Saying Goodbye

by

E. Thornton Goode, Jr.

 In Appreciation

First, I want to thank my good friend, Galen Berry,

for not only his assistance with the proofreading and editing
of this work but in making suggestions that would improve
and enhance the storyline. Galen has been helpful doing this
with several previous novels. In this novel, the original
ending was at the point of the friendship toast. Galen
suggested a most incredible and wonderful alternative ending
for the story to consider. I loved it so much, I reworked the
last part to incorporate Galen’s suggestion. Thank you,
Buddy. Looking forward to your help on more of my
writings should you have the time and inclination.

* * * * *

I want to thank my longtime friend and companion,

Danny Glass. I am using his picture to show the image of the
character, Jeremy Todd, in this story. Dan and I were
together as partners for sixteen years. He was a very funny
and caring guy. He left this life on May 20, 2014, from a
heart attack in his sleep. He is greatly missed. I know he
will be waiting for me on the other side when it’s my time to
go.

* * * * *

My friends, Carl Owen and John Burch, and I go back

several years. I want to thank them for letting me use one of
their pictures here as representatives of the two archeologists
in the story, Carl Davis and John Beach. I had to chuckle as
the picture Carl sent me to use does look like two guys
dressed as archeologists. I also had to chuckle that both their
first names are the same as the characters. What are the
chances? Thanks, Guys.
 * * * * *

My friend, Steffan Zevarr, is the perfect image of the

character, Dr. Paul Carr, in the story. Carr is a psychiatrist
that Jeremy goes to, seeking help with some major night
anxieties. Thank you, Steffan, for letting me use your
picture.

* * * * *

My friend, David Goland, just happens to resemble

the image of Dr. David Stanley, another psychiatrist in the
story. I have to chuckle again that the first name of the
character is the same as David’s. Seriously, it was totally
unintentional. David, I do appreciate you letting me use your
picture.

* * * * *

I want to thank my friend and partner, Julian Green,

who is the image of several main characters in the book. You
will understand why when you read the story. The only real
difference is the eye color. Julian’s were blue whereas the
characters’ eyes are green. Julian has been the image of
numerous characters in several of my novels.

Thank you, Julian. I am in your debt and I miss you

very much. I hope one day we will meet again in the great
beyond. The world lost an incredible artist when you left this
life on December 25, 2017.

* * * * *
 Galen

* * * * *
 Dan

* * * * *
Carl and John

* * * * *
 Steffan

* * * * *
 David

* * * * *
Julian
 Bio Information

Time is marching onward. This is novel number nine

to go to print. Being retired has given me the time to write
and do many other things.

Yes, I am still living in Mexico and have no intentions

of moving. My next move will be to a bronze urn. Yeah.
And then, into the ocean right off the coast here.

As you may already know, I am not publishing my

books in the order in which they were written. I just pick one
of the completed manuscripts and start proofreading and
editing. I have four more completed after this one goes to
print. I’m also contemplating publishing my short stories as
a collection. I have jokingly indicated that my goal is to get
all my writings in print before I drop dead. Hey! At my age
and with the COVID pandemic happening, you never know.

I am still single and most likely will remain so.

Having lost three partners to death, who were all younger
than me, it might not be a bad idea to remain single.
 PROLOGUE

Reincarnation. Have you ever been in a conversation,

regarding the subject? Do you believe in it? Do you realize
that virtually three-quarters of the world’s population do?

If you do believe, have you ever wondered who you

were in past lives? No. Not Napoleon or Cleopatra. You
want me to smack you one? We’re trying to be serious here.
Have you ever been put under hypnosis and regressed to a
past life? Have you ever been to a reader who tells you
about one or more of your past life experiences?

I, the writer, once had the chance to go to a very good

reader, Betty Foster, from England. Needless to say, it was
not only interesting but it opened another door in my
thinking. She told me things that truly wiped away any of
my skepticism.

At first, during the reading, I was skeptical and was

listening with one ear and in my mind going, “yeah…
yeah… yeah”. Then, she told me a woman wanted to talk to
me. Betty said it was not my mother but my mother’s
mother. After a pause, she asked if her name was Mary or
Margaret. I told her it wasn’t. That’s when she said, “I can
see her very clearly and she is mouthing the letter ‘M’. I
don’t understand.”

I was absolutely shocked. What I just heard her say

caused me to almost fall on the floor. I had NEVER met
Betty before in my life and there is no way she could have
done any research on me. She didn’t know I was coming for
a reading until I showed up. I knew I had to listen to every
word this woman had to say. Why? My grandmother’s name
was Emma… and everyone called her Em.
 Later in the reading, she began going into several past
lives for me. The first one was in ancient Rome. I was a
Roman soldier and had a partner. As she described him, it
was immediately apparent she was also describing a person
in my present life.... my partner, Phillip. Talk about weird.
What can I say? The other lives were interesting but not as
significant as the one in Rome.

Trust me. If you had been me, sitting there, hearing

all the things she told me about the past, present and future,
you wouldn’t be a ‘naysayer’ or so skeptical.
 This story addresses this issue and how it affects
several who happened to be drawn together. It all begins
when an Egyptian tomb is opened in the ancient city of
Akhetaten, known in Arabic as Amarna.
 CHAPTER I

John walked up to the closed flap of the tent. He

called out. “Knock! Knock!”

“John! Come in!” Carl was sitting at one of those

six-foot-long folding tables, acting as a temporary desk. It
was sitting out in the middle of the space of the tent and was
holding paperwork, his laptop and his satellite phone.
Several boxes were under it. There were two other similar
tables in the corners. Papers, maps and several books were
sitting on them with boxes beneath them as well. Carl’s
sleeping cot was against the opposite side of the tent.

John was excited as he walked into the tent. “You

were right. The ground-penetrating equipment found an
anomaly in the ground right beside the cliff wall. I told the
men to start removing the sand, so we could see what it is.”

Carl responded. “Well, I have to say, I’m glad we

came across something. It’s been two weeks, searching just
this area alone for something. I just had a feeling something
might be located somewhere other than those few small
tombs already discovered up in the cliffs. I kept thinking
about Tut’s tomb and how the entrance was covered by
sand.” He looked up at John. “But don’t get your hopes up.
I’m not expecting anything like Tut’s tomb. As you well
know, Akhetaten didn’t last long enough for something like
that to exist here. But it could be something exciting,
nonetheless.”

At that, one of the workers appeared at the tent and

spoke in his native Arabic to John. He was very happy. John
thanked him as he left and turned to Carl. “I’m sure you
caught that.” John clapped his hands together.
 Carl stood up with a grin on his face. “Yes, I did and
I think we should go see.” He grabbed his hat before leaving
the tent.

Arriving at the dig, Carl and John saw about four feet
of sand had been removed from around the area, exposing
several stone steps, going down into the sand. They were
perpendicular to the cliff, heading in an easterly direction.

“Interesting.” Carl scratched his chin. “Whatever is

at the bottom is going to be under the cliff if there’s anything
at all. We shall see.” He turned to John. “NO! It’s not
another Tut’s tomb! Just because the entrance is similar
DOES NOT mean the same results.” He started to chuckle.

“I know. I know. I’m just glad we’ve found

something promising. Guess it’s time to notify the proper
authorities to come oversee what’s happening.” John kept
staring at the steps, slowly being uncovered by the workers.

* * * * *

It took nearly two days to get the right authorities

there and to remove all the sand from the steps and the
passage beyond. From the look of it, the passage and steps
were covered naturally by the shifting and blowing desert
sand. The passageway was some six feet wide, almost eight
feet high and went almost eighty feet east under the base of
the cliff. The sand had come only some sixteen feet into the
passage. The rest was clear. The walls and ceilings were
rough and unadorned until they reached the last thirty feet of
the passageway. There, to the end, the walls and ceilings
were covered with a smooth coat of a stucco or plaster. On
the south wall, some twenty feet from the end of the passage,
was an opening, leading to a chamber about twenty feet
square and eight feet high. The room was coated with a
smooth white surface. The walls were blank except for a few
hieroglyphs. In the center of the room was a rectangular
sarcophagus carved from the natural rock when the room was
made. There was no lid on it and it was empty. The lid was
leaning up against the vault. The room was completely
empty.

“Well, I see there’s nothing to jump up and down

about here. It’s obvious this chamber was never used. The
entrance to the room was never closed. The walls are devoid
of decoration and information and the sarcophagus was never
sealed. Maybe we’ll be luckier at the end of the passage.”
Carl shrugged. “At least there is the name, Denamunton, on
what appears to be a covered entrance there.

“Seems like whoever was supposed to be here, didn’t

make it. Wonder what happened?” John shook his head. He
walked around the sarcophagus and saw a few hieroglyphs
carved on the side. “Interesting. Those few hieroglyphs
indicate this is supposed to be the chamber for the daughter
of Denamunton. He’s the guy in the tomb at the end of the
passageway. At least I hope he’s there. I’ve never heard his
name before in Egyptian history or during the time of
Akhenaten. I wonder why the daughter was never buried
here?”

Photographs were taken of the room and the

hieroglyphs. These could be viewed later, using the
computer when the pictures were downloaded from the
camera.

Next, everyone gathered at the east end of the

passage. It was obvious there had been an opening there at
one time. Now, it was walled up and covered over, leaving a
telltale six-inch indentation of a doorway. The smooth white
coating was decorated with a single seal of the name of the
man who should be within the chamber beyond.
Denamunton. Photos were taken before they slowly and
carefully removed the masonry wall that sealed the opening.
Eventually, it was clear.

The room was thirty feet square, ten feet high and
completely covered with a smooth surface. It was filled with
possessions of the man.

In the center of the room was another rectangular

sarcophagus but this one had a stone slab cover. Painted on
the walls were many hieroglyphs, pictures of boats, water
and stylized images of the man. All the pictures were done
in the typical ancient Egyptian style of flat art. Scattered
around the room were many things that were obvious
possessions of the man. None were of precious metals or
jewels.

Seeing this, John just shook his head. “Carl, you

were absolutely right. This is definitely NOT a tomb like
Tut’s.”

Many photographs were taken but nothing was

disturbed, so each and every item could be mapped as to its
location in the room and cataloged before being removed.

* * * * *

Over the next several days, all the items were brought
out, cataloged and crated for transport. This completed, it
was time to remove the stone lid from the sarcophagus. This
done, everyone saw a beautifully painted wooden coffin.
Another crate was built, so the coffin could be transported.
The mummy in it would be examined extensively at the
facility in Cairo. Since everything had been removed and
sent to Cairo, the authorities left as well.

By the end of the week, Carl and John began to go

over the extensive pictures downloaded into their computers.
John was reviewing the ones of the hieroglyphs from
Denamunton’s chamber. Carl was reviewing the list of
cataloged items, matching the list with photographs of each
item.

“It appears Denamunton was a very successful

merchant with several barges to ship merchandise.” John
was thinking out loud. “Guess it’s why he could afford a
tomb and burial like this. But I still wonder why the
daughter was never placed in her tomb.” After a few
moments of silence, he continued perusing the pictures of the
hieroglyphs on his computer. “I swear you could almost
write a novel with all the information that’s on the walls.
Geez. So far, it tells of his success, wealth and the fine home
he built just after the city was established by the Pharaoh
Akhenaton. There seem to be stories about some of his
adventures. I’ll let you know if I find anything else.”

Carl responded. “Well, I’m not holding my breath.”

After a slight pause, he changed the subject. “By the way, I
got a call from my accountant. He filed my taxes early for
last year and believe it or not, I’m getting something back.
Thank you, Jesus.” He looked up and raised his hands in the
air. “He usually gets my taxes done and submitted by the
beginning of April every year.”

“I haven’t heard from mine. Maybe no news is good

news.” John chuckled. “You know, I believe the
government picked April fifteenth as the final day to file
taxes as a joke on everyone. You do realize, April fifteenth is
the day the Titanic sank. Yeah.”

“Here it is, going on the middle of April and the Fates

have been good to us. Looks like possibly by the end of this
month we could be making a little history with this tomb.”
Carl gave a Cheshire Cat grin. “I know it’s going to take
some time to make some sense of it but that’s okay.
Whoever said this job would be easy?”
 John looked up. “You know. It’s kind of sad. Here
we have a man who lived a good life, had a daughter and
died. We know he was a shipping merchant, a little about his
adventures but that’s it. We know nothing of the man, the
man he was, his personality, his thoughts, his dreams. I think
it’s sad.”

Carl chimed in. “Hey. Most everyone now has only

a damn tombstone and what is scrawled on it. And that’s all
we know of whoever is beneath it. At least here we have
some of the things that belonged to the guy. We can ponder
those.”

“Yeah. You’re right. And now that you mention it,

THAT is REALLY SAD! Geez. Probably why folks write
memoirs. Oh, well.” John sighed.

A few hours of silence went by as they continued

their work when all of a sudden, John yelled out. “Oh, my
God! He had a SON!”

“What!? A SON!?” Carl turned to John.

John kept looking at the computer screen, reading the

hieroglyphs. “Yes. It seems the father was buried in
accordance with his wishes and carried out by...” He paused
a moment. “It says here, ‘your faithful and loving son and
daughter’. He had a son!” He turned with a big grin,
looking at Carl.

“Well, excuse me! But how is it there’s a burial

chamber for the father and the daughter but not the son?
There would definitely be a chamber for the son more so
than the daughter. Something is way too strange here. Did
we miss something?” Carl had a questioning look on his
face.
 John continued. “Maybe there’s some reason the
son’s not here. Maybe he moved.”

“Hell no!” Carl responded. “If you’re taking over

your father’s lucrative shipping business, you don’t move.”

“Well, you know, Akhetaten didn’t last that long as

the capital city. When Akhenaton died, this city of virtually
twenty thousand people was abandoned and the capital was
moved back to Thebes or Luxor as we know it today. Back
to the way it was before his reign. Too many were totally
pissed off because of what he did.” John recounted history.
“And today Akhetaten is called by its Arabic name of
Amarna.”

“That could be why the daughter was not buried here,

too. But it still doesn’t answer the question why no tomb
was made for the son. There should be a burial chamber for
the son. Even if it’s empty like the daughter’s.” Carl shook
his head.

John looked up in the air in contemplation. “Okay.

What do you think about this?” He picked up a piece of
paper and pen and placed the paper on the table near Carl.
He began to draw the layout of the two chambers of the
tomb, passageway and steps. “Now, think about it. If you
were designing a tomb that would have three burial chambers
and this is what we found so far, where would you expect the
third chamber to be?” John looked at Carl as he nodded.

Carl looked up at John and began to giggle. “Damn!

You’re right!”

In unison, they both yelled out. “RIGHT HERE!”

They both simultaneously put their fingers on the drawing
right across the passageway from the daughter’s chamber,
north of the passageway.
 “But the north wall is smooth stucco the full thirty
feet with no indication of an opening.” Carl shrugged his
shoulders.

“Well, I’d bet my life savings there’s a room there,

regardless of the reason why it’s hidden. And I know exactly
how we can find out. We know how thick the wall is from
the passageway to the daughter’s chamber. And we know the
thickness of the wall, covering the doorway of the father’s
chamber. I would venture to say the wall covering the
opening to the son’s chamber should be about the same.
Maybe a little thicker since there’s no door indentation. Let’s
get the same masonry drill bit we initially used to enter the
father’s chamber and see if we can find a void behind the
north wall.” John was excited.

“Great idea. We can do it tomorrow morning.” Carl

clapped his hands.

“Hell no! I want to find out right now.” John was

adamant.

“We can’t. We need to explain what we’re doing and

get a consensus on whether everyone thinks it’s a good
hunch.” Carl had a calmer head.

“You’re right. We’ll have to wait till the morning.

But let’s get up early. My curiosity is killing me.”

Carl nodded. “Yeah. I see you remember what

curiosity did to the kitty cat.”

They broke out in raucous laughter.

* * * * *

The next morning, everyone gathered in the

passageway directly across from the entrance to the southern
chamber. The north wall was a smooth white surface with no
decoration for some thirty feet. Since there would be no
destruction of art or hieroglyphs, drilling a test hole would
not be a problem.

John looked at the wall. “How about right here?” He

pointed to a spot some four feet from the floor. It was an
easy height to hold the heavy drill. The spot was right across
from the entrance to the daughter’s chamber.

Everyone agreed with excitement.

John turned on the drill and immediately hit stone.

He turned off the drill. “Nothing here. No masonry brick
dust. Let’s try closer to the father’s chamber.” He moved the
drill some six feet eastward and drilled. Immediately, the
drill bit hit stone.

Carl spoke up. “How about farther out this way.” He

pointed to a spot some eight feet west of the original hole.

John agreed. “Hell. Why not.” He moved the drill,

held it in place with both hands and began, using his legs as
leverage and pressure. Slowly, the bit penetrated into the
wall. Masonry dust began to pile up on the floor. He
stopped drilling and cried out. “YES!” This was a very good
sign. It wasn’t stone dust. He continued drilling. Finally,
the bit reached the expected depth to break through but the
wall was solid. It was obvious from the dust that after the
stucco covering, there was masonry block, indicating there
should be something. John pulled the bit from the wall just
to check the measurement again.

John shook his head. “Damn. I don’t get it. I know

there’s a room there. I’m going to drill just a bit more.”

Carl spoke with disappointment in his voice. “We

should’ve known by now. Maybe we were totally wrong
about this. Maybe they started an opening but stopped and
filled it in with masonry. But a few more inches won’t
matter now. Go for it.”

John inserted the bit and started the drill again.

Within a few moments, the bit quickly moved several inches
forward, nothing stopping it. Everyone gasped and looked at
one another.

John stopped the drill. He looked at Carl and

everyone else. A huge grin filled his face. “Carl! Damn!
We were right! We were right! Guess it’s time to call the
authorities again and wait till they get here.” He looked
down at his watch, set at Cairo time. It was eight-thirty-five
in the morning.
 CHAPTER II

Jeremy woke up in his New York City apartment

agitated and sweating profusely. He was panting like he
couldn’t catch his breath. His heart was pounding like a
racing sledgehammer. Quickly, he sat up in bed. He turned
his head, looking at the digital clock on the nightstand. It
was two-thirty-five in the morning. He wasn’t sure what
caused his restlessness. Had it been a dream? But he
couldn’t recall any dream. Yet, his whole body was in a state
of extreme agitation.

He got up, went to the kitchen, poured a cold glass of

tea then sat down in the living room of his apartment to
ponder what had happened. He couldn’t recall any other
time in his life when he’d experienced such a strange and
disturbing nighttime event. He went over everything in his
mind and realized there was nothing going on in his life that
could be causing stress.

Actually, it was almost mid-April, springtime.

Everything was going rather well. One of the major galleries
in the city was getting ready to show his works. There was
even talk about a possible one-man show on the horizon.
What more could an artist ask for?

Slowly, the agitation quieted and he returned to bed.

* * * * *

Over the next several nights, he continued to wake up

the same way. It seemed each night was getting worse than
the night before.
 On a trip to the gallery, bringing in a completed
painting, he sat having a cup of coffee with Angela, the
proprietor. She looked over at Jeremy. “Jeremy. You look
like shit. What’s wrong? You’re not doing drugs, are you?”

“It’s my nights. I need to talk with someone about it.

Do you mind?”

As the conversation continued, Angela was concerned

and told him he should go immediately to see his doctor.
There could be something wrong. She alluded to a tumor on
the brain.

He took her advice and went to see his doctor that

very afternoon. Interestingly enough, there had been two
patient cancellations, so seeing him wasn’t a problem. The
doctor ran several tests. Then, they went next door to the
hospital to do an MRI scan of his head. He told Jeremy to
come back in a few days and they would discuss all the
results.

* * * * *

Several days later, Jeremy walked into his doctor’s

office.

“Jeremy, I need to tell you. I’m stumped.” His

doctor kept looking at the pages of results. “I find no
physical reason for your episodes. And you say, they
continue. There’s nothing on your scans, EKG or in the
blood work. Absolutely nothing. I have a feeling something
is going on in your head. I can’t do anything about that. But
I know someone I believe might help. I hope you’re open to
the suggestion.”

“Hey. I’m ready to try anything at this point. It’s

driving me crazy. No pun intended.” Jeremy tried to inject a
little humor into the situation.
 The doctor continued. “Just a second.” He
immediately got on the phone, setting up an appointment for
Jeremy. Finishing the conversation, he hung up the phone.
“Paul can see you, the day after tomorrow at ten-thirty in the
morning. How’s that?”

“Great!” Jeremy clapped his hands together.

“Thanks, Doc. I do appreciate it. After I see him, I’ll let you
know if they plan to commit me to the booby hatch.”

They both just laughed as Jeremy left the office.

* * * * *

Jeremy got off the elevator and checked his watch.

He was a little early. The numbers of the offices were posted
on the wall. 1220-1250. He walked down the hall to 1230.
A brass sign was posted on the solid wooden door. It read:
Dr. Paul Carr. He opened the door and walked in.

There was a lady behind the desk who had an

infectious smile. “Well, hello.” She spoke softly. “You must
be Mister Jeremy Todd. Doctor Carr will see you in a
moment.” She got on the phone. “Mister Todd is here.” She
hung up the phone.

Before Jeremy had the chance to sit down, Paul

immediately appeared. He extended his hand toward Jeremy.
Jeremy extended his hand and they shook, each smiling at
one another.

“Please, come into my office.” Paul led the way. As

they entered the office, Paul walked behind his desk.
“Please. Have a seat.” He gestured toward a very stuffed
chair in front of his desk.
 Jeremy looked around the office. “Okay. Where’s
the couch?” A big grin filled his face.

Paul snickered. “Well. It’s a recliner now.” He

pointed again to the very stuffed chair. “I hope you’re not
disappointed.”

Jeremy gave a ‘thumbs-up’ as he sat down. When he

did, he couldn’t believe how soft and comfortable the chair
was. “Geez. I could sleep in this thing. Hell yeah!”

“Glad you approve.” Paul smiled. “I want you to be

comfortable. That is very important.” He looked down at
several pieces of paper on his desk. “I have your medical
history here that your doctor sent over and it seems you’re
one healthy guy.” He looked right at Jeremy. “But to be
honest, you look like shit. Looks like you haven’t slept in a
week. Now, other than your medical, tell me something
about yourself?” He kept looking at Jeremy.

Jeremy looked back. “Well.” He paused and

scratched his head. He looked at Paul very intensely with a
forlorn expression on his face. “My mother used to beat me
every day right after my drunk father beat her.” He tried
desperately to keep a straight face as he saw Paul’s face
grimace. He couldn’t hold back any longer and began to
laugh out loud. “Just kidding! Just kidding! Sorry. I
couldn’t help it.”

Paul shook his head and started laughing. “Very

funny! Very funny. I’m glad you have such a good sense of
humor.” He kept laughing. “You know, no one has ever
pulled that kind of prank before. Yes. Very funny.” He
paused then looked right at Jeremy. “Jeremy, I like you.
You’re going to be a great patient. But let’s get serious. Tell
me about yourself and what’s going on.”
 Over the next hour, Jeremy told of his life, his
ambitions and his relationships which really weren’t
relationships but extended physical encounters. Finally, he
arrived at the present time and how things were looking up,
regarding his artistic career.

“Well.” Paul turned his head. “I don’t hear anything

traumatic or out of the ordinary here that would cause
problems like you seem to be having. Hmmm. I do have an
idea. We will start next week. How does that sound?”

“Same ‘bat’ place. Same ‘bat’ time. YeeeHaw!”

Jeremy agreed. “I can’t wait. Yeah. These night episodes
are making me crazy.” He looked at Paul with a big grin.
“Don’t write that down. Just kidding.”

Paul had to think for a moment then finally recalled

the words from the Batman TV show and began to chuckle.
“See you then.”

* * * * *

Every night thereafter, the episodes continued and

seemed to get worse and more frequent, happening several
times a night. He’d get up in the morning exhausted from
lack of sleep and from whatever was happening during his
episodes. He had no recollection of what they were about,
no matter how hard he tried to remember.

It was Monday morning and his previous night had

been extremely restless and trying. He could not take it
anymore. His next appointment wouldn’t be until Thursday
morning but he knew he had to have help, immediately. He
called and Paul would see him at four that afternoon.

Jeremy walked into the reception room. The

receptionist’s smile turned to concern when she saw him.
“Mister Todd. Please, sit down. I’ll tell Doctor Carr you’re
here.”

Soon, Jeremy was in the chair and Paul behind his

desk.

Jeremy spoke quietly. “Doc. I really feel like shit.”

“Jeremy. You look like shit. Much worse than the

last time I saw you. Why didn’t you call me sooner?”

“It was your weekend and I don’t like to ruin people’s

weekends.”

“Well, that’s extremely considerate of you but if you

need help, you shouldn’t wait. So, we’re going to start this
thing and try to see what we can do to remedy the situation.
I want you to lean back in the chair and relax.”

Jeremy leaned back and the chair tilted. A footrest

popped out. “Damn, I swear. This thing is so comfortable.
Where did you get it? I want to buy one.”

“We’ll talk about that later. For now, I want you to

relax. We’re going to try some hypnotherapy. I’m telling
you something now that is very important. I want you to
always be cognizant of who you are and to be able to
remember everything, so we can discuss it later. And if you
are ever in a place that’s uncomfortable or too much for you,
tell me, so I can pull you out. I will repeat this again when I
put you under. Is that clear?”

“Yep. As crystal.” He gave a ‘thumbs-up’. “I’m

ready. Let’s go.” He paused for a moment, looking directly
at Paul. “One question. You’re not going to make me get up
and walk around the room, clucking like a chicken and
scratching with my feet or jumping around like a monkey,
are you?” He burst out laughing. “Sorry! Sorry! I couldn’t
help it.”

Paul couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh. “I

swear. You’re incorrigible. Incorrigible! Don’t worry. I
record everything, so you can make sure I don’t.”

Paul turned on his recorder. It took a few moments

but he found Jeremy was an easy subject. His eyes closed
and he was under very quickly. He immediately repeated his
previous instructions to Jeremy then was silent.

All was quiet at first. Suddenly, Jeremy began to

speak. His voice was a mixture of authority and anger.
“They have disturbed my rest! They have no right! This is
our place! No one should be here!”

“Jeremy. What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

“My name is not Jeremy. It is Ki Thar!”

 CHAPTER III

“My name is Ki Thar, son of Denamunton! They

have broken the wall to come in.” Jeremy was now the
persona of Ki Thar.

Paul’s face was filled with surprise. He hadn’t even

prompted Jeremy, yet it started. “Ki Thar. I am Doctor Paul.
I’m trying to help you. But I will need to know more. I’m
sure there’s a good reason for what is happening. We will
discuss this and see if it is a problem. But first, I think it
would be good to start from the beginning. Can we do that?”

