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     “What’s a denominator?”  Someone yelled out and was silenced by the crowd with a glare from everyone.

     “What I mean,” I continued, “Is that each story has something in common.  And that is that most people look to some other authority or book to tell them what to do and how to live, when all they need to do is to trust and listen to their own hearts.

     “I’m from earth and I
was born in the year 1937.  I was in my thirties when the Manson family came into being.  There was another man such as him who lived in a place on earth called Germany.  His name was Hitler. 

     “He had thousands of followers.  He tried to kill all the Jews or have them killed.  He started a major war. This was in the 1940s.  I was just a little girl but I remember it well.

     “The 1960s started out as a time of peace and free love.  The people were much like you people here
, Ted.  They ate
good food and many were vegetarian like you are here.  We had another major war during that time and
these peace loving people didn’t want to kill people so some left the country.

     “I know Charles Manson is your great, great, I don’t know how many greats, grandpapa, but he was really not what you thin
k.  I probably have some ancesto
rs that I would be ashamed of, but they are not me.

     “I don’t have to live li
k
e anyone else but listen to my own heart.  If you have always relied on someone else to lead you, you might not know how to listen to your heart…”

     As I continued my speech and my story I was amazed at myself.  In my last life I would have never given speeches.  And come to that, how did I
get so wise?  No one had
ever wanted to follow me.  I was just a timid housewife and mother to a five year old little girl.

     When the meeting broke up
,
we asked the woman from the mansion if she wanted to come live with us, but she refused.  Her name was Marion.

CHAPTER 25

    
When we got home that night I was so tired I didn’t even want to make love with Joe.  He held me until I fell asleep.

     The next morning as we were having breakfast with all the others Joe said, “It looks like Ashley was sent to this life to be a true leader and maybe a savior.”

     When I started to protest, he held up his hand, “You might as well face it, honey this may be what is meant to be.”

     “I don’t believe it.  I don’t want to be a leader.  People need to listen to their own heart.  How many times do I need to say that?”

     Irene had said very little since we had come back from down the hill yesterday.  Now she spoke, “Sometimes you don’t get to choose what role you are meant to play.  Do you think I like sitting and guarding the cave entrance while everyone else gets to do what they want?

     “I’m grateful for what I do have.  I was allowed to go do
wn the hill the last few days.  I have a good life and so do you, Ashley.  Don’t be selfish.”

     Joe spoke up, “Ashley, just because you believe everyone should listen to their own heart, sometimes we need just a little guidance.  Think of where I was before you came to us.

     “I would have lived out the rest of my life just like I was, never knowing anything any different.  I believe Ted and his group is in the same place mentally.  They have never been challenged to think in a different way.

   “You don’t have to tell them what to do but just get them to consider something else.  You see what I’m saying?”

     “Okay, I’ll think about all this.  You people are so good for me.  You challenge me just like you’re talking about me challenging others.”  We all hugged each other and went to our separate homes to get ready to go down the hill.

     I had designed more clothes and several
of the
women had made them.  We were planning on taking some
down with us this morning.  Rem
y, Ted’s girlfriend had commented on our c
lothes and I wanted to give some
to them as gifts.

  
  As soon as we came down the hill, we broke into groups with men in one group and women in the other.  While the women looked at clothes and accepted them as gifts and tried them on, the men went to the different gardens and talked about growing vegetables.

     When we had all gathered together under the huge shade trees and settled on the big rocks, Ted said, “You know you guys don’t have to
s
leep in a damp old cave.  I followed you yesterday to see where you were sleeping.  We could put you up between all of us.
”

     I looked at Joe and he winked, “Tell them,” he communicated silently.

     I laughed in delight,
“We would like you all to come and visit us in our cave.  I think you will be surprised.”  Then without thinking about it I added, “But only if we
invite the folks in the mansion
too.”

     They stared blankly at me and no one said anything.
  “Look, from what I know, every generation and every time and every planet and society have a group of people they want to feel is inferior to them.

     “It doesn’t have to be like that.  We would like to make this world a place where everyone loves and respects each other.  Can’t we start here and now?  I promise you, when you see what we have to show you, petty diffe
rences won’t matter
.”

     “Just keep those pigs out of my way,” Ted said and it reminded me of the white people calling the colored people niggers in my time.

     “Joe and I will go
to the mansion and get those folks and the rest of you take Ted and his group on up to the cave,” I said and Joe nodded in approval.

     I wanted to go with them and see their reaction but I knew I couldn’t do both
,
so Joe and I started toward the end of the street.

     I had never seen such luxury in
either of my lives.  A uniformed maid answered the door and I could see into the foyer.  The floors were huge white tiles with pink grout.  There was a winding staircase that looked like it was coated in gold.

     The huge chandelier looked like crystal.
  Before the maid could invite us in a man came from the interior of the house.  He was the most
handsome man I had ever seen, even more handsome than Joe. 
He had pitch black
,
very thick hair worn just below his ears.

