Modern Life
Weird Sky
A few days after Jovel and Cruz came over, Seth remembered the look on Cruz’ face when he finally scored a hundred percent on YYZ. He chuckled and sent Cruz a quick text before walking in the front door to the smell of Korean barbeque. Aizu didn’t even pay attention to him. She sat drooling by Megumi at the table, waiting patiently for any kind of scrap.
Seth scooted past and washed his hands in the sink. “Sorry. We got to talking about writing fiction, and Rodger came in, and then…”
Megumi sharply interrupted. “And then you had another beer.”
Seth shook his hands and dried them on his shirt. “I know I said I’d be home early enough to do the grilling. Sorry. Sometimes time gets away from me.” He looked at the table with a smile. “Sure looks great though! Fresh Kimchi, Miso soup, and salad! What’s the dressing?”
Back to her normal calm self, Megumi told him. “You have a choice: sesame, or thousand with a little blue cheese on top.”
After dinner Seth poured a glass of two-buck Chuck wine, and worked his way through the garage. Out back on the deck he stared into the sky, wondering about what Ezekiel saw, until he remembered the book Rodger gave him. He walked out the side gate to the truck and grabbed it.
Seth sat on the bench where he could read the pages from the light inside the office. It’s a little like reading in the shadows, but he liked the spooky ambiance. The evening sky acted up with a few flashes of pinks and blues. Sometimes a vibrant flash of green occurred, like you can see at sunset. Those are rare and hard to recognize before they’re gone. They’re simply instantaneous.
Seth started to flip through the pages, Rodger’s words repeating in his mind. “There is faith evidence, like in things you read, and there is tangible evidence, like in the things you see and touch.”
Seth picked a spot in the book and opened to a picture of an ancient astronaut carved in the walls of the pyramid. He said under his breath. “Isn’t this tangible evidence?” He flipped back and forth picking spots to drop in.
Aizu came running outside, and right behind her Megumi brought the bottle of wine out to refill Seth’s glass. “Aren’t you cold?”
“Thanks.” Seth showed her the cover. “Rodger lent me this. There seems to be a lot of hints around the earth telling us we have always had some type of extraterrestrial interaction. I’m not saying this author is right about all his conclusions, but at least he is on to something.”
She sat next to him. “On to what?”
“Well, some of his findings support the same things that are in the Bible, and don’t these drawings look like what we saw the other night… Megumi, I’m telling you these things aren’t new. I think people don’t want to accept them because they open too many other questions.”
“Why don’t you read inside?”
Seth looked to the stars. “It feels more real out here.”
“You’re happy this is happening, aren’t you?”
“Sure. I mean, in some ways. I want to grow old and fall asleep like everyone else, but there are a lot of souls that lived shorter lives… or in much worse circumstances. Don’t we want to get to the stage where those who make it share the peace and wonder of eternity? I mean don’t you want to see your dad, or aunt again?”
Megumi leaned away. “Of course I do, but I’m not done living yet.”
“I understand that. I feel the same way, but I’m happy because I believe I’m watching things unfold with clarity. You know how long I’ve been talking about this, and nobody thought it possible. Now I don’t look so crazy, do I?”
Megumi hugged his arm. “Seth. I’m scared about this.”
“So am I. A little differently maybe, but it doesn’t matter how much you prepare. Nobody has ever experienced what we are about to go through.”
Megumi shivered. “Let’s go back inside.”
“How about a fire?”
“No thanks. If you start a fire that thing might come back.”
The sky flickered, and cool breeze blew across Seth’s face. “Sure. Let’s go inside. I want look up more online. Aizu, come on girl.” He left the porch and perimeter lights on and closed the door after Aizu and Megumi went inside.
Aizu led the way. In the living room Megumi sat on the couch. “I’ll be here if you get scared.”
“Very funny.” Seth went to the office and closed the door. His desk sat against a window looking into the back yard. A large flat monitor sat centered on a dark green granite slab, and bookcases flanked the window on both sides.
The ambiance of the back yard filled his peripheral vision. During the day the window is like working in the middle of a garden, and at night the lights reflect the depths of each season. In the dead cold of winter it’s even a little eerie. Seth turned off the light in the office for a little more dramatic effect, brought up Google, and started researching.
