

# Clever Little Book

Elaina Davis

# .

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Elaina Davis

The sale of this book without it's cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as "unsold" and "destroyed." Neither the Author nor the publisher has received payment for this stripped book.

**CLEVER LITTLE BOOKS,** a division of GrandBelle Publishing.Inc.  
CleverLittleBook.WordPress.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information contact the author directly at: CleverLittleBook@gmail.com

Cover design by Alegna Media Designs

Edited by Wendy Mills

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact the author directly at: CleverLittleBook@gmail.com

# Table of Contents

Copyrights

Acknowledgments

Note From the Author

Prologue

### Part I

Chapter 1 Worth The Wait

Chapter 2 Young Isabel

Chapter 3 Just a Dream?

Chapter 4 "Bob..."

Chapter 5 The Book

Chapter 6 Root of All Evil

Chapter 7 The Boxes

Chapter 8 Just Another Dream?

Chapter 9 A Chance Encounter

Chapter 10 And Just What IS Love?

### Part II

Chapter 11 The Lover's Dream

Chapter 12 The Siren's Song

Chapter 13 Another Chance Encounter?

Chapter 14 The Key

# Acknowledgments

"Clever Little Book," was inspired by "The Great One," and so it is to Him _ALONE_ that I attribute it....

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However, I would like to acknowledge my _MOTHER_ , Doris E. Davis who taught me the value of a strong work ethic and the importance of telling people exactly how I feel about any and everything. I haven't always carried it out for one reason or another, but I had the perfect example of how it should be done. "Mommy," you did so much with what you had to make every birthday and every holiday special. Every contest I entered as a child or a play or musical, you showed up! You encouraged my talents and always bragged about them to people. You still do. It has meant so much to me. I appreciate you. Thank You, "Mommy."

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And my _FATHER_ , Daniel Davis Jr. who instilled in me the spirit of "The Dreamer." "Daddy," I always admired your desire to be more than someone's employee. How you weren't afraid to take a chance at what felt good to you regardless to the outcome. That desire has lighted a fire in me that is not easily extinguished. As a result I have wandered from profession to profession searching for that special something that I do well and easily. My wandering has not been in vain. Finally, I believe I have found it. You never ceased to cherish me. I appreciate all the times you told me how special, intelligent and how beautiful a child I was. All the hugs and kisses. How you always made me to feel like I was your favorite. The words that have served me most in life came from your lips. Thank You, "Daddy"

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My MOST Prized Possession, My Fierce Guardian and Keeper, My First Love, The General! My _SON_ , "Khalif D. Davis." Son, you are nothing less than amazing and have been since a child. While I was supposed to be teaching you, it was actually you who taught me so many things. I value your advice and your position on any matter. You are the closest and most cherished in my heart, second to NONE but "The Great One." Because I had you to bounce ideas off of, over my shoulder saying, "Ma, that's over kill. Ma, I wouldn't say it that way, Ma make it bigger, that's too broad, take them there," The novel I once only dreamed of writing is now my reality. Thank You Son and Your Beautiful Wife, My Perfect _Daughter n law_ , Alithia (a.k.a T.I.L.I.A) wink!

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And my " _GrandBelle_." YOU are the apple of your Granny's eye...

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My Beloved and Most Esteemed _Pastors_ , "PATTY JAMES of WordUp Ministries Woodbridge, NJ" and "DARRIN MONROE" of Chosen Generation Ministries Newark, NJ." What imagery could accurately describe you both? What words could truly convey all that you two have done and all you have been to me?...The gifts and talents that I possess were given to me of "The Great One,"...but they were activated, cultivated and made ALIVE at the laying on of YOUR hands. I appreciate you and your AWESOME Ministries! My heart is torn between the two. I count you BOTH as HOME...

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And Shayla Kilpatrick, Latoya Mckenith, Medina Manuel, Zaire Powell, and Anwar Walker. In my heart, you guys are _MINE_!

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Thank You _Alegna Media Designs,_ for the Amazing Book Cover! You brought my idea to life RADIANTLY and displayed my vision for all the world to see!

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Thank You _Wendy Mills_ , Editor _EXTRODINAIRE_! I have entrusted to you my first completed manuscript. With hours of my labor. With my imagination and my own unique personality. With the thoughts of my mind and the emotion which flowed from my heart onto pages...you have NOT failed me.  
You have served me with EXCELLENCE!

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And _Kelly R. Mckenith,_ it is said, "Out of sight Out of mind," but I say NOT SO!Your memory lives on in my heart and will for EVER! I always thought it would be you who was the Best Selling Author, while I stood by and applauded you in all of your glory. You were always writing something and encouraged me to write as well. You gave me my first diary and trusted me to read the pages of your own. Those things you shared with me will not leave my lips, even in your death. R.I.P _Friend_...

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My all time _FAVORITE_ Band " _Black Fluid_ " originating in my hometown of Newark, New Jersey. Unbeknownst to you, many nights I listen to "Cross Hairs," over and over into the wee hours of the morning. It is one of the most moving songs I have EVER heard. I and Isabel's father have come to call it, "The Lover's Creed..." As soon as I can, I am making a special trip back to New Jersey just to hear  
"Cross Hairs"...LIVE!

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To _All Those_ who will purchase my books as they come, and who will join Isabel, Raul and Me on our never ending journey... _I THANK YOU in Advance_ for believing in my dream and in my ability to entertain, to uplift and to encourage your human spirits which is my _earnest_ desire...

# A note from the Author

I would like to express my extreme gratitude to you the reader. You determine if a book will become a Best-Seller. Your feedback, comments and reviews are what drive others to take notice of a particular work of literary art. Your praises are invaluable to me as an Author, as it is the determining factor to if and when I can expect my work to line the bookshelves of major chains across the country and the world. For me, writing is not only a form of art, but an outlet for the frustrations of life and a realization of a dream. With my books I hope to inspire you, to uplift you, entertain you and to assure you that it's never too late to step out of a mundane existence into a world of thrill and amazement. In ending I adjure you, forget about the past: let the future care after itself: live in the moment!...

Elaina

GRANDBELLE BOOKS

West - Africa - Grenada - Barbados - Mexico - United States

# Prologue

Why has my love _again_ left my bosom? Captivated by the Siren's _Song_ I suppose. For _beautiful are_ its enchanting chords and _i_ ntoxicating melodies. Though I would cook, clean and toil all the day for love, _again_ he has evaded me. For _who_ is he that can resist the Song of the Siren _?_ _Many_ men have gone out to sea determined to but _hear_ the Siren's Song, then turn again for home. But all who _heard_ became bewitched; so much so that no matter the effort exhausted to turn their vessels for home, they found themselves lulled _closer_ and deeper entranced. _Closer_ to the Siren and _so_ deeply entranced, until their horrible fate was a crash upon the rocks. And though a man had _heard_ the tale and _believed_ it might bring _his_ utter destruction, still _none_ could resist even the _possibility_ of hearing the Siren's Song; and so launched their vessels out to sea, joining the legions of men who had gone before them, _never_ to return home again.

" _...in loving memory of the very FOOLISH at heart, who allow the Sirens of Life to lure them away from their beloved... R.I.P. (or so they say)"_

Sincerely, Elaina

# Part I

There was an _old_ man who toiled daily at the furnace of a gold press refining gold. He was so intrigued by the _fire,_ that roared in the furnace of the press. He loved the way it refined gold melting it to boil out impurities and then having the gold come out sparkly and shining. Meet to fetch a handsome price at the market.

One day the old man got it in his mind that he _too_ should be refined by the fire, going in old and wrinkled then coming out sparkly, shining and young again: meet for the desire of one fine damsel he admired daily, sitting upon her perch at the market. He _so_ desired her for a wife that he thought to refine _himself,_ to meet her expectations. So daily he began refining himself in the roaring fire of the furnace: first a finger then a hand, next one foot and then the other. Soon the old man could resist no longer and _leaped_ into the fire! " _This_ is not so bad," he thought.

"Yes it's hot but _I_ can bare it," he said. As he danced in the fire determined to refine himself, the old man's heart was merry at the thought of the damsel he so desired.

All of a sudden the fire began to rage seven times hotter than it _ever_ had before and the old man thought to himself, "I'd better get out now!" But the fire raged so, that it _engulfed_ the man and he could no longer see the door! In his panic he called out for help but none could hear him. He then scaled along the wall until finally utterly exhausted by the heat and smoke; he found the handle of the door. The old man tugged and tugged at the door's handle but it was locked! He then banged and banged on the door but it was hot and so it burned his hands. All seemed lost at this point so the old man decided to dance away in the fire, what he thought to be his _last_ moments.

As the fire raged ever hotter he thought of his intended and smiled. Suddenly, a fellow worker came in and noticed the furnace door _locked_ which was unusual. He flung open the door and to his great surprise the old man leaped out! However, he didn't look the same as he had before!

" _Thank You_ ," the old man told his fellow worker!

"Who are _you_?" the worker asked.

"I am the man who toils daily with you at the furnace of this gold press," the old man exclaimed!

"I have _refined_ myself in the fire, and though I was once old I am _now_ young again. Now let me go down to the market and declare my love for the young damsel sitting daily upon her perch." As the man ran he felt _wonderful_! The fire had refined him _so_ that he looked young again!

"Surely she will love me _now_ ," he thought! When he found the damsel he introduced himself and declared his love for her. But the damsel told him that she was _saving_ her love for a more distinguished and _mature_ man: the _old_ man who toiled daily refining gold in the furnace of the gold press, whom she secretly _desired_ and waited for daily upon her perch at the market.

The man once old but _now_ young again was astonished! He tried to convince the damsel that he _was_ the old man, but she just shook her head and assured him that _he_ was not; for she _knew_ the old man when she saw him and would give her love to none other _._

"His face though slightly wrinkled with age and tanned from days of working close to the roaring fire of the furnace is most handsome and glorious to behold," she told him. "And his hands are rough and calloused from many years of hard work, not soft and supple as a young man your age who has hardly done a day's work in his life. The curve of his back now slightly bowed assures me that he has battled many a storm and the winds and waves of life proved no match for such a champion as he, and I will give my love to none other."

She said she didn't know why he hadn't shown at the market as of yet, but that she would wait all day and even through the night watching for _him._

As the once old man _now_ young again walked away he thought to himself, " _Surely_ if I return unto the fire in the furnace of the gold press I can reverse this refining and become old and wrinkled again. Then the damsel will once again desire me!"

He ran to the gold press but he found the furnace was cold as the fire had gone out! When he looked into his pocket for the little gold key that was used to ignite the furnace, it appeared that in all of the excitement he had lost it somehow! Brokenhearted and now exhausted, the man once old _now_ young again lay down in the cold furnace hoping that death would soon come and deliver him from his misery. After a few hours however, he accepted that death was not coming. The once old man _now_ young again decided to get up, dust himself off and move on.

# Chapter 1 Worth The Wait

_This_ reminds me of a tale, although I don't know if it be a tale or _true_ , of an _old_ woman of 80+ years who daily went down to the ship yard and stood at the dock looking fixedly out into the distance. No matter the weather be it rain, snow, sleet or hail the old woman without fail stood upon her watch from: "Can see in the morning" till "Can't see at night", staring out into the distance, watching the ships from whither they came to hence and back out again.

One day a goodly old seaman asked the woman, " _Why_ do you stand daily upon your watch at the dock, staring out into the distance watching the ships from whither they come to hence and back out again?"

The old woman replied," Because my love has gone out to sea and I am awaiting his return."

"When did he go out and what ship was he on?" asked the old seaman.

"I don't know exactly," she said.

"Well how do you know that he is out at sea?" the man asked her.

"Because I have searched the land both high and low and also to and fro, but I have been unable to find love. He must be out at _sea_ somewhere, and I will be waiting here when he returns."

"Well this is fortunate," the seaman said. "I was just wondering what I would do until my cargo is all loaded aboard my vessel and set for sail. It will take at least a few hours. If you don't mind I will keep you company and watch _with_ you as you await your _l_ ove."

"I would like that," the old woman said. "Although it is quite strange of you to offer as no one ever has before."

"It gets lonely out at sea," the old seaman replied. "Sometimes it's nice to have some company even if just for a _few_ hours."

The old woman understood and was happy to have his company, so together they sat down at the dock, staring out into the distance watching the ships from whence they came to hence and back out again. Soon as if it had only been a few moments, the entire morning was spent.

Eventually, the old seaman received word that his cargo was all loaded and that his vessel was set for sail. He bid the old woman "Adieu," hoisted his anchor and departed.

As he waved to her from aboard his vessel he yelled out, "T.I.L.I.A!" Thinking that he must be speaking some foreign language from one of the many places he had visited as a seaman, the old woman waved and yelled back to him, _"Yes_ _of course, T.I.L.I.A!"_

From the dock the old woman watched his vessel until she could see it no more. She decided she'd had enough excitement for one day and so she headed for home. On her way out of the ship yard she heard a voice behind her ask, "Leaving so _soon_ today?" The old woman turned around and saw that the voice had come from a young seaman that she had seen many days working down at the dock.

"You _normally_ stay at least until sunset, watching the ships come in hither from whence we come and back out again," he said.

The old woman replied, _"_ Unfortunately Son, when you've seen _one_ sunset you've seen them all, each one as beautiful as the _last_ , but _none_ more beautiful than the _first_ , and so it is with many of life's experiences," she said.

" _You_ young man have done well not to stand at the dock your whole life, staring out into the distance watching ships from whence they came hither and back out again when you could have been _aboard_ one. Continue to hoist your anchor, set your sails and venture out into the unknown and see the world! Many treasures remain undiscovered out there for such a one as _you_. For it is the privilege of the Power to _conceal_ treasures, and the honor of those such as _you,_ to seek them out."

The young man tipped his cap and nodded in respect of her wisdom. Then with a wink of her eye the old woman turned again and headed for home.

# Chapter 2 Young Isabel

When she opened the door she could smell the aroma of the fresh baked pastries filled with bananas and sweet cream that she had left in the window earlier to cool. Empanadas as they were called in her native Central American Spanish tongue. As a child in El Salvador, Empanadas were a favorite with mermelada. That is to say jelly or jam and served with hot tea. Putting a kettle on the fire the old woman smiled as she thought of her home in El Salvador, although she hadn't been there since her teenage years.

She could still remember running through the court yard playing with the other children her age in the heat of the noon sun at San Miguel. It seemed she could still hear the sound of the flutes, scrapers, and guitars as the musicians played daily, simply for the _joy_ of it and _not_ for money.

"Nobody does _anything_ for sheer joy anymore," she said. "As a result, the wealth they seek so hard after is repelled from them while they grow older and more miserable. If only more people understood that the joy of displaying the gifts _inside_ of themselves would attract wealth, the world would be a much happier place." She was referring to a quote from an old book one of the elders had given to her on her way to school at San Miguel in El Salvador many years ago.

It was a _ragged_ little book with both covers torn off so she never knew the _name_ of the book, but the elder had cautioned her saying, "No matter the _outward_ appearance of this book, keep it close and refer to it in times of despair and it will shine a light so that you can see your path clearly."

She read the book often over her 80+ years and remembered it to say that, "A gift opens the way for the _giver_ and ushers him into the presence of the great." In all of her years the book had never steered her wrong so she figured that if the book said it, it _must_ be true.

After she'd finished her meal she retired to her favorite reclining chair for a nap. The old woman smiled to herself as she thought of how the young seaman had noticed she was leaving the dock _early_ that day. She didn't think that anyone _ever_ noticed her there at all.

"The cares of life are such that many people miss the beauty of the _journey_ for worry of the final _destination,_ " she said to herself. "Maybe my love was standing right _next_ to me somewhere one day, but because of the cares of _life_ he didn't even know it."

Her thoughts turned to the Old Seaman she had met and she wondered where his travels would take him _this_ time.

"Maybe a short stop in EL Salvador and her childhood home of San Miguel," she thought excitedly! Either way she was happy for him.

" At least _he_ got to see the world instead of wasting his life away sitting down at the dock staring out into the distance, watching the ships from whither they came hence and back out again."

