TVFC - "Don't Walk Away, Rene!"

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I was on an extended stay in Paris to attend the wedding of my niece, Jinaya. She recently married a fine young man whose family hails from Algiers and they were now on their way to Africa for their honeymoon. I had been in Paris about three weeks and made a great effort to look up old friends since I had spent considerable time here in the past, especially in the Left Bank District. Much to my dismay however, I was unable to locate the whereabouts of several people who had left such a profound impact on my life in earlier years. I was also disappointed to find that several of my peers had passed on without my prior knowledge. This inability to locate and talk to individuals who were so relevant to me at one point in my life filled me with great sadness. Despite the gay atmosphere that prevailed at my niece's wedding, my memories of Paris were bittersweet and I found myself wanting to leave. Thus, Thomas Lancaster's call at 3:00 in the morning requesting that I meet him and Col. Dezeraie Stuart in a tavern located near Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA in about a week, was a welcomed relief. I looked upon the meeting with much anticipation since events surrounding these two gentlemen are anything but boring or routine.

As I settled in my seat and gazed out the window of the plane at the Paris airport, I thought about my fellow companions and how much I had missed them. I must say that I've always enjoyed being around my fellow time travelers although their personalities and demeanors are markedly different from mine as well as from each other.

Col. Stuart, because of his training as a soldier, has always been the master strategist. Much like the Rhodesian ridgeback hounds that he raises as a hobby, he is extremely strong willed, cunning and brave. When a crisis situation develops, it is usually Col. Stuart's cool head and determination that saves the day. However, one thing that has struck me about military men I have met in the past is how that they typically try to depersonalize war and the tools for war to justify aggressive actions against their foe. When I first met Col. Stuart he was very much this way. He would often talk about deployments or insertions of personnel rather than use more personal or humanistic terms to describe a previous military operation. This is an area that has changed considerably for the Colonel and he has truly crossed over to the more humanitarian side of his nature. I do feel that our time travel experiences and mystical encounters have made him far more compassionate towards his fellow man than when I first met him some forty odd years ago. However, he will always remain the dauntless warrior. Obviously, Allah in his infinite wisdom has seen the need for such individuals throughout the history of mankind.

I'll never forget the time Sir Thomas asked the Colonel if he remembered the First Crusade. Col. Stuart replied that he had read little on the topic. Whereupon Sir Thomas' response was, "No Colonel, I meant do you remember how you and your fellow knights were outnumbered twenty to one at the battle of Dorylaeum? How your great courage was admired by both Christian and Muslim alike and turned the tide of battle while opening the path to Antioch?" Although he said nothing, within the Colonel's eyes were great joy then sadness as he surely recalled these memorable remnants of his past lived out long ago in another time and place for a purpose which is now part of antiquity.

Sir Thomas on the other hand, is at the other extreme. Since his mystical encounter in 1963, he has become a changed man. A well-educated and legitimate member of the British aristocracy, whose roots go back to the Plantagenet dynasty, he was once a young dandy primarily concerned about material wealth, society and the pursuit of women. However, he quickly cast these properties aside after his encounter with the Being of Light and has served as a bastion of metaphysical strength for the Colonel as well as myself. His intuitive powers are incredible, as are his insights into Allah's will and all that is holy.

As for myself, I feel a close identity to the common man on the street. Although my life has been one of setting goals and obtaining an education, my roots are humble ones. Born in Abyssinia to a poor family, it was only through Allah's will that good fortune turned my way and I was afforded an opportunity for university training in Paris after World War II. Although I am well trained in mathematics and physics, it is the psychology of the human mind that is my greatest love and passion.

Watching the last rays of the setting sun from my cabin window, I wondered what my fellow time travelers and I would encounter this time around. A subtle anxiousness filled my being, accompanied by a boyish excitement.

Upon arriving at J. F. K. airport in New York City, I leased a car, crossed the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and headed towards New Jersey. After traveling for about an hour, I took the Bridgewater exit off the interstate. Locating the tavern, I pulled into the parking lot and went inside to see if I could find Col. Stuart and Sir Thomas. Both men were situated at a table next to a window and were obviously involved in a heavy discussion as neither one immediately noticed my presence.

As I approached the table however, Sir Thomas suddenly stopped talking and turned around in his chair. " Well, good to see you old chap, please sit down. Col. Stuart and I would like your opinion on an issue we've been discussing concerning the disposition of matter."

"The disposition of what? What on earth are you talking about?" I said while looking hungrily at the soda bread on the table.

"It's good to see you again, Pete," replied Col. Stuart. "What Sir Thomas and I have been discussing centers on the power of the spoken word and its ability to shape matter in this dimension. As you well know many mystics allude to the fact that speech is the primary tool given by God to man so that he may be successful in this task."

"If I recall, this is not a new discussion. Didn't we talk about this very thing about six months ago?" I said abruptly.

Col. Stuart looked up at me and smiled. "Listen Pete, why don't you get something to eat first before we really get into this discussion."

After we had finished our meal and exchanged pleasantries, I leaned back in my chair with a satisfied smile on my face and looked at Col. Stuart and Sir Thomas. "So why are you gentlemen concerned about the power of the spoken word over matter? Obviously, on this planet except for some isolated instances among the primates, man alone seems to have this sole capability."

Sir Thomas, told me something very unsettling prior to your arrival here this morning," replied Col. Stuart. "When you hear what he has to say, I'm sure you will be equally astounded."

Sir Thomas looked around the room and then leaned forward as he spoke softly. "Previously, we had thought that man alone could shape his current reality through verbalization. But that's not entirely true. As incredible as it seems, I have found that ideas, or rather powerful constructs can also shape reality in the most profound manner."

Sir Thomas again lowered his voice to a whisper. "I mean that sometimes an idea or a concept can actually behave like a living entity. In fact, I'm beginning to understand that the nucleus for some of the world's most profound ideas and inventions existed in time and space prior to human beings actually discovering them."

"Are you saying that people are not responsible for their own inventions? In other words, someone like Thomas Edison did not really invent the light bulb nor did Einstein really develop the Theory of Relativity. Is that what your actually saying?" I commented in a somewhat surprised manner.

"Not really," said Sir Thomas without skipping a beat. "People like Edison and Einstein were actually much more perceptive than many of their peers. They were much more in tune with the time fabric and the constructs that existed within its borders than perhaps they even realized. So much so in fact that they were able to subconsciously assimilate the germ of the construct as it existed in time and space and to create a powerful mental or working prototype in this reality."

In fact, it is my supposition that God created specific vector points in the 'Inter-Dimensional Time Vector Matrix' that were purposely designed to release highly condensed information about a construct to intelligent life. These strategically placed vector points have served the purpose of helping mankind along what Col. Stuart once referred to as the mystical alam al mithal. This pathway truly does contain tomorrow's dreams and was designed by the Creator to help mankind move steadily towards its final goal of unification with the Godhead.

"Incredible!" I exclaimed. "What proof do you have that this is really the case?"

"Well good Doctor," said Sir Thomas casually, "let's just say right now that it's a strong intuitive hunch. Do you recall the rifts of highly condensed electromagnetic energy we frequently encountered as we traveled through the time fabric? It is my belief that these rifts were purposely placed in the time fabric by the Creator to actually change the perceptions and thus the direction of intelligent life. Unfortunately, not everyone is capable of receiving such signals and utilizing the energy available and we're not sure exactly why. Some human beings can absorb some of this energy and put it to efficient use. However, for centuries, it has been primarily your mystics and religious adepts who through rigorous training have been able to attune their bodies to the full amount of energy available at that point in time and react upon it. Great teachers such as Christ, Mohammed, Ghandi and Buddha just to name a few, made great use of this energy and were highly effectual in moving many of their followers closer to the Godhead.

"Do you think a requirement for absorbing this energy then is to be a pious person?" I asked in a quizzical manner.

"No, we don't think so," interjected Col. Stuart. "Hitler was a prime example of someone who probably knew subconsciously how to tap into this vast reservoir of energy but something went terribly wrong. This energy appears to become unbalanced and uncontrollable when it wielded by someone for purely self-centered aims and achievement. Obviously, the systematic, planned termination of millions of innocent victims at the hands of the Nazi regime that Hitler helped create was certainly not helping mankind to move closer to the Godhead. If anything, mankind was falling away from the Godhead at light speed and this was something the Creator would simply not permit. In the end Hitler and his vicious henchmen were totally annihilated. Sic Semper Tyrannus!"

