 
### Innereal Adventures

### One -- The Adventure of Byron and Jacobis

A Kendall Daddo Story

Smashwords Edition / Copyright 2016 Kendall Daddo / All Rights Reserved

Additional adventures can be explored at:

kendalldaddo.blogspot.com

medium.com/@kendalldaddo

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**TABLE OF CONTENTS**

THE PROLOGUE

THE TREE

THE LITTLE MAN

THE ENTRANCE

THE INNEREAL

THE WALK

THE CLOAK

THE THREE ORBS

THE FRIEND

THE FIRST ORB

THE CRUSHER

THE LIGHTHOUSE

THE FELLOW TRAVELER

THE FIRST GATE

THE SECOND GATE

THE THIRD GATE

THE FOURTH GATE

THE FIFTH GATE

THE SIXTH GATE

THE SEVENTH GATE

THE EIGHTH GATE

THE PARTING

THE WAY

THE ACCIDENT

THE REUNION

THE MARBLE GAME

THE VESTURE

THE COUNTERFEIT

THE FOURTH ORB

THE TREE

THE REPORT

THE RETURN

THE EPILOGUE

Now, let the story begin...

The Adventure of Byron and Jacobis

A Kendall Daddo Story

THE PROLOGUE

['Twas Christmas morning, one year ago. (I think it is appropriate to begin a story like this with the word, 'twas. It has quite a nice ring to it.)

Yes, it was Christmas morning, one year ago and the entire family (there are seven of us) was seated in the living room on sofas and chairs arranged in a semi-circle around the fireplace. We were opening up presents from each other, starting, as usual, with the youngest and working our way in chronological order to the oldest, me.

I was seated in my usual spot on the brick hearth in front of the fireplace. (I suppose I adopted this location because, from it, I could survey everything that was going on in the room.) What a joy were those annual excursions into the mixture of madness and gladness.

You know what I mean. (My wife certainly does.) These kinds of events don't just happen on their own. The madness is all of the activity necessary to bring everything together, and the gladness is the result of the entire experience.

There I was, seated with a few wrapped packages nestled at my feet, which, of course, were distributed to each of us by the youngest child. After a few rounds, I selected a flat rectangular package that was given to me by my third child. When the family was done looking at what my wife had just opened (probably another pair of cozy pajamas, which she seemed to get every year), I lifted up the package and began to unwrap it. My first observation was it was a book with white pages and a hardbound black leathery cover. That is, indeed, what it was, but the secret of the black book was revealed when I opened it and read, The Adventure of Byron and Jacobis on the title page.

I looked up at my three older children and acknowledged that I instantly knew this was obviously meant to be the most recent salvo in their battle to convince me to write down a story I told them many years previously. So, I heartily thanked my daughter and voiced yet another time that I agreed with them, and it certainly would be nice to write it down so we could all remember it better and re-live the adventure.

(You may have noticed from the very first sentence that it still took another year before I actually started writing in that blank black book.)

The story was born many years earlier when the children were quite young -- born on a drive in the family minivan to go visit Grandpa, my father.

I believe it was also a Christmastime visit because my wife stayed home with a bad cold. She always seemed to get these dreadful colds or headaches right when school would get out for a winter or spring or summer break. She always said it was the "let go" or the release of pressure as she anticipated going into a nice break. (She, of course, knows that all too well, having taught first grade for twenty-five or so years.)

So, it was I and the four children. Number five was yet to arrive about a year later. (Maybe that was the reason my wife was ill. Hmmm, interesting... )

Yes, it was the five of us all together in the family minivan heading down the road to Grandpa's house for a nice afternoon visit and dinner. The drive usually took about an hour and, on that particular day, it seemed like a good idea to help that hour along a bit with a story.]

THE TREE

Byron was a young boy in every sense of the word, but the most accurate word that could be used to describe him was -- adventurous. He was adventurous in the real practical sense and also in the imaginative sense. And most of the time, it was nearly impossible to tell the difference between the two. Byron certainly could not tell the difference and he most certainly did not care to. When he was off on an adventure, he was off, and there was absolutely no stopping it, no matter where ever and how ever it went.

On this particular beautiful spring morning, his adventure took him to his favorite wooded area just a short bike ride outside his neighborhood. The bike was only useful to get him to the woods, so he stopped and parked it in the usual bunch of bushes that completely concealed it from view. He was then off into the woods on foot, after picking up the walking stick he had obtained a few years earlier on a previous adventure.

Byron and the stick were as one after all the time they had spent together. The gnarled top had conformed perfectly to his grip by now, so he and this treasured traveling companion worked in perfect harmony as they made their way down the path toward a clearing in the middle of the woods.

After particularly noteworthy adventures, Byron would carve a symbol on the walking stick, which would serve as an apt reminder of the circumstances surrounding that adventure. For example, he carved a sun into the stick to remind him of the time in the summer when he forgot to bring his water canteen and passed out from heat exhaustion. And, of course, the tree was carved into the stick to remind him of the many wonderful adventures he had in and around it.

The tree was always his destination in the woods -- his starting point for the day's events, whether it was climbing it to get a better view and spy out the land, or merely sitting at its base and leaning up against his favorite gnarled cleft in the trunk to read a book.

The walking stick was a product of the tree from the first time he climbed it. A branch, deadened from insect damage, cracked under his weight and nearly caused him to fall out of the tree, which is not likely to ever happen with Byron because he was a natural born tree-climber. But, that one close call did produce his treasured walking stick. On that day, he picked it up from the ground and took it home with him. After hours in the tool shed, carving and smoothing, it began its existence as Byron's indispensable trail aid.

The clearing was perfect that spring morning \-- sunny with a slight cool breeze across the grass. In size, the clearing was about thirty yards by fifty yards.

["How big is that, Daddy?" came a question from the back seat. "Well, let's see... when you watch a football game, the whole field is a hundred yards from left to right, so cut that in half to get fifty yards. And, I think a football field is about thirty yards across, so that would be about the size of the clearing," said I.]

The tree jutted out from the woods at one end of the clearing. It was a large mature oak, healthy and splendid in every way, perfect for looking at (admiring really) and perfect for climbing. Byron walked right up to the tree, raised his walking stick in the air and greeted it the way he had for years, "Hello, grand Old Oaken."

THE LITTLE MAN

It always took a period of time for Byron to get into the woods. (And by that I mean for him to listen to his heart and to the wind... and to feel the warmth of the sun... and to take in the smell of the air... to determine what the day was bringing to him. This particular day turned out to be the greatest adventure of his life up to that point, and it may very well never be topped.)

The adventure began when Byron suddenly heard a slight rustling sound near the base of Old Oaken. He was sitting on the opposite side of the tree when he heard it, so he got on all fours and crawled around to explore the area around where he heard the rustling. He was surprised that, after all the time he had spent there in his favorite spot, and also considering the level of intimacy he had developed with Old Oaken, he had never before noticed this particular area at its base that somewhat resembled a small doorway. As he examined it more carefully, he discovered it was like the entrance to a small wooden cottage. (Byron really did know every nook and cranny in Old Oaken. He had climbed and explored it for years and had many an adventure around its broad gnarled trunk, twisted roots and glorious sprawling branches.)

As Byron began to explore the door further, he pulled away some spongy green moss, several dried up leaves and a few old rotted acorns to reveal what clearly, and shockingly, was indeed an old wooden door. It was quite small, though, only about six inches high.

Two brass hinges were visible on the left side of the door, and the brass knob on the right side was lovely with intricate little carvings in it. The shape of the door came to a rounded lintel at the top and there was a small round window, presumably at eye level, for whoever might go in and out of this small door.

As Byron cleared away more of the debris, he noticed that a narrow root had grown across the door making it obviously quite impossible to open. So, he reached into his pocket, took out his pocketknife and began to cut away at the small root.

Just as Byron was making some headway at one end of the root, he was startled by a stern voice behind him, "What on earth are you doing?"

Byron turned around quickly and found himself in the presence of the most amazing little man he had ever seen, or even ever imagined. It was one of those moments of pure excitement and astonishment and wonder with a bit of fear and trepidation mixed in.

["What is trepanation, Daddy?" came the question from the back seat. "That is a good question," said I. "I'm not exactly sure, but it always seems to get paired with fear, so I think it just means scared and cautious." "Keep going, Dad," said the child in the seat next to mine.]

The little man was quite splendid in appearance. He was just the right height to go in and out of the door, of course. But, Byron was most enamored by his exquisite clothing.

["Daddy, what's exquis... ?" "Shoush!" "It's Ok," said I to the one in the seat next to mine. That's how you learned all of the big words, too. Anyway, I'll just say that exquisite in this case means cleverly and quaintly made out of different types of forest materials, such as, bark and moss and leaves and twigs and spider webs."]

The little man's hat was obviously an acorn top, but it was well crafted with a brim made out of the underside of some soft leaf. The band around the hat shined in the sun as if it were the product of carefully woven spider webs. And finally, Byron noticed a small Blue Jay feather neatly tucked into the right side of the band.

The little man's shirt was amber linen, which was covered with a vest of what looked like wisteria seedpods hammered into a soft pliable material. His trousers were crafted from the shiny black insides of black walnut husks and the shoes, well... they were a bit too small to determine what they might be made of. (Byron would find out later that it would have been impossible for him to know what the material was, since it was not of this particular world.)

"What have you done to my lovely carpeting?" said the little man.

"What?" asked Byron.

"My carpeting! There... my carpeting. You thrashed my lovely carpeting!" said the little man, distressed.

"Oh," said Byron, as he picked up the green moss he had pulled away from the entrance of the door and started to tuck it back from where he had removed it.

"No, no, no! It's ruined now," said the little man. "Oh, what a shame. All those years of grooming and manicuring, dashed away with one fell swoop."

"I am so very sorry, sir," apologized Byron.

Then the little man took a deep breath, gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, looked up at Byron, and said, "Jacobis."

THE ENTRANCE

"What?" said Byron.

"You are Byron, correct?" asked the little man.

"What? How did you... ?" said Byron, confused.

"I thought you might be a little smaller," said the little man, as he rubbed his chin and carefully began to size Byron up. "This does indeed pose a bit of a problem."

"How did you... what is Jacobis?" asked Byron

"My name, of course, and... I have been watching you and, well... I thought you would be a little smaller. This is going to require a few quick and, unfortunately, risky adjustments."

"I don't understand," said Byron.

"Yes, I know that you do not," said Jacobis, "but you will. Please listen carefully and do exactly as I say. We really do not have a moment to lose."

Jacobis paused and gestured toward the small wooden door at the base of Old Oaken, and then continued, "We are going through that door."

"What door?" asked Byron.

"That is why I told you to listen carefully and do exactly as I say," said Jacobis. "Please, we may only have one take at this. I just hope you did not damage the latch too much with your knife. Now, this is the process: first, you must run around and around the tree as fast as you possibly can; then, when you feel like you are going to pass out, I will shout for you to hold your breath, but you must continue to run around and around as fast as you can."

Jacobis looked at Byron, and said, "Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think so," said Byron.

Jacobis continued, "Do not worry, you will start to get a feeling like a second wind. You know what that feels like, correct?"

"Yes," answered Byron.

"Great," confirmed Jacobis. "And then you will begin to feel the strongest burst of energy you have ever had. You will feel weightless and like you are flying."

Jacobis looked Byron in the eyes, and continued, "Are you ready for this? We really do need to do it now before it is too late."

"Yes, I guess so, as ready as I'll ever be," said Byron. "But what is going on here?"

"I will have to explain later," answered Jacobis. "Now, help me up onto your shoulder."

So, Byron lifted Jacobis up and put him on his right shoulder.

Jacobis wrapped his arm around Byron's neck and said, "When I tell you to hold... "

"Yes, yes, I know. Let's just get this over with," interrupted Byron. And then he began to run around and around the trunk of Old Oaken as fast as he could.

Byron became dizzier and dizzier and more and more exhausted with each lap around the tree. "I can't! I can't... " he cried.

"Now!" shouted Jacobis. "Now!"

Byron started to falter.

"Do it now!" shouted Jacobis. "Hold your breath! Hold your breath!"

But, Byron stumbled and began careening off the trunk of Old Oaken.

Jacobis was holding on for dear life and then he quickly raised his walking stick and forcefully rapped Byron on the side of his head, and shouted, "Do it now!"

Finally, Byron took a deep breath and held it in and began to feel a tingling sensation throughout his entire body. Shafts of light started to appear everywhere all around him. A tinkling sound filled his ears and the world around him began to grow bigger and bigger. Faster and faster around he went.

On the outside, Byron was becoming an invisible blur, but on the inside, everything was sharp and all of his senses were heightened. He felt a strong burst of energy and then, suddenly, everything came to a screeching halt and he found himself standing right in front of the small wooden door.

Only, it was not so small now. It was the perfect size for him and Jacobis.

"Wow! That was fantastic! Man! That was amazing! How did that happen? Jacobis, how did you do that?" exclaimed Byron. "How did you... "

But, as Byron looked around, Jacobis was nowhere in sight.

"Jacobis... Jacobis," Byron called, as he made the, now quite long, journey around Old Oaken.

"Jacobis... Jac... "

He then saw Jacobis, who was now about his same size laying nearly upside down against the trunk of Old Oaken. So, he ran quickly up to him to see what had happened.

"Jacobis, Jacobis! Are you alright?" Byron exclaimed.

After a few seconds, which seemed quite longer to Byron, Jacobis blinked a few times and righted his posture, and said, "I told you it might be a little risky. Whew! That was a doozy!"

As Jacobis started to get up, he quickly bent over and embraced his left side and winced, and said, "Oww, ooh, that is not good." Then, he sat back down and leaned against the tree.

"What's wrong?" asked Byron, as he sat down next to Jacobis. Byron then noticed that his size was not the only thing that had been magically transformed. His apparel was also now very much like that of Jacobis.

"We had better hurry," said Jacobis, wincing. "We must get to the door before it is too late. Help me get up."

With some difficulty and Jacobis limping, the two made it back around to the side of the trunk of Old Oaken where the door was. Everything looked fairly intact to Byron.

"Quickly! Open it, before it is too late!" ordered Jacobis.

So, Byron rushed to the knob and turned it, but the door was held fast by the root.

"No, no! Release the bar!" cried Jacobis.

"What?" cried Byron.

"The bar, the bar, look! Look for the five finger holes on the right!" yelled Jacobis.

So, Byron looked and did indeed spy four holes on the top side of the root and one hole on the bottom side.

"Release it!" shouted Jacobis.

So, Byron put the five fingers of his left hand into the holes. They fit perfectly. And suddenly, the root bar swung quickly to his left.

"Open it! Open it!" shouted Jacobis.

So, Byron turned the knob again. This time the latch gave way and he pulled open the door.

THE INNEREAL

[What Byron observed before him was quite shocking and unnerving, but we are going to have to wait a few moments to learn what it was because, at that point in the telling of the story, I heard some rumbling gurgling belching sounds from behind me, and, "Eeww, Daddy!" and discovered that the two-year old had just thrown up a bit. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad and I was able to get off the freeway and take care of him. I decided that he would be better served resting at home with his mother, so we went back home and deposited him in the care of his ever-loving mother (she was not horribly ill). Then, we battened down the hatches at home, reloaded the family minivan and resumed our asphalt journey to Grandpa's house.

Now, where were we, ah yes, at the open door.]

It really was quite shocking and unnerving because what Byron saw in the doorway was a reflection of himself, except, in the reflection he was himself before shrinking. Then, when he looked away from the reflection and back down at himself, he was the shrunk version, so the reflection did not match what he actually looked like. And then, when he looked back at the reflection, he was the shrunk version of himself, so his reality and his reflection were exchanging back and forth from each other.

Byron looked up and all around and saw that everything around him was doing the same thing -- exchanging back and forth between the two worlds. And even though the two worlds had complete fullness of dimension, he felt as though he was embedded in a flat plane of highly polished metal, such as chrome. It did not look like glass because there was no transparency at all. (When Byron described it later to others, the best word he could come up with was super-dimensional because it was not really different at all. It was just so much more of what already was.)

Byron then heard the voice of Jacobis, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. He looked all around him in this back-and-forth pulsating space and didn't see Jacobis anywhere.

"What are you waiting for?" said Jacobis.

Byron did not know what he was waiting for, or even if he were waiting for anything at all. He found himself completely existing in the moment. He felt like he might be fully satisfied to stay right there, but at the same time, he felt an intense emptiness, like he didn't even exist at all.

He then noticed he wasn't breathing and that his heart was not beating. The only action that was in his mind was to lift up his right foot, lean forward and start to walk. But, the thought of doing so was a stark mixture of terrifying and exhilarating.

He didn't hear it again -- he remembered what Jacobis said, so he took that step forward and entered his innereal. (Innereal was another word Byron came up with when he was later describing this adventure to others.)

THE WALK

"Now what?" thought Byron. So, he took a few more steps and began to explore this new innereal world. It was not unlike the other world he was familiar with, but it was definitely different and he was quite eager to explore it further. But, then he remembered Jacobis and began searching for him and calling out his name, "Jacobis, Jacobis, are you here?"

(While Byron is searching for Jacobis, let me try to describe his innereal world a bit, so you will know what it is like upon first glance. Then, as the story proceeds, you will learn much more about it.

Now, please keep in mind that this is Byron's innereal world. Other innereal worlds, I'm sure, are quite different. I have even heard that some of them have mermaids in them, or pirates, or fairies, or any number of unusual types of landscapes and atmospheres, and on and on and so forth.

Some people have, of course, written books as a way of sharing the adventures that occurred in these other types of innereal worlds, which I suppose, is also what is happening here with Byron's story.

In Byron's innereal world, all of the colors and sounds were the same, but he would discover other new kinds of each of these that were in addition to the ones he knew from the world he had come from. When he discovered them, he gave them names, such as 'bliss' for the first new color he saw, which got its name because of the way it made him feel.

The natural environment around him seemed the same to Byron, but he soon encountered some interesting variations, such as trees and rocks and things like that, which had personality and could communicate with him. But that phenomenon was not really all that different than the intimate relationship he had already developed with Old Oaken.

Gravity was about the same, but he would also learn he had the ability to fly sometimes.

But, we really are getting ahead of ourselves, so let's suffice it to say that Byron's innereal world was much like the world he had come from, but more, much much more.)

Byron did finally find Jacobis and, unfortunately, he was still in pretty bad shape and in no way able to travel.

"Can I help you?" asked Byron.

"You already have helped me as much as you can," answered Jacobis.

"What do you mean?" asked Byron.

"You entered your innereal, Byron. That is all I needed you to do," said Jacobis.

"What? What are you talking about? You acted like there was some dire emergency you needed help with," said Byron.

"There was," said Jacobis.

"What?" asked Byron.

"You," answered Jacobis.

"What, me?" asked Byron.

"You were running around in circles and not getting anywhere. That is not what you wanted, was it?" asked Jacobis.

"No, but... " answered Byron.

"You were not meant to run around in circles, Byron. You needed to stop and enter your innereal, so you could become all that you are," said Jacobis.

"But now what? What am I doing here? What am I supposed to do now?" asked Byron.

"Walk," answered Jacobis.

"Walk?" asked Byron.

"Yes. Walk," said Jacobis. "And, I need you to start now."

"But, where? Why?" asked Byron.

"You will see, Byron," said Jacobis. "And, you will know. Now, go."

