“Japheth!”

“Coming, father.”

“Oh, there you are, son. The sun is going down soon and I need some help with something.” Jonathan turned to walk along side his father and looked up and there it was, the Ark, and it looked like it was nearly complete. He stopped.  It was immense. “How in the world did he build something so big out of wood that would withstand what it went through?” he wondered.

“What are you doing, boy?”

“Just thinking, father. It’s beautiful. So majestic”

“Japheth, you’ve always been in some other place the rest of us couldn’t understand and I’ve respected that, but your mother will be calling us to dinner soon. So please come down out of the tree your brain is in, or where ever it is, and help me. I’m not strong enough to push a board back into place that shifted over and I don’t want it getting any worse during the night hours. This thing Tahl has asked of me to do is so difficult. I’m feeling my old age, and everyone thinks I’m crazy. Japheth, do you think I’m a crazy old man.”

“Of course not, father. I’m not able to hear what you’re hearing from Tahl, so I can’t have the faith that you have. But I’ve wanted to believe and I just don’t worry about it because I love you.’

“And your wife. What does she say?

“She too loves you, very much.”

“I think this must be very hard for you too, Japheth. Even as a young strong man it can’t be easy to hear what the people out there are saying who don’t love me as you do.”

“If they could dream, it would help.”

“What do you mean, son?”

“You know that tree where my brain goes you were just talking about? I like thinking about what the ‘rain’ you’ve spoken of is going to be like and what the world will look like when the rain stops.”

“Sorry to interrupt you, son, but dinner must be nearly ready and you’re mother will be waiting. We need to take care of the board and get home.”

Jonathan followed Noah into the Ark to where he had spotted the board that was jutting out and he pushed it into its place.

“That was as easy as shutting a drawer. Wow, I’m strong!”

“Of course you are. You’re young and you’ve gained much strength from working on the Ark all these days. What’s a drawer? Never mind. I’m not sure I want to know.  Go and wash up and don’t be late by getting lost in that dreamworld of yours.”

“Okay, father”

As Jonathan walked towards the well, he saw what he thought was a mirage, but it was Twilight’s portal and the steps were forming over the ocean. He quickly ran towards it. “I don’t think Michael knew how fast this would go. I hardly have time to think, never mind use the recording devise!”

Just as he got there, the steps were ready. He found his glasses and, as he walked on the water, he said to himself, “That was a pretty harrowing thing I went through but what a wonderful, understanding father I had. I’m so glad I got to know him. Jonathan could feel the heat coming. Where are you taking me now, Twilight?”

“It’s a surprise,” she replied as she glistened.

As it grew cool again, he found himself in some kind of passageway with a strange, heavy grinding sound going on somewhere. He could feel sand again beneath his sandals. The passageway turned out to be more like a maze he had to find his way out of. When he was in the light, he looked down at his reflection in a pool of water and saw a young boy around 12 years old and noticed that it hadn’t been much of a costume change from the last scene of his life.

The grinding noise had grown much louder. “Boy, fetch me some water.” The order came from a very large man who looked very important as he appeared to be overlooking what what was going on. It was a huge construction project. Jonathan was able again to quickly assess where he was. It was Egypt at the time of the building of the great pyramids and the Sphinx.

“Sir, I should like to get you the water, if you will tell me where a well is.”

The man looked down and peered deeply into Jonathan’s eyes and his harsh countenance grew gentler as he was clearly taken by him. “It’s that way, boy,” as he pointed over to a cluster of palm trees. Jonathan found the well and watched the others to see how to get the water. He couldn’t find anything to put the water in, then he remembered his bag and he found a cup in it that instantly morphed into an Egyptian period pouch. “I wish I could take this back with me,“ he said to himself. He filled it with the water and ran back to the very large, important looking man as quickly as he could, not wanting to upset him by taking too long. As he lifted it up to the man, he asked him why men were making such a big lion.

“Come sit down with me over here little one. I need to rest awhile. My legs are not as strong as they once were to hold up this body Tahl gave me.”

Jonathan watched the large man intently as he took a drink and set the pouch down. After sitting a moment to rest and collect his thoughts, he began, “Those pyramids will hold the preserved bodies of some powerful kings of Egypt. That ‘lion,’ as you call it, was not built by men and it is not a lion, nor any particular animal nor is its head a particular man. This great man beast is as Tahl, knowing the secret of mind and passion, a secret men must learn in order to enter Enchantra.

