Connecting the dots, illuminating... the cosmic conspiracy

It was a bright, sunny morning at Sea World - Orlando. People were just beginning to come in through the many turnstiles, which separate the park from the outside world. Another day of wonder was in store for the hundreds of trainers and helpers, which make the park work every day of the year.

Brian Obson is one of the many trainers who work here. His specialty is dolphins. Now he wasn't college trained to get this job - let's just say that he got his education at the School of Hard Knocks. You see, Brian came to Sea World 20 years ago as a tourist, just out wanting to be with the sea life - like anyone else. He just never bargained for what he got. When he arrived at the pool for the 10:35 show, he noticed some of the trainers were having problems keeping a few of the dolphins under control - they seemed a bit agitated for some reason. Then suddenly, without warning, one of the dolphins jumped out of the water and landed on one of the trainers, sending him to the bottom. What was once a nice day at the park was now a nightmare on Cetacean Street. 

Brian, being one who is always ready and willing to help, jumped up and ran down to the pool. He didn't know what he was going to do when he got there, but he jumped in anyway. Suddenly, the dolphins stopped what they were doing and swam straight at him. ‘I'm dead.’ He thought to himself.

Then, a form of serene peace came over the arena (at least the part where Brian was), and the dolphins all began to swim in a circle around him, eeeking and aaaking ever so gently. It was here that Brian's future galvanized into his present. He came to Sea World today for no other reason than it sounded like a good idea - only to find out that he had an intuitive knack for communicating with cetaceans. Nothing like being at the right place, at the right time.

Once the injured trainer's needs where attended to, a few of the other trainers came over to see Brian, who looked like a scared pilgrim with a single Conestoga wagon, being encircled by the entire Dolphin Nation. 

"Hey!” A trainer yelled. “You're pretty good with them." Then he elbowed the other trainer. "Check it out Bob, look at what they're doing."

"I-I-I..." Brian stuttered, "I don’t know what's going on here. I didn't mean to trespass, I only wanted to help." Brian was nervously bobbing up and down. 

"Well you certainly did that. What's your name, boy?”

"Brian, Brian Obson. Uh, hey mister, you ain't gonna' call the cops on me, are ya'?" Brian was all too familiar with people who overact. (Or is that over-react?). For two long years after graduating from Tacoma High, Brian worked as an assistant night manager at the local Quick Stop. There he learned all he ever wanted to know about people who like to over-react. "Job sucked." Brian’s folks always apologized for that. They didn’t have the money to send him to college, so he had to make it on his own. 

"Heck no! We're gonna' see if we can get you a JOB." They both smiled.

Brian had only come to Florida on a whim for that spring and summer. Having spent his entire life growing up near Tacoma, Washington, he wanted to get out. He thought that he would simply die if he had to go through another season of doom and gloom. And besides, he really didn’t have any close friends that he would be leaving behind. 

So, he saved up his money from his job at the Quick Stop and bought an open-end round-trip ticket to Orlando, Florida. Why Orlando? "Why not?" It isn’t Tacoma. Besides, supposedly, there’s this friend of a friend of a relative who offered to give him a roof over his head for a time while he’s down there. So, how bad could it be?

Once he got to Florida, he became the usual tourist and took in all the sights. But also like a tourist, his money began to run out – quite quickly, in fact. So Brian got a job at the Clam Palace. Shucking clams at a popular restaurant all summer was okay, but it wasn’t something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. So he gladly accepted the position as an apprentice trainer for the dolphins, when it was offered.

It’s now been 20 years since that fortuitous morning and it’s pretty much guaranteed that you won’t find a more satisfied employee anywhere, than Brian. Even after all these years, he’s still the first one to get to work in the morning. His routine hasn’t changed in all that time. The first thing he does is greet the dolphins as if they were his human friends – that is, if he had any human friends. Since that morning so many years ago, these cetaceans have monopolized his time. He just hasn’t been very interested in complicating his life with another human's personal issues, when the dolphins are so interesting. So, all of his human relationships, and there haven’t been many, have been brief.

Now don’t get him wrong, he’s a good-looking guy. He’s big and strong and a few women have tried to get a leash around him to at least get him to go out to dinner. But even after 20 years, the dolphins still come first.

“Good morning, my friends! How are you doing this fine morning?” Brian affectionately stroked their dorsal fins and ran his hands down their backs. No other trainer has achieved the level of familiarity that Brian has with the dolphins. In fact, this made a few of the other trainers jealous. They couldn’t understand how someone could just jump out of the stands and become such an excellent handler right there on the spot.

“Eeeek eeeek akakakakakak eeeek.” The dolphins always spoke to him. 

Then almost on cue, they would all swim into a circle and wait for Brian to jump in - right in the middle of them. Then they would come to him like children, fighting over which one would be the first to pull him around the pool. Brian would merely grab a dorsal fin and away they went. Such affection was definitely uncommon and most of the other trainers stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago.

Brian does have one close human friend though, her name is Karen Wilson. She's a marine biologist with a secondary degree in Internal Medicine. She’s the doc, so to speak. Karen has tried for many years to get close to Brian, but for personal reasons of his own, he’s always kept his distance. A professional relationship was okay, but anything else, well, the dolphins always came first.

“Good morning, Brian.” Karen called out from the bleachers. She just loved sitting in the stands, first thing in the morning, watching Brian play with his “kids.”

“Hey, what are you up to?” He slurped, trying to keep the sea water out of his mouth.

“Chuck wants to have a meeting with the staff in a half an hour, so don’t be late!” Chuck’s the manager of Sea World, and when Chuck speaks, everyone listens, because if you don’t, you’ll be listening to the lady at the Unemployment Office. He’s not one who’s real tolerant of people who have little to no self-discipline.

“Okay. Hey, you want to come swim with us?” Brian motioned with his head and arm.

“Wow! Really? You mean like right now?” Karen was shocked. Never before had Brian ever asked anyone to be with him and his kids. “Yeh! I’ll get my suit on and come right down!” Karen never moved so fast in her life. Within minutes she was standing on the edge of the pool, waiting for Brian’s signal to jump in.

“C’mon, what are you waiting for? We only have 20 minutes till the meeting.” Brian looked at his watch, while floating on his back, listening the holophonic sound of dolphin-speak all around him. This was his favorite thing to do. He could often sense a kind of three-dimensional sound around him that actually lifted his spirits like no other thing on the planet.

As Karen jumped in, the dolphins immediately took to her like one of their own. She could barely believe her eyes. Brian took her by the hand and pulled her to the center of the pool. As they reached the middle, he placed his hands on her back and held her up so she was lying on top of the water. 

“C’mon on, you can show her, too.”

Immediately, the dolphins surrounded the couple and began eeeeking in a kind of rhythm that made Karen feel something that she’d never felt before.

“My God, It’s almost holosonic.” Sound with mass.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Brian could only smile and know that Karen was feeling for the first time what he had experienced so many years ago.

“How do they…? I mean, what am I feeling?” Karen was in a whole new world.

"Shhh. Close your eyes and relax." Then Brian stopped holding her and gently moved about 2 feet away. Karen didn’t notice that she was holding herself up. All she could do was listen to this symphony of tones and rhythms that could never be experienced by anyone sitting in the stands. She’s seen Brian do this before, but had no idea what he was doing it for. She does now.

The dolphins gently moved around her in a counterclockwise direction, caressing her ears with their gentle eeeeking and motioning the water in a most physically soothing way. Karen was feeling things within her body that were strange, but wonderful. In fact, although she was a doctor and had been classically trained in the finest schools, no one has ever told her about this! Without realizing the passing time, Karen just laid on top of the water, engulfed in the sounds that seemed to give her buoyancy and a new kind of energy.

After about 15 minutes, Brian came close to her again and whispered, “Karen, we have to go to Chuck’s meeting.”

All of a sudden, as if she were astral traveling to another planet and had just rocketed back into her body, Karen's eyes popped open and she sunk just below the surface, flailing about just to keep her head above water.

Brian grabbed her and laughed. “C’mon, let’s go."

“Wait!!” Karen grabbed him for dear life, “What the heck was that?!”

“I’ll tell ya’ later, but right now, we gotta’ go!” 

Chuck was a good Manager, but everyone felt he took his job a little too serious. He wasn’t good at delegating authority, he had to make sure everything was perfect and bugged everyone who worked for him to make sure that it was.

“Okay, is everyone here?” Chuck was bouncing his pointer finger up and down in an attempt to count heads.

Just then, Brian and Karen ran into the room. “Sorry Chuck, I hope we’re not late, just had to take care of something with the kids.” They sat down quickly.

After a look of disgust, Chuck started another one of his boring staff meetings, which everyone knew what the result would be, and no one really wanted to listen. “First off, Pete…” Chuck always starts each staff meeting with the Head Grounds Keeper. “I’ve noticed some cigarette butts and candy wrappers over by the stands. Don’t we have enough receptacles and butt containers and signage to let people know that we have them? This is a pristine theme park, not a garbage dump."

“Yes, sir.” Pete replied as he furiously took notes.

As Chuck kept speaking, Karen could only think about what had just happened to her. She elbowed Brian and whispered, “What the heck was that? I felt things I’ve never felt before, spine tingly stuff, and right now I feel better than ever!” She could barely contain her excitement.

“Karen!” Chuck bellowed. “Am I boring you with all of this? We’re a team and we all need to act like a team to make this the best darn park in America!” Chuck was part cheerleader, part General Patton.

“Uh no, Boss. Not at all, sorry, please continue.” Karen humbly assumed her role.

Brian laughed.

“And what’s your problem Mr. Obson? Even though you’ve been here longer than everyone else, you can still be replaced!” Chuck always has to play his role.

“Sorry, Boss.”

“Now where was I? Oh yeh, Pete, you need to get those kids of yours to do a better job cleaning up around the bathrooms, too. People have expectations here and we aim to meet them.”

Yada yada yada was all Karen could here. Her focus and attention were definitely on something other than this boring staff meeting stuff.

“Now Brian, tomorrow I want you to…” Chuck began.

“I can’t.” Brian cut him off. “Tomorrow I gotta’ spend the day in court for some bogus traffic ticket that I got about three months ago.” 

“Can’t you just pay it and get out of it?”

“No! I didn’t do what they said I did and tomorrow I’m going to court to prove it.” Brian was adamant about this.

“Who’s your lawyer?” 

“I don’t have one, it’ll just be me against them.” A classic David vs. Goliath, if there ever was one.

“What?! Are you nuts? You need a lawyer. Here’s my lawyer, give him a call.” Chuck gave one of the trainers sitting in the front row his lawyer’s business card and motioned for him to pass it back to Brian.

“No. I’m going to do this by myself.” Brian stood his ground. He didn’t do what two cops said he did and wasn’t about to cow-tow to the government and give in to everyone else’s fear.

“Well, who’s going to do tomorrow’s show then?” 

“Steve can do it.” Brian pointed to a trainer sitting in front of him, off to his right. “He’s been here for a few seasons now and knows pretty much everything I do…” Brian paused for a moment to condense his entire knowledge of dolphins into a single thought. “About what needs to be done. He’ll be alright.” Brian reassured his boss.

Chuck grudgingly went along. “Alright. Steve come up front when the meeting’s done, I need to go over a few things with you. I don’t want to bore the rest of you to tears.” He said sarcastically. 

Everyone in the room then burst into applause.

“Very funny.” He made a funny face. “Meeting over. Now let’s get out there and make this the best day ever!”

As the meeting broke up, Karen took Brian by the arm and led him to a secluded corner of the room. “You better tell me what the heck just happened to me or so help me…” Karen cocked her head to the right, tightened her lips and stared straight into Brian’s soul, with the aid of a right arm to the shoulder.

“Alright, alright already.” Brian removed Karen’s arm and tried to calm her down. “A long time ago, I helped save a trainer who was injured while he was working a show. I jumped out of the stands and ran down to the pool. There was so much chaos that no one noticed me jumping in. I don’t know where the other trainers were, but it was either my help, or no help. Well, the second I jumped in, all the dolphins swam straight at me. I thought they were going to get me, too. Then all of a sudden, they swam in a circle around me and started talking to me…”

“Talking to you?” She lowered her head slightly, still staring into Brian’s hazel eyes.

“Yep.” Brian nodded, trying to belay her doubts. “Talking to me. Everything instantly calmed down. It was like I was in another world. I looked around and saw all the chaos and the people screaming, but it was like I didn’t hear them. All I could hear were the dolphins. In fact, it was more than that. I felt them, too.”

“You mean like what I felt this morning?”

“Yep. Did your spine tingle and skin crawl?” Brian head was bobbing up and down.

“Yes! Yes, they did. And it was like the entire world went away and I found myself enveloped in some kind of bubble – it blocked out everything, except them.” Karen’s mind was back at the pool.

“Exactly. And how do you feel now?” Brian moved slightly closer to his befuddled workmate.

“Better.” Karen kind of stared off into the distance. “Better than I’ve felt in a long, long time.” Then she turned to Brian. “It’s like all my problems have been washed away. I’ve never felt like this before! And these feelings, they’re pretty strange… but really exciting at the same time!” Karen’s face was all flushed.

“Exactly. This is why I come to them every morning. It gives me a ‘high’ that nothing else can, not drugs or booze or nothin’. I’ve been doing this for twenty years, and if God will let me, I’ll be doing it every day for the rest of my life.” At times the boyish look on Brian’s face says it all.

“What is it, though? What is it in their eeeeking and swimming that does this? Has anyone else felt what you and I have?” Karen was feeling pretty fortunate to have a friend in Brian.

“I don’t think so. Other trainers have watched me do this a lot of times, but when they try, the dolphins just don’t respond to them the way they do with me.” That always made Brian feel a little awkward. He thought everyone should have this ability.

“Why do you suppose that is?”

“The dolphins told me it’s because they’re not open to it. They’re in the pool trying to show me up, instead of focusing on their motions and the cetaceans.” He answered matter-of-factly, without emotion.

“THEY TOLD YOU THAT?” Karen felt she was as far out on that limb as she wanted to be.

“I don’t know how else to say it.” Brian shrugged his shoulders, with a wry grin. Sometimes human language can be so inadequate.

“They SPOKE to you.” Now hands were on hips.

“Not in words.” Brian laid his hand on Karen’s shoulder and did his best to calm the situation. “But I still heard them in my head. I listen to them every day and when I talk to them, it’s like they understand every word I say, even though they don’t really understand English.” Brian kind of felt like a teacher trying to cram differential calculus into a grade-schooler.

“Okay, now I’m lost. You talk to them, but they don’t know your words, but still understand you?” Karen’s doing her best to believe she’s not getting played.

“Yep. They told me that since I talk with the intent of communicating with them, that it’s the intent they feel and understand. It’s my sincere intent that makes all the difference. The other trainers just don’t seem to have that same intent. It’s like they’re out there trying to prove something, seeing themselves separate from the cetaceans. At least that’s what they told me.” Brian saw the look of shock in Karen’s eyes.

Karen sat down in the closest chair. “Unreal.” Came through her lips, as she just shook her head and looked off in the distance, towards the resting pools. Then she regained her focus and immediately stood up, “Can we do this again? Can you show me more?” She was still tingling all over like a giddy child on Christmas morn.

“Maybe, but not until I get this court thing out of the way tomorrow.” He regretfully offered.

"Oh." She voiced her disappointment.

"Well, okay then. I guess I'll get back to work.” Karen’s mind was still in the pool. “Thank you again, Brian. See you later." Karen sang the last sentence, gave a quick wave goodbye and headed back up to her medical lab.

"Bye." Brian watched as she spiritedly walked away, and then went back to his kids' lab.

By now, the Park was crammed full of tourists looking for all of the water mammals and other sea critters that Sea World has in captivity. Kids were pulling their parents every which way. Parents were dragging the kids their way.

Brian recognized some as repeat customers, but most of the others were strangers and Brian pretty much saw them all just that way - as strangers. To him, the dolphins were the most important “people” in Sea World, and he knew that it was his job to take care of them, better than any human takes care of their kids. The relationship Brian has with them is one of ultimate love and affection. He never considers the dolphins to be pets or some kind of attraction; he is a part of them, and they are a part of him. It’s like they’re partners on this Earth, and he loves them more than he’s ever loved any human – including his parents. The dolphins are his family.

Okay, let’s get this straight. It’s not that Brian hates humans, he just can’t deal with all their dramas, all their craziness and down-right stupidity. He’s educated himself to know enough, to know. He likes peace and calm in his life. He likes things nice and regimented according to what he likes and doesn’t stray far from that axiom. He doesn’t mind living alone. To him, people only seem to show up in his life to put him to work or act like some psychic vampire and suck his energy dry or take something from him that they need and don’t have. It just seems to always work out that way. And Brian was done with all of it. That is, until…

Suddenly, Brian looked up for no other reason than he felt compelled to. It was like the dolphins made him do it. There in front of him, stood an image of himself. Literally, like he was looking at himself. Well let’s say a little bit trimmer version of himself.

“What the…? Who are you?” Brian was stunned at the resemblance as he stood, eyes fixated. “You look like me.” 

The middle-aged man, who was wearing a rather large park jacket, turned to a nearby chair, took it off and turned back to face his twin. 

Brian gave him the twice over. “Well, a little lighter, I’d say.” Noticing his waistline.

The familiar stranger lit up. “I am you, brother! We are one!” First of all Brian was blown away by the resemblance. But most of all, he had never seen a man so happy in his whole life as the one that’s standing right there before him. He gave Brian a tremendous hug. Then released him so he could breathe.

This was a bit too much for Brian to handle. So, he turned to look away for a moment and noticed every single dolphin and other sea critter, in the resting pools, being perfectly still, focusing on this new guy. Every one. No sound, just focus. Brian had a really eerie feeling in his gut and wasn’t quite sure what to make of this situation. So, to allay his fears, he became “the man."

“No one is allowed back here. Only trainers are allowed back here. How did you get back here?” Brian sounded rather alarmed, while he visually checked out all the exits. For all he knew, this guy could have been some eco-terrorist, dressed up to look like Brian, so he could get in back there and do some real eco-terrorism damage. A TV show a few weeks ago actually proposed something like that could happen. So it was kind of fresh in Brian’s mind. 

“I look like you, so everyone thought I was you. It was easy.” The stranger again spoke with ease and a heavenly smile.

That’s all he needed to hear. Brian grabbed the man by the arm. “I’m taking you to security. I don’t care if you do look like me, this area is off limits to everyone, but the trainers, and you’re coming with me.” 

“Wait.” The stranger calmly motioned, and Brian unwittingly released him from custody. “Watch.” 

The familiar stranger then walked over to the pool and knelt down by the water and spoke to the dolphins in a most calming and soothing way. He whispered something to them, and they immediately responded by swimming away under the water and then they all jumped up simultaneously into the air, splashing down with a tremendous THWAP, which sent water everywhere. Then he looked to the sea lions, and they did the same thing! Then he looked up to Brian. “Now do I classify as a trainer? Or do you still want to turn me over to security?” The stranger had a warm smile on his face.

Brian was dumbfounded. Not even he, in all his years, could make the cetaceans do that. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t expecting me to do that.”

The stranger stood and put his hand on Brian’s shoulder, “We need to talk.” 

Walking with nearly numb legs, Brian was led by the stranger over to the picnic table in the far corner of the resting pools. As they sat down, Brian noticed the creatures beaming with a light that he’d never seen before. They all seemed to be completely focused on this man. Even when the other trainers brought food, they paid no attention. It was truly an amazing sight.

One of the other trainers walked over with a bucket of chum. “Brian, what’s going on here? None of them want to eat and they all seem to be interested in this person…” The trainer stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the stranger, “…who looks JUST LIKE YOU! Care to introduce me?” 

Brian could only stutter and stammer. The man stood and said, “Hello, I am Brian’s twin brother, Theoneius. Nice to meet you.” 

“Hi, I’m Steve.” He shook Theoneius’ hand and then turned to Brian. “Hey man, you never told me you had a brother, let alone a twin! What’s up with that?”

“Uhm… I… Uhm….” Shoulders and palms, up! Brian was speechless.

“Well, hey Theoneius, nice to meet you. It seems you have the same knack with these guys that your brother does. We’ve been trying to do what he does for years, but no one seems to get it right. They just don’t react to us like they do to him… or you! Lookin’ for a job?”

“No thanks. I just came here to visit with my brother. Thanks for the offer, though.” Theoneius shook Steve’s hand.

“Okay, well, see you guys. I’ll put the chum away and feed ‘em later.” As Steve waived good-bye, he couldn’t seem to turn around to see where he was going and walked right into a garbage can. “Man, you guys are absolutely identical… weird.” Then he repositioned the trashcan and walked off.

“You’re my brother?!” Brian couldn’t believe his eyes. “Mom and Dad never said anything about twins! Why is it they never mentioned you to me or never took any pictures? I mean, Brian looked down with a tremendously dumbfounded look on his face.

Theoneius reached over to Brian’s chin and lifted it up, looking straight into his eyes. “Brother, Mom and Dad do not even know that I am alive.” Theoneius took a rather long pause on his in breath. “You remember in the fifties and sixties how it seemed that every mom was diagnosed with having twins, but ended up only having one child?”

“Yeh?” Brian numbly responded, “I remember mom saying something about, that I was supposed to be twins, but the doctor made a mistake. In fact, I’ve heard that a lot of moms were told that they were going to have twins, only to wind up having one. It didn’t make sense to me how doctors could screw up two hearts beating for one.”

“Exactly. We have a lot to talk about. Can you take the rest of the day off, or maybe even the week... or longer?” Theoneius had a very serious look on his face.

“Well maybe today, but tomorrow I have to go to court over some stupid traffic ticket. You know, the government thinks that they own ya’ and can make up any law they feel like, to turn us into their slaves. I thought it was ‘innocent until proven guilty’.” Brian made quotation marks with his fingers. “But, to them, it’s the other way around.” He chagrinned.

“Do you have someone to take over for you?” Theoneius hoped.

“Yeh. Let me go get Steve.” 

“Okay, I will meet you out by the employee entrance. See you there.” Theoneius waived with a big ol’ grin.

As Theoneius walked away, Brian did the same thing as the other trainer. Instead of looking where he was going, he couldn’t seem to get his focus off his newly found brother and ran into the same garbage can that Steve did.

‘Stupid is as stupid does.’ Brian saw Forest in his imagination, sitting on a park bench eating a box of chocolates.

After getting Steve to take over for him, Brian met Theoneius at the employees’ entrance to the Park.

“Alright, are you gonna’ tell me now what this is all about? Who are you, where have you been all this time, why did you leave us and what’s up with that name – Thee-own-ee-us?” Brian inflected.

“I told you, I am your brother. I was taken away from you at the hospital in Tacoma where we were born and have spent the last 40 years with my extended family up in Washington State.” Theoneius spoke without emotion.

“Who took you away? How is it that no one knew you were gone?” There was alarm in Brian’s voice.

“Because, I wasn’t taken away physically. This may be hard for you to understand, I was taken away ethereally, before I was born.” Theoneius looked directly into his brother’s eyes.

“Before you were born?” This was all getting a bit much for this living-well-within-the-box, kind of fellow. “How the hell can someone take you away, before you were born?” This was becoming too Outer Limits for this regimented soul.

“Brother, have you ever heard about the Indigo Children?”