"He seemed to have no concern for love at _all, quaint_ old man," she thought. "...Maybe I should have been more _like_ him," she said to herself. "Love is the conquest of _fools_ , enjoyed only _temporarily_ if ever at all."

In her heart of hearts she didn't really _believe_ that, but over the years it had helped her to cope with the pain of never having found _her_ love so she reminded herself of the saying from time to time. It was now getting late so she laid her head back, snuggled into her favorite reclining chair under a beautiful hand woven tapestry and drifted off into sleep. The old woman soon began to dream and saw herself aboard a ship that was bound for Italy, a place that she'd once had opportunity to go.

# Chapter 3 Just a Dream?

One day soon after she'd first arrived in America, she was down at the dock and had met a famous artist named Allesandro. He was waiting to board a ship back to Italy. The man had traveled to America in search of some inspiration for his next masterpiece.

As he sat at the dock he felt discouraged thinking that his long journey had been in vain. But then he spotted the young _Isabel_ selling beautiful necklaces made of seashells.

In a loud voice that startled the young woman he exclaimed, " _Alas_ , I've found you! You _must_ come with me!"

He told Isabel that he would pay for her ticket to Italy and that she would be the subject of his _greatest_ masterpiece rivaling _even_ the Mona Lisa! He said he would capture her beauty in such a striking painting that it would be coveted _all_ over the world and would make her rich and famous!

Although Allesandro's offer was very enticing to young Isabel, who at the time was only 20 years old, she thought about how her parents had given her their life's savings after many years of sweat and toil to send their only child to America and a better life. She wasn't about to throw all of that _away_ on a gamble. But she regretted declining his offer for many years.

In her dream she saw herself aboard a ship approaching the port of a City known as Melita off the coast of Crete. From the deck she noticed that a passing vessel was being tossed about by a wind of hurricane force, although from where _she_ was there was only a slight wind blowing gently.

She then saw the crew of the distressed ship throwing their cargo overboard as they were pounded violently by what appeared to be their own personal storm affecting only their vessel. They were forced to throw even their ships tackle overboard.

As the Sun began to set the sky was clear and the stars were many. But it was pitch black dark over that other vessel. The Captain of the ship the old woman was on ordered the crew to drop anchor to avoid being pulled into the storm with the other ship and a span of what appeared to be 14 days passed.

All of a sudden as the old woman and those traveling with her watched, the crew of the distressed ship cast off their anchors, unfastened their lines of rudders and hoisting their foresail into the wind they made for the beach, striking a sandbar and running the ship aground. The pounding of the waves had caused their ship's stern to break up and the crew began to swim for their lives.

Those who apparently couldn't swim floated on planks and other debris from the ship until they were all safely on the beach. Immediately the storm ceased and the ocean was calm. The old woman, and those aboard the ship with her, also debarked at the port of Melita off the coast of Crete.

They had seen the crew of the distressed ship discard all of their food and equipment into the sea, so they offered them of their rations **.** They then proceeded to build a fire large enough so that the distressed crew numbering 276 could warm themselves.

One of the distressed crew a distinguished man named Paul helped to build the fire, at which time a venomous snake escaping from the fire fastened itself onto his hand. To all of their surprise Paul simply shook off the snake and seemed to feel no harm.

Throughout the night as all sat around the fire many murmured against the man Paul, saying that he must be a bad person whom though he had escaped the sea, vengeance would not allow to live. But after a long time had passed, and he neither fell down dead nor had swollen up as they expected, they changed their minds about the man Paul and called him a Son of the Power.

Upon hearing about the man Paul, many on the Island who were sick or had diseases came down to the fire and asked Paul to pray and touch them, and as many as he touched were healed immediately.

All of a sudden in her dream the man Paul emerged out of the crowd, walked over to the old woman and touched her shoulder. Instantly she woke up. She reached instinctively for the rubbing salve that she used to soothe the rheumatoid arthritis that had plagued her for many years now. However, as if by some miracle she noticed that her body was not stiff and achy as it _usually_ was every morning. In fact she felt as good as she had when she was a young girl.

"Strange", she thought to herself. "I guess all the rubbing salve I have used over the years has finally paid off!"

She jumped up showered and got dressed much more quickly today. The old lady had a new _spring_ in her step as she made her way down to the dock. It would be the first time that she would arrive early enough to witness the amazing amber sun rising over the Santa Cruz Harbor.

However, when she reached the dock she found something else _just_ as amazing if not more so. The old woman saw as it were, a vast sea of men standing on the dock. The men were in a trance like state, staring out into the distance with their heads tilted identically as if they were all viewing the same thing. As far as _she_ could see there was nothing out there.

The old woman then noticed one man who was _not_ entranced moving through the rows of men, every now and then touching a man. She felt compelled to call out to him but the eerie quiet made it inappropriate. So instead, the old woman slowly made her way over to the man all the while awestruck by the scene.

"What are they looking at?" she asked.

"They're not looking at anything," the man replied. "They're _listening_ to the Song of the Siren."

"But that's just a _myth_ ", the old woman exclaimed.

"Only to _women"_ , he said.

"Who _are_ all these men?" the old woman asked.

"These are the souls who were spared by the Great One when they were lured out to sea by the Siren and their vessels crashed against the rocks. Unlike the legions of men _before_ them, _these_ escaped with their lives. But they are still captivated by the enchanting chords and intoxicating melody of her song. They can only hear the Song for 5 minutes at sunrise, so _every_ morning they make their way out here," he explained.

"But _I_ don't hear anything," the woman said.

"Only _men_ can hear the Siren's Song."

"So why are _you_ not affected by her song?" Can _you_ not hear her?" The woman asked him.

" _Of course_ I can hear her. I can hear _all_ things. But _I_ am not a man, I am a _Watcher_ , sent every morning from the Great One to remind _these_ that the Song of the Siren is unto _death_ and _not_ for love."

"Who is this _Great_ One you speak of ", the woman asked?

" _You've_ known The Great One for _many_ years fair maiden, and ask you now _who_ is _He_?" the man replied and seemingly into thin air he disappeared. The old woman was confused.

"I've never met any _Great_ One", she said to herself. Suddenly the men began to disperse, each man hurrying this way and that. And soon the old woman was all alone on the dock wondering if it had all been _just_ a dream. As she savored the smell of the ocean she could almost taste the salt from the water and the cool breeze felt nice against her face.

"This has been _some_ kind of morning", she thought as she stared out into the distance, watching for ships from whither they would come hence and back out again.

The old woman walked up to her favorite place at the edge of the dock and noticed a bottle floating. It appeared to have a message of some sort inside, so she reached down and lifted it from the water.

The old woman pulled out the cork and indeed there _was_ a letter inside. It was tied with a scarlet ribbon and had a little gold trinket of some kind attached to it. The old woman removed the ribbon and put it in her pocket. She then unrolled the letter, and sat down to read it.

# Chapter 4 "Bob..."

It was quite lengthy and addressed:

"Hello Stranger,

If you are reading this letter it means that I have accomplished my plan of killing myself. Don't waste your time trying to track down the sender of this letter to stop me. It is too late I am already dead. I know your instincts will lead you to feel bad for me, but I assure you it is not necessary. Death is _better_ than the life that I have lived. I was a poor man from a humble family. We didn't have much and that which we _did_ have was never enough. I had dreams like anyone else. I wanted a better life. I worked hard trying to save money so that I could make some investments that would grow and help me to get on my way. But every time I had saved enough to make my investments, some emergency would arise and require the money of me.

One day I met a woman named Elizabeth from San Diego. She seemed to really like me and I liked her too. I told her all of my deepest secrets and even my dreams and she encouraged me. We did everything together and for the first time in my life I had a friend.

One day she told me about an investment that would make us very wealthy and that if I could come up with half the money she would also put in half. So I worked late hours and even on weekends and holidays and finally I had saved up $10,000 which was to be my half for the investment. It was the first time that I had held $10,000 in my hand.

One night Elizabeth came over to my house to get my half of the money for the investment. She said that the window of opportunity was closing and that we needed to move quickly.

I thought it a bit strange that she would come so late in the evening, but she had been my friend and I _trusted_ her so I gave her the money.

She said that she would watch the investment for me as she knew I was very busy with work and all, and that in 30 days my money would have at _least_ doubled and she would bring it to me.

I didn't hear from her as often as was normal, but she assured me that it was only because she was busy finding other investments for us to get into, and that in a few weeks I would be a happy man.

As the weeks passed I often daydreamed making plans for the money I anticipated receiving. When 30 days had passed I tried calling my friend, but I wasn't able to reach her. It then dawned on me that I hadn't heard from Elizabeth in over a week. I thought surely she must be busy finding other investments for us and that she would soon call, but she never did.

I went by Elizabeth's place and to my horror her apartment was empty and her neighbors said that she had left town over a week ago. All of my money was gone and there was nothing I could do about it.

I didn't know the first place to look for Elizabeth or if that was even her _real_ name.

After that I decided that I needed to be wiser when dealing with people and that I would never again give _anyone_ any money for _any_ reason.

I then ran into a childhood friend named Douglas. All of his life Douglas had been the kind of guy who was always making up inventions that he said would one day make him rich. He never played outside with the other kids. He always stayed in his room which he called his laboratory, creating things.

All of the other kids laughed at him and called him names, but I kind of liked Douglas. I thought some of the things he made were ingenious and had potential. I hadn't seen him for many years and I didn't even recognize him at first. He looked old and frumpy and had gained a lot of weight.

From the looks of it, he was at least 60 or 70 lbs. over weight if not more. Not what I would have expected of a guy, who was so talented and creative. He went on explaining how over the years people had stolen his inventions and had made lots of money from them.

He said however, that he had one invention left that would make him wealthier than all of the others combined, but that he didn't have the money to put it into production. I had some money saved up and thought to offer it to him...but when I thought back on my mistake in giving _Elizabeth_ my money I couldn't part with it.

I really wanted to help him, but I was just _too_ afraid to make the gamble, so I passed on what Douglas called the opportunity of a life time. A few months later I picked up my morning paper. Sprawled across the front page was a picture of my childhood friend Douglas, 70lbs lighter with a _huge_ smile on his face.

The headline read: Inventor of Miracle Weight Loss Drug "THINYOU" makes $25,000,000 over night! Turns out that _Douglas_ had met a woman named _Elizabeth_ from San Diego, whom when he explained to her what his invention was had loaned him $10,000 to send the invention to production and now they were _both_ rich and _she_ had disappeared again!

Oh, it gets _better._ A few weeks _after_ that a tornado raced through my town and lifted only _my_ house ,100 feet off the ground and threw it 6 miles into a neighboring city, destroying _all_ of my belongings including my savings which was hidden in the house under my bed!

Not _one_ of the other homes was affected. There was not even a _single_ tree uprooted. So you see, _Death_ is better than the life I have lived.

Thanks for listening, See you on the other side, Bob."...

The Old woman looked out across the expanse of ocean and held Bob's letter close to her heart. She closed her eyes and took deep breathes in and out trying not to cry. She felt sad for Bob. Not particularly because of the things that had happened to him, although they were terrible. But more so because it was evident to _her_ , that if all of those things were already _behind_ Bob, the best of his life had to be in _front_ of him, but he didn't know it. And how could he not understand, that money and houses could be replaced with even _more_ money and even _bigger_ and _better_ houses?

She remembered reading somewhere in her special book that, "The earth belonged to _One_ power and even the _fullness_ of the earth belonged to this power also and that, this power found pleasure in _giving_ us things."

# Chapter 5 The Book

The book made it seem so simple to find this power. It said that, "This power lives i _nside_ of us." "So why didn't _Bob_ , and people _like_ him contemplating suicide, just look _inside_ of themselves for the power?" The old woman wondered.

She was _sure_ it was there because the book had _said_ so. She couldn't be too hard on Bob though, as she remembered a time when she _herself_ thought to commit suicide. It was the day she received word that both her parents had perished in a Hurricane back home in EL Salvador.

Shortly after she had come to America she started working on the dock, selling beautiful jewelry made of Sea Shells she had brought with her from San Miguel. Her parents had given her all the money they had to come to America ahead of them, so she started saving money to send for them.

As if on cue, as _soon_ as she had saved enough money for her elderly parents to make the trip, she received word that they had both been killed. Then, just a _young_ woman, she didn't know _how_ she could go on. She felt so _alone_.

As the feeling of despair began to grip her she remembered what the elder had said about her special book that day in the court yard of San Miguel as she made her way to school. It had always managed to cheer her when she was sad so she pulled the little ragged book out of her bag and it opened to a page that said, "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Power."

She turned to another page that said, "When the power is come those who sleep shall rise first." And another page said, "The power consists of many mansions, if it were not _so_ I would have _told_ You. I go to prepare a place for you and _if_ I go to prepare a place I will come again and receive you, so that where I am you can be _also_."

She had never seen a mansion before but she knew if _anyone_ deserved one it was her parents. And having read about the power often in her special book, she didn't quite understand what it _was_ but it seemed to be very _good_ so she was glad that her parents would get to see it first.

At that, she took heart and put the little book back into her bag. She thought of her parents often over the years, but _mostly_ of their new life with the power. That is how she was able to move on past a grief that could very _easily_ have killed her and at _times_ even seemed to be attempting to.

By this time the hustle and bustle of the day had begun on the dock at the ship yard. The old woman could see ships out in the distance. They were _still_ afar off but would _surely_ arrive and so workers were running back and forth with rope and supplies preparing to unload the cargo when the vessels docked. The old woman put Bob's letter back down into the bottle and re-corked it.

"You may very well be the last of poor Bob's belongings", she said looking at it. "I'd better hold on to you for him", and she tucked the bottle down into her bag.

"Bob's was a sad and senseless death," she thought to herself as she made her way over to a bench on the dock. Thinking of him she just kept shaking her head. She pulled her special book out of her bag and thumbed through its pages.

Staring lovingly at it she said, "If only _You_ were available to _everyone_ in the world. Then in times of despair they _too_ could find solace in the words of your pages and feel better."

As she turned the book about and looked at it she thought to herself, "You are at _least_ 100 years old by now. Possibly even _double_ that. No doubt, you're very valuable _even_ with your covers torn off. You've been with _me_ for over 70 years now, and there's no _telling_ how long you had been with the elder before he passed you on to _me_ in the court yard that day in San Miguel."

"And why _had_ he passed you on to me that day? Did you _long_ to be my friend? Did you _watch_ me daily on my way to school, running about with the other girls my age?"

"Did you _speak_ to him in some language that only the _two_ of you understood, that he should pass you along to young _Isabel_ before I left for America?"

"I've read _many_ books over my 80+ years. But I've _never_ read a book that made me feel like _You_ do. You're very _possibly_ the _only_ one of your kind...but if I _could_ , I would have a copy of you printed for everyone in the _world_ to be given to them at _birth_ , so that _you_ could shine your light on their path as they journeyed through life which would make the trip much _easier_ for them."

"You're really quite a _magical_ little book. Anytime I have _ever_ read from your pages it _seemed_ as though you were speaking _directly_ to me, as _if_ you were somehow... _alive_."

The old woman put the book back down into her bag. Then she felt around in her _pocket_ for the scarlet ribbon with the little golden trinket attached that she had taken off of Bob's letter. She tied the ribbon in a neat little bow and then taking a safety pin from her bag; she _pierced_ the ribbon through and then fastened it to her dress over her heart. She looked out over the ocean and made a vow to Bob that day down at the dock, that she would wear the ribbon _every_ day in remembrance of him.

"You may be _gone_ Bob", she yelled out on the wind. "But you are _not_ forgotten!"

"As _often_ as I wear your ribbon over my _heart_ , I _wear_ it in remembrance of _you_."

Just _then_ a sudden wave of _emotion_ swept over her and _tears_ began to run down her face. The old woman felt as if she had _known_ Bob. As if they had been _friends_ and like she should have been able to _do_ something to _help_ him.