"But, I want to stay with you," said Byron.

"You cannot, Byron," said Jacobis. "You have to take this journey and I am in no condition to travel right now. We will meet again. Do not worry. Now, go. Off with you."

So, even though he was quite confused, Byron stood up and began to walk away from his new friend. A mixture of apprehension and excitement filled his mind. He just knew he was off on the adventure of his life.

THE CLOAK

Byron turned and looked back at Jacobis as he walked away, but he didn't stop and he didn't go back. He knew deep down that he must press on and accomplish whatever task was ahead of him in this exciting new world.

As was mentioned earlier, Byron was now outfitted for existence in his innereal world. His clothing was like that of Jacobis, except he had no hat, and he still had his walking stick, but in a much smaller size.

Time passed quickly as Byron was assaulted with the newness of his innereal world. He stopped and encountered new smells from new plants. He gazed up at what he thought were clouds, but learned later that they were some type of flying creature. He became thirsty and tasted the closest thing he could find that resembled water, which happened to be quite delicious and completely refreshing.

He felt quite at home in his new innereal world.

He had felt the warmth of the sun on his journey thus far, but as he thought about it, he didn't recall seeing anything in the atmosphere above him that looked like a sun. But, what he did know was it was starting to get colder and darker, so he quickly began to look for shelter. He was not tired, but figured evening must be falling in this amazing new world of his.

Byron was quite adept at outdoor survival and his many previous adventures would come in handy as he navigated his way through this particular adventure. A quick survey of the surrounding area revealed a small cave in a nearby hill, so he walked over, poked his head in and ascertained that it would be a safe and suitable place to spend the evening. He then softened the ground with some grass and leaves to make a mattress for himself, and in no time it was a cozy place to spend the night. He didn't really feel it coming, but at any rate, he instantly fell asleep in his cozy little cave in the side of the hill.

It was a restful sleep and Byron awoke inconsequentially, except for the fact that the grass and the leaves he had gathered for his bedding had somehow become a cloak, which was now covering him like a blanket. He stood up and tried to shake off the grass and leaves, but soon realized that these were what the cloak was made of. It was gorgeous, really, like nothing he had ever seen before. The patterns created by the texture and color and shape of the leaves, and the intertwining of the grass gave it a magnificent appearance. He then put his arms through the sleeves and discovered that it fit him perfectly. He was quite excited about this new cloak and was eager to discover what else the day would bring.

THE THREE ORBS

Byron soon discovered that in his innereal world he was never hungry, but he did eat. Eating and drinking were for taste and refreshment, but not for sustenance. So, he would discover things that he knew were food, and he would enjoy eating them, but not because he was hungry. And after quite a while, Byron also noticed that the food he ate did not seem to have any digestive affect on him either. In fact, he never eliminated any type of waste from his body during the entire time he was in his innereal world.

About midday, Byron found himself standing at a precipice. Below him was a beautiful valley. In front of him were beautiful majestic mountains. The air was warm, the breeze was crisp and everything around him seemed in perfect order. And, it was at that moment when he discovered the bag in his cloak pocket. He put his hands in the side pockets of the cloak for the first time as he was gazing out on the beauty before him, and in the right pocket he felt the little leather bag. So, he pulled it out and examined it. It was soft brown leather with a tightly braided golden thread cord at the top like a drawstring. The bag had weight and movement to it so he carefully loosened the cord and opened the bag. Inside were three gorgeous orbs.

["What is a ord, Daddy?" came a question from the back seat. I chuckled and replied, "That's orb, with a b, and in this case an orb is like a marble. But sometimes, like in poetry, the word orb has even been used to describe the moon or the sun. Basically, an orb is a spherical object. And, speaking of marbles, when we get to Grandpa's house, help me remember to ask him to get out the marbles he used to play with as a young boy. I remember being fascinated with them when I was your age. He would get them out and tell us about how he and his friends would play marbles every day after school. They would find a nice hard flat area of dirt and make a large circle on the ground. Then, they would each put a marble or two inside the circle. Each of them had a special larger marble called a 'shooter' that they would cup in their curved index finger and then launch out with their thumb. When it was their turn, if they knocked a marble out with their shooter, they got to keep the marble. I'm not exactly sure about all of the rules, except that they shot from outside the circle and there was a fair amount of skill and strategy involved.

"But the most interesting thing about Grandpa's marbles is they are not made of glass, like yours. His are actually rounded and polished stones called agates. An agate is a hard rock that can be highly polished. And, they come in these wonderful colors and patterns. There are blue agates and cherry agates. Some have flecks in them that sparkle. Some have swirling colors. And, even the plain brown ones are beautiful.

"So, when we get there, let's ask Grandpa to get them out. Maybe he will even teach us how to play marbles like he used to when he was a boy."]

The three orbs that Byron found in the leather pouch were smooth and shiny and colorful. And, each one was different from the others in color and size. But, before Byron could make any more observations about the orbs, he noticed a piece of paper that was also in the leather bag. So, he took it out and discovered it was folded up into an envelope and sealed with a crystal clear sealing wax. The wax had tiny specks of silver in it that sparkled in the light, and there was some sort of design stamped in the wax, but Byron had no idea what it was.

Byron was a bit hesitant to open it until he noticed that, as he turned it over, his fingers swept across the front of it and created, or revealed, some markings. So, he continued to pass his fingers gently over the surface of it until the markings fully appeared. What he read on the outside of the envelope was his name in a calligraphy that was as beautiful as everything else in his innereal world.

So, Byron turned the envelope over and broke the seal, but the seal didn't break. To his astonishment, it merely transferred from the paper to his fingers as the envelope opened up on its own. The first words he read were his name at the top and Jacobis' signature at the bottom.

The message in between these two was: "Now you will begin to understand why you are here. These three orbs belong to me. And they are most precious to me. Their care was threatened, so I hid them in the cloak. I knew you would find them, Byron -- your heart is good. All you must do is return them safely to me. There will be strong opposition to this task, so be on your most careful guard. As you have learned already, things are different here in the innereal.

"Byron, nothing can take the orbs away from you. The only way you will fail to return them to me is if you give them away.

"Each of the three orbs has a unique special power that can only be discovered by carrying them and paying attention to them. Their power will be manifested when they are most necessary.

"Keep walking, Byron, until we meet again."

When Byron finished reading the message, the paper began to flutter and change shape. Each character in each word changed into a feather. Jacobis' signature changed into the head of a bird and Byron's name changed into the bird's tail. The bird then perched itself for a moment on Byron's finger. Then, it blinked its glassy crystal clear eyes a few times and flew away from the precipice where Byron was standing and on out over the beautiful valley below.

Byron's eyes followed the little bird as it flew way off in the distance toward what looked like a large body of water. "Keep walking," he thought, so toward that area where the little bird flew in the valley below seemed as good an option as any other.

THE FRIEND

Byron had to admit he really enjoyed his innereal world. As he walked, he kept finding himself thinking about how magnificent it was each time he noticed something new.

As was mentioned earlier, he discovered that the innereal was 'super-dimensional.' For example, he observed that objects had a 'connectedness' to them when he explored a grove of trees growing next to the embankment as he made his way down into the valley. The trees in the grove appeared normal to him until he got closer and was amazed to see that there was no separation between them and the embankment. The grove and the embankment were one. It was like they were symbiotically co-existing.

["What does that mean, Daddy?" "Well," said I, "Symbiosis is when at least two things work together to benefit each other. Like, those sharks that have those other fish that attach to them to eat things that grow on their skin. Remora, I think is the name of those fish. They get food and the shark gets his skin cleaned. And, coexist means that they exist together, preferably in harmony, of course."]

As Byron walked through the grove and passed by a particular tree, he would look up and see that the branches and leaves were part of the embankment. And then, as he was looking up and not where he was walking, he would then look behind him and discover he had passed right through the embankment.

But, it was not as though they were not there, or merely an illusion. They had shape. He could touch them and feel their individual surfaces on his hands. And they weren't trapped in a flat plane, like when he was first entering his innereal world. They were fully dimensional and completely connected, and even way more than that. (Usually, when Byron explained this type of thing to people later, he would shake his head a little and open his eyes a little wider and simply stop talking. Adequate language would escape him and then he would merely resume the story where he left off, which is convenient because the next thing that happened is quite exciting.)

As Byron made his way down the winding path into the valley, he looked up ahead and saw Jacobis seated comfortably on a nice flat rock gazing out over the valley below.

"Jacobis, Jacobis!" Byron cried. "It is so good to see you!"

Then, as Byron was rushing down the path to meet him, he nearly stumbled to a halt when he saw that it was not Jacobis at all, but rather, another man turning around toward him.

"Oh! I'm sorry," said Byron. "I thought you were someone else."

"No trouble at all, my boy," said the man. "That happens all the time. I presume you are Byron."

"Yes, yes I am, but... " said Byron.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," said the man, cordially. "I have heard many good things about you."

The man did indeed look like Jacobis, but as Byron studied his appearance, there were a few things that were different about him, most notably, his shoes. They were not at all like the mysterious looking pair that Jacobis wore. And, there was a certain something about his linen shirt that struck Byron as odd, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself," said the man. "The name is Ajobis. I am a long-time friend of Jacobis. He asked me to meet you here and assist you in any way I can with your journey."

"Oh," said Byron. "That is wonderful. Thank you very much, sir."

"Oh, please, I appreciate your good manners, and certainly would expect nothing less of you, but please do call me Ajobis. We are going to become quite good friends along the way to your destination," said Ajobis. "Now, time really is not on our side in this particular case, so we had better proceed toward the sea."

So, Byron and Ajobis proceeded down the path into the valley. Byron was so thrilled to meet this new friend. He always felt it was so much more enjoyable to share a journey with a companion.

"I presume you are in possession of your orb," said Ajobis, as they walked along the path.

"Yes," said Byron. "I found the leather pouch in the pocket of this magnificent cloak."

"What have you learned so far about it?" asked Ajobis.

"Well, nothing, really," answered Byron. "I haven't given it much thought at all. I suppose I have been so consumed with everything else around me that they have just slipped my mind."

"Oh, Byron! Please do not even say such a thing!" exclaimed Ajobis. "Orbs are extremely valuable to you and Jacobis. They are unique, no others like them anywhere. Orbs are to be guarded with your life and delivered safely to Jacobis."

Byron was a bit taken aback by Ajobis' reaction.

Ajobis continued, "Please, take it out now and let us have a look."

So, Byron reached into his right cloak pocket and started to pull out the leather bag. Oddly, it seemed heavier than before, almost as if it were resisting being removed from the cloak pocket.

Byron loosened the golden cord, reached in and took out the orbs with his right hand.

Ajobis looked somewhat astonished, and said, "Oh, so there are three. That is most interesting. Most interesting, indeed. You are a fortunate boy. Three is quite rare. Yes, quite rare, indeed. Let us have a look at them."

Ajobis reached out his hand to take them.

But, Byron instantly remembered what Jacobis wrote in the note, so he pulled them back, and said, "No, I had better hold on to these."

"Oh, yes, yes, quite right," agreed Ajobis. "My mistake. My, my, you really are a bright boy. Everything Jacobis told me about you is certainly correct."

Byron smiled uncomfortably, and Ajobis continued, "I do know a few things about orbs so, if you do not mind at least showing them to me, I can tell you what I am able to discern about them."

Byron didn't see any harm in doing that, so he opened up his hand and revealed the three orbs. The largest of the three was a beautiful deep bluish color. (It was like the color of someone's eyes that are blue, but not the obvious blue, so you don't know what color to call them, and you just wind up saying that their eyes are blue.) And, it was also like the agates that have shiny flecks in them. This one had silver and sky blue flecks in it.

The next size was the most beautiful brown color that Byron had ever seen. He had never really considered brown to be a beautiful color, but to him, it was absolutely gorgeous to look at. It also had a crystal clear stripe running through it that dissected it perfectly into two halves. The stripe was so clear that it was impossible to understand exactly how the two halves stayed together. They did, but it could not be discerned why or how.

"These are indeed rare and valuable specimens, Byron," said Ajobis. "But so far, all that I can tell you for certain about them is that you will learn their powers and properties in the order of their size from the largest to the smallest."

And, speaking of the smallest, it was the most varied in color. As Byron rolled it around in his hand, he saw each of the seven colors of the rainbow clearly delineated almost like individual little orbs encased in the whole orb. But, the color that held them all together was what most amazed Byron. He had never seen anything like it and, as he studied it, a strong feeling came over him and he began to laugh out loud. Then, he gripped the orbs in his hand, raised both arms in the air and continued to laugh with joy. Then, he started to dance with joy.

"Wow! This is wonderful!" exclaimed Byron.

"Byron! Please, control yourself!" cautioned Ajobis, as he grabbed Byron and calmed him down. "You must learn to control yourself. There are opposing forces here that will take advantage of your weaknesses if you allow them to."

Byron was, again, slightly taken aback by Ajobis' reaction.

Ajobis then continued, "Now, we really must be on our way. Put the orbs away and let us get on with our journey."

As Ajobis led the way down the path, Byron was able to regain his composure, but it did take quite a while for his face to catch up. He had a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face for a long time.

(You might realize from an earlier explanation that the color which surrounded the rainbow colors in the smallest orb is the new color that Byron named 'bliss.' It was here, as he was walking down the path, that he came up with that name.)

When Byron and Ajobis had made their way about halfway down to the valley floor, they came to a fork in the path. Byron assumed they would take the way that led downward, but Ajobis instructed him to follow him up the way that led to a steep cliff wall.

"Why are we going up there?" asked Byron. "That other path looks much more pleasant."

"You may be learning that things are not always as they appear here in the innereal world, Byron," answered Ajobis. "Trust me. I have been that way before, and after that experience, I will never go there again. Come on. You will see." Ajobis then pointed up to the cliff on their right, and said, "Look up there and you can see the path on the side of the cliff wall."

Byron could see the path now as it made a gradual ascent up along the face of the cliff to the edge of a plateau at the top.

THE FIRST ORB

Walking along the narrow path against the cliff wall was a real test of one's nerves. Byron was a great rock walker because of all of the 'creek-walking' he had done on his previous adventures in the woods. He also had many earlier opportunities during his adventures to test his balance and strength and courage as he encountered various challenging spots on his way from one place to another. But, this particular exercise up the steep cliff wall was testing his abilities even further.

Ajobis, on the other hand, was taking it all in stride and skipping along the path like a sure-footed mountain goat.

When they were about two-thirds of the way up the path, Byron caught up to Ajobis as he was leaning against the cliff wall at a rather wide space in the path.

"Whew!" panted Byron. "This is intense."

"Oh, yes," said Ajobis, calmly. "I keep forgetting about how treacherous this path seems on the first pass. I have been on it so many times now that it really does not bother me at all."

As Byron caught his breath, Ajobis continued, "Now, at this outcropping in the path, we must consult the orbs to determine if there may be any level of danger awaiting us at the plateau. It is a blind ascent and anything, good or bad, could be waiting for us there. Please take out the orbs and let me have a look at them."

Byron reached into his cloak pocket again, took out the leather bag, opened it and grabbed the three orbs. As he opened his right hand to show Ajobis the orbs, suddenly, the ground beneath him began to give way. He instantly dropped down about half a body length as Ajobis reached out and grabbed his left hand.

"Help me! Help me!" cried Byron.

"Hold on! Just hold on!" ordered Ajobis.

Then the ground below Byron jolted away again and Ajobis was slammed to his chest as he held tightly to Byron's left hand. The rocks below Byron's feet gave way completely and he found himself suspended in mid air high above what he knew would be certain death after falling the great distance down onto the rocks below him.

He was flailing his right arm back and forth to regain his balance, so Ajobis cried, "Be careful! Do not lose the orbs!"

Byron became dizzy and his body was starting to be overcome with a strange feeling that he had never experienced before. "Help me! Help me, Ajobis!" he cried. "I'm falling!"

Ajobis' grip began to loosen as he strained to hold on. "I do not know how long... I cannot... Byron! Hand me the orbs! We cannot lose the orbs!" shouted Ajobis. "You will be alright! Please, I assure you! You will be alright! Just hand me the orbs and give me your other hand!"

As Byron reached up to give Ajobis the orbs, the feeling in his body accelerated. Starting with his hands, his whole body changed into what looked like the first orb. He felt dense and heavy, and was not surprised at all when Ajobis could no longer hold onto him and finally lost his grip.

Byron then crashed and careened rapidly down the cliff wall but, amazingly, he was doing more damage to the rocks than they were doing to him. And, when he should have felt terrified, instead, he was feeling exhilarated as he bounced and crashed and pulverized the rocks with every blow.

When he finally hit the bottom of the valley, he landed squarely and solidly on his feet like a cat. He felt like a gymnast who had just performed a perfect routine and then stuck the dismount. Bright flashing lights were all around him and there was that tinkling sound in his ears. He felt his body coming back to him as he got dizzier and dizzier and finally passed out cold.

THE CRUSHER

Way back up on the path above, Ajobis stood up, dusted the dirt off his clothes and looked down below him. He leaned out, but couldn't see Byron because of the way the cliff wall jutted inward at its base. Behind him, two sinister looking creatures came out from hiding in the rock wall and slowly crept toward him.

["Were they sisters, Daddy?" came a question from the back seat. "No, no, sinister means bad guys," interrupted the one in the seat next to me. "Now, keep on going, Dad. What happened next?"]

"It appears that this one is going to be much more difficult than I had calculated," said Ajobis, as an evil sneer worked its way across his face. "Get everything ready at the Crusher, while I go down there and see what kind of mess I have to clean up this time."

The two creatures obediently re-entered the cave from which they had emerged, while Ajobis took another look down the cliff and then turned to follow them. The cave opened up to a passageway that led to a large cavern that would be well suited for mining operations. Ajobis walked over to a rusty old birdcage-like elevator, got in with the two creatures, closed the door and then pushed the down button.

\+ + + + + + +

Byron was lying flat on his back when he regained consciousness. "Wow," he thought. "That was amazing!"

He stood up and started to brush himself off, but he soon noticed there was nothing mussed up about him at all. He was perfectly clean, unwrinkled, undamaged, no cuts or bruises, not a single tear in his clothing. He reached into the right pocket of his cloak and found the three orbs tucked neatly away in their leather pouch.

Shortly thereafter, Ajobis appeared at the bottom of the cliff where Byron had landed.

"Ajobis," said Byron, startled to see him. "Look! Look at me! I'm alright! It's amazing! I can't believe it! I can't believe I... "

"Byron!" interrupted Ajobis, sharply. "I am so disappointed with you!"

Byron was taken aback, and said, "Why? What's wrong?"

Ajobis did not offer any explanation. He merely turned away, and said, "Follow me."

Byron felt horrible as he followed Ajobis toward the base of the cliff because he was the type of boy who did not need much discipline from his parents. Whenever he did things wrong and his parents had to correct him, even merely the thought of disappointing them was enough to keep him from doing it again.

That was the way Byron was feeling when Ajobis walked into a cave at the base of the cliff.

"Where are we?" asked Byron, as he followed Ajobis into the cave.

Ajobis directed Byron to another elevator similar to the one he had entered previously. "Get in," he ordered.

Byron obediently walked in. Ajobis followed him and pushed the up button. As the cage doors closed and the elevator started to rapidly move to the top of the cliff, Byron began to sense that something was very very wrong.

