Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear (23 page)

THE TEN OF THEM gathered around Teresa’s gorgeously aged, mismatched wood table, though they had to move aside several stacks of books to make enough space. Even so, the dining room didn’t seem cramped or uncomfortable to Jack. Instead, his seat, though wobbly, felt soft and inviting.

Teresa took her place. With a low voice, she spoke. “And so they gather on this day. The Children of the Blue Crystal, and their magical Power Protectors.”

Jack turned to Takota, then again to Teresa.

“We are truly blessed to have you here, friends,” she gazed at each of them. “Ayita—brave and noble, gifted with innate awareness. A seer and a warrior. And of course, Pud. Ah, Pud. The laughter, the joy. You have inside of you the love of happiness, plus the ability to reduce complexity to its simplest forms. And Cheyton, the warrior. However, you know being a warrior is not only about fighting. It’s about showing strength, courage and wisdom. It’s about love and respect. And speaking of love, it’s Enola, the very embodiment of compassion and harmony, so powerful no wickedness can penetrate your charm. And finally, Takota. A special being, indeed. Takota, you are the focus for the rest of the Tanakee’s power.”

Silence, except for the monotonous
tick-tock
of a grandfather clock somewhere buried beneath a hill of books. No one said a word.

“And the children,” Teresa’s scrutiny fell upon Jack and Amelia. “The ones who will lead the universe away from the darkness threatening to swallow us all. You are the beacons of hope, our only hope left. Amelia. Like Ayita, you too have the gift of second sight. And you also possess more, don’t you? Much more.”

Amelia peeked about the table. Her eyes settled in front of her. She nodded.

“You must learn not to be ashamed or afraid of your gifts. Embrace them. The fate of the cosmos depends on it.”

Teresa focused on Jack. In the candlelight, he insisted she seemed decades younger. The wrinkles had disappeared, her skin shined, her irises glistened. She touched his hand. It tingled.

“Jack. The True Soul.”

Takota sat up. “True Soul?”

The Tanakee whispered to each other.

“What do you know about the True Soul?” Ayita asked.

Teresa’s smile widened. “Let me read,” she rifled through the clutter. “Now, where did I put that book? Ah!” She snatched a volume in the middle of a rather tall heap, sending several large tomes tumbling to the floor. She ignored the mess and placed the selected work on the tabletop. Bound in dog-eared parchment, it was simple enough. When she opened and read from it, though, something magical happened.

“One day when I was a girl, I got lost in the forest. As you can see, my house is in the woods, so it’s easy to become disoriented, especially when one is too young to know any better.”

While she read, Jack felt a cool breeze. Someone had left a window wide open. The candles flickered and captured his attention. Then he was shocked to notice the dining room walls crumbling to nothing. In fact, everything dissolved away. Teresa’s house, her VW van, her garden—all gone. In their places were tall, dense trees, the chirping of
chickadees,
and the chilly wind.

He blinked hard and searched the souls at the table in the middle of the woods. They all seemed surprised, too. Except Teresa. Calmly, she continued reading while the others sat stunned.

“The bright summer sun enticed me along, led me down a path I’d known well. The little stream that ran past our house marked my boundary, still I yearned to go further.”

Jack shook in disbelief when he saw a golden-haired little girl in a blue dress scamper alongside the table. He knew it was a much younger Teresa. Then she read on and he felt something light and feathery brush his chin.

“The largest butterfly I had ever seen flittered past. I held out my hand and it landed. Its tiny feet tickled my palm. Its whiskers swished against my wrist. It was magnificent, all white from its legs to its antennae. Butterflies are enchanted. Somehow we all know that, don’t we? I wanted to bring it back home and show everyone. It had other ideas. Chasing butterflies is something everyone should do. It’s good for the soul, and leads to magical things.”

The butterfly Teresa described in fact did go by, dancing above the little girl’s outstretched hands while her story played out in front of them.

“I chased it through a wide meadow carpeted with daisies, along a little brook, under a giant fallen log, and past wondrous waterfall.”

