He Is Not Alone

One of the nice things about living in a motorhome is that packing up to move is pretty simple. Neither Amy nor I have many things hanging on the walls, so to get ready is simply a matter of taking out the trash, pulling in the slides, disconnecting sewer, water and electric. Hooking up the car and then starting the engine and waiting for the air tanks to fill before pulling out. We have all decided to caravan across the panhandle of FL into MS and LA then to TX. We will be traveling about 300 miles a day and the trip to CO will take a couple of weeks. Neither Amy nor I like to push it. Life is too short as they say.

It’s Amy’s turn to drive so I get the passenger seat. This gives me some time to think. Over the years I have often wondered if there were more people like me. I now know that there are people with some of my abilities. Can we teach others, or can we increase our skills to include more capabilities?

I guess the thing that bothers me the most is being called the Second Coming of Christ. I am not an overly religious man. I do believe in God, but I don’t attend church or even live a strictly Christian life. Perhaps I can talk to some of the church leaders and put an end to these rumors. Once we get settled, I will have Amy figure out how to contact the churches. Maybe she can also help me figure out what I am supposed to do and the meaning of that stupid dream. How am I supposed to save mankind? Why me?

“Will, sorry to disturb you heavy thinking, but we are about to stop for the night. Do you think you can help me find the campground?” asks Amy.

“WHAT? Has it been that long already? I am so sorry, hon, I must have really zoned out. I could have sworn it was only a few minutes,” says Will. “GPS, says it’s we exit in about 2 miles and turn right at the end of the ramp.”

We manage to pull into the campground and get 5 spots together. After getting set up and grabbing something to eat, we all get together around a campfire.

“On the way here today, I was wondering if we can teach each other some of the missing capabilities or improve on those that we have,” Will explains.

Amy ribs Will, “Yeah, he zoned out on me the entire trip. Not one word. I wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or what!”

Harold chimes in with “Jessie and I have tried to improve our skills, especially after hearing about you, Will, so far no luck. We haven’t even figured out how to start. I mean, with the mind control stuff, there was no learning, we just did it. It was more of finding out we could than how to do it.”

Jennifer nods and says “Same with John and I, we have our capabilities but haven’t been able to expand. Also, none of us have ever had that blue haze that you had. We just automatically are able to do what we can do. Have you been able to teach Amy anything while you two have been together?”

“Not really, other than the telepathic communications, I apparently had the ability but didn’t discover it until Amy came along and started planting messages in my mind.

Jessie asks, “Will, how did you learn to control more than one person at a time?”

“When I started learning about my ability, I heard multiple voices at a time. I had to concentrate on listening to just one and then I simply “talked” to that person with what I wanted them to do. It wasn’t until I started working with the FBI that I had to try to work with a group of people. Then I realized that I had to stop tuning everyone else out and let my mind listen to all of them. At that point, I could control the group. So, I probably had the ability to control a group and didn’t know it.”

“How did you open your mind up to the group?”

“I don’t know, I guess it was just like listening. I just stopped concentrating on one voice and listened. When the FBI wanted to test me, we went to a train station and they were to pick someone out to start singing the National Anthem. Then I was to have a couple of others join in. At the end, everyone was to stomp. I wasn’t sure if I could do it at first. But by clearing my mind and just saying “Stomp” without directing it to any one person, the whole group did it. Kind of like saying “pass the potatoes” when with a group at dinner. Everyone hears it and someone does it.”

“I have to try that. I’ll be right back,” yells Jessie as she runs off to find a group of people.

While she is gone, we refresh our drinks, put some more wood on the fire and kind of daydream.

Jessie heads to the pool area where she finds a group of kids playing in the pool and the parents sitting around the tables chatting with each other. Jessie has always been able to control one person at a time and is excited to try something new.

All I have to do is clear my mind. Listen to the conversations going on around me. I can hear the children playing. Let’s see…

“Get out of the pool,” she thinks. Not directing it to anyone of the kids. Nothing happens. She closes her eyes and visualizes the kids, the noise, and the activities and tries again. “Move to the right side of the pool” Still nothing. As a check, she picks one girl and tells her to move to the edge of the pool. Instantly the child moves off to the side of the pool.

Well, at least I can control one at a time. Next, she connects with a woman sitting by the pool. “Jump in the water!” and again it happens instantly.

