In Our Own Eyes

By A Tale of Ten

The perils, thrills, twists and turns of a celestial battle between the forces of good and evil shatter the quiet of snow-covered Pennsylvania farm lands and the peace and good order of Washington DC. To avert economic disaster and suffering on a global scale, ordinary men and women are called into extraordinary service. Bonded by a centuries old oath and relying on faith and God-given gifts, wits and wisdom, they clash with the minions and agents of an ancient and relentless foe. Though twenty-first century technology and weapons are exploited by both sides, the climactic battle hinges upon ancient fighting arts and arms. In combat to the death, deciding mankind's fate and shaking the foundations of Heaven and Hell, unlikely heroes, each with one blue and one brown eye, emerge to thwart Satan's latest assault on the Gates of Heaven. The heroes learn that only God can make it possible to see and reach beyond the human vistas in their own eyes.

About the Authors There were five men and five women. Their ages ranged from late thirties to mid-seventies. Among them were retired and active duty military officers, attorneys, federal government professionals, a college professor, a former FBI agent, and a former Intelligence official. Some were related and others were their friends. The two things they all had in common was a love of Christ and a love of writing. All were accomplished writers in their professional fields. These people decided to write a novel together, rotating writing through the story a chapter at a time. No outline. No idea where the story was going. The only rules being one had to continue with what was previously written as a foundation, but could go anywhere their imagination led them for their next chapter. What would such a novel look like? The answer to this question is contained in In Our Own Eyes, written by Sarah E. Buckley-Biscardo, Katharine D. Gregg, Judith E. McKee, Brian M. Michelson, Kira R. Michelson, Joel F. Pannebaker, Robert N. Pohtos, Fredric W. Rohm (Bill), Fredric W. Rohm (Ric), and Sara E. Yoder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644929278

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Alert

Newport Diner; Newport, Pennsylvania

February 1

Present Day

Bone chilling cold persisted in Central Pennsylvania . Temperatures hadn’t risen out of the teens in weeks, and the countryside remained covered with a deep blanket of snow. Nevertheless, the men from Saint Stephen’s church still gathered at a local restaurant to discuss their understanding of how they should live their lives as Christian men. However, as often as not, they discussed whatever was on their minds.

Only five gathered this Wednesday; the weather keeping all but the stalwarts away. The lone waitress prided herself on remembering what each individual habitually ordered for breakfast and brought piping hot coffee as soon as the men were seated.

Hi, guys, she said with her vibrant smile. The usual? The men all nodded an affirmative as they wrapped their hands around their coffee cups to warm them. She glanced at Bill and asked, How’s your retirement going?

Been too busy to think about it, Bill replied, Jane is keeping me busy. I’m not sure how I had time to work.

Well, you look much too young to be retired.

And you want an extra tip today, Bill answered with a smile.

The waitress laughed and hurried off to place their various orders, while the men lowered their heads in prayer. When they had finished, Tom began with an air of excitement, I found something really interesting yesterday. You know that old stone church and cemetery ruins on the boundary between my farm and the old Yoder farm? I went out there this morning to make sure everything was safe after the heavy winds last night. Another wall had gone down, so the rubble was worse. I looked at the old cornerstone from 1800, and saw the edge of a metal box. I dug it out and pried it open and found some really neat stuff. There was an old Bible from the seventeen hundreds. And a bunch of old coins. But the neatest thing was an old journal written by someone named William. A lot of pages were faded, but it was still mostly readable. One early story is pretty doggoned spooky. It was written sometime during the Revolutionary War and happened around here somewhere since he mentions the Juniata River. His Dad was off fighting for the Continentals. It was winter, and he was out in the barn at night feeding the cows. Something outside the barn scared the blazes out of him; he didn’t know what. Could have been an Indian, a bear, or most likely, I think, a mountain lion the way he describes the experience, but who knows? Whatever it was, it impressed him enough that he wrote it down. It’s a pretty cool document to have.

I’d really like to read that journal! exclaimed Dick, a retired history teacher.

Another entry that caught my attention was some sort of initiation ceremony he wrote about in a later entry; maybe some old masonic stuff. I don’t know since I’m not a mason and that part was really faded, and William’s script is hard to read. Also weird because he kept talking about people with one blue eye and one brown eye.

