Chapter forty-three

Zeke woke up hearing the sweet sound of birds chirping outside his window. As the morning sunlight filled his room, an intoxicating fragrance of some unknown wildflower filled the air, and a timeless melody from the 1930s was being played on a piano somewhere down the road. He remembered it from The Muppet Show, an old-timey song called “When I Grow Too Old to Dream.” The lyrics always reminded him of his relationship with Zoom.

It was the beginning of a magical spring unlike anything Mackinaw had ever seen before, and a lot was about to change on Farley Steet. Zeke looked at the little clock staring at him from his nightstand. It was just past nine in the morning. He left his bed feeling calm and peaceful, with no worries and nothing to care about, because he knew the truth. All he needed to do… was to be.

The loud giggles of his happy sisters and their exciting conversation with their father over cars, business deals, and clients at the breakfast table had also reached his ears. He brushed his teeth, freshened up, finished his chores, and joined them for breakfast. They had just started a family conversation about what Zeke was planning to do with his life when they heard someone knocking at the door and calling out the whole family by name.

“Yoo-hoo!” Ben? Zeke? Are you there? Maya and Leia, my twin darlings, can anybody hear me? Is anybody home?”

The Tartals couldn’t believe what they were hearing. It was an old, familiar, and beloved voice — one all three of them recognized at once.

Leia rushed to the door and threw it open. “Mrs. Braganza…is that you? I can’t believe it!” She jumped and gave the old woman a hug.

“Oh my God! How did you get here?” Maya shouted.

“This is the best surprise ever! Are you okay? Do you need help?” Zeke added.

“I’d like you to meet my son Tiago who brought me all the way from Portugal,” she proudly stated as she presented him to the Tartals.

“Hello everyone. I feel like I know you already! I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you. Please excuse my English. My mother was helping me practice on the way here.”

“The pleasure is ours, Tiago, and you are most welcome here,” as Ben offered his hand for a hearty handshake.

The three bombarded her with a barrage of questions, unintentionally forgetting to even invite her to come inside.

“Children, children, at least allow this poor, old lady to come in. Give her some water and some rest before she can speak. You haven’t grown up a bit. You still act like little monsters!” She scolded them as she had when they were young. It only took her a few seconds to return to the loving and nurturing role she had played at Tartal House for many years. Almost as soon as she sat down, the children noticed that she looked much younger than she had when she left. It was as if she had aged in reverse.

“What happened to you, Mrs. B? Did you find the fountain of youth or something? You look so young and healthy. How?” Leia was the first one to openly express her amazement.

“This is just wild!” Maya exclaimed. “How did you do it?”

“You look quite fetching, Eleanor. I must say, this is a remarkable change — nothing short of a miracle. You’ve got some explaining to do, young lady,” Ben chimed in with a playful wink of his eye.

Zeke noticed it too, but he refrained from adding to the excitement. He just smiled. He understood that life was indeed a miracle, and nothing was impossible over the course of all he had learned.

Mrs. Braganza seemed to show no interest in answering any of the questions thrown at her. Instead, she kept blabbering nonsensical things like how unclean and messy the house looked and how frail the girls had gotten. Just then, something completely unexpected and magical happened. As all four Tartals were focused on Mrs. Braganza, Coconut silently snuck into the room and parked himself behind the chair where she was sitting, as if he was hiding behind her, hoping to surprise the children. As soon as they saw him, all hell broke loose.

“Coconut!” Zeke shouted.

“No effin’ way!” Leia cried out, stunned in disbelief.

“This has to be a joke,” Maya echoed back.

The girls erupted in shrieks loud enough to shake the walls and ran to hug their long-lost pup. Ben just stood there with his mouth open while Zeke laughed heartily, watching it all unfold. He laughed because he understood how the universe worked. The wish he made to have Coconut and Mrs. Braganza back in his life had finally come true. It had taken so long, but the universe had not forgotten his prayer. It was only waiting for the right time.

Zeke merely lifted his eyes to the heavens, smiled slightly, and silently whispered, “Thanks, Tony.”