The table bumped, the chairs rocked their occupants, magically following the little girl as she sprinted through the dense bush.

“Each time it seemed I got close, the butterfly fluttered to another red alder branch, another blade of tall fescue, another pine needle just out of reach. Finally, it seemed to tire of the game and soared out of sight.”

The butterfly drifted away. Jack felt sorry for the girl. His sadness vaporized into fear when Teresa read the next lines.

“Then I realized I was lost. Never had I been that deep into the forest. The sun hid behind a thick line of Douglas-firs on the hill. A family of coyotes cried to the rising moon. Normally, the howling wouldn’t have bothered me. But alone and on unfamiliar ground with no idea which way to turn, it was terrifying.

“‘Who dares trespass in Wind Whisper Woods?’ the forest itself spoke.”

Jack jumped in his seat at the sound of the stranger. So did the others. They each scanned the woods, hearing every noise Teresa described.

“Something inside told me to be brave. So I was. ‘My, my name is Teresa,’ I said, and got no reply. The wind moaned. In the distance, a kingfisher called out its staccato cry. The half-moon grinned behind the trees. I was worried I’d never get home again. Not knowing where to go, I set off, hoping to find something I recognized. After a few steps, the voice spoke once more.

“‘You can’t go that way! Turn around. Go home!’

“‘I’m trying,’ I sniffled and changed directions. Didn’t make it far. Behind me, in the dense brush, I heard the sound of a dry twig snapping. Without thinking I ran as fast as my legs would move, still I heard the crackling get louder. And I heard new sounds. Panting, grunting, gnawing. I didn’t look. I couldn’t.”

Jack peered over his shoulder. He sensed a wild animal nearby. His stomach dropped when he saw the forest zip past. He watched and held his breath while Teresa’s words created real events.

“The tall grass rustled. Growling, jaws snapping, trees shaking. A large, powerful figure crashed through the undergrowth only a few feet from me. I saw penetrating, chartreuse eyes. The pupils grew wide. Then the lids narrowed into tiny slivers of black. It pounced, and I finally saw it was a cougar.

“She got to within inches when a ball of fuzz charged at her, hitting her square in the jaw. The force sent her spinning over me. She flipped to her feet, snarled, and limped into the brush.

“I looked for my rescuer and my heart skipped when I beheld the most amazing creature—tiny, covered in silver-tipped, russet fur, yet almost human with fingers and toes. His eyes were the color of the rising sun, with small patterns of strikingly green bare skin beneath each. He said his name was Orzabal, and that his kind was known as the Tanakee.”

A gasp rolled over the table. Jack saw a hint of veneration in Takota as he watched the graying and graceful Tanakee stand before the little girl. Lily smiled and pointed, yet she, same as everyone else, remained speechless, allowing Teresa to continue her living tale.

“His stare grew wide and distant. I felt a rush of wind, but there was no disturbance in the trees. Without words, Orzabal spoke, and told me of an invisible, omnipresent being that binds the entire universe. It holds all celestial bodies together in an unseen superstructure. The Tanakee call it, Eteea.

“He told me also of an insidious, gluttonous entity that has gotten out of control. Normally, this shadowy monster is kept in check, held at bay by Eteea, but the beast has escaped its cage, and it’s running amok, tearing apart the universe and devouring its pieces. Its name—Essinis.

“I learned of a centuries-old cosmic war, a war in which Tanakee and humans have united to stop Essinis.

“‘It will be your job to pass this on, Teresa Tree,’ at last he said out loud.”

Jack and the other spectators reacted to the sound of Orzabal’s soaring yet somehow elusive voice.

“‘You will wait for the arrival of the True Soul and his protector. Then you will tell them this story.’”

Teresa lifted her eyes from the pages, and in one quick motion slammed the book closed. In that instant, the little blonde girl, wise old Orzabal, the giant evergreens and vast forest rippled and stretched and faded to dust. The dining room walls reformed from the particles in the air and, just like that, the dinner guests were sitting inside Teresa’s country cottage once more. Jack scanned the room. Same red textured wallcovering, same vintage family photos in ornamental frames, same stacks and stacks and stacks of books.

