Almaj tries to get comfortable on his bunk, he says, "That was a nice bed. I should try that again."

"Do not dare!" says Danut.

Almaj lays his head back, and says, "They are not going to like it, Danut. I can tell you that. They are not going to like it one bit."

\+ - + - + - +

Addiv is wise enough to know some potential enemies of their plan could be found right there among their own ranks in the camp, so he makes sure the entire team keeps all of their activities highly secret. No one has discovered their secret hiding place between the barracks yet, but they know it is only a matter of time before something goes wrong and their entire escape plan is defeated.

"Many of them are weak or merely frightened to death," says Addiv. "This is too important. We cannot risk the success of this plan on someone who might trade information for a fresh piece of bread. Our small band is enough to get this done, and then gather all of the rest of the prisoners together when it is time to escape."

"You are overly hopeful," says Almaj, as he puts the final touches on his poison concoction.

"No, he is not," counters Danut. "This will work. We will escape."

Almaj holds up a bottle of liquid, and says, "Well, this should do it. All we have to do is add this to a pot of their soup at the evening meal."

Danut smiles.

"Are the Bedouins ready?" asks Almaj.

"Yes," answers Addiv. "Mohab and his clan will take us east toward Persia. We cannot go north into Kemal's territory or south into Barshevet's clutches. The sea is to the west, so we must hope that we are warmly welcomed into the arms of Persia.

"The Bedouins know the land. Mohab has assured me they will be able to keep us off the roads to prevent us from being re-captured. And they will know where to find water and food."

"Let us pray that the sustaining arms of Allah are with us in this exodus also," says Almaj. "Let us pray that he bears us up on eagle's wings and delivers us into the Promised Land."

"Amen," says Danut.

"Yes, amen," says Addiv.

After a few moments, Danut looks up at Almaj, and asks, "When we get out of here, are you going back to Krakow?"

Almaj takes a moment to think about that random question, and then answers, "Yes, Danut, I believe I will, eventually. Yes, I will definitely want to go home and see what has become of my family through all of this."

"Will you take me to my mother?" asks Danut.

Almaj and Addiv look at each other and both begin to tear up.

Almaj kneels down and looks into Danut's eyes, and says, "Yes, Danut, my brave little friend. I will most definitely take you to your mother. I know where all of the servants lived in the Jewish District. I am certain she will be overjoyed to see you. To see what a fine boy you are, and what a great man you will be."

"Thank you, Almaj. Thank you so so much," says Danut. Then he wraps his arms around him, pulls him close and gives him a tight embrace.

\+ - + - + - +

It is not long before Suliman reports to Almaj that the cook is preparing a large pot of vegetable beef soup for the guards' dinner.

"Then this is it," says Almaj. "These guards are going to experience a Passover like they never have before, only we are the ones clearing out of the Egyptian bondage."

He then goes to his barracks to retrieve the bottle of solanine poison. When he comes back and hands it to Suliman, he says, "When the soup is cooled close to eating temperature, pour the entire contents of the bottle into it."

Almaj then finds Addiv and Danut, and says, "It will happen tonight. You must go tell the Bedouins to be ready. We will most definitely find things quite different around here in the morning."

As the prisoners' are leaving the evening meal, Suliman hands the empty poison bottle to Almaj and reports that he has successfully poured all of the poison into the guards' pot of soup. Word then spreads to the rest of the team that the plan is in place and, if all goes well, they should be ready to take over the camp in the morning.

\+ - + - + - +

Danut does not sleep much that night. Just before dawn, he wakes quietly and opens his eyes. He thinks he hears voices. Not voices as much as singing. He hears singing. _'Those crazy Bedouins are going to ruin everything. They are going to get us all killed,'_ he thinks as he gets off his bunk and looks outside.

Then he is even more shocked when he sees a huge fire blazing in the middle of the yard. _'What are they doing?'_ he thinks, as he steps out into the yard. But, then his ears are filled with the most beautiful singing he has ever heard. Deep, rich and full harmonies from a choir of male voices are filling his ears. His chest seems to vibrate in time with the powerful bass tones.

As Danut walks up closer to the fire, he sees that the men who are seated around the fire are not the Bedouins. These men are much darker skinned and their hair is tightly curled close to their heads. They have robes like the Bedouins, but their robes are covered with different colors and patterns.

One of the men turns and reaches out his hand toward Danut, and says, "Dance."

Danut does not understand what is going on, so the man gestures for him to come closer, and says, "Danut."

' _What?'_ thinks Danut. _'How does he know my name... '_

"Danut. Danut. Wake up. It is time."

Danut wakes up startled to see Suliman leaning over him.

"The guards are coming out," says Suliman.

Danut sits straight up, hops off his bunk and runs over to the door. Almaj and a large group of Bedouins are gathered outside the guards' quarters looking into the windows. Almaj motions to some of them stationed by the door, and they quickly push it open and rush inside. Soon, the guards are all ushered out into the yard by armed Bedouins. The guards are dazed and doubled over in pain. They stumble and crawl out to form a group in the middle of the yard, with the armed Bedouins circled all around them.

Danut slowly walks out into the yard. Almaj looks over his shoulder with a smile. Soon, many other prisoners are coming out of their barracks to see what is going on. The plan worked. The guards are completely incapacitated by a combination of intense gastrointestinal pain and the mental confusion that is caused by the solanine.

But suddenly, everyone hears shots fired as a guard comes running out from behind their quarters wildly screaming and firing his rifle into the air. Everyone ducks for cover, but Almaj immediately runs over, tackles the guard and disarms him. He then begins to beat him repeatedly with the rifle, so a few of the Bedouins rush over and have to pull Almaj off the guard before he bashes the man's brains out.

As that scene gets under control, Danut looks over and sees that another group of the Bedouins are already loading up the trucks and giving orders to all of the other prisoners in the camp. Excitement begins to swell at the thought of freedom. For the first time since he arrived at the death camp, Danut sees smiles on the faces of the people and hears the sound of hope in their voices.

He looks back at Almaj who is on his knees by the soldier, and weeping uncontrollably. As Danut walks up closer to Almaj, he is not able to determine what kind of tears he is crying. He picks up the rifle that is lying next to Almaj and starts to put his arm around his shoulder to comfort him, and says, "We did it, Almaj. We are free."

But Danut's arm passes right through Almaj. He tries again and again to embrace him, but once again, it is time for Daniel to leave. He is no longer a part of this particular place in time.

The entire camp around him begins to look soft and blurry. All of the sounds become hollow and distant. But then the pleasant tones of rich deep singing from the male choir begin to fill his ears again. Danut looks all around the camp and finds that the singing is the perfect accompaniment for the scenes of freedom and rejoicing and hope that now surround him.

Danut looks over and sees that the singing is coming from the guards' quarters. He rises to his feet and walks toward the door. He looks into the room, but sees nothing. He can hear the singing coming from inside the room, but it is completely dark -- no light, no shapes, no surfaces, no nothing at all.

But Daniel realizes once again that his only option for continued existence is through that door, so he takes a deep breath and walks through it.

\+ - + - + - +

"Astounding! Absolutely astounding! This is incredible! I could scarcely believe it when my men reported to me that you took over the camp and escaped by poisoning the guards!"

Almaj's English was fluent enough to communicate to the U.S. Army officer that he agreed the notion was quite far-fetched. He then pointed to Danut and told the officer he was the boy who came up with the whole idea.

U.S. Army Colonel Edwin Mitchell, still shaking his head in disbelief, said, "Well, this one will most certainly go down in the history books. This is an incredible act of bravery and courage. You all certainly do have much to be proud of... and much to be thankful for. I'll tell you."

"Will we be going soon?" asked Danut.

"What did he say?" asked Colonel Mitchell.

Almaj looked at him, and said, "We are hoping you may help us to get back to Krakow, Poland. My family is from there, and I think they might be... or they might be trying to... "

"Yes, yes, of course," interrupted Colonel Mitchell. "We are way ahead of you. There are several of you who will be taken back to your homes in Europe. And many more who have asked for emigration to the U.S. to make a new start there." Then he laughed, and added, "And the Bedouins... well, they are completely content with simply walking back out into the desert. Yes, it is the least we can do considering what you all must have gone through. We will do what we can to get everyone back home, wherever in the world that might be."

It was not long before Almaj and Danut were on a U.S. Army train headed back to Krakow. Compared to bouncing around in a boxcar full of terrified people during the last time Danut was traveling by train, this trip seemed like a luxury tour. This time he could not stop looking out the window at all the interesting sights as they traveled through Anatolia and back up to Poland. Many of the larger cities were scarred from the bombings, but the smaller towns and villages seemed to have survived unscathed.

Danut was easily able to imagine himself living happily and peacefully in any one of them. He wondered if that was what he might find when he finally returned home to the place where he was born. He closed his eyes for a few moments, and also wondered, _'Will my mother be there? Will she be alive? Will she remember me?'_

None of the major campaigns were waged as far north as Krakow. The Barshevet machine was completely content to say goodbye to that city and hello to Zion. And all of Kemal's efforts were focused on fortifying Anatolia. So, most of the damage to the city was done toward the end and after the war, as if the city was responsible for rearing a mass murderer. The Jewish District was decimated, and several of the factories were burned down -- all done like feeble attempts at pulling out nasty weeds and hoping they would never grow back again.

Almaj's family did not live too far from the train station, so he and Danut got off the train and started walking down the street.

"I have always loved this train station," said Almaj. "When I was about your age, I would come here and imagine myself traveling all over the world. That is another reason why I decided to attend university in Romania. I wanted to broaden my horizons and see different lands."

Danut looked up at him, and asked, "Was Aleppo on your list of places to see?"

Almaj shook his head and chuckled, and answered, "No, it was not. And now, after what we have been through, I know it never will be."

The woman on the front porch stopped sweeping and stared at Almaj in disbelief as he and Danut walked toward Almaj's home.

"Oh... Almaj," said the woman.

As Almaj walked past the woman, he acknowledged her with a polite smile, and said, "Hello, Mrs. Stefanos." But then he stopped talking when he looked ahead and saw the condition of his family's house.

"Oh, Almaj, we are so... Oh... " she said, as she dropped her broom and rushed into her house.

"This does not look good," said Almaj as he and Danut walked up to his family home.

The front door was kicked in and laying flat on the entryway floor. Almaj and Danut walked in and saw that the house was trashed. Leaves and dirt and debris covered the floor. The furniture that remained was all tipped over and busted up. All of the curtains around the windows were pulled down, tilted and hanging half-mast from the walls.

"I suppose there is not much sense in looking around," said Almaj, shaking his head. "The place has obviously been repeatedly looted and scraped clean of any of our family's presence."

Almaj stood there quietly, feeling raped and violated and stripped of every memory he had ever treasured in his heart from growing up in his family home. The once warm comfort of the living room was now crumbling like shattered ice. The hearty sustenance of the kitchen now permeated an acrid decimated waste. And the overall shelter from the cold now seemed to be an open invitation to the blowing of the wind.

"Almaj! Almaj! Oh, Almaj!" cried a young woman as she ran through the front door, immediately grabbed him and held him close to her.

Almaj held her tightly and began to cry, and said, "Oh, Selah! Selah! How can this be? Oh, praise Allah, I am so happy to see you!"

Almaj took her by the shoulders to get a better look at her, and to make sure she was actually standing right there with him. Then he smiled and cried some more, and hugged her tightly to his chest again.

Mrs. Stefanos followed Selah into the room, and said, timidly, "We hid her. They came for all of you, but we were able to hide her from them."

Almaj looked back at Mrs. Stefanos. He knew the answer, but he asked it anyway, "Are they all gone?"

"We are so very sorry, Almaj. So very very sorry," said Mrs. Stefanos, as she began to weep. "It was horrible... simply horrible."

"She saved me, Almaj," said Selah as she stepped back from their embrace. Then she rushed back to Mrs. Stefanos and embraced her and looked back at Almaj, and said, "I was not home. I was not home when they came. I was at the market... getting groceries... "

"Please come," interjected Mrs. Stefanos. "You look exhausted. Please come and rest and have something to eat."

Selah reached her hand out to Danut, and Almaj looked at him, and said, "Oh, please... I am sorry. This is Danut. We were in the camp together. This is... this is... you are not going to believe this... it is a miracle. He is a miracle."

The quick meal Mrs. Stefanos prepared for them was like a feast to Almaj and Danut. It was most definitely the best tasting food they had eaten in a long long time.

"This is delicious, Mrs. Stefanos," said Almaj. "Thank you so very much."

Danut also looked up from his plate and agreed with Almaj.

"He thanks you also," interpreted Almaj. "And he also agrees that the food is delicious. We have not eaten like this in quite a long time. We are both so thankful to you for everything." Almaj paused for a moment, and then continued, "Thank you so much for protecting and caring for my sister, Mrs. Stefanos. You are most kind. It must have been quite dangerous for you. Were you ever in danger yourselves?"

"She hid me and a few others when the soldiers came back," said Selah.

"Yes. It was quite risky at times," said Mrs. Stefanos. "We were searched often, but we have a storage room under the house that is impossible to detect. We were very very fortunate. Very fortunate, indeed."

Danut continued to eat while the adults talked on and on in Polish. He caught a few words here and there, but suddenly it became quite obvious that the topic of their conversation was centered on him. Mrs. Stefanos and Selah both stared at him with astonished looks on their faces as Almaj described to them how he and Danut met in the concentration camp.

"She is still here!" said Selah, excitedly. "All of the other servants left years ago, but she is still here. I can show you."

Almaj turned to Danut, and said, "Your mother is here. My sister says we can take you to your mother."

Danut began to cry. He did not want to, but his body would not obey. He grabbed on to Almaj and squeezed him with all his might and sobbed convulsively.

"She works in the Garment District. We might be able to find her," said Selah. "But some of the shifts are ending soon, so we had better hurry."

Mrs. Stefanos bid them farewell and wished them good luck. They thanked her again and walked quickly away down the street. As they walked, Selah continued to fill Almaj in on everything that had happened during the war. Danut did not mind too much being disconnected from their conversation. His mind was more occupied by all the new sights and sounds and smells surrounding him there in the city of Krakow. He felt somewhat connected to the place, but he had no idea why.

They turned into another part of the neighborhood, and Danut could sense the darkness. Almaj and Selah stopped in front of the house. Almaj was stunned. He could not believe his eyes. The once magnificent Barshevet mansion was now reduced to a beat up battered shanty. The glory was gone -- smothered by the mire of human misery.

Almaj and Selah continued to point out different things about the house and talked briefly about them. Danut stepped a little to the side of them and wondered what the fascination might be about this dreadful place.

He started to ask Almaj about it when he felt a gentle tugging on his neck. He reached up to his scarf, and then turned around to see a woman reaching out and slowly untying it from his neck. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She knelt down and embraced Danut and began to cry.

Almaj and Selah turned around and discovered Dinah holding Danut tightly. Almaj remembered her from years ago, but now he was stunned by her beauty. It was an outward beauty that had been forged from her inner strength. He was awestruck by her.

He and Selah both began to quietly weep. They stepped back to give the reunion the sacred space it deserved.

Dinah leaned back slightly and gently tossed the scarf over her shoulder, and said, quietly, "My boy. My baby boy."

Danut held her tight and began to cry.

After a few moments, Selah said, quietly, "Hello, Dinah."

It took a while, but Dinah finally looked up at Selah.

"Do you remember me?" asked Selah.

Dinah shook her head silently.

"I am the delivery girl to the shop," continued Selah. "You have signed my orders before."

Dinah stood up slowly, still hugging Danut, and said, "Yes. I am sorry. Yes, I do remember you. Selah, correct?"

"Yes... and this is my brother, Almaj."

"You are Arabs, correct?" asked Dinah.

"Yes," answered Almaj.

"How did you get here?" asked Dinah. "How did you... " Then she fell to her knees again and tightly embraced her son.

"We have much to tell you," said Almaj, kindly. "Would you be willing to come with us, so we can tell you about Allah's strong hand of deliverance over us?"

Dinah looked into Danut's eyes, and said, "My baby boy. Oh, my baby boy. Hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah."

\+ - + - + - +

Almaj was deft at being a conduit of language between Dinah's Polish and Danut's Romanian. But often, they would both begin to speak so excitedly to each other that Almaj had to calm down their spirited discussion and call a truce between them. Laughter would then ensue as the three of them attempted to speak calmly enough to get each other back on the same page, and then continue to discover all the things they had missed over the past twelve years.

But Polish and Romanian were not the only languages that were being learned. Through the intimacy and vulnerability of sharing their stories, all three of them were also becoming more fluent in the language of love. Almaj's first impression of Dinah grew into a great respect and admiration for the beautiful woman whom he was discovering to be so strong and sensitive and lively. And Dinah began to see in Almaj the courageous and caring man who could very well be the piece she thought might finally and permanently fill the gaping hole in her soul.

Amidst all of this, for the first time in his life Danut felt like he was a member of a real family. He cherished his long long overdue reunion with his mother. He treasured the strong bond of friendship and camaraderie he had with Almaj. And he enjoyed seeing himself as the catalyst that brought all three of them together. But most of all, he was overjoyed and deeply content and peaceful with the thought of finally being part of a family.

\+ - + - + - +

Dinah found it extremely difficult to separate herself from Danut each day in the morning as she left their apartment to go to work. The fulfillment of twelve years of yearning and longing to be with him was difficult to suppress. But the smile on his face and the joy that was always pouring out of his soul eased their daily separations and fueled enough joy in her to carry her throughout the day.

Dinah's apartment was quite small, but to Danut it was a castle. To him, the difference was profound. He finally had a home of his own. He was no longer a mere border in a facility, or an inmate in an institution, or a prisoner in a camp. He finally found his home. He finally found his place in the world. He finally found his family.

Almaj was somewhat overwhelmed by all of the processes involved with settling his family's affairs, but he still spent as much time as possible with Dinah and Danut. He visited the re-united family frequently, and during these times of intimacy they all enjoyed the hours and hours of time they spent knitting into each other's souls.

"He is an amazing boy," said Almaj one night after Dinah settled Danut into bed. "I almost wish you could have seen him in the camp, like I did. As terrible as it was, it still served as the soil in which Danut's abilities flourished. He was such a comfort to so many of us in there, and in such a variety of different ways."

"Would you care for a cup of tea before you leave?" offered Dinah.
"Yes, I would, thank you," answered Almaj as he followed Dinah into the kitchen. "And, it was quite astonishing how he was able to galvanize the entire effort that eventually resulted in our freedom from the camp."

Dinah looked at Almaj and smiled as she prepared the tea.

"I know, I know... I keep telling you that story over and over again," said Almaj. "But it was truly amazing how he never gave up. I was ready to give up many times. It was devastating in there. No one had any hope of ever getting out of there. But he kept at it. He kept pushing toward his dream of freedom for all of us."

Almaj then looked over at Dinah, and said, "Actually, now that I think about it, he was probably dreaming of you. It was probably you who was fueling his spirit and giving him the determination and courage to continue working toward our freedom."

Almaj paused and thought for a moment, and then continued, "And, I must tell you that I noticed the same thing about him many years previously as I watched him growing up in the orphanage in Bucharest. The other children clearly looked to him for leadership. It was obvious he cared deeply for all of them."

Almaj paused for a moment and found himself quite taken again with Dinah as he watched her get the teacups and saucers ready for their tea. "You are also an amazing woman, Dinah. I know what you have been through. You are a courageous... "

"All of us had to be courageous, Almaj," interrupted Dinah. Then she smiled slightly, and continued, "But hopefully, it may very well be that those times are now behind us."

\+ - + - + - +

"May I borrow Danut for the afternoon?" asked Almaj.

"Why?" asked Dinah, curiously.

"I need to take him to the train station," answered Almaj.

"Why? Where are you taking him?" asked Dinah, alarmed.

"No, no, no, it is nothing like that," smiled Almaj. "Actually, I need him to take me somewhere."

Dinah gave Almaj a sideways glance as Danut walked in and asked what was happening.

"I need a distraction," explained Almaj. "I simply cannot look at another piece of paper. I cannot make another phone call. I cannot talk to another... my mind is about to explode from all the details I have to take care of regarding the affairs of my family."

Dinah nodded her head in sympathy.

"When I was a boy, I would go to the train station and dream about all the places where I could go," said Almaj. "But, I honestly do not quite know if I can do that anymore. I think I may need Danut's help. I do not know if I will be able to re-kindle my dormant imagination. I may need him to help me fire it up again."

Almaj looked at Danut, and asked, "Would you like to go to the train station with me, Danut?"

"Yes!" answered Danut, enthusiastically.

Almaj looked at Dinah, and said, "You do not have to work today. Will you come with us? The old train station truly is a magical place."

"I think I could use a little magic," said Dinah. "Yes, that would be fun. We need a change of scenery around here."

"Wonderful!" said Almaj.

The walk to the train station was lovely. It felt good to each of them to be walking along a different path than they normally took day in and day out.

As they walked into the station, Almaj said, "Well, Danut... where shall we go today?"

"Do we get to go anywhere?" asked Danut.

"You tell me," answered Almaj.

Danut began to walk around the train station and look at all the travel posters displayed at various places along the walls. He stopped and stood in front of one of them and stared at it for quite a while. Up at the top of the poster were the large capital letters SPAIN. Below them was a magnificent matador taming a wild charging bull.

"I read a story about a matador," said Danut. "I think we should go to Spain and see a bull fight."

As Danut and Almaj began to dream about being matadors and mesmerizing ferocious bulls with their flashing red capes, Dinah continued to stroll around the train station. She enjoyed watching people as they were gathering their things together and scurrying off to catch a train, or greeting loved ones who were arriving from another train, or maybe merely noticing people like herself who were walking around watching other people.

Then, she also was captivated by a certain travel poster. She walked over to look at it. Up at the top, it read SWITZERLAND, and below that title was a gorgeous photograph of the Alps.

"We can visit Switzerland on our way to Spain," said Almaj, as he and Danut walked up to her.

"I have never seen such beautiful mountains," said Dinah.

"We can go there also, Mother," said Danut.

Dinah looked at Almaj, and said, "This place truly is magical, indeed."

\+ - + - + - +

After a couple of months, Almaj was able to verify his family had all perished in a Turkish concentration camp in Syria. Dinah and Danut were invited to a small funeral service that Almaj and Selah arranged in order to pay their final respects to the other members of their family. Mrs. Stefanos had been graciously housing her beloved neighbors. She was happy to open her home for the special gathering of the few friends in the area that remained after the war.

Almaj began, "Allahu Akbar. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

"Allahu Akbar. Oh Allah, let Your peace come upon Muhammad and the family and followers of Muhammad, as you have brought peace to Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are praiseworthy and glorious. Allah, bless Muhammad and the family and followers of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family and followers. Truly, You are praiseworthy and glorious.

"Allahu Akbar. Our Lord says, 'Call on Me, and I will answer you, and tell you great and mighty things that you do not know.'

"Oh Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those who are present among us and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. Oh Allah, whoever You keep alive, keep them alive in Islam, and whoever You cause to die, cause them to die with faith. Oh Allah, do not deprive us of the reward and do not cause us to go astray after this. Oh Allah, forgive them and have mercy on them, keep them safe and sound and forgive them, honor their rest and ease their entrance; wash them with water and snow and hail, and cleanse them of sin as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. Oh Allah, give them a home better than their home and a family better than their family. Oh Allah, admit them to Paradise and protect them from the torment of the grave and the torment of Hell-fire; make their grave spacious and fill it with light.

"Allahu Akbar."

Almaj turned his head to his left, and said, "Peace and blessings of Allah be unto you." He then turned his head to his right, and repeated, "Peace and blessings of Allah be unto you."

After a short period of silence, Dinah moved close to Almaj, and said, "Thank you for inviting us to be a part of this sacred moment for you and Selah."

"Their final judgment is in the hands of Allah," said Almaj.

"May I offer a blessing from the Torah?" asked Dinah.

Almaj nodded.

Dinah raised her arms, and said, "The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace."

"Thank you, Dinah," said Almaj as he wiped a few tears away. "That was beautiful." And he gave her a tender embrace.

After the few other people had left, Almaj walked up to Dinah, and said, "Dinah, before you leave, I have something I want to... I have some news I would like to share with you."

They walked into the front room and Almaj looked at her, and continued, "I have accepted a position at the university in Bucharest."

Dinah was noticeably torn between sadness and gladness.

"It is a wonderful opportunity to continue my activities in the field of pharmaceuticals," continued Almaj. "Selah and I will be moving down there in about a month."

"That is very nice, Almaj," said Dinah, noticeably tentative. "I am very happy for you."

Almaj squirmed slightly, and then asked, "Would you and Danut consider moving to Bucharest with us?"

Dinah was somewhat confused by the question.

"I know this is your home," said Almaj. "But I thought you might be interested in some new surroundings. It is a beautiful city."

"What would I do? Where would we... " started Dinah.

"Well," said Almaj, as he took Dinah's hands into his, "It would certainly be easier if you were my wife."

