Christopher Golde' Publications

Chapter Three

Date:                1969 AD           Location:         Melbourne, Australia

Jason opened his eyes slowly, or that is what he thought he did.

In front of him was his ghostly spiritual mentor that he called ‘The Darkness’. He called him that because that is what he was told to call him by the mysterious creature.

At the beginning of the relationship, which was now three years ago, the then seven-year-old used to call him ‘The Force’. He wasn’t sure why but it seemed like a good name to a young boy and it had been the first name that had popped into his head. ‘The Darkness’ had explained after about the first year that all the people he had visited over the last thirty thousand years had all eventually referred to him in their own languages as ‘The Darkness’, or similar in translation. So from then on, that is what Jason called him.

“Where are we going tonight,” asked the young boy?

Every night that the entity visited him, which was at least twice each week for the last three years, they would travel together through time and space to somewhere where Jason would get a lesson. He was not sure they were really there but it looked like it. It was more like a vision or a dream because no one in them ever seemed to see or acknowledge their presence.

They had travelled to many different countries on Earth, all down through the ages, and for a ten year old he was extremely well educated in the history of the Earth, first hand. Some things were difficult for him to understand but the entity was very patient and even gave him homework to do in the form of reference reading. He was also told not to believe all that he read, as all of it was usually written to express an opinion rather than to report the truth and the object of the travel was to show him historical truth that would be useful in the future.

Jason was not sure what sort of a future he was to have that would make all this information useful but he enjoyed the dreams slash visions and did not complain.

“Tonight we will go to a very remote little village a long way from here and the year will be 1067,” said the Darkness, “It will be a little different tonight because tonight you will meet another historical version of yourself.”

“Wow that sounds cool,” said Jason.

“Prepare yourself,” said The Darkness.

Jason knew what he meant immediately and lay back down on his bed and crossed his arms on his chest and straightened his legs in what they referred to as the mummy position.

He concentrated deeply and soon his mind drifted away from his body and into the night sky. He looked at the giant figure of the Darkness that floated next to him.

“It’s nearly a thousand years back to get there and on the other side of the world so you are going to have to concentrate very hard Jason and I want you this time to send your mind into my cloak of stars.”

Jason had done this once before so he knew what to do and soon he and the giant were as one.

Again he seemed to open is eyes and this time they were standing together on a shoreline and it seemed to be early morning. The Darkness looked like he always looked and Jason looked down at what he was wearing to see that all he wore was a long white cloak that wrapped around him all the way to the ground.

Ahead of them across a muddy beach was a river and in the river, some children were playing. On the other side of the river he could see a large group of buildings and some boats. Back on this side of the river, a short distance from the children, were ten or so men on horseback and one was getting off and walking towards the children.

“Where are we,” he said softly?

“We are near a town called Varna which in your time is in a country called Bulgaria but at this time it is part of the Byzantine Empire and controlled by the Roman Empire, or a part of it anyway. It is complex politics in these times and land changes control often and quickly.”

Jason listened as he knew he was meant to without asking anymore questions.

“The men over there with the horses,” continued The Darkness, “are British knights even though they do not look like it at the moment and their leader, the one walking towards the children, is as close to being the legendary person you may know as King Arthur. As close as real history will allow that is.”

“Wow” said Jason, unable to contain his excitement, “so they’re knights of the round table!’

“Of sorts,” replied the Darkness.

“At this moment they are in trouble as up there on the ridge are thirty Roman warriors intent on killing them and taking what you would call the Holy Grail.”

Jason looked behind them and saw the Romans all armed and ready to attack. He looked back at the beach and saw that King Arthur seemed to be looking at the Romans as well.

“I am going to slow their time for a moment,” said The Darkness. At that everything except the giant and the boy seemed to freeze.

“That is so cool,” said Jason.

“Not hard really as their time has not really stopped, just our dimension is going through their time much, much slower. Even I cannot stop time.”

“What now,” asked the boy?

“Do you see the boy down near the knight, the one standing on his own away from the other children?”

“Yes,” said Jason.

“His name is Hugo and he is like you,” said the giant, “he has the green soul. In fact you could say he is you, just in another time.”

“Wow,” was all Jason could say. This was new to him.

“If he survives today, he will likely go on to be the founder of the Knights of Templar and would then one day meet King Arthur again to take possession of the grail the Knights now carry with them, that is if Arthur and his knights survive today as well.”

“So what happens now,” asked the boy, “are we going to help them or just watch?”

In the past all they had ever done is watch.

“You are going to help them but all you can do is give them some guidance, it is up to them to survive and if they do not, history will take another course and in the future, we may have a different result. As I always tell you, nothing is ever certain.”

“What do I do,” asked the boy as little bit nervously?

“While I have slowed their time for us to take our action, I want you to go down to the boy and enter his body and mind. You will then be one with him but you will both have a shared awareness. You know that the knights need to cross the river to survive and he knows how to do it.”

“Sounds okay,” said Jason, “I can’t get hurt can I?”

“No nothing can happen to you but it can to the boy, That, I cannot stop if it does happen that way. As I have taught you before, I cannot change an outcome, only influence an outcome. Now go, I can’t hold it like this much longer.”

Jason looked up at the giant and then walked towards the boy who still appeared frozen.

When he reached the boy, he could see that apart from his darker olive skin and curly black hair, he did look a little like him and his eyes were green.

“Here goes nothing,” he said, to himself.

He then walked into the boy.