“Yes, Doctor Paul.” Jeremy was now Ki Thar, who

responded sadly and less agitated. “Yes. It may be helpful. I
must tell you. I’m so sad. My wonderful Seth is gone. I
knew I couldn’t live without him.”

Paul spoke calmly. “So I may understand, let’s start

from the very beginning. Yes. Just start at the beginning and
give me some of your history. Then, we can talk about what
is happening that is disturbing you. Where are you?”

“I’m in Egypt.” Jeremy responded.

“Egypt!?” Paul was shocked. “If you’re in Egypt,

how is it you’re speaking English?”

“I am Ki Thar but I’m also Jeremy. What I would say

in my language, he knows and is speaking it in his.”

“Interesting.” Paul scratched the side of his face.

“Yes. Very interesting. Now. Please, continue. I’ll not
interrupt unless I feel I must.”
 “Thank you, Doctor Paul.” Jeremy lay relaxed in the
chair. His eyes closed. Finally, he began to tell the story. He
was now Ki Thar.

* * * * *

My mother died when I was six. We were devastated

by her loss. My father ran a lucrative shipping business
based in Thebes. My sister and I never wanted for anything.

When I was seventeen, my father moved the center of

business to the new capital city of Akhetaten. He also built a
new house there. My sister, two years older than me, had
married a successful businessman in Thebes. So, my father
gave them the old house there as a gift.

“You should see the new city.” Ki Thar spoke with

joy. “It went up rather quickly. They’re using a new kind of
construction. The blocks are small, much smaller. A man
can carry one, sometimes two, at a time. Our house was built
in no time at all.”

My father felt it was important to have the business

centered here. I began helping my father, knowing he
wanted me to eventually take over the business. Little did I
realize, it was going to happen so soon. When I turned
nineteen, my father passed away and the business was my
responsibility.

By that time, the business had several shipping barges

to move merchandise up and down the Nile as well as ports
along the eastern Mediterranean. With all the construction
and people moving to the new capital city, business was
booming. But even with all the additional business, I found
time to do the things I loved most, painting and sculpting.

My life greatly changed when I was twenty. It was

the beginning of summer and I was on one of the three
barges coming back to Akhetaten. They were loaded with
supplies from upriver. We’d made a stop in Thebes to deliver
merchandise, so I got a chance to visit with my sister for a
day.

My father, being a kind and understanding man, had

the barges constructed, so there were enclosed cabins and
sleeping areas. That way his men wouldn’t be out in any bad
weather should it ever arise.

On the way north, there was a freak storm and the

barges were anchored out in the river. No one realized it at
the time but stupid me went out to see the storm, lost my
balance and fell overboard. The water was rough and
moving swiftly. The wind was blowing ferociously. I knew I
was going to drown as I was moving quickly downriver away
from the barges. All of a sudden, something grabbed me and
started pulling me in the direction of the eastern bank. It
took time but we finally made it and I was revived.

I eventually realized it was a man who had saved me.

He was over a head taller than me with dark brown wavy
hair, beard and mustache. He had a muscular build and dark
brown hair covered his chest, stomach, arms and legs. He
also had the most amazing deep green eyes.

Through the noise of the storm, I called out. “Thank

you. Thank you very much for saving me. But where did
you come from?”

He called back. “I happened to be out on deck of the

second barge to see the storm and saw you fall. As I
watched, it was obvious you were in big trouble. So, I
jumped in to help. I knew there was no way you could get
back up. The river was moving too swiftly and the sides of
the barges were too high. With the storm, no one would be
aware of what happened.” He smiled at me.
 “You must be an excellent swimmer to grab me and
get us both to shore without drowning.”

He chuckled. “What can I say?”

“What is your name?” I looked at him.

“Seth. My name is Seth.” He nodded his head in the

affirmative.

“Seth. Thank you. You shall be rewarded when we

get home.” I looked at him with a questioning expression.
“Where are you from? Your name is not from this region.”

“I came from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.

I was taken prisoner but your father bought me from the
market many years before his death. He was always kind to
me. And not just me but all of his people. He made sure we
were fed well and always had a roof over our heads when not
working. I pray for him every day.”

“That is very kind of you. Thank you for that.” I

smiled then looked into the sky. “Well, this storm isn’t
letting up.” I looked out and far upriver where the barges
were located. “There’s no way we can get back to the
barges. When they start heading north again, they’ll see
we’re not there and think we fell over into the river and
drowned. We should try to start heading north for home.”

Seth looked skyward. “Yes. If you don’t mind

traveling in the weather.”

I looked down at my soaking wet clothes. “Hey!

What does it matter now?”

Seth grinned. “Okay. Let’s get moving.” He looked

directly at me. “You do know the barges will get to
Akhetaten before we do and tell everyone we’re dead?”
 I nodded. “Yes. You’re right. But we will deal with
that when we get there. Right now, it’s important for us to
find food and shelter for a while.”

The rain finally stopped just as we were coming to a

town. Seth took me to the market. He made me stay unseen
as he did the bartering. He didn’t want the peddlers to know
I was someone of means. It could significantly influence
what could be done. He sold one of my gold rings and with
the money bought us food and a bag to carry it in. It was
amazing at how good he was at haggling the price of things.

“I’m so sorry you had to give up one of your pieces

of jewelry but it was the only way. I have nothing to sell. I
am sorry.” He looked at me with sad eyes. “I was going to
say something when you first gave me your ring but kept
quiet. I hope it was not something special.”

“Don’t worry. I can always have another one made.

Not to worry, it wasn’t special.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“And besides, we needed food.”

Soon, they had left the town and searched for a place
to sit down and eat. They were very hungry. They found a
spot and sat down on a big rock by the side of the road.

I watched Seth carefully take the bread and a piece of

fruit from the sack. He handed me a large piece of the bread
and a piece of fruit. “Please, excuse my dirty hands. I am
sorry.”

I was ravenous and began to consume like there was

no tomorrow. Suddenly, I slowed down, seeing him take a
small chunk of bread and slowly eat it.

He looked at me, smiled and handed me more bread.

“Here. You’re still hungry.”
 At that moment, I realized I was an arrogant, self-
centered pig, eating like I was the only one. He, on the other
hand, was eating little, so I wouldn’t be hungry. I felt
terrible, knowing I’d been so inconsiderate. I looked at him
with sorrowful eyes. “Oh! What have I done? Seth, I’m so
sorry. So sorry. How selfish of me. Seth. Forgive me.”

He looked at me with forgiving eyes, smiled and

spoke quietly. “I understand. Do not worry. I know you’re
hungry.”

I tell you, now. I never forgot that meal or his

kindness.

After eating, we stood up and began walking again.

As night began to fall, Seth realized we had to find a place to
rest. We couldn’t keep traveling in the dark. We eventually
came to a farm, where there was a small shed. We went in
and sat down on the ground.

Finally, Seth positioned himself, sitting on the

ground, his back against the wall and placed the bag of food
next to him. He looked up at me. “Here. Come sit between
my legs and rest against my chest. I’ll put my arms around
you to keep you warm.”

I did what he said and discovered I was extremely

comfortable. Before I fell asleep, I spoke quietly. “Seth.
Thank you. You’ve been so helpful and kind. Thank you.
Thank you for saving me.”

He spoke softly. “It was meant to be. And don’t

worry. God will watch over us.”

I must tell you. We had many conversations on the

trek home. That’s when I realized Seth was no dummy. He
was very, very smart in more ways than one.
 We also had several conversations about his God and
all the meaning of His teachings. You should have seen his
face when I told him the new Pharaoh had also changed the
religious belief to a single god. And in doing so, had made
many very unhappy, especially the high priests of the
previous religious thinking who lost their power as well as
large sums of money they made, being in those positions. I
can hear him chuckling right now as he said ‘it was a step in
the right direction’. Yes. This was the subject of many
discussions over the years.

It had taken many days to make the journey to

Akhetaten. Finally, we walked up to the gate of the house
and the household staff was shocked. The barges had arrived
a few days earlier and informed everyone. Just as we
expected, they thought I was dead and had sent a messenger
to my sister. Quickly, they dispatched another to tell her the
good news.

Before I could even suggest it, they started heating

water, so I could take a well-needed bath, knowing full well I
wanted one, seeing my physical condition.

Seth looked at me just before I started toward the

house and smiled. “Now, you are home, safe and sound. I
am happy. I will leave you.” He bowed slightly then turned
and started walking away.

“Seth! Where are you going!?” I spoke in a

commanding voice.

He turned, looked at me and bowed his head. “Why,

to the barracks.”

I knew the single men who worked for the business

stayed in a barracks building, sleeping in bunk beds.
 Many of the household staff were standing there
present, watching. I looked right at Seth. “No! No, you’re
not!” Everyone stood silent.

Seth had a questioning look on his face. “But?”

I spoke, so all could hear clearly. “No ‘Buts’! You

are coming with me to take a bath and get cleaned up. Then,
we’re going to eat. And when we have had our fill, we are
fixing up the room next to mine as your room. You are not
leaving. I don’t want you to go. You are to stay and live
here. With me! That is if you wish it?”

I had shocked myself as well as everyone in earshot.

I couldn’t believe the words I’d heard come out of my
mouth. But somehow, I knew they were the ones I truly
wanted to say. In the many days, we’d traveled together, I
came to know a kind, unselfish and caring man. He watched
out for me. He went hungry, so I could eat. He kept me
warm and safe next to him while I slept. And then, even with
all he’d done for me, he had no expectations because of it.
He was ready to turn and leave, expecting no reward for his
actions. Leaving? There would be nothing of the kind. This
was the kind of man I wanted near me. This was the kind of
man I wanted as a friend.

Seth looked at me with a happy face. “I’d be truly

thankful and honored but are you sure?” He paused for a
moment. “If you ever grow tired of me, tell me, and I will
leave. I can return to the barracks.”

“No! It is so rare one finds such a man as you. Now,

tell me, what belongings do you have at the barracks? I’ll
have someone get your things and have them brought here.”

“There is nothing. I have nothing.” He bent his head

in embarrassment.
 I reached over and lifted his face up with my left
hand. I smiled and quietly spoke. “Don’t you EVER feel
embarrassed when you’re with me. Seth. You’re a fine man.
And as far as you having nothing, I’ll fix that. Don’t you
worry. I’m the lucky one here. I owe you my life. If not for
you, I would have drowned. I thank YOU for wanting to be
my friend.” I knew from that day forward, there would be no
question by anyone as to Seth’s status in the house.

While we cleaned up and ate, the staff moved the bed

from the room where my sister and her husband would
usually sleep when they visited. A replacement would be
bought in a few days. They placed the bed in the room next
to mine. Seth’s room was ready in no time. We went to see
it. There were several members of the staff there in case
some changes needed to be made.

“This is so wonderful.” Seth smiled. “Thank you so

much.”

I turned to Seth. “No, Seth. I’m the thankful one.

Now, I have to admit, I’m still so tired from our adventure.
I’m going to turn in early. We can make a new start
tomorrow.”

He stretched his arms in the air and yawned. “To be

honest, I could use the rest, too.” He looked at me closely.
“I’m sorry. Maybe there are things you’d like me to do while
you rest. I’ll go back to work on the barge tomorrow.”

“Seth. I want you to go to your room. I want you to

rest. You deserve it as much as I do. You deserve it more.
And you rest as long as you want. You will NOT go back to
the barge ever again. You will be here. By my side. There
are other things I have in mind for you. Much better and
more important than wasting your intelligence on a barge.”
 “My room? You called it ‘my room’. Are you sure?”
There was question on his face. “No barge?”

“As long as I say it, THAT is YOUR room. And I

don’t see that ever changing. You deserve so much more.
And from this moment on, you will call me Ki Thar. You are
my friend. Not a servant.” I paused a moment and spoke
softly. “No. You aren’t my friend. You are my brother.” I
believe my comment really shocked those of the house staff
who were standing there.

Seth smiled and he bowed. “Thank you. Thank you

so much.”

I looked at him and spoke in a scolding voice. “And!

There will be no more bowing! You are my brother and I
want you to treat me as if I am yours. If that is all right with
you?” I smiled.

Seth gave a big grin. “Yes, Ki Thar. My brother.”

I walked over to him and gave him a big hug. “Now.

My brother. Go rest.”

He grabbed me, hugging me back like a big bear.

“Yes, Ki Thar. My brother.” He kept smiling as he left the
room and headed to his.

The house staff knew from then on where Seth ranked

in the household. They all bowed slightly and returned to
their work.

During the night, I had some nightmare, waking up,

calling out and shivering. Before I knew it, Seth was there,
lying down beside me, wrapping his arms around me. He
whispered, “Don’t worry, Ki Thar. You are all right. Your
Seth is here. I will keep you safe and warm. It’s okay. It’s
okay.” He pulled me close to him.
 The next morning, I woke up with Seth still holding
me. He was already awake. I looked at him. “Thank you
for being here for me.” I paused for a moment then
whispered, “Seth. I wish you would be here with me every
night.”

Again, I had shocked myself with my words. But the

truth was, I was speaking my true feelings. I never felt more
comfortable than when Seth was near me.

Seth smiled and whispered, “I would like that, too.”

* * * * *

As time progressed, Seth became closer and closer to

me. He became more than a brother. I had a friendship and
love for him. He became an integral part of my life.

Having been a deckhand on the barges for years, he

was extremely familiar with the operation. With training, he
learned quickly the ins and outs of the business. I was glad
because I knew he could step in if it became necessary or I
got incapacitated. We worked very well together.

My sister was well on board with the decision, seeing

how much Seth meant to me and how well he could handle
the business and the employees. She was so glad I’d found
someone to share time with, to care for, someone who cared
as much for me as I did for him. She told me she’d never
seen me happier. And she was glad and happy for me. She
realized our relationship was much more than just a
friendship but it didn’t bother her and it didn’t matter. She
said my happiness was more important.

I eventually took action to make sure Seth would be

well taken care of should something happen to me. He told
me I was way too generous. But he was wrong. If I could
have given him everything I had, to me, it would’ve never
been enough.

* * * * *

We’d been working together for just over a year when

there came a lull in the business which wasn’t a bad thing.
We were doing very well. I wanted to take Seth to see the
burial chambers since he’d never been there before.

Three were made before my father died. There was

one for him, where he was laid to rest, one for my sister and
one for me. We gathered oil lamps, pigments and brushes.
Arriving, we lit the lamps, walked down the steps and into
the empty chamber where I would eventually be placed.

Seth walked in and saw two vaults. “If this is your

chamber, why are there two vaults here?”

I looked at him. “I cannot believe you asked that

question. I can’t imagine my life without you as I live. I
don’t want to go into the afterlife without you by my side,
either.”

Seth gave a big grin and hugged me. “You do too

much for me.”

“Well, don’t get too excited. I brought you here for a

reason. I want you to help me paint the walls.” I gestured
with both arms in all directions. “Here.” I handed him a
sheet of papyrus with many hieroglyphs on it. “While I paint
the north wall and the ceiling, I want you to paint the east
and west walls with these hieroglyphs. I also want you to
feel free to paint other things on and around the hieroglyphs.
Be creative. Use your imagination. Paint the things you
want to paint. I had a few guys bring in this high table, so I
can use it to stand on. That way, I can reach the ceiling.”
 “Ki Thar. My brother. I’m not an artist like you. My
work could never be as fine as yours.”

“It’s all right. We will be here together, so we should

both decorate our resting place together. It’s going to be
fantastic. You’ll see.” I smiled.

“How long do you think it will take us to finish?”

Seth looked at the blank walls.

“In our spare time, maybe two or three months. You

don’t mind helping me do you?”

“I just can’t believe you trust me to paint these walls.

I mean, as I said, I’m no artist. Like you are.”

“Hey! I repeat. If you’re going to be in here with me

for all eternity, I think you should have a hand in decorating
it.”

Seth commented. “It is said that one day we will be

raised up and taken to a happy place. But knowing I am here
with you till that happens makes me happy now.”

I looked at him skeptically. “Okay. If you say so.

And yes. Knowing you will be here with me till that time
makes me happy now as well.”

I was correct. It took just under three months to

complete. Seth did a beautiful job, painting the hieroglyphs
and other decorations on the east and west walls, organizing
them just as written on the papyrus, yet making them look
like they belonged on the space, not just slapped up there.
He added vines, leaves, fruits and flowers around them to
decorate the spaces. He did a spectacular job. I was
incredibly pleased at how accomplished he was.
 On the north wall, I did a painting of Seth and me,
frontal view and smiling. I wanted the portraits to actually
look like us and not in the stilted flat style, being used in the
present-day art. I painted the ceiling to look like a beautiful
summer sky. We were both pleased with the final results.

Seth looked at the figures on the north wall as he

stood next to me. “Are my eyes really that green?”

“Yes. Yes, they are. And I tell you, now. You’re also
a very, very handsome man.” I gave him a nudge to his side
with my elbow.

Seth giggled. “Really? You think I’m handsome?”

“Yes. I think you’re unbelievably handsome.” I

turned, looking into his very green eyes. “Now. Let’s go
home and have something to eat and drink. We need to
celebrate the completion of our final resting place.”

We both were ecstatic and filled with joy as we left

the chamber. I would have several of the workers remove the
table at a later time.

* * * * *

During some of my spare time at the house, I decided

to sculpt a life-size bust of Seth. I found a wonderful piece
of limestone and covered it with stucco to make the features
more realistic. When completed, I painted it in lifelike color.
When it was finished, I showed it to Seth. “What do you
think?”

He ran out to the pool in the garden to see his

reflection. Upon his return, he had a huge grin on his face.
“It really does look like me. And I thought the painting on
the wall in the tomb was good.”
 He paused for a moment, jerking his head to the side,
and got a serious look on his face. He then flexed his
eyebrows several times. “I have an idea. I know it’s going
to sound crazy but listen to me. I think you should do a bust
of the Pharaoh’s wife, Queen Nefertiti, and present it to them
as a gift. She’s a very beautiful woman and I have a feeling
the Pharaoh would absolutely appreciate it. With the number
of times we have seen her during public functions, you know
exactly what she looks like.”

I was stunned. “What a fantastic idea! Wow!”

Over the next month, I did just as he recommended.

The stucco-covered limestone bust was lifelike in every way,
right to the headdress she normally wore in public. I truly
was very pleased with it. Painted, the bust displayed her
actual beauty, unlike so much of the sculpture work being
done at the time. After I completed it, I got cold feet and
couldn’t bring myself to deliver it. Seth told me I was crazy
and should be very proud of my work. But I still couldn’t get
up the courage to do it. It sat on a shelf in my studio.

Two days later, I went into the room and noticed the
bust was not there. I began to panic. Just then, Seth came in
looking for me. He had a suspicious smile on his face.

“Did you move the bust?” I spoke with aggravation.

“Well.” He rolled his eyes. “Yes. I did.”

“Okay. Where did you hide it?” I was relieved he

knew where it was.

“Now. Please, don’t get angry.” He cringed.

“Oh! No! It got knocked over and broken.” My

heart sank.
 “No.” Seth’s face winced. “It’s not broken.” He
paused for several moments then spoke quietly. “This
morning, I took it and delivered it to the palace for you.”

I was so shocked I could hardly move. My eyes

bulged and I screamed out. “AHHHH! AHHHH!
AHHHH!”

Just then, one of the house staff came to the door.

“There’s a courier at the front gate. He had this message for
you. From the palace.” He handed me a piece of papyrus.

I read it and looked at Seth. “It’s from the Pharaoh!

He’s requesting my presence at the palace.” I turned to the
house staff. “Tell him to let the Pharaoh know we will be
along shortly.” I turned to Seth. “Hey! You’re coming with
me! You got me in this. You’re sharing the fate.” I began to
imagine our heads on a wooden pike. “We may be in our
tomb sooner than later!”

Arriving at the palace that afternoon, the reception we

received was glorious. The Pharaoh and his wife were
overwhelmed with appreciation. They couldn’t have been
more complimentary, regarding my work. The Pharaoh even
mentioned their sculptor, Thutmose, was quite impressed
with the bust. He even brought it to his studio to examine it
more closely.

We were invited to stay for dinner and talk. I have to

admit, it was a stroke of brilliance what Seth had done. This
small gift of a sculpted bust ingratiated us to the Pharaoh.
He told us we would be the first to be notified if he needed to
make a shipment or get products.

What could I say? Because of what Seth had done, it

strengthened my courage to make significant decisions the
rest of my life without fear.
 As we left the palace that evening, Seth started to
snicker, then turned and looked at me. “What was that?” He
put his right hand up to his ear, cupping it. “I didn’t hear it
very well.”

I couldn’t help myself. I, too, started laughing.

“Okay. You were absolutely right. I should have had the
balls to do it myself. So. Okay. I’m sorry. I will never
question your judgment again. And most of all, thank you.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Because of you, we
now have a terrific contract for shipping with the Pharaoh.” I
grabbed him and gave him a big hug.

Yes, I was so happy. We were always together and

shared so much. It never ceased to amaze me how rewarding
it was to share my life with him. And I knew. I could tell by
his actions and his words, Seth cared and loved me as well.

* * * * *

“Doctor Paul, are you ready for this?”

“What is it, Ki Thar?”

“You may think it’s stupid but he came up with a

special name for me. In your language, it is spelled ‘s’ ‘n’ ‘o’
‘o’ ‘k’ and it sounds like your word, ‘took’. Yes. He started
calling me Snook. I see you hiding your smile and trying not
to laugh but I like it.”

“I think it’s terrific. I have written it down to keep in

my files. Now, you get back to what you were telling me
before.”

“Yes, Doctor Paul. Back to my story.”

* * * * *
 I look back on that one gesture of giving a sculpted
bust to the Pharaoh and what an impact it had. Seth and I
were constantly being invited to the palace. The Pharaoh and
his wife were so interested in us, especially our relationship.
After many discussions on the matter, they understood it was
much more than being just good friends. They also realized
we did not choose to be the way we were. With this
knowledge, an edict went out regarding such relationships,
eliminating any punishments associated with them.

They truly enjoyed the discussions, regarding Seth’s

God and monotheism. It was so much in line with their own
thinking and how they felt about a belief in a one god.

* * * * *

Seth and I sometimes talked about his origins. Much

of it was not good. He was very young when his parents died
and he had no siblings. He had always been a slave until my
father bought him and put him to work on the barges. Seth
told me he was so grateful for that happening because he
finally had a roof over his head and enough food to eat. He
also said that saving me had completely changed his life for
the better. He had found a caring and a love that he thought
he would never have.

* * * * *

I’m now twenty-eight. I’m so sad. This cannot be

happening. It’s not fair. Two weeks ago, Seth came down
with a fever. I constantly stayed by his side. It got worse
and worse. The doctors had no idea what was wrong.

Yesterday morning, he came out of it, looked at me

and smiled. “Do not worry. There’s no pain. I need you to
know. You need to know how much I care about you and
love you. Ki Thar. I love you. You have made my life so
wonderful. Thank you.”
 I leaned down and hugged him. “It’s me who’s the
thankful one. You brought me more joy than I could ever
express in words. Seth. I love you. I will love you forever.”

Seth looked up at me and smiled. “I love you, Snook.

I will love you forever. I will love you beyond this life.”

I watched his body relax, his last breath go and the

brightness leave his wonderful green eyes. As tears rolled
down my cheeks, I took my left hand and closed his eyes. I
tilted my head back, screaming in agony and crying. “Seth!
Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me! Please, don’t leave me! I
can’t live without you! Please, don’t leave me!” My heart
had shattered. After a while, I calmed myself and kissed his
lips. “Goodbye, my beloved Seth. Wait for me there on the
other side. I’ll be with you soon.”

Seth passed into the beyond. He was thirty. When

the Pharaoh and Nefertiti got word of Seth’s death, they
came immediately that afternoon to help console me and
accompanied me as I took Seth to the preparation place, so
he could be made ready for the afterlife.

I sent a message to my sister to come at once. In the

message, I told her of my plan and requests for my own
burial. I had instructed those at the preparation place,
regarding my wishes and paid them well. They told me they
could do what I asked since I was such a close friend of the
Pharaoh.

I told my house staff how much I appreciated all they

had done for me in my life, writing documents of freedom
for those who needed them and gave each a monetary gift of
thanks. Hopefully, the amount would get them started in a
new life. The house and business would go to my sister and
her husband.
 As for my possessions, none were to go in the tomb.
This was in accordance with my new thinking. After many,
many discussions with Seth, regarding his religious thinking
and the belief in a one God, it made sense to me. I had heard
of tomb robbers, taking the belongings of the dead. If the
dead were able to take it all with them, why were their
possessions still in the tombs?

It was time for me to take the next step. My heart

was heavy without Seth. He’d only been gone just two days
but the pain inside me was unbearable. The death of my
father hadn’t given me such pain. The only thing giving me
joy was the knowledge Seth would be waiting for me on the
other side and I’d be with him soon. I wasn’t afraid. I had
my drink ready. Soon, it was over.

* * * * *

“They came and took me to the preparation place. It

was time to rest. Finally, we were in our tomb. But now,
someone has come and is disturbing it. I am angry.” Jeremy
still spoke as Ki Thar.

Paul questioned. “Ki Thar, can you tell me anything

about who has come into your tomb?”

“Yes. There are many. They are looking around and

seem to be examining things.”

“Are they being destructive in any way?”

“No. They all seem to be very inquisitive.”

Paul understood. “Ki Thar. I believe whoever is

there isn’t trying to disturb your rest. I’m not exactly sure
what the circumstances are but I don’t think you should be
concerned. Something tells me that your tomb has been
discovered by some archeologists. So, don’t worry. You’ll
be fine. Continue your rest.” Paul paused for a moment.
“Jeremy? Are you ready to come out?”

Jeremy lay quietly in the chair. His eyes remained

closed and his breathing was normal.

“Jeremy? Are you ready to come out and talk?” Paul

asked again.

Quietly, Jeremy spoke. “My name is not Jeremy. It is

Theras.”
 CHAPTER IV

At Amarna, it took almost two weeks for the proper

authorities to finally get there from Cairo to oversee the
opening of the wall. The team carefully removed several
masonry blocks that were sealing the entrance to the hidden
tomb. They were extremely careful as it was obvious it was
secret for some reason.

After a few blocks had been removed, John used a

flashlight to peer into the dark space beyond. “Well, I didn’t
choose the most optimum spot to start. Four feet from the
floor doesn’t give the best view of the interior. Actually, I
can only see the ends of two stone sarcophagi and not much
else.”

Everyone was filled with anticipation. Several more

blocks were removed to raise the opening to eye level. John
looked in again. “Hmmm. Wow! This is very interesting.”

“Okay!” Carl called out. “You have our curiosity

running wild.”

