2:45pm
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
SHAOLIN TEMPLE
Cole was right. His grandmother, Sophia Richards, DID hear him. As soon as she did, she willed herself to this place. She was walking in the rubbled courtyard, when she saw a familiar figure.
A man in orange robes. He stood at the top of the steps that led to the entrance. He turned around to face the visitor. The man had a red bullet wound in his chest. He held his hand over it.
The old woman gasped. "Dan? Is..is it really you?"
He was surprised. "Sophia?"
She walked up to him. "Yes, Daniel. I've found you at last." She looked at his wound. "What happened to you?"
He sat on the steps. "I was killed seventeen years ago."
"What? You were killed..I heard that there was an explosion, from the news."
"There was a priest who turned on us. Master Dao. After Master Caine expelled him, Dao returned with men, they stormed the temple at night. They were in black and armed with automatic weapons. I was one of the first to be killed. Since I was murdered, I wandered the mortal plane, in this territory. Until two years ago..someone must have brought Tan to justice. I went to the Other Side."
"How is it that you're here?"
"I do not know. I was on top of a mountain, high in the clouds. I saw a city, it looked like one huge temple. It was a place of peace..and Light. I believe the ancient sages called it 'Shambhala'. Time in the Spirit Realm is different than time in this world. A year there passes by as fast as a month. I was about to enter the place, when I was somehow..'pulled'..to this temple. The same place where I died. Maybe an event of the spirit world has brought me here."
"That could be. Dao..Tan..has come back."
"He has? When?"
"A week or two ago."
"Ah. That may explain why I'm here. When he died, I was free to move on. But I do not understand..if he's dead, why am I back here?"
"I don't know either. But he's threatening our grandson."
He arched an eyebrow. "Grandson?"
"Yes. Cole. You don't know him, but he'd make you proud."
"I see. By posing a threat to my descendant..aha. THAT is what brought me back. Tan must be returned to his fate, so I can go back to Shambhala."
"Lynn is doing her best to protect him, but against a rogue Shaolin..a ghost of such evil as Tan..well, the only ones available to help are Caine and his son, Peter. A priest and a cop." She sat next to him.
Daniel smiled with joy. "So, they survived. I am glad. Little Pete..a cop?"
"Yes."
"I wonder if any others survived. Ping Hai. Master Khan, Mike Lowry.."
"I don't know. But there was something else that Cole told me. He said that Caine is--what was the word he used--oh! Shambhala Master."
"A Shambhala Master! But to become a Master, he would have had to..of course! He's been there. And returned to Earth with the Master title. Good. Caine is more than capable to defeat Tan. What..you said that Tan's ghost threatens Cole. In what way?"
"Speaks to him. Yells violent insults at him."
"Cole would have to *see* him, for Tan to do this."
"Yes. That's another thing I should tell you about Cole. He sees ghosts, he's like a channel for them. It seems that his destiny is to help them. By somehow correcting what happened in their lives, they get helped and move on to their afterlife. But Tan-"
"-is a ghost that does not desire help. He doesn't want to move on, he seeks only victory. Power. Anyway, I'd like to meet Cole."
"Maybe you can. Just will yourself to Philadelphia. To our daughter's house. Come..we can go together, Daniel." She took his hand.
"Yes..you know, Sophia.."
"Yes?"
"I have searched for you. Now, after all this time, we can finally be together."
"But.."
"Yes, my love?"
"You're Shaolin..I'm not. I have never been inside a temple..but I've always been a good Christian woman, helping others, speaking the truth, standing up for what I believe in, respecting life."
He stood up and held her other hand. "As we do. The Shaolin vows I swore to..they are to anyone who asks our help, to guide people to their paths.."
She rose to her feet. "To their true self?"
"Yes. To be in harmony with their destiny. Peace, love, integrity..this will be rewarded. Sophia, there is no condemnation in the afterlife for doing what's right."
"That is true. But I fear that we may not go to the same realm of The Beyond."
"You can, if you believe. There are many faiths in the world. But we all have a Path. A pathway that leads us to our final destination. In The Beyond, I've learned many things. Many truths. Shambhala...is on one of the levels of what some call 'Heaven'. We were joined by marriage at the time of my death. If I am able to go back to the Eternal Gates, I will speak to the monks there. I'll try to inquire if you can accompany me to that realm. We will be together again, Sophia..THIS I promise you."
"As we were destined to be. Love cannot be conquered by anything, not even death. Thank you. I *do* believe. I trust that we'll be joined again."
