Westerlund 2

On a cool summer evening, it's time to get my granddaughter, Aurora, ready for bed. She loves bedtime stories, not books but stories. My Grandmother use to tell me magnificent stories that, at the time of telling, were hard to believe.

This summer night, I decide to tell my granddaughter a true story, a story that may seem to some, made up. There are believers and nonbelievers in the world. I am a believer.

We are all energy, made from the universe.

The story begins on a dark, fall night. A newly turned 20 year old woman was waiting out the end of her shift at a diner, located on the side of a dying highway, outside of a small town. She knew it was only a matter of time before the rundown diner closed and she'd be looking for a new job. Each night brought in fewer and fewer customers. Sitting behind the counter, drinking coffee to stay awake she wondered if luck was ever going to be part of her destiny.

The bell on the door chimes in the empty diner, an older woman enters. The deep wrinkles on her face told a story of a long, hard life. The energy in the diner raised and it sent a chill up the waitress' spine. A glance at the clock reads 11:23pm. Only 37 minutes until her shift ended. Handing the old woman the menu, she noticed a little black book on the table.

It’s 11:50pm and the old woman had finished her coffee and pie and was sitting at the table, staring at the little black book. The old lady had asked many questions in regard to the waitress' life. The waitress assumed that the lady must be lonely and needed some friendly conversation. It's almost closing time so the waitress tallies her check and drops it on the table intent on starting the closing duties. Before the waitress can walk away the old woman says, "You know, you are a lovely, young woman. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you Ma’am. Have a good night," is all she could think to say.

The bell on the door chimes and the waitress knows the old woman has departed. She resumes her closing duties. As she walks back to clean the table she sees the little black book still there. She grabs the book and runs to see if she can catch the old lady still but there's no one in the parking lot just her old, faithful jalopy, sitting under the street light. Looking down at the black book she notices a lock sealing the book.

The next morning as she sits at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and staring at the little black book on her kitchen table. There is something strange about the book, she can feel it, yet she brought the book home with her. Last night, she had a dream that the old lady from the diner was watching her through her bedroom window.

The news broadcasts from the T.V. in the background, "Air pollution levels are dangerously high, experts advise wearing a filter mask if you must go outdoors.....water scarcity has many residents migrating out of the southwest and many cities are in turmoil as overpopulation has strained local resources." The pile of bills on the kitchen table were staring her down. She would be part of the migration if the bills on the table were not paid by the end of the month. There was nowhere to go. No family alive.

A knock on the door pulls her out of her thoughts. She looks through the peep hole but sees no one there. Upon opening the door she spots an envelope on the doormat outside. While looking around for the courier, she wonders whether she should pick up the mysterious delivery. Curiosity compels her and she brings the envelope to the kitchen table.

Inside the envelope, are a key and a letter stating, “Since the passing of your 20th birthday, you are entitled to receive an inheritance of a trust fund in the total of $20,000. However, no matter how much money is withdrawn, the total will always return to $20,000.” She thought, “It’s a bottomless account?” There was another letter handwritten, a long forgotten script.

“My dearest Grandchild, if you’re reading this letter you have just turned 20 years old. You come from a long line of Galaxy Travelers. About 20,000 light years away from Earth, there is a stellar nursery called Westerlund 2, a place where gas and dust meet under the galaxy's gravity to create new stars and planets. This star nursery is home to over 3,000 newly born stars, some of the hottest and brightest in the galaxy...this is where our family came from, where your soul was born. Your birth brought about a war for power between light and dark. To protect you, you were placed in the care of an average human family. We had to hide you from the evil who sought to destroy you." She had to stop and take a deep breath.

The letter continued, "Evil has taken over. It has worked to destroy mankind by poisoning the air, water, and soil.....the human mind. Since the passing of your 20th birthday it is time to begin your journey. Our kind has been watching you, protecting you your entire life. Now it is time for you to know your history and your destiny as the chosen one.”

“A parallel universe or multi-verse surrounds you. Twenty thousand hertz is the highest frequency wave audible to the human ear. Any energy above 20,000 hertz is invisible or inconceivable to humans. But cosmic objects, i.e. planets and stars, emit megahertz frequencies, sound much higher than human ears can register. There is an entire universe surrounding Earth that average humans can neither hear nor see. All human thoughts, emotions, attitudes are made of energy. Every star in the universe is like a person, a snowflake.... built of the same components but each has its very own unique character. You have the ability to exist on the highest of energy levels...planes equal to that of the stars. Your family trusts you to use the power the universe has given you to save planet Earth and humankind. You will know what to do."

She thought of the book “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” A league is an obsolete measure of distance of about three miles. Twenty thousand leagues equal fifteen times the radius of the earth. The use by the author, Jules Verne, was a hyperbole to convey the vast length of the exploration. A perfect metaphor, at the time, of the inconceivable journey she was about to embark on. Looking back, little did she know just how minute that distance will seem, compared to how far she would travel.

She took the key and unlocked the black book. Inside were detailed mediations and incantations that can deliver a person to different dimensions. A time and place travel guide to the galaxy but only for the chosen one. She would find out later that to the average human eye, the writings are not legible.

Her dreams came flooding back to her, riding on a wave of light through a dark void, dotted with purple, pink, yellow and blue clouds and stars. For some reason she knew what she needed to do, the universe was speaking to her. The older woman in the diner was her grandmother. She longed to speak to her again. She brought the book to the soft rattan rug on the floor. Sitting in the middle, she opened the book, turned to a page, and began to read.

Aurora is getting sleepy. Her eyes are starting to get droopy and close. Grandma knows the story will have to continue another night.

She still has the little black book and one day she will pass it down to the next chosen one, her granddaughter. Evil has been defeated and Mother Earth has healed. She intends to keep it that way for next 10 years until her granddaughter turns 20 and can take ownership of the book and stewardship of the power of good and light. Now it's time for her to rest. Tomorrow will be a beautiful day on a now healthy Mother Earth.

Aurora’s Mother enters the bedroom to tuck her into bed. "Would you like me to tell you a bedtime story?"

"No Mama, Grandma already did."

"Silly girl, you know Grandma passed away when you were born."

Aurora smiles at her. Her Mother kisses her forehead, turns off the light, and shuts the bedroom door. Aurora lays her head on the pillow, closes her eyes, and in a few minutes, she flows onto a wave of light twisting in the dark, star lit galaxy.