Dragonfly Dreams, Part Fifteen

Frank Mason realized that his mouth was hanging open in shock. He quickly closed it, but he still couldn’t believe who he was seeing standing….or rather floating….in front of him. It was…

“Mr. Jones!” Frank said in awe, “How in the world?”

“Mr. Mason,” Gordon Jones smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth as he floated at least a foot off of the ground, “I realize that you weren’t expecting to see me.”

“You’ve got that right!” Frank said, staring at his boss. He hadn’t seen the man in months…but he remembered how Gordon Jones had floated in the air during his job interview. He was still amazed to see him do it.

Gordon Jones floated a little closer. “Mr. Mason,” he said, his eyes blazing at the ruins around him, “Do you remember what I said when you were hired to work for us?”

“I…I can’t…” Frank stumbled over his words. He felt thick and dumb…like he was going into a trance. How long had Gordon Jones been following him? What was going on?

“If you recall,” Gordon Jones continued, “I stated that Gaia Pharmaceutical is an international conglomerate. We have offices and people working for us all over the world. We are one of the richest companies in the world.”

Frank nodded, “Yes…I recall. And you stated that your drugs were just one small part of your success…..and that you had other projects....other areas of interest….”

“Very good Mr. Mason,” Gordon said, “And this…place…just happens to be one of those areas.”

“This place?” Frank asked, “Well…it looks quite old. This place is just ruins. Why didn’t you just come on in? Why wait until now?”

Mr. Gordon began to laugh. It was an easy laugh, but Frank sensed some tension in it. It made him uneasy to hear that laugh. It sounded strained….practiced.

“Oh Mr. Mason,” Gordon said, “You still don’t get it…do you?”

“Get what?” Frank asked, noticing that he could see the large monkey from earlier once again. It was sitting on top of its house and peeking over the edge at the two men as they talked. It was eyeing them suspiciously.

“Mr. Mason,” Gordon said, “Has anyone ever told you that you are a very special person? You have a true talent…a gift. You are a Finder.”

Frank was sure that he had heard Chuck refer to him as a Finder once. Supposedly he had a power to find things that other people couldn’t. But what did that have to do with this place? It was just a bunch of ruins in the middle of the jungle. It wasn’t exactly some deep, dark secret.

“I see that you are still confused, “ Gordon said, his feet hovering inches now above the ruins of the bricks that lay on the ground, “Let me explain. You see….this city….this temple….hasn’t been a secret to Gaia. We knew about it….at least…we knew the stories ABOUT this place. We just couldn’t FIND this place.”

“Why not?” Frank asked, looking back at the monkey again. The monkey had closed its eyes…like it was asleep. Frank guessed that it was still listening very carefully to what they were saying though.

How can a monkey listen though, he thought….that’s just crazy!

Gordon Jones continued, “You see….there is something here that Gaia Pharmaceutical would like to own…to possess. Something that would give us great power. We just couldn’t find this place because…and I know that this is going to sound insane…but this place isn’t always in the same location. It….it travels! Sometimes I don’t even think that it is on this planet.”

Frank stood stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said.

Gordon Jones touched down lightly on the ground. He reached down to straighten his jacket and then looked up at Frank, “Oh I assure you….I’m not. Surely you’ve seen enough of the hidden miracles by now to know that there is more to life on this little planet than you originally thought. Life is amazing…and there are more things on this earth that you haven’t even thought of.”

“So….what is it that you are after?” Frank asked, intrigued.

“How well do you know your Bible?” Gordon asked, walking up to Frank, “Have you ever heard about the story of the Garden of Eden?”

“Well…sure,” Frank smiled, “Most kids hear it in Sunday school. It was the place where Adam and Eve lived until they messed up. Then God kicked them out.”
Gordon laughed again…that forced, strained laughter. “Something like that,” he said, “But do you remember what was in the garden?”

“I don’t know,” Frank said, looking back at the temple which rose behind him like some misplaced mountain in a sea of green jungle, “Flowers, vegetables, trees…..the usual stuff.”

“Oh yes……I’m sure that it had all of those things,” Gordon said, eyeing the temple as well, “But do you remember what else was in there….the two special trees?”
“Well….one was the Tree of Knowledge,” Frank said, “The Bible states that was how Adam and Eve sinned…..they ate of the tree and then they knew that they were naked. But I can’t recall what else…”

“Why Mr. Mason,” Gordon stated quickly, “Think again….what was God keeping them from when he kicked them out of paradise?”

And then Frank remembered. “The Tree of Life!” he said.

“That’s right Mr. Mason,” Gordon smiled a slow, lazy smile. He pointed toward the temple which lay before them, “And if Gaia’s calculations are right….we will find that tree inside this temple. And with the Tree….we will find….immortality!”

