EarthUnder (The Meteorite Chronicles Book 1) (9 page)

Suddenly my mind was filled with dots connecting! Oh man, what the…inside me a voice was screaming to get out. My brain was firing questions at my mouth, but I struggled to remain calm and listened for more answers and connections. Jasmina continued to explain how that stone had unlimited value to her people as well as to the entire world, and that the value was in it being identified by my scientists as the first phase of a much bigger revelation. She told me that her people had decided that I was the key to this entire effort to get that specimen into the hands of scientists. I could feel the fragment in my pocket and there was temptation to pull it out to show her, but I let it lay as Jasmina continued. While I rested there looking into her stunning face and eyes and listened to her silky voice, my mind wandered a bit, wondering how Ali was doing in his quest to get that stone to the museum.

Looking back it seemed that we were tracked the entire time and I realized that this feeling only ended when I left the bus station to come here. This was the first time I had branched out alone with no plan and found my own way from hither to yon. She then spoke of how the stone being examined would begin a new age for us all and how soon she would need to show me what this would mean to us. We sat there in the cool shade sipping cold water with mint leaves suspended in sweating glasses. A drip of condensed water jerkily ran down the side of my glass and splayed out onto the low table. Back home when water spills if nobody wipes it up it lays there for days, but here in the dry when water is spilled it is gone before one can wipe it up. It was decadently luxurious after many days of parched throat and dehydration to have a glass of cool, quenching liquid sitting in front of me for my thirst.

My mind still wandering as Jasmina spoke, her words had more meaning than she could express. There was no language barrier between us, it was just that there appeared to be much more information behind her words as if there were no words to cover what she was trying to say. How could any rock be as important or life changing as she was trying to say? I do recall when scientists had thought they found fossils in a Martian stone meteorite discovered in Antarctica called Allan Hills 84001. The announcement was like a shot heard ’round the world. That caused a lot of hype and it pushed the price of Martian meteorites through the roof for a while, but then the discovery was disproved and eventually we all went back to searching for that first clue all over again. So how could this stone of hers, an obvious meteorite, be anything that life altering? She had my attention, but I needed her to get to the point. Mina was a nickname I gave her when I first knew her. She didn’t like it, but her sister and I liked that it seemed to tick her off so we used it from time to time. I liked it. I have always enjoyed names that suit people better than their formal names. Mina was a pretty name and fit her well where the alternative, Jas, just didn’t fit her at all.

Mina smiled at me with a fondness I had never before seen from her in those months I had known her so many years ago. She admitted, “This is enough conversation for today. Tomorrow we must walk into the desert, where I will show you more of what you must see for yourself. Today you can bathe and rest; you are a guest here in my home and tonight we will enjoy a small, quiet dinner together, and if you have questions I will answer them as best I can. If you have any needs you can call my name and I will answer.” She stopped and turned to look back at me as she rose from her chair. “Yes,” she said, “you may call me Mina if it pleases you.” Her eyes flashed back and forth at mine while she leaned into me in a way that made me feel warm throughout.

This was an entirely different person than the girl I remember with the scowl and the curt replies. It was nothing I had done. Could it have been the years? Was I being set up for a big takedown? Was this a performance leading up to asking me for something? My gut told me that this woman was sincere and in earnest but so far things really did not add up. Ok, well, no matter, I was in good hands, having fun, feeling safe, and curious as all get-out about where this was leading. Besides all of the intrigue it was a world-class pleasure to get to look at and listen to Jasmina. In the words of an old friend in the business, “Jasmina was her sister, on steroids.”

I couldn’t get over how safe it felt to be here with Mina. It was as if the outside world was not there for a time. All of my worries were gone as if all of my work was finished and every loose end was neatly tied up. As each minute clicked by I felt more focused and relaxed. Even the lingering pain of being shot several times seemed to dwindle away. It felt like the guys were well on their way and that everything was good for them too. I knew not what to make of this, but I figured I’d just go with it and see what tomorrow would bring. Looking forward to a nice quiet dinner without distraction sounded really great.