This was the first miracle he witnessed after his return from the center of the universe. This was the perfect example of how amazing the Cosmic Factory worked and how wonderful God is. God brought these two extremely important figures back into Zeke’s life. But how did all of this happen? How did Mrs. Braganza make it back to Tartal House from Portugal so late in life, at an age when her own death was so near, and where on Earth could she possibly have found Coconut? How were they together? How did they both age in reverse? There were so many of these unanswered questions, but none of them mattered to Zeke. He learned to simply accept the will of the universe. But his sisters wanted answers, and so did Ben. These answers were way simpler than any of them had expected them to be. The explanations for all these occurrences only reassured Zeke’s faith in the fact that to fulfill the will of the universe, even the most absurd of events take place quite naturally.

Mrs. Braganza loved the Tartals as much as they loved her. Back home in Portugal, all her children had married a long time ago, and they were all busy with their own lives. Her husband had been dead for almost a quarter of a century, not long after the couple had moved to America. She eventually decided to go back to Portugal because she believed she wasn’t going to live much longer and wanted to be with her children before her time finally came, but it never did, and she felt lonelier than ever. It wasn’t like her children and grandchildren didn’t love her. They all loved her very much, but they all had their own lives, which she hadn’t been a part of for a long time, so she felt like a stranger in her own family — something Zeke could absolutely relate to. The fact of the matter was that she had grown used to life in the U.S. and didn’t feel as comfortable readjusting to the ways of village life in Portugal anymore.

The most important reason for her return, however, was Tartal House. She realized that she loved and missed the three little troublemakers and the cute little Coconut far too much to be away from them. She used to wake up in the middle of the night, having vivid dreams of either Maya and Leia crying for her or Coconut looking for her in the streets. She missed them terribly and finally came to the understanding that Tartal House wasn’t just a place where she had worked — it was her home. It was where her soul belonged.

She had developed some health conditions that the local doctors couldn’t diagnose, and one day, one of her sons convinced her to visit an alternative healer to help her deal with them. The therapist was an old Chinese woman married to a Portuguese man. The couple lived in the same village as Eleanor’s family. They had no children and had been living there for almost half a century. The Chinese woman had been all over the world and carried with her the knowledge and wisdom of many healing techniques from the East. She slowly introduced traditional medicines, herbs, alternative healing, and other holistic practices to the villagers and was almost considered a miracle worker. The village folk called her “Old Mother,” and she looked after them.

Eleanor desperately wanted to heal, and Old Mother helped her with a combination of rare Chinese and Indian herbs. Old Mother also taught her yoga and meditation along with fasting, cleanses, and other known remedies from the East. Eventually, many of her age-related health issues receded or even disappeared, and not only did she begin to feel healthier and stronger, but she was also noticeably younger.

She turned to Ben. “I received the letter you sent me about Audrey’s passing. If only I had come back sooner,” she lamented. “My medicines could have saved her. Oh, Audrey. She was such a lovely woman.”

“Thank you, Eleanor. She thought the world of you,” he replied.

Zeke put his hand on her shoulder and said, “She’s gone now, Mrs. Braganza, and trust me, if that was how it was meant to be, you couldn’t have helped her. It was her time to go. I had to learn that the hard way.”

“My, my, Master Zeke. You have certainly grown into quite the Renaissance man.”

“Well, I’ve been woodshedding in your absence,” he said with a wink and a smile.

• • •

As a beautiful and thriving spring continued to roll along in Mackinaw, Tartal House was livelier than ever. They were a beautiful family again, and that made Zeke very happy because he knew that his mother was smiling at them from up in heaven. For the next few days, the Tartals were on fire. The whole house was in a state of grand celebration. Mrs. Braganza was pleasantly surprised to meet the new version of Mr. Tartal, who was now a warm, caring, and compassionate man. Coconut found his doghouse waiting for him the exact same way he had left it. Mrs. Braganza headed straight to the kitchen to make her famous Bolo de Mel cake. When it was finally in the oven and its heavenly scent began to fill the house, the kids went wild.

“Oh, Mrs. B, how we longed for this cake! No one can make it like you do,” Maya proclaimed.

“I have to admit, Eleanor, it’s the best there is. You’re going to have to teach me and the kids how to make it so we can continue this yummy family tradition,” Ben added.

Mrs. Braganza was finally home. She finally had a place to belong, but this was not the end of her story. The universe had more in store for her.

