Light (39 page)

‘Ah, even now she lies in Sheol within her
nightmare.  The Lord God sees her plight but she did break God’s law and...’

‘No,’ and Jake remembered the prayer taught
by the Lord to Moses when he learnt about the sin of the golden calf.  God had
said that whenever forgiveness was required He would listen to these words. 
Well, they had worked then maybe they would now, ‘Adonai, Adonai, El Rachum,
V’chanun.  Erech Apayim, V’rav chesed, V’emet.  Notzer chesed l’alophim, Nosai
avon, V’phesha, V’chataa, V’nakeh.’

The thirteen attributes of God’s mercy.

And all was silent until...

‘The Lord has heard your prayer and has
stayed His anger.  The girl Cherry has been forgiven.  You may take her now.’

The air before them sparkled with
coruscating light and Jake could see his way into another plane of reality or,
in this case, unreality.  Sheol.  And he recognised the image as being Cherry’s
studio but there was something missing.  Of course, the painting,
The
Anniversary
.  There stood the easel but there was no picture upon it.

‘Cherry,’ he called.

There was nothing.

‘Cherry,’ and then came a whisper and he
tried again, ‘Cherry.’

‘Jake?’

It was her, she was there.

‘Come to my voice.  I’m here waiting for
you.’

And then the image of the studio seemed to
fade as the dream finally ended and the shimmering form of the girl he loved
began to materialise.  He reached in and took her hand in his.  She held it and
gently he guided her from Hell and into the Heaven in which he stood.

‘Oh Jake, I...’ but she could say no more,
the emotion overwhelming her and Jake took her into his arms and held her
forgetting everything else that was happening.

‘Where are we?’ she eventually asked once
she had composed herself.

There was too much to explain and now was
not the time.  Metatron was waiting.  So, still holding Cherry’s hand and
revelling in the strength it gave him, he turned back to the flowing angel.

‘Thank you.’

‘Are you ready to make your confession? 
For what do you require forgiveness?’

‘I have killed, I have committed adultery,
I have...’

‘Wait, Jacob Tranton.  When did you commit
adultery?’

‘I made love to Cherry when I was
married.’

‘But did you do so knowingly.’

‘No, I had lost my memory, but that is not
the point.’

‘Is it not?  So the Lord may show mercy to
Cherry Linford who committed a sin by inadvertence and should not show such
mercy to you.  You are forgiven.’

‘But I have murdered.’

‘Ah, murder.  The most terrible of all the
crimes.  Your sister.’

‘Yes.’

‘There is nothing to forgive.’

‘But.’

‘Do not argue.  You must learn the truth
for yourself.

‘Now is the time.  You seek the Light of
Creation.  For this you need the Choshen Mishpat.  There are twelve stones. 
Five are with the man called Alexander Lapski and the six that were in the
Adamah are here as is the seventh called Pidtah that comes from the Eretz. 
Take them.’

There was a flourish and Metatron raised
his hand and opened his palm.  Indeed there were seven crystals laying there
and the angel let them fall to the floor.  Instantly and before Jake could
react Mitch dived down and snatched them up.  What would Metatron do?

‘So, now John Mitchell has seven and
Alexander Lapski has five.’

‘But you cannot let this be.’

‘Why?’

‘Because they will use the Light to
recreate the universe and bring about the reign of the being that calls itself
the En Sof.’

‘Then so be it.’

‘But everything God created will be
destroyed.’

‘And is not the En Sof one of God’s
creations?’

‘Yes, but?’

‘No.  Now listen to me Jacob Tranton.  You
are the High Priest, only you can carry out the ceremony.  The Lord cannot
interfere.  You must decide.  Here is the Temple.  The Priestly robes await
you.  Now I must go.  Awake your friends from Earth.’

And with those words Metatron passed
through the courtyard and out of the Temple itself.

 ‘Wait,’ but it was no good.  Metatron was
gone and there was nothing Jake could do.  Not one of the crystals was in his
possession and Jake saw victory slip from his grasp.  How could the Lord permit
it?