Frank couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He turned completely around and took another look at the stone temple.

“How in the world could a tree live INSIDE that thing?” he said, “It wouldn’t be able to get sunlight….air….water!”

“Well Mr. Mason,” Gordon Jones’ voice came from behind him, “This is no ordinary tree. The fruit of it will let a man live forever….and I want that fruit! I want it so bad that I will do anything to get it. Even hire a stupid idiot like yourself to find it!”

“What are you talking…” Frank turned….and froze.

His blood ran cold. Gordon Jones was pointing a gun directly toward him.
“Unfortunately,” Gordon Jones smiled, “You won’t be able to live forever. You get to die….right now!”

And then….the world turned upside down.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Fourteen

Frank Mason was running through the jungle. Any other person would have been overwhelmed by the immense, sticky heat and the smothering greenness of the Brazilian jungle. But Frank was in another place…a safe place inside his head. His body was running on autopilot.

The music! The music wouldn’t stop. Over and over, Billie Holiday’s voice rang out inside his skull:

Momma may have and Poppa may have
But God Bless the Child that’s got his own

And floating in front of his face…a dragonfly. Small and golden, the insect floated just out of his reach, although Frank was trying with all his might to catch it. He knew…just knew…that if he caught it and stopped the buzzing that everything would be alright. But it always seemed to be just a little bit in front of his clutching fingers. And still the songs of Billie Holiday kept playing…over and over inside his fevered brain.

Quickly covering ground, it didn’t take him long to enter parts of the jungle that were largely unexplored. The jungle began to fall back into clearing as his feet stumbled over rocks jutting up out of the ground. After almost tripping and splitting his head open, he finally stopped and looked down. No….they weren’t rocks. They were….they were….

“Bricks,” he whispered, looking up to see that the dragonfly had vanished. He wasn’t surprised. The music had stopped also. Somehow he knew that both the song and the insect had never been there anyway. They had just been illusions….ways to distract him….ways to make him enter into the jungle and find….this place.

Staring around in amazement, Frank saw that he was in the midst of a ruined city. Large, stone bricks lay like tombstones….marking the death of a civilization that had once stood in the middle of the Brazilian rainforest. From the appearance of the ruins, it looked as though nobody had lived here…or even had stepped foot here….for hundreds (if not thousands) of years.

Tall stone pillars rose up like soldiers to his left. Streaming from their tops, large green vines snaked their way to the ground. Frank saw that there were small yellow and red snakes crawling in the vines. He wasn’t too sure if they were poisonous or not, but he decided to err on the side of safety. He pulled away from the vines, eyeing a snake that was crawling dangerously close to his left foot.

On his right, the ground was clearer. He walked that way and was amazed to see the remains of what once was probably a paved road. It had been cobbled with smooth stones and could have served as a main way into the city. He stepped carefully among the stones which remained of the ruined street.

Now that the music has stopped, he sensed that everything was quiet….eerily so. It wasn’t just that he didn’t hear the sounds of the city which he wouldn’t have expected anyway. It was that he didn’t hear ANY sounds….no birds, no monkeys, and not even the buzzing of insects. There weren’t any sounds at all….not even the wind. It was like death had settled on the ruins and was forbidding even the breath of the wind to stir the air. Frank wondered if he was walking toward his own demise.

But he had come this far. He tried to remember what Irza had tried to tell him…but that was all a blur. He remembered the old woman’s nurse whispering something in his ear while he stared at Irza’s one good eye and Billie Holiday’s voice filled his head like a siren song….leading him to his fate. The rest of it was just like a deep dream….easily forgotten.

Now that he was on the street which had apparently led into the heart of the city, he started looking to his left and right. He could make out the remains of buildings now. Most of them were long gone, leaving only a basic outline of rocks to mark their location. There were a few that were still standing…though barely. Large weeds and even trees had started to grow inside most of these husks of a dead civilization. However, he was surprised to pass one house which looked surprisingly in good condition. The front yard was free of weeds and vines, the walls looked sturdy, and even the roof was still on the structure. None of the other buildings had that….

And then he noticed that there was someone standing in the doorway of the house….watching him. It startled him and he almost gave a yelp of terror….but then he noticed. It wasn’t a person standing there. It was a monkey…a very large monkey. He knew that it wasn’t a gorilla. They were only found in Africa. So what in the heck was this large monkey doing in Brazil?

The monkey was large…almost as tall as a short human. He guessed that it would have to be at least 4 and ½ feet tall. It didn’t move….it didn’t grunt….it didn’t even appear to breathe. It just stood in the door of the little house and watched him. He felt unnerved by the feel of the monkey’s eyes upon him, but he didn’t stop walking. He saw with some interest that the monkey was wearing a necklace….with a large stone dragonfly on it. What was it with the dragonflies around here?