“The remains of the great pharaohs will be placed in its company hoping to enter Enchantra’s gates. But it’s not easy for the rich and mighty to enter. The great man beast will be called the Sphinx, which means ‘to draw tight like a fortress.’ It is the guardian of the secrets of life and immortality, the great riddle since the beginning of time that no one but the meek and pure in heart will be able to find.

“I am going to tell you something that you are too small to grasp, and that even the grown men here have but a shadow of understanding. I know these things because I am not of this world. I was sent here for the purpose you see before you. Man cannot build the pyramids alone, nor can he find the entrance to the kingdom without my kind.

“Mankind has a great journey to make to get closer to the world I come from. They love to follow the paths that mysteries take them down, and Tahl is making a game of it. This man beast will intrigue men for thousands of years. Unlike the statues of Anubis, who’s head is an animal and body, a man, the man head on top of the beast body is a picture of what man needs to learn about himself as the image of Tahl. Man’s passions, the beast in him, are strong and mighty to fight for things, but the mind holds the key to passion’s secret power to create Enchantra.

“When the world has allowed their passions to nearly destroy everything, the world will pass through a great darkness to harness their beast within. When man has learned the answer to the riddles, the world will be released from the darkness.”

“Thank you mighty one.” Jonathan picked up the water pouch. “I do understand and I must go now.”

“Little one, you are not from here either?”

“Jonathan winked at the man as he slipped behind a hill.”

Jonathan knew now why he had been born an old soul plagued as a child with something too great for him to grasp. It was because of those mysterious words spoken on that day, that at that time he couldn’t understand, but that set him on a course that changed his life forever.

“Twilight, it’s time. where are you?”

“Behind you,” she whispered.

He looked over his shoulder and ran to her steps.  And, as a little boy would, he wasn’t going to be bothered with putting on the glasses. He held tight to his bag and squeezed his eyes tightly as he fearlessly hopped from step to step, oblivious to the danger of falling into the ocean of nowhere that surrounded him, and he passed safely through the portal.

This time he found himself on a beautiful carpet. His well worn dusty sandals had been replaced by a pair of fancy black boots that went with a velvet suit. “How did people live in such uncomfortable clothes?” he thought as the stiff white ruffled collar of the shirt scratched his chin.

There was a very loud conversation going on in the next room. He thought it best to keep quiet as they appeared to be quite annoyed about something. He looked around the room and whispered to himself, “I might have to be a part of something that’s not pleasant but it sure is beautiful here.” He hoped maybe he could get lost for awhile and check the place out before he had to be somebody.

After passing through a few of the rooms, he quickly recognized where he was. It was a Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. He’d seen it on a travel website. He was certain that one of the voices was King Ludwig II, a fellow dreamer and supposed madman. He remembered the story well. He thought the guy was a hero and here he was a part of it.

Talking to himself again, “So this is who I inherited my reckless abandon gene from. Is that what we do? Do we inherit our genes from our previous lives?” Jonathan’s mind was multi-tasking again and as he walked from room to room thinking, “If I had had access to Bavaria’s treasure, I would have done exactly what this guy did only I’d stop before I pushed things too far and ended up dead in the pond. Half a castle was better than none.

“Of course, obsessions are very hard to bridle and who am I to talk anyway. Look what I’m doing. I’m in an experimental time machine and could walk through a worm hole and end up in the middle of the Milky Way without a spacesuit!”

He belonged here in this company. This was home. Now that he was done playing both tour guide and tourist, he decided he was ready to be somebody. He wondered who he was.

“Where’s Friedrich?” the king bellowed down the hall.

Assuming that was his cue, he cautiously headed towards the voice. “I’m coming, sire,” Jonathan answered. He made his way down the corridor that opened up into a large room.

He remembered about the plays the King loved and the reason behind the fanciful castle. This was the room where the plays would be performed sometimes. He knew his name and a soon as he saw the piano in the corner, he knew what he was. “I know how to play that. How cool!” he thought to himself.

“Friedrich,  a new piece for a play has just been delivered and I want to hear it now!”

They were alone together in the room that looked like the great hall of a King’s palace. Jonathan was beyond excitement as he walked beneath golden chandeliers shaped like royal crowns and passed by paintings on the walls of beloved legends, and the exquisitely designed archways.

