The Second Turning

[Shadow 0]

The Second Turning

 

Shadow continued to dive beneath the rubble in the city known as Paris near what used to be the Eiffel Tower, or so he was told. Those without energy readings he left untagged. Those with energy readings he tagged, activated the tag, and the bodies were beamed somewhere - aboard Agincourt or other ships in orbit, or perhaps to a place on this planet they called Earth, a place on the planet that was not visited by the Soltan.

 

Yet, Shadow found it difficult to tag those with no life signs, no energy readings. As he moved through the rubble he came to one who had no life signs, yet the energy reading was close by. After a second of confusion, he sensed the energy moving off, away from the now-lifeless body. It puzzled him, yet he continued on to perform his assigned duty. Find. Tag. Activate.

 

Then he came upon another. The life sign faded, the energy remained, if only for a moment or two. Some lingered, hovering next to him, then rose and vanished. It was, indeed, puzzling.

 

He questioned Tay. "When biologicals lose life force, do you see the life force leave?"

 

"No see. No hear. Body gets cold. Not know ghosts. Can Shadow talk life force? Can life force see? "

 

It was strange. Strange indeed. These energy readings were called "ghosts."

 

"Talk life force always, but not with sound waves," Shadow replied.

 

"Biologicals cannot see ghost. Cannot talk to ghost."

 

Ghosts. Life forces.

Among his own stories abound of the First Turning of their species. A rough translation would be:

In the beginning were the beings, and the beings were limited, and the beings were without a sense of the essence of life.

The First Turning.

Then the beings knew life, and the life was pure.

It left the beings and drifted into the void, and the void was rich with their presence.

The Second Turning.

 

Could this be the essence of these biologicals among whom Shadow dwelt? Were they the First and the Second turning? Shadow was part of the Third Turning, or so his leaders said. He had yet to develop into the purest form possible, that which would forever merge with the Creator, according to the stories.

 

So the Tay, the Odile, the Harper, the Earth beings, the Soltan, all the beings of this universe were in the Second Turning?

 

It was possible.