The Guardian's Wildchild Read Free

“I know, I know.” She leaned into her mother’s shoulder. “It would be so much more fun if they all remembered; wouldn’t it?”
    “Yes,” Terri said, chuckling and tweaking her daughter’s nose. “Some are beginning to remember, like you in a previous life. Your return to the sacred truths is a tremendous gift to humanity.”
    “Especially for Greystone, I think,” said Birthstone, laughing.
    Then her face became somber as she closed her eyes and lifted her hands toward the sky. Suddenly, Birthstone and Sidney’s mother disappeared. Darkness surrounded Sidney. Her heart raced. She could vaguely sense dark shapes moving beside her.
    “Mommy, I can’t see you. Where are you?”
    Terri stroked the top of Sidney’s head. “I’m right beside you, Sidney. We’re fine, nothing to fear, my girl. We’ve traveled into the future on Earth, a dead planet. This is what may happen if we can’t change the forces of Darkness. Darkness will rule. It’s time we returned to the lodge, Birthstone.”
    For the first time, Sidney had seen the truth with her own eyes. The Earth had been a paradise. She understood more than ever why the Elders believed the Earth was dying. In the next moment, the three were again seated on the floor of the lodge.
    Sidney sat quietly pondering her experience. She looked into Birthstone’s kind face and sighed. “Birthstone, that was awesome. But, well, except for that last part. That was awful. Was that for real?”
    Birthstone placed her hand under Sidney’s chin and lifted the child’s face up for a moment. She saw Sidney’s fearless spirit. “Sidney, our tomorrows are shaped by the choices we make today. The Dark place we saw may never come to pass if humanity chooses to embrace the Light. As Guardians, it’s our desire to help humanity return to the sacred truths. When you’re old enough, you may choose to cultivate a path of Light for others to follow. It will be dangerous, and you may fail. The choice will be yours.”
    It was a lot for a young girl to consider. “Birthstone, how long will I have to wait, you know, till I can do some cultivating?” Then, tired of the tension, she teased her audience. “My brother, Danik, he’ll help. I know he will. Have you seen him dig Mom’s garden for her?”
    If Darkness had found a niche in the meditation room in which to hide, it was promptly evicted. Laughter sent waves of joy and Light into the shadows and traveled through time to the Dark planet.

2. Madame
    Year 2039
    In hushed voices, the six scientists debated the lunacy of Madame’s outlandish claim. They were waiting for her in the basement of the administration building on Admiral Garland’s naval base. Two armed military personnel stood guard outside the door. The walls were as gray as the sinking mood of the six men and women who’d accepted the million dollar annual salary in exchange for an opportunity to resolve the planet’s energy crisis.
    Madame was an enigma. It was understood that she was highly intelligent and had unlimited wealth. She called no place home. She owned a highly trained militia, which was positioned in strategic locations across the planet. She had become a “person of interest” in the national security offices of many governments. Some believed she was an evil omen and had evolved out of the terror that had gripped humanity during the Great Quake.
    Some might have liked to explain to this “ice woman,” who no one ever dared address as anything less respectful or more personal than “Madame,” that they were unavailable to assist with her project. Two scientists experienced with Madame and her reputation had revealed that working for her meant both wealth and personal risk. Anyone accepting a position with her was hers to do with as she pleased until the project was successfully completed. Then again, opportunities for research work since the Great Quake of 2020 were rare. Survival and rebuilding had taken precedence over research.
    When