Though the trip into Teresa’s story made for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Jack felt relieved to be in the normal world again. A glance at the faces told him the others had the same feeling. Especially his mom. Liz inspected him, then Lily, making sure they were okay.

“One more thing Orzabal said,” Teresa redirected everyone’s attention toward her. “Essinis wants to destroy anyone who would stand in its way. To do this, it has enlisted the Nagas, loathsome yet powerful beings that can change shape at will. They slip into the shadows, making themselves one with the darkness, and they influence the minds of humans. Many people on this earth are under their sway.

“The time is near. The arrival of the True Soul and his Power Protector tells us this. It was no coincidence—Takota and Jack—that you two met. Just like it was no coincidence the Tanakee from the Lost Tribes found their way to Winmart, and that Amelia’s family moved to Willow.

“Jack, Amelia. You will lead the Children of the Blue Crystal. You will discover the powers of the Eteea machines, powers beyond the comprehension of known science. Your clairvoyance, telepathy and telekinesis will increase, and you will be able to communicate with others who possess the same abilities. You will become more sensitive to the changes all around us, recognizing shifts in weather patterns, geological activity and, most importantly, celestial events. You will make miracles happen. But first, you must believe. You must understand and you must believe.”

Teresa let the rest of the air out of her lungs. She dropped her shoulders and looked at her lap. Her advanced age began to show. Jack had no words. No one did.

Finally, his mother broke the hush.

“Listen, lady…”

“Teresa,”

“Lady, I don’t know if you realize, but Jack and Amelia—they’re just kids. My son is only in the fifth grade. And these
protectors?
They’re practically teddy bears…I know, I know,” she waved at Cheyton. “You’re not teddy bears, but come on. Do you really think this is true?” she considered her son. “Do you really think you guys can save the universe?”

Jack added, “She’s right. What can
we
do? How are we supposed to fight off this Essinis?”

“And I’m not so sure about Eteea,” said Takota. “It only comes and goes in flashes. That’s not gonna cut it against those shadow people, the Nagas.”

“We’ll fight them, and we don’t need any humans to help us, either,” Cheyton punched his hand. “I’m tired of running from them, the Nagas, or whoever they are. I don’t care what they can do. It’s time to stand up to them once and for all.”

Teresa leaned closer. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking the Nagas might be easy to handle. They’re clever, particularly the one who calls himself Davos Mann.”

“Davos Mann,” Amelia squared her shoulders. “Who’s that?”

“Davos has been tormenting the human race for centuries. He has his own power, derived from Essinis. And as Essinis grows, his influence grows.”

“Essinis, the Nagas, Davos,” Ayita said. “That explains the dark visions I’ve been having for so long. Dreams of terrible desolation. That has to be it.”

Jack lifted his palms. “But how can we stop them? Mom’s right, this is crazy. We can’t defend the universe.”

Teresa smiled. “Jack, you might be forgetting one very important detail. Think for a minute. What do you have that makes you unique, different than any other person in the world?”

He skewed his head. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you have something in your coat? Something you don’t want me to see?”

He hesitated, then took the O/A out of his pocket. As he placed it in front of him, Teresa’s smile widened.

“May I?” she held out her hand. Without waiting for an answer, she picked it up and marveled. She ran her fingers along the smooth, shiny exterior. Jack knew what she was feeling, a slight tingling and a force similar to magnetic attraction. A silent, gentle, unseen embrace, connecting with the user’s mind.

Teresa’s pupils enlarged. The candles flickered. She stepped back, the O/A in her hands. It pulsed with color and light, fading in and out. Then she placed it on the table.

Jack grabbed the device. “What’s wrong?”

“Every few hundred generations comes a time when mankind is ready to make a leap spiritually and technologically. The time is coming for the species to evolve, to advance. And it’s our job to make sure that happens. That machine, Jack, is the key.”