Rising in front of him, a large stone pyramid rose to the heavens. It wasn’t very large, but it was larger than any of the other buildings…or ruins of buildings…in the area. He seemed to be headed toward this building.

“A temple,” he whispered to himself, “It was a temple.”

He didn’t know how he knew that….he just knew. He took one more nervous glance back over his shoulder. The monkey was gone.

Soon, he came to the base of the temple. The ruined steps of this once great building stretched almost straight up. He knew that he was supposed to climb them….make his way to the small dark door at the top. But as he stared upward, all of the steps seemed to flow together. He felt dizzy and sick. Perhaps if he just rested a bit then things would clear up. He wondered where the monkey had gone. Had it gone to get friends….were they coming back to rip him apart?

Behind him, he heard the rustle of feet on stone. He froze. He knew that it had to be the monkey. It had waited until he was too tired to fight back…and now it was going to attack. He turned to face the rabid jaws of the beast.

It wasn’t the monkey.

“You?” he asked in amazement as he saw the last person in the world he expected to see.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Thirteen

Chuck looked over at Harry McCain. It had been a tiring day so far…and the day was just getting started. A fly was buzzing around his head. With a swat of his hand, the fly disappeared. He felt a tingle on his arm and glanced down at it. There it was….a brand new tattoo of a fly. He doubted if he would be able to use that later for any practical purpose…but one never knew.

Harry grinned, “Since when did you start making tattoos out of little things like that? I thought you were more of a monkey man.”

“True,” Chuck said, “Monkeys are more valuable as far as causing commotions and such. But everything has its place. Surely you know that.”

Harry nodded his head toward Irza’s door, “What do you think is going on in there?”

“I don’t know mate,” Chuck said, “But if we need to know, we’ll find out. Hasn’t that always been our motto?”

“Right you are sir,” Harry said, but he stole another long look at Irza’s house. Chuck could tell that he was worried about what was going to happen.

And if by sheer thought alone, the door opened. A dazed looking Frank Mason stepped outside, squinting in the bright sunlight of the Brazilian countryside. He took a step forward…and then collapsed to his knees.

“FRANK!” Chuck yelled running toward him. It was his job to take care of Frank…to make sure that he got where he needed to go. The company…the Gaia Corporation…was paying him a lot of money to make that happen. He didn’t need Frank going all loopy now. What had Irza done to him?

“Frank,” Chuck repeated, catching the man before he could fall face first into the dust, “Hey mate…you okay? Harry! Get him some water….NOW!”

“Ammm okaaaaay,” Frank said. But his eyes weren’t right. They weren’t focused on anything. Instead they were just staring off into space, like he was seeing something far, far away.

Chuck asked, “Did you see Irza? Did she tell you what to do?”

Frank looked up at him at the mention of Irza’s name, “Irza? Oh yeeessss. I saw….I saw.”

Chuck knew that it had to have been a shock for Frank to see the old woman. To see who she looked like….who she was an exact copy of. Well…almost. Irza hadn’t had the privilege of wealth to keep her young and beautiful. Plus….it seemed that the copies…the clones…aged faster than normal. He knew that Irza wouldn’t be alive much longer.

“Irza,” Frank was mumbling again, “The one who has seen the face of God.”

“Well,” Chuck said, “That’s what they say. But then again…you don’t believe in God, so what do they know anyway?”

Harry came running up with a bowl of water. He gave it to Chuck who tried to get Frank to drink….but he wouldn’t.

“Look at the poor chap,” Harry said, “He is just staring off at nothing. What did she do to him?”

“I don’t know,” Chuck said, dipping his hand into the water and sprinkling it on Frank’s flushed face, “But whatever it was, it sure did a number on him.”

Frank began to mumble softly to himself. No…Chuck realized that he wasn’t mumbling…he was…

“Singing,” Chuck said slowly, “The guy is singing to himself.”

Both Chuck and Harry strained to listen to the low notes that Frank was singing…but it was hard to make it out. It was a strange tune….fast and low. They watched in amazement as Frank reached down and began to draw in the dust. His fingers worked quickly, making strange patterns and a hashing of crisscross lines.

“What’s he doing?” Harry hissed between his teeth.

“I don’t know mate,” Chuck whispered back, “But I’m not about to stop him to ask. Are you?”

Just then a shot rang out at the far end of the village…followed by screams. Chuck turned toward the sound. What in the world was going on?

The screams grew louder as villagers started running past him. Another shot rang out.

“Go get your gun Harry,” Chuck said, “Pronto!”

In the distance, running toward them, Chuck saw the cause of all the commotion.

“It seems that our lovely Miss Janet Jones has found us!” Chuck said, “I want to put a stop to her for once and for all. My dance card is full but she won’t take no for an answer!”

