�� When we were gathered in a group inside the rear of the sanctuary we casually looked around for a moment.�  The walls were blue with splotches of white so that the effect was like looking at a blue sky half filled with clouds. The ceiling continued the eerie effect.  � It was black with speckles of silver.   � The overall effect was like looking up into space from the top of the atmosphere.  � The pews completed the theme.  � They looked like nothing less than acceleration couches!   But it was when I looked up towards the front of the sanctuary that the whole horrible picture came into focus.   � On the left hand wall was a depiction of wheels within wheels containing a whirlwind.  � On the right hand wall was a depiction of an Annunaki!  � And topping it all off in the upper center of the back wall was a depiction of Mr. Peachtree!   The conclusions were inescapable!

�� Father logis must have seen the shock on my face since he asked in a concerned voice, "Are you of a sudden taken ill?"

�� I didn't know how to answer him -- yet! � I just knew two things for sure: I needed to get out this eerie church and I desperately needed to talk to Kalana and Roliti without the Priest present.

   I was sure my face had gone white!   I said, "Yes!   Of a sudden I do feel ill.   Mayhaps I remained awakened much too long upon the eve!   "Or mayhaps I contacted something during the course of our misadventurous landing here.   Perchance I will be well anon.   But for now I must leave your good company.   You will excuse me?"

   Fortunately Father logis seemed to buy it.   He nodded his acceptance of my asking to be excused.   All I needed to do now was to find a place to get Kalana and Roliti alone.   That and to speak to them frankly and plainly for the first time since we had met!   And I was sure I knew just the place.   Now if they would just listen to me!

   When we were out of the church and had begun to walk down the main street in the direction I wanted to go Weslee piped up, "Geez, Doc!   I never got to ask any disingenuous questions!   I thought the plan was --" Then he seemed to see the way Roliti and Kalana were staring at him in surprise and confusion.   There was no use trying to stop him -- the damage had already been done.   I turned towards their inquiring, suspcious looks.   "If you will accompany me we will go to the same spot where we met, Kalana.   There I will explain everything. But first we must get out of sight of the church lest Father Logis be looking still."

   They didn't like it.   Especially Roliti.   I could see he was bubbling over with questions.   But I held up a forestalling hand. "All in due time, my good man!   All in due time."

   Roliti still didn't like it.   The look he gave me said it had better be ALL in due time.

   Then we all left the main street and went left as if we were heading towards the Peachtree residence.   But as soon as we were out of sight of the church we headed towards the woods.

   As soon as we were in the clearing where we had first met Kalana, I took the offense right away.   And I didn't bother speaking to them in the Shakespearean style either.   I was past putting up with that! "Why didn't you tell me your father is the Messiah?"

   Kalana and Roliti excahnged glances that suggested that they thought I had taken leave of my senses -- at the very least!   Then Kalana replied, "What matter if I did not?"

   "I am going to show you something that I should have showed you before and would have showed you before had I known that we have a common enemy!   Then you will see why it makes a difference that you omitted this pertinent fact!"   I paused a moment wondering if I should and then decided that I had nothing to lose so I "went" for the jugular, "But before I show you that I am going to tell you something very important first.   Your gods are not gods!   And I am going to do more than that.   I am going to prove it!"

   Perki nodded her approval, looking very grave and wise.   Weslee looked at the two of them very sternly and growled under his breath as if he was going to literally go for their throats if they dared for one second to defy us.   And I did a double take of sorts, telling Weslee, "Easy, big boy!" then immediately turned back to Kalana and Roliti, waiting for their reactions.   I would have bet good money that one or both of them would NOW show their their true colors and question my assertion about the falsity of their Gods!   But it would've been a fool's bet.   And as it turned out I was glad that they responded the way they did, since it settled the question of the validty of their unbelief in their gods.   (However in one way, it was TOO simple.   It didn't go at all as easy as it seemed it was going to go right at that moment.   In point of fact it did not go as easy for them as they seemed to think it would -- nor was it as easy for us as I thought it would be!)

   Speaking as if it was one mind using two mouths they chorused, "What wonders before us would you lay?   How so?"   Then Roliti added, in a menacing tone, after seeming to reconsider for a moment,"Attend!   If this be but smoke and mirrors then --" I put up a forestalling hand.   "Oh my young friend, this is far from any circus sideshow!   It will rock your world, as we say where I come from!"   Roliti took one look at the deep, deep seriousness on my face and subsided.   Still he was muttering something way under his breath.   I decided to ignore that for now.

   Not knowing what I was to later find out, (see parentheses above!) instead of taking further issue with Roliti, I sighed in relief!   Now if they just didn't freak out on me when they saw what Edgar was and could do then we'd get along famously!

