Zeke was being introduced to the power of simple things, within him and around him. His senses were awakening, and a higher force was guiding him through the experience. It was all that was needed for him to turn into an enlightened being. His dreams and visions had increased in number. He was able to hear more, and he understood the intent of words instead of just their meaning. Thoughts and words weren’t mere tools for him anymore; they were cosmic forces that held the power to change the world. He was listening and listening carefully. He learned that to heal others, he had to first heal himself. It was now time for him to begin his journey as a guide, and he would start off the course by helping the people around him.
At the same time, he was still busy with his studies. He wanted to get the best grades in school, so he could make his mother happy. He knew he couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations, but he wanted his mother to feel proud of him. Ben had grown so distant from his family and was so disillusioned with his son that he now only came home once or twice a week, choosing to spend his time at Tartal’s Garage instead. Audrey’s deteriorating health didn’t appear to be a cause of concern for him, either. The doctors said she had a weak heart and needed plenty of rest, but no one, except Zeke, noticed the emotional pain her lonely heart was experiencing. He devoted most of his time to his mother and utilized the remaining hours to study. He learned about his origins, his mission, the tools, and the powers he would need to change the world, all while trying to make it through high school.
The dynamics around the neighborhood were changing as well. Zeke’s friends were coping with their own problems. Gael was trying to manage his bipolar disorder along with school and his yard work. Mrs. Copeland was working more hours at the library, waiting for a much-needed pay raise so her family could get through its financial challenges. Kai had finished high school and was officially heading towards adulthood. On the surface, he appeared to be a mature and sensible young boy, but was secretly dealing with a crisis, a wound that had never healed. It was a wound of loss. He had never fully processed his sister Nora’s death.
Kai had nurtured a secret desire to counter the childhood pain of losing his sister, which his young and fragile mind believed was somehow his fault. He wished to grow so rich and respected that all his problems would be solved. He aspired to study at the best business school in the world: Harvard University. He fought the pain and guilt of his sister’s death so obsessively that he subconsciously attached all his ideas of success and failure to getting into Harvard.
It was a challenging process, but Kai was adamant about walking down that path regardless. He had secretly discussed his dream with a friend from school who had a cousin living in Boston. He worked at one of the biggest companies in Boston and was a Harvard graduate. Kai’s friend told him he would speak to his cousin and check if Kai could go and live with him for a while to learn the ropes of business before he could manage to live on his own.
After making all his plans, Kai suddenly announced his decision to leave Mackinaw City. The news came as a shock to everyone in the neighborhood. The biggest shock came for Gael. Zeke, Kai and Gael had always stuck with each other through thick and thin, but with Zeke lost in his own world now, Gael’s only consistent support was his brother. He had an emotional dependency on Kai.
When Kai announced his decision to move away from home, it felt like a betrayal to him. He had an emotional breakdown, and it took him many months to completely recover from the shock. Gael had never forgiven his father for leaving home after his sister’s death, for abandoning him as a child, and for letting him suffer and fend for himself at a time when he was supposed to enjoy a happy, healthy, and secure life as a child. He always accused him of all his sufferings and his mother’s woes. Gael also accused him as the main cause of Nora’s death, and he was partially correct.
While she was alive, Nora had turned away from her family due to the daily fights between her parents. Mr. Copeland had borrowed a lot of money from a lot of people and then suddenly decided to leave home with another woman. After his daughter’s death, he literally ran away from home, leaving Gael, Kai and their mother behind to face life on their own terms. All the hate and pain were hurting Gael more than anyone could have known. He was falling apart, and Zeke saw that.
It was time for Zeke to step up and take on the role of a friend and a guide to Gael now. The challenge was to help Gael without making him dependent. As a lightworker and a healer, he needed to begin with healing his home, his friends, and his neighborhood first.
• • •
Zeke was still in the habit of wandering in the woods every evening. It was autumn again and the leaves were changing colors all around Mackinaw City. The weather was crisp and invigorating. The whole town was blanketed with fall colors and harvest scents. Everybody loved the pleasant weather and the festive mood. Even Coconut was more active than usual. He loved autumn in Michigan.
During that wonderful time, Zeke couldn’t stop thinking about Zoom. He still hadn’t understood how she felt about him. He knew he loved her, as he had in his life as Ezekiel of Lyra, but he still wanted to talk to her. He wanted her to explain things to him. More than anything else, he wanted to see her one more time. If only she could come to visit him once, just once. Then he would walk with her along the lake as she told him stories of his past lives, and they could enjoy the Fall Festival together. Like any teenager, he too craved romance, but his wish to see Zoom was much more than that. What was unknown to him was the fact that his wishes hadn’t gone unheard. The universe had heard his thoughts, prayers, and secret desires. He had no idea that pure thoughts had the power to make his desires manifest faster.
One evening as he was walking near the lake, he saw a pretty girl sitting alone on a bench near the woods. Zeke’s heart skipped a beat. “Is that… Zoom?” He couldn’t make out her face, but her hair and the aura around her made him think it was the girl he had been waiting for. As he tried to get a better look at her, she stood up and began walking. He followed her as if he were instantly hypnotized. After a while, he lost sight of her as if she had vanished into thin air. He desperately ran towards the lake to find her. He instinctively walked into the woods, and his heart skipped a beat again. He could feel her presence, her unmistakable presence.
