The Biovantic Bear Read online

  “I have a scent!” he exclaimed. “It’s a long way up, something good." Then he remembered where he had smelt it before. "It’s the energy, the power, the force we met in The Before. It’s the spirit of The Great One. He is moving around up there, as if he is checking out where everything is, looking for a way in through the darkness.”

  With this knowledge, they waited. They knew The Great One would not stand by and allow such darkness and evil to remain. Duncan was the first to notice when something began to happen. He said, “The Great One is here. Listen! He is saying something.”

  What they heard started as a whisper, then became an earth shattering, booming voice. The words came through clearly, “Let the light shine.”

  “Wow, I can see,” they all said together.

  “Amazing,” Bailey said. “Four short words from The Great One and all the darkness is gone.” They wondered how the fallen Lucifer, Prince of this world, was feeling now. His darkness had been penetrated.

  Bear’s eyes were open in amazement. He had a slightly puzzled frown, and then said, “This has to be the time of The Speaking. I remember reading something in The Ancient Book of Writings. It said, “In the beginning there was The Speaking and The Speaking was with God. The Speaking was God.” They thought Bear was very wise and full of knowledge.

  The light that was shining now was different from the light in the world they knew. This light was coming from The Great One himself. The sun and moon had not yet started to shine. They felt safe now. Everything was under the control of The Great One. They knew that now, when darkness came again it would be for a purpose and would be followed by what we know as day.

  Then the whisper of The Great One was heard within each of them. It told them that this was the end of the first time period in the time of The Speaking, with its own end and its own beginning. They would miss nothing by sleeping now.

  “This squooshy stuff is good for sleeping on,” said Bear as he dropped off to sleep. When they woke, a soft light was filtering through the mist. It was beautiful and good. “It’s starting to feel like The Place of The Great One before Lucifer was thrown out,” said Bailey. “It is becoming the kingdom of The Great One instead of the kingdom of The Prince of Darkness.”

  Bailey, Duncan and Bear became aware of a growing sense of a Presence, a strong energy. It was so powerful that they had to sit down. The air seemed to vibrate, and a voice that they were beginning to recognise as that of The Great One spoke again. It said, “Make a space between the waters.”

  “What on earth is that supposed to mean!” Duncan exclaimed with a woof. Bailey responded by saying, “Let’s just wait and see.”

  It wasn’t long before the mist began to clear. It rose up above them and formed into clouds. “Of course,” Bailey said. “The clouds are the waters above the earth.” She lowered her eyes. She could now see what they were standing on. It was not like anything she had seen before. It looked like water, sort of. It was not liquid, not muddy, just almost solid, squooshy.

  Bear was looking up. His eyes had grown as big as saucers. “The Great One! He has made the sky. I love it. It’s like home,” he said in amazement, jumping up and down all the time.

  Bailey was getting to know how things worked here. She lay down and indicated to the others that they should do the same. This was the end of the second time-period with its own end and its own beginning, sleep time.

  When they woke, Duncan rubbed his eyes and looked puzzled as only Duncan can. He sniffed all around to make sure. He was sure. “You moved me while I was asleep,” he said accusingly.

  “We did not,” said Bear and Bailey together, but they tucked the idea away in the back of their minds. They might just try it for real sometime later.

  Duncan looked into their eyes and said, “Well, somebody did. We were way over there,” as he pointed to their right. It all looked the same to Bailey and Bear.

  Whatever had really happened, they knew Duncan’s nose would not have let him down. Somehow, they had been shifted, in the night. They looked carefully all around. There didn’t seem to be any danger. They relaxed.

  Then, there was a surge of power all around them. The Great One was gathering himself for action. They were so used to The Speaking now that Duncan said without thinking, “The Speaking is back.” The voice of The Great One boomed out as he addressed himself to the waters. “Waters,” he said.

  Bailey couldn’t see any water, except for a few clouds floating by. She watched the clouds to see what would happen.

  “Waters,” The Great One said again, “Gather yourselves together in one place.”

  At that moment, something very frightening began to happen. They were so fearful that, without even thinking, they grabbed each other’s hands, formed a tight circle and shouted.

  “Paw to paw, hand to hand,

  Together we will stand.

  We will not be afraid,

  We are the Bailey Bunch.”

  This helped to calm them. Their shaking stopped. They knew they could face anything if they stayed together.

  The thing that was frightening them so much was happening right under their feet; a slipping, slithering motion was taking place within the squooshy stuff they were standing on. It seemed to be moving away from under them. Somehow, it was changing. The three of them clung to each other, needing company badly.

  Soon, everything became still again and they found themselves standing on solid ground. They all looked around and Duncan said, “I love it here. It’s getting better all the time.” Then he swung his eyes around to the right and gave a yelp of surprise. As far as the eye could see, there was water. He pointed with his nose, as dogs do, and said, “Out there, that’s where we were before we were moved in the night. We would have drowned.”

