WNWN chap. XXIX

El Indio had left and Paul sat down and watched Conrad. Conrad had him worried. Conrad had been in combat, he had carried out covert operations, he had run spy rings in hostile foreign countries. He had faithfully protected Paul on several occasions when he had been physically threatened. Now Conrad seemed to have lost his nerve.
Paul spoke softly to Conrad. “Conrad, go ahead and take a nap or a walk, I am going to be busy for a while. I’ll let you know when I am ready to go back down to the cave.”
Paul clicked on his computer and began doing some minor tasks. He wanted to let Conrad relax. He felt in no hurry and he thought Conrad needed some time.
Conrad took a walk outside, but not too far from the ranch house.
He sat down in a lawn chair in the shade. Soon he dozed off and when Paul checked on him he decided to let him sleep for a while.
Paul decided to take a walk. It was warm and muggy outside with a good breeze blowing. Paul walked out to where the untrimmed brush was growing and followed along the brush line.
The air was thick and oppressive, breaths came harder. He soon was sweating. He felt weak and had to fight for a breath. Panic swelled within and he turned to find his way back. His head was swirling and he had trouble maintaining balance. As he neared the house he thought he saw something, shimmering shapes in the sun, before his eyes.
Paul fought against this impairment and confusion. “Control,” he said to himself. “I must keep in control of my self!” Paul was iron willed and he slowly brought himself back to near normalcy any way. He soon saw the ranch house. He saw Conrad, still asleep beneath the tree.
“Conrad!” he shouted. “Wake up! Let’s go in, something strange is going on.”
“What, what is it?” Conrad spoke groggily as he came out of his deep sleep.
“Look! Do you see something?” Paul pointed towards the translucent apparitions. To Paul they appeared similar to the waves of the aurora borealis or possibly, he thought, they were ghosts or spirits. Whatever they were they were shimmering, growing alternately darker and then brighter. They moved a bit up, down, sideways, but slowly and no great distances. Paul was entranced.
“I don’t see anything!” Conrad blurted.
Paul then realized this was not real. He once again called on his substantial inner reserve and exerted his mental control over his body and, he realized, over his reality. The hallucination, or whatever it was, immediately disappeared.
Paul then heard a voice speaking to him, not out loud but in his mind! It was the voice of El Indio! “You did the right thing. Stay secure in your power and nothing can touch you or do harm.”
Now Paul was shook! He turned around and slowly walked back and into the ranch house.
“I need a drink!” He poured a stiff whiskey. “You need one?”
Conrad sat up. “Yeah!”
They poured them down and then poured two more.
“Conrad, you are right. There is a lot more going on here than I thought.”