Excerpt:
Doctor Myler returned from the invisible door. He was shaking his head. “I would never have thought of such a supernatural weapon where even the soul might be the spreader of a virus. The entity who did this must be on the level of Satan.”
Caelous said, “Or Belial in the labs of Satan.”
Doctor Myler trembled. He cleared tears from his eyes. He held out his hands as he closed his eyes to calm himself. Then he opened his eyes. “We must begin work to try to figure what needs to be added to the ponds that are used to cleanse the souls so that the virus can be cleansed from the souls. I hope such will be possible. The idea that I will not be able to visit my daughter and granddaughter for fear of making them sick is unthinkable.”
Iapetus put his hand on Doctor Myler’s shoulder. “Just let me know what you need when you need it and I will send my scouts in search.”
Caelous said, “I left Amelia in the caves in Witch City with her protectors. I need to rescue them. I don’t think they will be able to find their way out on their own.”
“I will call Alice Malokey and let her know the situation.”
“I am not sure she can be trusted. Do you have a way to call Sam directly?”
“If that is what you prefer, I will find a way.”
Hearthville Serial: Book 7
Episode 22
Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental.
All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2021
All Rights Reserved
Iapetus walked with Caelous through a colorful and beautiful garden. There were butterflies dancing in flight through the air. And there were bluejays and red cardinals flying about.
Caelous said, “I think it will be easier for me to return to Iapetus than it was for them to summon me here from there. I think Artorious is wrong.”
Iapetus nodded. “I guess.”
“You guess.”
“Okay. I know. But it is a one way path. And you must go through hell to reach the path.”
“Satan would never allow me to enter hell.”
“Victor could send you there, but I don’t want him to. I don’t want you to go.”
Caelous smiled. “The people of Iapetus may need me.”
“I think we both exaggerate our importance, but if we are important, it is figuring out how to open Iapetus up, not becoming captive there ourselves.”
Caelous and Iapetus stopped and looked into a reflective fountain. From an invisible door, a woman rushed to Iapetus and whispered in his ear. “Victor has been infected with the bioterror weapon Covid AR7341. Doctor Myler is certain of the reading. He has double checked it.”
The woman vanished into the light as she sped back to and through the invisible door. Doctor Myler appeared out of the invisible door and cautiously walked to where Caelous and Iapetus stood.
Doctor Myler asked, “May I freely speak?”
Iapetus nodded. “Please do.”
“On this side Victor is not sick and he will not become sick. Once he returns to the physical world I fear he will become very sick.”
Caelous said, “Most people do not get very sick from covid.”
“Although I am sure the humans will diagnose it as an ordinary covid or one of the variants, this is the bioterror weapon Covid AR7341 and it is a very confusing weapon. I know what I am seeing but it doesn’t make sense. I was able to identify around 20,000 people who have had the same weapon used against them and they have all died within 72 hours of infection. Unless you or Victor can figure how to change the body to fight the fungus/bacteria/virus combination, Victor will not survive in the physical world.”
Iapetus questioned, “You say this weapon has been used on 20,000 people.”
“Maybe more. I do not know. It will register as covid but it is not an ordinary covid by any means. The one good thing about it is that the fungus that is used to spread it as a bioweapon dies fairly quickly after being sprayed and the contagion from the weapon ends when the fungus dies. But one person can spread it to another during the 72 hour death window. Whoever designed it wanted to make sure that the killing would be limited to the target population or the target population would not receive the heavy dose that Victor received.”
Caelous said, “We know that the plan was for Artorious to pretend to be the ghost of Preacher Pat in a conspiracy against Victor and Iapetus. Victor thought he was bringing the ghost of Preacher Pat here to protect him. He did not know there was a conspiracy to cage both himself and Iapetus and send us to Iapetus.”
Doctor Myler said, “The bioterror agent prevents Victor from being able to return to the world of the living. If we can’t find a cure he will surely die if he is returned to the physical world.”
Iapetus asked, “Have I been infected in a way that would prevent me from connecting with my spawn Billy Bingo? Is it possible that I might infect him.”
Doctor Myler said, “You are asking if there is a supernatural element that would cause our souls to be carriers beyond the 72 hour window? My answer is that I don’t know. I must run computer simulations. I pray that it is not possible for us to have been infected.” Doctor Myler ran toward the invisible door and vanished through it.
A man in robes walked up. “I have not been able to determine what Demons possessed Joe Biden back in the 1980’s but I feel certain his is not an ordinary dementia but is a demon possession.”
Iapetus said, “I’ve told you that Biden is evil all on his own. I sense no demons about him.”
“I need to talk to Jesus. Can’t you get me an appointment.”
“Judas, I am sorry. He will not see you.”
“He must see me. He should not hate me. Without me, the world would not celebrate Easter. He might have been born the son of God, but I helped make him a legend.”
Caelous patted Judas on the back. “When the time is right, I am sure Jesus will agree to see you.”
“Tell Jesus that I love him.” Judas walked away.
Caelous looked at his son Iapetus. “You have Judas here?”
“Do you object?”
“Of course not.”
“You do not sense Demons around Biden?”
“When Biden finishes earning his passage to hell, it will be paid for with his sins. He will not be able to blame any Demons and but for one, there is no Priest or Shaman who can save him.”
“A Priest who can save him? How?”
“By changing his path before his dementia and madness takes him. But it is doubtful he will listen to the Shaman. His ear is only to Obama and his path to hell is the same.”
“Maybe we should make him listen.”
“Maybe the virus has us stuck in the metaphysical where our influence in the physical purgatory is over. What if our trying to save earth might become an even worse plague upon earth?”
Caelous shook his head. “Such a mess.”
“Indeed.”
Doctor Myler returned from the invisible door. He was shaking his head. “I would never have thought of such a supernatural weapon where even the soul might be the spreader of a virus. The entity who did this must be on the level of Satan.”
Caelous said, “Or Belial in the labs of Satan.”
Doctor Myler trembled. He cleared tears from his eyes. He held out his hands as he closed his eyes to calm himself. Then he opened his eyes. “We must begin work to try to figure what needs to be added to the ponds that are used to cleanse the souls so that the virus can be cleansed from the souls. I hope such will be possible. The idea that I will not be able to visit my daughter and granddaughter for fear of making them sick is unthinkable.”
Iapetus put his hand on Doctor Myler’s shoulder. “Just let me know what you need when you need it and I will send my scouts in search.”
Caelous said, “I left Amelia in the caves in Witch City with her protectors. I need to rescue them. I don’t think they will be able to find their way out on their own.”
“I will call Alice Malokey and let her know the situation.”
“I am not sure she can be trusted. Do you have a way to call Sam directly?”
“If that is what you prefer, I will find a way.”