The Crystal Circle: A Paranormal Romance Novel (11 page)

“Several years...” Orna was shocked. She was so amazed that she couldn’t swallow.

“Unfortunately, and to their dismay, he didn’t work with strong and established people who know how to manage their money efficiently, but mostly elderly people, or immigrants, and they trusted him with their eyes closed. On the eve of the branch’s ten-year celebration, the fourteenth of June, your husband withdrew all the money deposited in the accounts he handled. We’re talking two million shekels here, no less!”

Everyone in the room opened their eyes wide, and some whistled in admiration. Orna fell back in her chair.

“Pension funds, life savings, severance pay... whatever, he took it all. Stole, you might say!” Tomas put his nose as close as he could to Orna’s nose without actually touching. “Where did your husband run off to with the money, ma’am? If you know, now’s the time to tell us and save your skin!”

Orna swallowed hard and shook her head vigorously. She was unable to speak, rested her head on her hands, and closed her eyes. She trembled in her seat and looked very unhappy. Tomas had no doubt she wasn’t in on it; otherwise she’d have gone away as well and disappeared along with Raul.

“It’s quite clear to us that he’s gone somewhere with the money. Try to think. Where could he go? Did he have a distant dream? Thailand? The Bahamas? A small hotel in

Italy? If you remember, for everyone’s benefit and for the benefit of those poor people who trusted him, call us immediately.”

He stood up, bowed his head, and said quietly, “I’m sorry that’s the way it worked out. I hope you and your kids can hang in there. And have a nice day.” He left the room, and the meeting ended.

Orna stumbled into the hallway where she was met by her sister in a powerful embrace. She couldn’t cry, not in front of strangers. When they were finally alone in the parking lot, Orna’s phone rang.

“Yes?” She listened at length. “Why?” she asked and finally said, “There was nothing there? Obviously. Keep it up, in the end they will! And update me every day at ten o’clock. Yes, I already said. Money’s not a problem.” She hung up and turned to her sister:

“Let’s go get a coffee.”

Outside, the sun blinded everyone equally - the victims, the policemen, and the evil thieves who were out there enjoying other people’s money.

06/27/2013 – Twelfth day of disappearance

Lynn was an amazing success story on a local scale. At ten in the morning, people were already waiting to order cutlets and fritters, Dave was carrying crates of bread and boxes of frozen meat, and in the afternoon cries of pleasure came from all around, “Michal! Michal! Bring another one.”

“You charmed them, Lynn,” sighed Dave as he dragged home the last vegetable crate.

“Michal, not Lynn!” she scolded him. “Out here, I’m Michal.”

He gave in, and they turned to count the money they’d earned in half a day. The proceeds equaled Lynn’s weekly salary at the schnitzel stand in the city. They smiled and shook hands. A spark of electricity passed between them, and they stared at each other. The looks they exchanged were hot and intimate.
It’s
forbidden!
The thought ran through her mind.
Lynn, it’s forbidden!
But why?

In the evening, over jazz music and a glass of wine, Dave told her of scenes he remembered from his past.

“I told you I was trying to start a business when I was twenty-eight, but my story, which seems to run on the margins of life, began at the age of eighteen, when I was a sophomore in high school in Beer Sheba. My mother was already very ill. We only had each other.”

He looked into the green eyes that gazed warmly into his own and added, “Her name was Violetta. She died of cancer on the first day of my senior year. Of course I didn’t get a high school diploma because I had to leave school to take care of her funeral and mourn her. Later, with much sweat, money, and patience, I went back to take the exams again. I knew all the material, but hadn’t taken the exams. You know why?”

Lynn shook her head. Her eyes were fixed on his pupils.

“For the same reason I was rejected by the army. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I discovered I didn’t have an identity card. When I arrived at the recruiting office for my first interview, I had my birth certificate with me. Apparently, it was a fake. Another guy there had the exact same ID number, but his name was completely different. They decided to examine both of us, and I was told to submit my certificates within a few weeks. Mom had always claimed my birth certificate was ‘somewhere around the house,’ but she was bedridden by then, and I wasn’t really looking to get new identity papers before she died. When I came to sign the papers and deal with all the complex processes required for a person to bury his loved one...”

