FIFTY-SEVEN: Special Attention

“Special attention! Special attraction! Special days. Two-days-in-a-row-for-two special girly-girls!” We’d hear Chara singing that as his ferry crossed the river carrying special birthday presents for Arous one day and Edlawit the next.

Arous’ whole life, VIH-dots have come from her mother. Arous has a box that she keeps all the dots in: red, blue, purple, green, with different designs, patterns, and engravings for special occasions.  She would run all the way from Chara’s Crossing rubbing the dot in her hand with Edlawit burning up the path behind her.  Before she was even close enough to the house, I’d hear her screaming “Miguel, Priscilla, come see!”

Arous would bound up the steps to the house and fling the dot on the porch. An image of her mother would pop up: a happy birthday song and dance; how are you; you looked beautiful in the last dot you sent; my, you are getting big; I wish I could see you but I’m stuck here for now. And when the dot went out, she would pick-up the dot, rub it between her palms and slam it down, sitting to watch it a second time. And again. And again. She, Edlawit and Priscilla would spend hours watching them. I got tired after the first couple of times and went about other business.

 When Arous was almost thirteen she received a VIH-dot from her mother and a present: a new dress sent by special messenger who sang to Arous an early birthday song. In this last dot, her mother hinted at leaving The City; she would travel to soon Alippiana to visit Aunt Bertha. Arous beamed but, over time, deflated as day after day no mother and no other dot arrived. Arous was hopeful for months but that hope began to simmer into restlessness, longing, and bitterness.

She even avoided Priscilla.

Then the dot finally came and by special messenger that may have had another agenda. Edlawit was the only one to see him and in him she saw nothing but conflict, ambition and worst of all, fear.

Edlawit is like me.  She can see things. The Diofe is Omnipotent and can see past, future, present, possibility and into the soul of man. There are boundaries keeping us out of what we shouldn’t see; we have to be invited to see. It’s like looking through a window. The invitation is one boundary; when we are invited in the shutter opens. The other boundary is set by our subconscious soul.  If my soul senses something that would not be good for me, it will draw a dark curtain over the window.  It slams tight the shutter over anything that either would be too tempting, hurtful or too distressing. It’s a self-protection mechanism.  Otherwise, I can see all that I am invited to see: good and bad.  Sometimes the invitation is simply a dot to me inviting me to know what is going on. Sometimes it is the bond of friendship that serves as an invitation to see into someone’s life.  But sometimes the friend slams door of blindness in your face.  Because Edlawit was still learning to use her gift, she couldn’t always tell the difference between a good mind-sight and her own feelings or thoughts.

Then when the dot from Arous’ mom arrived by a messenger on a black horse, it hinted a dark truth: Arous’ mom was in trouble.

Arous had to run away.

As the Diofe would have it, she didn’t just run away but she ran into.

Into what?

Into trouble. Into herself.  Into an replaced Momo, into two enslaved Nephilim. Into her mother. Her father, Ricci. Love. Treachery. Death. Murder. Miasmen. Quetzalcoatyl.

Into James.

Into number Three.