Читать книгу Journey to Heaven - A.W. Trenholm - Страница 11

4 - Helios-The Fiery Stallion

“Come! Father will be arriving soon. Let’s go greet him!” Jamal hurried excitedly toward a side gate in the garden. The gate opened onto a lovely countryside lane, with lush green meadows, clumps of trees, and small hills in the distance. The light seemed to be dimming now, though I hadn’t noticed any actual sun or light source in the sky as we have on Earth. The entire sky itself seemed to be the source of the light during the day, and during what I suppose would be the evening and their version of night, a subdued, amber glow clothed creation in a soft mantle of light as cozy as being curled up in a chair by a warm fireplace after a long, adventure-filled day.

In the distance I could see a figure riding a large, white horse. “Is that one of the great horses?” I asked.

Jamal’s eyes sparkled. “Yes! That’s one of my father’s horses. That is Helios, my father’s prized champion stallion! He’s ridden that horse many times into battle!”

I still could not imagine this gentle people ever being at war with anyone, other than perhaps the Fallen Ones. “Your father has done battle with the Fallen Ones?” I asked.

“Oh yes!” Jamal replied. “Perhaps tonight he will tell of one of his adventures.”

I’d never seen such a marvelous horse in all my life. The ground trembled under its great hooves. The stallion moved with a majesty I had only come close to seeing in slow-motion scenes in movies. It had such power! I couldn’t imagine a creature more magnificent. As he approached at full gallop, his large nostrils flared, his white mane tossed in the wind, and his long, white tail streamed out behind him like a comet. On his back was a tall, muscular, ruggedly handsome man dressed in the same light garb of this region. There was something almost angelic about him, and as he came closer I could see his broad, bronzed shoulders, his strong face, and his deep, penetrating eyes.

So this was Ja-al, Jamal’s father. To my surprise, he didn’t look a lot like Jamal, for his hair was much fairer and his skin a lighter color, though still a rich bronze. His eyes were a deep blue. Around his forehead was a small, flat, blue band that seemed might be a sign of his rank or position.

Jamal ran to greet his father. He threw his arms around his neck as he dismounted. The man was warm and affectionate with his son. “Father,” Jamal said looking towards me, “come and meet my friend. This is the one who has come to us from the Land of the Spheres in the dark region. He is from the physical dimension of Earth.”

The man smiled a broad, majestic smile. I could feel the warmth of his character rushing ahead of him to greet me. “Welcome!” he said. His voice almost seemed to rumble. “I’m glad you’ve come, and you are most welcome with us. Come now, boys, let us go eat, for I’m sure Mother has prepared a wonderful meal that we might share together.”

It wasn’t as if anyone here was really hungry or even had to eat. Hunger here seemed unimaginable. Eating was more an enjoyable thing to do together, to sit around, taste some delicious food, and relax and enjoy each other’s company.

Ja-al turned to his magnificent mount standing faithfully by, waiting for his master’s command. I was amazed that so powerful an animal didn’t seem to have on any form of bit and bridle. It didn’t seem to need one, for it was loyal and obedient to its master. Though so tremendously powerful, it seemed to be happy to yield its whole being in loving service to Ja-al. “Come for me in the morning, Helios. You can go now, my precious friend, and enjoy yourself.” The huge animal nodded and obeyed immediately. Turning to go, it then reared up in salute and raced away towards the meadows. In awe, I watched as it disappeared in the distance. It moved so quickly I could not imagine what its speed would be if measured in Earth terms.

“Come! Come!” the man said, grasping my shoulder warmly. I could just as easily have been his own son, so accepting was he of this stranger to his world. It was at that moment that I truly realized that here I did appear to them to be about Jamal’s age. I didn’t mind. It was fun to be young again, and fantastic to just be here and to be so loved and accepted by this warm and wonderful family.

Country homes, I was soon to understand, were generally simpler and more individually expressive of those who lived in them. The very orderly, carefully designed, somewhat symmetrical structures found in the city of Tricon were more for efficiency and inspiration while at work. To assure the best conditions for each person in the city, it was necessary that all buildings be in harmony, not only to capture and disperse the light evenly, but also to be compact, convenient, practical, and pleasant. I had the feeling that the unique design of Tricon provided its inhabitants with more than just efficiency and esthetics, but that it possibly even served as some kind of great listening device, and might even transform instantly into some kind of giant weapon in the event of attack! Tricon was, after all, a kind of military outpost on the frontier of the war zone.