Jessie tries several more time and nothing happens. She returns to the group after about 20 minutes.

“There were a group of kids at the pool. I tried everything I could think of to make them all get out of the pool at one time and nothing worked. I even tried to get the parents to jump into the pool and nothing,” Jessie says disappointedly.

“Maybe we are a group for a reason. Each of us has some capability but not all of the capabilities. It seems only Will can do it all and he acquired his skills differently than the rest of us,” Explains Amy.

“I don’t know what I am supposed to do,” states Will. “I have these abilities and yet every time I use them, someone gets hurt or dies. It is apparent that I can’t teach others and so far, there are only a few of us with the capabilities. If I am to believe the dream, I am supposed to save mankind. What the heck am I supposed to save it from? How can I save billions of people from something that I don’t know what it is and with only a few of us that have some limited capabilities, to begin with? Better yet, are you all suppose too help me or not?”

“Perhaps you should go to the church and ask them. After all, you are the Second Coming of Christ,” Amy smiles. The others all nod in agreement.

“Amy, you know I don’t agree with that. I am just a man.”

“You may think you are just a man, but no one since Jesus has been able to raise the dead, Will. You are definitely more than just a man. We have all been sent here by an unknown power to assist you in some way. Like it or not you have a following that is going to grow. When the time comes, you will have the power to save mankind from whatever it is you are supposed to save them from. That much I believe,” says John. The others agree.

“Okay, if you all are so smart, what church do I go to? What religion is going to accept that I am a man and want their help? How can I make them listen to me when they are the ones that started calling me the Second Coming of Christ?”

Bruce speaks up, “Will, I know you are not a religious man, but I am. When I got the calling to find you and help you, I prayed a lot. I found peace in this mission. You are special. So were Noah and Moses. They were simple men given a gigantic task. Noah had no help at first and yet, he built the ark and gathered animals from around the world. I don’t know what you are supposed to do, but God will supply and guide you. All you have to do is listen to him and let him guide you. We will be there to help in every way we can. As to which religion to go to, pick one. Every trip begins with a single step. After you talk to one, go to the next and next until you have talked to them all.”

“Okay. I’ll look into going to the churches. Who knows, maybe something will come out of it. If nothing else maybe I can get them to stop calling me the Second Coming.”

With that, Amy and Will call it a night. Once in the RV, Amy looks up the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Convention. She tells Will they are in TN. They decide to take a side trip to TN before heading to CO.

The next day, Will and Amy tell the group that they will be going to TN. It is agreed that the rest of the group will head on to CO and set up camp.

Thursday morning, Will and Amy hit the road. The trip to TN is almost 500 miles and takes them a couple of days. They arrive in Nashville, TN, on Saturday afternoon. Turns out that both the Southern Baptist and the Baptist organizations are both in Nashville. It is decided that Will and Amy will visit the offices of the Southern Baptist first simply because they were married in a Southern Baptist Church.

Sleep for Will on Saturday night did not come easy. Will tossed and turned and when he finally did fall asleep, his dreams were very active. His last dream woke him with a start! “I will provide” is all he remembers.

Amy finds a Southern Baptist Church for them to attend on Sunday. A small church not far from the campground. There are about 80 people present. Amy and Will sit down in front. The service is about Noah and his task to save the animals from the Great Flood. It was a good service that got Will thinking about his task from God to save mankind.

Monday morning and Amy and Will enter the building for the Southern Baptist Convention, the first obstacle is the receptionist.

“Good Morning, how can I help you?”

“My name is Will Symthe and I would like to speak to someone about the Second Coming of Christ.”

“Sir! That is not amusing. We are a very religious organization and do not take pranks kindly.”

Amy speaks up “What Will means is the Southern Baptist organization has labeled him as the Second Coming of Christ and we would like to discuss the reasoning with someone. Perhaps you can check with one of the executive staff about the term and mention he is in the lobby?”

With this, a calming look comes over the receptionist. He picks up the phone and talks to someone. The conversation is one-sided. He mentions that there is an individual claiming to be the Second Coming of Christ in the lobby. Then says yes, his name is Will Symthe. He hangs up with a very amazed look on his face.

“They will be right down, SIR.”

Within two minutes, there are 3 people standing in front of Will and Amy.