“Everyone needs to see this. We need to remove the

blocks from the entrance, so we all can get in.” John started
carefully pulling at the blocks. They were placed in the
daughter’s chamber.

Soon, the entrance was opened large enough for

everyone to slowly and carefully walk into the chamber,
some twenty feet square and ten feet high. The numerous
flashlights fully illuminated the room. There was one thing
really curious and unlike the tomb of the father. It was
completely empty of personal items.
 In the center, of the room, was a carved stone
sarcophagus covered with a lid. It was obvious it had been
carved from the natural stone when the chamber was made.
Adjacent to that sarcophagus was another. This one was not
original to the space. It had been added. The lid leaned up
against it and it was empty except for a sculpted bust,
standing in the bottom along with several canopic jars which
normally contain the internal organs of the dead.

“Now. Why would someone drag that heavy damn

stone box in here and not use it?” Carl shook his head.
“And why are there no possessions? And if this IS the son’s
chamber, why two sarcophagi? Possibly for the wife of the
son?”

Everyone looked at the north wall and was really

confused at what they saw. It was a painting of two figures,
virtually life-size in great detail. They were in frontal view,
painted with shade and shadowing. The painting looked
more like something from the Renaissance rather than the
ancient Egyptian period. Also interesting, the figures had
happy expressions on their faces and were smiling, quite
untypical of this period of expressionless figures in art.

“Damn. This is extremely bizarre.” Carl scratched

his head.

Someone reached into the open sarcophagus and

lifted out the bust, placing it on the lid of the sealed
sarcophagus. “This bust is of the tall muscular man in the
painting. And his name is Seth. His name is on the base of
the bust. Look.” Everyone examined the painting and the
bust, comparing the two.

John looked closely at the bust. “I cannot believe

how realistic and lifelike it is. The only other one I have
seen from this time period and with this quality and realism
is the bust of Nefertiti but everyone believes that bust was
sculpted by Thutmose. This could mean some investigation
is needed into this. And look at those amazing green eyes.
And Seth? That’s about as Egyptian as George. What is
wrong with this picture?” He shook his head.

“The shorter man seems to be the one in charge for

lack of another term and the big guy looks to be his
bodyguard or some equivalent.” Carl was thinking out loud.

“Close, Bilbo. But no cigar.” John uttered. “The big

guy isn’t his bodyguard. He’s much more than that. He’s the
shorter guy’s partner. Look at the hands. The right hand of
the short guy is holding the left hand of the big guy. The big
guy is his ‘right-hand man’. And if you ask me, I’ll bet they
were lovers.”

“Damn! Wow! Holy crap!” Carl yelled out in

amazement. “You just might be right. This is incredible. I
know of no other tomb where such depiction of affection
between two men is shown. What a bombshell! What have
we found here? Geez! I just feel there’s a huge story here.
We just need to find out what it is. And wait till pictures of
this wall hit the global press. The gay community of the
world is going to go ape-shit in celebration. Wow! What
have we found?” Carl paused again. “But why was it
hidden? Why is there only one sealed sarcophagus? Only
one was buried here? If they were partners, both should be
here. Something is strangely wrong and I can’t put my finger
on it.”

Extensive photos were taken of the other walls

covered in hieroglyphics, surrounded by vines, fruits and
floral decoration. Several were also taken of the ceiling,
painted to resemble the sky on a sunny day, filled with fluffy
clouds. Again, it looked like it belonged in some Italian
Renaissance villa rather than a tomb in Amarna.
 Carl had his hands on his hips, staring back and forth
between the north wall and ceiling. “Is it possible this
chamber was open, unused then someone from the late
Renaissance decided to use it? I mean these paintings are
definitely not in the typical style of the time. Realistic
painting didn’t happen for more than another two thousand
years.”

“Okay. Look at the bust and look at their attire in the

painting. It’s exactly what men wore in ancient Egypt.”
John insisted. “As I said, the only other realistic bust I know
from this time period is the bust of Nefertiti. Who’s to say
realistic art didn’t also extend to painting? Just because none
has ever been found doesn’t mean it never existed. This
could be a first. What can I say?”

“It’s an explosive socially relevant first. But you do

have a point.” Carl looked at the north wall again. “Just
look at those green eyes. It’s like he’s watching us. Kind of
creepy. Carbon dating will also tell us if it’s a hoax.” He
looked up in the air and put his hands together on his chest.
“Please, God! Let this NOT be a hoax.”

“I just don’t get it. There are no personal belongings

here. Not one single thing. Not counting the bust.
Especially, with the number of items found in the father’s
chamber. I’m sure there has to be some really good reason.
Come to think of it, what if there’s nothing in the sealed
sarcophagus? Wouldn’t that be a bitch?” John cringed as he
looked at it. “According to the hieroglyphs on the side of it,
this should be the vault of the son. It says here, his name is
Ki Thar. The name on the empty one is Seth. He’s the big
guy. Well. We shall see. We’ll know soon enough.”

The bust and canopic jars were removed,

photographed and cataloged. They would eventually be sent
to Cairo to join the items from the father’s tomb.
 * * * * *

They waited until the next day to carefully remove

the stone slab lid. It was placed on top of the now-empty
vault. Everyone got to look in and see the contents. There
was no wooden coffin. Inside was an extremely large object,
wrapped with bands of linen done in the same manner as
those covering ancient mummies. But it was the shape that
didn’t make sense. It was supported by many pillows.

“I hate to say it but nothing in this room makes sense.

The paintings are all wrong and what the hell is this damn
thing? A small cow?” Carl stood there, hands on his hips,
staring at the wrapped mummy. “Carbon dating will be the
only thing that will prove to me this whole thing is from the
time of Akhetaten. What if this is someone’s idea of playing
a huge joke on the archaeological world?”

John was snickering at Carl’s comment. “I hear you

but who the hell would go through all this expense? Much
less throw the dice it would ever be discovered. No. It’s not
a hoax but it truly is strange.”

The wrapped object was carefully removed and

placed in a wooden crate, built in anticipation of a find. It
did have to be significantly modified to accommodate its size
and shape. Much cushioning was placed around it to keep it
stable. It would be taken to the center in Cairo for
examination. In the meantime, John and Carl would
continue to go over the chamber and decipher the
hieroglyphics painted on the walls. With the room now
empty of contents, the ones who were there to oversee the
opening returned with the large crate to Cairo.

* * * * *

After several days of studying the hieroglyphs, John

had a glimpse into the life of Ki Thar. It also indicated a
caring and loving relationship between Ki Thar and Seth.
But there was no explanation as to why the chamber had
been sealed in such a way as to hide it. And no one could
explain the huge wrapped mummy from the sealed vault.

John shook his head after reading some of the

hieroglyphs and looked over at Carl. “You do realize the
information in the glyphs is going to rock not only the
archaeological world but think of the impact it’s going to
have, regarding the gay community. Geez.”

Carl agreed. “Yep! You’ve got that right. I swear.

We have to have all our facts ‘straight’ on this one. No pun
intended.”
 CHAPTER V

Paul sat up straight in his chair and whispered, “Holy

shit! It’s not over!” In a calm voice, he spoke to Jeremy.
“Theras. We will talk soon. I need Jeremy to come back,
now.”

“All right. We will talk soon.” Jeremy responded as

Theras.

“Jeremy. At the count of three, I want you to come

out.” He spoke slowly. “One... Two... Three.”

At that, Jeremy opened his eyes and smiled. He sat

erect in the chair. “Damn. Ki Thar. You have to be kidding
me. I was back in ancient Egypt. Wow! I have to tell you.
Seriously, it was like I was actually there. I could feel, smell,
everything. I could see it all, so clearly. I could also feel and
know the incredible companionship he had with Seth. It was
unbelievably strong. You realize, they were partners and he
loved him deeply. The pain he had when Seth died was
extraordinary. This may sound strange but I fully understand
why and what he did. I feel the pain. Even now. Here. It’s
like I’ve lost someone extremely close. Geez!” Jeremy
shook his head. “By the way, I must confess. My artwork at
the time was not bad. Really. And are you ready for this?
Think the museum in Berlin. Think the bust of Nefertiti
that’s there.” Jeremy looked at Paul and started moving his
hands in a motion as if trying to get something out of him.
“Come on. Come on.”

Paul looked at Jeremy with surprise. “No? You’re

kidding? Really! YOU sculpted the bust of Nefertiti that’s
in the Berlin museum? You’re shitting me! Oh! Sorry for
my unprofessionalism there. Wow! Oh, my God! This is
huge. We’re the only ones who know the sculptor of that
piece. You did it! Well. You as Ki Thar. Holy cow! But
everyone thinks it was done by Thutmose since it was found
in the location of his workshop.”

“Well. They are wrong. Ki Thar did it. Now, he was

told that Thutmose did have it in his studio, so he could
examine it. That may be how he is getting the credit for
doing it. Yep. I didn’t realize it till just now. I see his
finished piece in my mind and that’s the one in Berlin.”

They both began to laugh. Jeremy leaned forward in

the chair and he and Paul did a high-five over the desk.

Jeremy commented further. “It was funny. I haven’t

seen myself without facial hair for ages. I’d forgotten what I
look like without it. I also have to say, Seth was not only a
good-looking man but you should have heard his voice. It
sounded a lot like Sam Elliott’s.”

“We need to talk more about your experience. And

who is Theras?” Paul had a questioning look on his face.

“Just caught a quick glimpse before I came back but I

saw a uniform, helmet and sword. Looked like stuff from a
movie about ancient Rome or Greece. I guess there’s more
to find out. It’s not over yet.”

“I think you’re right. We’ll investigate that and talk

more about your present experience at our next meeting. I
want you to come back on Thursday at four o’clock again,
instead of ten-thirty. I can see this could be just the tip of the
iceberg.”

Jeremy looked directly at Paul. “Okay. One

question. When I wasn’t looking, you didn’t have me doing
the chicken or the monkey thing, did you?” He started to
giggle.
 “No. No. I swear. I didn’t.” Paul looked down at
his desk and started to snicker.

“What?” Jeremy sounded alarmed.

“Just oinking like a pig.” Paul slapped his hand on

his desk. “Just kidding! Just kidding! Got you! See.
Payback can be a bitch.”

They both roared with laughter.

* * * * *

It was Thursday and going on four o’clock. Jeremy

stood in front of the receptionist’s desk at Dr. Paul Carr’s
office, holding a loose-leaf notebook. Before she could call,
Paul came out, walking toward Jeremy.

“Afternoon, Jeremy. Come on in.” They walked into

the office and resumed their places. “Well, how have your
nights been?”

“They’re still aggravating but there’s a change. I

can’t put my finger on what it is but they’re different.”
Jeremy explained. “I have to tell you. Because the images
from the last session were so vivid, they inspired two
paintings. Some inner compulsion forced me to do them and
actually, they seemed to appear on the canvases almost
effortlessly. I’m thinking about including them should the
gallery do a show for me.”

“I would love to see them.” Paul smiled. “You

should have brought them with you.”

“They’re still wet. Oils don’t dry overnight. But I

took pictures and printed them out, so you could see them.”
He opened the notebook, took two pages out and handed
them to Paul.

The first page had a picture of two men. One

resembled Jeremy without facial hair, dressed in the attire of
someone of wealth in ancient Egypt even down to the
adornment of the eyes. The taller man to his right wore only
a headband and a short wrap-around. Surrounding the two
figures were plants and flowers.

“This is very interesting.” Paul commented, looking

at the second page. It was a portrait of the tall man in the
first picture. He looked at Jeremy. “I see two things I want
to talk to you about. One is the style of the pictures. The
other is… the two men are holding hands.”

“I know. It was obvious to me that Ki Thar and Seth

had a significant relationship. As to the style of art, it’s done
exactly as Ki Thar painted the tomb. I even had to make a
very large stretched canvas for the painting. It’s seven feet
wide by six feet tall. And it took a lot of paint to do it, too.”
He clapped his hands a few times. “Yep. I’ve been painting
ever since I left your office last time.”

Paul looked at the portrait. “You’re right. Seth was a

very good-looking man. And from what I can see if you’re
five-foot-six, he has to be at least six-three or four. He would
have been a giant back then compared to everyone else. I
can’t believe his eyes. They are truly intense.” He looked at
Jeremy. “May I keep these?”

“Yes. Yes. I brought them in for you.”

“Okay. Are you ready to continue and find out who

Theras is?”

Jeremy leaned back in the chair. “Ready.”

 * * * * *

Over the next hour and a half, Jeremy told the story of
Theras. He was a sculptor by profession and his works were
in high demand, making him extremely successful through
the years.

Theras had also been elected to the Senate in the city

of Athens. Standing up for the poor and non-citizens, he was
not popular with some of the wealthy senators. Social
programs were of a big concern. Even with the arguments
and problems, he enjoyed his public service.

Paul was thoroughly enjoying the session. It was like

taking a historic trip back in time. He really got a kick out of
the trip Theras made to the Acropolis and told of the
construction, going on with the Parthenon. This made it very
clear. It was the Fifth Century BC, the Golden Age of
Greece, the Age of Pericles.

* * * * *

Theras then continued with the telling of his private

life.

Darius was the son of friends of my parents. That is

how I knew him. When he was sixteen, his parents both died
from some ailment. My parents took Darius in to stay here
in my family’s villa on the outskirts of Athens. We became
even closer friends. Over time, I found out he was very kind
and caring. I was fourteen at that time.

Being fourteen, I had become aware of something

different in me that was not like other guys my age. I began
to look at men the same way men looked at women. Darius
was very good-looking at sixteen and I found myself
attracted to him. I did not say anything and for two years
tried to keep it secret.
 When Darius was eighteen, he joined the Athenian
military. I could not believe what a handsome man he was
becoming. I remember so well the night before he left to
enlist. We sat talking in the bedroom we had been sharing
ever since he moved in.

* * * * *

I looked at Darius, smiled then bent my head down. I

didn’t want him to see how much his leaving was affecting
me.

He looked over at me. “What is wrong? I know

something is wrong.”

I could not lift up my head as I didn’t want him to see

the tears flowing from my eyes. I just shook my head, saying
not a word.

He spoke quietly. “You do know I am going to miss

you.”

Hearing his words broke the dam and I broke out

crying. “I’m going to miss you terribly. I really didn’t know
how much until right now.”

Darius stood up and walked over to me, pulling me

up. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight
against his chest. “There is something I have wanted to tell
you for so long now. Something that has been growing
within me for years. I never wanted to say anything for fear
it might damage our friendship. Theras, you mean more to
me than just as a friend. Over the years, I have come to have
deep feelings for you but you were young and you still are
and may not understand.”
 I immediately pulled back and looked up into his
handsome face. “I hope what you want to tell me is the same
way I feel about you. You, too, have become more than a
friend to me but I never said anything for the same reason
you didn’t. Darius. I love you. I love you so much.”

He looked into my eyes and smiled. “I love you, too.

That’s right. I love you, too.”

For the longest time, we stood there, holding each

other, slowly rocking back and forth.

* * * * *

As Theras spoke, describing Darius, Paul realized it

was the exact description of Seth from the previous session.
This was a total shock. How could two people from different
time periods be exactly the same? But somehow it had to be
true because Jeremy as Theras was absolutely unaware of the
connection in Egypt and the life story of Ki Thar and Seth.

* * * * *

Theras continued telling of his life and the closeness

between him and Darius over the years. He told of things
they did together while Darius was on leave from his service.

I eventually decided to do a sculpture of Darius. It

was a life-size statue of him as Poseidon. The statue was
made in his exact likeness right down to the thick hair on his
chest and stomach. I wanted it to be as real to life as
possible. My only regret was that the statue did not have his
wonderful green eyes. I did consider painting them but I
didn’t. You should have seen his face when he saw it. He
was so pleased and gave me a big hug.

* * * * *
 Paul was not surprised to hear that Darius’ eyes were
green. He would have been shocked if they weren’t.

* * * * *

The joy and love Darius brought into my life were so

wonderful. Every time he would come home on leave, he
would always bring me some small gift. He would stay in
what was known as ‘our room’. There were two large beds
set up in that room. We both slept in the same one but I
would mess the other one up in case anyone should wonder.

The stories he would tell of his travels with the

military were terrific. But he’d tell me he could hardly wait
to get home to me. I knew we would be together forever.

One thing Darius did that I really liked was he called

me by a special name. He would call me Snook. It made me
laugh inside.

When he was getting ready to head out for his next

military maneuver, I was helping him gather the things he
wanted to take. We joked and talked about the next time he
would be home again. Maybe we could spend some quiet
time by the Aegean Sea.

We stood at the front gate and he hugged me tightly.

“You make those plans for us to go by the seaside when I get
home.” He gave me a big smile.

I looked up into his handsome face. “Darius, I love

you so much. Goodbye and please take care.”

“I will. I love you, Snook.” He gave me another hug.

I watched him go down the road. Little did I realize

that I would never see him again.
 * * * * *

Paul was bowled over with surprise. This truly

cinched it. He’d always wondered if two people could travel
through time and past lives together. The same physicalness
and pet name were certainly giving it credence.

* * * * *

I’m twenty-seven, now. I was working on a small

bust for a client when there came a knock at the studio door.

My father was standing there. “There’s a messenger

at the gate and he wants to talk with you.”

I got up and went to the gate. “Yes. I understand you

have a message. Please, come in and have something to
drink and eat.” I led the young man into the house as one of
the staff brought food and drink to the table.

“I do thank you.” The messenger spoke. “It has been

a long travel.”

“Please, take your time and eat. The message will

wait.” I sipped a goblet of wine.

Finishing, the young man grabbed his goblet and sat

back in the chair. Looking right at me, he spoke quietly.
“I’m from the military front. I was one of the messengers to
carry information. I knew Darius and had heard him
speaking of you so often and knew he had great affection for
you. I knew he would want you to know. There was a
skirmish involving several of the soldiers. It was away from
the main encampment. I heard Darius yelling out to me to
leave quickly because he knew they would not survive. I
quickly left. Those at the main camp immediately gathered
to take revenge as I was coming here. It was sad.”
 His words were devastating to me. I thought my
heart was going to stop. It felt as if it were being crushed by
some huge hand. It meant only one thing. Darius was dead.
It took every ounce of emotion to stay composed. I bent my
head down. “Thank you for coming all that way to tell me.
I’m truly appreciative of your tenacity. I pray the gods will
be with you and keep you safe.” I stood and handed him
several gold coins in thanks.

He stood. “Thank you so much and I’m so sorry to

be the bearer of bad news. I wish there was something I
could do to ease the pain.” He bowed slightly and we headed
to the front gate.

After watching him start down the road, I finally

returned to the room Darius and I shared. I lay on the bed we
would sleep in together, grabbed his pillow and began to
wail. “No! No! You can’t be gone. I need you. I love you.
It’s not fair. It’s not fair.” Soon, I calmed myself and spoke
quietly. “Goodbye, my wonderful Darius. Wait for me.
Wait for me, my love.” I cried myself to sleep.

I got up the next morning and finished the bust for my

client. He had paid me well and he deserved to get a fine
finished work. Then, I wrote a note to my father, telling him
to put my ashes in an urn. And wait for those of Darius to
come home. At that time, I wanted them put in my urn.
Come the next spring on a beautiful day, I wanted the urn of
ashes taken to the Aegean Sea and sprinkled across the water.

I placed the note on the table beside my bed. I sat

down, took a knife and readied. “Darius. I love you. I’m
coming to you.” I pushed the knife into my body and fell
back on the bed whispering, “Darius, I love you.”

* * * * *
 Paul was overwhelmed by the story. There was
silence in the office.

After a few moments, Jeremy began to speak again.

He cried out with pain in his voice. “Lorenzo! Lorenzo!”

Paul was startled and stunned then spoke with

authority. “Who is speaking?”

“It is me. Francesco.”

“Francesco. I want to talk with you but not right now.

It’s important I speak with you but at another time.”

Jeremy sat quietly.

“Jeremy. I want you to come out on the count of

three. Is that understood?”

“Got it.”

“One... Two... Three.”

Jeremy opened his eyes. He shook his head. “Okay.

I still feel the pain. Is being in love worth that kind of pain?”
He looked right at Paul. “Do you know how horrible the
pain is? And this is the second time. Geez.” He paused for
a moment. “But I have to admit. These trips are totally
amazing. Do you know what it was like to see the Parthenon
under construction? I was actually walking there and seeing
it being built. To touch the newly placed pieces of marble,
all bright and shiny, undamaged by time. Unbelievable!”

A questioning look came over Jeremy’s face. “I’m

just realizing. Darius was the spitting image of Seth. And he
called me by that same pet name. I didn’t know it until just
now.” He looked at Paul. “I can’t believe it. They were
saying goodbye. Again! Do you know how sad that is? I
feel terrible for them. Crap! That’s not fair.”

“I’m going to do a painting of Darius in his uniform.

He really was a handsome man. Men like him and Seth need
to be preserved for the ages and the only way I can try to do
it is with my art, paint on canvas.”

“You should do one of him, like the statue. The one

as Poseidon.” Paul added.

“Hell yeah. That would make a terrific painting.”

“Now. Who are Francesco and Lorenzo?” Paul

asked.

“I guess the story continues.” Jeremy shrugged his

shoulders. “I hate to say it but I have a horrible feeling all
was not well with Francesco before I came out. We are two
for two now with tragic endings. Something tells me we are
going to be three for three. That sucks! What a bitch!
They’re like Shakespearean tragedies.” Jeremy paused for a
moment. “You know. Even though there have been tragic
endings so far, at least they knew love and what defines a
true and caring relationship. I felt it through both Ki Thar
and Theras. I also felt it returned from Seth and Darius. I
hate to admit it but I’ve never had such intense feelings in
my present life. But that pain. Damn! I can’t begin to
describe it. It’s so terribly powerful. Maybe it’s the loss of
love, keeping me up at night.” Jeremy shook his head.

“Jeremy. Go home. I’ll see you next Thursday at

four. Try and get some rest. I’m looking forward to seeing
the pictures of your new paintings.”

“Okay, Doc. Next week.” Jeremy smiled as he left

Paul’s office.
 CHAPTER VI

The agitation didn’t seem to be as bad the next

several nights. Jeremy was happy. His therapy seemed to be
working.

Every day since his last session, he simultaneously

worked diligently on the two canvases. One was of Darius in
his ancient Greek military uniform, the other as Poseidon.
This painting required extra time because of its size and it
required an ocean scene environment the statue didn’t have.
Both were completed, photographed and copies made the day
before his session with Dr. Carr. He placed them in his
notebook.

* * * * *

At four o’clock, he arrived and was told to go

immediately into Paul’s office. “Hey, Doc. How’s it going?”
He shook Paul’s hand then went and sat in what he was now
calling ‘his chair’. “Have to tell you. The last couple of
nights haven’t been too bad. I think this is working.” He
gave a ‘thumbs-up’.

“That’s a good thing.” Paul was glad. “I’m ready.

Let’s see them.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Jeremy opened his notebook and

removed the two pictures, handing them to Paul.

Paul looked at the first picture of a man in a military

uniform: gold breastplate, sword by his side and an ancient
Greek helmet under his left arm. “Jeremy. Have to tell you.
You are one exceptionally good artist.” He shifted the papers
to see the second page. “Oh, my.” Paul was taken aback by
the picture. “He really is an unbelievably handsome man.
Holy cow. Wow!”

“What’s truly remarkable is neither Seth nor Darius

were self-centered, conceded or self-absorbed. They were
carrying, kind, loving and considerate men. I sure wouldn’t
mind meeting someone like that myself. And it sure
wouldn’t hurt if he had their incredible good looks, too.” He
gave a big grin. Then, after a moment, an alarmed
expression came to his face. “But if I knew he was going to
die, I don’t know if I could deal with that. Crap!”

“Let me tell you something to think about.” Paul

spoke calmly. “There’s a country song sung by Garth
Brooks. And these are some of the important words it
expresses. ‘For a moment, all the world was right. How
could I have known, that you’d ever say goodbye? And now.
I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end, the way it all
would go. Our lives are better left to chance. I could have
missed the pain, but I’da had to miss the dance.’ Jeremy.
Yes, you could lose someone dear. But to not know true
intense love in your life, your present life, not one in the past,
that would be a worse tragedy. Trust me.” He looked right
at Jeremy. There was a long moment of silence. “Well, now,
are we ready to find out about Francesco and Lorenzo?”

“Okay, Doc. Let’s go.”

With Paul’s preliminaries, almost instantly, Jeremy

was under.

Paul spoke quietly. “I’m looking for Francesco. Are

you there?”
 CHAPTER VII

Carl’s satellite phone rang. “Hello. Yes, this is Carl.

Great. Looking forward to seeing them. What? Unusual?
You say I should be sitting down when I look at them? Okay.
Will watch for your email shortly.” Carl turned to John.
“They’re sending emails with pictures from the MRIs. He
said we’re going to be really shocked when we see them and
they have no explanation.”

John nodded. “Yes, I can only imagine what the hell

that wrapped mummy is. You have to admit. That damn
thing is extremely unusual. What can I say? Maybe it’s not
a person. Like you said, maybe it’s a small cow. How about
a small horse? I mean if it’s a person, he’d had to have
weighed maybe some four hundred pounds when he died.
And I don’t believe either of the men in the mural would be
candidates. I am stumped. Nothing makes any sense.”

Within a few minutes, the emails started arriving with

the many pictures from the MRI scans. Carl downloaded
them and prepared them for viewing at full screen. The first
one came up. Carl looked closely at it. “What the hell am I
looking at?” His face squinted. “Come over here and look at
this and tell me what you see?”

John came around and looked at the picture. “Let’s

see the next one.”

Carl advanced one frame. They both looked at it.

“Okay. The next one.” John instructed. “Can you

enlarge it, please?” He looked at it again. “What the hell?
The next one.”
 Carl brought up the next picture. They looked at it
closely.

John instructed again. “Enlarge it, please.”

They both scrutinized the image.

Carl called out in disbelief. “Oh, my God! Oh, my

God! Now, I see it!”

All in all, they viewed six pictures of the large

mummy taken from different angles. What they saw was
incredibly unbelievable and never seen before or imagined.

“I don’t believe it. It’s them. Both of them.” Carl

spoke quietly in surprise but almost reverently. “They’re
there. Together. Their two remains are wrapped together.”
He paused a moment to fully process what he was seeing.
“And from what I can figure, it looks like they are in a
sleeping embrace. Oh, my God. This is unbelievable. Oh,
my God.”

They could make out the larger figure on his back

with the smaller one, lying on top. It seemed the smaller was
facing the larger with his head turned and resting on the
larger one’s upper left chest and shoulder. The smaller one’s
right arm was up and around the larger one’s neck and the
left, down under the larger one’s right arm and toward his
neck. Both arms of the larger figure were wrapped around
the smaller one’s body as if holding it close.