Maybe if she had just _met_ him somewhere and had _read_ to him a few pages from her special _book_ , maybe the words of the _book_ would have quenched his _worries_ and shined a light on his _path_ so that he might have more _clearly_ seen his _way_. Wiping her face she smiled to herself hoping that Bob was _finally_ somewhere happy, enjoying the power and _laughing_ at himself for how _silly_ he had been to end his life. She hoped her _parents_ were enjoying the power as _well_. They _had_ to be, because the book _said_ it, so it was _true_.

All of a sudden the old woman smelled something on the wind that she had not smelled in quite a _long_ time, but that was still _very_ familiar to her. She looked _left_ down the dock and saw _nothing_ out of the ordinary. But when she looked to her _right_ she could see a man dressed in native EL Salvadoran _garb_ standing next to a _food_ cart.

Very _excitedly,_ she made her way down the dock to the _food_ cart and to her _amazement_ the man had _many_ of her f _avorite_ foods on his cart.

"Hola!" the old woman said. "Como estas?'"

"Hola! Me llamo Carlos", the man replied.

"Mucho gusto!" She said.

"El gusto es mio!" Carlos replied.

They laughed. The old woman could hardly believe her _eyes_. There was, "La Banderita" San Salvador Sausages, "Tortillas", "Fried Sweet Plantains", "Tacos with chicken and tomatoes", "Corn tamale with cream" "Pupusa with meat, cheese, beans and curtido", and to _drink_ he had "Horchata" and "Cebada"!

The old woman was _so_ excited! She said, "Give me a _little_ of _each!_ "

_Laughing,_ the man began to make her a container of food.

"It seems you have been away from home for a _long_ time", the man said.

"Yes, _too_ long", the old woman replied. "I've never seen _you_ here at the dock before, are you just _arriving_ to America?" she asked him.

" _Yes_ , actually I just arrived _today_. I'm just trying to make enough _money_ so that I can send for my elderly _parents_ back home", he said.

The old woman began to feel _sad_. She thought of her _own_ parents and how she had wished her plans of bringing them to _America_ had been successful. She hoped that her new friend would have better luck than _she_ had.

A line began to form behind her as the workers began to smell the delicious food. The old lady didn't want to be in the way so she paid for her food, bid her new friend, "Good Day", and she walked down the dock until she found a little table with an umbrella where she sat down to eat. The food was so _good._ _Some_ of which she hadn't tasted since she was a _small_ child.

"This is turning out to be a great day _after_ all", she thought. The old woman sat and ate as she watched the workers hurrying this way and that as usual.

"To each man his _own_ fun I suppose", she said as you looked out over the dock.

Everyone seemed to be just so _busy._ She _wondered_ if they had even _realized_ what a beautiful _day_ it was. The old woman was just finishing up her meal when she saw a _younger_ woman who looked lost.

# Chapter 6 Root Of All Evil

She was dressed in fine array and looking back and forth apparently in search of someone, so the old woman walked over to her and asked, "Are you lost my dear?"

The younger woman removed her designer Sun Glasses.

"No, I am just looking for my husband", she said as she fluffed her hair. "My attorney has been trying to serve him with divorce papers for some time now but he does not return any of our calls. So I decided to come down to this dreaded dock where he works to serve him with the papers myself."

The old woman thought to herself, "Young people are so frivolous, in love today and out tomorrow." She decided to have a little fun.

"Serves him right! If that bum is beating you up, you must leave him immediately!" the old woman yelled.

"No, David would never do that", the younger woman said while applying her lipstick.

"Well then surely he must be continuously cheating on you and sowing his wild oats all over the place, yes leave him at once!", the old woman said.

"I doubt that David has ever cheated on me or that he even has it in him to do", the younger woman said looking puzzled now as she carefully placed her lipstick back into her designer handbag.

The old woman took the younger woman by the hand and leading her over to the table, sat her down for a talk.

"If your husband is _not_ beating you up, is most definitely _not_ cheating on you and is _obviously_ a hard worker, then please help me to understand _why_ you have come down here to this dock all dressed up with divorce papers for him?"

"It's quite complicated", the younger woman started very sophisticated like. "When David and I got married he was a famous athlete. We had lots of money and David promised to give me the best of everything. But then he got injured so he lost his Major League Contract. Working here at this dock barely pays David enough to handle our bills. It's just becoming too much for me now." she said in disgust.

"My dear, have you ever stopped to think about what it's doing to David? Have you considered that you are mainly responsible for the bills that his pay can't cover because you so desire the best of everything? David is giving you the best of everything _now._ As he makes his way early down to this old dock, and takes up the back breaking work of a seaman, I assure you he _is_ giving you his best.", the old woman told her.

"Be that as it may, I can't afford to stay with David. I've met a very rich man who wants to marry me. The only thing that's standing in my way is David. I need him to sign the papers and be done with it! I won't be young and beautiful forever!" the younger woman replied indignantly.

"You are right", the old woman said. "You won't be young and beautiful forever, not to the rich man. Not even for much longer, I'm afraid. There will always be one younger and more beautiful than you at his disposal, as you are probably younger and more beautiful than his last. But for David, you will grow younger and more beautiful as the years pass."

"As the grays begin to streak your well-manicured hair and your eyes begin to grow dimmer behind your designer Sun Glasses, the mere touch of your hand will ravish David with love even more so than when the two of you were newlyweds. But as for the rich man, luckily for you he will have long gone by then." the old woman finished.

She then got up from the table, walked away and left the younger woman sitting there to her decision. She could feel the younger woman watching her as she walked and the old woman smiled to herself. Even if the young woman were foolish enough to serve David with divorce papers, surely it wouldn't be today.

The dock was buzzing with life and the old woman smiled as she walked along happily. Many of the workers smiled at her and waved to her, so much so that she didn't feel invisible today. She wondered if any of them had been David. She was sure one of them had been, and she hoped that his young wife had changed her mind about divorcing him.

She realized that she hadn't even thought about her love all day. She was sure he was out to sea somewhere hopefully thinking of her and coming to make her acquaintance soon. However, she figured after waiting at the dock staring out into the distance watching the ships from whither they came to hence and back out again for so many years, one more day wouldn't be the death of her.

She felt right at home down at the dock, with the sea gulls flying over her head and the sun beaming down on her. She had really enjoyed meeting Carlos today. Seeing him with his food cart reminded her of when she was a young woman just arriving in America also. She remembered how eager she was to make money doing the thing she loved most. She loved making jewelry. She still did which is why she'd kept those old shells although she had no intention of ever selling them.

"Sometimes the pursuit of money will take the joy out of even your greatest passion", she thought to herself. The old woman smiled as she remembered how happy her customers always were to purchase the beautiful necklaces she use to make out of the exotic shells she brought with her from EL Salvador.

No two shells were ever alike and they were all arrayed with such radiant color as had never been seen on American Shores. It was her own secret ingredient to add to the melting pot. She hadn't sold any in many years. She didn't need to. She had made a pretty good living for herself and she never went anywhere that required spending money. The most excitement she ever had was a walk down to the dock and back home. But meeting Carlos made her want to pull those old shells out and make beautiful jewelry, just for the joy of it.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" she said as she began walking down the dock heading for home. She saw people running and greeting each other; lovers and families and students going away to school.

The old woman felt like a part of the scenery down at the dock. She figured she had been coming there longer than anyone else and she had seen the dock undergo many renovations. She always felt her own sense of pride whenever they were completed. Today she was reminded that life is not a dress rehearsal. We have to do the things that we most enjoy because once the time passes, its gone. No amount of hoping and praying will return that time to you.

"I really should get out and explore this town more", the old woman thought to herself noticing how grand all of the homes were. The sun's ability to showcase them far surpassed that of the moon. In all of her years living in Santa Cruz she hadn't seen much more than the dock. She always took the same way there and the same way home. But today however, her eyes were opened to the beauty that had always been around her.

When the old woman reached her house she was happy to see her favorite recliner. She had done much more walking than usual down at the dock today and she was tired so she sat down. She had so many ideas for the jewelry she would make. Ideas began to flood her mind so much so that even her favorite recliner paled in comparison.

# Chapter 7 The Boxes

As tired as she was she got up and headed down to the basement. As she descended, the stairs creaked under her weight. A sound she hadn't heard in at least 20 years. The last time anyone had been down in the basement was once when the old woman's power had gone out and her neighbor was kind enough to go down and trip the breaker.

The stale damp air was inviting as she felt along the wall for the light switch. Instantly, what had become a mere tomb of memories was now a resurrected workshop. There were boxes everywhere! Some that had not even been opened since her parents forwarded them from El Salvador.

The old woman felt kind of lonely seeing as how there was no one there to help her. But then she decided that since they were all her own belongings, it was just as well that she be the one to embark on the journey to where ever they would lead her. Her eyes kept falling on a particular box that she hadn't opened since her parents sent it to her many years ago.

It seemed to beckon her. She decided that today was as good as any to open it. Peeling the tape off and removing the old newspapers her parents had used to protect the items inside, the old lady was immediately stricken with grief.

Her parent's angelic faces stared back at her. In this photo the old woman was just a girl. They had been photographed together shortly before her Quinceanera. She held the picture to her heart as her silent cry grew into a sob.

"Oh, how I miss you", she thought of her parents. They had long since been deceased but the old woman felt as if she had just gotten the news. She thought to abandon the project all together for fear of the unknown objects that lay hidden in the boxes.

Everything reminded her of her parents. She didn't know if she could bare it. And then her eyes fell on a set of boxes sitting alone in a far corner of the basement. They had been sent after her parents died.

She imagined they contained her parent's belongings although she wasn't certain as she hadn't been brave enough to open them. And what if the urn were there? She had never seen it or held it in her hands. She had never faced the finality of her parent's death and that they weren't coming back.

Now frustrated, the old woman wished she could just remember what boxes the shells were in, which was what she had come down to the basement for in the first place. Then she could avoid stirring up emotions that she'd learned to suppress. She decided it best to just retire for the night.

The old woman tucked her family portrait under her arm, turned out the light and ascended the staircase. The photograph made her sad, but it was also a way to hold onto to her parents.

Back upstairs the old woman felt relieved. She didn't remember having packed away so much stuff and especially not so many unopened boxes. She dreaded going back down there but if she were to find the shells she knew she had to. Placing her family portrait over the mantle she stepped back and admired it.

"Papa", she said "You are as handsome and charming as I remember."

"And Mama, who is fairer than you?" And then she stared at her own image in the picture. "You were just a fair maiden of 13 then", she said

"You've come a long way old girl".

She snuggled up in her recliner under her favorite tapestry and closed her eyes. She didn't feel much like eating that night. And there she rested until finally she drifted off to sleep.

As she slept she dreamed that she was sitting along an old dusty road side, accompanied by two men who were blind. She could see herself wearing a beautiful peasant dress and it reminded her of one she'd had as a school girl.

As she and her two friends sat and talked, they heard the rumble of a crowd passing by. She didn't know what all the fuss was about but her two friends leaped up and began to run after the man who appeared to be leading the crowd.

As they ran after him she could hear them crying out repeatedly, "Son of the power, have pity on us!"

She then got up and ran over herself to see what was going on. Right then, He who was called "Son of the Power", turned to her two friends who were blind.

"Do you believe that I can do this?" he asked them.

Her two friends cried out all the more, "Yes we believe."

Upon their saying, He who was called, "Son of the Power" touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according as you have believed."

And immediately their eyes were opened. The man who was called, "Son of the Power" cautioned her two friends that they should not tell anyone. But they were so excited they ran and spread the news everywhere.

They ran so fast that she could not catch up to them, so she turned around. As she was heading back to where she had first been sitting, the Man who was called, "Son of the Power" beckoned for her to come and so she walked over to Him.

He then asked the old woman, "And what is it that you seek fair maiden? There must be something that you want. Everybody wants something."

The old woman said, "No, I don't want anything...except maybe to know where I have placed my boxes of shells."

The Man then reached into his pocket and handing her a purple ribbon he said, "This belongs to you." And instantly, she was awake staring at the ceiling.

Once wide awake, the old woman got up and walked into her kitchen to put on a kettle for tea. "I've been having some crazy dreams", she thought to herself. And then she realized that something from her dream had helped her to remember which boxes her shells were in.

Right before she woke up, the man in her dream that was called, "Son of the Power", had handed her a purple ribbon and said, "This belongs to you."

Ironically now, the old woman remembered that she had tied the boxes containing her shells with purple ribbon to remind her of where they were. Sitting down to her tea she looked over at her bag which held her special book.

"Did not your words burn in my heart?" she asked of the book. "And, was it not enough so that now there are night visions of you upon my bed?"

"It's just as well", she said. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

Smiling to herself she sat and enjoyed her tea. As it warmed her she could feel the love of the Power. There came a knock at the door that startled the old woman. No one ever came to her house. Barely even the post man. She wondered who it could be. Again, the stranger knocked, and so she got up and went to see.

"Who is it?" she asked from behind the door. There was no response. Again she asked, "Who's there?" And again there was no response so the old woman took a chance and slowly opened the door.

Standing before her was the Watcher whom she had met down at the dock. She hadn't noticed yesterday how large he was. But now standing in her doorway he seemed to tower over her and so she said, "I can assure you there are No men here, and I can hardly sing."

The Watcher smiled at her and replied, "No fair maiden, this time The Great One sends a message to _you_."

"But You haven't told me who this Great One is", the old woman protested.

"It is He who stands at your door and knocks. If you hear Him and open unto Him, He will come in and dine with you."

"So _you_ are the Great One?" the old woman asked him.

"He indeed is the sent _and_ the sender, but I assure you that _I_ am not He", the Watcher replied. And as mysteriously as he had come he was gone.

The old woman stuck her head out and looked both ways down the street, but there was no sign of the Watcher. She could smell the ocean and the scent of it seemed to lure her back to the dock.

Closing the door the old woman thought to herself, "Surely the Watcher had been mistaken, for No Great One had ever knocked at her door."

"No matter now" and she hurried down to the basement to fetch her shells. Just as she had expected she spotted several boxes tied with purple ribbon. The weight of the shells seemed heavier now, more than likely because she was older. However, she didn't let it deter her and she wrestled with the boxes until she had them all three safely upstairs.

When she set the boxes down they made her cough as they were quite dusty. But when she opened them she found that none of the shells were broken and they were still as radiant and magnetizing as they were the day she had packed them away. She took a shell in her hand and placed it against her ear and she could still hear the Pacific Ocean.

One thing that the old woman always liked about these particular shells was that depending on the way you held them they seemed to radiate many different colors all at the same. Having inspected all three boxes of her shells and being fully satisfied with their condition, the old woman left them to take a quick shower.

When she returned she got dressed, pinned Bob's ribbon to her blouse and began choosing the shells that she would take with her. She wished she could take them all. She decided to take just enough shells to make three necklaces in the event that it turned out to be a slow day.

The old woman grabbed her bag and some copper wire to string the shells and she headed down to the ship yard. Reaching the dock she located a table that wasn't occupied so she sat down and began to string her shells.

"He's dead", she heard a woman say through her sobs. The old woman turned around and immediately she recognized the young woman that she had counseled just yesterday.

"David is dead", the young woman said "And I don't know what I'm going to do."

The old woman's heart ached for her and she reached for the young woman's hand.

"It's your fault", the young woman snapped as she snatched her hand back. Now the old woman was confused.

"I don't understand" she said.

"It's your fault entirely! If you had never convinced me to give David another chance then my heart wouldn't be breaking right now!", the younger woman said.

"Whatever do you mean?" asked the old woman.

"I told Richard that I couldn't marry him because you tricked me into salvaging my marriage with David! And now this morning I find out that the reason David hadn't returned any of my attorney and my calls is because he was killed by a crane a week ago down at this dreadful dock! So you see, now they're both gone and I'm left to fend for myself! Who's going to pay the mortgage? And what about the cars? God forbid if I have to now get a job! This is just all too much for me!" the young woman said as she broke done.

