Nostradamus’s Prophecy
As the plane taxied down the runway, it reminded LP of bumping down the tarmac at JFK airport leaving New York behind in 2012. Thoughts returned to the question he asked himself back then.“Why?” Why New York? Why, did the Scroll need to be delivered and be in water? Why, did he need to be there over Easter? Part of the questions now could be answered, but others not. Why, fulfill the prophesy’s from a sixteenth- century sooth sayer that coded his writings and made no sense to most people or scholars, but hundreds of books have been written about him, and his visions of the future coded in quatrains.
Ding, the seat belt turned off. LP looked down to business class, watching the stewardess about to push a silver beverage- food trolley forward. He stood up, stretched his legs, and walked down the aisle, before she started serving passengers. He spotted a row of seats empty and shuffled himself along to the window seat. As he sat down he grabbed a throw rug, and pulled it over his somewhat out stretched body taking up all three seats, thinking, ‘Now this is comfortable.’
As he drifted in and out of sleep, his mind connected with his deeper self, that he now calls Lewis Philips, the writer, the visionary who sees the future, getting him out of many a life’s threatening situation, and along with foresight, making decisions came easy.
What turned over in his thoughts relating to New York, was - for what reason did he need to be at Ground Zero in the first place, and deliver the scroll?
The site of destruction that had befallen the twin towers in Lower Manhattan, fits a quatrain of Nostradamus. LP thoughts were muddled, jumping from one line of thought to another. But what resonated, beyond leaving a copy of the Scroll at Ground Zero, and boarding the Staten Ferry, and dropping a second copy of the Scroll into the Hudson River to flow out into the Atlantic Ocean, still puzzled him. The fact that a quatrain related to LP’s presence in New York, could justify for him, why travel there in the first place from Las Vegas, rather than, go back to San Francisco for sight seeing.
Firstly, Nostradamus, in his coded writings mentioned the new city that scholars believed was New Amsterdam - now known as New York. The quatrain goes something like this -
and stand in the shadow of towers
he will be marked on the face
with a gap between his teeth, and bald.
LP fitted the description above. He travelled from the east to the new city (New York) was bald, and had a gap between his teeth and a birth mark on his left side of his face.
Another quatrain was interpreted by scholars of medieval literature to predict the destruction of the World Trade Center twin towers. And there he stood at Ground Zero were once the towers stood tall casting shadows. It was an eerie feeling, an uncanny fit, that Nostradamus predicted, now it seemed to include LP. Was it coincidence, fate or chance, that LP stood at Ground Zero, half a world away from home?
His answer for why New York, was becoming clear. The image he now called Zero (the beginning of time) that became part of the Scroll coupled with the mantra, seemed to have some magical power when the image appeared while whispering the Mantra and looking at the Scroll. It seemed to unleash the power to connect with something greater than self - The infinite universe. Some say, Mystics and Prophets taped into what some describe as universal thought, connecting with future events, because it’s happened else where in other worlds - parallel universes, and thus give warning to avoid disaster if heeded.
It’s a long bow to draw, but LP was drawn to the conclusion that whatever we perceive God as - The true God, the eternal God of creation - or something else, is part of, but beyond existence as we think, and thus uncomprehending to the human mind. The Scroll he figured is the prophet for our time, and LP delivered the Scroll to ground Zero, and he thought this would bring peace and healing for those that lost love ones from the fall of the towers. Add in the symbolism of Easter, becomes a potent mix for renewal and forgiveness. And why did the Scroll need to end up in water? Well, LP assumed it was symbolic of baptism, to clean the earth of the poison of destruction, and now; one of the copies of the Scroll is immersed in one of the great oceans of the world flowing out from the Hudson River. LP’s plan when arriving back in Australia was to allow another copy be taken out by the current into the Pacific Ocean from Dicky Beach. And with a trip across Australia unbeknown to him when in New York, he would again travel from East to West, this time across Australia to another new city, and cast another Scroll, this time into the Indian Ocean.
LP hadn’t mentioned to Mitchie why he was so quick to volunteer to be his co driver across Australia, as it fitted in with taking the Scroll across the continent to Port Hedland, and leave it to flow out from the harbour as the tide was going out into the Indian Ocean.