“I heard someone mention something about them once at some New Age seminar Jennifer took me to, but I wasn’t paying much attention at the time. Who are these Indigo Children?” Things were not getting any clearer.

“They are a new form of humans being born into this world. They carry with them a whole new frequency, a higher frequency that they will use to change the future of this planet to one of love, peace and joy.”

“What do you mean, like they’re some kind of aliens, or something?” Brian thought maybe a new comic strip super hero was coming.

“When Indigo Children come into this world, they come in at a much higher vibration, higher frequency, than any other child who has come before - with the exception one. This new energy enhances everything around it with a higher dimensional frequency. And this frequency has a tendency to affect the electronic instruments that are being used to scan it, while it is in the womb.”

“I still don’t understand.” Brian was lost. ‘Who is this guy?’

“When Indigo Children are in the womb, the doctor’s instruments pick up two hearts because in higher dimensions, that is how many hearts we have. Then at birth, the frequencies meld and one child with one heart is born, but with very high vibrations - one as two, not two as two. The Lizzies figured this out and have been doing their best to steal the Indigo Child’s higher essence from the children, before they are born.” Theoneius believes the message is more important, than the way it is received. 

“The Lizzies. Who the hell are the Lizzies? And how did you get away from them?" Brian appeared to be visiting La La Land.

“It was the cetaceans who saved me. They thought me, and a whole lot of others, into form – into being. They saved us from the terrible horror of having our energies scattered throughout the universe.” A look of sorrow, then great appreciation came across Theoneius’ face.

“You mean you were saved by the dolphins and whales? And they just now let you go?” Brian could not comprehend what he was hearing, but he was doing his best to repeat it, in hopes of understanding.

“Yes… and others.” Theoneius smiled. “And it is right around 40 years when they let us out. Somehow it seems appropriate. And as far as my name goes, I asked the same question – the only answer I got was... THE-ONE-I-US.”

“The one I us? What’s up with that? Sounds pretty stupid if you ask me.” Brian was still reeling from everything he’s heard about Lizzies and cetaceans and from a twin brother that he didn’t even know he had.

“After a while, they all just called me ‘The One’, for short. Do not ask me any more about it, because that is all they would say.” 

As they walked to his car, Brian could only stare at the person who was claiming to be his kin. He couldn’t get over how it seemed that he was looking at himself in a mirror. Everything about him was identical - the brown hair, his yellow/hazel eyes, tanned skin, height, almost everything was the same. Then he had an uncontrollable urge. He reached over to Theoneius' left hand and turned it over. "Man, you've even got the same two crosses on your left palm." He shook his head in disbelief. ‘This can’t be some kind of stupid coincidence.’ He thought.

“No, this is not some kind of stupid coincidence.” The One responded.

“Hey! You can read my mind... my thoughts?” Brian was astonished and a little miffed.

“I can do more than that. Now let us get in your car and be on our way, there is much I need to tell you.” Theoneius noticed how much older Brian’s car looked than all the others in the parking lot.

Brian unlocked his door, then reached over and unlocked the passenger side. The One looked inside before sitting. “Uhm, is there something I’m supposed to do with this?” Brian hadn’t cleaned his car since he bought it 5 years ago and the trash had made itself home - and multiplied.

Brian spoke to his brother over the top of the car. “I’ve got other more important things to do than spend my time cleaning up messes. I don’t know where you’ve been all my life, but I think it’s a little rude to judge me on the condition of my car. You don’t even know me!” Brian paused to gain some inner strength. “I just so happen to be the best trainer of dolphins here at Sea World, thank you very much. And besides, the other folks who've ridden with me, didn't seem to mind." Brian looked at the mess and then thought about all the juxta positioning his passengers would always have to make. "At least no one’s ever said anything about it.”

“Well, all I can say is, I have learned that our environment is a direct reflection of who we are, and it does not matter if I am looking at your car or the condition of our planet.” Theoneius moved a bunch of things out of the way and got in.

Brian joined him. “Well, I just don’t have the time. Maybe later, but now I have to get you home and get ready for court tomorrow. Somehow I have to convince a whole jury that I didn’t pull out in front of an ambulance, with two cops claiming to witness it.” Brian did a quick once around to see no one was there, backed out and then gunned it. He seemed rather adept at going around slower moving objects. Many times he would yell, “What on Earth were they thinking?!”

The One didn’t reply though, he was taking in all the worldly noise and chaos, which existed outside his window.

After making his way to I-4, he headed north, winding his way through the many miles of unbelievably dense traffic (“IDIOTS!” Brian would scream every now and then - more now.); he exited onto Garland Ave. "It was here I made the worst decision of my life."

"What decision was that, brother?" 

Theoneius was grateful to be off the interstate.

"The decision to not go home, but to go and pick up some fast Chinese, instead." Brian said some regretful words, there.

"You were going to pick up people who were running?" The One couldn’t work this one out.

"No. The food. I was going to pick up some fast Chinese food." Brian laughed. "No people."

"And what about this journey made it the worst one ever?"

Brian pulled off the shoulder and put the car in park. “Well, newfound brother of mine, I’ll show ya’.” Brian reached under his seat and pulled out an old crumpled up map. He uncrumpled it and then started to try and refold it on the original folds. It didn’t go smoothly.

Theoneius was bearing witness to someone he wasn’t ready for.

“Okay, so here we are. Let’s see.” Brian had to flip the map around to get it right.

“Instead of going east on West Concord Street here, like I normally do to go home,” He fumbled with the folds. “I turned south up here,” Brian pointed, “on North Orange Avenue." Brian kind of flipped the map, again. More fumbling. “Damn it!” Brian was done fumbling around. He crammed the wrinkled map into his lap and pulled back out. ”Heck with it. I’ll show ya’.” He turned south on North Orange Street - one of the busiest streets in all of Orlando.

The One sat aghast, as his twin multi-tasked, heading down a 4-lane one way highway, in traffic, at speed. He checked his seat belt and grabbed a handle.

“Oh, by the way, that’s the courthouse I have to go to tomorrow.” Brian pointed out his side and nearly drifted into another car. He swerved back. A few moments later, “It was right about here that I noticed that I didn't have any money in my wallet. So, I didn't stop." Brian pointed to the Chinese restaurant.

T felt safe enough to ask, "You checked your wallet while you were driving?”

"Well, I had an inkling that I didn't have anything in it and I had to check. It only came to me after I turned on Orange; otherwise, I'd a gone straight home. And sure enough, I checked and it was empty." Brian answered quite matter-of-factly, while he was physically repeating everything he just said. At speed.

Theoneius was having a difficult time believing that this person sitting next to him was really kinfolk. "So you then proceeded to...?" He spoke as if he really didn’t want to hear the answer.

"Go home. There wasn't any place else I needed to go right then. So I went east on West Robinson up here till I got to Summerlin Avenue South and turned north. 

"Brother, have you noticed how many times you have gone the exact opposite of what the street names say?” Theoneius was kind of squinting as he asked.

Brian paused to think about that for a millisecond and then continued. "It was right here where all the trouble started. You see, when the light turned green so I could turn left, a truck ran the red light coming from the left. So I had to wait for him. He did stop before he got completely through the intersection, but that made all the other traffic stop. Then, after he backed up, I waited a little more time for some oncoming cars to go by before I turned left. But as I started to turn, I heard a siren off in the distance and then I saw the lights.” Brian made the turn at the intersection and pointed. “Then it was up here, almost to Ridgewood, that I passed the ambulance coming from the opposite direction. THEN unbelievably, two cops pulled me over by the athletic field, citing me for pulling out in front an emergency vehicle. Unbelievable. And I have to prove my innocence. What a load of crap." Brian always felt so picked on. The quintessential unwitting victim.

Brian travelled on for a little while, then turned west on East Amelia, passed by a few streets then turned left. Then he pulled into the driveway of a quaint little two-story house, in one of the older neighborhoods of Orlando.

“Well, whatcha’ think?” Brian eyes flashed as he proudly pointed to his humble abode.

After taking in all the traffic jams, the red lights and the honking horns, the loud pulsating music reverberating from other vehicles, really smelly exhaust, angry people and all the rights and lefts that Brian had to make, along with all his multi-tasking, just to get home, Theoneius finally spoke up. “You like living in this hell?”

“This is my home, thank you very much and I’ll have you know that I’m a respected man in my neighborhood. It wasn’t always this congested, at least not when I moved here 20 years ago. Things just got real bad, real fast. I think the government only cares about the taxes and license fees they collect from all the businesses and complexes. I don’t think they actually give a damn about any of the people, or especially the environment.” To Brian, it was always the government that was to blame.

“In a way, this city looks an awful lot like the inside of this car.” T climbed out, taking with him a couple of Carl’s Jr. wrappers and a coke can.

Brian put the car in park and they both got out.

“Should I prepare myself to be ready to see the inside of your car, inside your home?” The One smiled.

“Maybe.” 

As Brian opened the door to his home, The One could only stand and stare at it from the doorway. 

“Okay, let me have it. What’s wrong with it?” Brian noticed the tears running down his brother’s cheeks. Then he turned to see that his brother was looking at all the pictures of his family hanging on the living room wall, just in front of them.

“This is Mom and Dad?” The One choked, as he pointed.

“Yes, and this is Giuseppe and Harold and Barbarella, my… your brothers and sister.” Brian walked into his home and began pointing to all the people in the pictures. “And here’s your Uncle Frank and Aunt Francis, and…” Brian turned to look at his brother but noticed that he was outside sitting on the front steps, looking off into the distance. “What’s wrong, Theoneius?” 

“Please call me ‘T’, anything else is just too much.” T paused for a moment. “I have missed out on so much. Damn it!!” He slapped the cold concrete step. “They had no Right to take me!”

“You mean the Lizzies?” Brian put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Yes.”

“Have you called Mom and Dad since you’ve gotten out? Do you know where they’re at?” Brian was feeling very compassionate at the moment.

“No. Now is not the time… it is not time, yet. Please, excuse my language. It was my first time swearing.” T then wiped the tears from his face, took a huge breath and blew it out, and then stood up and went back inside. “You have a nice place here brother, even though I am not sure your house is an extension of your car or vice versa.” Then T paused for a moment. “Please forgive my judgments, I do feel at home here.”

“Is there something I can get you? A beer or something?” Brian walked into the kitchen.

“How about some fresh squeezed orange juice. Got any of that?” T’s spirits seemed to be picking up.

Brian went to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of fresh squeezed OJ that he’d made earlier that morning. “I put a little citric acid in it to keep it from turning brown.” He poured his newly found brother a big glass. “You knew it was in there, didn’t you?”

“I know a lot of things, brother. And maybe, in time, you will know them, too. But right now, I want to talk with you about this court thing tomorrow. Tell me about that.”

“Well, you already know the details about what happened. Now I just have to go like a chicken into the fox den looking for justice." In Brian’s mind, he saw no way he was going to win. Outsmarted and outlawyered, he was doomed.

"Did you try explaining to the policemen what happened?"

"Hell, yeh! They didn’t listen. All they could say was "Give me yuh papurz." Brian said with a thick German-Austrian accent. "Isn’t it funny how they’re all starting to dress and act like Nazi’s?" Brian’s personal distastes were making themselves known.

“Papers?” T sipped on his OJ.

“Yeh, you know, driver's license, car registration, proof of insurance, dollar bills… stuff like that.”

“No, I did not know.” T took another sip.

“Then anyway, after giving him my ‘papurz’ he returned and gave me his papurz - a ticket - and then told me that I had to go to court and there the judge would tell me what my punishment would be… like I was already sentenced guilty! I tell ya’ brother, if you don’t know what’s going on in America, just hang around Orlando for a few weeks, you’ll get a good idea on how the original idea of America has been flushed down the toilet.” Brian has spent a long time down this rabbit hole. Remember, he does live alone.

“You do not like government?” T was working his way in there.

“It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s more like I hate what they’ve become in the name of safety and security, and what they’re doing to our country because of it. You know Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘Anyone willing to trade even a little bit of their freedom and liberty for safety deserves neither liberty nor freedom’. Man, this government has become the very thing that the Revolutionary War was supposed to have conquered a long time ago.” Brian paused and then said, “The King.”

“The King?” T did not understand.

“Well, yeh. You know how in England if the King or Queen screws up, the people all start a revolution and cut their heads off? Well, in this country, they’ve done it one better. When our government gets caught lying or stealing, those terds just get to resign or go to a 5-star hotel prison where they get to watch TV all day and get to keep everything they’ve plundered. They always get away with it, because they’ve come to rely on Americans being so stupid, that they forget about what happened 10 minutes ago and just keep worrying about what’s going to happen 10 minutes from now. Not to mention all the laws government has made, making them not liable for anything they do. What a scam.” Brian was well-versed in this Shakespeare play.

“It sounds like a good one.” T gave a loving smile.

The next morning came a lot sooner, than later.

“Aw man, I shouldn’t have drank so much – my head.” Brian was gingerly cradling his oversized cranium in his hands as he walked into the kitchen. “How you feelin’ T?”

“I have not ever felt better. You were right, that bar had some really great juice flowing in it. Thanks for the worldly experience, it was wo-o-o-o-o-o-orth it.” T stretched to the ceiling in the hallway.

“You mean like the time that you broke up the fight or when those girls came out of nowhere to dance with you?”  Brian had another thought.  "Or maybe driving home?"

“All in a day’s work. Now have you given anymore thought to what I spoke to you about yesterday?” Playtime over.

“Yep, this morning I’m calling Chuck and telling him that I’m taking my vacation starting today; and if he don’t like it, well, he can lump it. I’m with you brother, but do I still have to sell this place? I mean, I just got it paid off.” Brian was feeling pretty good about his decision. This was a journey he felt deep down in his soul, he couldn’t miss. But he still loved his home.

“No. This will be a good headquarters for you to come back to.” T tapped the fridge door. One of the magnet signs fell off. ‘All those who wander are not lost.’ “See?” T pointed down to the floor.

“Headquarters?” Brian was still stuck in the past.

“Go call your boss, I will start getting our things together.” T headed up to his temporary room.

As Brian was doing his best to stay calm on the phone with Chuck, Theoneius went through his twin's closet and dresser to pack up some clothes and toiletries they will need for the trip. T then came downstairs with a Hefty bag full of stuff. “Okay, you are ready to go.”

“Wait,” Brian inventoried the plastic luggage. “That’s all I’ll need is some extra jeans, jackets, T-shirts, toothbrush and toothpaste?” He believed his hand made it to the bottom of the bag too quickly. 

“This is not only just for you.” T pulled his brother’s hand out. “I did not exactly come totally prepared for a long journey. That I have you to thank for.” Again, that patented smile.

“You didn’t bring any with you?” Again, woe is Brian. 

“Remember brother, it is always easier for a smaller man to fit into bigger man’s clothes, than the other way around.” Slam.

“Hey, you crackin’ on my weight?” Brian sucked it in a little and spied the contents one more time. “Well, clothes are one thing. But you’re gonna have your own toothbrush.” Brian went upstairs and grabbed a new brush, still in its plastic wrapper.

Arms full, they headed out to Brian’s candy-apple red, hopped-up convertible 1969 Pontiac GTO and threw the Hefty bag of stuff in with the cooler, blankets and pillows that T had already packed.

Brian suddenly had a realization about the trip. “Uhm, I know this may sound… well… where the hell are we going?”

“Washington State.” T stated, while cleaning everything out of his side.

“Washington State! You mean way the hell back up there? …Back home?” That unsettled Brian. Home is a place he has not seen in a very long time.

“You could say that.” T smiled. “Remember grasshopper, the journey is part of the destination – it is not separate from it.” More wisdom from the master.

“Are you gonna’ talk to me like that for the whole trip?” Brian didn’t like feeling belittled. Even though T was not belittling him, the feeling stems from his childhood. After all, he was the baby of the family.

“Maybe, maybe not; that all depends on you.” T responded to his twin without blinking. “And there is no need to speed. Time is an illusion that you will soon find out. We will get there when we get there - and no sooner.” If one were to look up a “centered human” in the dictionary, T would be standing there.

Brian started speaking like he was announcing a King. “Yes, oh great brother of knowledge. Oh, great sage of the West. Oh, great seer of…”

“Okay, I will stop if you will.”

“Deal.” Life just got better.

And off they went.

The two hadn’t gotten two blocks, before Brian asked, “T how are we getting to Washington?”

Get on Colonial Drive up here and take it west all the way to I-75. Then take that north.”

“Wouldn’t taking the Turnpike north be a lot better, than going all the way to Brooksville?”

“Only if the time you spend on this trip is more important than the time you spend with me.” T turned his head and beamed a smile to his twin.

“Okay. I’m starting to get it.” Brian nodded his head and changed subjects.  “So how did you get to my place? How the hell did you even know where to look?”  Brian was scanning the perfectly formed heavens over the top of his windshield. The top was down. As it should be with ALL convertibles.

“Well, you might say I got dropped off here. Twins can find themselves no matter where the other one is.” T was speaking through all the dust and dirt flying around the inside of the car. Such is the life with convertibles. 

Brian’s eyes returned to the road. “Dropped off? You mean you took a bus or hitchhiked down here?” He turned back and gave his twin a strange look.

“Not exactly. I tell you what, I am not trying to avoid your question, but I think we need to discuss a few more things before I answer that.” T laid his hand on his brother’s right shoulder. “And when you get to I-10 go west towards New Orleans.”

“Right on! The Big Easy. I know a lot of party spots up there!” Many, many drunken nights flashed through Brian’s mind in an instant. All those girls. All that booze. All that damage.

“Uhm, Brian, for the rest of this trip you are going to have to put your partying on hold. There are lots of things that I want you to witness and being impaired will just not let you see them. Sobriety is paramount.” T changed gears. “The Big Easy – that is what you call New Orleans?” 

“Everyone does.” 

“How appropriate. We will be spending the night there.” 

“In New Orleans? I don’t think I have enough money for that.” Brian’s mind instantly became his checkbook.

“No, just outside of it. The energy of that town is not what we are looking for. It is not constructive for what we are going to do.” 

“What ARE we going to do?” Brian is still as clueless as the day they met.

“You will know that when we do it. And with that, I guess this is as good a time as any to begin your lessons.” Time to get down to bidness.

“What lessons? You didn’t say anything back there about no lessons.” Brian’s eyes widened.

“Brother, between here and Washington State, there are things about yourself that are going to have to change, evolve.”  T winked.

“Evolve? What, like I’m some kind of Cro-Magnon idiot or something?” Here we go with the belittling feeling.

T just smiled. “For now, do not think about your possible futures or regrettable past, just be in the moment and enjoy the drive. Take deep breaths and feel the wind blowing through your hair.” T stuck his hands up to feel the rushing wind.

Brian glanced over to his brother, wondering what on Earth he was up to. 

T pulled his hands down and touched Brian’s arm, “Just focus on the drive, brother. All of your questions will be answered in time.” 

Brian glanced back again, thinking a single thought. ‘You can read my mind, my thoughts… CAN’T YOU?’ He thought as loudly as he possibly could. 

T didn’t respond. He just spent his time looking at everything with the eyes of a child - for the first time - knowing deep down, it would also be his last. The humid, salty air filled his nostrils with a moist, heaviness. The millions of lakes and streams brought tears to his eyes, along with the wind. “I love your car.” Was the only thing T said from Ocala all the way up to Tallahassee. 

It was going through Tallahassee that Brian noticed that his fuel gauge appeared to be stuck on full. “Hey T, I think my gas gauge is busted. We left Orlando with a full tank, and we’ve gone” Brian took his finger and wiped the dust off the odometer part of plastic covering the dashboard gauges. “… About 250 miles and it still reads full. I’m gonna’ stop at the next gas station and fill up and have ‘em check it out.” Brian started tapping the gas gauge, not hoping it would move to the left. 

“No need. Everything is alright – just keep going.” T comforted his brother.

“What, you mean I won’t need to get gas? Like my car is gonna’ make it all the way to Washington State on ONE TANK?!” Brian started to think he was getting played. ‘This is getting ridiculous.’

“Have faith, grasshopper.” T smiled.

“Hey, you promised.” Brian spoke very seriously. He wasn’t sure about anything anymore and felt like he was walking a tight rope, with no safety net.

“Sorry.” T sensed his twin’s fears. “No more fuel is needed than what you already have. We will only need to stop when we get to the right spot.” He did his best to calm Brian down.

“What right spot?” Brian started checking out the distant land which lay all around him. And a certain familiarity was starting to breed contempt.

“Pay attention to the road and stop asking questions for now. Take in all of Nature. Witness the beautiful landscapes here in Florida - all the rivers and lakes. Feel the sun beaming its love down on you. Focus on now. Right here. Right now.” T spoke as firmly as he had ever spoken. He became the authority. Right then. Right there. 

“Shoot that reminds me, I didn’t bring any sun blocker. We will have to stop.” Brian gave a quick squint up at the ball of fire glowing in the middle of a deep blue sea of sky.

“Why do you want to block out the sun?” T looked shocked. 

“Well, you know, skin cancer – melanoma – sun burn? The sun can really do you in, if you don’t protect yourself.” Brian flipped his sun visor down, then all the way up again.

“You think that God created the sun to do you harm? I do not see any of the cattle running to the corner market for sun block.” T pointed to a field full of cows.

“What are you saying?” Brian briefly glanced over to his twin.

“Check your thoughts and history. Skin cancer only really got going once you were convinced that the sun was harmful to you and that you needed to start applying lotions that would supposedly protect you from it. Lotions only block the creation of Vitamin D, a vital element for a healthy life.” T had his face to the sun and the wind at his back.

“Are you saying that sun block actually causes skin cancer?” Brian was feeling rather defensive.

“No, just your belief that God would create something that would inevitably do you harm. It is your beliefs that do the real harm – then you reinforce those beliefs by doing something physical in this world to substantiate them.” T was looking at his brother, squarely.

“Like buying sunblock.” First two dots connected.

“Yes.” T squinted a little, too. The sun was starting to move in front of them. So, he reached in the glove box and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

That kind of caught Brian by surprise. He didn’t remember putting any sunglasses in the glovebox. ‘T must have done it. Must be his.’ He reasoned. “Hey, but what about all the things the doctors and physicians are saying on all those drug ads? What about all those things you hear on the news that PROVES that the sun causes skin cancer?” Brian was really confused. This perspective was totally new to him.

“I do not watch the news.” 

“Well, I’m tellin’ ya’, there’s plenty of living proof out there and they’re showing themselves every day.” He didn’t believe T. Brian knows two people who have skin issues.

“Brian, the sun was not created to do us harm. It exists to create and sustain life, not to kill it.” Let the debates begin. 

“So, you’re telling me that it’s a conspiracy or something between the sun lotion companies and doctors that keep promoting it?” Brian wasn’t into all that garbage. 

“No, not them. It is your own conspiracy, to create proof that gets verified by others proving the same thing.” Again, the message is more important than the way it is received.

“Proving what?” 

“That what you believe is your reality. And inevitably, it is your thoughts that create that reality. Simple as that. Now let us stop talking for a while and enjoy God’s creation as we fly past it at 102 feet per second.” Students are like light bulbs, too much juice and they burn out.

Brian checked his speed.  “Hey, I’m only doing 70 miles an hour, the speed limit on this interstate is 75. You told me not to speed and I’m not.” Brian is always in defense of himself. 

