False Antichrist

By Adriel Chevalier

Although this is a work of fiction, many of the events described are actual experiences. There is no such thing as the supernatural. All phenomena can be explained scientifically if we bother to conduct the appropriate research. Many aspects of Truth are cryptically exposed, and one should always keep an open mind when searching for answers.

My wife, Evelyn, persuaded me to publish my chronicles of the events that led to preventing a world wide nuclear disaster and viral warfare. So many inexplicable things happened, and it has taken me years to understand and learn how everything transpired as can be appreciated from my subsequent books. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but ultimately I understood the value of waiting for the right answers. In retrospect, I would have written this novel differently, but I mostly just iterated what was in my diary. There is a tremendous evil afoot in this world, and I have had to deal with it face to face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adriel Chevalier
• Release date: Apr 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370156023

Adriel Chevalier

Adriel Jacques Chevalier descended from a French family that migrated to the Netherlands before immigrating to the United States. His family's vocation centered around the jewelry and watchmaking business for generations. However, Adriel was never adept with handling the delicate parts of tiny machinery. Instead, he turned his interests to the software industry that was just becoming popular in his young, adult life. He found that logic and problem solving better suited his skills, and he excelled in his field.Adriel's elder sister had taught him to read and write at the age of three. Due to boredom suffered from structured learning, he sought to educate himself from his youth. In his adult life he spent decades studying ancient history and various writings, mostly centering around Christian and Judaic literature. Some of his studies he opted to conduct in the pre-translated, original language to gain a clearer understanding.Always frustrated with the structure and politics of organized religion, he sought relationships according to the instruction of the Messiah, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst." Adriel recognized that the Messiah's name was synonymous with his authority, which is Truth, and that any group larger than three brought annoying problems.Adriel and his fellows departed from the mainstream teaching of the established religions and embarked on a journey that led them on a quest for intrinsic Truth. Through many enlightening revelations and miraculous experiences, Adriel came to recognize that much of what is taught today concerning the Creator and his anointed one is rubbish. He forsook the erroneous cliches, rhetoric and discrepancies of the religious culture and embraced Truth, which is available to any man anywhere at any time.Although it was contrary to Adriel's belief system to share his findings in a rhetorical document, in his latter years he decided to envelop them into works of fiction to be enjoyed by others. He has developed several stories with elements of actual experiences and enlightenment for others to enjoy and ponder.

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Adriel Chevalier Book Series

False Antichrist - 2016

The Gold of Ophir - 2018

Noah’s Portal - 2019

Zanzibar - 2020

The Precinct Murders - 2020

Where the Chips Fell - 2020

COVID-21 - 2020

The Templar Secret - 2020

The Geneticist - 2021

Midnight Marauder - 2021

The Ribbon Maker - 2022

The Seven Peals of Thunder - 2022

Copyright © 2016 Adriel Jacques Chevalier

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9781370156023

To the Reader

In retrospect, I want to offer an apology. My wife, Evelyn, prompted me to write this book. I had kept a journal of events, and I published them in this volume as they appeared. The first half of the book chronicles events that are necessary to understand what transpired later. Due to the bland aspect of reality, the excitement didn’t begin until the last half of the novel.

The second book in the series, The Gold of Ophir, was actually planned as a publication and has a more engaging aspect for the reader from the start. My encouragement is to bear with me for the first half of this novel because I believe that you will find it worthwhile.

Author’s Note

This work of fiction is based on over forty years of research and personal experience, and although the characters and plot are fictional, much of what is contained has more foundation in reality than one might comfortably believe. One thing that I have found for sure is that there is no such thing as the supernatural. Such a concept is merely the limit that we put upon our own understanding and unwillingness to look beyond the walls of our mundane lives. As John Heywood is attributed to writing in 1546, There are none so blind as those who will not see.

FALSE ANTICHRIST

Adriel Jacques Chevalier

Preface

We have heard and read the warnings of false christs, but a grave danger lurks that isn’t so obvious, and that is the fact that there are false antichrists. So many theories and speculations have been rendered concerning biblical prophecies and expected events. However, I have yet to find any useful information that truly illuminates the actual intentions of the warnings that we have received. Hopefully, one will find some concepts to ponder in the following pages that offer some insight concerning the current state of affairs and the fact that what is expected to happen already has.

CHAPTER ONE

The Inkling

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25

In retrospect, I think what amazed me the most was the fact that publicized world events, such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings, were nothing more than a distraction from what the real world threat is. It is much like a magician who gets the audience to look elsewhere while he works his illusion. Even the supernatural aspects of my experience seemed less difficult to accept than the world deception that now exists, of which no one seems to be aware. Whether these distractions were orchestrated by the perpetrators of this deception is of little importance. The fact remains that they are taking full advantage of the situation to execute their plan with little or no detection by the world populace. It’s intriguing how people can easily be led down a dead end path by appearing to conceal some deep secret. Take Area 51 for example. It isn’t difficult to spark a nucleus of investigative civilians in the desire to uncover a government plot, if you disclose just enough fabricated evidence and make it look like a major government cover-up. Conversely, it’s also easy to get the general public to dismiss an issue if it seems far too difficult to believe. It all depends on how you spin it within the news media, which happens to be a convenient and effective means to control the nation’s attention.

