With These Eyes (34 page)

"I think there is a way for us," said Fuji.
"Maybe we should see who lives there."

Tonati was a step ahead already. He was
chasing a blue and yellow butterfly through ferns and reeds along
the water's edge towards the jungle hut. The three friends followed
his tracks. As they were nearing the little house, a very
friendly-looking, dark-skinned native appeared in the front door.
By his side was a little monkey, Isabelle realized right away the
two must have had a similar relationship as Tonati and her. The
monkey was bigger than just a few bites, but Tonati recognized the
primate as the companion of the person about to greet them. He
didn't consider the monkey a meal but an equal, and more
importantly, a possible new friend. The native looked a bit
surprised when Tonati lost interest in the butterfly and ran
directly towards him and his furry companion. Most people would
have run away in fear at the sight of a charging wildcat, as did
many of Isabelle's potential mates. Pumas, however, were not native
to the jungle of Madagascar. The man didn't fear nature but
embraced it for all its diversity. He felt no threat from Tonati,
which he saw confirmed when the cat approached the monkey and the
two sniffed each other’s noses in greeting. With a warm smile, the
native welcomed Isabelle, Fuji and Ryan.

"I see you're friends of nature. Your cat
bears one of the great spirits of the jungle."

Isabelle was only too happy to talk about
Tonati who had been the one true love of her life. "Thank you. He's
been with me since he was a cub."

The islander saw Fuji was at the end of his
strength and the blood-soaked bandage on his shoulder was testament
to the source of his weakness. He ushered the weary warriors of the
light in. Referring to Fuji's plane, he commented, "The urban
jungle from which you come bears great dangers. Come, you're safe
in here."

The interior of the home was without electric
appliances or electronics, yet it didn't appear to be lacking in
comfort or amenities. The clay walls provided protection from the
elements and his furnishings of bamboo and teak were ample. He
produced healing herbs and large leaves for tending Fuji's wounds
from a cupboard. The native grabbed a beautiful cup that had been
carved out of a coconut and dropped a handful of herbs into it. A
kettle that had been simmering on his wood-burning stove provided
the hot water needed for the tea.

"This will help you get better. I know you
are hurting, but the pain is an important part of healing. If you
suppress it, you push the illness deep within yourself and you will
carry the pain with you, always." Fuji understood and, with a
grimace, he sipped the tea whose aromatic steam was rising from the
coconut. The native seemed to have no name. When the three had
introduced themselves, he responded only with his inviting
hospitality. When Ryan couldn't stand it anymore and asked who he
was the native replied in surprise. "What do you mean? I am me." He
removed the lifesaving bandage Isabelle had applied in the skies
over Berlin. "This is what your technology brings you? Your wound
is deep and serious," he said right away. "I can help you, but you
have to stay and rest."

This was not what Fuji wanted to hear. "I
wish I could, but we are on a very important mission, for the
benefit of all of humanity."

The native returned a look that alone
explained the seriousness of Fuji's injuries and added, "What good
can you be even on the most important of missions when you don't
survive the journey there?"

Fuji looked at Isabelle, then Ryan. Isabelle
knew the mission was hers.

A little later, Fuji and Isabelle were
outside, his wounds covered with ground herbs and wrapped in banana
leaves. He was visibly weakened by the strain of his injury. Fuji
was sitting on the ground, his legs crossed, a couple of clay jars
by his side. Isabelle sat opposite him. A pile of colorful leaves
that looked like they had come from the native's hut laid in
between them. Isabelle felt overwhelmed by the gravity of her
mission and the devastating consequences failure had brought to
those closest to her. The lightwarrior looked at Fuji with deep
worry in her eyes. She took a deep breath and exhaled, pushing out
the negative energy of fear.

"I feel like the battle between good and evil
has landed in my lap." Isabelle’s eyes were searching for
encouragement in Fuji's. Before he would answer, Fuji reached for
one of the jars by his side and emptied its yellow, powdery
contents over the pile of leaves. His eyes met Isabelle's and he
began to explain how very correct she was.

"For the moment it has, and so the universe
has guided you on your path. That's why everyone you've encountered
was able to help you on your quest."