  They all felt a great sense of wonder. “Do you think we should thank The Great One for moving us?” said Bear. Straight away, within themselves, they all felt an answer.

  “I will always look after you,” The Great One said.

  CHAPTER FIVE- BEAR'S SURPRISE

  Bear and Duncan were lying on the ground, preparing to sleep. Bailey was still standing. They looked at her with a question in their eyes. Bailey often let Bear and Duncan decide what they should do next, but they always looked to her to see what she would do before they acted. She was their leader.

  “There is something still happening,” said Bailey. "The Great One is still here. I can feel the power gathering."

  “The Speaking,” Bear said. “It has not finished.”

  The silence was disturbed by a whisper, so quiet it could only just be heard.

  “Land, I’m asking you to give me plants.”

  It seemed that even a softly spoken request from The Great One brought obedience, even from the land itself. When they saw what was happening, their eyes opened wide in excitement. They could not stay still. They were running around looking, touching, tasting, and for Duncan, smelling. Everywhere there was grass, trees, shrubs, flowers and fruit; plants to look at and plants to eat and, for Duncan, plants to smell.

  This was the end of the third time period in the time of The Speaking. Each period had its own beginning and its own end.

  They slept.

  They woke.

  Duncan and Bailey woke at almost the same time and put their hands up over their eyes. It was so bright. The sun was shining, which seemed very strange. They were puzzled. Why should it seem so strange for the sun to be shining? Then it dawned on them. Until this morning, there had been no sun in the sky. Looking around they could see a faint moon just sinking behind the horizon.

  They knew that while they had slept, another Speaking had taken place, the sun and moon had been made to shine. The fourth time period had come and gone.

  They did not dare sleep again for fear of missing something important. They waited. The sun crept across the sky. It was good to have the sun. They could watch
the passing of the day. They knew what time it was and it was getting late. Had they made a mistake by not sleeping for a while?

  No, it had not been a mistake, there was a slight rustling as if the wind was moving the leaves, but that could not be the case. There was no wind. Soon, the rustling became a more distinct sound. It could now be distinguished as the voice of The Great One. He was talking to the water and the sky, asking that the water be home to the fish and the air a place for the birds. That is exactly what happened.

  It seemed that no word The Great One spoke could be ignored. In all of this, somehow, even Duncan knew that this was not the time or place to chase or catch birds. Everything was so beautiful.

  The fifth time period had come to an end.

  As they were dosing off to sleep they could not help wondering how Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness was feeling as he saw his darkness and his beloved mess of confusion disappearing. Everything was clearly now under the control of The Great One. Though the earth remained the home of The Prince of Darkness it was no longer completely his kingdom.

  When they woke they realized somebody had shaken them. He was still there, standing beside them.

  Bailey looked at him. He appeared to be quite an ordinary man, not someone she should be afraid of. He introduced himself by saying, “My name is Alias. I am a messenger of The Great One. I have been sent to stand beside you for the next Speaking. I know that some of you will find what is about to happen very exciting, but it is important that you do exactly as I tell you.

  While they were still talking together, they heard something moving through the forest. That was strange because they had not yet seen any animals, except for Bear and Duncan and they were still here. There was no doubt that something was out there. Duncan could smell it. He began running in circles, trying to get a better scent.

  “Duncan, Heel!” said Alias, in a commanding voice. Immediately Duncan was quiet and still beside him. “You did not hear it, but The Great One has spoken. There are now all kinds of animals around us.”

  “Oooooooh,” said Bear, frozen to the spot. “A Bear, a real big bear! Ooooh! Yes, that must be what I was like before the stuffing!”

  The bear was coming toward them. It was very close now. Duncan, Bailey and even Bear were not quite sure if they should be afraid. They looked toward Alias. He said, “He can see you and hear you but will not harm you.”

  Then the bear was there, nose to nose with Bear, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of him. Then he said, “I greet you, noble Bear. You are a beast of great wisdom, among worthy friends. Take my greetings back to your time and tell your friends that they will be welcome to come and live in this kingdom when the time of The Great One comes again. If they recognise him as king, they will be welcome here.” Then he strolled away into the forest.

  All this time Duncan had been standing still beside Alias. Bailey had never seen him stand still for so long. The truth is that Duncan was so astonished he was totally unaware of what was happening behind him.

  Then he heard a sound of breathing close behind him. His nose kicked into action. He could not mistake that smell. It was the smell of dog!

  He spun around and snarled. Immediately the snarl died on his lips. He was looking straight into the eyes of the most beautiful dog he had ever seen. Alias smiled at the meeting. He was pleased. He had expected to have to take stern measures to restrain Duncan. He knew how excitable he could be.

  Duncan found himself liking this dog very much, but he was afraid. He had seen what had happened with Bear. What would this dog say to him? Would she speak about the bad things that he had done – or thought? He knew that this beautiful creature would know everything about him. He trembled.

  Finally, the dog spoke to him, “Duncan, I know many things about you. I commend you for your loyalty. I commend you for your love for your family and friends. I admire you for your good looks and cleverness. The Bailey Bunch is fortunate to have you. There is always room for a courageous one such as you among us.”