“Like I said, 102 feet per second and besides, is your life guided by the limits set on you by the signs that you can read?” 

“I’m not speeding.” Always. 

“That, is relative.” T quietly exhaled.

As they headed west towards New Orleans, the sun, which was now directly in front of them making a beeline to the horizon, seemed to intensify itself on Brian’s face. Brian found his sunglasses, too.

T only smiled and kept looking at everything with a sense of marvel and wonderment. Within little time, darkness had fallen as the two drove through Pensacola and the sunglasses made their way back to their homes. Then came Mobile, Alabama and Biloxi, Mississippi. Towns just seemed to be there one minute and gone the next. 

“You know T, I’ve driven Interstate 10 a lot of times, but I don’t think I’ve noticed as much as I have this time.” They were nearing New Orleans and could see the big city lights in the far distance. Then Brian pointed to the light bulbs glowing in the near distance, in another direction, as they were traveling over a long bridge, which carried them over the bayous. “Like, look at those light bulbs glowing out there. Can you imagine people actually living in those swamps? They’re called Cajuns, ya’ know. And from what I hear, not many people like to have them around. I guess they’re just afraid of ‘em - since they all talk funny and act weird.” 

“Yes, I have heard of Cajuns, too – they are very set in their ways.” 

“Is that why they live out there, to stay away from us?” Brian was feeling a slight sense of superiority. 

“I think it is more like for us to stay away from them. They have chosen to live outside of your world for a reason, same as the Amish up in Pennsylvania.” 

“They’re all kind of weird, doncha’ think?” Brian judged. 

“Careful of your judgments, brother. Should a day come when electricity no longer exists, who do you think will survive? Who do you think will still be around to teach us how to live without it?” 

“The Amish and Cajuns, I guess.” 

“Brian, the Lord works in mysterious ways.” T pointed to a road sign that they were about to pass. “Take this exit up here and turn right.” 

“What are you, nuts? Have you lost your mind? There aren’t ANY lights out here and you want me to go somewhere that I don’t have a clue where I'm going? You know who’s out there?!” Brian was feeling genuine fear for the first time in a long time.

“Yes.” T had no fear.

Brian bit his lip. “Alright, but I don’t like it. I can’t see past my headlights and there might be Cajuns out there! And you know their kind just don’t like our kind.” For the first time in his life, Brian wished he owned a gun.

T touched Brian’s shoulder. “Faith, brother. Have faith. And it is not about their kind, it is about BEING KIND.” 

The two came upon a lonely wooden shack about two miles down a twisting dirt road. “Stop here.” T commanded. 

Brian slowed to a near stop. “WHAT?! No way. You and I both know that they don’t like strangers.” Brian was afraid of a lot of things right now.

Just then from inside the home came a loud scream and T jumped out of the car and ran inside. 

“Hey!” Brian yelled. “Wait… you don’t know…” By the time Brian finally stopped, pensively got out of his car, put the top up and locked all the doors, T was already coming out of the front door. 

“Brian, what are you doing?” T couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What am I doing?  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Brian stood firm beside his car. He KNEW what these people were like and he didn’t want anything to do with them. He knew.

Just then the owners of the house and their five children joined T on the front porch. T turned to them and pointed to Brian. “This is my twin-brother Brian. Brian, say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Aberjous and their children.” 

“Hell-o” Brian said slowly. “Uhm T, what’s going on?” 

Mrs. Aberjous spoke out. “What’s goin’ on is yaw broth-aw just saved my François’ life. He was chokin' to death on a piece of shickon and we didn’t know what to do. So, I screamed to God faw help and he sent me yaw broth-aw, awe gawdian angel.” Then Mrs. Aberjous turned to T. “Yaw called it a Hime-lick Man… Man…?” 

“Maneuver.” T finished with that smile.

“Please come on in, we don’t have much, some crawfish and some pieces of shickon left, but yaw welcome to it.” Mrs. Aberjous motioned. 

“And a little somethin’ to wash it down with.” François added. 

As they entered the run-down cabin, Brian noticed no other rooms in it, including no bathroom. “Can you tell me where your commode is?” Brian tried to sound worldly. 

“Da' what?” François asked, not having a clue as to what Brian just asked for. 

“Bathroom – toilet.” T whispered to François. 

“Out back.” François pointed. “But look out faw da' swamp, it’ll eat yaw up if yaw ain’t ca’full.”   Then he whispered to T.  "Yaw twin shaw tawk funny." 

Brian looked to where François was pointing.  “Uhm, that’s okay.” He saw the tiny run-down shack with a half-moon on it. “I don’t have to go right now – maybe later. But I am kind of hungry, though.” 

As they all sat around the weathered sycamore table, the Aberjous family could only stare at the twins. “Yaw twins, huh? Spittin’ image I’d say.” François said in a heavy French Cajun inflection. “We don’t get any outsid-aws he-aw.” 

“But we are not outsiders, are we?” T asked with a grin. 

“No.” Mrs. Aberjous said. “Yaw be awe family now.” 

All of a sudden Brian remembered his court appearance, which by now seemed to have happened over a week ago – not yesterday. ‘Family.’ He thought to himself. 

T spoke up, “Is there anything we can do for you in return for the kindness you have shown to us?” 

“Shaw! Yaw can spend da' night and keep us company! Junyaw, our oldest, will make a place for yaw. Can yaw stay? We don’t ca' much for out-world-aws, but we shaw like yaw!” Mrs. Aberjous had a most contagious smile. 

“We would be honored to stay in your home.” T returned her smile. “Would you please hand me one of those crawdads? Now how do you eat them?” 

For the next hour or so, they all laughed, told stories and really enjoyed each other’s company. Brian kind of choked down one of the crawfish, and then munched on a piece of chicken. He tried not to turn green. They all laughed.

The next morning was heralded in by a ban tee rooster crowing on the front porch railing and Brian moaning and heading for the outhouse.

“Can yaw stay for breakfast? We got dem fresh eggs ready to fry, and maw crawdads.” Mr. Aberjous offered. 

T looked out to the outhouse and laughed. “No sir, we have to be leaving and get back on our journey. Besides, I think Brian has had his fill of crawdads.” Mr. Aberjous laughed, too. 

After a few minutes, as they were all standing on the front porch, Mrs. Aberjous reached around T and gave him a big hug and a kiss. “Yaw saved my husband; yaw saved us all.” Then she turned and did the same to Brian. 

Taken aback with her sincere affection, Brian asked, “Thanks, but what’s that for?” 

“Isn’t dat yaw caw? Didn’t yaw bring The One ta' us? Without yaw, my husband wouldn’t be alive right now and our chidren wouldn’t have a fath-aw.” Mrs. Aberjous had tears running down her cheeks. 

“Yes, thanks to ya' both faw helping me with my own igno’ance. I shouldn’t a eaten dat shickon so fast. But it shaw was good!” François put his arm around his wife and pulled her tight. 

Brian looked to his car and remembered that he had put the top up and locked all the doors. As he walked to it, he felt kind of stupid that he did that. Then he humbly reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys, unlocked the doors and put the top back down. 

“We don’t lock anythin’ out he-aw. We all honest folk. Seems funny ta' see folk doin’ it.” François looked at T. 

Brian could only stare at his feet.  He was feeling more in his stomach than semi-digested crawfish. He felt like apologizing, but right then T cut in.  “We are all one family, and I am glad that you consider us to be a part of yours. God bless you Aberjous family… and François,” T pointed to François’ stomach, “in the future, take smaller bites. There is no need to swallow everything all at once.” 

“Dat good advise!” Mrs. Aberjous laughed. 

As da’ caw… er, as the car backed out of the driveway, a somewhat confounded, but very pleased, Brian waived goodbye. He couldn’t seem to work out everything that had just happened in the last 12 hours. “It almost seems like a dream.” Brian mumbled. 

“No doubt.” T responded. It seems more than one life was saved that night. 

For the next 30 miles neither brother said anything, each was pondering what had just happened. Then Brian finally spoke.  “You knew. Again, you knew what was going to happen. How in hell…”  

“Pull off.” T cut Brian off. “Pull off the road.” He seemed rather miffed. The car came to a stop. “Put it in park.” He commanded. “Brian, right here, right now, you are going to promise me to NOT EVER swear in front of me again.” T chastised. “It is a nasty habit and I DO NOT live in hell and neither do those kind people. Watch your language and if you cannot speak without cursing, then say nothing to me at all. Do you understand?” T eyes were melting Brian’s soul.

Brian again felt humbled and lowered his head. “It’s only an expression.” 

“You will watch your words.” T has never been more firm.

“Okay.” Brian acquiesced. “Sorry, T, I’ll watch my language…” Then he raised his head back up. “But YOU KNEW! You knew he was going to choke even before he choked and then you brought up the family thing again and sure enough, it was like we were family. Just like in court.” Brian shook his head. 

“I am going to let you in on a little secret my brother – YOUR LIFE IS THE RESULT OF YOUR PERCEPTIONS. If you see another as an enemy or a backwards acting Cajun, then that is exactly what you are going to get. And they will respond to you exactly in that fashion, to prove to you, your perceptions. When you perceive evil, evil is what you are going to get in return. When you perceive ignorance that is what you are going to get, too. And when you keep looking for possible threats, somehow you will talk yourself right into seeing them, too. What you see and how you perceive that vision is your reality – it is as simple as that. If it is a human being, it is part of your family.” 

T paused for moment to center himself, and then asked, “Do you think an IRS agent would take his own mother’s home? Do you think a police officer would Billy club his own father for not doing what he says? Do you think a judge would sentence another judge for a speeding ticket? No! Not when the offender is perceived as being a member of their family. Open your eyes and stop letting your own prejudices continue to blind you to a greater reality. All the world is your mirror. A reflection of you.” T paused and cracked a grin. “Therefore, whatever you see in another, is alive and well in you.” By this time, T was patting his twin on his chest.

“This is part of that evolvement thing you were talking about, isn’t it?” Brian looked down at his brother’s hand. More dots just connected.

“What do you think?” T brought his hand up to brush Brian’s nose with his pointer finger.

“Okay, brother, I’m learning. I just never really saw myself as being prejudiced before, because everyone else was seeing things the same way I was – so I thought it was right, it was real.” Brian was truly humbled. He is finding out, that he doesn’t know what’s best. And that is a scary thing.

“Be open to help. Be open to be kind. Be open to listen to other people’s ideas without imposing your prejudiced viewpoints. Only when you remove yourself from the world will you witness it for what it truly is.” T took a moment to look at his brother’s face, then turned to the back seat and asked, “Hey, you want a sandwich or something from the cooler?”

“No thanks, with all the humble pie I just ate I’m not very hungry right now – maybe later.” 

“Suit yourself, but these sandwiches r-r-r-r-r-r-really look good.” T coaxed, as he unwrapped a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich and uncapped a bottle of grape juice. “Mmmmm.”

  An hour or so went by without a word being spoken. Brian could only think of how much of the hatred and frustration he felt towards the world, was actually HIM creating it all. T noticed Brian every now and then shaking his head and mumbling to himself. He laughed inside. 

Brian finally spoke when he found the courage. “Hey, want to hear some tunes? You like rock or easy-listening or what?” 

“Vivaldi.” 

“Who?” 

“Good for the soul and the higher chakras.” T responded. “Beethoven and Mozart, too.” 

“Somehow I figured you’d say something like that. So you don’t like REAL music?” Brian was all about classic rock, not Classic Bach. 

“You beg my pardon?” T turned to his twin. “Classical is the ONLY real music, all the other forms are just examples of awareness that re-minds you into your own dramas.” Zing!

“No. Now that’s country music you’re talkin’ about, there. You know what you get when you play country music backwards?” 

“I am afraid to ask.” 

“You get back your wife, your truck, your dog… Get it?” Brian laughed – alone.

“Barely.” T responded. “Music is a form of communication. It can heighten your soul or ground you into your own dramas – whether it is played forward or backward.” 

“But it’s more than that T, music puts you back in time to the moment you found yourself in when you first heard it, or when you were doing something really memorable and the tune just happened to be playing. Like I remember the first time I heard Riders on the Storm by the Doors. I was in the back seat of the Plymouth with Judy over at Crystal Lake. In fact, whenever I hear that tune, even today, it takes me right back to the moment of those feelings.” Brian was lost on a bench seat.

“Music is a great medium for conditioning - for just that exact reason.” 

“So I guess you’re not in the mood to be conditioned.” Brian smiled.

“Like I said, Vivaldi, Beethoven or Mozart. They condition me just fine.” 

“I don’t suppose you have a tape? I think I could search forever out here for a radio station and not find one.” 

“You mean one like this?” T pulled a cassette out of his pants pocket and pushed it into the player. 

“You’re unbelievable.” 

“Believe it.” T saw it stuffed away in a shoe box that was missing its lid, resting on the floor of Brian’s closet.

As Vivaldi’s Four Seasons filled the air inside Brian’s GTO, he began to think higher, more enlightened thoughts. “Hey, I think it’s working.” 

“What is working?” T’s attention was taken away from a prairie dog he had been watching scurry around for the last few seconds.

“The whole time this tape’s been playing, I haven’t had a thought about government control or our over-estimated economy or the crappy condition this world is in – not once.” Brian was rather pleased with himself.

“Which world?” T asked.

“This world.” Brian took his hand and pointed down.

“You mean the planet?” T clarified.

“No, I mean America. You know, our government and how they’re screwing up everything and gaining control over everyone and everything.” Brian has seen way too many YouTube videos and listened to far too many talk shows to be talked out of this truth.

“Okay, it’s clear that you still haven’t quite got it.” T repositioned himself to get a better view of his twin.

“Got what?” Brian kept glancing over, with an attitude.

“The world that you are talking about is only YOUR perception of it. Do you think everyone sees the government as an evil entity?” T was really staring at his twin now.

“No.” Brian offered and gave a couple of quick glances to his right.

“Do you think everyone listens to Kansas or Dan Fogelberg?” T just kept a starin’.

“How did you…? Aw forget it. No, not everyone sees things the way I do or listens to what I listen to.” Brian seemed rather disgusted.

“Then whose world are you talking about?” 

“My world, I guess.” Now he seems rather enlightened.

“Exactly. The world you live in is totally manufactured from your perceptions of reality. Does a millionaire live in the same world as a poverty stricken person? Do you honestly think that Donald Trump knows ANYTHING about the world of an orphaned Filipino boy living in squalor on the streets of Manila?” 

“No.” 

“Change your perceptions, Brian, and you will change YOUR world. Stop seeing government as evil and it will not be. Stop seeing Cajuns as being undesirable and they will not be. Start seeing this planet and EVERYTHING on it as your family and it will be. Get it?” If T could, he would have given his twin a mind-meld.

“I never said that Cajuns were undesirable.” Brian offered in his own defense.

“No. you just showed it by putting up the top and locking your doors and living all of your pre-conceived notions about what you think they are. Do you still think the same way?” 

“No, not anymore.” Brian paused for a moment to scratch his head. “Do you think my skull is thicker than yours?” 

“No, it is just the wax in your ears and the dust in your eyes. Clean them out and clear them up and see what happens.” 

Brian looked amazed at his brother. “Where do you get this stuff from?” 

T just stared back.

“Okay.” Brian slightly changed subjects. “So speaking of clearing up my vision, where am I seeing us go to next?” Brian thought that was a good segue.

“San Antonio.” 

“Really, S.A.? Hey, you know that there’s another Sea World there?” Brian lit up.

“Really?” T replied back with a big smile. 

“Don’t be smart.” Brian offered flippantly.

T became serious. “Watch your words.” 

“Allick. Don’t be a smart-allick.” Brian wryly smiled back.

“Good save.” 

“So I guess we’ll be spending the night at Sea World and you’re hoping that since I’m already employed with them, that we can just get right on in there.” Brian thought he was starting to get a handle on things.

“No, we will just be spending a little time there and yes, you will be getting us right on in there. We should be getting there around mid-afternoon and I just want to spend a little time with my family.” T was staring out his side.

“You have family that works there?” Brian was thinking that he had more siblings waiting for him up ahead.

He turned back. “You could say that.”

“Uhm, when you say that T, it normally doesn’t mean what I think it should.” Brian’s mind got back on track, again. ”You know, I’ve been working at the Park in Orlando for 20 years and haven’t even left once to go visit any of our other parks here in San Antonio or southern California.” 

“Good. Then we will both have something to learn, because I have not ever been anywhere other than Mount Rainier and here with you.” 

“Which reminds me, brother, you never did answer my question on how you got to my house. Did you fly?” 

“You could say that.” T had a twinkle in his eyes.

“Okay, I quit. When you’re ready, you’ll tell me.” Again, Brian acquiesced and went back to focusing on the drive. 

Along I-10 from Port Orange, through Houston and onto San Antonio, all Brian could see were oil wells, steers, prairie dogs and tumble weeds. Outside of the normal worldly cities and towns, that is. 

“T” Brian wondered, “do you think we’ll ever evolve past fossil fuels and petroleum as a means to run this planet?” 

“Yes, when the concern for nature and our environment gets great enough. Kind of like the way recycling took hold of the collective consciousness back in the ‘80’s. Only when people start seeing this Earth as their “home” will changes happen.” 

“So that’s why we don’t have solar powered cars and homes and why we use very little wind and water power?” More dots. 

“Right now, the major crisis in America is power outages in Texas and California. In Russia, it is worse. Last winter, there were people dying everyday from the bitter cold in Siberia. When enough people die or go without their conveniences, changes will happen. And in the end, it is really not the cold that is killing the people or putting them out in the cold; it is the belief that money is needed to keep the cold out. If you really want to find the answers to these problems, follow the money trail. There is where almost all of your answers will come. When you follow the trail of money, answers to third-dimensional problems become crystal clear.” 

“You mean everybody is getting paid off to look the other way? – to NOT start up new ideas and technologies?” Brian’s not quite sure about connecting these dots.

“Brian, just under the surface of the Earth, under the mantel, exists a layer of superheated Earth that can be easily tapped into, to use the heat to turn the turbines that could easily generate electricity FOR FREE and provide heat to those people who really need it. The problem is not the drilling technology, nor is it turning the heat into electricity. The problem is, that it would put all the atomic power plants, as well as the coal burning power plants, out of business. Out of business. The people who now make billions of dollars off of these outdated systems see themselves as losing their incomes. Along with all of the support industries. Money is now considered more important than people.” 

“That sucks! Why don’t we do something about that?” Brian’s upper lip got tight.

“We?” T’s forehead skin squished together.

“Well, those people who CAN do something about it.” His lip loosened slightly.

“People have come to trust, unto their lives, the authorities to do things for them. People have become apathetic to their own needs, blaming all of their problems on others, refusing to accept responsibility for anything. And since the “authorities” exist to take care of people, they will do the absolute minimum that they need to do in order to stay in power.” This is another one of those stretches that T hopes his twin will take the time to make.

“I told you government was EVIL!” Tight lip again, with pointer finger extended. Oops, stretched too far.

“No Brian, you have it wrong.” T reached up into the air and brought his brother’s finger down to the seat. “Government today will only provide the services that have a genuine concern to the populace. If the populace does not care about an issue, then government, no matter what words are written as law, will also NOT CARE. Government is an exact mirror image of the society it claims to govern. Do not blame them, blame yourselves.” T pulled his hand away.

“Blame ourselves? C’mon, how can I be held responsible for actions that I have no control over?” Brian’s frustration with his twin’s answers seem unending.

“The exact argument that has gotten all humans into this mess. Remember recycling? Only when enough genuine concern is given, will government react. Until then, money will drive everything, even unto death. Government has conditioned its people to react in this fashion. Only when enough people wake up and gain this genuine concern, will changes actually take place. Otherwise government will only look after itself, doing the absolute minimum to stay in power or get re-elected.” 

“I KNEW IT WAS EVIL!” Brian yelled with much conviction.

“I did not say that. All I am saying is, those in charge absolutely COUNT ON The People’s apathy towards them and their responsibilities. So in turn, they do nothing to change the status quo. In America, as long as the energy is available and the bills are getting paid, everyone is happy – and that includes the government. Besides, change does not come easily – look at you.” T put it right back to where it belonged.

“That was a hard shot, brother.” Brian suddenly felt a little lonely.

“Brian, if there is one thing I have learned about humans, it is that it is much easier for them to point to others for the cause of their problems and then, run to others to solve their own problems, than it is to fix them, themselves. Government knew that if it could condition people to rely upon it, then it could use that reliance to stay in power and keep “the peace.” Right now, it is going after the churches, the last bastion of our society that is not feeding at the government trough.” 

“Instead of peace, you mean control, right?”  That church thing went right over his head.

“Again brother, it comes down to perceptions. Only a victim looks to others to blame their sad conditions upon. Only a victim NEEDS the assistance of another to make it in life. The responsible people find the will and courage to help themselves.” 

Brian had no sympathy for anyone on welfare or food stamps or unemployment or any other form of assistance. He was pretty cold. “Yeh, God helps them who helps themselves. That’s the way I’ve tried to live.”

“That’s good, but realize your strengths can be considered as threats by those people or victims who do not understand them. In America, people ridicule things that they do not understand and do everything they can to replace that ignorance with the comfort of security, by staying with those beliefs that they have used all of their lives, which they KNOW will help them.” 

“You mean like welfare?” See?

“Watch your tone, Brian. You may look at welfare as a tool government uses to condition and control people, but I assure you, those starving Americans who do not have a dime to split between them look at it quite differently.” 

“Yeh, that’s because they have yet to stand on their own two feet!” Ice cold.

“Meaning?” 

“Meaning that it’s the hard times that teaches us the most about ourselves and our lives. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that comfort only brings mediocrity and laziness, and not a damn thing, er darn thing, is learned from those things, except what they are - laziness and looking for handouts – and right there’s the government willing to take from the hard working and give to the bum.” Never was Brian more convinced of his truth.

“Boy, you do have issues with government.” 

“I’m sick of seeing laziness!” Brian thought humans should be held to a higher standard.

“Then stop being lazy.” 

“What?” Brian couldn’t believe what T just accused him of. “I ain’t talkin’ about me, I’m talkin’ about THEM!” Brian pointed far off into the distance. He really gives that pointer finger a good work out. He’d have done damage by now if the roof was up.

“Who 'dem?”  T sounded like François. 

“THEM! All the Americans who’ve bought into this whole victimhood scam. Welfare, food stamps, WIC, all the socialism. That’s NOT what this country was founded upon, but socialism sure is what this country turned into. The government has made everybody believe that they need it to make it. I remember listening to Ms. Homovich in Social Studies class talk about socialism and communism and fascism and how those societies, those governments WERE WRONG. But now, all I hear on TV is that we need more social welfare programs, social security-net programs – all offered by THE STATE. I remember when “The State” was a bad term. It was what we called USSR’s communist government. Now we use it, BUT THAT’S DIFFERENT! In Russia, it’s something we need to replace with democracy, in America, it's okay. What a bunch of baloney!” Brian was spitting he was so angry.

“Brian, what you see in others is alive and well in you.” T calmly reminded his twin. 

“What? Are you saying that I’m a socialist?  THAT I'M A FASCIST?” That made the hair stand up on the back of Brian’s neck. 