"You didn't love him at all", the old woman countered. "Serves you right I suppose!" That which you've sown you are surely reaping and who is there to blame but you? Was it I who betrayed David all the while pretending to love him? Did I at any time ignore him when he needed me? Was it I who allowed the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life to seduce me into Richards arms? Dare you come down here and blame me, when it was you who stood with David before his family and friends and made a vow to him and didn't keep it?!", the old lady yelled now standing.

The old woman noticed that the young woman was now sobbing uncontrollably and she began to feel badly.

"My dear girl", she said, "Rather than counting this a loss, see the opportunity to grow." I don't know how your story will end but, you must accept that you've helped to write it." And the old woman sat down and returned to stringing her beautiful shells on the copper wire.

The young woman stood in disbelief at how the old woman had addressed her. But she couldn't deny the truth of her words and as much as she hated to admit it, the old woman had been right about her. As the young woman walked away she thought to apologize to the old woman for how she had talked to her, but she still had a lot more growing to do.

As the old woman completed her first necklace she felt so proud of it. She held it up toward the sun and the colors seemed to dance across the shells. Just then she attracted her first customer; a woman on her way back to Guadalajara. The woman had been looking for a souvenir when she noticed the old woman's necklace glistening in the sunlight.

"What a gorgeous necklace", she said. "Is it handmade?" she asked the old woman.

"Yes, it is" the old woman exclaimed. "In fact I just completed it a few moments ago."

"It really is lovely," the woman said. "How much will you take for it?"

"Just $10", the old woman said. "I really only make them for fun."

"I couldn't do that", the woman replied. "The necklace is much more valuable than that. The shells themselves are like none I've ever seen. And to top it off its hand made. Will you take $50 for it?" the woman asked.

"I guess I will", replied the old woman. "I'm sorry I don't have a box to put it in for you,"

"That's quite alright", the woman said. "It's so beautiful I must wear it right now." She paid the old lady for the necklace and scurried on her way to board her ship.

The morning went on that way and before long the old woman had sold all three of her necklaces. She felt like a young merchant woman again. She couldn't wait to get home and string more shells.

On the dock the hustle and bustle of the day was in full swing and the woman was enjoying every minute of it. She could smell the food on Carlos' food cart, although she'd decided she'd had enough for one week. She could hear children laughing and she could see them walking along happily with their parents as they boarded ships, bound for wherever they were going. The seagulls were out aggravating passersby for their food items, and she even noticed a few squirrels at play.

As she sat at the table by herself she reflected on the events of the morning. She felt sorry for the young woman who had lost her husband. "Such a tragedy", she thought. She also thought about her own response to the woman's attack on her.

The old woman felt like something had gotten into her that she'd never felt before. Like the woman's accusations against her caused words to spring up out of her that she'd otherwise never have said to anyone. Never the less, she hoped she had gotten through to the young woman about the lessons of love.

"Love isn't something you can take for granted", she said. "If ever you find yourself in possession of love, you've got to hold onto it! There are so many people in the world searching for love", she thought, "Even me at my age!"

"But the ones, who cherish it the least, always seem to find it. Maybe because they need it the most", she said to herself.

The old lady decided to take a walk up the dock for a little exercise. She felt unusually energetic today and she just couldn't sit in one spot as she normally did. There was so much happening on the dock and she wanted to see it.

A crowd was gathering just a little ways down from her and she was curious to know what the commotion was about. So picking up her bag she began to walk in the direction of the crowd. To her surprise she saw something that she hadn't in many years. There was a mime giving a performance and he was doing a very good job. His face was painted the traditional way and he wore all black clothing and white gloves.

The last time the old woman had watched a mime perform, she was back in El Salvador at a carnival. She couldn't have been more than nine or ten years old. It was a very long time ago and she was surprised that she could even remember it at all. But somehow she did remember it, like it was just yesterday. The mime was drawing quite a bit of attention as was the idea. People were laughing and trying to guess what he was communicating.

"It's amazing how all of these people can look at the same thing but all come up with different interpretations for what it means", she thought. "Life too is that way in general", she said to herself.

The crowd was growing rather quickly, so she decided to keep moving down the dock. The old woman hadn't gotten far when she noticed a kite that had gotten away from a little boy. The young fellow was running frantically trying to catch up to it. It seemed to land right at her feet and so she reached down and grabbed it for him.

"Thank you old lady", he said as he ran up to her in tears.

"You're quite welcome young man," she laughed as she handed him the kite.

All of a sudden the little boys face became confused and he asked her, "Are you a witch?"

The old woman laughed again and said, "That depends on how early in the morning you ask me."

The little boy then hurried along with his kite and the old woman took up her walking again. She wondered what it was about her appearance that had made the little boy presume that she might be a witch. Maybe it was her glasses. They _were_ quite old and pointed, even cat like.

"Or maybe it's just time to cover all of these grays in my hair", she thought. She laughed and continued to walk.

She was actually beginning to feel alive again, and not like a statue staring out into the distance watching the ships from whither they came hence and back out again. As she walked, she wondered about the man who called himself a Watcher. She wondered what exactly a Watcher was, and who was his boss whom he called the Great One. And even more importantly, how he had found out where she lived.

She also thought about poor Bob. She began to run her hand across his ribbon that she had worn pinned to her blouse. She couldn't believe that something seemingly so trivial had caused him to kill himself. She also wondered how old he had been, and where he might have been standing when he cast his last letter upon the water.

"Too bad for Bob", the old woman thought. "Problems like his turn around every day. Actually, problems arise to help us grow. To help us become more creative and more resourceful. They're really nothing to kill ourselves over", the old woman said.

She figured Bob had been much younger than she, or he might have _known_ that. By this time the old woman had done quite a bit of walking. So she found an empty table and sat down to rest her feet.

"So many things go on here every day", she thought as she looked around. She wondered how in the world it was all being orchestrated to happen at the same time.

There were seaman running this way and that, carrying rope and equipment. Children were flying kites with their parents in tow. Merchants were selling all kinds of goods and even Carlos just arriving to America had already set up shop and was selling food. Seagulls were flying. Squirrels were chasing each other, and she'd even seen a family of ducks making their way down the dock back out to the water.

She was amazed at how perfectly they all seemed to be co-existing. Nobody seemed to be particularly bothered by what the others were doing.

"The whole world should be this way", she said aloud. "Then maybe there would be no more wars."

She couldn't believe that in all the years she'd been coming here, that she hadn't noticed all of this going on. She normally just stood in the same spot, secretly hoping that nobody noticed her there.

Yesterday was the first time in many years that she'd bought food that was sold at the dock. She normally packed her own lunch which consisted of the same things every day; tuna with lettuce and tomato on rye with a bottle of water. On days that she felt really daring she'd drink a Pepsi.

The old woman started eating sandwiches when she'd first come to America. At that time she couldn't afford much else. When her business began to pick up she didn't see any reason to upset a good routine, so she stuck with it. Every now and then she'd bake a pastry of some kind. But other than that her routine was pretty much the same every day. She'd lived in several parts of California since she'd come from El Salvador, but her diet had pretty much remained consistent over the years.

As the old woman sat at the table looking this way and that, she noticed what appeared to be a movie camera crew coming toward her. The closer they came the more she wondered what they could be shooting down at the dock. Right in front of her now, one of the camera crew asked her if she wanted to be an extra in a movie.

The old woman laughed and said, "I'm sorry young fellow, but my days for being discovered have long been over I'm afraid." Although she was flattered that he had asked her.

At her refusal the camera crew continued to make their way down the dock. She couldn't believe that they even shot scenes for movies here. The old woman wondered if she'd ever been in one and not known it. She laughed, although she _was_ curious.

"This dock is really a peculiar place", she said. She wondered how old it was and how many lives it had seen. "Millions of people dock here every year", she said.

"Normally they're in such a rush that they don't even notice how beautiful this place is, or even what all things are going on here", she thought.

She'd been coming there for many years herself, and she hadn't even noticed until today. The old woman decided that now was as good a time as ever to read a few lines from her special book.

She had grown accustomed to just opening it up, and reading the first thing her eyes fell upon and so she did: "There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the sun." Reading this made her laugh. She felt as if the book were trying to tell her that today was her appointed time to notice all of the beauty and goings on around her at the dock.

" _Clever Little_ _Book_ ", she said. And she put it away. She then pulled out her tuna sandwich and began to enjoy her lunch. It wasn't a very exciting lunch, but it would hold her until she got home. Actually, she had noticed that the older she was getting, the less she ate.

"Food just doesn't taste as good as it used to", the old woman thought. Nowadays, she only ate just enough to keep her from withering away.

As if magically, the sun began to set. The old woman hadn't noticed how late it had gotten. The whole day was nearly spent, and so she gathered her things and started home. As she got closer to her home, she wished the man that called himself a Watcher were waiting there. There were so many things she wanted to ask him. Reaching home the old woman went inside. She took off Bob's ribbon and placed it on the mantle, smiled at her parents and bid them Good Night and snuggled into her favorite chair.

# Chapter 8 Just Another Dream?

The day had held so much activity and the old woman was very tired. Before long, she was sleeping soundly. As she slept, she dreamed a peculiar dream. In this dream she was visiting a small town called Bethany. She appeared to be friends with two sisters. One named Mary and the other, Martha. Mary and Martha had a brother whom the old lady thought was rather handsome. The brother's name was Lazarus.

In her dream, the old woman could see herself eating with Mary and Martha, washing clothes together with them at the stream and carrying pitchers of water from the well. One day Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus fell ill. All of the town's physicians came to try and cure Lazarus, but unfortunately their medicines failed and Lazarus died. Mary and Martha grieved sorely; so much so that they were not able to prepare their brother's body for burial.

The old woman felt bad for them, and Lazarus had been very kind to her, so she took Lazarus' body and after washing it she oiled it with olive oil and other choice spices of myrrh, cinnamon, cane, acacia and frankincense. She then wrapped it in strips of linen and had it placed in a cave and covered with a stone.

A span of four days appeared to go by in the dream. Over which time Mary and Martha continued to grieve. On the fourth day the Son of the Power came to visit Mary and Martha. When she saw him, the old woman knew immediately who He was.

Mary and Martha were angry with the Son of the Power because He hadn't come sooner. They blamed Him for Lazarus' death. They thought surely that had He been there, their brother would not have died.

The Son of the Power was confused by their anger and He wept and told them, "Lazarus will live again."

The two sisters cried all the more and said, "Must we wait until the last day to see our brother?"

The Son of the Power looked at them and said, "NO, you shall see him now! Where have you laid him?"

Those standing by pointed Him to the cave. The Son of the Power then said, "Remove this stone!", and they rolled the stone away. The Son of the Power peered into the dark cave, and with a loud voice cried out, "Lazarus Come Forth!"

To everyone's amazement, Lazarus came out of the cave still bound in the linen the old woman had wrapped him in.

And the old woman jumped up out of her sleep gasping for air and feeling bewildered. By far, this had been her most unsettling dream. The old woman was restless. She wished she could understand the dream. She went into the kitchen and put on a kettle for tea.

Sitting at the kitchen table the old woman struggled in her mind, trying to make some sense of everything that had been happening to her lately. She felt like they were all possibly connected somehow. A good cup of tea always calmed her. As she sipped she thought about the day ahead of her. She wanted to string some more shells but she was tired, so it would have to wait until the morning.

The old woman finished her cup of tea, turned out the lights and went to bed. Laying there in the dark, she couldn't help but ponder the dream. "Is this dream trying to tell me that my wish of having my parents back from the dead is somehow possible?" she wondered. "But how could that be? No man has ever come back from the dead, at least none that I've heard of. And what did Mary and Martha mean by the last day?" she said to herself.

She couldn't imagine how it could happen. "What if it were possible to see my parents again," She thought. "That would be so wonderful."

In the old woman's dream, the man Lazarus had already been dead four days, before the Son of the Power showed up. "Clearly improbable", she thought as she lay there in the dark..."But the dream seemed so _real!_ "

She managed to drift back off to sleep and before long the morning sun was peeking through her window. The old woman jumped up anxiously. When she saw the sun, she knew that she was too late to catch the man who called himself the Watcher down at the dock. She really wanted to talk to him about the dream she'd had the night before. She decided to get an early start on her necklaces. She couldn't believe she had made one hundred and fifty dollars from selling only _three_ necklaces.

"The price of things sure has gone up since I first arrived in America", she thought, as she began to string shells on copper wire. "I'd better make at least six necklaces" she said.

The necklaces were very easy to sell because they complemented any skin tone, from dark to medium to very fair. Once she had completed six necklaces the old women showered and had breakfast. She then pinned Bob's ribbon to her dress, told her parents she would see them later on and got on her way to the dock.

The old lady decided to try a new route today. She had already missed the Watcher so she was in no rush. As she walked along she saw fruit trees. She wondered if her neighbors would mind her picking a few apricots. She also noticed dog's barking, though she had never heard them. It was as if she were in some strange new place although she was just a short distance from her house. She noticed how the neighborhood kids had grown. Some she had helped to cross the street as youngsters were now teenagers.

When the old woman arrived at the dock, 2 huge ships had just come in and people were getting off of one and onto the other. Suddenly she saw a familiar face emerge from the crowd. She yelled out, "Lazarus?! Lazarus, over here!"

A well-dressed man with lots of luggage made his way over to her.

"Are you calling me", he said.

"Yes, is it really you?!" the old woman asked excitedly.

"Well, I'm not sure. Do I know you from somewhere?" the man asked her.

The old woman was embarrassed now. She had mistaken him for the brother of her friends Mary and Martha from her dream. The two men looked identical.

"I'm sorry young man. I mistook you for someone else", she said.

"Oh, that's quite alright", the man said laughing. He noticed Bob's ribbon with the gold trinket attached to it, pinned to her dress.

"Where did you get this?" , he asked pointing to it. "It belonged to a friend of mine", she replied.

"I had one just like it some years ago; it had belonged to my mother. But I tied it to a letter and threw it in the ocean," the man said looking confused.

The old woman couldn't believe what she was hearing. Could this be Bob standing right in front of her? She took a deep breath and asked him his name.

"My name is Robert." he said. "But my friends call me Bob."

The old woman then looked in her bag and pulled out the bottle containing Bob's letter. "Then I guess this belongs to you." she said handing it to him.

As he took the bottle in his hands he began to cry. Life had changed drastically for Bob since he had written that letter 10 years earlier. He had all but forgotten about it, until he saw his mother's ribbon on the old lady's dress.

"I'm so glad you changed your mind Bob", the old woman said. "I found your letter a few days ago, floating in the water. When I read it, it broke my heart and I vowed to wear your ribbon every day in remembrance of you", she said.

Bob cried all the more. "Things were so bad for me at that time. I thought to kill myself and just end it all," he said. "But then I met, Simon Williams."

"A therapist?" she asked.

"No, a businessman, life had been going pretty bad for him too. In fact worse than it ever had for me. Simon was terminally ill. He didn't have any family and he was looking for someone to take over his business" Bob continued.

"I had climbed over the railing of the San Francisco Bridge and threw the bottle in. I was just about to jump in myself when Simon called out to me. He talked me down and asked me to take over his business and I've been very well off since. Simon died a few days later." Bob said trying to compose himself.

"I can't believe that you cared about me so much that you would wear my ribbon. That means a lot to me", Bob said.

"Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those who are without strength", the old woman replied. She was quoting something she remembered having read in her special book.

"As this ribbon belonged to your mother, I assume you would like to have it back. " the old woman said as she began to take it off.

"No, I want you to have it.", Bob said. "My mother died many years ago and this is the closest I've ever felt to the love she showed me."

"I don't mean to pry Bob", the old woman said. "But are you married?"

"Why, yes I am", Bob replied.

"Excellent", she exclaimed. Pulling out one of the necklaces from her bag she said, "Give this to your wife." Bob took a necklace in his hands and studied it. "Wow this is stunning. Did you make this?" , he asked the old woman.

"Yes I did", she answered. "And I have 5 more like it."

"Great, I'll take them all!", Bob said handing her an envelope.

The old woman looked into the envelope and said, "Bob I can't take this, it's way too much money."