"Col. Stuart, why do you use the term mankind when you are referring to some of the atrocities of the Nazi party?" I asked. "Why would mankind fall away from the Godhead rather than just the group of individuals responsible for those crimes against humanity?"

"Pete, I did not mean to imply that those responsible for these atrocious deeds would not be judged by the will of God," said Col. Stuart in a direct manner. "Only that such cancer or decay in the social milieu could not help but have a negative and influential impact on the rest of the world at this time and thus affect all mankind. Viciousness tends to breed viciousness. Lest we forget, there were many nations and people that deceived themselves and turned a blind eye to what was going on in Nazi Germany at the time. Remember Edmond Burke's old saying, 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' I wish more people were thinking about that today."

"Actually, there are probably numerous people worldwide that have the ability to tape into this virtual storehouse of insightful energy and to use it to their advantage," commented Sir Thomas. Unfortunately, as in Col. Stuart's example, some individuals will misuse this gift for their own personal gain rather than for the good of mankind. The end result is that this type of person is eventually consumed by the energy, only to destroy himself."

"One of the reasons I requested this meeting is to convince both of you that a foray forward in the time fabric is worth the risks involved in order to study the rifts of electromagnetic energy that are responsible for this effect. I've been fairly successful in convincing Col. Stuart. Now how about you, Pete? Are you ready to venture fourth to May 5, 2000?"

"Wait a minute, not so fast, Sir Thomas" I yelled. "If you recall, unlike time traveling to the past, when we time travel to the future we run the risk of quickly aging our physical bodies if we are not absolutely precise when entering and exiting the time fabric. Remember, if we are not cautious and age too quickly we are just as subject to the maladies of old age as those who age in a normal fashion. As both of you well know, all three of us have experienced premature aging when we've traveled to the future over the last 35 years. True, the effects are not as dramatic today as they were on our first attempt in 1965, but nevertheless some subtle aging does take effect and we've not been entirely successful in stopping it, no matter how precise we are in rebuilding our navigational system."

"What you say is true Doctor," interjected Col. Stuart. "However, at least we've been able to reverse the process somewhat by time travelling to the past. From my way of thinking that's at least our redemption. For God's sake, man; look at yourself in the mirror! Do you see a 71-year-old man? No, you see a man who appears to be in his mid forties! We've all benefited from our time travels to the past and none of us look our real chronological age."

"Well, that's all well and good," I commented. "But one question keeps ringing in my ears. How long can our physical constitutions withstand this type of stress and distortion?

How long can we subject ourselves to these dramatic changes before our bodies rebel and we suffer some dire consequences or death as a result of these actions."

"Our personal safety when we transverse the time fabric has always been my utmost concern," said Sir Thomas in an understanding manner. I have studied some of the cellular tissue taken from some of our ridgebacks that have time traveled with us in the past as well as some samples from Col. Stuart and myself. I have been unable to find any supportive proof that time travel and its associated characteristics have had an adverse effect on the human body. On the contrary, it would appear that traveling to the past using the Regenesis factor (See Technical Overview #2) actually does retard the normal aging process at the cellular level and instills a youthful vitality in the time traveler."

"Well I'm very pleased to hear your findings on this matter," I commented. "I must confess that since we've been time travelling I've had this constant fear within me that something could go terribly wrong. Remember Sir Thomas, that our first venture into the time fabric in 1963 was a very frightening one since Col. Stuart and I had no way of knowing if we could even get back to the present much less save your life (See "The Second Coming"). I guess I've never gotten over that initial anxiety. Unfortunately, each new foray into the time fabric is met with some initial trepidation on my part."

"Understandably so Doctor," said Col. Stuart nodding his head in a compassionate matter. "However it has become apparent to me that we have gained considerable knowledge about time travel since that fateful day in 1963 and the probability of an accident or technical difficulty that we could not contend with is now extremely low."

"Well I feel better now that I've discussed this issue with you and Sir Thomas," I said. "Now could you please tell me why you chose the date May 5, 2000 for our time travel destination vector point? I've heard that date before. Isn't there some sort of significance associated with that particular point in time?"

"Oh, most assuredly," replied Sir Thomas. That is the date when all the planets save one are in perfect alignment. Some people say it is truly the day that ushers in the Age of Aquarius while others say it is a day of apocalyptic consequences. It's not too far in the future, but it is deep enough to test my theory about electromagnetic rifts being situated in the time fabric. It should prove to be an interesting experience for all of us.

"Tonight we'll stay at a farm near here located on the Raritan River." commented Col. Stuart. "A good friend of mine, Victoria Fitzmaurice has offered to let us stay there until our business in the area is complete. After dinner we'll go over our plans and define the vector pathway to May 5, 2000."

"I've never heard you mention her before," I said in a curious manner. "Where do you know her from?"

"Victoria was married to a fellow officer who was killed in Vietnam, said Col. Stuart sadly. "Jerry Fitzmaurice was a good friend and an excellent field commander. It was tragic loss for Victoria and her young son at the time. I'm sure if Jerry were alive today he would be very proud of his son who is now in the same airborne division he was in."

"Anyway, Victoria and I have been in touch with each other over the years. Whenever I'm on the eastern seaboard, I try to make an effort to check on her to see how she's doing. Victoria purchased this farm about twenty years ago when land values around here were much more reasonable than they are now. Over the years she has developed it into a very successful enterprise."

"Well that's very interesting Col. Stuart," I commented while winking at him and nodding my head.

With blushed cheeks and a look of embarrassment on his face, Col. Stuart looked directly at me and said, "Pete, neither Victoria or myself feel it would be appropriate to have a relationship at this particular point in time. However, I can tell you unequivocally that I do find her to be a most attractive and appealing woman.

Col. Stuart's description of Victoria Fitzmaurice was very accurate in my estimation. A striking hazel eyed, brunette beauty with a subtle touch of gray in her hair, I could only imagine how lovely she must have been in her youth. With excellent posture to match her lovely, rounded figure, she was truly a sight to behold in her riding attire as she greeted us at the front door. Her obvious attraction for Col. Stuart was evident too, as her gentle kiss on his cheek with her eyes closed foretold me of her affection for him. After the introductions, Col. Stuart embraced Victoria gently by the arm and they strolled out on the porch while a housekeeper showed Sir Thomas and myself to our rooms on the second floor of house.

Looking out the window of my room, I noticed that Col. Stuart and Victoria had retreated to the garden area and were following the little stone path that meandered down to the Raritan River. I watched with anticipation and exhilaration to see what would happen next. Would he hold her, perhaps kiss her? Then, just at that moment, I realized how powerful an emotion love can be, not only for the primary players, but also for those around them also. I wanted more than anything for my friend to be happy because I knew of the many hardships he endured throughout his life and his fate always to have ended up alone. I thought of the tragic loss of his wife Jenny to cancer and the unexpected death of his daughter Natalie, to leukemia. Could Victoria help fill this void for him? Could she fill his life with love and understanding? Both of them were strong, driven individuals who had thrown themselves into their work with little regard for their human emotions and needs. Sometimes the best of us change our true paths because of tragedy when the pain is almost impossible to bare. Victoria lost her childhood sweetheart Jerry, while Dezeraie lost his beloved Jenny as well as his only child, Natalie.

After changing into something more comfortable I met Sir Thomas downstairs in the parlor for some refreshments. Unlike Col. Stuart, who has a passion for Vodka Gimlets, Sir Thomas and I had some sparkling water and limejuice. Feeling a bit more refreshed afterwards, we both walked out the back door and into the garden.

It had been a delightful spring day! The sun was just beginning to set and there was a subtle chill in the air. The pathway down to the river was lined with daffodils and other spring flowers of all colors, shapes and varieties. As we walked towards the river we met Col. Stuart and Victoria coming from the opposite direction.

"Gentlemen, I was just coming to look for both of you," said Col. Stuart. "I want to discuss an unforeseen event and I want your opinions on the matter. Since it's getting cooler let's go into the Parlor where we can have some refreshments and we'll be more comfortable."

Following Sir Thomas, I was rather surprised to see Victoria also accompany us to the Parlor. I had wondered earlier how much Col. Stuart had told her about our time travel activities.

After making a sloe gin fizz for Victoria and a gimlet for himself, Col. Stuart sat down on the sofa next to her and looked at Sir Thomas and myself very intensely. "Gentlemen, Victoria recently shared something with me that I think you will find most interesting and thought provoking. Have either of you ever heard of a creature called the 'Jersey Devil'?"

