"There was nothing unusual about this messenger. He reminded me of you in some ways, except for that long beard of yours. He came up to me in our local shopping centre. He told me that I’ve taken a wrong road and there are consequences. It was important now to take precautionary measures regarding my daughter.
"I understood what he meant by taking the wrong road. I had doubts when I was offered my current job. Just the way it was offered to me—in that they did not delve too deeply into my qualifications etc. And I know I’m not being modest about my talents. It was almost as if there was another reason why they employed me. I can’t explain that.
"I see the consequences now and I’m trying to right the situation. I understand there are some powerful forces at play here and so I ask, Pops, if anything happens could you please look after Isabella?"
The Professor was silent and stared at the paper in his hands. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and then folded up the note and put it back in his pocket.
“So you see, Lucas, my daughter’s telling me I’d better look after her daughter, Isabella. But I’ve passed that on to you because you’re more able.” He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Lucas and nodded. “Now, I said to myself, why did I pick Lucas? Did God prompt me? Maybe it is time that I gave God more than a fleeting thought. I’m starting to get concerned about things. I’m starting to forget things. I’m sorry, Lucas, but you were the only person I could think of who could help.”
He was sitting too close to the fire so Lucas stood up and walked over to a window. Freedom. He was free, but for how long? “Thanks for passing this responsibility on to me, Starkey. But I’m not sure how I’m going to do this from prison.”
“Neither do I, Lucas. But God does. And maybe that’s where faith starts.” The Professor hunched his shoulders and opened his arms, as if he wasn’t totally convinced by what he was saying. The Professor then leaned forward. “I believe my daughter’s been murdered, and we need to bring those who have done this to justice.”
12 – Isabella Rose and the Messenger
IT WAS DRIZZLY AND OVERCAST IN MELBOURNE. Isabella Rose sat in the Southern Cross Station waiting for the bus to pull into Bay 54. She felt a dark cloud sitting over her and wanted so much to remove it. She hoped the cloud stayed in Melbourne.
She was dressed in comfortable black jeans with a mauve crew neck jumper covering a white turtleneck shirt. Black RM Williams boots kept her feet warm and dry. A brown winter coat sat on top of her large overnight bag, which rested on the seat next to her backpack. The trip to Healesville took just over an hour and a half, and it was a cold place at this time of the year.
Isabella was wondering if she’d turned everything off back in her unit. She could quickly jump on a tram and go check but then she would miss the bus and there wouldn’t be another one until tomorrow. She would’ve loved to have one of those apps that turned the power off remotely. But she finally convinced herself everything was off and all was good.
A man in a long black coat stood not far from Isabella. He reminded Isabella of the shadow people she saw sometimes—full cloaked people with no form. She’d also seen tiny things jumping around. She’d been told they were known as imps—smaller fairy, demon-like creatures. She knew it was nothing but an after-effect of the drugs. Once she took another pill they’d become invisible again.
She let out a silent sigh. Was that man following her? Her paranoia also got worse as the medication wore off. I’m sure he is.
The bus entered the bay, late. Isabella stood up and headed towards the bus. She glanced back to the seat to see her wallet had fallen out of her backpack. She chastised herself and went back and picked it up.
There weren’t a lot of passengers getting on the bus. Isabella found a seat halfway down. She moved over to the window to check on the black-coated man. He was moving away but talking on his phone. Telling someone about her? Telling them the bus number. Should she get off? She heard the hiss as the door closed. Too late.
With her obsession with the black-coated man she hadn’t noticed another take the seat behind her, but she did now. And he was talking on the phone as well. Were they talking to each other? She looked back at the window. No, the other man was off the phone now and this man was still talking. But if he was some kind of spy he’d probably pretend to be talking so she didn’t get suspicious. Oh, Isabella.
She hadn’t told anybody about the strange things she saw because nobody would believe her. It was the drugs. She believed in God, angels, demons, so she wasn’t scared. Just confused. She talked to God often but it seemed to be a one-way relationship at the moment. Since they put her on those tablets her God connection was unplugged and she couldn’t get connected again. She even found her church music flat and she used to love the worship songs.
Isabella looked around the bus. There were only a few passengers. One man had a long beard like her granddad. And the man who sat directly behind her. Isabella’s eyes connected with his for a brief moment—nothing. The man’s thin lips parted to give Isabella a wry smile. She shivered, turned to face the front, and then reached for her tablets and bottled water. She washed her tablets down with water and waited for her negative and fearful thoughts to drift away.
The hiss of the doors caught her attention. Another passenger got on. He was a tall man who wore a baseball cap, a tartan scarf, and a brown plaid jacket—and nothing matched. He gave the impression of a gentleman and seemed the gregarious type as he had a laugh with the bus driver. The man started walking down the aisle but he slowed as he got close to Isabella’s seat.
He wasn’t going to sit by her. There are spare seats everywhere. Isabella felt her heart thumping. Go away. I want to be by myself.
He passed Isabella. She relaxed. But then she sensed a presence. He was back.
“Do you mind if I sit with you? I’ve something to tell you.”
Isabella fought the panic. Perplexed, she stared at the man.
“Something to tell me? Do I know you?” Isabella looked to the front of the bus. The bus driver was looking in his mirror—waiting for the man to take a seat before he pulled out of the bay, or waiting for Isabella to scream.
“I will be getting off shortly. No need to panic. Trust me”
Those words touched something in Isabella. They floated into her, bringing with them a feeling of peace. She nodded.
The man waved—an okay signal—to the bus driver. Isabella moved in her seat to protect her body space as the man sat down next to her. He removed a baseball cap and tucked it under his arm. Isabella saw that it was a cap for supporters of the Melbourne Football Club. As he sat down she noticed he gave a quick glance to the man sitting behind.
The bus pulled out the loading bay and turned on to Spencer Street. Isabella stared out the window and felt pleased that she’d made the effort to get out of town for awhile. Her pleasure was short lived as she noticed the man with the black coat getting into a black vehicle. She hoped they were going shopping and not following the bus.
After a brief accidental body touch, Isabella had pushed herself up against the window. She turned to the man sitting next to her. He gave her a smile.
The man tapped his scarf. “Do you like the scarf? It’s a Mackenzie tartan.”
Isabella looked at the scarf and then at the man. There was something about his eyes. He was looking at her as if he was waiting for the description of the scarf to sink deep into her mind.
“I’m a messenger, Isabella. We don’t normally reveal ourselves. You’re about to embark on a journey that’s going to benefit many people, although you won’t think so at the time. There’s a sickness rippling through this land and we want to bring healing, to bring people back.”
“A messenger?” This was real. It wasn’t the drugs. She had taken her dose when she first sat down on the bus. She also felt peaceful—although she wasn’t sure if the peace was from the drugs or this person.
“We know you see things, Isabella. They’re real, just like I am. I’m a messenger from your Heavenly Father. He knows you are struggling, and he knows the cause.”
“The cause?”
“It’s the medication. And it is being driven by evil, not by man. That’s what we’re to overcome. Your journey is all about this. You need to know I’ll be with you, empowered by our God. Know that, and use it as your strength.”
Isabella just stared at the man.
He touched her leg. She felt power coming into her body. “I’ll be getting off shortly. Let things unfold, knowing that we’re with you.”
“Okay.” Isabella said rubbing her legs.
“You’ll be okay. And do not be concerned about the man behind you. I’ll render him to a state of confusion. He’ll get off the bus soon.” The messenger pressed the next stop button and got out of his seat. He turned to the man behind Isabella. “I believe this is your stop coming up.”
