Edgar's avuncular, rotound, holographic face beamed kindly down at her.   "No, child!   I am not trapped.   In a manner of speaking I am the "box".

   At a complete loss Kalana turned back to me.   "But how can this wonder be?   For surely tis very like looking in a mirror and yet seeing mine own face.   AND -- how can a man in a box be and betimes BE the box?"

   Weslee, during all this, had rummaged around in one of Edgar's lockers, coming up with a fresh T shirt.   When he had the shirt donned I saw that the message said, "Images in the mirror are more ugly than they appear."   I had a sinking feeling.   Before I could stop him he turned to Kalana,   "Don't let that old stuff shirt fool you!   Edgar really is a child molester, politician and some times itinerant preacher and snake oil salesman!"   As one Kalana and Roliti recoiled in horror!

   "Weslee!"   I yelled! "What was the big idea?"

   Weslee gave me a mock abashed look.   "Well, Doc, I just thought that a little levity might be in order here.   After all, Kalana and Roliti seem to think this is some kind of religious experience and --"

   "Jest not!   Upon our tender sensibilities play not!" Roliti growled.

   Weslee turned gladly from me (I was still glowering at him!) and addressed Roliti! "Sorry!   I was just trying to -- er I mean, what I am saying -- Darn it all!   What Doc is saying is that Edgar is just a machine!   You know, like a windmill or a wagon, only he's a much more sophisticated machine.   In fact he's so sophisticated that unless you two here believe in him he's trapped here and so are we all!"

   "What do you mean trapped?" Kalana looked around, starting to get nervous again.

   Despite the fact that Weslee did have a good point -- sorta! -- I was still disgusted with him.   His method lacked a little finesse -- to say the least!   In fact I was so disgusted with him that I didn't trust myself to speak.   Perki saw this and came to my rescue.   "NO!   Weslee doesn't mean trapped here in Edgar.   He means trapped here on your world in this situation with your father missing and all.   In other words if you believe that Edgar can do anything we say he can then we can get you and ourselves out of this situation."   When Perki wants to she can exude a spirit of love and joy that is very calming.   Seeing that Kalana and Roliti needed to be calm after what they had seen so far and especially after Weslee's little stunt, she worked her magic.   Being joyfully calm does wonders to help a person think straight.

   As usual it worked.   Kalana and Roliti gave us all big beatific smiles.   Kalana nominated herself the spokesperson this time -- after sharing a look of understanding with Roliti. "Attend! A confession I must make!   I saw whence you came.   And your vehicle a whirlwind was not!   For the nonce I believed you to be something other than gods!   Then a veil of sorts stole over my mind!   From that point onward I could not be certain whence you came or who you were.   But if twill help us retrieve our father and see him alive again I for one am prepared to stoutly believe anything you divulge about Edgar.   And I know Roliti fain would too.   It will not difficult be!   I have never beheld a man in a box ere now that to the appearence is real.   That speaks to me that there is yet greater wonders to come!   Lay on!"   At this point Kalana and Roliti both scrunched their eyes tight shut.

   Weslee looked at them and then me and then them again and then gave me a stumped look. "What's going on, Doc?"

   "If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that they are trying to believe!" I said chuckling indulgently.   Turning to Kalana and Roliti I was about to tell them they didn't need to close their eyes -- that belief is best practiced with eyes wide open, but Edgar interrupted me, speaking sotto voce.   "Sire!   I don't know how, but it IS working!"   I immediately ceased and desisted and waited in breathless anticipation as Edgar elucidated, "My sensors tell me that the illusion field is definitely weakening -- at least in the immediate area around me!"

   Suddenly their eyes snapped wide open and Roliti and Kalana chorused, "ARE WE THERE YET??""

   "Yes!   Indeed we are!" Edgar answered.   He made a micro jump into the past fixing his door, flexed it open and closed a few times for the sheer joy of it and then we were off!   Straight up into the sky we went like Tinkerbelle able to fly again.   At the sensation of upward motion Roliti's and Kalana's eyes got very large.   I nodded towards Edgar's viewport.   They gave me questioning looks.   I noddded again and said, "Yes!   That is the view outside!"   I hadn't thought it possible for human eyes to open that wide, but as they crowded around the viewport Roliti's and Kalana's eyes actually got as wide as the old saucer cliche when they realized that they were seeing their world from space.   And their own star!