What? Bill was dribbling coffee down his chin. What did you just say? Where is this journal? I’d really like to see it.

I have a copy of it right here for you. I thought you could give it to your friends at the County Historical Society.

I can do that for you, Bill replied, Jane is on their board of directors. Bill eagerly reached out for it.

Just then, Bill’s iPhone vibrated in his pocket. Even though Bill had silenced his phone to prevent it from interrupting their prayers and conversation, he had a bad habit of needing to know immediately who the call was from, a habit that irritated him as well as others. While the other men continued the discussion, Bill covertly slipped the phone into his lap and looked down at the new text message. Surprise and confusion overcame him. The others became silent as the consternation on Bill’s face became apparent.

Bill, are you all right? Dick asked with concern in his voice. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.

No, no. I’m okay, Bill replied. But something’s come up. Bill paused. Excuse me for a few minutes, I’ve got to deal with this. Bill held the iPhone up in front of them and got up from the table, picking up the journal as he went. I’ll be back shortly, he said while grabbing his coat.

Bill hurried out of the restaurant and went straight to his Jeep being careful of his footing on the icy sidewalk. He climbed into the driver’s seat and clutched the steering wheel with both hands, his knuckles turning white and his mind whirling. He read the text message again. The sender was just a phone number, one he didn’t recognize. It wasn’t the number, but the content that had him flustered.

one if by land and two if by sea and i on the opposite shore shall be ready to ride and spread the alarm

How long ago had it been when he had stood before that altar, his right hand raised and left hand on the open Holy Bible in front of him and taken the oath relating to those words? There were 10 of them; the only thing they had in common was their faith and their eyes. Each of them had one brown and one blue eye. But that was enough to make them commit to help and support each other. He’d never heard a word since, until now. This and a journal in one day? It unnerved him. This was definitely a call for action. But what should he do? He’d never dreamed anything like this would actually happen. These were stories of myth and legend. Was he really still bound by the oath? He knew he was. Bill’s hand hovered over the phone number on the message. He took a deep breath. No, he thought, not to an unknown number. I need advice. Bill typed in another number, one he had committed to memory some time ago, took a deep breath, murmured, Lord, help me out here, and placed the call.

Hello. Can I help you? a female voice answered.

Bill paused, a bit confused. May I speak to Fritz?

I’m sorry, Fritz is…, the voice paused. This is his nurse, at Tampa General Hospital. Fritz is gravely ill and sleeping right now. He keeps his cell phone with him all the time. I heard it ringing. Are you a relative?

No, no, Bill replied. I haven’t seen Fritz in quite a while, but I just got a text message he might be interested in and thought I’d give him a call.

Well, he fades in and out and isn’t always coherent. I shouldn’t say this, but I honestly don’t think he’s long for this world. Do you want me to leave him a message?

Bill thought for a moment. If he wakes up and is coherent, just tell him Bill called.

I will do that.

Okay, thanks. Bill hung up and thought to himself, Okay, I’ve got to get home and listen to the CD. But where in heaven’s name did we put it when I moved up here? I haven’t seen it in years. I don’t even think I unpacked it from our last military move. And who was second in charge if I can’t talk to Fritz? Helmut I think; wonder what he’s been doing all these years? Bill climbed out of his Wrangler and scrambled inside to say his goodbyes then hurried back to his farm.

Chapter 2

Family

Pennsylvania State University

Bangkok, Thailand and Tampa, Florida

January 30

The gust of freezing air nearly knocked Alex Gardner over as he exited the Computer Science building . He had been lost in thought but was instantly brought back to reality as he began calculating how much the temperature had dropped since he began his lecture an hour ago. About 17 degrees he estimated as he quickly scanned the sidewalk to see if the wind had knocked over his favorite bike. Alex was relieved when he saw his sturdy red mountain machine just as he left it, well, except for the heavy dusting of white. The snow did not intimidate him. He was a four-season rider and had just replaced his tires with new Nokian Extreme 294s. Having spent the better part of the last ten years on college campuses in Pennsylvania, Alex had come to appreciate cycling; it was so much more efficient than walking. He flung his right leg over the bike, and as he began to pedal, Alex heard that familiar ringtone coming from the tablet in his backpack. It was Mom trying to initiate Skype.

