Rabbo II-Chapter 7, Part A

Rabbo II-Chapter 7, Part A

By Mark Crocker

Tomorrow Never Knows

Rabbo sat looking down on a huge city. As he watched he was surprised to see that the air was brownish yellow that that there were metal boxes on wheels moving around. He sniffed the air and it smelt bad and dirty as if it needed to be cleaned. As he watched he heard a roaring sound behind him and a huge long blue metal thing with long wings came racing over his head high in the sky. He looked around and saw that the huge long blue metal thing was getting lower and that it was heading towards a long black stripe that had other long metal things of different colors sitting close to buildings.

Off in the distance he saw a hill with a half built building that looked like the building he had seen once when he had been to Athens.

“They are taking there time building it” Rabbo thought to himself. “And this whole place stinks. It’s not right. Why would they let it stink so much? How could anyone live with such a stench”?

Rabbo turned and started to hop up the hill. As he looked around he saw the familiar shapes of the hills but no house. There were olive groves and trees but the woods were gone and the ground looked old and tired as if it had been too long in the sun and used too much.

There was a stone wall were the house should be and a small house with smoke coming out of the chimney. As he looked at the house an old man pulling a donkey came around the side of the house. The donkey had a huge bundle of wood on its back and moved slowly.

“That’s not Merwyn” thought Rabbo. “What is going on around here? What’s happened to my home”?

Again there was a roaring sound overhead and Rabbo turned to see another huge metal long thing with wings scream overhead towards the black long thing down in the valley.

Rabbo turned to watch the huge long metal thing with wings pass overhead before he turned to look back to were the house should be. He shook his head trying to understand what was going on.

This was his home or it was where it should be. But it was not there and something was very wrong with the air. And the noise was just unreal.

“What’s going on” thought Rabbo.

Rabbo hopped across the dusty field were the barn should be and headed towards where the warren should be. But there was only dust and olive trees and a horrible stench in the air.

Rabbo reached where the warren should be and there was nothing just a pile of rocks and stones.

He climbed up on the rocks and stones and looked around for were Athena’s rock pool should be and there was nothing just more dusty used up ground.

Rabbo turned and looked around in horror at what he knew was a very beautiful area. Yet now it was dirty dusty and the stench was unreal.

Rabbo started to hop off towards where he could see some trees knowing that it would be cooler there and he could sit down and try to understand what had happened to his home.

A panic started to well up inside Rabbo that Merwyn and Athena were gone and he was all alone in the strange yet familiar place. He stilled his racing heart and continued his hop towards the trees.

The hop was much further than Rabbo realized and by the time he got to the trees he was so thirty that all he could do was croak a few sounds at being cool and under the trees.

Rabbo sat looking around for water to drink and all the time fear and panic started to build in him again.

“Where are Athena and Merwyn” he thought. “They would not let this happen to out home. Where are they”?

He turned and looked at the trees and they looked like they were dieing and that they were not getting enough water. He looked down at the ground and saw that the pine needles had built up way to high and that if there was a fire the trees would burn up.

As he sat under the trees he saw two men walking up towards the woods. As they got closer he saw that they had little white sticks in their mouths and smoke coming out of their mouths.

The two men walked up to him over him and past him.

As Rabbo sat still trying to understand what was happening he heard soft hopping steps come up behind him.

He turned around and looked at a young rabbit.

The young rabbit stopped and looked at Rabbo and then made a sound that sounded like help. But it was not spoken the same way that the rabbits in the warren would say help. It sounded more like yelp than help. But it was clear that the young rabbit was in need of help.

The young rabbit turned and started to hop away and then turned back and looked at Rabbo and said the word that meant help again and then added another word that Rabbo did not understand at all.

So Rabbo followed the young rabbit that was now hopping fast.

After a couple of minutes Rabbo spotted another rabbit lying on the ground wriggling with something around its neck.

Rabbo looked closer and saw that it was some kind of looped wire that had caught around the rabbit’s neck and each time the rabbit moved the wire was getting tighter and tighter.

Rabbo place one paw on the rabbits body and pushed it towards where the wire was coming from so that it would be loose then he reached down and loosened the wire and helped the rabbit pulls its head out from the wire.

The young rabbit looked at Rabbo bowed his head said something that Rabbo did not understand.

The other rabbit stood up looked around and started to hop off towards a meadow that Rabbo spotted though the trees.

Rabbo followed along behind the rabbits in totally misery as he was so thirty that his throat hurt and his eyes hurt and even his ears hurt.

Once in the small meadow Rabbo saw a small stream with dirty brown water running though it.