Harry ran off to get his gun. Chuck turned back toward Frank. He had to get him somewhere safe…away from that psycho Jones. She would stop at nothing, it seemed. He stopped and stared at the lines that Frank had drawn in the dirt.

It was a crude drawing…but there was no mistaking the picture for what it was: a giant dragonfly. Frank however was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished!

“Well that just makes my day,” Chuck muttered as a shot whizzed past his head.

Until next week….class dismissed!

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Twelve

The woman was old and wizened with years of living in the harsh jungles of Brazil. But there was no mistaking it. At one time, this woman would have passed for Oprah Winfrey’s twin. Sitting in a large red velvet chair underneath a softly twirling ceiling fan, she stared at Frank as the last notes of Billie Holiday faded away. One of her eyes had gone bad and simply stared forward with a milky whiteness. The other eye, however, was as sharp as ever.

He wondered how it had happened. How had this woman…this Irza…been created. And why did she look so much like Oprah Winfrey.

“It was an accident,” a voice startled him. It was a young girl who looked to be all of 12 years old. She was standing behind Irza’s chair. Dressed all in white, the girl had the appearance of a nurse. At least, that is what Frank was guessing that she was.

“The woman that you know as Mizzuz Winfrey visited this land many years ago,” the girl said, “Even back then she was looking for a place to build schools…to help people live better lives. She visited this very village. The day was hot and the pond….yes, that very same pond you saw earlier….looked inviting.”

“But didn’t the villagers warn her?” Frank was in shock. He was staring at a clone of Oprah Winfrey…but she looked so old. What had happened to her?

“Of course they did sir,” the nurse said, “But surely you know that strong-willed women will always be strong-willed…no matter what others try to do to dissuade them. Mizzuz Winfrey simply waited until nightfall…and then slipped away from the village.”

And then Frank knew what had happened next. She had gone for a swim…against the wishes of the villagers….in the pond. The magic pond. And then how long had it taken for her to see what had come out of the waters with her?

“So Oprah Winfrey knows about this place?” Frank asked.

“No sir,” the nurse reached out to stroke Irza’s hair, “When the villagers found out what Mizzuz Winfrey was doing, they came to the pond and ‘persuaded’ her to get out. Of course, Mizzuz Winfrey took it all wrong….she and her entire group left. No money…no school….nothing. And then….soon after….”

She looked down at Irza. She didn’t finish her sentence…..she didn’t have to. Frank knew what had come springing to the surface of the waters. The village had their own version of Oprah Winfrey to keep them company.

Just then Irza gave a moist, meaty cough that made Frank’s chest hurt just to hear. The nurse stepped forward with a cloth and wiped the old woman’s mouth. She offered Irza a glass of water but it was refused.

Her body is old, Frank thought, but her eye is as sharp as a hawk’s eye.

For some strange reason, Frank felt as though he should bow. He knelt forward and tipped his head in the direction of Irza.

She didn’t speak but only lifted her hand. The song changed into “God Bless the Child.” Yet again, it was Billie Holiday singing. Frank didn’t notice any speakers anywhere. The music seemed to be coming from the very air around him.

“Mizzuz Irza welcomes you…you who are most favored,” the young nurse said, not leaving her post behind Irza’s chair.

“Why thank you,” Frank said, “It is a pleasure to finally meet Miss Irza.”

The nurse held up her hand to silence Frank. He watched as she cocked her head to one side as though she was listening to someone speak directly into her ear.
“Mizzuz Irza says that you have come a long way,” the nurse continued, “She says that you are looking for something.”

Frank thought to himself about this strange journey that he had been taking. It seemed like it was months ago when he had landed in Brazil…on a mission by the Gaia Corporation. He knew that he was expected to find something…but he just didn’t know what. And now….would Janet Jones find it before him?

Irza’s hand flew up once again. The song changed. This time it was Billie Holiday singing “It Had to Be You.”

“Mizzuz Irza says that you are the one who are destined to find it,” the nurse said. Frank wondered what was stranger: the fact that the nurse was getting mental messages from the old woman or the fact that he didn’t find this in the least bit strange.

“But what is it?” Frank asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

“I can’t say sir,” the nurse said, “Mizzuz Irza won’t say. I just keep getting images of fire…hot fire….that leaps out at me. It….it scares me sir.”

Irza’s hand flew up once more. It wasn’t Billie Holiday this time. Frank recognized the song as “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie.

“Oh sir!” the nurse exclaimed, bending down to wipe Irza’s brow with a cool cloth, “Mizzuz Irza just told me that you have to hurry! The other one…the one named Mizzuz Jones…is on the right path. You have to hurry….you will find it….tomorrow!”