“No, I am saying that it must be in you because you are relating to it. If you do not like to see laziness, then stop being lazy. If you want to stop seeing apathy, then stop being apathetic - yourself. The fact that you can witness something outside of you and point your finger at it simply shows that you are identifying with it. If it was not in you, you would not be able to identify with it.” T knew his twin was on the brink of doing something violent.

“Well, I’m not trying to change the world…” Brian seemed to calm down a little and defended himself, again. 

“Yes you are.” T refused to let up.

“No, I’m just trying to show people that they’re going about things wrong.” That is always Brian’s perfect justification for all these circumstances.

“Really?” 

“Hey, whose side are you on?” Brian was feeling all alone, again. He thought that maybe his brother should be a better ally.

“Our side.” T paused. “Brian, God made this planet and all the humans on it so we can work out our issues, either together or apart. That is where free will comes in. And chances are, if we choose to include others, working out these issues can be made easier. The simple fact that you think you know what is right today, does not mean it will be right tomorrow or even that you are right, at all. It is your judgments and prejudices that are blinding you to the real truth.” 

“And what’s that?” Brian sure knows how to put out that attitude.

“Okay, one more time – YOUR PERCEPTION DEFINES YOUR REALITY. Now say it with me.” 

“My perception defines my reality.” Pretty weak.

“And what you think CREATES your reality.” T added. 

“And what I think creates my reality.” Brian monotonously repeated. 

“The sooner you get those truths into your head, the sooner you will start living in your heart. Only AFTER we have stopped being a victim, can any semblance of empowerment take place. But, be aware of the trap that always awaits the newly empowered.” T said rather ominously.

“What trap, T?” It didn’t sound good and Brian sure didn’t want to fall into it.

“It is the trap of thinking that since you have now overcome your victimhood, gained enlightenment and self-empowerment, that you are now somehow obligated to impose your will upon everyone to make them overcome their sense of victim hood and lack of self-empowerment.”

Brian felt a need for self-defense. “Whu… I’ve never done that to anybody.” Brian paused to think. “I think.” 

“Do you honestly think you would have learned anything in your life if other people did everything FOR YOU?” 

“No, I guess not.” 

“Do you honestly think that you really helped those people you just jumped in to help, only to do for them, completely disempowering them and stopping them from finding out on their own? Finding the strength to do it on their own?” T was really countersinking this finishing nail.

“No. I guess not.” Brian had never seen his actions from this perspective. “I didn’t know. I thought I was helping them.”

“Okay, now you do. It was once stated that in order to do the right thing, you must lift up your own cross and carry it. It is not required that you carry another’s, nor to have another carry yours. You must stop trying to do stuff for other people. Give them the same chance that God gave you – the chance to learn on your own. Let the ignorant become smart by themselves. Because, the only way we ever become smart is when we FINALLY learn of our own ignorance. And know that only those who WANT TO CHANGE, will, and they will come to you. Otherwise, if you keep going to them, you will just keep getting played.” 

“Wow, I guess I’ve been pretty ignorant.” Brian reluctantly concluded. Then he thought more about all the suffering in his life. “And really played.” 

“Brother,” T sensed his brother’s current state of despair. “If God wanted everyone to be enlightened, at this very instant, do you not think they would be? 

“Yeh?” 

“Okay, so let it all go, then. Let go of your need to enlighten everybody you think is ignorant. Let go of your need to enlighten the Dark. Let go of all the dramas in your life, that always make you seek out the victims, which make you want to do something about it in the end. And then once again, you find yourself jumping in to help. Disempowering everyone along the way.” T looked deep into his brother’s eyes. “Drama is the fuel of chaos – and that is one kind of fuel that is extremely combustible and few people really need it, anyway. It actually burns hotter than your body was meant to take. Then comes burn out.” 

“Nice visual.” Brian’s eyes blinked. “So, it’s not important for me to point out to others what they’re doing wrong and what they NEED to do, to make things right?” Brian was genuinely wanting to know. These were all new dots to him.

“No.” T smiled and shook his head.

“You say that so nonchalantly. You’re not committed to anything?” Brian was surprised at T’s apparent disconnect from humanity.

“Only my own enlightenment and right now – yours.” 

“See? You want to change others – you want to change ME!” It is always a weak mind which seeks to find fault in others.

T sat straight up and put his nose really close to his brother’s right ear and spoke very succinctly. “Do you want to change? Do you seek enlightenment? If not, turn this car around right now and go right back to your old ways, your old world!” T was using his pointer-finger to point behind them.

“No! I AM interested. I want to learn.” Brian got the point.

“That, my brother, is the difference. I asked you right up front, back at your house, if you wanted to change and you thankfully, wholeheartedly said yes! I, in no way, have imposed myself upon you once, to change your mind.” T returned to his regular seated position.

“So?” Brian took the first chance to glance over.

“So… stop imposing your will on others. Those people who want to change will seek YOU out. They will come to you – they will come with you. The only way to change this world is to change YOUR world – and only through becoming a living, breathing, unimposing example can you do that. Does that not perfectly describe Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi and the Reverend Martin Luther King?” 

“Yeh, I guess you’re right.” Brian humbly replied. 

“This trip is about to get interesting, but only AFTER you have released all of your impulses towards your own prejudices can that happen. Say this, I do not know what is best for others, I only know what is best for me.” 

“I don’t know what’s best for others, I only know what’s best for me.” Brian’s monotone was clear.

“Good, now say, the world is my family and I tolerate them all.” 

“The world is my family and I tolerate them all. But,” Brian just couldn’t get it. “What if I KNOW they’re wrong?” 

T threw his hands up. “Have you already forgotten the first mantra? You do not EVER know what is best or worst or wrong or right for anyone other than you, unless it happens to be your child. Can you not see that that simple thought form of knowing what is best, is the cause of 100% of the resistance, agony and misery on this Earth and over half of the wars fought on it?” 

“Not all wars are fought for ethical or religious reasons?” Brian knew history. Or at least he thought he did.

“No, sometimes weapons have to be used up because there are just too many stockpiled and more are always on the way. Remember, to get your answers here, just follow the money trail.” T remained pretty stalwart about that.

“Wow, are you saying that the wars America fought, were only fought to use up overstocked bombs and bullets?” Brian could only visualize mountains of missiles and bombs and bullets and lands filled with countless rows of tanks and airplanes that were blotting out the sun. 

“No, the first two world wars were based on ethics and morality. In those wars though, America found it could make more money making weapons, than doing anything else. That is why this country is the number one arms dealer in the world.” 

“But wait, according to you, we shouldn’t have imposed in those world wars, we should have stood back and watched.” Brian felt he had to be right about this one.

“Is that what you think I should have done with Mr. Aberjous? Should I have just stood back and watched him choke to death?” T was shocked at his brother’s accusation.

“Well, no! I mean…” Brian began to feel another way. “Wait a minute, how is his deal anything like a world war?” Brian thought this had to be the stretch of the century.

“As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm. As is the atom, so is the universe.” T, always so few words, so much meaning.

“Whoa, you lost me on that one, T.” 

“To stand back and watch someone or some people die at the hands of things outside of their control is a choice, but it is a coward’s choice. To not help when you can help, to not assist in times of need when you can assist, is not enlightenment, it is cowardice. There is a difference.” 

“Splitting hairs, aren’t we?” Brian always wants to joust.

“Brian, we all have free will to do as we please. To impose it upon people who are not dying is wrong. To not impose on those who are dying is an abomination to FAMILY. Have you forgotten that the whole world is your family? Would you stand back and not help a sister or a brother? How many times are you going to argue ignorance in an attempt to define enlightenment? I love you brother, but I can see that this world has CONDITIONED you into seeing yourself as something separate from everything around you. I think it is time now to stop talking and let you think about that for a while.” T’s not into jousting right now.

“But…” Brian wanted to continue. 

“Shhh. No more talking. Go back to enjoying the view.” 

Brian spied the horizon to his left. “The oil wells?” 

“Or the beautiful sky.” T looked up.

Then off to his right. “Scrub brush and tumble weeds?” 

“Or nature in its grandest state.” T had his head back.

“Perceptions?” Brian finally got it.

“Perceptions. Now stop talking and enjoy the view, reluctant grasshopper.” 

It only took a couple of hours of human silence for the twins to reach San Antonio’s Sea World. The twins noticed, both San Antonio and Orlando have something in common other than their parks – city life and all that goes along with it.

“Not much difference between here and Orlando, huh?” The silence was broken.

They pulled into the parking lot.

“Boy, this place is pretty nice.” Brian was checking out all the neat park landscaping. “Now where’s this family you want to meet?” 

“They are your family, too, you know.” 

“Who? Who’s my family?” Brian caught himself. “Uhm, outside of all mankind, that is. You mean I got more brothers and sisters here?”

“You could say that.”

“Awe, c’mon man!”

T offered some clues. “You know them, many by name. After all, you have been working with them, or more precisely, they have been working with you for the last 20 years – forty, for me.” T had a big grin on his face. 

“You mean…” Brian started. “No way. You mean…?” 

“Yes brother, the dolphins and whales – the cetaceans.” 

“No way! Really? Ya’ know somehow deep inside I knew there was something special about them!” Brian stopped in mid-stride.  “YOU MEAN THEY ARE ACTUALLY, FOR REAL, MY FAMILY?” 

“Yes. No boloney, as you would say. They are family to all humans on this Earth and their mission, their purpose is one of the grandest of all on this planet.” 

“What mission is that?” 

“We will talk about that a little later, but for now you need to get us inside.” T pointed toward the gates.

Brian walked up to the employees’ entrance and flashed his Park ID to the security guard at the gate. The guard looked at them both, doing a double take because of their likeness and then verified Brian’s ID Card. Then, just as the guard was about to ask for T’s ID, a voice could be heard yelling from the front door of the building just inside the entrance. “Brian, Brian Obson, is that you? Long time no see!” Then the familiar stranger waived the guard off and motioned for them to come through the gate. 

“Alan, Alan Sanchez is that you? What the heck are you doing here?” The two came together and shook hands. 

“I was offered a transfer to here from the Park in Orlando a few years ago – it gave me a chance to come back home. What brings you to the River City?” 

“Alan Sanchez, meet my brother Theoneius Obson.” Brian motioned his brother’s way.

That temporarily set T back on his heels, because he’d never heard his last name before. 

T reached his hand forward to shake Alan’s hand. “Hello, please call me T, all my friends do.” 

“Brian, it’s really a good coincidence that you’re here right now, because we’ve been having a hell of a time with some of our dolphins and well, after hearing all the stories about what you did 20 years ago, you may be the perfect one to help.” 

“So you need my help?” Brian was remembering the conversation he just had with T.

“Yes.” 

“You’re looking for my assistance?” Brian was just making sure.

“Brian.” T gave his twin a terse look. 

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. I was just caught up in some of the things that T and I were just talking about.” Brian changed his demeanor. “How may I be of service?” 

“Spoken very well, brother.” T reassured. 

“Come with me, we’ll go back to the resting pools.” Alan motioned, then led the way.

Just as the three entered the resting pools area, what happened in Orlando repeated itself right there. Every cetacean in the area immediately stopped doing what they were doing, came to the surface and positioned themselves in the pool to get as close as possible to The One. 

“What the…?” Alan puzzled. “I’ve never seen them do that before.” 

“I have.” Commented Brian. 

“Really? Where? When?” Alan asked. 

“When my brother showed up in Orlando 3 days ago – mine did the same.” 

By then, T had walked over to the largest pool and was lightly stroking the largest killer whale in captivity. He looked just like a Master petting man’s best friend. 

“Does your brother work with cetaceans?” Alan was totally perplexed. 

“You could say that.” Brian smiled back. 

“I’ve never seen them so calm, so relaxed. Just this morning they were all agitated and wouldn’t eat anything.” 

“I think they knew what was coming.” 

“What was coming?” Alan shook his head. 

“Him.” Brian pointed to his brother. 

By now T was sitting in the lotus position next to the killer whale with his eyes closed, as if in deep meditation. All of a sudden the whale turned and swam the pool underwater for a few laps.  Then with a huge uplifting surge, he threw himself into the air and splashed down with a mighty THWAP, covering everything with his wake. Then the dolphins in the other pools did exactly the same thing, making smaller thwaps. 

“What the hell is he doing to them?” Alan screamed. 

“Watch your language, please. No need to curse.” Brian corrected. 

Then The One stood up and walked back over to Alan and Brian. Brian was smiling, but Alan had a look of terror on his face. “Who are you? What did you do to my whale and dolphins?” 

“They are mine, also.” T said. 

“And mine, too.” Brian added. 

“I don’t get it.” Alan was searching for a handle on the moment. 

“I think you will find that their appetites have returned - in fact, they may even eat a little more than usual. Treat them, it is not like they have not earned it.” The One told Alan.   

“WHO ARE YOU?” Alan demanded an answer. 

“I am Theoneius Obson, brother to Brian, and every cetacean in the world.” 

Brian was shocked at T’s openness.

“What are you crazy? Some kind of nut case?” Alan’s attitude towards T was a little less than gracious. 

“Hey! No need to ridicule what you don’t understand!” Brian chastised. 

“Brian, please.” T calmed his brother. “I came with a message for them and I have given it. Thank you for your hospitality, but we must be going now. Brian?” T motioned for Brian to leave with him. 

Alan was left spinning in place, first looking at the dolphins, and then spinning around to watch the brothers leave, then back to the cetaceans. He was truly confused. But the cetaceans were acting with more life than they ever had before. In fact, for the rest of the day, all the shows had higher jumps, faster movements and louder screeches than ever. Even the tourists got into it a little more than usual. Electricity filled the air and every trainer noticed it, but none of them could figure out what made it happen. 

As they were heading back to the car, Brian couldn’t contain his excitement. “Boy T, I can’t believe what you did in there and how forward you were with Alan.” 

“Sometimes you just have to be completely honest.” 

Brian was feeling like a giddy kid inside. He began skipping around the parking lot like a schoolboy out for summer vacation. Then he turned to T, “You know, I never liked that guy.” 

“I know.” T nodded. 

“So where are we going to next, oh great brother of mine?”

“No pedestals, please. We’ll be heading north.” 

“YOU MEAN LIKE TO CANADA?” Brian had a look of semi-terror on his face. 

T just laughed. “No brother, we will be going to a beautiful place just northwest of here called Canyon Lake, just past New Braunfels.”

“What’s there?” 

“Soon, we will be.” 

Brian new that was enough questions about the future – he’s beginning to learn. “Ya’ know you’re right about us ridiculing what we don’t understand.” 

“Speak for yourself.” 

“You know what I mean.” 

“Brian, now is as good a time as any to start saying what YOU really mean. Generalizing statements can get you into a lot of trouble if you are not careful with your words. In other words, think before you speak.”

“Yes sir. Man, you’re pretty hard sometimes.” 

“So is life, I am afraid.” 

“Hey, before we head out, think we could hit a place called La Margarita? A friend told me if I was ever in this town, I’d have to try their chips and salsa. And he said their margaritas are out of this world.” 

“Maybe we should stay in this world and just stick to the chips and salsa.” 

“Okay, then maybe check out the Alamo on a drive by?” 

“Might just as well since we are here. Historical war monuments seem to be of importance to you.” 

For the next hour or so, the brothers toured San Antonio’s landmarks munching on chips and salsa. “Stop here.” T commanded. 

“Here, at the Botanical Gardens?” Brian seemed puzzled. 

“Yes, right here. It is one of the best ones around and I need the energy.” 

“Energy?” Brian gave T one of his many questioned looks. 

T gave a stern look back, “Yes, ENERGY.” 

As they entered the gardens, a chorus of a million birds suddenly echoed throughout the arena, to the likes that none of the employees had ever heard. Little critters began scurrying up the rocks, boulders and tree limbs looking for a perfect seat on which to perch. T sat down on the grass and motioned for Brian to join him. “Ask no questions. Say nothing. Just do what I tell you to do.” T commanded. 

“Okay.” 

“Try to sit like this.” T showed how to reach the lotus position. 

After a concerted effort, Brian complained, “I can’t. I just can’t get my feet to tuck in like that!” 

“With some stretching you will be able to, but for now just assume the traditional Indian style sitting position with your legs crossed and your hands resting palms up on your knees.” 

Brian struggled to get into position. “Okey dokey, I’m ready.” 

“Now close your eyes and relax. Open your mind, your awareness, to all the trees and bushes and grass and rocks and birds and all the other animals. Listen to them.” 

“Listen to the grass?” 

“SILENCE! Do not speak, just follow my instructions. Now breathe. Breathe everything in - make it a part of you. Feel all the different energies entering through your breath and swirling in a vortex around your heart. Breathe gently, breathe slowly. As you breathe out, touch everything here with your presence, your aura. Make the connection. Then they will connect with you. You and this place are one. Feel the bonding. Feel the love.” 

“My God, I’ve got goose bumps all over me.” Brian mumbled to himself, spying his forearms. 

“Touch the birds with your awareness. Caress them and love them. Connect to the rocks and see if they have some history to tell you. For all knowledge is contained in stones and bones. Feel the ground under you pressing up to meet you – to greet you. Now take everything you are feeling and send it as a laser beam of light to the crystalline core of the Earth below you – Her name is Gaia, by the way. She is your Mother. Silently tell Her how grateful you are for your life, then let Her respond with Her love.” 

A few minutes passed, but to Brian it seemed like about a second and a half. 

“Now take everything you have felt and learned and send it into Heaven, to God. Silently tell Him you are His creation and this is what it feels like to be it. Give thanks to Him for everything in your life. Send Him your love, then wait for His response.” 

More time passed. 

“Now take 10 breaths, counting backwards from 10 – do not rush them. When you reach zero, open your eyes.” 

After a few more moments, Brian opened his eyes to see his brother smiling at him. 

“I… I’m…” Brian stuttered. 

"Shhh."  T put his hand up.  “Say nothing brother, just look around you.” 

All around the twins, people were standing and staring. Even the birds in the trees stopped singing. A Buddhist monk was crying with joy. 

“Do you see it?” Brian's eyes got big. 

“See what?” T smiled. 

“The lights! Do you see the lights? The aura around everything! Do you see it?” Brian could barely contain his emotions. 

“Brother, these lights were here when we arrived, and they will still be here when we leave. Only now, you know about them – you see them, and you will take some of them with you.” 

Then, like a universal rheostat turning up the noise, all the sounds started coming back – the sounds of footsteps, the light conversations of people, the birds chirping and water trickling and the rest of the world. “Wow, everything’s back to normal.” Brian blinked his eyes about a dozen times. 

“Not everything, brother. You are not. I would say you are pretty abnormal right now.” 

“How do I get the vision back, the feelings?” Brian was hoping this wasn’t a one hit wonder. 

“Repeat what you have done here.” 

“Can I do it anywhere?” 

“Uh huh. You can do it anywhere, because God is EVERYWHERE. No matter where you are, you can connect to All That Is.” 

“Man, I always thought this meditation stuff was just Eastern philosophy mumbo jumbo. I had no idea.” 

“Now you do. Let us give thanks and get back on our way.” 

As they stood up, many of the people who were standing around seemed to come to their senses, too. A few could even be heard asking themselves “What happened? Why am I standing here?” 

As they were leaving, Brian noticed a clock on the stone wall – “Holy cow, we’ve been here for almost an hour. How can that be?” 

“Where you went brother, time does not exist. Get used to it – it is just an illusion.” 

“You said that to me just before we took off, when you told me not to speed.” 

“Let us go.” T put his arm around his twin and they both walked arm over shoulder back to the car. 

Brian turned to look at his twin. “I love you, brother.” 

“I know. I love you, too.” 

As Brian headed north on I-35, his mind still held his consciousness hostage, back at the Botanical Gardens. What just happened to him was outside of any reality he’d ever experienced. 

“Brian, are you paying attention to what you are doing?” T touched his twin's shoulder. 

“Yeh, sure.” He blindly answered. All of a sudden Brian looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a flashing bubble in it. “Aw man, a cop! I must have been speeding.” Brian slumped in his seat. Then he rose back up when his old feelings of hatred and rage towards government started taking over his consciousness. 

T immediately grabbed his brother’s leg and squeezed. 

“OW! What the heck did you do that for?” 

“Stop feeling those feelings. Stop them RIGHT NOW. Remember your perceptions. He IS NOT your enemy; he is your brother. Get those family feelings back like you had back in the gardens. Do it now!”  Never before had Brian felt his brother this intensely – and it hurt. 

“Alright, alright already.” As he pulled off to the side of the road, Brian was rubbing his leg where T put the gorilla-grip on it. “You didn’t have to squeeze that hard, ya’ know.” 

“Sometimes that is what it takes to get your attention. Now just relax and get out all your stuff that he is going to ask for… AND BREATHE.” 

“You mean my ‘papurz’”. 

“Brian?” T gave that stern look again. 

“Okay, okay. Everything I’m going to need is in the glove box. Right there.” 

As the State Trooper approached the car, Brian had his stuff in his hand. “License, registration and proof of insurance, please.” 

T leaned over and whispered to Brian, “Remember, he is your brother.” 

“Do you know why I stopped you?” The officer asked. 

“Yes sir, I must have been speeding. I’m sorry.” 

“You aren’t from around here, are you?” The officer started doing a quick eye check of the car and its occupants. 

“No sir, we’re on our way from Orlando to Washington.” 

“Through San Antonio? Kind of out the way, isn’t it?” 

“No. We wanted to see Sea World and visit your Alamo and Botanical Gardens. And we had to stop at La Margarita for some chips and salsa – no margaritas though. Have you ever been there…?” Brian looked at the officer's name tag, “… Officer Ward? Your first name?” 

“Good.” T said to himself. 

“Terry. Officer Terry Ward.” 

“I’m Brian Obson and this is my brother, Theoneius.” 

“Twins, huh?” Officer Ward noticed. 

“Uh huh. Terry, Officer Ward, I’m very sorry for speeding. My brother and I just left your botanical gardens and I was so caught up in its beauty that I temporarily lost track of my speed. Terry, I swear to you, I haven’t sped this entire trip, my brother will attest to that. I’m really sorry.” 

The officer took Brian’s “papurz” and returned to his cruiser. The feelings that Brian was feeling inside were about to make him explode. The anxiousness and fear and anger were about ready to make themselves known when T smiled at him and reminded him to, “Breathe, brother. Just breathe.” 

“Man, I can’t believe he’s gonna’ give me a ticket, I couldn’t have been going that fast.” Brian was shaking his head in disbelief.

“Cancel, cancel.” 

“What?” That caught Brian off guard. 

“Don’t overmind, just think good thoughts.  Just think good thoughts.” T reassured. 

In what seemed to be forever, Officer Ward returned to the car and handed back Brian’s “papurz.” “I’m going to let you go with a warning this time, just slow down.” The Officer gave the brothers a smile and tipped the brim of his Smokey the Bear hat, and then returned to his cruiser.

Brian had tears welling in his eyes. 535 lifetimes of rage just succumbed to the truth. 

“Let it out, brother. Let it all out.” 

As Brian signaled to return to the interstate with BOTH his arm and turn signal, he really couldn’t believe what had just happened. “T, he gave me a warning. Again, you knew that if I treated him like family, everything would turn out okay. I don’t know what to say.” 