Carl looked at John. There was a sense of pain on his

face. He spoke softly. “This is so sad. John, this is
incredibly sad. Two people who obviously cared and loved
one another so much, they are wrapped and buried together.
What a powerful love is that! I’m in pain seeing this. My
heart is breaking for them. I’m sorry but I need a drink. This
is so unbelievable. It’s so unbelievably sad.”
 Shortly, John stood up. “I also need a drink on this
one. Geez.” He shook his head. “You know me. I don’t get
all emotional about stuff. But this is so damn powerful, I
can’t tell you. It truly is sad.”

They both were silent after getting their drinks as they

continued to look over the pictures again and again.

Carl shook his head. “And I thought the painting was

going to cause a major uproar. Wait till these MRI pictures
get out. I can’t even begin to imagine the impact they’re
going to have out there.”

They both sat there in silence as they sipped their

drinks. Finally, John spoke again. “I don’t know what to
say. We have to admit, this is really one for the books. And
before this gets out, we need to know the story. THIS is
headline news and history in the making. And we sure as
hell better know the story.”

After several minutes of contemplation, the canopic

jars were viewed next. Each one had two of something in it.

John sat down. “You have to be kidding me. I’m

without words. This is truly a first. If I didn’t have proof in
front of me, I’d never have believed it.”

Carl, too, sat dumbfounded. “I believe the second

sarcophagus was moved in for Seth but not used. Of course,
seeing the MRI images raises a bunch of questions. How did
they both die at the same time? How? Why? Who sealed
the tomb to hide it? Where are all the possessions that
should be in the room? Geez! What really happened here?”

John spoke up. “Maybe something happened. Some

illness or catastrophe where they died at the same time. As
for them being wrapped together, I’m sure Ki Thar had
something to do with it since it’s his tomb. This truly is
strange. I can only guess it was sealed and hidden possibly
by his sister. Just a thought. But why? You’ve got me.”

“Do you think it was because her brother and Seth’s

relationship was so unconventional? Here we are, three
thousand years later and there’s still bigotry, intolerance and
frowning, regarding such relationships.” Carl shook his
head. “What a mystery and I have no idea how we will find
the answers.” Carl had a questioning expression on his face.
“I guess we’ll never know for sure.”

“Well, as I said, we better have some explanation for

all this or we’ll be laughed out of the room. No. Off the
planet. Everyone will think it was a setup. Now, this may
not be a wealthy tomb as to its contents but it’s definitely
going to make a giant splash in history due to its unique
strangeness if those are the right words.” John shook his
head.

Carl gathered his wits. “You’ve absolutely got that

right. And I’ll say one more thing. Before we present this to
the world, I want to make sure we have all our ducks in a
row, all the ‘t’s crossed and all the ‘i’s dotted. There’s also
going to be a slew of folks who will be skeptical as well as
critical. I want us to have all the facts. Well, as many as we
can gather together, so we can answer every damn question,
especially the absurdly STUPID ones. And I mean stupid. I
can already hear some of them now.” He spoke in a mocking
voice. “‘Were they homos?’ And others worse than that.
And think of the protests outside any museum, planning to
exhibit this stuff, by those moronic religious groups who
think the earth is only six thousand years old and the
dinosaurs died in Noah’s flood.”

“Aren’t you being way too critical? No one believes

the earth is only six thousand years old and the dinosaurs
died in Noah’s flood. You’d have to be an imbecile to
believe that.” John caught the extreme aggravation in Carl’s
voice.

“Hell no! I am not! There is a replica of the damn

ark in Kentucky. The morons even have a cage onboard that
has dinosaur replicas in it. They are telling people that the
earth is only six thousand years old and the dinosaurs died in
Noah’s flood. And are you ready for this? They want this
stupidity taught in the public schools. With regard to
homosexuality, people have the most perverted and twisted
minds whether they admit it or not. They always think the
worst and try to find scandal in everything possible.” Carl
pounded his right fist on the table. “All those dumb shit
evangelical bigots are NOT going to see the caring and
loving relationship these two men had. So strong, they
joined each other in death. It’s like Romeo and Juliet.”

“You mean, Romeo and Julian?” John tried to bring

some levity to the moment.

Carl looked at John with a scowl. “See! I can’t

believe you just said that! Even you’re doing it! You damn
bitch!” After a few moments of silence, he started to snicker.
“Romeo and Julian. Have to admit. That is funny.”

They both began to chuckle.

Carl continued. “I think the two guys would even

think it was funny. Rest their poor souls.” Carl shook his
head. “What is wrong with us? It’s sad. We take something
wonderful and beautiful and we all turn it into something
lurid and ugly. Why do we do that? And don’t tell me it’s
just human nature.”

“You’re right. I don’t know why we do it. Maybe it’s

to cover up our insecurities and lack of understanding, much
less bigotry. But we do it. I hate to say it but it really is
human nature.” He paused for a moment. “It’s quite true,
though. We need to have all the facts together before we
open this door to the public.”
 CHAPTER VIII

Jeremy began to speak. “Yes, I’m here. I’m

Francesco.”

Paul began his questioning and discovered Francesco

was an artist, living in Italy and his wealthy patron was
Lorenzo Vincinni.

* * * * *

Lorenzo met me when he was visiting friends and

some relatives in Florence. I remember the day well. I was
eighteen then. I was displaying two of my works on the
street when he walked by. I looked up at him and smiled.
Suddenly, there seemed to be something special about him. I
know it’s going to sound strange but I could feel a
connection with him.

Lorenzo smiled back. There was a questioning look

on his face. “What is your name?”

I responded. “My name is Francesco.”

Lorenzo continued. “You did these paintings?”

I nodded. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

He continued to stare at me as if trying to put some

puzzle together in his mind. He shook his head. “Have I
ever seen you before?”

“Sir. I don’t think so.”

 “I’m sorry. For some reason, you looked familiar.”
Lorenzo stared at Francesco for a few moments before
continuing his conversation. “Now, regarding your
paintings. I have to say you are an incredible artist. Do you
have a sponsor?” Lorenzo continued carefully examining
Francesco’s paintings and couldn’t believe the quality and
excellence.

“No. I don’t. I used to take paints the other artists

would give me until I finally got to the point where I’d
occasionally sell a painting, so I could buy my own.”

“Now, what about eating and sleeping?” Lorenzo

placed his hands on his hips.

“Sir. I haven’t minded begging. And there’s a man

who has a stable where he lets me sleep at night.” I was
unapologetic.

“Do you have any family here?”

“A few years ago my family dropped me off here and

told me they would return to get me. It never happened. I
have lived on the street ever since.”

“Well, Francesco, my fine artist, you’re coming with

me. I’m going to sponsor you. Get your two paintings.
We’re going to my lodgings where you’ll sleep in a real bed
tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll gather your other things and we’ll
head home.” Lorenzo was insistent.

I looked up at him. “But I have nothing else except

for a few paintbrushes and some old paints.”

“Forget them. I’ll get you new ones. And what about
your clothes?”

I looked down at what I had on then back at him.

 “Not to worry. I’ll get you some new clothes, some
more fitting for a fine artist. Now, come with me.” Then, he
called me by a name.

* * * * *

A surprised look came over Paul’s face. Could it be

possible? He interrupted. “Francesco. Did he possibly call
you… Snook?”

Francesco started laughing out loud and yelled out.

“How could you know? Who told you? Actually, he called
me Snucco which would be Snook in Italian.” He laughed
out loud again. “I know it’s silly and crazy but I liked it.”

“Francesco, I think it’s wonderful.” Paul smiled.

“But how could you know?”

Paul shook his head. “Oh, just a good guess. Now,

tell me more of the things you and Lorenzo did over the
years.”

* * * * *

Francesco continued. “Yes. He said. ‘Come with

me, Snucco. Grab your two paintings and let’s be off.’”

As we walked along, I asked. “Why did you call me

that?”

Lorenzo clapped his hands. “Because. It just came to

me. From now on, you’re going to be my Snucco.”

* * * * *
 Lorenzo’s villa was quite large and was located in the
hills, northeast of Genoa. It took only two weeks to get
settled in. He had a bedroom set up for me at the far end of
the villa across the courtyard from the main house. There
was a smaller adjacent room he said I could use as a studio.
In no time at all, he supplied all the necessary paints, brushes
and additional items to keep me busy. He even told me he
would be on the lookout for those who might want to buy my
paintings.

I could hardly believe my good fortune. Here I was,

living in a fine house, with my own room and plenty of food
to eat. And all he wanted me to do was paint. What more
could I ask for?

Lorenzo would periodically check in with me to see

what I was working on or just to chat. He’d insisted I stop
painting on wood panels and paint on treated linen canvas. It
was a new innovation of the time. They were much lighter
and wouldn’t split like the wood panels could. I have to
admit, I really enjoyed his visits and looked forward to them.

One very warm day, I happened to be walking down

in the southern garden. This area is some distance from the
house and is quite secluded. I knew there was a quiet and
beautiful large pond located there. I liked to go there to just
think and ponder. But on this day, I became aware of noise
and splashing, coming from the direction of the pond. I
could not imagine what was making the noise, so I went to
investigate. That’s when I saw Lorenzo, swimming and
splashing in the water.

At the same time I saw him, he saw me. “Snucco!

Come in!” He waved his arms in the air. “The water is very
refreshing.” He was laughing out loud.

“But, Sir.” I began to make an excuse.

 “Don’t hand me this ‘Sir’ stuff. I want you to call me
Lorenzo. Is that clear?” He was standing with the water up
to his lower chest. He folded his arms. “Now, come on in.
You’ll love it.”

“Yes, Sir. I mean, Lorenzo. But I don’t know how to

swim.”

“Not to worry. I will teach you. Now. Into the

water.” He instructed with his hands.

I took off my clothes, placed them next to his on a

nearby bench and jumped in the water. I have to admit, it
was very refreshing.

* * * * *

“You know, it’s funny. I never could resist his

amazing green eyes.”

Paul sat up in his chair. “Green eyes?”

“Yes, he has the most incredible deep green eyes.

Didn’t I mention that? Lorenzo is a very handsome man.”

Paul began to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“Would you mind describing Lorenzo for me?”

What Paul heard was Seth and Darius all over again.
He was flabbergasted. “Francesco. I’m so sorry for
interrupting but that was very helpful. Thank you. Please,
continue.”

“Certainly. Now, as I said, Lorenzo and I had a great

time in the pond that day. And he started teaching me how to
swim. It was such fun.”
 As we got out, Lorenzo looked at me. “This is our
little secret. No one knows I come here to swim. No one but
you. The next time I come here, I hope you’ll come with me.
This was great fun.”

* * * * *

I cannot explain it but it started in the very beginning

in Florence. There was an attraction the instant I met him. I
can’t put my finger on it as to what it was. I just felt
comfortable with him. There was an uncanny familiarity.

I was so thankful. Lorenzo was kind and caring. I

never had to worry about anything. It was about a year after
I moved into the villa, I really began to truly care for him.

* * * * *

It was a day in early spring when he came to check

and make sure I had enough supplies to paint for about a
month. “I’m going on an extended visit to my parents in
Rome. Now, remember, if you need anything, just ask one of
the house staff. They will be glad to help you. Here’s some
extra money in case you run out of something. Paint a few
nice things while I’m gone.” He looked at me with a touch
of sadness on his face. “Snucco, I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too.” I responded quietly and

had to resist the urge to run up, hug him and tell him how
badly I was going to miss him.

As I watched him leave, an ache began to form in my

chest. I thought I was going to cry. At that moment, I knew.
Lorenzo was not just my sponsor or a friend. I realized I
loved him. I knew I was not going to be able to stop thinking
about him, so to keep myself occupied, I decided I would
paint him.
 The next day, I asked one of the house staff to have
the local carpenter cut some wooden stretchers for me. The
ones I had were not large enough. It was the same for the
linen. We had to go to the fabric shop and buy a very large
piece of linen. I had to laugh as it was from the widest bolt
of linen cloth they had. It was just over six feet wide. I
would treat it and get it ready, so I could paint on it. I
wanted to do a canvas large enough the figure would be
almost life-size. I was going to paint Lorenzo. As Icarus.

I worked diligently on the canvas and wanted it

completed before he returned. Surprisingly enough, it only
took two and a half weeks, giving me time to review it and
make minor corrections. I was truly pleased with the
finished six-foot-wide by eight-foot-tall canvas. I couldn’t
wait for Lorenzo to see it. I hoped he’d be pleased. But
would he mind me doing a painting of him, having nothing
on but a pair of wings? I covered it with a very large cloth.

Finally, the day arrived when he was coming home. I

ran to meet him at the front gates. The house staff had
prepared a fine meal for him. As he sat down to eat, I told
him I would see him later.

He had a surprised look on his face. “You’re not

going to sit with me while I eat? Didn’t you miss me
enough?”

“I had something earlier to eat. And, yes. I missed

you.” I hung my head down and whispered, “If you only
knew how much. I missed you terribly.”

Lorenzo got up from his chair, walked over to me and

lifted my face with his left hand. “Okay. I’ll see you later in
your room. We’ll talk later. I have much to tell you. I also
want to see what you painted while I was gone.”
 “I hope you’re not angry but I only did one painting
while you were gone.”

“One painting? Only one? In a month, you did only

one? Well, I am sure there’s a good reason why you did only
one. Now, go and we’ll talk later.”

I knew he had to eat his meal, give directions and

instructions to the house staff and get his luggage to his
room. This took about an hour. That’s when I heard a knock
on my bedroom door.

I ran to the door, opened it and looked up into his

handsome face. “I’m so glad you’re home again. I truly
missed you.” I wanted so badly to hug him.

He looked down at me. “You do know I heard your

whisper in the dining room. And I must admit, I have missed
you as well. Now, sit down. I have to tell you what
happened in Rome.”

I sat on the bed and he sat on the nearby stool and

began. “It was great to see my mother and father again. But
it soon became obvious why they wanted me to visit. There
was consideration of joining the Medici family with ours
through marriage. And who do you think they had in mind
for this?” Lorenzo flexed his eyebrows several times and
chuckled. “Yours truly.” He paused for a moment. “I made
it perfectly clear I wasn’t going to be a pawn in some
political or monetary game. I told them the Medici family
was too powerful and dangerous. I didn’t tell my father but I
did tell my mother. I was in love with someone else.”

I knew a look of surprise covered my face. I was

afraid to say anything.

He saw the expression on my face. “Well? Snucco.

You must know.” He looked right at me. “The one I love is
sitting right here in front of me. It is YOU I love. No one
else.”

I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to say but

quickly stood up.

He stood up, walked over and hugged me. He spoke

softly. “I think I began to love you the moment I first saw
you in Florence. I can’t tell you what it was but it’s like I
already knew you.” He held me tightly for a few moments
then pulled away. “Now. What did you do while I was
gone? I want to see that… ONE… painting.” He began to
chuckle.

I was overjoyed with excitement and called out.

“Come. Come see what I did. If you don’t like it, I can paint
over it.” I led him into the studio and pulled the cloth off the
painting.

Strangely enough, the late afternoon sun was still

coming through the windows, lighting the canvas perfectly.
Lorenzo stood silent. Finally, he spoke. “Snucco. That’s an
amazing painting. And I’m not saying that just because it’s
of me. It is exquisite. It is quite interesting to see what I
look like with only a pair of feathered wings.” He looked
over at me and gave a big grin then flexed his eyebrows
several times. “I can’t believe the detail is so well-done and
lifelike. You can even make out the veins under the skin in
the hands. Are my eyes really that green? I think you know
my body better than I do.”

I looked directly at him. “Having seen you so often

when we would go to the pond and swim, I remembered
every detail of your body. It was easy.”

Lorenzo responded. “How can I ever thank you? I’ll

take measurements tomorrow and have a wonderful gold leaf
frame made for it.” He walked over and hugged me tightly.
“And when it’s framed, it will be hanging in my bedroom. Is
that all right with you?”

“Certainly. Certainly. It’s yours. You hang it where

you like. I’m so glad you like it. It’s my way of telling you
how much I appreciate all you have done for me and how
much I… I love you. My life is incredible because of you.”

Lorenzo instructed with his right arm. “Come. Let’s

sit down. I want to tell you about my time in Rome.”

For several hours and into the night, he told of things

he did and saw. We even made a trip to the kitchen to get
some food and drink then returned for more conversation.
Soon, he had to go to bed as he was tired from his trip.

The next day, he had his bedroom moved from in the

main house to the large room adjacent to mine. We began
talking all the time and soon became inseparable. I have
never been so happy.

* * * * *

For the next forty-five minutes or so, Francesco told

Paul of places they went and things they did. He also
mentioned and described the other paintings he did of
Lorenzo. But in all those, he was wearing clothes.

He explained that through the years, he and Lorenzo

became even closer. “He became part of me. My heart was
his.”

* * * * *

I’m now twenty-six. It’s summer and I have become

ill. I know not what it is. I have a fever and I’m so tired.
Lorenzo sits by my bed constantly. He’s worried. I can see
it on his face.
 I look up at him from my bed. “Don’t worry. I’m
going to be just fine. Just keep holding my hand and telling
me you can’t live without me.” I struggle to chuckle, trying
to make him laugh.

He looks down at me and begins to sob. “Snucco.

Please, don’t leave me. I need you. I love you. I can’t live
without you.” He squeezes my hand tightly.

I look up at him. “You know I love you. I will

always love you. Remember that. If I must say goodbye,
know I will wait for you on the other side. Please, hug me.”

Lorenzo grabs me up, hugging me tightly. “I will

remember. I’ll never forget. Snucco. Snucco. I love you so
much.”

As he lays me back down again, I look up into his

wonderful eyes and smile. “Let me close my eyes and rest a
little bit. I’m so tired.”

* * * * *

There was silence. Paul looked at Jeremy, seeming to

be sleeping peacefully in the chair. He spoke quietly.
“Francesco. Are you all right?”

There were a few moments before Jeremy spoke up

again. “Francesco? My name is not Francesco. It’s James.
James Worthington.”

“James Worthington?” Paul was astonished.

“Yes. James Worthington.”

 “James. I’m going to let you go for now since I have
run out of time. Please, may we talk again soon? I really
would like to know all about you.” Paul spoke calmly.

“Certainly. I’ll be here when you need me. Just ask.”

“I want Jeremy to come out. Jeremy. On the count of

three, you are to come out. One... Two... Three.”

Jeremy opened his eyes. He shook his head with

anger on his face. “Damn! It happened again! They’re
saying goodbye! Again! Twenty-six. No one should die at
twenty-six. This pisses me off! I feel terrible. This pain
shouldn’t be felt by anyone. It’s not fair. And another real
tragedy of him dying so soon is he’d do no more paintings.
And I have to tell you. You should have seen the works he
did. They were remarkable.” He paused. “You should have
seen Lorenzo. Geez. He was not just a good-looking man.
He was so unbelievably good and kind.”

“I know. I could tell. It was Seth and Darius. Seems

you two have been traveling through time together. I swear.
This is one for the books.”

“Yeah. But what crappy endings. Seems they never

get to live a full and loving life together. Something is
always going wrong. What’s with that?” Jeremy shrugged
his shoulders.

“I truly have no idea. But hopefully, all this will

finally help you get rid of your night anxieties.”

“Well, if nothing else, it’s going to give me a fantastic

collection of paintings, along with great stories, should the
gallery decide to give me a show. I can’t wait to do Lorenzo
as Icarus. Paul, you should have seen the one Francesco did.
It was a huge canvas. Lorenzo was virtually life-size on it. I
think I’m going to do it the same size this time.” Jeremy
nodded. “Which means a trip to the art supply store. Not
sure if I’ll have it done by our next session but I’ll try.”

Paul agreed. “I must admit, it’s truly uncanny how

both of them have been together three times now. I agree it’s
sad the lives ended so soon.”

“Maybe you should write a major psychiatric paper

on all this when it’s over.” Jeremy gave a big Cheshire Cat
grin.

“Jeremy, I just might do that. Yep. I just might do

that.” Paul nodded. “Now, go home and paint. I’m looking
forward to seeing the painting of Icarus.”

“Okay. See you next Thursday.” Jeremy gave a

salute with his right hand and was out the door.
 CHAPTER IX

On the way home from Paul’s office, Jeremy stopped

at the art store to get more supplies. He definitely needed
stretchers and canvas to do the painting of Icarus. It would
be six feet wide by eight feet tall. They had to go into
storage to find a piece of canvas for a painting that size.
Extra paint would also be required. He wanted to get this
one started immediately as it was going to take some time to
complete. He also ordered a frame for it and asked if he
could pay for it in installments. He knew it was going to cost
a fortune.

Through the next few days, he worked diligently on

the canvas even staying up till all hours. All the while
working on it, he felt a soothing in his head. His nights were
more relaxed, too. “I think my therapy is working.
YeeeHaw!”

Amazingly, the painting seemed to develop on the

canvas as if by magic. He had wondered if he would be able
to complete such a large canvas by his next session with Paul
but it was happening at lightning speed. Jeremy was shocked
at how quickly the paintings of Seth, Darius and now
Lorenzo were happening. The mixing of colors for tones,
shades and shadows was correct every time. He felt as if
some supernatural force was guiding him. By Tuesday, it
was complete. He was extremely pleased with it. Of course,
he’d been spending nearly every hour of the last several days
working on it. “Curious what the Doc will have to say.” He
snapped a few photos for downloading. “Now, I can get
some real rest.” He looked at the painting with a big
satisfied smile.

* * * * *
 It was Thursday again. Before he sat in ‘his chair’, he
handed Paul two pictures of the painting. One was of the
entire picture and the other of the top half, showing
Lorenzo’s face and the partially spread feathered wings
behind him. “So. What do you think of this one? And sorry.
But I didn’t have time to do paintings of the other ones
Francesco did. I’ll get to those soon enough. Painting this
one really wore me out.”

“I don’t know how you do it. I almost expect them to

start speaking. They’re so alive. What can I say? And how
are your nights?”

“They have been much better. Coming here and

talking is definitely helping. I have to admit, I still can’t
believe how incredibly strong the connections have been
between the two men. I mean, every time. Their
relationships never waver. It’s amazing. What else I find so
wonderful is how they found each other over and over
again.” He looked at Paul. “I’m twenty-eight. In all these
previous lives, I was dead by twenty-eight. Maybe I have
missed my chance this time around.” His face had an
expression of disappointment on it. “Oh, well. Maybe next
time.”

Paul looked right at Jeremy. “Remember this. You

never know what’s around the next corner. Never give up
hope.” He gave a big grin then leaned back in his chair. “So.
Are you ready to get started? Let’s see who James
Worthington is.”

“Yep. Let’s do it.” Jeremy leaned back in the chair

and closed his eyes.

Shortly, Jeremy was under and Paul began. “I’m

wanting to speak with James. James Worthington. James,
are you there?”
 “Yes. Yes, I am James Worthington. Who is asking?”

“I am Doctor Paul Carr. I’m trying to help one of my

patients and it seems you are involved somehow.”

“Okay. How might I help?”

“I need to find out about you. I want to know about

your life. It could be extremely relevant.”

“Certainly. What do you want to know?”

“First of all, how old are you now and what year is it?
Also, where do you live?”

“I’m almost twenty-nine now and it’s seventeen

ninety-nine. The family home is out in the country,
significantly north of London. It’s called Tolling House. It
was built by the family back in the middle of the sixteenth
century.”

Paul continued. “Very good. If you could give me an

account for your life so far, I would appreciate it?”

“The first thing I really remember is when I was four.

That’s when my mother died. My father never remarried.
It’s so sad. I could tell he loved her very much and always
said there could never be anyone to take her place. At six, I
went away to boarding school.”

“Boarding school. You are obviously from a family

of means?” Paul interrupted.

“Yes. We get ten thousand a year. It’s a tidy sum

compared to most.”

“Ten thousand?” Paul did not understand.

 “Yes. Ten thousand pounds. It’s a most sufficient
amount.”

“So, you went to boarding school.”

“Yes. And I truly loved the art classes. That’s when I

knew what I wanted to do. It was at university I got to hone
in on my art. I so enjoyed it. Mainly painting. Doing
sculpture was fun, too, but I found it too time-consuming to
complete one thing. I could turn out two or three paintings in
the time it took to do one major sculptural work. My
professors seemed very impressed with my pictures.”

“When did you finish your studies?” Paul interrupted

again.

“I was twenty-one when I left university. I came

home to take over. It was my father. I think he finally died
of a broken heart. I didn’t understand until now.”

Paul jerked his head. “Why? What do you mean?”

“To truly explain, I need to start from that day, not

long after I returned home.”

“Please. Please, do. Tell me.”

* * * * *

My father’s funeral was quite solemn and he was

placed in the family mausoleum. Being very upset, I spent
over a week in my room. I even had my meals there. The
staff was so concerned, they sent for the local doctor to come
and talk with me. It was a good thing. He said I needed to
get out of the house and be active.
 To change my scenery, I decided to go out to the pond
and take a swim. The brisk water would most likely have a
definite effect. Observing my surroundings, I saw no one
and took off all my clothes, placing them on a nearby rock.
Then, I went into the water. Though on the cold side, it was
quite refreshing.

I was in the water for some fifteen minutes and some

fifty feet from the bank when suddenly, I got a cramp in my
leg. The pain was excruciating and I yelled out. I thought,
how stupid since there was no one to help me. It was then I
knew I was going to drown. I thrashed and yelled anyway.

At that moment, I felt something grip around my

body, under my arms. I was moving. Momentarily, I felt my
body being lifted up, carried up the bank and placed on the
ground. Lying there, writhing and yelling out. “My leg!
Cramp! Cramp!” I felt someone massaging my leg and soon
the cramp was gone. I finally caught my breath and looked
up. That’s when I first saw his deep green eyes, looking
down into mine.

* * * * *

Paul was overcome with surprise. It had happened

again. Deep green eyes. He said nothing. He didn’t want to
interrupt the story.

* * * * *

He smiled at me. “There. Sir, I think you’ll be all

right. Here. Let me help you up.” As we stood, he looked
me up and down and started to grin.

I looked down at my naked body and realized what he

was grinning about. I looked right at him and gruffly spoke.
“The water’s cold! That’s why it’s that way!”
 He just kept grinning then flexed his eyebrows. He
winked his right eye. “Sir. Yes, Sir. The water IS cold. I
was in it.”

There was a moment of silence and then I started to

snicker. I couldn’t help myself and it grew into laughter.
Soon, both of us were laughing out loud. I looked at him
with a smile. “Forgive me. Sorry for being such an ass.”

He looked at me and grinned. “But, Sir. The water

really is cold.” He removed his wet shirt, rung it out and
wrapped it around me, tying the sleeves to make a knot.
“I’m sorry it’s so dirty and wet. Please, forgive me. But it’ll
hopefully keep you a little warmer till you get home.” He
bowed slightly, turned, walked away and disappeared into the
upper garden.