In southern Mexico, and down to the Honduras, there was tremendous culture built by the Mayan people: from the arts, architecture, to their writing systems, mathematics, and astronomy. They were very polished with solid knowledge. They used pyramids in their religion, and they practiced human sacrifice. Often it was a child for purity reasons. They were very brutal in their effort. Priests held the child by their arms and legs while the head priest cut out the child’s heart!
Mexico has another place, Teotihuacan, twenty-five miles northeast of Mexico City. It has a pyramid with the same basic design as the Giza pyramid in Egypt. The center one represents the sun, and there are other pyramids lined up around it in the same pattern as our planets. These were built long before the concept of the earth revolving around the sun, so how did they know? There’s even imagery in their works portraying a person in what some call a space suit.
Seth scrolled down, skimming and looking at pictures.
The Teotihuacans practiced human sacrifices too. A person was tied to a stake and cut to bleed for a time, until the priest ordered an arrow shot through their heart. Another fate was to be left to drown in a well. But the worst by far was the routine practice of the priests cutting out a man’s heart, rubbing it all over their bodies, and then rolling the victim down the side of the pyramid to the other priests, who took the body apart and ate it.
Seth grabbed a post-it and took some notes. “What forces would sanction this? Could Satan have given these guys their technology when he was going to and fro on earth?” He leaned forward and looked closely at the carvings in the pyramid stone.
Without warning goose bumps swelled and the hair on his neck stood at attention as he noticed movement off to the left of the screen in the back yard. Something white, floating three feet above the ground came out of the dark and approached the back window faster than Seth could adjust. He jumped back hard enough to fall off the chair.
Tasi burst out in laughter. “Sorry Seth. I didn’t mean that. I saw the light and thought you were outside.”
Seth regrouped and picked up his chair. He put his hands to his face, sliding them up and over his head so he could wipe clear any doubt. “Dude! You have no idea how much you just startled me. Your black chef pants disappear in the dark, and your white jacket looked like something floating through the air.”
Tasi leaned to the open window. “What are you doing? Let’s workout.”
Seth took a deep breath. “Just researching UFO stuff. Trying to see how other cultures dealt with it, thought of it, or if it has anything to do with all this. The thing is it seems like all of them knew something about it, and all recorded some type of interaction with whatever we saw.”
“Yeah…” The sky flashed pink behind Tasi. “There’s a story back in Guam, fifty or sixty years ago. My dad saw two flying objects going crazy speeds, and flying zigzag across the sky. When he tells the story it gives me crazy goose bumps. He never lies. I don’t know what’s out there, but I believe something is.”
“Well it looks like it’s about to be our turn.” Seth nodded toward the garage. “I’ll meet you at the bench.”
Tasi walked to the garage while Seth started iTunes and chose the Bud Break Band mix. It has all the Rock Band songs they like to play. He walked back through the living room past Megumi. “Tasi is here. We’re going to lift a bit.”
Aizu followed Seth into the kitchen, where Seth grabbed a beer and made a glass of ice water for Tasi.
The door from the kitchen to the garage is always open for Aizu to get in and out. She heard the weights in the garage and headed straight for Tasi.
Seth tried to warn him. “Here she comes!”
Tasi turned around to find Aizu approaching in full reckless abandon. In her excitement she spilled the water bowl under the weight bench.
Seth laughed because it covered Tasi’s shoes. “You got to clean the grease off anyway man.”
Tasi grabbed Aizu on both sides of her head, just under the ears. With a big handful of fur in each hand he lifted her on her hind legs. She growled as they wrestled. Aizu acted tough, but her tail wagged enough to show her true happiness.
Seth placed Tasi’s water on the garage counter. “I have a towel right here.”
He tossed Tasi the towel, reached up and turned on the stereo. Music from the office computer filled the garage.
Aizu started to get the best of Tasi, who always pushed her a little harder with each visit. She knew Tasi’s limit, and his weaknesses.
“Easy girl!” Seth grabbed Aizu by the collar, put her inside the kitchen, and closed the door. “Sorry Tasi, she really loves you.”
Tasi slapped the white hairs off his black chef pants. “She’s a cool dog. Look, she got me here… she always gets a little blood from me.”