“Please accept our apologies. We had no idea that you were coming.” One of the guys is holding a tablet. He taps the older gentleman on the shoulder and shows him the screen. They look at the screen and then at Will.

Immediately, they all kneel and bow down to Will. The receptionist’s color drains from his face as he stands and bows as well. Security is at a loss, they have never seen this kind of behavior before and the lead agent comes over to find out what is happening. As he stands there, the older gentleman pulls his sleeve down and he also kneels.

Will smiles and says, “Please get up. This is hard enough for me as it is. Perhaps we can go someplace and talk?”

Immediately, they all rise and lead Will and Amy to a conference room. As introductions are being made, a well-dressed man enters the conference room with a couple of other people and wants to know what is going on.

The older gentleman simply says, “This is Will Smythe, sir.”

It takes a few seconds before a look of recognition comes to his face. He turns to the aides and gives them some instructions. They leave the room in a rush.

It seems the word is spreading faster than a fire during a dry Texas Summer. Soon the room is filled with people, all of them executives. After the introductions are made, no one is calling him Will. Will starts off the impromptu meeting.

“First, I want to apologize. I did not mean to disrupt your day like this. Amy and I are here today because I need your help. I would like to start by telling you about myself. Several years ago, I was in a very bad car accident and lost my first wife. During the accident, I experienced a sort of vision. After that vision, I found I had some unique abilities. I could talk and control animals of all types. I continued to have that same vision over time and each time, I gained new abilities. I now have the ability to control mankind as well as being able to control life and death. This has all been documented and apparently, you folks consider me the Second Coming of Christ. Now, if the dream is to be believed, I have been told to save mankind. I have no idea from what or how. I am not an overly religious person. I do believe in God and Jesus Christ, but church attendance is not one of my key points. So, I am here to ask for your guidance as elders of the church.”

Will sits down and there is total silence in the room. No one moves or says a word for several minutes. Finally, the president of the board speaks up.

“Sir, it is an honor that you came to us. We strive to live by the word of God and do his work here on earth. Each of us likes to think that God guides us in what we are doing and we try to do what is right. We are in no way prepared or capable of helping a man such as yourself. When you visited the First Southern Baptist church in FL, you created such an event that hasn’t been seen since Jesus roamed the earth. That church today is still filled to overflowing and has added 2 more services each Sunday. Attendance is up in every church around the country. Perhaps that is what this dream means. Maybe you should continue to make your presence known. More people than ever before are hearing the Word of God. Your visit has changed the lives of many people.”

“I am honored that you feel my presence has affected so many people. If it were that simple to just show up at church, my task would be an easy one. I have been given these abilities for something greater than showing up at church. Perhaps you are correct in that my task is to bring the people of the world back to the church, but there are many lands without the church and many more lands with different religions. At 40 years old, I am afraid that I could not visit nearly half of the world’s people to save them in some way. There must be something more that I am supposed to do.”

As Will stands up, his mind goes to the outside of the building, three men are getting out of a van with weapons of some type.

“PLEASE CALL SECURITY!!! Have everyone get behind some cover immediately, there are three men coming into the building with weapons. DO IT NOW!” Will yells and heads out of the conference room. He runs down the stairs towards the front of the building. As the men enter the building, they begin to fire their weapons on full automatic. The receptionist is hit twice before he falls to the ground. The guards fall back behind a couple of partitions and return fire.

Will, sees two of the men pulling something from a backpack and acts.

He yells, “Drop your weapons and backpacks, NOW!”

One of the gunmen sees Will and begins to turn towards him raising his weapon. Will simply kills the man with a thought of rage. The second gunman sees his partner drop dead and stands up to shoot. The security guards drop him with multiple gunshots. The third gunman surrenders without a fight.

One of the guards yells out that the receptionist is hurt and to call an ambulance. Will goes over and sees the receptionist lying in a pool of blood. Without another thought, Will places his hands on the man’s wounds and slowly the blood flow stops, color returns to the man’s face and he opens his eyes. Will is in the news again. “The Second Coming of Christ saves receptionist shot in a terrorist attack”, makes the news around the world.

It is a couple of days before Will and Amy make their way to the National Baptist Convention across town. This time there is no deigning or questioning when Will walks in. Security is tight in the building and as Will walks up to the receptionist, he is under heavy scrutiny.