Normally he would not drink something that horrible looking but his thirst was such that he drunk the horrible brown water and winced at the brackish taste that it left in his mouth.

From behind him Rabbo heard a soft cough so he turned around and looked to see a very old rabbit sitting behind him with two younger rabbits on either side.

Rabbo looked at the old rabbit and realized that it was blind and very old.

“Hello” said the very old rabbit. Then it spoke some more words that Rabbo did not understand.

Rabbo looked at the old rabbit and said “hello my name is Rabbo. What has happened here”?

“Rabbo” said the very old rabbit. The very old rabbit turned and spoke to the two rabbits next to him and one ran off as fast as it could run.

“Long no speak these wording” said the old rabbit. “When young talk of you as story where you of being. But you of being true I always think. When you said you of going and coming. We last here of our kind but all over we are now. Far we have gone. I now happy I can rest as you return to us”.

Rabbo opened his mouth to speak as other rabbits start to show up. Then one stepped forward and said “Rabbo wake up you sleepy head its time for breakfast”.

Suddenly the meadow faded away and sitting on the side of the bed was Athena.

Athena picked up Rabbo and looked at him at arms length. “You ok Rabbo”?

Rabbo wriggled until Athena let him down and he leaped up and wrapped his front legs and paw around Athena’s neck and held tight.

“Hey hey not so tight” said Athena. “What has gotten into you Rabbo”?

“I had a horrible dream a nightmare really” sobbed Rabbo.

“I can see that you had a rough night you are all sweaty” said Athena looking worried.

“I was here but the house was gone and there were olive trees and the woods where gone and the air was brown and smelt wrong and there were huge metal things in the sky that made a lot of noise and the ground look sick and the air was sick and there was no water and what water I found was brown and tasted horrible and there was a rabbit trapped and I helped it out of the trap. And another rabbit came that was very old and spoke to me. It was horrible” said Rabbo sobbing on Athena’s shoulder.

Athena rocked Rabbo making a shushing sound to calm him down as he sobbed on her shoulder.

Merwyn came walking into Athena’s room and looked at Rabbo.

“Hmm a nightmare. Do you feel like talking about it Rabbo” asked Merwyn.

“I don’t think now is a good time dad” said Athena. “I can still feel his heart beating very fast. Let him calm down first”.

“Ok bring him downstairs as breakfast is ready” said Merwyn as he looked over at Rabbo with one eye brow raised.

“Dad I think a shower might be a good idea as poor Rabbo is all sweaty from his nightmare and I need to shower too” said Athena.

“Ok when you are ready” said Merwyn as he turned and left Athena’s bedroom.

Athena stood up and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. She reached into the bath shower and turned on the water.

Still holding onto Rabbo she slipped out of her robe and reached into the shower to check how warm the water was.

Athena waited a moment or two then stepped into the shower still holding Rabbo. Soon they were both wet and Athena put Rabbo down and soaped herself before kneeling down and soaping Rabbo. She then started to rinse Rabbo off making sure that all the soap was out of his fur.

The warm water on his fur felt so good that Rabbo started to relax and enjoy the feeling of it running though his fur.

Rabbo sat in the warm water and watched as Athena washed her hair and body. As she was rinsing off she suddenly got a far away look in her eyes and stopped in mid rinse.

“Darling can you hear me” said Bastet of Athena’s private mode.

“Yes I can best beloved” answered Athena in the same mode.

“What are you doing”?

“Showering my lovely darling. Wish you where here with me” giggled Athena.

“Really! How warm is the water” said Bastet.

“Warm but I am about to turn it up so that my skin tingles before I step out of the shower” replied Athena.

Bastet voice echoed in Athena’s head as Bastet laughed “Good nice and hot!”

Suddenly there was a bright glowing ball of white light that had a black center. The black center was not so much black is in the color black more the color of the night sky when there are no stars.

Out of the blackness stepped Bastet holding a small stone box.

Bastet fell to the floor naked and shivering and looked up at Athena. “Drag me into the shower I need warmth”.

Athena leapt out of the shower and dragged Bastet into the shower and started to massage her frozen body as the hot water poured over them both.

Rabbo looked at Bastet in confusion as she was almost blue with cold.

“Merwyn, Bastet is here she does not look well” said Rabbo on the general telepathic mode.

Through chattering teeth Bastet looked up “I am fine Rabbo just cold” Bastet stuttered.

Merwyn came running into the bathroom ignoring the fact that both Athena and Bastet were naked. He closed his eyes and Bastet let out a soft moan as she felt warmth spread though her whole body as Merwyn warmed her up from the inside out.

