The gathering of neo-pagans in
Danielle’s living room was unprecedented in
it’s volume. She was hostess to over a dozen of her
Wiccan acquaintances, and this was twice the number that
she had ever invited to her home at the same time. The
reason was the desperate times that they all faced.
This gathering was but one that was about to take place,
simultaneously around the world, in an attempt to garner
additional information about the wave.
Her initial warning had been picked up on, and magnified,
as it went from one site to the next. Spreading
exponentially, it soon was common knowledge in
prac-titioner circles, and was taking root in the general
populace too. Admittedly, most of the people were
inclined to scoff at the prospect of the wave, but enough
were taking it seriously enough to elicit the
anti-hoarding messages that were now being broadcast
quite regularly on the tube. Her last trip to town for
some milk, and fresh citrus had provided an astonishing
scene. Not one bag of flour or sugar could be found on
the shelves, and the canned goods selection was so
depleted, she didn’t even get the canned salmon she
was going to buy for that night’s dinner. At least
the milk wasn’t a problem, and the fresh citrus was
also in good supply. People had taken the hint,
concentrating their purchases in the non-perishable
foods.
“Morning Miss Danielle. Will that be all you need
today?”
“Morning George. From the looks of these shelves, I
don’t think I’ve got much choice, huh?”
“Sorry about that. I’m trying to get
re-supplied, but they are sending most of the stuff to
the big cities. The little bit that comes in gets snapped
up right away. I just don’t understand it. Some
folks must have enough to last them for months, or years,
at least. Everyone knows what you said about that wave
thing and the bad weather coming, but will it be that
bad?”
“How’s your larder George?”
Grinning sheepishly, he replied, “I think I’ve
got it covered.”
“ That’s exactly what they’re all doing,
I’d say”
As he closed the register, he handed her the change.
“Thanks for the warning Miss Danielle.”
“I was simply the one that saw it coming. It was as
real as a freight train heading straight for all of us.
I’d sure warn you if a train was coming, why not
this? Take care of yourself George.”
Dressed in traditional garb, the gathering was nearly
ready to begin it’s circle. Besom in hand, Danielle
had cleared the area of the circle, that she would soon
be cast, of all negative forces. Dozens of candles spread
their flickering shadows around the living room. Gary and
Bill, Shandra’s husband, had moved the furniture
into the spare room that afternoon at the girls request,
and were now down at the river doing a little night
fishing. They had gone down to one of the landings where
the road gave them easy access to the water. With a full
bucket of minnows in hand, and a long pole that had a
twelve volt lamp attached to it, that they suspended over
an area of the river where the current was not quite so
strong. The light gave them enough illumination to see,
but they had it out over the water for another purpose
too. Actually, the whole idea had been developed long
before that night, probably by ancient tribesmen, using
torches and spears. The lamp attracted flying insects,
and many schools of minnows flocked into the area. The
fish that ate the minnows weren’t very far behind,
and when their hooks that were baited with these same
minnows, were dropped into the melee, it didn’t take
too long to fill their pails with crappies, which were
one of the best tasting fresh water fish that ever swam.
They did catch several large bass, and one prehistoric
appearing, alligator gar. These were all unceremoniously
thrown back as inedible. They filleted their catch on the
spot, throwing the remains into the shallow bay next to
the fishing hole. It wasn’t an act of desecration by
any means. The numerous turtles would clean up the fish
scraps in short order, and they would have done them a
good turn.
At exactly nine p.m. the circle was closed. With
adjustments for the different time zones around the
world, thousands of circles joined them. With so much
energy questing for the same answer, at the same moment,
for such an immense outpouring of raw power, it was hoped
that the results would be so clear that they would
perhaps know exactly what, as well as when, to expect
their unwelcome visitor from space.
Danielle’s position in the center became the focal
point. As she held her mirror in her hands, it began to
glow even brighter than it did during the first
extraordinary event. One tiny dot, about two thirds of
the way out from the center was so bright, that to look
directly at it, actually hurt her eyes. Instinctively,
she knew that the spot was the representation of her own
sun, and as the thought passed through her mind, the
bluish green representation of the wave began to form on
the swirl of stars. It did not take the sweeping path
from the center to the outer edge this time. It simply
sat next to the representation of sol. Looking closer,
Danielle saw that it was slowly edging towards the star
at the speed of a clock’s minute hand. It seemed
that she had gazed in wonder for hours at the apparition,
but as it faded, she realized that only seconds had
passed. Glancing up at the others in the circle, she saw
the amazement on their faces.
Later, she would comment, “I don’t think
we’ve got as much time left to prepare as we
originally thought we had.”
That was the word that now spread to all that would
listen. Each of the participants had their own personal
list of people that they felt that they must warn. And
each of the other gatherings would undoubtedly have their
respective list of people to try to save. Perhaps each of
the recipients would have a list of their own, and soon
the number of informed people would be substantial enough
to be noticed in many high places.
Danielle put in a call to her folks to tell them to leave
the following day. No matter what!
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