Jacob's Tears Copyright c.e. Jordan, 2001
The girl halted mid-air, apparently baffled at the outburst, then she looked down at the weapon she held in her hand as if she'd forgotten it was there....then she laughed out loud. "Don't be afraid child, I shall not harm you....this is for the others, the cruel ones...this thing is what they hurt my Jacob with. It's only fair that I have the satisfaction of revenge."
To Brandon's ear her accent sounded British. But Jeb, eyes bright and excited, was tugging at his arm, "Whut did you say her name was?"
"Loreen..."
"No...I mean, whut's her last name?"
The girl-ghost and Brandon both answered, "Gresham."
"That can't be.....that's MY last name. I'm Jebediah Gresham!"
JACOB'S TEARS 4
The girl's mouth formed a pink `o' of surprise and she drew even closer to Jeb looking him over carefully. This time he wasn't scared and didn't move away. "Yes...", she mused, "I see...that's why you looked so familiar to me--that hair and face is the image of my little brother Paul. You must be one of his descendants..."
Brandon was totally shocked. He tried to make sense of it all. "So...we are related...Loreen and Jeb...me and Jacob ...and...and....."
"And it is all as it should be." The ghost-boy spoke for the first time. Jacob had approached to hover near Loreen who once again put her arm around him--just like Brandon constantly kept an arm around Jeb. While Jacob didn't physically resemble his distant cousin, his soft, gentle voice was quite like Brandon's, just slightly deeper. Everyone looked at Jacob when he spoke. His head tilted away as if he was listening to something in the distance. "The drums speak to me," he said, "...they say this is right...that this is the path to our final release."
Brandon and Jeb were once again aware of the low rumbling from somewhere far beyond the trees, and the faint acid tang of smoke hung in the air. Brandon frowned, trying to understand, "Final release?"
"Yes," Jacob made a sweeping gesture with his handless right arm, "a final release from this place of sufferin', a release from an eternity bound to fire and water...I burn forever...except when Loreen holds me...I warm her, and she cools my fire....."
Jacob stopped talking, closed his eyes and lowered his head. The boys were astonished to see the thin stream of moisture which rolled down his ebony cheek...Jacob's tears. Loreen held him even tighter. And for a moment their images wavered and they seemed to flow together. Then they were abruptly `solid' again.
The human boys were fascinated...and saddened, and nearly on the point of sympathetic tears themselves. "What can we do to help you?" asked Jeb.
"I don't know...but we feel...drawn to you...we've been watching you two ever since you got here," Jacob said, "and we saw everything you did....it's a very strange thing...," gazing at the pair Jacob continued, "a boy with a boy... but I can feel that you need each other, just as much as Loreen and I have always needed one another."
The sound of rolling thunder was loud again and Jacob paused, listening carefully. Then he spoke, "This is what the drums say:
Beyond the rust of time, beside a lake of tears Is the green veil of smoke and pain. There, the mystery shall be revealed...
In a forbidden love, but true, shall be a final gift to you. Your passion lives on in the heart; it burns forever In flesh of your flesh and blood of your blood.
Four into two becomes one, a sweet consummation... Becomes the gate of ecstacy, the key to freedom, Within the white light of eternity that patiently waits."
"That sounds real nice....but whut does it mean? Jeb asked , mystified. They all turned to Brandon as if he was supposed to have the answer.
Brandon felt a bit weird...and just a little bit pressured with all attention suddenly focused on him, "You guys are ghosts and all....aren't you supposed to know everything?" But Jacob answered hesitantly, "I......we're...not quite sure what it means either..."
"Okay," said Brandon. He slumped to a sitting position on the ground, leaned his chin on his knees and thought hard, "I believe I understand part of it..." he began, "this creek has to be the lake of tears' ...and...I guess we all know what the smoke and pain' is all about." Everybody nodded, "But," Brandon continued, "...I am not certain what the big `mystery' is...yet..."
Everyone stayed silent and waited patiently while the brown boy closed his dark slanted eyes and thought for awhile.
"Forbidden love' has got to be me and Jeb, I guess most everyone thinks it's strange for one boy to make love with another boy...but I dunno how that could be a gift to you...and of course, since we are your relatives, Jeb and I are the flesh of your flesh and blood of your blood'....."
Jeb sat down in the grass beside his friend, his cute face was screwed up in an effort to concentrate on this complicated puzzle, "Whut does `consummation' mean?" he wanted to know. Brandon pulled the blonde boy to sit between his legs. And Jeb leaned back, once again relaxing into the tight comfortable circle of Brandon's arms.
"Um....'consummation' means...ah....like...when something is completed, or ended.....," and in a sudden attack of shyness, Brandon lowered his voice to whisper into Jeb's delicate pink ear, "...and....I think it also means when people have sex...and they cum."
Embarrassed, Brandon could feel Loreen and Jacob's attention focused on him, and he glanced up in time to see the couple smile and nod imperceptibly at each other. But Jeb had more questions, "An' whut does `four into two becomes one,' mean...that sounds stupid...how can four into two make one?"
The images of Jacob and Loreen wavered, grew unstable. Again they seemed to melt together...for a moment, but they were quickly solid individuals again.
Loreen spoke this time. "We understand what the message means now...why we are all here...and if you let us, Jacob and I can finally go on to where we belong and find some peace.....but you will have to trust us....and help us on the way....it all depends upon you...."
(to be continued)