The Sky was completely gray, and fog gathered over the community, which would be the perfect time to leave on a trip. Two little ones left on a journey, leaving behind a school and friends, a basketball team close to winning a championship. No one had control out there as the next morning Robert would have a private conversation with his son. He noticed the doom and glum attitude as he sat in the back of the Yukon looking out his window. His father had noticed the look in the rearview mirror as the subtlety had taken his feelings and thrown them out like garbage. What were dark angels? And why all the chaos, it didn’t make any sense. And their house had been destroyed by something they couldn’t control as the dark clouds began the roll in, Roby was speechless. Dreams were just dreams and nobody would care to notice that was his life, even though he was the only one that cared. He was only ten but smart as a whip and playing video games that were for adults. Roby was a part of a team where there were boys 16 and 17 years old. Even his father didn’t know of their age, and Roby didn’t care to share his age either. Still in elementary school working on telling the teacher he didn’t belong. His sister was older, and she got to go to middle school before him, and she was in a special needs class that were for kids that were damaged. He didn’t say anything but felt it, they felt it, but rules and regulations kept everyone comfortable, except for him. Then he wanted to cry thinking about it. Why did God let this happen, and why does everyone have their minds on other problems, and he doesn’t have a say in anything anymore, and what’s important to him isn’t even talked about. And who had control of anything anymore? Robert saw his son sitting on a bench from being in a sad state, listening to the wind as it wraps itself around him like protection coming from a direction he didn’t know. A covering somewhat had followed him across the border. Who was really protecting his fragile heart, even if he stood up to bigger boys on the court. Who would come to his aid when all the cards had been put on the table, and all secrets revealed everyone’s weaknesses would be exposed, and life wouldn’t be so easy when first learning things you couldn’t do weren’t something you could ignore. Where was peace and love and satisfaction in life? Everything was taken away in all this mess. And my dad, he isn’t even human…what does that make me? Is this really my life, does anyone care about how I feel as a child with now nothing left nothing that feels real.
Suddenly, Roby looked up and the clouds parted ways to another life, way up high he saw a vision of him playing as a man, and winning on a team with leader ship at a professional level. He was moving down the court as to be an example of how he was to play the game.
It was meant for the rich and famous, then he saw a boy on the side lines, but not sad like he was supposed to be, noticing he looked paralyzed with legs almost nothing of arms barely there to reach what he could as an electric wheelchair that broke his heart to see. He used all the strength he had to get the chair around others that stood in the way, still smiling like he had the best seat in the house, and an older girl that stood by his side, showed love and kindness as added guidance from what was troubling him, then knowing he was still excited, still trying, even in the state he was in.
He needed to let go of what he was feeling. God walked, talked, and whispered in his ear, so quietly hearing his voice…hold on, there’s more time for you don’t despair. Kobe will oversee basketball. The tickets will be high priced and city lights will light up the cities of streets of gold.
This life is only for a while, as all life will change. The fields will be full of flowers so crying and dying will stop, the Lion and lamb will sit in grass next to others of their kind. Kindness will take on a different meaning. And love will be something from a man’s wage at the end of the day he will give back what he earned for the ones he loved. And food will be the freshest, and politics will become the low paying jobs that are available. The fields will sway in the Winds as it will complete its meaning of everyone would hold a key role than just another day.
His dad walked over, in the quiet of the morning, when a breeze parted the memories of another day. He had a smile and the meekness of a man that transcends such victories. A man of strength and history. A man wasn’t a man until he transcended his life to mean something, to take the lead like he was meant to be. Roby looked into the eyes for victory was close, she sat by the window to watch as wisdom touched the senses to his soul. Roby had to know that there was always someone there to pick up the pieces and put them back together again. Life was not finished. He reached for her hand and let go of the pain he couldn’t bear.
“I know you were meant to serve another purpose, but God has a different plan than the one you had. Our focus is surviving till we find a place and start again.” Roby looked up at him and wondered. Wondered if his grandfather’s home would be a place they would adjust too. There would be a lot of people, but they did have the camper. Nothing was set in stone, and the town was small, but they had everything they needed. Grandfather had three bedrooms and several beds in each room. And the house was built strong with brick pillars in the front that go up twenty-two feet to the top before stopping. The yard was pretty like the pictures he sent, made them really want to see it.
When letting go of the pain, Roby was able to smile again knowing he had a future protected by the man upstairs and a few angels tagging along on seeing what was real, came from another world so much like theirs, except no evil had dwelled there.
Robert kept the first watch sense having the fight with the dark angels had been a surprise. He was trained in martial arts as much as his father. The keen sense of knowing where your enemy was at, was important. And spending ten years learning the art of the Ninja sounded funny but real. No Ninja stars to chuck at the neighbor’s dog was completely forbidden, and numb chucks weren’t experienced by the guys down the street or sword fighting wasn’t a game anymore. He remained angel size when guarding the lot of them. Quiet and peaceful was the draw, accept an owl flying a certain pattern he had always flown. With the crickets rubbed their legs together as a happy sound of peace, to let those guarding know there was no one around to bring them harm.