Dinah closed her moist eyes. She was deeply in love with Almaj, and now she knew for certain he felt the same way about her. Tears of joy spilled down her cheeks as she reached out and pulled herself closely into Almaj's warm chest.

\+ - + - + - +

The new family had been nicely settled in Bucharest for quite a while when it became time for Danut to celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah.

"The calendar has finally caught up with you, my Son," said Dinah. "There is no question you were forced to be a man much too early in your life. And you have already more than proven you are a man."

Danut always listened carefully to all of his mother's teaching.

"So, this day will merely act as a symbol that you are a member of a much larger family," continued Dinah. "You must be aware you are a member of the family of God. And you are now old enough to be called a Son of the Covenant that He made with us, His people."

Danut thought for a moment, and then said, "I am a member of many families. Is God the Father of all of them?"

Dinah's mind raced through the hallways of her past. She winced at her rape by the young Muslim men. She felt the joy and pain and sorrow for Tamara. She remembered the love she had for Judah. Finally, she closed her eyes and felt the overwhelmingly powerful love she now had for Almaj and for her beloved son.

With tears slowly dripping down her cheeks, she held Danut's shoulders and looked into his eyes, and said, "Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed through him. And the prophet Isaiah was told that our people were to be a light unto the Gentiles. All people may enter into a covenant with God. But, in order to be a Son or Daughter of the Covenant one must choose to enter into that covenant with Him. These are the children of whom God is the Father."

Danut looked at Dinah, and asked, "Is Almaj a Son of the Covenant?"

Dinah smiled, and said, "You are wise, my son. So very wise." Then she nodded a few times, and continued, "Yes, Almaj and I have had many conversations about this because of our very different backgrounds. And yes, I do believe within our two different paths both of us were exposed to the truth about the One True God; and both of us have surrendered our lives to Him; and both of us have chosen to submit ourselves to Him as our Lord. Almaj and I have both entered into that everlasting covenant with the One True God."

Dinah paused and looked again into Danut's eyes, and said, "This day commemorates your opportunity to make that same decision, or not."

"I choose to live for Him, Mother," said Danut. "He is Lord. He must be Lord. There is no way He could not be Lord, Mother. I give myself to Him. I want to be one of His sheep in His pasture, like you have told me."

Dinah pulled Danut close into her chest and held him tightly while the two of them wept on each other.

Then Dinah took a deep breath, and said, "There is one other part of this ceremony that is customary at this time." She hesitated as if to choose her words carefully, and then said, "You are to be given a name of one of the fathers or prophets to connect you with our rich heritage."

Danut listened carefully.

"I would like you to have the name... I would... I know this will be difficult... but I would like to give you the name... Judah."

"What!" exclaimed Danut. "Mother! No! Why?"

"Please try to understand, Danut," said Dinah, trying to calm him down.

"No, Mother! No! That man was a murderer! He murdered my people! I saw them with my own eyes. No!"

Almaj rushed into the room, and said, "What is wrong? What are you doing?"

Danut pulled himself back tightly into Dinah, and cried, "No, Mother, please no."

Almaj respected the moment and patiently waited to find out what was troubling Danut.

Dinah held Danut tightly, and whispered to him, "I knew him before he was a murderer. I knew him when he was good... before he went... bad."

She looked up at Almaj for a moment. Danut separated himself enough to look at his mother's face.

Dinah looked back at Danut, and said, "Do not worry my son, I love you with all my heart." She brought Danut tightly to her shoulder and cupped his head with her hand, and said, "You are strong and courageous, my son. So, you shall take the covenant name of... you are so very strong and courageous... so you shall take the name of Joshua as your covenant name."

After a few moments, Danut separated himself from Dinah enough to look back into her eyes.

Dinah smiled warmly, and said, "You are a courageous young man, my son. So, you shall be named after a man of great courage. Always remember, my dear young man, that you are named after our great leader, Joshua. You are strong and courageous, my blessed young man."

\+ - + - + - +

"How can you dare to even look at it," said Dinah, as Almaj gently caressed her pregnant belly. "It is shameful."

"It is beautiful, Dinah," said Almaj, tenderly. "It is a symbol of your great strength and courage."

Dinah shook her head doubtfully.

Almaj traced the Arabic characters with his finger, and said, "It means war, but I think this child will be a harbinger of peace."

"Then we shall name him, Solomon," said Dinah, firmly.

Almaj smiled, and asked, "And, if she is a girl?"

"Then we shall name him, Ruth," nodded Dinah.

"Him?" questioned Almaj.

Dinah flustered, "I mean him. We shall call... I mean her... her... " Dinah giggled. "Her name will be Ruth."

Almaj laughed, "So... you have been giving this some thought, have you."

"Every mother does," smiled Dinah.

"More thought to that than to your language, apparently," said Almaj, raising an eyebrow.

"I got mixed up," protested Dinah. "Stop judging the way I speak."

With a grand wave of his arm, Almaj declared, "Acquitted! You are hereby pardoned from butchering every tongue known to man."

Dinah smiled, and asked, "And those known to women?"

"Those as well," laughed Almaj, as he gave Dinah a big hug. "But why Ruth? What is the significance of that name? Is it from your family?"

"Ruth is from one of the greatest love stories in the Ketuvim," answered Dinah. "Only, in our case, the roles are reversed. She was a Gentile who fell in love with an Israelite named Boaz."

"Oh," said Almaj. "A love story, indeed."

"It is a perfect representation of who we are, Almaj," continued Dinah. "A joyful union of Gentile and Jew."

"Well, I do so dearly love you, my little Jewish princess," said Almaj.

"And I you, my dashing Arabian prince," cooed Dinah, as she burrowed her head into Almaj's chest.

\+ - + - + - +

Dinah took her lead from all she had learned from Rebekah, and admirably established a loving, protective and orderly new home in Bucharest for all of them -- she and Almaj, Danut and Selah, and now a beautiful baby girl named, Ruth.

But their family mettle was tested once again when Ruth was nine years old and contracted the polio virus. Soon they were all wrenched in the turmoil of battling the cruel and relentless disease that was ravaging her young body.

It seemed to Dinah that many prayers were answered when Ruth came into the world. Now she did not understand why her prayers were not being heard when her family was being tormented by the threat of Ruth being taken out of the world.

"Why does He not hear us? He seems so far away," wept Dinah.

Almaj watched the pulsing ripples make their way back and forth across the surface of his tea as he warmed his fingertips on the cup, and said, "When I asked Him where He was, He reminded me that He asked Adam the same question.

"He could have rightly said, 'Shame on you!' to Adam. But I do not believe those words exist in His vocabulary. He is never shameful of His children. He loves us. His approach to us is always from a position of love.

"So instead, He said, 'Where are you.' And, I do not think He was referring to their location there behind the trees. I think He was helping them to see their new state -- their state of separation from Him, and its resultant adverse consequences.

"He loved that first couple, Dinah. And He loves us. He is showing us where we are. He is showing us that we are right in the palm of His hand, even though it feels to us as though we are far away from Him behind a dense forest of dark trees."

Dinah's tears were fully flowing as she firmly grasped Almaj's hand.

"He knew they were going to eat the forbidden fruit. He knew it before He said, 'Let there be light.' He knew about the brokenness. He knew about the corruption. He knew about the suffering. He knew about the evil. And He knew all of these things were necessary to fulfill His purpose for creation. It was the only way. It was the only way we could learn to love Him freely, of our own free will. Our choice. Our faith. Our submission to His loving will for us.

"He is our Redeemer, Dinah. He will redeem it all."

\+ - + - + - +

Finally, a hopeful answer came from one of Almaj's most greatly respected and admired professors at the university, when he told Almaj about some work being done on a polio vaccine down in the African Congo. Danut stayed home to care for his mother and Selah, while Almaj and young Ruth took the long and arduous journey down into the heart of Africa in search of a cure for her polio.

PART FIVE

Daniel cannot see anything. He blinks his eyes several times hoping his pupils will hurry up and dilate so he can see what is beyond the guards' barracks doorway. The darkness that surrounds him is thick. It seems palpable, so he reaches out his hands to touch it and notices that the rifle in his right hand has transformed into some type of cane. He explores the cane with his hands and is able to discern that it is a strong tree branch, which has been worn smooth from years and years of use as a walking stick. It has smoothed bumps along the shaft and a naturally gnarled end that perfectly gloves his right palm. When he places it in front of him and steps forward to explore his completely dark environment, the stick seems to become a naturally organic extension of his own right arm.

But after a few steps, he realizes he does not need the walking stick at all. He knows exactly where he is in relation to everything around him, so he reaches over and leans the walking stick against the wall next to the door he just walked through.

He is in a small one-room hut. The floor is dirt and the walls are dried mud. There is no electricity and no plumbing. He is somewhere far out in the country.

In a way, despite the imposing darkness, Daniel feels super-human. All of his senses are heightened and seem to be electrified by a current of energy that fills the atmosphere around him. And, even though he knows he is alone, the room seems filled with activity. He walks over to the small window opening next to the door and leans his face out. The evening air is warm, and it is flowing with wonderful earthy aromas. He hears the crackle of a fire somewhat off in the distance and he smells the smoke.

Then, he hears it again -- the lush deep sound of the chorus of male voices. Even though he sees nothing, he closes his eyes, tilts his head back and takes in a slow deep breath. The rhapsody of gorgeous tones fills his ears and resonates in his chest. It is raw and rich, and seems to be flowing right out of the night air and pouring all over his body.

Daniel remembers being back in St. Paul where he would go to a few jazz clubs and listen to the music late into the night. The chord progressions from those memories and the ones that are currently wafting into his ears seem to be making a transcendent bridge between the two different points in time. His body uncontrollably moves in time with the music. He has become one with it, and feels as though this is the closest he has been to being back home since his whole crazy journey through time began.

"You simply cannot wait to get out there, can you?"

Daniel is startled back into the reality of the moment when he feels the pat on his shoulder from someone outside the hut reaching through the window opening.

"Oh, I am sorry... I did not mean to scare you. Man, you must have been into it this time. I thought you could hear me coming from a mile away."

"No, I was... it was... " stammers Daniel, trying to get his bearings.

"Not to worry, man. I know it takes you away. What do you think I am? Blind? Ha, ha, ha, let us go now. Let us go. You do not have to dance in there. Come on outside, man."

' _Ndakalu,'_ thinks Daniel. _'This is my treasured lifelong friend, Ndakalu,'_ he realizes as he walks out the door and into the warm night air. Several other people who live in the compound with them are gathered around an outdoor fire pit. Daniel hears their exuberant voices laughing and singing and talking in Swahili.

As Daniel walks up to the fire, he discovers information in his mind that unveils his new identity. He is now in the middle of Africa. _'I am in Africa. I live in the Congo. I am a middle-aged blind black man living in the heart of Africa.'_

Soon the music takes over and Daniel loses control of himself completely. His body surrenders to the rhythms of the music, and his entire being becomes one with it. He dances and dances on and on through the African night.

\+ - + - + - +

No matter how many times Daniel blinks his eyes, he simply cannot wipe away the darkness, so he sits up in bed and is again shocked by how familiar he is with his completely dark surroundings. He easily gets up out of bed and walks over to a dresser. He leans over a basin of water, cups some of it up with his hands and splashes it on his face. Then he picks up a neatly folded towel that is lying next to the basin, and dries his face and hands.

He reaches down and opens the top drawer of the dresser, takes out a white button up shirt and puts it on. He then opens up the middle drawer, takes out a pair of tan trousers and puts them on. Effortlessly, he walks over to the front door, slips a pair of sandals onto his feet and walks outside to visit the outhouse. He walks up and checks to see if the door is closed.

"Is that you, Dance?" asks Ndakalu from inside the outhouse.

"Yes, it is me," answers Dance.

"I will be out soon," says Ndakalu. So, Dance steps back and waits.

After a few moments, Ndakalu opens the door and comes out, and says, "You are next. Then, get something to eat. We must go soon." As he walks away, he adds, "They are very busy now and we must not be late."

Dance finishes his business in the outhouse and then walks back into his hut. He tears off a piece of ugali from the lump and dips it into a bowl of vegetable broth. After finishing that, he grabs a banana, peels it and begins to eat it.

"We have to go, Dance," shouts Ndakalu from outside the hut.

So, Dance walks over to the door and slips his sandals back on. He grabs his walking stick with his right hand, and then reaches his left hand over to a small table by the door where he picks up two small white polished stones and puts them in his trouser pocket. He acquired these two 'worry rocks' many years previously as a boy when he made his first trip to the Great River. He has carried them with him ever since that time, and often rolls them around in his hand whenever he has important things he needs to think about.

The American hospital is a couple of miles away in the city of Kisangani. During their walk to the hospital, Daniel realizes the date is now in the 1950s and he and Ndakalu work at the hospital doing various tasks; such as laundry, general room cleaning, and operating machines that sterilize the medical laboratory equipment. Throughout the day, Daniel is quite amazed at how well he can perform these tasks in complete darkness. And he continues to be surprised at how super-human his other senses seem to be.

\+ - + - + - +

Another several days go by similarly. In his existence as Dance, Daniel becomes keenly aware of how utterly connected to the earth he now is, and how completely reliant he is upon it for his daily living. He is quite taken with the simple peaceful semi-agrarian life, which now allows him to live without the distractions that clutter up the urban living he is accustomed to. He feels more whole within himself. He feels at home. He feels as though he has never been more content with his life than he is now, even though he is blind.

"Good morning, Dance."

Dance stops making the bed and turns and nods, and says, "Good morning, Dr. Lomas."

"You know me merely by the sound of my voice," says Dr. Lomas, shaking his head in amazement.

"And by your cologne and by your walk," adds Dance.

"And how about your memory? Do you know me by your memory?" asks Dr. Lomas.

Dance gets a puzzled look on his face, and asks, "What do you mean, sir?"

"Well, it has been too busy around here, so I haven't had the opportunity to bring this up before. But, you and I knew each other and played together when we were boys," answers Dr. Lomas. "My parents were missionaries with the Alliance Church. They came here thirty years ago when we were just boys. How could I forget the blind boy who loved to dance?"

Dance thinks for a moment, and then says, "Jimmy."

"Well, not so much anymore, but yes, that is me," confirms Dr. Lomas. "Do you remember me?"

"I remember you well. Your family took us to the Great River and told us about the Master Jesus," says Dance. "They baptized me there. They baptized us there. We were thirteen." Then Dance reaches into his pocket, takes out his 'worry rocks' and shows them to Dr. Lomas.

Dr. Lomas looks at them and sighs. He shakes his head, and says, "I lost mine years ago, sadly. We moved a few times when I was growing up and somehow they simply weren't there the last time I looked for them."

Dance and Dr. Lomas are both absorbed by boyhood memories for a few moments before Dr. Lomas looks back at Dance, and says, "Yours are well worn, Dance. How have you been all these years?"

"James! Get to the lab immediately! Something has gone terribly wrong!" shouts one of the other doctors as he runs up and holds onto the doorway to the room.

Dr. Lomas turns and runs out the door with the other doctor.

Dance finishes up the bed and then walks down the hall where all of the commotion is happening.

"This can't be!" says Dr. Lomas, looking at the charts. "Something must be incorrect with this data."

"I don't understand it either," says the other doctor, handing Dr. Lomas another chart. "But this definitely is one of the monkeys that was tested with that last strain."

"But the tests were clean!" says Dr. Lomas, pointing to the charts again. "Everything was perfectly clean and accurate. Look! It's right here. The monkeys were clean... the cultures were clean. The vaccine was pure. Look!"

"I know, I know, believe me, I double-checked it before I called you," says the other doctor. He then hands Dr. Lomas another chart, and says, "Now take a look at what is happening here. This patient was treated recently for a fairly severe case of hemolytic anemia. Everything was going fine, but now take a look at that. I don't understand what is happening with his immune system. Look at that white blood cell count. Something strange is going on here. I have never seen anything like it. Why is his immune system malfunctioning?"

Dr. Lomas flips through several pages on the chart and frowns, and says, "Something must not be right here. Bring all of the files to me. I need to find out what is going on here. I need to find out what is wrong... and why it is wrong... and how to get this problem fixed immediately."

The other doctor rushes out of the room. Dr. Lomas sits down at a desk and starts to read the information on the charts. He stops on one page and furiously reads over it a few times. Suddenly, he jumps up, runs out the door and down the hall, and yells, "Carl! Wait! Wait a minute!"

Dance can feel the thick tension that is beginning to fill the hospital, but he also knows it would not require his heightened senses to feel it. Something is very wrong. There is bad mojo brewing. He can feel it in his bones.

On the way home, Ndakalu cannot stop talking about what happened at the hospital, "I knew something like this was going to happen. I tried to warn them, but they would not listen. Sifuni was right. If only they would have listened to me."

"What happened?" asks Dance.

"The monkeys, Dance. You cannot tamper with the monkeys," says Ndakalu. "They think they can... why would they think they could grow something on a monkey kidney and have it be something good for humans? They are crazy men, Dance! I tried to tell them. I tried to tell them about Sifuni's cure for the polio. Why do they not listen to me? The very cure they were working so diligently to develop is right there in Sifuni's home. I simply have to bring it to them. But they will not listen to me."

As they walk and Ndakalu continues to rant on and on, Daniel is intrigued by his new opportunity to be working at the hospital where a polio vaccine is being developed. And he is also fascinated by what Ndakalu is saying about the cure for polio being easily found in nature somewhere. He wonders about the possibility that a person like Sifuni would know where something could be found in the jungle that would function as a polio vaccine. And he is almost certain the other problem he heard about at the hospital that day must have something to do with AIDS. He wonders if Sifuni would also know about a cure for HIV.

He knows he must find out as much as possible about these things, so he asks, "Can we go and see Sifuni and talk with her about all of this?"

"Yes. I think we better tell her what is going on at the hospital," answers Ndakalu. "I knew those monkeys were going to be a problem. Yes. We will go and see her on the weekend break. We need to find out what to do about this."

\+ - + - + - +

Ndakalu's grandmother, Sifuni, takes a sip of tea, and quietly says, "They cannot expect not to reap what they have sown, Ndakalu."

If Daniel could see Sifuni, he would be amazed at her beauty, even at her advanced age. She has a glistening purity about her that causes her entire being to glow. Her loving eyes and her welcoming smile light up her peacefully accepting face. The warm tones of her smooth skin and the graceful way she moves her body make her seem as though she is an ambassador of the earth.

There is a timeless air all around Sifuni. She seems ageless due to devoting her entire life to learning everything she can about the jungle. She is a completely giving person who spends the majority of her time serving others. She is a sage and a great woman of wisdom and compassion.

Daniel is also able to discern that the place where Sifuni lives is gorgeous. He can smell the thick surrounding jungle. He can hear the nearby stream. Natural fragrances are all around him. He feels one with the earth at Sifuni's home in the jungle.

"Hello my dear boy, Dance," says Sifuni, warmly.

Daniel feels like Sifuni's words pour into his ears like sweet honey and soothe every corner of his soul.

"Every time I see you, I remember when you were a boy," continues Sifuni. "We could not stop you from dancing. Yes. And the Americans were amazed by you. They could not believe how a blind boy could be so happy. So, they wound up calling you 'Dance'. That is why you have an American name. Did you know that?"

Dance smiles, and says, "You may have mentioned it once or twice before."

"Oh, just indulge an old woman's fond memories," chuckles Sifuni. "I do love to tell that story."

Dance and Sifuni are sitting on a log bench outside her hut. She reaches over and pats her hand on Dance's thigh, and says, "You are a rare child, Dance. Your blindness is a gift. A treasure. You live a charmed life. You see things we do not see because you are not distracted by all the noise around us."

Sifuni takes a sip of tea and looks at Dance, and continues, "I know you are beginning to understand that truth about yourself even deeper. I can see it in you. It is a gift, a truly great... " Sifuni suddenly stops talking, cocks her head to one side and stares at Dance. She gets a deeply interested look on her face.

"What is it, grandmother?" asks Ndakalu.

But Sifuni keeps silently staring.

Daniel senses that somehow Sifuni can see him. It makes him very uncomfortable.

"You have some surprises for us, do you not, Dance?" says Sifuni.

Dance pauses for a moment, and then answers, "I do."

"Yes. You always do," says Sifuni. "But this time it is something different."

"I hope so," says Dance.

"Yes, and I as well," says Sifuni. She pauses for another moment, and then continues, "Now, what is happening at that blasted hospital this time?"

"They are growing the vaccines on the monkey kidneys," answers Ndakalu.

Sifuni shakes her head, and says, "They are meddling with the balance. They are upsetting the balance of nature."

"I tried to tell them about your cure for the polio," continues Ndakalu.

"But they want to grow their own on monkey kidneys," says Sifuni, quietly.

"And now there is another problem," adds Ndakalu. "Some of the patients in the hospital have a new disease that prevents their bodies from fighting against other diseases. They are getting sick and close to dying, and the doctors do not know what to do about it."

Daniel does not know what to do. He remembers Diener's involvement in Adolf Hitler's life and wonders if he had something to do with millions of Arabs dying instead of millions of Jews. He starts to think about the possibility that if he had not meddled with Hitler's life, Judah Barshevet would have likely been hauled away to die in a Nazi concentration camp, never to become the heinous murderer of millions of Arabs.

He wants to think he could help with the polio vaccine, and possibly even prevent the development of the AIDS problem. But then he wonders about the fact that, if he does, might he cause something worse to happen as a result of those actions.

"Your heart is telling you something, Dance," says Sifuni, snapping Daniel out of his daydream. "You must listen to what your heart was just telling you."

"I do not know what it was," says Dance.

"Yes you do," says Sifuni. "Your heart is good, Dance. You have a good heart. You care about others. You want to do what is right for others. Listen to your heart, Dance. It will become crystal clear to you, like the water in the stream. Can you hear the water in the stream?"

Dance listens for a moment, and then asks, "May I take the medicines to them?"

"They will not listen," says Ndakalu.

"You may take them with you," says Sifuni. Then she looks over at Ndakalu, and says, "Maybe they will listen to a blind man, Ndakalu."

\+ - + - + - +

Daniel is becoming quite accustomed to the darkness. Sifuni is right. He does feel much more connected to his soul without being bothered by all of the visual stimuli that assault most people.

But the next morning, light begins to shine into Daniel's existence for the first time since he assumed Dance's identity. It is early morning and he is still in bed. He hears the door open. As he looks over to the door, he sees light spilling into the room. He has become so accustomed to the darkness that the sight of the light is shocking to him and looks completely unfamiliar to him.

Daniel begins to look around and visually identify all the things in the hut he has only previously known by touch. He sees the dresser with the basin of water on top of it. He sees the table and chair where he eats, and the little table by the door with his two 'worry rocks' resting on top of it. He sees his walking stick and marvels at its polished beauty.

Then Daniel is stunned by who he sees walking through the door. It is Sarah. She looks beautiful. She is wearing one of her flowing light summer dresses. Daniel blinks deliberately several times and rubs his eyes. Sarah smiles at Daniel and walks toward him. Daniel sits up and smiles, and wonders, _'Why is she here? Is she here to bring me back? Is this crazy journey finally over?'_

Sarah silently walks up to Daniel and cups her hand under his chin. Then she moves her hand tenderly around to the back of his neck and caresses the back of his head. Daniel takes a deep breath. He wants to close his eyes and fully enjoy Sarah's touch, but he is afraid that, if he does, he might go back into Dance's darkness.

Sarah steps back slightly and smiles at Daniel. His heart is pounding with joy and excitement as he thinks about how much he loves her. But Sarah suddenly gets a troubled look on her face when she stretches out her hand to touch Daniel again, and then is dismayed when she notices her hand is all withered and disfigured. She stumbles slightly and Daniel sees that her legs are all withered and disfigured also. The polio is ravaging her body.

Sarah falls to the ground, and Daniel leaps out of bed to rush over and help her. But as he does, everything turns dark and he falls to the floor. He lies there for quite a while struggling to get his bearings.

Finally, he realizes he was dreaming. Now, he is lying on the floor after falling out of bed. So, he stands to his feet and walks over to the window. Judging by the quietness outside and the coolness of the air on his skin, Dance knows it is too early to get up, so he goes back and lies down on his bed.

' _I must do something,'_ he thinks. _'Sifuni is right. I must follow my heart. I must try. I do not care what happened in the past and I cannot tell the future. I must do what is right. I must do the right thing, right here and right now. I have helped people my entire life. I cannot stop now. I must try to get them to test Sifuni's medicines.'_

\+ - + - + - +

On their walk to work, Ndakalu knows not to interrupt Dance with his typical incessant banter. It is obvious his lifelong friend is wrestling with an internal struggle. He can't help but notice that with every step they take down the dirt road to the hospital, Dance turns the 'worry rocks' repeatedly over and over in his hand.

Upon their arrival at the hospital, it is also obvious to Ndakalu that something is very very wrong. Everyone he sees, from the front desk workers to the workers in the custodial area, has a serious and somber look on their face. And Dance, without even being able to see their faces, is also aware of the air of sorrow and confusion that has come over the entire hospital.