"I insist", he said taking the necklaces from her hand and kissing her on the cheek. "I hate that I have to run but I can't miss my ship." Bob handed her his business card. "If you ever need anything don't hesitate to call me. I must go now, I have to be in Paris in two days." Bob told her running off.

"Take care of yourself Bob", the old woman yelled after him.

"I will and you too," Bob yelled back to her.

The old woman couldn't believe that she had actually met Bob. "Who would've thought", she said. Having met Bob made her feel like she had a Son.

She was so excited that she had worked up an appetite. She decided to go and see what goodies Carlos had on his cart. As she approached Carlos she noticed that he wasn't smiling as he normally was.

"Is something wrong Carlos", she asked him.

"No, It'll be alright", he replied. "Things just aren't moving as fast as I thought they would, and I'm very anxious to send for my parents."

"Carlos", the old woman started, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to the Power." She remembered once when she was feeling especially anxious about a problem, she opened her special book and it had said this.

"Thank You," Carlos replied, though he was still clearly upset.

"I'll take one quesadilla, a serving of flan and 1 cerveza," she said, feeling a tad awkward.

Coming right up," Carlos said feigning a smile. He had sensed the old woman's discomfort. She took her food and drink, said goodbye to Carlos, and was on her way home. Somewhere between the excitement of having met Bob, and the sadness she felt for Carlos, she was left feeling indifferent.

"It's still however, a beautiful day," she thought to herself as she walked. She enjoyed the gentle breeze on her age worn skin, and the birds serenaded her. She was going home when so many didn't have the simple luxury of home. She was headed to the comfort of her chair, to do the thing she loved and had no worries about money.

Then suddenly, as if her mouth were being controlled by some outside force, she began speaking familiar words. "Whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there's any virtue, if there's any praise, think on these things,"

The old woman was stopped in her tracks. This experience was much different than times past, when words from her special book would come to mind and she'd speak them out loud to herself. This was _very_ different. A passerby might have thought the old woman was in distress, possibly stricken with mental illness and had probably forgotten where she lived. She stood completely still for a few moments and the Watcher's words came to her mind.

The old woman resolved that she would meet him at the dock at sunrise and get some answers. Somehow she felt certain that he had them. It was but a short walk between where she stood and her house. She had so many thoughts and questions in her mind. As she turned the key and entered her home, a sense of relief came over her.

"I'd better sit for a while", the old woman said to herself. She made her way to her chair. She ate the food she'd gotten from Carlos, trying to slow her mind to no avail. The events of the day and the multitude of thoughts had begun to weary her.

She couldn't wait to meet the Watcher at sunrise to get some help in sorting it all out. In the mean time she went to work stringing her shells on copper wire. She had decided on a limit of only six necklaces. She didn't want to risk breaking any, and too many shells would become quite heavy.

As she carefully strung her last shell she allowed herself to drift off to sleep. While she slept she had a dream that she was sitting on a bench down at the dock stringing shells, when the Son of the Power came and sat down next to her.

The Son of the Power put his hand on her shoulder and asked her, "Do you have an immediate need that I should fulfill today?"

The old woman replied, "No, I am well and have need of nothing."

The Son of the Power then asked her, "And what then do you say of your brother who has need?" And He went on to say, "Do not withhold good from whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do it. If you know that your brother has need of something, do not leave him in despair, when it is in your hand now to give it. As you have been given, freely give."

And immediately the old woman was awake staring at the ceiling. "I've got it!" she exclaimed. "Tomorrow I will give Carlos the money he needs to send for his parents!"

As she lay there, she felt good within herself knowing how relieved Carlos would be and she drifted off to sleep once again. She had another dream. This time in her dream she was walking along with the Son of the Power and twelve others whom He called His brothers. As they walked, the old woman noticed that a crowd was following them that numbered a great multitude of men, women and children.

The place looked deserted and it was getting late, so one of the brother's told the Son of the Power that He should send the multitude away, to go and find food. The old woman thought it cruel of him to say, but was also wondering if they might be hungry and where they might find food.

"All who come to me, I will never send away hungry when I can so easily feed them." The Son of the Power replied. He then turned to the old woman and asked her, "How much food do you have with you?"

"Five loaves and two fish is all I have", she replied. "It's barely enough for us and can you feed this multitude also?"

"Yes I can and I will", He answered her, "and with food to spare having done so!"

And the Son of the Power motioned for all of the people to sit down and they did. He turned to the old woman and said, "That which you have, allow me to use it for those who are in need."

"Yes of course," she replied handing him her five loaves and two little fish.

The Son of the Power held the five loaves and two fish over His head and seemed to be mumbling something to Himself. The old woman strained to hear him but could not make out what he was saying. All of a sudden he lowered the basket and began to break and hand out fish and bread to everyone who was sitting around.

The old woman and the brothers watched in amazement as the Son of the Power fed the multitude of people, because it seemed the food was multiplying in His hands, right before their eyes! Not only did The Son of the Power feed the entire multitude, but there was plenty left over just as he had said there would be.

"How did you do that?!" the old woman asked him.

"Ask not how I did this", he told her. "For you will do even greater things than this", he said. Immediately she was awake looking at the ceiling.

As she lay there pondering her dream, she felt sure that she should give Carlos the money he needed. She looked over and noticed her special book had fallen out of her bag and was on the floor next to her bed.

She smiled, and reaching down to get it she asked, "And what do _you_ say of these things?" She opened the book and her eyes fell on a sentence that said, "The two dreams are one. They show you what must happen shortly."

The old woman was astounded! Now she was certain that she _must_ give Carlos the money _immediately_. Upon making that decision, she felt a peace come over her. She had slept only a few hours but she felt energized and so she sat up. Looking at the clock she saw that it was 3 am.

"Excellent!" she thought to herself. "I can make it down to the dock to meet the Watcher!"

The old woman scrambled to shower and dress. She then packed her bag for the day and headed out to the ship yard. It was 4 am and ample time to catch the man who called himself the Watcher. When the old woman arrived down at the dock she could see the sun making its way up on the horizon.

All in attendance again were the sea of men staring out into the distance. Their heads were all slightly tilted as if looking at something. The old woman now understood however, that they were simply straining their ears to better hear the Siren afar off, as she sang.

"Enjoying what you see?", the woman heard a voice behind her. She smiled, knowing it was the man who called himself a Watcher. Without even turning around she answered.

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Since you were born on the Island of San Miguel at a little hospital just west of the capital of San Salvador," the voice said. The old woman could not believe what she had just heard.

"How can you know these things about me?" she asked him.

"I know everything about everyone", the Watcher replied.

"But that's not possible!" the old woman demanded.

"All things are possible to those who believe." the Watcher answered.

The old woman turned to him with tears streaming down her face and said, " _I_ believed my parents would survive until I could send for them, but they didn't."

"Did you really _believe_ or did you simply _hope_ , all the while fearing the worst?" the Watcher asked her.

"That's what _most_ humans do."

"And are _you_ not human?" the old woman asked.

"No, _I_ am a Watcher. I am made a little _higher_ than humans", the Watcher told her.

"I don't understand that", the old woman said. "How can you be made higher than a human?" she asked. "And who is it that _makes_ you this way?"

The Watcher laid his hand on the old woman's shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"What the Great One wills, He but says to it _BE_! And it _IS_ ," he told her. "And when the Great One _wills_ a thing, no one can stop it or cause it to be other than _exactly_ what He has willed it to be."

"Who _is_ this Great One?" she asked him.

"Have you been so long traveling with Him and _still_ not known Him?", the Watcher asked her.

The old woman was even more confused. "So I guess you're going to disappear now?" she asked jokingly.

"It is as you have said", the Watcher told her, and he was gone. Suddenly, the vast sea of men began to disperse running this way and that. The old woman caught the attention of one of the men and asked him to explain how the Siren's Song sounded to him.

"The Song of the Siren is beyond explanation," he said. "I can only tell you that once you have heard it, you will forever be under its spell."

"Do you wish that you were free?" the old woman asked him.

"No", he replied, and he walked away.

He was the last man to leave the dock and the old woman was now alone. As she stood there enjoying the quiet of the morning she longed for days past when everything was simple. There were no _Watchers_ popping in and out of her life and the Siren's Song was merely a fairytale, or so she thought.

Before long the dock was alive with the sound of workers carrying equipment back and forth. Ships were coming in, loading up and sailing on. The old woman wondered what she had done for so many strange things to be happening in her life. At the same time it was all so exciting to her. She longed to see the Watcher again. He was strange and yet familiar at the same time.

The old woman looked down the dock and finally she could see Carlos approaching with his cart, to set up shop for the day's lunch crowd. The closer he got the more excited she became. She felt sure that her dreams had instructed her to give Carlos the money he needed and she was insistent upon doing it immediately.

"Good Morning Carlos", the old woman said cheerfully.

"Good Morning Senora. You're here very early today", Carlos replied.

"Yes I am and I have some good news for you", the old woman said to him.

"That's Great, I sure could use it", Carlos said as he began arranging things on his cart.

"I'm going to give you the money you need to send for your parents Carlos", the old woman said.

"No, Senora It would cost at least $3000 to get them both here! I can't ask you for that kind of money!"

The old woman then said, "Look Carlos, I was just given a substantial amount of money and I really don't have much use for it all. And besides, you didn't _ask_ me, I _offered_ ", the old woman said. And I insist! Actually, it would help me to feel better about not having been able to send for my _own_ parents." she said.

"How could I _ever_ repay you?" Carlos asked the old woman.

"I'll take Arroz con pollo and one Cerveza," she said laughing.

Carlos just shook his head in disbelief as he prepared the old woman's food. When Carlos was done with the food the old woman took it from him, handed him $5000 and walked away.

"Muchas Gracias Senora!" Carlos shouted after her.

"De nada", the old woman replied.

As the old woman walked down the dock smiling to herself, she knew she had done the right thing. The sun was high now so she found a table with an umbrella and decided to sit there and display her necklaces. Before long passersby were stopping to admire them. In less than ten minutes she had sold two of them. Within an hour she had sold them all.

As she sat and ate the food that Carlos had prepared for her she thought about Bob. She ran her fingers across his ribbon that she still pinned daily to her dress and wondered if his trip to Paris had been a success. She felt like she had a son out there somewhere making his mark on the world. She was proud of Bob. The old woman also thought about the young woman she had counseled on her marriage. She wondered how things were going for _her_ and hoped that she would be alright on her own without David to take care of her.

"Young people are so resourceful," she thought. "They bounce back really quickly."

She felt sure the young woman was done mourning David's death and was on to the next unsuspecting ATM machine. She wanted to believe that some part of their conversation had helped to change the young woman into a better person, but she knew it wasn't likely.

Right then a short phrase from her special book popped into her mind. "Whatsoever you sow, it is that same thing which you will reap."

The old woman had found that phrase to be true over the years so she tried to deal fairly in her interactions with others. Even down to the smallest detail, she wanted to be true to herself and to others.

"It just makes things simpler," the old woman said to herself. "What you _see_ is not always what you _get_ ", she thought. "But it _should_ be."

It seemed the day was passing so quickly. Nothing exciting was going on at the dock. Just the normal activities of the day and soon the old woman bored of sitting, decided to go home. The old woman was unusually tired today. She hadn't done much walking at the dock but she just felt like turning in early.

When she reached home she put on a kettle for tea and decided to do a little cleaning. After the old woman finished she had a nice warm bubble bath and settled into her favorite recliner drifting off to sleep. Shortly after falling to sleep the old woman began to dream. In her dream she had happened upon a particular field and was working there.

She was much younger and looked just as she did when she was around 25 years old. She had been instructed to glean after the harvesters alongside of the other maidens and to have lunch and a cool drink with them. The other maidens were very nice to the old woman, but she couldn't help but notice that none of them looked like her. She felt a little out of place but decided to make the best of it. Even the men were very respectful of her as they had been warned by the owner of the field, to do the old woman no harm.

# Chapter 9 A Chance Encounter

The old woman overheard some others talking about the man who owned the field. It appeared that he was a prominent figure in this place called Bethlehem where she was and his name was Boaz. In her dream, the old woman was living with a woman she referred to as her mother. After a long day of working in the field she took home food for her mother and they discussed all that had happened to her that day. It turned out that the owner of the field was a relative of the old woman's mother and so the old woman's mother determined in her mind that the younger woman should be married to her relative Boaz.

Now there was a big party being held that evening and the man Boaz was the guest of honor. So the two women busied themselves in getting the younger all cleaned up and in her best attire to the fancy of the man Boaz. By the end of the night the man Boaz had well drunk and was sleeping at the end of a row of barley. The old woman went softly to him and lay down at his feet, which was the custom of women in the place Bethlehem where she was.

When the man Boaz awoke he was initially startled at the woman's presence and also her beauty. She explained to him who she was and the man Boaz purposed in his heart that he should marry the young damsel. He informed her that there were a few legalities he would have to handle first but that all would be well with them.

He then gave her some barley to carry home to her mother and bid her to wait there until she heard word from him again. The old woman was on her way walking to meet her mother when suddenly she was awake staring at the wall. As she sat there in the dark, the old woman smiled to herself wondering if there was one like Boaz still out in the world for her.

She had loved _once_ but nothing ever came of it. She wasn't sure now that anything ever would, but she was hopeful. Soon the old woman was sound asleep again. Again, she dreamed a dream.

"Isabel", the old woman heard a voice behind her.

Turning around there stood her beloved Jacob. "These fourteen years that I have labored for your father in hopes of having your hand in marriage, have been as but one day for the love I have for you," Jacob said to her. "And though your father beguiled me in the first and caused me to marry your sister Leah, the Power has been with me and today because of you my joy is made full."'

Isabel was excited and saddened at the same time. She could finally embrace her beloved Jacob but all the while her sister Leah's heart was breaking. Leah also counted Jacob to be _her_ beloved. The old woman was suddenly awakened out of her dream by a knock at the door. Looking at the clock she saw that it was 3 am.

"Who could possibly be knocking on my door at this hour?", she thought to herself as she made her way to the door.

"Who's there", the old woman demanded. There was no answer. Again she asked, "Who's there?" There was no answer so she lay back down.

But as the old woman lay there the Watcher's words came to her. "It is He who stands at your door and knocks. If you hear Him and open unto Him He will come in and dine with you."

And the old woman wished she had opened the door. She became restless and so she got up and put on a kettle for tea. After sipping a cup and letting it warm her she took a shower and packed her bag for the day.

She was determined to be down at the dock early enough to meet the Watcher and so she headed out. The old woman was the first to arrive at the dock.

"I know you can hear me", she whispered out on the wind. "I need to talk to you and I know you're here", she said directing her words at the Watcher.

"Yes, I am here. I'm always here", a voice said behind her. It was the Watcher.

"Indeed the Great One is cruel", the old woman began, "to give an old woman false hope of love."

"Is it not _you_ who seeks love?" the Watcher asked. "Is that not the reason that you've come down to this old dock year after year, no matter the weather, be it rain, snow , sleet or hail, without fail standing upon your watch? From Can see in the morning; Till Can't see at night you stand waiting, " the Watcher reminded her, "staring out into the distance, watching the ships from whither they come to hence and back out again? Are you not waiting for _love_?"

"But I am an old woman now, and will I _now_ have pleasure?" she said.

"If love were so trivial as to be affected by time would it _really_ be worth the effort exhausted in attaining it?" the Watcher asked her. "Would it be worth the Great One orchestrating time and space, people, places and events all for the sole purpose of uniting two who would've otherwise been happily _oblivious_ to each others existence?"

"Then are you saying the Great One has done all of this for me _also_?" the old woman asked excitedly.

"What I'm saying is that there is no failure in love. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy and it does not boast. It is not proud. Love bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things; endures all things; even if it took one fourteen years to attain it. Those fourteen years would have been as one day to the possessor of love."

"I've been waiting _much_ longer than that", the woman replied.

"Well who better then to prove my point than _you_?" The Watcher said. "You've been waiting many years and are willing to wait even longer _still,_ for love."

