Children of Light

By CB Anslie

When Rae Arrowson first confides in Father John Redman, the priest is skeptical of her abilities. Soon, however, he becomes convinced that she speaks the truth and what that truth reveals could change history, because what she is seeing is Masada .

I have this ability to see things; I have visions. Mostly my visions are about things that happened in the past. The women in my fathers family have a long history of this ability which they call the sight. And, recently, I have started having these visions. My fathers family views these abilities as a gift; something that I should try to explore and use to do some good. My mother calls it all hocus-pocus; she thinks it is evil. She doesnt want me to use it. She doesnt really believe I have it.

Ok He drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly, What do you think?

I know its real. I have the visions. Thats how I knew about you. I didnt know why I had a vision about you, until now. So, I figure its because you must be the right counselor for us. Will you help us, Father John? Hesitantly, well, if I canbut, I am very curious about your visions. Exactly what did you see in your vision regarding me?

Well, you have to understand something first. I am different from the other women in my Dads family because, they can only see things in a vision. Sometimes just being able to see the vision doesnt give you enough information to really understand what is going on. Do you know what I mean? I think so.

My gift is particularly unique, since I not only see things, I can hear what is being said or going on in the visions as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 17, 2007
• ISBN: 9781469124360

Book preview

Shared Visions

As the sun began to set, casting rosy red beams of light through the small octagon-shaped portal at the top of the stairway, Rae climbed the steps leading to the second floor of the house. She kept count of the steps as she went. When she was halfway up, the gentlest stirring of the air caught her attention, causing her to look up. Her body froze, her brown eyes suddenly became wide as saucers, and her mouth dropped open when she saw a vision:

A young woman with long reddish brown hair and large blue eyes floated in the air at the top of the stairway. She wore a long roughly woven tunic and leather sandals. In her arms, she carried an infant wrapped tightly in linen cloth.

Why is that woman standing there with a baby in her arms? I can see right through them. Pale and shaking, Rae turned and raced down the stairs, screaming.

In the driveway in front of their red brick home, Carl reached into the backseat of his pickup truck to retrieve a jacket. At that moment, he heard the shrieks emanating from inside. Grabbing the jacket, he slammed the truck door shut and ran toward the solid white front door of the house. Barely pausing, he stepped through the door, meeting Rae in the foyer, chest heaving as he caught her midstride and held her firmly by the shoulders. Struggling to catch his breath, he could see that she was shaking all over, her face looking pale and terrified.

What happened? What’s wrong? She stopped screaming but did not answer. Rae just stood there trembling; her teeth chattering. Rae. Carl gave her shoulders a gentle shake. Rae, he said again more urgently, look at me. What’s wrong? Carl squatted down in front of his daughter. Rae tried very hard to focus, her eyes boring holes into her father’s yellow shirt and his long brown speckled tie.

Swallowing hard, she said, Upstairs… there’s… a woman with a baby. Rae’s voice was weak as she pointed toward the staircase.

Carl let go of her and raced up the stairs to check but saw nothing. Coming back downstairs more slowly, he stood in front of Rae and looked down at her. He took a few deep breaths, allowing his pulse to slow down. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers, he said, There’s nothing there. Carl was watching her reaction carefully.

Dad, it was there—a woman with a baby. I swear it!

Rae, maybe we need to have your eyes checked? Carl’s voice was gentle.

Dad, she was there! I saw her. I saw her in the hallway! Rae insisted, stomping her foot.

Carl stood silently, considering his daughter. Rae is not prone to lying. Obviously, she is convinced she saw something, he thought. Taking another deep breath, he asked Rae, Are you all right?

Yes.

Do us both a favor and don’t mention this to your mother.

Rae nodded her head in agreement; she knew he was right. Mom would have a fit. She probably wouldn’t believe it anyway.

Just then, Sarah emerged from the basement. I heard screaming. What’s going on? Is everything all right? I was just downstairs doing a load of laundry and—

Fine, Carl said. Rae may have seen a mouse. I’ll get my flashlight and see if I can find any holes upstairs. He glanced back at Rae as he dropped his jacket on the railing and headed for the kitchen.