Tears came to his eyes and he gave a small sob, took a sip of water, and bowed his head. Lynn gently placed her small hand on his tanned arm and waited. A few minutes later he continued. “I couldn’t find my papers and, for the authorities, it was as if I wasn’t my mother’s son. Horrible!” He clenched his teeth and shook his head. “When I wanted to get drafted, like my friends, I realized it was going to be difficult. I went to the Interior Ministry several times, but they couldn’t find my credentials. It was as if David Cortillio had never existed. Six-foot-nine-inches of me didn’t exist… I remember that as a child or teenager, this issue didn’t bother me at all. My mother always pampered me. There was really nothing I lacked. When I questioned her about my dad or the rest of the family, she said it would be better for me not to know because it would only upset me. I assumed my father was in prison, maybe even some kind of a murderer. I didn’t want to dig... it would’ve upset her. She never married and had no siblings. She was born in Argentina and immigrated alone as a student, and, as far as I know, she was also an only child. Her parents died there. I never knew my grandparents. You could say that I have no family, Lynn.” He looked around and then stroked Tom the cat, who purred with pleasure.

Lynn replied in a choked voice, “A lonely childhood.”

“My entire childhood, I was so lonely. The truth is that, during the day, I had many friends. I was great at games that didn’t require running. But when they invited me over... Mom wouldn’t let me go and wouldn’t let me have kids around. When I was in high school, I dared to go out without her permission, but it upset her so much, and she became sick and... So I let it be. She explained that I was the only one left in her world and she was afraid of losing me, and I accepted it as it was.”

He brooded, and Lynn let him sink in his memories, only putting her hand on his tanned arm. “So I couldn’t study in the traditional way or find a respectable job. I mean, if someone doesn’t have an ID number, he doesn’t exist. So I found myself working in construction, restaurants, hotels, and as a porter in the market, anything to get by. I had to leave the apartment we were renting. My mother’s pension from the hospital where she worked as a nurse ran out after a year. She had no life insurance, and I was left to face the harsh reality.”

Lynn nodded and looked at him, not daring to make a sound.

“But I’m an optimist.” Dave got up and stretched. His hands touched the low ceiling of the trailer. He laughed and hastily poured them both another glass of red wine. “I always have a lot of friends everywhere… friends who walk on two legs, friends who walk on all four and have a tail, and friends in binders on the shelves...” He gestured at the shelves nearly collapsing from the surplus of books.

“And?” Lynn was lost, deep in the rich glass of Bordeaux. “What about girlfriends?”

He smiled and looked deep into her eyes. “Of course there were. Came and went. I

probably haven’t yet found the one that would really touch my soul...”

Her stomach revolved in an involuntary spasm. She sensed that there was something more than he was saying.

“I don’t know what’s happening with me. With you, I feel like I need to tell it all. This never happens to me, this feeling that I must confess to something.”

“Confess?” Her eyebrows rose. “To what?”

“There weren’t only girlfriends...”

She looked up with a question in mind. Suddenly, understanding permeated her consciousness. “A boyfriend... you had a boyfriend too?”

“Yes, I had a very dear friend. I loved him very much. We were a couple.” Dave gave a small pause, took a breath, and continued. “Andrei.” Just the name brought a tear to his eye. “We were together for two years. Not here, in Beer Sheba. But, one day, he left abruptly without saying goodbye. He wrote to me from Belgium that he was dying of a rare blood disease. He’d known it all along and chose not to worry me and to let me go. He died four years ago.”

There was a silence.

“Since then, did you have more friends... men?”

“I’m not really attracted to the same sex. On the contrary! I checked it. I was never drawn to men. I’m very attracted to women. It was just him, Andrei, an amazing, special person. I wear this earring in his honor.” He pointed to the small, glittering earring in his earlobe. “Women are wonderful. They have wisdom and courage and independence and... They’re everything.” He gave her a vague look. “I’m attracted to them.” Then he sighed a heartbreaking sigh. “But they’re not attracted to me. What can I do? Disability isn’t attractive. Certainly not on a first date.”

Lynn hesitated to go one step further. She’d been intrigued by Dave’s disability from the moment they’d met. “So… how did you really get the leg injury? From birth?”

“I’m not sure. I have no memories of early childhood. Almost like you. Anyway, Mom told me I had a degenerative leg disease that started when I hit my leg in preschool when I was two, but I don’t remember it.”

“You never went to a doctor to get it checked?”

“Why should I? After all, my mother was a nurse. She knew about such things. Besides, I’ve never been to a doctor. I’m healthy, thank God, and if there were something wrong with me, no doctor would see me without an HMO card. I told you... numbers set the rules in this country. I got used to it. I have one leg slightly shorter than the other. I have scars from surgery. That’s my reality and I’ve gotten used to, ever since I can remember.”