He made himself comfortable on the feather cushioned bench that rested on the jewel-adorned necks of four carved swan shaped legs, two at each end. The magnificent piano no doubt took decades to make. As he positioned the sheet of music, he noticed that the very ornate design of the music rack that surrounded the paper made it look like it was in a garden. He placed his fingers gently on the ivory keys that glistened in all the elaborate decor that surrounded them, and slowly drew a breathe. Then he watched as the notes on the sheet became the flowers and birds in the garden and to his utter amazement his fingers began to move all by themselves without the mind’s instruction. With the mastery of a gift, the mechanics become so automatic that the piece of art comes solely out of his heart, out of the darkness, and like the rising of the morning sun, making a glorious display.

The piece began quietly and then it grew louder as if something was waking up. It was delightful. His hands began to flutter up and down the keys like two butterflies dancing. Then,when it was over, they landed on the last flower and rested.

The piece concluded, he found himself laying his hands in his lap. Apparently that was the cue to let the King know it had ended. They then would both sit quietly for just a moment. Then one sole, but unreserved applause arose out of the silence.

“Friedrich, every composer in the universe should be so abundantly blessed to have your passion as the instrument of their voice.”

“You’re very kind, sire.” Jonathan had million questions he wanted to ask and he tried to quickly prioritize them down to just a few. As Jonathan’s brain was getting more tangled up and lost in the overwhelming task, the King’s mind appeared to have reminded him of something he needed to do and he abruptly left the room mumbling his annoyance about something.

“Please excuse me, Friedrich, I have something urgent I must attend to. Can you remain here at the castle a few more days? The manuscript for Wagner’s new play arrived along with this piece you just played. I do love it when you read them to me.”

“I would enjoyed that very much, sire.”

The King left. Jonathan separated his brain as he realized his time here must be ending soon and he wanted to see the front of the castle that was the design for Happyland’s Sleeping Belle’s Castle. He walked out on to the path that led to the front doors and stepped as far back as he could to get the best view, which wasn’t very far since the castle had been built on the peak of a very tall mountain and everything around it went straight down. He remembered a quote of King Ludwig’s in Wikipedia because it had made such an impression on him, ‘the location is the most beautiful one could find, holy and unapproachable.’

He laughed as he quietly said to himself, “I wonder how Twilight is going to get me out of this one.” He looked around the side of the castle hoping she hadn’t situated herself in the air like plank off the side walls of the castle. Walking on water was creepy enough. The path to the front of the castle made an immediate turn on the left to go down the mountain. As he made his way around the bend to look on the other side, there she was on the path. He was very relieved. He took his place at the end of the sun’s reflection and waited for it to turn into steps. He spoke softly again, “I feel like we’ve been playing hide and seek, Twilight.” He opened his bag one last time to get his glasses. “Think these go with the classy threads? I need to go home now, Twilight. I can’t think straight anymore today.”

As the sun went down, and the golden steps appeared, he made his way down the yellow brick road. “I’m off to see the Wizard.”

Michael was waiting in Oden at the end of the road. “You must be the great Wizard?” Jonathan said as he removed his glasses.

Michael put his hands on his waist and crossed his eyebrows. “What? You couldn’t have gone there!”

Jonathan let Michael’s brain labor with that thought for a moment. “Payback time!”

“Okay, I deserved that. I guess that means you’ve still got your brain intact and you’re okay. How was it? Did it work?”

“Let’s just say you now have a monopoly on the ultimate travel packages! And yes, it did exactly what you said it would. Can we talk about the details in a few days. I need some time to think about everything.”

“Of course. I have a lot to do as well. The most important thing is that you’re safely and the trial was a success. The report can wait. If you want Felina to take you home, she’s right in front and she’ll let you in and take good care of you.”

“Thanks, Michael.”

Jonathan stepped outside and closed the door. It was early evening, almost the twilight hour. He walked towards Felina and hesitated.

“No offense, Felina. You’re the most beautiful set of wheels I’ve ever laid my eyes on, but I think I’ve been taken on enough rides today for a lifetime and I need to just walk right now.”

As he headed towards his apartment he took a detour to walk along the bluffs that overlooked the ocean. As he arrived he realized he had made another appointment with a twilight. The the white and gold clouds were turning pink and the city lights were turning on, making their enchanted appearance. And he thought to himself there’s no place like home.