The Savior

Part 13

Semyon reached for the phone and dialed one number.

“Sol, you said there would be an eagle….There’s no eagle, there’s a leopard….I don’t know but he’s up and walking around. And he looks mean….Yes….Yes….Oh yes….Okay.” He hangs up and says “Come on. We’ve got to get out of here. The next beast we don’t want to see and we don’t want it to see us. Let’s go.”

They got into the limo which spun around and started back down the dirt road, disturbing flocks of startled sparrow as it went.

Back on the highway Adam said “Now what?”

Ron answered “I don’t know Adam. You tell us.”

“How should I know?”

“Well, you decided to come back, so now it’s your show.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well it doesn’t surprise me that you’re still confused. Things have changed so much. Tell you what. Why don’t we take you back to your apartment. You can have a nice hot bath and think things through.”

“I don’t have a bath tub.”

“Yes you do.”

At that point Adam half expected that to be true. They rode in silence until they reached Adam’s apartment building. Ron opened the door and got out to let Adam out. Then he got back in but before closing the door he said “Don’t forget to be in church on Sunday. You’re expected.” The door closed and the limo left.

As Adam approached the door to his apartment he saw a man standing there holding a paper bag. “Hi” said the man. Are you Adam Zelf?”

“Yes.”

“Of course you are. I’m Murray Bonner. I’m on your list. Here, this is for you.” Murray handed the bag to Adam.

Adam took it and said “What’s in here?”

“A fishes mouth” said Murray, and walked away.

Adam carefully opened the bag and was stunned by what he saw.


(To be continued.)

The Savior

Part 12

“Oh an eagle” said Adam. “And what’s next, a pig?”

“No pigs”

“Then what will happen when the eagle gets there?” Adam wanted to know.

“They might dance” said Semyon.

“DANCE” yelled Adam. “I think you men are crazy. I want you to take me right back to my job. I’ve had enough of this prank. Let’s go.”

“Steady Adam” said Ron. “We can understand your concern and perplexity. It has been a great many years, a long time to be buried, but you will gradually remember and then things won’t be so confusing.”

“Remember what?”

“Who you are and where you’ve been” said Sammy.

“Who I am?”

“You will remember the nets and the olive trees and the two….”

“Look’ shouted Ron and pointed up the hill. They all looked up and saw a leopard crouching down next to the bear and staring down the hill at them.

“That is not what we expected” said Semyon

“What does it mean?” asked Adam

“Trouble.”


(To be continued.)

The Savior

Part 11

“What do you mean I picked you? I don’t even know you, how could I have picked you?

“Alright’ said Ron “then we picked you.”

“That’s right” said Sammy. “We are your angels. Sort of.”

“Angels! What are you talking about? Am I being kidnapped?”

“It’s more like you’re kidnapping us.”

Adam was now beginning to get frightened. They were traveling along a highway now and he was staring out the window at the land going by and wondering where he was and where they were taking him.

They traveled in silence for a while when suddenly the car turned off an exit. It slowed down and found a dirt road leading off into a forest area. After a while it stopped at the bottom of a hill.

“There’s the lion” said Semyon.

Up at the top of the hill was the lion standing and looking down at the car. “There’s a number to call if anyone sees it” said Adam.

“Be my guest” said Sammy and handed Adam the phone which was hanging up in the limo though Adam hadn’t noticed it before. He took the newspaper from his pocket and dialed the number listed.

After a moment he said “The number is out of service.”

“Of course it is” said Ron.

“Why of course?”

“That’s why” Sammy said pointing up the hill.

Adam looked and saw a large black bear slowly walking toward the lion. He expected a fight but when the bear reached the lion it sat down. The lion looked at the bear once and then back at the car.

“Come on” said Sammy. Both doors were opened and they all got out.

“Why aren’t they fighting?’ asked Adam.

“Because they know what’s coming.”

“What’s coming?”

“The eagle.”


(To be continued.)

The Savior

Part 10

When they left the building there was a limo waiting for them. Ron opened the door for Adam to get in. There was a big man with a long black beard smiling at him.

“Hello” said the man.

“Hi” said Adam.

“Hello Sammy” said Ron as he got it and closed the door. “Adam meet Semyon Zastov, he’s also on your list. Adam and Semyon shook hands. “Sammy here is a great bear hunter” Ron went on to say.

“I’m confused” said Adam. “You said I had a better job. Is killing bears a better job?”

“Just one bear” said Sammy “and we won’t kill it.”