I was absolutely flabbergasted at what had just

happened and just stood there. “Who was that man?” I
began muttering to myself. “He must be a local from town
by the way he was dressed. Have to say, he was one
handsome son of a gun. Maybe he had come down to go
fishing. That’s it. How lucky for me. If he hadn’t, I might
have been fish food.” I went to the rock and put on my
clothes. I folded his wet shirt when it suddenly dawned on
me that I had no idea who he was. I yelled out. “Who are
you!? I don’t even know your name! How am I going to
thank you!?” I headed back to the house.

I must tell you. I couldn’t get his handsome face out

of my head. What’s so funny is I can’t explain it but
somehow it was like I knew him from somewhere. I know
that seems ridiculous but it’s true.

* * * * *

Paul interrupted. “James. Do me a favor. Describe

him to me.”
 As James described the man, it was obvious to Paul
who it was. The comment earlier of ‘deep green eyes’ gave it
away. Paul smiled and whispered to himself. “They’re
together again. That’s incredible.” He paused for a moment.
“James. Please, continue with your story. Sorry for
interrupting.”

* * * * *

The next day, I was walking in the summer garden.

He was still on my mind. Reaching the far side of the
garden, I turned. There, at the far end of the path, I saw him.
That’s when it dawned on me. He was a member of the
garden staff. Before I could react, he was gone. He hadn’t
seen me.

When I got back to the house, I went into the library

and rang for service. William, head of the household staff,
soon came into the room. “Master James, you rang?”

“William. Please, do me a favor. There is a member

of the garden staff who is at least a head taller than me and
has the most intense green eyes. Could you find out his
name and something about him? I would greatly appreciate
it. Right now, I’m going to ride into town to see the tailor
and will be back this afternoon.”

* * * * *

I walked into the tailor’s shop. “Martin! How are

you and how is your lovely wife?”

“Hello, Master James!” He smiled. “We are doing

very well. Thank you. We’re so sad about your father. Rest
his soul.” He bowed his head. “And what may I do for you
today?”
 “Thank you, Martin. Thank you very much. I
appreciate that. A member of my staff did me an enormous
favor yesterday and I want to show my appreciation. I’d like
you to make him a fine shirt.” I started gesturing with my
hands and arms. “He’s about this big. He’s like a big bear.”
I looked at Martin and pulled the old shirt out of the paper I
had it wrapped in. “Here is his old shirt if it will help. Can
you do that for me?”

“Certainly, Master James. But from your description

and that shirt, you must be talking about Nicholas. Nicholas
Farley.”

I shook my head in surprise. “Nicholas Farley?”

“Does he have dark brown hair, a beard and

mustache? And very green eyes?”

I was shocked. “Why, yes. Yes, he does.” I looked

at Martin. “But how do you know him?”

Martin smiled. “Nicholas works for you in your

gardens, Master James. He is a kind and gentle young man.
And he’s the only one around of that size to wear that shirt. I
have seen him many times when he walks into town to buy
his groceries and things.”

“One thing he never forgets is the children. He

always buys candy and makes sure each and every child gets
a piece before he heads home. I heard one of the children,
talking one day about it. He said Nicholas does it because he
never had candy when he was a boy. They also said he had
indicated it was also a way of paying forward some of the
kindness he’d received from your father. He’s always polite
to everyone.”

“And he’ll step in if he sees where he can help out. I

remember the time a wagon got stuck and he quickly put
down the things he had, so he could help push it out. And he
never asks for anything in return. It would make perfect
sense he was the one who helped you.”

“Thank you for telling me. I do appreciate it. And

what about the fabric? I will leave that to you. Please, pick
out a nice warm fabric. Maybe of soft wool. Nothing
scratchy against the skin. Not decorative. One that’s
durable.”

“I can do that and I’ll have it ready by Friday. Will

that be satisfactory?”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you. You have

been a huge help in more ways than one. I’ll see you on
Friday. Tell your wife, I said hello.” I headed out the door.

* * * * *

I was having tea the following afternoon when

William came into the room. “Sir. I have the information
you inquired about, regarding the gardener.”

“William, please, sit and tell me.” I pointed at a

nearby chair. I said nothing of my conversation with Martin
the previous day.

He looked at me strangely. “Are you sure you want

me to sit?”

“William. I’m not worried about formality right now.

Please. Sit down and tell me.”

“Thank you, Sir.” William sat down and began.

“From the immediate description you gave me before, I was
sure I knew who you were asking about but I wanted to make
sure I had all the information for you before just telling what
I know personally. His name is Nicholas. He’s twenty-
three.”

“He became a member of the garden staff when he

was fourteen. Your father found him in town, begging for
food and discovered he’d wandered in from some distant
place, seeming to have no relatives. Your father was so
concerned he’d surely soon starve to death if he didn’t do
something. He set him up in the small cottage at the far
north end of the estate. He lives there now.”

Being away at boarding school and university, I had

no idea and was never involved with how my father handled
the household and other staff members who worked on the
property. I set my cup down. “He lives alone?”

“Yes. He’s a quiet, kind and gentle man. Never

causes any trouble. And from what I hear, he’s a very hard
worker. He’s told other members of the staff at how grateful
he was to your father for taking him in and probably saving
his life.”

“I’m surprised a handsome man like that is single.” I

looked at William inquisitively.

William looked at me then bent his head. “Sir. If I

may speak freely.”

“Of course. You know nothing could be a surprise.”

I picked up my cup of tea and started drinking.

“Master James. Nicholas, we are pretty sure and

believe… is of the same persuasion as you.” William
winced.

I know a shocked look came over my face and I

almost choked on the tea. I started to cough.
 William jumped up. “Sir. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine! I’m fine! Sit down.” I looked straight at

him. “It’s obvious we need to talk. I mean really talk.” I
finally gathered my composure. “William. You know?”

“Oh, Sir. The house staff has known for years. We

have watched you and noticed things you did, your interests,
and how you looked at other men. You never looked at girls
and women that way. But we don’t care. Who are we to butt
into your life? Even your father knew, rest his soul. All he
wanted was for you to be happy. We all want you to be
happy. We knew it was not going to be easy for you but you
were going to have to find your own way. All we could do is
try to be helpful and supportive, not be a hindrance to you.”

A few moments of silence passed before I spoke.

“William. THAT is extremely kind and understanding.
Thank you.” I paused for a moment then spoke to myself.
“Wow! What a kicker that was!” I took a sip of tea.
“Please, tell me more about Nicholas.”

“There’s really nothing more to tell. May I ask why

you’re so interested in him?”

“The other day I was swimming in the pond. I’d have

drowned if he hadn’t been there to save me. And when he
did, he was unpretentious and never hinted at wanting
anything in return. He even took off his own shirt and gave
it to me to cover myself. To me, that indicated he was kind
and caring and not thinking about himself. He got away
before I knew who he was. That’s why I’m interested.” I
looked at William and smiled then started to chuckle. “And.
He truly is extremely easy on the eyes.”

William looked at me. He bent his head down a bit,

covered his mouth with his right hand and started snickering,
too. “If you say so, Master James. If you say so.”
 “Thank you, William. Thank you for everything.
This has been an extremely informative conversation.
Please, somehow relay to the rest of the staff that their
kindness, understanding and support are profoundly
appreciated. I love you all.”

“You’re welcome and thank you, Sir. I will.”

William got up and left the room.

* * * * *

Friday morning came. I went to see the kitchen staff.

I was in a fantastic mood. Nothing could go wrong. “Good
morning. Good morning. No breakfast for me. But could I
please ask a huge enormous favor? Could you fix a nice
picnic-type dinner for two, take two good bottles of wine
from the cellar and put everything in a basket for me? Also,
throw in about eight big candles.”

“Yes, Sir, Master James. We can do that with no

problem.” The cook smiled and curtsied.

* * * * *

As I walked into the tailor shop, Martin smiled and

spoke. “Master James. How are you today? Come see the
shirt.” He had it lying out on the counter. “I am sure
Nicholas will like it. And I’m sure it will fit him well.”

“Martin, it is excellent.” I picked it up by the

shoulders and held it in the air. “Excellent! Wonderful!
Thank you!” I turned to him as I squeezed and rubbed it
between my thumb and first finger. “And it’s so nice and
soft. Thank you. It’s wonderful.” I handed it to Martin. “I
was wondering if you could wrap it nicely in some paper.”
 “I’m so glad you approve. And of course, I can wrap
it for you. Do you want his old shirt back?”

“Yes. It’s well-worn enough. But I would like to

keep it as a remembrance of a good deed.”

“Yes, Sir. I will wrap it up as well.”

When he was finished, he handed me the packages

and I placed several monetary notes on the counter. “Thank
you, again. Thank you very much.”

Martin looked at the notes. “But, Sir, this is too

much.”

“Nonsense. You did excellent work. Everything you

have ever done for my father and me has been superb. I
know the shirt will fit him well.”

“Thank you, Master James. Thank you.” He bowed

slightly as I left the shop.

* * * * *

Arriving home, I got cleaned up before heading out

the door. William had the basket and the wrapped shirt in his
hands. He smiled. “Have a nice afternoon and evening, Sir.
Let me hold these while you get mounted.”

“Thank you, William.” I climbed up on the horse.

“Here you go.” William handed me the basket and

the package. He saw how awkward it was to hold along with
the reins. “Well, I see you won’t be galloping down the
road.” He chuckled.

“You are so correct.” I laughed.

 Since I made the horse walk along at such a slow
pace, it took almost thirty minutes to arrive at the cottage, it
being at the far edge of the estate. It had to be about three-
thirty in the afternoon. The house was quiet as if no one was
home. I wondered if Nicholas was still working. I was there
too early.

I dismounted, surprising myself that I didn’t drop

anything and tied the horse to a post near the house. I placed
the basket and package down next to me as I sat on the steps
to the house and waited. After about half an hour, I heard a
voice in the distance, coming from down the road. I stood
up.

It was Nicholas. He had seen me, waved and called

out. “I’ll be there in a moment!” He started running toward
the house and was shortly standing in front of me. He looked
down at me. “Sir. Is everything all right? What may I do for
you? Please, come in.” He led the way to the front door.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” I responded.

“Everything is just fine. Just fine.”

He opened the door and we went inside.

“Sir. Please, forgive my house. I know it’s not fitting

for a fine gentleman like you. But please, have a seat.” He
directed me to a wooden chair at the small table. “One
moment. There isn’t a lot of light coming through the
window. I’ll light a candle, so there’s more light.” He
reached for a nearby candle. It looked like there might be
another fifteen minutes of burn to it. He lit it and set it in the
middle of the small table.

Before I sat down, I placed the basket on the table

along with the wrapped package. “Thank you, Nicholas.
And don’t be silly. Your home is fine. It’s warm,
comfortable and very clean.”
 “Thank you, Sir. I do my best.” He gave a slight
bow. “May I get you something? I have some nice water
from the well.”

“That would be wonderful.” I smiled.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting long. After work, I

stopped by the pond to wash up before I came home.” He
handed me a mug of cool water then sat across from me at
the table. “But, Sir, why are you here? Is there something
special you need me to do for you?”

“Well, you could say that. Go get yourself a mug of

water and when we finish the water, we will start with
something else.”

“Certainly, Sir. Certainly.”

I quickly drank the water. “I’m here for a reason. I

came with gifts and thanks.” I pointed to the basket with my
right hand and the package with my left.

He looked at me strangely. “But I don’t understand.”

“I hope you’re hungry. I brought dinner. And this is

for you.” I handed him the package.

He looked at the package then back at me. “I still

don’t understand. It’s not Christmas or my birthday.”

“Open it.” I directed.

Nicholas opened the package and pulled out the shirt,

holding it up in front of himself. “What a fine shirt.” He
looked at me. “Why?”
 “It’s to replace the one you wrapped me in when you
pulled me out of the pond.” I chuckled. “I’m keeping that
one as a reminder of that day.”

“But, Sir. This is a fine shirt. Such a fine shirt. And

the one I gave you was old and dirty.”

“So. You didn’t have to do that but you did. I wanted

to thank you and this is a way I know how. And by the way,
my name is James. You don’t need to call me, Sir.”

“Yes, Sir.” He looked right at me with his bright

green eyes. “James.” He smiled again.

Suddenly, the candle began to flicker. “Oh, Sir. Let

me get another. This one is gone.”

I reached in the basket. “Here. Use one of these.” I

handed him the eight from the house.

“Sir. Thank you. Thank you. I’ll be able to stay up a

little later now.” His face was filled with joy.

I looked right at him as he lit a new candle.

“Nicholas. None of this ‘Sir’ stuff. I want you to call me
James.”

“Yes. James. Thank you.”

“Now, I do not know what time you eat your dinner

but I brought dinner. And also some wine. Grab some plates
and we can use your water mugs. I’ll get the stuff out of the
basket. We can eat when you’re ready.”

“We can eat now if you like.” He got up to get some

plates out of the cabinet.
 Nicholas opened the first bottle of wine, handing it to
me. I poured us both a mug full.

I raised my mug. “Here’s to thanking you for saving

my ass the other day.” A big smile was on my face.

Nicholas had a big grin on his. He clinked his mug to

mine.

As we talked and ate, he told me of his beginnings

and his wanderings when he was young. “I don’t remember
how old I was when I left home. I did it because I saw that
there wasn’t enough to eat for everyone. I knew if I left,
there would be more food for the rest. With my wandering, I
came to the town here. That is where your father found me
and was so kind to take me into his staff. Rest his soul.” He
bowed his head and crossed himself. “If he hadn’t, I’d have
died out there. I was so hungry and cold. Because of your
father, I no longer had to worry about food or a roof over my
head. My heart was sad when he passed. I wondered what
would happen to me but the house staff let me know I’d be
all right. They said you were caring and kind.” He looked
over at the shirt then back at the table, still containing food
and drink. “I see they were more than correct. Thank you,
again, Sir.” He quietly and quickly amended. “James.” He
bent his head down. “I’ll forever be in your debt.”

“Nonsense. There is no debt. It’s only right what

I’ve done. I feel it’s still not enough. After all, you did save
my life.”

He grinned. “And I’m so glad I did.” He looked at

the burning candle then looked at me. “They’re so dear. And
you brought me eight. Yes. That was so kind. Thank you.
Now, we have light for more time.”

I knew at that moment, I’d see he got more candles.

 We continued to talk and laughed for hours. He
eventually told me of his desire to learn to read and write.

“I can do that for you. Teaching you won’t be like

teaching children. You want to learn and I know you’ll learn
quickly.”

“That would be wonderful. I would like that.” His

face was filled with joy.

As our discussion continued, he looked at me and

shook his head. “I want to tell you something but I don’t
want it to sound too forward or strange.”

I looked right at him. “Out with it. I don’t think

there’s anything that could surprise me.”

“It has to do with the day I pulled you out of the

pond. The moment I saw you lying there on the ground and
really looked at you, it was like…” He stopped for a
moment. “I know this is going to sound so ridiculous, but
it’s like…”

Then, we both spoke in unison. “I knew you from

somewhere.”

Nicholas had a shocked look on his face, hearing the

same words come out of my mouth. “But?”

I nodded. “I know. I felt it, too.” I added. “And

even now, as we sit here talking, there’s something so
familiar about it. Like we’ve done this before.”

“Yes. Exactly. But how could that be?” He tilted his

head with a surprised expression.

“I have no idea. Maybe one day we’ll figure it out.”

 We talked so long that before we knew it, the sun was
coming up. Nicholas was shocked. “Oh, my God. It’s time
for me to go to work.”

“Hell No!” I responded. “I kept you up all night.

Burned a few of your new candles. Damn if you’ll work
today. I mean, I hope you’re not afraid you’ll be let out of a
job. Hey! Look at me! I’m the boss!” A big grin filled my
face.

Nicholas began to snicker. “Yes. Yes, you are.”

“Now. Come with me to the house. You get in the

saddle and I’ll get behind you. I can hold around your waist.
We’re going to go have breakfast. Then, we’re going down
to the south garden and take a swim in the pond. We’re
going to spend a relaxing day by the pond, resting on a
blanket. You can work tomorrow. How does that sound?”

“What can I say? You’re the boss!”

We both just roared with laughter.

* * * * *

From that moment on, we became friends. In no time

at all, we were good friends, becoming closer and closer. It
was a breeze, teaching him to read and write. I also started
teaching him math. He learned very quickly. I enjoyed his
company and it got to the point, I couldn’t wait to see him
and share time with him. He started out as a gem in the
rough but I was determined to polish and make him shine. I
wanted to help him be what he wanted to be.

I also remember in that first year, he’d periodically

see me painting and stop from his work to see what I was
doing. “You paint so beautifully. I’ve never seen such
wonderful landscapes and still life paintings.”
 One day he came by and I looked at him. “You know.
I’m going to have to paint you.”

“Really?” He was surprised. “Why?”

I looked him square in the eyes. “Because a

handsome man like you should be immortalized in art.”

Nicholas bowed. “If you say so.” He grinned.

“Now, let me get back to work.”

By the end of the month, I’d completed his portrait. I

brought it out on the terrace, waiting for him to come by. I’d
painted him wearing the shirt I gave him. Finally, I saw him.
“Nicholas! Come see!”

He walked over and saw his handsome face, peering

back from the canvas. “Do I really look like that?”

“Yes. Yes, you do. You’re a very handsome man.”

He whispered, “What can I say? That’s amazing!

I’ve seen my reflection before but you make me look so
good. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Over time and working with my solicitor, we worked

out a way to give Nicholas a monthly income. Enough to
keep him well-fed and clothed without him knowing I was
his benefactor. It was over and above what he normally got
for working on the estate. I didn’t want him to feel
obligated. I wanted him to be free to make his own
decisions. He was told some unknown distant uncle left him
an inheritance and he’d receive it on a monthly basis. This
would continue until his death at which time the income
would cease being taken from my family account.
 The day my solicitor informed him of this, Nicholas
came running to the house to tell me the news. He had a
huge smile on his face. “James. I have an inheritance. Your
solicitor told me some distant uncle passed and left me well
off.” His face was filled with happiness and his brilliant
emerald eyes sparkled. “I’m going to save up for a horse.
Will your solicitor help me save my money for me?”

I was happy at his enthusiasm. “I know he will. We

can have him start immediately.”

He was so excited. “Wonderful, since I’m now,

coming up in the world.”

Nicholas had been saving for just over three months

when my solicitor came to the house. “Nicholas has taken
his complete savings and disappeared.”

“Maybe he’s gone to buy that horse he wants.” I

suggested.

“Well. I just thought you might like to know.”

“I do thank you but I’m sure all is well. Nicholas is a

very frugal man.”

It was a week later, I saw Nicholas walking up to the

house. I was rather surprised to see no new horse. I greeted
him. “Nicholas. How are you? I missed you. Where have
you been?”

“I went to London to get something.” He smiled.

“I thought you would return with a horse.”

“I bought something much more important than a

horse.”
 “And what could that possibly be?” I raised my
eyebrows.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a very

small, brightly wrapped box, handing it to me. “Here. This
is for you. I hope you like it.” There was a huge smile on
his face as he handed it to me and his eyes sparkled.

I couldn’t imagine. So, I carefully unwrapped and

opened the box. There, inside, was a wonderful diamond-
encrusted gold ring. “Oh!” Surprise covered my face. I was
so overcome, I almost fell over. “Nicholas. Oh, Nicholas.”

“I wanted to give you something to show my

appreciation for all you have done for me and let you know
how important you are to me. Diamonds and gold never
tarnish. They’re forever just like our friendship. I hope you
like it.” He sheepishly bent his head down.

Overwhelming emotion raced through my body and

tears ran down my face. He’d stolen my heart. I grabbed
him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you. You have no idea
what this means to me. I’ll never take it off my finger.”

He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me

tightly. He whispered, “I’m so glad you like it. I hope it fits.
I tried to explain to the jeweler how big your finger is.” He
was silent for a moment. “James. Please, don’t be mad.
But.” He paused for a few moments. “James, I love you.”

I pulled slightly back and looked up into his face.

“Nicholas.” I whispered, “Nicholas. I have loved you from
the moment I first looked into your eyes. It’s just hitting me
how much. I cannot imagine life without you in it.”

He smiled and looked into my eyes. “I cannot live

without you. You’re my heart. I can’t live without my
heart.”
 We hugged each other tightly for many minutes.

* * * * *

What can I say? Every day, I became more and more

proud of him. He was now able to read and write
exceedingly well and was quite good at mathematics. It also
became obvious he no longer needed my help for him to
make it. He could have left and gone to London but he
remained in his cottage on the estate. He kept telling me he
could never be away from me. He’d die if he were.

Not long after Nicholas gave me the ring, my solicitor

appeared at the house again. This time, he came to inform
me that Nicholas had made a will since he was now getting a
monthly inheritance. And who did he have designated as his
beneficiary? Me. It was rather funny and ironic. My
solicitor said while he was discussing Nicholas’ will,
Nicholas slipped when he named his beneficiary. He said
Snook but immediately and nervously corrected it with the
name James. He said Nicholas repeated James several times,
trying to make the other name fade away.

Hearing that, I realize even more how dear Nicholas

was to me. Snook was a name he’d given to me that he only
called me in private. I could only smile and shake my head.
Here was a man who had very little, wanting to give me
everything he had should something happen to him. I
couldn’t imagine a kinder heart. I said a silent prayer of
thanks that I was so lucky to know and love such a man.

* * * * *

Of course, Paul was in amazement at the pet name,

appearing again for a fourth time. He remained quiet,
though, not wanting to interrupt.
 * * * * *

To show him how much I cared for him, I gave him a

gold and diamond ring as well. I told him it showed we
definitely belonged together.

By the third year, I asked Nicholas to move into the

main house. He’d have the bedroom next to mine. This
allowed me to paint him whenever I wanted. There were
several I did with him as the main subject. I also had him
accompany me on trips. It was so wonderful to share these
times with him. We were having a wonderful life. I was so
happy like I’d never been happy before.

I must tell you. The household staff was so happy for

me. I could tell by the way they treated us both. It was
wonderful.

* * * * *

I’m now almost twenty-nine. It’s a bad time. A few

days ago for seemingly no reason, Nicholas collapsed on the
floor. The doctor said he thought it might be his heart.

Yesterday morning, I was sitting on the bed with him.

He was awake. “Nicholas, it’s almost your birthday. We’re
going to have a terrific time. Thirty-one. You’re turning into
an old man.” I chuckled.

He smiled up at me. “I can’t wait. I should be out of

bed by then, I’m sure. But remember, you’re not far behind.”

I continued. “Can you believe it’s been only eight

years since you jumped in the pond and pulled my sorry ass
out of it?”
 “It’s only eight years but I feel like we’ve been
connected forever. It’s been a great eight years. I’m looking
forward to the next eight.”

“I’m looking forward to the next eighty.” I laughed,

trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah. We should live so long.” He started to laugh.

Suddenly, he jerked and grabbed at his chest.

“Nicholas! What’s wrong? Nicholas!” I became

extremely concerned.

He looked up at me with serious eyes. “Snook!

Snook! I love you, Snook! I love you forever!”

“I love you, too, Nicholas. I’ll love you forever.”

“Snook. Hug me. Hug me tight.”

I bent down and grabbed him up. He wrapped his

arms around me. I whispered, “I love you so much.”

At that moment, his shaking stopped. His arms

slowly slipped from around me and I heard his last breath
leave his body. I eased him back down on the bed. He lay
silent. I sat up and looked down into his face. I whispered as
tears ran down my cheeks. “Goodbye, my wonderful
Nicholas. I love you. Wait for me.” I took my left hand and
closed his eyes. My heart was shattered. I leaned down,
holding him tight and screamed out in agony into the pillow
beneath his head.

It was so sad. The next year would be eighteen

hundred and the beginning of a new century. I was planning
a wonderful travel adventure for us. But now, it wouldn’t
happen. I fully now understand how my father felt when my
mother died. My life would be meaningless without
Nicholas.

William came rushing into the room. “Master James.

I’m so sorry. We’ll take care of everything for you. Just let
me know what you want done.”

After gathering my composure, I talked with William

about all the things I wanted done. I wanted a service for
Nicholas in the great hall. His coffin would remain there for
the entire day of the service. The coffin would be sealed the
next day, taken to the family mausoleum and placed in a
vault. A bronze plaque with his name and dates would be
installed on the vault. I told him that I would be leaving after
the service as I needed to get away. I was not sure how long
I would be gone but the estate manager and the family
solicitors would continue to take care of things just as they
had been doing for decades.

* * * * *

The morning service for Nicholas was very nice and

all who attended were so kind. When it was over, I said my
goodbyes to the house staff, indicating that I was not sure
how long I would be gone just as I had originally told
William. Taking an empty suitcase to make it look like I was
traveling, I had one of the staff drive me into town in the
carriage. He dropped me off at the local hotel then returned
to the estate.

I located one of the town folk who was traveling out

toward the estate and hitched a ride. I gave him my empty
suitcase as well as a gratuity for helping me. He dropped me
off about a mile from the house.

It didn’t take me long to walk to the house and hide in

the bushes till dark. I knew the house staff would be in their
quarters and the house would be empty and quiet. Before
entering, I removed my boots to prevent making any noise
while walking and quickly returned to my bedroom.

I immediately got the old shirt that Nicholas had

given me and put it on. I went into my dresser, got the
potion I had prepared days earlier and went down to the great
hall.

Walking over to the coffin, I looked in at Nicholas.

He seemed to be asleep. I moved the lid and placed it so I
could slide it into place then climbed into the coffin with
Nicholas. I quickly drank the potion, laid down and pulled
the lid over the top of the coffin. Soon, I would be joining
Nicholas in the great beyond. I knew the next day, they
would come, seal the lid of the coffin and take it to the
mausoleum. Nicholas and I would be together for all
eternity.

* * * * *

Paul spoke. “James, are you sure you want to do

this? This is such a drastic measure.”

“Death could not be worse than the pain I now know

and feel. It’s the right thing to do. Thank you for our
conversation. I hope I have been of some help to you and
your patient.”

“Thank you, James, and Godspeed.” Paul spoke

softly.

There were a few moments of silence. Jeremy sat

quietly in the chair, his eyes still closed. He said nothing.

Paul spoke again. “Jeremy. Do you hear me?

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

 “Are you alone?”

“Yes, I am.”

Paul realized it was doubtful there was another life of

significance. He spoke quietly. “Jeremy. I want you to
come out on the count of three. One... Two... Three.”