In order for me to properly explain all of this and what really lies beneath the surface, I need to take you back to the beginning. There is much to discuss about how all of this transpired, and there are several points that you need to understand in order to truly appreciate what happened. The events that led me into this dilemma were extremely confusing to me at first, but as time passed, I was able to make sense out of what and why it all needed to be. Hopefully, the story that I have to tell will enable you to connect the dots and gain a real understanding of what we need to entertain.

If there’s one thing that I learned from all of this, it is the fact that there is no such thing as the supernatural. Scientists have struggled with inexplicable phenomena that have been impossible to ignore. Hundreds of years ago there was the dichotomy of nature versus grace. Events fell into two categories, the physical and the spiritual. However, our feeble comprehension of science has darkened our understanding of the characteristics of our universe, and we shun what we can’t understand. Keys are available to unlock the mysteries to the science and the fact that there are feasible answers to all phenomena, if we are willing to forsake our preconceived notions and teachings and diligently seek for Truth.

Eddie and I had been meeting for over twenty years. We had learned a lot in that time, or so we thought. One of our methods was to try to prove ourselves wrong. We debated and searched to test our premises, because we found that by being proven wrong, we would draw nearer to what was true. Not being able to prove oneself wrong did not mean that there was no error, but it provided all the more impetus to continue a diligent search. If you can imagine a mother desperately searching for her lost child in a department store, then you can begin to understand the driving force that we felt for our quest.

It had been our custom to meet every Wednesday night at a restaurant. Although we had shifted from place to place over the years, we settled on a small sushi restaurant on the westside of town that was not far from my house. Eddie would stop by the restaurant on his way home from work. Wednesday was the only day that he went into the office, and I worked from home, so this was a convenient time and place. We had gotten acquainted with the manager, Noriko, who was often our server. She let us seat ourselves at our favorite table in the corner by the front door whenever we arrived. She always kept watch for us around 6:00 PM every Wednesday and was very attentive.

The restaurant had an authentic appeal, and were it not for English being spoken, one could imagine being in a little sushi bar in Tokyo. I enjoyed the sunken dining area that was three steps lower than the front door. The tables and booths were strategically located to offer a considerable amount of privacy and provide a more intimate dining experience. The lighting was fairly dim and oriental candles supplied slightly more light at the tables. I enjoyed practicing with the chop sticks, but Eddie wasn’t as adventuresome in that regard. He always requested a fork.

The restaurant made a great atmosphere for our meetings. Eddie and I hadn’t really discovered any new revelations during our discussions in the past several months, and we were thinking that maybe we had found the end of the road to our understanding of Truth. However, things quickly took a turn for me one week, and I was confused as to how this could be. I think the best way to disclose all of this is to reiterate excerpts of our conversations pertaining to the subject.

Wednesday, July 25, 6:15 PM

Hey, Adriel! There you are. You’re seldom late. Eddie was sipping his diet cola nonchalantly and attending to his cell phone.

I slid into the other side of the booth. Sorry I’m late, Eddie. I wanted to make sure that I had dinner ready for Evelyn before I left. I always have a nice dinner waiting on her when she gets home from work, and I know she’s really tired today, so I thought it would be nice to cook tonight for her as well, since I’m gone on Wednesday evenings.

No problem, Adriel, I’m just catching up on email. I’ve already ordered, but take your time. Noriko is on her way over to take your drink order.

I already know what I want. Hi, Noriko! How have you been? I’ll have the soup, salad, and nigiri salmon, and I would also like my usual beer. Thank you!

Eddie normally ordered the same thing each week, but tonight he decided on having just the shrimp fried rice. He placed his cell phone on the table and settled back in his seat, running his fingers through his thick, dark, wavy hair.

So, Adriel, you mentioned something in your text on Monday about a strange weekend. Did you go to Evelyn’s office party on Saturday that you were dreading?

Unfortunately, I did. It was at the Marriott. Nice spread and a great bar. It was a good time, really, but you know how I hate those things.

Eddie smiled. Yeah, since you’ve been working from home the past few years, you’ve become somewhat of a recluse.

That’s for sure! Going to the grocery once a week is a challenging adventure. I sometimes have panic attacks before I ever get to the produce section.

You’ve always been a wimp, Adriel.

I know.

Oh, I’m just kidding. So, what was so weird this week? I mean when you say something is weird, by my standards it has to be super weird.

Well, it’s hard to explain. There was this situation on Saturday. It was extremely awkward, and I was afraid that her husband was going to have a severe reaction, but I couldn’t help myself.

