*SONG* “It’s A Sin” by the Pet Shop Boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkwgMMNXjTc

Everything feels out of sync,
The Dates on the calendar mean nothing
The hours and the minutes on the clock
Make no sense half the time…
The Bubble Burst…
And the more time passes by
The more faces you see, voices you hear…
The complaints pile up

And the less everything means.
You have to survive…Individual answers
For individual problems.
The miracles today are kindness
And those to connect with who don’t
Endlessly complain or criticize but lift you up.
There’s your answer.

Pulled and drawn into the circle of Light
The Watchers wait…
If you don’t want to read or listen
I don’t mind, I’m only doing this
Because I said I would.

He was waiting. She was waiting.
“It seems a lot is going on there,
So much on your mind.” Brishan said,
His statue frame and chiseled face
So serious. “It will get better…”

“It’s always about the IF…” I said to him.

“Do you know what the point to this
Part is?” He asked.

“I can guess, but you will tell me anyway.”

“To go farther.” He said firmly, unbreakable
In every way. “This has to be a process…
It has to be. Nothing appreciated comes
Quickly. So we sit and we talk and we
Hope that the words reach the right ones…
That the thing is right. Ignore those whose
Haste demands your attention, or insists
You give it all so fast…they will never
Learn anything.” He leaned forward
Pointing his finger at the notebook…
“So we reach farther than before…
Just when you think it’s over the next
Level opens and you climb higher…
So now we push the limits and cover
Things we dared not talk about before.”
He waited watching me, I swear sometimes
This felt like torture. But he had this
Sense that was so kind…like a brother
That cared.

“They cry out to be rescued, to walk away
From the world…they said that gave them
Only pain and grief. Rescue me. Save me…
Take me away to a paradise…A paradise
They have created in their mind…Paradise
Is a different thing to many different people
And worlds. Ask me what paradise is…Do
You think your people will agree…because
I am telling you they will be surprised.” He
Studied me carefully. “You don’t want to
See the stars…you want the Earth happy…
You want to see nature sing…Horses,
To watch them run…To see the seasons…
To have people stop bothering you. That’s
Why they picked you and the others. Because
You don’t want to lose those things. That…
Is why I am happy to talk to you.”

Moments of thoughtful silence.
Then Brishan reached over to the table beside
Him and grabbed what appeared to be a
Piece of fruit, then took a bite of it and
Chewed it as he watched me. It was reddish
Orange, almost like a peach or apple, it looked
Normal enough, tasty enough.

Ceres crossed her arms as she sat beside him
Watching him in disbelief. “What are you
Doing?”

“I’m eating this fruit.” He said plainly.

She squinted, scowled…tilted her head
In amazement then asked… “Why?”

“Because I’m hungry.”

“You gave that…little speech,” she said
Still squinting at him… “About moving forward,
And now…you have him writing about
Watching you eat…a piece of fruit?”

“Yes.” He said.

She looked at me, then at him, turned
And then looked all about only to look at him
Again. “And I thought Varence mastered
Riddles…Brishan, I don’t understand you.”

“I know.” He said.

“I pray this is a significant precursor,” Ceres
Said shaking her head, rolling her eyes, “Because
This is quite strange. What’s next, a meal?
A banquet or party? Do you intend on sharing
Food stories…or is this simply some
Meaning meant for a secret to grasp?”

“Trust me.” He said.

“Those words are a gamble on any
World.” Ceres laughed. “Spare them the
Hidden meanings…Would you like a larger
Bowl?” She laughed to me. “He has
Quite an appetite.”

“Thank you,” he said, “This is fine.”

Ok, I’m writing about watching Brishan eat
A piece of fruit…They eat, they drink, they’re
Real, I get the point…

He shook his finger at me as he chewed
Another bite. “No speculations, just write
What you see and we say.”

“But—“

He took one last bite, chewed, swallowed…
Then spit out what appeared to be a pit
Or large seed or core of the fruit and smiled.