“Dam you Bastet. Self teleporting in summer is bad enough but it's winter. Where is your brain girl” said Merwyn not hiding the anger in his voice.

“I had to come” said Bastet her teeth still chattering but noticeable less than she had been when she first arrived.

“What’s so dam important that you risk your life?” asked Merwyn.

Bastet pointed at the box on the floor as she sat up. “Careful as you pick it up the cold may of made the stone box brittle and it could break. What is inside is important”.

Bastet started to close her eyes. “Stay with me now girl” said Merwyn his voice changing from anger to near panic.

Bastet opened her eyes and looked at Merwyn. “I’m not going anywhere, so stop your worrying”

Bastet sat up and looked at Athena. She slid a hand around Athena’s head and pulled her down and kissed her deeply and passionately.

Bastet released Athena from her kiss and pulled away. She slipped weakly out of the shower and wriggled over to the stone box that was still lying on the floor. She opened it and as she did the lid started to break apart.

Inside the box was a small silver disk about two inches wide.

“If the cold had not damaged it this could fix our fertility issues” said Bastet weakly.

Rabbo slipped out of the shower and hopped over to the dryer and pressed the button to start to dry himself off. Then he looked over at Bastet “Come and sit under the dryer to warm up”.

“Great idea” said Merwyn.

Merwyn reached down and picked up the naked Bastet and put her next to Rabbo on the dryer pad and turned the nozzle to wide so that Rabbo could get dry while at the same time warm Bastet.

As Bastet warmed herself Helena came walking into the bathroom carrying a cup full of a warm steaming liquid.

“Drink this, my goddess” said Helena as she bowed and offered the steaming cup.

“Oh knock that off” said Bastet weakly. “I am no more a goddess than you are”.

“As you wish. But still drink this it will restore you to vigor” said Helena still bowing.

“Thank you” said Bastet as she took the steaming cup and sipped.

About an hour later Bastet sat at the kitchen table eating porridge and looking at Helena who was sitting in Merwyn's lap.

“So Rabbo I understand you had a nightmare last night” said Bastet turning and looking at Athena.

“Yeah” said Rabbo shyly not sure if he should talk about his nightmare or how Bastet had find out.

“You told her” Rabbo asked Athena on her private mode.

“Yes I did” said Athena on the same mode.

Merwyn Athena and Bastet all turned and looked at Rabbo.

“Close your eyes drop your shields and replay in your mind your nightmare” said Merwyn.

Rabbo did as he was told and felt a very strange and odd feeling as Merwyn, Athena and Bastet entered his mind.

For the next half hour Rabbo relived his nightmare up to the point where Athena woke him up.

“Pity you woke him up” said Merwyn looking at Athena.

“What do you make of it Bastet” said Athena.

“It’s not a nightmare that’s for sure” said Bastet. “Rabbo were you astral traveling last night”?

“No” answered Rabbo.

“It’s a future dream or you really somehow slipped between times in your astral form. But that would not explain why only the rabbits saw you and how you got the other rabbit out of the snare” said Merwyn.

“Is Athens really going to look like that” asked Athena.

“Yes I think so” said Merwyn thoughtfully.

“How far ahead do you think Rabbo went” asked Bastet.

“I don’t know. Maybe a few thousand years” said Merwyn almost lost in thought. “What I can’t understand is how he did it”.

“Did what” asked Rabbo.

“Jumped ahead in time and I mean far ahead” said Merwyn even more thoughtfully.

“So you mean that is what Athens will look like in a few thousand years” said Rabbo rephrasing Athena’s question.

“I don’t see how Athens could end up looking like that in two thousand years” muttered Athena. “Unless Ra had something to do with it. I would guess that it would take at lest three or even four thousand years to reach that level of pollution and technology. You saw the ground transport and the air transport. That takes a long time to reach that level of technology. Dad how much had the hills and mountains changed around this little area”?

“Hmm good point if you are thinking the same thing I am” said Merwyn.

“And that would be” asked Rabbo

“Erosion” said both Merwyn and Athena.

Merwyn got up and walked off to the library and closed the library door behind him.

Helena reseated herself in the chair that Merwyn had been sitting in and looked at Athena, Bastet and Rabbo.

“I really don’t understand what you are talking about. Could you explain it a little clearer” said Helena.

Rabbo explained to Helena about the dream he had in such detail that Helena sat still with an intent look on her face as she listen hard and let all that Rabbo was telling her sink in.

Final after twenty minutes Helena sat back and looked thoughtful “It’s nice to know that Athens will survive for however long into the future your dream was”.