Oh my god! What did you do?

I was at Evelyn’s office party when she introduced me to one of her coworkers, Vincent, and his wife, Jane. Oddly, I knew this woman even though we had never met before. I couldn’t help but tell Jane that her favorite color was yellow and her two favorite sounds were birds singing and children’s laughter. She and Vincent were shocked, because she had just mentioned her two favorite sounds to him a few days earlier. Vincent asked if we knew each other, and Jane assured him that we had never met. He looked very suspicious and asked how I knew these things. Well, I didn’t really have an answer and flippantly said that I was clairvoyant. I’m still dumbfounded as to how I knew those things, but I knew that I knew them. It’s kind of like one of those déjà vu moments, but very succinct.

Eddie leaned forward intently. Wait a minute, Adriel. You did what?! What in the world made you say something so forward, you, the nearly recluse hermit?

I don’t know. It was like running into an old friend, but we had never met before.

Well, there has to be some explanation.  Eddie settled back and stroked his chin in thought.  Maybe you were in a department store at the same time as she was, and you overheard a conversation.

Not likely, Vincent had transferred here from Philadelphia, and Jane stayed there to finalize their moving arrangements. She had just gotten to town two days earlier, and I haven’t been out of the house since then. I’m telling you, it’s one of the strangest experiences I have had in a very long time.

Eddie and I paused as Noriko brought our orders. She refilled Eddie’s diet cola, and I ordered another beer. As soon as Noriko retreated, Eddie continued, So, did Evelyn have anything to say about this?

She was dumfounded too. She knew there was no earthly way that I knew her coworker’s wife. Actually, I didn’t tell all that I knew about Jane, because it would have taken hours. I know all about her personality, what irks her, what makes her laugh, and her favorite pastimes.

Now how could you know all of that? You’re starting to sound crazy. Besides, you don’t know that you know all of those things without confirmation.

I’m telling you, Eddie, I do know these things. I just don’t know how.

Who knows? Maybe you are clairvoyant.

Well, if I were clairvoyant, wouldn’t I know more about other people? Why just this woman? It’s puzzling.

It would be interesting to see if you really do know all of that stuff about her. However, I wouldn’t recommend an interview with her. That could get ugly and scary.

How true, but I already know without having to confirm it. It’s impossible to explain. Remember when we met thirty years ago, Eddie? There was some connection that we had that drew us together in a friendship that seemed illogical. We have very little in common. We don’t have the same interests or tastes. We grew up in very different environments. The one thing we do have in common is a philosophy of Truth and existentialism that we could not have known about each other back then.

Eddie nodded in agreement. Yeah, we were kind of drawn to one another. I remember that. So, did you talk to this woman again later in the evening?

No, it appeared that her husband had her on a tight leash and kept her back to me. I think he was watching me.

Eddie shook his hands by his ears. Well, of course he was, you big weirdo! I’d be watching you too, if I were him. So, were you staring at her like some stalker?

No, of course not! I just noticed him throughout the evening watching me.

You’ll probably get a restraining order served on you now. Eddie was starting to chuckle as he gathered more fried rice on his fork.

I seriously hope not, but something is happening to me, and I need to understand what it is. I’m thinking of seeing a hypnotist.

Eddie dropped his fork and nearly jumped out of his seat. A hypnotist?! Seriously?! Why don’t you just find some Gypsy medium to tell you what’s going on inside your brain with her crystal ball? You need to slow down on the beer, buddy.

I know it sounds crazy, but I’m grabbing at straws here. Maybe a hypnotic session will shed some light on what’s happening. I don’t know. I’ve never been hypnotized.

Aren’t you concerned that they’ll take incriminating videos of you running around in your underwear, clucking like a chicken and post them on You Tube?

Very funny! These are professional people with a craft.

Oh ho! Now you’ve really lost it. I’ve got to hear every detail. When do you plan to do this?

I’m going to call tomorrow to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Oh my god! Don’t shake your head like that. You’re such a skeptic and a naysayer, Eddie.

Skeptic? Yes! Naysayer? Never! I really hope you do get some answers, but I’m willing to bet good money that hypnosis isn’t the right path.

OK, you may be right, but do you have any better suggestions?

A licensed psychiatrist might not be a bad start. Eddie started to chuckle again.

Oh, you’re a real comedian tonight. So, you think I’m crazy?

They don’t use that term anymore, Adriel. I think it’s either ‘psychotic’ or maybe ‘loony,’ but I’m not sure.

Well, you know I’ve never been well hinged, so I figure it’s going to be a learning experience one way or another.

Oh, I have no doubt that it will be a learning experience. So, you’re saying this is the only person that you have had precognitive knowledge about? Haha! Precognitive knowledge! That’s definitely a redundancy! Eddie often amused himself.

I think so. I can’t remember ever having such a clear knowledge of someone without knowing them extremely well.

