Beyond the Veil The Road Leadeth

By Burn Moor

Yellow serpents and glimpses of the past. Two lovers discover an altered world. Can they expose the truth of their souls?

Mina feels she's living a lie. Barely present for her children while her ex-husband presses her for financial support, the successful CFO loses herself in daydreams filled with passion. But after a fiery affair sparks with a coworker, she's shaken to her core when they awaken to a new reality.

Traveling far into the strange empty realm, Mina suspects they've entered the shadowy recesses of their minds. And to return home hand-in-hand with her lover, the Colombian beauty
must confront her most fragile hopes… and her darkest fears.

Can they face who they truly are in time to reclaim what's real?

Beyond the Veil The Road Leadeth is a brilliant dive into surreal fiction. If you like psychological exploration, dazzling love affairs, and stripping back the layers of existence, then you'll adore Burn Moor's profound search for meaning.

Buy Beyond the Veil The Road Leadeth to reveal the self today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098380847

Book preview

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Beyond the Veil The Road Leadeth

© 2021, Burn Moor.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Print ISBN: 978-1-09838-0-830

eBook ISBN: 978-1-09838-0-847

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 1

Long streaks of late afternoon sun illuminated a mahogany desk into cherry brilliance. An expensive Italian stiletto tapped against the base of the desk, while a Montblanc pen kept perfect timing against the wielder’s bottom teeth. Four distinct overlapping voices poured out of the speakerphone situated at the center of the desk; several others were lying in wait. It was time for the monthly meeting in which the heads of all the departments spoke to discuss business. For them, it was a power struggle. For Mina, it was a colossal waste of time. Like a tennis match, she listened to them lob large words back and forth along with numbers followed by percentages to all say the same thing—they needed to make more money. In the end, she knew they would all abide by whatever she said, so she was only half listening.

She pressed the mute button and nodded to her assistant who sat across the desk, keeping the minutes as best she could amidst the maelstrom.

Mariana, is there any coffee left?

"Si, jefa, would you like some? I think Humberto just made a fresh pot," Mariana said.

"Si, por favor," Mina answered.

Mariana motioned to the speakerphone. Mina waved it away as unimportant.

She spun her chair around slowly. She had a window facing the parking lot where she glanced down a long lineup of black Mercedes Benzes, black BMWs, black Jaguars, all trying to outdo the next without stepping too far out of line. Mina drove a white Cadillac, and it sat in a reserved spot by the building’s entrance. The sun was threatening to set on the world, indicating the close of another day, but the yammering continued. Mina’s eyes traced her office décor as she continued to swivel her chair. Elegantly framed and affixed to the wall was what seemed an endless array of diplomas, degrees, and certifications—engineering, accounting, law—and on her desk in equally elegant frames were photographs of the only other thing that held importance in her world—her children. Photographs of her son and daughter dressed up for a school play, a first day at school, swimming at the beach, running at the park, opening Christmas gifts, and a day at a petting zoo. In all of the photographs, it was only the two of them—Andre and Victoria. She looked back at the row of achievements, wondering how many photographs she was not in so that she could tack another achievement to the wall. Was it worth it?

Mariana returned with a steaming cup of coffee. She knew just how Mina liked it—light and sweet.

"Gracias," Mina said to Mariana. One perk of working for a Hispanic-owned company: they really knew their coffee and ordered only the best.

She had had enough of all the empty talk. It was time for her to step in and put it to rest. Mina pressed the mute button again to allow her voice to be heard.

Señor Guillermo, she addressed the company owner directly. He was eighty-six years old and still running strong, with his wife by his side, operating the largest Spanish-language publishing firm in the world. She had a great deal of respect for them and made a point of showing it in how she addressed them. Few people in the world garnered this level of respect from her, and it had nothing to do with their net worth. It had everything to do with how they had achieved their success and how they treated people. Guillermo and Teresa started with nothing and never forgot where they came from. That, in her mind at least, was admirable.

Mina threw out the big words and ridiculous figures and percentages that would put all their minds at ease and called an end to this conference call. She knew what the company needed, she always did, and she would take it upon herself to make sure the company was always going in the right direction.

The office was filled with a heavy stillness once the End Call button was depressed. Mariana made some last-minute notes in silence. Mina looked back over the photographs. She loved her career. She loved the challenges her educational endeavors provided. She loved climbing the ladder in a man’s world and exceeding everyone’s expectations. The money didn’t hurt either. But how much fun did she deny herself in life? Was it worth it?

Her career may have cost her a marriage, although that is debatable. The relationship certainly wasn’t the picture of perfection, with or without her career. She had two beautiful children whom she didn’t see nearly as much as she’d like. She scanned the photographs again. She wasn’t in any of them. Most likely her mother had snapped the pictures.

Mina returned her gaze to the parking lot and the slowly setting sun, and sipped at her coffee.

Mariana, what do you do for fun? Mina asked.

Mariana’s gaze rose from her notepad. "Fun, jefa?"