They were met at the top of the elevator shaft by two of the sinister looking creatures who immediately grabbed Byron, bound his hands behind his back and led him out of the cave.

"Ajobis!" cried Byron. "What is going on here? Why... "

"Silence!" ordered Ajobis, sharply. "You will have one last opportunity to speak to me later."

As they came out of the cave, it was only a short walk to the plateau. When they got to the top, Byron could see a path leading to a low point out on the edge of the plateau that faced the sea.

As they walked further down the path, Byron observed that it led to some type of huge scary industrial-like contraption. It was making a horrible deafening pounding sound and Byron could feel the ground jolting under his feet with more and more intensity as they got closer to it. Sparks and debris were flying out of the area where the machine was pounding. It was a terribly frightening sight.

When they arrived next to the machine, Ajobis raised his hand, which signaled the creatures to stop the machine.

"This is the Crusher, Byron," said Ajobis, coolly. "It serves a variety of mining purposes... as you can see." Then he looked at Byron, and continued, "And in addition, it also serves as quite a strong incentive to help convince people to comply with my orders when they are at first not all that inclined to do so."

Evening was falling and a cold sea wind was whipping up the plateau. Byron could feel the chill cutting right through his clothes.

"I must, unfortunately, inform you that you now fall into that category of person, Bryon," said Ajobis, with a steely look in his eyes. "You have failed to willingly give those orbs to me. You have refused all of my attempts to get them peacefully, so now you are forcing me to resort to more convincing measures.

"Byron my boy, now your choice will be quite clear -- either hand those orbs over to me now, or I will crush you, and them, into dust!" Ajobis then barked out orders to the creatures, "Strap him to the mortar!"

Byron was laid down and fastened across his chest, waist and legs with metal straps that pinned him firmly to the base of the machine where the massive pounding weight landed and crushed whatever was in its path.

"Leave his hands free. He must be able to hand me the orbs," ordered Ajobis. Then, he slowly walked over next to Byron, who was squirming to get free, and said, "This is your last opportunity to speak, boy. What is your answer?"

Byron stopped squirming. It was no use. The straps held fast. He looked up at the massive weight directly above him. The machine was puffing and creaking loudly as if it were being held back from its prized possession.

Ajobis impatiently spoke through half-clenched teeth, "What is your answer?"

Byron slowly reached into the right pocket of his cloak, swiftly loosed the pouch cord and grabbed the three orbs in his fist. As he drew out his hand, Ajobis began to snicker gleefully.

The memory of the note that transformed into the bird, and the careful instructions from Jacobis filled Byron's mind as he brought his right hand up to his chest. Then, he looked over at Ajobis, and said, firmly, "Never!" Then, he raised both his hands in the air and screamed it again, "NEVER! NEVER!"

Ajobis went into a rage and gave orders to release the Crusher to do its work. The creatures quickly and obediently pulled a few levers and down came the massive weight with fierce velocity. Byron drew in his arms and crossed them over his chest. He watched the block coming toward him, and then simply closed his eyes tightly and held fast to the orbs.

It was over in an instant.

The massive weight had received its prize, and Byron now lay crushed in its resting place.

Ajobis was furious and in rage began repeatedly beating the two creatures.

Finally, they all left the Crusher. The dark night was full of misery. The wind ceased as the air temperature became equal to the cold seawater, and complete quietness dominated the edge of the plateau for the remainder of the night.

THE LIGHTHOUSE

(Byron told people later that the night he spent in the Crusher was one of the most amazing experiences of his life. He was terrified, but as the massive weight was falling, the same feeling came over him as when he was falling down the cliff. And when the Crusher landed, it was exactly like when he landed on his feet at the bottom of the cliff. Then he would smile and add that after it was all over he had one of his most restful night's sleep ever.)

As morning dawned, Byron awoke and began to feel a new sensation in his body. Similar to the transformation feeling, but in addition, he also felt something coming out of him. Starting at the mortar where Byron lay, the entire Crusher machine began to sparkle and creak and crack.

Byron easily pushed the massive weight off himself. And then he watched as it ascended back to the top and became round, like a huge orb, and started to glow brightly. He rolled over, stood up and began to walk around the Crusher. As he did, he looked down and noticed that stones were magically forming at the bottom of his feet with every step. Around and around he walked, forming a circular tower as he proceeded. All of the parts of the Crusher were being transformed and coming together to create a glorious Lighthouse -- a most beautiful Lighthouse resting atop a magnificent square base house at the bottom with a brilliant shining lamp at the top.

Byron was exhilarated when it was finished. He stood at the railing that encircled the top and watched the morning light dispel the last vestiges of darkness from the night.

As Byron stood there looking out at the beautiful landscape, which seemed as though it were being painted right before his eyes, he felt a tingling sensation at his right thigh. So, he looked down and saw something moving in the cloak, which he soon observed to be the first orb. It floated out of the pocket and hovered still at arm's length in front of his chest.

Byron instinctively reached his right hand out to touch it and, just as he was about to make contact with it, it quickly darted to the right in an orbit around his body, sending a wake of sparkling particles behind it and making the sound of tinkling chimes. After it had traveled full circle, it quickly embedded itself solidly into Byron's outstretched right palm.

Embedded is exactly the best word because Byron turned his palm toward him and saw that the orb had become an irremovable part of his body. Then he began to experience a slight bit of pain and a tightening sensation in his hand and wrist, so he brought his palm closer toward him and was amazed to see that a tattoo-like drawing was appearing. But, it was more dimensional than a mere tattoo and it had movement, like animation. An image of the Lighthouse began to appear, with the orb becoming its lamp. Byron's outstretched fingers were like shafts of light coming out from the lamp, and the tower worked its way down toward his wrist, with the square base house just below his wrist joint.

When the process seemed to be complete, Byron raised his arm up, turned it over and around and explored this new feature of his body. He discovered that the orb now also acted as a light. He could turn it on and off as easily as he could open and close a fist.

THE FELLOW TRAVELER

Byron's enjoyment of the morning moments at the top of the Lighthouse turned slightly sour as he began to remember the events of the previous day. He felt betrayed. And he also felt a little naïve.

["What is that, Daddy?" "Well," said I. "In Byron's case, he simply felt like he should not have been so gullible... which means to be quick to believe something even when it is then quickly understood to be untrue. But anyway, the word naïve adds the element of innocence or inexperience. Byron was feeling a little stupid, even though he was obviously tricked by someone who was quite good at lying. The thing is, Byron always held high standards for himself and he never liked making the same mistake twice. He was a thoughtful and cautious boy."]

Byron also knew he had better leave the Lighthouse quickly because he figured there was a good chance Ajobis would return there. And as he thought about that, he considered the advantage of Ajobis thinking he was dead. He felt that may very well come in handy in the future.

But, as Byron opened the door to go down the inner stairway, someone called out to him from down below on the plateau. "Hello up there!"

Byron was startled at first, even though it did not sound like Ajobis at all. In fact, it was a pleasant young female voice, so Byron stepped back out of the doorway, looked down by the back side of the base house and saw a lovely young girl, about his same age, standing there waving up to him.

"Hello," replied Byron.

"It's absolutely lovely!" exclaimed the girl.

"The Lighthouse?" asked Byron.

"Yes, yes of course... the Lighthouse and the sea and the view and the entire morning!" replied the girl.

"I'll be right down," said Byron.

Then he went back to the door and started down the stairway. As he was going down, he was cautioning himself about meeting this new person. He did not want to be tricked again in this place where things are not always as they first appear.

When Byron came out of the base house door, the girl was kneeling and smelling some flowers in the newly created base house garden.

"More new smells! Oh, this innereal world is so very lovely!" said the girl.

"Yes, it really is quite wonderful, isn't it," agreed Byron. "Have you been here... oh... I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Byron," he said, as he stretched out his right hand.

"Hello. I'm Narron, but people call me Narrie. It's like Mary except with an N and it's spelled N, A, R, R, I, E."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said Byron, politely.

Narrie then looked curiously and wondrously at the tattoo on Byron's hand as it rested in hers. Suddenly, she looked up at him, and said excitedly, "I saw the whole thing! It was absolutely fantastic!"

Byron looked up behind him, and said, "The Lighthouse?"

"Yes, yes, of course the Lighthouse," answered Narrie. "Was there something else? Did I miss something?"

Byron answered, "Oh no, no, I just... "

"I was right over there in that grove of trees," interrupted Narrie, pointing off to her right. "Does your orb give you power to make lighthouses, or something?"

"No, I... I don't think so... I... " Byron started to say, but then he continued, "Look, we really need to get away from this place right away. We might be in some danger if we stay here. We can talk more along the way, Ok?"

"Yes, yes, you're right," agreed Narrie. "There is this man after me and my orb... and I really do need to be making my way along the coast."

So, Byron and Narrie began to make their way down a path toward the sea coast.

"He tried to steal my orb," continued Narrie. "I was so foolish."

"Was his name Ajobis?" asked Byron.

"Yes, yes, that's him!" exclaimed Narrie. "Was he trying to get yours, too?"

"Yes, and I was also foolish," confessed Byron. "He almost got them."

"Them?" asked Narrie, in surprise. "You have more than one?"

"Uh... yes," stammered Byron.

"Wow. That is something," said Narrie. "But, I'm happy with just my one. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to manage more than one."

"So, do you also know Jacobis?" asked Byron.

"Yes. He brought me in here. I'm taking my orb to him," explained Narrie.

Byron was starting to feel some level of comfort with his new fellow traveler, but he was still on his guard. He asked, "How did you... "

"Mine gives me invisibility," interrupted Narrie, excitedly, "That's how I got away from Ajobis.

"Really?" said Byron, astonished.

"Yes! You want to see?" Narrie asked, as she reached for her orb. "Watch this!" Narrie then clenched her orb in her fist as a look of concentration filled her eyes. And then, she vanished.

"Wow!" exclaimed Byron.

"Yes, I know," said Narrie, but her voice was coming from way further down the path. She continued, "And when I'm invisible, everything around me slows down, so I figured out I am moving much faster than everything around me. It's so amazing!"

Narrie then suddenly reappeared and Byron joined her down the path.

"That is amazing," said Byron, as they continued their journey. "Did Ajobis try to hurt you, Narrie?" he asked.

"Well, I was so trusting at first that I almost handed my orb over to him, but then I stopped when I remembered Jacobis' clear instructions about bringing it to him. Then Ajobis got angry and some creepy creatures came at me... and that is when I learned what my orb is able to do for me."

Narrie got a sheepish look on her face, and continued, "I feel a little bad about what I did to them, but they just made me so angry."

"Why? What happened?" asked Byron.

"Well... I tied up their feet when they were moving slow and then they all tripped and fell down and I ran away."

"That is hilarious," laughed Byron.

"Yes, it is quite funny," agreed Narrie. "But, I still feel a little guilty about it."

As they continued to walk down the path, Narrie said, "Byron, I hope you don't feel that I am being too foolish about telling you all these things."

Byron answered, "No, I... "

"I know I was too trusting of Ajobis, and that my carelessness got me into deep trouble," Narrie interrupted, and then continued excitedly, "But, I saw you build that Lighthouse! I saw every stone come out of your feet. I saw an ugly horrible machine transformed into a thing of majestic beauty. I just knew it had to be a good thing. And you, when I saw you, I knew you were like me. You were not like Jacobis or Ajobis, or those creepy creatures. You look kind, Byron. You have light in you. I was drawn to your light."

At that point, the orb in Byron's right palm began to glow and it sent a feeling of reassurance throughout his entire body. He sensed he had found a true friend in Narrie and that she could be trusted.

"Wow! Would you look at that!" exclaimed Narrie, as she looked at Byron's right hand again. She gently took Byron's hand in hers and examined the amazing artwork in his palm and on his wrist. "Wow! I wonder if mine is going to do that."

As she turned Byron's hand over, the light from the orb illuminated certain stones in the path up ahead of them. The stones each lit up one after the other starting by their feet and then working their way further down the path.

"I suppose that is another feature of my orb," said Byron. "It looks like that must be the way for us to go."

THE FIRST GATE

As Byron and Narrie continued on their journey, they learned more about each other and started to become quite close friends.

The further they got down the path toward sea level, the more they noticed that the terrain was dramatically changing. It was looking less and less organic and more and more man-made. Cliffs started to look like walls. Trees started to look like pillars and arches. And the path became paved. Soon they found themselves surrounded by what looked like a massive building. The sea was still there slightly below them to their right, but it was the only thing left that looked as though it had any life in it. Everything else was sterile and cold and fabricated and lifeless.

At long last, they rounded a curve in the path, looked up ahead and saw that it finally led to a gate, which was in a wall that completely blocked the path. The only possible way to continue proceeding in that same direction was through the gate, which was about the same shape as the door at the base of Old Oaken, but it was completely flat to the wall and no hinges or latches or knobs or any other type of opening device was visible on it.

"This is odd," said Byron.

"It gives me the creeps," said Narrie. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"But, the lights in the path led this way, right?" said Byron.

"Yes, but it just doesn't feel right to me," said Narrie. "Let's go back."

"Go back!" exclaimed Byron. "Are you serious? We've been walking for hours. No. No way. This must be right."

Byron then started to examine the gate more thoroughly, but to no avail. "Maybe it has something to do with one of my other orbs," he said.

Byron remembered that Ajobis told him the powers of the orbs would be revealed in order of their size, so he took out the medium-sized brown one.

He lifted it up and held it outward toward the gate. Nothing.

He rolled it around and around in his hand... and still nothing.

He looked at Narrie, and said, "Well, Ajobis was a huge liar, right? Let me try the other one."

"You have three?" said Narrie, in amazement. "Wow."

Byron put the brown one back in the pouch and took out the multi-colored one. Suddenly, Byron felt a strong tightening in his chest and he bent over quickly.

"What's wrong?" cried Narrie.

"That was weird," said Byron. "It felt like I just got slammed across my chest. But, I seem to be Ok now."

But, when Byron and Narrie looked back at the gate, it looked completely different.

"Narrie! This is wonderful!" exclaimed Byron. "Look! It's the third orb! Look!"

Byron held up the third orb to show Narrie that the gate had transformed into the same color as the base color of the third orb, (which was the new color he had named 'bliss'). And, just as before, Byron began to laugh out loud and dance with joy.

"Byron! Please! What is going on here?" cried Narrie.

"This is it!" laughed Byron, gleefully. "It is the third orb! This is the way to go. I just know it is!"

"Byron! Calm down, please! Get control of yourself!" shouted Narrie.

Byron was a bit irritated by Narrie's tone of voice, but calmed himself down and tried to explain what he had learned about the third orb. "Narrie, you have never seen this color before, correct?"

"No," answered Narrie.

"Well, neither had I until I saw this orb," explained Byron. "And so I named the new color bliss because of how it made me feel. And now, the whole gate is this color! This must be the way for us to go! I just know there is great joy through this gate!"

"No, Byron. I'm sorry. I can't go through there. It doesn't feel right to me," insisted Narrie.

Byron couldn't believe what he was hearing, so he started to get more irritated. "Narrie, I'm telling you, we need to go through this gate!" ordered Byron.

Narrie's countenance fell and she...

["Did she fall off the cliff, Daddy?" "Shoush! No! That simply means she got a sad look on her face. Keep going, Dad."]

Narrie backed away from Byron and started to make her way backwards on the path from which they had come.

"Narrie! Please! I'm telling you, I know this is right!" urged Byron. "Please don't go! Please. Come with me."

But, Narrie quickly turned and ran away from Byron around the corner of the path.

"Oh, what a stupid stupid girl," said Byron to himself. "I just wish she would have listened to me."

Byron knew it would be of no use to go after her, so he turned and faced the gate, which was still glowing like bliss. He reached his left hand to touch it and immediately his body began to be transformed into the same color, so he started to walk through it. Oddly, he felt a slight sensation from behind him pulling him back the other way, but it was only for a moment and then he was through the gate.

\+ + + + + + +

After Narrie turned around the corner on the path, she quickly took out her orb and became invisible so she could watch what would happen to Byron back at the gate. When she saw him transforming through the gate, she became extremely frightened and ran up to him to stop him. Time was moving slow for her, so she was able to get to him, but not soon enough to prevent him from going through the gate. She was the resistance Byron felt as he was passing through.

Narrie put the orb back into her pocket as she watched the gate become solid again. Now, her only choice was to go back the way they had come. Sadly, the next thing she felt was being grabbed from behind and having her arms tied.

"Do not let her get that orb!" ordered a familiar voice.

Narrie turned to see Ajobis coming down the path toward her. "Well," he sneered. "We meet again. And now I have you both right where I want you."

THE SECOND GATE

Byron was quite excited to go through the gate. He was eager to discover what was on the other side.

But soon, he became quite confused by a thick dark mist that began to form all around him. He could see nothing at all. There was no dark and no light, just a plain gray mist. He blinked his eyes a few times and reached out around him. Then he cautiously took a few steps forward, but he didn't find anything. He tried to go back to where he thought the gate was, but he couldn't find it either.

The entire environment was eerie and unnerving.

He held his hand up in front of his face and didn't see it at all. He tried to turn on his orb light, but nothing, nothing at all. Even the gravity in this place was different. As he started to walk forward, he felt like there was no ground beneath him. He felt like he was walking on a treadmill and making no forward progress at all.

He merely went on and on -- walking and walking and walking. That is all Byron knew he had to do. He simply remembered Jacobis' words, and kept on walking.

Hour after hour, or day after day, Byron had no idea which, he merely walked on, his only companion being his thoughts. He thought about Old Oaken and the many adventures he had in his favorite woods. He thought about his family and about how worried they must be. He thought about Jacobis and Narrie. He thought about Ajobis and the Crusher and the Lighthouse. Finally, he thought about how wrong he was not to listen to what Narrie was telling him about the gate. He always thought he knew what to do, but in this case, he didn't. He began to learn that maybe he didn't have all of the answers after all. Maybe he wasn't as great as he always thought he was. Maybe he was less, much less.

It was a short while after this conversation with himself that he encountered and felt the first tangible object in the horrible gray mist. He walked right into it, like slamming into a wall. And after a bit of exploration he discovered that, as near as he could tell, it was some type of door. But, this particular door was simply hovering in the mist. Byron could feel all around its entire perimeter, including the top and the bottom; and he could feel both the front and the back surfaces. According to Byron's observations, the door was quite small and he figured he would have to bend over a bit to get through it, if he were ever able to figure out how to open it. The door was about a handbreadths thickness, but like everything else in the mist, Byron couldn't see it at all, no matter how close he came to it. At any rate, Byron was certainly thrilled to come into contact with anything after such a long and dreary journey in the mist.

He finally considered that maybe the third orb might possibly open this door like it opened the gate, so he reached into his cloak pocket and took it out. He squeezed the orb in his left hand, but nothing seemed to be happening. So, he put the orb away and took out his pocketknife. Byron could always trust his pocketknife to help him get out of difficult or sticky situations. But, after a long time of careful examination, Byron found nothing on the surface of the door that he could even think of inserting a knife blade into.

Byron started to push on the door, but it was immovable and simply floating there in the mist. He started to pound on it and kick it, but to no avail. Finally, he grabbed it on both sides and started to tap his forehead on it in frustration. "Why, why? What is up with this thing?" he thought. "I'm trapped in this mist, and I know this is the only way out. What is going on here?"