Ceres was shocked. “That’s disgusting! Brishan
Really…I can’t believe you did that. What’s next
Another demonstration of strangeness?”

He smiled at me.

“I do that.” I said referring to the spitting
Out the pit part.

“I know.” Brishan grinned.

“Are you mimicking me or something?” I asked.

“Maybe.” He only said.

Ceres squinted intently at him, then me…
Then sighed heavily. “What sort of start is this?
This is ridiculous!” She stared at him with
Silent confusion. “Would you like something
Else to spit out on the floor?”

Brishan only grinned. “The meaning will
Become clear.”

“I think I understand.” I told him.

Ceres touched her brow. “Please elaborate,
Words escape me…I see only spit on
The floor.”

“It’s that time of year…October,” I told them…
“October…that’s when I saw the Red Light
In the sky…That’s when it began…That’s
When it comes…That’s when…The Bell Tolls
That I wrote…began.”

“I suspected this.” Brishan said staring
At me…

“Dare I ask again,” Ceres protested,
“Your meaning?”

Brishan nodded at the notebook… “Now
We proceed. We showed you the
Projection of the coming Ice Age? We
Need to improve that number.”

“I get it.” I told them.

“I am mystified.” Ceres said, shaking her head.

Brishan sat quietly then, sat
Up more proud and straight. “Now…
Last time we began…with Sasquatch.”

“But there are countless stories out
There about Bigfoot.” I told them.

“No, you said and wrote the right thing.” He
Said with a gentler tone. “It was perfect.”

“I am utterly fascinated to see where and
How you will go with this.” Ceres said.

“As I have said,” Brishan explained, “It
Is here that we explain things we could
Not, would not explain before…Now it’s
Time the Sasquatch is part of it…
It always has been their mystical
Foot soldier if you will…for the
Savage land…But I am also talking
About other things…Secret projects…
Project Pegasus…Halcyon…Parallel Dimensions
And the Shadow People.”

“You want to cover all of that?” I
Asked.

“Brishan…” Ceres said with concern…

“They are all connected.” He said. “And
Must be addressed now. Especially with
The dangers of the outer layers of
The planet’s atmosphere deteriorating…
The risks…If we are to encourage outside
Assistance…We need to see that number
Improve…Although we cannot control the
Ice Age factor.”

“True,” Ceres agreed, “The Ice Age is
The planet’s natural means of protection
Of healing…by Cold Fire.”

“Cold Fire?” I asked.

“Cold Fire is another method of natural cleansing.”
Brishan explained. “Most assume it’s done only
One way by fire…But if a planet is in a state
Of such physical distress and deterioration…then
Heat would only further damage the planet…
Whereas cold helps bind the atmosphere…And
Intense freezing cold temperatures serve
Equal if not more efficient solutions…Have
You ever heard it said…so cold it burns?”

“Yes.” I said.

He nodded. “The same thing.”

“Super cold temperatures create an ice age
And will on a molecular level, over time, break
Down matter…turning it to dust when it thaws.”
Ceres explained for him. “While it is harsh
On species, especially vegetation…it is kinder
To a damaged atmosphere, which is vital. Plus,
There is the matter of a highly unstable caldera
On your planet…if that caldera erupts it
Would destroy all life…or at the very least
Most of it. While the Cold Fire method
Should…by our calculations greatly appease
The geological stress. It is a trade off, but it
Is better than losing all or most surface
Life. And then there is the factor of it being
A Blue Planet, seas of life…Most oceanic
Species are already adaptable to the cold…
The tropical, more fragile ecosystems would be
Eradicated…But over time, following the
Ending of an Ice Age, would return slowly…
Different yes, but they would return. You
Must understand the Planet’s survival mode,
Its essence a living breathing vessel for life…
It does not want to destroy life…but find
The best possible solution for it to remain
A vessel for sustaining life…even if it has to
Sacrifice some to preserve the whole for a
Future.”

“I see.”

