The Children of Eternity (28 page)

The devil knew this well, and he used it against the multitude of humans condemned to his realm. The trick was to inflict brutal damage to the spiritual bodies of his victims at approximately the same rate at which they were capable of healing. Such an act of sadistic torture could be perpetuated almost indefinitely.

No, the saints of Heaven could not even conceive of such an ordeal. How could they possibly know what it was like to have the eternal nature of their spiritual bodies turned against them?

Had it not been for the act of kindness of the dark angel Abaddon, she might be there still. He had delivered her from her suffering; and during the ten years that followed, she did the same for so many others. They had become a thorn in Satan’s side—angels of mercy operating in the heart of Satan’s domain from a hidden fortress known only as Refuge. It was during just such a rescue mission, the most dangerous and selfless one of all, that her deliverance had come.

Now she was safe, beyond Satan’s grasp. Still, she felt like a woman without a country. She didn’t feel welcome in Heaven. So she lived alone, retired. The woman who had stood at the very center of the greatest of all struggles—the fight between good and evil—now sat on the sidelines. No, not even that. She wasn’t even in the arena. Her mansion stood amid the pine forest of a lonely northern valley, not 1,000 miles due south of this very wilderness. Periodically, she journeyed to the great City of Zion to commune with the Father, but otherwise she kept to herself.

Her mind returned to the present. She focused on a cloud of steam rising from the valley about a mile away. It was the hot springs, her destination.

“A penny for your thoughts,” said a voice to her right.

Bedillia looked over at her daughter and smiled. “Oh nothing, Serena. I was just daydreaming, that’s all.”

“About the Dark Continent, about Refuge?” asked Serena.

“Yeah, mostly,” replied Bedillia.

Though Serena was Bedillia’s daughter, they could well have been mistaken for sisters. Both had the appearance of women in their late-20s or perhaps 30.

“I only spent a day on the Dark Continent, a long time ago,” noted Serena, shivering slightly. “A very cold day. That was enough for me—more than enough really. Here we’re what, about seven hundred miles short of the North Pole?”

“About that,” replied Bedillia. “But within a couple of months this valley will undergo an almost magical transformation. The snows will melt away, retreating to the mountains. This frozen wasteland will be transformed into a rocky, green meadow carpeted with all manners of wild flowers.”

Serena laughed. “Now Mom, how would you know that? You weren’t here last spring.”

“I have it on good authority,” assured Bedillia. “You’re right. I’ve never seen it firsthand. Still, this is one of Aaron’s favorite haunts. He told me all about it, and angels don’t lie.”

“I guess they don’t, certainly not Aaron,” said Serena, who was shivering again. She was dressed every bit as warmly as Bedillia was, but in her case it didn’t seem to help.

“Are you OK, Serena?” Bedillia asked.

“Oh sure, Mom, I’m fine,” she replied. “I think I’m starting to get the knack of extreme cross country skiing.”

“Why do you call it extreme, dear?” asked Bedillia.

“Well, look at this place,” said Serena. “It’s got to be twenty or thirty below zero.”

“Eleven below, dear,” corrected Bedillia.

“I’d never imagined that there were places in Heaven this cold,” continued Serena. “Oh Mom, I’ve wanted to spend quality time with you for so very long, but you choose some pretty strange places to spend it. You know, there are some beautiful beaches on the shore of the Crystal Sea. The water is fresh water, not salt, and there is this wonderful sea breeze. It is so nice there…nice and warm.”

“You can have your tropical beaches,” said Bedillia, smiling broadly. “But this…this is the land where the true wonder of the Father’s creative hand shines forth. Every spring the miracle of life rises anew in shades of green, yellow, blue, and red. Then in the fall the snows sweep back in and the land sleeps once more. The story of creation is repeated again and again. And it is so quiet here, Serena. This is the place where I feel closest to the wonders of the Father’s hand…where I can think, contemplate.”

“That’s it, isn’t it, Mom?” said Serena. “You want solitude.”

Bedillia hesitated. “Yes, I guess I do.”

“You spend too much time alone,” continued Serena. “You need to get out more.”

“And go where?” asked Bedillia.

“Why don’t you visit Chris and me more often?” asked Serena. “We’d love to have you over. I know you don’t like warm climates, but we have such wonderful evenings.”

“I’ve been there,” replied Bedillia. “Your place is beautiful. I just want you young people to have time to yourselves. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal.”

“An ordeal that you rescued me from,” said Serena. “I need to have you with me now.”

Bedillia took Serena’s hand. “I
am
with you right now. I’m here whenever you need me.”

“Oh Mom,” gasped Serena, “you’ve gone and retired. The resistance still needs you.”

“They need me to do what?” asked Bedillia.

“To get back in the fight,” said Serena. “You’ve been to see Dr. Kepler and the others, what…one time? Your knowledge of the conflict in Hell makes you a valuable asset as an advisor, and they’re going to need plenty of advice during the next few months.”

“A valuable asset?” asked Bedillia. “Is that what I am now?”

Serena was absolutely flustered. “I just don’t understand why you’re being this way.”

“I’m being this way because I need time to heal too,” replied Bedillia. “You need to be patient—give me that time.”

Serena said no more. Bedillia could sense her frustration. She only hoped that it would pass. She so treasured this time she had with her daughter. She didn’t want anything to spoil it.

Several minutes of silence passed before Bedillia pointed toward the pillar of clouds rising from the snow and ice of the valley a couple miles away. “It looks like the hot spring is very active today. Oh, you’ve just got to see it, Serena, it’s breathtaking. It will only take about another hour to get there from here.”