“Hello, my name is Will Smythe. I would like to speak either the president or one of the directors, please.”

“Did you say, Will Smythe? Were you over at the Southern Baptist on Monday?”

With a bowed head, Will replies, “Yes.”

The receptionist turns to the guard and says, “Please take him to the main conference room immediately. Do not let anyone get in the way.”

Will and Amy are taken to the conference room. Along the way, Will ‘hears’ the commotion throughout the building. The Second Coming of Christ is here.

As with the meeting at the Southern Baptist, not much is accomplished. Luckily no terrorist attacks and Will and Amy are able to leave via the back door when the meeting is done.

Back at the campground, Will and Amy have an early dinner and then go for a walk. It is during these walks that Will and Amy can talk about anything. They both feel free from the pressures and are able to relax.

As they are walking along a path, Amy stops and smiles. It takes a second for Will to realize that Amy isn’t beside him; he turns around and finds Amy sitting on the path, talking with a couple of wolves. Apparently, they were watching her. As Will approaches both wolves lay down in submission. Will gives Amy his hand and they begin walking back down the path, their two new friends following along with them.

During the walk, Will decides that he has to put a stop to the Second Coming of Christ. He is a man and not the Son of God. Besides Jesus never killed anyone and he has killed five times now.

After their walk, Amy opens up the emails and finds one from Bruce. It appears that the Pope will be in the US. He is going to be in Denver next month. Also, Hal and Jessie have left the group and are heading up to Kansas City.

The next morning Will and Amy pack up and head west along route 40 to meet up with the group. It takes over a week for them to travel the 1200 miles. Once they arrive, Bruce stops over with some news.

“Glad to see you both. I heard you had some excitement in Nashville. Besides the terrorist attack, any word on if they can help?”

“Not really. If anything, the Second Coming of Christ tag is getting stronger. I guess healing the receptionist and stopping the terrorist attack in front of all those people had something to do with it.”

“Well, you could say that. It has been in the news here that the Pope wants to meet with you while he is in Denver in a few weeks. They are asking for any and all help to locate you. The news has been running the story every day. Major headlines like “Pope wants to meet Second Coming of Christ”, “Where is Christ when the Pope Calls”. I have a phone number and you are supposed to call anytime day or night.”

“I’ll call tomorrow, anything else happening? Any word from Jessie or Hal? Why did they leave the group?”

“As we were heading into Texas, Jessie said they needed some time away from the group and that they were heading up to her grandparents outside of Kansas City. Since they left, we haven’t heard from them. Several of us have tried almost daily to contact them, they just aren’t responding. We even tried their cell phones,” Bruce says with a smile.

“Amy and I have tried as well. Neither of us is sure how far we can be and still connect telepathically. Which reminds me, I need to get another cell phone.”

Amy comes over and tells Will that lunch is ready. “Hi Bruce, how are you? Where is the rest of the group?”

“Doing well, Amy. They will be over in a little while. Everyone wants to hear how things went and about all the excitement. You two do realize that you will never be able to go out on your own again. Sitting here listening to the news made us envious. Well, I will let you eat lunch in peace. I’ll gather the troops after lunch and we can catch up. Bye”, Bruce walks towards his RV and Amy turns to Will.

“Any word from Jessie and Hal?”

“No, they have been trying since they left Texas. Bruce said they even tried the cell phones.”

“I wonder how far we can communicate with each other.”

“I have no idea. Speaking of communicating, Bruce told me the Pope wants to talk. I have a number to call tomorrow to set up an appointment. This sounds like it could be a circus. I’m going to make sure it is a private meeting. The last thing I need is more publicity and news coverage.”

“Well, lunch is getting warm, time to eat.”

The next day, Will heads to the office to call about an appointment to meet with the Pope. As expected, this was going to be a public and publicity event.

“I am sorry, I cannot agree to a publicity event. There are some serious subjects to be discussed and I would like a private meeting with the Pope to discuss them. Otherwise, I am sorry, but I will have to refuse any other type of meeting.”

“Surely, you don’t think you can dictate terms to the Pope!”

“I am not dictating terms to anyone. I am simply stating a fact, I will not be part of a publicity stunt. Either we meet to discuss issues, or we don’t meet, that is up to the Pope to decide. You can call this cell phone number when you have an answer. Goodbye.”