“We just have to see that it appears” said Ron.

“Yes. You see, the lion is out and so it’s time for the bear” said Sammy.

“No I don’t see” said Adam. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“You will. Eventually” said Ron.

“The others felt it was too early, but I insisted. As long as you have joined us it seems right to go for the bear.”

“Joined who?” asked Adam.

“The other people on your list” said Ron.

“I don’t know any of the people on this list except the two of you. How could I have joined you? When did I join you? Is it a club or something? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do. You picked us.”


(To be continued.)

The Savior

Part 9

“Wait a minute, I can’t just leave my job.”

“Why not? You’re not wanted here anymore. You’re boss has already forgotten about you, or he hasn’t. There’s another bookkeeper on the way in to take your place, or there isn’t. It doesn’t matter. You have a better job now.

“What?”

“You’ll see.”

“Will it pay me more money than this?”

“Money is no object.”

“I don’t like this. Too many strange things have been happening to me lately.”

“I know. It was my dog you fixed yesterday.”

“Who are you?”

“You’ll find me on your list as R. Levine.”

Adam looked down at the list and found R. Levine, then asked “Who are these other people?”

“Adam Zelph I expect more answers from you than questions. Why don’t you just come with me now and start finding out those answers.”

“Where are we going?”

“Bear hunting.”


(To be continued.)

The Savior

Part 8

“Yes sir. But what should I do about this”

“Let me see it.”

Adam handed him the document and said “It says ‘Dismissals’ at the top. I don’t know what that means. And my name is at the bottom.”

Al Fischer stared at the file and then said “Where did you get this?”

“The woman gave it to me.”

“What woman?”

“The woman from the other accounting firm that you now say were not here.”

“Hmm. I don’t know who these people are. I know a Keefer, but he isn’t S., he’s Larry Keefer. And we aren’t doing any work for the Babylon Bridge Project. Whatever that is. You say some mysterious woman handed this to you yesterday?”

“Yes sir.”

“Well, put it aside and go back to work. Maybe she’ll mysteriously reappear and take it back.”

“Yes sir.” Adam left Fischer’s office and started to go back to his desk. But on the way he stopped and thought a moment. Something told him to copy the file. He went to the copier and made two copies of it. Then he went back to his desk.

When he got there he found a man sitting in his chair reading the newspaper.

“Excuse me. That’s my desk.”

“No it’s not, it’s the company’s desk and you’re all finished here. Come with me and bring the Babylon Bridge document and the two copies you just made.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Ron” said the man. “I’ll explain everything. Eventually. Come-on.”


(To be continued.)

The Savior

Part 7

When Adam got to work the next morning there was a newspaper on his desk. He didn’t subscribe to a paper. Someone must have had an extra one, he thought, and gave it to him. On the front page the top story was about the police arresting a hit and run driver. The driver had run into some school children seriously injuring one of them. The incident was reported by a bystander and the car was later identified. There was a photograph of the car and it looked very much like the car that hit the dog last night.

Under that was an item about a lion that had escaped from the zoo. An exhaustive search was on and there was a phone number to call if the lion was seen by anyone. Adam jotted down the number just in case.

After that was a notice that Archbishop Califano would be visiting Saint Joseph’s Church for the Sunday Mass.

At the bottom was a title that read “Chernov asteroid behaving erratically NASA scientists say. Story page 4”

Adam put the paper aside and opened his desk drawer. He removed the file and looked at it again. “Actuarial Report for the Babylon Bridge Project” He opened it and there was the list of names under the title “Dismissals” with the name A. Zelf at the bottom.

He picked it up and went looking for the woman who had given it to him. He walked into the word processing department but didn’t see any faces he didn’t recognize. He checked into the conference rooms which were empty. Finally he went to Al Fischer’s office and asked the receptionist if he could go in.

She buzzed and said Mr. Zelf is here to see you.”

“Yes” came the reply over the speaker.

Adam went through the door. Al Fischer was a neat and fastidious person. His office was bare except for the necessary furniture, but it was clean and tastefully painted.

“Yes, Zelf. What’s the problem?” said Fischer.

“One of those visiting accountants gave me this to check but it’s all names.”

“Visiting accountants?”

“Yes, sir. Yesterday.”

“There were no visiting accountants yesterday.”

“You said yesterday that there were some visiting accountants and that they might give me things to check and one of them gave me this.”

“I never said any such thing Zelf. You must have dreamt it. Now go back to work.”


(To be continued.)