I walked through the soft grass and headed towards the mountains.
The moon had long disappeared from the sky and the sun began to rise above the mountains.
I stood in the valley and I was mesmerised by the bright light that went before my eyes.
I covered my eyes with my elbow and squinted.
The sun rays were soft and vibrant as colours glistened through the air.
Suddenly an immense amount of joy filled my heart.
Above me, from the realm of Heaven, a voice spoke as the sun began to rise over the mountains.
"Good Morning. It is a new Dawn."
The voice was soft and vibrant, and yet it was deep.
My inner man felt peace as the sun continued to rise and became brighter and whiter.
I woke up and discovered that the night hour had not yet left us.
As was my custom these past couple of days, I arose and left my room in my silk, gold pyjama set I hid in my bag before we left Jerome.
I entered the library to see John-David waiting for me. He sat at the table, where I would usually read the Bible.
He was writing something in a journal that looked like the one he gave me, except that it was a light misty grey.
Nearing him, I sat in my usual seat and drank in the sight of the piano.
It was then that he realised that I was seated before him, so he stopped writing.
"Do you play the piano?" I asked him as he placed his pen down.
"I was a teacher." He soothed as he raised his right eyebrow.
"Was?" I queried in an attempt to engage further in his conversation.
"I had a few students, but one in particular used this very piano." He pointed at the grand white piano I dreamt of many times.
It had golden intricate designs that spoke of it's hardened beauty. Delicate but strong; Fierce and yet so soft.
He gazed at me and suddenly there was a sparkle in his eyes. "I will ask you this question, how long have you been here Dakota?"
It was a very off topic question I had to think and calculate the dates we have stayed in his home as strangers of a land unknown to us.
It had been quite some time since our arrival and many days had passed, but I knew the timeframe. "It will be 2 months and 7 days tomorrow."
"And it is Sunday tomorrow, one of the most important days of your Christian walk." He seemed delighted to share this news, as if he held his tongue for quite a while.
"Why is Sunday more important than any other day?"
"We're going to Church." He slapped his journal and beamed at the ceiling.
I was flabbergasted at his unfamiliar cheerful voice. I had only ever heard him be quite more serious than casual.
"The last time I had been to church was when I was announced King of Jerome for my coronation. That alone was a long time ago." I chuckled nervously.
"That doesn't matter. In one's life, there is an appointed time for everything- Be ready by 5." He chimed and got up to leave.
"I may not know much about church but I know it doesn't start at 5." I also stood up and headed in the same direction he was racing to.
"It is as the Spirit of God directs." He walked towards the door in his usual manner.
Then, he whispered in the shadow of the room, "Read your Bible and be ready for dinner in an hour."
He only spared me a side glance before he made a move to close the door behind him.
I sat back down remembering that I had not yet read my Bible.
I was not disturbed but I was perplexed. I didn't know what I would do once people saw me openly in Geulah.
I hoped that no one from the news department and from Jerome or Kratia would be present. I sighed as I rejected these frightening thoughts.
I leaned back in my chair and caressed the golden notebook which remained in the library. I read the passages listed and wrote down my notes as I carefully observed what was written in the Bible.
"The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, King of Israel:
To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,
To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction."
(Proverbs 1:1-7 NKJV)
When I read that we had to fear God I asked in my heart what this meant.
Were we to love or be petrified of the One who told us not to fear?
Like a beautiful and deep whisper, something in me lead me to another scripture, and many other verses after that.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you."
A woman's voice broke into the atmosphere and I waited for what would happen next. (Proverbs 9:10-11 NKJV)
"All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge.
Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold;
For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.
"I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, I have strength. By me Kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of the earth. I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me."
(Proverbs 8:8-17 NKJV)
It was as if a cloud had been lifted from my mind and I was sure of what was written.
Suddenly a knock resounded throughout the quiet space and a small head peaked through the door that had been recently closed by John-David.
I leaned back in my seat and discovered it was one of Captain Paul's children.
She came in and looked around the room mesmerised. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the white piano.
She then skipped towards me and stood right before me.
"Hi" She held a huge smile that was contagious.
"Hello Hope. How are you?" I asked her as she peered her gaze at my work.
"I'm very well sir," she started tapping the table and began humming. I smiled at her cheekiness. "Oh, I came here to tell you that dinner is ready."
I followed the young girl and discovered that John-David finally met with us for dinner.
It was filled with joy and laughter, however, John-David watched over the scene with a faint smile.
This action bothered me and I couldn't quite understand why. I had grown to care for the man as if he were my own father, brother and best friend.
All in this, I still knew very little about the man either way.
Suddenly a knock resonated throughout the house and the atmosphere shifted.
Faith stood up to answer it, but John-David told her to sit back down.
He placed his napkin down before he told the girls to go to bed.
Gabriel and I met eyes and was left conflicted about the situation.
My throat clogged as the air tensed and grew very cold.
The Captain's brother slightly drew the dining room curtain to the side.
He sighed and went to open the door to an unknown person.
"Strongbone." There was a deep voice that sounded aggravated.
Like our first encounter with him, John-David stood with his arms crossed and legs spread apart.
He did not look pleased to see the man who stood before him.
John-David did not say anything but the man peered so that he could look inside the house.
It was a good thing we kept the clothes Gabriel packed to appear only as simple, mere servants and not royal subjects.
His eyes were unfortunately beautiful, rays of forest green, deep gold and had a hint of turquoise in them.
His stare was anything but welcoming and everything deep and cold.