Yeah, what do you do for fun?

Well, I don’t know. Mariana always answered with caution, as if she were being tricked. This weekend we are having a house party. You know, some friends getting together for food, some drinks, music, dancing. Stuff like that. Hey, maybe you’d like to join us? You like dancing, don’t you?

Mina did love to dance, but she also knew that a house party wasn’t her taste and wasn’t her scene. She loved the art of dance and had performed in various genres throughout her life, but getting together in someone’s home to drink and dance on the living room floor was pushing the limits of her social capacities. Did this mean she didn’t really know how to have a good time?

I appreciate the invitation, Mariana, but I have some work to catch up on over the weekend, she lied.

No problem. The invitation is open if you change your mind, Mariana said.

Mina was quite certain that Mariana was equally relieved to hear her decline the offer. After all, it was a party, and she wouldn’t want to have to be on her best behavior because her boss was there. What fun would that be? She was also quite certain that Mariana’s friends reserved a particular opinion for the executives that Mariana spent her day kowtowing to. In the office, Mina would probably consider Mariana a friend, but beyond the corporate walls, we all wore different masks, didn’t we?

Mina rubbed at her lower lip, lost in a daydream. She had done so much, accomplished so much, but why did it feel she still lacked so much?

Luckily, she always had Guillermo Madrigal to zap her out of her foolish reveries.

Mina? Mina? The verbalization of her name grew more pronounced as he grew closer to her office. Mariana grinned and excused herself from the office. Everyone loved and respected Guillermo, but they also knew that his vivacity, coupled with his age, made him a sort of caricature.

Oh, Mina, you’re still here. I wanted to catch you before you left, Guillermo said.

I’m still here, Guillermo. She rose from her seat and smoothed out a skirt that stopped inches above her knee, revealing thighs that spent a great deal of time in a gym.

I just wanted to make sure we had everything prepared for tomorrow. They say it’s going to be our biggest book-signing event in the history of our company. No author has ever drawn a crowd like Don Raul Jimenez, Guillermo said.

I know, Guillermo. Everything is in place, Mina said.

I know, I know. I just feel better when I repeat myself. They say it’s going to be pandemonium. His rich Cuban accent had a way of making everything sound weightier, more sentimental. Did you make sure Sebastian is coming to provide security? he added.

Oh Christ, Guillermo, really? Mina asked.

What? He feigned innocence, with a grin already starting to stretch his well-tanned skin.

Why do you always make me responsible for him? And why can’t we just hire a professional security company? Don Raul is the company’s most valuable asset, and you put his safekeeping in the hands of some overgrown child, Mina said.

You know, the two of you are going to be the death of me. Why in the world can’t you find a way to get along? And let me tell you, if you ever find yourself in a dark alley, he is the crazy son of a bitch you want by your side, Guillermo said.

Maybe by your side, but I’m pretty sure that idiot would be twiddling his thumbs watching me get killed.

Mina, you are like a daughter to me. You know this. And I tell you that before I die, I have no doubt I will hear that you two are getting married. He chuckled to himself.

Not a chance in hell, Guillermo.

Thin line between love and hate, my dear, he said as he made his way back to his own office. He had a manner of walking like he was perpetually falling forward. Now go deal with him and make an old man happy.

She could never deny Guillermo whatever he needed. He did treat her like a daughter. Unfortunately, the only person in the company he treated like a son was Sebastian.

Mina took a final sip of coffee, braced herself, and trekked over to the cubicle she made a habit of avoiding.

Sebastian had long ago earned himself an office, but he was too lazy to bother packing up his stuff and moving in. So he stayed in the cubicle. Mina leaned on the cubicle wall and looked down to see what he was working on. Working? Christ, he was hunched over his desk reading a book.

With as much sarcasm as she could muster, she asked, What are you reading there? Dr. Seuss come out with a new book I didn’t hear about? It was probably something pornographic, she thought.

You wouldn’t be interested in this book, Sebastian answered without raising his eyes. It wasn’t published by Versace.

Asshole.

Anyway, Guillermo wanted me to make sure that you were going to be at the book signing tomorrow to do whatever it is you are supposed to do, Mina said.

He turned a page languidly and leaned back in his chair. Sure I’ll be there. What was it you needed me to do again?

Are you serious? We have the biggest author in the world coming and—

She saw a smirk stretch his face.

Son of a bitch, she mumbled. Just be there, okay?

He shot her a salute and buried his face back into his book.

As she turned to walk away, she caught the title of the book he was reading: Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by Carl Jung.

He probably tore off the cover to hide a comic book, she thought.

The chirp of the Cadillac’s alarm system officially marked the end of her day. Pulling the weighty door open and hopping up into the tan leather seat, she rested her purse on the passenger side and stirred the engine to life. She didn’t know much about cars, but she knew the sound of power when she heard it, and that was one thing that caught her attention when she decided on purchasing the SUV.

