“Ah yes, the cross, the Christian symbol.”

“Ah yes, the cross,” the man said. “The cross is foolishness to those that don’t believe, who are perishing, but to those that believe, who are being saved, it is the power of God.

“Being saved from what?”

“Perishing.”

“But that’s what it is. We die. It’s all part of the cycle.’

“The earthly cycle, yes. Stop and listen. The power of that inner voice—your thoughts, if you like. It communicates so much; it directs your life. If you listen closely, you’ll hear two voices. One is less demanding, softer than the other, and is often drowned out by a more pervasive voice. The drug you’re bringing into the world assists the drowning out of the softer voice. It blocks the way to the path we all seek. Just like a lack of love can block the path. And the path is not an earthly one.”

Ava could hear her inner voice. It was working on a strategy—to get away from this gibberish and escape. What was she doing here? Why was she listening to this mad man—the shack seemed to breed them.

Madeleine, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It was love she felt for her daughter. She couldn’t put it into words. She’d thought she put Madeleine first, but did she? No. It was a lie. She had fought the feelings of guilt the many times she was away from home, neglecting her family because she didn’t know anything else—it was all about Ava. Ava looked at the device and smiled.

“Did an inner voice tell my daughter to take her own life? Why would it do that?”

“We have the choice to perish or be saved but we only have this choice while we’re alive. God has an enemy who wants those created in God’s image to perish. Your daughter called out to be saved before she died, and God does not reject those who call out to him. We all have that choice.”

“But if we choose not to take it?”

“You perish.”

“But that’s all there is. It’s the natural process.”

“Like I said, stop and listen. Think about it. Where are your thoughts coming from?”

Ava didn’t want to, but she stopped and listened. This man reeked of rest and peace. There was something in the air, something soothing floating about, blending in with the eucalyptus oil. But her thoughts were jumping around in her head, bouncing off the walls of her brain. She tried to calm them down. It was then she heard the familiar voice. The whisper.

Kill the man.

73 – Earthly things 

THERE WERE TWO CROWS SITTING ON A BRANCH squawking, having a conversation with each other. Well that’s what it sounded like to James as he trekked down the path. One crow had its head tilted, as if wondering what was this strange being coming toward them. The other flew down on to the path nearby and dug its beak into the ground, flicking some twigs around. It flew off as James got closer. James looked down at where the crow was digging. There was a small hole on the path surrounded by footprints. James leaned down and had a closer look in the hole. There was nothing there. He looked at the boot marks and saw some letters in between the tread marks: ‘hi’.

“Hi, to you also,” he said aloud and smiled. The crows squawked.

He could hear the sound of vehicles and looked toward the dirt road. Dust was swirling behind the vehicles as they headed towards his shack. They knew the lady was there. Sad, he thought and wondered why she came here. He was no longer smitten.

<°)))><

Ava stood outside the shack. Taking in gulps of fresh air. She looked down at the gaps on the timber deck. Darkness. The screeches of a Crimson Rosella caught her attention as it flew past. She looked up and saw splashes of colour through the trees and bushes as someone made their way down the hill. It must be James, returning to his shack. She heard the distant sound of a vehicle. Ava turned and went back inside.

The man sat, motionless. He gave a deep breath. “He’s on his way back, isn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Well I’ll leave you soon. There’s little more I can tell you for now. You have a decision to make.”

“One thing I can’t understand is the suffering.” Did she really care? What does it mean anyway? She then realised the power of that inner voice and how she had been controlled by it for so long. What is it? Mrs Rose spoke about: self-talk, demons whispers, sin. But why the sudden interest in suffering?

“Yes, I just don’t understand the suffering,” she said again.

“Suffering and death is an earthly thing. We come from dust and go back to dust. If that’s all there is, so be it. But it isn’t. There is a spiritual dimension. What you don’t know is when a person’s spirit departs from them. God may take their spirit away before the suffering starts. He did with Madeleine.”

Ava stared at the man through watery eyes, shaking.

“Ava.”

She looked up.

“I know what you’re going to do.”

<°)))><

She was hesitant but eventuality did it.

The authorities were getting closer and potato-sack man, James, had just appeared in the clearing. The tears were real, she knew that. She loved Madeleine but she also loved her native country, and knew the device could be a threat to her country’s security. She also believed, as did her superiors, that the device could be used as a tool to turn people back to the Church. They didn’t want this for their country. They had the lowest church attendance in the world, and wanted it to stay that way.

But one thing troubled her. Why was this man here with the device?

The messenger person was strange. She listened to him and enjoyed the game. She was good at role playing, although she realised at the end that he knew all that. He wasn’t concerned when she raised the semi-automatic. The silencer would have camouflaged the gunshot. Anyway, only James was in the vicinity.

Her husband knew nothing. She had encouraged him to employ Mrs Rose. It was a well-thought-out strategy years in the making, but got complicated, very complicated.

Her instructions were always clear. The device was considered to be military equipment, and her country wanted information. Getting the device would exceed expectations.

She walked over to the device. She knew what to do. There were sufficient funds located in her private account to create her new life. She was hesitant but would use the device; she would take no luggage. How the device could change her mind about things she could not conceive, and the thought of being shot by the police officer had an element of attractiveness to it. But her priority was her country.

She looked at the body on the chair and the mess on the wall behind it. The potato-sack man had some cleaning up to do, but at least he’d be gifted a car.

<°)))><

James walked past the car. He ran his hand over the bonnet and pondered his mixed emotions. It was so different to his vehicle. The blackness, the engineering refinement, but he was happy to stay the way he was. The last few days hadn’t been pleasant, and now what was he about to walk into? In some ways he looked forward to the encounter because he felt a newfound freedom, as though nothing could bother him now. He couldn’t explain the feeling.

The timber door was ajar and made a slight squeak as it swayed to and fro on its aged hinges. He placed his hand on the door and pushed it open. The smell of eucalyptus welcomed him but there was another smell, which triggered inexplicable thoughts of fireworks.

He stepped into his shack and was surprised. The living room was empty. He stared at his large lounge chair and had a feeling someone had been sitting there. Not the lady. Someone else. There were vibrations in the air he couldn’t understand.

He entered the passage way. It was eerie quiet.

“Hello?” he said to the silence.

There was no response. The shack was empty. Where was she?

He walked into the room that welcomed Isabella and Lucas. He rubbed his chin and then he knew. The lady had gone the way they’d come. How, he couldn’t comprehend, but he knew. Something strange had happened in his shack. The vibrations he sensed weren’t bad and their intensity was dropping, coming back to normal.

He found his way back to the living area and sat down on the oversized chair. The strange smell came again. He knew what it was now. It was gunpowder. Why, and how? He had no idea.