   I hated to cut the ride short, but I didn't want to take the chance of encountering the Anunnaki.   Just because we had not seen them the last time that didn't mean we wouldn't this time if we hung around too long.   They had to be out here in space somewhere around this planet!   And I wanted to be ready to deal with them -- actually have a plan -- when we DID encounter them.   So I told Edgar we needed to land.   Dutifully, he took us back to the clearing and set us down -- gently this time!

   Roliti just stood there with a rapt look on his face, but Kalana burst out, "Attend!   Avail! Must we perforce come again to this blighted shore?   Methought to the realm of eternity we would ascend!"

   I held up a forestalling hand. "Perki, Weslee and I are very grateful for what you have done, my dear girl.   But --!   We DO need to talk.   There is so much you do not know and there is so much we do not know and we need to educate each other."   For beginners -- do you have any idea who the Anunnaki actually are?"

   "You bespoke yourself of this matter anon, but meanwhilst we know naught of these beings.   Pray tell, of whom do you speak?" Kalana replied.

   "Well, they are a nasty little piece of work.   They delight in playing God with people's lives and they justify it for the worst reason.   They justify it in the name of "so called" scientific experimentation.   See, they claim they want to see how people will react to their little experiments.   So they set up these artificial situations and sit back and wait to see what will happen.   Will the subjects adapt? Will the subjects fight back?   Or will the subjects do something else entirely?   And what sort of effects will result from whatever reaction the subject employs?   Will the effect be disaster?   Will the effect be triumph?   Will the effect be something all muddled together?   Or will the effect be something entirely different than was ever seen in the universe before?   I realize on the face of it that it sounds like it is all up to the subject.   But it isn't really.   Most times -- if not all times -- the cards are stacked against the subject.   And I know one might argue that once a subject knows what is going on that he can then be free to decide what to do.   But it isn't that easy.   The experiments are so devious and intricate that usually the subject feels hopeless to do anything --even when he knows better.   You see, it's a matter of investment.   Once a person has bought into the experiment -- however unwittingly! -- then it seems like it would be a betrayal of one's ownself to do anything against it.   So you see, what we are talking about here is not really scientific experimentation at all, but rather mind control.   And if you control the mind you control the heart too.   That leads me to say this: That is exactly what is going on here with you and your people!   So who are the Anunnaki?   They are an alien race.   Beings that live on another world.   Another world going around another star in another part of the galaxy.   But they are also the closest thing to demons this universe knows!"

   When I finished speaking there was a very deep, very thoughtful hush on Edgar.   Looking taken very much aback and yet very vindicated at the same time time, Roliti said, "These then are the "gods" which we have worshipped in all?"

   I could see that Perki was champing at the bit to have her say here so I graciously gave her the floor.   She didn't waste a second.   "A long time ago my people, the Tuatha De Danaan and the Anunnaki were allies.   We were the two most advanced races in the galaxy -- in fact in the whole universe.   We had a Grand Unified Plan.   We would spread enlightenment through the universe. And we would do this by setting ourselves up as benign, all wise beings to emulate and to be guided by.   Somewhere along the line the Anunnaki forgot the benign part and guide part and decided to become gods that took over entirely.   When we found out what they were doing we went to war with them -- when all else failed! They very nearly defeated us!   We have been fighting back whenever and wherever we could ever since.   Of course hindsight is a wonderful tool, but, nevertheless, I can see, in hindsight, that it was not the best of plans.   It had the potential for disaster that it has proven it did!" Perki gave them both a very sweet and yet sad smile, "We are here to help you -- if you want us to!   But only if you want us to.   Do you?"

   "What manner of rhetoric do you employ?   Do you but toy with us?" Kalana said.   "Why it were obvious from the beginning!   In a word, yes!"

   I took back the reins.   "Well the first thing we need to do is figure out how we find the Anunnaki!   After all, we obviously know they are around, but we have not seen them in orbit nor on the ground!   And after we DO find them we will need to come up with a plan to chase them away.   Finding them might be easy if we can just figure out where to look --"

   Kalana tentatively raised her hand like a pupil who's asking to be recognized by the teacher, but who at the same time is almost afraid that she will be recognized.   I smiled at her encouragingly and nodded for her to speak.   She hesitated for a moment longer then spoke haltingly, "Upon my honor I know WHAT you may employ in your quest.   In a place closely guarded lies the fiery chariot that took my father from this vale!"