A short while later, as Dance is preparing for the day's duties, Ndakalu joins him, and says in a hushed voice, "I heard the doctor's own son is sick."

Dance looks at him, puzzled.

"Dr. Lomas' own son has the sickness," continues Ndakalu. "It is worse than we thought. He was being treated for his malaria problem, and then he got quite sick. I think he has the other sickness that they are all confused about."

"But Sifuni has the cure for it," says Dance. "We have the cure for it right here with us. We must give them the cure."

"They will not listen," insists Ndakalu. "And probably especially not now. Not with all of this happening."

"But maybe that is why this is happening," says Dance, quietly. "If they would not listen before, maybe this had to happen to open their ears."

Dr. Lomas' wife, Jess, is at the hospital that day comforting her son at his bedside. "He never would have gotten it, if it weren't for me," says Dr. Lomas as he walks into the room and stands by her side. "That's what you get for having missionaries as parents," continues Dr. Lomas. "He wouldn't have gotten malaria in the U.S., that's for sure."

Jess gives him a stern look.

Dr. Lomas sighs and shakes his head, and says, "You're right. I'm sorry. But I just don't know what to do, Jess. We had his malaria issue under control, but now this. What is this? What is happening to him? What is happening to all of these patients?"

As the day progresses, the tension thickens. Groups of hospital personnel scurry from room to room and have intense discussions about how to help their patients with the mysterious disease. Tempers flare in some of the meetings. Accusations are leveled. Defenses are asserted. Voices are raised. Tables are pounded. By the time early afternoon rolls around, the expenditure of energy and the stress on emotions has all but completely debilitated everyone in the hospital. Everyone except Dance. He knows he must complete his mission. He knows the stage is set and the time is now for his message from Sifuni.

"Follow me," says Dance to Ndakalu. "And bring the jars."

They make their way to Dr. Lomas' office, but he is not there. Dance then hears a soft weeping coming from the laboratory down the hall. "Down here," he says to Ndakalu.

Dr. Lomas is working at a table with a couple of researchers. Jess is sitting in a chair off to one side. She is the one whom Dance heard weeping.

"Excuse me, sir," says Dance from the doorway. "May I talk to you for a moment. Just a brief moment."

Dr. Lomas looks up from his work with a pained and exhausted look on his face.

Dance continues, "I would not even consider bothering you, especially at a time like this... but it is the time like this that compels me to talk to you."

"This is not the time, Dance," says Dr. Lomas, wearily.

Jess looks up, wiping her nose and eyes with a handkerchief.

"We are friends. Is that not correct?" says Dance.

"Of course it is, yes, we are friends now and we were friends when we were boys," says Dr. Lomas, impatiently. "But now is not a good time for chatter, Dance. We're completely... we're trying to... we can't... "

"I have the solution to the disease," says Dance, firmly.

A hopeful look starts to break through the tears on Jess' face and she stands up. Dr. Lomas looks over at her and then back at Dance. "If this is another one of those jungle cures, so help me I'll... "

Dance reaches behind him, grabs Ndakalu by the arm and quickly ushers him into the room, and says, firmly, "You need to listen this time. We have one for the polio and we have one for the new disease."

Dance takes the two jars from Ndakalu and extends them out to Dr. Lomas.

"No!" interrupts Dr. Lomas. "I am not going to listen to your... I have told you before. We don't have time to check every crazy... this is not the place... this is not the jungle. This is a carefully controlled laboratory environment. We simply do not have... "

"Please, Jim..." pleads Jess, walking over to them.

"No!" interrupts Dr. Lomas, as he quickly steps over toward Dance and knocks the jars out of his hands. They crash across the room on the floor as he yells, "We can't do this! We just can't... "

Dr. Lomas stops and looks over at Jess. She is weeping, so he walks over and talks with her and tries to comfort her sadness.

The other researchers begin to talk quietly to each other, and a few other doctors and hospital employees enter the room to see what is going on. Dance staggers back slightly and is completely overwhelmed by the conversational cacophony that is starting to escalate in the laboratory.

"Just shut the hell up and get dinner on the table, you lazy bitch!" A woman in 1960s Bartlesville, Oklahoma quickly and obediently gets food on the table for her husband and her two young children.

In the midst of the arguing and pleading and confusion in the laboratory, Dance slowly and silently backs up against the wall and begins to quietly weep.

"Get those stupid brats to bed, will ya? I'm going out."

"But we can't... "

The husband slaps his wife on the face.

"Don't you sass me, woman!"

The children cower next to their mother.

"Just shut the hell up and get to bed, all of ya! I'll be home later."

One by one, the people in the laboratory stop talking and arguing. Each, in turn, is cut to the core when they look over at Dance, who is leaning against the wall with tears streaming down his polished black cheeks. The purity of his compassion for the sick boy is written all over him, but at the same time his stifled determination has caused his large frame to sag like the branches of a tree heavy laden with fruit.

Lastly, Dr. Lomas is aware of the quietness in the room when he notices that Jess is staring right past him and over at Dance. He turns to see what everyone else is looking at.

Dance is aware of the silence, but does not know they are all staring at him. Slowly and gradually, he sees a light in the doorway that is across the room from him. It is the first real light that Daniel has seen since he assumed Dance's identity.

Everything in the room, except the doorway, is still dark and no light from the other side of the doorway is spilling into the darkness. Daniel realizes this existence has come to an end, and he must go through that doorway to continue on his journey through time.

As he walks up to the doorway, he looks in and sees two small children cowering and weeping in the corner of a small meager bedroom. He feels the same maternal yearning he felt when he was Dinah wanting to pick up and nurse her newborn baby boy. Instinctively, he reaches into his pocket and takes out his 'worry rocks' and begins to turn them over and over in his hand.

Then he steps through the doorway and walks toward the children.

\+ - + - + - +

"Dance? Hello, Dance? It's me, Dr. Lomas."

Dance awakened from what he thought was a dream. Then he heard the banging on his door.

"Dance? Are you in there? This is Dr. Lomas... James Lomas."

"One moment. I will be right there," said Dance, groggily, as he got up out of bed and threw on some clothes.

Dr. Lomas opened the door and stepped right into the room, and said, "I am sorry, Dance, but this is urgent. I need more of those substances from the jungle. They are working, Dance. They're working."

"I do not... " started Dance.

"We need those substances. We need more of those chemical compounds that you brought in yesterday," urged Dr. Lomas.

"Ndakalu has... Ndakalu's grandmother... Sifuni has... "

Ndakalu came quickly into Dance's hut, and said, "What is wrong? What is happening here?"

Dr. Lomas turned and faced Ndakalu, and said, "Where can we get more of those substances? We need to run tests on them immediately."

"We must go to Sifuni," answered Ndakalu. "She is the one who makes all of the potions."

\+ - + - + - +

It was mid-morning when Ndakalu, Dance and Dr. Lomas arrived at Sifuni's hut in the jungle.

"One of my colleagues went ahead and tested the remnants from the jars that Dance brought in yesterday," explained Dr. Lomas. "They are testing positively on both the polio virus and the other new virus."

After Ndakalu explained the situation to Sifuni, she reached up and put her hand on Dance's arm, and said, "You will come with us, but you must be aware that the path is quite narrow, and curving and steep in places."

"I would like to go as far as I am able," said Dance. "May I... "

"We need to hurry," insisted Dr. Lomas. "Is she saying Dance is coming with us? I don't think... It's going to take too long... We don't have time... "

Ndakalu started to tell Sifuni about his concerns, but she already had a general idea about why he was troubled. So, Sifuni put her hand on Dr. Lomas' shoulder, and said, "He is coming with us. We need him."

Dr. Lomas didn't understand what Sifuni was saying, and started to resist. But, then he was suddenly quite stunned when he looked into her eyes. He took a couple of steps back, and said, "Alright then, but please let us be going."

Sifuni smiled warmly, and said, "This way."

\+ - + - + - +

It was midday. Dr. Lomas kept looking at his wristwatch. "I didn't expect to be gone this long. Are we almost there?"

Sifuni and Ndakalu and Dance were accustomed to the slower pace of life. To them, the journey and the destination were one in the same. As they walked along, they were being the adventure into the jungle to gather the plants for the cures. Dr. Lomas was operating under an entirely different mindset -- he was doing it, as if he were checking off items on a list of sequential tasks.

But, even though Dance was at peace on the journey, it was still quite difficult for him. "I do not think I can go any further," he said. "Is there a place where I may sit and rest, while you all continue on?"

"I knew this would happen," said Dr. Lomas, in frustration. "How much farther do we have to go? Are we almost there?"

Ndakalu guided Dance to a place where he could sit down. Sifuni knelt down at his side and reached into her bag. She took out a leather bottle filled with river water, and something for Dance to eat. "Take this, Dance," she said, quietly and deliberately.

Dr. Lomas paced back and forth, while Sifuni cared for Dance. "I am very sorry to be so pushy, but we must hurry. My son... and the rest of the patients... " Then he looked at his watch. "How much longer until we are there?"

Sifuni stood up slowly and smiled at Dr. Lomas, and said, "We are there."

Dr. Lomas was confused. Then he looked over at Dance, who had closed his eyes and tilted his head back facing the canopy of tree branches above them. He had a thoughtful look on his face, as he raised his arm and began moving it from side to side as if the tree branches above them were pages in a book. He began to speak in Swahili and Sifuni and Ndakalu listened intently.

"What is going on?" asked Dr. Lomas.

"Dance will be able to find them much more easily than my grandmother," said Ndakalu. "He is able to see things that we cannot."

Dr. Lomas frowned slightly, looked at Dance and then back over at Sifuni, and asked, "What did she give to him?"

"Something to help him see," whispered Sifuni, as she winked at Ndakalu.

Dance stood up slowly and gazed out into the jungle. He was seeing, but not with his eyes. And, he had no way to tell his friends what he was seeing because he had no concept of color or shape or movement. So, he did what always came naturally to him -- he danced. He began to sway and respond to the music that only he could hear, as he moved toward the things that only he could see.

Sifuni and Ndakalu followed Dance closely as he began to dance his way into the jungle. He was following something, or deliberately seeking something that none of the others could see. Dr. Lomas merely looked on, in awe of the mystery that was being played out before him.

Dance moved rhythmically over to some low-lying growth and began to slide the palm of his hand over an area of earth. Sifuni reached into her bag, took out a digging tool and unearthed some type of plant root. She put the root into her bag while speaking to Dance, and then she followed him quietly over to another patch of earth.

Dr. Lomas had no idea how long the ritual continued -- and he did not care anymore. He had shifted over from getting the task completed, to fully experiencing the moment. When Dance returned to the place where he was sitting and Sifuni gave him another drink of water, Dr. Lomas knew the ritual was finished.

Sifuni gathered the root-like harvest, put them into another bag and handed it to Dr. Lomas.

Still somewhat stunned by the whole experience, he slowly reached out his hand and took the bag from Sifuni, and said, "What do I do with them?"

Sifuni smiled and looked at Ndakalu, and said, "If they can grow things on monkey kidneys, they will easily know what to do with these."

\+ - + - + - +

Almaj found it difficult to adjust to life in the Congo. He wanted to be there -- traveling to unknown destinations had always appealed to him, but this was different. His mind would not make any room for the thrill of exploring uncharted territory. All he could think about was Ruth, and how he desperately wanted her to get well.

"Do you speak English?" asked Jess, as she walked into the common room where Almaj was sitting.

Almaj looked up, and said, "Hello. Yes, I do speak some English."

"Hello. My name is Jess. I am Jacob's mother. He and your daughter have become quite good friends here in the hospital," she said as she sat down in a chair next to Almaj.

"Yes, they have. Thank you," said Almaj. "It has been very helpful to her to have someone here her age whom she can relate to." Almaj looked down, and continued, "She does not even understand why we are here." Then he looked at Jess, and added, "And I do not know why either."

Jess smiled a little, and said, "Jacob was born here in Africa. My husband is Dr. Lomas. He is working on the vaccines."

"Does your son have polio?" asked Almaj.

"No. He was in the hospital for malaria," answered Jess. "Everything was going fine with that treatment, but then his immune system went haywire, and now we don't know what is going on with him."

"Do you know if they are close to developing a viable vaccine," asked Almaj.

"Well, the crazy thing is, one of the locals here... he is actually part of the help here at the hospital... well, he told us about some jungle cures, of all things. Were you here when all of that happened?"

"Yes. I was hearing some things about it, but I was not sure what was going on," answered Almaj.

"It was strange," said Jess. "My husband went out into the jungle with them and brought back some very odd plants. They are working with them now, but he says he cannot quite figure out how the woman was able to extract whatever it is they need for the vaccines."

"I am a chemist. I work at the University of Bucharest National School of Medicine and Pharmacy," said Almaj. "I know quite a lot about plants and organic chemical compounds. I may be able to help."

Jess escorted Almaj into the lab, and said, "James?" Dr. Lomas looked up from his work, and she continued, "This is Almaj. He is Jacob's friend Ruthie's father. He works as a chemist in Bucharest. He speaks a little English. He... "

Without hesitation, Dr. Lomas said, "I could use all the help I can get at this point. Here's where we are... "

So, Almaj set right to the task of adding his knowledge and experience to the on-going process of developing the vaccines. He was amazed at how well the chemical compounds from the plants were working to combat the polio virus and the other virus, which had unexpectedly manifested itself in the course of their earlier efforts with the monkeys.

The team at the hospital worked tirelessly until both of the vaccines were successfully terminating the viruses. Ruth's case of polio was cured before it took too much of a damaging toll on her body. And Jacob's white blood cell count went back to normal and began to healthily function within his immune system again.

\+ - + - + - +

Dance was making the bed, and uncharacteristically surprised when he heard the rustling behind him. The Lomas family, and Almaj and Ruth entered the room.

Jess spoke softly and tenderly, "We all wanted to thank you, Dance."

"You were very brave, my old friend," added James. "We deeply appreciate all of your kindness and your willingness to be brave and do the right thing. I do so apologize for the way I treated you that day."

Dance stood politely at attention, as if he were waiting for some type of directions to follow.

Dr. Lomas continued, "You helped our children, Dance. And, God only knows how many other children and people of all ages who will benefit from what you have done."

Jess moved in close to Dance and took his hands. She looked up into his face, and with tears spilling onto her cheeks, she said, "Thank you. Thank you so so much." She hugged Dance. Jacob then walked up and joined the embrace. After they stepped back, Almaj and Ruth also stepped up and thanked Dance and embraced him.

Lastly, James walked over, and said, "I will never forget you, my friend... my childhood friend, and now my dear dear family friend."

Dance merely stood there and soaked in the power and tenderness of the moment.

They all stepped back a few steps, and James said, "We're going back home now, Dance. Back to the U.S. But, we will always be thinking of you. We will never ever forget your bravery and your kindness." He paused for a moment and smiled. Then he shook his head slowly, and said, "If only the rest of the world could see things the way you do."

PART SIX

As Daniel steps into the room, he immediately gets slapped in the face and the 'worry rocks' are ripped out of his hand. He is grabbed by the shoulders and thrown down to the floor next to the two cowering children. Towering threateningly over the three of them is a large late-twenties redneck man. He is drunk.

Daniel jumps to his feet, and shouts, "You can't have my grandmother's earrings!" He reaches out to take them back, but is easily grabbed by the man and pinned to the wall. Once again, Daniel is shocked by his physical inability to fight back. His muscles refuse to respond to the commands his mind is sending to them. He realizes he has now assumed the identity of the man's wife, and that she is easily overpowered by her husband's abusive brute force against her.

The man presses his wife hard against the wall and moves his face close to hers, and sneers, "If you ever try that again, I swear I'll kill you." He throws her back down on the floor with the children and storms out of the house.

The children are afraid and crying, but Daniel is able to calm them down with some cuddling and caressing. The older child is Charlie, age five. His younger sister, Cassie, is age three.

Daniel is again struck by the overwhelming maternal urges that are welling up inside of him. From the core of his being and with every cell in his body he is aching to comfort and care for these two little lives. He holds them close to himself and comforts them with warm loving tones from his female voice.

After he has them settled down and somewhat comforted, he makes a flat fist with his right hand and gently pounds on Charlie's back in rhythm, while chanting, "Bumbly bumbly bumbly buck, how many fingers do I hold up?" Then he stops pounding and holds up three fingers behind Charlie's back.

Cassie peeks around and looks behind Charlie.

Charlie giggles, and guesses, "Two."

Daniel moves his hand around to show Charlie the three fingers he is holding up, and says, "Very close."

"Three!" squeals Cassie, delightedly. Then she says, gleefully, "I want to do it! I want to Bumbly!"

"Ok, Ok, you'll get your turn next, sweetie," laughs Daniel. "Let's just give Charlie another chance."

He pounds on Charlie's back again, and repeats, "Bumbly bumbly bumbly buck, how many fingers do I hold up?"

"Umm, I say four," guesses Charlie. "Is it four, Mommy?"

Daniel reaches around to the front of Charlie and shows him four fingers.

"You guessed it! You guessed it!" squeals Cassie.

"Nice work, Charlie. You certainly are a great guesser," says Daniel, encouragingly.

The game goes on for a while, and Daniel is having as much fun with it as the children are. He remembers playing these types of games with his parents when he was a child, but they never played this game. _'How in the world do people come up with these things?'_ he wonders. _'This is kind of fun.'_

In the lighter mood that is created by playing the game, Daniel becomes more in touch with his new identity. He discovers he is now a young mother named Donna, who lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma in the 1960s.

Donna has learned that playing Bumbly Buck is always a successful way to redirect the children's attention away from the harsh encounters with their father. Unfortunately, his abusive tirades are occurring more frequently, and Donna is beginning to believe she must do something to protect her children, and herself.

Cassie finally gets her turn and they enjoy quite a few more rounds of Bumbly Buck, before Donna says, "Ok you two, I'm going to go see what I can rustle up for dinner." She stands up, and says, "You two can keep playing for a while and then we'll have something to eat."

On the way to the kitchen, Daniel stops and goes into the bathroom and looks in the mirror. He sees that Donna is an attractive young woman in her late twenties. She is somewhat small in stature with beautiful blue eyes and lovely wavy shoulder-length auburn hair. Unfortunately, he also sees that her beauty is quite marred by several bruises on her face and neck. He looks down at her arms and also sees bruises on them where she has been grabbed by her husband.

The house is small and simple, but very clean and tidy. In the kitchen, Donna finds some canned peach halves and the makings for grilled cheese sandwiches. She pours three glasses of milk, sets everything down on the kitchen table, and the three of them feast on their simple meal together.

In the past, after these types of tirades from their daddy, the children would ask questions about his behavior, but not on this particular evening. The children are, instead, unusually quiet and melancholy. Donna knows it is getting worse. The children are showing more and more signs of inner distress about what is going on in the world of their father and mother. And it bothers her that they are beginning to accept this as a normal pattern of behavior. She knows this is not at all good for them. She knows it is time for the three of them to leave.

"What do you say we get these dishes cleaned up and then play a little 'Creepy Crawly' before bedtime?" offers Donna.

"Yay!" cries Cassie.

They all finish their dinner and get right to the subsequent task of clearing the table and washing and drying and putting away the dishes. Cassie converts the kitchen table to a coloring station while her mother and brother begin cleaning up and putting everything away.

Donna is already training the children to do chores around the house. She found a board in the garage that was the perfect size to make a stool for Charlie to stand on next to her at the kitchen sink. She merely pulls out the bottom drawer next to the sink and puts the board over the opening. This creates a place for Charlie to stand that is the perfect height for him to be next to her where she washes the dishes. She hands him the rinsed off dishes and he dries them and then stacks them on the counter.

When they are finished and walk by the kitchen table on their way to the front room, Cassie points to her drawing, and says, "Here, Mommy. This is for you."

"Oh, this is absolutely lovely, sweetie!" says Donna.

"It's a blue hummingbird," says Cassie.

"Oh, I just adore hummingbirds," says Donna.

"I know," says Cassie. "That's why I drew her for you. I want you to be happy."

Donna feels the tingle in her nose and the wetness accumulating in her eyelids. She gives Cassie a big hug, and says, "Thank you, my lovely little girl. She does make me happy. She makes me very very happy. And so do you."

All three of them then make their way into the front room, and sit on the floor in the center of the room with their legs crossed powwow style in front of them.

"Ok, ready?" asks Donna.

"Ready," say Charlie and Cassie, grinning.

Donna holds up both her hands about chest height and shapes them like duck beaks pointing away from her toward the children. Charlie and Cassie do the same thing with their hands toward her.

They open and close the duck beaks in time, while Donna sings, "Open shut them. Open shut them. Put them in your lap, lap, lap."

They put their hands in their lap, and then she continues to sing, "Take them out and make them flat and hear a little clap, clap, clap."

They all clap along with the beat of her singing. Then Donna reaches forward and makes creepy spiders with her hands and fingers and makes them crawl up Charlie and Cassie's chests, while singing, "Creepy crawly, creepy crawly, right up to your chin, chin, chin... "

She takes a quick short breath and opens her eyes wide, and continues to sing, "Open up your little mouths..." And, creeping her crawly hands right up to their mouths, she quickly continues, "But do not let them in!"

Which, is followed by lots of giggling and tickling and rolling on the floor.

'Creepy Crawly' is currently their favorite game, and they all love playing it over and over again.

When all three of them are lying on the floor, winded from all of the laughter, Donna finally gasps, "Whew! Man, those spiders almost made it into your mouths tonight. You guys better watch out. They are getting very tricky."

After a few more moments, they are breathing a little more normally, and Donna says, "Ok, let's go get your baths done and then it's off to bed, you two."

Bath time goes routinely, as does putting on pajamas and hopping into bed. Several lullabies follow and then it is lights out. It has been a rough day, so it is not long before Charlie and Cassie are also out.

And now that there is nothing to ward it off, exhaustion has its way with Donna. It sweeps relentlessly over her entire body as she walks into the front room and collapses on the sofa. It is not long before Donna is out as well, and she slumbers soundly while dreaming of blue hummingbirds.

\+ - + - + - +

Daniel is sleeping peacefully when he awakens to his mother's presence and gentle touch on his forehead. He loves the Sunday morning ritual. After a full day of playing hard on Saturday and then crashing on his bed exhausted and happy on Saturday night, his mother's touch on Sunday morning was like delicious sugary icing on a huge piece of cake.

He opens his eyes to see her loving face gazing down at him. Her eyes are filled with the indisputable facts of her great love for him. She is everything a boy could hope for in a loving and nurturing mother. She begins to sing slowly and softly, as she usually does, to gently transition her boy from slumber into the process of getting ready to go to church, "Creepy crawly, creepy crawly... "

Daniel has never heard this song before. He looks at her, puzzled.

"Right up to your chin, chin, chin... " she continues.

Daniel blinks his eyes a couple of times and sees that his mother's face is becoming younger and younger. Soon she looks just like a little girl.

"Open up your little mouth... " sings Cassie, as she starts to giggle and tickle her mother. "But do not let them in!"

Donna moans contently, reaches up and gives Cassie a big loving squeeze. Charlie joins them and soon the three of them are giggling and snuggling on the sofa.

"Alright you two cuddly little spiders. Let's go get us some breakfast," says Donna, as they all get up and make their way into the kitchen.

Charlie and Cassie sit down at the table and Donna effortlessly and mechanically whips up the pancake batter and gets out the electric griddle. But, her mind is somewhere else. This has happened too many times before and, while she knows she and the children will enjoy several hours of peace in the morning, she also knows her husband, Jared, will be back in the afternoon and his mood upon arrival is always somewhat unpredictable.

She is not worried about getting beaten again because he is usually fairly mollified by a night of drinking and whoring. But, she just does not know if she can live this way anymore. And those diamond earrings were all she had in the world. They were her only hope to provide for any of the resources that would be necessary to get her and the children far enough away from Jared to establish a safe place for them to live.

"Pancakes again?" comes a voice accompanied by a few raps on the back door.

The next-door neighbor, Lucy, lets herself in, and says, "You guys live like kings. Or should I say princes and princesses... oh!" stops Lucy when she sees Donna's face. "Oh, Donna... no... no... you... "

"Ok, first batch is up," interrupts Donna quickly, which is followed by cheers from Charlie and Cassie.

"You have some, too, Lucy," says Cassie, as Donna gets their plates ready and puts the syrup on the table.

Lucy smiles, and says, "Oh, I most certainly will. Thank you, my little cutie. Why do you think I came over?"

"To invite us to church," answers Charlie, as he does some damage to the pancake on his plate and takes a drink of orange juice.

"Well, yes, and that, too," confesses Lucy.

Donna goes back to the griddle and pours out the next batch. Lucy follows her.

Donna looks sheepishly at Lucy. Lucy shakes her head slowly, and says, "Donna, please. Please. You have got to get out of here. This has to stop. You can't... "

"I am... " starts Donna, but then she looks down, and continues, "I mean, I was... but... "

"Donna, please... " says Lucy.

"I don't know what... I don't have any... " continues Donna.

