2.
The day was fine and blowing and she was hanging out her washing when she saw a very troubled looking Geraldine walking up the small lane towards the house. It was quite a walk from the main village and Andrea usually met her old friend at the hotel. She called out in surprise and waved to greet her old friend.
Geraldine was usually so calm and peaceful, but today she appeared agitated and nervous. The walk had exhausted her and she carried a newspaper under her arm. Andrea led her in to the cozy kitchen for a seat and a cup of tea, and Geraldine spread out the paper across the kitchen table.
“It’s started.”
She pointed a finger to an article in the newspaper.
Andrea was immediately struck by a color photograph in the middle of the page. It was a picture of Helen. The article was headed ‘Ancient Burial Ground reveals sacred Treasures’.
She quickly scanned the article. It appeared that a team of archaeologists funded by Helen’s art business had discovered some of the oldest relics to date, in a tomb uncovered in Greece. Carvings and pictures of grotesque statues and three headed dogs had been uncovered, and it was supposedly connected to a lost and ancient temple dedicated to the God Hades – the dark God of the Underworld. Andrea picked up the paper to peer more closely at the photograph. Helen was smiling and holding in her hand a set of 4 small carved beads.
“Helen has finally discovered what she has been looking for all of these years. For everything good there is an evil counterpart. Whilst the runes we protect carry a positive energy, there are others that are negative. The stones in Helen’s hand look harmless enough, but in the right hands they can topple nations. This date was foretold; that the powers of Hades would be unleashed upon the world. I’m sure you have heard of the 4 Horsemen of the apocalypse?”
Andrea screwed her eyes up as she looked more closely at the paper.
“Surely you’re not saying that those stones can bring about the end of the world?”
She looked incredulously at the old woman.
“The runes that our families have been protecting are very powerful. They are used to channel the positive energies of the universe and are more powerful than we have yet to see. The Universe is a balance of good and bad, yin and yang. Somehow they work in harmony, but if the power falls into the wrong hands then the balance of the Universe could be at risk.”
“But why should Helen want that power; what on earth would she use it for?”
“Helen, like the rest of us, is a mere pawn of the Gods. Day follows night, but what if the sun failed to shine on this great world of ours? Games are being played out among the Gods, Andrea. Up to now there has been relative peace, but have you not noticed the increase in bad news over the past few years, the wars and the famine and the pain? The positive forces around us are stretched to their limit maintaining a status quo, and something will soon have to give.”
Andrea sat down on one of the wooden dining room chairs. Everything seemed to be so normal, so ordinary here, and yet she knew; she had seen, but it was still hard to believe.
“But surely you don’t believe that all of our fates are in the hands of an ancient god?”
“God or Gods, Creator or whatever people put their faith in, there is more to this world and the universe than we can ever comprehend. Why there is always a constant struggle between good and evil, I do not know. But the time is coming, I can feel it close, something is in the air: The Beginning and the End.”
“What does that mean?”
Andrea’s mind was reeling.
“Much of the truth has been lost over thousands and thousands of years, but the words on the Great Scrolls that are said to have been written in fire by the Gods themselves at the very start of the creation of the Universe, have been passed down over the centuries. No doubt some of the words will have been changed, in both translation and the telling, but the meaning has always been clear. It is said that at the Beginning of the End there will be a great battle between the Gods; a battle that will not only be the end of time, but also the start of things to come. The battle will decide what shall happen at the End, the fate of the Universe some say.”
“So what’s the point of all this, our future, what does it all mean?”
Geraldine put her arm around the shoulder of her young friend and her eyes twinkled.
“There is more. The scrolls tell of two children; a brother and a sister born across Time to save Time – our Universe and all that we are and ever will be.”
Andrea wrinkled her nose “You mean Elizabeth?”
Geraldine smiled.
“Elizabeth and a younger brother perhaps, only time will tell. Helena thought it was she; her and Alexhander, that were the brother and sister foreseen in the scrolls. But Alexhander and Helena were not true kin. Helena liked to think that she was the chosen one and when she found out that she was not, well that was when things started to go wrong. She looked for power in another place and that is when she turned to the dark side; to evil and destructive forces. Of course she was jealous of you and the idea that you would bear the children of the scrolls, and as such would try anything to stop you. The runes have kept us safe until now. Helen has the sacred stones of Hades and will be gathering her power; it will not be long now.”
“Are we safe; and what about Alex, should I tell him?”
Andrea looked anxiously across to the sleeping form of Elizabeth, blissfully unaware in her Moses basket.
“I will know what to do when the time comes. You have nothing to worry about; for the moment at least. There is no use alarming Alex, he would not believe you anyway. The time will come for you to tell him.”
Andrea did not feel safe; the mere thought of Helen gave her goose bumps, but she said no more; enough had been said for one day. Geraldine looked tired and she feared she had worn her old friend out with all of her questioning.