"Right. Okay, let us go to our loved ones.." He let go of her left hand and they started walking down the steps. He closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts on his daughter. In a moment, both he and his wife vanished from the temple.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
SHAOLIN TEMPLE
Cole was right. His grandmother, Sophia Richards, DID hear him. As soon as she did, she willed herself to this place. She was walking in the rubbled courtyard, when she saw a familiar figure.
A man in orange robes. He stood at the top of the steps that led to the entrance. He turned around to face the visitor. The man had a red bullet wound in his chest. He held his hand over it.
The old woman gasped. "Dan? Is..is it really you?"
He was surprised. "Sophia?"
She walked up to him. "Yes, Daniel. I've found you at last." She looked at his wound. "What happened to you?"
He sat on the steps. "I was killed seventeen years ago."
"What? You were killed..I heard that there was an explosion, from the news."
"There was a priest who turned on us. Master Dao. After Master Caine expelled him, Dao returned with men, they stormed the temple at night. They were in black and armed with automatic weapons. I was one of the first to be killed. Since I was murdered, I wandered the mortal plane, in this territory. Until two years ago..someone must have brought Tan to justice. I went to the Other Side."
"How is it that you're here?"
"I do not know. I was on top of a mountain, high in the clouds. I saw a city, it looked like one huge temple. It was a place of peace..and Light. I believe the ancient sages called it 'Shambhala'. Time in the Spirit Realm is different than time in this world. A year there passes by as fast as a month. I was about to enter the place, when I was somehow..'pulled'..to this temple. The same place where I died. Maybe an event of the spirit world has brought me here."
"That could be. Dao..Tan..has come back."
"He has? When?"
"A week or two ago."
"Ah. That may explain why I'm here. When he died, I was free to move on. But I do not understand..if he's dead, why am I back here?"
"I don't know either. But he's threatening our grandson."
He arched an eyebrow. "Grandson?"
"Yes. Cole. You don't know him, but he'd make you proud."
"I see. By posing a threat to my descendant..aha. THAT is what brought me back. Tan must be returned to his fate, so I can go back to Shambhala."
"Lynn is doing her best to protect him, but against a rogue Shaolin..a ghost of such evil as Tan..well, the only ones available to help are Caine and his son, Peter. A priest and a cop." She sat next to him.
Daniel smiled with joy. "So, they survived. I am glad. Little Pete..a cop?"
"Yes."
"I wonder if any others survived. Ping Hai. Master Khan, Mike Lowry.."
"I don't know. But there was something else that Cole told me. He said that Caine is--what was the word he used--oh! Shambhala Master."
"A Shambhala Master! But to become a Master, he would have had to..of course! He's been there. And returned to Earth with the Master title. Good. Caine is more than capable to defeat Tan. What..you said that Tan's ghost threatens Cole. In what way?"
"Speaks to him. Yells violent insults at him."
"Cole would have to *see* him, for Tan to do this."
"Yes. That's another thing I should tell you about Cole. He sees ghosts, he's like a channel for them. It seems that his destiny is to help them. By somehow correcting what happened in their lives, they get helped and move on to their afterlife. But Tan-"
"-is a ghost that does not desire help. He doesn't want to move on, he seeks only victory. Power. Anyway, I'd like to meet Cole."
"Maybe you can. Just will yourself to Philadelphia. To our daughter's house. Come..we can go together, Daniel." She took his hand.
"Yes..you know, Sophia.."
"Yes?"
"I have searched for you. Now, after all this time, we can finally be together."
"But.."
"Yes, my love?"
"You're Shaolin..I'm not. I have never been inside a temple..but I've always been a good Christian woman, helping others, speaking the truth, standing up for what I believe in, respecting life."
He stood up and held her other hand. "As we do. The Shaolin vows I swore to..they are to anyone who asks our help, to guide people to their paths.."
She rose to her feet. "To their true self?"
"Yes. To be in harmony with their destiny. Peace, love, integrity..this will be rewarded. Sophia, there is no condemnation in the afterlife for doing what's right."
"That is true. But I fear that we may not go to the same realm of The Beyond."
"You can, if you believe. There are many faiths in the world. But we all have a Path. A pathway that leads us to our final destination. In The Beyond, I've learned many things. Many truths. Shambhala...is on one of the levels of what some call 'Heaven'. We were joined by marriage at the time of my death. If I am able to go back to the Eternal Gates, I will speak to the monks there. I'll try to inquire if you can accompany me to that realm. We will be together again, Sophia..THIS I promise you."
"As we were destined to be. Love cannot be conquered by anything, not even death. Thank you. I *do* believe. I trust that we'll be joined again."
"Right. Okay, let us go to our loved ones.." He let go of her left hand and they started walking down the steps. He closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts on his daughter. In a moment, both he and his wife vanished from the temple.