Lucy tightens her lips, and says, firmly, "Finish up here and get the kids ready to go. I'll be right back."

"What?" says Donna.

"Just get yourselves packed up," insists Lucy. "You are not doing this anymore. You are getting out of here." Then she hurries out the back door.

Donna knows Lucy is right. She knows she is going to have to take the children over to her mother's house and stay with her for a few days until Jared cools down, and then shows up all repentant and begging for them to come back home. She has no other choice. She has nowhere else to go. Her only hope is maybe this time it will be different. _'Maybe Jared will finally come to his senses and see what he is doing to us,'_ she thinks.

"Ok, guys," says Donna. "Let's get this flapjack feast finished up. We're going to go and visit Grandpa and Grandma."

Charlie and Cassie cheer happily and jump up from the table. Then they run off to their bedroom to get dressed and ready to go. Donna also goes to the bathroom and gets washed up. She throws on some other clothes and then goes back into the kitchen to clean up the breakfast dishes.

As she is finishing up the task, Lucy marches stridently through the back door, and announces, "Enough is enough, Donna. You are getting out of here."

"I know," says Donna, defeatedly.

"No. I mean you are getting out of here," repeats Lucy, firmly. "You are not going to your mother's this time. This is over. This is the end. Forget it. You will not do this to yourself anymore."

Donna looks confused. Lucy takes her by the shoulders and looks straight into her face, and says slowly and deliberately, "Charlie and Cassie are next, Donna. You know that."

Donna knows she is right. It is only a matter of time before Jared starts beating on them. She knows she must get them out of there. She must put an end to the madness. She also knows Charlie will most probably be right behind Jared if she doesn't get him away from that type of modeling. If it doesn't stop now, Charlie may be the next one beating up on his wife.

"You're right. I know you're right," agrees Donna. "But he'll just make me come back again."

"That is why you are going the other way," informs Lucy.

"What?" says Donna.

"You're going west," explains Lucy. "You're going to have to go west this time... to get away from him for good."

"But I don't know anyone... " starts Donna.

"All I know is that you are going to go in the opposite direction than your mother's house," says Lucy. "When he finally gets all guilty and feeling lonely for you, he'll go over there and, by that time, you'll all be long gone in the other direction and he won't know where to find you."

"But... " says Donna.

"Here," interrupts Lucy as she hands Donna some money. "It's not much, but... "

"I can't take this... " says Donna.

"Jake and I want you to have it," insists Lucy. "You're going to need something to... "

"But, I can't... " resists Donna.

"Ok, Ok, you can pay us back," interrupts Lucy. "Fine. You can pay us back. You have our address. Mail us a check. Whatever. Now that is final. Get the kids and get them packed up in the wagon."

Donna knows Lucy is right, but she is terrified and paralyzed about what to do next.

"Where are your household papers?" asks Lucy, assertively.

"What?" says Donna.

"Where do you keep your papers? Your bills. Stuff like that," asks Lucy.

Donna points to a work desk in the kitchen, and says, "Right there."

"Ok, now go and pack up. Take it all. Just throw it all in the back of the wagon," orders Lucy, as she opens the desk drawers and starts to look through the file folders.

Soon, the kids are all strapped into the back seat of their Chevrolet Caprice station wagon, and the back is filled with all of the clothes and toys and things that they care about.

Donna is standing by the open driver's side door of the station wagon as Lucy walks up.

"Where do I go?" says Donna, fearfully.

"All I know is west," confesses Lucy.

"But, where will we stay? What... " says Donna.

"His eye is on the sparrow, so you know He'll be watching over you," says Lucy, confidently. "He will show you the way."

Somehow... she doesn't quite understand it... but somehow Donna feels a wave of assurance sweep over her. She feels confident she is doing the right thing and somehow it is all going to work out.

"Here. This is the title to the wagon," says Lucy, handing an envelope to Donna. "You're probably going to need this if you ever have to sell it."

Donna shakes her head in amazement at how pragmatic Lucy is.

"And, I need to do this, too," says Lucy, as she lifts up her small instamatic camera. "Just in case this thing ever goes to court. I want some evidence for you. You may have to prove Jared was... well... just stand right there and let me get a few good shots of your face."

When Lucy is done, Donna gives her a nice long warm embrace, and then says, "Thank you so much, Lucy. You are such a great friend. How will I... "

"You are a strong and loving woman, Donna," assures Lucy. "Everything is going to work out. Remember, His eye is on the sparrow."

"So, He's going to watch over us, too, right?" finishes Donna.

They hug one last time, and then Donna gets into the station wagon. She backs it down the driveway and heads west.

\+ - + - + - +

Bartlesville, Oklahoma is a small town about fifty miles due north of Tulsa. Its only real notoriety is the headquarters of the Phillips Petroleum Company. Donna knows she had better stop and fill up the gas tank in town before heading down to Tulsa, and then out west on Interstate 40.

While she is filling up the tank, she notices an Arab man about age sixty pumping gas into the tank of his car at another pump. He looks up occasionally and stares over at her. When he is done pumping his gas, he walks over to Donna and smiles, and asks, "Are you Jared Robertson's wife?"

"Yes," answers Donna, warily.

"Please forgive me," continues the man, bowing slightly. "I am sorry to bother you. My name is Sonni. I own the pawnshop here in Bartlesville. And... I am sorry to say I bought a lovely pair of diamond earrings from your husband yesterday... "

"Oh," gasps Donna.

"Am I to understand they are yours," says Sonni.

"My grandmother's," says Donna.

Sonni looks into the station wagon and smiles at Charlie and Cassie, and says, "He sold them to me for much less than they are worth."

Donna's face saddens.

Sonni sees Donna's expression, and continues, "I sensed something was very wrong with the whole transaction." He then perks up, and says, "I... I am so very happy to have seen you here right now. Praise Allah!" He gently rests his hand on Donna's arm, and continues, "My shop is not too far from here. May you be willing to come to my shop? I would like to return the earrings to you."

"I have no money... " Donna starts.

"Oh, no, no, no," Sonni interrupts. "Please, I want to return them to you. I want you to have them. I should not have... I am so very very happy I saw you here at the gas station, and that now I can return them to their rightful owner. May you come to my shop?"

Donna hesitates, but then says, happily, "Yes. Yes, of course, we will."

The pawnshop is only a few blocks away in the same direction they are heading. Donna has never been in the shop before, even though she has driven past it hundreds of times. When she was much younger, she always fancied having the beautiful banjo she saw hanging in the front window. She loved bluegrass music and imagined herself buying it and learning to play someday.

The banjo is long gone, but Sonni's shop is nevertheless filled to the rafters with furniture, and every kind of gadget and trinket imaginable. Charlie is fascinated with the variety of taxidermy items hanging on one of the walls.

"Do not worry," chuckles Sonni. "They do not bite... anymore." He looks at Donna, and says, "I will be right back," as he walks behind a counter and into the back room. He returns shortly, smiling and holding the earrings. "Here they are," he says, cheerfully.

Donna tries valiantly, but the tears cannot be held back. "Thank you so much, Mr. Sonni. Thank you so very very much. You have no idea how much these mean to me. I thought I would never see them again, and now here they are. I never wanted to sell them, but... "

After a few moments, Sonni says, "It is not difficult for me to know what your situation is. If you do not mind, may I offer one more piece of assistance?"

Donna looks up at him.

"My cousin operates a free shelter for families in need," Sonni explains. "Just until they can get back on their feet." He pauses a moment, and then continues, "It is in California, but... maybe far is good?"

Donna nods yes.

Sonni gets out a piece of paper and writes on it, and says, "She lives in Berkeley, California. This is the address for the New Moon Family Home. She will help you. You will have a place to stay and people to help you sort things out."

Next, Sonni gets out a U.S. road map, unfolds it and shows Donna the directions to California. "It will be a long journey, but the destination will be worth it. I know that Ruwah will be able to help you."

"Thank you again," says Donna. "Thank you so so much, Mr. Sonni."

"It is my great pleasure," smiles Sonni. "It is my utmost pleasure to help you. We are all here to help each other. My people would have all died in the war if the U.S. troops had not defeated the Turks and the Zionists."

Sonni reaches out his hand to Donna, and says, "Here, let me put those lovely earrings in an appropriate box."

Donna hands the earrings back to Sonni who then bows slightly and goes into the back room again. He returns shortly with a lovely black felt earring box, and a navy blue cloth bag with a gold drawstring. He puts the earring box into the bag, pulls the drawstring and hands it to Donna.

They walk out to the station wagon, and Sonni says, "And may Allah bless you on your journey."

Donna thanks Sonni again and gives him a big hug. The little family then gets back into their station wagon and proceeds down to Tulsa, and then out west on Interstate 40.

Not long after nightfall, Donna notices Charlie and Cassie are already asleep in the back seat. It has been a long day for all of them and she is starting to feel exhausted as well. By now, they are just outside of Amarillo, Texas, so Donna pulls off the highway and into a rest stop area for the night.

After moving things around in the back of the wagon, she is able to make a bed on which Charlie and Cassie can sleep. The children don't wake up at all when she moves them. She then makes a place for herself to lie down on the back seat.

As she lies there, she becomes aware of the peace that comes with freedom. She feels free. She feels as though she has been freed from a long and tiresome bondage. Free from fear. Free from being ruled by a tyrant. It is an amazing feeling. Waves of peacefulness wash over her. She knows she is far from all of her troubles being over, but finally, just being out from under the oppression of Jared makes her feel like she can breathe deeply and freely, at last.

\+ - + - + - +

"Where's Grandma?" asks Charlie.

It takes Donna a few moments to wake up and reorient herself. She sits up and stretches, and says, "Ooh, aah... well, good morning glories."

"Where are we?" asks Charlie. "Where is Grandma?"

Donna yawns and looks at Charlie, and says, "Ok guys, I think we better have a little Indian powwow, Ok? You up, Cassie?"

"Yes, Momma," answers Cassie.

"Ok, so... yes, this is not exactly Grandma's house, is it, Charlie," starts Donna.

"No, Momma," says Charlie, shaking his head.

"Here's the deal, guys," says Donna, looking squarely at them. "It is not right for Daddy to hit Mommy, so we had to get away from him until he can figure out how to stop doing that. Does that make sense to you?"

"If you hit, you sit," says Charlie.

"That is exactly right," says Donna. "You guys know you can't hit each other. Well, Daddy can't hit either. But I can't make him sit in the penalty box like you guys. So, I had to get out of there, so he won't hit me anymore."

"Where are we going to live?" asks Charlie.

"In the wagon?" asks Cassie.

Donna laughs, and says, "No, Cassie dear, not in the wagon. We're going to a place that helps families when they have trouble like us. They will help us with a place to live for a little while."

"I'm hungry," says Charlie.

"Me, too," says Cassie.

"Me three," says Donna. "So, let's get things straightened up, and then see if we can find a place that makes pancakes as yummy as mine."

Donna does not have a lot of experience with road trips, but one thing she figures must be fairly evident to anyone driving out on the road, is that the sign of a good highway restaurant is several big rigs parked outside. So, after driving for a while and passing up a few less crowded diners, Donna finally pulls off the highway and adds her station wagon to a large collection of vehicles parked outside a crowded restaurant stop.

"Ok guys, let's go get some breakfast," says Donna after putting it in Park and turning off the engine. "Let me just check one thing before we go in." She wants to make sure the bag that Sonni gave her with the diamond earrings in it is tucked away out of view.

When she picks up the bag to tuck it under some pillows, it feels a little odd in her hand, so she opens up the drawstring and looks in. She is then completely surprised to see some cash in the bag along with the earring box. When Sonni was in the back room of the shop, he also snuck a couple hundred dollars into the bag for them.

Donna shakes her head in amazement at Sonni's kindness and generosity. And wiping a tear from her eye, she says, "Ok, you two little sparrows. We can go in now."

They feel a little like royalty. Charlie and Cassie have never been out to eat breakfast at a restaurant. The waitress notices their delight and works diligently to make the children feel like she is there to wait on them hand and foot.

Donna was successful in her restaurant selection. The food is delicious.

"They do make the pancakes as yummy as yours, Mommy," says Cassie.

Donna smiles at Cassie, but when she lifts up her eyes and looks over at the counter, she notices a man who gives her the creeps by the way he is looking at them. For the next several minutes she notices him glancing over at them again and again. It makes her start to think about how vulnerable they are out on the highway alone.

"Excuse me."

Donna is startled and looks up to see a young man about her same age smiling and staring down at her.

"I am very sorry to interrupt your breakfast," he continues. "But, may I ask you a question?"

Donna is wary of the man, but his face is friendly.

"I am totally sorry to bother you, but I think I have an idea that could benefit both of us," continues the man. "May I sit down for a moment and tell you my idea?"

Donna looks around briefly and considers the fact that they are in a fairly safe and busy public place, but she says, "I don't think... "

"It will only take a minute," continues the man. "Then, if I'm pestering you, you can just shoo me away like a fly."

Donna then notices the creepy man at the counter has turned away and now seems to be less interested in them, so she says, "Yes, Ok, that would be fine."

"Great," says the man, so he turns around, takes a chair and pulls it up to the table. He sits down and grins broadly at the three of them, and says, "Hello. My name is Abbie."

"Hello Abbie," says Donna. "My name is Donna and this is Charlie and Cassie."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," says Abbie, in a stuffy British accent, at which both of the children giggle.

Donna looks at Abbie, and he says, "So, I am hitchhiking my way to San Francisco. Are you three headed that way?"

"We are going to a city called Berkeley," says Donna. "Is that close to San Francisco?"

"Ha, ha! Yes, that is very close. I'll say. Yes, very close indeed," laughs Abbie. "This may be my lucky day. I knew it when I saw you pull up into the parking lot. I just knew it. I had a feeling I should ask you for a ride. I had no idea you could practically take me to the front door. This is fantastic! How would you like a traveling companion? I would of course help you out with paying for gas."

Charlie and Cassie giggle at how excited this stranger is acting.

"Well," says Donna, looking back over at the man at the counter. "It might actually be nice to... how are you at bodyguarding? Can you fight off any road rats?"

Abbie jumps to his feet and pretends to wield a sword, and declares, "Certainly, m'lady! With one hand tied behind me back!"

Donna and the children laugh as Abbie sits back down at the table, and says, "So, is it a deal?"

Donna feels confident and disarmed by Abbie's charisma. She trusts her gut instinct about him. She also embraces the new opportunity to make decisions on her own about her life and her new circumstances. "Yes... I think it is a deal," says Donna. "If nothing else, you will certainly be entertaining."

"Most excellent!" says Abbie, standing up again. "Let me go and get my things."

Donna, Charlie and Cassie finish their breakfast and then walk to the front door of the restaurant to pay their bill at the cash register. Abbie is there in the entryway waiting for them. The newly formed party of four leaves the restaurant, walks over to the station wagon and adds Abbie's bags to the pile of things in the back. Then they pull out of the parking lot and continue down the highway.

Abbie turns and puts his left arm over the back of the front seat, and says to Charlie and Cassie, "I have two children who are just like you guys. My boy's name is Andrew and my daughter's name is Amy. Hey! I guess you are the two 'C's and they are the two 'A's."

"Where are they?" asks Charlie.

"They are back home with their mother, in Worcester, Massachusetts," answers Abbie.

"That is where your accent is from?" asks Donna.

"Yes, and you must be Texans or Oklahomans or Mississippians or something, right?" says Abbie.

"Oklahoma," says Cassie.

"Very nice," says Abbie. "Very nice indeed, little missy. I was actually in Mississippi for a while, and you don't sound at all like Mississippians.

"Anyway, but now I am just heading out to San Francisco to visit with some friends of mine. I'm taking a little bit of time to get some things straightened out in my head. I know all about this kind of thing, you see, because I am a psychologist. I study the head, and help other people get theirs screwed on right. I actually went to the University of California at Berkeley for my graduate studies in psychology, so I know exactly where Berkeley is. I didn't exactly finish the degree, but I did learn a lot, and I made some really good friends while I was out there.

"So, that is where I am headed now with you all. I'm going to go and just kick back and reconnect with them for a while. But, that is enough about me. What about you?"

After a short pause, Charlie says, "Daddy is in the penalty box for hitting Mommy."

"Oh, that is not good," says Abbie. "It is not good to hit people, is it."

"No," answers Cassie.

"Penalty box, eh... " says Abbie, looking over at Donna. "Did you make that up?"

"If they misbehave, they have to sit quietly in the penalty box until their time is up, right guys?" says Donna.

"Yes, Mommy dear," they say, in unison.

"Wow," says Abbie. "I'm going to have to try that one on my kids. Looks like it works pretty well."

After a few moments, Abbie continues, "Adults could stand to take a few lessons from your children. That is one of the things that is bugging the hell out of me right now. Why are we going to war again? I just don't get it. Haven't we learned our lesson yet? Haven't we learned the power of love? Haven't we learned to love one another instead of kill each other? Jesus Christ! I just don't get it"

After a few more hours down the highway, Abbie tells Donna he has done this drive a few times before and if they push hard that day and make it all the way to Kingman, Arizona, then they should be able to make it into Berkeley the following day.

Thankfully, the good old Caprice station wagon is in good running condition and the children are good travelers. Abbie does turn out to be quite entertaining, and also happy to take the wheel when Donna needs a driving break.

When he doesn't have to concentrate on driving, Daniel ponders why in the world he has now assumed Donna's identity. _'There certainly does not seem to be anything notable about her, or this entire situation,'_ he thinks. _'But, I do really admire her mothering skills. She is amazing with those two little gems.'_

Daniel discovers the year is 1964, but he has no knowledge of any historical event that happened on a road trip from Oklahoma to California. He hopes whatever he has to do in this block of time will happen soon. He feels like he must be getting closer to getting back home because he realizes he has been working his way forward through the decades of the 20th Century. All he wants is to see Sarah again and hold her tightly in his arms.

A little after dark, they do make it to Kingman, and Abbie directs Donna to a highway rest area where they can stop for the night. The weather is pleasant enough for Abbie to sleep outside in his sleeping bag, so Donna merely prepares the sleeping arrangements in the station wagon in the same way as the previous night, and they all crash soundly after their day-long asphalt adventure.

After breakfast in Kingman, Donna looks up the local YMCA in the phone book. She wants to call ahead to Sonni's cousin at the shelter to let her know they will probably arrive there that night. She is hoping the YMCA might let her use their telephone to make the call instead of trying to figure out how to make it work from a pay phone. She does not have much experience at this type of thing and she is doing the best she can to make it all work.

The manager at the YMCA is happy to help them out and let Donna use their phone to make a long-distance phone call. Sonni's cousin, Ruwah, is very kind and understanding on the phone. She lets Donna know Sonni had already called her to let her know about their situation. She tells Donna she is very eager to meet the young family when they arrive. Lastly, Ruwah gives Donna driving directions to follow when they get to Berkeley. After she says goodbye and hangs up the phone, Donna thanks the people at the YMCA for the generous use of their phone. They wish her well, and then the foursome heads back out on the road.

After about an hour or so down the road, Abbie pipes in with, "Didn't we learn anything in Korea? Why in the world are we messing with Vietnam? Doesn't it just drive you crazy?"

"It does, but I don't know what to do about it," answers Donna.

"That is exactly it!" says Abbie. "People don't know what to do. We instinctively know something is wrong, but we feel powerless. We don't have a voice. There is no voice of the people. Well, I'm not going to take it sitting down. They can't get away with it this time. We need to be heard."

"I hear you," says Charlie, from the back seat.

"Ha, ha!" laughs Abbie. "Ok, so you're with me, right Charlie?"

"Yes, I'm right here with you," agrees Charlie, smiling broadly.

"Hey, that's far out. I have my first convert. How about that," laughs Abbie. "No one can stop me now."

"But we might have to stop for a bathroom break," says Charlie.

Donna and Abbie burst out laughing. They are having a lot of fun. The trip is turning out to be quite enjoyable for all of them. Donna is very thankful her quirky and unorthodox traveling companion is such a great blessing to them. Their conversations continue to be a wacky blend of seriousness and humor, and finally, after dinner, they arrive at the New Moon Family Home in Berkeley, California.

"I can easily catch a bus from here into the city," says Abbie, as he gathers together his things out of the back of the station wagon.

"Thank you so very much for everything, Abbie," says Donna. She gives Abbie a hug and Charlie and Cassie join in for a group-hug.

"Are you sure you are going to be all right?" asks Donna.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I did this all the time when I went to school here," assures Abbie. "It's a piece of cake. And it will be even easier soon because they are building a new train system around here called BART -- the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. It's going to be great when they are done with it."

Abbie heaves his bag over his shoulder, and chuckles, "Hey, it's probably a good thing it isn't the Farm Area Rapid Transit system, right? Ha, ha, that's a good one! Ok, you all, take good care of yourselves. I wish you well. This has been a great ride. I hope we meet again, and happy trails to you! Goodbye!"

\+ - + - + - +

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the front door. "Where is she? Damn it! You better tell me where she is!"

Lucy was startled, but she knew this was going to come, eventually. She quickly stopped reading to her two young children, and then told them to huddle under the kitchen table. She hurried to the front closet and took out the shotgun.

"Where is she, God damn it! I know you had something to do with this!" yelled Jared.

Lucy opened the front door.

"Where is she, bitch!" snarled Jared.

"Get off my property, Jared," ordered Lucy, clearly and firmly.

"I know you had something to do with this. Her God damn battle-axe mother doesn't even know where she is," said Jared, angrily. "Now, you better tell me. Where the hell is she?"

"I'm warning you, Jared... " started Lucy.

"And I'm warning you, bitch! If you don't tell me, I'll... " yelled Jared.

Lucy stood firm, and lifted up and cocked the shotgun. She pointed it directly at Jared, and said, "You'll what, you big pussy. Beat on me? Is that what you're going to do? Beat on a woman? You would come around when Jake isn't here. You are such a pansy ass pussy."

Jared took a step forward and reached for the doorknob.

Lucy took a couple of steps back and stood solidly in the entryway. She took aim with the shotgun, and said, "I swear to God, Jared. I will blow your head off if you set foot in here!"

Jared stopped and grunted in frustration, and threatened, "This ain't the end of this!"

"Oh, yes it is the end of it," countered Lucy. "If you so much as look at my family sideways, I will blow your head off. You know I can and you know I will."

Jared grunted, turned around and then stormed off the front porch and walked away. Lucy lowered the shotgun and walked up to the front door. She looked out and watched Jared get into his pickup truck and drive away. She then looked across the street and saw that her neighbor was looking out the front door. Lucy acknowledged her and then turned and carefully put the shotgun back into the closet.

"It's Ok, kids," said Lucy, as she walked back into the kitchen. She knelt down next to her children under the table. "Charlie and Cassie's dad is just mad about them leaving. Let's go ahead and get back to our story."

The children were comforted by Lucy's firm command over the situation and the loving and nurturing tone of her voice as they crawled out and took their seats back at the kitchen table.

"But I'm going to call the sheriff first and let him know what just happened. Mr. Robertson is not allowed to come over here and threaten us like that. It is against the law."

\+ - + - + - +

"Do you know how to use a sewing machine?"

"Yes, a little," answers Donna. "My grandmother taught me a few things when I was a girl."

"That is good," says Ruwah. "The women here at the shelter need jobs in order to care for themselves and their children, so we have connections in town for work."

"Thank you so much, Ruwah," says Donna. "That would be wonderful."

Donna takes well to the job at the clothing manufacturer and, after about a week, she is fully integrated into the operation. She is surprisingly good at working with the various fabrics and the patterns and all the aspects of garment construction. She also benefits from the friendships that develop from working side-by-side with the other women at the shop. She thoroughly enjoys the human interaction with them, and realizes she was completely unaware of how isolated she had become as a result of her toxic relationship with Jared. She thinks about how grateful she is that Lucy so valiantly helped her to break out of it. And she shudders at the thought of how she was spiraling down deeper and deeper into the darkness of her abusive situation.

A particular camaraderie develops between Donna and Alice, one of the fashion designers at the shop. Alice is about ten years older than Donna. She is a beautiful woman with long wavy light brown hair. She is earthy and embracing at least the fringes of the hippie culture, preferring not to wear a bra or any makeup. She clearly presents her unique personality through both her warm loving spirit and her stylish clothing designs.

"We weren't married. We were doing the 'free love' thing and all," says Alice one day during the lunch break.

"How did you get away from him?" asks Donna.

"I didn't have to," says Alice. "Fortunately, he simply got tired of beating up on me and left. Never saw him again. When I did think about it later, I would sigh a little and pity the next poor girl who would succumb to his charms, and then find herself in the same situation I was in with him. But, then I would always fantasize that she would have a big gun." Alice smiles and takes a sip of tea, and then continues, "Why did we do it, Donna? Why did we just let them do that to us?"

Donna empathetically shakes her head slowly.

"Thankfully, there are places like New Moon, right?" continues Alice. "I mean, I was pretty beat up when the cops found me. Social Services put me there to recover."