Odd, Alex thought, she never called this early in the morning. He had a faculty meeting in 20 minutes, but it was only 1.5 miles away, so at a speed of 10 miles per hour, he would be there in 9 minutes; plenty of time to take a quick call from Mom. He pulled over and ducked back inside. He dialed his Mom’s number and saw that she was already connected with his sister, Kat. His twin spidey sense was going off even before he saw the tears in Kat’s eyes. Hi, guys, what’s going on?

Alex, I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, his mother said. It’s Grandpa; he’s not doing well.

What do you mean? Grandpa is tough as an ox, he’ll be fine, he always is, Alex said.

Kat’s voice cracked as she replied, Not this time, Alex, it’s bad.

Alex’s heart sank as his Mom relayed how grave the situation was and added that Grandpa did not have much longer on this earth. The call ended with I love you and will see you soon.

Alex put on his Google Glass, jumped on his bike, and headed for home. The faculty meeting would have to wait—family first, always. He had already purchased his airline ticket to Tampa and contacted the dean to explain his need for a leave of absence before he arrived at his doorstep. He quickly packed, made a few more phone calls canceling meetings he had for next week in Washington DC and at Carnegie Mellon University, and caught a cab to the airport.

Halfway around the globe, Kat was making similar arrangements. She was glad she happened to be in Bangkok this week for the wildlife conservation conference instead of back at the Thung Yai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. It would be much easier for her to fly back to the States in the morning. Timing was terrible, given she was one of the lead zoologists for the Asian tiger study currently being conducted at the preserve. She had faith in her co-lead though. Charles was a brilliant researcher, not to mention easy on the eyes, and she knew he could manage without her. She finished tapping out her e-mail to Charles and reminded him to take good care of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. She loved those puppies and had a special bond with them given the circumstances of their birth. Kat had run head first into a burning hut to rescue them. Their mother had not survived, and Kat viewed them as her babies. She hated having to be gone so long but knew her friends and colleagues would take good care of them.

Her thoughts then drifted to Alex as was often the case; they had that twin connection going on. She and Alex were so close to Grandpa, and she knew that while Alex was putting on a strong face, he was really struggling inside. She wished she were flying back to Central Pennsylvania instead of Tampa. Their parents had stayed in the Tampa area after Dad retired from the Army, but there was just something about Central Pennsylvania that was comforting, peaceful. It was a special place, their family’s roots in the area dated back before the Revolutionary War. Kat and Alex had so many great memories, spending holidays and summer vacations on the farm with Grandma and Grandpa and a gaggle of cousins, aunts, and uncles.

Being a military family, they had grown up all over the United States and overseas, but one thing they could always count on and call home was the old family farm on the banks of the Juniata River. She suspected that’s why Grandma and Grandpa had moved there after Grandpa retired from a thirty -year Navy career. They travelled a lot in retirement, sometimes spending months away, but the farm was always home base. After Grandma passed a number of years ago, Grandpa decided he had had enough of the cold Pennsylvania winters and began splitting his time between the farm and Tampa. It hadn’t been a working farm for many generations; so only a few scrappy cats who called the old barn home felt his absence.

Memories of good times with family on that farm scrolled through Kat’s mind like an old movie reel. She had spent the last four years in the Asia-Pacific region, first in Australia, where she obtained her master’s degree in zoology from the University of Sydney and then on assignment in Thailand. She was ready for a trip home, just not under these circumstances.

Her last trip back was to visit Alex at Penn State. It was football season and they had fun reliving their college days as they tailgated and watched the Nittany Lions dominate on the field. They both received their undergraduate degrees from Penn State; however, their time there together only overlapped by a year when she was a senior and Alex a new professor. Alex was crazy smart, had a photographic memory, and was a wiz at math. He had a thousand-pound brain that just functioned at an incredibly high level all the time. He graduated from high school at fifteen, got his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Penn State in two years and then completed his Masters and PhD from Carnegie Mellon by age twenty. After being heavily recruited by the top cyber security firms and various three-letter U.S. government agencies, Alex decided his heart was in Central Pennsylvania. He wanted to teach. He was happy to consult for other organizations, but his passion was for research and discovery and he wanted to share that with others. Alex also loved being so close to Grandpa and the family farm. Kat knew Alex was going to take this hard; while he could process everything at lightning speed, his emotions were the exception. Kat would have to be strong for Alex; they would work through this together.