   However Weslee was not sanguine.   He slapped one big hairy hand in his face and ran it down to his chin.    "What makes you think we're going to show you "wonders", as you put it?   I mean, who said anything about Edgar being wonderful?   He's just a piece of glorified sh --"

   I broke in before Weslee could complete that thought.   "Weslee!   That'll be enough!" I glowered at him while Perki hid a smile behind her left hand.

   "But Doc!"   Weslee persisted.   "You know as well as I do that Edgar is --"

   I cut him off again.   Even more firmly this time.   And I noticed that Perki had stopped smiling too. "Look, Weslee!   We'll deal with it!   One thing at a time, huh?   Let's just give the kiddies here a peek and then we'll go from there!   OK?   OK??"

   He still didn't like it.   But he did subside.   Then we all started off, heading towards where we'd left Edgar, with me in the lead, as usual.   And as we walked through the fairly quiet woods on that beautiful summer morning, I couldn't help wondering if we'd done the right thing by leaving Edgar all alone out here.   What if the Annunaki had detected his presence and tracked him down and either destroyed him or appropriated him?   Thinking those thoughts, I quicked my pace.

   As it turned out I didn't need to worry about that.   Edgar was right there!   Right were we left him.   Then my relief at seeing Edgar still there was tempered by another worry.   How were we going to show Kalana and Roliti what Edgar could do -- if he was still in the grip of the illusion field?   I immediately thought of something else to worry about also -- what if this was a trap set by the Annunaki?   How could they not know we were here?   Why wouldn't they check?   For both reasons -- because I wanted to have time to think a bit and because it COULD be a trap -- I called a halt a few feet from where Edgar sat, motioning that everybody should join me in a small copse of trees where we could remain hidden for a few moments and yet still observe Edgar and the area around him.   Then I motioned for silence.   Everyone complied, but they all did give me questioning looks.

   After what seemed like an eternity of silence suddenly Kalana spoke, breaking that creepy silence, "Upon yon wondrous vista have we commenced anon?"

   As soon as my mind translated what Kalana had said into terms my mind was more accustomed to, I broke into loud cynical laughter.   She had voiced the equivalent of, ""Are we there yet?"   They all stood there and stared at me in various degrees of puzzlement and bafflement.   But then I softened into a kind of bemused fondness for her.   She was just like any other kid anyplace -- ready to meet whatever wonder presented itself and hiding it behind a facade of jaded sophistication so she would appear grown-up to her peers. Ready to meet the future and afraid of it at the same time, thus hiding that fear behind false bravado. Of course this realization was immediately followed by another.   If this WAS a trap I'd already sprung it by laughing so hard.   And I didn't see any Annunaki boiling out after us so I knew the coast was clear.   Kalana's gawky question HAD been practical after all and no laughing matter! "Yes!   We are there yet!   C'mon! Let's go take a peek at what wonders there are to behold!"

   When we reached Edgar Weslee and I forced the doors open and Weslee cautiously peeked inside.   I let him do it operating on the premise that his ugly face would be more likely to scare or at least startle some intruder than my face would.   Of course I didn't tell Weslee that.   He thinks he's handsome!   In any case there was no commotion from either Weslee or the stipulated intruder so Weslee stepped back and bending low at the waist and giving a grand gesture he ushered Kalana and Roliti inside.     As I followed them in I said, "Stare not long into the abyss!"

   I was just joking, of course.   But it was the wrong thing to say.   Once inside and obviously having heard what I said Roliti spun on me and shrieked, "I knew it!   I knew it!   It's a trap! Like Father, you have dastardly come to sprite us away!"

   It was a few interesting moments! (And if it hadn't been all a weird, sad misunderstanding it would have been very funny!)   Kalana just stood there and looked at him with her mouth a big O for a second or two and then seeing, like Roliti, that there was no windows (none that she would or could indentify, at least) and that the only exit was being blocked by Weslee (inadvertantly, since he had stepped in and was standing in the doorway waiting for the rest of us to move) she too freaked. Weslee tried to calm them -- at least I think that was his intention as he stepped around me and made downward motions with his hands!   It was the wrong thing to do!   Roliti, apparently thinking he was being attacked, began to attack Weslee, fighting like a madman to get past him.   All Weslee could do was try to protect himself while endeavouring not to hurt Roliti in the process. While this was going on Kalana just stood there and screamed her head off!   In the meantime I just stood there and gaped, wondering what I'd said or done to make them think this was a trap.   Then when she saw that Weslee was not really making any headway Perki tried to help him settle things down by enfolding Kalana in her arms!   Nothing helped!   They were feeding on each other's hysteria!   And this had started out so promising!