Jeremy opened his eyes. He shook his head in the

negative and spoke softly. “I don’t believe it! Dead again!
None of them got to live long fulfilling lives. It’s just too
sad. I hope if they ever connect again in the future, it will be
different for them. Geez! Life isn’t fair. It just isn’t fair.”

Paul commented. “I noticed there was no intruder at

the end this time. I believe it’s over. You’ve traversed the
previous lifetimes of significance. Only time will tell if these
sessions have done the job.”

“So, I’m finished?” A questioning expression was on

Jeremy’s face.

“We will have a few more sessions as follow-ups.

And, of course, I want to see your additional paintings. You
really do have something special with all these paintings
from the past. I have a feeling once Angela hears the whole
story behind them, you’ll have a show in no time.” Paul
gave a big smile. “Now, go home and paint. I want to see
you in two weeks. And bring some photos of your new
paintings.”

“Okay, Doc. Two weeks.” Jeremy gave a ‘thumbs-

up’ as he left the office.
 CHAPTER X

Jeremy arrived for his next session. He brought

several pictures of three more paintings attributed to his last
session.

“With this new collection of paintings, Angela

definitely wants to have a show. She says she’s thinking
about the middle of September.”

Paul gave a ‘thumbs-up’. “I think that’s great. Don’t

forget to send me an invitation. I’d like to see the actual
paintings instead of just pictures of them.”

“Oh, Angela said she doesn’t want it to be by

invitation. She wants it open to the entire public. She’s
having flyers and brochures printed and distributed long
before the show. She said they should generate a lot of
interest.”

Paul nodded. “This could put a new light on your

career.”

“I think that’s a good possibility. She’s even putting a

picture of one of the paintings on the front of the brochure.”

“Which one is she using?” Paul was interested.

“She’s using the one from the Egyptian time.”

Jeremy grinned. “She said it was the most provocative and
controversial. She said two men smiling and holding hands
is something to raise some eyebrows. We shall see. She said
the ones of the nude males were a bit over-the-top.”
 Paul continued. “Well, regardless of the controversy
or the stories behind the paintings, you are one incredible
artist. The paintings will be able to stand on their own
whatever their story. I look forward to the show and seeing
the actual paintings.” He paused before speaking again.
“Now, let’s get down to business. What I need to know is
how are your nights doing?”

Jeremy gave a ‘thumbs-up’. “So far, so good. I’m

sleeping like a baby. There’s no agitation at all.”

“That is good to hear. Yes. Now, how about I see

you in three weeks? But should you have any issues before
then, come see me, so we can talk about it.”

Jeremy got ready to leave. “Three weeks it is.”

“Yep. Three weeks.” Paul shook his hand.

* * * * *

The next day, Paul organized his recordings and notes

from Jeremy’s sessions. He began diligently and feverishly
to work on a paper, realizing how special the sessions were
with Jeremy. Multiple past lives were quite rare but multiple
lives with the same two individuals are virtually nonexistent.
He knew the feedback from such a controversial paper could
be significant. He’d get as much done as he could but
doubted it would be finished in time to submit for the
upcoming psychiatric convention.

As he wrote the paper, all the information just

immediately fell in place along with his medical
explanations. He thought writing the paper would be a chore
but in actuality, he was thoroughly enjoying it. When he
received notice of the upcoming convention here in the city,
he saw that a Dr. David Stanley would be presenting a paper
on hypnotic regression. He’d heard several lectures by him
in the past and knew he had a sterling reputation.

He could hardly wait to hear his comments and

maybe see what he thought about his sessions with Jeremy.
Stanley was another psychiatrist here in the city, so if there
might be future pertinent conversations, getting together
wouldn’t be difficult.

* * * * *

It was the second day of the convention and Dr.

Stanley would be speaking in conference room 301 at nine in
the morning. Paul got to the room early, wanting to get a
front-row seat. He had all his notes in his briefcase that he
placed by his chair and the pictures of Jeremy’s paintings in a
file folder in his lap.

After being introduced, Dr. David Stanley began to

talk. “Good morning. Good morning. The paper I
submitted on regression was the plan for discussion today.
But.” He paused for a moment. “But something totally
extraordinary has recently happened, regarding one of my
patients and I want to share it with you. I believe you’ll find
it significantly more interesting than what I’d planned to
lecture on. So, please forgive my diversion. When you hear
about it and hear it all, I truly believe it will be something of
many future conversations. I believe I’ll be opening an
amazing can of worms.” He paused again for a moment.
“Yes. It all began a couple of months ago. Back in April. A
man came to me, experiencing anxiety problems, especially
at night.”

Immediately, Paul’s ears perked up and he sat up

straight in his seat.

Dr. Stanley continued. “He indicated he’d been told

by his regular doctor he had no physical problems, so his
doctor recommended he come see me as there could be some
possible mental issues. I thought hypnotherapy would be an
avenue to try. After placing him under, it immediately
became obvious he was returning to a past life.” Dr. Stanley
nodded. “Strangely, without prompting, he was in ancient
Egypt. His name, at that time, was Seth.”

Paul audibly gasped and the file of papers he was

holding went falling to the floor. This disturbance caused the
room to wonder what had happened. Dr. Stanley stopped
speaking and looked down at him. Paul looked up in a
sheepish manner and spoke out. “I’m so sorry. I apologize.
I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Sorry.” Paul quickly
picked up his papers and sat back in his chair, trying to be
invisible. He never made another sound.

All the while, he listened to Dr. Stanley, going

through the same lives he’d experienced with Jeremy. What
was astonishingly interesting is they were from the point of
view of Seth, Darius, Lorenzo and Nicholas. It was like what
Paul Harvey use to say at the end of his radio program. “And
now you know… the rest of the story.” He knew then and
there it was imperative to speak with Dr. Stanley as soon as
possible. This was truly historic. Paul also wanted to know
who the patient was. Images of Seth, Darius, Lorenzo and
Nicholas passed through his mind.

When the lecture session ended and started breaking

up, Dr. Stanley immediately came down to speak to Paul.
Walking up, he extended his hand. “David Stanley. How are
you?” He smiled. “Something seemed to really jar you at
the beginning of my talk. I’m extremely curious as to why?”

Paul shook his hand and smiled. “Paul Carr. Nice to

finally meet you. I’ve attended several of your lectures in the
past and they’ve been incredibly interesting. But not nearly
as interesting as the one you just gave. Yes. We need to talk.
I almost shit a brick. Pardon my French. And you’re not
going to believe why. Seriously. We absolutely need to talk.
Would you mind if we went somewhere? I assure you, it will
be worth your while with what I have to say.”

“Certainly.” David agreed, seeing the extreme

agitation on Paul’s face. He realized there was something
afoot and he wanted to know what it was. “It’s a little after
eleven and I have nothing to do after the ‘meet and greet’
session here now. If you don’t mind waiting, let’s go to the
dining room afterward and get something to eat. I didn’t eat
any breakfast before getting here.”

“That would be terrific. I think when you hear what I

have to say, you’re going to want a drink, too.” Paul grinned.

* * * * *

Entering the dining room, they asked to be seated at a

secluded table and indicated they’d be there for some time.
They were in no hurry. When they were seated and the
waiter arrived, they indicated the same and told him to take
his time. They wouldn’t be going anywhere very soon.

Paul initiated the conversation. “When you began

your talk, I was taken totally off guard when you said the
name, Seth. I do apologize for my reaction but I was truly
rattled. Now. Let me ask you a question. I never heard it in
your talk but I believe you are going to be able to answer it.
See if this name rings a bell.” He paused for a moment then
looked directly at David. “Snook.”

David’s eyes opened wide and his face was filled with
a shocked expression. When he finally recovered, he quickly
spoke. “This is unbelievably amazing if it’s what I think it
is.”

Paul grinned and nodded. “You have no idea. Now,

you see what I meant by, it would be worth your time?”
 David clapped his hands. “This definitely calls for a
drink!”

Paul gave a ‘thumbs-up’. “Yep! I’ll second that!”

Through lunch and drinks into the late afternoon, they

shared their stories. They were exactly the same except for
the endings.

Paul told what happened after Seth’s death and how

Ki Thar wanted to be placed in the tomb with him.

David explained that the message sent to Theras was

incorrect. When Darius returned home and finding Theras
was dead and why, he was mortally devastated. His heart
broke and he, too, ended his life. His ashes were placed with
those of Theras, to be scattered in the Aegean Sea.

Then, he completed the story of Lorenzo and

Francesco for Paul. Lorenzo was so crushed at the death of
Francesco, he had him placed in a special chamber beneath
the villa where he, too, joined him, after drinking a special
potion. His request was to be buried with Francesco and the
room walled off.

Then, it was Paul’s turn to enlighten David, regarding

the end of James’ life and the burial in the family
mausoleum. “Jeremy, my patient, was significantly disturbed
how all the lives ended so soon. He thought it horribly tragic
and was disgusted that none of them ever got to live a long
and full life together.”

“Interesting you should say that. Nathan, my patient,

said virtually the exact same thing.”

Paul had another zinger for David. “Just for grins,

I’m going to show you what Nathan looks like.”
 “No way.” David couldn’t believe his ears. “How
are you going to do that?”

“Jeremy is an artist, just as he was in all his previous

lives. And he’s extremely good. He has done several
paintings of Seth, Darius, Lorenzo and Nicholas. Actually, a
gallery here in New York is planning a show for him. He
gave me copies of pictures he took of his paintings.”

Paul went into his file folder and pulled out the
pictures of Jeremy’s paintings, handing them to David.

“Oh, my God! Damn! Right on the button. Wow!”

David was joyously surprised. “Through every life, Nathan
said he was always with an incredible artist. And Jeremy, I
know what he looks like.” He flipped through the pictures
Paul had given him and pulled out the one of the wall in the
Egyptian tomb. He pointed at the shorter figure in the
picture. “But I’m sure with a lot less eyeliner.”

That comment made them both break out laughing.

Paul smiled. “Actually, when he was James and even

now, he has a beard and mustache.” He paused for a
moment. “You have to admit, this is truly something
unfathomably special and remarkable. I’ll let you know
when Jeremy is to have his showing. Maybe you can let
Nathan know and he can go to the show and meet Jeremy.”

“Hey. Why not! I think that’s a great idea. Call me

when you find out.”

“You never know.” Paul was very happy. “And what

do you think of us both doing a paper together? It could be
phenomenal.”
 David gave a huge grin and a ‘thumbs-up’. “Terrific
idea. I was going to suggest the same thing but you beat me
to the punch. Let’s get together, soon.”

Before they left the table, they left an extremely large

tip for the waiter since they’d monopolized his table the
whole day.
 CHAPTER XI

It was the middle of September. John and Carl

continued working on their find in Amarna, trying to finalize
everything. There was still much to figure out. As far as
further information regarding all the questions they had about
the tomb, they were totally in the dark. Nothing in the tombs
or their research was giving them any answers to the story
they’d unfolded.

John sat at his computer, checking his emails. He

finally came to one from one of his friends who worked at a
museum in New York, knowing he was in Egypt. He opened
it and started reading then saw the attached picture. “HOLY
SHIT! How did that happen!?” He turned to Carl. “I
thought we were keeping this whole thing under wraps until
we were ready to explain it to the public.”

“We are. Why? What’s the matter?” Carl stopped

his work and looked up.

“Here! Look!” John turned his laptop toward Carl.

There, on the screen, was a copy of a flyer, regarding

an upcoming art show. Displayed prominently on the screen
was a picture. It was the same one as on the north wall of the
tomb, not far from their tents.

Carl’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell!? How

did that happen? Who did it? Who leaked the picture? I’ll
kill them!”

“The email is from my friend, Jack. Let me read it to

you.”
 “‘I know what you’re basically doing over there and
have no idea if you have found anything so far. I’m sending
you a picture of a flyer I saw yesterday as I thought you
would find it interesting, especially since it is supposed to be
a painting of a wall in an Egyptian tomb over there. It’s
really causing a major stir here in the city. It’s a flyer for an
art show for an artist named Jeremy Todd. The painting on
the flyer is related to some past life regression he went
through when he was in the early times in Egypt. He
indicated he had painted it on the wall of a tomb there in that
lifetime. What do you think of that?’”

John shook his head. “You have to be kidding me.

He can’t be serious. But here it is. The picture of our wall.
Here. Holy shit! Geez!”

“I know it sounds bizarre as shit. But I have to tell

you, I’ve always kind of believed in that stuff. You know the
old line from Shakespeare. ‘There are more things in heaven
and earth, Horatio.’ You know. It goes something like that.
And who knows? How else could some up-and-coming
artist know about the wall? We are the only ones with photos
of the tomb and its contents. Someone could’ve hacked it
from our computers but I seriously doubt it.” Carl tried to
figure out the answer.

“Okay.” John kept looking at the picture on the

screen. “I’m not one to jump to conclusions and no, no one
hacked the computers.”

“Well. I’m waiting for your explanation. How was it

done?” Carl folded his arms, staring at John.

John rolled his eyes and looked up in the air. “I have

no idea.”
 “What if it’s true? If it is, he might be able to answer
all the questions we have about this find. What could it hurt
to talk with him?”

“I know I’m the great skeptic but I have to admit that

you’re right. He just might be able to give us some
answers.” John clapped his hands together. “It says, the
opening is next Friday evening. Let’s go. No better way to
meet an artist than at the opening night of his show. And we
don’t need invitations. It’s open to the public.”

They both stood up and high-fived each other and

yelled. “ROAD TRIP!”
 CHAPTER XII

Friday arrived. The weather for mid-September was

cooperating. There was no rain.

Jeremy was so excited. All the paintings he’d done,

including several landscape extras of places he remembered
from the past, were on display. Angela hired a panel truck to
pick up the larger paintings, especially the ones of Icarus, the
tomb wall mural and Poseidon from Jeremy’s apartment.
They were that big. She also bought the frame for the Icarus
painting as well as the two other larger paintings since they’d
cost a king’s ransom but they were perfect. She knew she
could claim the cost on her taxes which made her smile.
Jeremy was very thankful since he really didn’t have that
kind of money. She jokingly told him he could pay her back
when he became rich and famous. And she wasn’t lying
about the possibility of becoming rich and famous. She
knew this show would be his great take-off to fame.

Several paintings had small signs, indicating the paint

was still wet and not to touch any of the surfaces. Decorative
ropes were placed appropriately around these paintings.
There were thirty-three paintings in all. Jeremy tried to get
frames for each of them similar to the ones that went on the
originals done in the past or ones that would be appropriate
for the subject matter. The only one with a simple border
frame was the one of the tomb mural. The painting was
some seven feet wide by six feet tall and needed nothing to
enhance it. Its simplicity was enough.

Angela was extremely happy with how they all

looked in the gallery. The one of Darius as Poseidon and the
one of Lorenzo as Icarus were spectacular and most likely
would be the focal points of the show not to mention the talk
of the town as well, not only for their excellence as artworks
but in seeing such an incredibly handsome man fully naked.
For that reason, she had the Greek group of paintings and the
Italian group a distance apart in the gallery. It was going to
be sensational, a smashing success. She could feel it. None
of the paintings would be for sale but commissions would be
gladly taken.

It was two hours before the doors were to open.

Angela stood by Jeremy, looking up at the painting of Icarus.
“I’m so proud of you. Your works are awesome. I’m so glad
it’s happening for you. But I must be honest. I’m glad it’s
happening for me, too. I’m really lucky to have you as a
good friend. And know this, it’s going to knock people’s
socks off, trust me.” She gave Jeremy a big hug.

Just then, the doorman came up with a big grin on his

face. “Excuse me, Miss Angela, for interrupting. There’s a
man at the front doors, wanting to speak with Mister Todd. I
told him the doors would not open for two hours but he was
insistent. He said it was extremely important.”

Angela responded. “Jeffrey. Please, tell the

gentleman, we’re not quite ready for guests yet.”

“There’s something you need to know.” He paused

for a moment and gave another big grin.

Angela and Jeremy looked at him with questioning

expressions.

The doorman turned, looked at the painting of Icarus

and pointed. “He looks just like that guy. But he’s wearing
clothes.”

Jeremy and Angela looked at one another, eyes wide

open with immense surprise and shock. Jeremy almost lost
his balance at what he heard. Jeffrey grabbed him to keep
him from falling.

Jeremy spoke. “You’re shitting me!? No! No way!

It couldn’t be! Here!? Really!? This can’t be happening!”

“Seriously, Mister Todd. It’s like he walked right out

of your paintings.”

“Jeffrey. Go let him in and tell him to wait up front.”

Angela couldn’t believe her ears.

Jeffrey turned and headed to the doors.

Jeremy turned to Angela and grabbed her hand.

“What if? Could it possibly? No way! We have to go see.”

They hurriedly headed toward the front of the gallery

but stopped short of the entry. There, just inside the gallery
doors, they saw a man, standing in a well-tailored business
suit, looking out the glass front of the gallery and down the
street. They both froze in their steps.

“Oh, my God!” Angela quietly spoke. “It is! It’s

him! I don’t believe it! Tell me it’s a mirage! Pinch me!”

Jeremy began to shake. “Holy shit! Yes! Yes, it is. I

know it. I feel it. I feel him. I can feel our connection. It’s
like I’ve known him forever.”

Angela grabbed Jeremy’s hand and started dragging

him in the man’s direction.

Hearing the commotion, the man turned quickly and

immediately saw Jeremy. A huge smile came to his face, his
emerald eyes glinted and he spoke in a hushed deep voice
similar to that of Sam Elliott’s. “Snook! It’s you. It’s really
you. I know it is. I’ve known you forever.” He walked up
to Jeremy, grabbed him and gave him a huge bear hug, lifting
him off the floor.

Jeremy was overwhelmed and wrapped his arms

around him. “And it’s you. I can’t believe it but it really is
you.” The whole room was silent. All those there to help set
things up for the reception were fully shocked and stunned
with what was happening and what they saw.

Angela was ecstatic. She could hardly keep herself

from screaming out loud at such good fortune. She finally
came to her senses. “Please! Please! Welcome! What a
stroke! Not only do I have the artist here but his subject
through the ages as well. How could I be so lucky!? There
IS a God!” She looked up in the air and clapped her hands
together. “Wait till the media gets hold of this. I couldn’t
have planned it any better or wished for such publicity.” She
called out. “What’s your name?”

Jeremy backed off as the man put him back on the

floor again and smiled up at the man.

He looked right at Angela, extending his right hand to

shake hers. “Nathan. Nathan Holland.”

“Nice to meet you, Nathan.” She reached out and

shook his hand. “I’m Angela Feinstein. I own the gallery.
Please. Let’s go to my office and talk.”

They went to Angela’s office and poured some coffee.

They all sat down. Nathan and Jeremy sat right next to one
another and started recounting some of their histories in this
life until they finally came to the present. While doing so,
they both found momentary opportunities to reach out and
pat or touch the other. It’s like they were reassuring the fact
that the other actually existed.
 They also started touching on points they recalled
from their past lives together. But they knew there would be
time to talk in-depth about their past lives and put all the
pieces in place to form the whole picture.

Nathan explained he was a financier and broker. “I

have to tell you. One of the guys at the office brought in the
flyer the other day and said I looked like one of the men in
the picture. Everyone couldn’t help but chuckle, seeing what
I would look like wearing ancient Egyptian attire. But to me,
what was so fantastic is that at that moment, I saw a picture
from a memory, during a session with David, my
psychiatrist.”

He paused for a moment. “No, I’m not crazy. I’d

been seeing him due to having major night anxieties. I called
him to tell him about the flyer I had seen. He told me he had
planned to call me about the show but had gotten so involved
with the paper he was working on regarding my sessions that
he’d completely lost track of time. Knowing I had seen the
flyer, he told me the Fates had stepped in to take place of his
phone call. He told me I should definitely go and enjoy
every moment. So. Here I am.”

Jeremy was still surprised. “Yes! Me, too! I’m

seeing one as well for the same reason.”

“Also.” Nathan continued. “The man beside me in

the picture on the flyer was the same one who connected
with me through several previous lives. Seeing the picture
on the flyer stirred up feelings I didn’t even know I had. It
was imperative I came to find out who this Jeremy Todd was
who painted the picture and where he got his inspiration.”

He looked at Jeremy and his eyes sparkled. “I can’t

believe it. It’s really you. And you look exactly as you did
back then. James had a furry face just like you.”
 Angela could not believe her good fortune. “You two
are going to have to get to know one another.” She paused,
then looked at Jeremy and Nathan with an ‘oh duh’
expression. “But you already DO know one another.” She
began to laugh then turned to Nathan. “You are staying for
the show, aren’t you? Please, tell me you are. It’s going to
be so amazing, especially if you both are here.”

“I would love to stay. Thank you.” Nathan poured

another cup of coffee.

* * * * *

As the guests arrived, they were not only astonished

by the quality and beauty of the artworks but were totally
taken aback to see the man in the paintings, talking with
people in the room. Of course, there were skeptics, thinking
it a ruse and hoax but others were on board with the idea of
past lives. Many thought it incredibly romantic even though
it was between two men. It truly opened the door to
discussion on the subject that so many would normally scoff
at. The press was going to have a field day.

The doors of the gallery had been open for just over
an hour when John and Carl arrived. Immediately, they
walked over to the painting like the one on the wall in
Amarna.

“Damn!” John spoke in a whisper, “It’s exactly like

the wall. I would swear whoever painted this is the same one
who painted the wall. Even though there’s been some three
thousand years difference in time. Maybe this past life stuff
does have some credence and merit.”

“Seeing this only reinforces my previous opinions

and thinking.” Carl whispered back. “We need to meet the
artist.”
 John turned around perusing the room. After a
moment, he saw Jeremy and Nathan across the room with
several people gathered around them talking. “Holy crap!”
He whispered loudly. “It’s the guys on the wall. Both of
them! Only the short guy now has a stache and beard. I
don’t believe this. Pinch me. I have to be dreaming.”

Carl turned. “Oh, my God! You’re right! Both of

them! Hot damn! Come on. Let’s get over there and see if
we can get a chance to sit down and talk with them. I have a
feeling something special and beyond belief is about to
happen.” They walked over and waited their turn to finally
meet.

Carl extended his hand, shaking Nathan’s, then

Jeremy’s, then Angela’s. “Carl Davis, archaeologist. And
this is my associate, John Beach.” All shook hands. Carl
reached in his pocket and pulled out a printout of the photo
he had taken of the wall in the tomb and handed it to Jeremy.
“You need to see this.”

Jeremy unfolded the paper and looked at the

photograph and handed it to Nathan. “That’s not a
photograph of my painting.”

John quietly answered. “No. It’s not a picture of

your painting. It’s a tomb wall.” He looked right at Jeremy.

“It’s the wall. In Akhetaten.” Jeremy stopped short.

“How did you get this?”

Carl and John’s mouths dropped open upon hearing

what Jeremy had just said. How could he know?

Carl was astounded. “Not many people know that the

original name for Amarna was Akhetaten. And how would
you know that the tomb was in Akhetaten unless you knew
the story?”
 Shortly, they gathered their composure.

“And you are Ki Thar.” Carl looked at Jeremy and

then at Nathan. “And you are Seth.”

Jeremy looked at Nathan and then at John and Carl.

“How could you know those names? No one has ever let that
information out. Not yet.”

“John and I have just come in from Amarna,

Akhetaten. Our plane arrived this morning. As I said, we’re
archaeologists.” Carl began to explain. “Back in very early
to mid-April, we discovered a tomb there at the base of a
cliff. This was painted on the wall of one of the chambers.”

“But that chamber was supposed to be hidden, walled

off.” Jeremy barked, recalling the desires of Ki Thar.

Carl looked at John with great surprise then back at

Jeremy. “Yes. Yes, it was. This may sound crazy but
actually, we discovered it by pure intuition. And when we
entered the chamber at every turn, there were so many
questions.”

A searching look came to Jeremy’s face. He raised

his left hand to his chin. “April? Damn! That’s when my
anxiety attacks started.”

“Mine, too.” Nathan interrupted. “Maybe there is

some connection.”

“There has to be.” John added. “That tomb has been

undiscovered for some three thousand years. Have you ever
had anxiety problems prior to April?”

Jeremy and Nathan looked at one another, shaking

their heads in the negative.
 “Interesting.” John continued. “And now, looking at
you here, I see you both are the men painted on the wall.”
He looked at Jeremy. “Even though you are presently
sporting a beard and mustache, I can tell the man on the wall
is… you.” He pointed to the shorter figure in the picture.
“And this guy is obviously you.” He looked at Nathan.
“You are his exact likeness.”

“If you both would be so kind, John and I would love

to talk with you in-depth about the tomb. We haven’t
brought it to the public yet because there are so many
unanswered questions. There are so many strange things we
wanted to have answered, so the public wouldn’t turn it into
a circus.”

“I mean, the two bodies were wrapped together.”

Carl continued. “What is that? You know that is going to
raise all sorts of questions and eyebrows across the world
when pictures of the MRIs are printed. Not to mention the
wall, the two men are in frontal view and holding hands.
Excuse me. Tell me they aren’t going to zero in on that. I
believe you both will be able to answer a significant amount
if not all our questions.”

Nathan looked at Jeremy. “You said Ki Thar and Seth

were buried together in the same tomb. But you didn’t give
me the details. They were wrapped together?”

“To be honest, not just wrapped together but it was

more like in some sleeping, romantic embrace, together.”
Carl spoke in a hushed voice.

Jeremy looked at Nathan. “I didn’t mention it yet

because we just met and I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Embarrass me?” Nathan smiled at Jeremy. “I think

it’s a most wonderful and amazing thing. But how? Seth
was the one dying. Ki Thar was healthy.” He paused for a
moment when he finally realized the answer. “Oh, Jeremy.
You sacrificed yourself to be with me. And then to have our
bodies wrapped as one, together, in an embrace. Oh, my
God. What devotion. What caring. What love. You
committed the ultimate to be with me.” Nathan bent his head
down with emotion. “I should be so lucky to have such a
love.” He grabbed Jeremy and hugged him.

All was quiet for a few moments until everyone

gathered their composure, looking around the room to see if
they’d caused a scene. Several were looking their way with
obvious whispering.

Angela didn’t care. She was sobbing and had tears

streaming down her face. “This is so amazing. The love you
shared and had for one another. And it’s so sad.”

“Ki Thar killed himself? We didn’t know.” John was

sadly amazed. “We wondered why both men died at the
same time to be buried together. Seriously, please, let us talk
with you. I know now, you both will shed a most brilliant
light on our discovery.”

Jeremy spoke softly. “And just so you’ll know. Ki

Thar asked his sister in the message he sent to her to seal the
room, so it would be hidden. He never wanted anyone
coming in to desecrate their resting place and make a
mockery of it.”

Carl was ecstatic. “THAT was one of our major

questions. Why was the chamber sealed and hidden? Wow!
What a story this is!”