Suddenly, right in front of Byron's eyes, five circles started to appear on the surface of the door. They were arranged in a row of four on the top and one below. Byron instantly recognized it was the same pattern he saw on the latch across the door at the base of Old Oaken. So, he carefully raised his left hand and inserted his fingers into the holes. He could feel a slight clicking movement on his fingertips. Then the door started to turn on a center axis like a revolving door, so Byron quickly took his fingers out and moved back a step or two.

The door merely kept revolving on its own, so Byron decided to take his chances and bend over and step through it. Whatever was on the other side of that door had to be an improvement over the dreadful mist.

As Byron carefully stepped through the door, he was filled with expectation about what he might discover on the other side. But, his excitement waned rapidly as he found himself trapped again in the mist.

"No! No, no, no," he thought. "Am I ever going to get out of here?"

Now, Byron's only traveling companions were sadness and sorrow and gloom. Over and over he thought of being trapped in the nothingness and wandering and wandering nowhere into nowhere. He began to weep and cry and sob profusely. He cried and wailed. Then, he tried to pound his fists on something, but there was nothing there. He cried and cried until he couldn't cry anymore.

He was exhausted and devastated, broken and bankrupt of any sense of himself at all, or any desire for life at all.

Finally, he curled himself up into a ball, and hung onto himself for dear life when one word from a friend came into his mind... "Walk."

So, Byron took a deep breath, mustered a shred of courage and...

["Why did he want mustard, Daddy?" I smiled and answered, "Mustered here means that Byron found and gathered up some courage."]

Byron uncurled himself and began to crawl forward. Then, he got to his feet and slowly put one foot in front of the other and trudged on through the mist.

After again, what seemed like ages... finally, just as before, he bumped into another door. "Oh, no, no, not again," he thought.

But upon further investigation, his spirits lifted slightly because he discovered it was not a door after all. It was a gate. And it was exactly like the first one, except it was floating in the nothingness like the door. And similar to the door, Byron could feel all around every edge of the gate and on both surfaces of it.

Bryon knew he was supposed to go through the gate, so he reached into his pocket for the third orb. Again, he felt the same slam to his chest. Then the gate started to change to the color of swirling bliss, so he reached out his left hand and walked through the second gate.

THE THIRD GATE

Byron was afraid to look. But he did, and thankfully, the mist was gone. What a relief it was to him to be free of the nothingness. He was so happy.

However, after some exploration of his surroundings, he discovered he was in a jail cell with strong iron bars on all four sides. The prison was dark and cold and quiet.

As his eyes became more accustomed to the dark, he saw that he was in a row of similar cells. Then he heard some rustling in the cell next to his, so he walked over to see better. He did hear more rustling, but he couldn't see anything at all, so he lifted his right hand to shine his orb.

Suddenly, he heard, "Byron? Oh, Byron! Byron, I am so glad to see you!"

"Narrie? Is that you, Narrie?" asked Byron, excitedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Narrie, as she became visible again. "I was scared when I heard noise in that cell, so I disappeared."

"Wow! It really is you!" exclaimed Byron. "I am so very very happy to see you and... so so sorry for leaving you, Narrie. I have been such a fool."

But then to his dismay, Byron noticed Narrie was quite beaten up. "What happened to you?" he asked, concerned. "Are you... "

"Oh. I think it must look worse than it is," answered Narrie. "I was captured by Ajobis right after you went through the gate. He's been real mad at me because I won't give him my orb."

"Oh, Narrie, I am so so sorry," said Byron. "All that time I spent in... well, I've been trapped in this horrible nothingness mist for all these days or weeks or however long it has been, and I thought about you a lot, and I really feel bad... "

"Byron," interrupted Narrie. "It was only yesterday that we parted at the gate."

"What?" exclaimed Byron. Then he shook his head, and said, "No. I've been in that mist for ages! I am so confused!"

"Well, you'd better get unconfused, Byron," urged Narrie, "because you walked yourself right into a jail cell. And we have to figure out how to get out of here. I'm sure Ajobis will be back soon with more of his torturous ways to make us give up our orbs."

"Yes of course, you're right," agreed Byron. "Oh Narrie, I am so sorry to see you beaten like this. But... well, we both know it is going to get even worse, right? Ajobis is going to keep on trying to do whatever he can to succeed. We have to be strong."

Byron then began to look around his cell. "Maybe if I transform into my super hard solid body, I can break the cell door lock open," he said.

Byron closed his right fist tightly onto his first orb and his body became as hard as a rock. He walked over to the door and swung down hard on the lock with his fist.

"Ow! Oh ow, wow!" he cried. "Ow, that didn't work at all!"

"Are you alright?" asked Narrie, concerned.

"Yes, but that certainly isn't the way these orb powers work," answered Byron. "Hmmm, maybe if I throw my solid weight at the door, it might break the lock open."

"Are you sure?" cautioned Narrie. "And... you look a little funny. What does your orb do?"

"Oh yes, with this orb I can transform into a super hard body. Even the Crusher had no affect on me when I was solid like this, so I must have some level of damaging ability," reasoned Byron. "Ok... here goes," he said as he backed up and took a running charge at the cell door.

But the door held fast, and Byron bounced backward and fell to the ground. "Oh ow, wow! Not again!" he cried.

"Oh, Byron... " cried Narrie.

Byron stood up and transformed himself back again. "I think I get it," he said. "I think these powers may only be used for preservation or protection or passive things like that. I don't think we can use our orb powers against things. Maybe only in response to some trouble, or maybe as a particular situation might necessitate. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, I do," agreed Narrie. "I think you are probably right."

Then the door at the entrance to the prison swung open with a clash. "What's all the racket in here?" yelled Ajobis.

He looked over and was surprised to see Byron caged in the cell next to Narrie's.

Narrie quickly disappeared.

"Well, well, well, this is my lucky day," said Ajobis, happily. "I knew you were inside the house somewhere, but I had no idea I would discover you neatly tucked away in one of my jail cells. How fortunate for me. Yes, how fortunate, indeed. And, right next door to my other treasure -- the invisible girl. Ha, ha ha! What a lovely day, indeed!"

"What is wrong with you?" shouted Byron, exasperated. "What do you want with us? Why are you doing these mean things to us?"

"Oh, so many questions. So many questions from such a small mind," sneered Ajobis. "So, I suppose I will simply have to show you, will I not?"

Ajobis ordered some creatures to go into Byron's cell, grab him and strap a metal band across his chest. The band had a chain attached to it, which the creatures used to lead Byron out of the cell.

Ajobis walked over to Narrie's cell, and said, "Not to worry, my little friend, your invisibility is meaningless against this," as he pulled a lever that released a net up from the entire cell floor. It rose to the ceiling and then gathered and clasped at the top. "It does not matter to me if you are visible or invisible. I know exactly where you are in my lovely little net -- exactly where I want you."

Ajobis gave orders to a few other creatures, "Get her out and bring them both to the courtroom."

Narrie realized it was no use being invisible, so she reappeared as they dragged her out of the prison in the net. Ajobis led the way as she and Byron were ushered into what looked like a large courtroom. Ajobis took a position at a judge's bench and the creatures put Byron and Narrie in a half-high-walled questioning box in front of Ajobis.

Then a call went out, and about a hundred creatures began to come into the room and seat themselves in rows of benches behind Byron and Narrie. There they were, trapped between Ajobis at his bench and a hundred creepy looking creatures behind them.

"Now, my small-minded boy, you just might get some answers to your stupid questions," sneered Ajobis. "And in the process, I believe you will agree that parting with your precious orbs is truly the most wise action to take."

Some guards then brought in two sorry looking creatures and put them in front of Byron and Narrie. They looked gaunt and mistreated and forlorn.

["Forlorn means sad," said the one in the seat next to mine, in anticipation of a question from the back seat. "Now, keep going, Dad."]

As Byron and Narrie looked around at the creatures seated on the benches, they observed that the majority of them also looked somewhat gaunt and forlorn.

"I will put this simply, so your simple mind can grasp it quickly and we can be on with our business," snapped Ajobis. "There before you is yourself," he said pointing to the two cowering creatures before them.

Byron and Narrie looked puzzled.

"Only they are much wiser than you, and did not allow their friends to be tortured and killed," continued Ajobis.

Ajobis nodded to the guard creatures who raised their whips and struck the two sorry looking creatures, who then screamed out in pain.

"Stop it!" shouted Byron. "What do you think you are doing!"

"I'm trying to show you the error of your ways, my boy!" barked Ajobis. "Now. Give me those orbs!"

Narrie said, "Oh, Byron, don't you see? All of these creatures have given up their orb. This is what happens to you when you give up your orb!"

"Well, I must say, she is a bright one," said Ajobis. "Yes, she deserves a prize."

Ajobis nodded to the guards and the two sorry creatures were whipped again, and cried out in pain all the more.

"No! No! Stop this!" shouted Byron.

"Only you can stop this, you idiot!" screamed Ajobis.

"No!" cried Byron. "You can't do this!"

Ajobis then raised his right hand and the guard creatures pulled out two sharp double-edged swords. Fear fell over the entire courtroom, and most of the creatures turned their heads away. Ajobis slowly lowered his hand, signaling the guards to lift the swords and make them ready to thrust through the two sorry creatures.

"Now!" screamed Ajobis.

But just before the swords could reach their marks, the entire room shook so violently that everything and everyone was knocked over. Huge chunks of rock from the ceiling and walls started crashing down. Everyone in the room was dashing wildly about looking for cover.

Byron quickly squeezed his right hand, transformed into his solid state, picked up Narrie and ran for cover. Huge rocks were falling down and striking Byron, but they were merely bursting to dust when they hit him, and only served to break the band and chain that were across his back.

They ran over next to the wall for cover, and Narrie was screaming in terror as Byron continued to deflect large pieces of the building that were crashing down on them. Suddenly Byron noticed in the wall next to them that a gate started to become visible. It was exactly like the others, so he knew what to do. He grabbed the third orb with his left hand and told Narrie to hold onto him as they dashed through the glistening bliss gate.

THE FOURTH GATE

Byron worked quickly to get Narrie free from the net. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I think so," answered Narrie. "Boy, that sure was crazy!"

"I'll say," agreed Byron. "Wow, what was that all about!"

"I don't know, but I'm sure glad it happened," said Narrie.

They then took a moment to examine their surroundings and discovered they were outside of the dreadful building. It was wonderful to be in fresh air again. The area was still sterile and fabricated, but it looked like they were on the other side of the building. The coast was still off to their right, so they headed toward it to get away from their unpleasant experience in the building.

"I am so glad to be out of that dreadful place," said Narrie. "Let's get out of here."

Byron was removing the last part of the busted up strap from around his chest. Most of it got smashed to pieces on his back between his hard transformed body and the rocks that were falling on him as he was carrying and shielding Narrie.

"I am really happy to be outside, too. And, I would really like to get as far away from here as possible," agreed Byron. "But... "

"But what?" interrupted Narrie.

"Well, unfortunately, I need to go back in there," continued Byron.

"What?" said Narrie, incredulously. "Why on earth would you want to go back in there?"

"Well, I think it is because... well, I have a feeling you were right, and that Ajobis was telling the truth about those creatures," said Byron. "I think they did get that way after they gave away their orbs. I think they used to be like you and I."

"Ewww, I know, but that can't be," cringed Narrie. "They were way too creepy."

"I know, but don't you remember seeing them?" said Byron. "Their reactions made me think... there was something about them that made me think they were once just like us."

"I have to go back in, Narrie. I'm sorry. I have to go back in."

Narrie got a somewhat sad and puzzled look on her face.

So Byron said, reassuringly, "It's Ok. You can continue on your journey to Jacobis, and I will just have to catch up with you later."

"But Byron, you'll be walking into a trap," countered Narrie. "Ajobis will be in there waiting for you."

"Let me show you something else," said Byron.

He reached into the left pocket of his cloak and pulled out the third orb. He held it out in the palm of his left hand, and said, "Look at this. See how this orb has several smaller different colored orbs embedded in it? And, see how three of those smaller orbs are missing, and five are still embedded in the bliss color?"

"Yes," said Narrie.

"Well, take a look at this," said Byron, as he opened his shirt and revealed his bare chest.

"Oh, my!" gasped Narrie.

What she saw were three of the small colored orbs embedded on Byron's chest with some type of tattoo forming around them.

"So, I know I have five more gates to walk through," said Byron. "Every time I walk through a gate, one of these small orbs slams into my chest.

"I have to finish this course, Narrie. I'm sorry."

"Then, I'm coming with you," declared Narrie.

"No! You can't!" insisted Byron. "It will be way too dangerous for you."

"Look, you're not the only one with a conscience, Byron," said Narrie, firmly. "I think you are right. I think maybe those poor creatures might need us. They might be in there begging for someone to come and help them get out of there."

Byron felt such a love for Narrie. He reached out and the two gave each other a strong embrace.

Byron looked Narrie in the eyes, and said, "Let's do this."

They turned around and looked at the gate behind them. "The gate is still glowing, so I think we can go back in," said Byron.

"I'm with you," said Narrie, bravely.

So, Byron closed his fist and the two adventurers went back into the dreadful building.

THE FIFTH GATE

The inside of the building was a mess. At first, Byron and Narrie didn't think they would find anyone still alive. But then they encountered creature after creature and explained to them that they were there to help them get back their orbs.

They gathered quite a sizable following, but some of the creatures, who had been working more closely with Ajobis, were running away from them.

Oddly, all of the creatures seemed to have escaped the earthquake unscathed.

["Is that a good thing, Daddy?" "Yes, unscathed is a good thing," said I. "It means the creatures were not harmed in the earthquake when all of the big rocks were falling from the ceiling and the walls."]

Byron and Narrie didn't find any creatures who were too badly injured. And they all seemed to be helping each other out of the rubble.

As Byron and Narrie worked with the creatures and talked to them about their imprisonment in the building, they were able to ascertain from them where Ajobis stored their orbs. They informed Byron about a large storeroom at one end of the house, so he and Narrie and a large group of creatures headed in that direction.

When they arrived at the entrance, they encountered two massive iron double doors with huge bars across them. It looked like the end of the line, but then, right in the middle of the doors, a bliss colored gate appeared.

"I think I had better go in alone, Narrie," said Byron.

"No. We're in this together," insisted Narrie. "I'm going with you."

"Ok, but turn invisible now and don't let anyone see you until you are absolutely sure you are safe," instructed Byron.

Then Bryon grabbed the third orb, and Narrie grabbed her orb, and the two of them went through the gate while the group of creatures watched in amazement.

THE SIXTH GATE

Narrie was shocked to find she had not passed through the gate at all, but instead, was still there in front of the iron doors surrounded by the creatures, without Byron.

Byron, on the other hand, did pass through the gate and found himself in a large room. As he walked further into the room, he observed that the walls on the left and right were lined with square cubbyholes, each about five by five inches. In each of the cubbyholes was a wooden box.

"You have certainly proven yourself to be quite an extraordinary boy," came the voice of Ajobis from a place in front of Byron and somewhat elevated. "No one has ever been able to enter this room without my permission... at least not without perishing in the process. Yes, there definitely must be something different about you."

Byron suddenly thought of Narrie and wondered if she were in some danger of perishing because of what Ajobis had previously said, so he carefully looked around to see if he could determine her whereabouts.

"What is troubling you, boy?" asked Ajobis, curiously. "Oh, I think I know. It is your little friend. Well, not to worry. If she were here, you would see her. You see, orbs have no power in this room. Go ahead. See for yourself, stone boy."

Byron figured Ajobis was trying to trick him somehow, but he was also concerned that Narrie might be lying hurt at the doorway. Also, as far as Byron knew, Ajobis was unaware that his orbs were embedding themselves into his body, so he reached into his right cloak pocket to act like his orb was in there. He squeezed his right hand and, sure enough, he was not able to transform into his solid body. That was disappointing, but Byron was also quite relieved to know that Narrie was not in danger somewhere in the room.

"Byron, my boy, it appears all of this was meant to be," said Ajobis, thoughtfully. "That is the only logical explanation for all of this. You are meant to be here. We are meant to be partners. We are meant to run this glorious operation together. Do you not see it? It is perfect. You and I together, overseeing all of these magnificent orbs."

Ajobis motioned with his arms to the walls full of cubbyholes, and Byron surmised that the wooden boxes must contain the orbs Ajobis had stolen from the other boys and girls.

"All of their powers will go to us, Byron," Ajobis continued. "All of the powers in all of these orbs will be ours."

"There is only one problem with your plan, Ajobis," said Byron, calmly.

"And what might that be?" asked Ajobis, inquisitively.

"Well," continued Byron. "The problem is I am going to take all of these orbs and give them back to their rightful owners."

Byron then turned around to open the large iron double doors, and tell all of the creatures they were going to get their orbs back.

"That is what you think!" screamed Ajobis, as he pulled a lever next to him.

Suddenly, huge cannons rolled out at the top of the walls and began to fire on Byron. He quickly darted for cover and saw that the only safe place in the room was up on the platform where Ajobis was standing. So, he raced in that direction as cannonball after cannonball nearly hit him, and then pounded on the floor around him.

Ajobis was out of control. He was shrieking like a madman as Byron got closer and closer to him while dodging cannonballs the entire way. (Of course, it would have been much easier for Byron if he could have transformed into his powerful solid body.)

Unfortunately for Ajobis, he was dismayed to see the multiple cannonball shots had caused a huge crack right down the middle of the floor leading to the double doors. The crack got bigger and bigger, and then the entire room shook as the crack went right up the middle of the doors and burst the two of them wide open into the room.

Narrie and the creatures were stunned. After the doors swung open, they looked into the room and saw Byron running up some steps to the higher platform where Ajobis was standing and wildly waving his arms in the air. They all entered the room as the crack worked its way back toward the platform and created a wide cracking gap between Ajobis and Byron.

When Narrie and the creatures got to the center of the room, the shaking increased and wooden box after wooden box burst open. Each orb blasted out of its box and came together with the others in a huge whirlwind in the middle of the room above them. Ajobis watched in terror as each creature gave a victory cry and thrust their right hand into the air. Then, each orb flew out of the whirlwind and traveled to its rightful owner's grasp.

"No!" screamed Ajobis. Then another severe jolt knocked him to his hands and knees.

Byron took a few steps back and then took a running leap to get on the same side of the crack as Ajobis. Just as he landed, the room shook again and Ajobis started to fall down into the deep crack. Byron reached out just in time and grabbed Ajobis' left arm with his right hand.

Byron looked Ajobis in the eyes, and said, "This looks a little familiar, doesn't it?"

"Let me go!" screamed Ajobis.

"Let him go! Let him go!" shouted all of the creatures in the room.

"Let me go, now!" ordered Ajobis. "I'm done with this! I am done!"

Ajobis started to wail and Byron strained to hold on.

Narrie made it up to the other side of the crack opposite from Byron and Ajobis, and screamed, "Byron! Byron, please, be careful! Don't fall! Be careful!"

Then the ground shook again, knocking Narrie down and Byron to his chest as he held fast to Ajobis. Byron strained and strained to hold on.

"Byron!" screamed Narrie.

Byron then noticed a swirling bliss gate was starting to appear way down below Ajobis, so he reached into his left cloak pocket and grabbed the third orb. He looked over at Narrie and gave her a reassuring look, as he deliberately rolled off the edge of the crack while maintaining his firm grip on Ajobis' arm. Narrie watched as her friend and her nemesis fell down into the dark crack.