Gene and Tasha's efforts had left their
effect on Isabelle. "Gene destroys anyone who stands in his way. I
don't have a chance fighting evil."

Fuji reached for the second jar and replied,
"When you face him, his weapons won't matter. You, like all of us,
can tap into something greater."

Fuji emptied the contents of the jar in his
hand over the pile between them. In a flash, the two powders
ignited the layer of leaves and colorful smoke began to rise. Just
like in her previous visions, Isabelle was making out shapes that
the flames and smoke were producing. The shapes united before her
eyes to form an animation. It took her consciousness to old Japan
in 1271.

A modest home laid peaceful and serene. The
flicker of a candle was shining through one of its windows into the
darkness. A man in his fifties, Nichiren Daishonin, was sitting on
a cushion inside, writing on a piece of paper. It was a time of
totalitarian rule, where the emperor and the priesthood suppressed
free thought and liberty of the individual. The strain of the lack
of freedom amongst the people showed in the man's face. He was
writing a shopping list for quills, ink, fruit, incense and a blank
scroll.

Fuji’s voice explained Isabelle’s vision. "A
man in the 13th century set out to teach this knowledge to the
people. Doing so posed a threat to the ruling power."

Troopers surrounded and stormed the house.
The heavy boot of one of the Troopers left the imprint of its sole
in the grain of the wooden front door as he kicked it open.
Splinters shot from the doorframe towards Nichiren, announcing the
arrival of darkness.

A flood of Troopers poured in through windows
and doors like water into a capsized ship. Nichiren looked up from
his notes with a smile, as if he'd been expecting his violent
visitors. One of the Troopers took a scroll off a shelf filled with
writings and knocked the piece of furniture to the ground. Nichiren
felt faint when the Trooper's strong hand struck the back of his
head with the scroll’s wooden core. Some of the other Troopers
knocked dishes and decorations to the floor as the man was getting
dragged outside violently.

Isabelle's vision took her to nearby
Tatsunokuchi beach where the Troopers threw their prisoner to his
knees. Their leader stood behind Nichiren and lifted his sword to
execute him.

"However, his work was of such fundamental
importance to the spread of harmony, that Nature protected
him."

Suddenly a brilliant orb of ball lightning
appeared in the sky and rushed towards the group. Out of fear, the
Troopers scattered in many directions and spared Nichiren’s
life.

Isabelle's consciousness returned to the
jungle in which she was. She looked at Fuji and with a degree of
doubt said to her mentor, "You know I don't believe in
miracles."

Fuji looked her in the eyes. "I don't believe
in coincidences. What protected him was the life force of the
Universe." Fuji noticed the scratches on Isabelle's wrist from
Spitsbergen had almost healed. He continued. "Just like your body
is healing your cuts, this life force protects and heals itself."
Fuji placed a few small sticks on the fire that had burned down.
Isabelle took in his wisdom as he explained the secret of life. "It
keeps a delicate balance between the forces of light and shadow,
neither of which can exist without the other." The sticks flamed up
and returned the pile to a strong fire, illustrating Fuji's words.
"Only a harmonious flow of energy throughout the universe maintains
this balance. At times like these, that harmony has been
disrupted." Fuji reached for some large, wet leaves and placed them
on the fire. Lacking oxygen, the flames diminished. The fire turned
into nothing by thick, dark smoke. "Too many people have given in
to the temptations of evil and spent their days in the shadows of
darkness. Isabelle, you must recognize that you have come to this
lifetime to restore that balance." Fuji took a stick and pushed the
wet leaves that were smothering the flames off the pile. The fire
burned normal again.

Isabelle leaned against the rock behind her.
She was overwhelmed by this information. She had left Los Angeles
to save her father’s life and failed. Now she was fighting for her
own survival and that of her cat. That was a large enough task in
itself, but Isabelle had not expected that the fate of humanity
would rest on her shoulders. Gene and his corporation were a strong
force that had successfully suppressed the human spirit and brought
fear and suffering to the furthest reaches of the world. How could
she as a single unarmed woman defeat who no one has been able to
beat? With great worry and disbelief, she looked at Fuji.

