Magic Earth

INTRODUCTION

ANIMAL FORKS

Animal Forks, Colorado, was one of the fastest-growing small towns in Colorado in 2049. It was nestled between two mountains with plenty of room for forests, rivers, and lakes. Most townspeople thought the valley more beautiful than any spot in the States or what used to be the States.

The United States of America was no longer its own nation but had joined the United Federation of States, along with Mexico and Canada. Colorado was still identified by the name like the other states, but the political world was now governed by one leader. The world called him El Bailé.

The Forks was a mystery to most land analysts. There was no visible evidence that this property was any more valuable than Denver or Boulder. In fact, it was inconvenient to get there. Interstate 70 was nowhere near the Forks although villagers, from years before, often broached the subject to the local politicians but to no avail. It wasn’t that long ago when Animal Forks became a ghost town although it was booming in 1849.

In 1849, when Colorado was still called Colorado Territory, an ambitious young man by the name of James Stuthridge had a small following of men and women from various towns in the Midwest, Upstate New York, and even as far south as Florida to follow him to Colorado and mine for silver, gold, and ore. He heard from several sources that Colorado was an untapped gold mine for any man or woman who was brave enough to acquire a team of oxen and a wagon to cross the prairies and plains and then to make the trek up to the Rockies to become rich men and women.

James knew that it would be dangerous, and he also knew that there would be many deaths on the long journey. He made it his mission to gather many people who would travel so that, by the time they arrive at their destination, there would be enough men to work the mines and enough women to have babies and keep the men happy.

Most settlers headed to California to mine for gold or to the territory of Utah to avoid the Rockies, but James had his heart set on the Rockies. He had a feeling that he would be a rich man one day, so he followed a hunch—or an itch as some might call it—to head north toward the mountains. After months and months of grueling toil and travel over unchartered territory and mountain ranges, James brought them to this beautiful valley. When the settlers saw the valley, they were overcome with joy, not only because their journey was finally over, but also because the valley afforded them everything they would need to live. The valley was green with tall grasses and had trees in abundance for building houses and churches. Hunting and fishing opportunities made the place seem like paradise.

Many of the settlers wanted to call the place Paradise, Colorado, but because of the abundance of animals in the valley, they called it Animal Forks. The word forks was also in the name because there were three natural roads into and out of the valley.

The day they arrived, James dipped his pan into the river as he was standing on the rocky beach and found gold immediately. And so it was the start of Animal Forks for many settlers. But grasses, trees, animals, and gold were not the only commodities that Animal Forks had to offer.

Animal Forks had been occupied many years before by many cultures and people. Everyone who lived in the Forks had the same opinion of the place as the settlers of 1849 and the settlers of 2049.

The Arapaho nation settled in the Forks hundreds of years before James Stuthridge. The Arapaho called Animal Forks Magic Earth because not long after the tribe settled in the valley, wonderful and marvelous things began to happen.

The Arapaho was a religious group of people with a high standard of living and a great appreciation for the earth which fed them. They called the earth their Mother (the giver of life), and they called their father the Great Spirit (the sustainer of life).

They believed in the afterlife. If a man lived good and wholesomely and had climbed The Four Hills of Life (childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age), they believed that that man would now live on the final hill, a holy place close to the Creator. They did not differentiate between the real world and the spirit world. To them, all life was real: spirit and flesh.

The Arapaho settled at Magic Earth, but it wasn’t long before their shaman began to have dreams and visions. The dreams that the shaman had were not only visions of things to come in decades and eons ahead but also of things that would happen tomorrow from one sundown to the next. So the Arapaho were always alerted as to when they should be ready to reap the benefits of a successful hunt or when there would be disastrous weather or when there was danger from other tribes invading and capturing their people.

The shaman was very successful as a soothsayer, but soon after the shaman got the sight—as they called it—several more began to get it. And the sight was given indiscriminately to children, to women, to the warriors, to the chief, and even to the simple minded.

Some people from the tribe were able to lay hands on the sick, and they recovered. The old began to get younger. Their joints and bones no longer ached, and their gray hair began to turn black like ravens again.