Angela wiped her eyes and spoke out. “Of course,

gentlemen. Certainly. We’ll get together in the office
tomorrow for lunch.” Angela clapped her hands. “It’s a
godsend. An art show connected to a new tomb discovery in
ancient Egypt. Who would have imagined?” She looked up
in the air and raised her arms. “Thank you, Jesus!”

Since it was getting near to closing for the night, they

all agreed to meet the next day at the gallery for lunch and
conversation. Most were sure no one would get any sleep
that night.

Nathan turned to Jeremy. “I’m too overwhelmed to

sleep. I need a drink. How would you like to join me? My
treat.” He gave a caring look at Jeremy.

“I’d love to.” Jeremy looked hard at Nathan. “How

can I possibly turn down an invitation from the most
handsome man I have known… for three thousand years.”
He gave Nathan a big smile.

Nathan smiled back. “And I can raise a toast to a

man I have loved for so many lifetimes.”

They both began to chuckle as they walked in the

direction of a bar they saw down the street.
 CHAPTER XIII

Saturday, Carl and John began to get ready to head to

the gallery. John turned on the television in their hotel room.
The program happened to be the mid-morning news.

The reporter seemed to be quite excited about a story.

“Well. It’s all over the front pages this morning. And it’s not
your typical news story. This time it’s from the art world.
Angela Feinstein is the owner of Feinstein’s Gallery here in
the city and she had an opening last night, featuring a new,
upcoming artist, Jeremy Todd. But what makes this story
different from all other art shows is the collection of
paintings was done by the artist, repainting those he had done
in previous lives. That’s right. Not one but several past
lives.”

“What’s even more sensational is the fact that one of

the past lives was in Egypt. And who should show up at the
gallery last night? The two archaeologists who discovered
his tomb in the ancient city of Amarna this past April. Carl
Davis and John Beach. Word from our source is the artist
and his lover at that time were not only buried in the same
chamber of the tomb but also wrapped together and placed in
the same sarcophagus. That’s right. Wrapped in a loving
embrace and buried together. Our source tells us this will be
confirmed when the MRI scans of the find are released to the
public. And to really top off the whole night is the fact that
the ‘other man’ who happened to be his partner through all
his lives, Nathan Holland, a well-known financial advisor
and broker here in the city, appeared at the showing. Now,
tell me if that’s not something bizarre and utterly fantastic.”

“Of course, this news has been an enormous

bombshell and has ignited a huge applause and revelry from
the gay community. Major gatherings have already begun in
front of the gallery. Needless to say, it’s going to be a very
interesting day here in New York City.”

“Holy shit! Angela!” Carl yelled out as he heard

their names. “John! The cat’s out of the bag! It had to be
Angela. And the other paintings are from other past lives. I
didn’t realize that. You have to be kidding me!”

John looked at Carl. “Damn. Neither did I. But

seriously, we haven’t been keeping up with current events
while being over there in Amarna.” He shook his head.
“And. Well. Last night we didn’t tell anyone to keep it
secret. How could we have forgotten to do that? Oh duh!
We now have to deal with it. Maybe it’s for the best. Secrets
are never a good thing.”

“Yes, you’re right as usual. We can’t change it now.

So, we definitely do need to get the facts straight. ASAP!”

Coming down from their room, they entered the

lobby of the hotel. The concierge quickly came up to them
with a huge smile on his face. “It’s your pictures in the
paper. Come see.”

They walked over to the front desk. Their names

with their pictures along with those of Nathan and Jeremy,
surrounding a picture of the painting of the tomb wall,
hanging in the gallery filled the front page. The headline in
bold print read: ‘Reincarnation Brings Archaeology and Art
Together. Gay Community Ecstatic!’

Carl looked at John. “How the hell did they get our
pictures?”

John just shook his head. “I swear newspapers have

spies all over the place. I’m sure the internet was a great
source, too.”
 They hailed a cab and headed to the gallery.

* * * * *

Jeremy woke up. He realized he was somewhere he

didn’t recognize. He sat up quickly only to grab his head.
He knew he’d had too much to drink the night before. He
looked around and realized he was sitting in a bed. To his
left, he saw Nathan still asleep. Both had been lying on top
of the bedding still fully clothed.

The sudden jarring of the bed rousted Nathan. He

looked up at Jeremy. “Well, good morning, Snook or do you
prefer Snucco?” He smiled and flexed his eyebrows.

Jeremy looked down, examining himself. “I see

you’re an honorable man, not taking advantage of someone
who’s not in control of his faculties.”

Nathan proclaimed. “Yes. I am an honorable man.”

He looked at his watch. “Geez. It’s time to get moving. Do
you think they’ll notice if we show up wearing the same
clothes we were wearing last night?”

“Hey!” Jeremy joked. “Let’s just go with the flow.

This is all so amazing, I don’t think what we’re wearing is of
any consequence. I’ll bet they wouldn’t even mind if we
came dressed as Seth and Ki Thar. But I don’t have any
eyeliner.” He began to giggle. “I’m ready. But first, I need
to get some aspirin. And if I may, I’d like to brush my
teeth.”

Nathan directed. “Certainly. There’s an extra

toothbrush in the linen closet and the aspirin is in the
medicine cabinet over the sink. I need to do the same.”

“What about your work?” Jeremy was concerned.

 “Let me tell you. When word got around the office
that I was planning to check it out, upper management found
it really interesting as well as amusing and told me to take all
the time necessary to find the answers. So, I’m all right. But
thanks for asking and being concerned. I like that.” He
winked his right eye.

As they got themselves organized, Nathan happened

to turn on the television. They weren’t paying much
attention until they heard Jeremy’s name. Then, they both
stopped what they were doing to watch. It was the same
news report Carl and John had been watching, regarding the
art show at Angela’s gallery the night before.

Nathan looked at Jeremy with a big smile. “Well, if

you weren’t famous before, you are now.”

“Don’t forget. He mentioned your name, too.”

Jeremy began to realize the consequences. “Oh shit! I hope
this doesn’t wreck your career.” Jeremy looked at Nathan
with alarm.

“Nope. If anything, it’ll probably make me a

celebrity for a while.” Nathan began to clap his hands.
“You’ve made me a celebrity! Oh, yeah! Thank you so
much!”

The report over, Nathan switched off the television.

They finished brushing their teeth and taking aspirin and they
were out the door. They left Nathan’s apartment, hailed a cab
and headed to the gallery.

* * * * *

Needless to say, the swift publicity had really rousted

the gay community. A large group had already organized in
front of the gallery, waving rainbow flags, banners and
cheering. The crowd went wild when they saw Jeremy and
Nathan arrive, cheering their names with exuberance as they
entered the gallery.

Angela met Jeremy and Nathan at the door. She

couldn’t believe it. She was holding up the day’s newspaper
and had a huge grin on her face. “And look at that crowd.
Wow!”

“Yeah. We saw it on the news.” Nathan commented.

“This is phenomenal. Look at the banners. ‘Hip! Hip!
Hooray!’ ‘Three Thousand Years!’ ‘Hooray for Gays!’ ‘Gays
Through The Ages!’”

Right behind them were Carl and John, getting out of

a cab. The crowd went crazy, screaming and yelling their
names with approval as they entered the gallery.

John commented, looking at the crowd of cheering

fans. “Well. It’s begun. Now, it’s very important we get all
the ducks in a row. They’re cheering but wait till the
‘naysayers’ get organized.”

“Not to mention the damn religious fanatics.” Carl

scoffed.

John turned and looked at Angela. “I see someone

spilled the beans and let the secret out. Let me guess who it
was.”

Everyone turned and looked at Angela.

Angela looked around with an innocent expression on

her face. She pointed at herself with both hands. “Moi?”

All just erupted in raucous laughter. They realized it

was of no consequence. It just meant they’d have to step up
their pace in getting the facts and the story absolutely correct.
 “And what better place to get this kind of story
started? A terrific and amazing art show here in New York!”
Carl gave a big grin and a ‘thumbs-up’ with his right hand.
“Angela’s correct. We couldn’t have asked for more or better
publicity. And what’s even better is that it’s free. Trust me,
John. Our find might not have been the most significant for
its wealth of artifacts like Tut’s. But ours is going to be
shaking the foundations of society and its thinking for years.
I sense many guest speaking jobs for the both of us. I love
it!”

No sooner had they gathered in Angela’s office than

several reporters arrived at the gallery, wanting to take some
pictures and get statements. Angela told them to come back
later on that afternoon and they could have their interviews
and ask all the questions they wanted. But not till later on in
the afternoon.

The police came as soon as the crowd began to form

that morning to maintain order outside the gallery.
Everything was civil and respectful. The gathering was one
with joy and adulation, not one of violence and destruction.
The police came mainly to keep them on the sidewalks and
prevent them from getting hit by passing vehicles.

The lunch Angela provided was excellent. Even with

the continuing conversation, everyone enjoyed and kept
eating the wonderful food.

Nathan and Jeremy discussed their lives in ancient

Egypt right down to the point of how close their relationship
really was, sparing no details. John insisted all the cards be
put on the table. This whole thing was way too important to
hold anything back. It became obvious to Carl and John after
hearing the whole story of Ki Thar and Seth, why the two
ended up as they did. Since Seth died first of a fever and had
no knowledge of the burial, Jeremy reiterated the information
from the previous evening only with great emotional detail.
Of course, it had Angela in tears again. Especially, when
Carl pulled out the photos of the MRIs, showing the two
wrapped together.

Nathan looked at the photos and then at Jeremy. He

whispered, “I loved you so much. And to see us wrapped
together in death, only makes me realize even more how
much you loved me.”

John showed several photos to Jeremy and Nathan of

the other walls and also the bust Ki Thar sculpted of Seth.

“I was so proud when I first saw it back then.”

Nathan gave a little smile. “I had no idea I actually looked
like that. It truly was a fantastic piece of art. And are you
ready for this? You’ll never guess who sculpted the bust of
Nefertiti. The one that’s presently in the museum in Berlin?”
Nathan gave a big grin, flexing his eyebrows several times
and pointing at Jeremy. He turned to Jeremy.

Everyone looked at Jeremy with a shocked look on

their faces.

Carl’s eyes bugged out. “No way! You’re not

serious. But everyone believes the sculptor, Thutmose, did
it.”

Jeremy shook his head. “Okay, Nathan. Tell the

story.”

Nathan told the whole story and how Ki Thar did the
bust of Seth. Seth, seeing how excellent it was, insisted he
make one of the Pharaoh’s wife. Giving the bust as a gift,
ingratiated them to the Pharaoh and his wife. Everyone was
incredibly surprised.
 John was floored. “Is that information out yet? Wait
till that comes into play. Berlin is going to want to talk with
you as well. I just know it. When they see the bust Ki Thar
did of Seth and how it is done in the same manner, it just
might help convince them it was not done by Thutmose.”

Jeremy commented. “I know you have indicated your

concern as to why the tomb of Ki Thar and Seth was empty
of possessions. Ki Thar was well aware of tomb robberies
when tombs were found desecrated. This made it so very
obvious that the dead hadn’t taken any possessions with
them. That was the reason he had nothing put in the tomb.”

Carl tilted his head back. “Oh, God. Thank you for
all this. It’s an archaeologist’s dream. Who’d have known,
digging some sand away from an ancient tomb was going to
have this bombshell of a snowball effect? I love it.” He
looked up in the air. “Thank you, God!”

Angela jumped in. “Do you think I could get several

pictures of the bust of Seth, so I can place them in the
gallery? I know getting the real deal is impossible.”
Happiness filled her face. “I can put them with pictures of
the bust of Nefertiti.” She paused a moment. “Hell! I can
buy a reproduction of the real bust of Nefertiti and put it
here.” She snapped her fingers in the air.

John added. “I can definitely arrange that. And who

knows? Maybe down the road, Egypt will allow the Seth
bust to go on loan to the gallery here. It might be possible.
I’ll bet copies of the bust may eventually be available as
well.”

“Yeah. And it wasn’t the last sculpture I did of

Nathan.” Jeremy grinned at Nathan.

Carl looked at John then back at Jeremy. “You did

another? We never found another. Where is it?”
 “Oh.” Jeremy began to snicker. “It was when Nathan
was Darius. I sculpted a life-size figure of him as Poseidon.
Come. Let me show you.”

They walked into the gallery and stood in front of the

painting of Darius, holding a golden trident in his right hand
raised in the air and his left hand, holding the reins to two
large fish he was standing on and riding. The surrounding
was a seascape of waves and sky.

“The sculpture looked just like the painting but in

marble, of course, without the sea and sky background.”
Jeremy gazed up at the picture.

“The sculpture was magnificent.” Nathan was

excited. “You should’ve seen it.”

John shook his head. “Carl and I had no idea about

the other lives till we saw the news report this morning on
the TV. Over there in Amarna, it’s rather isolated and we
haven’t been keeping up with things and the circumstances
surrounding the show. As I mentioned last night, we didn’t
get in from Egypt till the morning of the opening. Last night
we had no idea the other paintings were from other past
lives.”

Jeremy was emphatic. “Yes. We’ve been together at

least four times in the past. Those are the ones we can
recall.”

“You have to be shitting me! Really? Seriously?”

John couldn’t believe his ears.

“All the paintings here are either reproductions of

paintings I did in other times or landscapes from memories I
have from those other times.” Jeremy smiled. “Yep. That
one of the Parthenon under construction is from what I
actually saw when I was there.”

“Really?” Carl and John spoke in unison.

Jeremy led everyone around the gallery, pointing out

each painting and touching on from where and when they
were done. After seeing them all and their explanation, they
returned to Angela’s office.

Carl rubbed his hands together. “Now, you’ve really

opened a can of curiosity. This is remarkable as well as
incredible. You do realize how unbelievable it is. Now,
think about this. I just had a stroke of brilliance.” He
reached over his left shoulder with his right hand and patted
himself on the back. “Wouldn’t it be absolutely amazing if
we could actually connect these stories with actual history? I
mean the real places. That would truly be a feather in all our
caps.” He looked at John.

“Wow! What a concept. Holy crap! Wouldn’t that

be something? But we’d need more details of each
incarnation and what to look for.” John agreed, looking at
Jeremy and Nathan. “It would be an enormous help if we
could get as much information as possible from you both,
regarding your different lives. What an adventure it could
be.” John yelled out. “Oh, yeah!”

Carl added. “And just think how that would support

this whole thing and truly bring it to the fore.”

Nathan grinned. “I have a suggestion. What if

Jeremy and I accompanied you? Returning to these places
could possibly stimulate our memories.”

“Damn! What a suggestion! Brilliant! That really

could be a major adventure. I’ll bet John and I might even be
able to write a book about it. Pictures included.” Carl was
ecstatic.

“Oh, sorry, Jeremy. I spoke out of turn. You may not

want to do that.” Nathan was apologetic.

“Hell! I think it’s a great idea.” Jeremy was all

smiles. “But I must confess, I’m one of those real starving
artists you hear about.”

John jumped in. “Hey! I’ll bet we can get funding

for the trip.”

“And if that doesn’t happen, I’ll pay for Jeremy and

myself.” Nathan smiled. “After all, he needs a patron just as
he had in Italy. It would be my pleasure.”

“Oh, Nathan. I can’t let you do that. It’s not fair to

you.” Jeremy felt bad.

Carl spoke calmly. “Listen. With all this publicity

surging now, there are going to be so many offers to pay the
way when they find out it covers more than a trip to Egypt.
It’s going to blow you away. I know there will be no worries
there. Now. Why don’t you tell us about the other lives?
This is terrific.” Carl could not contain his enthusiasm.

Angela was so overwhelmed with joy. “And it all

started with my gallery, introducing all this to the public.
How can I be so fortunate and lucky? They’ll be flocking
here to see the paintings.”

Just before Nathan and Jeremy began to tell their

stories, Jeffrey knocked at the office door. “Miss Angela,
there are two gentlemen here to see Mister Todd. One says
his name is Doctor Paul Carr.”
 Jeremy jumped up. “Oh! Terrific! This is
incredible!” He turned to everyone. “I’ll be right back.”

Minutes later, Jeremy returned to the office, not only

with Paul but also with David, Nathan’s doctor. Everyone
made introductions and shook hands.

Paul explained. “David and I met at the recent

psychiatric convention here in the city. After sharing the
stories, we thought it would be interesting for Jeremy and
Nathan to meet. I knew Jeremy would be here but had no
idea Nathan would be here, too, until David told me he had
talked with Nathan and told him he should go. Maybe it was
Destiny.” He looked at Nathan. “I am truly astonished at
how much you resemble the man in Jeremy’s paintings.”

David looked at Jeremy. “And Nathan’s description

of you through the ages was right on target. Wow!”

Paul and David explained how they were getting

ready to write a collaboration paper on Jeremy and Nathan.
But when they heard what Carl and John had planned, they
knew they would wait on publication until concrete evidence
turned up to prove and support their paper. References could
be made to the discoveries.

Carl and John had a hard time, containing themselves

and keeping from jumping up and down they were so happy.
Knowing if they actually did find evidence, they could
reference the paper being done by Paul and David. Needless
to say, this just added fuel to the fire and excitement. The
consequences of everything could be extraordinary as well as
revolutionary.

Angela was extremely excited. It was so obvious to

her that she was involved in a monumental happening if it all
panned out.
 Jeremy and Nathan were anxious to travel and revisit
the locations from their past. Paul and David both agreed
that it could be very therapeutic for them to stand in places
where they had been in previous lives.

Shortly, Jeffrey knocked on Angela’s door. “Miss

Angela, there are a bunch of reporters wanting to speak with
everyone about all this.”

Angela turned to everyone as they all began to stand.

“Gentlemen, shall we head up front? I know the press has
many questions to ask. You might even tell them about your
plan to revisit the places of the past lives to see about their
possible reality.”

Carl agreed. “With this much publicity right now,

getting funding quickly will be a sinch. YeeeHaw!” He
thrust his right fist into the air.

At that, they all headed to talk with the reporters.

 CHAPTER XIV

The stories behind the paintings and the publicity did

more than could have been imagined. Angela had droves of
people, coming to visit her gallery, to see the paintings and
hear the stories. She also took information from those who
were interested in having Jeremy do paintings for them.
Jeremy had told her that she would be getting a commission
on all paintings he did with information she had given him.

As Carl had predicted, there were groups marching on

both sides of the social issue. It truly did open wide a door to
dialogue on the subjects. This seemed to be more of an
explosion than the one Anita Bryant caused back in the day.
He was also correct on the question of funding. Money was
not going to be a problem.

* * * * *

In two weeks, their adventure began. They all agreed

it would be most efficient and economical to start at the
closest point and end at the farthest even though these stops
were the reverse of their chronological sequence. The first
stop would be England. The next would be Italy. Then,
Greece. Finally, ending in Egypt. Ending in Egypt would
bring John and Carl to where they wanted to be, so they
could finally finish up their work in Amarna, now that they
had all the answers to their questions. And fittingly enough,
it would be the place where the door opened to this whole
event.

* * * * *
 Stepping off the plane in London, John clapped his
hands together. “Well. Here we are. Jolly Old England!
Stop number one. I can’t wait to see if any of this pans out.”

After a good night’s rest in their hotel, it was off to

visit Tolling House. This was a three-hour drive north of
London.

They were greeted at the front door by a member of

the household staff. He instantly had a look of shock on his
face when he saw Nathan. They were quite curious why this
would happen. The man led them to a sitting room and asked
them to wait. “Mister Weston will be with you shortly.” At
that, he looked at Nathan, at a painting on the wall across the
room and back at Nathan again. Saying nothing more, he
turned and left the room.

Everyone looked at the painting, hanging on the wall.

The explanation for their curiosity was now evident. It was
the portrait of a man wearing a loose-fitting shirt with string
ties up the front. They all could see the resemblance. It was
also the same as the one Jeremy had painted, hanging in
Angela’s gallery.

Before long, a gentleman, looking to be in his fifties,

entered the room with a smile. The moment he saw Nathan,
a shocked expression covered his face. He seemed to freeze
in place. After a moment, he shook his head and spoke.
“Gentlemen. Please, excuse me. It’s just I am truly amazed.
When Howard came to get me, he told me the man in the
paintings was here. Of course, I knew that was impossible
and ridiculous because the paintings were done over two
hundred years ago. But I humored him, saying I would come
meet whoever it was. Now, here you are. And much to my
surprise, you ARE the man in the paintings. But how can it
be?” He looked at the painting across the room and then at
Nathan. He shook his head again. “Please, sit down. And
by the way, my name is Albert.” He went around shaking
everyone’s hands and hearing their names. He sat down.

“I must admit. I heard news reports about the uproar

in New York a couple of weeks ago and even saw the
pictures of some of the paintings. I wondered if any of it
could be true. Now, you’re standing here in person. I am
completely taken aback, seeing your face. I’m still in
shock.” Albert continued. “It’s obvious you’re all here for a
reason. Would it be fair to say it has something to do with
this gentleman and the paintings?” He gestured in Nathan’s
direction. “And from your credentials, it has to be a rather
important reason.”

Carl nodded. “You are correct. But so you may

understand, we would like to tell you the whole story as we
know it so far. Do you have the time?”

Albert nodded his head and raised his hand in the air.
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from hearing this one.”
He got up, walked over to the wall and pulled a cord. “Tea
will be here shortly.” He returned to his seat. “Begin
anytime you like.”

For the next few hours, they all told their parts of the
story and showed all the pictures taken so far and placed on
Carl’s laptop. The part that Jeremy told, regarding James
Worthington, did not include the very end. He would wait to
divulge that information. The tale was only interrupted by
Howard, bringing in an enormous silver tray of hot tea
followed by a maid, carrying another silver tray filled with
small cakes and cookies. Everything was placed on the
sideboard against the wall under the painting.

Finally hearing all that had to be said, Albert invited

everyone to see the other paintings of Nicholas, hanging in
the house. He also gave them permission to take
photographs of the paintings and the house to add to their
collection. That completed, they returned to the sitting room.

“Now, as for the house, the Worthington family built

it in the mid fifteen hundreds. They also put the big ‘W’ in
the middle of the front gate. When I was looking to buy,
several years ago and saw it, I realized Destiny brought me
here and I was meant to have the house.” Albert smiled.
“Now. Is there anything else I may help you with?”

Jeremy spoke up. “I do have one more request. May

we go to the old family mausoleum? I would like to see it.”

Albert replied. “Certainly. But the tomb of James

Worthington is not there. The story told and passed down is
he was so depressed and distraught, he left and never
returned. No one ever knew what became of him. But his
best friend and companion is there.”

Jeremy spoke quietly. “Everyone has always thought

he’s not in the mausoleum. Well, have I got a surprise for
you. I tell you now. He’s there all right. It’s just no one
knows he is. James is wearing the shirt Nicholas gave him
when he pulled James out of the water. He is also still
wearing the gold and diamond ring Nicholas gave him. And
Nicholas is wearing the ring James gave to him.”

Albert’s eyes went wide. “Well. If anyone should

know, it would be you. Is James’ tomb hidden in the
mausoleum?”

Jeremy looked at Albert. “Hidden in plain sight.”

They all headed out to the mausoleum in the far

reaches of the garden. Several pictures were taken before
they entered. Soon, they were standing in front of a wall
containing a plaque. It was made of cast bronze and
contained the name, Nicholas Farley. Below the name were
the dates, 1768 -1799.

Jeremy looked at the plaque and spoke quietly. “I’m

so glad you’re not in there by yourself.” He gave Nathan a
little nudge and grabbed his hand.

Everyone was surprised and Albert spoke up. “Are

you saying that James is in the same vault as Nicholas?”

Jeremy responded. “That’s correct. James and

Nicholas are in the same vault. When we get back to the
house, I’ll explain.”

Nathan turned and looked at Jeremy. “It’s beyond

expectation to think you would end your life, so we could be
together in death. Twice!” He paused for a moment. “No!
You did it three times. You thought I was killed in the Greek
military skirmish when in actuality, I was still alive. I forgot
to add that in my head.”

“Hey! You did it for me. Twice. Once in Greece and

then in Italy. But who’s counting? It doesn’t matter.”
Jeremy hugged Nathan.

Several more photographs were taken before they

headed back to the main house. Returning to the sitting
room, Jeremy told the whole story as to why Nicholas was
not alone in the mausoleum. “James wanted to be with
Nicholas for all eternity. Together. He loved Nicholas so
much.”

Albert was so intrigued by the entire story, he was

adamant he be kept informed as to when the book would be
published. He definitely wanted to keep several on hand for
future visitors to the house in case they might like to
purchase one. “One thought. What would you think about
me putting another plaque below the one for Nicholas? One
that has the name of James Worthington and his dates? I’ll
take a picture of it when it’s installed. That way you’ll have
the picture of before we knew and then one of the after when
the secret was revealed. Hold off on the book, so you can
incorporate it.”

Jeremy smiled. “I think that would be wonderful.

Then, folks will see and wonder, not to mention ask a bunch
of questions. And of course, it’ll only add to your story,
Albert.”

“You’ve got that right.” Albert agreed. “I’ll have it

done immediately.”

Soon, it was time to go. Everyone thanked Albert for

his help and hospitality before they headed back to London.
They wanted to get a good night’s rest before heading to
Genoa. It would be interesting to see if they could actually
find the Renaissance villa northeast of the city.

* * * * *

Arriving in Genoa, they drove directly to the hotel

and checked in. They wouldn’t head out until the next day.
None were even sure the villa was still in existence. They
were going strictly on a hunch with Nathan leading the way.

Although much had changed, much still remained the

same. Nathan was quite helpful in finding the location. He
was using natural physical landmarks to guide him since
many of the structures did not exist in the time of Lorenzo.
Fortunately enough, the villa was still there.

The gardener greeted them at the gate and walked

with them to the front door of the house. They waited as the
gardener went to find someone for assistance. After a few
minutes, he returned with an older gentleman who appeared
to be the man of the house. His name was Franco and seeing
Nathan’s face caused a sensation. They were immediately
invited in.

Franco spoke. “Gentlemen, I do speak English, so do

not worry about whether or not I will understand you while
we talk.”

The expressions on the faces of the family members

and staff along with their whispered mumbles, showed their
shock and surprise when they saw Nathan. After a short
conversation, Franco was anxious to show them a painting
that hung in the villa. He led them to the library. There, on
the wall, was a large painting of a well-to-do man, in clothes
from the Renaissance period. Franco pointed and a big grin
filled his face. “It is you. But how can that be? This is very
perplexing.” He looked right at Nathan.

Nathan nodded. “We’ll tell you all about it. But first,
I have a question. Are there any more paintings of this
man?”

Franco responded. “Yes. They used to hang in the

bedroom at the far end of the villa. We gave them to the
museum in Pisa. They were pleased to have them and were
in a much better position to take care of them. We kept this
one as it seemed to belong to the house.”

