NINE - Water

“What’s happening to me?” Edlawit panicked as water poured off of her.

“The vision is too strong for her, Miguel,” said the Diofe with a look of concern.  He was sitting beside her on the porch, both of their legs were dangling over the side as he held back her hair.  Water began to pour out of her mouth.

“Help me,” was all she could manage.

I grabbed her hand and saw a flash of moving pictures.

“Dizzy,” said Edlawit when the water ceased to pour from her mouth.

“I’ll bet,” I said.

I grab Edlawit’s hand.  Images flash. No sound other than that of a broken and humming speaker.

Arous’ hoveh.Top down. Driving fast. A girl. Standing. Arms wide open.

“Siobhan,” said Edlawit.

A boy. Driving. Laughing. Glancing back at Arous and . . .

“Simon,” said Edlawit.

And another boy. Sitting by Arous. Looking down at her. Smiling.

“Jude.”

“And the water?” I asked.

“It’s coming again,” said Edlawit and water gushed from her pores.

A flash. People, people. People on stilts. Amalgamese, mostly. Costumed. Happy drugged. Imagination drugged. Compassion drugged. Nephilim in cages. Their hulking masses bulging against the glass bars. Slumped over. People pointing, laughing. Milling. People taunting. Sasquatch in cages, raging. Beating the glass walls. People ignoring. Eating. Music. Outdoors. A hillside. Hot, hot.

Concert. Arous and Siobhan up front. Large black speakers hovering. Music starts. The crowd surges. Crushing Arous.

“Run!” screams Edlawit.

Gray guards with poker faces. Arous goes down. Siobhan reaches. Screams, silent to me.

“Run!”  Edlawit screams again.

Everything moves in a frenzy.

“Water,” says Edlawit.

I see Arous being dowsed by a dense ribbon of water.

She had made it, somehow dragged, up the hill where she crumpled to the ground as if in repentant prayer. Warmish, cool water began to rush all over her slumping body. Relief.

“Good.”

From under her dark hair and through her heated stupor, Arous could make out the legs of a woman and a trail of a water hose.  Feeling the cold-water rushed relief to her overheated body and brought her back to her senses.  The analogous smells from the water, iron, and plastic, brought a flood of memories to the forefront of her mind.  She began to remember the summer and learning how to swim and watermelon.  She began to raise her body to an upright position.

“Source. Diofe,” Arous said.

“What honey?” the water woman asked. “Heatsroke. Do you feel better?” She handed Arous a bottle of water.  She drank.

The hand, that was attached to the arm that had pulled her along, was stroking her hair. She looked up and fingers parted the mass of hair from her eyes.  It was Jude.

“Hey,” Jude said. “Having fun yet?”

He grabbed her hand, lifting her up and walked her to where a blanket was spread out under a tree. He leaned into her ear.

“I won’t tell anyone you got sick on our first picnic.” He was smiling.

Edlawit collapsed, almost falling off the porch. The Diofe scooped her up in his arms.

“It was too much for her, Miguel,” he said. “It’s time I made her stronger.” He kissed her gently on her forehead whispering, “Edlawit, the brave. Edlawit, the loyal. Edlawit, the strong.”

She lifted her head slightly and opened her eyes to look at me.

“I have kept something from you, Miguel,” she said holding out her hand. In it was a red dot. “This is for you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Of course,” I said. I took the VIH-dot from her and she snuggled back into the arms of the Diofe.

He walked off with her through the meadow in the direction of the pond.

I stood there and hoped that the hologram on the VIH-dot would, I don’t know, save the world.