Even as Jake dithered Mitch reacted.  He
rushed into the next courtyard where apparently stood the frozen figures of Ben
Tiferet, Alex Lapski and Shmueli Isaacson.  Then, to Jake’s amazement, Mitch
reached for the gun in Shmueli’s hand and removed it.

‘It’s good to have one of these again, he
said as he returned, ‘Now Jake, you heard what the Angel said.  Wake them. 
Let’s get this over with.’

‘But what are you going to do?’

‘What do you think?  I’ve reached an agreement
with the En Sof and the Isaacson boy who is our slave will help us to our
goal.’

Of course.  Shmueli, like Jake, was a
descendant of Cordozo and Shmueli appeared to be in the En Sof’s power.  If he
were to carry out the ceremony then there was nothing that Jake could do about
it.

‘No, wait.’

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake.  Don’t say
anything.  Just do what I tell you.’

But Jake knew that he had to try.  If
Mitch did what he wanted everything would be destroyed.  Somehow this would
have to be stopped.

‘Mitch, please.  You can’t trust the En
Sof.  It has no compassion.  It’s just a thing; not even a spirit; and it is
driven by one desire; to live.  It only needs you if you can further its
wishes.  Once it’s done that it will cast you aside.’

‘No, you’re wrong.  I know the En Sof in a
way you can never know it.  I have been inside its mind.  I trust it
completely.’

‘Then you’re a fool.’

‘Shut your face, wanker.  Just do what I
say or,’ and the gun pointed to Cherry, ‘She gets it.

‘Now wake them.’

Jake had no choice.  The only good thing
was that Tiferet might be able to help him.  So he crossed into the next
courtyard and found himself standing in a room that, despite the arrangement of
furniture, was familiar.  He was home, standing in his own lounge and, even as he
stepped within, time began again.

It was as if a film had been interrupted
and now restarted.  Each of those within continued from where they left off. 
There was Shmueli who had been holding a gun.  His finger jerking back to
finish squeezing the non-existent trigger.  Immediately, his eyes glazed over
and shut and he collapsed to the floor. 

Lapski stared without comprehension but a
smile of realisation crossed Ben’s face.

‘Welcome home, Jake,’ he said simply in
his unmistakeable accent.

‘You’re not surprised?’

‘Should I be?’

‘I suppose not.  It’s over you know.’

‘I know.  You have the crystals?

‘No, Mitch has them.’

‘So be it.  Come on Mitch, show yourself.’

The first to appear was Faivish, closely
followed by Cherry and then Mitch now armed with the gun.

‘Well, this is cosy,’ Mitch smirked, ‘Now,
Lapski.  You may not know it but you did me a big favour.’

‘Of course I did you a big favour.  I
introduced you to the En Sof.  That was always what I wanted.’

‘But...’

‘Come, Mitch.  Give me the crystals.’

‘No.  Shut your face.  I know the truth
now.  You used me.  You used the En Sof.  Well, I’m my own man now and you are
going to do exactly what I say.  The five crystals on the floor.  Pick them up
and give them to the bitch.’

Lapski stood there impassively and Jake
realised what was happening.  The gun was still trained on Cherry and the
bastard had no feeling for her.  Damn.  Mitch would kill her if his patience
was tried.  The man was so unstable.  That was when Ben moved.

‘Stay there.’

‘I’m getting the crystals.  That’s what
you wanted, isn’t it.’

Thank God.  He understood.

So Ben reached down to the representation
of the sefirotic tree and plucked the five remaining holy stones from their
respective nodes.  He passed them to Cherry.

‘Good.  Now wake the idiot on the floor. 
I need him.’

Ben walked over to Shmueli and slapped him
on the face.  As the boy’s eyes blinked Jake half expected him to say the
immortal line, ‘Where am I?’  Thank goodness he merely looked up and stood and
started to cry.  Poor kid.  What had the En Sof been doing to him?

…………………………………

Again, as Shmueli awoke, he found himself
in a situation where he did not know what was happening.  Not only that but
there seemed to be a huge gap in his memory.  The gun, he remembered holding it
but it had vanished.