   It was too good to be true!   you could have knocked me over with a nano of free radicals!   I looked at Weslee and Perki to see if they had heard what I thought I had just heard.   From the stunned looks on their faces it was a safe bet that they had heard it too.   But I still wasn't sure the whole thing hadn't been an auditory hallucination so I said, "You know where what is?   And why are you so hesitant about revealing this?"

   "Of a surety!   I have knowledge whence the fiery chariot has been ensconced.   Common knowledge it is!   There is a shrine hard upon the site where the blessed (Kalana said blessed with a great deal of bitter sarcasm.   I would have been surprised had she not.) event transpired.   As to why I am hesitant -- surely that is self evident?   Well guarded it is by the priest's men else the pilgrims would have it all spirited away for relics!"

   I suspected that there would not be as many pilgrims as Kalana thought since the roads out of town really went nowhere.   Still in a town of about a thousand souls (as their town appeared to be) I could see where the "fiery chariot" WOULD soon be reduced to nothing if left unguarded.   But I also suspected that there was another reason why it was guarded: It more than likely worked and the priest and the Anunnaki didn't want someone fooling around and finding this out. It would not look good -- to say the least! -- if someone found out that it was not such a spiritual vessel after all.   And why would it still work?   If the priest was in cahoots with the Anunnaki -- and he surely was! -- then he might want it as an ace in the hole in case he needed to retreat for some reason.   At least it seemed very likely that all that was the case.   And if it was -- it would allow us, with Edgar's help, to figure out how it worked and to use it.   "That's what I thought you said.   But I wanted to be very sure I wasn't dreaming or something.   Now you need to tell us exactly where it is and once we've seen it we can make plans to steal it -- if it fits our purpose, that is!"   And there was a very good chance that it would fit our purpose very well for a couple of reasons: The Annunaki knew Edgar and without him we would be less easily recognizable, also the fiery chariot might have a built in homing beacon that would lead us to the Annunaki more quickly than Edgar could find them by searching with his sensors.

   Kalana and Roliti only took a few seconds to mull over my words and then both their faces lit up with joy at the irony of the whole thing. "Twere truly fitting a consummation --were we to employ their own catspaw against their reason!" Roliti summed it very nicely with a very appreciative chuckle!

   "However -- for the time being we need to reappear somewhere in town lest someone miss us and begin to wonder.   We can go to this shrine late tonight or very early in the small hours, slipping out of your mother's house unnoticed.   Right now though, we need to have Edgar take us as close to town as we dare!   Do either of you know of a place where we can have Edgar set down?"

   They conferred quietly amongst themselves for a moment or two and then Roliti answered, "There is a tangled bit of wood back behind our peach trees, down near a small stream.   There Kalana and I as children once played at exploring.   It lays not overly far from the house.   Think you this will suffice?"

   "If no one goes there then it will do wonderfully." I answered.

   They assured me that no one ever went there because it was on their property and even they no longer went there.   I decided we would have to chance it.   Edgar took off and taking a very circuitous path pointed out to him by Roliti was soon down, settled in amongst some very tangled deep woods indeed!

   Weslee stepped out of Edgar and stopped cold.   I gave him a questioning look. "Doc!   Do you seriously expect me, a civilized being, to trek through such a hideous wilderness?"

   Between giggles Kalana told him, "It be not overfar!   What ho!   A big brave bear like you be afraid?"

   That stung Weslee -- I could tell.   But he pretended to be uneffected.   Catching the eye of Roliti and Kalana and silently warning them to play along, I began the coup de grace. "Weslee, it's OK right now.   But if you don't come with us then what about tonight?"   He gave me a fake unperturbed look. "So?"   I finished the coup de grace, "We've never been outside in the woods at night -- especially all alone like you'd be!   How do you know what sort of monstrous wild life there might be here?"   He silently appealed to Kalana and Roliti.   They just shuddered. Weslee shuddered in concert with them after a moment of obviously envisioning what sort of monsters there MIGHT be here and then said, "The more the merrier is the better part of valor, I always say!"   Then he took off like a shot!   After a moment of trying desperately to squelch our laughter, we all gave in and, chuckling, took off after the sound of Weslee crashing through the underbrush ahead of us!