“Say, thank you God. Brian, government is a ‘what’, not a ‘who.’ The only way you will ever get them to see you as a ‘who’ is to treat them as a ‘who.’ A ‘what’ is a lawbreaker that needs correcting.  A ‘who’ is a person named Brian, who knows better, but just made a mistake. You bridged that gap when you asked for his first name. That made him see you as a ‘who’, not a ‘what.’” 

“Yeh, I saw John Travolta do that in the movie Phenomenon. His girlfriend did the same thing. I mean it worked in the movie, so I gave it a shot here.” Brian looked up to the heavens and screamed, “THANK YOU, GOD! THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH! And thank you, Hollywood.” 

Over the next few miles, T noticed Brian constantly checking his rate of speed. He never got past 55 mph. “Do you know why you needed to thank God for what just happened?” T asked.

“You mean for saving me from a ticket?” 

“No Brian, YOU did that. I’m talking about the whole situation.” 

“Hey, if there’s anything I’ve learned on this trip, it’s to do what you tell me to do, because I’d be crazy not to. Outside of that, I’m not quite sure why.”  

“Brian, God created this government that you have come to despise so much and rebel against. God created it, it is HIS CREATION.” 

Brian could not believe his twins’ words. “T, why would God create such a messed-up thing as what we have? Why would He create this maddening system of control and punishment?” 

“To make you slow down, maybe? To make you overcome your fears by showing love, maybe? To make you responsible for your own actions, maybe?” T’s eyes glowed like a mid-winter fire, burning in a wood stove, keeping the cabin at a perfect 82 degrees.

“Wait…” Brian paused for a moment. “Are you saying that this government that’s in place right now is needed…? Needed for my evolvement?!” A bright light suddenly flashed in Brian’s head that was so bright it made Theoneius squint. “But, why? Why would God make it so incompetent, so WITHOUT its own responsibilities? Why would He create such an abominable system that NO ONE can understand and looks an awful lot like the Roman Empire, the Nazi’s and the Mafia, ALL WRAPPED UP INTO ONE?!” Brian reached maximum frustration.

“Maybe to make you rely more on HIM, than it?” T spoke very slowly, with a big smile and a high set of eyebrows on his face. 

Brian’s gears ground on for a long time on that one. “Really? No sh… no kidding?” 

“Brian, history repeats itself until the lesson is learned. And you are learning it, my brother. Right now, in history everything is coming to a head and all these lessons must be recognized for what they are. When you are going too fast, God will give you hints to slow down. When you are not paying attention to what you should be paying attention to, then God will make sure that things happen to MAKE YOU SLOW DOWN, wake up and pay attention.” 

“You mean like with Hitler?” Brian still had Nazi’s on his mind. 

“Exactly.” 

“That doesn’t sound very good, does it?” 

“Within freewill Brian, there must be limits. There must be self-discipline. It is the only true way to live free. Even though we are all free to do anything to anybody, it is our self-restraint, our self-governance makes us true Americans. And when we do not govern ourselves very well, well, you end up getting what you deserve – what you have created."

“Wait, you mean I created that situation right then? I brought that cop to me?” 

“Yes.” T confirmed. “Nothing comes your way Brian, without YOU asking for it. When you finally recognize that, you will not be a victim anymore, you will no longer see yourself as a victim of circumstance. After all, did he make you speed?” 

“No, I did that all on my own.” Admitting guilt is not something Brian does very often, if at all.

“Then you got out of it all on your own, too, did you not?” 

“Well, me and God, I guess.” Brian stared straight ahead of him, keeping his awareness on a single lane of asphalt and two lines. 

“Exactly. My, we are getting smart these days.” T was happy with the way everything worked out.

Brian noticed a road sign, ‘FM 306 – Canyon Lake, 5 miles.’ “Look, the turn off to Canyon Lake. Looks like we should be there a little before sundown.” 

“Excellent.” T seemed very pleased. “I have seen the sun set there in my vision quests and I am really looking forward to seeing it in the flesh.” 

The single-laned asphalt road, wound its way through the rural Texas countryside. Scrub oaks and tall grass lined the highway as anticipation began to build in the car. The lake can be seen off in the distance. The sun shimmering off the choppy surface looked like something out of the movie On Golden Pond.

“Ya’ know T, I can feel your anticipation – or is that my anticipation? But, I’ve never been here before.” Brian kept questioning. “But, it seems somehow familiar. But, how can that be when…?” 

“Brother, please.” T cut off his brother’s words. “If you are not going to talk to me, you could at least have the courtesy to keep your thoughts to yourself. It is rather harrowing to think that you are asking me questions, when all you are doing is listening to yourself ramble on. Do it mentally, please. It is the courteous thing to do for those who happen to be around you.” 

Another sign came up, ‘Canyon Park Road’, “Take that to the left. It is not far now.” T pointed. 

Brian turned. The large Texas-sized lake could be seen on both sides now. The road jutted out on a peninsula that presented a surreal setting. 

“Turn right into those trees and park by that picnic table.” T pointed.

“You mean drive right on up in there… in the trees?” Brian wasn’t sure he wanted to do this. 

“Yes, and when we park, remember to put the top up. Unless you do not mind a few natural surprises.” T pointed up in the trees. 

As the car slowly drove through the trees, the heavenly evergreen scent wafted through the air better than any room deodorizer could ever try to imitate. It is the heat of the day that always brings it on. When they finally stopped, T quickly opened his door and jumped out, making a beeline for the beach. Without breaking stride, he flung himself wholeheartedly right into the chilly water – clothes and all. 

“Whew!!!” T jumped up like a rocket. “THIS IS AWESOME!!” He shook his head like a shaggy dog. “My God, it is everything you said it would be. That… and MORE!” Then he pointed to the sky and fell ungracefully backwards into the crystalline blue, like he was taking the Nestea plunge. “Thank you, Father.” He whispered. 

“Hey!” Brian yelled. “Your clothes, man! You’re soaking wet – all of you!” 

As T laid flat on his belly in the shallow water near the beach, he spit out a perfect stream of Canyon Lake. Then he stretched his neck to the sky and yelled back, “That is okay! I brought clothes!”

Brian quickly checked the items in the back seat. “I only see my clothes.” Then he yelled to his brother, “I ONLY SEE MY CLOTHES!”

“Like I said, it is okay, I brought clothes.” T spoke quietly, then again squirted water out of his mouth onto a small depression in the sand, making Canyon Puddle. 

“Aw, man.” Brian’s shoulders slumped as he realized whose clothes he was really looking at. Then he turned back to the lake. “Hey, can we build a fire now?” 

“Yes, I think so. There has been a lot of rain this summer and I do not think there is any ban on campfires currently being enforced.” T stood.

“Okay, then I’ll go get the firewood.” Brian took a step.

“No you will NOT, you will come down here, right now, with me.” T was pointing to his feet, through two feet of water.

“But…” 

“No buts. Look you said it, you would be crazy to not do what I tell you to, right?” T’s memory was always spot on.

“Did I say that?” Brian feebly offered.

“Yes, and we still have an hour and half to go before dark and that is plenty of time for you to get the fuel. Now get down here.” 

Brian walked with great pensiveness to the water. He walked slower the closer he got. “Is it cold?” 

T prompted him, “Come here, look at this.” 

“What? What do you see?” Brian slowly made it closer to the water’s edge.

"Down here - look."  T's pointer finger was about an inch above the water.

Brian flipped off his sneakers and edged into the not-so-warm, late summer water. “Damn this water’s cold.” In a minute, he was out near his brother, about 15 feet off shore, in knee high water. “Alright, I’m here. What do you want me to see?” Brian stood over his brother who was still bent down over the water.

“Look down here, look closely.” T was pointing at the water directly below him; he bent down even farther to appear to look closer. “Look.” He whispered ever so softly. His finger was a millimeter from the water.

Brian bent over to put his nose about 6 inches from the water. “What?” He whispered back. “What is it that I’m supposed to be seeing?” 

“A reflection of a Master.” 

“You?” 

“No, you my brother.” 

“What?” Brian was not ready for that. He stood up in disgust. “Aw man, you got me down here to stand in freezing water just to make me look at myself? Sometimes Theoneius, I just don’t get you.” 

T also stood up and faced his brother. “The water only feels cold because the air is so warm – and I am telling you my twin brother, although you may not see he Him, I do. And until you can look at your own reflection and make your claim to Who You Are, you will do exactly what you just did.” He was pretty serious.

“You mean get angry?” Brian gave a little attitude.

“I mean, you will write yourself off as just another common thing on this Earth and discount your own being by taking yourself for granted and defining yourself according to the perceptions of others, instead of your own reflection.” This is the most intense The One has been in front of his twin. “The sooner you stop doing that, the sooner you will see The One that I am talking about. The One that I see. Now, let us go build that fire. I am getting a bit chilly myself. I need to change my clothes. Are you going take a dip?” T motioned to the water as if it were going to open up wide and let him go to shore untouched. 

“No. Suddenly the only reflection I see is of me shivering in front of a fire, cold to the bone, and I don’t want to see that come true.” Brian turned to his brother. “Besides, I don’t need to swim in the water to take advantage of it. I think its reflective properties have done enough for me, right now.” 

T smiled a loving smile at this brother, threw his arm over his shoulder and started walking up on the shore. 

“Aw man!” Brian pulled away and shook. “Man, you’re wet. And cold!” Brian shivered. 

“Do not worry brother, the warm breeze will dry you off soon enough.” Back to camp they went.

“Hey, how much food you bring?” 

“Enough. I will get the cooler, you get the wood.” 

As Brian gathered twigs and branches, T lifted the cooler out of the back seat and set it on the picnic table. Then he turned to Brian and yelled, “Hey, I think you forgot to do something.” T pointed inside the car, also pointing out that the convertible top was still down. Then he pointed in an arc to let Brian know of the possible path that a little present from a Blue Jay took, to get there.

Brian ran back to the car, throwing the wood down by the pit on his way by. Looking around inside, he came across the “gift.” “Aw man, what a bunch of crap. We haven’t been here for more than 15 minutes.” He grabbed a rag and started cleaning up the mess. 

“Things do not take long in nature, brother. Sometimes it is best to prepare for those natural things that always have a chance of happening – right away. Hey, how about if I start the fire while you put up the top?” 

Brian was still shaking his head in disbelief. Then as he was pulling up the top, he noticed his brother sitting over by the campsite, looking off to the west. “Hey, whatcha’ lookin’ for?” 

“West.” 

“West?” Brian’s forehead scrunched into a bunch of lines. “It’s that way, over the water, towards the setting sun.” Brian pointed. “What’s so important about west, anyway?” 

“It lets me know where south is.” T turned 90 degrees to his left. “This way.” He pointed. 

“Why’s that so important?” 

“Fire is one of the properties of the south. To stand in the north, facing the south, while building a fire gives honor to that direction.” 

“You honor directions?” 

“Brian, everything, every concept is a part of God and when you start treating things with reverence and honor instead of skepticism, then maybe you will begin to understand those words.” 

T turned back around to face the south and knelt to the ground.  He took an old half burnt branch and scraped the pit a little deeper. Then he meticulously stacked each twig and branch in a crisscross pattern, with the twigs on the bottom and branches higher in the stack. Then he took a few Kleenex’s he got out of the glove box and stuffed them under the twigs and lit a match and held that to the tissues. The fire lit with uncanny quickness. 

Brian noticed that every movement his brother made was very intent-full, very focused. He moved the twigs one at a time and took his time doing it; all the while facing south with the pit in front of him. “Hey, that’s a good fire, brother. Have part pyromaniac in you?” Brian teased. 

“No, it just always seems to work.” T held his open palms close to the fire. 

“Where’d you learn how to do that?” Brian also got close to the fire.

“Washington.” 

“I take it you learned everything up there.” Brian was pleased to learn a little more about the brother he knows nothing about.

“No.” T paused, and then he looked up smiling. “You have taught me a lot, too.” 

“Touché, brother. I’m learnin’, ya’ know?” It really is tough for Brian to accept his shortcomings.

For the next 30 minutes, the brothers sat on the picnic table, listening to and smelling the small crackling campfire while watching one of the most beautiful sunsets they’d ever seen, go down over Canyon Lake. No one said a word. I don’t think either one of them even gave it a thought. 

Then, just as the last wedge of sunlight peaked below the hills above the water, a burst of neon-green flashed for a nano-second and then it vanished. 

“Did you see that flash of green light?” Brian whispered as he was still looking where the sun went down. 

“Uh huh.” T whispered. “It is the sign of the times.” 

“What times?” Brian turned and looked at his brother. 

“The good times. Is that wonderful or what?” 

“Yeh.” He turned back to the water. Then they sat in silent splendor, really taking in what they’d just seen. 

As night grew, so did the number of sparks that could be seen sailing through the air in an infinite number of directions. As they spun off, their mesmerizing movements seemed to put Brian into a trance. T just returned from putting some new clothes on. 

“The sparks came first.” T offered to Brian, as he walked by him on his way to having a seat on a log.

That caught Brian off guard. “What? I didn’t catch that.” 

“The sparks,” T pointed, “they came first.  Lest a lens was used to focus the light." 

“How did you know that I was thinking about that?” This really caught Brian off guard.

“What were you thinking?” 

“Well, which came first, the flame or the spark? Kind of a chicken and egg thing, I think. Then I thought, well, maybe the fire because the fire makes sparks, so I reasoned that it was the fire. That’s when you said, the sparks did. You have incredible timing.” Brian was shaking his head and laughing.

“But brother, did a spark not light the match, whose flame was transferred to the tissue, which acted as the quick burning fuel to get the wood going?” 

“I don’t look at things that deep.” Brian was staring into the flames.

“You mean that intently.” 

“I know where you’re going with this.” He turned to his brother.

“You do, huh?” 

“Yeh, I think you’re about to tell me that God is the fire that creates the sparks that each one of us could be.” Brian is starting to catch on to Theoneius’ way of teaching.

“Is.” T corrected. And that includes grammar.

“Okay, each one of us is.” Brian corrected himself.

“But Brian, what if the spark did not have any fuel like dry grass or paper to land on and ignite with its own little flame? What if it just landed on water or a rock?” Class is in session.

“Then I guess it’d be out of luck.” Brian quickly reasoned.

“Luck has nothing to do with it.” 

“Well, it wouldn’t start a fire, I tell you that.” Brian thought this line of questions was silly and responded just that way.

“Okay. So a spark also needs some kind of medium to generate a fire?” T likes to teach with questions.

“Well, yeh, what do you think I am, stupid or something?” A common starting point between student and teacher.

“No, not in the least. But, you did ask the question.” 

“So what’s the big deal with sparks and flames? Why is it so important to know which one came first?” Brian was back to following all those sparks traveling on all those paths, hoping none of them find anything to ignite.

“Because you cannot have a flame without a spark. And you cannot sustain that flame without some kind of fuel that it can use to burn.” 

“I guess you’re drawing an analogy to learning.” 

“I am drawing it to life.” The fire’s glow illuminated The One in a heavenly way. Light bright, then flickering. Crackling. Beautiful.

Brian thought for a moment about T’s abilities to read his mind and how his brother can seem to know what’s going to happen in the future, like he can read the sparks. “Okay, so you can read my mind and tell me everything that's going to happen tomorrow.”  

“I cannot tell you what is going to happen tomorrow.” T quickly responded.

“C’mon T!  Don’t bull me. You’ve known everything that’s happened up ‘til now, right from the time we first met. Don’t tell me you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” Brian was firm on this. He knew he was getting played.

“I do not know what is going to happen in the future.” T just kept staring at the spark generator right in front of him.

“Theoneius Obson, you liar!” Brian stood and used his pointer finger.

“Look Brian, the future is made up of an unlimited, infinite number of choices that people can make - almost like those sparks.” T pointed at the fire. “Brian, sit down please.” Brian complied.

T continued. “And since many people base their futures on their pasts, their probable futures can be predicted because of their experienced pasts. But for those very few who live in the moment, their futures are like those sparks, they can go in any direction at any moment. Meaning the future may not happen tomorrow, it may happen today.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I think Samuel Clemens put it best when he said ‘Many a good day is ruined the night before.’”  

“Oh, so it’s my choices that I make tonight that could affect my future tomorrow?” These are some big dots getting connected.

“Uh huh. In other words, a single thought change today, can open up a whole new world tomorrow.” T opened is hands to the sky.

“So, tomorrow’s not in stone, I can change it tonight?” This was getting exciting. Kind of like interactive learning.

“If you choose to.” The One knows the importance of free will.

“Well, sure. So… how do I change my future, tonight?” 

“By changing your thoughts about it. One thought leads to another.” The flickering light of the campfire was illuminating T’s face in a most magical way. 

“Huh.” Brian went into deep introspection on that one and almost drowned.

T could tell he needed a little help. “Brother, did you see yourself being here three days ago?” 

“No way, I didn’t see myself anywhere, doing anything, but being at Sea World in Orlando for the rest of my life, just doing my job.” ‘And happy to do it.’ He thought.

“Do you think that you intentionally set out to be here?” This is where one thing leads to another.

“No way. Before today, I didn’t even know this place existed!” 

“Did you being here, happen all at once or after a number of other things happened?” 

“Well, I’d say that me being here, is because... one thing led to another.” Brian was starting to make the connection. 

“That is the way futures happen, brother - one thing leading to another. Do not jump ahead and try to guess. Stop trying to predict the future - MAKE IT, instead.” T grinned.

“One thing leads to another.” Brian’s finger was bouncing in the air, adding together all the things he’s seen and done in the last 72 hours. 

“Brother that is the way life is. If we all knew the struggles we were going to go through at the time we came here, we would all be running away as fast as we could! Only when things are taken one step at a time, one thing at a time, are mountains moved, are life’s obstacles overcome. One thing leads to another.” T's finger was bouncing in the air.

“One thing leads to another.” Brian went back to watching the sparks. 

“Each of these sparks represents a path you can take. The paths are infinite in number and direction - that is free will. But if you are looking for your path to start a fire within you, you will have to make sure that the fuel it lands on will do just that.” T is a good teacher.

“So sparks that land on the water or a rock, they’re worse off than the ones, that say, would land on that dry tinder?” Brian pointed. 

“No. All sparks are unique and precious and all sparks have within them the chemistry to start a fire – it is what they land on that will determine whether it starts one or not. The spark is still a spark, but until it ignites something, it will only be a spark – and that is all it really can be, anyway.”

Brian began feeling a different kind of fire growing inside of him. “I think the sparks of legalism are starting to land on water."

“That is good.” 

“And the sparks that use to be created for changing everyone else are hittin’ the rocks.” Brian saw them in his mind.

“That is better.” 

“But I gotta’ tell ya’ T, there’s something in me that I’m noticing that’s getting a lot louder, a flame that’s growing to make me start saving the planet and stop trying to save everybody else.” 

“That is best.” T paused and smiled. “Brian, to get back to your original thought...” 

“I didn’t think I was thinkin’ so much, to tell you the truth.” 

“Sparks and flames are actually one in the same. They represent a circle, a cycle. The spark creates the flame, which generates more sparks and generates more flames. You really can’t have one without the other. It is only important to know which one comes first, when you finally decide what kind of flame that you are looking to start.” 

“Well, you certainly started a good one here.” Brian paused to take in all of this new mind-bending stuff, then he floated back to Earth. “Have you noticed that there’s nothing in the world like sitting in front of a campfire under the stars?” Brian noticed the similarity between stars and sparks – for the first time.

“I think the cowboys knew they had something here.” T was nodding his head up and down.

“Amen to that.” Brian reached over to give his brother a high five.

T leaned to accommodate. Then he stood up and walked back to the car. He grabbed two blankets and a sleeping bag, throwing one of the blankets on the front passenger seat. 

“Whatcha’ doin’?” Brian’s consciousness became human.

“Bedtime. I will take the picnic table, you take your car.” He threw his bedding on the table.

The brothers hugged, yawned and went to bed. 

As Brian awoke in the back seat, he sat up and looked out the front windshield to see T sitting in the lotus position on top of the picnic table, facing the lake. 

“Did you sleep like that?” Brian yawned as he slithered out of his car, half falling on the ground. 

“No, I am just looking for a little morning wisdom.”   T stayed in perfect form.

“Through meditation, huh?” Brian fumbled his way toward his brother.

“That and facing west.” 

“Oh, here we go again. What will the west do for you this time?” Brian made his way to the picnic table, being careful to not trip on something. Then planted it.

“It gives you wisdom.” T came out of form and stood before the picnic table.

“Okay, the south helps us to make really good fires and the west gives us wisdom…” Brian was pointing obliviously. No coffee in the morning means, ‘Not sure.’

“And water.” T added. 

“And water.” Brian confirmed. “What do east and north do for us?” 

“East represents the air and lets us clear our minds with good philosophy. The north represents Gaia, Herself, and provides us with our survival needs.” 

“So if I were to meditate on manifesting stuff…” Brian intentionally paused. 

“You would face the north when you meditated.” 

“And if I want to learn more about Buddha or Gandhi and their thoughts…” Brian paused again, waiting for T to finish his sentence. 

“You would face to the east. Each direction also has its own animals, plants and minerals that correspond to them, too.” 

“Are we going to get into that, now?” Brian seemed to have morning irritation. 

“No. Maybe later.” 

Suddenly Brian had a thought about God and how He fits into this new information. “But what about God? What direction does He have?”

“Our Father is all directions and all things. In order to speak with Him, all that is required is a “closet”.” T did the things with his fingers making the quotations sign, hoping his brother would get the metaphor.

“Huh.” Not sure if he did.

T changed tracks.  “Right now twin, I would like to go back down to the water.”  

“What? To show me who I am again?” Brian waived his arms before him. “No thanks...  I’ll just stay right here... where it's nice and dry... thank you very much.” 

“How can someone who swims with dolphins every day, dislike water so much?”

“It’s not that I hate water, I just love my wet suit.”

“Oh. Well, this time think of it as a physics lesson, instead of a reflective lesson. We won’t be going in. Okay?” T reassured his brother. 

T got off the picnic table and took a minute to stretch. First he leaned with his arms stretched out in front of him against the picnic table and gently stretched his calf and thigh muscles. Then he sat down and gently twisted his upper torso right and left, keeping his hips in place. Then he sat straight and gently spiraled his head around, first clockwise, then counterclockwise. 

Brian watched intently. “You do this every morning?” 

“Ever see a cat or a dog when they first get up? What do you think they do?” 

“Stretch.” 

“Good. Now you try.” T stood up to make room for his twin. 

As Brian stretched he could hear his body making strange popping sounds as well as his voice moaning above the chirps of the birds in the trees. 

“Man did you hear that – that popping sound? My bones must be pretty bad.” 

“Watch your words, brother. The sound you hear is only calcium deposits that have built up and gas escaping from your joints that filled up overnight. Your bones are not bad. Watch your words.” T again spoke with great intensity. 

As Brian gently rotated his head, he could hear and feel crunching noises inside his skull where it connects to his neck and up in between his eyes. Then he saw some lights flashing in his head. “Whew, I feel ten times better. Even a little light headed.” 

“You have opened up new energy pathways that were previously closed.” T paused to give his brother a good once over. “Good, now let us go down to the water.” T grabbed his reluctant brother by the arm and led him back down to the shore. 