A little color is creeping back into her cheeks. At least, she has stopped shaking. That helps. It’s true. Rae has the sight just like my sister, mother, aunt, and almost every woman in my family for generations as far back as anyone can remember. If Sarah knew, she would not be pleased.

Carl entered the kitchen and quickly crossed to a counter by the refrigerator. To my wife, something considered a gift among my people ranks right up there with Satan worship. He bent down, drawing open a drawer. When it starts early, normally the women don’t experience the sight until puberty, Rae’s only eight and shows no overt signs of development yet, as far as I can tell, it’s usually stronger. Fumbling through the drawer, he recalled that the thing about the sight is that the person who possesses it has little or no control over it. We see what we see when we see it, Mom used to say. Grasping the flashlight, he said to himself, Some see the future, some only the past, and others see both. And in particularly strong cases, they see right through things or they see other things. Explaining that is terribly difficult—the part the ungifted like least.

Carl knew he would do what he could to help Rae learn about her gift and how to cope with it. He also knew that it wouldn’t be easy. Her life has just changed forever. Shutting the drawer and straightening up. Some of the men get it too in adulthood. Although rare and, decidedly, weaker in the males, I’ve had a brush with it.

Meanwhile, Sarah was studying Rae as if she were a dot-matrix image being read by a computerized optical scanning device. Rae fidgeted for a few moments. I think I’ll go watch TV. She started off toward the den. Sarah put her hand down heavily on her daughter’s shoulder as Rae tried to walk past her.

What happened up there? Sarah had that no-nonsense tone in her voice that made Rae shudder.

Nothing.

Don’t give me that, young lady. I am your mother. I know you better than that. What happened?

I saw something on the landing, that’s all. It could have been a mouse. It scared me a little.

That’s all you’re going to say?

Mom, that’s pretty much all there is to say.

Go! Sarah dismissed her with an angry frown and a wave of her arm. It’s that damn vision stuff that Carl’s family is always prattling on about. They’ve filled Carl’s head with that hogwash about a sixth sense or something. I was just waiting for this to filter down to Rae.

Carl, Sarah barked as he came back from the kitchen with the flashlight in hand, what really happened up there?

I told you, Rae thought she saw a mouse.

Sarah nodded her head and gritted her teeth. Her lips were taut. She folded her arms across her chest and rocked back onto her heels, digging in. The two of you seem to think that you can sneak around me, but I think I know what is going on here, she fumed, her voice laced with anger. "I heard you tell her not to talk to me. The only thing that can mean is that this has something to do with that sight your mom is always talking about. I know it! And I resent you telling her not to discuss it with me! She’s my daughter too!"

Carl winced. He never meant for her to hear that, and for the first time, he heard the hurt. I’m sorry, Sarah. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I haven’t broken my promise not to discuss it in front of her, but she has it, Sarah. She has the sight. There’s nothing we can do now except help her live with it, learn to use it, and maybe do some good with it. Ignoring it and running away isn’t going to make it stop. You know this.

"I know we had an agreement about not bringing it up in front of her until she was old enough to handle it. Then she could decide for herself what to believe. And how do you know she has it, whatever it is? How do you know?"

She’s starting to see things, Sarah. She saw a woman with a baby on the landing. She’s going to have more and more of these visions, and she is going to need somebody to talk to who is sympathetic; maybe somebody who has had some experience with it.

Like your mother?

Yes, like my mother.

Where does that leave me? I’m her mother!

Sarah, I know you don’t understand this; and I know you don’t believe in it, but it’s real. She has to have some help handling this; she can’t do it alone.

Even if this sight is real, how can you be so sure it isn’t something evil? How do you know that anything good can come from it at all? Tell me, how do you know?

I don’t know, Sarah. I can only say that in all my experience of it, it is neither good nor evil. It just is.

Sarah had heard enough for now. Her cheeks were burning red