Not long after her arrival and Tiago’s return to Portugal, Mrs. Braganza realized her stock of herbal medicines was about to run dry a lot sooner than she had hoped. The little suitcase she brought all the way from Europe could only hold so much. She needed her herbs to stay healthy and fit. One day, she went out in search of those rare herbs so she could prepare the formulas she had learned from Old Mother.

It was late afternoon and there weren’t many people out on the streets. She didn’t know where to go or what to do. Mackinaw had changed a lot in the few short years she had been away. The only way left for her was to ask people she met. On her way, she came across a few shops and asked the storekeepers if they could lead her to any herbal medicine stores in the city. Nobody had any clue about a place that would have the kind of herbs she was looking for. Many of them had never even heard of such things.

“You would probably have to go to Traverse City or visit a local witch in the woods for that stuff,” one shopkeeper joked.

“I guess you could only get those online,” another told her.

Eventually, she found her way to a unique store in town, a place where she was told anything could be found. It was Noah Leitner’s store Indigo Children. She went into the store searching for her Chinese medicines but ended up meeting the most amazing man she had ever come across. Two lonely, aging people with similar likes and interests became friends instantly. Noah knew all about the herbs and medicines she was looking for. In fact, he had some of them in his own garden. He gifted her some herbs and promised that he would ask around and find her exactly what she needed.

He brought her all the herbs she needed, and she eventually convinced him to start taking them, too. He initially had no inclination whatsoever to take special care of his aging body, but she was the only friend his own age he had made in a long time, and he just couldn’t turn her down. He began a holistic regime and many of his seemingly complex problems began to disappear as a result. Eventually, Zeke found out that the two seniors had become friends, and to him, this was another sign of the fact the universe worked in many mysterious ways. Both Noah and Eleanor were also surprised to learn that they had a connection through a young man they both loved dearly — Zeke Tartal.

The two slowly began meeting for an hour-long practice of breathing exercises and Tai Chi every morning by the lake or inside a park. Coconut remained a constant companion. What they did not know was the fact that Zeke, Leia, and Maya were the ones who had engineered these meetings in the hopes of getting the two lonely folks to fall for each other.

“You know, Mr. Leitner, you really should try all that yoga stuff Mrs. Braganza knows. It would really help you. Why don’t you ask her to teach you?” Zeke said to him one day.

“Oh, no, no, no, Zeke. I…”

“What’s the matter? Do you have a problem with her?”

“Oh, no. Of course not! I think she’s wonderful, but I don’t want to bother her.”

“Oh, come on. I’m sure she thinks you’re wonderful, too! She’d love to help you out.”

“You sure about that?”

“Oh, yeah!”

As Zeke convinced Noah, his sisters made sure Mrs. Braganza was also on board.

“So, I hear Mr. Leitner from the woo-woo emporium is looking to get into yoga,” Leia remarked in a waggish manner one morning over breakfast. “You know a lot about yoga, don’t you, Mrs. B?”

“What? Noah never told me he wanted to learn yoga. I would be more than happy to teach him what I know.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Tell me, Mrs. B, what do you think about Mr. Leitner as a person?” Maya added.

“Well…” she lightly blushed. “He is one of the kindest and most generous men I have ever met, and he most certainly is the wisest.”

Both girls looked at each other from across the table and giggled. “Looks like someone has a crush,” Maya playfully announced.

Eleanor’s face turned as red as a beet as she scolded the girls for teasing her. “Don’t think I don’t know what you two are doing, you little yentas. Do you really think I was born yesterday?” She pretended to storm out of the room, but then she stopped for a second and smiled, realizing Leia and Maya truly had her best interests at heart.

One day, Noah offered her a unique kind of partnership. He would provide all the herbs and ingredients she needed for her concoctions, and she could sell them from a small counter in his shop. That way, she could have a source of income, and the people of Mackinaw could find alternative healing through the teachings of the old Chinese Mother.