Hey, maybe you two knew each other in a past life.

Now you’re just being facetious. Neither of us believes in reincarnation. It’s so strange. It’s like having a memory of something that never happened, but it’s all true.

Eddie raised his bushy eyebrows and looked over the top of his glasses. Well, you think it’s all true. You haven’t confirmed it yet. It may just be one of those strange quirks in life that never happens again. Hey, wait a minute! Do you find this woman particularly attractive?

Jane is a very attractive woman, but that has nothing to do with it. I’m not interested in her. I just know her somehow.

And you’re sure you didn’t know her decades ago but just forgot?

Absolutely not, she’s never been here before they moved this past week, and I’ve never been to Philly. Believe me, I’ve tried to analyze this from as many perspectives as I can, and I’m not coming up with any explanations. I was hoping you’d think of something that I missed.

Eddie now had on his analytical face. He set his fork on the table and leaned back in the booth. OK, let’s start from the beginning. At the time you met this woman, how many drinks had you consumed?

Well, you know that I hate these events, so I had a couple of vodka and tonics before we left the house. I let Evelyn drive.

Did it upset Evelyn when you had some drinks and made her drive?

I didn’t make her drive. She volunteered. I think she would rather have me imbibe than to freak out when I walk into a crowded room of people that I don’t know.

All right, how many drinks did you have at the party before you met this woman?

Let’s see. I was on my second glass of red wine when Evelyn introduced me.

OK, so, you were on your fourth drink.

Well, that was my fourth drink in about two hours.

Eddie waved his hands in dismissal of my statement. Just the same, you were on your fourth drink when you met this woman. At least you were at the party long enough to consume one drink and order another. You probably overheard a conversation between her and someone else while you were there and just subconsciously recalled it in your inebriated state.

I wasn’t inebriated! I certainly don’t recall overhearing anything, and if she had discussed her favorite color and favorite sounds during the evening prior to meeting me, don’t you think she’d recall that and realize that I just overheard a conversation? Besides, what kind of party talk is telling someone your favorite color and sounds? It still doesn’t make sense.

Maybe, but neither does it make sense that you knew those things about her without prior knowledge. There has to be an explanation, Adriel.

I know I’m not telling this accurately. It’s really hard to explain. It’s not like those were the only two things I knew. In fact, when I looked into Jane’s eyes, it was like seeing an old friend again. I recognized her. It wasn’t like overhearing a conversation. I actually know her.

Maybe you’re delusional. Are you sure this really happened?

Do you want to ask Evelyn? She was there, and she’s incredulous as well, but she can’t deny what she saw and heard.

I don’t get along well with your wife; you know that. I’m not asking her anything. Besides she blames me for your paradigm shifts over the past several years, and quite frankly, you came up with those pretty much on your own. I can just hear her now, ‘Oh, that damned Eddie. You’ve never been the same since you met him.’

Good Lord, Eddie! She never says anything like that. You’re exaggerating and fabricating. That’s nonsense! At any rate, I’ve always felt that I had a screw loose somewhere. I know that there was mental illness in my family on my father’s side, but crazy doesn’t explain how I could know something that wasn’t previously disclosed to me.

You’re quirky, for sure, but crazy, I doubt. The fact is you had to have the information disclosed to you somehow. We just haven’t figured out how yet. Let’s give this some time. If it never happens again, we’ll chalk it up as an inexplicable anomaly and move on.

That’s good advice, but I still plan to see the hypnotist. What if they do uncover something in my subconscious? I’ve been reading about hypnotism, and how it can unlock things from the subconscious mind that you couldn’t normally recall.

I’ve read some of that stuff too, Adriel, about people recalling past lives and things from their childhood. It all sounds a little hokey to me.

I know. I can’t believe I’m considering it, but I’m all out of ideas, especially after we have discussed this. I thought maybe there would be something that I hadn’t thought of that would make some sense.

Eddie pushed his plate aside and readjusted in his seat. OK, let’s try this. You say that you know all about this woman, but you can’t recall ever meeting her before. Why don’t you tell me everything you know about her, and maybe during the course of the conversation you’ll remember where you learned these things?

Sounds reasonable. There certainly isn’t anyone else I can discuss this with. I’m sure Evelyn would be furious if I told her all that I knew about her coworker’s wife.

That’s for sure! By the way, does she know that you are talking to me about this tonight?

Oh, absolutely! She hopes that maybe you can help me figure this out.

Really? She normally doesn’t want you around me. She must really be upset.

Well, I’d say more curious than upset. At any rate, she would certainly like some answers, and so would I.

All right, start from the beginning about your mystery woman.

She’s not a mystery, Eddie! Jane is an old friend. Oh, don’t roll your eyes like that! You know I hate it when you don’t take me seriously.

Sorry, Eddie shook his head. I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee anything.