She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Dave said, “Enough, Lynn, I’m asking you, that’s enough for today. I want to rest. Thank you for the wonderful listener that you are. Goodnight.” He removed the dirty dishes, rinsed them, and disappeared into his room.

Lynn felt herself drawn to this amazing man. His limp didn’t bother her, and she felt he liked her. Nevertheless, she got a bitter feeling that fermented and bubbled in her gut whenever she thought she might be happy if they became a couple. She believed she could be happier if she had even a hint of the love and tenderness with which he spoke when he mentioned his dead boyfriend, Andrei.

Dave turned over in bed. The moon was full and memories of his mother, Violetta, came flooding back to him. He thought about her, sometimes with affection and at other times with indifference. “Interesting,” he remarked to himself and rubbed his eyes as sleep threatened to sweep him over. “How did she react when I was injured as an infant?”

The thought disturbed him. He turned over and still couldn’t sleep. The moon looked at him, framed in his window, and smiled his mysterious smile. Finally, Dave surrendered to his urge and got out of bed. He went to the box on the top shelf of the closet, a box he’d almost never opened in all the years since Violetta had departed to another world. By the light of the moon, he took out and examined the few belongings in the box. Finally, he removed the small address book that he hadn’t dared open for seventeen years.

Under the letter ‘P’ was a name that had always intrigued him - Paula. On the rare occasions she would call around, usually on his mother’s birthday, she would look at him and wait for him to leave the room, then she’d murmur words in Spanish. By the end of the visit, he’d find his mother crying.

“Mom, what happened?” She never told him and took the secret to her grave. Or... maybe she didn’t? He put the box back in its place and tucked the old booklet under his bed.

“Tomorrow is a new day.”

Rules of the Crystal Circle

1.        
   A challenging: A situation in which a member of the group creates, in the physical reality, an emotionally or physically difficult situation for another member, forcing the other member to go searching for qualities he didn’t know were in his possession. For example: cruelty, rape, hatred, alienation. A challenging must have the prior consent of all parties involved.
   
2.        
   The plan is premeditated before its manifestation in reality and signed by all members of the Circle. Papers of agreement and signatures will be secreted in the heavenly archive and available for review only to guides at Sapphire level and above. Disagreement with, or modification of, the plan is permitted, but requires the consent of the group and signature of the guide.
   

06/28/2013 - Thirteenth day of disappearance

Lynn got up early. She had a warm and safe feeling, as though she had always lived this way. She hurried down to the sea, before people arrived, swam for about ten minutes, and felt the blood throbbing powerfully through her temples.

Dave rubbed his eyes. He rolled onto his stomach and hugged the pillow. His hand stumbled upon something. He sat up in bed and checked. It was Violetta’s address book. He’d completely forgotten about it. “It’s now or never,” he decided. It was time to overcome the sorrow and confusion and find out about his birth, who his father was, and what had happened to him at the age of two. He dialed, and the phone rang at the other end. Dave panicked and hung up immediately. Tom jumped onto his knees and rubbed his back against them. Dave laughed and dialed again.

After eight rings, an older woman answered. “Hello. Who’s speaking?” The rolling Argentine intonation reminded him of the old days - the smell of empanadas, chorizo, of a chocolate scented tango.

“Am I speaking to Paula?” Dave asked hesitantly.

“Yes, this is Paula. Who is this?”

He swallowed. “Dave… this is Dave. The son... Violetta’s son... may she rest in peace.”

There was a pause and then a scream. “Dave! Dave! Where are you, “mijito”? I’ve been looking for you for years!”

“You were looking for me?”

“Yes, querido! Since you disappeared at the age of eighteen, I could not find you. Nor did my husband, who died five years ago.”

“I’m sorry. I should have...”

“It doesn’t matter!” Paula took charge of the conversation. “Tell me where you are and we’ll come pick you up, honey.”

For a moment, Dave felt about ten years old. He regained his composure and continued. “It doesn’t matter where I am, Paula. I’m thirty-five already. I’m sorted, and everything is all right.” After making sure that she was in good health, Dave admitted he would like to shed light on hidden chapters in his past. He told her he’d found her phone number and thought she could help him.

“What do you want to know, Dave mijito?”

“Who was my father? Why did he leave? Where was I born? What accident happened to my leg at the age of two? Why don’t I have a birth certificate, and why am I not recognized by the Interior Ministry?” The questions were fired in bursts without planning, as if they had been sitting on the tip of his tongue all those years, waiting for the opportunity to come out.