“But I don’t even know what I’m looking for!” Frank demanded angrily. He stared hard and deep at Irza. She wasn’t moving. Her skin was sagging with age. Her hair was a white, wiry mess. And what was with that eye? The other one stared at him with a ferocious strength that somehow kept him from running toward her and demanding answers to all of his questions.

Until next week……class dismissed!

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Eleven

The heat of the coming day was starting to become a more viable entity as Frank once again found himself following in the footsteps of Chuck. They were headed back through the village and away from the pond…the magic pond. Just moments before, Frank had seen it create an exact duplicate of a deer which had gone for a brief dip. He was still in shock that something like that could happen. He wondered if such a creature would be considered a clone. He wasn’t sure.

Just then Harry McCain, the shapeshifter, came trotting toward them. Thankfully (at least to Frank), he was in human form once more.

“Good morning!” he sounded more chipper after his rest. His British accent, however, sounded out of place in the rugged and primitive conditions found in this Brazilian village. Frank smiled grimly. He was nervous about meeting this woman…this Irza. Had she really seen the face of God? Not likely. But still…with giant dragonflies buzzing around in his dreams, magical tattoos coming to life, and people shifting into animal form at will…he guessed that anything was possible.

“Ummm,” Harry asked, “Where are you boys headed?”

“Where do you think, mate,” Chuck said.

“You mean….her?” Harry’s voice stressed the final word, “Are you sure that he is ready?”

“Hey!” Frank grunted, “You can quit talking about me like I’m not here.”

“Sorry old boy,” Harry threw a small smile toward Frank, “It’s just that….well…Irza is special. I thought that we would wait until…”

“No time!” Chuck interrupted..his Australian drawl resonating in the morning air, “And it doesn’t matter anyway. Remember what I told you about this guy….he’s a Finder. He KNOWS things already hat he shouldn’t know.”

“Like?” Harry asked, stealing a worried glance in Frank’s direction.

Chuck stopped. He turned toward Harry and gave him a long, hard stare.

“Well, for starters,” he said angrily, “Frank here asked me about dragonflies this morning….very LARGE dragonflies. And another thing…he has suddenly taken a strong interest in Oprah Winfrey. Now how do you explain that to me?”

Frank saw Harry’s face pale considerably. He was looking at him like he had three heads or something.

“Hey guys,” Frank said, “I don’t know what you all are so worked up about. It was just a dream…honestly!”

They stood there for a moment….not saying a word. Suddenly, Harry just nodded and muttered something that sounded like “So be it.”

Chuck and Harry started walking again…a little more quickly this time. Frank let out a sigh and took off after them. Perhaps when he met this Irza then everything would make sense.

Coming over a small rise in the land, Frank saw that they were headed toward a hut that was larger than the others. Quite a bit larger in fact. And you couldn’t really say that it was a hut. As they got closer, he saw that it wasn’t made out of the crude materials like the other dwellings. In fact, he saw that it was a rather large, stucco building. Painted a soft brown, the colors mingled in with the others in the village so that it didn’t stand out. However, looking at it, one would know that this was the home of someone very special.

Another thing that was different about the house (because Frank could no longer think of it as a hut) was that it had several large windows and an actual door, large and red. When they got to the door, Chuck and Harry both stopped and turned to face Frank.

“We don’t go any farther mate,” Chuck said, “It’s up to you now.”

“What?” Frank was flustered, “You mean I’ve got to go in there myself? What if I scare her? This woman…this Irza…she won’t know me.”

Harry started to chuckle, “I think that you’d be surprised at what Irza knows. She has a certain gift at….seeing…things. Don’t worry friend…it’ll be alright. Or it won’t.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Frank was now confused as well as nervous.

Chuck and Harry both looked at each other and then they just shrugged their shoulders.

“It means what it means mate,” Harry said, “But when we were sent to get you, it was to bring you here. Everyone has their own journey to make Frank….and this is your journey. We were told to send you in….alone. And that is how you have to go.”

“Go on Frank,” Chuck smiled, “Don’t keep her waiting.”

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Frank reached out and turned the door knob. It creaked open a bit. From inside, he was surprised to find that he could hear the strains of music being played. It was an old song but one that he knew. It was a Billie Holiday song….what was the title of it? Wasn’t it Stormy Blues? Yes…he was sure of it! He looked over at Chuck and then at Harry.

“Do you hear that?” he asked, amazed to hear one of his favorite artists being played in this place….it was so surreal.

“Hmmm?” Chuck wondered aloud.

“No Frank,” Harry said, “But that doesn’t mean anything. If you hear something…just go with it. Things in Irza’s house….they don’t always follow the rules that the rest of us have to live with.”

Again, Frank found himself wondering what in the world he was getting himself into. But the strains of the song kept spilling out into the air around him….beckoning him. He loved Billie Holiday. The sound of her voice calmed him down….made him feel that everything was going to be okay.