“The merry-go-round goes Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,” he heard a sudden and soft tweet from above. He looked up and found Ziggy hovering over his head.
“And angels meet around the dome, dome, dome!” Zeke laughed as he heard the accompanying shrill, high-pitched voice of Zag, hanging upside down by one leg on a tiny tree branch.
“Where’s the dome here by the lakeside, my dear Zag?” he asked lovingly.
“Master, oh no, no, no! I was wrong. I was so wrong!” as he struggled to pull himself upright. I was simply trying to rhyme with Zig and doing a very poor job, I’m afraid. Ignore the dome for now and try to see the lyrical value I added to it, sir.” His explanation made no sense, but Zeke loved it. His friends were back, which meant Zoom was, too. Within seconds, she was standing right there before them. He was ecstatic. She was back, but for how long?
The next few days went by like a dream for young Mr. Tartal. Zoom had indeed come down from the sky just for him. She was as happy and talkative as any young girl. They went on normal dates, like normal teenagers, visiting his favorite places, walking in the park, and roaming around the city. He sneaked her into his school, took her to Farley Street, to Saint Anthony Church, and to Lakeview Cemetery.
While at Saint Anthony’s, Zoom went immediately to his statue to pay her respects. After a few moments of deep prayer, she turned to him. “What do you know of Saint Anthony of Padua, Zeke?”
“Not much.”
“Well, he was a Franciscan friar from Portugal and is the patron saint of lost items — and people. If you pray sincerely to him in times of loss, he goes to work on your behalf. That’s his job.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve heard the prayer: ‘Holy Tony, look around. Something’s lost and must be found!’”
She smiled at him and said, “That petition may come in handy one day.”
He shrugged his shoulders not knowing what she meant, so he grabbed her hand and they continued their little tour of the city. The two walked hand in hand by the beach, along the woods and meadows, soaked themselves in the warm sun, and dipped their feet in the cold lake water. They kissed passionately under the light of the silvery moon, which was the happiest moment of Zeke’s life. They took Zig and Zag along, and together the four enjoyed the hayrides, the infamous corn maze, and the autumn festival. What made it interesting was that Zig, Zag, and Zoom were invisible to everyone but Zeke. The locals who knew him only saw him talking to himself or to invisible friends, laughing out loud at seemingly nothing, and thinking he had completely lost his mind.
“Isn’t that Tartal boy a little old for imaginary playmates?” one mother questioned.
“That kid is two sammies short of a picnic,” a passerby remarked.
“Maybe Lydia Copeland should take him to therapy along with Gael,” Mrs. Kravitz, one of the more nosy neighbors, interjected.
This time, Zeke knew it wasn’t just a dream. He was far too happy for it to be a dream, and if it were a dream, he never wanted to wake up. He didn’t know how Zoom survived on Earth, nor where she stayed when she wasn’t with him. He didn’t dare to ask her as he didn’t want to upset the cosmic forces that brought her to him. He didn’t care much, either. One night he managed to sneak her into his room, and they spent the whole night looking up at the sky through his window. That was when he noticed the tattoo on her upper arm.
“Cool tattoo you have there.”
“It’s the Lyran symbol of solidarity. Any starseed would wear it proudly.” She grinned at him. “You see the stars form the shape of a lyre or harp which gives the constellation its name. Vega here is its brightest star. Legend has it the god Apollo gave a magical lyre to Orpheus, a gifted Greek musician and poet. He played the most divine music ever heard. He eventually became crazed with grief over a lost love, and he aimlessly wandered the hills until he died. The Muses found him and buried him while Apollo placed his magical harp high in the sky… as Lyra.”
“Dang, you just know everything, don’t you?”
“I get lucky once in a while,” she replied, winking at him.
“Wait a minute! Haven’t I seen this symbol before — on the headpiece of the High Council Master?”
“My, my Zeke. You are quite a perceptive lad, aren’t you?”
“I get lucky once in a while,” he winked back at her, and they both laughed.
They had the fall romance of a lifetime, and that made Zeke feel like he had really grown up. It made him feel happy and complete. Then, he feared Zoom might leave again once the Fall Festival and Halloween were over. One evening, she invited him to meet her at the cemetery. He agreed, went there, and sat on a bench. Soon, he saw Zoom standing exactly where he had seen Nora.
He went up to her and asked, “Why did you bring me here, Zoom?”
She smiled and said, “Do you remember flying with Nora once in your dreams? Now that I’m here on Earth with you, I thought I should remind you of that dream and fulfill your wish to fly. Let me give you secret wings so we can fly together for a while.”
She touched him on his back, and he instantly felt as light as a feather. All pure humans are made of light, and as a Lyran, she could manipulate that light. As his body lifted into the air, he felt as free as a bird. Zeke was so overwhelmed by the experience he forgot to ask her where they were heading.
Before he even realized it, they had reached the Lyran capital again, flew past the crystal gate, and entered the palace. Zoom took him to a special chamber, where he could see a dome right above his head. He had a smile on his face as he realized Zag wasn’t just trying to rhyme when he said, “And the angels meet around the dome!” It was a message for him.
“Now, why did you bring me here?” he asked, as he was certain there was a very special reason behind it.
“There’s a lesson for you to learn here, Ezekiel. Observe everything happening before you, and you’ll know for yourself,” she said with a mysterious smile and a twinkle in her eyes.