Seer
Chapter 2

Brenda

There’s a knock on the door. I know it’s Laura, and it feels a little weird for her to be knocking. At home, she always just comes in, like I’ve told her to. But this still feels like Ron’s house, not really mine, and it would feel even stranger to both of us for her to just barge right in.

Before I even get the chance to get up to go answer the door, I hear Natalie already running lightly down the stairs. So by the time I get over there, she and Timothy are on their way back up to her room.

I grin wryly at Laura left standing there on the porch. “Come on in!”

Ron comes in from the garage as we are sitting down on the couch. “Hey, Laura,” he says, “how are you?”

“Good.”

“How’s Mike doing? Any word on his deployment?”

“Not yet. I don’t know if it’s going to be extended because of the September 11 attacks.”

Ron nods. “Do you need me to do anything else around the house for you?” He heads into the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water.

Laura smiles. “Thanks, Ron. That’s really nice. We’re good for now.”

One of the things I have learned again to really love about Ron is how helpful he is, not just to me, but to our friends. While we were still separated, even, he had started offering to help Laura out with any heavy lifting or handyman stuff she needed if Mike was out of town with the Navy. I look up and meet his blue eyes meaningfully, filling my expression with how much I love him. I can see he gets my message, and he smiles and looks down.

Laura is watching this exchange, and she laughs. “Man, you guys are too cute. You’re like a couple of newlyweds!”

We both chuckle. “I guess so,” Ron says, coming over and giving my shoulder a squeeze. “Again.”

Natalie’s

My beloved is thrilled to explain the nature of her experiment to her friend. Timothy listens with interest, then meticulously studies the notes she had taken in her notebook.

“This is a great experiment, Natalie,” he enthuses. “I never thought about how close Angel would have to be.” She glows under his praise.

He pauses, thinking of follow-up questions. Natalie sits quietly, watching him as he gathers his thoughts. She has a profound respect for his intellect, and deeply enjoys participating with him as he derives experiments to explore their world. I also savor this process.

“Angel,” Timothy addresses me, still looking at the notebook, “it says you could hear Guardian first. Why is that?”

Timothy’s Guardian is as interested in this topic as are the children and myself. Since I informed Timothy of the existence of his own Guardian nearly two months ago, they have developed a unique relationship. Timothy, of course, cannot detect his own Guardian. Only my little Seer has that capability. However, since Timothy is aware of the presence of his Guardian, he has incorporated that fact into his world view. He often transmits thoughts to his Guardian, and while we are all together he can communicate directly, using Natalie and I as a conduit. In turn, Guardian, named by Timothy himself, has begun evolving, has become more interactive with the world, not just with Timothy alone. It has been fascinating to observe. It is reminiscent of the development I have experienced since Natalie’s birth.

“Guardians are able to detect the presence of one another more easily because we are more similar to each other than we are to humans. We are made of the same matter, are even essentially the same being.”

Natalie relays this to Timothy, but she is confused by my statement. “What do you mean you are the same being?”

“It is difficult to explain, my darling, I am sorry. I will try again. Each human has a Guardian during their lifetime, but between lifetimes we merge into a greater consciousness. We are one.”

Natalie’s brow wrinkles as she repeats my words to Timothy. “I still don’t get it.”

Timothy, though, as he often does, seems to comprehend the complexities with greater ease. He contemplates my words for a time, then adds, “I guess you are all one big guardian, then you break up into parts for your humans?”

Timothy’s Guardian glows approvingly at the insightful child.

“Yes, Timothy, you have essentially described the process. Therefore, while we are Guarding a human, we are more easily able to detect each other’s presence when physically distant, than we can sense the other humans who are being Guarded.”

After Natalie repeats my confirmation, Timothy is ready with a new set of questions. “When you are all together, are you still yourself? Like, can you remember who you are?”

“Yes, between lifetimes we are merged together, yet retain the individual memories we gained while Guarding our humans. We hold the souls of those we Guarded, forever.”