THE SEVENTH GATE

From Narrie's vantage point on the other side of the crack, she was the only one who saw that Byron and Ajobis had fallen into one of the bliss gates at the bottom of the crack. All of the creatures assumed they had fallen to their deaths. And, while they were sad that Byron had fallen, their sadness was easily replaced by the joy they felt over the end of their enemy and the return of their orbs.

When Narrie looked out over the room below her from the cracked platform, the sight was quite shocking. All of the creatures were in the process of reverting back to who they were before they gave away their orbs to Ajobis. They were part scrawny gaunt emaciated ugly creatures, and part...

["What does emace-atated mean, Daddy?" "Emaciated... and it means they were all sick and shriveled up and starved looking," said the one in the seat next to mine. "Keep going, Dad."]

Narrie made her way down to the creatures, who each were now starting to become a combination of creature and boy or girl. It was an amazing sight, and Narrie was quite taken and overwhelmed by it all. There was much going on because the transformation from creature to boy or girl was in various stages. Some were almost completely restored and others had merely begun. There were shouts of joy here and there and many were in the process of re-acquainting themselves with the powers of their obs. Some were flying around the room. Some were turning into puffs of smoke. Some were bouncing around like rubber balls. It was a truly amazing sight.

Narrie felt as though she were a nurse in a large room full of soldiers who were wounded in a battle. She was moving from one person to another trying to help them in any way she could. It was interesting to her because she felt quite at home in doing so. To her, it was like a special calling and not burdensome at all. Instead, it was invigorating. She felt energized and completely herself as she ministered to the needs of her new friends.

As Narrie and the transforming creatures made their way back through other parts of the building, they noticed that it also was being transformed. Much of the ugliness and darkness was being replaced by beauty -- much like when the Crusher was being replaced by the Lighthouse.

The guard creatures were experiencing the worst of it. Narrie learned from some of the boys and girls that the guard creatures were in reality boys and girls who didn't even want their orbs in the first place. They had no interest in them and gladly gave them to Ajobis. They also gladly served him in his greedy and cruel endeavors to get orbs away from other boys and girls. Narrie was warned to be wary of them and to keep her distance.

Narrie found that concept quite difficult to process. She could not even imagine not being interested in her orb. It was a part of her. It gave her great joy. It gave her purpose. And, the more she thought about it, the more determined she became to help the guard creatures see the beauty of their orbs. (One of the guards, Cotler, was a particularly difficult and interesting case, but we don't have time here to go into his story.)

\+ + + + + + +

Byron opened his eyes. He was flat on his back. Above him he saw a deep blue sky punctuated by twinkling stars. He sat up and saw a fire burning a short distance away from him. It looked like a campfire, so he got all the way up and started to walk over to it. The fire was encircled by a low bench, and as Byron got closer, he saw the area all around the fire seemed to be lit by a focused spotlight above it. He looked up, but there was no light to be seen. Rather, it was as if the light was coming from the ground and then streaming upward like the shining of a large powerful searchlight.

On the other side of the circular bench sat Ajobis motionless and staring quietly into the fire.

"How long have I... " but then Byron stopped speaking, having remembered that time seemed to be calculated entirely differently in his innereal world.

Byron was strangely at peace in his enemy's presence. He considered the fact that he had obviously been lying unconscious on the ground at least long enough for Ajobis to hurt him, or even kill him, if that were his intent. And also, Ajobis had a rather peaceful and contemplative look on his face, as if he had been sitting there staring at the fire for a long long time.

"These are called Circouncilars," said Ajobis, quietly. "I have never sat in on one before, but I have witnessed a few that my father sat in on, when I was young."

Byron sat down on the bench and Ajobis looked over at him. "This one is for you and I," he said. "You would not have been able to sit, if it were not. Only those who have deep issues to resolve between them are able to sit at a Circouncilar."

Byron then noticed the fire really wasn't a fire at all. It was more like a glowing. It was shaped like a fire and flickered like a fire, but it didn't look as though it was consuming anything, like wood.

"Are you hungry?" offered Ajobis.

"Actually, yes, now that you mention it, I am famished," answered Byron.

Ajobis broke a flat piece of bread in half and handed a half to Byron. When Byron ate it, he was amazed at how delicious and satisfying it was.

"I have been such a fool, Byron. A terrible terrible foolish fellow," said Ajobis, quietly. "I must first ask for your forgiveness for the absolutely horrible way I treated you. I am so very very sorry for what I have done to you."

Byron had seen Ajobis lie before and he knew he was good at it, but there was no doubt in his mind now that Ajobis was telling the truth. His entire countenance was different. He almost looked like an entirely different person.

"You are only a boy, but you are already a much better man than I, Byron," said Ajobis. "You handled yourself courageously and honorably. I greatly admire you.

"I wanted to be like you. When I started down this path, I thought I was like you, but I was not. And the more I realized I was not, the more I hated myself. I worked so diligently at deceiving myself into thinking it was going to work. I worked tirelessly to make it work, even though I knew deep down inside of me that, eventually, it was not going to work at all.

"Byron, I have been pushing and pushing and pushing against a wall, and finally, the wall has come crashing down on me. It is over. I am done. I am through pushing. It is no good. I am broken. I am bankrupt. I am dust."

Byron felt like he should say something, but no words came to his mind.

"The path before me is fairly clear, Byron," continued Ajobis. "I must ask forgiveness from all whom I have hurt, and endeavor to make amends.

"And, I must return to my father and do the same with him." Ajobis paused and sighed deeply. "I hurt him deeply when we parted ways. I insulted him. I disgraced him. I robbed him of some of his prized possessions. I... "

Ajobis began to weep.

Byron felt a great sense of compassion well up inside him. He moved over next to Ajobis and put his right arm around his shoulders. The orb in his right hand began to glow a bit.

"Well, I suppose you can begin with me," said Byron, tenderly. "I forgive you, Ajobis."

The fire from the Circouncilar started to diminish, and a swirling bliss gate began to appear in the center of it. The fire remained burning in its diminished capacity while the gate took form in the midst of it.

"I have two more of these to go through," said Byron, as he rubbed his chest. "And, I'm pretty sure you are supposed to go through this one with me."

Byron stood up, grabbed the third orb and held out his right hand to Ajobis. "Shall we?" he invited.

THE EIGHTH GATE

The ongoing transformation of the dreadful building was spectacular. The change was as dramatic as the difference between the Crusher and the Lighthouse. There were lovely banquet halls and adjoining fully functioning kitchens. There were recreational rooms, libraries, art galleries, healing facilities, performing arts theaters -- simply everything, it would seem, that nourishes and uplifts life.

Narrie was thrilled and excited to explore it all, while she was also caring for the creatures who were healing and being restored to their original condition. She was making many new friends and automatically assuming a position of leadership among them. They looked up to her as a stronger person who did not give up her orb. But, some of the guard creatures were aloof about it all and...

["What is a loof, Daddy?" was the backseat question. "Is it like a loaf?" I laughed and answered, "Aloof means the guards didn't really care about what was going on in the building and with the other people around them. They simply wanted to keep to themselves and not be bothered."]

Initially, the guards were staying at a distance, but after a while, most of them came around and joined in with what the others were doing. (Cotler was the one with the biggest issue, but again, that is another story.)

It was into this environment of amazing restoration and healing that Byron and Ajobis entered. Narrie was sitting quietly by herself enjoying the view from one of the balconies when a swirling bliss gate appeared in the wall next to her and Byron and Ajobis walked through it toward her.

Narrie ran over and gave Byron a big hug, and said, "Oh, Byron! Byron! It is so great to see you! I just knew you would... Oh, I just knew you were... Oh, I'm just so happy to see you!"

Narrie's joy over seeing Byron blocked out the fact that Ajobis was standing there right behind him. Her emotions changed dramatically when she finally realized he was there. She backed away stiffly from them both, and said, "What happened? Why is he here?"

"Ajobis has had a change of heart, Narrie," answered Byron. "It's really quite amazing."

Byron then finally looked around and noticed the surroundings. "Where are we?" he asked Narrie.

But before she could answer, Ajobis said, "I can tell you where we are. And that will also serve to help you understand that I indeed have had a change of heart. A complete overhaul, actually. As much of an overhaul as what you see around you, Narrie.

"I am sure you are quite amazed at how the dreadful building I dragged you into and imprisoned you in has become this lovely magnificent warm and inviting mansion. Well, that is what has also happened in my heart. I am no longer that nasty mean cruel liar. That is all behind me now. I was wrong, horribly wrong. I have hurt so many... I have ruined... I have lost... "

Ajobis took a deep breath, and continued, "Narrie, will you please forgive me for what I did to you? I am so very sorry for how I lied to you and mistreated you. And, I feel the same way about all of the others also. I intend to seek forgiveness from each and every one of them, and to make amends in whatever way I can."

"I have forgiven him, Narrie," said Byron. "And, now I consider him a friend who I have gained in my journey."

Narrie shook her head, and said, "I don't know how they're going to take it. They were pretty thrilled to see you fall, and there has been much talk about how mean and deceptive you were so, I don't know."

"Well, I am going to try," said Ajobis, with somber conviction. "Will you please get the word out for them to assemble in the great hall? You can go ahead and tell them we did not die, and that I have had a change of heart, and that I intend to seek their forgiveness. I want to be as transparent as possible, without even the slightest hint of deception. I am done with that. It nauseates me now.

"Then we will simply have to let the chips fall where they may."

Narrie went throughout the mansion calling a meeting in the great hall. The word spread quite quickly. This was some juicy news and everyone, well, almost everyone, wanted to find out what had happened.

Ajobis instructed Byron how to set up the hall so he could address everyone most efficiently. They set up chairs in a semi-circle of rows, so they could see each other and Ajobis, who would seat himself in the center of the semi-circle.

Ajobis and Byron sat quietly as the hall filled. There were buzzing conversations and much staring in wonderment. An air of expectation filled the room. Narrie went up to where Ajobis and Byron were and sat down with them as a hush fell over the room.

Ajobis then stood up and began talking, "The first and foremost thing I want to do right now is to ask for your forgiveness. It is the first thing and it is the most important thing. I have done terrible and hateful things to each one of you, and I am terribly sorry and painfully regret every lie I ever told to you and every mean thing I ever did to you. All of it... every single bit of it. I am so very very sorry for hurting you all."

A buzz started to make its way across the room, and then Ajobis continued, "I know mere words can be empty, so I secondly want you all to know I intend to make amends to each one of you in any way I can. I do not know exactly how, but I will try. I ruined your lives, and I made a huge mess of mine, but I will try... well, I...

"Well, I see you all have your orbs back and that is a truly wonderful sight. You are all also looking so healthy and vibrant again. And, this house is back to the way it used to be and was intended to be. And... "

"And what, you old liar!" said an angry voice from the back row. Cotler stood up, and continued, "Why don't you tell us what you're really going to do, you liar? That's all you ever did to us, lie, lie, lie. Well, I don't believe a word of it. And, I'm not going to be fooled by you again."

Cotler stepped forward, and continued, "I'm taking things into my own hands. You told me that all of this was going to be mine someday, and that is what I fully intend to make happen. Orbs or no orbs, I... "

Narrie interrupted, "Cotler, please... we have talked about this. Can't you see that way of thinking is in the past? This is all new now. You can't go back to that."

Cotler began to address the crowd, "Are you all really going to believe this pack of lies, and that pack of liars? Are they one of us? No! Have they been through what we have been through? No! They sit there, lying through their teeth, just waiting to trick us again. For their own gain, or their own sick pleasure, or whatever, just like before. Well, I'm not buying it. I tell you I'm calling the shots now. And I'm taking over around here."

The room then erupted with pockets of conversation here and there, and a few bursts of shouting in support of one position or the other. Things were rapidly getting out of control until a bright light flashed into the room. Everyone instantly became quiet and still and looked at Byron, who had his right arm raised in the air with the orb in the lighthouse shining forth brightly.

"Everyone please calm down and listen to one more thing," said Byron, calmly and firmly. So, everyone sat back down and gave him their attention. "Here's the deal -- we always have had, and always will have the capability to make our own choices. We have made all our own choices up to this point and we will make all our own choices moving forward in the future. So, please simply follow your heart. And, make sure you are feeding your heart with the right things, so when you do follow it, it will lead you the right way.

"Look, Cotler can do whatever he wants to do. Ajobis can do whatever he wants to do. I can, Narrie can, and you can, too. Just follow your heart and keep walking."

Cotler then stormed out of the room, and a few others followed him. Others began to talk amongst themselves in small groups here and there.

Narrie said to Byron, "Oh Byron, you're right, of course, and they'll get it. It's what we have been working on, really, since this whole restoration began. They're all like new babies who are learning how to trust again. It's going to take time. Even Cotler will come around. I've been working with him and even he has his rare good moments."

"It's true what he said, Narrie," said Ajobis. "I did promise him all of this. I was going to have him take it all -- the house and all of the powers of the orbs -- everything. It was all going to be his for serving me so diligently. He is a tough case. There is a lot of trouble brewing in that boy." (Which proved to be true because, at that very moment... )

Suddenly, the side door flew open and slammed against the wall, and Cotler rushed in and threw a spear at Ajobis. Byron quickly lifted a chair and deflected it away. But there were more coming.

Fortunately, Byron looked behind him and saw that a swirling bliss gate was starting to appear. So, he quickly grabbed the third orb, and said to Ajobis and Narrie, "Come on!" Then, he took their arms and all three of them rushed through the gate.

THE PARTING

"I have been such a fool," said Ajobis. "Oh, the powers of the orbs are so magnificent when they are used the way they are intended to be used! What a stupid stupid fool I have been."

Ajobis was saying this as he and Byron and Narrie were collecting themselves on the other side of the gate. Byron and Narrie soon realized they were in the exact same location where they had been before, after the earthquake and escaping through the third gate.

"We're on the other side again," said Narrie.

"Yes," confirmed Byron.

"So, your orb actually did beat my Crusher," said Ajobis, in amazement.

"Uh, yes," said Byron, quizzically.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Ajobis. "Truly amazing! I had no idea they could be so fantastic! I have been such a fool."

"Ok, Ok, we get it," said Narrie.

"Yes, but I was so wrong," continued Ajobis. "Their powers are way stronger and way more magnificent than I had ever imagined."

"You should see the Lighthouse," said Narrie.

"Lighthouse?" asked Ajobis. "What Lighthouse?"

"Byron transformed the Crusher into an amazingly beautiful Lighthouse," Narrie clarified.

"Really?" exclaimed Ajobis. "I need to see it! I need to see it, right now!"

"Hold on. Hold on!" said Bryon. "Man, settle down a bit. We have to figure this out and decide what we're supposed to do next."

"Oh yes, yes. You are correct, of course," agreed Ajobis. "It is just that I am so excited. It has been a long long time since I have felt this way."

"Ok, well, just calm down a bit," said Byron. "We have to get situated here and plan what we are going to do next."

Narrie looked over at Bryon and smiled, and said, "I have to go back in."

"What?" said Byron, shocked.

"I have to go back in there. They need me," continued Narrie. "We were really making some progress. Healing was happening all over. It was magnificent, really, such a great and rewarding and satisfying experience. I have to go back in there. They need me."

"You are such an amazing girl, Narrie," said Byron, as he gave her a big hug. "I am so thankful to be your friend. Your heart is golden. You are a true treasure."

"Oh, Byron," she said. "You are the amazing one."

"Well, we have both been given amazing opportunities, haven't we," answered Byron.

"Yes, we have," Narrie agreed.

"Well, I also know where I have to go," added Ajobis. "I have to return to my father."

"And, I am still on my journey to Jacobis," said Byron. "So, we all seem to know where we are headed."

Byron took Narrie's hands into his, and said, "Narrie, I hope to see you again. And, I wish you the best on the journey ahead of you."

Byron then put his hand on Ajobis' shoulder, and said, "It has also been quite an adventure knowing you. And, I also wish you well on your journey. I hope your father will be understanding and receive you back into the family."

"I have a bit of a confession to make to both of you," said Ajobis, seriously. "You see," he said, as he gestured to the building, "This is my father's house. Many years ago, I banished him from it. And then, I transformed it into the horrid and awful torture chamber it was when you first entered it. Thankfully, it is now back to its original grand and glorious condition."

Byron and Narrie were shocked.

"Where did he go?" asked Narrie.

"Well, I think I know," answered Ajobis. "And, I... well... I... well, Byron and I are actually going to the same place... because Jacobis is my father."

Byron and Narrie were dumbstruck. They had no idea what to say. But as they thought about it, it did make some sense. Jacobis and Ajobis were almost identical in appearance and, well... still, Byron and Narrie were quite shocked to hear this revelation.

Finally, Narrie said, "Well then, that settles it. You two are going that way." And she pointed down the coast of the sea. "And, I am going back in."

"Yes, I suppose that does settle it," agreed Byron.

So, the three of them embraced and exchanged their final goodbyes.

Narrie then turned and started to walk around the house to look for an entrance, and Byron and Ajobis headed down the path toward the sea.

THE WAY

Byron and Ajobis were enjoying a beautiful day as they walked together down the path toward the sea.

"I feel a little guilty about how excited I am right now," confessed Ajobis quietly, as they walked. "I know I clearly do not deserve to be so happy... because of all the pain and suffering that I thrust upon so many innocent victims... like you. But, the thought of seeing my father again keeps pushing all of that away and rising up in my mind... and... but then, I am not really sure how that meeting is going to go. I hurt him deeply, Byron... I... I do not know how he will react when he sees me. I am so ashamed... so ashamed, in fact, that part of me wants to turn around right now and run the other way. But, I know this feeling is coming from my old cowardly self, raising up its ugly head.

"And, I suppose this is where the beauty of this entire experience becomes apparent. If I did not know my ugly hideous cowardly self, I do not think I could appreciate the small amount of real good that remains in me. I really do wish all of this had never happened, but then, if it had not, I might not... well... I... well, I know one thing for sure -- I have never ever felt such a strong and deep love for my father. I want to see his face again. I want to fall at his feet and beg for his forgiveness and tell him how much I love him."

Byron didn't say anything. He knew this kind of deep deep soul baring required a long period of silence before he could even begin to comprehend it.

As they walked along in silence, Byron did start to wonder again about the light of day without a sun. He saw light and he felt radiant warmth, but there was no sun in the sky.

Ajobis then continued, "Although it was all extremely horrible and heinous and painful, I suppose I would not be who I am without having gone through it all. I should be thankful I did not perish in the process. I certainly should have. But, now I sense a more honorable purpose for my existence. I am determined to make good of everything I ruined, and to try to heal everyone whom I damaged. I will now devote my life to serving others and building beauty and honoring my father and... and, being a blessing instead of a curse."

After some more silent progress down the path, Ajobis asked, "How about you, Byron? What have you learned on your journey thus far?"

"Well, that is part of what I have been thinking about as we have been walking," answered Byron. Then he stopped and opened up his shirt to show Ajobis the orb tattoo which had formed on his chest.

"My, my, my! That is extraordinary!" exclaimed Ajobis.

"I know," agreed Byron, heartily. "Every time I went through a gate, one of the small colored orbs from inside the main orb would embed itself into my chest," explained Byron. "Starting with the red and going through the colors of the rainbow to indigo. And then, the one at the top center was last. It is the new color I discovered, which surrounded all of the other smaller orbs in the main orb."