Please, just listen and let me know if you detect anything that I might be missing. One of the interesting things that I find about her is the dichotomy of her caring for others and having great compassion, but whenever she sees someone’s feet fly out from under him on the ice, and he lands on his keister, she breaks into hysterical laughter.

Whoa, hold the phone! How in the world could you know something like that? You would have to see her observing others on icy terrain. It sounds like a winter encounter to me. How could you know she’s compassionate? What did she ever do that proved that?

She used to be terribly saddened by other people’s suffering. She used to want to be able to help them, but she felt powerless.

So, you’ve not only observed her, you have had conversations with her.

I must have, but I don’t recall where. I remember that she wanted to be a nurse so that she could help others who were suffering.

Eddie smacked the table top with his right palm. There you go! You had to have known her early in her life. Are you sure she has never been here when she was younger?

She claimed that she had never been here before, and she lived her whole life in Philly.

Maybe you met her when you were traveling a long time ago, Adriel. It could be New York, or D. C., or anywhere that you’ve been in the past.

I certainly don’t recall such a thing, and you’d think that I would remember something as significant as that about a conversation that I had with someone. The strange thing is that I know we were close friends at one point.

Eddie threw up his hands. Well, this makes no sense. I don’t see how you could be close friends with someone that you can’t recall ever meeting. I’m afraid that we’re getting nowhere with this.

Unfortunately, I think you’re right. I mean, I could go on and on about her, but it wouldn’t make any more sense than what I just told you.

Eddie took one more stab at it. Do you recall ever making plans with this woman at any point?

You know that does sound familiar, but I can’t recall anything in particular. I can vaguely remember something about meeting somewhere for some reason, but I don’t know where, when, or why.

Well, I’m at the point where I’m ready to chalk up your precognitive experience to a very vivid, coincidental dream. It may be a billion to one shot, but it’s not impossible.

I suppose you’re right, Eddie, but it doesn’t feel that way. I’m beginning to think I won’t figure this out, and I’ll just have to let it go as one of those strange, inexplicable experiences in life. That’s why I decided to at least try the hypnosis thing. I mean, if it turns anything up like a lead or something, then maybe I’ll get some direction with this. OK, you’re smirking again. I get it, but I have to try something.

"Well, Adriel, on a lighter note, did you ever finish that oil painting that you’ve been telling me about?

Oh, yes I did! I totally forgot. I have it out in the car. I brought it along tonight to show you. You can stop by my car on our way out.

So, this was a portrait of someone, right?

Yeah, I have painted so many landscapes and still life pictures. Last year, my daughter recommended that I paint the Last Supper. It took a while to find a rendition that I considered acceptable. I took a bit of license with it to modify a few things, but it didn’t turn out half bad. That’s when I decided to find a model and try my hand at a portrait.

Who was the model?

I don’t know her. I found a photograph on the Internet. I was looking for a face of innocence, and I found an intriguing photograph of some young woman that had some interesting shadows. I enhanced the shadows and added some light to her blue eyes. It turned out really well.

I’m anxious to see it. How many paintings do you have now?

Oh my! I haven’t counted them, but I’d estimate around thirty. Some I painted for my children, and they have them hanging in their homes. I have five or six on display at my house, but most of them are stacked in my studio. I really should hang some more of them. About ten of them need to be finished. Sometimes I get sidetracked to other paintings and never make it back to them.

How large is this portrait?

It’s just eleven by fourteen inches, not very big.

How long did it take you to paint it?

Well, I paint in layers, especially skin tones. They take several layers of translucency to create depth. So, with drying time in between, I would say it took about six weeks.

"How much actual painting time though?

Whew! That’s hard to estimate, but I’d say around twenty-four hours.

That sounds like a considerable amount of time.

Are you kidding? That was one of my shorter times. Some of my paintings took upwards of 168 hours, I’m sure.

Sounds like a full time job.

Sometimes if feels like it, especially when I’m painting a request.

Are you going to hang this one somewhere?

I’ll hang it in my studio. It’s really just for me. I’m sure Evelyn doesn’t want a portrait of some strange woman on our wall.

Why didn’t you paint someone in your family?

That’s my next goal! I wanted to try my hand at a stranger to get some experience before I attempted someone I know.

That sounds reasonable. Let’s go take a look at your painting.

All right, as soon as we settle our checks.

I made sure that I didn’t return to the subject of my consternation.  Eddie would just shut me down at this point.  After we paid our bill, we strolled out to my car so that Eddie could see my painting.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1

Wednesday, August 1, 5:45 PM

I arrived a little early this time. I enjoyed watching the sushi chefs at the bar. It provided entertainment while I sipped a beer and waited for Eddie to arrive. Noriko noticed me at our table and promptly grabbed some menus and headed my way.

Hi, Noriko! I’ll have a beer while I’m waiting. Eddie should be here soon.

I had some time to gather my thoughts and contemplate my situation. Eddie was going to want to know all about the hypnotist experience, and I didn’t have much to tell. After he arrived, I let him converse with Noriko, and then we ordered our dinner.