February 1

Alex was waiting for Kat as she exited the arrival area at Tampa International Airport. Her long sandy brown hair was swept up in a ponytail, and she looked exhausted from the long trip. Seeing Alex infused her with a newfound energy.

Hi, bro, she said as she gave him a big hug. How’s Grandpa today?

Weak, and in and out of the dementia haze, but still cracking jokes, replied Alex. I’ll fill you in on our way to the hospital.

When they arrived, Grandpa was awake, but not really in the here and now. He was mumbling about something and had his iPhone clenched in one hand. Alex chuckled as he thought about how much Grandpa loved technology. They had spent many a Sunday discussing the pros and cons of the latest gadgets. Mom said that he’d been asking for his phone since he arrived at the hospital; it seemed to calm him, so they let him hang on to it. He was actually able to play a little solitaire on it yesterday.

Today Grandpa seemed restless, but as Kat gave him a tight hug, he focused on her face and said, Well, hello, my beautiful Kit-Kat. What brings you all the way here today? Don’t you have elephants and monkeys to save?

It’s tigers, Grandpa, but I wouldn’t be anywhere else right now—family first, always, she said with a smile.

Grandpa was in good spirits and stayed with them for almost thirty minutes. The nurses came in to do their rounds so Alex and Kat stepped out of the room to grab a cup of coffee. When they returned, Grandpa had his eyes closed but was restless again and mumbling. Kat moved in closer, and she heard him saying in a horse whisper, One if by land and two if by sea and I on the opposite shore shall be… She tried to wake him, but he just kept repeating those words. Odd, she thought, as she wasn’t aware of Grandpa being a fan of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poems; perhaps he was thinking about his days at sea.

Suddenly, Grandpa opened his eyes and stared at Kat with clarity and a purpose she had not seen since she arrived. I love you and need you to hear me. Please sound the alarm, sound the alarm… And just as quickly as he snapped into reality, he faded back out. Kat looked at Alex with a shrug, and they rang for a nurse thinking maybe that’s what Grandpa was asking for.

Your grandfather is weak, but stable; he just needs to rest.

Alex noticed Grandpa had dropped his iPhone, so he picked it up and slid it into his pocket. He would return it to Grandpa in the morning. Kat and Alex did not want to leave him, so they persuaded the staff to let them stay. As they slept that night, Grandpa passed from this earth. While Kat and Alex felt an extreme sadness, they knew Grandpa was in heaven smiling down on them. For ninety-two years, Grandpa had led an exemplary life. Faith, family, duty, honor, and country were what he was all about.

Grandpa had thought of everything and had left very detailed instructions for his affairs after his death. He intended to make it as easy as possible on his family. He wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered along the banks of his beloved Juniata River. His instructions were to have a small memorial ceremony and then a big party at the old family farm to celebrate his life and his permanent new residence in heaven with Jesus. Spring was his favorite time of year, so Grandpa’s wishes would be implemented in a few months. It would be much more pleasant for an outside ceremony, Alex reflected.

Trying to bury his emotions, Alex had immersed himself in making calls to family to share the difficult news and let everyone know of the memorial plans. As his iPhone’s battery died, he looked around for his tablet but realized he had left it at home in his haste to get to the airport. He remembered he had Grandpa’s phone in his pocket, so he pulled it out and quickly broke Grandpa’s password. Grandpa was so easy; all of his passwords either involved submarines, science fiction, or his favorite Bible verses. As the phone’s screen opened up, Alex’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t sure what to make of the text message that was staring at him from Grandpa’s phone. He pulled Kat over, and a chill ran through her body as she read the words out loud.

One if by land and two if by sea and I on the opposite shore shall be ready to ride and spread the alarm.

Chapter 3

There Be Giants

Ye Olde College Diner; State College, Pennsylvania

February 1

Guy was sitting across the table from Sheila at the noisy and crowded Diner over coffee and Grilled Stickies. Though only nine in the morning, it was already noisy and a bit crowded. Guy thought to himself, This is not a good place for a first date. They had met in archeology class and Guy liked Sheila. She was down-to-earth, pretty, and had a very cool Australian accent. He’d been trying to get together with her for some time. Guy was nervous, and knew that when he was nervous, he tended to talk a lot and didn’t want to scare Sheila off, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

It seems like my whole life is an enigma. It’s always been a challenge. I hated school as a kid. But Mom and Dad made me go. Well, Mom is a professor after all.