But why a gun?

He was going to kill that man.

The Bent Ferret.

He was going to kill.  He was going to
kill!

HE WAS GOING TO KILL.

And the enormity of his actions smashed
into him with all the force of a ten ton truck.

It was as if something then rebelled
within him.  There was nothing he could do to stop it.  The tears flowed and he
knew that the force of his emotions was threatening to overwhelm him.

‘Pull yourself together, you four eyed
yid.’

That voice, it sounded familiar.  He rubbed
his eyes and looked and remembered.

The reporter, the one who...the one
who...(wanted to know about Cherry), the one who...had turned into that
monster.  He was the one who started all of this and now he was holding a gun
on the Bent Ferret.  No, Professor Tiferet, that was his name.  His enemy.

Why?  Why was Tiferet his enemy?

Because he killed Mum and Dad.   He killed
Rabbi Tashlich.

How?  How did he know?

Because his guardian angel told him.

And then he knew.

His so called guardian angel.  That was
the monster and this man with the gun he was its tool.

He had been used.

And then he saw Cherry.  Why had he not
spotted her before?  How did she get here?  What was happening to him?

He tried to catch her eye but she turned
her head away.  Oh, Cherry, he never should have left her and then he saw
someone who almost seemed as forlorn as he.  A man, a man with two heads, but
one of them was dead.  A bullet hole through its centre.  The man wore a beard
in the manner of an orthodox Jew and, as Shmueli quickly realised he too was a
victim.

‘Stop fucking about.  Come here.’

That reporter again, what was his name? 
It was his fault, all of it and he wanted to fight back.

‘No!’

‘What?’

‘No.’

For an instant the man did not know what
to do and then he turned to Tiferet.

‘Well, it seems that there is no choice is
there?  Professor, you know what you’ve got to do.’

Tiferet seemed uncertain.

‘No, Mitch,’ he said (of course, his name
was Mitch Mitchell, how could he have forgotten?)  ‘You can’t do this.’

‘Can’t I?  You’ve put a shield about this
house.  Remove it.’

‘No.’

‘Then, who do you want to die first?  The
girl, the yid, this fool with two heads?  You tell me.’

The Professor paused but it was clear that
he had no choice.

‘All right.  Alex.  You’d better help me.’

He had motioned to his companion, a
younger man whom Shmueli did not recognise and then the two of them seemed to
chant a ritual in unison.  The language was Hebrew but the grammar was archaic
and he found that he could make little sense of what they were saying.

Then they finished and looked at each
other.

No-one spoke.  There was not a sound; just
a silent atmosphere of expectation that seemed almost tangible and then it
began.

……………………………………

It was the first time that Alexander
Lapski realised that his plans were as nought.  He had taken no notice of the
Professor’s dire warnings but now he could see that Tiferet was right.  What a
fool he had been?  He had really thought that he could exclude the En Sof from
the final ceremony and then, once he had control of the Light, banish the force
back to the limbo from which it had come.

The problem was that he had never
considered Mitch to be anything other than an unthinking tool, incapable of
acting on his own initiative.  How wrong he had been.

Mitch was serving the En Sof but quite
clearly he was an independent operator and it was he who wanted his master’s
presence.

And he knew just how dangerous that was.

Neither Mitch nor the En Sof had any love
for him.  He had used them both in his ambitions for universal power.  Also
they knew that the Professor could be forced to do their bidding, as could Jake
Tranton, by threatening the girl, Cherry Linford.  He, on the other hand, had
no such weakness and he wondered how long it would take Mitch to realise that
he was an unnecessary presence.  Everything he could do, so could Professor
Tiferet.

If he was not useful he would be killed.

Unless he was indispensable.

Or, and his mind began to plan, there
might be a far better alternative.

And Lapski hid the smile from his face as
he realised just what it was that he had to do.

………………………………………

Cherry had managed to fit the pieces
together.  She had been reliving the very worst moments of her life in Sheol. 
It made her shudder to think of it.  To think that she had been so in love with
Sam that she had tried to do away with herself when he had left her.  Love; it
was a terrible master; and she now knew that she would not change that for
anything.  Once more she was in love and this time with a man who was
everything she could have wanted; Jake.