Ajobis also noticed the intricate tattoo that entwined in and around and between the eight small orbs embedded in Byron's chest. It was a bliss colored vine that was dimensional and animated like Byron's first tattoo. The vine seemed to be ever growing little leaves and curling vines, but it never increased in size. It would simply produce this new growth and then the previous leaves and vines would fade away while the continuous new growth proceeded. The vine didn't look solid, but rather, somewhat transparent and seemed to be made of a vapor-like mist.

Ajobis was intrigued by the pattern that the orbs made as they laid down on Byron's chest. There was a row of three at the top that were set apart the widest, then below them was a row of two that were directly below the two spaces created by the row above it, then one below them directly below the space that the two above it created, then lastly, a row of two more below it that were directly below the other row of two.

The row of three at the top were colored from left to right as red, bliss and orange; then the next row of two were colored yellow and green; then the single one was blue; and then the last two were purple and indigo.

The growing vine was one piece with ends at the upper left and upper right orbs. It wound down and up and, looping around in a symmetrical way, it encircled the top and bottom rows, leaving the middle three not encircled, but rather passing between them.

"Fascinating! Absolutely fascinating!" exclaimed Ajobis. "There must be some type of messaging system in this arrangement. I can see many patterns already in this arrangement. Truly, truly fascinating, indeed!

"And, you say this was the smallest of your three orbs?" he asked, as he looked back up at Bryon.

"Yes," answered Byron, as he closed back up his shirt and repositioned his cloak. "I have yet to discover anything about the middle-sized brown orb."

"That in itself is also unusual," said Ajobis, thoughtfully. "They usually go in order of size. I wonder... "

"Maybe it had something to do with the need for your restoration," suggested Byron. "I mean, that certainly was one of the major outcomes of this whole adventure. Maybe there was some urgency about that."

"That is a good sound speculation, my boy," agreed Ajobis. "Yes, you certainly are quite a remarkable boy."

As they continued to walk toward the coast, Ajobis said, "So, what were you thinking about this adventure? What are some of your conclusions about all of this?"

"Well, there were eight orbs and eight gates, so I think there were eight different, yet connected, lessons I learned. It's like the tattoo, they are separate, yet connected by the vine. Anyway, the first lesson I learned was humility. I should have listened to Narrie, but I was pigheaded and thought that my way was the way to go and... well, I should have been more humble. Maybe then I would have been more open to listen to her.

"Then, I think the second lesson I definitely learned was about sorrow. I was trapped in a miserable horrible mist for what seemed like ages and I was in deep deep despair. But, then I also learned the flip side of that sorrow, and I was hugely comforted when I finally was delivered from it and saw Narrie again.

"After that, I think I would call the lesson self-control because I really wanted to use my power to bash through those jail cells and rescue Narrie... and then also bash you to pieces in the process."

"Oh, my," gasped Ajobis.

"Well, I was angry at you for being so mean to me and for hurting Narrie, and... "

"Yes, yes, I know," interrupted Ajobis.

"And then," continued Byron, "when Narrie and I escaped, I really wanted to leave. So, maybe that is the fourth lesson because I really did want to leave, but it didn't seem like that was the right thing to do. I kept thinking about all of those poor creatures back in that dreadful building and wondering if it were true what you said about them. So, I think the fourth lesson is simply doing what you think is right.

"Then, the fifth lesson seemed quite obvious to me as I thought about it. It was mercy. I had every right to let you be destroyed by falling down into that huge crack, but I couldn't to it. I had to help you."

"Yes, and I am most thankful to you for that lesson," said Ajobis.

Byron continued, "I am a bit ashamed of the sixth lesson because... well, I wanted those orbs." Byron looked down. "I knew the powers of my two orbs. Then I thought about having all of them and... well, it was quite tempting."

"I know exactly how you feel, Byron, believe me," said Ajobis.

"It was a strong selfish feeling," confessed Byron. "I wanted that power and I wanted Narrie to think I was something great. I wanted to be... I just... I was just feeling so greedy. I wanted what I wanted and was trying to figure out how I could make it all mine. So, I think the next lesson was about selfishness. And, I never want to go back to that one, ever. No way. It was a creepy feeling.

"The next lesson had to do with the things I learned at the Circouncilar with you."

"Yes, that had quite a profound affect on me as well," agreed Ajobis.

"I really hated you, but all the honesty that was coming from you melted away all of my hatred. And, I remembered something my father told me once when he was helping me to deal with some bullying I was encountering from a few neighborhood boys. He told me to always remember something \-- hurt people hurt people. Well, that one simple saying helped me to work through the problem I was having with those boys. I started to imagine why they were being so mean. Then, they must have sensed this new compassion I had for them because they simply stopped bothering me. One of them befriended me, and we were able to talk about what was going on with him and me and why we seemed to be at odds with each other.

"Anyway, my heart began to be at peace about you and forgiveness started to rush in where all the hatred was. So, I think that lesson was to look for compassion toward your enemies and pursue ways to make peace with them.

"So then, I think we are on number eight as far as lessons go. And the last thing I think I learned was to believe I know the right thing to do and to stick with it, even if I am being hotly opposed. I know there will always be someone who will not see things the way I do and will try to prevent me from standing for my position, but I have to endure their attacks and do what I know to be the right thing."

"Even when the attacks come in the form of a spear flying at you, right?" said Ajobis.

"Yes, that's right," agreed Byron.

"You know, I could not help but notice how often you used the word 'way' while you were talking," said Ajobis. "That particular word seems to be very appropriate because, in essence, you were describing a 'way' of living. You learned many lessons about how to be truly content or at peace in the midst of all types of circumstances. I think you learned the 'way of bliss.' This is why the base color of your third orb is that color and why the vine on your tattoo is that color. And, I believe, that is why the vine makes the shape of the letter W for 'way.'

Byron had not noticed that the tattoo formed the letter W on his chest, because he was looking at the tattoo upside down. To him, it looked more like the letter M. But he was quite satisfied with Ajobis' assessment. He figured that was a good way to think of it all -- the Way of Bliss.

By now, Byron and Ajobis had arrived at sea level and were walking along the coast.

"We are almost there," said Ajobis. "I am quite nervous about seeing my father. I do not quite know what to expect."

THE ACCIDENT

When Byron first noticed it from a distance he couldn't tell what it was, but when he and Ajobis got closer and closer, he knew it was Old Oaken he saw up ahead in the distance. Byron quickened his pace, but Ajobis slowed down slightly because he was both eager and hesitant at the same time.

Byron knew Old Oaken so well that, even from a distance, he could see certain formations in the branches and recognized the way the massive trunk rose up from its roots out of the ground. But, when he was right there standing next to it, he saw it was not Old Oaken at all. It was quite similar to Old Oaken, but this tree was definitely different. Byron then realized it couldn't be Old Oaken anyway because that tree was back in his real world. This tree was his innereal version of Old Oaken. But either way, he was thrilled to be standing next to it.

The tree stood majestically in a sprawling flat grassy area. There were no other trees or even bushes around it, merely a few flowering plants surrounding the trunk. Byron looked over to his right and saw the rocky shore of the water about 100 yards away. It was a beautiful sight, with waves crashing and little tide pools here and there.

Ajobis finally caught up with Byron at the tree.

"Where is he?" asked Byron. "Is he here?"

"Well, he should be, but I do not see any sign of him," answered Ajobis. "I suppose we will have to wait here until he returns."

"Is this where he lives?" asked Byron.

"It is more like this is where he exists," explained Ajobis. "You see, we need the tree. We cannot exist without it. We come to it to get our life energy -- to get re-charged. We are different types of beings than you, Byron, as I am sure you have already learned. This is merely one of the ways we are different.

"You also might be interested to know another odd thing about us is that our trees are always adjacent to bodies of water, which happens to be quite dangerous for us because we cannot swim. We are dense beings and therefore, we sink like lead. Just imagine trying to swim if you were made of lead. It would not work too well. So, we get our life from the tree, but at the same time, a potential for death is always nearby."

"Wow," said Byron, looking around. "This place is so amazing!"

Byron was quite intrigued by the tree, and asked Ajobis if it would be alright if he climbed it while they were waiting for Jacobis to return.

"Yes, yes of course, please do," assured Ajobis. "The tree actually thrives on that."

Byron was thrilled to be back at one of his all time favorite activities -- climbing trees.

"Maybe I can look out and see if Jacobis is coming when I get to the top," he called out to Ajobis from about halfway up.

"That sounds like a good idea," said Ajobis, but he was still apprehensive about the reunion with his father.

[From the backseat, a question started, "What does... ?" "Apprehensive means really worried or uneasy," came the explanation from the one in the seat next to mine. "Now, keep going, Dad. What happened next?"]

As Byron was making his way further up the tree, Ajobis noticed some tracks in the ground leading to the sea, so he started to follow them.

While climbing, Byron noticed this tree and Old Oaken were duplicates of each other. All of the branches were in the same place, except for the one he had accidently snapped off, which had eventually become his walking stick. On this tree it was still right there in place and unbroken. He started to tell Ajobis about his observations, but noticed he was now down by the rocky shore. So, Byron kept climbing to the top to take a look around.

The view was spectacular. He thought he could even see, way off in the distance, Jacobis' house where Narrie was. He looked around and saw ranges of beautiful mountains that made him remember how much Narrie loved the beauty of this place.

He paused for a while and thought about what a great friend Narrie was and how nice it would be to see her again. He strongly hoped their paths would cross again in the future.

As Byron looked out over the landscape, he didn't see any signs of Jacobis. Then, as he turned and continued to survey the area around him, he looked out toward the sea, but he didn't see Ajobis anywhere, either. He looked from side to side and then back down at the base of the tree, but still didn't see him anywhere. He called out several times to see if Ajobis was merely out of sight by the rocks, but there was no answer, nothing at all. This really worried Byron, so he began to quickly climb back down the tree to find out if anything was wrong.

When he came to the same 'walking stick' branch on this tree, it snapped under his weight and he fell the rest of the way down to the ground.

Byron was dazed and in a fair amount of pain from the fall, but he was too concerned about Ajobis to stop and even think about it. He ran as fast as he could to the area by the rocks where he had last seen Ajobis. He called and called for him, hoping to see him simply looking around in the pools, but there was no answer, merely the constant lapping of small waves against the rocks.

Byron knew what he had to do. He dove into the sea to try to determine if Ajobis had fallen in. He swam around and looked here and there and finally saw something on the bottom, but it was too deep for him to swim to it. He came back up for air and then tried to swim down again, but he couldn't make it. It was too deep. He desperately tried one more time and got close enough to determine it was, indeed, Ajobis lying there on the bottom of the sea.

Byron panicked. He knew he had to do something to rescue Ajobis. And, he knew he had to do it quick. But, all he could think of was to take a few deep breaths and try again, which he knew was not going to work. Then, mostly by instinct, Byron reached into his right cloak pocket and grabbed the second orb, which turned out to be the perfect solution.

Instantly, Byron felt his body transforming and he saw shafts of light and heard the tinkling sound in his ears. Amazingly, he started to become one with the water, so he dove down and soon discovered he didn't even need to hold his breath. He could breathe under the water, and he was amazingly strong in it. Through the power of the second orb, Byron had transformed into a liquid. He became one with the sea, and he had an incredibly powerful ability to function within it.

Byron didn't waste any time. He swam down to where Ajobis lay on the bottom of the sea, grabbed him and started to take him back up to the surface. Ajobis was indeed heavy, as he had explained, but Byron had no trouble retrieving him, getting him out of the water and then back up on the flat grassy area.

Unfortunately, Ajobis was totally unconscious and Byron could not wake him up, no matter how hard he tried.

"Ajobis! Ajobis!" cried Byron. "No! No! This can't be! Please! Please wake up! Please!" As Byron knelt sobbing at Ajobis' side, his body transformed from the liquid state back to his normal body. Byron raised his arms in the air, and cried, "Please!"

Suddenly, the second orb darted and hovered at arm's length in front of him. It suddenly burst into two halves where the clear separation was and sparks flew out as one half circled around him to his right and the other half circled around him to his left. Then they came quickly back together and sandwiched Byron's left hand between them.

Byron winced a little at the brief pain and tightness where they embedded themselves into his left hand. Then, he watched in amazement again as a tattoo started to be drawn in his left palm. This time, it was a tree, like Old Oaken. Roots began at his wrist. Then the trunk went up through the middle of his hand and the branches went out through his fingers. Then something like the shape of a vase started to appear in the middle of the trunk of the tree where one half of the orb was. Soon, a crystal clear fluid started to rise up and out toward the ends of every branch of the tree. Byron felt his fingers being drawn together at the tips as if he were making a goosehead-like hand shadow. Instinctively, he pointed his fingertips down and aimed them right above Ajobis' mouth. Liquid from the vase poured out into Ajobis' mouth. It was a completely amazing experience and Byron was electrified by everything that was happening to him.

After a few moments, Byron was surprised and overjoyed to see Ajobis regain consciousness, blink his eyes a few times and then start to breathe again.

"Ajobis! Oh, Ajobis! Ajobis, you're alright!" cried Byron.

"My, oh my! Yes, I am," said Ajobis, as he blinked his eye, shook himself a little and started to sit up. "What happened?"

"It was amazing! Look!" exclaimed Byron, as he showed Ajobis the new tree tattoo in his left palm.

"It is the tree," said Ajobis.

"Yes! Water poured out of it... and it woke you up!" said Byron, excitedly.

"That is our energy, Byron," explained Ajobis. "You have our energy in your hand."

"And, it transforms me into water!" added Byron. "I could swim without air! And I felt so strong in the water!"

The two reveled in the experience for a few more moments and then began to collect their composure. Byron then asked, "What happened? Why did you go into the water?"

"It all happened so fast," said Ajobis. "I was following some tracks that led to the rocks and the further I went, the more worried I became that my father had walked to the water and had fallen in. When I got to the edge, I hesitantly and carefully looked into the water and saw him lying there on the bottom. At least, I thought I saw him, but it must have been my own reflection in the water. I think my desire to embrace him caused me to move forward... and then, I fell in."

"That must have been frightening," said Byron.

"It was, but we are taught from a young age that, if we ever get into water, we must simply yield to it and sink because there is nothing we can do about it," explained Ajobis. "But, it is a good thing you could do something about it. Thank you, Byron. Thank you for saving my life."

"But, you were... well, I got you out of the water, but you were... well, it was the water out of my hand that revived you. It was amazing," said Byron.

"Amazing indeed," agreed Ajobis.

Byron and Ajobis shared a brief embrace. Then they went back to the tree, shared a meal and settled down for a restful sleep as the night replaced the day.

THE REUNION

Early the next day, before it became light, Ajobis quietly arose while Byron was still asleep. He gathered his things together and left Byron a note, which simply read: Stay here. I will return shortly.

He then continued past the tree further down the path along the coast because he knew of another tree in that direction where he thought he might find his father.

He also wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a while. So much had happened since he parted from his father, and all of the recent events in his life were still reeling in his mind. He wanted to sort things out and he didn't want any distractions in his mind that would take away from the moment he was so looking forward to -- the moment when he would see his father again.

The light dawned on a beautiful day as Ajobis walked. It was alive with sights and sounds and smells he had pushed out of his life for many many years. Now, they were returning and invigorating his being.

["What does that mean?" came a question from the backseat. "It means all those things were re-charging his dead battery. He was getting all pumped up with the beauty in the world around him," said I.]

Ajobis enjoyed his contemplative walk all the way through midday and on into late afternoon. Then, he began to see the tree up ahead in the distance. His destination was near and a wide variety of emotions began to stir inside him.

He finally saw what he had come for. Off in the distance, he could see the figure of his father leaning peacefully up against the trunk of the tree and watching the day turn to dusk.

Ajobis paused for a few moments in anticipation of the uncertain circumstances he was about to encounter.

Off in the distance, Jacobis sensed his son's presence before he saw him, so he turned his head and looked down the long path. When he saw Ajobis, joy filled every part of his being. He stood straight up, and then started to run up the path toward him.

Ajobis didn't know what to think, as he dropped to his knees and began to weep.

"Ajobis! Oh, Ajobis! It is you, my son!" cried Jacobis, as he ran up to him. "Ajobis, my son! Oh, Ajobis!"

By the time Jacobis made it to Ajobis, he too was overcome and crying great tears of joy. He raised Ajobis up off of his knees, looked into his eyes and embraced him tightly. Ajobis returned the embrace and the two of them wept on each other for a good long time. The pain of their long separation was being released and melting into the sweetness of their reunion.

"I am so sorry, father. I am so so sorry for what I have done to you," cried Ajobis.

"Oh my son, I thought you were lost, but now, here you are back together with me," cried Jacobis. "Come. Let us go to the tree. I have so much to tell you."

"And, I to tell you as well," said Ajobis. "I have learned so much. So many things have happened. I have... I... well, the most important thing I have learned is how much I love you. I love you, father. And, I will never dishonor you or ever leave you again."

The two embraced a few more times and then started to make their way back to the tree. As they were walking together down the path toward the tree, Ajobis began to feel a warming and tingling feeling in his feet. He was quite overcome by it because he had given up hope long ago that it would ever be a possibility for him. Jacobis noticed that Ajobis had stopped walking, so he stopped and turned around, and saw Ajobis standing there staring at his feet. Suddenly, small sparks of light started to flash where he was standing and a magnificent pair of shoes began to form from the soles of his feet up to the top of his ankles.

Ajobis started to weep for joy, and said," I never thought... how can this be... I do not... oh, father. I have my shoes! I do not understand."

"I do not quite understand it either," said Jacobis, thoughtfully. "You forfeited them when you left."

"But this means I have hope, father. These are my shoes of hope," said Ajobis.

"You have kept walking and restored your sense of hope. And, you certainly have given my sense of hope a boost as well, my son," said Jacobis.

Jacobis and Ajobis continued to revel in these intimate moments of reunion as they made their way back to the tree and talked and talked and wept and wept on into the night.

THE MARBLE GAME

[At this point in the telling of The Adventure of Byron and Jacobis, we arrived at my father's house. After we visited with him for a few hours and had dinner, the children and I got back into the minivan and I continued telling the story during the drive back home.

While we were at Grandpa's house, the children had their usual fun exploring the gardens and climbing an old fig tree. My son, who sits and listens quietly during my stories, told Grandpa I was telling them a story on the way up to visit him. My father was pleased to hear this bit of news because he told stories to me and my siblings as we were growing up, too. I reminded him about the story he told me when I was a boy, about a flying elephant named Blowbo, which I'm sure was a riff on Disney's Dumbo. But Blowbo, rather, would stick his trunk into his mouth and blow himself up like a balloon to fly.

My father laughed as his mind went back to those long gone days of telling stories to us.

Then, my son asked Grandpa if he still had his marbles.

He answered with a laugh, of course, and said, "Well, some people have told me I have lost my marbles, but I can prove them wrong. Let me show you."

He went into the house and then, after a short while, came back out with a leather pouch in his hand. All three children's eyes widened in wonderment at the sight of that leather bag.

"Wow," said my father. "You all seem quite interested in these."

"Are those orbs?" asked the youngest.

"Orbs?" questioned Grandpa.

"The story that Dad is telling us has magical orbs in it," clarified the oldest.

"Did you play marbles with those when you were a boy?" asked my son. "Dad told us about that."