“I’ve been down so long, that down don’t worry me………I”ve been down so long, that down don’t worry me……..I just sit and wonder……..where can my good man be?”

Closing his eyes, Frank stepped into Irza’s house. He heard the door click behind him. Billie Holiday’s voice swelled and washed over him.

Opening his eyes, Frank found himself in a narrow but long hallway. There was a room at the end of it….that was where the music was coming from. He walked down the hall….feeling strangely at peace. Was the music calming him down? The hallway was strangely devoid of any pictures or furnishings. It was almost like this wasn’t someone’s home. It was like it was just a generic EveryHouse….anyone could live here. What strange place was this?

Stepping into the room at the end of the hall, he saw something…someone… who totally shocked him.

“Oh my God,” he whispered.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams: Part Ten

Frank’s eyes opened as he sat up with a stifled yelp. Sweat was pouring off of his face, but he felt like he was freezing. For a second, he could still hear the screaming of that woman: Oprah Winfrey. She had been sitting…reading…when he had entered her room. But how had he gotten there? And how had he gotten back? Had the whole thing been a dream? In the darkness of the hut where he had been sleeping, Frank could swear that he heard the soft shushing sound of a dragonfly’s wings. He hopped up and ran to the little window which was letting in the strong jungle moonlight, but he couldn’t see anything. And now…it was silent once again except for the sound of his own ragged breathing.

“You okay Hoss?” It was Chuck…the guy with the magic tattoos. He had stuck his head through the door of the little hut. “I thought that I heard you yell.”

“Fine,” Frank said, “I’m fine. It’s just…”

He hesitated.

“Yeah Hoss?” Chuck’s Australian accent seemed to be thicker than ever, even though he was trying to pull in some old Western dialect.

“I….I…can’t really explain it,” Frank shuffled over to his mat and sat down. The mat was thin and wasn’t very comfortable. But his legs felt wobbly….weak….and he was afraid that he might fall if he didn’t just go on ahead and sit.

He thought that Chuck might take that as a sign and leave…but he didn’t. He just kept staring at Frank: waiting.

“Have there ever been any reports of large insects around here?” Frank finally asked…faltering.

Chuck broke out in a fit of coarse laughter…his face scrunching up in a wild map of lines and contours.

“This is the blooming jungle!” he cracked, “There are large insects everywhere you look. You’ll have to be more specific than that mate.”

“Dragonflies,” Frank cut in quickly before he lost his nerve, “Any reports of large dragonflies.”

And with that, Chuck’s laughter stopped just as quickly as it had started. He was starting at Frank in the dimly lit darkness. Frank could see the large whites of his eyes…they looked huge.

“How in the he..” he started, “Did somebody tell you about that?”

“About what?” Frank said, standing up and walking toward Chuck, “What is it?”

“Dragonflies,” Chuck smirked and looked down at the ground, “They said that you were good…had a gift…but that was bloody FAST mate! How did you do it?”

“Do what?” Frank insisted on knowing what Chuck was talking about, “All that I know is that I just had a freaking weird dream about a large dragonfly taking me for a little journey over the jungle to a waterfall…and to top it off…to visit with one very frightened woman: Oprah Winfrey.”

It all sounded so ridiculous when said out loud. For a second, Frank thought that Chuck would just start laughing again. However, the sharp hiss of breath that he gave let Frank know that he had said something that had upset Chuck rather badly. His heart started to beat a little faster. What had he said? What did Oprah Winfrey have to do with this?

“Come with me mate,” Chuck held the door open, “I want to show you something.”

They didn’t speak as they walked through the dark village. Every now and then they would pass a startled villager: making a fire, cooking an early morning breakfast, or walking out for a morning visit to the bathroom. Nobody spoke to them…just stared with large, silent, dark eyes. Chuck was moving quickly, but Frank found that he was having a pretty easy time keeping up with him. He felt a little bit of pride in that…he must be getting in better shape. Of course, lately, he had been running for his life quite a bit.

Soon, they came to the edge of the village. Dawn was approaching. The moon had sunk below the tops of the trees, but the sun would be up soon. Already, the sky was starting to take on some of the light of the coming day. It wasn’t easy to see yet, but Frank could make out the shape of the large pond in front of them.

“The villagers don’t use this pond anymore,” Chuck whispered, suddenly quiet and reserved, “They say that it is maljita…it has ‘gone bad.’ But there’s more to it than just poisoned water. It’s something that the company has known about for quite some time.”

“What is it?” Frank shuddered. The lake lay before them. Nothing was growing near it…no flowers, no trees, no grass. It was like a great dead pile of ooze…waiting and rotting in the heat of the jungle. The pond was as smooth as glass…dark and deadly.