He was a lean and very toned, Caucasian man with black locks that cascaded down his face.
His hair was not long but it was wavy. His grin was not at all joyful and welcoming, it however was cunning, almost like a serpent.
"I see you have guests." He spoke to John-David harshly and locked gazes with him. But John-David did not look at all fazed.
He locked eyes with me and I refused to back down.
"Don't tell me he is the one, a pitiful sight." The man breathed intensely and I had to kickstart the prayer in my heart to remain focused.
His words were like a sword, to deeply wound the one he ridiculed and slashed with his teeth. And I realised he rediculed me. Gabriel scoffed in bewilderment before I nudged him to maintain composure. "We are not here to make enemies." I whispered and Gabriel huffed.
Learning from John-Davids verses and words of encouragement, I refused to be offended.
"We will talk outside." John-David said and led the man back outside and closed the door.
We could not hear their conversation and I was not interested in the very least to learn more about him or the conversation brewing outside.
I sipped my drink and looked at my twin brother.
"What do you think that's about?" He asked me.
"I don't know," I stated truthfully.
I continued to indulge in my cold drink and leaned further back in my chair.
I figured that we'd wait for John-David and it seemed that my brother silently agreed with me as he too sat back.
We said nothing to each other but only waited in calm silence.
Upon his return, Gabriel and I stood up. "We must now sleep." He drawled as he headed up a set of stairs I had not yet seen.
"Was there always a staircase there?" I asked Gabriel. He scratched the back of his head and shook his head.
"The longer we stay here, the more I look so stupid." He said and I chuckled at him.
I patted his back before I responded to him.
"Seems like I took more of the brains when we were in mother's womb" he immediately shook my hand off him and briskly walked away from me.
"You didn't know of the staircase either" He mumbled. I followed him holding my stomach from laughter as he complained some more.
Once we reached our rooms I lay on my bed.
I couldn't help but remember all the dreams I had had. Almost as if something was meant to arise from this situation that will allow me to understand the identity of the lady who played the white piano in my dreams.
I stared at the white ceiling before I read my Bible which John-David had gifted me and fell asleep.
"YOU'RE MEANT TO HELP US!" A faint but distinct voice screamed.
I jolted, aspirated as I scavenged for air. I unbuttoned the top buttons of my sleeping shirt so that I may breathe.
Sweat drenched my back and I got up to go to the ensuite bathroom.
I splashed water on my face and went back into my room to change my wet shirt.
Sitting on my bed, I ran my hands through my thick, wet locks.
Realising the gushing wind, I turned and noticed that my windows were still open.
An immense amount of air seeped through the room acting like a natural ventilation.
I went to close the window so that I could stop the intruding wind.
But what I saw outside shocked my spirit.
The moon shone brightly. Under it, was a forest painted delicately and enveloped the backyard.
Below the moon was a set of hills and mountains that was covered in mist.
In its midst was the man who John-David spoke with. His eyes glinted as he held a perfected and deathly smirk.
All sorts of crazy thoughts broke through my head and an internal battle broke between what I saw and what my spirit wanted to be focused on, the Word of God.
I closed my windows and shut my curtains to erase the image I had seen.
As I walked deeper into my room, I became upset at the man. I had no clue who he was and yet he dared to watch me, as though intending to stalk me.
I maneuvered around to see whether he was still there by peeking through the side of the curtains.
I didn't want him to see me peeking.
His silhouette told a thrilling story of a haunted and dangerous man.
His gaze was strong and remained fixated on my room.
He held something in his hand and I realised it was a cap as he put it on.
I wondered to myself why he would put one on at this hour of the night.
He turned around and deceivingly walked into the forest.
Relieved, I completely shut my curtains and went back to sleep.
Needless to say, that night, my dreams were filled with that very strange man.
I wondered why this man had come to bother me in my slumber. It was as though I had not slept and yet, I was still unconscious.
"What do you want?" I berated.
His gaze was dripped with black ink, a cold and sinister feeling enveloped me and I struggled against the air.
Suddenly he laughed. "What is so great about you? do you really think you can achieve His will? I mean look at where you're coming from. A broken past" The hateful man stalked around as if assessing and comparing himself to me.
"I don't understand why it has to be you." He grit in anger.
"Whatever feud you have against me makes no sense. In case you have forgotten, I don't know you." I counteracted. This man possessed a different level and dark kind of hostility.
"You don't know me, but I know who you are KiNg DakOTA." The man spat my name as if it was venom in his mouth. "I know what you're here for. But I will tell you one thing. She is mine." The man taunted and seethed.
Suddenly a dark cloud filled the air and I struggled to breathe and move even my little finger. I was paralysed.
My heart began to race and I realised that even though the man was not physically present nor was he directly in front of me, I could still feel his slithering hands choking me.
As I began to lose consciousness, a light beamed in the sky causing the man to shrill in terror.
Fire from Heaven came and filled the space that possessed nothing but a void darkness.
Electricity covered in gold and crystal blue sparks rained lightening around and the hands let me go.
"In Him have we obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will" (Ephesians 1:11)
Light surrounded the atmosphere and lifted me beyond the darkness, leaving the man agape and shouting all sorts into the air.
"I'm not done with you DAKOTA!" He cackled.
I could not begin to understand the immense relief that over washed me and filled my soul.
Suddenly a calm and soothing breeze came in and entered my nostrils and caused my lungs to expand. My heart began to beat again and it was only then that I realised that my heart stopped functioning.
Only then did a deep calmness settle in my heart and I continued to relish in the comforting hands that held my soul.