"I am completely thankful for them," agrees Donna. "I had no idea what I was going to do and then, right out of the blue their door opened up for us... at a gas station, of all places. This old Arab pawnshop owner told me about it. Way out in Oklahoma. Can you believe that?"

"That's funny. It was also some old Arab guy from the Holocaust who started the New Moon shelter," says Alice. "I guess it was about twenty years ago now. Did Ruwah ever tell you about that?"

"No," answers Donna. "What happened?"

"I guess he escaped from one of the Aleppo concentration camps," continues Alice. "The Army brought a bunch of the prisoners back here to the Presidio in San Francisco and they settled here. So anyway, I guess this one guy wanted to pay it back. He was so thankful to be rescued from the camp that he somehow got it together and started New Moon... "

As Alice continues, Daniel checks out of the conversation for a moment. He can't believe what he is hearing.

"What was his name?" asks Donna, quietly.

"Haven't you ever seen that photo in the lobby?" says Alice. "There is a picture of him hanging on the wall, right there in the front lobby. His name was Addiv. Addiv Saron."

\+ - + - + - +

As time goes by, Alice is so frequently helping Donna with Charlie and Cassie that they decide to pool their resources and rent a large three-bedroom apartment that the four of them can live in more comfortably. The hippie culture is flourishing in Berkeley and Donna and Alice embrace it wholeheartedly. They get together often with friends and talk about social concerns and various civil rights issues, and the government and war, and love and sex and drugs.

Daniel has never used drugs and has no intention of ever doing so, but he finds this preference cannot override Donna's will. Marijuana is the cool new high and Donna's friends are all experimenting freely with it. She welcomes the high that makes any thoughts or concerns about her toxic relationship with Jared disappear. And she enjoys how the drug takes her away to a happy place where no strings are attached to her troubled past.

"They call everyone a communist," says Wysteria, one of the younger women in the group of friends, who is very intellectual and quite involved in social justice and the 'power to the people' movement. "Anyone who goes against them is a communist. I read _The Psychedelic Experience_. It's totally far out. Timothy Leary is a genius. The Establishment is just trying to keep us down. We're trying to be enlightened and they don't like it. If we get too smart, they won't be able to manipulate us anymore."

She then pauses and gets a mischievous glint in her eye, and says, "I got some, you guys."

"You got what?" asks Alice.

Wysteria says, defensively, "The Beatles are doing it. All kinds of people are doing it. It's an awakening. People are being awakened."

"Are you talking about LSD?" asks Alice, shocked.

Wysteria nods somewhat sheepishly, but then she notices the rest of the group leaning forward and quite interested in what she is talking about.

"Let's just try it," says Wysteria.

"You've got to be kidding me," says Alice.

"Really. Why not?" says Wysteria. "Seriously, a lot of people are trying it and getting all kinds of cool insights from tripping out on it."

Alice can see the clearly unanimous interest in Wysteria's proposition, so she concedes, "Ok, Ok... fine. It's fine with me. I'm not going to be the one to stop you. But, I have also read about it, so I volunteer to be the one who doesn't take it. You're supposed to have someone in the group with you who is not tripping out. Just in case things get out of hand, or whatever."

Daniel tries desperately to hang on to rational thinking, but soon the drug takes over and his mind is out of control.

All of the women are hallucinating and talking wildly and describing their visions.

"Hummingbirds!" exclaims Donna, gleefully. "Look at all of the beautiful blue hummingbirds!"
They bring up a variety of random subjects and talk about them as though they are all experts in the field. They are pontificating about social issues and posing no small variety of ethical and philosophical questions. They discuss them as though they alone have the solutions to all the world's ills.

"Ok, I got one for you," says Wysteria. "If you could go back in time and meet anyone in history, who would you want to meet?"

Several different answers circulate around the room with comments or laughter inserted in between each one, until Wysteria says, "Well, I'd want to meet Judah Barshevet and punch that asshole right in the kisser."

Daniel snaps.

Donna jumps to her feet, and screams, "Stop it! Stop it! You're going to kill him... Oh, Father! Mother! I tried. I really did try, but I could not stop them... they were beating him and beating him!" She falls to the floor and grabs her groin, and screams, "Stop them! Please stop them! Oh God, please stop them! Tamara! No... no... " She rolls over into a fetal position and sobs loudly, and cries, "Where is he? Where is my baby? My baby boy! Please take me to my baby... Oh... no... Please stop! You are killing us! Oh God, Allah! Have mercy!"

Alice rushes over to Donna, pulls her close and cradles her in her lap, and says, "It's Ok, Donna. It's Ok. I'm right here with you... Shhh, it's Ok."

"They are dying! Can you not see? They are dying!" cries Donna from Alice's lap. "It is right here! The cure is right here in front of your eyes!"

All of the other girls are shocked by Donna's out of control trip and begin to sober up instantly as they stand stunned and motionless around her.

Donna lets out a blood curdling scream, gets tightly back into a fetal position in Alice's lap and sobs profusely, crying, "Jared, please... please, stop it Jared! God help me! God, oh God, help me!"

Donna sobs and sobs convulsively in Alice's lap. Alice caresses her head over and over, and says, "It's alright girl. It's Ok... it's Ok, you're going to be Ok... I got you... shhh... shhh now, girl... I got you... you're going to be Ok."

\+ - + - + - +

After that episode, Donna decides she is done with drugs. She has been drinking also, and she decides to stop that as well. She knows first hand about the horrible effect drinking had on Jared's life, so she decides to stop all of it. Alice agrees with Donna and the two of them become health nuts. They begin exercising regularly, eating more healthy foods and simply taking better overall care of their bodies.

One night, when Alice has a casserole cooking in the oven for dinner, Donna tells her she has something to show her. She escorts Alice into her bedroom and shows her some clothes laid out on the bed. They are a variety of hippie-style shirts, pants and dresses.

"Wow!" says Alice, as she picks them up and looks at them. "These are really far out. Where did you get them?"

"I made them," says Donna, smiling shyly.

"What!" exclaims Alice. "You made these? You made all of these?"

"Yes," says Donna. "Do you like them?"

"Like them? I love them! They are fantastic!" says Alice. "Wow! We are going to make a fortune on these... can we show them to Sharon?"

"I guess so," says Donna.

"She's going to love these. We are going to make a killing with these," says Alice. "Wow! Who knew? How in the world did you come up with these? I had no idea you could... "

"I have merely been watching you, Alice," says Donna. "You are such a great designer. I have been watching you work and... well, the ideas just started popping into my head."

The oven timer goes off, so they make their way back into the kitchen.

"Well, just keep those ideas popping, Donna," says Alice. "This is going to be great."

During dinner, Donna is feeling euphoric. She loves her life. She loves her children and her job and her home. She loves Alice and treasures their friendship. She takes a bite of Alice's delicious casserole and looks across the table at her smiling and talking to the children. Alice looks back at Donna and smiles. Life is going very well for all of them.

After dinner, Charlie and Cassie go out to the living room to watch _The Flintstones_ on TV, while Donna and Alice clean up the kitchen. As Donna watches Alice work, she begins to feel male attraction for her. Daniel is drawn to her. All of his previous male and female romantic experiences blend into one strong wanting and yearning for intimacy with Alice.

Alice puts a dish away in the cupboard, and then turns and notices the way Donna is looking at her. She too realizes that she has similar feelings for Donna. She picks up her glass of water from dinner and raises it, and says, "Well, here's to us, right partner?"

Donna walks up to Alice, and says, "Yes, here's to us." And then she gives her a warm embrace.

The embrace lingers for a while. They part somewhat and see in each other's eyes the companionship and togetherness they have developed. Slowly and hesitantly, they draw closer to each other and tenderly kiss.

\+ - + - + - +

Donna's initial clothing designs do sell well, and soon she and Alice start working together as a design team. They continue to create successful lines of clothing and find themselves able to save money, instead of living paycheck to paycheck. New Moon also becomes a beneficiary of their success as Donna and Alice invest their time, energy and resources into paying the shelter back for all the help they were to them when they so desperately needed it.

"That is so nice of you," says Alice, as Donna puts together two thank you packages -- one each for Lucy and Sonni back in Oklahoma.

Donna picks a few of her newly designed clothing items that she thinks each of them would like and puts them into the boxes, along with a thank you letter and a check to pay them back for their kindness. "I hope they like them," she says, as she finishes wrapping up the packages for the mail.

"They are going to be so surprised. And so happy to hear from you," says Alice.

"It feels really good to be able to do this. They were so amazing. I could not have done it at all without their help," says Donna.

\+ - + - + - +

Alice returns from a meeting with a clothing distributor in San Jose, and says to Donna, "You have got to hear this new band I heard down in San Jose. I'm telling you, they were way too far out!"

"Really?" says Donna.

"We have to get them up here," continues Alice. "The people up here would love them. Hey, I know! Let's do a benefit concert for New Moon! We'll do it outdoors in People's Park. George and Frank put on concerts there all the time. They can do it. It'll be a piece of cake."

"What in the world are you talking about?" asks Donna.

"The _Grateful Dead_!" says Alice.

Donna shakes her head, puzzled.

"I know. It seems like a stupid name for a band," says Alice. "But these guys are really really great. Everyone at the concert down there was going wild. And the people up here would love them, too."

So, after some planning and booking and organizing and scheduling, the _Grateful Dead_ comes up to Berkeley and gives a concert in the park. Everyone there goes wild for them as well, and the concert generates a large donation for New Moon. Now San Jose is not the only place that knows about this great new band with the weird name.

As time goes by, Daniel gets more and more restless. He cannot for the life of him figure out why he has assumed Donna's identity. And he is troubled about why he has been grafted into her life for so long. The identities he previously assumed did not go on this long and he begins to wonder if he will be stuck in Donna's life forever. _'Nothing is happening. Why am I even on this crazy journey through time in the first place?'_ he wonders. He looks back at his interaction with Adolf Hitler's life, but thinks maybe it only turned the tables on the Germans and ushered in a different type of Holocaust in the Middle East. He remembers doing some good by helping some Arabs escape horrific treatment at the hands of Turks and Zionists in a dreadful concentration camp. But then he wonders what, if any, impact he had on the AIDS situation as a blind black man in the African Congo. And now, he can't figure out why he is halfway across the world from there in Berkeley, California listening to the _Grateful Dead_. All he wants to do is go home. He just wants to be back home in his simple little apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota. He just wants to see Sarah. He just wants to be himself.

\+ - + - + - +

Alice's suggestion to take a day trip into San Francisco comes at the perfect time. It is exactly what Daniel needs to take his mind off his perplexing situation.

The next weekend, Donna and Alice treat themselves and the children to a jaunt into the city to see the sights and have a little fun. They spend the latter part of the morning hanging around Fisherman's Wharf and checking out the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Then they have a nice lunch at The Cannery. After lunch they take a cable car up into the Haight Ashbury area to see if anything interesting is happening up there. As they walk by Buena Vista Park, they see a crowd gathered, so they head over toward it to see what is going on.

"Mommy! Look!" says Charlie, pulling on Donna's skirt and pointing to a man who is up on a platform speaking to the crowd.

Donna can't believe what she is seeing, so they move over toward the center of the crowd to get a better look.

Charlie is right.

"What, Mommy?" asks Cassie.

So Donna lifts her up, and says, "Look, honey. It's Abbie. Remember Abbie? He drove out here with us in the station wagon. Remember?"

"I do! I do!" says Cassie, gleefully.

Donna looks down at Charlie, and says, "You certainly are observant, as usual, young man. This is kind of weird. I wonder what he is doing here." She looks over at Alice, and says, "This is so trippy. We met that guy in Amarillo, Texas on our way out here from Oklahoma. We gave him a ride in the wagon with us for the next couple of days that it took us to get out here. He was such a cool dude. We had a great time together. Wow. It is so far out to see him again."

It isn't long after this that the police arrive and begin to disperse the crowd. Abbie protests the actions of the police for a while, but eventually gives up when he sees the crowd is dwindling.

"Hi, Abbie!" says Charlie, as they all walk up to him.

"Well, hey hey, if it isn't Mr. Bumbly Buck, himself," says Abbie, grinning broadly. "What in the world are you doing here? This is so trippy. I can't believe this."

Abbie gives Donna a big hug, and says, "Wow! This is fantastic! Hello Cassie. How are you, my little sweetie?"

Cassie is a little bit overwhelmed and hides slightly behind Donna.

Abbie smiles, and says, "It's Ok, honey. That was a while ago, and I've been known to be just slightly overbearing."

"This is my friend, Alice," says Donna.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma'am," says Abbie, with a broad smile.

"Likewise," says Alice.

"Hey! We got some catching up to do," says Abbie. "Want to go get a Coke, or something?"

"Do you know of a place that has good tea?" asks Donna.

Abbie looks at Donna, and says, "I did notice you are quite the earth mother now. You actually look really really good... really healthy. Especially compared to where you were when I first met you.

"Yes... yes, I do know of the perfect place. It's a health food store and they make great tea and juices and stuff like that. It's really cool. Let's go there."

Charlie and Cassie enjoy the fresh juice drinks that are blended right at the counter, and the tea selection is excellent.

"Have you been here in San Francisco this whole time?" asks Donna. "I thought you said you were just coming out to visit some friends."

"No. I've been bouncing around a lot," says Abbie. "Just trying to find myself, really. I feel like I'm lost. Like aimless with no real momentum. Not doing anything about anything." He takes a drink, and then continues, "Like today. I'm out there trying to warn people about what is going on in this stupid country. And all I really see out there are glazed over faces. Then it's the same thing. The cops come and break it up, and everyone just goes their merry way. Like lambs to the slaughter. And meanwhile, the whole system is getting flushed down the toilet.

"And they call me a commie! They call me un-American! Shit man, I'm about as American as they come. I care more about America than all of them put together. And I'm willing to do something about it. Shit. I love our freedoms, and I'm going to use them, man. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly. They are my constitutional rights and I intend to take advantage of them."

But then Abbie gets a slightly dejected look on his face and glances over at Donna, and says, "But, nobody else seems to care, so really... why should I?" He looks down at his tea.

"What about McCarthy?" asks Donna.

"He's such an asshole," says Abbie.

"Which is exactly why you have to keep trying," says Donna, encouragingly. "If you stop... well, he won't stop, right? So if you stop, you will just let him keep getting away with all of that crap."

Abbie looks up from his tea.

"You have to keep at it, Abbie," continues Donna. "Really. Keep going. You will make a difference. You have to. Nobody else will."

Abbie takes a drink of tea, and says, "I don't know, Donna. It's a pretty formidable task. There are so many people out there who simply don't have any idea what is going on in this country. They are all just fat and happy. 'Don't rock the boat, man. Things are going fine.'"

"I agree," says Alice. "But there has to be some way to reach them, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," agrees Abbie, hesitantly. Then he looks at them, and says, "Theatre has worked pretty well for me in the past. Maybe I just need to get more creative. Maybe I need to think of something that will actually get their attention. I don't know. Maybe it's like when someone is sleeping, you gotta do something to snap them out of it."

"Sounds like that would probably work," says Donna.

"Yeah, you're right, of course," agrees Abbie. "I need to stop making this one big pity party about me.

"Hey! Pity Party! That's it. That could be my new platform. 'Join the Pity Party! Let them run all over us. We're the party that doesn't do shit. Join us! Together we'll just sit around and get nothing done!'"

Abbie pauses for a moment and then looks over at Donna, and says, "You're right, Donna. You are absolutely right. I'm not going to join that pity party, damn it. I have to keep trying."

"That's more like it," encourages Donna.

"I am so glad I ran into you all today," smiles Abbie. "Really. It is so great to see you. I was just getting discouraged about all of this stuff. Kind of spiraling downward." Then he raises his eyebrow slightly, and announces, "There must be something in this tea. I feel like a new man."

"Well, it is great to see you, too," says Donna.

Abbie takes a drink, and then continues, "I was actually thinking about heading out to New York. I hear things are shaking up out there, and I thought I might check out the action. And now I'm feeling a little charged up about it."

"Is that where your wife and children are?" asks Donna.

Abbie sighs deeply, and says, "Well, sadly, that part of my life is not going so well. Sheila and I don't see things the same way anymore. We're too different. We're pulling in different directions and tearing each other up in the process. And, it's no good for the kids. It's all of that negative vibe rubbing off on them. It's not good. Not good at all. We're just... well, we're just going to have to take our different paths and try to make it work out as well as we can."

Abbie smiles, and says, "But you guys look good. You guys look like one big happy family."

"We are," agrees Donna. "Everything is really going well for us, right guys?"

Charlie and Cassie both nod yes, and then continue to sip their juice drinks.

"Alice and I are doing real well," says Donna. "We design clothing and it's all selling like crazy and... well, things have settled down very nicely for us, especially since the last time you saw us. Man, I was a total wreck back then. It is totally amazing I was even able to get out of that mess. The people at the New Moon shelter really helped us a lot."

"That is so fantastic," says Abbie. "I am so glad things have worked out so well for you. Who would have ever guessed that that bedraggled mother of two at a roadside diner in Amarillo, Texas would have ever gotten it together as well as you have?"

Donna raises her eyebrows and takes a deep breath, and says, "Not me, I'll tell you. Certainly not me."

\+ - + - + - +

"I know it is going to be somewhat difficult for you, but it seems like this is perfect timing for me," says Alice.

"We'll be fine. Really... Alice, don't even worry the slightest bit about us," assures Donna. "Of course it is the right thing for you to do. You have to take advantage of it now while the opportunity is presenting itself.

"And believe me, I know... honestly I know, you cannot find a better traveling companion than Abbie. You two will be perfect together. And he'll get as much benefit from you being with him as you will get from him traveling with you. Really. It will be great. And, like you said, the timing is perfect."

"But it is also really really scary," adds Alice. "I mean, New York. We're talking New York fashion, Donna."

"Are you kidding me? You are every bit as talented, or even more talented than they are," assures Donna again. "Why would they offer you the job if you weren't, silly."

"I know. I know," says Alice, hesitantly. "And you are right, as usual. I need to stop thinking of myself as that beaten down woman left for dead in that sleazy apartment. But, it is just so so hard to stop going back there in my mind whenever I am feeling even the slightest bit unsure about myself."

"We are miles and miles away from those places in our past, Alice," comforts Donna. "This is a new adventure for you. This is where you are meant to be. New York fashion is never going to be the same. You'll see. You are going to rock that city, and they are never going to know what hit them."

\+ - + - + - +

The Capital Grounds are always so beautiful at that time of year. It is the early spring transition between everything being dormant from winter and everything being awakened by new growth. Life is everywhere. Even the air is bursting with life. And, it is not merely the birds flying around in it, but it is also the sounds traveling through it and the moisture sparkling within it.

Daniel closes his eyes and takes in a long slow breath. He tilts his head up toward the sun and lets its warm rays dance all over his smiling face. He is gone again. Off on some adventure into his imagination, or into some deep philosophical quest, or simply dreaming about Sarah... dreaming about their life together...

eeeeEEEEEEE-OOOOoooo eeeeEEEEEEE-OOOoooo...

' _Why, why, why does that always happen... just when I was getting to the good part,'_ thinks Daniel, frustrated by the sound of the emergency vehicle siren blaring down the street toward him. Daniel looks down at his watch, and thinks, _'Time -- my relentless nemesis. Will you ever let me be? Why must you constantly jerk me back into your realm -- your realm of clocks and schedules and places to go and people to see and deadlines to meet... Deadlines. Yes, that is exactly what you are -- a dead line. You are marching along that line toward death, and dragging me along with you. Time -- my relentless traveling companion. When will I be free from your unyielding tyranny?'_

Daniel looks up from his watch and sees the ambulance rush past him down the street with its blaring siren and flashing lights. _'God help that poor soul. And thank You that it is not me,'_ he prays. Then he packs up his lunch bag, stands up and starts walking back to work.

Daniel looks ahead of him and sees something on one of the park benches, and thinks, _'What is that?'_ As he walks closer, he sees it is a person completely covered by a full-length gray robe, asleep on the bench. From a distance, it looked like a pile of dirty laundry.

' _Is he dead? He is not moving at all. Is he breathing?'_ thinks Daniel, as he stops and kneels down next to him. "Hey, pal. Hey, are you Ok?" he says. Then he puts his hand on the person's shoulder and jiggles him slightly, and says, "Hey, buddy, are you..."

Suddenly, Daniel notices tiny veins of light creeping through the fabric of the robe starting outward from under the palm of his hand. The veins get a little larger as they move out in a circular pattern all over the robe. Daniel feels himself being sucked in by the veins of light. He instinctively tries to jerk back his hand, but it is now fastened to the person. The light then rapidly networks all over the person's body and completely covers it. Daniel jumps to his feet and tries with all of his strength to pull away, but the veins of light are now traveling up his arm. He is being consumed by the light as the veins rapidly make their way all over his body right up to his head. Suddenly, everything around him bursts into a blazing flash of white light.

Donna sits straight up in bed, breathing like she just got the wind knocked out of her.

"Momma, can we have pancakes?" says Cassie, sleepily, as she crawls into bed next to her mother.

Donna cradles Cassie under her arm and lays back down, still breathing heavily. "Sure, honey. Sounds yummy to me."

\+ - + - + - +

Denise is another one of Donna's closest friends at the shop. "Yes... " she says, one Friday during lunch. "Honestly, I've never felt anything like this ever before in my entire life. It's the real deal, man. I mean, you know my past, I've had my share of highs, but this is the real thing. Jesus makes me high and then He never lets me come down. Just come with me tonight. You'll see what I'm talking about. Really. It is so so wonderful to know Him. So fantastic!"

"Alright, Ok... I'll go," chuckles Donna, as she takes the last bite of her sandwich. "I never really thought about it too seriously, but something sure has been watching over us and smiling down on our lives. I came out of hell in Oklahoma and into heaven here... so, if God is the one Who did all of that for us, then I guess I should at least go and find out how I can thank Him for it, right?"

"Cool," says Denise. "Oh, I am so happy you are going to come with me. You're going to love it. I just know you are going to love it. And, bring Charlie and Cassie, too. It's for the whole family. It's God's family. It's God embracing His family. God reaching out His ever-loving arms and embracing His family.

"Seven o'clock, alright? Over at First Presbyterian Church, in the fellowship hall. Everyone will be there. It will be so cool. Oh, Donna, I am so happy you're coming. You'll see... "

"Ok, Ok, already," smiles Donna. "We'll see you there tonight, after dinner."

Campus Crusade for Christ holds regular meetings at the church to reach out to the UC Berkeley students. But recently, a sizable contingent from the hippie crowd has regularly attended the meetings as well, and is wholeheartedly embracing the message of love through Jesus Christ.

First Presbyterian looks to Donna like any other church when she and the children walk up to it. But when they enter the fellowship hall, it simply looks to her like a large open dining area with a stage at one end. It does not seem like it is going to be any type of a church service she has ever attended before. There are no stained-glass windows or candles or statues or anything religious looking at all. And the music is upbeat and inviting and joyful. She can feel the energy and the love in the room as she looks around at everyone singing from their heart and swaying slowly from side to side. Their arms are raised in the air and their fingers are outstretched as if to conduct an invisible energy source.

The next song is more up-tempo, so the people start to clap their hands and move with the music. They are smiling and talking to each other and laughing. The whole environment seems like one big family reunion.

Denise finds them standing at the entrance of the hall and then escorts them over to where she is sitting. She smiles and happily introduces them to some of her friends, "These are my good friends, James and Jess, and their son, Jacob."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," says Donna. "I'm Donna, and these are my two children, Charlie and Cassie."

They then all continue to let the music assist them into an attitude of worship.

' _Denise was right. This really is something cool,'_ thinks Donna. And Charlie and Cassie are also enjoying it. Everyone at the meeting is friendly and welcoming, and they make the new little family feel at home with the rest of the crowd.

The music finishes up and the people joyously applaud as they sit down in the rows of chairs that work their way from the stage to the other end of the hall by the entrance. As the musicians put away their instruments, a man carrying a Bible walks up to a lectern in the center of the stage. He is not wearing a robe or one of those weird white collars. He looks like any average person off the street.

He puts his Bible down on the lectern and opens it up. Then he looks out at the audience, smiles and speaks into a microphone, "Thank You, Jesus. We praise Your holy Name." His tone is not preachy at all. He sounds as though he is actually speaking to someone in the room, so Donna turns her head and looks around behind her to see if someone is there.

He continues, "Thank You for being here tonight. Thank You for being right here in our midst and blessing us with Your abundant grace. Speak to us tonight, Lord. Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us. We thank You. We praise You... "

Donna feels a little weak and trembly, as though she is close to fainting. She feels an entirely enveloping warmth flow all over her. From the inside, she feels like she is being bathed in love. She closes her eyes and feels overcome with a feeling of deep peace. She begins to slightly sway from side to side in her seat.

"Let not your heart be troubled," continues the man on the stage, reading from his Bible. "Believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. And, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself. That where I am you may be also."

Donna hears these words as if they are being spoken from inside her head. She hears the voice of God.