A natural alarm system that didn’t need ADT checking out your crib, telling you you can live without them. Giving you statistics of New York or LA for transitional records of recorded burglaries happening around the countryside, to bring fear into a good 50% of the population. Hearing those automatic payments cha-chinging on the register of ADT. The rich and famous taking vacations in Fiji Island, with butter tanning in board shorts and frog paint on the nose and diving into pools for snorkeling vacationers. A big dog does more than spending so recklessly throwing your money to the wind.
The sky was dark but full of stars and the wind added calm from a day of terror that happened so quickly ten days in the rear. The stars looked brilliant from what he could tell. Like the air was transformed giving a new beginning, like being born again, from first knowing the earth had aged. Robert imagined time stood still for just a second, to give record this day would be remembered. It was the first attack from those angels that stood out so recklessly. Taking life where they had known where it would go. Just a few to get a taste of it. Just in case they’re not being another chance to set the record straight. A dog walked over to greet him. Half shepherd and mangy mutt. He wagged his tail while looking up. Robert couldn’t see him as being so brave, but dogs had their sixth sense, didn’t they…that’s right. Sensing the dog knew Robert to be on the right side of a certain point. He reached down and pet him on the head viewing the dog, without a name gave him the okay that this was right. Guarding their life’s while looking out past the land and water. A warm chill was in the air. Robert could feel it, the dog could feel it, but an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach let Robert know something wasn’t right about this quiet night of mystery, in which he was experiencing would be settled by peace and the satisfaction there would be no trouble to face them on this day. A story for sure would get them past another day, even if there was a little commotion drawing his interest and strength from a place he didn’t know. The quiet thrumming of heartbeats and snores would add to the victories once received by the many. A circle of cars, vans, and campers would come to share without words when seeing Robert transform into his heavenly form. What words could he see to say that would encourage them. The dog looked up like he had a question but how to say it wouldn’t make any sense to Robert. He hadn’t had a dog since Diesel died from old age. Diesel was a black lab that he had from a shelter 10 years ago. Didn’t want to replace one so dear.
The dog whimpered then whined while sitting on his back legs, he raised a paw to let Robert know he was a friend. Robert didn’t mind taking on another recruit as a partner. He hadn’t seen the dog before anyone’s camp. He would call him Maro: The God of War. Today would be there first night shared in the twilight of the Evening rehearsing as the bright night covered in a thousand stars facing them. Maro was about sixty pounds of all soldiers dream of having a backup on his side. Robert sat down next to him and rubbed his hands through his hair like they had Known each other for quite some time. Maro made a sound of great relief, like Being loved for the first time. He smiled then laughed at how he responded, with A guttural growl from somewhere deep and a wag of his tail.
“You like that boy? That’s good, glad to have you on my side.” He said it like he was a good replacement for a dog that lived a long life and transferred the love. He could picture Diesel in his head napping in his old age, having dreams he would want to share while fighting other dogs in his comfort zone.
Then Maro laid down next to his friend and fell asleep, as dreams would take him across the universe for further adventuring. It was 4:00 am and the brightest stars stood out so clearly. One shot across in his vision. Raising an eyebrow was Robert’s response. He then stood to envision. Like Galileo or Sir Isaac Newton taking measurements across the galaxy to win those of their greatest approval. He imagined a photometer taking records of the brightest, that stand out above the rest to draw attention. Yet he knew the brightest wouldn’t survive the others of less dominants. God found strength that were not numbered like man would want them to be. The brown stars were less to stand out, or the dwarf stars that bring not the brightest out there, but they are there living long a life, not exuberant when casting their lot. As in running, don’t count out the smallest runner can break the sweat of a bigger and brighter runner. He doesn’t know he is out ranked by one so small as they tend to win when having less body weight. More energy is expelled from his body taking more out of him of the bigger boys. And the laws of nature of how the stars work out as the human heart can feel when it is the master of its body quite clear will win in the running as stars do when facing a life so exuberantly bright. The lesser stars last and live longer. The brightest burn hotter and quicker. So, living your life in the fast lane can take its toll. Robert let out a slow breath of air as the stars had given him a lesson of wisdom to behold, not all would be learned in a day.
He went back to the camper to check on Maddie, she was injured when part of a building had fallen on her. A broken arm and a scared face were what she laid harmlessly resting, as all children like to do.
Hear her snore as she did quite frequently. Her arm was resting on her side un disturbed her outside of the bunk. Her feet were long and big like big foot. She would have been named by those students who would persist in naming the damaged few, who were brought in on a special bus, except Maddie had her father make the delivery, he didn’t want her facing what would be so clear as words would come from other students. She was protected by her father, who wouldn’t allow such cruelty. Maddie wouldn’t understand its meaning. He put his hand to feel her warmth and air moving in and out of her frame. And sensed her resting humbling. Then blew a kiss to her as she slept, as tenderly as he suggested.