  All this time Duncan’s nose had been rising higher. His head was now held so high that he could hardly see the ground.

  The beautiful dog looked at him intently, and with a look of love, that only a dog can achieve, continued in a quiet voice that only Duncan could hear. She told him that he must be careful of his pride as it could cost him many friends. Then, she said, in a voice for all to hear, “There will be a place here for you also in the coming time if you continue to recognise the kingship of The Great One.”

  Then Alias turned to Bailey. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he said, “You and your friends must now return home for a while, but at the right time you will be brought back to this place. Before you return, The Great One will have done his last work in the time of The Speaking. He will have made both man and woman. You must come back to see what follows. Goodbye, all of you, we will meet again.”

  CHAPTER SIX- VISIT BY ALIAS

  The peace of the night was interrupted. Bailey woke to the sound of somebody in her room. She knew that she and Bear should have been the only ones there.

  How she wished that Duncan was there but he was not allowed to sleep in her room. Yes, she wished he was there. He could be so fierce when he got his growl up, snarling and baring his teeth. No girl had a better protector than Duncan but now, alone with just fluffy, woolly Bear to protect her, she lay still, believing that her best defence was silence.

  Then she felt a light touch on her shoulder and a voice, right beside her, said, “I didn’t mean to frighten you, but it is time for us to leave.” She recognised that voice and relaxed. It was Alias, the messenger of The Great One. They had met him during the time of The Speaking.

  Bailey remembered that he had promised to take them to see what was going to happen next in the place where The Great One was establishing his kingdom. She needed to get Duncan. They could not leave him behind. Very quietly, she went to the door of her parents’ room where Duncan was asleep at the foot of the bed.

  She put her lips right against Duncan’s ear and whispered, “Your friend, Alias, needs you.” She didn’t know what she would do if her parents woke. There are some things that parents find difficult to understand.

  Finally, with the three friends together in Bailey’s room, Alias said, “Join hands and hold onto me tightly. We will soon be in the place of The New Kingdom.”

  Everything went dark for a few moments. Then they began to see again. They were standing on solid ground in a somewhat barren part of the country. There were no trees or shrubs, no fruiting or flowering plants.

  “This isn’t like the place I remember,” Bailey said. It looks more like the kingdom of The Prince of Darkness than the kingdom of The Great One.” She did not feel comfortable.

  Alias knew what was troubling her. He told her that this was a part of the country that was not yet fully under the control of The Great One. It was a task that was still being completed. They would understand better when they saw more of what was taking place.

  They had travelled a short way along a faint path when Duncan gave an excited little yelp. It was obvious that he had seen something he liked. Yes, there ahead, coming quickly into view, was a lush forest. Bailey smiled. Duncan would love this.

  It soon became clear that this was no ordinary forest. It seemed to be drawing them toward it as if it knew that it could provide them with everything they had ever hoped for, or needed.

  On entering the forest, it became obvious that this was a truly wonderful place. There were trees bearing every kind of fruit you can imagine, including many that they had never seen before, and an array of other plants and nuts which made their tummies rumble with delight. It seemed too good to be true.

  “Yes, you can eat,” said Alias. When she tasted some of the fruit, Bailey thought this had to be the best dream she had ever had. Could it really be true? Bear rubbed his tummy and licked his lips with delight.
He couldn’t get this stuff into his mouth fast enough. Even Duncan found that a diet of fruit and veg was not too bad after all!

  They followed the path a little further until they came to a small open space. Bailey looked in amazement for there, walking together and talking quietly, were three adult people. They looked like any people she had ever seen, except for one thing. These were very bright. I don’t mean that they knew everything. What I mean is, they were glowing. Their skin was shining and seemed to give out a soft light that made them look very beautiful indeed. The light seemed to have its origin in the greater glow of the central figure.

  Alias turned to the Bailey Bunch, as if trying to decide if he could trust them completely. Then, having made up his mind, he said, “The central figure is The Great One himself. The man on the right is called Adam and the woman on the left is named Eve. While you were away The Great One made them to be like him here on earth and rule over all the things he has made. He no longer rules this kingdom himself. He has provided a physical king to rule over the physical earth. The glowing you can see on their skin is a royal garment. Whoever sees it will know that these two have all the authority of The Great One himself. They are to be obeyed.”

  Alias turned and beckoned the Bailey Bunch to follow. After walking quite a distance, they came to a very beautiful place in the garden. In the middle of a small clear space was a most peculiar looking tree. It looked like no tree they had ever seen before. In fact, sometimes they wondered if it was a tree at all, or something quite different.

  Alias turned to them and said, “I am going to allow you to see something that is about to happen here.” They sat, waiting in the shade, looking closely at the tree in the clearing and trying to determine its shape and purpose. It seemed to them that somehow the whole garden radiated out from it; maybe the whole garden depended on it for its existence.