“I don’t think it was a dream” said Merwyn standing in the doorway to the library “Isis and I think that Rabbo went about three thousand five hundred years into the future give or take five hundred years”.

“So you think that I jumped ahead in time some how in a dream state and I created a body for myself in that time” asked Rabbo.

“Pretty much. It would be interesting to know how you did it” said Merwyn looking thoughtful.

“Dad don’t you dare try that” said Athena looking worried.

Merwyn laughed at Athena and sat on the edge of the table. He turned and looked at the children who had just walked in though the kitchen door carrying Cat on a plank of wood.

Cat looked around as if he was lord and master of all that he could see and that the girls where his personal slaves.

The girls walked over and placed the plank next to the fire and Cat got of bowed to the girls and curled up next to the fire.

Merwyn walked towards the opened door to close it and Rabbo’s mother mischief and the rabbit kittens came racing in towards the fire place.

There was still much that Rabbo did not understand about his dream time travel but it was clear that neither Merwyn, Athena nor Bastet had any idea on how he had done it.

“Now about your disk that you found” said Merwyn to Bastet. “Let's see what you have on it that you would risk your life to bring it here”.

Bastet got up holding the small disk in her hand and started to walk to the library. Merwyn followed along behind her and closed the door.

Rabbo hopped down from his chair and hopped over to Athena and jumped up into her lap. He walked around in a circle before he lay down to relax.

Athena started to stroke his fur as she stated to talk to Helena about Rabbo’s dream.

“What worries me is that Athens won’t be the Athens we both love. I have this feeling that Ra will be behind what it turns into” said Athena.

“But that’s a long way off” said Helena. “Both you and I will be long gone by then”

“You maybe? But I might be still around” said Athena.

“How long do you live” asked Helena?

“The oldest of our race lived to be over five thousand five hundred years. But the average age that we start to fade at is about four thousand years. But if the will to live is strong that might move out to four thousand seven hundred years or even five thousand years. So it’s possible that I could live to see Athens look like what Rabbo saw. Not that I want to see Athens like that”.

“I don’t blame you for not wanting to see our beloved Athens turn bad like that” said Helena sadly.

Rabbo looked over at Helena “I hope it does not get all smelly like I saw it. And the dust and those huge metal things in the sky. It was scary. But the fact that rabbits still speak their own language gives me so hope. Just I don’t understand why someone or something would trap rabbits”.

“Because rabbits are food to some creatures and people. If there is not much to eat people will eat whatever they can find. Such as rabbits and even cats” said Athena sadly.

“Yuck” said Rabbo.

“I’ve eaten rabbit” said Helena “it was after my husband was killed and I had to catch food for myself so that I could feed my unborn baby. It was right after I could no longer be priestess and I had no food”.

“If you had stayed as high priestess Diana would have died” said Athena.

“I know and I am glad that you did what you had to do” said Helena smiling at Athena.

Rabbo looked over at the fire and saw that his mother, mischief Cat and the kittens were asleep. However the girls were sitting by the fire talking softly as not to wake the sleeping cat and rabbits.

“It’s nice to see human’s cats and rabbits getting along so nicely” said Rabbo.

“Yes it is” said Helena. “However I think the girls are getting tired and its close to their mid morning nap. Don’t you agree Athena?”

“Yes I agree”.

Athena picked up Rabbo stood up and turned putting Rabbo back down in the chair she had just got up from.

Helena also stood up and walked over to the children and looked down at them.

Athena walked over to the stove got a pan and then walked off into the cool storage room and came back with a jug of milk. She poured the milk into the pan and started to warm the milk.

At the same time she reached up into one of the cupboards and got down the jar that had oatmeal cookies in it.

Helena lead the children into the living room had them sit down on the couch and started to tell them a story to help them relax.

Athena walked in with a tray of warm milk and a plate of cookies that she placed on the low table in front of the couch.

It was early afternoon when Rabbo heard the door to the library open and Merwyn and Bastet came walking out.

“So you really think that would fix the problem” Merwyn said.

“Yes but there is a problem. There are only two Sirian’s that I would trust. Me and Athena and I’m not willing to try and as Athena has already been pregnant I am not sure. We have to find another Sirian that is willing and not under the influence of Ra”

“I agree but it might not be a problem finding another Sirian that is willing. Just that I might not be willing” said Merwyn laughing.

Rabbo opened one eye and looked at Merwyn and Bastet as they stood talking about all the possibilities that the new information had given them.

“You know you could use the information as bait for Ra” said Rabbo sitting up.