   Finally Edgar saved the day. In his dulcet, mellifulous completely equanimous voice he said,"Mistress and Master Peachtree!   Surely there is no need for such unseemly behavior?   These fine folk mean you no harm at all!   Oh, I am remiss! Alllow me to introduce myself.   I am Edgar!"

   I don't know if it was the voice speaking seemingly out of nowhere or if it was the tone of voice and the words employed or if it was the fact that this "disembodied" voice knew their surname -- or maybe it was some combination of all of the above.   In any case it had the desired effect.   Roliti stopped tussling with Weslee and Kalana shut up.   They both just stood there a moment looking around in wonder.   Then Kalana said, "Be this the voice of God? A very God -- not some supposed God that to my father only spake?"

   I'm pretty sure that Weslee muttered, "If Edgar is a god then I'm an Annunaki's patootie", but I ignored him.   I didn't want to make an issue out of anything and distract Kalana and Roliti away from the magic Edgar was working here.   (I did wonder for a moment how Edgar knew their surname, but then I realized I was being stupid.   Of course Edgar had been monitoring us long distance and had thus apprised himself of the situation.   Sometimes it's real helpful to have an intelligent machine to back a person up.)   So instead of taking Weslee to task I just waited to see what Edgar would say next.

   Edgar didn't miss a beat.   He came through like a trooper!   "It were untoward myself to nominate a god.   I but your humble servant be!   As such, you have but to name your pleasure and it shall be presented forthwith!"

   Roliti clapped his hands in joy like a child! "Then needs must a genie you be!   What shall mine first wish see?"

   Roliti's innocent, ignorant words, what Edgar had said day's earlier when we were coming down and something I had read in my childhood -- all those things jelled together to hit me like a thunderbolt epiphany!   And I suddenly knew what we had to do to get Edgar working again!   NOW!   If we could only get Kalana and Roliti to play along! Then at the very least we could begin to get on the path towards working this mess out!   But first I had find out what had precipitated their outburst!

   "OK Kiddies.   What was the cause of the hysterical theatrics?" I said, giving each of them a kindly grin.

   It was Roliti who replied. "Truly you know not?"

   I gravely shook my head no.

   He exchanged a look of wonder with Kalana before turning back to me and pointing skyward, "Above our heads a mystical realm lies!   It is at once both heaven and hell.   Methought myself that if you were not gods them you must perforce demons be come our immortal souls to claim and to whisk us away eternal damnation to endure.   Speaking of the Abyss as you did ere we entered your wondrous conveyance anon seemed to me a signal moment to be!   Truly you knew not?"

   I was getting tired of all this talk about demons and gods and heaven and hell and I could tell that Perki was too, but I beat her to the punch, "Look.   If you want something to believe in that is really worth believing in then I want you to believe in Edgar!" (They had fallen right into my hands!   It was a pretty good segue --even if I do have to say so myself -- and I was proud of it!)

   It was Kalana who answered first. "Believe in Edgar?   Why so?   Truly one who lives and breathes and has his being has little need of belief in his existence?  Again, I say why say you this?   Surely you have not leave of your senses taken?"

   I gave her a rueful smile. "No.   I have not gone out of my mind!   But, you see, we have a problem here.   Edgar is not a living breathing soul!   And yet he has more soul than a lot of people I know!   The problem is the fact that we were brought here by an illusion field and Edgar cannot leave until or unless someone here believes in him."

   Roliti took over. "What manner of belief then shall we employ?   Do Edgar an entranced golem be?"   Roliti answered his own question after scrunching his face up in thought for a moment, "Nay!   That is not the manner of it since he is very like unto a man already   Pray tell!   What shall we believe of him then?"

   I didn't figure there was any use trying to explain time machine to them at this point.   Instead I said, "Does the word space ship mean anything to you?   How about Tinkerbell?" I threw in whimsically after a moment!   Perki, obviously getting it, chuckled.   Weslee gave me a "HUH?" look.   I motioned that I would explain that reference later and he shrugged.

   It was Kalana's turn again, it seemed.   "Space ship?   "Do you say by means of simile a ship that can traverse to the very stars that above our head do lie?"

   All during this time not once had Roliti or Kalana looked up and seen Edgar's face.   I could not believe they had not searched for the source of the voice!   Nor looked up and seen Edgar.   In their defense they WERE facing away from the door.   Also in their defense I supposed they thought Edgar was some kind of ghost or something!   This could be since they had not made any contradictory remarks to that theory and since what Kalana had said could be construed that way.   So by way of beginning to present them with a truth they could hopefully believe in I got their attention and then mutely pointed above the door!