CHAPTER THREE
SAZARRA started right in with Alan’s future life reading, “In your next incarnation you will be of the female sex.” That statement brought on a few giggles from Ruth and Mary, “France will be the country of your birth. You will have several siblings of both sexes, but you will not be a close knit family. Your first name will be a common name, that of Emmanuelle and your family name will be Noel. You will not marry, but you will sire one child out of wedlock that you will name Jolene. There will be nothing noteworthy about this life except for the child you shall bring into the world. This child, Jolene, will be exceptional indeed. Through your love and guidance in her early years she shall move into the political arena, and one day hold a high office in the French government. She will be a tremendous stabilizing force at a time when the government becomes very unstable. Your main purpose in that lifetime, is to watch over and protect that special child that will ultimately save millions of her countrymen through her steadfast leadership. This Energy Being and you have had many lifetimes together; some you were very close, and in others, you had little awareness of each other. That Energy Being is here now in this lifetime, but I shall not alert you to who they are, or what role they are playing. As this life of Emmanuelle Noel is laid out, you shall live to be sixty-three and your death will be due to liver failure."
"Why liver failure?" Alan asks quickly.
"You chose that disease yourself in order to experience it first hand; so that you could understand its value; the value you yourself place on what life truly means to you as an individual, and the subsequent loss thereof. You will be a heavy smoker of cheap tobacco, and will over-indulge in hard liquor after your daughter leaves to pursue her destiny. You will feel abandoned by the loss of her love, and your life will spiral downward. You will for a time use prostitution to support yourself. Do you have any further questions?"
"No…ah, thanks very much."
“Now then Mary, past or future?"
"Oh…I think I would like a past life please."
There were a few moments of silence and it seemed as if for a second or two SAZARRA was starting to fade back into a mist; but he seemed to solidify once again and then spoke, "In this country you now dwell in, there was a time of great upheaval during the early period of the 1860's. Do you know the period I am speaking of?"
"Yes indeed, the Civil War; North against the South." Stated Mary in her self-assured manner.
Mary Achtenberg, a fresh widower, no longer had her youthful golden hair, and her blue eyes were more pale then bright as she approached her sixty-sixth year. She was your typical housewife; running the house hold and raising their two children, who had long ago escaped their father.
Harold, her husband, had died just the year before; tanked-up on cheap wine, he crashed into a telephone pole and died of his injuries two days later. Rumored to beat his wife when inebriated, it was a blessing in disguise for all concerned as most people saw it.
Mary was Ruth Anderson’s best friend and both loved to gossip about anything and everything; both holding high opinions of themselves indeed.
SAZARRA recommenced, "Yes, you were born on June the 17th in the year 1831. You were female and your family fought on the side of those calling themselves the Confederacy. Your father was well known and your home was in the state of Mississippi; yes, he did own slaves and his plantation was rich early on from cotton and later tobacco crops. Considered a fair Master by most, yet he could be heavy-handed if the need presented itself. You were the youngest of three girls. Your first name was Mayme. Your family name was McDonald; your married name would be Davenport. You were educated and well cared for due to your family's status and wealth. Many of your peers envied the life you led, and you were aware of this. You were married at age twenty-four; you were considered a late-bloomer and you were a spoiled little daddy's girl as your older sister's would attest. The middle of the conflict found you at age thirty-one; your home had been burned to the ground, your father and husband were both off defending their beliefs in the southern traditions. You were living in squalid conditions when several deserters from those known to you as Yankees came upon you and your two older sisters; it was a Friday at 2:13pm on October the 7th, the year 1862 when you crossed over to the Unseen World. You and your sisters were, for a kinder way to say it, had been ravaged and then beaten to death by these ruthless and desperate men. Do you have a question?”
"And I chose that life?” Mary asked in true sincerity.
“Yes, you not only chose to experience such a life, you were looking forward to it. Several key lessons were learned during that past life that have now brought you to where you currently find yourself,” SAZARRA explained with only love and kindness conveyed in his tranquil voice.
"Now then Ellen," SAZARRA said as he focused in on her, "past or future?"
"A past life please…”