“I’m not going in.” Brian warned, making a feeble effort to pull back. He suddenly remembered the stupid Polar Bear Club he was talked into joining back at 4H camp, so very many years ago. Every morning at sunrise, the group jumped into the lake. He remembered what he used to say when he hit the water. 'AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!' “No way, I ain't goin'.” 

“Do not worry, grasshopper.  As I said, we are not going into the water this morning. We are just going to learn a little more from it.” 

Although, most of the dark had gone, the sun had yet to rise, and the glow of its coming was upon them.

“Look how beautiful it is, T. I wished we had a boat. Look at that one out there, playing around on the waves.” Brian was pointing to a catamaran with a big sail floating aimlessly about a quarter mile away. 

T picked up a small pebble and threw it in the very shallow water by the shore. 

“Hey, I can do that.” Brian smiled. 

Then T grabbed another pebble and said, “Watch.” He again threw it into the shallow water. “That is your thoughts.” Then he grabbed a larger rock and threw it in a little deeper, it made a much bigger splash and a thumping sound. “That is your words.” Then he reached over near the water and pulled a large rock weighing at least 5 pounds out of the sand and pitched that one in, way far out. It landed with a throaty KERPLUNK and sent a wave so big that it reached the shore quite quickly. “That is your actions. Get it?” 

“I think so.” 

“Brian, the water reacts the same way that all of space does when things are done in it. Only, here on Earth, you can act like someone from Missouri and be shown how it reacts.” Waves were still coming in from that big one.

“You mean whenever I think or speak or move, a wave gets sent out into the universe?” Brian looked into the ethers. 

“Yes, and it looks just like this.” T threw another smaller rock into the water. “Notice how the wave goes out in all directions. In water, the wave looks like a disc. But in space, it is actually the shape of a sphere or ball.” 

“No matter how tiny the thought is or how minuscule the movement is or how softly I speak, it sends out a wave?” Brian was working things out.

“How small of a stone can you throw in the water that will not make a splash? Yes, no matter how tiny, they all splash. And it is important that you see what I am trying to show you. Can you see it?” 

Brian threw a rock in and witnessed the wave that was sent out. “And this wave goes on forever?” 

“Uh huh. And the place where the rock hits the water will leave an indelible energy print right there, for a very long time.” 

“You mean, that spot right there has the energy in it where the rock hit? That energy?” Brian pointed to the spot where his rock hit the water. 

“That is correct. And now consider your emotions like that rock. The intensity of the emotion normally dictates the intensity of the energy signature left at the spot of the emotion. And when those emotions are repeated over and over again in the same place, the energy signature can get really great.” 

“Are you trying to tell me that’s why there’s ghosts and poltergeists?” So many dots. So many connections.

“I did not intend that, but I would say you are on the mark. Nothing is done or thought of or said in this universe that is not somehow recorded by the moment.”  

“You mean like a universal tape recorder?” 

“In a way. The impression is very definite, very feeling. That is why you must take care in being emotional, and also where you display those emotions and how many times you do it. Here, let me show you.” T got up and walked about 15 feet away to pick up a sand bucket that was left on the beach. He then walked over and dunked it into the water filling it to the brim. Then he returned to his brother, placing the bucket between them. They both knelt on the sand. 

“Now this pale represents you and the water in it represents your life’s energy.” 

Brian touched the pale. “I look a little used, brother.” He smiled as he inspected the well-worn pale. 

T continued. “Watch what happens when I tap my finger in it once.” T lightly touched the water and removed his finger. “See how the motion sends out a single wave, and see how that wave returns to its place of origin with nearly the same intensity and speed that it was sent out with?” T’s finger followed the wave through its entire cycle. 

“Yeh, and it came right back to the middle. Right where you touched it. Hey, how come it didn’t slow down?” 

“Because what you are actually seeing is the energy displacement ON the water, not actual water moving. And when it hits the pale wall, the only thing the energy can do is return to whence it came. Do you understand?” 

“Is that why waves can move much faster than say, a submarine?” Brian was thinking about an old black and white, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.” It was a favorite. 

“Yes, exactly. The submarine represents an object trying to move through the medium of water, and that can take lots and lots of energy to do. Meanwhile, the wave is really only energy passing over the water and the water is creating peaks and troughs to correspond with the exerted energy. Do you understand?” It was important to T that Brian connect these dots. If only because, these dots connect to so many others.

“So in a wave, the water isn’t really moving, it’s the energy affecting the water to make it look like it’s moving.” Brian looked out over the surface of the lake – in a whole new way.

T slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Exactly. You make a fine student.” 

“Well, I’ll tell ya’, they never taught physics like this in school. There, it was all blackboards and babbling. Please continue.” Brian excitedly motioned for his teacher to continue with his lesson. 

“Now I am going to tap the water a number of times and I want you to see what happens to the waves when they all come back and converge on themselves.” It didn’t take many taps for Brian to respond.   

“Man, that looks like chaos. I mean it looked like some kind of cool geometric design when they first started coming back, but now it’s just chaos, pure and simple chaos.” Although this is something that he has seen his entire life, Brian just came to realize it.

“Now watch the water and see how fast it goes back to its naturally calm state once I stop tapping.” T pulled his finger out of the bucket. 

“Hey, that didn’t take long.” 

“No. It really does not take very long. Now watch what happens when I start tapping harder.” He was now lightly slapping the water in the pale and some of it was spilling over the edge. 

“Man, it looks like a storm brewing in there.” 

Then suddenly, T pulled his arm about two feet above the pale, made a fist and slammed it into the water, sending it everywhere, all over the teacher, as well as the student. 

“Aw man, what the heck did ya’ do that for?” Brian was wiping the lesson from his face. “You got water everywhere! I thought you said we weren’t going to get wet?” 

“No, you told me you were not going into the water, so I thought I would bring it to you.” 

“Very funny.” He exhaled as he continued to wipe his face dry. “Man, you sure did a good job.” Then he noticed the water in the pale. “There’s less than half the water in it than when you started.” 

“Very observant, young grasshopper. Brian, you do not need to tap the water hard to achieve chaos, just often. Then after a while, that chaos turns into bigtime wavy chaos. Until, much too often, the one standing in their own chaos cannot see that they are the one causing all of it in the first place and then he gets so frustrated, so angry…” 

“That he punches the water and loses a lot of his life’s energy.” Brian finished his twin’s train of thought. Brian spied the half-empty, well-worn pale as what he has turned into.

T just sat smiling at his brother. He couldn’t say a word. He was quite proud of his twin’s revelation. Just this one alone is a life changer.

“You think this is what I’ve been doing with my angry thoughts about government and society?” Again, for Brian, self-reflection is not an easy thing to do.

“It is what everyone is doing, about many different things.” T responded sadly.

“So all I have to do is stop tapping the water to make things calm down? All I have to do is stop saying these things and thinking these crappy thoughts to get the chaos out of my life?” Suddenly a bright light came into view, at the end of a very long tunnel.

“Saying cancel, cancel helps a lot, too. That phrase actually erases all the thoughts you wish you did not think and words you wish you did not say or hear. It actually makes the wave that you sent out disappear. In fact, it vanishes so completely that you will not ever feel an ounce of its wake on the way back – because it will not be coming back.” Finally, some good news!

“Cancel, cancel, huh? Do I have to say it twice?” 

“Yes, that lets your guides know that you want something to be erased, instead of just saying it once in a sentence and leaving them to wonder if that is what you really want them to do. Help them out by saying it at least twice. Or three times if you want to make sure.” 

“My guides?” Brian just became aware of a new dot. 

“Later, on that. Right now I want to make sure that you understand the physics of energy displacement and the consequences of it.” Quite the lesson being taught on an obscure beach that could be anywhere, using technology that’s older than dirt.

“So doing nothing is better than doing something?” Brian likes to get out everything in the wash. Including those devilish details.

“Brother, what I just showed you is the Law of Karma, as demonstrated in a 6-year-old boy’s sand pale. The wave that gets sent out always returns.” T paused to gather his thoughts. “You will not ever know what you are giving out, I mean you will not ever have a clue about ALL of its ramifications, until you receive it back. Then if you do not like what you are getting back, doing nothing to respond to it would be the prudent choice if you are looking for peace. But if you like what you are getting back, then maybe you should go about making more of those waves, instead.” This was surely T’s toughest lesson to date.

“The good waves.” Brian paused to confirm that’s what T was talking about. “All the bad waves, I generated those, too?” 

“I think it is time that you should start accepting responsibility for everything in your life. I hope this makes it a little easier to do. Once you have witnessed what YOU have done, you can then stop doing those negative things that get you all upset and start doing those things that bring love into your world. After all, who ever got tired of getting love back?” T smiled. 

“So the crap that’s in my life, isn’t because of the people out there, it’s because of me?” Oh man. Brian’s coming to the end of his proverbial rope.

“I think you are finally getting it.” Relief never felt so good.

“The idiots out there acting like idiots and getting me mad are only showing me what I’ve done to somebody else?” Brian’s thoughts continued to take him down that deep, dark rabbit hole that so few take the time to explore.

“Maybe even to them.” T nodded. 

“And those rocks that you first threw in, the pebble, the bigger stone and the boulder, that really is the way it is with thoughts, words and actions?” Never have so many been dots been connected so quickly.

“Yes. Good or bad, right or wrong, that is how it works. And the bigger the splash, the bigger the wave, when it returns.” 

“I still have waves coming back to me, don’t I?” Brian’s eyes attempted to spy that catamaran that has long since sailed away.

“Uh huh.” T nodded his head.

“Should I be worried about them?” Suddenly the thought of a tsunami entered Brian’s mind. Nothing good ever comes from a tsunami.

“No, you should forgive them. That ways you will not be sending out a bigger, more forceful wave when you get that other one back.” T was pretty firm about that.

“Forgiveness is like pulling my finger out of the water isn’t it?” 

“It is the one sure way to get things to calm down. I guarantee you that.” T doesn’t make that claim very often.

“That’s the first time you ever said guarantee. I didn’t think there were any guarantees in a life full of probable futures?” Brian was pleased with his newfound enlightenment.

“Forgiveness is one of the very few guarantees in life. I guarantee you, forgiving will remove all of the chaos from your life. After all, everything you are getting back, you sent out in the first place, correct?” The look on T’s face was pure compassion.

“So it’s really not about forgiving government, it’s about forgiving me. Isn’t it?” In his mind’s eye, Brian suddenly saw a 6-foot tall mirror placed directly in front of him. And he didn’t much care for the image being cast into it, nor the reflection he was getting back.

“Yes. Remember, if the chaos was not in you, you would not be relating to it. And if you are relating to it, it is because you generated it. Do you see?” Hope was in the air.

“Better now, than ever, brother.” Brian was really putting his mental pencil to work connecting all those dots he never even knew existed in the first place.

“One last thing, sometimes people have created so many waves that it takes a bit of time for each of them to come home to roost – and when it does take such a long time, there is an excellent chance that so much time has passed, the creator of that wave has completely forgotten what he did to generate it.” 

“Sounds like you’re talking about reincarnation, now.” 

“The wave that gets sent out always returns, it must, in order for us to understand completely what we are doing in this life. And sometimes we generate so many waves, that it takes a few lifetimes to work them all out, to calm them all down. That is, unless we forget that and just keep generating more waves.” T smiled at his brother. 

“So this business of knowing better and thinking that government should be acting exactly opposite of what it is – they’re all…” 

“Waves, my brother.” T finished his brother’s sentence, as well as train of thought. “It is time to calm yourself and trust that God is still in charge. It is the ONLY WAY to achieve peace. Otherwise, you will just keep tapping the water to try and make things different, better, from your point of view. And continuous tapping only creates chaos, correct?” T was pointing to the half empty pale of water, still residing between them. 

“Man, I never knew.” Brian was staring off in the distance, still looking for that catamaran he saw earlier. “And the water really doesn’t move, it’s just everywhere and responds to the energy being imposed on it?” 

“Exactly. In this lake, the water is everywhere. It is the energy that is moving on top of it that you are noticing. That is why waves can appear to move at great speeds, while we flounder around trying to get through them very slowly. The universe is the same way. And since it exists everywhere, the energy created that affects it, is everywhere, too - moving everywhere, every time you do something. Try to only do good from now on. And I know that is totally subjective on what you think good is, but the best advice I can give you is, to follow your heart.” That was a lot of truth.

“Do good – like cops assaulting people thinking that they’re doing good to uphold law and order. Like religious people killing people in the name of God, because somehow, that “good” is what God wants.” Brian did that quotes thing with his fingers.

“WHEN WILL YOU STOP IDENTIFYING IGNORANCE, IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEFINE ENLIGHTENMENT?!” T screamed in Brian’s face. “Do GOOD, Brian. And I think you know what that means.” T fully calmed down. “To each their own perspectives, their own perceptions. If you are ever in a position where you are not quite sure what the ‘good’ thing to do is, then do nothing and say a prayer, asking God to do good for you. At least you will calm down and not make any more waves.” T stood up and brushed himself off then offered his hand to his brother to help him stand up. “Time to move on.” 

Brian was feeling rather humbled and shamed. Before he rose, he looked up to his brother as he pointed, “Should we take this bucket with us?” 

“No, it belongs to Billy over there.” T pointed to a family camping out about a hundred yards from the twin’s camping spot. “In fact, he should be remembering right about now that he left it here, when he went back up before we came. Here, give me your hand.” T again, offered his hand. 

“HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THESE THINGS?” Brian seemed exasperated, while using his brother’s hand to pull himself up.

“Brian, did you not listen to what we just talked about? The universe is everywhere, all the time. The energy that makes it up is everywhere, ALL OF THE TIME. Only when you separate yourself from it, do you see yourself as NOT being a part of it. It is everywhere, all of the time – it is God.” T spread his hands to the heavens.

“Everywhere, all the time.” Brian was staring all around him. 

T brought his hands back down, faced his brother and laid his hands on Brian’s shoulders. “And the only way you will realize that, is when you finally let go of time and space. It is those things that keep you thinking that you are NOT a part of it all.  Now let us go.” T removed his hands, turned and walked away. Followed by an ever-appreciative pupil, who now sees things in a whole new way, a whole new light.

Brian turned one last time to the lake. “All this knowledge, right there in front of me. Damn.”

After kicking the dirt off his sneakers and getting into his car, Brian looked in the rear view mirror and saw the path that lay before him. “Uhm T, could you help me back out of here? It was easy getting in here, but I just need a little help getting back out.” 

“So does everyone, brother.” 

“Huh?” Brian didn’t get that one. 

T just laughed and motioned for Brian to back up. “‘C’mon back, c‘mon back.” Within a few hundred yards, Brian had backed his way out to the paved road. T stuck his head in. “I think it is safe to put the top down now.” 

“Absolutely!” Brian looked up. “What a gorgeous day.” Then he looked out towards the lake for one last time. “Ya’ know T, I’ll never look at waves the same way ever again. It’s amazing how awareness makes you see things that you’ve been looking at your whole life, in a whole new way.” 

“Yes, it is.” T added, tucking his side down. Then he opened his door and jumped in, pointed forward and announced, “Onward brother, onward to Roswell, New Mexico.”

“UFO’s!!” Brian yelled. “WE’RE GONNA’ SEE UFO’s, aren’t we?”

“Brian,” T pointed over the horizon. “What is that over there above those hills?” 

“It’s a plane.” Brian quickly responded.

“Are you sure?” T was looking right at Brian.

“Well, it is pretty far away.” He wasn’t quite sure. “I can’t quite seem to make out whether it’s a helicopter or a plane.” 

“So you cannot identify it?” T hasn’t moved.

“Nope…” Brian was still straining to make it out and his voice reflected that. “…just can’t tell.” 

“But it is flying.” 

“Uh huh.” He was still trying to see what that thing is. 

“And it is an object of some sort.” T continued to prod about 12 inches away. 

“Well, yeh…” He blindly answered. “Wait a minute…” Brian felt like he was getting played.

“So are you telling me that right in front of us is an object that is flying that is unidentifiable? A real live UFO? Or should that be an OFU?” 

“You’re making fun of me.” Brian turned to T, feeling played, like an old piano.

“No I am not, I am just trying to let you see what you are saying.” T turned to face forward.

“I meant the alien kind of UFO.” Brian offered matter-of-factly.

“Illegal aliens?” T offered back.

“NO!” Brian said frustratingly. “The outer space kind.” 

“As opposed to the inner space kind?” T scrunched his forehead together. 

“NO! Awe… heck with it. I’m not going to try to tell you what’s in our future, anymore!” Brian huffed. 

“Good. Now we can be on our way.” T pointed behind to the cooler. “Ready for a…” 

“Don’t tell me, another peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a grape juice… RIGHT?” Brian finished. 

T just sat there, staring at his brother. 

Then Brian figured it out. “Alright, you’re not going to tell me. I’ll take two.” 

T reached back and fumbled through the cooler removing three PB and J’s and two drinks. 

“You live on these sandwiches up there in Washington?” 

“They are the perfect food to take with you. They do not spoil quickly, they do not require refrigeration and they taste pretty darn good, too.” 

For the next few hours, the brothers quite enjoyed the Texas hill country as they worked their way northwest, towards Roswell, New Mexico.  

“You ever notice how food always tastes better outside?”

As the brothers headed into Roswell, they couldn’t help but see all the alien caricatures. “Those are Grays, right?” Brian pointed to a gray slender face with huge black, bulging eyes pictured on a large billboard. 

“Zeta-reticulites, to be more precise.” 

“Yes, we must be precise.” Brian confirmed. “They’re all bad, though.  Aren’t they?” 

“They are only in search of a soul. In search of Love.” 

“What?” That caught Brian off-guard.

“They are only here looking for souls, like explorers.  That is why they are taking samples of tissues from humans.” T was looking in the windows of the shops they were passing. He was amazed that it had gone this far.

“To find a soul.” Brian said matter-of-factly. 

“Yes.” T turned to his brother. “They see it so clearly in us, and are totally baffled that we cannot see it in ourselves. Their race is dying and they know that they need a soul to keep on living.” 

“So they’re not here to terrify us?” This was all news to Brian.

“No. That is the Lizzies’ agenda. The Grays are only here to find a way to take a piece of God out of us and put it into them. They are in desperate need of Love.” T almost sounded sympathetic.

“Here we go with the Lizzies, again.” Brian remembered T mentioning them when they first met. “They don’t sound very good.” 

“Stop being so subjective. We will discuss them later.” At times, T has little patience for Brian’s old ways.

“Well, have the Grays succeeded in finding a soul?” Brian got the train back on track.

“No, and I think they have pretty much stopped trying, too. I think they have learned that you cannot take God out of one thing and put Him into another. He has to come from within.” That is the wisdom of the ages. T stopped looking behind him at all the shops they passed, and turned to look forward again.

“Are there other aliens living here on Earth?” Brian could only think of the movie Men in Black.

“Many.”  T’s awareness caught a vendor, standing by a cart selling trinkets. 

“Many? Like, how many?” Brian was really curious now. Perhaps there is more truth to that movie than Hollywood leads on.

“Many.” T turned and responded with a shortness to his tone. 

Brian new it was time to change the subject. “Hey, you wanna’ stop and walk around for a while?” 

“Sounds good, brother. Let us stretch our legs.” T cleaned up the slight mess caused by a few hundred miles of pavement.

Brian slowly drove up Main Street, pointing out all the unique shops, then turned left on 2ndStreet, driving irritatingly slowly, hoping to find a spot to park… then… success! A grocery store parking lot!

For the next little while, they walked up and down the streets, passing by dozens of shops, selling everything from ‘genuine artifacts’ brought directly to Earth (to their shop) from the far reaches of our galaxy, to a bazillion books written about Roswell, to space travel and asteroid and alien invasion insurance. His stomach started to growl.  “You hungry?” 

“You want another…?” T pointed back to the car.

“NO BROTHER!” Brian put out his hand to keep his twin from pointing back. “No more peanut butter and jelly. Please. For God sakes. T we are in a town!” He grabbed both shoulders, “Don’t you think we should take advantage of that?” He stared very deep. “You know, right place, right time?” Brian was squinting, hoping he could draw out his brother’s compassion. He pointed down the way, “You know, real good food?” The smell wafting through the air from the café next door was making Brian’s senses peak.

“What do you have in mind?” T wasn’t sure where this was heading.

“Some really good fast food.” Brian said delectably.  It is his favorite.

“Very well. Since you are much more conditioned to the pleasures of this world, I will let you choose where we eat.” T was livin’ in the moment.

“Right over there.” Brian pointed about three blocks down, where an advertisement was pointing.  “Sonic. C’mon, let’s get back to the car.” 

“Sonic.” T felt a little strange about that.

“Yeh, Sonic! C’mon, they got so much stuff!” Brian was acting a bit excited, way more excited than he has ever acted for T’s lunch.

Initially it was difficult to find a parking place at the fast-food joint and Brian had to circle it twice. “Oh look, over there.” A car had just pulled out of a space at the far end of the parking strip. Brian quickly pulled in. “Now what do you want?” 

“Are we not going in?” T was checking out the rather small building. 

“No, they come to you.” 

“Fascinating.” 

“Look.” Brian pointed to just in front of his twin. “There’s your menu.” 

T spent a few minutes going over every item. He read up and down, meticulously scrutinizing every delicacy.  Then, after much deliberation he turned to his twin and announced, “Upon much scrutiny, I think I want…” T looked back to the menu, “… a bathroom. Do they bring that out, too?” He smiled.

“C’MON T!” Brian's stomach was losing patience fast. “How about some fries, a chicken sandwich and a coke?” 

“Make it an iced tea.” 

“Now you’re talkin’.” Brian slapped T’s knee. 

Just as T opened his car door to get out and go to the bathroom, a man tripped and fell alongside the car, gashing his leg open. T never knew he was there. “Oh my God! Oh sir, I am so sorry. Are you alright?” He quickly got out all the way, closed the door and reached down to give the man some assistance. “My God, you are hurt.” T noticed the tear in the man’s trousers and the bloodstain growing all around it. Something about it caught T’s attention, but he quickly referred his focus back to the man’s welfare. “Let me get you over here to this chair.” He helped the man to sit down. “Can I call an ambulance?” 

“No, no I’m alright.” The man touched Theoneius’ shoulder and stood up. “I’ll be alright, really. Don’t give it a second thought, it was my own clumsiness.” The man walked away and then he was gone. 

“Strange.” T shook his head. “Brian, I will be right back, I am going to the bathroom.” 

“Okay, I’ll order.” 

T couldn’t get that guy out of his mind. “I know him.” Then as he was walking out of the bathroom, it came to him – “Lizzies.” Then he ran out to the car and looked at the door jam, checking the catch that cut the gentlemen’s leg. “Excellent.” 

“What? What’s that?” Brian noticed T gently holding onto a piece of bloodstained cloth. 

“Brian does your doctor friend back in Orlando know how to do DNA tests?” 

“Well, yeh, sure.” Brian seemed lost. “But why?” 

“Good. We need to get this off to her as soon as possible.” T opened the glove box and pulled out an old crumpled up Ziploc bag.  Then he proceeded to place the bloody piece of fabric (which still had a little meat clinging to it), into the baggy. “We need to get to a Post Office.”  T started looking around. “I know I saw a sign for one…” Then he remembered. “The Post Office is that way.” He pointed northeast.

