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FREE FALLING

“One last time,” urged Robbie.

“We’ve been at least twelve, and I’m starting to get dizzy,” answered Marc.

“I’ve changed the track a little, it won’t be as bad.”

“Okay, one last time,” said Marc.

The train was pulled slowly to the peak of the first hill. With every slow tick of the gears, Marc’s heart raced faster. Just as they reached the very top, Robbie clapped his hands and the hill doubled in length, so that they were now only in the middle of the first hill.

“I thought you said you made it nicer?” asked Marc.

“I did. I lied,” Robbie chuckled.

Marc stared wildly into Robbie’s eyes, but Robbie’s face was delighted. Marc began to regain his composure because Robbie’s confidence was reassuring. At the top of the hill, Marc could see that this was going to be a short ride, because the track ended at the bottom of that hill. Robbie’s plan had been to plunge down the hill and be shot football-like through the air. When Marc finished his first scream, they were already airborne. Robbie pulled on a lever that was between his invisible legs.

“Oh good, an air break,” shouted Marc.

“Wrong!”

The rest of the buggies, detached from their car.

“Oh is that all?” asked Marc.

“Nope.”

Their car split down the middle leaving Robbie in his own car and Marc in his. Robbie pulled a second lever, and his car grew wings and he flew away.

“Thanks a lot Marc. See you later,” Robbie yelled.

Marc looked, over the edge of his car, at the ground racing by. “Yeah, sure thing. Anytime kid.” He looked between his legs where he hoped there would be a lever. There was not one. He looked up from the floor of his buggy and saw a large crenate tree just before he hit it.

“Ahhh!” he yelled.

“Marc wake up, you’re dreaming.” Lily shook him.

“Oh.” Marc looked around. Everyone was looking at him in return. “Just you’re normal roller coaster off the track dream,” he explained.

“Oh, okay,” said Petal. Everyone looked from Marc to her. “What, doesn’t everyone have that one?”

They walked slowly, as the humid and muggy atmosphere seemed to way them down. Petal was strapped to Marc’s torso, but facing forward so she could where they were going. They had left the forest by early afternoon, and began travelling in more settled areas. They arrived at and walked along a large body of water.

They had stopped to talk to several people, and to Penny’s growing unease several animals. A dog, three birds, a dolphin, and a zebra had stopped them and upon learning their names, asked them to mention to the Lord not to forget their kind in the new day.

“Why have they all heard of you?” asked Penny.

“We don’t know,” replied Lily. “But for a few days now, people have known who we are before we can tell them. For some reason we’ve been turned into heroes overnight.”

“Yeah, Like we’re the angels bringing forth the message that The Seventh Day is over,” said Meribah.

“What did you say?” snapped Joel.

“I said, Like…”

“I know what you said,” interrupted Joel. “But do you believe it?”

“I, I didn’t really think of it until just now.”

“You don’t really think that?” asked Marc.

“It is possible isn’t it?” Joel scratched his scalp. “This is really heavy. If we are doing just that. Maybe we should just stop here and go back. Life can continue here and on earth. Just let God sleep a little longer, who’s it gonna hurt.”

“That’s not for us to decide,” said Lily. “You’ve been sent on a quest. Whether or not you see God will not decide whether The Seventh Day is over, will it? God decides when The Seventh Day is over. He won’t be influenced by two earth-angels. Will he?”

“But what if we do wake him up? And he decides it’s time to call his sheep. Is it bad or is it good?” Marc licked his lips. “Only God can decide whether it’s truly good or bad. I’m not turning back.”

“I wonder…” thought Joel aloud.

A sack of grain fell from a tree, and exploded on the ground next to Joel. “You wonder!?” yelled a boy, with an English accent, from the tree. He jumped down on top of the grain. “That’s good, never stop wondering. That’s how things are discovered, by people wondering.” The boy held out his hand. “Name’s Isaac, mathematician and scientist.”

“I’m Joel.” He shook his hand. “This is Marc, Lily, Petal, Meribah, and this our newest companion is Penny.”

Isaac stopped and shook each hand in turn, but when he got to Penny’s hand he froze. He and Penny looked deep into each other’s eyes. Everyone watched them with growing curiosity, then suddenly Marc and Lily knew what was happening.

“They’re soulmelding, they’re eternal-mates,” whispered Marc.

They continued, their intense stare until Lily interrupted, “Are you two okay?”

“Uhm, I’d say reasonably okay.” Isaac kept looking into Penny’s eyes. “Wouldn’t you dear.”

“Yes,” Penny blushed, “reasonably okay.”

“Please come with me. Penny tells me you haven’t eaten in a bit.” Isaac led the way holding Penny’s hand. “I’ve plenty of food, and it usually goes bad before I find time to eat it. Maybe you’ll stay the night?”

“So what is it?” asked Marc.

“It’s a timer. It holds the coin at the top. When you press this lever, it lets go of the coin and starts keeping time. When the coin lands on the bottom plate it stops,” Isaac explained. “Try it.”

Marc did. “Okay, it gave me a fraction of a second. So what’s the deal?”

“Try it again,” said Isaac.

Marc did, and it gave him another answer, and another, and again, and again. “So what’s the trick? Shouldn’t I get the same answer every time?”

“Yes you should, if you were on earth. But here,” Isaac waved his hands, “here, nothing is constant, not even the pull of gravity. There are thousands of theories that need to be rebuilt from the beginning.”

“So what’s your theory on the gravity thing?” asked Meribah.

“I don’t know. I’m not that advanced yet,” he confessed. “But I do have an inkling. Do you know what an inkling is?” he asked Meribah.

Marc answered, “An inkling is one one-thousandth of a clue.”

“Pretty smart,” Isaac shrugged, “and he’s French too. Heaven will never cease to amaze me. Now back to my inkling. It could be that for some reason, someone designed heaven’s gravity in a wave like motion. The gravity pulls stronger and stronger till it reaches its peak, then it falls to a minimum then it starts getting stronger again.”

“Why not a random and more erratic pattern like rain?” asked Lily.

“Yes, that could be too. But I won’t find out until I build a better timer. You see if I drop a coin, I have to take time to record the speed, and reset and reload the timer. You can understand why this makes it difficult to prove the wave. Or disprove it.”

“It would seem, you’ll be having something new to study,” said Joel.

“What do you mean?” asked Isaac.

“Well the soulmeld of course.”

“There’s nothing unknown there Joel. Everything is where it should be. I know why everything is as it is, and it’s not all that complex. You’ll learn it too, you’re a smart Dorom. My new apprentice and I will be building a new timer and next time you see us, hopefully, we’ll be able to explain the difference in the pull of gravity.”

“So you’re leaving us then, Penny?” asked Meribah, although she already knew the answer.

“Yup, duty calls.” She hugged Isaac tightly.

“Well, tomorrow then friends,” said Isaac. “I hope this room will be good enough for you.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Meribah assured him. “Your fire will keep us warm, and you’re too modest. These sofas are very comfortable.”

“Sleep well!” Isaac left.

Penny smiled and whispered, “Gnight!” as she followed Isaac.