She buckled her seatbelt, slid the Gucci sunglasses onto her face, and pressed the power button to fill the cabin with the latest dance club music. Perhaps not the most soothing choice of tunes, but it allowed her to fully disconnect from the office culture.

She pulled the gearshift to drive and headed toward her mother’s home, where both of her children would be waiting. It was a solid twenty-five-minute drive from the office to her mother’s house in the suburbs, and she used every moment of it to completely decompress. She cruised at seventy miles per hour, although she wasn’t in a hurry. She just kept up with the flow of traffic.

She made two stops along the way before pulling into her mom’s driveway. First she stopped at the local candy store and picked out a few of her kids’ favorite treats. Victoria was partial to the chocolate peanut butter cups, while Andre, her son, liked red licorice. She purchased a box of raspberry jellies for her mom and even included a sweet for herself—a small block of maple walnut fudge. After all, she had earned it.

Then she paused at the intersection of 43rd and Kennedy Boulevard, where a group of ladies gathered every Friday evening and sold rose bouquets. Five roses for five dollars. She assumed they were trying to catch guys on their way to their Friday night dates. Mina leaned out the window and selected a bouquet of purple and yellow roses. Her mom always enjoyed having fresh roses on her dining table. These would do just fine.

Mina entered the home to be greeted by the aroma of her mother’s cooking. Victoria pirouetted around the living room floor in a ballerina dress. Her son slouched on the couch with full attention on a video game. Her stepfather plucked at the strings of his guitar with adept fingers. He looked stoned.

Victoria danced her way across the floor until she was wrapped around Mina’s leg.

Look what I got for you, Mina said, pointing to the box of peanut butter cups. Victoria’s face lit up and would soon be smeared in chocolate.

Isabella came out of the kitchen, laid her apron aside, and kissed Mina on the cheek. She took the roses and smelled them deeply. Those old ladies find some good flowers. I don’t know how they do it. The flowers they get are nicer than the florist. She set the roses in the vase and filled it with water. And they last longer. Are you hungry? Are you going to eat with us?

I’ll stay to eat but I can’t stay too late tonight. We have an event tomorrow, and I have to be up early, Mina said.

Ay, Mina, you work too much. Why would they make you work on a Saturday? Isabella asked.

It’s a book signing. All book signings are on the weekend, and this one is supposed to be a big one, so they want everyone on hand, Mina said.

Who is doing the signing? Isabella asked.

Don Raul, Mina said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Ay! No! Don Raul? The Don Raul?" Isabella asked.

Oh, you know him? Mina said teasingly, knowing full well that her mother was borderline obsessed with the author.

You need to get me an autograph. And a picture.

Anything else? Mina asked.

Give him my phone number. And my address, Isabella said with a laugh, although Mina knew her mom was just crazy enough to be serious.

Kids, come eat, Isabella called into the living room. Someone tell Andre it’s time for dinner.

Victoria pulled the headphones away from her brother’s ear. Come on ’Dre. Dinnertime.

He paused the game and slid the headphones from his head.

They all stumbled into the dining room and took their seats.

Hey Mom, Andre said.

Hey, I didn’t see you come in, her stepfather said.

Isabella glanced back at Mina and rolled her eyes.

Isabella began setting bowls of rice and beans and salad on the table. She then served steaks and tamales. The woman didn’t know how to cook a small meal. How everyone in the family wasn’t enormous was anyone’s guess.

Juan sat himself at the head of the table in a well-worn tank top and ran his fingers through shaggy, unkempt hair. Wooweee, this looks good. Let’s dig in, guys.

He picked up the steak with his bare hands and gnawed at it between intermittent moans of delight.

Mina looked at Isabella as if to say, Where did you find this animal?

Isabella waved her away and stifled her laughter with her napkin.

Although she did not care to think of her stepfather in that regard, she was fairly certain that sex with him was a very similar performance. She knew better than to ask because she knew that her mother had the excessive freedom of tongue to tell her far more than she cared to hear.

Why is everyone using a knife and fork? Juan asked. So proper. We’re home. Why do we have to be so proper? And besides, didn’t you know that everything tastes better when you use your hands?

Mina shuddered.

Isabella put up a finger as if to say, Not a word.

And the two began their giggle-fest once more.

After everyone was fully sated and the table was cleared, the kids returned to the living room, and Isabella put on a pot of coffee.

Jorge was here this afternoon, Isabella said.

Mina groaned her response.

He said to let you know that his car payment is due.

Of course it is, Mina said.

Juan leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head. Chunks of lint and deodorant clung to hairy armpits. When are you going to cut that guy off? You’ve been divorced for five years, but he is still married to your bank account.

As much as she hated to admit it, Juan was right. Giving in to her ex-husband’s financial demands was far easier, though, than dealing with the war that would ensue if she didn’t. She also knew that he had a tendency of turning the kids against her whenever he didn’t get his way. She knew she needed to get him out of her life, but he certainly made it difficult. He spent far more time with the