To Sir Thomas' face came a smirk, which slowly turned into a smile. "Isn't that the legendary creature that is suppose to haunt the Pine Barrens located in the south central region of the state?" he said in a matter-of-fact manner. " If I recall correctly, there are numerous tales on how this creature came into existence. The most fanciful story was that it was the deformed, illegitimate child of some poor distraught woman named Nancy Leeds who lived in Colonial times."

"Well, you are truly a wealth of folklore knowledge, Sir Thomas," responded Col. Stuart.

However, regardless of the colorful tales surrounding this creature, there appears to be some fairly convincing proof that it actually does exist."

"Well actually I don't know it for a fact yet Doctor," responded Col. Stuart. "However, I would like you to listen to what Victoria told me earlier about an incident that occurred near the river."

Taking a sip of her drink and looking somewhat apprehensive, Victoria began her story.

"About two weeks ago I was near the Raritan River at dusk with my foreman, Jake; we were repairing a property line marker when we heard this strange hissing sound off to our left. Looking up into the wild hemlocks, I could see something moving about fifty feet off the ground that was silver white in color and flapping its wings. At first I thought it was a bird, but then I realized that this thing was much larger and must have been at least eight to ten feet in length. It appeared to be feeding on something and some of the remains were falling out of the tree onto the rhododendrons on the ground. Without saying a word, I pointed up to the creature and Jake and I cautiously approached the tree. We must have startled it, as it began hissing and dropped its meal, which tumbled through the branches and landed at our feet. To our amazement the creature had consumed a major portion of an adult deer! At that point, it jumped out of the tree and flew parallel to the river for about a quarter of a mile but quickly turned around and was heading directly towards us! What an incredible sight! This thing looked like the medieval flying dragon you see in the movies except smaller and leaner. Its huge reptilian eyes reflected an ominous red glow when we aimed our flashlights and lanterns towards it. My foreman Jake ran to the truck and grabbed his rifle, but before he could get off a shot a strange thing happened. There was this strange crackling noise and what looked like a ring of static electricity suddenly appeared in the air. The creature flew into it and just simply disappeared! A strong acrid odor permeated the air!"

"No, I haven't and neither has Jake," said Victoria visibly shaken. "However, several people in the vicinity have reported deer mutilations and strange hissing sounds coming from the woods for years. Even strange mimicking noises that are similar to human voices have been heard by others as well as myself."

"I found the whole experience to be very frightening. I sometimes have nightmares about the creature and can still feel its horrible red eyes looking at me. I'm convinced that if the creature hadn't seen my foreman reaching for his rifle in the truck that it would have attacked us."

"Well Victoria, you don't know that for sure," said Col. Stuart gently patting her on the back while trying to calm her fears. "For all we know the creature could have been trying to escape and disappeared into the forest. Perhaps at dusk you didn't see the creature change its course at the last second. The strong smell of ozone you described could have been attributable to the thunderstorm earlier in the day"

"Besides, we don't really know if it's that creature of legend called the 'Jersey Devil,' although I'd be the first to admit that there are some obvious similarities. However if I recall correctly, I thought most sightings in the past were further south near Trenton or Atlantic City. This sighting would indicate a marked change in the creature's habitat pattern since it's about 50 miles farther north than the Pine Barrens."

"I think I'll take a tranquilizer and go to bed after I check with the housekeeper," said Victoria who appeared to be tired as well as upset about our discussion. "You guys can use this room if you wish to discuss your business matters," she said as she headed down the stairs. "I'll see you in the morning at breakfast!"

Does either one of you think that this creature and the 'Jersey Devil' are one and the same? I asked. "Perhaps we should interview Jake, Victoria's foreman who also saw this thing?"

"I think Victoria and Jake saw a creature that has sometimes been referred to as the 'Jersey Devil' in the past," said Col. Stuart. "I spoke to Jake about twenty minutes ago and his story collaborates with that of Victoria's version. Is it the same identical creature as the original 'Jersey Devil?' No, I tend to doubt it! There are probably several such creatures that have appeared over the last couple of hundred years. I'm puzzled, however, as to why it is starting to appear in a region of Jersey where sightings this far north were once very rare."

"Well, I don't find that so hard to explain," commented Sir Thomas. "From what I know about the creature in the past and from what I could glean from Victoria's comments, I suspect that the 'Jersey Devil' is an interdimensional creature that can travel to other dimensions and consequently time periods at will. Victoria's description of the creature flying towards her and disappearing in a ring of static electricity, coupled with the smell of ozone in the air are obvious signs. Much like us, it uses natural grid points for this purpose. As both of you know these electromagnetic anomalies have been known to fluctuate and shift through time and actually change locations. I suspect that is exactly what has happened here. In earlier times the grid points were probably further south in the Pine Barrens region of New Jersey. Today, due to changes within the earth's gravitational field, some of the grid points have shifted farther north and they are probably now realigned with a granite geologic structure in this area called the 'Reading Prong.'"

"An inter-dimensional creature? Certainly you're joking, Sir Thomas," I said feeling somewhat confused. "Why on earth would Allah create such a supernatural creature to torment humans?"

"As you well know Doctor, all creatures on this planet that are alive today except for man fill some sort of ecological niche," said Sir Thomas. "Unless of course direct human intervention has been used to preserve them as in the case of some of the rarer species like the Darter fish or the Florida Panther. Perhaps this creature known in folklore as the 'Jersey Devil' has found a way to survive through the ages by living in various dimensions. It is obviously a carnivore because of its love for animal flesh. The large venison herds that have been so prevalent in this area for thousands of years probably attracted these creatures to this region long before man came along and settled the area.

"As far as the creature being supernatural, I sincerely doubt it. I suspect that it's flesh and blood like us and also very intelligent. Victoria was probably right in her original assessment of the situation when she stated that the creature looked as if intended to attack her and Jake. Like you Doctor, it was probably in a rage at having its meal disrupted. However, the sight of Jake grabbing his rifle from the truck made the creature reassess its odds of success. Instead of attacking it wisely chose to escape into another dimension."

"Well, gentlemen, we could talk about the 'Jersey Devil' all night," said Col. Stuart smiling. "However, let's move on to the business at hand."

As soon as Col. Stuart had made his finishing comment a strange thing happened! We heard something similar to the same phrase repeated outside the window in an almost mechanistic, monotone manner. Rushing to the window, Col. Stuart and I peered out into the darkness but could see nothing except for the beginning of the garden area. The only sound we could hear resembled the flapping of bird wings off into the distance.

"Did my ears deceive me or did both of you hear someone or something say to 'move on to the business at hand?'" asked Col. Stuart.

"Someone definitely mimicked you, Colonel," I replied. "But who would be outside the window listening to our conversation and why would they want to disrupt things by repeating a phrase? Do you have any insight into this, Sir Thomas?"

"Actually, yes I do. I've realized for the past twenty minutes that we've been under the observation by some sort of intelligence. I've been trying to determine if it was alien or of this world by assimilating its thought process structure. It's very hard to follow, as it is almost multidimensional in nature. Although its brain has remnants of a reptilian structure it is actually more mammalian in nature. It also possesses considerable conceptual capacity. It is not a technologically oriented creature, but has a cunning or cleverness to it that surpasses most human ability. Indeed, it has many unique characteristics and like an eel it has an ability to store or disperse a powerful electric charge. This creature and the one you call the 'Jersey Devil,' Col. Stuart are one and the same."

"But why would it want to listen to what we were saying?" I said as I continued to peer out the window.

"The creature appears to be protecting its territory," replied Sir Thomas. "This area is its hunting turf and it suspects that we are here to challenge its claim. The creature also knows that a female of our species was threatened by it a couple of days ago and that it came very close to a potentially lethal confrontation. This, incidentally, is the same one that threatened Victoria and her foreman after its feeding frenzy was disrupted. It usually has little to fear from humans because, as I surmised earlier, it can travel through various dimensions to escape harm. However, it has somehow become aware of our ability to travel through time. I suspect it was in the woods and observed the ion trail left on the Qabala when Col. Stuart hid the time ship earlier. Because of its level of intelligence it knows that this type of ion pattern can only come from dimensional time travel. Thus this creature's immediate conclusion was that we were here at the female's habitat to track and hunt it down by whatever means necessary."

"Why that's preposterous!" yelled Col. Stuart. "We have no intention of harming this thing."

"Nevertheless, all of us and especially you Col. Stuart must be on guard from a sudden attack by this creature, said Sir Thomas in a serious vein. "You have been perceived as 'alpha dog' and the one closest to the female whom resides in its territory."