"Yes, I did," answered Grandpa. "These marbles are one of my most treasured possessions. I have had them and kept good care of them for a long long time. Here, let's take a look at them."

Then, he opened the bag and you should have seen the look on the children's faces. They were spellbound.

My father took quite some time explaining what made each of the agate marbles unique and special. There was a blue one with white swirls; and there was a red one -- a cherry agate; and there was the largest one that he told them was the 'shooter.'

Then of course, he had to explain the rules of playing marbles, which not surprisingly, led to actually playing the game. We found a nice flat area of ground, smoothed it out and drew a big circle. Then, Grandpa taught us all about the art of aiming and shooting marbles. It was an absolutely wonderful and magical experience.

After an early dinner, it was time for us to end the visit, pack ourselves back into the minivan and head for home.]

THE VESTURE

Byron awoke and saw the note Ajobis had left for him before leaving early that morning to go in search of Jacobis. Byron was also thankful for some time alone with his thoughts. He was somewhat overwhelmed by all that had happened during this amazing adventure, so he welcomed some quiet time by himself to sort through it all. Time alone was not unfamiliar at all to Byron. Most of his adventures in the woods were on his own, simply climbing Old Oaken and letting his imagination run free.

The first area he wanted to explore further was the shore. He treasured the rare times when his family had taken trips to the coast, and he had opportunities to explore tide pools. The rocks down by the shore were wonderful to climb on, and the shallow pools had a great variety of plants and creatures to discover. As Byron looked out across the sea, he wondered how large his innereal world was. And he wondered how much more of it he was going to be able to explore.

About midday, Byron headed back to the tree. As he walked up, he looked down and noticed the branch he had broken off the day before when he fell out of the tree. It was still lying on the ground, but oddly, it already looked quite dead and dried up. He wondered if he should make another walking stick out of it, when suddenly, his left hand started to tingle a bit. He lifted his hand, opened his palm and saw that the orb was swirling and glowing.

Then, somewhat involuntarily, he reached out his left hand to pick up the branch. And as he did, fluid poured out of his fingertips the same way it did for Ajobis. At the place where the fluid landed on the branch, it became new and green again. Soon, the entire branch was restored, so Byron picked it up off the ground, climbed the tree and took the branch back to the place where it had broken off. As he placed the broken branch next to the break on the main trunk, more fluid came out of his fingertips and poured onto both of the broken edges. The fluid spread across between them and then completely restored the branch back onto its original place on the tree.

It was amazing! Byron was filled with joy over his orb's ability to bring new life to the dead broken branch.

A few more days passed by, but that didn't really bother Byron much at all. There was so much to explore that he was eager for every new day to begin. He was thrilled with every opportunity to discover more and more new wonders in his innereal world.

One day though, he noticed his cloak was drying out. The leaves and grass were starting to fall off, so he poured some of the tree fluid from his left palm onto it, which helped for a while, but eventually stopped working. He was quite sad one day when his cloak completely fell apart into dry leaves and grass, and was blown away across the plain by a strong steady wind from the sea.

As more days went by, Byron became more and more lonely and, even though Ajobis wrote in the note for him to wait at the tree, he simply could not wait any longer, and decided to head back to the house to find out how Narrie was faring.

[From the back seat came, "What do you mean by faring, Daddy?" "It means how Narrie was doing, like when you say, 'Farewell, I hope you fare well,'" said I.]

So the next day, Byron left a note for Ajobis to let him know he had decided to go back to the house and find out how things were going with Narrie.

Around midday, Byron saw a shady spot near some trees, so he walked over and stopped to rest for a while. There was a nice pile of large boulders that came together to create several good places to sit. As he was resting, he looked across from him at a rather large flat boulder. Suddenly, he saw an area in the center of the flat surface that started to change into the color of bliss, so he stood up, walked over to get a better look at it and saw that the color was forming the shape of a vest. The process then stopped, and there on the flat face of the boulder, appeared a glowing bliss colored vest.

Byron reached out to determine if he would be able to separate the vest from the rock, but he discovered it was embedded and immovable. He then had the idea to transform into his solid rock hard body to see if he could remove the vest from the boulder with his rock hard hands. So, he clenched his right fist to transform his body into a solid, and tried to wedge his hand behind the vest to pull it away, but that didn't work. Then, he thought the life fluid from his other orb would release the vest from the boulder, so he clenched his left hand into a fist and poured fluid between the rock and the vest, but that didn't work either.

Not one to easily give up, and absolutely certain the vest was intended for him, Byron decided to try all of his orb powers at once in an attempt to retrieve the vest. So, he shined the light from the lighthouse on his right hand, and poured fluid from the vase in his left hand, and pressed against the vest with the W on his chest.

Suddenly, shafts of light shot out from behind the vest, tinkling sounds filled the area and the vest transferred from the boulder to Byron. He looked down and saw that the vest fit him perfectly. And he instantly discovered it was also extremely comfortable and protective.

Byron was completely fascinated by his new vest. The material was amazing -- both strong and seemingly impenetrable like armor and soft and supple like cloth. Like the cloak, he could tell it would match his body temperature perfectly and would keep him warm when the weather was cold and cool when it was warm.

The design was like a vest in that it had no collar and a V-neck, but it had elbow length sleeves and was about mid-thigh in length. It had interesting clasp-like buttons up the front and it retained its bliss color when it detached from the boulder.

It was a magnificent article of clothing, and Byron was quite thrilled to be wearing it. For some reason, wearing the vest made him feel special and unique, and even more complete in himself. He already felt as though the vest were specifically made for him, and even after wearing it so briefly, he couldn't imagine himself without it. It was definitely an integral part of him now. And as he continued to wear it, he definitely felt more whole in himself.

["What is integral, Daddy?" asked my daughter from the back seat. "Integral means the vest was a very important part of who Byron was and that he would be much less without it," said I.]

Byron decided to call this new article of clothing his vesture. And as he continued to walk happily toward the house, he noticed one more interesting thing about it. There was an inside pocket on the left in front of his heart, so he reached in and discovered, to his sheer delight, another leather bag. It was exactly like the first one (which, by the way, dried up and blew away with the cloak). So, he loosened the gold cord at the top, reached into the bag and took out two more orbs.

"Wow!" thought Byron. "This is amazing!"

The new orbs were about the same size as Byron's first three, and one was slightly larger than the other. The larger of the two was a clear blue color, and the smaller one was colored differently in two halves and it had a clear stripe between them similar to the brown one in his left hand. One half was bluish and the other half was greenish. And as he examined it, he noticed the colors seemed to cross back and forth across the clear separation between them.

Like the first leather bag with the three orbs, this second bag also contained a note, so Byron took it out and moved his hand across the surface to reveal his name in the same beautiful calligraphy. The same type of silvery seal then broke and got absorbed into his fingers. Words began to appear as he swept his hand across the paper. This is what it read: Byron, you have done well. Here are two more orbs. Bring all five safely back to me. Keep walking. Jacobis

Again as before, each of the letters in the note became feathers on a bird, Byron's name became the tail of the bird and Jacobis' name became the head. And again, the bird rested on Byron's right hand for a brief moment, blinked its clear glassy eyes and then flew off in the direction Byron had come from that morning -- back toward the tree.

THE COUNTERFEIT

Byron was torn between whether to continue on to the house to see Narrie, or follow the bird in the direction he had come from. But by now, he could see the house off in the distance and the desire to see Narrie was quite strong, so he decided to go that direction. He thought the best plan would be to stay a short while, catch up with Narrie, see how the other boys and girls were doing and then head back to the tree the next day.

As Byron walked, he became more and more amazed by the qualities of his vesture. It was amazingly comfortable and, like the cloak, it regulated his body temperature perfectly. It was never too hot and never too cold. He also grabbed a sharp stick from the path to test how strong the material was and discovered it really was like armor, quite impenetrable.

A few moments before dusk, Byron arrived back at Jacobis' house. It was more like a mansion than a mere house. Byron walked through the beautiful gardens. There were fountains and ponds and all types of beautiful outdoor art pieces. Animals and birds were everywhere enjoying all of the plants and trees.

"Byron! Oh, Byron!" cried Narrie, from one of the balconies. "I can't believe this!"

A moment later, she came dashing out of the patio doors toward Byron. The two embraced and shared how happy they were to see each other.

"You look so great, Narrie," said Byron. "You look so happy! Wow! It is so great to see you again!"

"And the same to you, my dear friend," agreed Narrie. "I have thought of you so often. Oh, how I wondered if I would ever see you again."

"Well, here I am," said Byron.

"Yes, here you are," said a voice from inside the patio doors. Then, Cotler slowly emerged and joined them. "It's Ok," said Cotler, holding up his arms. "Don't worry, no spears," he continued with a chuckle.

"Oh yes! Yes, Byron, so much has happened since you left," assured Narrie. "Things are wonderful around here now. So much healing and good work has been done here in the house."

"Yes, please do come in, Byron," invited Cotler, "so we can show you how things are really meant to work around here."

Byron had to agree everything looked magnificent. He had noticed the extent of the area's restoration in the gardens as he made his way through them to the house, and now he also noticed it throughout the interior of the house as the three of them walked through it.

"It's about time for dinner, anyway," said Cotler. "You will be staying here for a while, won't you?"

"Well, I don't know," answered Byron. "I really didn't even know what to expect when I arrived."

"Oh, please do stay. Of course you'll stay," urged Narrie. "We have so much to tell you and so much to show you."

"Come. Let's go to the dining room and discuss it over dinner," said Cotler.

As they walked to the dining room, Byron noticed other boys and girls in the house. And as they entered the dining room and sat down, he saw more of them working in the kitchen and helping to prepare the table.

"What are they still doing here?" asked Byron.

"Oh, that is what is so wonderful!" answered Narrie. "You can't even imagine how everything has come together around here to make such a wonderful place for all of us. We all work together to form a community that... well, we all have our jobs and do the thing we're good at. We each pull together to make this place a wonderful mansion for all of us to live in, as one unified happy family. It is so wonderful!"

As some small talk continued between the three of them at the table and the meal was brought in and placed before them, Byron started to sense things were not really as "wonderful" as Narrie kept saying. He thought it was a little odd how Narrie kept repeating that word. It almost seemed to him as though it wasn't really her talking. It was more like she was brainwashed, or almost even hypnotized.

"Weren't these boys and girls supposed to deliver their orbs to Jacobis, in the same way you and I are supposed to, Narrie?" asked Byron.

Byron noticed that Cotler stopped eating, shifted his eyes a bit when he asked that question, then looked back at his plate and continued to eat.

"That is what we need to explain to you, Byron," answered Narrie. "You see, Cotler figured out how... well, he helped us all to understand how the power of all our orbs could work to create this wonderfully functioning community. We all pitch in and combine our talents and powers for the common good. Can't you see it? Can't you just tell how wonderfully it is all working together around here now?"

"Well yes, things do seem to be working efficiently around here, but if these boys and girls got the same instructions you and I did, then they really need to do what they are supposed to do and deliver their orbs to Jacobis," said Byron.

"And that is exactly the beauty of it," interjected Cotler. "When we all began working together so well, we had several meetings and discussed Jacobis' instructions about returning our orbs to him. It didn't seem right to break up the harmony that was created by all of us using our orbs collectively. So, we thought about it and we remembered the instructions about returning them to him. And soon it became clear to all of us that this house is where the orbs were to be delivered.

"Everything was working so well here that we knew it wasn't Jacobis who the orbs were to be returned to -- it was his house. It was this community. That is what we call ourselves now, 'The House of Jacobis.' It was Narrie who helped us all to understand these things. She told us this house was built by him and actually belongs to him. This is his house -- The House of Jacobis."

"That's right, Byron," affirmed Narrie. "It all started falling into place so perfectly."

"Really," said Byron, skeptically. "What happens if a boy or girl doesn't agree with that plan and wants to leave and return their orb to Jacobis personally?"

"They are completely free to go," said Cotler. "Everyone is here of their own free will. That is the beauty of it. We are all at peace. No spear chucking necessary," he quipped.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm sure about what my instructions are," said Byron, firmly. "And now, I have two m... " Byron stopped his sentence when he noticed Cotler cocking his head to listen more carefully to him. "... well, I don't know about you, but now I have to make my way back to Jacobis, the real Jacobis, not merely this house."

Byron almost blurted out the fact that he had two more orbs, but something about the way Cotler glanced at him made him stop in mid-sentence.

Byron then asked, "Where are all of the orbs, anyway?"

"They are all safe and secure in the storage room where they are intended to be," said Cotler.

"What?" said Byron, shocked.

"We can get them anytime we want to," assured Narrie. "They are not locked up. We can... well, we don't even really have much of a need for them anyway. We are all happy here. I haven't felt a desire to be invisible for a long time. There is nothing to hide from."

"Except the truth," said Byron.

That last comment put quite a damper on the rest of the dinner conversation, so Byron politely said, "Excuse me," as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, got up from the table and walked out of the dining room.

"He'll be alright," said Narrie to Cotler. "I can help him understand," she continued as she also excused herself from the table and followed Byron out of the dining room.

Cotler furrowed his brow a bit and said, quietly to himself, "Maybe yes and, then again, maybe not."

["What does fur... ?" "It means he looked like this," said the one in the seat next to mine as she turned to the back seat with a big frown on her face. "Oh, Ok, then keep going, Daddy," said the one in the back seat, a little startled at that sight.]

Evening was reaching its fullness as Byron stood on the balcony and looked out across the peaceful sea. Narrie walked up and stood next to him.

"It's so beautiful," she said, quietly. "I never get over it. I come out here every night to see the beauty of this place."

"That is why I am not too worried about you, Narrie," said Byron, reassuringly. "You always do seem to see the beauty in things. You always do seem to know deep down what is right." He then took a deep breath, and continued, "If you pay attention and listen to your heart, you will hear the simple words of instruction that you were told when you first got here. You will hear them again and you will know they are true. You will know that you must not be bound by anything and get back... "

Narrie interrupted him, and said, "But, I'm not bound by anything, Byron, I... "

Byron reached up with his right hand and gently put his fingers on Narrie's lips. The lighthouse orb glowed slightly on her chin and neck. "Your invisibility will never allow you to hide from the truth, Narrie," he said, softly.

Byron then embraced Narrie tightly, and as their two chests pressed against each other, he transformed into a bliss mist. Then he released his embrace, gave Narrie a long reassuring look and then floated away into the night.

THE FOURTH ORB

Byron walked quietly into the night back toward the tree. And even though there was no visible sun during the day in his innereal world, there most definitely was a myriad of visible stars in the sky above him during the night. They were the most amazing looking stars he had ever seen. While he had seen an occasional shooting star during his life back in the other world, in his innereal world a great number of the stars moved quite a bit. They traveled across the sky, or moved in circular patterns (like Van Gogh's Starry Night). Some had tails following them like comets and some blinked off and on. So, Byron was satisfied to be walking along in the night and taking in yet more and more wonders of his innereal world.

It was into this delightful rapture that the sharp interruption of Cotler's cold voice was heard.

["What is a rapture, Daddy?" came the backseat voice. "Well, a rapture in this case is a happy moment or experience. Byron was simply peaceful and oblivious to everything around him except the stars above him." "What is oblivious?" "It's like you are not even aware of things," said the one in the seat next to mine. "Like it's not even there. Now, what did Cotler say, Dad? How did he get there?"]

Byron was not at all surprised to see Cotler appear up ahead of him in the middle of the path. He fully expected Cotler to use some power stolen from the orbs to come out and confront him about leaving 'The House of Jacobis.'

"You really should reconsider your decision to leave the house," said Cotler, coolly. "I am quite certain you are meant to be a part of it all. In all of the time I spent under Ajobis' leadership, I never saw anyone like you. And certainly not anyone with three orbs... or more."

Byron remained quiet and did not grace Cotler with a response.

"It could be all yours, Byron," Cotler continued. "I learned well from Ajobis. I know how to extract power from the orbs. And the amazing thing is the other boys and girls are happy to part with them. They are all simply content with being a part, their own unique part, of the overall community. We all really do work together as one there at the House of Jacobis. We are one. And Narrie was quite instrumental in creating that type of cooperative environment. She really is quite an amazing and gifted girl, Byron."

Even though it was obvious to Byron that Cotler was trying to use his love for Narrie against him, Byron could not keep quiet.

"If you so much as even dare to lay a finger on her... " threatened Byron, but then he caught himself, and paused and took a deep breath, and continued, "It won't take Narrie long to see through your façade and start to understand what is really going on in the house. She is pure and wise and powerful. Way more powerful than you could ever even dream of being."

"And you are being a fool, Byron," interrupted Cotler. "You are giving up the opportunity of a lifetime. You are giving up the opportunity to be your true self -- to rule The House of Jacobis with all power and authority. Only you can make it the beautiful place it is intended to be -- a community of loyal and content followers with Narrie right there at your side, and... "

"Enough!" said Byron, firmly.

Cotler squinted his eyes, stared sternly at Byron and then raised his walking stick off the ground with his right hand. As he did so, an orb at the top of the stick began to glow and shoot light down the shaft to the bottom end of the stick. Then, the walking stick transformed into a sharp metal spear.

"Still trying to use spears to make your point?" quipped Byron, sarcastically.

"Oh, this is much more powerful than a mere spear," sneered Cotler, as he raised it above his head and shafts of lightning shot out from the orb at the top. Then, Cotler's entire being started to transform and fill up with shafts of lightning.

To Byron's surprise, he felt something moving in the pocket of his vesture. The fourth orb came out of the pouch and hovered in front of him. Instinctively, Byron raised up his walking stick in his right hand.

"I knew you had more!" screamed Cotler, with lightning in his voice.

The fourth orb then shot around Byron in an orbit to the right around his body and then embedded itself in the top of his walking stick. Byron felt an exhilarating power throughout his entire body as clear blue lightning shafts started to shoot out of the fourth orb.

Cotler went into a crazed fit and started shooting lightning shafts out of the end of the metal spear at Byron. But, to Cotler's amazement and frustration, Byron was unfazed by the attack. And, to Byron's amazement, he was completely at peace. There was no sense of a threat at all. It was as if someone were trying to attack him with a single lit stick match and he knew all he had to do was blow it out with a simple puff of his breath.

It was not anywhere near a battle. Cotler was getting more and more agitated and frustrated, but Byron was still merely standing there peacefully in the midst of all his gyrations.

Byron then merely raised his right arm in front of him and turned his walking stick horizontal to the ground. He heard the voice of Jacobis in his heart telling him to keep walking, so he stepped forward and simply continued down the path.

Cotler himself and all his lightning activity simply divided above and below Byron's walking stick and he passed through them with no resistance whatsoever.

Cotler found himself unable to come after Byron. And Byron didn't even bother to look back to see that Cotler merely disappeared as a puff of smoke into the night.

Then, Byron just kept walking.

THE TREE

Byron walked all through the night and found he didn't get tired at all. It was still dark, but quite close to dawn when he arrived back at the tree. He knew it would get light soon, so he climbed up high in the tree and found a large branch to sit on with his back against the main trunk. A couple of smaller branches that grew out on both sides provided perfect armrests. The dawning of a new day was always amazingly beautiful in Byron's innereal world.

Byron let his peaceful mood linger long after it became light and then, he finally went down to the base of the tree to see if there were any signs of Ajobis or Jacobis. Both notes, Ajobis' and his, were untouched. So, Byron decided to get himself something to eat, and then walk in the direction toward which he remembered the second bird flying. He looked past the tree and on down the coast, and figured his journey must continue in that direction to follow the bird.