The speaker continues to read, "Then Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going. How do we know the way?' Jesus said to Thomas, 'I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.'"

Donna is then washed over by a sea of voices, saying, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise You Jesus! Oh, praise You Jesus!"

The man looks up from his Bible, and says, "Let not your heart be troubled, my friends. Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life!"

Someone at the piano starts to quietly play. Donna feels like she knows the song, but just can't quite place it. The atmosphere in the room becomes calm and soothing as everyone quiets down and listens to the simple piano music. Then a woman walks up to the microphone and begins to sing, slowly and tenderly,

"Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely,

and long for heaven's home?

When Jesus is my portion,

my constant friend is He.

His eye is on the sparrow

and I know He watches me."

Donna begins to sob.

"I sing because I'm happy.

I sing because I'm free.

For His eye is on the sparrow.

And I know He watches me."

Donna drops to her knees and hugs Charlie and Cassie tightly. She is smiling and laughing and crying all at the same time. She remembers Lucy way back in Oklahoma telling her that His eye was on the sparrow. She found her Lord. She found the One Who is watching over her, the One Whose eye was on her the entire time. She found Jesus. She found the Lover of her soul. It was Him all along, the entire way through. It was Him. His eye was on this little sparrow, and she knows that He is watching over her.

\+ - + - + - +

Donna becomes ravenous for the Bible. She wants to find out as much as she can about this Lover of her soul. She wants to know why He did it, why He would die for her, why He even cared about this one insignificant little sparrow who was pecking and flitting around out in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma.

' _Why me?'_ she wonders. _'Why does He love me so much that He was willing to die for me?'_ She reads. She studies. She goes to small gatherings of people and talks to them about why they are also so crazy about this Jesus, and why they are so driven to figure out what this wonderful new relationship with Him is all about.

The more she learns, the more overwhelmed she becomes. It is all so perfect and so wonderful. _'I was drowning and He simply reached out His hand. I put my hand into His hand, and now He leads my way. Oh, what a great great joy...'_ she ponders as she closes her eyes and worships her Lord.

Donna then goes back in her mind and wonders why no one ever told her about Jesus before. All she ever saw was church after church lined up on the streets, and Sunday after Sunday, just a bunch of people going in and out of them. But this is so much more! She is in love! She feels as though she is going to burst with joy, as she thinks, _'The Ruler of the universe, the Creator of the universe is in love with_ _me_ _! Oh, what joy! Oh, what peace! Oh, what great great joy!'_

\+ - + - + - +

"I hear you are from the hospital in Kisangani, in the Congo?" says Donna. "That you are the one who developed the polio vaccine?"

"Yes, well, it wasn't actually me," says James. "I didn't develop the vaccine. It was some of the locals who showed us a natural cure that came right out of the jungle there in Africa. I couldn't believe it. Right, Jess?"

"Yes. It was amazing," says Jess. "The entire hospital was in an upheaval, and then right in the middle of the storm, one of the local workers in the hospital showed us a natural cure that one of the women in his village had come up with."

"And, not only did I not come up with source of the polio vaccine, but instead, our development process there at the hospital created a new problem that was just as bad... or could have even turned out to be worse," adds James. "Somehow in my attempt to develop the vaccine, I unleashed a strange other virus, which attacked the immune system of some of the patients in the hospital who were exposed to it. And sadly, Jacob was one of them. It was terrible."

"But the woman had a cure for that virus as well," says Jess. "It was amazing. It was so amazing to see God work in that situation. But I mean, He created this whole world anyway, right? So, it makes sense to me that He would provide the cure for all of the diseases in the world. I guess we simply have to be diligent enough to seek His guidance and go out and look for them, instead of trying to fix the problems ourselves."

The images of James and Jess Lomas that Daniel recorded in his mind when he had assumed the identity of Dance did not match their real appearance very closely at all. It took him quite a while to alter the mental images he had previously formed of them to match this wonderful couple who are sitting and chatting with Donna.

James and Jess are very helpful to Donna in her endeavors to grow as a new convert to Christianity. They are more mature in their faith, so they take her under their wing and teach her all of the basic Christian doctrines. Thankfully, their lives match their teaching and Donna is able to watch and learn, and start her faith with a good solid footing in the truth of God.

Their son, Jacob, is now a young man. Daniel's memories of him as a sick boy struggling with a mysterious disease in a hospital deep in the heart of Africa now seem long ago and far away. And he still simply cannot figure out why all of these things are happening to him. He does not know what he is supposed to be doing. He struggles with the disparity between the two entirely different worlds -- the African Congo and Berkeley, California. He feels there could not be two more different places in the world -- the African jungle and the concrete jungle. _'What is the connection?'_ he wonders.

' _They are about as far away from each other as any two places could possibly be in so many different ways, but then again, maybe they are not that far away from each other at all,'_ thinks Daniel. He realizes there is the one profound unifying concept: Dance met the Master Jesus when he was a young boy growing up in the African jungle; and Donna met Him while trying to survive in one of the major concrete jungles of the U.S. Either way, it did not matter at all where they each were because the result was the same -- they had each surrendered their lives to His salvation, and then they had each submitted their lives to His Lordship.

\+ - + - + - +

One Wednesday evening, Donna comes home from a Bible study group meeting. Charlie and Cassie are upstairs with their neighbor friends who live in the same apartment building. "I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free," she sings, as she comes into the lobby, opens up her mailbox and takes out the daily mail.

She notices the Jesus literature she always leaves on the lobby counter needs replenishing. So, she reaches into her purse and puts a few more copies of it down on the counter, and continues singing, "For His eye is on the sparrow... "

"Donna," breaks in a voice from her past.

"Oh!" she says, startled and turning around to see who is there.

Ice fills her veins and terror strikes at the core of her being as she looks over and sees Jared standing in the lobby.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," says Jared, quietly. He looks old, very old, like he has been through a war.

Donna is dumbstruck. She goes quickly back to feeling terrified by this man. From the core of her being she instantly feels each of the beatings all over again.

"I'm sorry, Donna. I am so very very sorry for what I did to you... and to Charlie and Cassie," says Jared.

The air is sweet with new spring growth. The sky is filled with billowy white clouds. 'Liquid sunshine' is inevitable \-- it is only a matter of time. An old Asian woman walks along the parallel rows of her rice paddies, weeding here and there and sorting plants neatly next to each other.

"I came to make amends for what I have done to you all," continues Jared. "I was a horrible... a horrible beast to you. I am so so very sorry, Donna."

Donna is still stunned and transfixed by what she is seeing and hearing.

"I stopped drinking," continues Jared. "They helped me to stop. I'm sick, Donna. I'm sick. I'm an alcoholic. But, I'm working at getting better. I'm sober. It's been most of the last year now, 301 days. And, I'm not going back. I'm not going back to that life."

Jared pauses and takes a deep breath, and continues, "I don't need you to do anything. I don't expect anything. I just came to make amends. It's part of my program. I can't move forward if I don't..." Jared looks down and shakes his head. Then he looks back up at Donna, and says, "I am so very very sorry, Donna."

The old Asian woman goes into her farmhouse and then, after a few moments, comes out and snaps a cloth up and down to shake out the dust. A beautiful white heron flies above her. She looks up and drinks in every moment of its majestic flight over her. It is as if she is the heron, free and gliding over the rice paddies.

Donna is still frozen in her place and unable to move.

Jared looks down at his watch, and says, "I have to catch the bus. I can't be late to work." He reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out an envelope. He steps forward and reaches out his hand to give the envelope to Donna, but she instinctively recoils in fear.

Jared backs off, and says, "I'm... I'm sorry. I... I understand." He holds up the envelope, and says, "This is just an envelope with my new address on it... and a stamp. I really just want to know how you and the kids are doing. If you could just let me know... how... "

Jared stops talking and lays the envelope down on the floor in front of him. He then slowly turns, walks out the lobby door and down the steps to the street. The air seems to return to the room as he walks away down the street.

Donna feels like she has been holding her breath. She exhales a few short quick bits of air through her nose and then finally begins to breathe normally.

She slowly takes a few steps forward and bends down to pick up the envelope, but her hand passes right through it. The lobby becomes hollow sounding and Donna's body begins to tingle all over. She straightens up, looks around slowly and then fixes her gaze on the laundry room door at the other end of the lobby. Through it she sees a rustic room filled with rudimentary handmade furniture.

Daniel realizes this existence has now come to an end. It is time for him to move on. He takes a deep breath and walks through the laundry room doorway.

\+ - + - + - +

"It was just so frightening, Jess. I was terrified. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe," said Donna. "But then it was over, just as quickly as it started."

Jess merely shook her head in amazement.

"But honestly, the other thing was I knew the Lord was standing right there with me," continued Donna. "In the terror of the moment I also knew the comfort of the Holy Spirit's presence. He was right there. I know He was. There is no way I could have done it without Him. He is real, Jess. He totally is the real thing. I'm telling you."

"That is so powerful, Donna," said Jess. "Wow. It gives me the chills."

"I know," agreed Donna.

"What are you going to do?" asked Jess.

"Well," thought Donna. "I mean, it was weird. It was really like it wasn't even him. He looked so haggard and broken and... "

"Sounds like the Lord has been working on him," inserted Jess.

"Yes, totally," agreed Donna. "Anyway, I think I will just write him a letter and put it in that envelope he gave to me, to simply let him know how we are doing. I don't think it will be a problem. Really. I think it was the real deal. He was not the same cocky self-centered Jared at all. He was busted. Just flat busted."

"Yes, well, keep me in the loop. I want to walk with you through all of this, alright?" said Jess.

"Are you kidding!" said Donna. "Why would I stop now? You have been such a great great sister to me. I praise God above for bringing you into my life. You and James have both been so good to us. I have learned so much about the Lord from you... so much about life from you."

"And I from you, my dear little sister," smiled Jess. "You and the rest of our little Berkeley flock have been such a wonderful part of our life. I am so glad James took the research position here at the university. Wow! We have been so very blessed since we came back here from Africa."

Donna smiled, as Jess continued, "And Charlie and Cassie are like the other little children we never had. I just adore those little teddy bears. So, believe me, you have brought much much joy into my life as well."

Donna smiled and took a sip of her tea, and then asked, "And how are you doing with Jacob's enlistment into the Army?"

Jess sighed heavily, and said, "Not so great, to be honest with you. But, I get it. I know it is just him being the man God made him. He's always been the hero. He's always been the one to fight for what's right. Probably from growing up in Africa. We definitely saw our share of injustice over there."

"But this whole Vietnam thing is so sad," said Donna.

"I know, I know," agreed Jess. "But, if anyone can make anything right about it, Jacob can. He has the heart of God."

"And he will have the hand of God protecting him, right?" said Donna.

"Yes, as you so powerfully know, yourself," agreed Jess. "His eye is on the sparrow... "

Donna joined in unison, "... and we know He's watching us."

\+ - + - + - +

It did not take Jacob Lomas long to work his way up through the ranks of the U.S. Army. It was quickly evident to his commanding officers he was an up and coming military career man. And it was also clear to his fellow soldiers during the first few years of his service, that Jacob Lomas was the one who could be counted on to do whatever it took to get the job done, and then get everyone back to the base safely.

When Jacob was promoted to a position where he was leading troops into battle, he also realized, without question, that he was in it for life. The Army was where he was meant to be. His courage and leadership in battle saved many a fellow soldier's life, and he quickly became greatly admired and respected.

Jacob did not love the war, but he did love the Army. As far as he was concerned, he was committed to make it work as properly and as honorably as possible. He found himself often contemplating the gravity of the fact that human life was put under his care. He took that aspect of his job very seriously and was completely dedicated to serving every one within his sphere of influence as effectively and meaningfully as possible.

He also highly honored the Vietnamese people and did everything he could to help them. His exposure to African culture when he was young gave him a larger view of the world. He knew down deep he was much more than an American soldier over in a foreign land trying to help fix someone else's annoying problem. He treated all of the nationals with the respect they deserved, whether they were prisoners of war or civilians.

\+ - + - + - +

"There you go, Cookie," said Jacob, as he placed the box of groceries down on the kitchen worktable.

"Oh Jacob, you are a Godsend," smiled the cook. "The men have no idea what you do for them."

"What good is a bunch of malnourished soldiers?" said Jacob. "I need them to be strong, not wasting away from eating Army rations."

"But you're an officer. You should send one of them muckeys out there to get the goods," said the cook.

"Are you crazy!" scoffed Jacob. "They have no idea what good produce is. And besides, I'm doing it for myself. I like to eat well, too, ya know."

"We're lucky to have you," said the cook.

"Leadership is all about serving those under your command," said Jacob. "That's what my father always taught me. He said a leader is only as good as the people under him."

"Well, let me get these prepared," said the cook. "We're going to eat well for the next week or so, thanks to you."

The following week, Jacob was back at the market and he saw her again. He had noticed her there several times before, and had admired the great care with which she selected her market goods. She seemed to know how to get the best products that each of the sellers had to offer. And he also noticed they seemed to have a great respect for her as a result of her ability to know and appreciate their wares.

Jacob moved in as close as he could without causing any suspicion, and followed her in order to learn as many of her secrets as he could. Unfortunately, after a while, his cover was blown.

She suddenly turned toward him, and said, "Why you watch me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Jacob, startled. "I didn't mean to... I was... "

But, before he could finish, she turned and quickly walked away.

\+ - + - + - +

A short while later, Jacob saw her again. This time it was at one of the local restaurants in Da Nang. She was serving tables.

Jacob walked up to her, and said, "Hello."

She turned, and said, "Hello."

"I apologize for bothering you in the market," Jacob continued.

The girl nodded.

"May I talk to you when you have a moment?" asked Jacob.

"I have break in one hour," answered the girl. "I talk then."

After the hour, the girl took off her apron and nodded to the restaurant owner. She then nodded to Jacob and the two of them left the restaurant and walked down the street.

"I watch you, too," said the girl. "You not like other soldier."

"My name is Jacob. What is your name?"

"My name Singh," said the girl.

"How am I not like the other soldiers?" asked Jacob.

"You not funny. You not think this big joke," said Singh.

"I don't think what is a joke?" asked Jacob.

"War," answered Singh. "They think war is joke."

Jacob nodded his head and then looked at her, and said, "You see things differently, don't you."

"You see different, too," said Singh. "I watch you." She frowned slightly, and asked, "Why you watch me?"

"I'm sorry," said Jacob. "I was trying to learn from your buying skills in the market. You are always able to buy the best products."

"It not skill," said Singh. "It... it... it feeling. I get feeling from food."

Jacob looked puzzled.

"Land and farmer work together to make food," explained Singh. "When harmony between farmer and land is good, then food is good. I feel it. I know when harmony is good."

Jacob nodded.

"When I little girl, I work on farm with... with grandmother," added Singh.

"I understand," said Jacob. "When I was a little boy, I lived in Africa. So, I understand the importance of being connected with the land."

"That why you different," said Singh.

Jacob chuckled, and said, "Yes, you are probably right about that."

\+ - + - + - +

It was several weeks later the next time they met. Singh was surprised to see Jacob with bandages on his head, and walking into the restaurant using a crutch. Jacob had acted heroically and was injured in the process of saving several of the men in his unit.

Singh could easily see he was not the same man whom she had spoken with before. She sensed a cloud over him. The feeling was not the same.

"May I help you?" asked Singh, as she walked up to Jacob sitting alone at a table.

Jacob looked up and smiled slightly, and said, "It is good to see you, Singh. I hoped I would see you here tonight."

"I stop work in two hour," said Singh.

"Yes, that would be nice," said Jacob.

Walking was not as easy for Jacob this time, so the two of them found a place nearby to sit and talk. They found a small bench under a large banyan tree that seemed to have as many branches going down to the earth as it did reaching up to the sky.

"It's so senseless," said Jacob, quietly. "Both sides are losing men. And, over what? Is it really worth such a great loss? Why... "

After a short pause, Singh said, "We take too much... and not give."

Jacob looked at her.

"We take and take and not give," she continued. "Then we think it ours and no one must take from us. Then we fight. Then we take more. Then we forget how to give."

Jacob began to weep. Singh moved closer to him and put her arm around his shoulders and wept with him.

\+ - + - + - +

During Jacob's healing period, he and Singh met often. They soon realized they were experiencing a reunion of two souls who had separately been seeking each other for a long long time. As they opened themselves up to each other, they learned there were no real barriers between them, even though they came from different worlds that were far away from each other in many ways. They were sharing at a level that defied language barriers, and social customs, and ethnic differences and political agendas. They were meeting soul to soul and they were falling deeply and completely in love with each other.

Jacob thoroughly enjoyed helping Singh with her English. The ways each of them butchered the other's native tongue frequently sent them into hysterics. They shared times of laughter such as those, and they also shared times of sorrow as they talked about the war going on all around them and the people who were being adversely affected by it. There was not a subject between the two of them that did not get contemplated and discussed.

It was not long before it became clear to Jacob and Singh that they had discovered the person with whom they wanted to share the rest of their life. Unfortunately, Jacob did not have a lot of time he could invest in the relationship. But every moment he did have was spent with his treasured soul mate, Singh.

\+ - + - + - +

As often happens in times of war, Singh found herself waiting to see Jacob long after their scheduled time to meet. This time, however, she knew something was very wrong. Something did not feel right to her. And, what made it particularly difficult was the fact that she was so eager to tell him the happy news -- she was carrying their child in her womb.

But, Jacob never showed up to their meeting, and he never returned to his base. He had been captured and taken as a prisoner of war.

Six months later, with still no word or information about Jacob's whereabouts, Singh gave birth to their son in a clinic that was operated by U.S. Medical Missionaries. Singh was not able to keep her parents from finding out about her relationship with an American soldier and the birth of their son. They came to the clinic, took Singh and forced her to leave the city and return to their home in the country. The Medical Missionary couple who ran the clinic decided to adopt the baby boy and take him home to live with them in the U.S.

At the end of the war, Jacob was finally rescued from the prison camp. His life was decimated. He searched and searched for Singh, but was not able to find her. He returned back home to the U.S. a broken man. All of his dreams turned to nightmares. He could not cope. No VA hospital and no treatment plan could help him. He was done. Nothing mattered. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the nightmare began.

PART SEVEN

After stepping through the doorway, the first thing Daniel notices is peace. Peacefulness fills the room. It is so present and so evident he feels as though he can reach out and touch it, or rather, it feels as though it is reaching out and touching him.

He also notices he does not feel much different in this new identity. He is a woman like Donna, and a mother. But, then he looks at his hands and sees they are wizened and leathery. And he also discovers the Bible in his right hand has transformed into a simple oil lantern.

He puts the lantern down on a plain wooden table and looks around the small single room. It is rustic, but immaculately clean. Everything in the room seems to be perfectly placed. Everything is in harmony. As Daniel looks around, even the placement of the furniture and all of the other things in the room seem to radiate the overall environment of peacefulness.

Daniel looks to his right and sees a bed against the wall. An old Asian man is lying asleep on it. Daniel's knees buckle and he stumbles over to sit down on a nearby wooden chair. He can barely breathe. The depth of love he feels for the man makes him swoon. It is as though the entire process of loving this man, moment by moment, for the last sixty-five years hits him all at once and washes over him like a warm soothing wave.

After several moments, Daniel's strength returns, so he gets up from the chair, walks over to the side of the bed, and kneels down next to the man. He gently runs the fingers of his wizened hand through the silky white strands of the man's hair. Then he bends over and tenderly kisses the man on the forehead.

It is nighttime. Daniel stands up, walks slowly over to the doorway and steps out into the night air, which is fresh and full of the aromas and melodies of nature. He looks up to an orchestra of stars perfectly seated in the great concert hall of the evening sky -- all twinkling in perfect tempo with the master conductor of the universe.

The next day, Daniel discovers he has assumed the identity of an old Asian woman named Dinh, who has lived as a simple rice paddy farmer for her entire life. She has three children, two daughters and one son, who are all grown and married with children of their own.

Her husband, the love of her life, is on his way out. His body is slowly and methodically shutting down, and his mind has already been somewhere else for several years. It has been quite a long time since their lifelong partnership of working together in the rice paddies transitioned to a one-woman job. But, she merely views it all like a clock perfectly timed and ticking away in stride with nature -- up in the morning, work during the day, sleep at night. It is an ongoing cycle of planting, harvesting, eating, drinking, talking, laughing, dreaming and loving.

For some strange reason, Daniel feels as though he has finally arrived at the final destination of his journey through time. He is obviously not back home, but he cannot deny the fact that he feels completely at home. He wonders, _'Is this where I am supposed to be? Is this the outcome of this crazy journey through time? Am I, in my true essence, an elderly Asian woman in the middle of a rice paddy farm somewhere in Southeast Asia?'_

Daniel has no idea where he is in time. There is no reference point in Dinh's mind. The simple way of life he currently occupies may not have changed for hundreds of years. He wonders if he went decades backward in time, or even if he went decades of years forward in time. What he knows for sure is he does not care. He is perfectly content and perfectly at peace with himself.

\+ - + - + - +

Dinh knows today is the day. She feels it travelling up and down her spine as she bends over to pour her tea. And she feels it in her heart as it distributes the life giving fluid back and forth from her hands and feet to her chest. Her soul is being readied. It is beginning to unwind.

They have been one with each other for so long she cannot remember what it was like not being one with him. They are uniquely themselves and uniquely combined -- a single sum of two parts -- two strands of rope woven together and bound as one cord of life.

She knows today, she will be looking into his crystal clear eyes for the last time. And he knows as well, so he looks up at her and smiles. He wants to speak his goodbye to her, but the joy of conversation with her ceased years ago.

Those days of hearing his loving words are long gone, but she closes her eyes and hears the message of his heart anyway, _'I love you, my darling lily blossom. Oh, how I wish I could tell you one last time how much I love you, and how much I have enjoyed spending my life with you. You have walked with me on this part of my journey and have shown me the way to be whole through every step we took together. You have lovingly lit my path with your spirit and gently ushered me into the reality of who I truly am.'_

He wants to reach out and touch the quivering cheek of his lover that is being so tenderly moistened by her loving tears, but his arm and hand do not obey him anymore.

'I have felt your sorrow, my dear one, as you have looked at me lying here during these last few years. But, oh how I have longed to tell you there was no need for sorrow at all. Yes, on your side of life our connection is broken, but on my side of life we are dancing! On my side of life I see splendor! I see glorious wonders! It is I who am sorrowful I cannot tell you about them or show them to you. Oh, how I long for the day when we are both fully here on this side together!'

Dinh slowly opens her eyes to see sixty-five years of tender intimacy spiral back into his empty watery crystal clear eyes. She sighs and looks one last time through those two pearlescent doorways into the soul of her lover. Oh, how she longs to dive into those two pools of lifelong love. But, the moon is full and the tide is low. Life is being drawn back into the sea, back to where it came from.

Finally, the curtains close on those two windows to his soul. Life giving air ceases to be drawn in and sent out. His house is empty. It has fulfilled its purpose. He is free.

Dinh knows she will be with him again when it comes time for the jar of clay that is temporarily holding the oil of her life to crack open and spill its contents back into the earth. So, she does not skip too many beats after the passage of her partner, and returns to ticking away days in the timeless unstoppable clock of life in the rice paddies.

\+ - + - + - +

She has heard them before, but it was way off in the distance, never this close. And, she has never seen one.

It is terribly frightening as she feels the sharp pounding vibrations in the air and the deafening sound of the blades slicing through the clear blue sky. She drops to her knees in the rice paddy, frightened to death and covering her head for dear life.

When she feels as though her chest is about to explode, she rallies every ounce of curiosity and bravery in her being to look up and see the three Vietnamese Army helicopters hovering in the air above her head. Their artificial wind whips the water and the tiny rice plants into frenzied whirling dervishes all around her. The violent flapping of her clothes against her body makes her feel as though she is going to be stripped naked at any moment.

They look like giant grotesque grasshoppers with bulging glass eyes and pointy jagged legs. They are horrible -- exact opposite representations of her peaceful world. They are hellish intruders into her heavenly dwelling place.

She does not know why they are there that day, and she does not care. All she hopes is they never return.

A few days after that cruel interruption of her quiet peaceful way of life, Dinh is tending an area of the rice paddy near an outcrop of trees. As she works her way along the row of plants, she is startled when she unexpectedly happens upon the body of a U.S. soldier lying wounded and unconscious in her field.

She races as quickly as she can back to her farmhouse and retrieves her hauling sled. She drags it along its runners back to the soldier and, with much difficulty, rolls him onto the sled and drags him back to her house.

Daniel prays and prays for some of his youthful strength to energize Dinh's ancient frame, so she can lift the dead weight of the young man's body from the sled outside to the bed inside. He isn't sure if it is the prayer or just pure adrenaline, but after much effort, the task is accomplished and Dinh begins to care for the soldier's wounds.

Dinh is amazed at how large the man is. She has never seen a Caucasian. He is so much taller and bulkier than any man she has ever seen occupying the isolated world of her tiny village.