Paula sighed and said, “Look, Dave, we should speak about these things face to face, not over the phone.”

“I can’t wait any longer, Paula. It’s really urgent for me. I’ll come visit another time, at a good time, but I’d love to hear it right now if you have some answers for me.”

“At least for some of your questions, I have answers.” She sighed and took a deep breath, as if she was sick with asthma, fighting for every breath. “Dave, you are my late sister’s son, and God knows how much I loved her, but the relationship between us was not easy. I was very angry with her for years, but now... she’s dead. The anger is over. I wish she were alive to answer these questions. I wish I could give you better answers so as not to hurt you. But I can no longer hide the truth. Are you sure you want to know, Dave?” Dave’s sweaty palm gripped the phone, and he closed his eyes tightly.

“Yes.”

“We’ll start with the accident. When you were two years old, you ran into the road and a large car hit you and threw you into the air, crushing your shinbones. You were unconscious and were taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. There, you were hospitalized for emergency surgery on your foot, and they had no choice but to amputate part of the bone and reconnect it. That’s what caused your limp. After forty- eight hours you had a second surgery, and they moved you to the recovery ward. There, you were treated by a nice nurse named Violetta...”

“Mom? Mom took care of me? She never told me!”

“I know, honey. You want to hear more?”

“Yes. Who’s my father? Where was I born?”

“I’m sorry, Dave. I don’t know. And I’m afraid that Violetta didn’t know either.”

“What do you mean, she didn’t know? Was she raped? Was I born without her knowing?”

Paula sighed again and then coughed. “There’s no other way. Listen, Dave, you have parents. The thing is… she didn’t know who they were or where you were born. Violetta just brought you up.”

The hair on the back of Dave’s neck bristled. He felt he was standing on the edge of a cliff and would fall at any moment.

“They left? She adopted me?”

“I wish it were that simple. If it were, you would have adoption papers. She just... took you in and went to Beer Sheba.”

“Took me? What do you mean?” Dave gasped. “Did she kidnap me?”

“Mmm... sort of... yeah. You were a sweet little boy, and she was already forty years old and wasn’t married, unable to adopt. And... so she said, she met with a sweet, injured little boy who hugged her and she couldn’t resist your charms... so...”

“Just like that?” His voice broke to a whisper. “She took someone’s child and ran away...”

“Dave, I… God forbid, I’m not justifying what Violetta did. It was a crime in every sense. I did not speak to her for a few years. She fled to Beer Sheba, and it was very hard for her to raise you. But, on the other hand, I didn’t turn her in because she was still my sister... I loved her. Oh, this is so complicated, Dave. And I felt so sorry for you. When I found out and came to see her, you were almost three and could not remember another mother. You were happy and called her Mom and she loved you... it’s not that simple.”

Dave looked in amazement at the telephone receiver. He didn’t answer, and her voice grew more and more distant.

“Dave! Don’t hang up. I want you to be in touch. Dave! We can...”

He hung up, tossed the phone into the laundry hamper, went running out of the trailer, turned onto the road, and began running toward the city.

The severe cold of the water, the salt on her lips, the waves splashing her cheeks, and her vigorous swimming sharpened Lynn’s mind and she realized that there was something unresolved, something disturbing her. She had to find out who she really was and what she was supposed to do. There may be some people after her. Did they wish her well or harm? Why did she sense an impending disaster? Was this something predetermined, in which she was playing her role reluctantly and without her knowledge? A disturbing thought.

She headed for the showers. Compared to the cold seawater, the beach showers seemed warm and luxurious. She indulged in the warm water for a long time, and when she turned to dry off, she saw the big puddle that had accumulated next to the shower. She came closer to look at her reflection, her hair still dripping, and looked into her eyes. A green flash was caught in a crystal lightning and...

The Crystal Circle Meeting

This time Lynn was wearing a light green silk robe that matched her eyes. The gown clung to her body and hovered above her ankles. Its touch was wonderful and caressing. At her side, someone tall walked down the glittering hall, wearing loose white pants and a short cape of dark green. She saw him smile and recognized Dave in surprise. He didn’t limp. He smiled, reached his hand out to her, and she took it. They walked hand in hand into the Circle. All around them were the beloved souls, happily waiting for them. Everyone stood up to kiss each other hello, and her heart was filled with echoes of sweet longing finally achieving satisfaction. A little like cool water for the thirsty in the desert, she thought in amazement.