One evening, almost a month later, Zeke decided to visit his old friend at Indigo Children. It was only when he entered the store that he realized how much it had changed. There was a funky, New Age dispensary in the back corner where Mrs. Braganza set up shop with Coconut by her side, selling all kinds of lotions and potions to the locals and tourists alike. Indigo Children had gotten a makeover with Eleanor adding a feminine and a Portuguese touch, and it was now better than ever. Zeke was also happy to see how close they had become, and he was proud of himself for helping put their relationship into motion.

That summer and the months to come brought the two seniors even closer as they began to rely on each other for emotional support. They would spend hours at a time talking about the long and fruitful lives they had both lived. They often watched old movies together, and even cooked for each other. Sharing and caring for each other kept them young, healthy, and happy. When autumn arrived in Mackinaw, the two enjoyed evening walks in the park, the scenic drives, the hayrides, the cider mills, and the pumpkin patches. They walked hand in hand by the lakeside as if they were two teenagers in love. Their stories may not have had the happiest of beginnings, but they finally had their chance at a happy ending.

• • •

There were more stories yet to unfold on Farley Street that year. Ben announced to his children that he would finally be leaving for London when his daughters turned eighteen the following spring. He felt content leaving his business to them, partly because he knew they would have Mrs. Braganza and Mr. Leitner to watch over them. He had been talking to a friend he knew from London for a while now and had finally received the green light from him. He had shown interest in partnering with Ben and helping him find proper locations to build a restaurant, which they could later develop into a chain if Ben could convince him with his business plan.

He had been to London once, many years ago with Audrey for their honeymoon, and had always felt a natural pull towards the city. That was why he had originally wanted to move there years ago when things were not going so well for him. His original decision had broken his wife’s heart and created even more distance with his children. He had been a selfish, cold, and unemotional man who was only concerned about his own happiness and didn’t care for the future of his family, but he was a different man now. He loved his children dearly, but he had a new ambition that he needed to pursue. He decided that he would alternate between Mackinaw and London if needed, or at least until his daughters were completely set up with the dealership. He also decided that he would not immediately sell Tartal House until all his children were financially secure.

Time had changed him, made him the man he was today, and now it was time for this man to get what he deserved. The universe was listening to him now. The dream he had held for years, the dream of having a small chain of cozy restaurants in London where people could just come and relax, be free of their worries, and enjoy good food, wine, music, and laughter was something only a kind man could have thought of.

Investing all his savings, all his time, and all his emotions in this venture was definitely a big risk, but in the end, it was all worth it. It was all for the sake of a dream, and dreams are always worth the risk. He would be leaving his home and the comfort of his family behind, but he had learned that a family doesn’t need to be together to be connected. On an emotional level, he had nothing left to lose. His children were all grown up. Zeke was twenty-one, the twins were soon-to-be the legal age of eighteen, and his wife was dead and gone. He was a free man in every sense of the word, free to finally chase his dreams. Even though he still wasn’t going to permanently move away for a while, he took the measures needed to sort things out for his kids. He made the girls the legal owners of “Tartal and Daughters” on their eighteenth birthday and fairly divided what property he had among his kids.

Knowing that he was going to leave next year made every moment bittersweet for them. They had spent their whole lives emotionally distant from their father, and now that he was finally a part of their family in its truest sense, he was leaving. Maya and Leia had started to love their father with every fiber of their being, and even Zeke, who had once detested the sight of him, now relied on him. The Tartal family was not going to be the same without the man who had learned to be both a father and mother to his children after years of neglecting both responsibilities. They all wanted him to stay, and somewhere deep down, he wanted to stay, too. But nothing ever really stays the same. Change is inevitable, and change eventually came to Farley Street as well.

• • •

Ben’s departure from Mackinaw and from the family business would change the neighborhood dynamic in many ways. Zeke had already made it crystal clear that he wanted no part in the car dealership or the garage. He had other life ambitions, though they weren’t clear to him just yet. Gael, on the other hand, was now studying business management at an online university and had tired of the lawn care business. He wanted to branch out. Under Ben’s supervision, he started working at the dealership. Ben knew he was a good kid, and he wanted to leave Maya and Leia with someone they could rely on.

When he suggested that they work with Gael, both Maya and Leia gladly jumped at the proposal. They had both grown up with Gael and saw him as a member of their family. The three of them would spend hours sitting in the garage, making plans about expanding the business. They all had big ideas and ambitions. They wanted to make “Tartal Brands” a global enterprise. Leia wanted to design cars, Maya wanted to sell them, while Gael was there to hold it all together. It was a big dream, but they were devoted to it, and Zeke was happy for them. Together, the three of them were a force to be reckoned with.

