In the last episode Adam witnessed the spectacle of Ikeda making inanimate physical objects move with only his mind, something that may have been considered a miracle to most people. This was child’s play compared to what Ikeda did next. He then performed a true miracle, helping to release Adam from a horrible lifelong burden, the lack of self-confidence due to his stutter. With this burden conquered Adam could now play the role he’s always been destined to play in this lifetime.
Ikeda is proving to be everything that everyone said he was and more. At this point it all made sense to Adam. He understood why Ikeda was such a threat to the elite who were currently had a stranglehold on their society. It made Adam fearful for Ikeda's safety, he realized they would stop at nothing to keep the knowledge Ikeda held from the general populace. If any of this information was leaked into the mainstream the revolution simply could not be stopped.
Welcome to today’s episode of Alarm Clock Dawn! I hope you enjoy it!
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You’re amazing, Ikeda.”
Ikeda shook his head as he answered, “I’m just a wave in this vast ocean of life, Adam. I’m only a man.”
Adam was then startled by a loud knock on the door.
“Come in, my dear,” Ikeda called out, and Evelyn and Bear came rushing in wet from the rain.
“There's a monster storm brewing up out there!” Bear exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, we're perfectly safe from the storms in here. Now, to get on with the business at hand.” Ikeda quickly stood up and began to pace back and forth. “I know you still have many questions that I must answer. Please walk with me. I must first make my rounds.”
Adam wasn't quite sure what he meant by rounds, but he agreed to join him nonetheless. Ikeda lit a small lantern and asked them to follow him through the massive, pivoting stone door in the wall.
The door was so perfectly balanced that even a slight push moved this solid stone slab that easily weighed several tons.
Ikeda took the lead through the doorway and led them carefully up a large flight of narrow, unevenly worn stairs that were carved into the rock. There were electric lights on the sides of the rough walls every so often, and in the spots where there weren’t any lights, the little lantern sufficed.
As he climbed, Bear ran his hands over the hieroglyphic symbols that were deeply and intricately carved into different spots of the wall. They reminded Adam of the symbols he had seen repeatedly on different puzzles at XenTek, and in recognizing this he was beginning to sense a much larger enigma.
They began to get a little out of breath as Ikeda quickly and expertly guided them through a labyrinth of halls and tunnels until they walked through the doorway of a cave not much different from the one Adam had slept in the night before. Only this one had a small circular hole in the ceiling and there was a steadily burning wood fire on the floor. The room was quite warm and comfortable, not as damp as Ikeda’s living quarters.
All of a sudden, children seemed to come at them from every direction and commotion erupted as a group of shrill voices shouted “Grandpapa!” This surprised Bear, but Adam was the most startled, instinctively rushed behind Bear. In the blink of an eye, Ikeda was surrounded by children of all shapes and sizes. The oldest child appeared to be nearly a teenager, the youngest no more than four years old.
“Have you all had enough to eat?” Ikeda said, smiling.
“Yes!” the children answered in a sort of loose unison.
“Has everyone had their tea?”
“Yes, Grandpapa!” they answered again.
“Tell us a story Grandpapa, please?” asked one of the youngest of them, her eyes swollen and nose red as though she was getting over a bad cold.
Ikeda’s face was very animated as he pressed together his thumb and forefinger. “Okay, just a short one.” He took on a look of forced seriousness as he added “But only after quiet time.”
After Ikeda said this, the children all arranged themselves in a very disciplined manner in orderly rows as they sat on neatly folded woolen blankets. Partially out of politeness, Evelyn, Bear, and Adam sat down as well. Bear looked around and threw up his hands, unsure of what to do but followed everyone else’s lead and sat down on the floor. Once they were settled, they all crossed their legs, closed their eyes, and became perfectly still.
Ikeda, in a soothing voice, began to guide the group. “A great white light is surrounding you. Feel its peace and warmth on your face as it envelopes you. Stay focused on this healing light and make yourself one with it.” As Ikeda said this, the children smiled in unison.
After about fifteen minutes of sitting completely still, the children, one by one, began to slowly open their eyes. They seemed much more calm, so completely different from the jumping and screaming children they had been just a few moments before.
Taking part in this experience left Adam with an indescribable feeling of peace. He had never considered himself a religious man but felt the whole day so far had held an unparalleled spiritual experience, a certain connectedness to something much greater than himself. This was something he had never felt before and all he could manage to do was smile a silly grin.
Everyone opened their eyes. One of the youngest children in the room, a girl with olive skin and bushy black hair, seemed very upset. A tiny thing of four or five years old, she climbed up onto Ikeda's lap as he settled down in a small stone chair and she said in a high pitched little voice, “Grandpapa, I saw a really scary storm coming.”
Ikeda looked at her tenderly. “Now, now, there is nothing to worry about, Sara. The storm, as with all bad things, will not last forever. Soon you will not have to worry. I have just the thing for this occasion, now gather in close!”
The children pulled in closer in anticipation, and Ikeda began to recite a poem from his homeland that had already been ancient when he was a child.
A wayward sigh escapes you and truly blends with ease.
Among the sights and sounds around you,
graying skies and rustling leaves.
As your body starts to shiver,
you can feel it’s looming near.
The calm before the storm has come,
it happens every year.
There is an ever-present beauty in the calm before the storm.
Anticipation, stillness and the thoughts of keeping warm.
Although there’s clear and present danger in getting in her path,
there can be great enjoyment in watching Mother Nature’s wrath.
The calm is coming to an end, it’s more than plain to see.
Lightning breaks the clean gray slate of sky behind the trees.
As the rain begins to mist, the wind begins to howl.
Lightning brightens threatening skies as thunder snarls and growls.
The postman looks up to the sky and shakes a tight-clenched fist.
For the raindrops dance upon his head, falling stronger than a mist.
Somehow fear eludes me as I take in all the sights.
Suddenly, looking to the West, I see soft clouds of white.
Blue comes shortly after, then warm rays of sun.
Just as quickly as it came, the thunderstorm is done!
Adam was sure the memory of this moment would stay with him for the rest of his life. To him, this tender moment was a million times more magical than the seeing the flock of paper birds Ikeda made take flight.
It was becoming apparent just how special this tiny, wise man really was. In a world full of charlatans, he was most certainly the real thing. Ikeda genuinely cared for these children that society had carelessly tossed aside. Judging by the size and the ornery look of some in this bunch, it would’ve been no small task.
(All gifs sourced from Giphy.com)
Tune in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for new episodes of Alarm Clock Dawn! The final episode including a ENORMOUS plot twist will be read by yours truly live at the first annual SteemFest in Amsterdam on Saturday, November 12th.
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.
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