Not only did the people in Magic Earth change but the animals were unusual as well. The hunters would come back to their counsels and tell them of seeing unbelievable things in the forest. They had the most amazing stories that many of the tribesmen considered them fables. They told of seeing horses with the body and heads of men and women, amazing creatures! The half-man and half-horse creatures, they called centaurs.

They also spoke of seeing wolves, deer, snakes, and beavers that had the ability, not only to speak to one another, but also to understand the language of the Arapaho. They would offer their friendship to the hunters as long as men do not take more than their shares from the valley.

The trees, foliage, and plant life had some interesting particulars about themselves as well. You wouldn’t notice the change in scenery if you were a newcomer to the woods, but if you were familiar with it, it was always changing. Men could easily be lost and confused in the forest with the scenery changing from day to day. A missing man or woman was not unusual in the Forks.

After a generous rain which would happen, at least, once or twice a week, the forest would come to life in the twilight, glowing with blues, purples, reds, silvers, and greens. If you brushed up against a flower that was shimmering and at full bloom, the flower would fold up as if to say it only gave its secrets to those who were worthy.

The Arapaho stayed at Magic Earth for five hundred years. On the anniversary of their five hundredth year, they were the most intellectual and gifted people on the earth. They were able to move objects with their minds as well as create circumstances that would hinder others from coming into the valley to take what belonged to them. They were not people interested in making money or advancing like the people who come by taking over territories. They were perfectly satisfied with their Magic Earth and never wanted to see it end, but one day, every person in the village received the same vision.

They would no longer be a people tomorrow. There would be a huge avalanche, and there wasn’t anything anybody could do about it. The people began to make preparations for their burial, and although there was sadness for the future of their children, the tribe accepted their fate as if they knew that they had opportunities that were not given to any other people on earth.

The next day, just as the vision foretold, there was a huge landslide that closed the valley to the Forks so that no one could get in and no one could get out. As the people lay in their tepees dressed in their best to meet their maker in the spirit world, there was a strange vapor that began to cover the valley.

The vapor appeared like a cloud hugging the ground, and it came from the small cave above Magic Earth. Some noticed that the cloud looked like fingers reaching for its victims as it swept across the valley like an angel of death. When the cloud had done what it was commissioned to do and when it finally ascended into a small crevice in the cave, there was not one soul living.

CHAPTER ONE

PROBLEMS WITH THE SUPERNATURAL

2049

Taylor Jones was the new mayor of Animal Forks. He was forty-two years old but didn’t look a day over thirty. He had lived at the Forks for thirteen years. He came to the community by the invitation of his friend, Michael Whales, who had lived at Animal Forks for ten years before giving the invitation to him. After Taylor lived in the Forks for a year, he learned that most of the townspeople who lived there got in by invitation only.

They were a diverse set of residents: doctors, lawyers, housewives, children, ministers, hippies, hunters, tree huggers. You name it, Animal Forks had it. The small town had been getting a lot of publicity as of late because of some unusual activities, but that wasn’t anything new to the residents of Animal Forks. The town was no ordinary town. In fact, you could say it was quite extraordinary for 2049. The residents at the Forks were nature lovers. They wanted to keep their town as pristine as possible.

The main street of the Forks was lined with small mom-and-pop stores. There was the bakery, the market with specialty items, the New Age Store with crystals and strange potions, a few restaurants, boutiques and shoe stores, the pharmacy, a few doctors’ offices, and two churches with one on each side of town. There was also the candle shop where you could buy candles of all scents and shapes, a toy store, and a sporting goods store which was a hunter’s paradise with fishing gear, kayaks, camping gear, bows and arrows, etc.

The AF Elementary School, AF Junior High School, and AF Senior High School were all on one campus. They proudly displayed the centaur, half-horse and half-man, as their school mascot. The town’s population had reached fifteen thousand members by 2049, and estimations showed that the town would gain, at least, one thousand members every year if they continued to grow at the present rate.

The cobbled main street was lined with trees, flowers, and benches. What you will not see in Animal Forks are cars spitting out foul fumes, delivery trucks, traffic jams, or horns blowing. All traffic stopped at the outskirts of town, and every resident would have to ride into town and to their homes by the trolley system. Trolleys had been one of the most successful campaigns of Mayor Taylor Jones.