Sheila jumped in, That’s right, she’s a rocket scientist!

Funny! Guy said wryly. And my older twin cousins are super smart. Alex is a computer science professor here at Penn State. Kat is a zoologist, studying animals in Thailand. They both got their undergraduate degrees here a while back too.

How neat is that! I went on a mission trip to Thailand once, replied Sheila. We didn’t spend too much time with animals, but we did get to work with some neat people in a poor rural area. We helped build houses and worked with a micro-finance company giving out small business loans. Mostly it was work outdoors.

Wow, sounds like something I would’ve liked. As a kid I could never sit still. I’m still like that. I always wanted to be outside, working with my hands, moving, doing something. I’m like my dad that way. Dad’s a groundskeeper at Penn State. He says he doesn’t know how he ended up married to my mom because he wasn’t that intelligent. Dad is smart, just not in a school sense. He says the smartest thing he ever did was marry Mom, ‘married up in both looks and brains!’

I’m liking your dad even before meeting him! Sheila smiled.

Guy continued, Mom’s crazy smart too. She literally is a rocket scientist. She has a PhD in physics. It’s funny they ever met and got married. Mom had just started teaching at Penn State. She calls herself a science nerd. She wanted to get to know some people, so she enrolled in a martial arts class. Dad liked to be always moving just like me. So even after a day of working outside keeping Penn State looking beautiful, he wanted to do something physical in the evenings. Then there was the day the sensei paired them up to spar. It must have been pretty funny. My mom is about 5 foot 2, and my dad close to 6 feet. My dad said, when my mom swept his feet out from under him and put him in an arm bar, it was love at first sight!

She literally swept him off his feet—so corny! laughed Sheila.

"Yeah. They dated, started going to the same church together, and got married a year later. They tried to have kids for years, but doctors said they couldn’t. I was a miracle baby, people said. The pregnancy was rough, and Mom definitely couldn’t have any more kids after me. So I was an only child, but it didn’t feel that way, since I have a ton of cousins, like Alex and Kat. It was hard growing up in the shadow of my older cousins. See, I’m dyslexic. All the words jump around on the page when I try to read. They change from forward to backward, upside down, and inside out.

Wow, I’d never have guessed. You do so well in archeology class. That must be really hard, Sheila said, looking serious.

It’s okay, said Guy. That wasn’t my only problem. I would daydream in class because I was bored and wanted to play outside. The teacher would ask me a question, and I couldn’t answer because I often wasn’t paying attention. This would get me in trouble. Then I was put in the slow reading class. They had four levels: A, B, C, and D. I was in the D group. And you know what the kids would say, ‘D is the dumb group.’

Ouch! Sheila replied. Kids can be so mean…and teachers clueless. Who would label the slow readers the D group anyway?

Yeah, I know, I know, smiled Guy. Then there is my full name too: Guy Aoki Yoder. Now Guy’s a cool boy’s name.

I like it! Sheila piped in coyly.

Guy blushed a bit and then went on, The problem is my initials: G. A. Y. The mean kids picked up on that too. ‘Hey it’s the GAY Guy.’ Now I have nothing against people who are gay, actually I never knew anyone like that in school.

You’re not gay, are you? quizzed Sheila with a worried look on her face.

No, no, I’m not…I mean I like girls, really! said Guy, trying to recover. It’s just that it was one more thing to get teased about.

I’m glad, I mean not that you got teased but that you like girls! Now it was Sheila’s time to blush.

An awkward pause passed as they both looked at the ground.

Guy broke the silence. People always ask me where I’m from. I tell them State College, Pennsylvania. Then I get this funny look because they don’t know how to ask what they actually want to know, my ethnicity. Sometimes I mess with people and tell them I’m an Eskimo!

Really? Sheila said quizzically.

Yeah, I have this long story, I’ll have to tell you sometime. Guy smiled.

"See, my mom is Japanese and my dad is German. Dad says it’s Pennsylvania Dutch. There is rumor of Amish ancestry too. I’m probably the only Amish Asian in