Brishan nodded. “Now we must proceed with
Further revelations…This is NOT a means to
Scare you, understand, but rather, educate.
Skeptics will argue this, but those of internal
Empathic understanding will sense the truth
In it…Awareness creates the knowledge
Needed for survival…Those that resist
Change run and hide from anyone or thing
Threatening their…conceptual happiness.”

“I can see that, I think most can.”

“Most?” Brishan laughed. “If that were true
The current state of Earth would not be so
Volatile. People sense the danger, the end
Of an age…of the old ways…Fear of
Change, of the unknown…of surrendering
What they comfortably knew…is terrifying,
And with that comes violence.”

“It’s understandable,” Ceres said with kindness.
“Who wants to surrender a…dream…for a
Tide of unsteady changes that means they
Would never see their own paradise. It’s a
Conflict of individual happiness versus the whole.”

“Now we must move on with revelations.” Brishan
Insisted. “No doubt many are seeking as
Many answers as possible to current dilemmas?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, then looked to Ceres for amicable
Support. “That is why I wish to just
Be blunt. We have stories to share…that you
Will tell. But first, we must acknowledge
Secrets that are not being recognized.

“From our studies on various worlds, the
Watchers observe the same descent…over
And over. The pattern is so typical, so similar
That it’s ridiculous really. How so many
Can’t see it…” He shook his head laughing.
“Denial is a quite comfortable weapon, or
Shield…to say…it isn’t real, that
It isn’t happening…It ALWAYS happens this
Way…then it falls apart and they see it
When it’s too late.

“So no games or soft spoken explanations…
Not now, it’s too late for that.
You’ve shared stories…and no doubt you
Have received a variety of responses.”

“Yes, for sure you can say that.” I
Nodded.

“Don’t be surprised.” Brishan said very
Calmly. “Now here are the factors to
Watch for…As we discussed last time…
The elusive Sasquatch…The Forest People…
Highly intelligent, adaptable…adept at
Various telepathic, psychic abilities…
Marking those of more advanced mind…
While evading those more primitive…See
Past the shell to sense what they are…”

He shook his finger, “The physical body
Is a reflection of the inner being…
Adapted for its environment, shaped to
Survive…The Sasquatch is a versatile creation,
They are of nature…and so, they require
The appropriate shape…They are
Chameleons…They can blend in, seem
Invisible, or if necessary make your senses
Believe they aren’t there…To the eyes.
But the intuition is beyond physical senses…
It knows…As animals have this sense…They
Know when something isn’t right. The
Sasquatch surpasses the natural order…That’s
Why animals are terrified by it.”

“And believe me I am not happy how it scares
The animals.” Ceres added. “But we do
What we must…At least before as Watchers…
We could only watch.”

“So what other things are you trying to
Say then?” I asked.

“I realize this is a sensitive topic,” Brishan
Went on, “So I will open, or rather start it.”

“When every civilization goes through ages
Of change…it…

“The Shadow People are that warning
Sign,” Brishan went on mysteriously…
“They are largely the supernatural force
That haunts and taunts.
They prey on the weak and naïve…all ages,
Age has nothing to do with wisdom…
They prey on fear, torment this
Way, proudly…They make you believe
They aren’t there…

“They can be anywhere night or day.
Shadows can exist anywhere there is a
Light source…And so they move this way.

“Like the Dark Kind you wrote about.
They have a very different agenda…
None of our research reveals a hierarchy,
Although we have documented three
Different kinds…

“The shadowy, faceless entities which
Resemble people…And hide this
Way…however they do appear more
On the lean side.

“Then there is the shadowy ones you
Call the Dark Kind…These can
Emerge as a physical being…Appearing
As many shapes and size until they emerge
With often a violent assault.
Then they have a very reptilian, what
You call a gargoyle like appearance. They
Also feed off fear, terror, violent, extreme
Emotions, especially carnal desires…
Their appearance, presence usually
Involves a physical assault…
A very real physical assault. But because
Of their terrifying appearance, they
Can scare someone to death…

“Their appearance, the sight of them is often so devastating
It blocks memory, the mind’s way of
Self preservation, self protection…

“The third, and most imposing is an entity
Known as the Dark Ones…Appearing as
A black mass of cloud, hovering
They can be of any size…But when they
Come it’s serious. Most commonly they
Are referred to as demons, for they
Certainly act this way. If there is a
Hierarchy, then these are probably
The greatest…And are the most lethal
To deal with.

