As the two men walked on towards their destination, Fred spent a great deal of the time talking about his plan, a plan that left René believing that his friend had lost some of his bearings. René didn’t challenge his friend or his improbable, if not impossible plan believing the time would would eventually allow his friend to return to his old self. As they approached the cabin, René noticed a thin thread of smoke escaping from the tin chimney that peeked out of the top of the cabin. ‘That’s strange,’ he thought to himself. ‘I didn’t think anyone would be around here.’
“It looks like we’ll have to put on a few clothes,” René stated as he pointed to the cabin which was obviously now occupied. “It looks like we’ll have company at the cabin.”
Almost as soon as he had spoken, a familiar figure emerged from the cabin, an older man who was naked, René’s mentor, Jacques. It had been a long time since Jacques had inserted himself into René’s life. Jacques took human form when René had to deal with challenges that would otherwise be buried beneath the level of consciousness. René had learned to accept these appearances. The only surprise was how the emergence of this inner-world presence could be seen by others. Well, he corrected himself, select others such as Angela and Fred.
“Hurry up before the rain starts to fall. The kettle is on,” Jacques spoke with feigned frustration. “We have a lot to discuss. Brighid and Lugh have asked me to be your guide as there are severe repercussions if the two of you fail to navigate the challenges that are about to face you. Oh, just to let you know, Angela should be here very soon.”
Fred was surprised to hear that Brighid and Lugh had involved Jacques and made what seemed to be changes in the plans they had given him earlier. He was more than curious to hear what the changes were. The apparent haste suggested that the problems were even worse than previously reported.
René walked into the cabin just as Lugh appeared.
– to be continued-