Carl commented. “Do you have the museum

director’s name? We’d like to contact him and talk with
him.”

“Certainly. I can give you that.” Franco went over to

the desk in the room and wrote the information down on a
piece of paper, handing it to Carl. “I will call him and let
him know you want to see the paintings but I don’t want to
spoil the surprise. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when he
sees you.” He looked directly at Nathan.
 “Would you mind if we took some photographs of the
painting and the villa? Especially, the rooms at the end of
the courtyard?” Jeremy was hopeful.

“Not at all. Of course not. Please. Be my guest.”

Franco insisted. “You must tell me what is going on, though.
Something tells me it’s very special. I’m going to the kitchen
for a moment to ask the cook to prepare something for you to
eat and drink. I’ll be right back.” He quickly left the room
then returned within only a few minutes. “Please, follow me.
We’ll go see the rooms before heading to the dining room.
Let’s go and I would love to hear your story. Take all the
pictures you like.”

Carl opened his laptop and turned it on. All the

photographs taken so far were shown to Franco as Jeremy
and Nathan told the story. Franco was totally surprised and
amazed at it all. They also shared the experience they’d had
in England. In the meantime, food and drink were brought to
the table.

After hitting the high points of the many lives,

Nathan turned to Franco. “There is one more thing I’d like
to see if I may. I’ll take you there.”

“Of course.” Franco insisted. “Wherever you like.”

All rose from the table and followed Nathan. He led

them out onto the covered veranda, facing the courtyard.
They walked to a door in the stone wall at the end of the
veranda. He turned to Franco. “May we enter?”

Franco nodded his head. “Yes. Certainly. But there’s

nothing down there but the wine cellar and storage.”

Nathan raised his right hand, pointing upward with

his index finger. “No. There’s more. Follow me.” Nathan
opened the door and led them down into the cellar beneath
the villa. Many stone arches and columns supported the
building above. Nathan pointed. “This way.”

Jeremy was curious. “Where are we going?”

“I’m going to show you where we are.” Nathan

spoke softly.

“Where you are?” John shook his head in a

questioning manner. “You never said in your telling, it was a
secret.”

“You’ll see.” Nathan responded then finally stopped,

looking at a blank stone wall. He put his hands on his hips.
“Right there, behind this wall. You and me, Francesco and
Lorenzo. We are there.” He reached out and placed his right
palm against the wall then bent his head in momentary
contemplation.

Franco spoke quietly. “You mean there is someone

behind this wall?”

“Yes.” Nathan spoke softly. “Francesco and Lorenzo

are there. They are lying together in a single stone coffin.”

Franco was shocked. “No one knew. With no marker

and the house passing from one owner to another through all
the years. If at one time it was known, it was lost. Oh, my
God! This is incredible! Unbelievable!” Franco clapped his
hands together. “When I first acquired the house and all its
contents, including all the paintings, I knew the man in the
pictures was from an old family back during the Renaissance.
I even tried to find something out about him and where he
was buried but to no avail. This just totally adds to the story.
It’s fantastic. I hope you’ll take some photographs of all this,
too. What an amazing revelation to the story. Wouldn’t it be
amazing if a door was built into this wall, so people could
see the burial chamber and their resting place? It would be
made of glass, so no one could go into the room and disturb
it. They would have to see it through the glass door.”

“I don’t see why not. Franco could have a small

moneymaker here if tourists would come to see and hear the
story. I think it would be great.” A big grin filled Jeremy’s
face. “Sorry for sounding like a money-grubbing bastard but
let’s get real here. If you can make a buck, why not?”

There was a momentary look of shock on everyone’s

face but then it was followed by everyone shaking their
heads and snickering.

Nathan looked at Jeremy. “Do you think when they

open the wall our anxiety will start up again?”

Jeremy was sure of his answer. “I doubt it since

we’re the ones suggesting it be done.”

Franco added. “When the door is made and pictures

are taken of the room and the coffin, I will send you pictures
for your book.” He clapped his hands together. “I’ll have it
done as quickly as possible, so as not to hold up publication.”
He turned to Jeremy and Nathan. “Please, come back and
see it when it’s done. I know this may sound very strange
but you two, more than anyone, have the right to visit your
own burial place.”

“Thank you, Franco. We gratefully appreciate it.”

Nathan patted Franco on the back.

“What can I say? Wow!” John uttered. “Even if it

ended right here, I’d be more than satisfied. This is beyond
my expectations and wildest dreams. We now have evidence
of three actual locations, regarding this whole thing. I
couldn’t ask for more.” He slapped Carl on the back.
 Before they left the villa, they thanked Franco for his
help and graciousness. John promised he’d send a copy of
their book when it was published. Everyone was humbled at
Franco’s insistence that when he did, everyone should sign it.
Franco chuckled. “I wish I could see the face of the
museum’s director when he sees Nathan. I hope you
describe it when you write your book.”

* * * * *

Returning to Genoa, they needed to rest. The

continued excitement of the whole trip so far was
exhilarating but exhausting. They’d go to the museum in
Pisa the next day. They’d leave in the morning and drive
down the coast. That should give them enough time to
complete their mission.

Jeremy was rather sad they weren’t going to be able

to see the Leaning Tower and the surrounding historic
buildings. Nathan told him not to worry. They’d be back.

* * * * *

Franco had notified the museum director, telling him

they were coming but said nothing about Nathan’s physical
appearance. It was late morning and the director was there to
meet them when they arrived. Needless to say, his reaction
was exactly what they expected. After getting over his shock
and surprise, he led them directly to the paintings. He had
them grouped together since they were of the same
individual and the same artist.

Another reason he was pleased the museum had them

was for their historic value. They were done at a transitional
time in art history. It was the beginning of the time when
canvas replaced the wood panel as the foundation of a
painting.
 Carl closely examined the painting of Icarus. “I have
to say, the detail work is phenomenal. He looks as if he
could fly right out of the painting into the room. Jeremy, you
really do know your stuff when it comes to putting reality on
canvas.” He looked at the other paintings and portraits of
Lorenzo. “I swear, I would almost expect them to speak.”

John stared at the paintings. “Nathan, you have been

immortalized whether you know it or not.”

Nathan was overwhelmed with emotion. He turned to

Jeremy and gave him a big hug. “I owe it all to you. It’s
amazing how much you loved me. Every time. And I gave
you nothing in return.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jeremy pulled away and

looked up into Nathan’s face. “Don’t say that. You have no
idea? You gave me a great deal. Things that are truly
important. Kindness. Caring. Friendship. Support. Even
saving my life. Sometimes food in my mouth and clothes on
my back. You were always there for me. Every time. Yes.
Every time.” He paused for a moment then spoke in a quiet
voice. “And the greatest gift you gave me was… love.
Unconditional love. So, don’t say, you never gave me
anything in return. Others should be so fortunate.” He
grabbed Nathan and hugged him tightly. “Thank you.”

John looked around the enormous room and

whispered loudly. “Okay, guys. Let’s not cause a scene here
in the museum. I know it’s Italy and Italians are a lot more
understanding than most but you know what I mean.”

This made everyone start to chuckle.

“Please. Gentlemen. Come to my office. I’ve got to

hear all about this if you don’t mind. When Franco called me
yesterday afternoon, I sensed something strange in his voice
like he had a secret but he would not tell me. Now, I
understand. I hope you gentlemen will share this story with
me.”

“Would you mind if we took photographs of the

paintings and the museum? We would like to include them
in our book.” Carl smiled.

“Please. Please. Certainly. Go right ahead. You’re

writing a book? But of course! How wonderful! It would
make sense. I don’t even know what it’s all about but I
already can feel and know it’s going to be something
everyone will be talking about. I have a feeling when I hear
the whole story, those paintings will be placed in a special
place here in the museum along with copies of your book, so
patrons will know the whole story as well.”

Carl and John started to giggle. Together, they yelled

out. “Paul Harvey!” They looked at the director, seeing a
weird look on his face and indicated they would explain later.

The director led them to his office. “By the way, I’ve
ordered lunch for everyone. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I think that is extremely gracious of you. Thank

you.” Nathan spoke for everyone.

All through lunch, Nathan, Jeremy, Carl and John

relayed the entire story to the director from the discovery in
Egypt, all the way through the different lives of Jeremy and
Nathan. He was also shown the present collection of
photographs on Carl’s laptop and found them extremely
incredible and fantastic.

Carl and John also explained the reference to Paul

Harvey and the radio show he used to host.

“Paul Harvey would tell stories. Stories of things and

events that people had heard about but were left hanging
because there were never any endings. After telling his story,
he would finally let everyone know just what did happen at
the end. And after a pregnant pause, he would say, ‘And now
you know… the rest of the story. Good day!’” Carl added.
“And when he said ‘Good day!’, you could just hear it in his
voice, the big smile that was on his face.”

Jeremy was surprised. “I never knew that. And he

used to be on the radio?”

“Ah, youth!” John looked up into the air and shook

his head. “Yes. Radio today is not like it used to be. There
was a time when you could actually enjoy it and learn
something. The only things that come close to it today are
the public radio stations.”

As they left the museum, the director requested he be

kept posted and informed on the rest of the adventure. All
agreed they would be glad to oblige.

Heading back to Genoa, they would spend the night

and fly out the next day, heading to Greece.

* * * * *

Everyone was apprehensive about their trip to Athens.

There was a feeling this part of the expedition would be
fruitless with trying to find something that existed so long
ago. Finally, they realized their assumption was correct.
Even with Jeremy and Nathan’s help, it was impossible to
find the location of the Fifth Century BC villa where Theras
and Darius resided. They checked out maps and tried to
estimate the distance and direction, using the Acropolis as
reference but to no avail. It was a lost cause. Everyone
seemed disappointed.

John spoke up with a smile on his face. “Hey! We’ve

been really lucky so far. We can’t bitch. England, Italy and
Egypt. What? So, we only hit three out of four. I’m not
complaining.”

Suddenly, Carl had a thought. “What if?” He

clapped his hands several times. “What if the sculpture did
possibly survive? It could be somewhere. And where would
you expect a classical Greek sculpture to be?” He looked
around at everybody with a huge grin on his face. “Come on,
boys and girls! You know the answer!” He looked at Jeremy
and Nathan. “No slur intended.”

Everyone chuckled.

Carl waited patiently for a moment. “That’s right! In

a museum. Let’s go make a few inquiries. Our first stop
really should be the National Archaeological Museum.”

* * * * *

John and Carl’s credentials helped significantly in

getting an appointment to see and talk with the director, so
they arrived the next day. The director was there to meet
them at the door. All could see the shocked look on his face
when he saw Nathan. He spoke with a nervous smile.
“None of you are going to believe this but there is a statue of
a man. It is down in storage. It’s a statue of Poseidon done
by an artist named...”

Before the director could say the name, Jeremy

blurted out, “Theras.”

The director looked at Jeremy and shook his head.

“Yes. But how could you know?” After a short pause, he
continued. “We believe it is from the Fifth Century BC.
Strangely, this gentleman is its spitting image.” He stared at
Nathan. “But how can this be? The statue is several
thousand years old and you are what? Twenty-eight?”
 Nathan grinned. “Thirty, actually.”

The director smiled. “Something told me there was a

lot more to the story of this sculpture. And I have a feeling,
I’m finally going to hear it. One reason it has been in storage
is because it was done by an artist named Theras who is
completely unknown to history. It is slightly damaged and
we were really not quite sure where to place it in the
museum. I already know that this is all going to change with
your visit today.”

“Yes! Four for four! Thank you, God!” Carl raised

his fist in the air and pulled it down as a sign of conquest.
“Actually, we were hoping to find that statue. And you’re
not going to believe it but you’re right. There’s an amazing
story behind it.”

The director looked pleased as he glanced

periodically at Nathan. “I can just feel you have something
most interesting to tell about it. I’m anxious to hear the
story. Let’s go down. Let me show you the statue.” The
director led the way.

As they walked along, Jeremy smiled. “And the

artist’s name is on the bottom back of the statue.”

“You are correct. And the name of the work is on the

front.” The director looked at Jeremy as if waiting for a
response.

Jeremy caught the hint. “It’s called, Darius as

Poseidon.” He started to snicker. “It’s carved in the marble
at the base in the front.”

The director clapped his hands. “Yes! You are

correct again. Now, I really must know the story. I’m sure
it’s going to be incredible and fantastic.”
 Jeremy added. “By the way, your assumption is
correct. It is from the Fifth Century BC.”

Finally, reaching the statue, the director pointed at it.

“There it is.”

“Would it be possible for us to take photos?” Carl

spoke in an almost pleading voice.

“By all means.” The director smiled. “And I hope

you will let me take some pictures of your handsome
associate. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story.”

Carl and John looked at one another, chuckling then

yelled out in unison. “Paul Harvey!” They high-fived each
other.

The director gave a confused expression.

Carl snickered. “We’ll explain later.”

The right arm of the statue along with the trident it

was holding was no longer there. Even with them gone, it
still was an amazing work of art.

Nathan looked at it. “Seeing your paintings in New

York was proof enough at what an incredible artist you are.
But seeing this statue, life-size and in three dimensions,
really impresses me at how accurate and realistic you made
it.” There was a very long pause. Realizing what he just said
and at that moment what part of the statue he happened to be
inspecting, Nathan’s face turned bright red as he blushed.

Hearing Nathan’s comment, everyone was quiet, not

knowing what to say. As they all stood there looking at one
another and then at the statue of a completely naked man,
they realize it was like seeing Nathan without clothes.
Shortly, everyone began to snicker and it finally increased
into full-blown, raucous laughter.

John looked at Nathan. “Hey. Let me tell you. You

have nothing to be ashamed of. Hell no. I’d venture to say
most men would wish to be gifted like that. Everyone is
laughing, not at you but the situation. It always seems to be
the reaction when things are awkward.” He patted Nathan on
the back.

John’s comment was perfect and put everyone at ease.

Gathering in the director’s office, they all sat down

and Jeremy and Nathan told the stories of the two men from
ancient Greece along with the stories of the other past lives.
They also shared with him all the photographs taken so far.
The one photo of the painting Jeremy did of Poseidon,
showed how the statue would look if it were complete.

Afterward, the director insisted on having a fine lunch

brought in for everyone. He also had someone from the
museum take several photographs of the group as well as
several of Nathan alone and with the statue. “This is so
fantastic. What a true drawing card for the museum. And
when you gentlemen publish your book, there will be
worldwide publicity. I can hardly wait. I’ll have the statue
moved to a prominent place for viewing. I’ll also place a
table nearby with copies of your book placed on it, so patrons
can buy them and know the whole story.”

Completing their task in Athens, it was now time to

move on and head to Egypt and Amarna.
 CHAPTER XV

This was their last stop, returning to Egypt and the

tomb at Amarna, where it all began. Both Jeremy and
Nathan were surprised to see a desolate landscape full of
ruins where once the thriving city of Akhetaten used to stand.
Finally, entering the tomb, they saw it was empty.

Jeremy spoke quietly. “I wish I could explain how I

feel right now. I have no words to describe it.”

“Funny, but I know exactly what you mean.” Nathan

looked around the room. He saw the hieroglyphs on the
wall. “I know this is going to sound really stupid but I feel
like I just finished painting them.”

They stood silently in front of the north wall. Jeremy

reached down and grabbed Nathan’s left hand, mimicking the
painting on the wall. He looked up at Nathan. “I wish I
could show you my heart, so you could see how much I
loved you then. You were always my ‘right-hand man’. I
knew I couldn’t live without you.”

Nathan smiled. “You don’t have to. I know you did.

And I loved you more than anything. I just wish we could
have lived a long life. I had so much more love to give you.”
He grabbed Jeremy and hugged him tightly.

After a while, they visited the other two chambers.

Jeremy was sure the reason Ki Thar’s sister was not there is
because she and her husband were living in Thebes. She was
most likely buried there along with her husband.

Their next trip was to Cairo to see all the items

removed from the tomb. Seeing the bust of Seth that Ki Thar
had sculpted got him emotional, remembering the
relationship that had been shared in Egypt several thousand
years before. He definitely wanted a picture of Nathan with
the bust, so everyone could see the resemblance. Carl and
John were amazed at how accurate the sculpture was to
Nathan’s likeness.

But it was seeing the wrapped bodies and the actual

scans that had the major impact on Jeremy and Nathan.

Nathan spoke quietly. “You know. I can’t tell you

how much I appreciated all you did for me then. And for you
to sacrifice your life in order to be with me in death is
amazingly unselfish and heroic to me. Then, having us
wrapped together. What can I say?” He turned to Jeremy.
“Thank you so much for how you loved me.”

John smiled. “I have to tell you what happened when

Carl saw the painting on the wall in Amarna and then
discovered the two bodies in the wrappings. He said it was
like Romeo and Juliet. Seems all your past lives have ended
like Romeo and Juliet.”

Carl spoke up. “Okay. Now, I hate to break the

romantic mood here but that’s not all. After I made my
comment about Romeo and Juliet, John made another
comment.” He turned to John. “Tell them.” He gave an
intense stare. “Tell them what you said.”

John shrugged his shoulders. “What?”

“You know.” Carl insisted.

John shook his head and spoke in a whisper, “No. I

can’t do that. I don’t want to.”
 “Yes, you can. And you will.” Carl kept insisting.
“But I have to admit. It did make me chuckle when I heard
it.” Carl looked at John. “Now, tell them.”

John bent his head down and mumbled in his

embarrassment. “Romeo and Julian.”

“What was that?” Carl lifted his right hand to his ear.

John lifted his head, tilting it back, took a deep breath

and spoke clearly and loudly. “Romeo and Julian. I said
they’re like Romeo and Julian.” He looked scornfully at Carl
for outing his comment. “There. Are you satisfied?” He
bent his head down and after a short pause looked directly at
Jeremy and Nathan. “I’m sorry. You guys are both so totally
cool and I’m sorry. But I didn’t know you then. I really
didn’t mean anything malicious or ugly by it. No disrespect.
It was supposed to be a joke.”

Jeremy and Nathan looked at one another. Their

faces twisted. Jeremy slapped his right hand over his mouth.
It was to keep from laughing out loud. Nathan bent his head
but couldn’t contain himself. They both bent over laughing.

Nathan looked at John. “John! THAT is hysterical!

And it’s incredibly funny! Very clever. I love it. And hey!
We know you meant no harm. I’m so glad Carl made you
tell us.” He continued to laugh.

Jeremy could hardly talk he was laughing so hard.

“That is funny as shit! I love it, too. I’ll have to remember
that. Romeo. And. Julian. And you have to put it in your
book. Promise me you will do that.”

“I’ll have to remember it, too.” Nathan continued to

laugh. “I’ll bet even Seth and Ki Thar are laughing their
asses off, somewhere in the great beyond. And Jeremy is
right. Put that in the book. It is funny as hell.”
 John grinned. “Really? Wow! Thanks, guys for
taking it like it was intended. Seriously. I meant no harm.
Okay. Carl and I will include it. We promise.”

Jeremy and Nathan both slapped John on the back.

“It’s totally cool! Totally cool.”

* * * * *

Back at the hotel, they all cleaned up and changed

clothes before going down to dinner in the dining room.
Drinks were ordered as they sat down. When they arrived,
toasts were raised at how successful their quest had been and
how much they were looking forward to their collaboration
on the book.

“I know Angela’s going to be impressed. She already

told me not to sell any of the paintings.” Jeremy commented.
“I was so looking forward to making some money on their
sale.”

Nathan responded. “She’s right, you know. The

collection should never be broken up. But I have the answer.
Sell prints and lithographs of the paintings. I’m sure they’ll
go like hotcakes. More people can afford to buy a litho
rather than a painting. And if someone wants an actual
canvas, they can commission you to do one, or two. And for
those who want the entire collection, a hardbound elephant
edition with lithographs of all the paintings can be printed.
Yeah. Those big coffee table size books.”

John added. “You know, he’s right. And when we

get the book done with pictures and commentary maybe
she’ll sell those for us, too.”

Carl slapped John on the shoulder. “Brilliant idea!”

 Jeremy responded. “Hey! I can tell you right now,
Angela is all in on this whole thing. She’d kill you both if
you didn’t let her sell your book as a companion to the prints.
And what a great companion it would be to a hardbound
elephant edition.”

“Well. When we get back, we’ll see what she has to

say. But I have a feeling you’re so right. Carl and I really do
need to finalize everything here in Egypt, now that we
know... ‘the rest of the story’.” He looked at Carl and
giggled.

“That won’t take much time. And I’m so excited. It’s

going to take a shit load of work to do the book correctly but
I already can imagine the final product. It’s going to be
phenomenal.” Carl clapped his hands. “And don’t forget
Paul and David’s work.”

Jeremy brought in a reality check. “Okay. But

remember. The glow of success is not going to last forever.
It could be over as soon as it begins. So. What is everyone
going to do after the newness fades?” He looked around the
table.

“If our book does well, we could possibly retire.

Maybe only go on expeditions we really were interested in.”
John looked at Carl.

Carl looked back. “Don’t we do that anyway?” He

snickered. “But I have to admit, it would be great to take
extended vacations and not worry about how to pay the
bills.”

“What if the book is a flop?” A cringing expression

came to John’s face.
 “Flop!” Nathan yelled out. “How could it be a flop!?
That’s impossible! The only way it could be a flop is if you
two don’t do it!”

“Hear! Hear!” Jeremy raised his glass. “I don’t

think you have anything to worry about. I just know it’s
going to be a huge success.”

Everyone raised their glasses in a toast.

“As for me.” Nathan was calm. “I really am the

lucky one here. I actually have no money worries. With
what I’ve amassed over the years with my financial dealings
and investments, Jeremy and I should be quite comfortable.”
He looked at Jeremy with a big grin on his face then flexed
his eyebrows several times. “What do you think about that,
Snook?”

Jeremy howled. “No. Are you shitting me? You

didn’t. You didn’t just call me Snook in front of everybody?”

Nathan giggled. “Then, how about Snucco?”

Everyone at the table bent over with loud and raucous

laughter. Everyone in the dining room turned to see what
was going on. Noticing this fact with difficulty, they quieted
down.

Nathan could only nod his head. “Yes. Yes, I did.

And I hope you get my drift.”

“Seriously?” Jeremy stared hard at Nathan. “You

truly want to make a go of it?”

Nathan nodded again. “Hey! We’ve been working

on it now for what? Some three thousand years? Maybe this
time we can finally have a long and comfortable life together
and make it happen. We both have so much love to give one
another, it would be criminal not to pursue it. You know the
ghosts of our past would haunt us the rest of our days if we
missed this opportunity and didn’t go for it. They laid the
foundations down for us, taking three thousand years. Let’s
not disappoint them.”

He paused for a moment in thought. “It just hit me.

Do you realize that every time we were both buried together?
In Egypt, we were wrapped together. In Greece, our ashes
were put in the same urn before being sprinkled together in
the Aegean Sea. In Italy, we are together in the same coffin
under the villa there. And in England, we are together in the
same coffin and vault there. To me, that’s just another sign
that we are supposed to be together.”

John raised his glass in the air. “Hear. Hear. I agree.

You know he’s right. It’s obvious you two were meant to be
together. I’ve watched you both interact with one another.
Even a straight man like me can see the love you have for
one another. Nathan is right. It would be criminal not to let
it continue where your predecessors left off.”

Nathan continued. “And your painting won’t stop

because I know you love doing it. I believe that with this
newfound fame, you’ll have more business than you can
imagine.”

Carl smiled. “If you ask me, I believe we’re all on

the right track.”

Nathan added. “And if you guys need any help with

investing, let me know. I only charge three percent per
transaction.” He gave a huge Cheshire Cat grin and flexed
his eyebrows several times.

They all broke out with laughter again.

 After a moment, Jeremy looked at John and Carl.
“You do realize, it’s all your fault.”

Carl looked puzzled. “What? Our fault?”

“Yes. If you and John hadn’t had a hunch that paid

off, you never would’ve found the chamber and our rest
would never have been disturbed. And none of this would
have ever happened. But since you did take that hunch and
acted on it, it is truly incredible and amazing. You both got
the ball rolling, so Destiny could finally take its course. So.
Yeah. It’s your fault.”

John shook his head. “It’s so funny. My mother used

to tell me when things didn’t seem to be going quite the right
way. ‘John, be patient. You never know what’s around the
next corner.’ And you know what? She was right. As long
as I live, I’ll never cease to be amazed at what’s around the
next corner.”

Jeremy nodded his head and grinned. “Funny you

should say that. Paul said the same thing to me during one of
my sessions. Seriously.”

Carl raised his glass. “To newfound friends. May

they be ours forever.” They all smiled, stood and raised their
glasses together, giving off the resounding ring of clinking
crystal.

They all cried out. “To newfound friends! Hear!

Hear!….. Hear! Hear!”

This did cause almost everyone in the dining room to

take notice.

As Carl, John and Jeremy took their seats again,

Nathan remained standing. He placed his glass on the table
and reach into his pants pocket, pulling out a small box. He
then walked over to Jeremy and pulled him up, leading him
to an open area near the table.

Everyone in the room was very curious as to what

was happening and they all stopped talking and eating. It got
so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. All eyes were on
Nathan and Jeremy.

Nathan began to speak in a clear, confident and

determined voice as he looked right at Jeremy, standing in
front of him. “The Fates and Destiny work in mysterious
ways. As what has been said already, if Carl and John had
not followed their intuition, they would not have found the
room where you and I were buried and none of this would
have happened.”

Hearing ‘where you and I were buried’ really piqued

the curiosity of everyone and they listened more closely.

Nathan continued. “Because they followed their

hunch, it caused you and I to become aware of our past. I
know that all those who we were before are filled with
excitement, knowing what I am about to do. John said it.
We were meant to be together. We can share a long and
happy life. Something those before us never got the chance
to do.” Nathan got down on one knee, opened the box and
held it in Jeremy’s direction. There was a slight quiet gasp
from everyone in the room.

With a big smile on his face, Nathan spoke out

clearly. “I have had this since New York but wanted to wait
for the perfect moment to give it to you. I believe this is that
moment. Jeremy. I love you so much. Will you marry me?”

Jeremy was filled with emotion as he looked down

and saw a gold and diamond ring just like the one Nicholas
gave James. With tears streaming down and a big smile on
his face, he responded. “Oh, Nathan. Yes, I will. I love you
so much.”

Nathan took the ring out of the box and placed the
box on the floor. He stood and placed the ring on Jeremy’s
finger. He immediately grabbed Jeremy and they embraced
with a passionate kiss.

The dining room erupted with loud applause, whistles

and cheers. Everyone in the room raised their glasses to
many noisy and happy toasts. “Hear! Hear!….. Hear!
Hear!”

THE END