More thoughts captured the memorable moments he enjoyed with Ingrid before returning to Australia via their five- day stopover in Los Angles to see Disneyland, Warner Brothers Movie World and Hollywood after leaving New York.
Ding, as the cabin light came on with the pilot saying, “We are starting our decent shortly, and touch down in Brisbane is on schedule. The weather is fine. Please fasten your seat belts. Cabin crew prepare for landing.”
Four weeks went by before LP heard from his son unexpectedly. He answered his phone in bed, having decided to hit the sack early after not picking the Melbourne Cup winner that paid big time. His psychic skills were starting to let him down these days.
So, to help a good nights sleep; he knocked down a couple of Buds before retiring. That didn’t help much either.
He was just starting to think about how Mitchie and him survived the Tanami Track, and made it to Port Hedland. All was good now, or that’s what he thought, until the phone rang, hearing his son’s voice.
‘Old man,’ Mitchie here, “I’ve run into a bit of trouble.”
”I’m listening, but do realise, it’s dark over here, and I’m in bed. First, I won’t put you on speaker, for your mother to hear what you’re about to say. You do remember her. She’s worried sick about not hearing from you. Now what’s up?”
“It’s not what’s up. It’s what’s down. I went for a fish. I’ve hit a sink hole at Pretty Pond, and the vehicles down to it axles like in quicksand.” Mitchie said.
Pretty Pond is a spit of sand and mangroves jutting out from Port Hedland. It’s a recreational area for fishing and driving on the beach.
“Have you phoned a tow truck mob,” LP asked.
“Yes, one bloke came out while there was still plenty of light, and said he wasn’t going anywhere near it.”
“Look up to the roadway, I saw plenty of houses with four- wheel drives parked out front. I drove down to Pretty Pond in your vehicle on the Sunday morning while you were sleeping in. Go up and knock on a couple of doors and see if anyone will help you. As well, watch out for crocs. There were signs up on the road saying there were recent sightings.”
Mitchie was getting frustrated with ‘old man’s’ advice. He phoned to let him know what was happening, not get a lecture.
“I can’t talk anymore, the water is up to the doors, and I’m trying to salvage what I can. My phone will be the last thing I take out, when I pull the cord out of the cigarette lighter, then it’ll be dead. And if I don’t hurry - Me too.” Then there was silence. The phone disconnected.
LP shouted out, “Ingrid, I’ve just heard from Mitchie, and you better be sitting down when I tell you what’s happening.”
It was a restless night for both, hoping their son was OK. There was no other way to contact him. They didn’t know who he was working for, or even a contact number where he was staying. His phone was their only link to him.
Next morning, after Mitchie was able to charge his phone, he phoned his father to give him the bad news. “The vehicle was swamped - it went under twice.”
LP asked, “ What are you going to do now?”
“I could do with five hundred dollar. They’re slow payers on the new job site. I’ll need it to pay the tow truck guy and get some new wheels.
“You’ll need more than loose change for that.”
“No, I’m getting a skate board to get around on until the insurance payout. “
“Son, your living on the edge. I’ll transfer the money today. Fix me up when your on top of things.”
“OK, talk to you soon.”
Just as LP hung up another call came through. He could see it was Bear, “How’s it going. Still planning to climb Mt. Beerwah?
“Yep, twenty third. Make sure you’re fit enough to make it. LP replied.
“Twenty third of what?
“January, that when the sun sets on the peak of Mt. Beerwah.
That's when you’ll find out what I’ve learnt from the Scroll.”
“How’s that bloody Archaea? I’ve done some homework. It’s a fucking disaster waiting to happen. Bloodly hell! What else have you unearthed about it?” Bear asked anxiously.
“Probably no more than what you’d find in Wikipedia. The only people who could shed some light on it may be climate scientists. It needs a peer review paper linking Archaea as a hot bed for global warming, as well, fossil fuels. Climate change deniers have sway for now, but they need to pull their heads out of the sand. Join the dots. Analyse the data and get on board with the rest of the population fixing the problem” LP answered.
“OK, that’s a mouthful. I’ll keep researching if I can find out more about these resilient ancient inhabitants of Earth, and let you know what I come up with, and how to keep these buggers buried for another billion years,” Bear said.
“What I need to know, now. Are you good for 23rd? LP asked.
“All been well I’ll see you then,” responded Bear, with a bit of a chuckle.
