Preview of 'The Book Of Gabriel' (Part Two)

The door finally swung open, banging against the wall as the occupant carelessly flung it open.

Standing before them stood a man of average height and build, his dirty blonde hair flattened on one side of his head as if from sleeping. He carried dark bags under his eyes, and his right arm was slung in a cast.

“Help you?” he mumbled while rubbing his eyes with his good hand. His cutoff jeans revealed a leg wrapped in gauze, a streak of dried blood running across it a good four inches. His ragged tee-shirt, exhibiting a multitude of holes and rips, looked to be a day or two past its prime.

“This is the guy?” Franklin had moved his lips close to the professor’s ear to whisper. “I fear we are doomed.”

The professor ignored Franklin’s words, merely smiling as he took in the man in the doorway.

“It is a pleasure to see you again my boy!”

The man stopped rubbing his eyes, his hand staying in place for a few moments before he dropped it to squint out into the daylight surrounding the men on his porch.

A look of recognition crossed his face suddenly, closely followed by another look of confusion.

“Julien?”

“It is indeed Gabriel! May we come in?”

Gabriel’s confusion seemed to hold him fast in place until he remembered his manners.

“Of course, of course, come in…please!”

Stepping aside, he let the men enter the cool kitchen before closing the door behind them. Turning, he was met by the older man’s extended hand.

“I must say, you look much worse for wear than the last time we parted my dear boy.”

Taking the professor’s hand in his, his eyes came more to life, exhibiting some of the sparkle that the professor remembered from their time in Peru.

“We just finished a case yesterday Julien. As you can see, I didn’t escape it unscathed.”

“Indeed!” Julien Taylor exclaimed, “I do hope the other man is at least in comparable shape?”

Gabriel shook his head. “He didn’t make it…but it was no great loss to mankind, believe me.”

He seemed to realize his manners again suddenly. “Please, come in, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Tea for me,” Franklin interjected, having used up all of his patience on the trip.

“Gabriel,” the professor interrupted quickly, “The cantankerous man on my left is Dr. Franklin Buff. Besides being infused with very poor manners, he is best known as a crack Archeologist. In point of fact, if not for a recent discovery of his, I would not be here now.”

Dr. Buff ignored Gabriel’s outstretched hand as he took a seat at the table. Shrugging, Gabriel started his preparations as he listened to the professor, pouring the water into the coffee maker and turning on the burner for the teakettle before turning back toward his guests.

“Really,” Gabriel stated unenthusiastically as he sat facing his guests.

“Indeed,” Julien continued, “On a recent dig in Samaria…well…ancient Samaria anyway, he came across a scroll. It is a very intriguing scroll, Gabriel, as well as worrisome. He honored me with a request to join him to help with the translation, and since I was wrapping up the project in Peru I accepted.”

“Worrisome?” Gabe asked offhandedly as he got up again and pulled some cups out of the cupboard, “How so?”

“It involves predictions Mr. Celtic,” Franklin Buff interjected, “end of days predictions to be exact.”

“Interesting,” Gabriel intoned as he brought a sugar bowl and a plastic milk jug to the table, ignoring the distasteful scow on Franklin’s face.

“Extremely!” Julien Taylor nearly shouted. “Point of fact, after weeks of studying this scroll my boy, it is my considered opinion that it points to a savior of sorts. It points to you Gabriel!”

Startled, Gabriel overflowed his coffee before he caught himself, pulling off some paper towels and throwing them on the floor before turning and staring at the men.

“It does what?” he asked incredulously, “It points to me?”

“We are not of one mind on this of course, but for my part, I believe that it does indeed point to you Gabriel.”

Gabriel was quiet, mulling over what he had just heard. Slowly a smile crossed his lips as the unlikelihood of an ancient scroll mentioning him triggered something humorous within him.

“Really gentlemen, you’ve come all this way to tell me this?” he asked grinning.

“Just what is it that I’m supposed to do Julien?”

“Why…you’re to save the world my boy, you are to save the world.”