Eddie stretched and sat back in the booth. So, I didn’t hear from you this week, Adriel. Did you schedule an appointment with the hypnotist? I squirmed a bit. Oh, come on! You don’t want to tell me. Look at you!

OK, OK, you were right, Eddie. It was a stupid idea.

I want to see the clucking chicken video.

There is none, at least that I know about. It was a thirty minute session. She started with some soothing music and soft talking.

Did she swing a gold watch on a chain in front of your face? Eddie was trying to contain his annoying giggle.

No, silly, that’s just in the movies! She had me lie down on a recliner and then lit some incense.

Oh, oh! Are you sure she was a hypnotist, Adriel? Sounds a little nefarious to me.

No, no, she was just creating the ambience for hypnosis. She told me to relax and let my mind go free of any encumbrances that might prevent the flow of my subconscious. She talked in a very soothing tone and had me concentrate on relaxing my limbs and my back. Then she talked me through a relaxation technique that virtually put me to sleep.

Hypnotic trance?

About as hypnotic as when I go to bed at night. A long story made short, I fell asleep and snored loudly for twenty-five minutes, according to her. It was the most expensive nap I’ve ever had.

Ha! I knew it! Eddie pointed at me and turned sideways in the booth. What’s your next step?

Funny you should ask. I got to thinking about some manager that I worked with over twenty years ago when I used to go into the office. Thank God those days are over. He would close his office door, throw a pillow on the floor and lie down to meditate for an hour. Actually, I always thought it was just his way to take a nap. Anyway, I thought maybe meditation would bring some answers.

Have you tried it? Any answers?

Geez, Eddie! Don’t look so smug. I actually had an incredible experience, but didn’t get any answers about my situation. You have to hear this. I have been trying this for four days. I lie down and clear my head. Sometimes I do fall asleep, but with my annoying sleep problems that’s a plus. Anyway, there are these times where I’m awake, but I’m also dreaming very vividly. I see things in such great detail. In fact, it’s like looking at things with a magnifying glass.

What things do you see? Eddie took a sip from his diet cola.

I don’t always know. I have never seen them before. Here’s the interesting part. Yesterday morning after Evelyn left for work, I took some time to meditate. Once again, I saw an object. It approached me and came right up to my face. I say ‘face,’ but really there is no such thing in that realm. It was right in front of me. It looked metallic with some strange markings. It was fascinating to see such detail. Well, that evening Evelyn came home from work, and while we were eating dinner, she described something that she found during a walk that she took with a friend during a work break. She went and got it out of her purse, and it was the exact same object that I had seen in my meditation.

What was it?

I don’t know, Eddie. It looked like some sort of machine part.

OK, so, you do relaxation techniques and see objects. What are you trying to accomplish?

Well, I see more than objects. I see certain sequences with people I have never met. I see interactions between people. Some are delightful, and some are disturbing. I don’t know. I can’t quantify my experience, because it isn’t something that you can measure. I’m groping in the dark here. Sometimes I feel as though I hit a brick wall, then later I think of something I haven’t tried.

Like what?

Well, sometimes I try to clear my mind, and others I try to concentrate on one single thought. This is all new to me, so I’m experimenting.

Noriko showed up with Eddie’s spring rolls and salad, and my nigiri sushi. As usual, I ordered another beer.

Eddie continued, Have you had any out of body experiences yet?

Ha! No, not yet! I think it would freak me out if I got outside my body. I’ve read about such things, but never really experienced anything like that. I did have another somewhat strange experience, but it’s hard to tell if I’m dreaming or really experiencing something tied to reality.

So, what was the strange experience? Did Houdini try to contact you?

Haha! No, I don’t think so, but I did seem to hear a faint whisper as though someone were trying to talk to me.

I knew it! It was Houdini! He was supposed to contact his wife after his death and never showed. Maybe he was detained and couldn’t make it until now when someone else was listening.

OK, Eddie, you’re being facetious again. I’m not sure what I heard, but it did sound like a voice.

What did it say?

I couldn’t make it out.

Well, of course you couldn’t, Adriel! You’ve been hard of hearing almost all of your life. They’re going to have to shout if they want to contact you. In fact, your neighbors will hear them before you do. Eddie gave a hearty belly laugh.

Oh, you are such a riot, Eddie. It’s not the kind of hearing that you do with your ears. It’s in my head or something.

It might be all of those rocks bumping into one another. First, you take an expensive nap at the hypnotist’s office, and then you start meditating, not knowing if you’re awake or not. Why don’t you try chanting? That seems to work for some of the Easterners.

Don’t be ridiculous! I’m just trying to look for some answers as to why I would know personal things about someone whom I had never met.

So, no more strange interactions with people this past week?

No, but I seldom get out of the house, so I don’t see that many people. It’s usually the cashier at the grocery, or some other obscure person that I might run into.