Just then the waitress showed up with their food. “Excellent timing.” T smiled. 

“No doubt.” Brian confirmed. “I’m starving.” 

“Thank you, Miss."  T took the money out of Brian’s grasp and placed it into her open palm. "Now we must be going.” 

“But your change?” She held out her hand.

“Keep it, it is your tip for being such a good server.” T reached out and closed her fingers around it.

“Hey, thanks mister.” She turned away, thinking that today wasn't such a bad day after all. 

“What? But I want to eat it here.” Brian complained. 

“You called this fast food, right?” T pointed to the bag of food. 

“Yeh?” 

“So, drive fast over to the Post Office and eat it there.” T pointed across the way. 

After spending a good half an hour standing in line, to get the package out overnight express, the two returned to the car. 

“I don’t like eating my lunch in the Post Office.” Brian complained.  “And it was cold when we got here.” He continued complaining. “The tater tots were soft and mushy.” By now he was mumbling. “Not crunchy. Cold.”

“I bet they don’t either.” T pointed back to the building. 

“Do you mind telling me what this is all about?”  This whole situation has Brian a little miffed.

“Illegal aliens.” 

“You mean like the kind who came across the border, or the ones who came across the universe?” 

“The second one.” T looked around before opening his door.

“Your tone doesn’t give me a sense of relief.” Brian dropped his feelings and got in on his side.

“Sometimes, it should not. Let us get out of here.” T pointed north. 

“I’m with you, brother.” Brian pulled out of the Post Office parking lot and headed north out of town. “I hope we’re going in the right direction.” 

“You are doing good.” T seemed to be preoccupied. After going a number of miles north on Highway 285, T motioned for Brian to pull off to the right onto a dirt road. After about 10 minutes of winding their way up to the top of a slight hill, they stopped at an old run-down radio tower. “This is good. We will stop here.” T seemed happy to make it that far. 

Brian turned to his brother with concern on his face. “T, what’s going on? I don’t feel real good right now.” 

“I do not know. Something is different and I cannot quite figure out what it is.” 

“But we’re gonna’ be alright though, right? I mean, nobody’s gonna’ come up here and suck our brains out or anything, right?” Brian was cautiously concerned. 

“No.” T laughed. Brian’s concern seemed to break the ice. “No one is going to do anything like that. We will be alright here.” T got out and started stretching his legs and neck. 

The sun had inched its way over to the horizon and the brothers were left to witness another spectacular sundown. “Wow, you can see pretty far up here.” Brian was looking all around the countryside. 

“Wait until dark, you will be able to see even farther.” 

Brian stopped what he was doing and stared at his brother. “I don’t know what that means, but it’s made me thirsty.” 

“We are out of grape juice.” T reluctantly admitted.

“What? We were just in town, and you forgot to tell me we’re out of drinks? WE PARKED IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT, for gosh sakes.  Kind of irresponsible doncha' think?” Brian’s thirst was making him irritable. 

“Let us look in the trunk and see what we can find.” As T grabbed the keys and popped open the trunk, he noticed a gallon jug of distilled water stuffed up under the rear speakers. 

“Oh, yeh.” Brian recalled. “I forgot all about that.” Then he reached in and pulled it out. “The last time I went grocery shopping I stuffed all the bags in the trunk and that jug fell out of one of 'em as I was taking it out. I guess I forgot to come back and get it. Good thing, huh?” He smiled.

“Did any cups happen to fall out with it?” 

Brian looked again. “Nope, I guess we’ll have to slug it straight from the jug.” 

T gave his twin a funny look as Brian gulped down about 8 swallows, without coming up for air. 

Brian took the jug from his lips. “Hey, I ain’t got no cooties!” 

“Nice talk.” T commented. “May I have some now?” Brian gave the jug to his twin, and he took a swig... or five. 

After drowning their thirsts, the twins laughed and joked into the night. Then suddenly, in the far distance the two saw a bright orb zipping around in the sky like no helicopter or plane they’d ever seen. “You see that?” Brian instantly tuned into the event. 

“Uh-huh.” T yawned. 

“NOW THAT’S A UFO!” Brian exclaimed. 

“Uh-huh.” T confirmed. “It is coming from down in White Sands Missile Range.” 

“That don’t look like no missile to me.” Brian couldn’t take his focus off it.

“It is just a name, Brian. You will find that most government names do not exactly describe what they are doing.” 

“What are they doing?” Now he is looking at his brother. 

“Testing.” 

“Testing what?” 

“New technology.” 

“You mean the kind that comes from off this Earth?” Brian took a quick glance to see if he can see that light again.

“Or off any other planet in this part of the galaxy.” 

Brian turned to T and pensively asked, “Lizzies?” 

“And zeta-reticulites.” T nodded. 

“They’re in cahoots?” 

“You could say that.” 

“They’re conspiring to overthrow this world, AREN’T THEY?!!” Brian yelled. 

“Hey, pipe down. I am right here, you know.” T covered his ears. 

Brian was breathing heavy. “They struck a deal for this place, didn’t they?” 

“Lizzies run the show and the Grays bring their technology in to help the Lizzies. And both of them get to generate fear in the process.” 

“How did it all happen?” Brian blindly stared into the darkness.

“Some time ago, the Lizzies returned to this area and set up their base on the far side of the moon. There they can do whatever they want, without anyone on Earth ever seeing them. It is actually the only true private property left. And through using a form of cloaking technology, they built huge ethereal fear generators, which send massive amounts of resistance generating frequencies into Earth’s atmosphere, in hopes of one day having all humans come to live in fear. Then at some point, through using that fear, they hope that we will destroy ourselves, and then they can just land and take over where we left off.” The cetaceans were very thorough in giving Theoneius their teachings.

“No kidding?” 

“No kidding. Everything seemed to be going fine up until about a couple of thousand years ago, when light really entered the picture. This was not good for the Lizzies. They then determined that their generators alone, were just not going to cut the mustard. So, they came down in very few numbers, changing their appearance to look like humans and then they worked their way to the highest positions of authority. From these positions, they physically generate fear by implementing policies that go about doing their best to create it.” 

“How’s that working out?” 

“Well, it worked okay for a while, but light was still shining through into the abyss.  Not everyone was becoming fear-full.” 

“What happened next?” 

“Then the Grays came. They stumbled upon the Earth quite by accident. They had been searching the cosmos for technology to keep their civilization alive and had not been very successful in finding it. But then, once they saw all of you light beings here, they knew that they had found the solution to their quandary.” 

“Light beings? What light beings?” 

“You… light beings.” T pointed to Brian’s heart. 

“I don’t get it.” 

“Let me finish. Now these Grays recognized that life actually sprung from this Light and if they could just learn how to get a piece of it into them, then they knew all of their problems would be solved. So they struck a deal with the Lizzies, who would not have any other alien race here, unless they served them.” 

“What deal?” Part of Brian was thinking he was dreaming, still back in Orlando.

“For allowing the Grays access to us, the Grays would have to provide genetic manipulation technologies to the Lizzies. And if it were not for the crash of their ship, right after World War II, right around here, a lot of this would not be known.” 

“So they did crash!” Brian slapped at his steering wheel.

“Uh-huh.” 

“And the Lizzies and our Government have done everything they can to cover it up.” Brian paused. “ANOTHER CONSPIRACY!” He shouted out loud shaking his head. Then getting back on track, he asked, “So the Lizzies didn’t already have this technology?” 

“Yes. The Lizzies are master geneticists, also. But they realized this new ally and their technology could further the Lizzy agenda of creating fear on the Earth.” 

“So, the Grays, they know how to manipulate genetics, too?” 

“Oh, yes. They’ve been doing it for quite some time, just trying to sustain their own lives.” T was looking up to the heavens.

“And now they’re dying.” Brian added. 

“Yes. Their technology has not saved them, but now they have great hope in us, that it will.” 

“But I get the feeling that it hasn’t worked out very well.” 

“Brother, anytime you think you can replace God with technology, you are only fooling yourself. But for years, Grays have been stealing bits and pieces of tissue from all over the globe in hopes of creating this Light from their genetic manipulations. They have even grown Human-Gray hybrid children in an attempt to see the Light.” 

“It hasn’t worked, though.  Has it?” 

“No. About the only thing that has worked is the Lizzies agenda of fear. The Lizzies knew that the Grays were barking up the wrong tree, so to speak, but they did not care. They also knew in the end, since humans would not ever understand the Grays’ motives, fear for sure would be the one thing generated out of all this madness.” 

“The Lizzies are smart, aren’t they?” 

“Very. They are what you might call fully conscious.” 

“That allows them to change their appearance?” Brian remembered things that can do that, as shapeshifters.

“And do a whole lot more.” 

“Well, if they’re so smart, what could the Grays possibly add to that?” 

“The fear generated by them probing you and testing you and putting implants into you. Not to mention all the abductions.” 

“Implants. That’s where implants came from? I thought our scientists came up with that?” Brian’s head was spinning. 

“Very few new technologies nowadays can be considered of this Earth. Most scientific and technological advancements were given to you.” 

“They weren’t given to me, brother.” Brian defended himself.

“We will see. Anyway, in the end, genetic manipulation is the number one science right now and those so-called scientists are doing some pretty wild stuff with it.” 

“You mean like crossing a giraffe with a rhino?” 

“Or maybe even a human with a gorilla, or even a plant?” 

“What?  A gorilla? Why on earth would they be trying to reinvent the missing link? In fact, why not just use chimpanzees? I mean they’re a whole lot smarter than gorillas.” 

“Their thumbs do not work right.” 

“Work right for what?” Brian was staring at his thumbs.

“Service.” 

“You mean slavery.” 

“It is all in the perspective.” 

“So right now, Lizzies are turning gorillas into humans so that they can become slaves for them?” The disgust in Brian’s voice was obvious.

“Not the Lizzies, they are just providing the laboratories. All the genetic manipulation they are responsible for, was done a very, very long time ago.” 

“The Grays, then? It’s the Grays doing this?” Brian was really searching for the villain in this story.

“Not the Grays. It is just their technology. They are just showing humans how to use it.” T would not provide him with one.

“Then… Oh my God, you mean to tell me that WE’RE DOING THIS… TO OURSELVES?” Brian's face showed the horror in his eyes. 

“Brother, very few atrocities happen on this planet that aren’t the direct result of human ignorance and stupidity. And normally those attributes are borne from greed for money or lust for power. It is always so easy to blame others. But this time, you cannot.” 

“And they’re also turning us into plants?” Brian envisioned a forest full of tree people.

“There is more going on than even I know of. And do not forget cloning.” 

“Is there any way to prove this? I mean, can we get some hard evidence on this?” Brian was thinking of himself more like Inspector Columbo.

“Just go down to the US Patent Office and start reviewing all the patents given in the last 50 years. You will find them.” 

“THEY’RE PATENTING THESE GENETIC MUTANTS?” Brian couldn’t believe his ears. “Right in our faces?”

“It is a corporate thing, like everything else in government.” T said calmly, doing his best not to get his twin all riled up.

“And they’re cloning humans?” Half question, half statement.

“No, corporations cannot do that legally.” 

“You mean there are morals out there after all?” Brian had hope. 

“No, not exactly. Your Constitution forbids it.” 

“Forbids cloning? I don’t think so. I mean I doubt any of the founding fathers even knew what the word cloning meant back then.” 

“Maybe not, but they did understand the term ‘slavery.’ And the fact that all men were created equally.”

“Oh. Slavery’s not legal in America?”  Brian asked sarcastically.

“No.” 

“Could’ve fooled me.” Brian’s tongue was placed firmly in his cheek. “And the only reason to clone humans is to make slaves?” 

“Can you think of any other?” 

“Well, yeh, to produce organs and limbs to use in transplants and maybe to send them off to war to get killed instead of us.” Brian’s got a ton of sci-fi movie clips zipping through his mind.

“You mean, like slaves?” 

“Oh.” Brian came back to Earth. “I see your point.” ‘So much for hope.’ He thought. 

“Transgenic mutations, Brian - taking the DNA out of one being and mixing it with another, to create something completely new.” 

“Playing God.” Brian said with disgust. 

“Playing God.” T agreed. “Nice set-up, is it not?” 

“What a conspiracy. EVERYTHING’S A CONSPIRACY!!” Brian threw his hands into the air. 

“It is rather ingenious when you think about it – an alien race using alien technology to get indigenous people to generate fear, in order to wipe themselves out.” T smiled. 

“I really feel dumb inside.” Brian rubbed his stomach. 

“But realize Brian, every time you get mad, every time you raise your fists in fear of fear, you are doing the Lizzies’ bidding.” 

“And their bidding is the generation of fear.” Brian confirmed. 

“100 percent.” T confirmed. 

“So how do we beat them? How can we survive their onslaught?” Brian had already lost the battle.

“By beating them over their thick, scaly heads and between their beady, narrow eyes” T paused, “… with love. Hit them with love so hard, so often, that they cannot stand it anymore.” 

“Really? Seems awful simple. And what about the Grays?” Brian felt like he was cruising the rapids without a paddle. 

“You have to love them, too, brother. I mean after all, they are dying. They see a light in you that you are not using, so they think that you will not mind if they take it from you for their own survival. Look at it from their perspective, if you say no, they are dead.  And besides, there is nothing that the Grays have done to humans that your own government has not already done to you. So how can they see their actions as something that is wrong, if humans are already allowing it?” 

“Well, it’s my Light and I’m going to keep it in me, thank you very much.” 

“Brian, it cannot work that way. God cannot be physically taken out of one being and put into another being. That is simply impossible. Somehow, some way the Grays are going to have to forego their faith in technology and find a new faith in God. That is the only way they are going to live through this. Otherwise, they are already as good as dead.” 

“Kind of sad when you put it that way.” Brian said in a low tone.

“Not everything is what it claims or seems to be, brother.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“It appears that the bad Grays are only trying to do a good thing and come to God. And it appears that the ones who are disguising themselves as people acting like God are actually the ones who are not to be trusted.” 

Just then another luminous object zipped across the sky, then it took off in a completely opposite direction. 

“You think that guy we saw today was a Lizzy?” 

“We will soon find out, brother. I am going to sleep now – you stay up as long as you want.” 

“I don’t think I can sleep knowing that this cosmic conspiracy is going on, right here, right now on my planet.” 

“Well, I tell you what brother, if you think you can do anything about it - all by yourself – then I wish you a safe journey. If not, I will see you in the morning after a good night’s sleep.” T pulled his blanket up to cover his face. 

Brian just sat there awake, feeling alone in the darkness.

The morning sun shined brightly on the brothers, as they began to move around from their deep sleep. “Good morning, brother.” T yawned as he pulled his blanket off and threw it in the back seat. “I am going to stretch.” 

“Wait for me.” Brian yawned back. “I guess I better start doing this stuff some time.” Then he jumped out and joined his brother, leaning on the hood of the car. “I had some tremulous dreams last night, as Jimmy Buffet would say, but I just can’t remember them.” 

“Next time before you go to bed, just tell yourself that you will remember them in the morning. Start taking charge of your life Brian, you will be amazed at how many things you actually are in control of.” T smiled. After stretching for about ten minutes, T pointed back to the highway. “That is enough, time to go.” 

“Are we still going north?” Brian asked, as he jumped back in his car. 

“Yes, we will now head up to Colorado."

"Alright!"  Brian punched the sky.  I've always wanted to see Colorado."

“Me, too.” 

It took a little over 8 hours of driving through Santa Fe and Taos and slowly winding their way through endless miles of New Mexico scrub land, for Brian to see the green welcome sign. “Welcome to Colorful Colorado!” A happy driver yelled out as he read the sign. 

“Thank you, Brian. I wish to welcome you, too.”  An equally happy passenger replied.

“Ya’ know T, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about everything that’s happened on this trip and I feel like it’s all preparing me to face what's to come.” 

“So that is why you have been so quiet? I wondered.”  8 hours is a long time to be pondering things. But the things Brian pondered, were rather important lessons learned. T thought of a song from Dan Fogelberg that Brian liked and spoke them to him. “Lessons learned are like bridges burned, you only have to cross them but once.”

“You knew.” Brian had the same lyrics rolling through his mind. “You always know!” Brian smiled, seeing through his twin’s courteous nature. 

“You never let me off the hook, do you?” 

“NO.  Why should I?” Brian snapped back. “If I can’t hold you to your own standards, than I have no standards, of my own, to raise myself up to you with. Which is basically what’s happening with all these lessons.” 

“Oh? And what standards are those, my wise brother?” T was interesting in hearing what these self-imposed standards are.

“Well, let’s count them, shall we?” Here comes 8 hours of pondering. “First in Orlando, I came to realize that I have a family disguised as my enemies and they’re all here to help me remember that.” That court thing was still fresh in Brian’s mind.

“Okay.” 

“Then, on the way to New Orleans I found out about prejudices that I wasn’t even aware of, because everyone else has the same prejudices.”

“Those Cajuns sure are nice people.” T smiled. 

“Hey, I feel bad enough already. Don’t make it worse!” 

T started to speak and Brian abruptly put his fingers to his brother’s mouth. “Shhh. Now let’s see…” Brian’s one-track mind continued chugging along. “Then you used things outside of me in San Antonio to teach me how connected I am to the world and how it shows its truth to me everyday.” Brian slowly removed his hand as he spoke. 

“Yes, and I especially liked your defense of me when your friend Alan asked me if I was a nutcase.” T grinned from ear to ear. 

“He ridiculed you!” 

“No… he asked me a question.” 

Brian quickly opened his mouth to defend his position and T just as quickly placed his hand over his brother’s mouth. “Shhh. …A question that YOU did not even give me a chance to answer. I did not take offense to the question; I DO NOT EVER TAKE OFFENSE TO A QUESTION. But you did.” T then removed his hand. 

Brian filled in the blanks. “And I imposed my will.” 

“And you imposed your will. Because you perceived a non-threat as a threat and felt you needed to stand up to it.” 

“Man.” Then Brian thought for a moment. “You might as well have been talking about my feelings towards government.” 

“Who says I was not?” T’s eyes got real big. 

“Oh.” Brian paused to get back on that track. “Like I said, you used stuff outside of me to help me to see ME as who I really am.” 

“You are what you do. And what you eat.” T added.

“Oh, then there was that State Trooper. I got a warning because you said ‘cancel, cancel’.” 

“More like because, you treated him like family.” T responded with great feeling. “My, your memory is good this morning, oh....” Brian cut T off. 

“Cut that grasshopper crap! I think I’ve evolved a little past that.”  Brian again felt dissed.

“Now how did you know I was going to say grasshopper, oh Master?”  T had a quizzical look on his face.

“From history. I thought you were going to say it because you’ve said it before.”  Brian blurted out without even a pause.

“Do you often base your future on your past?” Time for class.

Brian thought about that for a minute. “Okay, you got me on that one. Then let’s see, in Roswell I learned that the alien-looking ones are only looking for God and the ones that look like us are only looking for trouble.” 

“Wow! You have learned a lot!” T exclaimed. 

“No doubt. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I’m not the same person right now that I was less than a week ago.” 

“Well, since your body does constantly regenerate new cells every second of every day, I would say that you are probably right.” 

“No, I mean the way I feel. Not so dense.” 

“Brian, pull off the road up here, just onto the shoulder. There is something I want to show you.” T pointed. 

“Does it have to do with water? Because if it does, I’m going to put on my raincoat!” While Brian slowed down on the shoulder, he blindly reached behind himself, trying to find his raincoat. 

T intercepted his arm. “No, no water, this time.” Then he opened the glove box, reached in and pulled out an old broken pencil, a string and a 3/8” socket. 

“Where are you finding all this stuff? Where the heck are you getting it from?!” Brian surprisingly sounded frustrated.

T wasn’t sure why his brother was acting this way. “I am only going to Nature for the answers.” He gingerly responded. 

“No.” Brian shook his head and pointed to the glove box. “I don’t EVER remember seein’ all that stuff in there. I mean you just keep pullin’ it out!” 

“Like I said, I am only going to Nature to find the answers. And your nature is to unconsciously leave things lying around that you know you will need sometime in the future. And the spot you leave it is exactly the same place you will need to use it.” 

“My brother thinks I’m a slob.” Brian said lowly, remembering the times he’s been reminded about his untidy ways. 

“There is a difference between being a slob and being someone enlightened enough to prepare for the future.” 

“Thanks, but Giuseppe still thinks I’m a slob.” Brian thought of all those times he visited and could only find a spotless house and everything in its place.  Two things that Brian has struggled with his whole life. "Can’t really blame him, though." Brian affirmed his untidiness, seeing all the times he refused to clean up after himself. While also seeing everything his brother has, which is totally spotless and seems to last forever. "I know he means well."   Giuseppe has always been someone that Brian has looked up to and tried to keep to his standards.  He knows that without his older brother, he would not be half the man he is today.

“Perspectives.” T then loosely knotted one end of the string to the center of the pencil, and then knotted the other to the socket. Then he held the pencil end between his thumb and forefinger and began moving his wrist in a circular fashion. The socket began swinging very fast around the pencil. 

“Hey man, that socket flies off and hits me, I’m suing.” Brian sarcastically said, with a little tongue in cheek. 

“Typical thinking.” T said to himself. Then he stopped swinging the string and caught the socket with his left hand. 

Brian noticed the look of disgust on his brother’s face. “I was only joking.” He stretched out his hand to touch T’s shoulder. “You know, a joke?  And besides, I’m sure that enlightened beings never have accidents, anyway.” He pulled his arm back. 

“You are right brother, but actually, there are no such things as accidents or coincidences. Whatever happens to people in this universe was drawn to them, BY THEM. In other words, what you are experiencing is all YOUR FAULT. So if this socket does fly off and hit you, then you willed it to happen, because for some reason, you needed to learn the lesson from it hitting you.” 

“Really? Sounds like you’re shirking your responsibilities.” 

“No, it sounds like you are shirking your responsibilities. So stop saying that you are going to sue someone for something that has not even happened yet – unless, of course, you want it to happen.” T often wondered how long he was going to have to suffer his twin’s ignorance.

“No way.” Brian threw his arms up in defense. “I’ve had my fair share of court rooms. And if I never see another one, it’ll be way too soon! And that goes for lawyers, too.” 

“Amen to that. Now let us try this again.” With T barely moving his wrist, he was able to get the socket really spinning around the pencil again. “Brian, which is more denser, something that is moving fast or something that is barely moving.” 

‘More denser?’  Brian immediately envisioned water being stored in an ice cube tray resting on a shelf inside his refrigerator freezer. Then he remembered Mr. Aldrich’s science class, where he had a beaker of water resting above the flame of a Bunsen burner, with steam bubbles rising up from the bottom and going out of the top. “Ice.” He responded. 

T gave his brother a look of confusion. 

“Er, I mean something that’s barely moving. Things that move faster are less dense.” 

“Like steam?” T smiled, making the mental connection. 

“Yeh, exactly.” Brian grudgingly admitted. 

“Now look at the pencil, string and socket as it if were one object. Which is moving faster, the knot tied to the pencil or the socket?” 

“That’s easy, the socket!” Brian exclaimed. “I mean heck, that knot is barely moving, compared to the socket. How do you do that without moving your wrist?” Brian was fascinated with his brother’s sleight of hand. 