The children hear the words, and understand to some extent, but they are both very young to be considering the metaphysical. At their age, they are more comfortable with tangible topics.

“Well,” Timothy says, “I’d like to figure out more about whether you and Guardian can talk to each other even when me and Natalie aren’t together.”

“Very well,” I agree, waiting to see what experiment the clever boy will conduct next.

Timothy’s

As always, it astonishes and delights me to be the topic of my dearest child’s thoughts, and especially to be the subject of his experimentation. The direction today has taken is most unexpected. Timothy wishes to learn more about the communication that I have with Natalie’s Guardian. However, he is assuming that Guardians actively communicate with each other. This is not necessarily correct. There is no true need for us to attempt genuine communication, because we are constantly aware of each other’s presence and thoughts while we are in proximity to each other. I have never “talked” to another Guardian. Why would we bother to address each other directly, when we already know everything the other knows?

Timothy, however, wishes for this to change.

“Ok, Angel,” he addresses Natalie’s Guardian once again, “how do you talk to Guardian?”

The Guardian considers how to answer. Timothy has a knack for posing questions that have no ready explanation, or at least no answer that would be comprehensible to humans. “We do not ‘talk’ as such. Rather, Guardians that are in proximity to each other are constantly aware of each other’s presence and thoughts.” I am pleased to hear the Guardian using my words, as has been occurring quite often since my presence was made known to my beloved.

“So, you don’t have real conversations? You don’t just talk to each other, like Natalie and I talk to each other?”

“No, there would be no need for such a conversation in order to understand the other’s thoughts.”

“What about when you aren’t together? You could hear Guardian before you could hear me, right? If you try to actually talk to each other, do you think you could hear each other while you are even farther apart?”

The Guardian’s face, formed to look very tangible for Natalie’s benefit, takes on an expression that on a human would reflect wonder or curiosity. I have frequently observed that the Guardian, called Angel by the Seer, uses physical manifestation as one of the means of communicating with the child. As humans use facial expressions and gestures to convey meaning, Angel does the same for her benefit.

She sees this expression and realizes that this is a new thought for Angel. She takes a new meaning from the direction the conversation has taken. “Wait, Angel, you mean you have never talked to Guardian? Like never even said Hi to him?”

Angel is amused by the direction her questions are leading. “No, darling, I must confess I never have.”

“Well,” she continues, “I think that seems a little rude, doesn’t it? I mean, Timothy is my best friend. Shouldn’t Guardian be your friend too? You could at least say Hi.” She has taken offense on my behalf. I begin to understand how Angel has developed the ability to find humor in the situations that arise due to direct communication with his Seer. I feel a glimmer of amusement myself.

Angel laughs. “You are correct, of course, my dear. I will remedy the situation immediately.” The Guardian’s eyes move to light upon me, and with an expression that on a human would be a wry grin, I hear “Hello, Guardian, I am Angel. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

I don’t have a tangibly formed physical presence, having never felt the need to create an image for Timothy. Many Guardians will do so, even knowing they will never be seen, in order to more closely relate to their Guarded. However, Timothy has such a unique mind, that it didn’t seem important to me to look like anything in particular. So I know that when Angel views me, I am nothing more than a dusting of matter, neither dark nor light, and certainly not formed into any shape. However, the angel’s face chuckles when my astonishment is clearly reflected in my thoughts. To hear this greeting, from another of my kind, formatted as though we were two humans, is both wondrous and unprecedented, and slightly… silly. Feeling almost awkward, in itself a unique sensation in my experience, I respond. “Hello, Angel, thank you for your greeting.”

The Seer watches our exchange. She, of course, can only see and hear her own Guardian. She asks Angel, “Well? What did he say?”

Angel smiles, and tells her, “Timothy’s Guardian said, ‘Hello, Angel, thank you for your greeting.’”

She shrugs, satisfied that at least her conception of the necessary pleasantries have been exchanged. She repeats the greetings to her friend.