"There aren't enough weapons in the world for
a fight like this."

With a single sentence of wisdom, the mentor
gave his disciple all the armament she needed. "Only light can
extinguish darkness."

Isabelle drew strength from his words.
Finally, she understood that because of the goodness of her heart,
she truly was the most powerful person in the world. The puttering
of a motorboat ended her moment of reflecting. She turned her head
and saw Ryan and Tonati approach on the river. Her knight in
shining armor was behind the wheel of the boat that had been moored
by the jungle hut. Tonati was at the bow with his paws on the
railing. His loud roar echoed through the jungle. He was anxious to
go.

Ryan shouted. "I told the native what we were
doing. He said we can borrow this till we get back. Can you believe
it?"

This action gave Isabelle the confidence she
needed to go into battle against darkness. She felt the support of
the protective forces of the universe behind her. With great
strength, the young lightworker rose from her spot. A smile found
its way back onto her face as she turned to Fuji and said relieved,
"I see what you mean."

Fuji's final instructions would stay with
Isabelle for the remainder of her journey.

"Remember, Isabelle, it is fear that gives
Gene his strength. He is powerless against your valor."

42 THE CAGED BUZZARD GROWS NEW WINGS

Tasha was sitting across the desk from
General Morabi at Madagascar's military headquarters. The island
nation's defense leader was visibly agitated about Tasha's
violation of his country's sovereignty. It had been the
government's policy to minimize spending on weapons and pour what
little funds were available into providing for the needs of the
people. Madagascar's political leadership knew it would be
impossible to match the staggering amounts of money military
superpowers were spending every year on destruction and the
mass-killings of people that had not succumb to Gene and Yubellow's
politics of fear. Morabi knew that a strong military force in his
country would do little but pose a threat to the world's military
powers and spell certain doom for the safety of his people. With
few profitable resources, Madagascar was of no interest to Gene and
his friends in the military-industrial complex. At least, so he
thought, unaware of the true purpose of Apophis' presence on one of
the smaller islands. As far as Morabi knew, Gene operated a
graphite mine and housed an air-freight fleet there. Apophis was
the poor nation's largest corporate tax-payer and the government
would think twice about questioning any of Gene's operations on
their own soil.

Tasha was shifting impatiently in her wooden
chair. An old jungle-green metal desk separated her from the
General. He had been to Eritrea on several diplomatic missions to
accompany Madagascar's leadership. Morabi understood Tasha belonged
to Apophis' security forces, and felt a bit of relief it wasn't one
of the superpowers' militaries that had invaded his airspace. He
took a deep breath and exhaled, pushing out the bad feelings from
what he had initially interpreted as an attack. His next breath
would lead him into what he was hoping to be a long lecture.

"If I didn't know your father, you'd be shark
food. We're fueling your plane right now to get you back to
international airspace as soon as possible."

Morabi had his hands folded on the desk and
was leaning into every word he spoke. He paused to hear what he
expected to be Tasha's apology so he could continue his speech. The
warrior across from him, however, was far from giving up or
apologizing. Her reply was curt and played on his military
sense.

"I'm on the hunt."

Morabi sighed. Tasha's words had a strong
effect on the General. He leaned back in his chair and after a
moment of reflection, he reached to pick up the receiver off the
old-fashioned telephone on his desk.

43 THE LIGHT AND HER SHADOW COME EYE TO
EYE

Smoke was spewing from the boat's put-put
motor as Isabelle, Ryan and Tonati were making their way upriver. A
single spotlight showed the band of rebels their way through the
jungle night. Monkeys and parrots were curiously watching the
unusual sight travel through their kingdom. The beauty of her
surroundings reminded the young journalist of the importance of her
mission. She stood at the conn of the little craft, Tonati at the
bow like a scout. The puma's tribulations of being separated from
his companion and the extended space travel had long left his
consciousness. He has spent his adult life away from the jungle
with Isabelle. Although she had gone out of her way to provide her
furry friend with a natural environment, their home in Los Angeles
was no match for the abundance of life force that surrounded them
at this moment. Isabelle's eyes were on her cat and she felt his
happiness radiate all around.