"Please do not take lightly what I am telling you," continued Sir Thomas. "This creature has great strength and reflexes as well as an ability to paralyze its prey with a powerful electric shock. This is how it can quickly immobilize a large twelve point buck when it is out on a hunt."

"Well thank you Sir Thomas for the warning," said Col. Stuart laughing, "but I really have no intention in having an encounter with the infamous 'Jersey Devil.' Nevertheless, I will heed your warning and be adequately prepared for such an encounter should it ever arise."

"Now gentlemen, let's close the window and move on to the logistics involved in testing some of our theories," continued Col. Stuart. "To test Sir Thomas' theory that God created specific electromagnetic rifts in the 'Inter-Dimensional Time Vector Matrix' and that they help facilitate the development of ideas in intelligent life will require considerable forethought on our part."

"As you know when we time travel to the future we are hindered by the fact that what we observe at a specific vector point in time may or may not be the view that eventually wins out in reality (See Technical Overview #2). God of course, in his infinite wisdom is responsible for this dilemma since we now know that he has allowed mankind the freedom of choice in its actions. Thus the future we observe when we time travel is always based on a probability of occurrence. We can go to a future point in the time fabric with a high 90% probability of occurrence or to one with only a low 10% probability of occurrence. These two distinct worlds will often differ as much as night and day."

"Since we know that the future can differ markedly because of the probability of occurrences that mankind can select, we should then look for constants that cut across these various dimensions," added Sir Thomas. "It is these stable forces which are often represented by electromagnetic rifts in the time fabric that may well indicate the Creator's work and the channel by which conceptual constructs are conveyed to mankind."

Feeling somewhat perplexed by Col. Stuart and Sir Thomas' comments, I had to restate in my own words what I had just heard. "Well then from what both of you are saying, if we go to the same point in the future twice except that we change the probability of occurrence in each case, we may actually encounter two totally different worlds. However, the magnetic rifts or hands of Allah if you will, would be present and essentially identical in both dimensions. I must admit however, that I am somewhat confused why the electromagnetic rifts would be the same in two totally different probabilistic worlds. I would think that depending upon which world one was in, Allah would have different intentions thus different constructs would appear accessible to humans in each world."

"Very insightful doctor, said Sir Thomas smiling with delight. "What you indicate is exactly what I would expect to occur. The distinction here is subtle and actually multi-dimensional. You see, the magnetic rifts cut through the time fabric regardless of the probabilistic world that exists. Thus they have a profound influence on individuals that exist within that specific world as well as those existing in other probabilistic worlds. The constructs that are seeded in these individuals actually does differ depending upon the probabilistic world they live in, but the actual structure of the magnetic rifts remains the same."

"You know Thomas, I think you've put things in their proper perspective," commented Col. Stuart. "As Pete suggested, let's travel to the same point in time twice. You and Pete need to reprogram the Qabala's computer to reflect the destination vector point of May 5, 2000. Since we're going into the future, set a low probability existence path for the first trip of say 10%, so that what we encounter in that world will most likely not occur in the future. After we return to the present we will then go to the same point in time again, except on a high probability existence path around 90%. What we encounter there should reflect eventual reality in our world within the confines of that highly probabilistic framework."

"It took Sir Thomas and myself about an hour to program the Time Reference Indicator to travel to May 5, 2000, twice with two separate probability expectancies. After we had finished our programming it was about 1:30 in the morning. Without saying a word we grabbed the navigational tool and followed Col. Stuart out to his vehicle. He had not indicated to either of us where he had hidden our time machine, the Qabala, yet we knew it was in the local geographic area somewhere close to a natural grid point.

After driving for about fifteen minutes on dark country roads and crossing a small bridge, we finally arrived at our destination. Getting out of the truck in the darkness I could sense a moist chill in the air and hear the rushing water of a large stream or river, which I suspected, was another part of the Raritan River. Silhouetted against the trees in the darkness was a large garage, which I knew probably contained the Qabala. Col. Stuart cautiously walked around the garage and then continued through the surrounding area prior to opening the small front door, which lead to the office area.

"We're near an area called Neshanic Station," responded Col. Stuart. "It was used as a switching area for the railroads in the 1930's. I was able to rent this garage for a couple of weeks until the owner returns from Ohio. I've stored all kinds of stuff in here and disguised the Qabala to thwart anyone who might be up to no good. If you two would help me remove these tarps I would appreciate it."

After about fifteen minutes, we had succeeded in removing the covering that Col. Stuart had put in place to hide the Qabala from view. Although dusty from storage as well as from its trip from Florida, the time ship appeared to be in excellent condition. After installing the Time Reference Indicator and checking all systems, we opened the garage door and rolled the Qabala towards the river in the dark.

"Sir Thomas, could you tell me precisely where the grid point is located?" asked Col. Stuart.

"The actual coordinates of the grid point seem to fluctuate in location as well as intensity," responded Sir Thomas. "It looks like we'll have to place a portion of the Qabala in that shallow rocky part of the river and the other portion will be on the left bank. This grid point is not especially strong nor is it very consistent. I'm glad were not depending on it too greatly and only going a relatively short distance into the future."

"Right you are!" exclaimed Col. Stuart. " Let's go before someone happens along and sees us!"

The Qabala spent only a short time in the 'Inter-dimensional Time Vector Matrix' before arriving at our vector point destination of May 5, 2000. Sir Thomas and I spent most of our time confirming the existence of the electromagnetic rift and making a fingerprint of it to compare to the rift we will encounter on our return trip to the same point in time with a 90% probability expectancy.

"Let's get out and see if we can determine anything unusual about this day," yelled Sir Thomas. "After all this is the day when most of the planets are in alignment and some sages predicted as the end of the world!"

It was about 3:00 in the morning when we opened the Qabala's portal. Cool air, strong wind and rain met us as we jumped onto level ground. While Col. Stuart looked around the area, Sir Thomas and I obtained many of the necessary readings to verify the existence of the magnetic rift we had been postulating about earlier. As we set about our business we were disrupted by someone moving towards us about fifty yards away. Off to our right near the road, we heard a high pitched woman's voice telling us to please wait and not to leave. Someone was actually running towards us and yelling our names! Col. Stuart! Col. Stuart! Sir Thomas! Dr. Savage! Please, please wait for me!" this unknown person yelled.

"Who are you and who are these people you're looking for?" yelled back Col. Stuart who appeared very surprised that someone knew our names.

"Oh, thank God I was able to make contact with you before you went back into the time fabric!" our unknown visitor remarked just before careening forward into Col. Stuart.

Reaching down in the rain to help our unknown assailant up, Col. Stuart repeated his earlier question.

"Well, my name is Rene Yamamoto!" she exclaimed. "I read your memoir, 'Don't walk Away, Rene!' when it first appeared in the summer of 1998 on your web site. I was immediately struck by the fact that the person in this memoir had the same name as myself! Then, realizing that everything in the story took place not too far from where I live in Princeton which is about twenty miles further south, I realized the person in the story was indeed me! What really spooked me though was the realization that my world with its 10% probability expectancy was not likely to be the world of the future."

"Young lady, I have absolutely no earthly idea what you're talking about," said Col. Stuart in a glib like manner. " All I know is that you came out of the darkness and rain screaming some peoples' names and that you almost knocked me down into the Raritan River."

Just as Col. Stuart was about to say something else, Sir Thomas noticed the porch lights coming on in the cottage that was about a hundred and fifty yards further downstream. Sensing some possible problems, Col. Stuart told Sir Thomas and me as well as our visitor to get immediately into the Qabala, which we did without hesitation. He then lit the time circuit and we began to quickly travel back to our departure point in 1997.

Once we arrived at our home vector point, Sir Thomas and I helped Col. Stuart push the Qabala back into the garage area and close the doors. Col. Stuart requested Rene to follow us to the office area whereupon we all sat down to sort through the strange sequence of events.

"Dr. Yamamoto!" exclaimed Rene. "I'm a Ph.D. in astrophysics and I work as a consultant for a private organization that is located in the Princeton area. I know a lot about the three of you because I've read all your memoirs and technical overviews on the Internet for the past three years."

"Wow, I've got to admit, I thought all of this was some sort of elaborate hoax, especially when you talked about travelling through time without mentioning the space-time continuum. I couldn't imagine in my wildest dreams how someone could go through time without exceeding the speed of light since that is the thinking of some of the greatest minds in physics today."

