Jessica pulled the covers over her face, trying to shield her eyes from the sunlight. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she felt rested. I know I should get up, but this bed is so comfortable. Her stomach rumbled as it stated its case. The smell of fresh biscuits did the trick. She sat up, her legs hanging over the side of the bed. The orange sitting on top of the wooden bookcase gave her a sense of assurance. As she picked up the orange, she noted what was on the shelves. The bookshelf was tall, up to her shoulders. A couple of shelves were filled with what appeared to be volumes of the same unmarked books. The spines of the books were a green color, and the covers were cream. There were no titles or even an author’s name. Jessica was about to open one when her stomach grew more assertive. She placed the book back, grabbed the orange, and started downstairs.
The wall next to the stairs was covered with various art pieces. There was only one she recognized. She couldn’t help but stop and stare.
“It’s Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory,” Zach said. “What do you think?”
“It looks like what would happen if you left a bunch of watches in Yuma during the summer,” Jessica said as she stared at the pocket watches lying flaccid over the tree branch. “What else should we see?”
“I just want to see this,” Zach said.
“Wait, you made me get on a train from DC to come to the MoMa in New York City just to look at this one painting?” Jessica asked.
“Well, there are paintings we can look at in my…”
Jessica’s thoughts were interrupted by laughter. She continued down the stairs and saw walls covered with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Jessica pointed to the left of the bookshelves as if giving a tour “These are the religious texts. If you move to the right,” she said, “you’ll get into the diaries of some of the greatest thinkers.” Jessica put her index fingers in the air. “These are written in their native tongues. The English translations are in the cellar.” Jessica continued scanning the room and whispering to herself, “The history section is there, and of course, you have the best fiction and comics at the end.”
“I’m glad your memory is starting to come back,” Professor Raziel said. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been there. “I was about to head out, but the team is outside. Please grab a bite to eat.”
Jessica went outside to sit under the covered patio. “Jessica,” Ori welcomed her, “you remember everyone?” Everyone gave her a smile and a wave.
“So, team,” Ori said, “as I think you all know, Jessica has had some issues with her memory. She’s going to be here for a few days until she gets it back. Humor her questions as she tries to remember. Each of us,” Ori waved his hand around the table, “has a distinct role in the team based upon a gift, a specialty, that helps us pursue our purpose.”
Ori then pointed to the different team members. “That’s Vau, whom I know welcomed you yesterday. Vau is our anthropologist and subject matter expert. He’s the longest-tenured person on the team, and he can form a personal connection with anyone. That’s Tony,” Ori continued. “He can understand the most complex of systems, in and out. Tony is overall programming. He takes research and insights from Vau to launch different simulations. He’s also in charge of clean up.”
“What’s clean up?” Jessica asked.
“If we leave any evidence behind, Tony will sweep the place clean,” Jordan said. “He’s the reason people don’t remember us.”
“And I’m sure you remember Jordan,” Ori said as Jessica and Jordan exchanged a friendly nod. “Jordan is over field operations. She can blend in absolutely anywhere. She makes sure that everything is coming together well and will intervene in our absence.”
Then Evelyn came outside and sat in the available chair. Jessica remembered her well, with her fair skin and shoulder-length curly hair. “Perfect timing,” Ori said. “And of course, Evelyn. She runs this team and the missions. She’s also a master at reading the signs.”
“You can think of it as data analytics,” Jordan said.
“Evelyn’s gift is analyzing information from the past along with what’s happening now to accurately predict what will most likely happen in the future.” Ori elaborated, “Evelyn can identify and interpret ripple effects through time based upon the knowledge and information she has access to.” Ori gazed at her with a proud expression. “She’s the best at it.”
Evelyn gave a humble smile. “It’s fascinating work.”
“And you?” Jessica asked Ori.
“I help with planning, and I recruit the targets.”
“Ori understands the consciousness of people,” Evelyn said. “He knows your every thought, and more importantly, he understands events in your life that lead you to your thoughts.”
“That’s remarkable,” Jessica said.
“It’s an excellent skill when you need to be able to offer people choices,” Ori said.
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Vau said.
“Thanks for the reintroductions,” Jessica said. “So I understand who you are. Could I get a reminder on what you are?”
“Well, this team takes on missions that help keep the relationship between humanity and Earth on course. But, I have a feeling that was intended to be a broader question,” Ori said.
“We’ve been called a lot of things. Pick a culture,” Jordan chimed in.
“Depending on the culture and the time period, we’ve been called different things,” explained Vau. “The Celts called us druids, the First Nations called us spirits.”
“The more logic-driven people have called us beings of light,” Tony said. “And celestial beings for the stargazers.”
“Angels?” Jessica posed, to which Jordan and Tony both had a physical and audible reaction. “Did I say something wrong?”