“Welcome, members of the Crystal Circle.” Raz’el opened the meeting. “This time, Dave and Michal summoned the meeting at the same time. You looked at a pool, Michal, and Dave, you looked into a bucket of seawater a girl had brought up from the beach. Both of you have asked for the meeting. What’s going on?” he asked with a smile, even though he already knew.

“It’s embarrassing, but...” Michal smiled.

“And it’s exciting, but...” Dave added.

“We feel that we’re falling in love,” concluded Michal simply. They watched Raz’el, but he said nothing. He was waiting for the response of the group.

Yossi said, “Michal, I’m ready for any challenge, but you know it’s forbidden...”

“He’s your brother for God’s sake,” Miriam said and looked helplessly at Raz’el. She turned to Yossi. “You’re her husband. Take responsibility! You must go to Eilat quickly and solve this mess.”

“You know I’m trying to...” Yossi said with a sigh. “It’s one of the toughest challenges I’ve ever faced.”

“In this life,” Raz’el corrected him. “But from this difficulty, you will emerge different, bigger, more enriched. I know this.”

“But if I can’t remember anything, how will I remember that he’s my brother?” Michal tossed the question into the air. In the air between those sitting shone the crystal spangles and dozens of trails of colored light and glowing sparks danced and whirled between them. “I’m... confused. David, who I missed since he disappeared from my life when I was seven years old, suddenly appears as a good, attractive man… Dave’s challenge is hard for me.”

Dave stood up and they hugged. Tears streamed down their cheeks.

Once they settled down, Raz’el said, “You’ll withstand it. You were made of rigid material - diamonds. You won’t break. Don’t worry. Your next challenge, my darlings, is the struggle between Saul and David. Yes,” he chuckled to himself while everyone stared at him blankly, “like every other time, like it was in biblical times. Trust me, it will be fine. If not in body, at least in soul.”

“What does that mean?” Michal raised her voice. “He doesn’t kill him. Even in the Bible, he couldn’t...”

“My pretty,” Raz’el turned to her brightly, “why do you raise your voice? It contradicts the harmony. There’s no anger in the Crystal Circle. All discord stems from misunderstandings and ambiguities about the future. And that’s understandable. Calm yourself. And as for your question: This time he will probably not survive. In our world, yes. Of course. In the Earthly reality, no.”

Everyone looked around. No one said a word. “Who? Who might not survive?” asked some members of the Circle
.

Raz’el smiled and said nothing, and finally added, “Everything is for the development of your soul. I’ll see you at the next meeting, beloved souls.”

Everyone stood up to embrace each other, a dense, loving circle of rustling silk robes, in which longing, love, and sadness mixed together.

As they walked down the hall that was disappearing before their eyes, Michal swore to remember. She had to save them, Saul and David. Remember! Remember and never forget! She pinched her skin with tremendous force, causing a bruise, and immediately began to weep. She must save them, no matter what! Save...”

Lynn looked at her hand in astonishment. One moment she was looking at her reflection in a puddle of water, the next she was standing there with watering eyes. Her hand was sore and bruised. She remembered this practice as a child, when she wanted to remind herself of something. In order not to forget, she would pinch herself, leaving a mark, at least for a few hours. But... it was weird. One minute she was looking at the puddle, and then suddenly the bruise and the tears sprang up. Strange.
Okay, Lynn, you need to remember something important. What is it?

Lynn straightened up from the pool of shower water, shook her head, dried herself, and returned slowly and thoughtfully to the trailer. Something was there in the puddle, something disturbing. Tadpoles? No... she smiled to herself. Typically, pools and lakes reassured her. This time, her heart was beating as fast as jungle drums. What had happened?

When she arrived at the caravan, a cup of coffee and a slice of bread were waiting for her as usual, but, unusually, Dave’s warm smile was not waiting for her. He had disappeared; apparently he’d gone into town without saying goodbye.

“Michal!” She looked up to see one of the girls who always came to Michal’s Restaurant for lunch. “My father saw a picture of you on Facebook. Someone said you were lost.”

“Me?” Lynn was surprised.

“Yes, he says it’s not exactly you, but very much like you. No glasses and different hair.”

“That’s hard to believe,” said Michal decisively. “You’re done eating? Can I take your plate?”

“Yes, thank you,” the girl said. “I’ll send my dad over tonight.”

“There’s no need, it’s fine.” Lynn smiled a forced smile.