“Pay attention.” T got his brother’s awareness back to where it’s supposed to be. “Now, you are saying that right now as these items are spinning around, that the metal socket is less dense than that cotton knot that is holding the string to the pencil?” 

“I guess so. But I’m sure if I asked that socket to hit me, it would still feel pretty dense.” Brian smiled a guarded smile. 

T stopped swinging the socket and again caught it in his left hand. Then he held the pencil up to the bridge of Brian’s nose, positioning it straight on, pointing it at that very spot. Brian did his best to not get cross-eyed.

“Now I want you to see this pencil, as the very center of the core of the Earth and the string tied to it as the outer edge of that core.” Then T took the pencil and nut and pulled them apart, tightening the string into a straight line. “The length of string represents the radius of the Earth, and the socket represents the highest mountain peaks on the Earth. Are you with me?” 

“Yeh?” Brian momentarily gazed into the distance behind T. “Man there sure are some big ones here.” 

T started swinging the socket again. “Can you see how much more distance the highest mountains have to cover to make one revolution, than the rest of the Earth, or even its core?” 

“No doubt! The string tied to the pencil is hardly moving.” 

“Do you see that as you move from the center on out, that the string and socket start becoming transparent, almost disappearing?” T was justa’ spinnin’ away.

“Yeh, I sure do.” 

“What does that tell you about density?” T slowed the spinning and caught the socket in his hand.

“That the farther out you move from the core, the less dense it is. Man, the core must be hard as a rock and these rocks,” Brian pointed to some mountains, “must be light as a feather!” 

“Almost.” T joined in his brother’s vision. “The Earth’s core is actually a ball of iron crystal, so dense, that nothing in this universe is denser.” 

“It’s dense crystal?” 

“Uh-huh. And as you move out from the core, everything becomes less denser.” 

“Less denser? Is that even a word?” He was surprised at his twin’s word usage.

“It works here, does it not?” 

“Man, I never realized.” Brian’s awareness suddenly took him to the center of the Earth, where he saw an enormous ball of lead crystal, effortlessly suspended in the calm air surrounding it. Then his awareness took him to Mount Everest, the highest spot on Earth, where the wind NEVER stops blowing. “How come they don’t ever teach this stuff in science class?” 

“So Brian, people who live here in Colorado, are they more denser or less denser than the people who live, say, in Orlando.” 

That one caught Brian off guard and made him think for a minute. “Well, shoot, the people here have to be way less denser!” He keyed in on his brother’s word, and then thought of all the shenanigans going on in his hometown, lately. ‘Man, those people are way more denser.’ Brian thought to himself. 

“As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm. As is the speed of movement, so goes the speed of thought.” T said. 

“So, the higher up you go in elevation, the less denser the thinking is, too?” Brian’s mind was certainly swimming in uncharted waters. 

“What about the water and air and all the rest of the animals, AND PLANTS? Do you think they are effected, too?” T wanted to broaden his brother’s awareness.

“Well sure. I guess the speed that everything’s traveling at up here pretty much affects everything that lives here. And I guess the same goes for the slower speed of Orlando, too.” Brian’s brain was working overtime. 

“How do you feel about that?” 

“It feels right. I mean, the more I think about it, the more my thoughts have changed on this trip as we’ve gained elevation. Not to mention I’ve started seeing everything a little differently than I used to. Wow, the way I used to see things back in Florida…” Brian paused and contemplated all the chaos he left behind. “I don’t think I want to go back.” 

“You will in time, brother.” T reassured his twin. “Do you understand now how density works on this planet and affects everything on it?” 

“So there’s no density up here? No darkness?” 

“Brian, remember what the yin/yang symbol looks like?” 

“Yeh, it’s a circle that’s half black and half white.” 

“But do not forget that within the black is a speck of white and within the white is a speck of black.” 

“Okay?” Brian seemed lost. 

“No matter where you go, there will always be that speck. When you are in the middle of darkness, there will ALWAYS be a light shining. When you think that you are in the middle of the light, there will ALWAYS be that speck of darkness, which like a needle in a haystack, will always prick you when you least expect it.” 

“Well, I like the way it feels up here. It’s…” Brian was searching for the right phrase to describe his feelings. “Less denser.” He smiled. “Are we done now? Can we continue on?” 

“Yes, it is time to go.” T motioned for Brian to get back on the road. 

Up ahead a road sign indicated ‘San Luis, the oldest city in Colorado - 22 miles.’ “Look.” T pointed. 

“Is that where we’re going?” 

“No, not quite; we will be stopping a little before there, at a place called Wild Horse Mesa.” 

“Sounds awesome.” 

“It is, at least what I have visualized of it.”

“Have you never been to any of these places?” Brian seemed puzzled. “Have you only seen them in your visions?” 

“My dreams. I have seen them all in my dreams.” 

“Man, you have pretty thorough dreams, don’t you?” Brian could only think that his dreams were in scratchy black and white, while his brother’s, were in living 3D Panacolor. 

“It comes with forty years of training and practice, my brother.” T then noticed the huge hand-painted sign up to the right in a field, ‘WILD HORSE MESA – land for sale, next right.’ “That, is it!” T exclaimed with rare emotion. “That is where we are going. Turn there.” 

As they pulled off HIghway 159, onto County Road F, Brian eyes followed the rocky dirt road as it wound up the side of a 300-foot-high butte. “Ya’ know my car has four wheels, but they don’t all drive.” He said with trepidation. “Are we gonna’ be able to make it up there?” 

“Faith, Brian. Have faith. I have already seen us up there, so we must be able to make it.” 

As Brian slowly drove over the twisting, elevating, rocky road, he looked back over his left shoulder and saw an incredible expanse of valley that was bordered on both sides by mountain ranges. “T, check it out.” 

“Yes, that is the San Luis valley, brother, the largest single aquifer in the world. It would grow nuts and bolts if you had the seeds to plant them.” 

“It’s huge.” 

“Someday brother, that valley is going to feed the world. People from all over this planet are going to come here. It is a very sacred place.” 

Just then, the car crested the butte and the brothers found themselves sitting on a tabletop. All Brian could see was acre upon acre of sagebrush - and a few trailers. “People live up here?” 

“Yes, real Americans, I would say.” 

“Survivors is what I’d call ‘em."  Brian surveyed the land.  "Man, there’s nothing up here but fifty billion tons of sage - no poles for utilities, no water tower, no nothin’.”

“But it is the most potent sage in the world.” T took in a deep breath. 

“Really? What do you use it for?” 

“Smudging.” 

Brian was completely lost. 

“You burn it and a waft it over you to cleanse your Spirit and bring peace to your Being.” T’s hands were motioning as he spoke. “We will be cutting off some before we leave. It will make for a good offering.” 

“Ta' who, a Medicine Man?” Brian joked. 

T paused for a moment and then a big smile came to his face. “You might say that.” By now the sun was about to set behind the brothers and T knew that this sunset was going to be the best one of them all – so far. “Stop here.” He touched his brother’s leg. 

“Right here?” 

“Yes, stop. Just leave the car setting right here, no one is going to be using this road for the next few minutes.” T got out and started walking back to where the road crested the butte. 

“Hey, where you goin’?” Brian jumped out and ran to catch up with his brother. “T, what are we doing?” 

T turned to his brother, put his right arm around his twin’s shoulders and ever so gracefully waived his left arm in front of them. “Behold.” 

As the ground gave way to the horizon, Brian witnessed a painting that Bob Ross himself would have stood in line to see painted. Never had the colors been more vibrant in his eyes than at that moment in his life, that single awesome awestruck moment when God came to Earth in the forms of water, light and soul-moving colors. 

As the twins stood there, they watched wisps of clouds turn shades of red and orange and yellow and green and blue and indigo and violet. Larger clouds had such a striking contrast between black and white that it made looking at the white virtually impossible, without thinking that somehow damage could be done. The mountainous horizon looked like the arm of a pair of crimping sheers turned cutting side up. Slowly as the mountains turned to black, the fire in the sky came to life. 

‘Rocky Mountain high. This is a rocky mountain high!’ Brian thought to himself. ‘Man John, you really knew what you were singing about.’ Tears of joy filled his eyes. He always loved that song.

T’s eyes also filled with tears, for at that moment in his brief existence on this 3rd dimensional plane, Theoneius Obson knew he was witnessing in person, for real, that which he’d dreamed about all his life. He knew that soon, he could see no more of these the way he is now, and took every chance he could to see it, hear it, smell it and touch it. “How precious time is. And no one on this Earth realizes that it is almost over. And this will all be gone.” Theoneius had tears running down his cheeks. 

At that moment Brian noticed his brother’s tears and he put his arm around him. “Man, T, I love you so much. If it weren’t for you, I’d have never known something like this even exists. I was so caught up in my world, that I didn’t even take the time to see God in all His beauty. I’m so stupid. I’m so sorry.” Brian was really feeling inside, what his eyes were witnessing outside. 

T turned to face his twin and wiped his eyes dry. “Let me tell you what is most important brother, and it is something that is a whole lot more important than this moment, right here, right now. You know what that is? It is that you and I are finally back together. We are one, again!” T cried for joy. “You are the most important thing to me in the whole world, and all I could do was dream about you for 40 years. Forty years!” T cried to the heavens. “Only now, was I set free to come and see you - to get you to come and experience all this with me. I mean how could I really enjoy it if I did not have you to enjoy it with? Besides, being alone is horrible. It really is.” T lowly shook his head. “To only sit back and dream about my twin. Man, I wanted to touch you so bad. I wanted to get to you so bad, so fast. Once they let me out, that was it. It took exactly the blink of one eye for me to reach you. No bus, no train, no plane could have gotten me to you any faster. And no one is more grateful to God Almighty than I am, for allowing me the opportunity to stand here and do this with you. No body.” T fell to his knees. “Thank you, Father. Thank you with all my hearts.” 

Just then the clouds started turning the same indigo blue that the mountains had, just a few minutes earlier. Brian looked up from T to see the last ravages of what surely must have been the greatest battle ever fought, for the crimson blood red in the clouds bled all throughout them. “My God, this is beautiful!” Brian yelled out loud. “T, T.” He tugged at T’s shirt, trying to pull him up off the ground, so he too, could witness the magnificence of this moment. 

“No brother, no.” T pushed his hand away, “I have already experienced it.” Then T again lowered his head and put his hands back into the rocky soil his knees were already pressing into. 

For the next infinite moment, there was absolute silence. No birds chirped, no wind blew, no sign of man made itself known. The view before Brian took all that away. Brian somehow unconsciously connected with the sunset, the mountains and everything in between. He appeared to be caught up in a moment that stood outside of time…

Suddenly, Brian felt himself leave The Infinite and get sucked back into his limited finite body. “Wow.” He was totally stunned. “Man T, that was THE MOST intense thing I’ve ever been through.” 

“Me, too, my twin. Me, too.” Theoneius then struggled to his feet, feeling like a wrung-out dishrag. “Let us go back to the car.” T grabbed ahold of Brian’s shirtsleeve to hold himself up. 

As the twins turned around, Brian noticed how dark it had gotten. “Man, it’s gotten a lot darker than what I thought. We’d better hurry.” The brothers quickened their pace back to the car. “Where are we going to up here?” 

“Not very far from here. Just up here at the crossroads. Maybe a half a mile or so.” T sounded completely out of energy. 

The brothers got in, Brian started the car and turned on the headlights. “Whshew, sure did get dark up here fast. So, where’s these crossroads?” Brian looked ahead intently. 

T didn’t have the strength to speak, he could only point forward. 

Just as Brian was about to pull away from the shoulder, a car came up from behind and flashed its lights. “Whoa.” Brian realized his haste had almost caused an accident. 

“Follow that car.” T pointed. 

“Hey, great! Quite the coincidence.” Brian smiled with contentment and prepared to pull out. 

“No such thing as coincidences.” T said back lowly. 

“Right.” Brian shook his head in agreement, having temporarily forgotten that. “Man, he’s got some really bright lights, they’re really lightin’ up the whole area.” 

“Pull off to the right just after making this left.” T was pointing over Brian’s right shoulder. 

As they pulled over, they noticed the lights of the car in front of them fading off into the hillside, as it kept going on its journey. “Thank you!” Brian yelled out and waived. 

‘Good deal.’ T thought to himself. He knew it was time to start getting his strength back, so he asked, “Now how about…” 

“Yes. Absolutely.” Brian agreed, having made the psychic connection. “After what I just went through, I’ll take two.” 

“Me, too.” T connected back, as he flipped the lid off the cooler in the back seat. 

“Don’t forget the water.” Brian reminded his twin. 

“No. With peanut butter, you cannot EVER forget the water.” 

Over the next hour or so, the twins sat in their seats doing their best to get their strength back. “Man, ya’ know T, you might have something here with these PB and Js, but don’t you have anything other than wheat or rye?” 

“No.” 

“No sourdough or pumpernickel or sesame seed dill or cracklin’ oat raisin walnut berry?” 

“Nope.” 

“Why not?” 

“One cannot really get any more basic than wheat or rye. And besides, with all the other kinds, there are just too many additives – too much stuff. I think it is best to keep things simple, basic; like wheat – rye. Single syllables. No need to go to school for that.” 

“I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere, but right now I’m just too tired to try and figure it out.” Brian yawned.

"All of life is but simple metaphor, Brian.  No kidding. If you look closely enough, you will see that." 

“You know I’m starting to get the feeling that we’re about to enter into another lesson. Why do you suppose that is?” 

“You are my twin, my self. Who else but you to figure out my feelings?” 

“Are you feeling my feelings now?” 

“Yes, you need to go to the bathroom.” 

“Man, you’re good.” Brian opened the car door and started to get out. T grabbed his arm. 

“Look out for the fire ants brother, they do not forgive.” He pointed to a mound that was illuminated as he turned on the headlights. Rather large mean looking critters were running all over it. 

“Colorado has fire ants?” Brian saw the mound. “Whoa!” His eyes opened wide. “Thanks for showing me, brother.” 

“What is a twin for?” T smiled. 

Brian then gingerly walked to a point about 10 feet in front of the car and proceeded to take care of business. ‘These things better not be fast climbers.’ He thought to himself, also considering the accompanying excruciating pain, if they were.

T laughed.

“Hey, no laughing. I don’t laugh at you.” 

“Maybe you should.” 

After a zip and a few carefully placed footfalls, Brian got back into the car, wiping off anything unauthorized.

T reached into the back seat and grabbed a couple of blankets and handed one to his twin. “Might get breezy out here tonight.” After wrapping up, T sat up and reached into the glove box. 

“What are you gonna’ do now, pull out a telescope?” Brian sarcastically asked.

“You could say that.” T then pulled out a pair of binoculars. 

“Hey, my binoculars. I’ve been lookin’ all over the place for them! And they've been in the glove box the whole time.” 

“See? You left them right where you knew that you needed them.” 

“Where you needed them.” Brian corrected. 

“No need to mince words.” T wiped the lenses with his cotton flannel shirt. Then he took a moment to really study the compartment in front of him. “They do not make glove boxes like this anymore, do they?” His hand was moving around in its spaciousness. 

Brian was taking a drink of the distilled water. “They don’t make anything as good as they used to.” Then he took a few more sips. “That’s why I drive ol’ Bubba here. It’ll be a long time before Detroit goes back to building cars.” He stroked the well-worn vinyl seat. 

“Bubba? You call your car Bubba? You gave it a name?” T’s questions gave Brian a start. He wasn’t used to this tone from his twin. 

“Well… yeh.” Brian sheepishly defended himself. Then his courage came out. “Yeh, I’ve named my car Bubba. I treat him like he’s one of my family. I LOVE HIM. And if you want to ridicule my family’s name, then you’re ridiculing me.” Brian made his stand. 

“Brian, I am not ridiculing anything.” T calmly stated. 

“But…” 

“Wait.” T gently cut his brother off. “I said nothing to ridicule.” 

“No, it’s just the way you said it.” 

“Exactly. I only talked like that to see your response from giving you the appearance that you thought I was.” 

“Why, for gosh sakes?  Of all things. I hate ridicule. I’ve been ridiculed all my life and it sucks. That’s why I can’t stand to even be around it, even if it’s about somebody else. T, I just don’t get it. You of all people.”

“People who you perceive to be ridiculing you only exist to give you the opportunity to display self-confidence and self-respect – in other words, self-worth - so you can finally figure out that you ARE worth fighting for. Because until you show it, you do not know it. But now that you have shown it, you have shown yourself that you know it.” 

“Shown myself?” 

“Yes, it was your initial perception that it was ridicule that made it ridicule – to you.” 

“Man, I’m lost now. I did this to me?” Here we go again. ‘Man, what the hell have I done right?’ He thought. His humility factor is increasing exponentially.

“Yes, you tested yourself to find out if you had the power to overcome your perceptions of ridicule. So, your ego flung you in face first to make you taste it and then gave you a choice to fight over it, and you obliged. Because you needed to go through the lesson.  You did it to yourself. You always do, you know. You asked for it, you got it and you passed it. Congratulations. How do you feel?” 

“Like I just won a million bucks and have yet to see the money to prove it.” 

“Interesting analogy.” T paused. “What have you learned so far?” 

“That self-confidence and self-respect are self-generated out of self-worth.” 

“That is a lot of self.” 

“I know. I think I’ve been giving it away for far too long.” 

“Me, too.” T changed the subject. “Brian, do you remember when you asked me how many aliens were on the Earth?” 

“Yeh, you wouldn’t tell me, except to say ‘Many’.” 

“Would you like to meet a few of them this evening?” 

“What are you doing here?” A look of terror came over Brian’s face. “You’re scaring me. Stop scaring me.” The fear in his voice was clear. 

T was not expecting this level of uncertainty. 

Brian began pointing. “Look it’s pitch black out here, there ain’t a light in sight and who knows where anybody’s livin’ or even what they’re doin’ out here. I got fire ants over here and who knows what other creepy crawly things are runnin’ around out there?” Brian turned on the interior under dash lights.

“You fear them?” 

“Hey man, I ain’t sayin’ that I’m afraid, I’m only sayin’ that I can’t see a whole lot out here right now and the less that I do, the better off I’ll be.” Brian felt he had become acutely aware.

“Typical for fear. This is exactly what you did outside New Orleans to the Cajuns, and namely the Aberjous family.” T replied with disgust.

“No.” Brian defended himself. “Down there I KNEW who might be in the dark. And besides, what’s wrong with awareness?” Brian defended his position admirably. 

“That is not awareness. What you are demonstrating is paranoia.” 

“So… no brain suckers are out there?” Brian was stealthily looking around.

T laughed. “No. No brain suckers. You watch altogether too much television.” 

“So, they’re good guys?” Brian raised his eyebrows. 

“Yes, they are good guys. They call themselves Pleiadeans.” 

“That’s the Pleiades Stars you’re talkin’ about?”  

“Uh-huh.” 

“But that’s so far away, you mean they just go from there to here, like that?” Brian snapped his fingers. 

“Brian, they travel by the speed of thought, not the speed of light.” 

“They travel by thought?” That was a new concept to Brian. 

“Yes, the speed of thought is much faster than the speed of light.”

“Wow. What do they look like?” 

“Pretty much like you and me and many other people on this planet – maybe a little taller.” 

“But you said that those disguised as us shouldn’t be trusted.” 

“Believe me, Pleiadeans are not disguised as anything. They come as they are, up front and open. Nothing hidden.” 

“And they look just like us?” Brian’s fears, like bubbles in a fish tank, always rise to the surface.

“Maybe a little taller.” 

“Why are they here, T?”  Bubbles. Bubbles. Bubbles.

“Their main mission is to send light beams of love continuously into our atmosphere until we evolve to their vibration.” 

“So, they’re not on a star trek, but a love trek?” 

“You could say that.” 

“You know I really hate it when you say that – you never really fully answer my questions.” 

“Some answers you have to find out on your own.” T took a sip of water and passed the jug to his twin. 

“So how are we going to get them to come here, all the way from Pleiades?” Brian took a swig.

“Uhm Brian, they are already here.” T whispered. 

Brian blew his mouthful of water all over the inside of the windshield. “WHERE?!” He spun his head to look in all directions.

“Not here, not yet. Calm down. You so over-react.”  T pointed to the sky, “Up there. That is where they are. They are already up there.” 

“Hiding?” Brian was wiping his chin, looking for a paper towel to clean up the rest that made it to the windshield and dashboard. 

“You could say that.” T squinted. 

“Now cut that out. Are they hiding or not?” Found one.

“Look, they are up there purposely evading radar. There, does that make things clearer?” 

“Why? If they’re the good guys, how come they can’t all come at once to save us from ourselves?” Job done.

“Rule One of the Galactic Federation Handbook on First Contact for Earth: No culture will physically impose their culture upon the Earth from outside of it. All cultural change must come from within, lest you be blown to bits.” 

“Really? Blown to bits?” 

“Like Maldek.” T replied, like he was in a trance. 

“What?” 

T caught himself. “Uh, forget it. Yes. That is the Rule. And very few break it anymore.” 

“But the Lizzies. They’re coming in from the outside.” Brian didn’t understand. 

“Well, that is covered under the Articles of Free Will.” 

“Which say?” 

“The only way a culture can come in from the outside is when it is invited, either by thought, word or by deed. Culture emulation. That is the only way that coming in from the outside is tolerated.” 

“So, if we ask for it, we get it?” 

“Truer words have not ever been spoken.” 

“So, it’s wrong for the Pleiadeans to physically make themselves known to us, but it’s okay for them to sway us into believing in them and acting like them through thought-forms or beams of light?” 

“Absolutely on the mark, brother. But they are not the only ones testing that Free Will clause.” 

“Who else is loving us to death?”

“The Lizzies.” 

“Oh yeh, the Lizzies. They’re beaming fearful thoughts and the Pleiadeans are beaming loving ones.” 

“Kind of like yin and yang.” T offered.

“You could say that.” Brian proudly stated. 

“HA!” T laughed and pointed at his twin. 

“So, Lizzies are like lizards? They’re lizards?” Brian was trying to make sense of it all. 

“Well, I think reptiles are a better description.” 

“You mean, like snakes and crocodiles and lizards…” 

“And dinosaurs.” T finished. 

“Holy cow, you mean all those fossils are…” 

“That’s right. They are all from them.” 

“And these Lizzies, they’re hell bent on destroying us, right?” 

“Uh-huh. Through fear.” 

“And because of a clause in some Free Will Article, the Galactic Federation is going to stand back and watch us get destroyed?” 

“Or succeed.” 

“Or succeed? Against a superior mind? Against probably superior strength, superior weapons and everything else that I can make myself feel small standing next to?” So many bubbles. 

“You have forgotten the greatest of all allies.” 

“Who?” 

“The Light Beings.”

“Huh?” 

T pointed at Brian. “You.” 

“I’m going to save the planet?” Brian was in shock. 

“Each Light Being here on Earth can do it in their own way. Look, Lizzies did not come in from the outside, in total, that is. They came in one at a time and worked their way up to some of the highest positions of authority in the world. For every person they destroyed to get there, 100 humans were there supporting them the whole way. And now they have gotten so powerful, that humans will do anything for them as long they feel safe and secure around them.” 

“Now what on Earth could a Lizzy use as an incentive for humans to destroy themselves?” Brian couldn’t make the connection. 

“Money.” T calmly replied.

“Money? We invented that.”