“She’s going to play as hard as you can take. You know that.” Seth rubbed his hands together. “Okay, you want to start us off.”
Tasi took off his chef jacket. He is a small guy, but his shape is reflective of somebody who spends time in the gym. “One plate per side… I’m going to push twenty-five today.”
Seth walked behind him to spot. “Right on, your best is twenty-two so far.”
Tasi hit twenty-four and a half before his arms gave up. Seth helped him get the last half up. “You got it. I’m not doing anything, just watching you turn purple.”
Tasi started to laugh and lost control of the weight, pulling Seth forward, but Seth held strong and helped Tasi set the bar back in place.
Seth walked around from the back of the weights. “Dude, you think this is heavy? Imagine those guys making the pyramids. Before you got here I was reading that a typical pyramid has up to two million limestone blocks. I read Giza, the oldest and largest pyramid, was built over a twenty-two year period, and according to the math they would have to cut, shape, move, and install one block every nine seconds…”
“Yeah, right. Nobody could do that.” Tasi got up so Seth could get on the bench.
“Well, it didn’t just happen in Egypt either. India, the Pacific Islands and Mexico all have pyramids.”
“Wow. It must have been the building craze of the time.”
“Yeah, but the same design? Okay, my turn. Thirty-five big ones today.”
Tasi stood behind him to spot, but Seth declined. He pushed to thirty with a steady consistent pace, pausing every ten for a short breather.
From thirty on he slowed the pace, making it burn. Seth set the bar back in place. “I usually lift alone, so I’m used to working out my own problems.”
Tasi’s face dropped. “I’ve got a problem now.”
“What’s up?”
Tasi took a sip of water. “My plans on starting a café with Christopher are in trouble.”
“Why?”
“My wife’s family wants us to return to Guam. They say too much is going on now. They really think this is all leading to another world war. If that happens we’ll be stuck here, so they want us to come home while we can.”
Seth’s face saddened. “Dude. I know how much you’ve been planning on this. Everyone looked forward to eating your food.”
Tasi shook his head. “Now it may never happen.”
“I’m sorry Tasi. What did Christopher say?”
Tasi took a deep breath and blew hard enough to puff his cheeks. “He doesn’t know yet. Nobody does. My wife got the call today while I was at work. I saw her text message while on break. I couldn’t tell him when I went back in. His smile would disappear forever.”
Tasi crawled under the bar and started to lift his set. The view of the sky through the back door cycled through a series of colors, reflecting off the counter. The color cycle sped up for a few seconds. It ended with a sonic boom that shook the whole house. Tasi dropped the weights. They bounced off the safety rails only an inch above his chest.
“What was that?” They both said at the same time.
Seth ran to the back door and looked at the sky. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know what it was, but the sky is clear this way.”
Tasi struggled with the weights. “I don’t know man. That‘s the loudest noise I ever heard. Help me out of here.”
Seth helped Tasi get the weights on the rack. “Let me open the garage door and look out front.”
Megumi opened the door from the kitchen. “Is everyone okay?” She looked at Seth. “It’s getting too weird. Aizu won’t stop pacing.”
Tasi grabbed his chef coat and started toward the back door. “I’ve got to get home and make sure my wife and son are okay. Hi Megumi. Sorry to be so quick. I’ll stay longer next time.”
“Goodnight Tasi.” Megumi pulled Aizu inside and closed the kitchen door.
Seth followed Tasi out back into the grassy area toward the side gate. “Hey, if your family is calling you back to Guam you should probably go. This is a time where family might be the only stability we have. If nothing happens you can always come back. Who knows, maybe you and Christopher can start a place over there. Then we’d all have a reason to visit Guam. Just don’t ask me to drink the milk…”
Tasi turned sideways, scooting past the trash and recycle bins outside the gate. “I know we would make an awesome place!”
“Later Tasi.” Seth closed the side gate and walked back into the garage. He took a look at the skies from the doorway before retreating to the kitchen. Along the way he reached up and turned off the stereo without looking. When he entered the kitchen he turned of the garage lights the same way.
Deep in thought Seth sat at the kitchen table staring at his fish. He grabbed a half empty bottle of wine and a glass, and joined Megumi in the living room to look for any news about the bang on television.