"Yes, quite true, Dr. Yamamoto," I said. "But it's also a prime example of extreme parochial thinking. There is an old saying I learned in Abyssinia when I was a very young lad and I think it applies here. 'If you can't bring Mohammed to the Mountain, bring the Mountain to Mohammed.' In-other-words, if you can't build a craft to exceed the speed of light, build one that quite literally goes through the light wave at oblique angles due to resonance."

"You must be Dr. Savage, said Rene. "Your references to your birthplace and the Muslim Prophet Mohammed are dead giveaways. Obviously, the authoritarian 'John Wayne' type I bumped into earlier was Col. Stuart and that leaves Sir Thomas as the only one of you who hasn't said anything to me yet."

"Gee, for a mystical type, I've got to admit that Sir Thomas' appearance really doesn't cut it. I was expected someone with a wild-eyed expression and beard and robes. Actually he's really quite handsome and..."

"Listen, young lady!" interrupted Col. Stuart. " I've heard what you said and I've got a couple of questions I would like you to answer. I am by no means happy that I was forced to take you with us because of the noise and turmoil you created earlier."

"I would like you to tell us why you thought it was so all fired important to meet us at the Raritan River when you did. If you read about us at some point in time as you said you did, then you would know how important discretion is for our survival? Why on earth would you yell our names out as you did?"

Looking somewhat perplexed, Rene looked at Col. Stuart and said, "Well, I guess I learned my lines so well from rereading 'Don't Walk Away, Rene!' over the last year that I responded as I was supposed to in the memoir. I even used the same words! By the way when do I meet Victoria? I forget whether she came with you or not."

"Let me get this straight," said Col. Stuart. "Are you saying that you were responding like an actress that had memorized the lines to some crazy play?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," responded Rene. " In fact, this is absolutely incredible! Everything that was described in the memoir when I read it before is occurring now! Meeting you guys at the river. Traveling back in time on the Qabala. This meeting! I knew about it all before it ever happened! Oh dear God, I've got goose bumps over my whole body about this! Can this really be happening to me or am I actually dreaming?"

"Yes, most assuredly this is happening to you," replied Sir Thomas in a tranquil tone of voice. "This whole experience is only further evidence to support what the other time travelers and I discussed in the tavern only yesterday. Ideas and concepts, like human beings, can shape reality in the most bizarre way imaginable. There is a definite purpose for all of this. The Creator in his own way is defining a path for us and we must try and understand."

"You mean she is defining a path don't you Sir Thomas?" interjected Rene with a subtle smirk on her face.

Smiling peacefully, Sir Thomas responded, "If you feel that the Lord of the Universe must speak to you only through the negative and dark forces of the Yin then you will never recognize or comprehend the positive and bright forces of the Yang. Life is an iterative progression towards the truth with few absolutes and the interplay of all pathways must be considered. Do not let the idiosyncrasies or barriers of words and language or current fads in thinking hide you from the truth."

Rene's smirk quickly changed to an expression of bewilderment before she regained her composure. "Sir Thomas you've always been described in the 'Chronicles' as being a serious young man and I can certainly see that here. Actually, I was just sort of teasing you. I knew what you were going to say before you said it but that didn't lessen the impact of the way in which you said it. I won't profess to match wits with any of you on a metaphysical level but I do have something to offer you in terms of my training in astrophysics."

"We're not looking for new recruits, Dr. Yamamoto!" said Col. Stuart loudly. "Especially in the area of astrophysics. We have more than enough to do here on earth. My peers and I have no intention of traveling throughout the solar system through interstellar grid points looking for more excitement or trouble. The one thing you can do for us however, is to fill us in on the effects of the interplanetary alignment that occurred recently on May 5th in your world."

Looking grimly at Col. Stuart, Rene said, "The alignment of the planets on this fateful day has caused a interplanetary gravitational field of such magnitude that two of Saturn's moons have already started to disintegrate. It's anyone's guess if the earth or our own moon will do the same. Certain coastal areas are experiencing severe wind, rain and flooding due to exceptionally high tides. A state of national emergency is in effect but it is really a world emergency. This natural disaster following so closely on the heels of the Y2K economic disaster has severely impacted the whole world."

With a puzzled expression on her face, Rene looked directly at Col. Stuart. "You still don't understand the purpose for all of this yet, do you? How about you, Dr. Savage? Sir Thomas, has your powerful intuitive sense disclosed the real purpose for these trips that the three of you have made into the future?"

I was the first to respond and I chose my words carefully because I didn't want to tell Rene too much about our current project. "Listen, Dr. Yamamoto, our trips through the time fabric are always scientific in nature. In this instance we were trying to substantiate the existence of a particular phenomena, which at this point, we're not at liberty to disclose to you."

With anger showing in her face, Rene said, "You forget Dr. Savage that I've read this memoir! I know exactly what you and your cohorts are looking for! All three of you undertook this project because you're looking for stable electromagnetic rifts in the time fabric that will prove that God communicates certain ideas and concepts to man. You've gone to the same world in the future but with two different probability expectancies factored in. The one with a probability existence of 10%, where you found me and soon you'll be going to the same world with a probability existence of 90%. Please correct me if I'm wrong, Col. Stuart!"

Realizing the complexity of the situation, Col. Stuart leaned over and whispered something to Sir Thomas, who was flipping through a phone book and soon responded with a nod. "Listen carefully to what I'm going to say to you Rene," replied Col. Stuart. "Sir Thomas and I are of the opinion that I made a mistake bringing you here with us. Obviously, you know a lot about us and what you've told us so far may well be true. However, understand that we don't intend to alter the settled order of nature, regardless of the time frame or the probabilistic world. You may accompany us to the world with a 90% probability expectancy, but soon afterwards we will take you back to your own time."

Rene looked at us and smiled. "Listen youse (sic) guys, you're of the opinion that what has already occurred can be altered and I'm here to tell you that it cannot be changed no matter what you choose to do. I will go along with your charades for the time being, but soon you will realize the truth of what I'm telling you. This particular happenstance was meant to be and in this case, the issue of free will is a moot point."

Although Col. Stuart smiled at Rene, he chose not to respond to her comments. Instead he requested that Sir Thomas and I help him push the Qabala back down to its original location on the Raritan River so that it was aligned with the grid point. Once this was done all four of us got into the Qabala and Col. Stuart once again lit the time travel circuit and we entered the time fabric.

Arriving at our destination point of May 5, 2000 with a probability existence of 90% disclosed a far different and much more temperate evening than the one we had experienced previously. It was a partly cloudy night, but the visibility was excellent. Although there was a slight chill in the air there was little if any wind. A new moon was waxing in a night sky filled with the light of thousands of stars.

Up on the embankment we could see that the garage Col. Stuart had rented in 1997 to store the Qabala was once again empty. Attempting to take advantage of this opportunity, Col. Stuart pulled out his key to see if it still fit the lock, which it did. Once again we pushed the Qabala away from the grid point located on the river and up into the garage and quickly closed the doors. Going to the office area, Sir Thomas and I lit several candles and chatted with Rene and Col. Stuart while we conducted several tests to determine the existence of the electromagnetic rifts. As we suspected, we found the rift fingerprints to be identical to the rifts we found in the 10% probabilistic world. Further evidence of Allah's hand at work?

"Well, I'm pleased with our findings," commented Col. Stuart. "It's amazing that as we predicted, the duration and intensity of the magnetic rifts do not appear to change regardless of probabilistic world we're in. Obviously, this finding will require further evidence down the road, but it certainly seems to point to the fact that these stable electromagnetic rifts exist and may be the means by which the Creator guides mankind towards the Godhead."

"Now I think it's time to take Rene back to her own world before we go back to ours," said Col. Stuart looking out a side window and peering out into the darkness. "Nothing against you personally Rene, but as I hinted to you earlier, when we travel through time we like to disturb things as little as possible. You are an artifact of another world, another time and place and that's where you should be."

"I'm afraid that's impossible!" exclaimed Sir Thomas while closing a telephone book.

"Just as I've suspected all along, Rene Yamamoto no longer exists in any world other than this one now."

Although Rene sat at the table with her arms folded saying nothing, Col. Stuart and I immediately jumped up and demanded that Sir Thomas tell us exactly what he meant.

"Gentlemen, I've been checking the phone books for the Princeton area, and I couldn't find Rene Yamamoto listed in the 1997 phone book when we went back to the "present," nor can I find her in the phone books for 1998 or 1999 which are on those back tables."