His face is badly beaten, bruised, bloody and swollen. She removes his shirt and discovers he has also been beaten quite severely on his back. Fortunately, she does not find any evidence of broken bones. A couple of fingers are dislocated, but she is able to relocate them fairly easily. If there are any internal injuries, it does not appear they are life threatening. Overall, this poor soul is simply badly beaten and exhausted and dehydrated.

For the next several days, Dinh works diligently and tenderly to clean up the soldier and to care for his wounds. She does everything she knows that might assist his body's self-repair system. During his sporadic and brief moments of consciousness she is able to gradually get the liquids into him that she knows he so desperately needs.

Eventually, the soldier is more conscious than unconscious. He is beginning to become aware of his surroundings, and of the tender loving person who is tirelessly tending to his needs.

One morning, he awakens to the sound of a brass bowl being struck gently in a slow tempo. He smells the incense burning and opens his eyes to see clearly for the first time where he is. He looks over and sees Dinh kneeling in front of a low table. Dinh senses him looking at her and slowly turns toward him and smiles. The warmth of her wizened face seems to travel across the room and melt all over him like a soothing balm.

"Where am I?" asks the solder, with a dry cracked voice.

Dinh smiles and then rises and walks over to a table. She pours a cup of tea and brings it over to him. She tries to tell him what has happened, but he just gets a confused look on his face and smiles, and then takes a sip of tea and politely looks back at her.

Daniel now finds himself in a complicated situation. He can understand the soldier speaking English, but the soldier cannot understand him speaking in English because Dinh's mouth cannot formulate the words properly. Her body will not cooperate with Daniel's mind. He tries slowing his speech down and being ultra precise with each syllable, but he hears it coming out of his mouth like a bizarre combination of Vietnamese and English. Again, the soldier merely smiles politely and nods graciously.

Daniel also realizes it would be much too unreal and out of place for an old Vietnamese woman to speak fluent English, so he accepts the language barrier for what it is, and the two of them continue on and manage to communicate as well as possible. Daniel is able to adapt quickly to pretending as though he does not understand the soldier, especially when he sees that the soldier gets a little uneasy when Dinh appears to respond appropriately to his words.

"You certainly seem to have some uncanny way of understanding what I say," says the soldier. "It is like we have some type of connection that is bigger than the two of us."

Dinh simply smiles and puts the plate of food down in front of him.

He nods, and says, "Thank you, danh tu." Then, he continues, "But, I can completely understand it. Here we are, out in the middle of nowhere. No distractions. I mean, we are all we have. All we have here is each other. We have to be able to communicate.

"I guess there must be a universal connection between all of us, all over the world. And, maybe if we just slowed down and listened to each other... well, maybe if we really cared about each other, it would not be difficult at all to communicate, at least about the most important things in life, right? Like, I can't talk to you about baseball, but you do seem to understand how thankful I am to you for rescuing me... for saving my life."

The soldier smiles at Dinh and takes a bite of food, and then says, "And, I understand how much you seem to love me, even though you haven't the foggiest idea who I am. I think it must be these essential human issues that are common to all of us that transcend the language barriers."

Dinh takes a sip of her tea and looks over the brim of the cup at the soldier.

The soldier laughs, and says, "Yes, and I certainly understand that look! You think I talk too much and eat too little!"

So, he takes several bites of his meal, and then continues, "I have always been this way. I just... I guess I have always preferred to look at the big picture. Like now... even though I got the shit kicked out of me and was thrown out for dead... I feel like... well, I mean, it is so amazing being here with you. I have never felt such a strong sense of peace in my entire life.

"It is so beautiful out here... so serene... so simple. I have never felt so connected to the universe as I have out here, right now. It is like I actually died out there in the jungle, and somehow I have been reborn here with you." Then he lifts an eyebrow, and continues, "Maybe this is heaven. Maybe you are God."

Dinh blushes and quietly laughs and looks down at her plate.

The soldier freezes, stares at her and gets a pensive look on his face. Then he takes a deep breath and shakes his head thoughtfully, and says, "This is way too... man, this is... I don't even know how... I can't even put it into... "

Dinh simply smiles warmly, reaches out across the table and places her hand on the top of his.

That seems to settle the issue. The soldier takes another deep breath and bows his head to Dinh, and says, "You are an amazing woman. I will never forget you."

\+ - + - + - +

A few days later, early in the morning, Dinh gets up out of bed, walks over to the door and looks out. She sees the young soldier standing in the yard outside the farmhouse watching the sun rise. She knows today is the day. Even though she has only known this other soul for a short time, she has developed a similar type of intuitive oneness with him that she had with her lifelong partner. She slowly walks out the door and stands next to him.

"I am pretty sure my base is in that direction," he says, pointing out across the rice paddies. "I'm sure they have no idea I am even alive." He reaches down and puts his arm around Dinh, and says, "Because if it weren't for you, I would be dead. I would be just another useless casualty of this useless conflict between people who just can't figure out how to love one another."

Dinh closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath of fresh morning air.

"My parents are probably worried sick about me," he continues. "They are probably checking every POW/MIA list they can get their hands on, to see if my name is on it."

He looks down at his lovely little friend, and says, "I need to go home." Dinh nods once, and then he continues, "Honestly... my soul feels so at home here with you, but unfortunately, my home is back in the old US of A. Back in Minnesota, of all places, far far away from here, in more ways than mere miles."

Dinh is about half his height, so the soldier takes a knee, grasps her hands and looks into her wizened face, and says, "I will always and forever be so so deeply indebted to you. And, somehow, some way, I know I need to pay back what you have so sacrificially and graciously done for me." He then moves in close to her and gives her a big bear hug, nearly lifting her off her feet. After several moments of tender closeness, he separates from their embrace, holds her by the shoulders and looks into her eyes, and says, "Thank you, my friend... my mother... my savior. I love you with all my heart."

The soldier then stands up, steps back slightly away from her, bows respectfully and turns and walks away.

As he walks away, the entire atmosphere around them turns hollow. Dinh gradually hears a man's voice fading in and narrating everything that is happening around the two of them. She can't tell if the voice is coming from outside or inside her head.

The voice narrates the soldier stopping about twenty yards away from her and looking down at his chest. It describes him reaching up to his chest with his right hand, clutching his dog tags, slowly pulling them up over his head, and then turning around and walking back toward her.

Tears run down Dinh's cheeks like little rivulets networking their way through the wrinkles in her skin, as she looks at this young man whom she has grown to love so dearly, walking slowly back toward her with a look of deep honor and respect on his face.

The voice narrates how the soldier stops in front of Dinh, reaches his left hand out to her and takes her right hand. It then continues to describe him bowing reverently, reaching out his other hand and ceremoniously putting his dog tags into her hand.

Their four hands come together and form a loving bond before Dinh reaches up with her left hand to caress the soldier's cheek... but her hand passes right through his face and back down to her side.

The voice continues to describe how the soldier smiles, bows respectfully one last time and turns and walks away, "It was all I had. I had to give her something. I couldn't just walk away from this woman whom I had come to love so dearly -- this woman who had shown such pure and unconditional love to another human being. Another human being who would have died out there in that rice paddy if she had not come along."

Dinh now hears the narrator's voice coming from behind her. She turns and realizes it is coming through her doorway from the inside of her house. She takes a few steps toward the door, peers in and sees the Landmark Center banquet hall in St. Paul, Minnesota.

She cautiously takes a few steps closer and sees that the narration she hears is being spoken by Patrick Johnson. He is standing at the lectern and addressing the people in attendance at the annual Likewise banquet.

Dinh's body begins to tingle. She takes a deep breath and walks through the doorway of her farmhouse, as Patrick Johnson continues, "She is my inspiration. She is my motivation. It is as simple as that, people. It is as simple as one human being helping another. This is how we make a difference in our world. That is what I am all about and that is all Likewise will ever be about."

Patrick Johnson takes a drink of water, and continues, "So, that wonderful woman was my initial inspiration for creating Likewise, but now let me tell you something about how the company started. It was about this time of year thirty years ago that I said goodbye to that loving soul." Then he stops talking, gets a thoughtful look on his face and looks down at his watch, and continues, "No, it was actually on this very day, thirty years ago that I said goodbye to that loving soul, and then finally made it safely back home here to Minnesota.

"It took me quite some time to readjust to my life after Vietnam. I was lost and confused and aimless... and I had a difficult time letting go of the horrible images that seemed to have free reign over my mind. But, I soon discovered that every time those demons appeared, all I had to do to exorcise them from my mind was to think of that simple sweet old woman who saved my life.

"And often, when I would think about her, a different memory from my childhood would come along side it. This other memory was of another lovely old woman, Mrs. Stephens, who taught me Bible stories in Sunday School when I was a boy. It was one of her stories in particular that became the answer to all of my confusion and aimlessness because it was the story of another man who was confused, and then received the solution to his confusion from the Master Teacher.

"Mrs. Stephens taught us that the man in the story was confused because he knew all of the right answers, but he did not know what to do about them. She said that, one day, the Master Teacher told him a parable to help him figure it all out. Today, we call it the parable of The Good Samaritan.

"Now, I am certain many of you are familiar with this simple parable about a kind stranger who comes to the aid of a poor victim of roadside robbery. On the surface, it is a beautiful illustration of what Likewise is all about, which is being kind enough to go out of our way to help others in need.

"But, tonight I want to follow Mrs. Stephens' example and reveal the deeper meaning of the story to you, because the essence of Likewise is found in that deeper meaning. She always taught us that the true meaning of all the Bible stories is found in the context of the story, not merely in the story itself.

"So, the context of the parable of The Good Samaritan is in reality a question from a confused young man, like I was. This particular man was a somewhat cocky lawyer who thought he had all the answers, but deep down was profoundly confused about the core issues of life.

"So, he came to the Master Teacher one day, and asked, 'What must I do to inherit everlasting life?'

"To which the Master replied, 'You know the Law. How does it read to you?'

"The young lawyer quoted the answers verbatim, 'Love God wholeheartedly with all your soul and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.'

"The Master told him that his answer was correct and then advised him to do just that. So now, this created the tension in the story because the young man understood he had to go down deeper, past the correct answers and stare his confusion in the face. And it was there that he discovered he had no idea what love was or who his neighbor was.

"So, being a good lawyer and trying to avoid confronting these issues, he attempts to divert the Master's train of thought by asking, 'Who is my neighbor?'

"Now, all of this so far is the context of the story. That situation is what prompted the Master to tell the parable.

"You see, after the Master tells the parable about the poor soul who gets beaten and robbed and left by the side of the road, and then passed up by two religious leaders, and then finally gets helped by a foreigner... after that story, He goes back to the lawyer's feeble attempt to derail Him, and asks the lawyer, 'Which of the three proved to be a neighbor to the man?'

"Well, finally, the lawyer's eyes are beginning to open, and he answers, 'The one who showed mercy.' At which the Master finishes His lesson by saying, 'Go and do likewise.'

"Ladies and gentlemen, that is the reason why I am sharing this story with you tonight. I finally learned that the neighbor in the story is not the beat up man on the side of the road. The neighbor in the story is me. The neighbor in the story is you. We are the ones who are told to, 'Go and do likewise.'

"Yes, this company, Likewise International, that gets its name from this story is all about helping those in need -- those who are found beaten up by life and left on the side of the road. Yes, that is how we demonstrate our love.

"But, I want you to also know Likewise International cannot do that if we don't first teach you how to become loving neighbors. You are the ones who are to 'Go and do likewise.' But, before you will ever do that, you must first understand that you are the neighbor. You are the 'Loving Neighbor.'

"This may sound sacrilegious, but I think the title of the parable should be, The Loving Neighbor instead of The Good Samaritan. It is not about being good. And it is not about the Samaritan. It is about being the person who demonstrates love by doing good. It is about the love of God working through us to love others.

"Likewise International is dedicated and devoted to solving the root issue of un-neighborliness between people, as well as the symptom of un-neighborliness, which is all of the beat up people on the side of the road. Our humanitarianism springs forth from our loving-neighborism.

"My dear friends, as we end this fiscal year and begin another, I want you all to understand that my main objective for this company is to equip you all to be loving neighbors who will go across the road and across the world and do Likewise. Thank you."

Applause fills the room as Daniel walks from the restrooms back into the banquet hall. Sarah looks over at him and smiles as she stands up and joins the rest of the standing ovation. Daniel then senses the car keys in his right hand, but they feel a little odd. So, he looks down, turns his hand upward, slowly opens his fingers and sees a pair of dog tags resting in his palm.

He closes his eyes briefly, takes a deep breath, puts the dog tags into his pocket and walks toward Sarah. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion as Daniel looks over and sees Patrick Johnson step away from the lectern and make his way back to his table.

Daniel walks up to Sarah and gives her a hug.

After he releases her, she looks quizzically at him, and says, "Are you Ok? You're all glassy-eyed."

Daniel merely smiles and gives her another hug.

As he is holding her, he drifts off into a trance. He is not sure if he is even in the room anymore. He blinks a few times and then looks around the room. He sees Diener standing off to one side of the room, and then he sees Dinah standing not too far away from him. He releases his embrace from Sarah, moves to her side and puts his arm around her. Then he looks over to another part of the hall and sees Danut standing hand-in-hand with Dance. Finally, he continues scanning the room and notices Donna standing a few tables to the side of from them.

They are all smiling and applauding in slow motion with everyone else in the room.

Finally, after searching the entire banquet hall, he looks back over at the doorway that leads to the restrooms. There, he sees Dinh standing with her warm smile pouring out from her loving wizened face.

They all seem to be there with him in the room. But then, one by one, they slowly fade away as he fully returns to the banquet hall with Sarah.

Daniel takes a deep slow breath, and realizes he is finally back home. He is home. He is finally home.

\+ - + - + - +

As Daniel returned to his normal everyday routine, he discovered that the memories of his time-traveling adventure began to diminish. No matter how much he tried to keep them in his memory, he realized he was losing them. He concluded that his mind only had enough room for one person's memories. It was like trying to cram fifty pounds of sand into a five-pound bag. No matter how much he tried, sand was spilling out and he didn't seem to be able to scoop it up and put it back into his mind.

Sarah was not quite sure what to think of the whole situation, as she watched Daniel struggle with this process for a couple of weeks. She tried to make as much sense of it as she could, but it all seemed so bizarre. All she wanted was to have Daniel back to normal. He was acting a little weird, and she just wanted his old self back.

And, that is what they both got. Daniel focused more on his work; Sarah finished her Master's degree program; and soon they were both focusing their efforts on making their wedding plans.

\+ - + - + - +

"I'm very happy for you. That is all I ever wanted, too."

"What happened?" asked Daniel.

"Life, I guess," said the bum, despondently.

Daniel regularly volunteered at the Union Gospel Mission. On this particular day, he happened to be visiting with the bum whom he had helped out that day in the Central Presbyterian Church parking lot.

"I had a girl like yours once," continued the bum. "I think I know what love is."

"What happened to her?" asked Daniel.

"I lost her... or she lost me... or maybe the war lost us both," he said. "I couldn't find her after I got out of the prison camp.

"I tried to get over it. Really, I did. But, I just couldn't. I couldn't focus. I couldn't separate myself from it all."

"It's Ok. I get it," said Daniel.

"I couldn't hold a job. I couldn't hold a relationship... and, I wouldn't let anyone hold me... my mother... my father. As much as they tried, I just would not let them do it. I finally had to just get away from everyone. And, that's what I've done for the last thirty years."

Daniel had learned that the most helpful thing he could do for a person in this situation was to listen quietly and to be a friend.

"Then I come across this old report from Army Intelligence that they sent to me decades ago. I had given up by then, so I just threw it into a drawer. Never even opened it. But then it resurfaced in some things that my family had left for me when they died, so I finally opened it up. Turns out there was this one girl who fit the circumstances. Apparently, she wound up in a U.S. Medical Missionary clinic. But, then she was whisked away by her parents back to their house. If that was her, I hope she was Ok. I hope she...

"Well, that's how I wound up here, in Minnesota. I guess the Medical Missionaries returned home here. I was planning to look them up and... well, if they are still here, I was hoping to see if they would talk to me."

Daniel perked up, and said, "My parents were Medical Missionaries in Vietnam. Maybe they know... " Then he stopped and looked at the bum, and asked, "What information do you have about them?"

The bum reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an old beat up envelope, and said, "Here."

Daniel took the papers out of the envelope, unfolded them and began to look at them. When he turned to the second page, he suddenly stopped reading and looked up at the bum.

"What?" said the bum.

"These are my parents. Harry and Sandra Mesinger are my parents," said Daniel, incredulously. "This is crazy. We have to go see them. We can go and see them. They live right outside of town. It's not that far. I can take you to see them."

\+ - + - + - +

"Dad, Mom, this is Jacob. He is a friend of mine," said Daniel. "He really needs to talk to you about when you were back in Vietnam. He is looking for a girl he knew who might have come to your clinic."

"It was 1970. I was a lieutenant stationed in Da Nang, where your clinic was," started Jacob. Then he got a somewhat pained look on his face, and continued, "We were captured and put in a prison camp. I never saw her again. When I finally got out, I did look for her, but... " Tears then replaced his words, but after a few moments, he continued, "Well, she may have come to your clinic. She probably got sick, or something. Reports were filed with the Army and it looks like a girl about her age was... "

"Oh my God," gasped Daniel's mother, looking at her husband. "Oh my God, Harry."

"Let me see those papers," said Harry, reaching out to Jacob.

Daniel's mother started to cry. She stood up and began to pace in the room, "Oh my God. This can't be."

Daniel stood up and walked over to her, and said, "What, Mom? What's wrong?"

"Maybe you had better come back and sit down, Daniel," said his father.

"Was it my girlfriend?" asked Jacob. "Was she alright? What happened to her? Why was she in your clinic?"

After a long pause, Daniel's mother said, quietly, "She had a baby."

A heavy weight of profound silence fell upon the room as they all began to process the information that was filtering through their memories.

Daniel's voice cracked slightly when he broke the silence, and asked, "Dad... are you saying that Jacob may be my real father?"

Daniel's mother put her hands up to her eyebrows and then moved them down slowly stroking her cheeks. She looked at Jacob, and said, "We also searched for the girl."

"We finally found where her parents lived," said Daniel's father. "But she was not there. They had taken her back home from the clinic, but then they sent her to live with her mother's mother, who lived further out in the country on a rice farm. The poor girl was being so shamed by the people in the village that they had to send her away, for her own well-being. Apparently, the girl's mother's father had recently died, so they thought the she could be of help on her grandmother's rice farm."

\+ - + - + - +

"I know," said Sarah. "But I just think it would be creepy to have him staying here."

"But he may be my father," said Daniel. "I can't just have him living at the mission."

"But, I'm just not... this is going to be our home, Daniel," said Sarah. "I haven't even moved in yet. This is the place where you and I are going to begin our lives together."

"It just seems so wrong for him to be there," said Daniel, sitting down and shaking his head.

"I know you love these poor unfortunate souls, Daniel. But... I just don't know if I can open up my... I just don't know if I can bring them under our roof."

Daniel stood up and continued to unpack the boxes that he and Sarah were moving into their new apartment.

"What's this?" asked Daniel.

Sarah walked over to him, and said, "I don't know. I thought it was just some 'new employee tchotchke' that they handed out at your banquet."

"These are dog tags," said Daniel.

"I know," said Sarah. "I thought it was supposed to be some cute reminder of the story he told after dinner."

"These say Patrick Johnson," said Daniel. "Where did they come from?"

"They were in your pants pocket," answered Sarah. "I just took them out when I did your wash one day."

"I remember that story," said Daniel. "Wasn't he talking about some old lady in a rice field?"

"Yes, I think so," said Sarah.

"Maybe he knows," said Daniel. "This is crazy, but maybe he knows where the rice farms are that... I need to talk to him. Maybe he knows where the rice farms are."

"Daniel," said Sarah, trying to snap some sense into him. "That was thirty years ago."

"Yes, but it's all just too weird," said Daniel. "Thirty years ago Jacob is in the Army and meets a Vietnamese girl; he gets captured; she gives birth to a baby boy in my parent's clinic and then is whisked away to her grandmother's rice farm. And then Patrick Johnson talks about getting rescued by some old lady on a rice farm in Vietnam. This is all just too weird. I gotta find out if these are my real parents."

\+ - + - + - +

"This is all rather amazing," said Patrick Johnson, as he sat at his desk in his office.

"Tell me about it," agreed Daniel.

Patrick then continued, thoughtfully, "But, I am relatively certain I could probably find it. I'm fairly sure I remember the general location." He paused for a moment and then looked at them, and said, "But, are you willing to go all the way over there on a thirty-year-old wild goose chase to find it?"

Daniel looked over at Jacob, and said, "I don't think we have any choice. We need to know. We need to find her."

Patrick Johnson thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, then this one is on me, gentlemen. It has been a while since I have checked in on our Vietnam office, so I think maybe we need to go over there and see if this amazing story could possibly be true."

\+ - + - + - +

They arrived in Vietnam slightly before the humid season. Patrick Johnson rented a Jeep and drove Daniel and Jacob toward the area that was his best recollection of where the old woman's rice farm might be.

After driving way out into a remote farmland area, he pulled the Jeep over onto the side of the road, and said, "This could be it. I'm not 100% sure, but if it's not, I'm relatively sure we're close."

At the first farm that they came to, Patrick said, "This is not it, but maybe we can try to communicate with them about what we are searching for. They might at least be able to lead us in the right direction." He looked at Jacob, and asked, "How's your Vietnamese, Jacob?"

"It's been a while, but I was getting fairly fluent there toward the end of the war," answered Jacob.

"Well then, between the two of us, we ought to be able to make a decent attempt at getting the information we need," said Patrick. "Let's go give it a try."

Patrick was slightly ahead of Daniel and Jacob as they made their way down a narrow pathway to the farmhouse. As they walked, Jacob looked at Daniel, and said, "I haven't quite wrapped my head around the possibility of fathering a son... much less the reality of walking right here next to a full-grown version of him."

Daniel looked at Jacob. Then he looked down at the path and thought for a moment, and said, "I know what you mean. This is all very difficult to process." He paused for a moment and then looked over at Jacob, and continued, "If you are my father, I'm sorry... "

Jacob interrupted him and shook his head, and said, "Daniel, you have nothing to apologize for. Please, if anyone needs to apologize, it's me. I'm the one who... "

"I just feel bad about not inviting you to stay with me," said Daniel.

Jacob looked at Daniel and shook his head, and said, "Shit, if you really are my son, I have a lot to be proud of. You are something else. How in the world did you get such a kind and generous heart."

"Well, if you really are my father, then I guess we'll have part of the answer to the question," smiled Daniel. "And hopefully, we'll find the other part of the answer while we are here."

The conversation with the farmer was not too difficult for them, and Patrick felt quite confident they were in the right area, and headed in the right direction. As they made their way back to the Jeep, he said, "Ok, men, it looks like we're headed up that way." He pointed toward a low hill, and continued, "I have a good feeling about this. I can feel that strong sense of peace that I remember from when I was here thirty years ago."

It wasn't long before they made their way down the road and then crested the low hill. Patrick slowed to a stop at the top of the hill and looked out over the rice paddies, and said, "This is it. I can't believe it. Wow. It hasn't changed one bit. There's the farmhouse over there." He pointed off in the distance, and said, "I think that group of trees over there must be close to where she found me. Wow. This is amazing."

All three of them jittered in anticipation of what they might discover in that simple farmhouse off in the distance. Patrick's memories took him back to the kindly old Asian woman who saved his life. Jacob's memories took him back to his soul mate, the girl he fell in love with in the marketplace. And Daniel didn't know why, but he felt as though he had memories of this place as well. The thought of possibly meeting his mother made his knees feel like rubber.

As they walked down the narrow path toward the farmhouse, Jacob scoured the area for any sign of his long lost love. When they were about halfway down the path, a woman emerged from the house carrying a bucket of cleaning water. She stopped at the edge of the steps and looked up at a white crane flying gracefully across the sky above her.

Jacob trembled, and whispered, "Singh," as she walked over and tossed the water out of the bucket.

Daniel looked at Jacob. Tears were pouring down his cheeks, "Singh!" he cried out, as he made his way quickly down the path toward the farmhouse, "Singh!" he cried again.

The woman looked out at Jacob running toward her and dropped the bucket at her feet. "Jacob?" she whispered, and then dropped to her knees. She reached out her arms, and cried, "Jacob!"

Daniel and Patrick just stood there transfixed by the storybook reunion that was unfolding right before their very eyes.

"Well," said Daniel. "I guess I'd better go down there and meet my father and mother."

"Do you think it really is them?" asked Patrick, but Daniel was already making his way down the path toward them.

Jacob raised Singh back to her feet and hugged her tightly. She buried her teary cheeks in his shoulder. Then she lifted her head, looked over Jacob's shoulder and saw the young man walking down the path toward her. She felt a slight cramp in her womb and her chest began to quiver short breaths in and out through her nose.

She slowly separated herself from Jacob and started to walk toward Daniel. Jacob turned around and saw their first embrace as mother and son. Then he walked up to them, put his arms around both of them and held them as though he would never let them go.