Yeah, some obscure person, like a bartender.

Hey, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Sure, I stop in the bar sometimes, and I have gotten acquainted with some of the bartenders, but I have never had an experience with them like I had at Evelyn’s office party.

You drink a bit, Adriel. That’s for sure, and you have a shady family history. I’ll have to admit, you’re not the kind of person whose testimony I would be apt to believe.

What are you saying? You do think I’m crazy!

It all sounds too strange to me, and given your lifestyle and background, I’m just saying that if I weren’t your friend and didn’t know you so well, there’s no way I would believe you.

Look, Eddie! I have no one else to turn to. There’s no way I could explain this to anyone. It’s hard enough to try to explain it to you. I need some level of confidence here, because I’m beginning to doubt myself.

Calm down, Adriel. Stop raising your voice. People are starting to look around. I know you’re frustrated, but maybe you just need to let it be. Stop trying to answer a question that seems impossible to answer at this point. You’re driving yourself crazy with this, and what’s the point? So, you had a strange experience. So what? If you’re supposed to learn anything from this, then I think you will, but not by being hypnotized or talking to Houdini.

I wasn’t talking to Houdini!

You get what I’m saying. I just feel like you might be wasting your time, and life’s too short to go chasing fairy tales.

Oh, maybe you’re right. I need to move on and forget about this. It has consumed my every thought throughout the day, and it has been hard to get my job done. Evelyn hasn’t said anything, but I know it’s beginning to disturb her. I can’t seem to talk about anything else. If only for her sake alone, I need to stop being so obsessed.

Now you’re talking, Adriel. Let’s get on with our lives and our discussions. Frankly, I feel like this incident has derailed us somehow. It’s all we talk about, and I think sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. Although I say that we should forget about it, I’d like to know to what purpose and benefit it is that you would know personal things about someone else’s wife. It doesn’t sound healthy to me, and if I were Evelyn, I would take an exception to it. You said that the woman was attractive.

Yeah, she is, but that’s of no interest to me. Evelyn is tired of hearing about it; that’s for sure. I don’t see any benefit in knowing personal things about someone else’s wife, and I’m with you; it sounds a little creepy. Now I’m embarrassed that I said anything to her at that party. I should have kept my mouth shut, but it felt overwhelming.

Did Evelyn say that the husband ever mentioned this to her at work since then?

No, I think it’s uncomfortable for everyone. I doubt that it will ever be brought up.

Well, for your sake I have been trying to research events like this. I haven’t had much luck other than the obvious déjà vu, or clairvoyant experiences, nothing that we haven’t seen before. I’ve even asked a few people at work without letting them know who you are. Still nothing.

OK, I agree, Eddie. Let’s change the subject and let this be. We’re not getting anywhere, and I’m exhausted at this point.

Yeah! Let’s see if anything else happens, and if not, then we just forget about it.

I was somewhat relieved. I truly was tired of beating my head against a brick wall. I hate to have unanswered questions in my life, but it didn’t appear that I had much of a choice. Have you ever been frustrated like that? It’s unnerving, for sure, but life has a funny way of taking turns that you never intended to initiate. My life took a hard left turn that I certainly wasn’t expecting.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8

Wednesday, August 8, 5:30 PM

I arrived half an hour early. I wanted to get a few beers in me before Eddie arrived. I was shaking like a leaf. I needed to calm down. I talked with Noriko for a few minutes after she brought my first beer. It was intriguing to hear about her life in Japan. She had been in the states for about two years, and I enjoyed her Japanese accent. There were times that I had to have her repeat what she said, but usually I understood her. She had arrived here with her parents, and through some contacts that they had, they decided to open this restaurant. The grand opening was what initially drew Eddie and me.

I was working on my third beer when Eddie arrived. He dropped his laptop bag into the booth and slid into the seat. He never left his computer in the car in the extreme cold or heat, and it was a humid, sweltering ninety two degrees tonight. Well, Adriel, it looks like you started a little early tonight, huh?

Yeah, I did. I’m a nervous wreck.

What happened to you this week? I never got a text message, so I assume it can’t be that bad.

I leaned forward. It’s worse, Eddie. You won’t get a message from me during the week if an event isn’t monumental, and you won’t get a text from me when an event is horrendous.

Horrendous, by your standards? Uh oh, you’re actually shaking. Did you know that?

Yeah, I know. I’m trying to get a hold of myself. I may have done something stupid.

Well, Adriel, knowing you, that definitely isn’t a first, and I’m fairly certain it’s not a last.

You remember that woman, Jane, that I knew so much about?

Are you kidding? She’s all we talked about for over two weeks.

Well, she called me Monday on our home phone.

Say what?! Eddie looked up from his menu in astonishment. How did she get your number? You’re unlisted.