Just then, a small deer came walking out of the jungle. It walked toward the pond…slowly creeping toward the water.

“Hey,” Frank whispered, “I thought you said the waters were poison. Surely that deer isn’t going to drink!”

“Shhh,” Chuck shushed him, “The water isn’t poison. Lots of animals come to it and drink. Drinking it isn’t the problem. Just watch.”

The deer walked up to the edge of the pond and bent its head down, drinking deeply of the dark, still waters. Frank waited…hardly breathing…waiting for something to happen. Was some large fish or alligator going to pop up and eat the deer? Was the deer going to go into convulsions and die? He felt a sense of dread. Something was wrong…he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Just then, Chuck let out a loud WHOOP and ran toward the deer, waving his arms. Frank’s breath caught in his throat. What was going on? He noticed that the deer was startled….and trapped. It couldn’t run back into the jungle because Chuck was blocking its way…and he was still running toward it. With a splash, the deer jumped into the pond and swam to the opposite side. It crawled out, gave a little shake, and ran off into the jungle.

Chuck was walking back toward Frank, his face grim.

“Well that didn’t accomplish anything except give me a heart attack,” Frank griped, “What in the world is supposed to happen here anyway?”

Chuck held up one finger, “Just wait a second Hoss. Wait…and watch.”

Frank waited….and waited. The seconds turned into minutes. Still nothing happened. He could feel the humidity starting to rise. It was going to be a sweltering day. He could feel it coming in. One of those days where the sweat just pours off of you like buckets of water. He dreaded it.

He had just decided to tell Chuck that he was fed up with this nonsense when something happened. The water on the pond began to stir. Small bubbles started to rise on the surface. Just a few at first…and then more appeared. The water started to churn and turn frothy. He could hear it sloshing and swirling from where he stood. He was glad that he wasn’t any closer to the water. It didn’t feel safe.
“What’s going on?” he demanded again, but Chuck wouldn’t answer.

Jus then, a head broke the surface of the pond as something came walking out of the water and onto the shore. It was a deer. No…not just a deer. It was THE deer. It was the very same deer that had been in the water just a few minutes earlier. But how? Frank felt his eyes pop.

“It looks….it looks just like…” he stammered.

“Yeah mate,” Chuck said as the deer gave a little shake and bounded off into the jungle, “It looks just like that deer that went for a little dip just a few minutes ago. In fact….it is a perfect copy of that deer….right down to the very last flea.”

“How….how did that just happen?” Frank started walking toward the water. He felt like he was in a trance.

Chuck grabbed his arm and pulled him back, “Don’t get too close mate. You don’t want to have a copy of yourself walking out of there, do you?”

Frank tried to picture that…but it was just too horrible to think about.

“It happens every time though,” Chuck was muttering to himself, “Something goes into the water….and a copy of it comes out with it. It’s actually pretty amazing. Nobody knows how it works. Heck….hardly anybody even knows that this pond exists. Even the company hasn’t figured it out….and that’s saying something.”

“But…but what does this have to do with me? My dream?” Frank stuttered, “Remember….my dream about the dragonfly? Oprah Winfrey?”

Chuck stared at him with cold eyes.

“I think that it’s time for you to meet Irza,” he said, “That will explain a lot.”

Frank shuddered. Irza: the one who had seen the face of God.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Nine

Frank Mason took another step back away from the large tent which was now housing Janet Jones along with an elderly man and his granddaughter. Only moments before, Frank had heard Janet Jones threatening to kill the girl if the old man didn’t show her the way to some place that she had called Sapphire Falls. The woman was just pure evil. He didn’t see how he had fallen so easily for her tricks earlier on the airplane. She had almost had him arrested for drug smuggling…and then had tried to kill him while he was in the taxi with Chuck. Now…she was heading toward the tent door…and she had a gun.

“I don’t know who’s out there,” Janet Jones called out, “But you have about 10 seconds to pray to whatever God you hold dear….and then you are going to die.”

Frank didn’t have time to think. He just felt the strange vibrations on his back and knew that the large dragonfly there was on the move again. The ground beneath his feet just became a memory as he floated into the midnight sky, leaving the firelight and soft glow of the tent below him. He looked down and saw Janet Jones emerge quickly from the tent. She was looking around wildly…trying to find out the source of the sound which she had just heard. She looked up and at first he thought that she had seen him….but then she just shook her head and went back inside the tent.

The scenery below changed and Frank found himself gliding gently over the rich, dark canopy of the jungle once more. The trees grew together so thick and dangerous making Frank wonder what secrets they kept hidden from the eyes of Man. So high in the air, everything was silent except for the soft buzzing of the dragonfly’s wings. Frank found that he wasn’t afraid anymore. If the insect had meant to hurt him, it would have done so by now. Instead, it seemed intent on showing him things. He wondered if it was taking him back to the village.