"Well, that should be easy to explain, said Col. Stuart. "Rene, obviously has an unlisted telephone number."

"No, that's absolutely not true," interjected Rene. "My telephone number has always been listed since the consulting firm I work for requires its employees to be easily contacted by potential clients."

Clearing his throat before he answered, Sir Thomas said, "Col. Stuart, we have learned something today of great importance. It is apparent to me that your decision to take Rene with us and leave the date, May 5, 2000 with a probability existence of 10% virtually guaranteed that we would never be able to get her back to that world again. This issue is not a question of 'free will' but rather one of probability. The reason for this is due to the low probabilistic vector pathways leading to Rene's world, which are in a constant state of flux. Here the reality perceived for just one instance may actually change from second to second. As a result, the vector pathway we took through the time fabric to Rene's most improbable world no longer exists."

"That's an interesting notion, Sir Thomas," I remarked. "Are you saying that if we visited the same exact date twice with a probability existence of 10% that we could conceivably experience two entirely different scenarios?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," commented Sir Thomas. "That's precisely why we can never get Rene back to her world. You see, if we had encountered Rene on our current trip into time that has a 90% probability expectancy it would be easy to get her back! However, as I'm sure you and Col. Stuart are aware there was no Rene to greet us in this most probabilistic future world."

With anger in her eyes, Rene suddenly stood up and shouted, "Are you saying that my world no longer exists? That my whole life, my parents, my friends, my memories, my whole world is gone? Then what do I really have to go back too? Ha! The laugh is really on youse (sic) guys. I told you I was here to stay and you refused to believe me. Don't you see I'm here for a purpose! You may not know what that purpose is, but since I've read the memoir, I do! With these words, Rene bolted through the garage door and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

"Rene, please wait!" I shouted loudly. "Please come back! Don't walk away, Rene!"

The three of us rushed out the garage door only to see Rene scramble up the embankment and disappear into the darkness surrounding the road. Sir Thomas and I continued up the embankment and onto the tarmac while Col. Stuart went back momentarily to lock the garage door.

"Didn't she head towards that bridge?" I whispered. "In the darkness I thought I saw her following the walking trail beside the bridge."

"I believe you're right." interjected Col. Stuart who had just joined us. "Let's follow the pathway that leads down towards the river."

Following Rene's tracks, we followed the pathway for about twenty minutes until we came to a large clearing surrounded by Oak trees located about 300 meters from the river. Here for some reason the tracks actually stopped, as if Rene had disappeared into thin air. Col. Stuart looked very puzzled and scrutinized the whole area looking for clues. For some strange reason, the usual night sounds of the fauna in the area seemed to be missing and there was an uncanny silence.

"This place is an old burial ground," said Sir Thomas quietly. "On this neutral site, the living energy force from people and animals buried here for thousands of years has long since disappeared. Look, you can see the stones that were used once to mark the location of some of the graves."

"More than that, Dr. Savage," responded Sir Thomas. "Not only Indians, but also some early French and Dutch settlers as well as some Colonials and Englishmen from the Revolutionary War. Also many animals; in fact look over there next to those rocks and you'll see the remains of many different species."

"Doesn't it strike you, gentlemen, as odd that so many different creatures, including man are buried here?" asked Col. Stuart.

"Not really," responded Sir Thomas. "All creatures, be it man or otherwise, subconsciously seek out an appropriate location for their final physical resting place. True, many were buried here who did no wish to die, but their friends and comrades knew subconsciously where to bury them. In fact, many creatures are drawn to this area because it has no positive or negative energy draw and is truly a neutral site. I found many such places in Ireland and Scotland. Hmm, in addition, there is something else but..."

"Col. Stuart, could you and Dr. Savage please come here immediately!" exclaimed Sir Thomas.

Hearing the alarm in Sir Thomas' voice, Col. Stuart and I were at his side almost immediately. Looking at his graven face, I sensed that there was something of major concern on his mind.

"Col. Stuart, there is something you need to be made aware of right now," Sir Thomas whispered with deep concern in his voice. "The creature that was lurking outside of Victoria's parlor the other night is with us now! In fact, it is observing us from its location in that patch of trees about a hundred yards off to our left. It has been following us since we left the Qabala, but focusing primarily on you. I do hope you took the precautionary measures I advised you of earlier."

"Remember when I suspected that this creature had the capability of multidimensional time travel?" asked Sir Thomas trying to keep his voice low. "Well, this just proves my point. It saw us enter the time fabric with the Qabala and it has been following our ion trail to different locations in time. The creature is leery of you because it thinks you are out to destroy it since it was hunting in your territory and also threatened one of your females."

"One of my females?" said Col. Stuart, trying not to laugh. "Use your great intuition to tell me just how many females does this thing think I have?"

"At least two," said Sir Thomas. "In addition to Victoria, the creature also perceives Rene as one of your females since you picked her up in another dimension and we are now searching for her. Remember you are 'alpha dog' in this creature's eyes and it is intimidated by your presence. It may well try and attack you in a desperate effort to destroy you before you can destroy it. You must always be on your guard, especially now."

Before Sir Thomas could say another word, Col. Stuart turned to his left and walked directly towards the group of trees where the creature was located. Above the sound of his footsteps we could here the flapping of wings and a strange hissing sound. Over the trees loomed a creature of lean dragon-like proportions and it was flying towards Col. Stuart at an incredibly quick pace. Col. Stuart immediately swung his raincoat away from his right side exposing the large 44. Magnum revolver strapped to his leg. In an eye blink the gun was in his hand, cocked and firmly pointed at his aggressor. With this action, the creature immediately discontinued its attack and veered up and to its left. The sound of static electricity and the smell of ozone permeated the air as the creature literally disappeared before our very eyes!

"Would you have really shot that thing?" I asked as I ran up to Col. Stuart. "It seems like you went out of your way to provoke it. You certainly had a perfect opportunity to stop it or at least wound it."

"No, Doctor, I really had no intention of hurting the creature," replied Col. Stuart. "However, I did want to make it aware of the fact that I chose not to shoot at it. My initial action in walking towards it was designed to show the creature that my decision to hold my fire was based on strength and courage rather than fear or confusion."

"Perhaps you should have tried to reason with the thing," I said, somewhat emotionally. "After all, it showed us at Victoria's place that it had the capacity for speech. You could have probably talked to it and made it realize that you had no intention in harming it instead of going through such theatrics and endangering yourself as well as us."

"I don't think so Doctor," replied Col. Stuart. "Although this thing is very cunning and intelligent, like most carnivores it is primarily a creature of action rather than of intellect. In this type of situation, an experience of this nature will be far more meaningful to it than trying to communicate with it through words."

"Why did you think that the creature would chose to go into another dimension rather than attack you? I said.

"Actually, that was a calculated risk," responded Col. Stuart. "Remember earlier when Victoria described her first encounter with the creature to us? If you recall, just the sight of her foreman's rifle caused the creature to call off its attack and to disappear into another dimension. I suspected that the creature would do the same thing if it were again confronted by a firearm. Fortunately, I was right. Although the creature is obviously very powerful physically and can administer a lethal electrical shock it is no match for a high powered firearm in the hands of a trained marksman and knows it. This is probably something its kind learned over the last couple of hundred years with the development of firearms by humans."

"As we surmised, it's obviously intelligent enough to know when the odds are stacked against it," commented Sir Thomas. Most carnivores such as a lion or a bear would have continued the attack and met with an unfortunate end. However, the creature may still have an ace up its sleeve."

"Just what do you mean?" Col. Stuart asked with a puzzled expression on his face.

"As I suspected, the creature has Rene," continued Sir Thomas. "When it disappeared I ran to the area where it was situated earlier in a tree. Here I found Rene's raincoat on the ground next to the trunk. In addition, I no longer sensed Rene in the immediate area."

"I suspect that the creature saw her running from us earlier and decided to capture her," said Col. Stuart. "Possibly as assurance that we would not harm it."

"Or worse!" I yelled. "We know the creature is a carnivore. Maybe it will try and make a meal of her."

"Fortunately for Rene, down through the ages these creatures have found human flesh to be extremely repugnant," commented Sir Thomas. "The only time they would possibly attack a human for food would be when there was simply nothing else to eat. They much prefer the strong gamy taste of venison and have more than an ample supply here in New Jersey."

"Probably to some other dimension by now, Doctor," responded Sir Thomas. "It's quite possible that the creature has gone back to that time period where we first encountered it."