“You need to open people’s eyes to them
Because they are very real, and
Very dangerous. Denying they are real
Is pointless…because they have greater
Power this way…thus creating greater
Fear…They get great pleasure from this…
But remember knowledge is power…
Knowing what they are can help you.”

“But you must be aware of them.” Ceres warned.

“I am.” I told them. “I’ve seen them most of
My life…unfortunately I’ve tried telling people…
But most don’t believe…They think it’s an overactive
Imagination…something we’re told as children
Called the Boogeyman.”

“But that’s how they gain power, and fear,”
Brishan insisted. “By stalking the weak, the
Young…They fool many this way…NOT
Listening to children, to their fears or what
They see is the worst mistake many make.
It’s happened before. Do not think it’s just
Your world.”

“Remember…” Ceres said leaning forward
And folding her hands in her lap, as if to pray,
“Remember all the stories we’ve shared…That
You’ve told, that we’ve told you…The animals
Can see and sense things others cannot.
Pay attention to the animals. They are your
Greatest asset clues. To ignore them is
A big mistake. The animals…they know…
Remember the Creature that came to your
Window? The animals knew, even if they
Could not see it…They knew.”

“The parakeets knew first.” I said. “The birds
Always know first.”

“Birds are highly sensitive to any electromagnetic
Field…This includes all forms of psychic type
Fields.”

“I believe we’ve received research on this,”
Brishan said… “The birds’ sensitivity…Isn’t
Your science aware of this?”

“The problem is not all people appreciate these
Things.” I told them. “They would rather
Turn on the news…or ask a scientist or
Doctor for advice.”

“And that has served your world so well.”
Brishan said in jest. “Those great claims
Your science makes…and what is the
Current state of your planet? If they
Were so well informed and aware…problems
Would be far less of an issue.”

“People who love their animals pay attention.”
I told them. “But they still don’t understand
What they see.”

“You can have the most complex technology
That exists in the universe,” Brishan laughed,
“And no matter what its purpose
It still cannot compare to the simple and
Explicit powers of nature and its animals.”

“The Shadow People…The Dark Kind, those
Gargoyle-like creatures…The Dark Ones…I’ve
Seen them all at some point.” I said. “Most
People dismiss it as a trick of the eye.”

“No, they’re simply telling themselves they
Do not want to see it, because they do not
Want to believe it.” Brishan said. “Because
If they admit this…then they have to admit
They have no control over it…Another
Misconception no doubt instilled by a corrupt,
Mismanaged education system…and
Deceptive religious teachings. They probably
Say such things only happen to bad people.”

“Yes.” I laughed. “They do say that. They
Say that and much more…Bad things
Happen to bad people…good things, like success
Only happen to good people. But I have
Rarely seen this. More often than not I’ve
Encountered some really corrupt people
Having amazing good fortune…not always,
But a lot.”

“Dark forces have a lot to do with that.”
Brishan said. “Unfortunately that system
Thrives in societies guided by a monetary
Type structure…It’s very misleading.”

“True,” I said. “There is no justice when
Paychecks are involved. People often cannot
Get medical care if they do not have
Enough money.”

“That is absurd, that is a crime.” Brishan
Said. “Medical care should NEVER have
Anything to do with money ever. Doctors
Do not get paid on our world, that would
Be diabolic.”

“So you are saying…these Shadow People
Are the cause of this?” I asked.

“No,” Brishan responded calmly. “They are
More like…supernatural foot soldiers of
The Dark Empire…supporting anything that
Entreats the corrupt ways. They do it for
Pleasure…They have no need for money…
They feed off the ecstasy that fear
And suffering brings.”