Merwyn and Bastet turned and looked at Rabbo.

“Hmm there’s a thought” said Merwyn.

“It might keep him busy for a while and lessen the danger that he presents to you Merwyn” said Bastet.

“Or he could create an army to move against me” replied Merwyn.

“I never thought of that” said Bastet.

“Now if I could do what Rabbo did last night I could see what was possible and what Ra might be up to. That is if I could control how far ahead I could go” said Merwyn.

“Now there’s a thought” said Rabbo. “Maybe I could repeat what I did and see into the future and see what Ra will do”.

Rabbo closed his eyes to think.

“That would bring up a whole nest of issues that would be hard to work out” said Bastet thoughtfully.

“Such as” said Merwyn.

“Paradoxes for one thing. I mean if you are seeing what has happened that means you can’t change it or that by trying to change it, you make it happen. Look going to the future means that it’s already happened so therefore you can’t change what has happened. But knowing what will happen might help. It’s all so confusing” Bastet paused held up her hand so that she could think without Merwyn interrupting her. “Ok look at it this way. You jump ahead twenty years and you see what Ra had done. But you won’t know what happened to get to that point. All you will know is that it happened but not the how. So jumping ahead while it could be fun it’s pretty much useless as it does not tell you what happened in between. But what if. Just supposing you did know what happened to lead to the point that you jump to? By changing your actions you might make something worse happen. You see for us the future has not happened. But to us in the future we are the past here and now. Yeah it’s confusing. But then jumping forward in time would be. I mean how do you talk about it. Like what tense do you use when talking to someone from the past about their future that has already happened. And can you see yourself and talk to your future self. That would drive you crazy. If I could go back and warn past me and say “hey Hermes is going to inject your sister and bond mate of Merwyn with radiation sickness” would I believe myself and not think I am going crazy. Plus I know that I did not so I know that I did not. You understand what I am trying to say. So if we follow my premise that I have not gone back in time we know that we can’t as it’s happened. Now if we take that about going to the future. Will future me know that I have travel forward in time from this time? I don’t know because to present me I would be past me to future me. What I mean Merwyn is that I don’t know if it can be done. I mean we know Rabbo did but he did not try and warn himself about anything. Maybe we can’t travel forward or backwards in time in our life time.

What do you think” said Bastet.

“Maybe we should ask Rabbo what he knows and how he thinks he did it. After all we know that he did jump forward. Just we don’t know how he did it” said Merwyn turning to look at Rabbo.

Rabbo opened his eyes and looked up at Merwyn and Bastet.

“I don’t know how I did it. I went to bed and then I dreamt that I was at future here. I have no idea how far ahead I went or how I did it” said Rabbo.

“Ok let’s start with what you where doing last night” said Merwyn “let's start after dinner and let’s see if we can step by step come up with the answer on how you did it”?

“Well after dinner I was reading the print out that I have from Isis while you and Helena where being silly then Athena came in. Athena and I talked on the private mode about how good Helena is for you and I made a mistake by telling her what we had heard on one of our trips down to Ra’s and what Anubis had said about having sex with her. Then you all left and I went to bed once I had finished reading. I got on Athena’s bed and went to sleep as I was really tired. Then the next thing I knew Athena was waking me up” said Rabbo.

“Hmm not much to go on really” said Bastet. “We could recreate last night and see if that makes Rabbo repeat his umm jump forward”?

Both Rabbo and Merwyn laughed but both for different reasons.

“Maybe if we repeat the whole day from beginning to end that might work” said Rabbo.

“Maybe” laughed Merwyn.

“Ok what’s so funny” asked Bastet.

Merwyn looked at Bastet and smiled and turned to Rabbo. “You know I just had a thought. Not a very good one but let's check my star chart and see if there was anything going on that might of made you jump”.

“Like what” asked Bastet?

“Like gravitational fields. If Rabbo was dream traveling it is slightly or rather remotely possible that a gravitational field pulled on him and sent him forward in time. It’s a remote chance I admit but possible” said Merwyn sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than Rabbo and Bastet.

“Before we look at your star charts maybe we should go over again what we know” said Bastet. “More like one of your investigations that you use to do after one of your battles.”

“Good idea Bastet. I always knew that I could turn that to a better use than just winning the next battle” said Merwyn thoughtfully.

For the next hour and a half Merwyn and Bastet asked Rabbo so many questions that by the end of it Rabbo’s head was starting to pound and the lack of deep sleep the night before was starting to catch up with him.

Editor's Note: Watch for Part B of Chpt 7, Book II, in September issue.

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