'Well, if Rene is no longer in this time period and both of you are finished with your magnetic rift testing, let's get back to the Qabala and find Rene," said Col. Stuart, with a worried look on his face.

When we got back to the Qabala, we relocated the time ship over the grid point area next to the riverbed and again re-entered the time fabric. We arrived back in the present only fifteen minutes after we had originally left it. After pushing the Qabala back into the garage and carefully covering her with several large canvas tarps, we left for Victoria's place.

Pulling into the driveway we were all surprised to find the farmhouse ablaze with lights.

Upon seeing us, Victoria and her housekeeper quickly came out the front door and down to Col. Stuart's vehicle.

"Thank Goodness you're back!" exclaimed Victoria. "I awoke about ten minutes ago to the sound of a woman screaming in the woods down by the river. I've also heard some of those strange hissing sounds near the house. My foreman Jake is off visiting his family in Pennsylvania and I was just about to get a couple of the farm hands to accompany me down to the river."

"That won't be necessary, Victoria," said Col. Stuart as he got out of his vehicle. "The three of us have some suspicions about what this is all about and we'll handle it. However, I would prefer that you did not accompany us as your life could be in imminent danger. You and your housekeeper should go back into the farmhouse and lock all doors and windows until you hear from me again."

Without saying a word, Victoria hugged Col. Stuart and then headed back to the farmhouse with her housekeeper. Col. Stuart grabbed a flashlight and quickly started down the pathway to the river with Sir Thomas and myself not far behind.

As we approached the river we could hear a woman's voice, which sounded very much like Rene's screaming to help her down. Col. Stuart aimed his flashlight up into the wild hemlocks and we could just make out Rene in one of the trees about fifty feet off the ground.

"Col. Stuart, is that you?" yelled Rene. "Please help me! Get me down! I'm scared to death!"

"Just stay where you are for the time being, Rene" replied Col. Stuart. "We'll get you down shortly."

Turning around to look at Sir Thomas and I, Col. Stuart said, "Good, she's still alive and healthy. I was afraid that the creature would harm her to get back at me."

Just as Col. Stuart was about to say something else we heard the distant sound of flapping wings coming towards us. Looking up into the night sky, the silloitte of the creature could be seen against the moonlit sky. Fearing the worse, Col. Stuart again pulled out his big bore revolver, cocked it and took aim at the creature.

"Col. Stuart! Col. Stuart! Put your gun away!" screamed Rene. "None of us have anything to fear from Katel."

Upon hearing Rene's words, Col. Stuart, who still appeared somewhat apprehensive, de-cocked his revolver and placed it back in its holster. The creature continued with its flight path quickly gaining momentum until it vanished in a haze of clouds and static electricity.

"Get me down from here!" yelled Rene as she held onto the tree. "You have nothing to fear from Katel, she's no longer in this dimension."

It took Col. Stuart and Sir Thomas about an hour to get Rene down from where the creature had left her. Both had climbed the tree to Rene's level and slowly worked her down branch by branch until she was back on firm ground. Returning to the farmhouse, we were quickly admitted by Victoria, who wanted to know all of the details of our experience on the river. She also wanted to know about Rene and how she ended up on her property. We agreed to give ourselves about fifteen minutes to freshen up prior to meeting in the parlor where an early breakfast was being served by the housekeeper.

After seeing that everyone was present, Col. Stuart dismissed the housekeeper and closed the door to the parlor. Looking at Victoria he told her that because of her earlier involvement with the creature down by the river and because some of the things that Rene just told him, it was essential that she be included in all the discussions. He also emphasized to both Victoria and Rene that although some of these things would sound unbelievable, that they should both keep an open mind about them. He further stated that this was highly private information and to be shared with no one outside of those individuals currently in the Parlor. After Victoria and Rene agreed to these conditions, Col. Stuart began his discussion. He talked about our time ship, the Qabala and the team (Sir Thomas and myself) he had put together to resolve some of the logistical difficulties associated with going through the time fabric. He then talked about Rene and how she had become involved with the time travelers because of an odd twist of fate. Once Col. Stuart felt comfortable that Victoria and Rene had a good conceptual understanding of events leading up to this point in time, he began his discussion of the most recent experiences.

"The recent trips we have made into the time fabric were done to determine if the electromagnetic rifts we encountered in each of the probabilistic worlds of the future were identical," he continued. "Our recent observations and tests conducted by Dr. Savage and Sir Thomas would appear to bear this supposition out."

"Yes indeed!" commented Sir Thomas happily, "There is little doubt in my mind that the electromagnetic rifts represent the hand of the Creator at work and are responsible for generating the nucleus of ideas and concepts that will help bring mankind closer to the Godhead. This confirms my original idea that, like the 'spoken word' uttered by a human being, concepts and ideas can also shape reality, thus giving rise to the many probabilistic worlds we've encountered in the time fabric. The truly amazing thing about this, however, is the fact that regardless of the probabilistic world the electromagnetic rifts are identical, but give rise to an entirely different set of concepts and ideas depending upon the needs of that particular world."

"Wait just a minute, Sir Thomas," said Victoria looking confused. "Certainly not all ideas are brought about by God's intervention. What about those individuals who create things that are destructive to the earth or man and the animals that inhabit it? I certainly wouldn't want to believe that they got these ideas from God!"

"Of course the evil intent or harmful action is brought about by man not the Creator," said Sir Thomas in a firm manner. "Actually it is the misinterpretation of the nucleus of an idea by man coupled to his free will that can give rise to such turmoil. This situation can compound itself until it reaches serious and disastrous proportions. Such an error in judgment weakens the metaphysical link between an individual in tune to the electromagnetic rifts and his Creator. As a result, some people who are initially receptive to this great energy flow aggrandize themselves and their selfish aims instead of using this energy to further the Creator's work by bringing mankind closer to the Godhead. Obviously, that's when things start to go askew and the energy becomes increasingly self-destructive. It's an interesting phenomenon that so many human beings whose total span of physical existence usually averages only seventy-five years can take such an egocentric attitude about their talents and ability at the expense of the eternal Creator. The cold hard fact of the matter is, if you don't find yourself in the Creator's flow of energy, it is only a matter of time before you will be viewed as an obstruction and will be brushed aside like so many grains of sand. Because of the Creator's gift of autonomy, an individual is free to make this choice but the wrong choice can be highly self-destructive for the person as well as for others. In fact, Col. Stuart, Dr. Savage and I talked about this very thing in our discussion on Hitler a couple of days ago."

"Yes we did, " I commented. "Based on your observations, I would think that once an individual taps into the energy matrix created by the electromagnetic rift and formulates a concept, the next most important thing would be an individual's ability to ascertain the will of Allah concerning this concept."

"Very much so, Doctor." said Sir Thomas. "Meditation by the individual to determine how the conceptual gifts can be put to use to benefit mankind is imperative and probably the next most critical step. Unfortunately, this is where most individuals fall astray and think of their own self interest instead of focusing their energies on what the Creator has in mind for this world."

"Just as the great prophets have forewarned us for centuries, worldly desires such as personal or political power, wealth, sexual pleasures or material possessions have occupied the minds of most people on this planet," I commented. "I'm sure such actions on a world wide scale can contribute significantly to the development of some of the strange probabilistic worlds we visited earlier with the Qabala."

"You mean the unlikely probabilistic world where you found me, don't you Doctor?" exclaimed Rene. "I hope all of you will eventually see that my being here has a profound sense of purpose to it and did not occur simply by chance as Col. Stuart seems to think!"

"Rene, you do me an injustice!" snapped Col. Stuart. "I've said nothing to you in that regard. If the truth were known, I feel very sorry for you because I made the decision to take you from a world with such a low probability of future existence that we are actually unable to return you to it now! It is indeed a strange twist of fate that here you sit living and breathing before our very eyes yet your world and all you came to know has ceased to exist! You've just alluded to a purpose for this incredible sequence of events. Pray tell if you have some insight into all of this, please share it with us."

"It all centers around the creature you sometimes refer to as the 'Jersey Devil.'" said Rene smiling as if she possessed some deep dark secret.

"You mean the creature that abducted you and left you stranded in a tree fifty feet off the ground?" I retorted. "You're lucky you weren't eaten, young lady. Do you know how quickly that thing can devour a deer?"