As he walked, Byron realized his walking stick now, with the fourth orb embedded at the top, seemed to act like some type of energy source. He could feel it coming through his right hand into the rest of his body. He concluded this must have been why he didn't get tired from walking all night long the night before.

About midday, he came to a place where the path curved up to the left leading to higher ground. So, he decided to rest there for a short time and enjoy the sea while it was still nearby. He loved watching the waves break, and listening to them as they crashed against the rocks.

As he rested, he reached in and took the fifth orb out of the pouch to look at it. The bluish and greenish colors seemed even more vivid now than when he had first looked at it. And they seemed to be swirling a bit. He put it back into the pouch and put that back into the vesture pocket, and began the ascent up the path.

As he got up to the top of the ridge, he heard singing. It was the most beautiful singing he had ever heard. He was sure he was hearing notes that didn't exist in his other world, like the colors that did not exist there, such as, bliss. Again, there was no way to describe the sound, so he concentrated on how it made him feel, in order to come up with a word for it.

It made him feel strong and sure and confident and courageous, so he decided to use the word 'destiny'. Yes, this new sound would be called 'destiny'.

That was merely the beginning of that particular discovery because when Byron arrived at the top of the ridge and saw where the singing was coming from, he nearly lost his breath at the sight.

On a flat grassy place circled by trees was a chorus of dancing creatures. He noticed they had wings, but they were not birds. They were acrobatic like lemurs, but their wings enabled them to leap much higher and farther. They were colorful and radiant, and their dancing was as pleasing to watch as their singing was to hear. Byron counted twelve of them as he stood still and enjoyed their performance for a long time.

One of them finally noticed Byron watching them and became a little shy about it. Then, the rest of them also noticed Byron and also became shy. The next instant, they bounded away off into the trees.

"Wow! What an absolutely wonderful concert that was," thought Byron, as he continued walking along the top of the ridge.

In the late afternoon, Byron started to see the same thing Ajobis saw when he was walking along that same path \-- the large oak tree. Then, when Byron was still a few hundred yards away from the tree, with the music of 'destiny' still playing in his mind, he started to feel a tingling in his feet. He stopped walking and looked down to see a pair of those unique shoes of hope forming around his feet from his soles up to his ankles.

As Byron marveled at the new pair of shoes that had simply miraculously appeared on his feet, he felt movement near his heart. It was the fifth orb moving out of the pouch. It then hovered in front of him and slowly divided in half along the crystal clear stripe. Then, each half slowly rotated flat side down toward his feet and moved down to his new shoes. The bluish half attached to his right shoe and the greenish half attached to his left shoe. Flashes of light flew out at they finished attaching. Byron merely stood there somewhat dumbstruck by the whole event.

He then looked up ahead to the tree and continued walking. Every step now felt magical. He felt himself in harmony with the walking stick. He felt totally connected to his innereal world. He felt one with it -- in harmony with all of the sights and sounds and smells and tastes and sensations.

From the a short distance away, he now saw his destination -- Jacobis standing by the tree with Ajobis at his right side.

As Byron walked up to them, Jacobis said, "You have done well, Byron. Yes, very well, indeed."

"It is so good to see you again, my friend," said Ajobis.

"And it is wonderful to see you both, as well," said Byron, as he walked forward and gave each of them a warm embrace.

Evening was upon the three of them by now, so they continued talking and visiting with each other over a shared a meal. Then they each settled in for a well-deserved good long restful sleep.

THE REPORT

Byron was up early enough to experience another glorious dawning in his innereal world. Then, as he explored this new tree further, he realized he was at the exact same place as where he had entered his innereal world and begun his journey. The door was right there in front of him. He also saw the path that Jacobis had told him to take when he left him sitting there unable to travel with him. He realized he had made one big circle starting with going down into the valley; and then going up on the plateau where the Lighthouse now stood; and then along the sea coast until he came to the house; and then through to the other side of the house; and on to the innereal version of Old Oaken; and now, finally, back to where he had begun his amazing journey.

Jacobis and Ajobis soon joined Byron and the three shared another meal together.

During the meal, Ajobis said, "I am going back to the house, Byron."

Byron shot a concerned glance at Jacobis.

"Do not worry, Byron," continued Ajobis. "This is something I must do. I must work to undo all the damage I have done, and try to heal all of the hurt I have caused."

"The house is already quite beautiful," said Byron. "I don't know what it looked like before, but it really is quite magnificent now."

"Yes," said Ajobis. "But it is a false magnificence. Cotler is misusing the power of the orbs. Believe me, I know, soon it will return to that horrid ugly torture chamber again. And, no matter how hard he, or Narrie, try to maintain the beauty, the ugly dreadful transformation will begin again and finally take over the house, the same way it did for me."

"It is a false beauty, Byron," said Jacobis. "It lasts for a while and then it shows its true colors."

"Will Narrie be Ok?" asked Byron.

"She is a special girl," said Ajobis. "I see her coming through it and learning valuable lessons in the process. And, many of the others will also experience the same thing. Many, but not all."

"Cotler?" asked Byron.

"Difficult to say," said Ajobis. "He had some good in him. It is his choice. All of them have the power to choose which way to go. I am going to work diligently to help them make the right choice. I must. It is my task to bear."

"Can I come with you, to help?" offered Byron.

"You have a good heart, Byron," said Jacobis. "You are courageous and generous. But Ajobis must work this out alone. He made it wrong and now he must work to make it right."

"And the sooner the better, I am sure," said Ajobis. "So, I must regrettably force myself to part company with you two and be on my way."

Byron and Jacobis wished Ajobis well, and each gave him a warm embrace. Ajobis then turned and headed down the path back toward the house.

"I hope he doesn't run into too much trouble," said Byron, as they watched Ajobis walk away.

Not one known to dillydally, Jacobis piped up, and said, "Well Byron, what have you brought to me?"

"Uh, I brought five orbs," said Byron, a bit quietly. "But... " he continued, as he showed Jacobis his palms, "... I don't know how to give them to you."

"Not to worry. It will be fine," assured Jacobis. "And what do you have to report about them?"

"Well, I really learned a lot on this journey. Most importantly -- to keep walking," said Byron. "Your simple clear instruction helped me to make it through some pretty difficult situations."

"Hold out your right hand," instructed Jacobis. "What did you learn about this one?"

"Mostly to be strong and to stand firm," said Byron. "I felt like I was on solid ground and couldn't be shaken when this orb was activated. And, I learned to follow the light from the lighthouse."

Jacobis put his right hand above Byron's and the first orb dislodged from Byron's palm and floated into Jacobis' hand. "Thank you for taking good care of this one, Byron," he said. "This orb is Truth. Truth will always give you a solid foundation to stand on and it will always give you light for your path."

"Now, hold out your left hand," continued Jacobis. "What have you learned about this one?"

"I learned about life. I think I learned about life from this one," answered Byron. "Ajobis was dead and then this water gave him life. And the tree branch was dead and then the water made it alive again and re-attached it to the tree." Byron paused, and continued, "But, I guess it is more than that. Maybe that is what the two halves mean. One is death and the other is life. Life comes out of death."

"Very good," said Jacobis, as he raised his right hand again and drew both halves of the orb away from Byron's left hand.

"Ajobis told me you get your life from the tree," said Byron. "Is that why my tattoo is a tree?"

"Hold out your hand," said Jacobis, and then he reached down and picked up an acorn and put it into Byron's left hand on the tree tattoo. "Is that an acorn or an oak tree?" he asked.

"It is an acorn... that can grow into an oak tree," answered Bryon.

"Is the acorn alive or dead?" asked Jacobis.

"I guess right now it is dead until I plant it in the ground and it grows into a living oak tree," answered Byron. "So, life comes out of death, right? Just like the two halves of the orb."

Jacobis smiled, and said, "Yes." He then continued, "Now, what about the third orb?"

"Well, speaking of life and death," answered Byron. "Ajobis and I thought maybe that is the reason I experienced the third orb's powers before the second orb's -- because he was in a life and death situation in the house and he needed immediate help to get out of it."

"That is certainly a reasonable speculation, but you never really know with orbs. They are always quite mysterious about revealing their powers," said Jacobis.

"I'll say," agreed Byron, as he started to open up his shirt. "Take a look at this."

Jacobis studied the W tattoo on Byron's chest for a little while, and said, "Hmmm, yes, very interesting. I have not seen one quite like this before. What did you learn from it?"

"Ajobis and I already had a long discussion about it," said Byron. "When I first looked at the orb, it had eight smaller rainbow colored orbs embedded in a bliss colored setting. Then, each time I went through a gate, one of the different smaller orbs would embed itself into my chest."

"What gates?" asked Jacobis.

"Oh, yes," answered Byron. "There were these strange bliss colored gates that transported me and whoever I was holding into different places. It really was quite an adventure. The first gate led into your house and the last gate led out of it. And in between, they led to all kinds of strange places."

"Interesting," said Jacobis.

"Yes," said Byron. "And, we figured there were eight lessons I was supposed to learn and that all of them really taught me one single thing."

"The Way of Bliss," said Jacobis.

"Yes. That is what Ajobis said," agreed Byron.

"It is a very important lesson, Byron," said Jacobis.

"Yes, it is," agreed Byron. "But it was not easy. Not easy at all. Bliss takes a lot of work and definitely some pain and patience and endurance and tenacity."

["What is tenacity, Daddy?" came the backseat voice. "It means that Byron kept on walking, even though it was difficult. He simply kept working it out and moving forward," said I.]

"As I have been thinking about it more," said Byron. "I think the simple way to identify the eight lessons is like this: humility, sorrow, self-control, doing what is right, mercy, selflessness, peace, and endurance. Those seem to capture the essence of the eight lessons."

Jacobis then raised his right hand and each of the small orbs popped out of Byron's chest and came back together into the single original orb.

All three of Byron's tattoos remained, but without the actual orbs embedded in them. In their place were tattooed shapes that resembled and animated similar to the real orbs.

Jacobis looked at Byron, and said, "And I presume, throughout the course of your journey and by using the power of these three orbs, you were also able to transform into solid, liquid and vapor."

"Yes," said Byron.

"So in summary, from these three orbs you learned Truth, and The Way, and Life."

"Now, what about the other two orbs you found in the vesture?"

"Well, they were different," said Byron. "They didn't cause me to transform into anything. They were more like outward symbols of an inner transformation in me."

Byron held out his walking stick, and said, "This beautiful blue one there at the top of my walking stick appeared when I was being challenged to believe something I knew was untrue. I knew it was untrue, but I wanted to believe it was true. But thankfully, instead, I held fast to the truth. I think the walking stick represents my conviction to remain stable in what I know to be true."

"It is called Faith, Byron," said Jacobis.

"Well, it sure cut right through the pack of lies Cotler was dishing out," said Byron.

"Yes, and now Ajobis has that to deal with," said Jacobis.

"I wish him well," said Byron. Then he looked down at his feet, and said, "And, there is the last orb right down there on those two magnificent shoes. I got these on my walk to you here at the tree."

"Actually, you have been developing those shoes since you arrived here in your innereal world, Byron. Ever since you took your first step," said Jacobis. "You kept walking. Those are your walking shoes. Your shoes of hope. They keep you going. They give you what you need to arrive at your destination. You now have hope, Byron."

Jacobis then put forth his right hand and the blue orb from the top of Byron's walking stick and the two halves of the fifth orb from his shoes returned to him.

"Your walking stick and shoes stay with you, Byron. They are yours. Use them well," said Jacobis. "You have done well, Byron. Thank you for returning these five orbs to me. As you can imagine, they are quite valuable."

THE RETURN

Byron was quite overcome by the whole experience of returning the orbs to Jacobis. He felt as though he had done well. He came into his innereal world; he was given a task to accomplish; he kept at it; he learned many wonderful lessons; he met treasured friends; he finished the task; and now, he felt satisfied and quite eager to return home.

But then a question came to his mind, "What about this?" he asked, as he patted his sides. "What about this vesture?"

"You will be back," answered Jacobis. "You have some things to learn about that other article of clothing." He then directed Byron to the door. It was the same door. Exactly like the one at the base of Old Oaken.

Byron embraced Jacobis and thanked him for his amazing adventure. Then he put his fingers into the five holes on the bar across the door. Lights flashed and tinkling sounds filled his ears, and he started to feel the same feeling he did when he felt like he couldn't run around the tree anymore. The bar flung back and the door flew open, and Byron seemed to be sucked rapidly into the opening.

Byron felt like he was inside a tornado, but he was not spinning around and around. He was merely being lifted up higher and higher. He also felt like he was stretching more and more throughout his entire body.

Then the real world started to rush at him. At first, it was like a postage stamp way off in the distance in front of him. Then, as it continued to rush rapidly toward him, it became like a postcard and then like a window poster and then like a billboard. Finally, when he was sure it was going to crash right into him, it curved and wrapped around him like an embrace.

The next thing Byron knew, all of the motion stopped and he found himself giving Old Oaken a big bear hug. That surprised him and embarrassed him a bit, so he backed away and looked around to see if anyone was there in the clearing looking at him. Thankfully, he was all alone by his favorite old companion in the woods.

"Wow! What an adventure," thought Byron. He then looked around and found that everything seemed to be normal in the woods. He was his old real-world self again. Then, he lifted up his hands and held them out in front of him, and turned them over a few times. No tattoos. But, he most certainly remembered every detail of the adventure perfectly. He was back in the real world, but his innereal world was now just as much a part of him as the real world.

It was late in the afternoon, so Byron walked out of the forest to where he had hidden his bike. Then he got on and started to ride back home. The entire way home, his mind was re-experiencing all of the wonders of his innereal adventure.

\+ + + + + + +

Quite a few weeks later, Byron was in his classroom at school. He was half listening to his teacher and half looking out the window dreaming of future adventures, when the classroom door opened and the school secretary walked in and talked to his teacher.

Byron had seen this before. It looked a lot like there was probably a new kid in town and they were going to be brought in and introduced to the class.

"May I have your attention please, class," said his teacher, as the secretary went back out to the hall. "We have a new student in our class. Her family recently moved into town and she is going to be attending school here with us for a while.

Then the secretary walked the new girl into the classroom, and said, "Boys and girls, I'd like you to meet Narrie."

The End of this Particular Adventure

THE EPILOGUE

[It took me about four months to write down The Adventure of Byron and Jacobis in the blank black hardbound book my daughter gave to me for Christmas. I actually had to purchase another one of those books because the one she gave to me wasn't enough, and I almost filled up the second one (which is what I am writing in now).

By the way, it was the daughter who asked all of the vocabulary questions in the story who gave me the blank black book for Christmas. And just so you know, the original telling of the story was fifteen years prior to receiving that gift from her. The three children bugged me off and on during that time to write the story down, but I guess it took staring at all of those blank white pages in the book to finally convince me they really ought to be filled up with the story of Byron and Jacobis.

As you can probably guess, the writing down of the story caused the adventure to take on a world of its own. I did maintain the main characters and the main events that were in the original oral story, including how Byron transformed into a solid and a liquid and a vapor to get out of predicaments. But, much more came into my mind as I was writing it all down.

I was also motivated to write the story because of having lived the last fifteen years as a father to my five fine children. The story is primarily a collection of thoughts I wanted to share with them about how I feel about each of them. Obviously, it is not merely an adventure story. It is packed with life truths, which are what I wanted to record for them. Understandably, it took me about the last fifteen years to learn these truths myself, so I used the vehicle of an old oral story as an acorn that I hope will grow into a flourishing oak tree full of thoughts and ideas they can climb up into.

It is a fact of parenting life that, if you pay attention, you learn a lot from your children. Parenting is the great and masterful school of experience. So in reality, the story is about what I learned from my five orbs (yes, each orb represents one of my five children). The story is about things I have learned from them and it is about things that I have learned about them. And, each orb also represents my life vision for that particular child.

The first orb is all about my first daughter. She is the one who sat in the seat next to mine in the family minivan on the way to Grandpa's house and kept answering the vocabulary questions from her younger sister, who was in the back seat. She is Truth. That is my vision for her. She likes knowledge. She craves information. She is an academic. So, my vision for her is to develop a strong foundation of truth in her life, one that she can stand firm upon and one that will light her path. By the way, her eyes are that color of blue you call blue because you don't know what else to call it.

The second orb is all about my son. He is the quiet one who listens intently to a story and simply lets his imagination take control and deliver him right into the midst of the story. His eyes are that beautiful brown color I described for the second orb. He nearly drowned in our backyard swimming pool when he was a year and four months old, which, sadly, was a result of my negligence. I am still not over it to this day. I found him face down in the water, and rescued and revived him and, fortunately, there was no damage done, other than some emotional scars for him and for me. So, my vision for him is resurrection -- life from death. I see many things in his life that will be fruitful -- things that look a little dead right now that I think will grow and flourish like an oak tree. He is Life.

The third orb is all about my second daughter and, no, she does not have rainbow colored eyes, but her life is full of color and full of joy. She is joyful. She just is. She always has been. Yes, she can be a pain at times like everyone else, but she still seems to end up joyful. She takes the hard lessons and learns to see the silver lining in them. She is a good representation of the Way of Bliss.

The fourth orb is all about my second son. He and his mother have those real true blue eyes. The kind where there is no question about it. They are blue, clear blue. He is quite opinionated and stands firmly by his opinions. He seems to form his own ideas about things and believes pretty strongly that they are correct. My vision for him is Faith. He doesn't let anyone move him from his position or influence him to join their view (not even me). He is discerning and does his research and sticks with something until he decides it is better to move away from it. For the most part, he can see through a sham and he can cut right through a false front.

Now, the fifth orb is all about my third daughter. She is the last and she brings Hope to the whole story. She ties it all together. Her eyes are that type of weird color that shifts back and forth from blue to green. Sometimes they look green and sometimes they look blue. Her hope is that certain expectation of coming good. It is not the type of hope wherein there is a possibility that something may not happen and there is a hope that it will. With her, it is a sure thing.

So, that pretty much covers the connection between things in the story and things in my life.]

Thanks for reading.

KD ~j~

Remember, additional adventures can be explored at:

kendalldaddo.blogspot.com

medium.com/@kendalldaddo

AND

Keep an eye out for:

Innereal Adventures

Two -- The Adventure of Cotler and Ajobis

In which Jacobis becomes a father;

Cotler and Narrie enter the innereal world;

Byron and Narrie meet in the real world;

and

Byron must reenter the innereal world to rescue Narrie.

_Kendall Daddo_ tends to maintain a low profile. "I do not stand out in any way," he said. "I'm merely an ordinary suburban husband and father. I get up and go to work everyday like everyone else. If anything, it's just that I have an over-active imagination. I love to go there, and my children don't seem to mind being taken along." Then, he paused and explained, "My story is simple. It works like this: My Five Children + My Active Imagination = Storytelling.

"That seems to have been the formula at bedtime, or on long road trips, or while playing on the jungle gym at the school playground, or simply during walks in the park. I liked it and they liked it, and over the last 25 years or so, that is what we have been doing.

"But now, they are all grown up, so Innereal Adventures is merely the result of my children asking me to write the old stories down on paper, which happens to be a convenient way to share them with others."

Email Kendall Daddo at: kendalldaddo@gmail.com