Poor Sam.  Look at him now.  So pathetic. 
It was just how he had been when they had first dated.  The only difference
being that now he had a beard and looked like an orthodox Jew.  He had been an
underdog then and she had come to his rescue.  She had mothered him and built
up his confidence and then, at the last, he had turned on her and rejected
her...and that was what had hurt so much.

To think that she had wanted to die.  She
remembered how she had taunted Mitch as if she had been goading him into taking
action against her.  It was crazy.  Now, she wanted to live and Mitch was here
again, still pointing his gun at her.

There had to be something she could do. 
There had to be some way that she could give Jake the manoeuvring room he needed. 
She would wait and see.  An opportunity would have to present itself.

………………………………….

So, thought Faivish, this is the Heled. 
The world Jake called Earth.  How he had come to be there he was still not
quite certain.  The angel Metatron had manipulated space and time, that was
obvious, but why had he allowed Mitch to gain the upper hand?

Or had he?

Who was he to prejudge the intentions of
the Lord God of everything?

He looked at his companions.  Jake and
Cherry he knew and Mitch too, unfortunately.  The others were strangers.  An
older man with a resolute face, and a slightly younger companion.  There was
another, a third.  Not more than a boy really.  The one who had been holding
the weapon on the older man and had fainted.  Faivish saw the boy glance his
way.  There was a look in his eyes, a glint of something that seemed to reach
into him to tug at his heart strings.  Yes, this young man was in need of a
friend.  He was as lost as Faivish felt without Daivish and Faivish was
determined to help him.

Daivish.  That was a ray of hope.  Had not
Metatron stated that Daivish would be restored to him?  How would that be
possible unless...

...but no, he could not jump to
conclusions.  He was still trying to second guess God.  He would have to watch
his presumption.

The key lay within Jacob Tranton but
within Jake there was so much doubt.  Would he truly be able to rise above his
feelings of guilt to do what was needed?  Metatron had already stated that Jake
did not need forgiveness for adultery and murder but Jake had not seemed too
certain of it.  Poor fellow.  To discover that he had a sister whom he could
not remember and then to realise that he had killed her.  It was enough to give
anyone a sense of guilt.  Then there was something else.

For some reason Metatron had not allowed
Jake to continue his confession.  Maybe there was something else to confess,
something big, something upon which the whole success or failure of Jake’s
endeavours must rest, but what was bigger than murder?

Dear Lord.  He felt so small as he
pictured his place in the Divine plan and saw that there was nothing he could
do.

…………………………………..

It had not taken Ben long at all to
understand what had happened.  He had seen the glimpse of the Heavenly Temple
and realised that this could only mean that Jake had succeeded in his quest.  The
thing that had surprised him was to find that Mitch still seemed to have the
upper hand.  It was clear that Mitch was a free agent, unlike Shmueli whose
very thought processes had been dictated by the En Sof, but what was Mitch’s
relationship with the monster?

Monster, that was the wrong word.  The En
Sof was no more a monster than was a raging tornado.  It had an intelligence, a
cunning, but it was not alive in any shape or form, whether natural or supernatural.

The En Sof was a thing without substance,
a force that lay beyond (or beneath, for that matter) the question of moral
values.  That was what made it so dangerous.  It simply did not care.  It did
not even have the mechanism for caring.  It was just a motivation.  It was the
anticipation of what might have been and blindly, instinctively, it was
manipulating events to ensure that what-might-have-been becomes that-which-is.

So it only needed Mitch so far as he could
be used.  If it had no use for Mitch he would be discarded.  So, that could be
the lever.  He wondered how it could be used.

For now it was just a waiting game.

…………………………………………

Mitch too was waiting but for him it was
with anticipation.  He was a man without doubts, a man whose life was reaching
its time of fulfilment.  The En Sof was coming.  Jake would carry out the
ceremony and this universe would be torn up and it would be as if it had never
existed.