     His eyes were a deep blue/green.  I had never seen eyes that color before.  He had on a cream colored ruffled shirt and skin tight pants of the same color.  He reminded me of pictures of men from the 1800s.

     He had a friendly smile and I noticed his top lip was just a thin line but his bottom lip was full and light pink.  His hair and coloring complemented that of his wife
,
Marion.

     “Come in,” he said. 
“
Marion told me about your group who lives in a cave.
”

     “We came to invite you to visit us there,” I said.

     “I know
,
Marion has been wanting to go up there
,
but she didn’t want to go alone.  Let me
go
get her.”

     When he walked away I turned to the maid, “You’re invited too.”

     “You’re inviting our maid?” Marion asked as she walked into the room.

     “Hi, Marion your husband just left looking for you.  Yes we invited, I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

     “It’s Edna and I think I will go,” she said as she looked at Marion with rebellion in her eyes.

     Rory came back in, “Then I guess it’s settled.”

     They didn’t bother to change clothes but went in their silks and satins.  Marion had on a bright green silk dress that was mid calf length.  The skirt was flowing.  She wore high heeled beige sandals.

     I asked her before we left if she didn’t want to at least change her shoes but she looked at me like I was crazy, “I’m a woman of the higher class.  I have to wear these.”

    
I didn’t question her farther and started down the street and up the hill.

     “Marion told
me she heard part of one of your
stories.  I would like to hear them sometime.”

     “I want to hear your story.  Do you go by the same book as your neighbors?”

     “No, we don’t have a book to go by like that.  What we have is a book of the ones of our class who came before us.”

     I looked at Joe and he silently communicated, “Get him to let us read it.”

     I turned back to Rory and he had been watching us with a question in his eyes.  “May I read your book?” I asked.

    
“I’m sorry, but we’re not allowed to let outsiders read it.  But we will tell our stories in exchange for hearing yours.”

     We agreed and continued to walk up the hill.  I commented on the beauty of the countryside and they looked around like they had never been this far from their house.  They agreed that it was beautiful.

     Irene was sitting in the mouth of the cave when we got there.  Ted’s group was inside.  “It won’t let us into the city,” she said shaking her head.  “The membrane is across the entrance.  Some of this bunch took out knives and was going to try to slice through and I had to stand in the
between them and the entrance.

     “When they threatened to slice me they all became blinded.  We had to lead them back out here and they haven’t caused any
more trouble.

     “I’ve been sitting here in a state of shock.  I’m glad you’re back.  This must be the people from the mansion.”  She held out her hand, “Hi, I’m Irene.”

     They looked at her hand like they didn’t know what they were supposed to do with it.  Then Rory said, “I’m Rory and this is my wife Marion.”

     “And this is Edna,” I added and the couple turned and looked at me like I had two heads.  “No one is better than anyone else here in our home.  You got that?”

     They nodded like two obedient children.
I motioned for them to sit on the spheres and then they noticed the others were sitting on the spheres and that the spheres were molded to their bodies.  Rory poked one with his fist and then sat down and it molded to his body.  He sighed like he was more relaxed than he had ever been.

     After watching him the two women sank down into the spheres and closed their eyes.  Marion actually smiled at Edna
,
shocking her.

     Joe and I shared a sphere and Irene began, “What is customary for us is that we usually sit here in the front room of the cave and share some stories before going to the city.  It’s sort of an orientation.

     “There is a city back there through that passage.  I want Ashley to tell her story first because it includes some of our own stories.  When she is done then Joe and I will tell our stories.

     “I will then ask for volunteers but whether anyone from our group volunteers or not, I want Rory to tell their story and the
n
Ted.  Is that agreeable to all of you?”

    
I told my story and watched as there was wonder in all the eyes that were watching me.  I included, in my story, about ending up in Joe’s world and about all the trouble we had there with the people who wanted to destroy us because we wouldn’t get the tran
splants.  I told about Joe and m
e getting together and about us rescuing a good part of the people there.

     I told about the cave uprooting its self so it wouldn’t be destroyed and how it became transparent and how we floated through the universe for two years before landing here.

     Then I backtracked and told about some of the things that had been going on in my world before I died, including the Manson family.

     While I had been talking Irene and some of the women had gotten up and fixed tea and coffee and sandwiches.  They passed them around helping the blind people and Irene told them the sandwiches had sliced tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and avocado.

     They had never had avocado and loved it.  Rory and Marion didn’t look as enthused with their sandwiches but ate them anyway with cups of coffee.  Ted and his group drank tea. 

     I had already heard the other stories so many times, I found myself growing impatient until they were finished.  I was looking forward to hearing Rory and Marion’s stories.

CHAPTER 26

      This is the story told by Rory in his own words:

    
Marion and I are the last in our blood lines.  Everyone else has been killed by Ted’s group and the bloodlines that came before them.  Marion and I are very lonely and can’t seem to have any children.  E
dna is the last of her bloodline
,
who comes from a lower class than ours
.