In the meantime, Timothy has watched this development with some bemusement. Other than his deep connection to the Seer, social relationships are foreign to him. The idea that Guardians should be polite to each other had never crossed his mind. But, if it pleases Natalie, he fully supports the concept. He looks at Natalie, to confirm that her requirements for our behavior have been fulfilled. “Okay?” he asks her.

She rolls her eyes. “I just don’t want them to be rude to each other. Just because you know what someone else is thinking, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be polite.”

He is baffled at her reasoning, but finds a benefit in her methods. “Well,” he says, “I’m glad they will actually talk to each other, because I think this can help our experiment.”

She is immediately intrigued. As are both Angel and I. “How?” she asks.

“Well, I guess that they can hear each other a little more than two miles away. Right, Angel?”

The Guardian confirms this, and Natalie relays the message.

Timothy goes on. “I wonder if they are doing more than just sensing each other’s presence, the distance could be longer. Like, if they are actually trying to be heard.” He screws up his face in concentration. “Angel, could you guys try yelling? So you can hear each other further away?”

Angel dissolves in laughter. It is fascinating to watch how the physical manifestation of the Seer’s Guardian has almost taken on a life of its own. The reactions seem very human. I start wondering for the first time since Timothy was born whether it would be of some benefit to him, to our relationship, for me to form a physical appearance. For Angel, it does seem to contribute to his communication with his Seer. Could it do the same for my beloved?

Angel gains control over his appearance, and attempts to answer the question of my beloved. “I am certainly eager to try, Timothy. This was the first time I have ever directly talked to another Guardian, so I don’t know exactly how to ‘yell’, but I can make the attempt.”

Timothy nods. “Natalie, can I use your pencil?” She hands it to him, and he starts annotating her notebook, adding his own plans to the experiment that she had begun. “I guess we can’t really try until I go home, though, right?”

“Most likely,” Angel replies. “Once you and Guardian have departed, I can monitor the distance at which I stop hearing each of you.”

After Natalie relays this information, Timothy instructs us in the next phase of the experiment. “Okay. Our hypothesis is that Angel and Guardian might be able to talk to each other further away than usual if they yell. Here’s what we are going to do. Natalie, you are going to have to write everything down that Angel tells you, because I won’t be here any more. Guardian, I want you to help too, if that’s all right?”

He looks at Natalie, who looks to Angel for confirmation. And, rather than simply presuming to speak for me as usual, knowing my thoughts, Angel looks directly at me and awaits my response.

I feel very touched by this inclusion, this invitation to be an actual participant in the events. “Of course, my dearest child, I will be delighted to help in any way possible.”

Angel transmits my words exactly, as I attempt to control my emotional response to the heady sense of belonging and involvement that I am experiencing.

“Thank you,” Timothy tells me. “Here’s what I want you to do, Guardian. Now that you know that you can actually talk to Angel, I want you to keep doing it as soon as we leave. Like, as loud as you can, and keep yelling at him all the way home. Then Angel, you tell Natalie exactly what you are hearing, and whether you stop being able to hear Guardian as we get further away. Natalie, you write everything down.” He pauses to consider whether he has forgotten anything. “All right? Everybody ready?”

Natalie giggles. “Yes, Timmy, we’re all ready. But you know we won’t be doing it until a lot later, right? My Mom said you’re going to stay here all day!”

Timothy feels slightly abashed. He was so eager to proceed with the experiment, that he had forgotten about the plans for the day. “Oh, yeah, right. Okay.”

The empathic Seer senses Timothy’s discomposure, and tries to set him at ease. “Want to go outside and play?”

And suddenly they are back to being human children, just seven years of age, playing in the yard. Not research scientists delving into the deepest secrets of reality. The juxtaposition is breathtaking. As is my emotional response to everything that has passed. I feel myself changing, developing in ways I had never imagined. And I am not even the Guardian of a Seer, just of a Seer’s friend.

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