Right then a sea of men began to flood the dock. As if in some military formation they hurried and arranged themselves into perfect rows and columns. They hardly made a sound as they assembled.

The old woman watched in amazement. In just a few minutes they were all standing at attention as it were, staring out into the distance with their heads slightly tilted as if they saw something wonderful.

"I wish _I_ could hear the Siren's Song," the old lady said breaking the silence.

"There are many _more_ beautiful songs in the world", the Watcher replied.

"Well what is meant by this grand assembly of men here at the dock every morning", the old lady asked. "Does it not mean that the Song of the Siren is more beautiful than _any_ other?"

"Meaning is attributed to a thing as the _giver_ sees fit", the Watcher replied. "What may hold _great_ meaning for one could mean absolutely _nothing_ to another."

"And what meaning do _you_ attribute to love?" the old woman asked the Watcher.

"I was not created to place _any_ particular meaning or feeling on love", He answered.

"Well then how can _you_ explain love to _me_?" the old woman asked.

"The Great One has given meaning to love. On the day that I was created He designed me to see things _only_ as He _Himself_ sees them," the Watcher said.

"So then you've never _experienced_ love?" the woman asked him.

"Not as _humans_ do," he replied. "When I obey the commands of the Great One and carry out His Will _perfectly._ _That_ for me is love."

# Chapter 10 And Just What Is Love?...

The old woman was quieted. She was beginning to understand what the Watcher had meant when he had told her that he was made a little _higher_ than humans. The Watcher then had a question for the old woman. He turned to her and looked her in both eyes.

"What do you hope to gain by attaining the love of another, that you don't _already_ have?" The old woman had never actually thought about it that way.

"Well...I guess if I had a companion I wouldn't be lonely," she said.

"Do you feel lonely right _now?"_ , The Watcher asked her.

"No, not exactly", she replied.

"And don't you enjoy the privacy of your own home with all of your own things?", the Watcher asked.

"I guess I _do_ ," the old woman said laughing.

"Well then you don't need _love_ for that", He said. "What else do you hope to gain?"

The old woman tried to think of a more _clever_ answer. "I would have someone to talk to," she said.

"Are we not talking right _now?_ " the Watcher asked her.

"Well yes, but it's _different,_ " the woman protested.

"How so?" the Watcher asked.

"Well, we don't have any particular _connection_ ," she said.

"Do you feel a particular connection with _Bob_?" He asked her.

"I guess I _do_ ", she replied. "But Bob's young and like a son to me."

"And what of your special _book_?" the Watcher asked her. "It's much _older_ than Bob and when you read it, it speaks to you _directly_ and very _personally_. Does it _not_?"

"Yes it _does_ ", the old woman answered.

"Well then you don't need _love_ for that," He told her.

"You don't understand," she told the Watcher. "Love is not so easy to _explain_ but we all desire and _need_ it."

The Watcher put his hand on the old woman's shoulder. "I _do_ understand", he said. "I understand that love _isn't_ love until it's given away. I know that your _capacity_ to love can be measured by the _types_ of people that the Great One _gives_ you to love. Sometimes He will allow very _difficult_ people into your life, simply because _you_ are the only one who has the capacity to _still_ love them, and the ability to find the _value_ that He has placed on them. And I know that love covers a _multitude_ of wrong doing." The old woman was silent as the Watcher continued.

"Love is not all fun and games as humans like to _think"_ , he said. "It's not about happy times and watching the sunset together. Nor about two sets of eyes meeting across a room, or holding hands or flowers and candy. Most humans have _no_ idea why love was even created. Love gives you the desire to become someone's _strength_ when they most need it: becoming their _words_ when they themselves can't speak; becoming their _courage_ when they themselves are afraid; and becoming their _vision_ when they themselves can't see. Love makes you hold someone's hand and _shoulder_ them, helping them to bear the _grief_ as they watch their loved ones be placed in fancy boxes and lowered into the ground. And I know that there is no _greater_ love than this- that a man would lay down his _own_ life for his friends." The Watcher fell silent for a minute looking up into the sky.

The old woman had to admit to herself that she had never thought of love like _this_. She had only romanticized it.

"I don't want to discourage you," the Watcher told the old woman. "And there is most probably still some handsome and charming fellow out there for you, like the man Boaz of your dream. But if you never find him, you have not missed _out_ on love. Love has been _with_ you all the time," he said and then he was gone.

The sea of men began to disperse as usual, running this way and that and soon the old woman was alone standing in the morning sunlight. It wasn't long before she heard Carlos calling her name and running toward her.

"Here you are", he said handing her a piece of paper. "Someone came looking for you yesterday- a man", Carlos told her. "He said he was a good friend of yours and that you should meet him in town today. We searched the whole dock for you yesterday but no one knew where you had gone. So he left this note for you", Carlos said.

The old woman thanked Carlos and found a bench where she sat down and read the note: "My trip went well and I have a few days off to relax. I would like to buy you lunch and talk for a while. Meet me in town at 'La Cita's Café' at 12 noon. See you then."

The old woman was so excited! She thought sure it must be Bob! She rubbed her finger across Bob's ribbon she wore daily pinned to her dress. She had wondered how his trip to Paris was going and couldn't wait to hear all about it. She had also been longing to try the food at 'La Cita's', an upscale cafe that had just opened in town.

It was still quite early so the old woman decided to take a walk down the dock to pass some time. As she walked she could hear birds chirping and the laughter of children running about the dock. There were even a few patches of flowers blooming along the edges of the dock that she'd never noticed before. She thought about some of the things the Watcher had said and how having a companion might change her life dramatically. He was right. She _did_ love her privacy in her own home with all of her own things. It gave her a sense of independence and control over her life.

She wasn't sure if she could easily adapt to someone questioning _anything_ she did, or if she even _wanted_ to adapt. She had been alone for a long time and she had to admit that it hadn't been all bad. But on the other hand it was no _fun_ being alone. She wanted someone to cook for and to take care of. Even at her age she felt like there was still time to grow old with someone. Either way she anticipated having a special day with her son, "Bob".

She wondered if he had brought her a souvenir back from his trip to Paris. She hoped he had taken the time in between business meetings to visit the Eiffel Tower. It was one of the things she'd _always_ wanted to see but hadn't gotten around to. She had heard tale of how it bursts into a shower of scintillating lights every hour each evening.

"How breathtaking it must be!" she thought.

Walking down the dock she imagined _all_ of the little shops he must have passed during his stay in Paris. "The elegant clothing and the exemplary artwork must have been inspiring," she said to herself.

The old woman felt so proud of Bob and although she hadn't known him long, she really loved him. He had turned his life around and become a success. One moment he was contemplating suicide and the next he was on top of the world. She smiled just thinking of it.

Quite a bit of time had passed now and the old woman thought to herself, "I'd better get on my way to La Cita's and meet Bob."

She wished she had worn her good dress but she had no idea that she'd be doing anything special today. As the old woman was leaving the ship yard a young fellow called out to her, "Leaving so soon today?" he said.

"Yes, I'm on my way to have lunch with my son", she said happily.

It wasn't long before she reached "La Cita's Cafe." The Cafe was brimming with customers and the old woman didn't see an empty table anywhere. She scoured the room and eventually she spotted Bob. He was busy talking on his cellular phone as were several other patrons of the Cafe. He looked so _important_. She was proud to be dining with him.

When he saw her he _quickly_ ended his call and stood to greet her.

"My, you're looking _splendid_ today," Bob said as he embraced her.

"Thank You", the old woman replied. "I'm so happy that you thought to spend some time with me."

"The pleasure is _mine_ ," Bob said. "There is nothing more I would rather be doing right now."

"But surely you _must_ have some important work to tend to", the old woman said.

"There will _always_ be work to do. My time is _better_ spent here with you. My new Mom", he said. The old woman's heart melted as she sat with Bob pushing her chair in behind her.

"So, tell me _all_ about Paris!" she said excitedly. "I want to hear _everything!_ "

" _Well._.. of course the sights were _amazing"_ , he began. "There's _no_ place like Paris in the spring time."

"Did you see the Eiffel Tower?!", the old woman interrupted. "Unfortunately, _no_ ", he said. "I was meaning to, but each time I headed there something came up. However, I _did_ visit the Louvre Museum!", Bob told her with excitement. "I saw the famous paintings of some of the _greatest_ artists in the world! Including Da Vinci, Delacroix, Vermeer and Rubens!" , he exclaimed. The old woman was on the edge of her seat now.

"Enough about Paris", Bob said. "What have _you_ been doing since I last saw you?" He asked her.

"Oh, nothing as exciting as you", she said. Just then a waitress came over and took their order. As they sat waiting for their food the old woman decided to ask Bob a few questions.

"Bob?" The old woman said.

"Yes?" He answered.

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course, anything", he replied. The old woman took a deep breath and began.

"Bob, what made you decide to marry your wife? Was it love at first sight or was there more to it?", she asked him. Bob was quite surprised by her question.

"Well, my wife is very beautiful", Bob told her. "But it wasn't love at first sight. During the time that I met my wife, I had just acquired my business from Simon Williams. He died suddenly before he could really teach me the ropes so I was struggling to keep it going as successfully as he had. Around that time I met my wife, Monica." Bob told her as he remembered.

"Monica had a degree in Business Management and we started talking one day about all of the ways I could make the business thrive. She had some very good ideas and showed me how to implement them. We built the business up together and now it's more successful than Simon had ever imagined it could be. We have offices in 60 different countries all around the world. In the process of all of that, Monica and I began to date and before long we were married. I found her to be indispensable in my personal life as well. So I married her", Bob said smiling. "And I've never been happier."

Bob's experience wasn't at all romantic but it was meaningful, the old woman thought.

"Why do you ask?" Bob questioned her.

"Oh, I guess I'm just wondering how fate decides who will find love and who won't," she said.

"I don't know that it's fate which decides it," Bob told her. "Sometimes people are presented with the opportunity for love but choose not to seize it for one reason or another: waiting for someone taller or more distinguished, or often times waiting for someone funnier, more attractive or wealthier and so on."

"I guess you're right," the old woman said.

Their food arrived to the table and they sat and ate. Bob's phone rang constantly and he kept excusing himself to answer it.

"Business never stops", he said.

The old woman assured him that she didn't mind. She was happy that he had become someone so important: A big business man who traveled the world. And a loving husband who had seen an opportunity for love and seized it. Then for seemingly no reason at all the old woman glanced over Bob's shoulder and she saw a familiar face coming in the door of the Cafe'.

It was the goodly old seaman she had shared a bench with down at the dock some weeks back. When he saw her he smiled and made his way over to where she and Bob were sitting.

"How have you been?" he asked her. "I just docked this morning and wondered where I might find you."

"I've been well, just having lunch with my son," the old woman replied smiling. She was flattered that he had remembered her.

"Oh I don't want to interrupt you two," he said.

"No, it's quite alright", the old woman assured him. "My son was just leaving to handle some very important business."

"Isn't that right Bob?"she replied giving Bob a wink.

"Yes, that's right Mother," Bob exclaimed standing to shake the old seaman's hand and offering his chair.

"Do sit down and keep my mom company as I must be gong now. Order what ever you would like," Bob said. Bob kissed the old woman on the cheek and assured her he would see her again before he left in two days. He paid the waitress in advance for some more food and wine and he dashed out of the Cafe'.

"You know I questioned everyone at the dock trying to find you," the old seaman said. "They must have all taken me for a mad man," he said laughing. "That is until I met Carlos."

"Really?" the old woman said laughing also. "That's very sweet of you. I guess you have some time to waste while you wait for your vessel to be loaded? She asked him.

"Well, not exactly," he said. "I won't be going out on the sea for a few days. And this time when I go out it won't be on the steamer. I'll be taking my New Yacht out for the very first time...and I wondered if you might like to join me?" the old seaman asked staring lovingly at the old woman. "Ever since I met you that day down at the dock I haven't been able to think of anything else," he said. "Sitting and talking with you there I felt like a young man again. And your beauty made me realize that I still had a lot more living I wanted to do. It's beautiful out on the ocean but it's quite lonely," the old seaman continued now holding the old woman's hand. "And from what you told me that day I imagine you've been quite lonely too. Let's not spend this season of our lives alone. We've already missed the spring and summer. Soon the fall will come and then winter. It gets rather cold in winter," he said now falling silent.

The old woman couldn't believe what she was hearing. She went from feeling excited to being nervous and then back to being excited again, all within a few seconds. She was flattered that the old seaman had been thinking of her while he had been away. She didn't think their meeting had meant anything at all to him. Although she had to admit that she had thought of him too.

# Part II

The old woman paused for a moment gathering her thoughts and then she began to speak.

"Let's suppose I decided to go with you on this venture of yours...where would we go?" she asked him.

"Anywhere your heart desired," he answered excitedly. The old woman was intrigued by the seaman's offer.

What have I got to lose, she thought. The possibilities of distant lands they could see were endless and she'd never sailed on a Yacht before.

"Let's order a bottle of wine and talk about it," she said.

"Okay, let's do that," the old seaman replied. They ordered some wine and food for him and they sat and talked and enjoyed the afternoon together at La Cita's Cafe'.

It was the most fun the old woman had in a very long time and the seaman was overjoyed to be in her presence. As they laughed and talked and enjoyed each other the hours that passed felt like mere moments. The two of them had so much in common. Everything had seemed to come together perfectly but the old woman still felt hesitant.

Now having possibly found her love she was just as afraid as she was excited. She realized that in all the years she had longed for love she had spent very little time actually preparing for it. And so many thoughts raced through her mind. Like how the Watcher had told her that love was not all fun and games or two sets of eyes meeting across a room. She remembered the advice she had given to the young woman about her husband David and also what Bob had just said about people not seizing the moment when love presented itself.

She wondered had the Watcher known that the old seaman would come back for her. But more than those, she questioned if she could live with the regret of not taking this chance to travel the world and finally live. In her heart she knew that she couldn't. But it was still a lot to consider.

"Give me a few days to think about it," she told the old Seaman. "I really feel good about the idea, but it is all so sudden that I just need time to think everything through."

"Okay fine," the old seaman replied. "Either way, we best be getting you on home. It's getting rather late now," he said.

"And so it is," the old woman remarked.

Finally standing to leave they realized that they were the last two people in the whole Cafe'. The whole day was spent and they had hardly noticed it. They left the Cafe continuing their talk as the old seaman walked the old woman to her house. As they reached her house, surprisingly the old woman had made up her mind.

"Yes!" she said. "I'll go! But first there is something very valuable and precious to me that I must get from inside. I won't leave without it," she told the old seaman.

"Then let's get it at once, so we can be off," the old seaman said.

When they got inside, the old woman decided to put on a kettle for tea. It was rather chilly out and she thought the old seaman might want to warm himself a little. As they sat at the kitchen table the old seaman noticed her family portrait on the mantle.

"Are these your parents?" he asked the old woman. "Yes, but they have long been deceased," she said.

That reminded her of the unopened boxes in the basement that were forwarded to her when her parents died. She wondered if she could summon the courage to face them now with the old seaman beside her.

"When my parents died some of their things were forwarded to me from EL Salvador. I stored the boxes in the basement unopened because I didn't want to face what might be inside. I was sure there would be old things of theirs that would bring back memories and make me sad. I've never had anyone to help me face it", she told him.

"I would be honored to go down with you. We can open them together," the old seaman said. The old woman smiled.

She was thinking she could get use to having a companion rather easily. And the old seaman was rather charming and handsome. He reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, maybe her father. He was also charming and handsome and mother said he always had been since she first saw him many years ago.

After they enjoyed their tea they started down the stairs to the basement. As the stairs creaked under their weight the old woman got more and more nervous. The seaman noticing this took her by the hand and pulled her closer to him. She felt surprisingly comfortable with him and liked being in his company. He seemed strong and fearless, possibly from years being out at sea battling storms and such. Either way she liked it and wanted him around.

"Where are they?" he asked her in a stern voice.

"Those over there," she said pointing to some boxes in a corner of the basement.