Will returns to the campsite to find everyone waiting.

“So, are you meeting with the Pope?” asks Jennifer.

“I don’t know. They wanted this whole publicity thing and I said no. We have some serious things to discuss and I will not do a publicity stunt. I gave them your number, Bruce, if they agree, they will call.”

“Wow, dictating terms to the Pope now. Pretty soon, God will need an appointment to talk to you,” Bruce says with a smile.

Will ignores him.

A couple of days pass and Bruce finally gets the phone call. The Pope will meet with Will in private. The place, date and time are given and the call is terminated.

Apparently, Bruce wasn’t kidding when he said they would not let him alone again. The whole group goes to Denver to escort Will and Amy to the meeting. It was agreed that they would wait outside and act as security. If anything was to turn up, a simple telepathic message would alert Will. Between them, their abilities should be able to handle anything but a major assault.

The beginning of the meeting was kind of comical. On one side you have the Pope, leader of the world’s Catholic religion and on the other side, you have Will, whom the religious world thinks of as the Second Coming of Christ. Neither side knowing how to address the other or do the introductions.

Will finally starts, “Your Eminence, I am Will Smythe. I appreciate your taking this time to meet with me and agreeing to not make this a public affair.”

“May I call you Will, Sir?”

“Yes, that is my name.”

“Will, please forgive me. Your presence is an honor for Catholics around the world. You do realize that the religious world calls you the Second Coming of Christ because of the miracles you have performed.”

“Yes, I have heard those rumors. But I am a simple man with abilities that sets me apart from others. Jesus, to my knowledge, never killed a man. I have had to kill 5 people so far to protect myself and others. Although that might sound justified, it is death, never the less.”

“I can see your point. It must weigh heavily on your mind. You had mentioned that you had some serious issues to discuss. How can the Catholic Church help you?”

“During the last few months, I have had a series of dreams which direct me to save mankind. Although I am not an overly religious man, I do believe in God and can only attribute these dreams as a tasking from God. My problem is I do not know how I am supposed to save mankind. Save it from what? Am I to bring people to church or is there something else that will threaten mankind? If it is to bring people to the church, why all of these capabilities? If it is something else, what can possibly be large enough that a single person can prevent that could threaten mankind?”

“Jesus was also a man with extraordinary abilities. His mission was also to save mankind. So, you are in great company. We have followed you in the news. Is it true that you have saved the life of two individuals that had died?”

“Yes, and I have also killed 5 people.”

“Yes, but, was it done in anger or to protect others?”

“Two were trying to kill me, the President of the United States was trying to have me killed, an FBI sniper tried to kill me and most recently, a terrorist was trying to kill as many people as possible including me.”

“What other abilities do you have? We have heard you can control the thoughts of those around you, is that true?”

“I can read and control the minds and bodies of those that I can see. I also have the ability to talk to and control the animals. There are others with some of the same abilities that I have and we can communicate telepathically. So far, that is what I am aware of. Yes, your Eminence, I can read your mind as well as the security, your secretary, and the others in the outer room.”

“I can demonstrate if you would like, but I don’t think it would accomplish much.”

“That would not be necessary. A man of your abilities and calling should be believed based on God‘s working and not some petty beliefs of man. I have offered the Catholic Church assistance in helping you. I must confess that I do not know how we can help you. Have you prayed to God for assistance?”

“Yes, and the reply was, “I will provide what you need”.”

“I am amazed, if you were a man who came to the church with this story, we would accuse you of blasphemy. Yet your deeds have preceded you and we do indeed consider you the Second Coming of Christ. No man since Jesus has had the abilities you have. Yet, you act like a man and ask for our help. We are bound to help in any way that we can, you have just to ask. If there is something you need, any Catholic church will do what they can. You can be assured of that. I will pray for God to help you understand your mission and the Catholic Church will pray for your safety and continued miracles.”

“Thank you, your Eminence. I, too, will pray for continued guidance.”

With that, the meeting was over. Will and Amy leave the room without any more guidance than they had to come in. If anything, Will was more discouraged than when he went in. His best argument about being called the Second Coming of Christ was blown out of the water when the Pope of all Catholics stated, not since Jesus, has a man had the abilities he possessed.

The ride home was quieter than normal. No words or thoughts were exchanged. Will was locked away in his own world.