Several hours of reunion took place that afternoon, after which it was decided that Jacob and Daniel would stay there with Singh, and Patrick would return the next day to pick them up and take them back to the airport.

As Patrick walked back to the Jeep, he could not stop shaking his head in amazement over the uncanny turn of events he had participated in that day.

Later that evening, while the reunited family was eating supper in Singh's house, Daniel looked over and noticed an empty peg sticking out of the wall close to the doorway. After supper, while Jacob and Singh were occupied with the task of cleaning up after the meal, Daniel walked over toward the door and gazed longingly out at the balmy summer evening. While he was enjoying a few deep breaths of the evening air, he casually reached into his pocket and grasped Patrick Johnson's dog tags in his hand. He pulled them out and looked down at them. Then he slowly, and somewhat ceremoniously lifted them up and hung them on the peg by the doorway.

\+ - + - + - +

It did not take Jacob Lomas longer than that one night, reunited with his long lost love, to realize his home was not back in the U.S. His home was right there, in that humble farmhouse, side-by-side with the other half of his soul. And, while it pained both he and Singh that they would be separated from their boy, they knew deep down that the place for both of them was right there, working day-by-day with each other in the rice fields.

They spoke to each other quietly that night and realized it was completely out of their control that a season of their lives had relentlessly passed. They did know they would see him again, but for now they embraced each other, and they embraced the gift of being free to simply live out the rest of their lives together in the peacefulness of a Vietnamese rice farm.

"Well, my little lily blossom," said Jacob, tenderly, as he cleared Singh's jet-black hair away from her forehead. "We never had a nest of our own, full or empty, but we do have the treasured gift of knowing that somehow we have released our own baby bird off into the sky. He is like those cranes that you love to watch flying overhead every day. Now we get to watch them and think of him. We get to think of him soaring away over the rice fields to build a nest of his own."

\+ - + - + - +

"How is this even possible, Daniel?" sighed Sarah, as she watched their children playing out in the garden next to all four of Daniel's parents. "How?"

Daniel sighed in agreement.

Harry and Sandra Mesinger were getting older, but they never missed their annual opportunity to be a part of the family reunion at the old farmhouse in Vietnam.

Over the years, Daniel became the logical candidate to oversee operations at the Likewise headquarters in Da Nang. Patrick Johnson knew this would afford him as many opportunities as possible to spend time with the parents from whom he had been separated for the first three decades of his life.

Daniel looked over and caught Sarah smiling at him. "What?" he said.

Sarah looked back out at the grandparents playing with their children, and said, "I just love finally seeing how you resemble your parents. There is so much of your beautiful mother in that handsome face of yours."

"Well, thankfully our children got their looks from their mother, too," smiled Daniel.

"I just so love these opportunities we have to bring the family out here every year," sighed Sarah. "This place is so peaceful and serene."

EPILOGUE

The hotel in Vienna was lovely. Daniel was standing out on the balcony of their hotel room drinking a cup of complimentary tea and looking out over the city as it began to wake up to the new day.

He and Sarah were finally getting to do some traveling -- alone. The children were all grown, and the last one had recently spread her wings and flew out of the nest. It did take some time for them to settle into retirement, but now they were fully embracing the less demanding schedule, and enjoying every opportunity they had to spend greater amounts of time in each other's presence.

This leg of their tour of the Union would be over the next day when they got back on the train and headed north to explore the beautiful city of Prague.

Sarah was in the hotel room straightening up the bed and putting things in order. Daniel turned and walked back into the room, and said, "This is a vacation, you know."

"Force of habit," smiled Sarah.

She was still so beautiful after all these years. _'How does she do it?'_ thought Daniel. _'It's like I have gone back in time.'_

Daniel held out a local train schedule, and said, "Since we are on our own today and leaving Austria tomorrow, I think it might be fun to take this train right here to hop on over to Linz... and then maybe spend some time taking a look around there. According to this schedule, we should easily be able to get there early enough to have plenty of time to explore a few things, and then get back here this evening without any problem at all. What do you think?"

Sarah finished fluffing up the pillows on the bed, and then smiled and walked over to Daniel. She put her arms around his neck, and said, "I think we are going to Linz."

Touring the Union by train was a brilliant decision. Daniel and Sarah both enjoyed looking out the train car window and watching the country go by at the slower pace by which they could observe the wealth of this part of the world that was so rich with history.

After they arrived in Linz and started walking around the city, it didn't take long for Sarah to realize, yet again, the value of following one of Daniel's hunches. They both agreed that Linz certainly qualified as yet another beautiful city in the Union they could add to their list of wonderful places they had visited on their trip.

During lunch, Daniel laid out a local Linz tram schedule on the table. He put his finger down on the map, and said, "Let's check out this area. It's not far and it looks interesting. I want to get out of the city for a while and take some time exploring a more residential area."

"I'm with you, Mr. Tourguide," smiled Sarah.

Daniel's intuition was correct. He and Sarah enjoyed walking up and down the rows of quaint houses, and pointing out a variety of interesting things they saw. They found themselves imagining what it must have been like to live long ago in such a lovely neighborhood.

Daniel then stopped walking, stood in front of one of the houses and looked at it for a few moments. There was a small 'For Sale' sign up on the front porch.

Sarah took a few steps ahead of Daniel before she noticed he had stopped, so she turned and walked back to him, and said, "Shall we buy it?"

Daniel looked around, and said, "Let's check it out."

"I was just kidding!" said Sarah.

"I know. I know... but I just want to check it out," said Daniel.

"Uugh, you and your intuitions," groaned Sarah. "You are going to be the death of me, mister. All right... I know that look in your eyes. I might as well face it. We're going in."

Daniel did not even hear Sarah as he made his way up the walkway to the front door and gave it a knock. There was no answer, so Daniel backed down the front steps and took another long look at the front of the house.

Then he took an innocent and cautious glance up and down the street, and said, "Let's go and take a look around the back."

"Oh, Daniel, no," urged Sarah. "You are impossible." But, she knew there was no stopping Daniel when he got one of his visions. He would always 'see' something and then he simply had to do whatever it took to follow through with it.

"Nobody is going to be suspicious of a couple of old folks taking a walk around a house that's for sale," assured Daniel, as he made his way around the side of the house.

When they got to the backyard, Daniel saw what he was looking for. There was a smaller structure standing there by itself at the back of the property, nestled under a majestic old oak tree.

Sarah took a nervous look around as Daniel walked over to the structure and tried the door. It was locked, so he moved back a step or two to survey the area.

"Daniel! Are you crazy! Let's get out of here," urged Sarah.

Daniel seemed to be in a trance as he noticed a flowerpot next to the door and walked over to it. He knelt down, tipped the pot to one side, reached under it and found a key. So, he picked up the key and tipped the flowerpot back down. Then he stood, held up the key and grinned victoriously at Sarah.

Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head, now fully resigned to allowing this particular adventure to unfold.

The key did unlock the door, so Daniel opened it and slowly walked inside. He saw that it was some type of an art studio, but it was obvious the room had not been opened or used for quite a long time. Sarah followed him in and saw several easels propped up around the room, and a few flat tables covered with large sheets of drawing paper. As she looked around, it seemed to her as though the room was wallpapered with paintbrush containers and splotchy pallets, lots of drippy glass jars and a multitude of squeezed out tubes of paint.

Daniel stood there rubbing his chin and absorbing every detail in the room. Then he squinted his eyes slightly and looked over at an old bookcase that was leaning against the wall. He walked over to it, cocked his head and looked around it on both sides. Then he grabbed it by the sides and started to move it.

"Daniel! What on earth... " whispered Sarah, nervously.

Daniel looked around on the right side of the bookcase, reached back behind it and pulled out an old leather portfolio.

Sarah stood there shaking her head.

Daniel took the portfolio over to a large flat table and set it down. There was a cloth nearby, so he picked it up, shook out the dust and used it to wipe off the surface of the portfolio. Then he slowly unbuckled the leather straps and gently opened it up.

Inside were several watercolor paintings on stiff watercolor board. Daniel slowly turned them over like pages in a giant children's picture book.

"They are lovely," said Sarah.

Daniel turned another one over and stared at it for a few moments, and then agreed, "Yes, they are. Quite lovely, indeed."

"All this beauty. All this talent just sitting here in a dusty old shack," continued Sarah. "I wonder who painted them."

Daniel took a deep breath, and said, "Probably just another frustrated young artist with great ability, whom the world will never know."

Sarah then reached over and turned to the next painting. She was surprised when she noticed that this one had the artist's signature down at the bottom right edge of it. She looked at Daniel and then back down at the painting, and read, "Adolf."

At that moment, a trigger released a hammer in Daniel's mind and buckshots of information began to ricochet off the walls of his memory. His knees buckled and he reached forward to the table for support.

"Daniel! What is it? What's wrong?" exclaimed Sarah.

Daniel took a few breaths, and then said, slowly, "I can't believe this. Oh, Sarah, I can't believe this."

"What's wrong, Darling? What's the matter?" asked Sarah, as she put her arms around Daniel's shoulders.

"I can see it all now," said Daniel. "All of it is crystal clear. My father. My mother... "

Daniel looked down at the painting on the table and gently moved his hand across the surface of the canvas, and said, "It all began right here, Sarah. It all began with this painting. It all began with Adolf."

POST SCRIPT

As you may have just noticed, this remarkable story begins and ends with the same single word, a name -- Adolf.

And I suppose it was that one person who was so intriguing to me when I first heard Daniel telling the story. Who could this Adolf Hitler be? Could he have actually been some other person who would have committed the same degree of heinous atrocities as Judah Barshevet? Would his name come to people's minds instead, when they thought of the epitome of human cruelty? Or was he merely the unknown insignificant young artist in this story, whose life was cut short due to the brutality of mindless thugs.

And of course, I seriously wondered if Daniel truly did go back in time. Is it possible he could have been there in Judah Barshevet's house before World War II began? The thought of Judah Barshevet as a devoted family man and loving father is beyond comprehension. What could have possibly happened in his life that would cause him to make the shift from a seemingly normal family life to the burning quest of a raging madman to commit countless acts of horrible human cruelty?

And then I thought about what it might be like if the tables were turned, and the Germans were viewed as the criminals of World War II instead of the Jews and the Turks? Would anything be significantly different?

I do not think so. One thing does appear to be consistent in the human saga -- we fight with each other -- we kill each other. It does not matter who the players are. The activity is the same and the result is the same.

I thought, _'It could have just as easily been some madman named Adolf Hitler and the Germans annihilating millions of Jews, instead of the madman Judah Barshevet and the Jews annihilating millions of Arabs. And in either case, there would be no reason for it. It would be just another case of brother against brother. There are always aggressors and there are always victims. It is merely the same story, over and over again throughout all human history.'_

Then it dawned on me that I could indeed check the Fine Arts Academy records from back in the year 1907, to determine whether or not this Adolf person ever did exist, and did indeed apply for admission to the Academy.

Obtaining records that were over a hundred years old was no easy task. The Registrar's Office was quite helpful, of course, but it still required days of digging and several moments when I was thoroughly ready to give up. But finally, my fluctuant tenacity did unearth the documents I was searching for. The records are clear and intact. This part of Daniel's story can be verified. Some young man named Adolf Hitler did indeed apply for admission to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in the early 1900s, and was denied admission, twice.

What ever became of this young artist would most assuredly have remained unknown if his name had not sprung forth in the midst of Daniel Mesinger's amazing story. He would have faded away like the vast majority of insignificant individuals who never grace the pages of history books.

But, here he is in this book. He certainly made it into this bizarre history book. And sadly, it appears that his dreams did not come true. No one will remember his art. No one will remember his tragic death. For all intents and purposes, he was merely a pawn that was insignificantly removed from the grand chessboard of time.

I was able, however, to contact the owners of the house for sale in Linz where Daniel discovered the watercolor paintings. They were not at all disturbed by the fact that he had entered the old art studio. It had apparently been locked up and unused for decades. They also had no interest in the paintings, and were gracious enough to release them into my care and donate them to the Academy gallery. I suppose if enough people take an interest in this story, I will work with the curators to exhibit them in the gallery for public display.

Thankfully, the struggles and tragedies of World War II only comprise one section of Daniel's amazing story. Certainly, even though his story only involves him and his family -- certainly that single love story is a sufficient representation of the vast potential for human tenderness and compassion and love. And it represents how intertwined we all are. The notion of a pair of survivors of the Arab holocaust connecting with a blind black man in the Congo, who eventually ties into the family of an old farm woman in Vietnam decades later is truly astounding. In fact, to me, I find all of the ways in which the various lives intersected in Daniel's story to be truly amazing.

I am profoundly thankful to Daniel and Sarah for sharing their wonderful story with me. May it always serve to remind us of the absolutely certain potential for human triumphs over the unfortunate inevitability of human tragedies.

THE END

Copyright 2016 -- All rights reserved -- William Cayhews

williamcayhews@gmail.com

kendalldaddo@gmail.com

Now that you have read _Door Posts_ , if you are interested, below is his account in his own final words about what happened to him after he wrote the story. He was found just as he describes below in his POST. It never made the news. No one but us ever knew about it, until now.

POST

Well, great. I hope this works. Maybe then it might have all been worth it. But, actually, never mind, it already has all been worth it. I wrote a novel. I actually finished it. I guess that alone is worth it. Not everyone writes a novel, right? I guess I just hope other people get to read it. That would be nice.

I know this all sounds dramatic, but my novel got me into this mess, and I never saw it coming. I thought it was just a story about a guy who goes back in time through the 20th Century. I guess I was wrong.

Now first of all, may I just say something right up front here? The story is fiction. It is just an adventure story. I was not trying to make any political or religious points at all. Sheesh, why did they have to get so riled up and uptight about it? It was not meant to insult or offend anyone; or to be anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic or anything. It's just a story. It's just a 'what if' story. What if someone was forced to go back in time (fiction, right?) and meet historical figures and go places and experience things? So what? It is just a story.

Ok, I'm sorry, please forgive the rant. But, I think you will agree with me about why I am so tweaked about this whole stupid thing.

Anyway, this is what happened. I actually wrote the basic plot for the story about ten years ago. And let me just say right here that I am not a writer. I have never written a novel before. I am a graphic designer. I was just messing around with the idea of a guy going back in time and meeting Adolf Hitler before he became the madman of World War II. Then it just went on from there. My imagination took over and this story just started pouring out of me. It was basically just a plot line, no dialogue, no detailed descriptions of anything, just a blow-by-blow account of the guy's crazy adventure traveling through time throughout the 20th Century. It was fun just getting the idea out on paper, but that was it. I had no idea what to do with it, even if I wanted to.

Then a few years ago, my cousin started to share with me about how he was writing and self-publishing the stories he used to tell his kids when they were growing up. They are all grown now, but they asked him to write them down, so he did.

Anyway, that got me thinking about my Door Posts story, so I thought, 'Why not? Maybe I'll just take a crack at it.' But, I also know part of it was probably more symptoms of mid-life crisis. I'm 59 and I haven't done diddly as far as making any kind of mark on the world, not even a radar blip. But, well... I guess I may have now, but this is not at all what I would have ever had in mind. It scared the hell out of me. Not fun at all.

But anyway, I just decided to try to write the story. I was feeling a little bored creatively and thought this might give my imagination a good jump-start. Well... I did start writing and, man, it was fun! Really! I couldn't believe how fun it was! I was really getting into it. It was so great just going off into my imagination and letting the story pour out of me. I mean, I guess that is what I meant about this being enough. It was a blast! The whole process was just a great big blast.

Ok so, I was talking back and forth with my cousin about this whole thing, and getting all jazzed up about it. He is Kendall Daddo, by the way. You can find his stories online. He also told me about Wattpad.com, so I checked that out and it looked like a safe place for me to share my story and maybe get some constructive criticism.

So, I created a Wattpad account and started to post the story on it, part by part. I used parts instead of chapters. They didn't seem like chapters to me, so I called them parts. Anyway, it was kind of tough because I was not sure of myself at all. But I felt like, even if I got ripped to shreds, it would still be good for the story and I would at least learn a lot. Turns out I had nothing to fear. All of the comments were kind, even the critical ones. Everyone in the Wattpad community is really really cool and passionate about writing. It was amazing. Thank you so so much, to everyone who read the parts that I was able to put up, and then gave me your great and amazingly helpful comments.

Anyway, things were rolling along great. I was writing and revising and I felt like I was making a great connection with the readers. But then I posted Part Four. And that is when it all hit the fan. Part Four was getting great comments, and people were becoming all enthusiastic about the characters in the story and wondering what was going to happen next, but then everything came to a screeching halt.

One day after dinner, I opened Wattpad to see if there were any new comments, but my story was not there. It was gone. I searched and searched, and refreshed and reloaded, but it was all gone. Even my user account was gone. I had zero presence on Wattpad. But I just figured I would check in with them on the next day to see what was going on with my account.

Then the doorbell rang. So, I opened the door and it was the F.B.I. Seriously, the F freaking Bureau of Investigation! And that was not fun, let me tell you. In real life, they are not at all like White Collar.

I let them in, of course, and they were all serious and looking around the room and asking me questions about if I lived alone or if anyone else was in the house, and where I worked and just basic things like that. Then one of them said something like, "We're here to talk to you about your story. Are you the author of Door Posts?"

That was weird. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why in the world the F.B.I. would be concerned about my story. Then they started to ask me about who I was working with on it and where I was getting my information, and on and on. I mean, it was intense, and I was kind of embarrassed to tell them I was just scouring Wikipedia and using Google Maps, and just all kinds of other simple Internet resources to get my information for the story.

Well, after a while, it was apparently pretty clear to them that I was not some terrorist or communist or any kind of a threat to anyone. So, they finally told me they had concerns about the content of the story, and they had to take it down off Wattpad until they could check out a few things about me to determine if I was any kind of a threat or whatever. At this point, I'm sorry, but I was starting to get a little impatient with them.

But, they were actually kind enough about the whole thing, and sincerely apologetic about having to come out and question me. They said they were just following protocol and all of that kind of rhetoric.

When they started to leave, they said everything could go back up on Wattpad. But, then they paused and got real serious looks on their faces, and made a strong recommendation against putting the story back out on the internet.

I am sure they saw the confused look on my face, so they went on to say they were not really the ones to be concerned about. They assured me they would respect my rights as a U.S. citizen and treat me accordingly, but there were other people in the world who would definitely not do so. They said there were more aggressive groups of people that would probably be greatly offended by the story, and would definitely be inclined to take forceful action against it.

That was actually the first time I had ever thought about that possibility. I hate to admit it, but I know I am pretty naive, generally speaking. I don't tend to keep up with world events and things like that. I just keep pretty much to myself.

But anyway, you should know I am Jewish, so I knew I was treading on Holocaust holy ground when I was writing about those things in the story. It's just that I was really kind of offended when the F.B.I. guy insinuated the story was anti-Semitic. And as for the story being anti-Islamic, man, I don't know enough about Islam to be anti-Islamic.

And, I was no way out to offend anyone. Believe me, I know what interfaith is all about. My mother was Jewish and my father was a Christian, so I have lived interfaith everyday of my life. I grew up in Shabbat meetings on Saturdays and in Church meetings on Sundays. I am not anti anything. If anything, I am anti-religion -- religion that just boxes people in and makes them adhere to some kind of dogma or meaningless rules.

But that is why I got so jazzed about the story ten years ago. It was just fun exploring the possibilities of things going differently than they really did in the 20th Century. It was also kind of profound to think about the tables being turned, and how the world might be a different place if things had happened differently. I actually felt like the story was kind of unifying. Like maybe people would read it and think about it, and realize the real answer is to stop beating each other up, and just love each other and work together to make this world the way it should be for everyone.

Anyway, after the F.B.I. guys left, I basically didn't sleep that whole night. I guess I was finally beginning to see how the story could be taken wrong and how it really probably could offend a fair amount of people; all kinds of people, particularly Jews and Muslims. I'm pretty sure it was radical Muslims that the F.B.I. was trying to warn me about. And, I'm also pretty sure they were right.

So, I was lying there awake and I realized my story probably showed up on some National Security buzzword detection list. I mean, I've seen the Jason Bourne movies. They probably do have systems out there that scan all of the information going on out in the world, and then red flag things that might be cause for alarm. I thought about it and realized that by Part Four I had used words like ADOLF HITLER, ZIONISM, SYRIA, JIHAD, ISLAM and MUHAMMAD. Dang! That is why they came knocking at my door!

Anyway, for the next few days I was just trying to process the whole thing and figure out what I should do next. Unfortunately, the choice was made for me. I got nabbed.

They were good. I mean, I never knew what hit me. I did experience a little bit of struggle against them when they got me, but then I was out. The next thing I knew, I woke up in this God-forsaken place.

Anyway, I was scared to death. I had a bag over my head and my hands were tied behind my back. I was loosely strung up by my neck, and they were punching me in the stomach and hitting me in the face. And man, let me tell you, that really really hurts! I have never been hit before in my life. I was never in a fight when I was a kid, or did boxing or karate or anything. Man, it really hurts! Sheesh. I have a whole different view of action movies now. I doubt I could even watch another one, now that I know what it actually feels like. It is terrible!

And, they didn't really interrogate me, or anything like that. I never heard a word of English. All I ever heard was some kind of foreign gibberish. It was more like they were just angry with me. I think maybe they just wanted to punish me for writing something offensive about their prophet or their religion or whatever because they finally just stopped messing with me.

Honestly... I have a feeling... at least this is my fantasy, but I have a feeling they finally read Part Six. They had grabbed the hard copy of the story that I had at home. I am actually writing this letter to you on the backsides of those pages.

So anyway, if they read Part Six, they would have realized I actually made Arabs look pretty good in the story. There are a couple of people in that part who are pretty much the heroes.

Well, after a while... all in all it has been a few days, I was lying in the small room next to this one. They had untied me, but the door was locked. I was starving, and I was freezing at night and boiling during the day. Then this morning, everything was silent. I heard nothing. No jabbering. No crackling voices on the radio, or whatever it was. Nothing.

At first, I thought they had just gone for a while. I didn't dare try to get out of the room because I definitely did not want to get hit again. But finally, after probably about half the day went by, I ever so quietly and carefully tried to open the door, and was shocked to discover it was unlocked. So, I slowly opened it up and then discovered I actually was the only one out here. They had ditched me. I felt like it was the end of the movie Midnight Express, where the guy was in prison in Istanbul, and then one day he just simply walked out the door to his freedom.

They had left some food, so I scarfed that up, and then I started to look around to find out where I was.

And now, here I am writing to you. Thank God there were a couple of pens lying around on this desk.

Anyway, this place is pretty remote. It is a rocky desert area. The structure I am in is nestled in a canyon-like ravine that reminds me of the hideout for the Hole in the Wall Gang. There are no trees around, just a bunch of scraggly bushes. No wonder it was so cold at night and so hot during the day. And I'm just here in my pajamas.

Everything here is sparse. They must have just trucked in whatever they needed and then trucked it back out when they left. This building looks like some kind of pre-fab military structure that can easily be set up and torn down. There is no plumbing and no electricity. There is nothing here. Just me.

And, I might as well tell you now, I know I am not getting out of here. I have a fever and my lower abdomen is swollen and hot and red. I think maybe they burst my appendix or spleen or whatever. It is not good and it hurts like hell. My body is trying desperately to fix the damage, but I don't think it will be successful. I can hardly walk. There is no way I am getting out of here, unless someone happens to wander around out here and discovers this crazy shack out in the middle of some random ravine. They probably realized that as well, and figured they would just let me attempt to walk out of here and be discovered by the vultures instead.

So, I am pretty sure this is it for me. I may have a couple of days left. I don't know. But before I sign off, I just wanted to leave all of this here for you. When I am done writing this, I am going to wrap up the whole thing and leave it for whoever might hopefully happen to find me out here.

I'm sure I have been missed at work by now, and they probably had the police or whoever come out to my house and check up on me. There are not a lot of people who would miss me. I don't have any siblings and I never married. I wanted to get married, but it just never happened. I never found my 'Sarah'. Maybe that is why Daniel dreams about her so often in the story.

Anyway, I need to stop. I am literally going to wrap this thing up now in a cloth that was lying here, and then tie it up with some cords that were lying over there in the corner. I hope you find it. And I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I have. That sounds odd, but what I mean is I don't feel like I was writing it. I feel like I was just the first person who got to read it.

And lastly, I guess I feel like I should have something profound to say before I sign off, so I would like to leave just one last bit of wisdom for all of you. Here it is: All roads lead to God, so get ready. Seriously, everyone is going to stand before God and have their day of reckoning with Him. So, let's just stop trying to shove each other down this road or that road. The roads are not important. They all lead to Him. The important thing is meeting Him there at the end of the road. We all will meet him there. And He will reckon our lives, primarily about decisions we have made with regard to yielding ourselves to a saving relationship with Messiah Jesus. So, I suggest everyone gets ready for that meeting. I think I am.

\-- William Cayhews