The old seaman walked over to the boxes and began to rip off the tape. The old woman was tickled as she watched him. She felt like her knight in shining armor had finally come to rescue her from all of her fears.

"This one is full of old books," he said of the first box. "Come and see. There is nothing in here that would make you afraid."

He motioned for her to come over so she did. While she looked at the books the old seaman began ripping the tape off of another of the boxes.

"This one is full of pictures, possibly from your childhood."

The old woman began thumbing through the pictures. Some made her laugh; others made her sad thinking of days she spent with her parents. As the old seaman opened the smallest box he found the urn inside. It had what he believed to be her parents names etched on the outside of it and it was sealed shut.

"The urn is here in this one Sweet Heart", he said to her. "You don't have to see it if you don't want to but I think you should."

The old woman smiled that he had called her Sweet Heart. Slowly she stepped in closer behind him and rested her face on his back. He then took her hand and placed it on her parent's urn and the old woman began to cry as she felt the cold metal urn under her hand.

"It's okay," he told her. "It's just some dust. Your parents are at rest with the Power," he said.

The old woman was surprised that he had made mention of the Power. There was so much she liked about the old seaman. She felt like she had been with him for much longer than just a few hours. She decided she had seen all she needed to see and told the old seaman she was ready to go back upstairs so he closed up the boxes, took her by the hand and shutting off the light lead her back upstairs.

She felt a lot better now having seen what was in the boxes. She was glad to put it behind her and happy that the old seaman was there. The old seaman noticed an antique record player in the old woman's living room and asked her if it still worked.

"Yes it does," she told him. "It belonged to my parents." When I was a child they would play it and dance to their special song."

The old seaman plugged up the record player, laid the needle on the vinyl album that was on the wheel and Isabel's parent's _favorite_ song began to play. It was a song called " _Cross Hairs_ ," and was performed by a very _popular_ band from New Jersey known only as " _Black Fluid_." Isabel's father had first heard this one of their many _hit_ songs on an International radio program many years before he met Isabel's mother. On the night of their very _first_ date , he held her close and played it for her and she loved it just as much as he did so they called it _their_ song. It reminded them to always keep each other _close_ ensuring that neither of their hearts ever strayed. Upon _first_ hearing it, one might _believe_ it to be speaking of disaster. Isabel's father however, came to call it " _The_ _Lover's Creed..._ " It was a beautiful song with a _somber_ melody and upon _hearing_ it, the old seaman couldn't resist taking Isabel into his arms and dancing with her. As Isabel closed her eyes and rested her head on the old seaman's chest she wondered how she had gone so long without him and was glad that he had come back for her. She had no doubt in her mind that she would be very happy sailing the seas together with him. As they danced into the evening they both felt young again.

The old woman decided to put on a kettle for tea and then they danced some more. When they tired they sat on the couch and talked until they were both sound asleep sitting there. As they slept, they both had the exact same dream.

# Chapter 11 The Lover's Dream

It was the beginning of a New Year, and all of the other Seamen had gone on a big fishing expedition to compete for the title of "Master Seaman". It was an honor awarded to the Captain of the vessel that returned in two days with the largest fish.

The old seaman looked in the dream as he had when he was around twenty eight and twenty nine years old. However, he did not go out that year. In the dream he rose from his bed and strolled out onto the roof of a beautiful Hacienda where he was vacationing in the old country of Spain.

From the roof he saw a young woman bathing who was very beautiful. In all of his travels to distant lands as a seaman and having seen many gorgeous women, he hadn't seen another who could rival this young woman for beauty.

The old Seaman inquired about the young woman with a native of the town and he was told, "She is Isabel a princess from EL Salvador who pays a visit to Spain every year."

The old Seaman was smitten by young Isabel and sent a messenger to invite her up to the house for dinner. When she came up to him they enjoyed a night of dinner and dancing and at the end of the night the old Seaman asked for the princess' hand in marriage.

Suddenly they were both awakened by the screeching whistle of the tea kettle! The old woman had forgotten to take it off of the fire. The old seaman smelled smoke. Jumping up he dashed into the kitchen, removed the kettle from the fire, and shut the stove off.

The old woman just smiled as she watched him. He was very agile for a man his age and she liked that.

"Not to worry," the old seaman said. "It's just a little smoke."

And for the first time in many years the old woman truly wasn't worried. She felt as if the old seaman could handle anything that came up and that he would. Looking at the clock the old woman saw that it was 3:30am.

"I want to show you something!" she exclaimed. "Are you up for a little walk?" she asked the seaman.

"Yes, I am," he said.

Grabbing her bag and taking him by the hand she led him out the door and down the street.

"Come, we must hurry," the old woman said.

"Where are we going?" the old seaman asked as they hurried along.

"You'll see when we get there," the old woman said excitedly and they continued to walk.

She was taking him down to the ship yard to meet the Watcher and also to hear the Siren's Song. She thought it would be a beautiful gift to give him. A gift like none other he'd ever received. As they approached the Ship Yard they could see a bright light of some kind.

"That's unusual," the old woman said.

The closer they got, the brighter the light became to them.

"If I didn't know better I would say the whole dock was on fire," the old seaman said as they walked on.

When they reached the ship yard they were both amazed at what they saw! At the entrance of the ship yard there appeared as it were, two huge men both holding flaming swords of fire that turned every way to keep the way of the dock. It appeared as though the whole dock was burning, but it wasn't.

"I see you have found your love," they heard a thunderous voice behind them. As they turned the old woman saw that It was the man who called himself a Watcher.

"Yes I believe I have," she said softly.

"And do you love him?" the Watcher asked her.

"I believe I do," she said.

"Well then why have you brought him here?" The Watcher asked her. The old woman was confused now. The Watcher repeated his question.

"If you love him, why would you bring him here at this time of the morning?"

"I wanted him to meet you and to hear the Song of the Siren," she said still confused. "I thought it would be a beautiful gift to him, like none other he's ever received, and that he'd never forget," she said.

"You're right," the Watcher said sternly. "He would surely never forget it."

"I thought he would enjoy it and that maybe he could even explain to me what the Siren's Song sounds like," the old woman said turning again to look at the strange men with the flaming swords that seemed to bar the way.

"And would you have him forever bewitched?" the Watcher asked her. "Would you have your love entranced by the enchanting chords and intoxicating melody of the Siren's Song? So much entranced that as you set out on your voyage, your only fate would surely be a horrible crash upon the rocks?"

"Why NO! I guess I hadn't thought of it that way," the old woman said taking the old seaman by the hand and stepping slightly in front of him.

"Then you really should not have brought him here," the Watcher replied. "I know your love seems bigger than life to you, and like he can just do anything...but I assure you he would fall under the spell of the Siren just as any other man. Have you forgotten so soon, the reason I am posted here every morning? It is to remind those who have been bewitched and gather to pay homage to the Siren and to hear her song, that her song is unto death and not for love."

"I knew you would come here today," the Watcher told the old woman. "And I also knew that you would bring your love, because as a mere mortal you don't understand what the consequence could have been in him having come. That is why I made petition to the Great One, that He would have these two bar the way this morning." the Watcher went on. "Because you have waited so faithfully for so long for your love, that I'd not see it whisked so soon out of your hand. And although the Great One gave me all the understanding I would ever need in the day that I was created, I must say I understand today, what you humans mean when you say that love makes you do crazy things," and the Watcher went silent.

Right then, the sea of men began to arrive at the ship yard. They all stopped at the entrance and still appeared entranced and wanting to go in, but were _also_ barred and so could not get up to the dock to hear the Song of the Siren.

"And what of _these_ today," the old woman asked the Watcher.

The Watcher looked up into the sky and said, "Because of one man, _today_ all of _these_ are made _free_."

"How is this possible?" the old woman asked him.

"I told you, _all_ things are possible to them that believe," the Watcher replied and he began to tell them all a story about the origin of the Siren's Song.

# Chapter 12 The Siren's Song

"Many days ago the Great One created a most excellent being. She was the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. She was in the garden of the Great One and every precious stone was her covering: the sardius, topaz and the diamond, also, the beryl, onyx and the jasper. Even the sapphire, turquoise and emerald with gold covered her."

"She was more beautiful than any woman born of man since the beginning of time until now, and her organs sounded as timbrels and pipes inside her as she walked about in the presence of the Great One."

"So radiant was she that the Great One called her a Daughter of the Morning, and with her voice she sang a song of enchanting chords and intoxicating melodies."

"One day as she strolled along in the Great One's garden, she heard as it were the voice of a Son of Man singing in the earth. His voice was more beautiful than any she had ever heard...even more beautiful than her own if that were possible."

"She determined to have a closer look and so she stepped out from eternity onto the edge of time and looked down into the earth. There on the roof of a palace in the Great City of Jerusalem, she saw a King singing a harmonious song dedicated to the Great One."

"That King's name was David. As King David sang he also danced. And though his body sounded not as timbrels and pipes when he moved, he danced with such abandon in honor of the Great One that the Daughter of the Morning fell dangerously in love with him."

So the Daughter of the Morning petitioned the Great One, "give me leave to go down and be joined to the King David", but the Great One denied her saying, "My Daughter, I have made you more beautiful than any other being I created and _higher_ than the daughters of men."

"Every precious stone I have given you for a covering even with gold. And I have created timbrels and pipes inside of you that serenade me in my secret Garden each time you pass. And if all of this had been too little, I would have given you even more."

"I would miss you if you went down. And greater still, I have not created you to coexist with the Sons of Men. You are here for my own _personal_ pleasure and so it is. I forbid you to go down!"

But the Daughter of the Morning was so captivated by the King that she left the Great One's Garden and went down to declare her love for him. She waited there on the roof of the palace for him to come out.

One day as the King strolled out onto the roof to sing and dance in honor of the Great One, he saw the Daughter of the Morning standing there covered in gold and every precious stone and smiling at him.

The King was startled, and having never seen such a being he asked her, "What are you, and from where have you come?"

The Daughter of the Morning told the King of how she had been watching him from beyond the clouds, as he sang and danced for the Great One daily.

She told him that she had petitioned the Great One to give her leave to come down and be joined to him and that the Great One had denied her, but she so loved him that she came down anyway.

"You must be the Daughter of the Morning that I have read about in the sacred scrolls," the King said. "In my wildest dreams I had never thought to see you here in the earth. You are not created to dwell among the Son's of Men, and though your covering of precious stones and gold is impressive, you lack the simplicity of a Daughter of Man and I will not be joined to you."

"And even more importantly than these, you have disobeyed the command of the Great One and have come down from eternity after He bid you not to come down. I will have no part with you."

"King David then looked up and petitioned the Great One from where he stood saying, "Great One, there is none more powerful than Thee. And Excellent are all of your ways. I will have no part in this your Daughter has done, and though I would be obliged to exact your vengeance with haste, my hand shall not go out against your beloved."

"Now do, what you see fit to settle this matter. Whatever your decision, it is well with me this day," and the King was silent awaiting the answer, for he knew it would soon come."

"Suddenly there was a rumbling in the earth as of a great quake and loud thunder from the sky as none had ever heard and the Daughter of the Morning was whisked off of the roof of the palace and thrown onto a deserted Island, landing with a loud crash."

"She petitioned the Great One that He should allow her to come again into his secret garden but He would not hear her from the earth since she had been forbidden to go down."

"He banished her from His secret garden to remain on the island in exile for eternity and He closed off the sun from her, so that every time she thought to look up to Him she was greeted with utter darkness."

"Now the Daughter of the Morning was more cunning than any other being the Great One had created, and so she thought to lift up her song of enchanting chords and intoxicating melodies upon the wind to lure the King David out to her on the Island."

"But because she had come down from eternity and was now in time with the Son's of Men, she didn't understand how to calculate time as men do. Neither did she now have the sun to show her the passing of days."

"No matter," she said. "I will just lift up my song of enchanting chords and intoxicating melodies continually upon the wind, until the King can no longer resist and sails out here to me."

"I am the most beautiful being ever created; even much more so than any of the Daughters of Men. No man can resist me, not even the Great King David," she said in her vanity. "He _will_ come out here to me!" she shouted angrily.

"And so the Daughter of the Morning came to be called the Siren. Each time the Siren spotted a ship she lifted up her song onto the wind, bewitching the captain of the vessel and putting him into a trance that lulled him closer and closer to her. But each time she saw that it was again not her beloved King David, in her anger she made the sailors crash upon the rocks."

"And so she carries on year after year; century after century. She has no idea that her beloved King David is not coming. She doesn't realize that he was not created to live in his first state forever as she was. If only she knew that he has long gone on to sleep with his fathers."

"So you see," the Watcher said as he ended the story. "The poor Siren is simply in love. She really doesn't mean to hurt anyone. But each time she sees a ship, and it is not bringing her beloved King David to her, anger builds up inside of her and rage which makes her lure the men in until their fate is a horrible crash upon the rocks."

"So that which she wants to do, she does not. And the thing she hates to do, she does it continually because with each passing ship, her own heart is broken again and again."

"To which, I shall answer your question of what of _these_ men today? Because I petitioned the Great One for the assistance of His flaming Cherubs, to bar the way of harm for _your_ love, they have also barred the way of harm for all of _these_ and the spell is forever broken off of them. Because of one man, today all of these are made free."

"No matter with what ferocity the Siren will sing in hopes to lure them in, these can never be bewitched by her song again. Neither can they even hear her."

And then the sun rose on the horizon as it always did and the men all dispersed, not remembering the Watcher's story neither who he was nor what they were all doing down at the dock. The three were now alone, the old woman, her love and the man who called himself a Watcher.

"There are others out there who will be killed by the Siren," the woman said. "Why doesn't the Great One just stop the Siren from singing?" she asked the Watcher.

He turned and looked her in the eyes and said, "When the Great One gives a gift, it is without the ability of confiscation. It is only that when the gift is used apart from the purpose for which the Great One has given it, it will normally cause more harm than good, as is the case with the Siren's Song."

The old seaman had been silent for all this time, but now finally _he_ had something to say. "I remember You now!" he said to the Watcher excitedly. "You saved me one day from being drowned by a tempest on the sea."

# Chapter 13 Another Chance Encounter?

The old seaman began to tell a story.

"Many years ago in my travels at sea I was a crewman aboard a ship that had docked at a town called Joppa, to get supplies and then sail on to the town of Tarshish."

"A young foreigner asked me if he could board the ship and I didn't see any harm in it so I welcomed him aboard. His name was Jonah."

"Jonah paid his fare and we set out. As we journeyed the young lad and I became friends. I told him all about my life as a seaman and he said he was a student. When I asked him what he was studying he wouldn't tell me, neither would he say where he was from or why he was going to Tarshish. I just assumed that he must be going there to get books for school."

"The voyage was well underway and so I had much work to do on deck. I didn't have much time to talk with Jonah so we went our separate ways."

"All of a sudden a violent wind began to blow upon the sea! And a furious tempest arose so that the ship was at the point of breaking up!"

"Everyone aboard was afraid and began to cry out to the different idols they believed had powers to save them. We even had to throw our cargo overboard to lighten the ship."

"Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship and was fast asleep as if nothing were going on. The captain of the vessel woke Jonah up and told him to call on the one he believed had Power to save us in hopes that we might be spared." "The crew members then cast lots to see who had brought the calamity on the ship and the lot singled out Jonah. So the captain asked him to explain who he was, where he was from, what his business was and what Power did he believed in."

"It turned out that Jonah was a Hebrew and he believed in the Great One that was known to have created the earth and the sea that was causing us all such trouble. He told them all that the trouble which had befallen them was because he was on their ship traveling in the opposite direction of where the Great One had sent him and that their only chance at survival would be to throw him overboard."

"Then one of the crew members told the captain that Jonah and I were traveling together and that he had seen us talking."

"I tried to explain that I had just met Jonah as he boarded the ship but they would not listen and they took us both up and threw us overboard. That is when I saw something amazing!"

"Just as we were about to hit the water, a large fish opened it's mouth and swallowed Jonah and would have swallowed me also, but you grabbed me and carried me to dry land," the old seaman said to the Watcher.