“Why didn’t we just gate straight there?” asked Serena. “Why the long walk?”

Bedillia laughed. “Because, my dear daughter, much of the point of the sojourn is in the sojourn itself.”

“I suppose,” replied Serena, shivering once more. The journey continued.

The sun was sinking lower as they ascended the final low, rocky ridge and beheld the geyser field. It lay in a valley between two low, gently sloping ridges about half a mile apart. It wasn’t a large field of geysers—there were only three of them. A trace of snow was clinging to the top of the ridge on either side of the valley, but otherwise the valley itself was snow-free for about half a mile in either direction.

Between the many rocks and boulders, large amounts of green grass with an occasional yellow or blue wildflower could be seen. There were even a few small trees in their spring foliage dotting the landscape. Caribou, snowshoe rabbits, and other small animals grazed upon the plentiful grass. The land here seemed most incongruous amid the surrounding snowy terrain. Parts of the valley were occasionally enshrouded in mists that leaked from the three geysers at the valley’s barren, rocky center. A narrow, steaming stream led from there and flowed off to the west, leading to a frozen lake about a mile away. The air was noticeably warmer here, a fact that seemed to bode well with Serena.

“Was it worth the trip?” asked Bedillia, scanning the valley before them.

“Oh yeah,” said Serena, her smile beaming. “I’ve never seen anything like it outside of Yellowstone.” At that moment Serena caught sight of something that didn’t seem to quite belong. Two people were standing by the steamy stream, just to the west of the geyser field. She pointed.

“Yes,” confirmed Bedillia, “I see them too. Apparently, I’m not the only person who appreciates this place.”

The two individuals seem to have noticed Bedillia and Serena because they were now waving at them and moving in their direction. Bedillia and Serena returned the greeting.

“I wonder who they are,” said Serena.

“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough,” said Bedillia, removing her skis and beginning to walk in their direction.

A minute later the two individuals stepped into a column of blue mists, and then they materialized about 50 yards in front of the women a few seconds later. One appeared to be a man in his early 20s, while the other looked like a boy in his early teens. Wearing only light jackets, they didn’t seem particularly well-prepared for these arctic latitudes. They wore hiking boots and long trousers but no snow shoes. Apparently this island of warmth had been their only destination.

As the women approached, one of the two young men materialized a pair of hats for them to wear.

“Nice trick,” said Serena. “I want to learn how to do that.”

“Materialization isn’t easy,” cautioned Bedillia. “There were only a few people in Refuge who could do it, and that was with the help of a machine. I think these boys are improvising this arctic adventure as they go. That’s not such a great idea.”

As the two youths approached, Bedillia could discern their names—Christopher and Jerry. No, she was certain that she had not met either of them before.

“Bedillia Farnsworth and Serena Davis,” said the younger of the two, the one named Christopher. “Oh wow…this is really just such an honor to at last meet the two of you. I’m Christopher and I’m your biggest fan. You are both just so famous…legends really.”

How did one respond to that? Both youths extended their hands in friendship, and Bedillia and Serena accepted them.

“Mrs. Farnsworth, you rescued so many people from the torments of Hell,” continued Christopher. “You even rescued your daughter from Satan himself. I feel so honored to meet you.”

Serena looked over at her mother and smiled. “Mom, you are loved and appreciated here in Heaven.”

“Absolutely,” said Jerry. “We’re sorry to be disturbing you way out here, but we just had to meet you. Both of you have been such inspirations to us. Mrs. Davis, years ago when I was just a kid, I got to know your husband, Chris. He and his mother lived only a few miles away from me and my folks.”

“Oh yes!” exclaimed Serena. “You’re
that
Jerry. Chris told me all about you, the great fisherman. You would catch the fish when everyone else went home empty-handed.” Serena laughed. “Oh, he told me all of those fish stories. He will be so thrilled when I tell him that I ran into you out here.”

“We were both in the Great Judgment Hall when you came through,” continued Christopher. “I was waiting for my parents. They were both caught up in the rapture, and the Father said I could be there when they arrived. The two of you came through right before they did. We were so excited to finally see you, even if it was at a distance. Remember the standing ovation you both got when you arrived? Well, I’ll tell you we were more than standing—we were jumping up and down.”

“We were,” confirmed Jerry. I’m not too sure that very many people have done that in the Great Judgment Hall.” He hesitated. “But we did it anyway.”

“Mrs. Farnsworth, we followed what was going on when you were on that island, when you rescued Serena,” said Christopher. “We had your book open. We were rooting for you all the way.”

“It was standing room only in the Great Hall of Records,” confirmed Jerry. “We were there with our friends Jonathon and Lilly, and the great Dr. Kepler, and my friend David, and gosh, twenty or thirty others at least. Just as many were watching using your book, Mrs. Davis.”

“OK,” said Bedillia, “first of all, I’m Bedillia, not Mrs. Farnsworth.”

“Please call me Serena,” said Serena. “I feel like we’re almost family here.”

“Thanks,” said Jerry.

Serena paused. “It seems to me that I heard a story. It was about four young people who rescued hundreds of the saints held prisoner by Satan’s forces in the Hall of Angels in the City of Sarel. They saved them from what might have become a trip to Hell.”

“That would be us,” confirmed Jerry, “us and our friends Jonathon and Lilly.”

“Then it is we who should feel honored,” said Serena.