The citizens of Animal Forks couldn’t sing Taylor’s praises loud enough. The town people had been witness to the disaster of small towns in the mountains where tourists were attracted and automobiles were cruising through town from sunup to sundown, slowing all progress of the local folks while making their beautiful towns look like a circus attraction.

Trolleys were made available for the locals as well as for the tourists. The fleet of trolleys that the mayor introduced to Animal Forks ran every five minutes. In New York, waiting for a bus or trolley for five minutes would be a huge inconvenience, but life in Animal Forks moved a lot slower. No one complained about the hassle of leaving their cars at the municipal parking lot. To them, it was a good trade-off.

The residents of the Forks in 2049 were also aware that there was something else wonderful about this little community where so many people wanted to join. They didn’t notice the change in their body and mind at first, but after a short period of time—perhaps a year of living in the Forks—they began to notice that they could read other people’s thoughts. At first, it was hard to believe; but after they verified it time and time again, it was hard to deny.

Taylor Jones was able to discern other people’s thoughts. That’s one reason he ran for mayor of the city. He could tell by speaking to acquaintances that he was in good standing with just about everybody in town. They thought he was handsome, articulate, intelligent, and an up-and-coming citizen of Animal Forks.

Michael had invited Taylor to Animal Forks because they had been friends for years. They met when they were freshmen in college. Both of them attended Brigham Young University and soon found out that they had a lot in common. They were both Mormons, both loved the outdoors, and both loved to hunt.

Michael owned Hunters Paradise, the sporting goods store in town. He also freelanced as a hunting guide and white water rafting guide at Falls River. Michael didn’t tell Taylor about the unusual things that were happening at Animal Forks. He didn’t tell Taylor that he was getting younger and younger every year, that he could teleport objects, and that he could see creatures in the woods that were otherworldly. He told him only about the beauty and nature of the place. He knew that was enough to lure Taylor. His friend was an avid hunter and nature lover.

Taylor came to visit Michael in April of 2034 and never looked back. Thanks to Taylor’s unusual skills, he was now mayor of Animal Forks and couldn’t be happier.

There were some who wanted to capitalize on Animal Forks, but Taylor wanted to stop that movement as soon as possible. He realized that if the town continued to grow at the rate of speed it was going now, in a few years, you wouldn’t be able to move in the place. There would be developers and contractors all over the place building cabins and turning this beautiful valley into a freak show.

There had been a few undesirable people who had found their way to Animal Forks and noticed the unusual occurrences in the town. There was no doubt about it. Everyone who came to Animal Forks knew that it was a very special place, and people were eager to make this town their home.

Taylor was concerned with one citizen of Animal Forks, and that was the new minister who had moved into their community several months ago. At first, Reverend Calloway seemed ordinary enough. He didn’t rock the boat too much, and his congregation seemed to like him along with his cookie-cutter family. He had his wife, Missy; his daughter, Haley, who was thirteen years old; and his son, Miles, who had just turned nine years old.

Rev. Roy Calloway was a young man who had graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He had pastored a few churches before coming to Animal Forks and had been successful to a degree that he received a call by the pastoral committee to come and try out for the church called The Faithful.

When the reverend arrived in the small town for his interview, he was immediately sure that this was the will of God for his life as well as for his family. He just felt different in Animal Forks and attributed that feeling to knowing that this was where God was leading him. The Faithful agreed with the reverend and voted him in on the same weekend.

The longer Roy stayed at the Forks, the more he noticed that God was moving in a special way through his life. The services that they were having were remarkable. Roy had never believed in gifts of the Spirit like speaking in tongues, healing the sick, the gift of wisdom, and the gift of discernment. He knew that the Bible talked of these gifts, but like most mainline believers in America, he believed that those gifts were done away with when the apostles died.

Roy was confused at first when thoughts began to come to him while preaching his Sunday sermons to the congregation of The Faithful. Reverend Calloway was preaching from John 11:1-44 about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. While he was reading the scriptures, an all-encompassing thought came to him that someone in the congregation was going to face a death in their family that week. He wanted to speak it out, but he was afraid. Not only were they going to face death but they were also going to face a test of their faith just like Mary and Martha did when they had to bury their brother, Lazarus. The feeling that he should speak it out was almost more than he could contain, but he didn’t want to appear to be like the slick preachers he had seen on TV who would say that they were being used by God with the gift of discernment.

