The bubble craft landed on a flat rock and during decent, Adam could see that there was a hand dug well on the cay.  There were no structures, but it did seem to have some evidence of some kind of inhabitation.

Then he saw the dug out canoe and oars as they landed.  Someone was there, but he couldn’t see him at first.

It was a black man with dreadlocks.  Adam asked the pilot to wait as he exitted the bubble craft and said “Hello” to the startled looking Rastafarian on the cay.

“Hello” answered the man.  He was dressed in only jeans cut off at the knees.  He had wooden beads around his neck and a huge marijuana cigarette between his fingers.  A net lay aside the cut out canoe and a small fire was burning on the rock in front of him.  Two fish were cleaned and held on sticks over the open fire.

The man looked extraordinarily healthy.  His bare chest well muscled and his stomache revealing every abdominal muscle with an extraordarily low body fat.  His arms were also well muscled, but not in the way a body builder might be.  There was no bulk.  This was a thin well-muscled vibrant man that had obviously gained his muscle not by working out at a gym… but by working with his hands.

Adam assumed that he had dug out the canoe himself with his bare hands or with hand made tools.   Even the net was made with natural fibers.  Only the jeans and the marijuana cigarette rolling paper seemed to indicate that this man had ever experienced any part of civilization.

Also unlike the pasty skin of a body builder, this man’s black skin glowed with health.  His eyes were bright and his hair also showed vibrant health unlike any dreadlocks Adam had ever seen before.  The man smiled and his perfectly white teeth also testified to his extreme health.

The smile was disarming so when he gestured for Adam to sit… Adam did.

They both seemed to wait for the other to speak.

Adam sensed that the man was about to speak, but instead he broke a piece of fish off one of the sticks and looked at the flesh.  Satisfied that it was done, he handed the other stick to Adam who accepted it.

They ate in silence with the marijuana cigarette still burning, but now laying at the man’s side.

When they finished, the man picked up the marijuan cigarette and inhaled deeply and looked at the sky.  He offered it to Adam before exhaling huge plumes of smoke.  Adam shook his head to decline.

The man finally spoke “It is a great honor to meet you in person Adam.”

Adam was not alarmed that the man knew his name.   His racing thoughts from the ride on the bubble craft had disappeared entirely.  He didn’t even try to put the pieces together.  He just enjoyed the surreal experience of sitting on an island eating freshly caught and cooked fish over an open fire with a Rastafarian with the bubble craft hovering silently just feet behind him.

He didn’t know what to say… or what to ask.

He finally decided to hold out his hand for a handshake.  The man took his hand reverently and wrapped his left hand firmly around his wrist as very good friends might do when meeting each other again.  Adam did the same.  The grasp continued for several seconds, but there was no feeling of being uncomfortable and wanting to break the grasp.

Just before the man released the grasp, he said “I am Vidale, chief of the Garifuna, prophet of the world and your humble servant.”

Adam replied “The honor is mine to meet your Vidale.”

Vidale looked at the bubble craft and said “I did not know what to expect for your vehicle.  Perhaps I expected more fire and a deafening roar.”

Adam answered “That vehicle doesn’t use fire at all for propulsion and makes no noise at all.”

Vidale: “It is better that way I think.”

Adam: “I would like to ask you some questions Vidale.  Would that be OK?”

Vidale: “I was about to say the same thing.  But of course, I am your servant and would be happy to answer your questions.”

Adam: “How do you know me and what do you mean that you are my prophet?”

Vidal: “The answer is one and the same Adam.  I know you because I am your prophet.  I come here every day to listen to your words and visions and then I go back to my people and tell them what I have seen and heard… unless you tell me otherwise in the vision.  I know you from the visions.”

The spell on Adam was broken.  It was surreal to be having this conversation, but this man was obviously mentally disturbed… probably a schitzophrenic… and also under the influence of marijuana.

Adam was able to refocus on his reason for being there.  He asked Vidale:

“You say you come here every day.  Do you always come alone?  Is there ever anyone else here?”

Vidale: “I come alone to this place every day.  There are no others.  I keep this place sacred and use it only to hear your words and see your visions.”

Adam: “Do you speak words aloud from this place when you see these visions?”

Vidale: “If I am moved to do so.”

Adam: “Were you moved to say these words?”

Adam showed Vidale a piece of paper with several paragraphs on it.  It was the transcript that John gave him of the leaked words that were found in the raw NSA data stream.

Vidale: “Yes I did.”

Adam: “Why?”

Vidale: “I saw them in a vision and I read them out loud to see if I could understand their meaning.”

Adam: “How do you see these visions?”

Vidale: “I smoke the sacred herb… the ganga… and then I ask a question and look at the clouds for a vision and I listen to the wind for your words.  Is this not correct?”

Adam: “What question did you ask?”

Vidale: “I was exploring the laughter and feeling so humble and privileged to be the last prophet of the next to last ha… I was grateful for seeing it all at once as you showed it to me… but then I yearned to zoom into it and see the current moment in eternity and to see the most important and sacred thing there was in the entire world at the instant of my question.”

Adam: “And those words were your answer?”

Vidale: “Yes; what do they mean Adam?”

Adam: “I can not tell you that.”

Vidale: “I understand.  I am grateful to have experienced them.”

Adam: “Did you tell anyone these words?”

Vidale: “No.  I asked for the most sacred thing at that moment and I kept it sacred.  It stayed here.  I only tell the Garifuna and the other seekers what you ask me to tell them.”

Adam: “Good.  Please keep these words sacred.”

Vidale: “I will.  May I ask you a question?”

Adam: “Yes.  Of course.”

Vidale: “Why did you not go to her?”

Adam: “Who?”

Vidale: “Lilith.”

Adam stood and walked to the bubble craft.  He asked the pilot for his sidearm.  He turned around to shoot Vidale, but Vidale was gone.  The canoe, net, oar, sticks, fire and marijuana cigarette remained.

He turned back to the pilot and asked him “Where did he go?”

The pilot’s face was white as he answered “Through that hole with the man who looked like you.”

Adam handed the sidearm back to the pilot and stepped back into the bubble craft.

He had met with one of them afterall.

 

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