“That just boxes us in a little bit,” Jordan said. “Everyone always—”
Ori interrupted Jordan, “There have been times when we’ve been called that too. There was a time when our presence wasn’t so covert or mysterious, when we were able to enjoy every moment of a beautiful day as ourselves.”
Jessica recognized the look of nostalgia in his eyes.
“Back then,” Ori continued, “we were called things like muses, magisters, teachers. We’ve been here with you all since the very beginning. Everything on this Earth has a purpose.” Ori made eye contact with Jessica. “Our purpose is to be the bridge between the physical world that you know and the nonphysical world that you seek to understand. Our purpose has been to teach men how to coexist with the world around them and to teach the Earth how to coexist with human beings. We taught man how to farm, fish, hunt.”
Evelyn chimed in, “We helped you understand math, science, astrology…”
“How to sail, how to fly,” Vau said, gazing off.
“The arts,” Evelyn said with a radiant smile. Then she closed her eyes and raised her shoulders. “Oh, and such delicious foods.”
Jessica saw them all nod and give a pleasant sigh in unison.
“Our original purpose was to bring these elements of civilization to the world,” Evelyn said. “We’ve helped you make the most of your time here on Earth.”
“We’ve also done our best to keep you out of trouble,” Jordan said, in her typical straight-shooter style.
“In the early days,” Ori said, “we took on these forms to live and work among people. They were so curious; they wanted to understand how everything worked. We gladly taught them everything we knew. Any question they had, we answered.”
“Any question?” Jessica asked.
“Any question,” Jordan confirmed.
“Why would you do that?” Jessica asked. “What about those who misused the information? Couldn’t you anticipate that if you’re all-knowing?”
“It wasn’t our job to choose what you could and couldn’t learn,” Evelyn said. “If you were curious enough to come up with a question, it was our duty to answer it.”
“Why would you do that?” Jessica asked again.
“Because that was our purpose,” Jordan said.
“That was a long time ago,” Ori said. “Once man’s desire for conquest surpassed his desire for understanding and learning, it was decided that the knowledge we have could cause more harm than good. So, we pulled back and blended in.”
“Some of us hoped that, one day, your lust for conquering others would subside, so they stayed,” Evelyn said. “But you see, we are bound to give you, teach you, whatever it is that you want, even the greatest secret.”
“What secret is that?” Jessica asked.
“The power of manifestation,” Jordan said.
“You are incredibly unique. Human beings are the only creatures in existence that were made in the image of the creator,” said Evelyn. “This has nothing to do with what’s on the outside or on the inside. This is all about your ability to use your brain and your imagination to bring things to reality, to create something that never existed before. If your mind can imagine it, then you can bring it to life.”
“In that vein, not only are we bound to teach you whatever you want,” Ori said, “we are also bound to help you obtain whatever it is that you imagine.”
“Genie,” Tony blurted out. “I liked when people referred to us as genies. That was a fun period.”
Ori stared at Tony.
“What?” Tony asked.
Ori waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and looked back at Jessica. “So, if discovered and asked, we do have the obligation to have a more active role. Now, this is wonderful when people envision a life surrounded by loved ones.”
“Or when a young woman envisions being the President of the United States,” Evelyn said.
“This is, of course, a problem though when people have selfish intentions. But many human beings are also very disconnected from their subconscious thoughts, and that presents problems as well,” said Ori. “You can remember a time when the world was filled with war, not because the majority of people secretly wished for more war…”
“Although some did,” Jordan said.
“Very few,” Vau chimed in. “But many people can’t seem to imagine a world without greed, hate, violence, oppression.”
“And the collective thoughts of the many can create reality.” Ori shook his head. “The world was filled with war because the majority of people could not imagine a world without it. Once most people can imagine a world without it, then it becomes possible.”
“But what about people who were in war-torn places?” Jessica asked. “How would you expect anything else?”
“People just needed to question it,” Jordan said. “For most of the world’s problems, the question that enough people aren’t asking is ‘Why? Why does it have to be that way?’
“What about deep-rooted conflicts and complicated cultural differences that can’t be overcome?” Jessica asked.
Ori leaned in. “The body, the soldiers, just want their lives back or a better version of life for them and their families. It’s the heads of the serpents that are always the problem, especially if driven by ego, greed, or power.”
“What about hate?” Jessica asked.
“Hate is also manifested; it has to be created,” Ori said.
“Hate is a weapon,” Jordan said.
“The first weapon,” Tony interjected.
“That’s right,” Ori agreed. “Its blade has been sharpened to perfection over time. It cuts the fabric of man so cleanly that you would never know that you are all one.”
While much of this was wild and hard to wrap her head around, that last comment rang true to Jessica. It got quiet for a moment.
“So then what is your purpose now? You still teach select people with honorable intentions who find their way here. Your team is trying to right the course for humanity in some way. How?” Jessica asked.
“The solution will not be easy. The right thing to do is always the hardest thing to do,” Ori said.