Roy could almost quote the preachers every time: Someone out there is suffering right now. You’re having a bad day. You have a pain in your right side. Yes, it’s you! It’s you, brother!

It made Roy furious that so-called men of God would cheapen the gospel with their parlor tricks. Of course, with an audience of thousands, someone out there was going to have a pain in their right side; and if you have a pain in your right side, you, of course, are having a bad day. But the reverend couldn’t shake the feeling. He reasoned with himself that if he didn’t speak, he would not be faithful to God who called him and who was revealing this truth to him.

Reverend Calloway was perspiring profusely, and Missy was noticing. She didn’t know what to make of it. She had never seen her husband in such a state. Roy closed the Bible after he read the entire scripture from John and stared at the congregation as if he were looking at his executioners. There wasn’t any movement in the house at all. Every eye was looking expectantly at their minister. Even the babies could feel the tension in the air and waited with the rest of the faithful. It was an uneasy feeling.

The congregation of The Faithful didn’t know what was going on until they heard their minister say, I know you need an explanation for my behavior this morning. It’s unusual for me to be without words, but this morning, I have to stop with this meager sermon that I have prepared and speak the sermon that God is giving me right now. I’m a little nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before, but I must tell you that there is someone in this room … yes, in our very midst, who will face a tragedy in their family this week. Reverend Calloway cleared his throat before he continued.

He stepped from the lectern onto the floor hoping that by getting closer to the faithful, he would be able to pick out the one whom he was concerned for.

Yes, he said circumspectly, it’s someone on this side of the congregation. Reverend Calloway said it as he began walking up and down the aisle, looking fiercely at the people, and trying to find the person. When he reached the tenth pew, he stopped. Every eye in the house was on him, but he was unaware of it. He fixed his eyes on Helen Coy, a faithful member of the congregation who was in her fifties. It’s you, Sister Helen.

Helen’s mouth dropped open. The reverend stood there with his finger pointing at Helen, both of them moved to tears. I’m so sorry, Sister Helen, but it’s you. You will lose your son tomorrow.

Helen cried out with her hand to her mouth as one tear slid down her face.

But God has sent me to tell you today not to lose your faith. Everything will be all right. Your son will be going to a better place … a world as real as this carnal world we live in.

Helen stood up and tried to move out of the pew. She stepped on a few toes as she tried to maneuver through the close seating, but she was determined to get to Reverend Calloway. No one in the congregation knew what to expect. Would she walk out? Would she slap him? But Helen reached out to Roy, and they both embraced, obviously moved to tears for each other.

I know that what you say is true, Pastor. I have seen it myself, she said as every member of the congregation gasped as if on cue. He’s telling me the truth, she addressed the faithful. I saw Steven in a dream last night, and he was driving his car too fast over the winding roads before coming to Animal Forks. A deer ran out in front of the car, and Steven’s car rolled over three times. He was killed instantly in my dream.

Everyone was speechless. This had never happened in their church. Some were indignant while others knew something amazing was happening. One after the other stood to their feet and came forward to comfort Helen and to give their new pastor a nod of approval. This went on for several minutes as one by one left without saying a word, just wiping their tears knowing that they had just witnessed something amazing.

The congregation of The Faithful waited with dread to hear of the death of Helen’s son, and just as the minister predicted, Steven Coy died in a horrible car crash the next day. Steven wasn’t necessarily a praying man, but when the EMTs pulled Steven’s dead body from the mangled car, they found a Bible on the seat beside Steven. It was turned to the gospel of Matthew. Underlined in chapter 28 and verse 20 was the scripture, Behold I am with you always, even unto the end of the earth.

The news spread all over town, and Helen took great comfort when they told her of the Bible and the scripture that was found in Steven’s car.

One miracle after the other began to happen in the congregation of The Faithful. The Deacon Board and Reverend Calloway met and decided that this was too wonderful to keep inside the walls of the church. After all, Christ told us to reach the world, Deacon Dick Barnes said. "I think we need to move to the next step. We need to televise these