LP was happy to hear Bear was on side, now it was time to contact Mason at his Masonic Retirement Village, before he became part of the sedated retirement lot. He figured a face to face call will get a positive response. A phone call would be too easy to fob him off.
“Hi, could you let your CEO know I’m here to see him, thanks.”
The receptionist replied. “And you are, and do you have an appointment?
“Just tell him it’s LP. Your boss knows me.”
LP was glad it wasn’t the same receptionist Bear gave a hard time too, when he last asked the same question long ago. Hopefully, the old dear would be part of the retirement crowd, and recovered from the hard time Bear gave her back then, when he threatened to kill her if she didn’t show them to Mason’s office.
The young receptionist looked at LP, and nodded, then proceeded to walk with him to Mason’s cedar paneled office door, knocking twice, then opened the door and let him in.
“Hi LP what’s happening? Mason asked.
“Just letting you know Bear arrives on the 23rd. to climb Mt. Beerwah. I’m just here to make sure you’re in.”
“Last thing I heard the old bugger was using a walking frame to get around, but if he’s in, I’m in.”
“Good, bring your climbing boots. I’ll be in touch.” LP replied.
“Would it be too much too ask why are we climbing Brownie’s mountain?
“Yes, you’ll find out then. Just be there. 23rd. January. Put it in your diary,” LP replied.
Mason asked one other question before LP was leaving.“Why is there some misunderstanding relating to the numbers and New Year’s Eve?”
As you know, the numbers you revealed back at the ancient aboriginal site after you were struck by that deadly snake, and almost died, were 0101100000. We understood it to be the first day of the New Year - midnight - 0000, the year 2010. That being New Year’s Eve 2009. That’s where some mistook the date to be New Year’s Eve 2010. Once it was explained that 0000 in railway or military time is the start of the next day, as well as midnight, then there is no issue. Anyway, New Year’s Eve 2010 turned out to be pretty eventual as well. There was no mistake with the upload and download of the Scroll. No confusion if you take into account railway time.
LP continued saying. “And you heard what happened on New Year’s Eve 2010, so I won’t repeat myself.”
Next it was a phone call to Brownie when LP got back home from seeing Mason.
“Who is it. Speak up, you’re breaking up, Brownie here.”
LP walked outside, but reception was still crackly. He shouted, “It’s LP, are you good for the 23rd. January for the climb up your Dreamtime relative.
The line dropped or he hung up from LP’s sarcasm. LP wanted him there, because they’d been through so much relating to the Scroll, and wanted his mate’s strong connection to the Dreamtime spirits of The Glass House Mountains. He would try to ring again. This time get straight to the point, before he hung up or dropped out.
That left Kato to contact. LP scrolled through his contact page and pressed on Kato’s name.
“G’day mate, what’s up?” was Kato’s first comment.
“Are you up for climbing Mt.Beerwah on the 23rd. January?”
“I’m up for an operation. Could go pear shape on the 1st February, so if anything going to kill me, it might as well be the mountain. I know the way up. I’ll be the guide as far as I can make it. Then you’re on your own.”
“I can’t ask for more. I’ll talk to you before then.” LP replied with a sigh of relief.
LP rang Brownie again with better luck with reception.
“Where the fuck are you. You keep dropping out.”
“Just driving on the outskirts of Charleville, thousand K’s west of Brisbane.
“No wonder I can’t pick up reception. Hey, all but you have given the thumbs-up to climb the mountain on the 23rd are you in?
“What mountain?” Brownie replied. “It better not be Mt. Beerwah.”
“I’ll leave you guessing. You’ll need to be there to try to stop us, or be with us.” LP answered.
“I’ll see you then. What month? And we’ll see who’s climbing the mountain.”
“January.” LP replied.
‘Not exactly the response he wanted from Brownie as he, disconnected, but he’ll be there,’ LP thought.
Finally, he had his mates almost on side for the climb. With Brownie’s secret knowledge to connect with his Dreamtime ancestors. Mason with his Masonic beliefs that puts him on a path to connect with his - immorality. Bear’s never give up attitude, and Kato’s climbing knowledge of the mountain should be enough to see LP reach the peak to make known - For what I see, you’ll see. For what I know, you will know.
The secret revealed within the Scroll LP had discovered was not what could be learnt, but what could be bestowed upon those with an open heart, peace, and forgiveness.