Читать книгу The Project Zoe - Galina Nelson - Страница 9

The Eternity. The Winter Time

CHAPTER 6, Where Grace is Concerned

“Trust in the Lord with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbs 3:5—6

Suddenly, to Grace’s surprise and Lucy’s joy the soft comfy seat under them started to move, bringing them forward and, it became obvious, that the Chevrolet Tahoe had been through an unbelievable transformation as well.

“Mommy, we are riding a real white bear!” Lucy exclaimed.

Indeed, they were sitting inside of a soft two-row carriage, resembling seats of a car, except they were fastened to the wide back of a huge polar bear. He was the same bear as they would see on Animals’ Kingdom before, however the bears on TV were wild and this bear was tame and friendly, and of course, who would ever imagine that polar bears could talk?

“Good morning, welcome to the Kingdom,” the bear said with a hospitality of a Wyndham Club agent. “Please, tell me what you want to see and what you want to do, I will bring you everywhere you’d like. I understand left and right and even more. By the way, I am very humble, and I do not like to boast, not at all, but everyone knows you’d never find better guide then I am in the whole kingdom!”

After such a funny introduction, Lucy wanted to see his face and had to lean forward, balancing on her seat like a gymnast; since she was sitting on the second row, it was not very easy task to look at the bear’s face, but finally, he turned his head so she could see a very serious face of a very serious polar bear, and then only she asked with curiosity, “What is your name?”

“Same as before,” the bear answered in a simple and slow manner, “My name is Chevrolet Tahoe. What else did you think?” At these words Grace couldn’t suppress a chuckle, and Lucy exclaimed in a surprise, “Now, when you are real bear you want us to call you Chevrolet!”

They laughed. It was fun to hear how Mr. Chevrolet was laughing, in the same manner as he talked: in a very slow and very clear bass. When they finally stopped laughing Lucy asked him:

“Mr. Chevrolet, if you really may bring us anywhere we want, please bring us to my daddy Ray, and my sister Sonya.”

“Of course,” the bear nodded his head in agreement and started to move forward a little faster, but not very fast, so they could feel comfortable.

Nevertheless, Grace missed the comfort of a car and the confidence of being a driver. She was feeling way too awkward sitting on the bear’s back, unlike Lucy, who was obviously having fun.

In a few steps, since Lucy and Grace fell silent, the bear started to talk again, “I would like to show you around,” he suggested, “There are many things you will learn about the Kingdom and they are quite different from the world where you used to be.”

Grace nervously asked: “This way, seriously, we are going to meet Ray and Sonya, so… they live here? And, will it be possible for us to come back, together to the world, where Lucy and I used to be?”

“If it is possible to come here why shall it not be possible to come back?” Mr. Chevrolet replied philosophically, “What do you think?”

“I do not know, but honestly, it is scary what I think… though… well… I think maybe we were in a collision and accidently hit that beautiful deer and now…” she bit on her tongue and didn’t finish.

“Oh, really? Do you think that now we are in ER having major head injury and watching one and the same dream while doctors are saving our lives, mommy? Or maybe we are sitting on a couch in our living room and dreaming the same dream together? Is that all what you can imagine, mommy? Can’t you think of something better than that?” Lucy asked; she did not even try to hide the irony.

“Honey… do not be sarcastic. But you shall accept, this reality does look like a dream!”

“Mommy… of course it does, because we knew it was real when we dreamt it! We followed the deer through the gate. Now we are in the Kingdom, for real, not in the dream,” Lucy assured, but then added with a sad air in her voice, “I wish we could see the deer again, where did it go?”

As soon as she said it, to their surprise, the doe with the honey-colored eyes came out of the woods.

“There is our deer!” Lucy cheered.

Because Mr. Chevrolet was slowly walking in the other direction and did not care about the deer, Lucy patted his side gently, “Mr. Chevrolet, please wait.” The bear obediently came to a stop and waited for the doe, who soon was there.

“Hello,” the doe introduced itself, “my name is Ellin.”

“Hello Ellin, I am Grace, and this is my daughter Lucy. I am so glad to know I did not hurt you.”

“Please, do not worry,” Ellin replied with a smile, “you were very cautious and caring, this is one of the reasons that you are welcome here. It is not in your nature to hurt.”

“Thank you, Ellin. It sounds like a compliment. However, we’d be glad to go back to the Meadow of Light when we need to,” Grace said. “Will you show us the way back, please?” She could not hide her concern. The forest behind them was so thick and strange, with no signs of the mysterious gate. There was no road leading out, just a narrow path among the trees, so narrow that it seemed not possible for a car to come through. Only the old wide oak tree at the side of the path reminded Grace of the spot, where they stepped into the Kingdom.

The deer, however, did not know there were so many things to worry about. She rolled her beautiful large eyes as if she could not imagine anything easier than to come back and forth through the gate.

“I did show you the gate, didn’t I?” she asked.

“Yes, you did, but where is the gate now? It is not in the view,” Grace pointed to the woods behind them.

Then Ellin asked a weird question: “Do you really believe the gate is not in the view? It is important to know if you really believe it or not.”

“Well… believe it or not, we cannot see the gate.”

“You will not see it until you approach it again. But if you believe that the gate is there, where you entered it, then, quite possibly, on the way back you will return perfectly to the same place and the same time where you came from,” Ellin explained.

“Wait, it sounds, that the place and the time will be different if we believe the gate is at slightly different location, but shall we return to some place and some time anyway?” Grace inquired lively, though, she was not so happy about what she had just learned.