The roar of water soon answered his question. The jungle below broke into three parts where the trees were not as thick. He could see water….flowing fast and strong. Soon, the water converged from three separate streams into one large stream that gained speed. He could see the white foam of caps as the water crashed against sharp rocks and made its way toward one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls that he had ever seen. And in the light of the full moon, he could see the sparkling stones that lay on the banks of the river….sparkling a deep, dark blue….they looked just like…

“Sapphires,” Frank whispered to the cold night air.

Surely, this was the same Sapphire Falls of which Janet Jones had been speaking. Without much surprise, Frank found himself being slowly lowered toward the water. The dragonfly flew him out over the waterfall…and Frank had to gasp. It was beautiful…and terrifying. The roar of the foaming water was enough to kill an entire army of men who happened to be so foolish as to get near the edge. And yet, it was so lovely to look at that one might be tempted to end it all for the brief moment of joy of becoming one with such a force of nature.

The dragonfly was lowering them even closer to the falls. Was it planning on dropping him in the water? He didn’t think so…and then he saw that they were not headed for the water. They were headed for a little cropping of rock that jutted out from the side of the cliff. As his feet touched the rocks, he found that they were slick with the mist from the falls. In front of him, hidden from view until now, was a cave. He knew that the dragonfly wanted him to go into the cave. He just didn’t know what he would find inside.

Slowly he made his way toward the dark crevice that lay before him. It gaped like a dark mouth, waiting to devour him body and soul. And yet he continued his slow and steady trek. He didn’t want to trip and fall to his death.
Entering the darkness, he was amazed at how quickly the deafening roar of the waterfall seemed to disappear. It was as though he had entered another world. And the darkness was alive and thick around him….pressing into his flesh and attaching itself to his clothing….making him feel sluggish and slow. He felt around for the walls and found that he could not find them.

This had been a mistake….he had to get out….he had to leave. He started to turn back toward the cave opening and head back toward the light of the moon and noise of the waterfall. As deafening as it was, it was better than the silent darkness of this tomb. He felt as though the very dead themselves were standing with him….watching him with eyes grown accustomed to such vile conditions.

And then the dragonfly buzzed its wings….sending tingles along his spine.
Small golden sparks flew into the air. They seemed to be coming from the dragonfly’s wings. Like silent moths, they fluttered and floated in the air sending out small but brilliant beams of light into the darkness. It wasn’t much….but in total darkness even the smallest light is a beacon. They seemed to converge into a line in front of him…..and Frank knew. He had to follow the line. There was no turning back.

Walking carefully so that he didn’t stumble over some rock (or dead body, he thought with a shiver), Frank made his way through the cave. The dragonfly kept up its rustling. It was strange, but the vibrations seemed to calm him. He felt that peaceful feeling that he had been feeling earlier. He didn’t know why he had been so afraid of this cave. It was actually a beautiful place. What had he been thinking? He smiled as the dragonfly’s buzzing wings and golden flakes of light prompted him onward.

Soon, he was able to make out another source of light in the distance. It wasn’t much…but then neither were the golden flakes which were floating around him. As he got nearer and nearer to the source of the light however, it grew stronger and stronger. He found that he no longer needed the golden bits of light to help guide the way. As if they had heard his thoughts, they blinked out of sight. The dragonfly’s buzzing wings kept up their comforting vibrations on his back though. He was glad of that.

Soon he was standing in front of another doorway in the cave. There was a strong light coming from the other side…but he couldn’t see clearly. He couldn’t make out what was on the other side. He saw moving shapes but whenever he tried to focus on them, everything got fuzzy.

“Well….I’ve come this far,” he said to the dragonfly, “I guess that I should take just one more step.”

And with that….he stepped through the door….and into bright daylight.
He was in a large, airy room. The walls were white….plaster. The rich green carpet under his feet was thick and luxurious. In front of him was a glass table with black metal legs. On it sat a large crystal vase full of freshly cut lilies. He could smell their sweet perfume floating in the air. But most amazing of all, he saw a woman sitting and reading a book on the large, plush sofa in front of him. She was so absorbed in her reading that she didn’t notice him…at first. Then…..noting a change in the room apparently….she raised her head. Her eyes grew large and the book fell from her fingers and landed with a silent thump on the carpet.

Frank tried to raise his hands and let her know that he wasn’t going to hurt her….but it was too late. The woman started to scream. And honestly….Frank felt like he was going to scream himself. The woman was someone that he knew….someone that he saw quite a bit, in fact. The woman was….Oprah Winfrey.

On his back, Frank felt the buzzing of the dragonfly. It was purring like a kitten….and the louder that Oprah Winfrey screamed….the stronger the dragonfly purred.

Until next week….class dismissed.