So, for some crazy reason, here I am scaling down the side of this Pennsylvania hill, reiterating over and over the words that stand for WTF. I have to use branches and rocks to keep me from slipping and possibly breaking a limb. All of this to go talk to a guy who knows my name and can read my mind.
Typical day.
I get closer and see him more clearly now. He is a white male probably in his young 40’s. He has a large, muscular build and he is badly injured. I can’t quite see the exact damage yet, but I’m pretty positive his leg should not be pointing in that direction. I exchange a brief moment of eye contact with him. He is silent besides an occasional cough, but his eyes say, ‘ hurry up’.
If I go any faster, I might land on you. Chill dude.
It takes me about 3 minutes to reach him, but it seems like an eternity. My hands are sore from grabbing onto tree branches. I’m sweaty and freaking out a little. I’m about 6 feet from him now and I can see the full physical damage he has been through. The first thing you can’t help but notice is the thick tree limb sticking out from where his stomach should be. The blood is a fresh red and flowing like it just happened. His leg is just how I imagined- bent in a way that it shouldn’t be. His face is battered and bruised. He’s probably a pretty good looking dude, but it’s tough to tell in his condition. He has two black eyes for sure, and I’m pretty sure his nose is broken. Blood is everywhere. I don’t think he has very long.
“I already told you I don’t have very long, Stouten,” he says coughing.
“How can you read my mind?”
“I am going to tell you some things that will be hard to believe. But please trust me everything I say is true. I am not from this world. I can do things humans can’t do. You and your family will soon find out. We are fulfilling the destiny right now.”
“Destiny?”
“Yes. The destiny of this world. We’ve been studying your family for quite some time. Every member including you since before your births. All six of you will do great things. But I need you all here to give you something.”
“Something like what?”
“It’s hard to explain. Please trust me and call them down. They need to be here with us.”
Now any normal person would hear these words coming from this man’s mouth and they would deem him certifiably insane. Between reading minds, being from another planet, and wanting to be near my kids, this guy could easily be nuts. But again I am overwhelmed with trust and peace emanating from this man, even though he has not been through anything peaceful in his last moments. I can’t really explain it. I just feel nothing but honesty and warmth from this stranger. His tone is calm with a tree branch sticking out of his abdomen! He’s not asking me to call 911 or help him medically. Something is very different here.
“Listen…uh….”
“Call me Adam,” he says quickly.
“Listen Adam, you have to admit this is pretty weird. Do you think you can elaborate a little more? Like what happened to you? Where are you from? What you are planning on giving us?”
“If I told you everything, you may not do what needs to be done. And I don’t have time to tell you everything. Now please. Lend me your sweatshirt. You’re hot and sweaty anyway. Use it to cover up this branch sticking out of me so the children don’t see it. But first wipe my face with it. Come on. Hurry.”
I look him dead in his bloody blue eyes. “If you harm my family, your death will come that much quicker.” Finally. I come up with a semi-good line.
This dude has the nerve to smile. “This is why you are the one, Stouten.”
The next thing you know without very little thought, I’m wiping the blood from Adam’s face with my sweatshirt. I cover up his very nasty wound with it.
“Babe?” It’s Angela on top of the hill. “What’s going on down there?”
I wish I knew.