I asked her that. She said she got it from an on-call list from her husband’s office that he keeps at home. There’s an on-call rotation for the computer systems that Evelyn works on, and the members of the team need to be able to contact one another at all hours.

Eddie stopped as we both put in our dinner order, and then he returned to the conversation in a low voice. What in the world did she want?

She wanted to meet with me. She asked if she could come over to the house, but I didn’t want the neighbors seeing a strange woman coming in while my wife was at work.

So, what did you do?

I suggested that we meet at a bar that I never go to, because I didn’t want any of my regular bartenders to see me with some strange woman.

Eddie was flabbergasted. You actually met with this woman?

I did, yesterday afternoon.

Eddie was still trying to keep his voice down. Wait a minute! You don’t think it’s appropriate to have another woman come to your house with your wife gone, but you think it’s OK to go have a drink with another man’s wife at some obscure bar? You’re a dumbass! So help me, Adriel, if you end up having an affair with this woman, we’re through until you straighten up your act.

I know, I know. I’m not going to have an affair. I just didn’t know what to do. I thought a neutral area where neither of us knew anyone would be a good place to talk.

Uh, no! Eddie had his finger in my face at this point. The thing that you should have done was decline meeting with her. Please tell me you’re not going to see her again.

I’m not going to see her again.

Eddie threw up his hands. Why don’t I believe you? What did she want to talk about?

She wanted to know how I knew those things about her. She said her husband was very upset and couldn’t stop talking about it all night after they got home from the party.

How stupid are you, Adriel? First, this woman wants to meet with you. Then she tells you that her husband is upset over you. She’s intrigued by you, because you know things about her that most people who aren’t intimate with her don’t know. This spells trouble, my friend. You need to wake up and smell the coffee.

I know. I feel really badly.

You did tell Evelyn about this, right?

I couldn’t. First of all, Jane wanted me to keep this just between her and me.

Oh for god’s sake! Now you two are keeping a secret from your spouses. You’re not just a dumbass; you’re pathetic!

If I tell Evelyn, she’s going to be really upset and say something to Jane’s husband, and then things will spin completely out of control. I can’t do that.

Well, you’ve opened a nasty can of worms, my friend. You shouldn’t have accepted an invitation to meet with her. What were you thinking? If you knew you couldn’t tell Evelyn, you never should have done it.

I know, but I really haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not going to meet with her again. We’ve already agreed to that. Believe me; she was just as apprehensive about meeting with me as I was with her.

What was so important to her that she would risk her husband’s trust? Eddie shook his head in disgust.

Something really started bothering her about what I had said. The statement about her two favorite sounds is what got her husband riled up, because she had just mentioned that to him for the first time the prior week. I had told something about her that he hadn’t known until recently, and he was beside himself trying to understand how I could know those things if I had never met her.

OK, she’s bothered that her husband is upset. I can understand that, but why meet with you?

Well, that’s not the particular point that bothered her. She was more concerned about her favorite color.

Well, guessing her favorite color isn’t nearly as astounding as guessing her favorite sounds.

First of all, I wasn’t guessing. I know. The interesting thing that intrigued her the most was that her favorite color is blue.

Wow! Eddie rolled his head. Now you’ve really lost me. So, you guessed wrong.

I didn’t guess. Her favorite color since she was a little girl was always yellow. It was the only color of clothing that she wanted her mother to buy for her. It wasn’t until her adult life that she decided to change her favorite color to blue. She said she thought it was because all she ever wore was yellow, and she wanted to make a change. The color yellow had been a big part of her childhood.

I guess I don’t see what is so monumental.

She said that out of everything I could have said to her, those two statements were probably the most intimate statements about her that I could have related. That shows that I was right about knowing her. In fact, we talked for three hours, and I did confirm what I knew about her. She was amazed, and so was I to a degree. I actually do know these things about her. I didn’t know anything about her life circumstances, just her, and who she is, and what she likes and dislikes, and what makes her happy.

Oh boy! I think you’re being suckered into a relationship that you’re too stupid to see happening.

I don’t think so, and guess where she works, Eddie!

How should I know?

She’s a nurse at St. Patrick’s Hospital. Sound familiar?

Half the women in this town are nurses, and you think that’s a sign?

That’s not even true, Eddie, and you know it. I told you she wanted to be a nurse, and she is.

This madness has to stop. Honestly, Adriel, please stop this.

Don’t worry. We agreed to never see one another again, especially because of our spouses, but she did have one request.

Eddie rolled his eyes. Here it comes. Now what?

She wants me to meet her sister.

Oh for god’s sake! You must be joking. You’re dumber than dumb. Please tell me you said, no.

I promised I would. She gave me her number.

I can’t believe I’m going to offer this, but will you take me with you if you meet her? Eddie paused and bit his lip. No. I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to babysit you. You just stay out of trouble, agreed?

Of course I agree.

I suppose you’re going to meet this lady in a bar too.

"I don’t know. She’s not married; I know that. I