Zig and Zag still visited Zeke, letting him know that he had a connection with cosmic forces beyond his human existence. But their visits were rare, reminding Zeke that he was a grown man now and that he would have to carve his own path soon enough.

The magical period of stability and happiness on Farley Street was coming to an end, and more change was on the way.

• • •

It was the beginning of August, and around the Lion’s Gate, another revelation shook the hood. One evening, Maya, Leia, and Mrs. Braganza were watching TV. They came across a promotion for a new fall sitcom, one that everyone was sure would be a success. That is when they saw him. A familiar face just flashed across the TV screen, startling everyone at the same time. As it turned out, a fresh, new face had burst onto the American television scene, and for the residents of Mackinaw, this face wasn’t new at all. One of the actors left everyone speechless and overwhelmed, not because of his handsome, dreamy looks, or what they could gather of his talent, but simply because of who he was. It was Kai Copeland!

The reaction was decidedly mixed. Initially, it was a feeling of joy and pride, seeing him alive and thriving, and yet a sense of pain and hurt to know he never bothered to return or let his family and friends know what he had been doing for so long. For Zeke, it was a sense of relief. Seeing his old friend on the small screen offered him some closure to their relationship, and so it was a welcome sight.

Soon, everyone became aware of Kai’s imminent success. His name and face flashed all over TV and in popular news magazines. He became a local hero in the town of Mackinaw. Nobody in their wildest dreams had ever guessed Kai Copeland would end up in Hollywood instead of studying business at Harvard. He was a headstrong guy who had never given up on his dream of achieving success. His roles were limited to television and some commercial work, but he was a success regardless. He was the talk of the town for months, but no one really knew how he had ended up on TV instead of Harvard. No one except Zeke, that is.

One night the previous spring, he received a call from a number he did not recognize, and to his surprise, it was Kai. They talked for a good hour. Kai told him how the guy he was supposed to stay with in Boston had backed out of their deal, and he was left helpless. He had barely been making a living doing odd jobs when a talent scout from New York noticed him and told him to go to an audition for an off-Broadway play in Manhattan. He won the role with virtually no acting experience because he was simply right for the part. Unfortunately, the show only ran for two months and then closed. From there, he started taking acting classes and going to auditions during the day while working at a restaurant at night. He was lucky enough to win a role for a TV pilot in Los Angeles that sold, so he moved to California. He was now a stable, working actor with a number of opportunities lined up.

Zeke felt tremendous relief knowing that his friend had been doing so well, both financially and emotionally, but when he asked Kai to talk to his family, he learned that there were still some unresolved issues underneath all that success and recognition.

“Why don’t you call your mother, Kai… or Gael? Why not call them? They all miss you so much,” he asked him over the phone.

“I… I don’t know how to Zeke, I really don’t. I feel like I abandoned them. I don’t think I can face them, at least not yet. I’m not ready. I’ll come back to Farley Street someday, maybe soon, but for now, I don’t think I can face them.”

Zeke understood his friend’s pain, and he understood that Kai still needed time. “I won’t force you to talk to them, Kai. Take your time. I know it can be hard to look past the kind of pain and guilt you’re feeling, but one thing that you must remember is that they’re your family. They’ll always care about you, but don’t take too long. We both know from experience that life is just too short.”

Zeke could hear the emotion in Kai’s voice as he spoke. “You know, Zeke, you always were the smartest of us all.” He and Kai talked many times after that, but Kai never did come back to Farley Street, at least not while Zeke was there.

• • •

Meanwhile, in late September, Noah brought a wave of great happiness by proposing to Eleanor in full rom-com movie fashion by the lakeside. Of course, he had help from Maya and Leia, who had helped him pick the spot and the ring. When he knelt down, she yelled, “YES!” before he could even ask the question. Everyone erupted in laughter and applause.