"It was very long ago but I still remember it like it happened just yesterday. You walked on the water as you carried me to dry land. I have never told anyone this story for fear they might think me crazy, and I had all but put it out of my mind."

"But standing here with you today I remember it clearly. When we reached the land you laid me down and disappeared. I had always hoped to see you again but didn't think I ever would."

"And here you are," the old seaman said looking at the Watcher. "And you don't look one day older. You also have on the same clothes," the seaman said laughing.

The old woman couldn't help but chuckle, also.

"Yes you are right. It was exactly as you have said," the Watcher replied. "Had the Great One not sent me to carry you to safety, you would have drowned there that day, and died."

"I've always wished to see the Great One," the old seaman said. "But I never have; although I did hear his voice very clearly one day."

The two were standing alone now at the entrance to the ship yard. They hadn't even noticed that the Watcher had disappeared.

"This has been an eventful day," the old seaman said.

"Yes it has, and it's just 6 am," the old woman said laughing.

"I wonder if our lives together will remain as exciting", the old seaman said.

"We must intend it," the old woman replied.

By this time the hustle and bustle of the dock was in full swing. As usual, workers were going back and forth carrying equipment. Ships were being loaded and unloaded. People were walking up and down the dock saying their hellos and also their goodbyes. The vendors were beginning to set up their stands and the old woman had wanted to see Carlos, but he hadn't arrived yet.

"Would you like to go and sit and have breakfast," the old seaman asked the old woman.

"I would like that," she replied. "There is a vendor on the dock that sells the most buttery croissants I've ever tasted."

"Okay then, croissants it is," the old seaman said and taking the old woman by the hand he walked her up to the dock. They strolled slowly down the dock hand in hand. They wanted to give the vendors time to prepare for the day.

The sun was high but the breeze felt cool blowing in from the ocean, and so the old woman snuggled up close to the old seaman.

"Are you chilly', he asked her.

"Just a little", she said.

The old seaman took off his jacket and wrapped it around her to warm her. He found a table and told her to sit and rest herself while he went and got their breakfast. He assured her that he wasn't going far away and wouldn't be long in returning.

The old woman smiled to herself. For the first time in a very long time she felt cared for. She noticed a young man, very well dressed and distinguished looking who reminded her of Bob. She ran her finger across his ribbon that she wore daily pinned to her dress. She hoped that Bob and the old seaman would become friends. They were both very important to her now. She was beginning to feel as though she had a family.

Just as he had said, the old seaman shortly returned with their breakfast and also a rose for the old woman. He broke the stem and attached the rose to a hairpin that she had in her hair, and told her she looked beautiful.

"You're so charming Raul," she said blushing. That was the old seaman's name, "Raul."

As they sat and ate their breakfast together they couldn't help but hold hands every now and then. They felt so lucky to have found each other and especially at their ages. Isabel had just turned eighty-five and Raul, eighty-eight. Sitting together there at the dock however, they both felt like teenagers again. They were made better by the possibility of facing the rest of Life's Journey together.

As they watched seagulls soaring overhead and calling to one another, they felt as if life were calling to them from the sea: their own personal Siren. Beckoning them to hoist their anchor and set their sails for the mystery and magic that lay just beyond the horizon.

Isabel had never imagined herself sailing across the ocean at such an advanced age or even at all for that matter. But she knew that Raul was an experienced seaman. He had sailed the ocean for much of his life. If she would be safe out on the water with anyone, it was surely Raul.

When they had finished their breakfast the old woman cleared the table and taking the old seaman by the hand the two of them went for a stroll down the dock. The old woman thought it would be good for the old seaman to help his food digest, although she didn't tell him what she was up to. Now she had someone else's well being to look after and she didn't mind it at all. In fact she welcomed it. She was determined to keep the old seaman around for as long as she could.

As they strolled along on the dock the old woman noticed a Yacht tethered at the west end.

"That's a beautiful vessel," she said pointing to it.

"Yes she is a beauty isn't she?" the old seaman said smiling. "Would you like to see the inside?" he asked her.

"Is she yours?" the old woman asked excitedly.

"No, She's ours," the old seaman said taking her hand and leading her down to the Yacht.

"My goodness, when you said we'd be sailing on a Yacht, I hadn't imagined anything so magnificent!"She told him.

"I've saved my whole life to buy one like her," the old seaman said as they approached the Yacht. "Only you, rival her in beauty and splendor." As the old seaman held out his hand to help the old woman aboard, she noticed the word "T.I.L.I.A" written across the side of the boat.

She remembered having heard him yell the word out to her as she waived to him sailing back out to sea, on the day they had met.

"What is meant by the word "T.I.L.I.A.", you have written here on the side?", she asked him.

"Let me get you safely aboard and I will explain it all," he said as he helped her up the few steps and into the Yacht. Now aboard the old woman could hardly believe her eyes! The Yacht had all state of the art interior features and one of a kind materials. It was truly regal looking and as the old woman looked around in amazement, she imagined that, the many mansions mentioned in her special book must be at least remotely similar.

She saw hard woods and real gold fixtures, and there was even a fire place and swimming pool on board! All of a sudden the old woman felt as if the Yacht were moving! In all of her excitement she hadn't realized the old seaman was no longer by her side.

"Raul? Where are you my dear?" she called out to him.

"Not to worry darling!" he yelled from the upper deck. "I'm right up here, come and see but do be careful!"

The old woman made her way holding the hand railing as she climbed the stairs to the upper deck and to a sight that was most amazing! There was a Jacuzzi warm and bubbling on the upper deck and plush seating everywhere! It was truly a vessel fit for royalty she thought to herself as she looked around admiring it all. There she found the old seaman, smiling and taking them out to sea.

"I just thought I'd show you what she could do," he said smiling at the old woman. "Don't worry, we aren't going far."

"I'm not worried at all dear," she told him as she snuggled up behind him. "She really is splendid," she said of the Yacht. "You really picked a beauty," she told the old seaman. She could feel his shoulders square with pride now.

"I'm glad you like her," he said. "But if you hadn't, I would trade her back in for another."

"Don't be silly," the old woman said laughing. "I've never seen anything so magnificent in all of my life."

"Would you like to see how fast she can move?" the old seaman asked her.

"Sure, let's see!" the old woman exclaimed holding on tighter to the old seaman.

"She's strong, but she's light so she can travel pretty fast" the old seaman said and he steadily increased the speed of the Yacht until they were fully opened up at 37 knots.

"This is amazing," the old woman whispered in the old seaman's ear.

"Well, there's much more where that comes from," he said smiling. He felt young again feeling the old woman holding on tightly to him. He had fallen very much in love with her and he vowed to himself there on the water, that he would never let any harm come to her.

The old woman felt so free out on the ocean. The wind blowing through her hair felt exhilarating! And she felt so safe with the old seaman. She wanted to stay out on the water with her love forever!

"Look there!" the old seaman told her pointing to a school of dolphins jumping up out of the water and diving back in.

"I see them," the old woman said excitedly.

"And, look over there!" the old seaman said pointing to a whale just breaking through up out of the water.

"Yes, I see him!" the old woman exclaimed! The old seaman smiled to himself at her excitement. The old woman appeared to be happy out on the water and it made him feel good.

"Tell me what is meant by the word "T.I.L.I.A.," the old woman whispered in his ear. "Why did you pick such a name for her?" she asked him.

"Well, it's the abbreviation of a term I adopted many years ago as I sailed these waters hoping to find love. One day as I was sailing and feeling sorry for myself it just seemed to come to me. It made me feel better and I vowed that I would call my first Yacht by that name," he said.

"Well, what does the abbreviation stand for?" she asked him impatiently.

"T.I.L.I.A." means "To Imagine Love Is Amazing," he said smiling.

"That's beautiful!" the old woman said. "Tell me more."

"Well, I just think that love is so amazing that even if one never finds it, to even imagine it is just as amazing," he said.

"Yes, I agree...but I'm so glad we found each other," the old woman replied.

"So am I my darling," the old seaman said. "So am I."

Suddenly the old woman noticed the old seaman turning the vessel around.

"We're going back so soon?" the old woman asked him disappointingly.

"We'll have many days out here on the ocean my love," he assured her. "I just wanted you to meet her and to feel how powerful she is. So that you know how safe she will keep you out on the ocean," he said.

" _You_ will keep me safe," the old woman said squeezing him tighter.

"Yes I will, but we still need to get you all packed," he reminded her.

"I guess you're right," the old woman said. But she still wished they could stay out on the water a little longer. When they reached the dock the old seaman dropped the anchor, helped the old woman off and tethered the Yacht.

"I had an amazing time," she said.

"I'm glad", the old seaman replied.

"Actually, I hadn't planned to take much along", the old woman said. "I was looking forward to buying beautiful fashions from Madrid and breath taking beaded saris from India," she told the old seaman.

"And so you shall," he said. "But you mentioned there was something special you didn't want to leave behind and I don't want you to get out on the water and then remember and long for it," the old seaman told her.

"Yes, you're right!" the old woman said excitedly. "I have a few pieces of jewelry that belonged to my mother. They are very precious to me and I can't leave them behind," she said remembering.

"Well then we shall get them," the old seaman said taking her hand and leading her back up the dock toward home. It seemed like only moments had passed when they reached the old woman's house. The two so enjoyed being together, they hardly noticed the time passing anymore. It was as if time were standing still just for them. The old woman opened the door and took the old seaman by the hand leading him to her bedroom, where she kept a hand carved jewelry box she had brought with her from EL Salvador as a young woman.

There she kept the few pieces of jewelry that her mother had given her for safe keeping. When she opened the box the old seaman noticed a little solid gold key. Taking it into his hand he held it close to his heart.

"Where did you get this key?" he asked the old woman. "It's quite a story," she said, "and a rather lengthy one at that."

"I'd really like to hear it if you don't mind," he said.

# Chapter 14 The Key

"Well, many years ago when I was much younger I sold jewelry at the merchant's market in town. I had just come to America and I sat daily upon my perch selling necklaces made of shells that I had strung on copper wire. There was an old man that I secretly admired who came to the market daily."

"He toiled at the furnace of a gold press refining gold."

The old seaman turned his back to her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

"No, continue," he replied softly.

"Well, as I was saying, I had fallen in love with the old man who toiled daily at the furnace of the gold press refining gold. I longed to see him daily when he came to the market to sell his gold but one day he didn't come. I waited all day and even all night for him but he never came."

"So the next day I went up to the gold press in hopes of seeing him sitting at the furnace where he normally was but he wasn't there. I found the furnace cold as the fire had gone out. The door of the furnace was open so I peered inside. There laying in the ash and soot of the furnace I saw something shimmering so I reached in to get it. It was this solid gold key."

"I have kept it with me among my dearest possessions all these years in memory of the love that I had for that old man." The old man turned around with tears streaming down his face.

"And what of the young man who came to you and declared his love for you claiming to be the older man?" he said.

The old woman thought for a moment, "That's right." she said. "There _was_ a young man who came declaring his love and saying that he was the old man, but there was no way that he could be, so I sent him away. How do you know that?" she asked the old seaman.

"Because _I_ was the old man," he replied staring into her eyes. As they stood there silent for a moment suddenly the old woman found the seaman's eyes to be familiar and she could see that behind his full beard was the face of the man she so loved many years ago.

"How is this possible?" she asked.

The old seaman placed the solid gold key in her hand and closing her fingers around it began to tell his story.

"When I was the old man toiling daily at the furnace of the gold press refining gold I too loved you. I so desired you as I watched you sitting daily upon your perch whenever I went down to the market to sell gold. One day I became intrigued by the way the roaring fire refined gold in the furnace of the gold press. I liked the way it melted the gold to remove the impurities and then sent it out all sparkling and shining meet to fetch a high price at the market."

"So I determined that I too should be refined in the roaring fire of the furnace, going in old and wrinkled and coming out young again. I thought that if I were young again that you would love me."

"Daily, I began refining myself until finally I was young again and I came to declare my love for you but you didn't believe me when I told you that _I_ was the old man you secretly admired. At that point I thought to return unto the fire in hopes that it would reverse the refining so that I could be older again and you would love me. But when I got to the furnace I too found it cold as the fire had gone out."

"I tried relentlessly to relight it but I couldn't because in all of the excitement I had lost the gold key that ignited it; this very key that you hold in your hands. So I lay down in the cold furnace hoping to die and be relieved of my misery. That was when I heard the Great One speak to me."

" He said that it was my own fault that my heart was broken because I hadn't trusted the way He had made me. He assured me that no matter how earnestly I prayed for death to come and relieve me of the misery, my time was not yet."

"After a few hours of wallowing and loathing, I decided to accept what He had said and so I got up, dusted myself off and moved on. I've been sailing the seas ever since wishing that you had been mine, and now to my utter amazement, you are."

The old woman didn't know what to think. She wondered if this man could really be her one true love returned unto her. She too had gone through life wishing that he had been hers. It all seemed too good to be true. But she could see with her own eyes that he _was_ the man. His eyes were the same ones she had longed to gaze into so long ago, and his lips were the same ones she had longed would kiss her. He was the right height and stature and now that she had paid attention, his voice also sounded like her love's did. Like music.

"I don't understand this," the old woman said clinging to the old seaman. "How could you be old and then young again, and now old again?" she asked him. "It's as if your life were started over. As if you had some how been... born again," she said.

Just then she remembered a phrase she had read in her special book that gave her hope. It had said, "Verily, verily I say unto you unless a man be born again, he can not see the Kingdom of the Power." And if the book had said it then it must be true. So somehow it must be possible to be born again she thought to herself, but how?

"This is the best day of my life," the old seaman said. "In all the years I spent at sea longing for you, I never thought I'd see you again, but here you are. And even more stunning in beauty than I remember," he told the old woman. She blushed. "That day as I lay in that cold furnace wishing to die I heard the voice of the Great One clearly speaking to me."

"He told me that he had hidden a love out in the world for me and that I should get up from there and go out and find it, but never did I imagine it would be you. Truly, He has done exceeding abundantly above and beyond _all_ that I could ask or think," the old seaman continued.

Suddenly the old woman remembered reading that phrase in her special book and she wondered if her love had the same book. However that was impossible she thought as she was sure that her book was the only one of its kind in the world.

"Are you done getting what you want from here," the old seaman asked the old woman.

"Yes, I'm done. There's nothing else here that I need," she answered.

"Well then let's be off!" the old seaman said excitedly. "Let's put our pasts full of loneliness behind us, and let's sail to distant lands together knowing that the Power is on our side!" he said. "If the Power be for us, who can be against us? I'm overjoyed that I've finally found you my love," the old seaman told her holding both her hands. "And neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come will ever separate me from you again."

"Then let us go now," the old woman told him starring into his eyes. "Together!"

And having left the house and hurried down to the dock they reached the Yacht. Just as the old woman was about to board the Yacht the old seaman stopped her abruptly.

"Wait!" he yelled. "There's something very important I forgot to do!"

He disappeared into the Yacht for a moment and returned with a bottle of Champagne. Handing the bottle to his love he said, "She hasn't been christened yet."

The old woman raised the bottle and with all of her might she smashed it against the side of the vessel!

"T.I.L.I.A.!" she yelled as she christened the Yacht! The old seaman was overwhelmed and as tears ran down his face he mustered up enough strength to say, "Yes, T.I.L.I.A."

The old woman held him close to her and told him that she had waited what seemed like a lifetime, standing at the dock starring out into the distance. Watching the ships from whither they came to hence and back out again, from can see in the morning, till can't see at night," waiting for him alone.

"Well, I must not keep you waiting a moment longer," he said. He then helped the old woman aboard, untethered the ropes and lifted his anchor. They climbed to the upper deck and with his love beside him the old seaman started his engine. Before long they were sailing out toward the sunset. They could see it on the horizon.

"I wish I could have spent my whole life with you," the old woman said.

"Wouldn't it have been grand?" Suddenly the old seaman had an idea....

### THE END

# .