"Yes, that very creature!" responded Rene. "However, you need to understand that this being which calls itself Katel did not abduct me or leave me stranded nor did it endanger my life. I purposely sought this being out. Earlier when you guys thought I was over-reacting and I ran out of the garage I was just doing what had already been foretold earlier in your memoir, "Don't Walk Away, Rene!" Once I left the garage, I headed for the main road knowing full well that I would soon encounter 'Katel,' the being you call the 'Jersey Devil.' Following the road to the bridge, I took the pathway which followed the river until it veered off and I came to the area surrounded by Oak trees. Here I looked for Katel in the clearing where I knew she would be. I'll admit when I first saw her, I was very frightened, as she does resemble a creature that could be mistaken for a small medieval dragon. I knew I must get close to her to communicate with her, since her ilk can mimic human sounds but cannot actually converse in human speech due to its dimensional limitations. Moving her left appendage downward, Katel pointed toward a pool of slow moving water that was just out of the mainstream current of the river. Looking into the pool I noticed an array of colors swirling in the water and soon a picture or rather a scene began to slowly appear across the surface. The surreal image that first immerged was of my parents, my sister and I. Although my image remained clear, the images of my family began to disappear and were soon replaced by an image of the Qabala containing the three of you. This vision in turn also disappeared and was replaced by an image of Victoria and a young man whom I have never seen before.

"Describe this young man for me!" yelled Victoria who appeared completely stunned by Rene's comment.

"He looked a lot like the soldier I saw in the next image, only younger," commented Rene quietly. "Unlike the other images which were like photographs this image spoke to me. Major Jerry Fitsmaurice was his name and he said "to tell Victoria that, although time passes through here that he still loved her and always would." He also said, "to tell Victoria not to bear the cross of loneliness any longer and to move towards the light."

"What!" screamed Victoria, jumping up. "Are you saying you actually talked with Jerry? What kind of a person are you that you would contrive something like this?"

"As hard as it may seem, please believe me, Victoria." said Rene with compassion in her eyes. "I don't know how or why this occurred, but I have no reason to lie to you."

Looking very upset, Victoria excused herself, turned around and left the room. Col. Stuart, sensing Victoria's distress, was quick to follow.

"Tell us what else Katel showed you," said Sir Thomas in a curious manner. "Did she show you any images of the most probabilistic future?"

"Actually, she did," responded Rene. After the image of Major Fitzmaurice faded an image containing the symbols Y2K appeared in bold blue letters and began spinning around as if caught in a sparkling whirlpool. All around these blue letters were many corporate names and logos, which were also spinning round and round and following the letters down into the vortex. From the vortex emerged a bird of great beauty."

"After the Y2K image, I kept looking deeply into the waters and I saw all the planets of the solar system except for one in almost perfect alignment. I remember thinking that I was looking at a very large but precise machine. I sensed fear and concern on the part of the beings located on the third planet from the sun, which of course is the earth. However, I also felt great strength and stability in our solar system and the omnipotent force that created it. We humans have little to fear from this alignment except that which our fearful imaginations have contrived."

"Were you thinking about these different things when you encountered Katel?" I asked. "Is that why you were given insight into these unusual sequence of events?

"Well, yes and no!" said Rene looking somewhat perplexed. "Some of the things like Y2K and the planet alignment I had been thinking about on my own long before you time travelers came along and prior to my reading 'Don't Walk Away, Rene!' Of course, I was first alerted to my involvement with your group as well as with Victoria and Katel when I first read the memoir. However, despite my best efforts, I can recollect nothing from the past about this man, Major Fitzmaurice and what he told me about Victoria. As many times as I read the memoir that summer, I don't remember anything about him and what he told me. It's almost as if it didn't exist in the world in which I read it."

"Your intuition on this point may well be right on the mark," stated Sir Thomas. "Not only is Katel a multidimensional being, she is capable of capturing the energy inherent in similar ideas that exist in time and space and concentrating their strength. This is what accounted for the image of Major Fitzmauruce. No wonder she has a hard time communicating with human beings. Her thinking is multidimensional rather than limited to three dimensions like ours. Of all God's creatures on this earth, her kind are the only ones that know the most probable future. That's obviously how Katel is so successful in hunting down deer. She knows exactly where they are going to be."

"But why would Katel show me an image of Major Fitzmaurice?" asked Rene with a puzzled look on her face. "I have no relationship to this man or, for that matter, to his widow, Victoria."

"Your relationship to Jerry Fitzmaurice and Victoria is a very profound one as you'll find out in the near future," responded Sir Thomas with a slight smile. "I cannot tell you what has been shown to me but in time all your questions about this matter will be answered. 'Seek and ye shall find'."

"Sir Thomas spare me the melodramatics," said Rene somewhat half-heartedly. "Put yourself in my shoes. The world I knew is gone! My family and my friends as well as my job and my work associates no longer exist! Everything that was dear to me has literally been stripped away, thanks to Col. Stuart's decision to bring me aboard the Qabala."

"Don't be so quick to blame Col. Stuart," said Sir Thomas. "You know that you purposefully did everything within your power to make sure that you fulfilled all the expectations detailed in the memoir, even to the point of memorizing the various phrases and the sequence of events."

"Yes, I guess what your saying is very true," cried Rene. "My dream has become reality, a stark, lonely reality I might add. I guess I didn't think much further than my dream to time travel in the Qabala. I didn't really give any thought to what things would be like if my dream actually came true. Here I am in a world that doesn't even know I exist, with no way to get back to the world I once knew."

"Now aren't you the one being a bit melodramatic, Rene?" I said. "Just as Sir Thomas indicated, you knew full well how most of this whole scenario would eventually end. I'm sure once you read the memoir, it didn't take you long to realize that you existed in a world that had a low probability of existence and that if you didn't take the chance to leave it when you did, that you too would probably cease to exist! Yes, it was a gamble, because the sequence of events as well as the events themselves could have changed entirely because of the probabilistic nature of the worlds involved. In the end however, you succeeded in escaping your world and you are now here with us! A most improbable person in a most probabilistic world!"

"There is something that is even more revealing about this whole thing, doctor," said Sir Thomas with a look of excitement on his face. "Do you realize that Rene's existence here confirms our theory about ideas or constructs shaping reality?"

"Well just think about it! Rene is with us now because of what she claims she read in a memoir called 'Don't Walk Away, Rene' which she downloaded off the Internet in July 1998. That memoir does not even exist yet. It has not been written nor given that particular title. But here is Rene alive and well before our very eyes! This is a perfect example of a construct (Rene's existence) taking on a power of its own and influencing multiple dimensions until it became a powerful reality. This is probably the reason for Rene's existence and why she is with us now."

'Well we definitely know you exist, Rene!" said Col. Stuart coming into the room with Victoria. "In your short tenure here you've already managed to do things that some people will never do in a lifetime."

Appearing somewhat calmer than before, Victoria smiled and apologized to all of us for her reaction to Rene's comments earlier.

"Please understand my shock and disbelief about what Rene said concerning my late husband," continued Victoria. "In the past, I've always thought of death as being the final door for the living. But now I don't know. I'm so very confused about all of these things. What I've heard here tonight is not only incredible but almost unbelievable. It strikes at the very core of all we're taught and dismantles our illusions about life as well as our very existence."

"Despite my dismay about all of these things however, I would love to have Rene stay here with me," said Victoria smiling warmly. "I know how lonely and confused she must feel about not being able to return to the world she once knew."

"Well I appreciate your kind offer, Victoria," said Rene smiling. "But I implore the time travelers to provide me with an opportunity to return to my own world even if this request is not part of the original memoir I read. Believe me when I say that there is no script for what I'm about to say, Col. Stuart. The sheer, stark reality that the world I once knew and everything in it no longer exists is incredibly overwhelming to me. To be honest, if I had known I would feel this way now, I doubt if I would have come here in the first place. However, despite what the three of you think, I now believe that it was my freedom of choice that brought me here and that it will be the same thing that will return me to my own world."

In an attempt to honor Rene's request, in the weeks that followed we tried on several occasions to return her to her own world. However, it was simply not meant to be. No matter what we did, we could not realign that particular combination of vector points in the time matrix that created Rene's world filled with her special people, memories and dreams. Like Katel, the being we knew previously as the 'Jersey Devil,' Rene seems destined to live her life in a world far different from the one into which she was born and nurtured. In time, she became reconciled to her present fate and now lives with Victoria and her son on a farm somewhere in Somerset County, New Jersey.

Call it a strange twist of fate or perhaps even meddling on our part if you like, but I'm truly convinced that the matter had been placed in Allah's hands long ago. It was not Rene's choice, but rather her destiny to be brought to this dimension for a special purpose which in time, will reveal itself and have a profound impact on all of us...