“It depends where and at what time you need to return, this is why you have to be very determined. You have to know exactly, what you have to do, and ask for it, otherwise…”

“Otherwise …?” Grace and Lucy gasped.

“Otherwise, there are so many different possibilities,” Ellin replied. Have you ever heard of quantum theory?

“Certainly!” Grace exclaimed, “Quantum theory is something I have heard about, but I have never met a beautiful doe explaining quantum theory, please forgive me for the inquisition. Also, it is very interesting why could not we come through the gate before?”

“I understand your powwow,” Ellin said, “I am glad to answer your questions though my knowledge does not extend too far. Most possibly you couldn’t come before because you were not ready to come yet,” Ellin smiled and apologized, “I am sorry, but I must leave you now. I’ll be happy to see you again, Your Majesty Queen Grace and Princess Lucy!” Ellin turned around and, in the same small, dance-like steps pranced back into the forest. Soon, the company of aspens and birches let her in, with a splash of golden light the doe disappeared from the view.

“She said ‘Your Majesty’! What a charming doe!” Grace sighed and hugged Lucy, who had already climbed to the front of the carriage and was sitting next to her.

“I am sorry to see Ellin to go away, she is so good friend, I already miss her,” Lucy said.

“I hope I didn’t hurt her with all the questions.”

“Of course, you didn’t, mommy. It is not in your nature to hurt, remember what Ellin said to you?”

“Oh, honey, she is just so nice to us.”

“Yes, mommy, she is! And she is very pretty; she has so large golden eyes!” Lucy agreed, “I think she is a princess, because she is very kind and beautiful.”

CHAPTER 7, Where Grace Creates a Miracle

“And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” – John 1:16

“We are all kings and queens in the Kingdom of Grace, Your Majesty,” the bear said, with subtle notes of offence, perhaps, because so much praise was said to Ellin that he nearly felt forgotten.

“That is true, Mr. Chevrolet, you do look like a real bear king,” Lucy hurried to comfort him.

“Your Majesty Mr. Chevrolet, please tell us more about the Kingdom, we are eager to learn,” Grace added.

The bear was glad to be involved in the conversation again, and answered hastily, “I have something really cool to show. Look at your left, Your Majesty!”

They turned heads to the left, and there, near the horizon line soft luminous hues of green glow illuminated the skyline. They watched, mesmerized, how the light gradually grew wider, vividly spreading shimmering hues of pink, blue and purple.

It seemed to them that the glow was joyfully dancing to a rhythm that they could sense but could not hear yet; it was expanding further and further and soon the fantastic kaleidoscope of the colorful lights brightened the entire sky.

“I cannot believe my eyes! The aurora! Is it really happening? In the middle of December, in Arizona!” Grace gasped.

“Mommy, of course it is the Aurora! Cause we are in the kingdom, not in Arizona,” Lucy assured. We are together in the Kingdom of Grace; for real, it is not a dream!”

Lucy used every possible moment to emphasize that it was real, because she worried a little that if her mother did not believe enough, the kingdom could turn into the Meadow of Light again.

“Yep, it is happening! On the left you can see the birth of the northern lights!” Mr. Chevrolet confirmed, “Whatever good you believe, Your Majesty, is possible in the Kingdom of Grace. That is why it is better to say that you do believe your eyes, Your Majesty! We have the northern lights every time when there is a good reason to celebrate. And, today is one of the best reasons: the queen has come to her kingdom for the first time!”

“The queen! Where is she? Will we meet her?” Grace wondered, not without a worry again. However, the bear did not answer. Lucy giggled:

“You are the queen, mommy! Do not you get it yet? You are Your Majesty!”

Grace was a bit embarrassed for how incompetent she felt now, in the kingdom where she was the queen.

“Well, princess, I am used to another perspective… Didn’t you notice?”

“Ugh, mommy, you are asking these questions again! Do not worry about anything, please. Remember, I have been here so many times before, in my dreams!” Lucy whispered.

“All right,” Grace assured, “The only place where I am not asking questions is a theater. Are we watching a show?”

Then Mr. Chevrolet came to the rescue, “I will explain it to you, in my own words, Your Majesty, and maybe it is not exactly what is going on, but this is how I can explain it. If it was a show, there had to be actors and a rehearsal… but the truth is, there are no any rehearsals, and nobody ever taught me or anyone else what we had to do and what we had to say to you. Somehow, I know what to do… naturally. Soon you, as well, shall understand how everything works here in the kingdom, Your Majesty.”

Meanwhile, the northern lights continued dancing merrily in the sky, to the unheard rhythm, then, suddenly, the company could hear the music. The sounds of the invisible orchestra were the sounds of nature: flutes of dolphins, drums of cicadas, violins of nightingales, piano of frogs, trombones of winds and solo of an ocean…

“I believe I have never heard music so much pleasant,” Grace noticed.

“Whatever good you believe, Your Majesty, is true!” Mr. Chevrolet noticed.

“So… If this is exactly what you mean, then whatever good I can believe, I shall be able to create!” Grace agreed and since she was the one who liked to practice everything what she learned, she got the idea, “Let me try to create some magic if I believe… I believe… She closed her eyes, imagining something secretly. She was trying hard to believe it. When opened her eyes, she triumphantly exclaimed, “I believe that we are expecting good company! Look at your left, Mr. Chevrolet! Do you want to introduce us to your family?”

When Mr. Chevrolet turned his head to the left, he nearly jumped up because of the joy. There, on the left, in place of the pine forest now was the crispy white wilderness of snow and ice-covered ocean shore, but most importantly, another white bear, with a little cub, were coming hastily toward them, then stopped on a short distance from them, coming no further, waiting.