A shower or a long hot bath right now just felt like the perfect way to top off the day. I was led to a guest wing and Mina said it was mine for as long as I needed to remain here. She said that her home was my home and that I would always be welcome to stay here. She sauntered back down the hallway to the main house, and as she walked away, I couldn’t help notice the air of confidence in her stride. I could still see that strength in her gait and her demeanor. I wondered if that young girl was still inside her, full of spice and spit. She had tested my mettle many times and it often felt like she had won. Even when she didn’t win, she still walked away as though she were the victor. It was as if I had fallen into another level of her intricate plan; I was yet to learn of my ultimate failure and fate. She always seemed to have plans inside of plans, schemes on top of schemes. She was a definitive chess master in the game of life. But now it was as though she had softened her edges ever so slightly. Still the power within her radiated in an aura around her.

Tonight I would keep the questions simple and direct. I would try to keep things in the moment and take tomorrow as it comes.

When Jasmina called me to dinner, I was still wet from a long hot bath. I had to throw on a shirt and pants and run for the door. I was wearing spare clothes she had told me were in the closet. I could feel the desiccating desert air dry my skin and hair as I ran through the hall. In the main room was a small table with a candle burning, several dishes that smelled amazing, and a shaft of light streaming in from the low-hanging sun. Mina stood with one hand on her chair and gestured for me to take the seat across from her. We sat quietly while she prayed in silence over the meal. It was a simple meal of elegant flavor and aroma, with more water and bread. After we ate, we talked but I made an effort to keep it light. When I asked her how she remembered her nickname she told me that she heard me think it, and we both laughed. Then I asked her to tell me two things. One was “How have you changed so much?” And the other was “Please tell me about this princess status of yours.”

She told me that in her culture it was not acceptable for young girls to have men friends. She admitted that she envied her sister’s friendship with me, but that she also resented that she could not have this same relationship partly because her sister already had and partly because she was younger and more afraid of doing such a thing and how it might anger the elders. She was very direct and forthright in telling me that for Kadishya our friendship was just that, a deep love of friendship that would last forever. She went on to explain that for her it was different. She admitted that she had a love crush on me and that because of tradition and her sister, there was nothing she could do and so she grew to resent both her sister and me. I was not at all prepared to hear this admission. Here was one of the most beautiful women on Earth telling me that she had a crush on me when we were younger. I felt very uneasy and found it hard to look into her eyes while she peered straight into mine with unwavering intensity. Add to that I was sitting in her husband’s family home and quite possibly wearing his old clothes. There was an unlimited mystery behind this woman’s eyes, but at this moment she was cutting me open with her words and baring my soul to the world. I felt like back paddling, but I had no idea what to say. Her words, if they were true, were so bold that they took the air from my lungs.

I kept thinking,
how can this stunning creature be telling me these things? She has admitted to loving me. I don’t like conceding to having an ego, but right now I am pretty sure that I have one and it’s puffed up bigger than life. Part of me worries that she is about to tell me something that will end this moment.

Jasmina reached her hand across the table and rested it on top of mine. For a moment when we touched, I saw her as the younger Mina from our past. I blinked my eyes, but the younger Jasmina was still sitting there. “Relax, my rock hunter, you will always be in my heart. I will always love you as I did the first day we met. You will always be my star man.” She kept her warm hand on mine and gave me a long compassionate look. “I pray that you will be with me always and forever. I have prayed this for many years. I have known you since before you can remember and have watched you from my heart.”

I didn’t understand what she was saying, but it felt good. She went on to say that I would understand these things better tomorrow. This all came across as very ethereal, especially coming from someone I had known to be so rigid and grounded like a standing stone.

