Beings
They had many labels, all summarized into one. Beings served as an umbrella to deities long forgotten, ghosts that were once humans who roamed this world, creatures that not everyone can see. Beings were monsters hiding in children's closets, unblessed corpses of dead fetuses, guardians of sacred places, creatures that just roam.
Beings were scary, human-like, almost-human, monstrous, tranquil, mischievous, vengeful, loving. Beings were anything and everything but human. That was what made them out of the ordinary.
Once upon a time, or in the olden days, these creatures mingled with our ancestors. They accepted offers, fought with and against heroes. Some even fell in love and created new species.
It was never clear when those days ended, but it was theorized that when humans started to develop independent thinking, going to places that their local gods couldn't reach, their connections went static.
Matthos read the book his grandfather wrote. Now that they had their own encounter with a being under the umbrella with no label, he and Barney are finding Grandfather Leonard's studies of advantage.
"Hey, Lumi. Do you have an encounter with a deity?" Barney asked, nibbling on licorice in disdain. Lumi, who was familiar with licorice but not with twists, ate with gusto.
"Huh?"
"I said, have you had an encounter with a deity?" he asked again, worried about Lumi, who was really enjoying the abomination. It was the only candy if it could be called that, Matthos bought. Because he needed something to chew on, Barney just gave up and chewed on the licorice twists. It was that or fruit, and he wasn't ready for that type of commitment.
"By deity, divine being, or a god?" she asked for clarification
"Any of the two," Matthos answered, not looking up as he read grandpa's files.
"The problem is they do mingle with humans, but they mask themselves well," she answered, "So you could've encountered a deity and not have known. I've met guardians of sacred places such as statues and forests, but nothing to that great extent. At least, not knowingly."
"What if God was one of us," Barney started to sing, "Just a slob like one of us.
Just a stranger on the bus, tryin' to make his way home?" he droned.
"What is a bus?" Lumi inquired, intrigued with the lyrics.
"A metal contraption bigger than Matthos's jeep. It's rectangular and has many windows. I think you'd enjoy riding one. But the first time isn't always pleasant," Barney warned.
"Bus," she smiled and took a bite, 'When would that be?'
Matthos cheeks dimpled. The adorable exchange was hard to miss. "You'll get to experience that soon. We will teach you how to commute—navigate your way in this island," he explained.
"Through a bus?"
"Yes, and maybe a taxi. You will learn the different types of transportation."
"Are beings active here?"
The question made Matthos put the thesis down, and Barney stop his self-inflicted torture of chewing the licorice twister. They shared a look, and Barney took the initiative to explain.
"First off, do you sense beings, or do you see them? The thing is, if you can sense beings, then you can simply ward them off through simple talismans or prayers. Sensing them doesn't give a 'vibe' or an atmosphere of danger most of the time. If you can sense them from afar, then they're basically just checking you out or curious about you," Barney stated.
"But," Matthos continued, "If they show themselves, that bids something. It means they are there to send a message, warnings, or to be the ones to do the deed. If you see them from afar, then you have a headstart to create a distance and put up barriers."
"I have both. I sense and see them. They whisper things, and they tell me what to do and that always saves me except for one."
"I sense beings. I can read their emotions through their auras, which are the colors they emanate. When I say sense, my consciousness cannot see the being. But, I know they are there when the room does not feel 'right,' and there's the presence of auras," Matthos told her.
"I, on the other hand, can see," Barney went into detail, "I see beings from afar and near."
"However, sensing and seeing do not apply to dreams. Dreams are, in essence, free estate for beings. They can show themselves, demystify a prophecy, anything that is within their abilities."
"The pros and cons of seeing and sensing do not apply in dreams. It is the channel and the one most tapped by beings," Matthos commented.
"People don't see beings anymore?" Lumi was stupefied. When she meant 'active,' she was pertaining to their power. She didn't expect that seeing and sensing beings was now uncommon.
"Lumi, you just said a while ago that gods mask themselves," Matthos pointed out.
"I meant they pretended to be other creatures! Like a god or deity acts like a guardian, and you won't know the difference."
"So you were from the age when they were still active, huh. That's a lead, my friend," Barney looked at Matthos, who already jotted it down to a notebook. His special notes served as a special study on Lumi, which will never see the light of day.
He was wrong, but that's for another chapter.
"So you can sense and see beings?" Matthos asked for clarification, his eyes the color of stormy clouds on a looming sky strangely comforted her that she felt a bit lulled into it until she remembered where she was.
"Yes, I have both abilities. I can sense their power, and I can see their physical attributes. I don't like seeing them," she shuddered.
Barney felt the chill through his spine, "Me neither."
"Do you feel anything in this house?" Matthos asked.
"Strangely, none."
"Good, that means the barrier is still up. We still have time. We need to make it count."
*Beings - are supernatural and paranormal creatures. In this book, the word beings will be used to describe them until I label the creatures in that chapter.