“So how do you stop them?” I asked.
“How do you get rid of them?”

“They said you studied various metaphysical
Techniques…The powers of lines…sacred
Geometry, symbols…mystic lines, to hide this
In your artwork.”

“Yes,” I answered. “But that was more so
Achieved with the light the Angel put in
My head…somehow it took everything I
Knew and studied and put it all together
And out came this new form of artwork.”

“And does it work?” Brishan asked.

“If the heart if true it does.” I answered.
“But if they try to use it for selfish reasons,
Love spells, power…indulgence, the
Excessive kinds…then the lines and light
Don’t work…or have the opposite effect.”

“That seems appropriate.” Ceres nodded.

“What sorts of activity have you
Witnessed with these…shadow beings?”
Brishan asked with keen interest.

“From childhood on…I used to see them
In school, it scared me.” I told them.
“I don’t like discussing it because
Talking about them attracts their
Attention…always.”

“Of course.” He said. “Go on.”

“Well, I used to see them jump into people’s
Bodies…it was like a shade was pulled down
Over them when they jumped inside them.”
I carefully tried to explain. “Not everyone,
They seemed to select people somehow…
But every time they took over, walked into
Someone’s body their posture would change,
They often stared right at me…as if to
Say they knew I saw them…Then they
Would make the person act really
Strange…either say nasty things…pick
On someone…fight…anything to start trouble.”

“I once witnessed this at a friend’s
House at a party…” I told them. “I saw
This shadow-thing enter this girl…It
Was like a shade came down over her…
Her posture changed, her facial expressions…
She looked just…evil. NOT ONE PERSON
Noticed…But I saw it, I swear I did.
It’s funny because at this party they
Were all talking about how psychic
They all were…they were playing with
This Ouija board—a type of game board
Some people use to talk to the dead.”

“Oh how nice.” Ceres said sarcastically.
“And of course no one sensed this?”

“No they just kept talking about
Themselves…”

“But the worst part of this was after…
When the shadow left her
Body she fell into a deep dark depression for
Weeks. I told her what I saw and she
Said it was the worst feeling beyond description…
Sheer hopelessness, misery, no self worth,
No will to live…every awful emotion you could
Think of piled together. All she did was
Cry for weeks. A deep depression.”

“How did she overcome this then?” Brishan
Inquired seriously.

“I had bought these baby chicks from
A hatchery catalog. I kept urging her
To play with them.” I told him. “She
Did. She eventually came around. It
Did help her.”

Ceres smiled. “You see, it was those little
Chicks that did it.”

“Yes, animal therapy…”

Brishan nodded with a smile. “That was very
Good thinking.”

“Is that the only way to overcome these
Things…baby animals, animals or the artwork?”

“You do what you can…” He said.
“You try…some want to be depressed…
Some never get over it or much worse, some
Are driven to commit horrible crimes…
Claiming the darkness made them do it…
In many cases that’s true, very true.”

“So what do I tell people then?” I
Asked.

“Make them aware, it’s all you can do…
If these things are here and with
The population at such a number…
There’s not much you can do…They will
Only keep looking for someone else. That
Is why crowds are do dangerous.”

“I know you do not want to hear
This but…” Brishan said. “The right
Ones will know what to do…”

“Oh joy.” I said. “I’m sure that
Will go over well.”

“Dark times, aren’t they?” He asked.
“Is anything easy?”

“No.” I answered. “If anything I hear
People say things are worse than ever.”

“Keep making them aware.” Brishan smiled.
“Let them also make others aware…It is
All you can do in the face of such a
Threat.”

“Every little step,” Ceres smiled. “Every
Little step adds up…They count.”

“The big picture for a lot of us is
Often made up of many small steps.”
Brishan said.

“I understand.”

“Go now. Rest. We’ll have more to discuss next
Time. Remember…Now rest…Until
Next time.”

Valiant