Jasmina the adult was a complete metamorphosis from Jasmina the child. This lovely woman before me was so eloquent and serene and yet that element of intensity was still there; it was just more controlled, more diplomatically presented in easier doses. The more time in Mina’s presence, the more a relaxing calm took hold of my mood. In the finishing moments of our evening, the outside world no longer existed. Jasmina had connected with me in ways I did not understand. I felt a trust in her like no other before and since we really hadn’t talked that much or spent much time together, I could not understand where these feelings were coming from. It seemed to be a connection of a more spiritual nature.

As we rose from our chairs to end the evening and head off to our rooms, she put her hand on my arm saying, “Everything will become much clearer for you tomorrow.” Mina walked me to my room at the end of the long hall. As we walked past the open windows the full moon was rising above the edge of the sand. In this part of the world the stars appear to touch the Earth as they rise and fall. The moon appeared larger than ever, tinted amber and hanging below us from our vantage on the hill. We stopped at the end of the hall. As we faced each other Mina put her hands on my arms and bowed her head saying, “Rest well tonight, Bryce Monroe Sterling; tomorrow when you wake will be a new day and all of your pain will dispel. Bless you for coming to me.” She looked up, nodded with a thin-lipped smile, and turned to leave. I wanted to say something in reply, but I felt frozen in place and just stood there watching her disappear into the moonlit hallway.

That night as I lay on the bed with arms crossed behind my head on the pillow, I tried to think of the plight of my fellow travelers, but it was too easy to clear the mind and fall into a deep sleep. Something about this place took away my worries. Morning arrived, and I rolled over under the covers and bunched up the pillow under the side of my head. I could hear pots or pans clanking down the hall and I smelled the aroma of coffee and cooking. The aroma lifted me out of bed and set me gently on my feet. For me, coffee and Danish in the early morn is the equivalent of throwing gas on a fire. As I made my way toward the sound I began to feel inner warmth. My body felt aglow with well-being. First, I noticed I had no limp from two old leg injuries, my nagging toothache was gone, and the new bullet holes were not hurting. I stopped in the dim morning light streaming in a hallway window and pulled up the shirt sleeve to find that my new battle scars were gone! It’s not that they were better or that the pain had gone: it’s as though the shots never happened.

I arrived in the area of the sounds and smells to find a stranger busily creating a meal. She was a tiny woman who moved swiftly around the room. Jasmina’s voice came from the corner behind me, “This is Magna, she helps me some days. We are having a light breakfast and Magna will join us.”

I was so distracted by my newfound health status that all I could muster was to reach up with the left arm to grasp the right and began with, “What the…”

“It is a gift,” Mina interrupted. “It is something my people can do for you. I can feel your pain and I am able to take it away.”

Entirely pleased and utterly confused, I dropped into a chair next to Mina and pondered what was just said. Nobody had this ability and yet my body was living proof of what she had said. She stopped me again and said, “Sterling, relax and enjoy this gift. We will enjoy this meal and then your answers will come. When the day is done, you will be able to choose your questions more wisely.” Jasmina’s ability to put me at ease was indescribable. I sat back in the chair and watched as Magna brought us thick coffee in tiny cups with sweet cream and huge sugar cubes to take away some of the bite in this wonderful morning drink. Quick as a flash she returned with a great silver tray covered with fruits, cheeses, and honey-covered fluffy pastries.

Magna sat with us at the table in the corner of the kitchen. The coffee was strong and bitter as any I’ve had. The large rectangular cubes of sugar and the fresh, heavy, sweet cream spooned from a cup made the powerful wake-up drink delectable. Nothing was said while we sat there. The room grew lighter as the sun began streaming in through every opening on the rising side of the house. We sat at the table for only minutes and then it was time. As we stood, Magna moved the tray to the other side of the kitchen and returned with a water bottle for me to strap over my shoulder. Mina turned toward me and said that we would be walking into the desert today, that there were a number of things I needed to be shown. Magna was going to stay behind. As we walked out the door, my skin could feel that the heat of the day was already beginning to build.