A sneak preview from The Corporeal Pull

Prologue

Dear Halle,

If you are reading this letter, then I am gone. I will not send Liam to his destruction alone. If he is meant to be destroyed in his mortal journey, then I will not continue in this realm without him. I am sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to stay. I regret the charges I will have to abandon the most, but I know that there are other guides who have a newer and more adaptable temperament which will be better able to guide them once I have gone. I know I will leave you with more questions than answers, but please allow me to try to explain my decision.

There are times in a mortal life when the idea of continuing seems like more than one can bear. Every lifetime comes equipped with challenges that batter the corporeal soul from unpredictable angles and vantage points. At some point, the age-old question begins to seep into to each consciousness; “Why me?” It’s a valid question that begs for clarification; why should we suffer through the hardships life throws at us? Why is one individual plagued by illness or poverty or loss, while another who is no more or less deserving can carry on with not as many of life’s burdens to carry?

I constantly see the hardship and pain that mortal lives bring to those who are meant for the journey. Ironically, I am privileged enough to know the answer to the hardest question; why. The why is simple, everyone who is born to a mortal life has a specific purpose in the grand churning of matter, energy and biologic functionality that is the experience of life. Keeping people on the path to their own success is sometimes the reason for the hardships and lessons they must learn.

I suppose I must sound like a bit of a sadist. I’m not in the business of torturing mortals for my own entertainment. After all, I wasn’t the one who chose their purpose. It is not my ultimate plan. So when a corporeal is pushed to their breaking point, I have to accept that was part of the person they were meant to be. Worst-case scenario, they succumb to their terminal existence and are given a more enlightened perspective before being reissued for another try.

Where does that leave me? If my existence has become both unbearable and impossible, then what is there left for me in this plane. I will never perish. I will never be given a second chance. My mistakes are mine to bear for eternity. And some mistakes are not forgivable. Sending your soul mate to be destroyed in that baser temporal realm is not a reasonable behavior to expect from anyone. So here I am. I have reached the end of my existence as a guide. Today Liam will begin his mortal journey, and the road that will lead to his destruction. He has no idea what he will be asked to sacrifice. I have failed him even in that. My one source of comfort is that he will not grieve for me. His mortal mind will shield him from the memory of our love. When Liam transitions to his birth, it is my intention to follow him into the portal. If the legends are true, my link to the One’s immortal spark will be severed, and I will meet the fate that I send him to. It seems only fair.

Please know that your friendship has meant more to me than you realize.

Terra

~~~~~~~~~~

Terra folded the letter and looked at it with a grim sense of resolve. Time was running out. Liam would be leaving the Tweens to be born as a mortal in a matter of hours, but she was no closer to finding an alternative. Liam’s creation had set a series of events into motion that were intricately laced into so many other outcomes. His fate would not be rescinded.

A slow shudder went through Terra as she envisioned the course Liam’s life would have to take. Her decision was made. She would leave the letter for Halle in the corner of the frame to the portrait of earth’s sunset that she had given Terra as a gift. That way, when Halle’s art was returned to her, she would understand the decision Terra had to make.