A late October wedding was planned. “At our age, long engagements don’t make sense!” Noah proudly proclaimed. So, on the auspicious day of their wedding, Noah Leitner and Eleanor Braganza promised to be with each other as man and wife “till death do us part.” She permanently moved out of Tartal House and moved in with Noah, and Coconut naturally went with her. Coco had gotten so used to running between the two houses that nobody even bothered to follow him when he did.

Just after the grand October wedding of Mr. And Mrs. Noah Leitner, the call to action that Zeke was waiting for finally arrived, and it was unlike anything he had expected. It was the morning of Halloween. Zeke, Gael, Maya, and Leia all went out to spend a day in the corn fields like they did when they were kids. After running around all day, Zeke was exhausted, and when he finally laid down to rest, he fell asleep. That was when it came — the darkest dream he ever had.

In his dream, he saw a man ominously smiling at him with his eyes closed. The man had a charming face, but something about it made every hair on Zeke’s body stand straight on end. It was a face unlike anything he had ever seen, and yet it was strangely familiar. Just as he was about to move towards the man, he opened his eyes, leaving Zeke terrified. The man had the slit eyes of a lizard. It took Zeke only a fraction of a second to understand who the man was. He had felt his dark presence before, in other lives and in this one, too.

“Draco!” he shouted in utter shock and recognition.

The man said nothing. He simply stared at Zeke with his cold, dark eyes.

Zeke spoke again, with bravado in his voice and a conviction like never before. “You’re Draco, aren’t you? ANSWER ME!”

The man still did not speak. He only continued to stare at him, his Reptilian eyes locked with Zeke’s human ones. Then he opened his mouth, revealing his slit, snake-like tongue. He licked his lips and spoke in a raspy, blood-curdling voice. “I’ve been waiting, old friend. I’m glad you’re finally back. Now we can begin our little dance. Oh, how I’ve missed a good challenge. I will wait for you, Lightbringer. Come find me,” he pompously asserted as he slowly backed away.

Zeke instinctively felt a burning rage, and he sprinted towards Draco. But as he pounced, the image of the man instantaneously turned to dust, and from behind that dust, an older, much more saintly man appeared. He wore a long, brown robe with a rope belt and had a soft, glowing light emanating from his face, one that made Zeke feel much more collected and at ease. He looked at Zeke and said, “You have seen your enemy, young man. Now you must go after him.”

Zeke felt obliged to listen to the old man, but he also needed answers. “Where… where do I even begin to look for him? And who are you, wise one?”

“He is everywhere and nowhere, in the east and in the west, in the air and in the earth. He never stays in the same place. You must find him and end him. That is your duty.” The old man said no more. He turned away from Zeke and started walking. Zeke continued to call out to him, but no answer came. Then, just like that, the dream was over, and he woke up.

Zeke had received the final call he needed. It was time for him to bid adieu to Farley Street and begin his journey. He knew Draco and the Reptilians were out there, and now he had to hunt them down. He had to liberate human minds from their control. He needed to travel and to travel solo. He knew he needed to go all over the world, and for that, he needed money. So he talked to his sisters. The three of them sat together, and they eventually found a way to fund his journey, but that would prove to be unnecessary as he would soon learn that the universe was on his side once again. Out of the blue, a large sum of money appeared in his bank account one morning because of an accounting “glitch.” But Zeke knew what it was. It was the universe helping him on his mission. Even when he tried to question the money, the bank insisted the deposit was legitimate.

And so, on his birthday, December 25th, 2021, he packed his bags, ready to embark on an unknown journey towards his mission — towards the face in his dreams, the embodiment of darkness itself. Where would he look for the Reptilians first — Egypt, India, or China? Where on Earth could Draco be hiding? He didn’t know, but something told him that he needed to go east. There were answers waiting for him there.

He also needed to find Zoom again or wait for her to find him. Zeke didn’t know if she knew of Draco’s existence on Earth, but he knew that some twisted force had bound the three of them together. Their fates were one. He did not know if his actions would lead to another war between the Lyrans and the Reptilians, nor did he know what kind of effect they would have on Earth and on humanity. All he knew was that he had to go east. He had to follow the call. His mission to save mankind had begun. Where it would take him, only the Source knows. But one thing was for certain: even though he was leaving Farley Street far behind, Ezekiel Tartal’s journey had only just begun.

The End