THE CELESTIAL SIGNATURE

History! Something special about its making. Being part of the memorable process. Better still, the unforgettable moment. It stands out, setting apart the sting of fear from the gallant roar of adventure in the progression of conquest. As the legend beheld the celestial salutation that day, he knew history had been made. The deadlock was broken. It could be done! As long as there is day and night, it would stand out as The Benchmark! One to spur forward to higher heights as opposed to over the shoulder backsliding…looking back. The one heartfelt take out he hoped would register for all.

***

The atmosphere in the studio room was electrifying as an ecstatic presenter took on the Legend, calmly composed in his seat at the culmination of the heralded live interview televised the world over.

“What was the most liberating moment for you?”

“There comes a time significant decisions have to be made, when one must cross the line in make or break. We had a hilarious drama instructor at college. I still remember that Wednesday afternoon when he shared the parable of the accuser of the chosen!”

“I never heard of that before!” Chuckled the presenter cheerily, almost mesmerized.

“Joe was a middle-aged brilliant young man. He landed a lucrative job with a leading corporate establishment in the City. There was a master of intrigue in there; utterly consumed in a miasma of insecurities, who knew the only way to trip Joe was by placing him at harm’s way with the CEO. Over a cup of tea one evening, he briefed the CEO of some alleged reliable Intel about his new employee: Watch your back my friend! Watch it with all you’ve got! Like your life depended on it! Watch it really good! Blurted the informant, seemingly alarmed. This guy is bad news! Worse than you think! The moment you notice a distinct frown on his forehead, followed closely by a left hand scratching at the back of his head, you’ve got to take off. Run-run-run as fast as you can! Call the police immediately.”

“But why? Enquired a rather tensed up CEO, involuntarily picking his finger nails in reaction.

“Good question. Believe it or not, seven people have vanished mysteriously within the last seven months. Gone without a trace!”

“Are you serious?!”

“That’s not all! There is something very similar in all the incidents; this guy was the last person seen with each one of the disappearees…”

“The what?!”

“You heard me! In all seven fatal instances, he was wearing a distinct frown on his forehead and scratching the back of his head with his left hand.”

“Goodness grief! Are you sure about this? I need to take a pill!  The rattled CEO covered his mouth with his right hand in utter shock.

“What! What are we going to do? Did you say his left hand?!”

“Watch your back. He’s armed and dangerous! He spoke through clenched teeth. And yes it’s the left hand”

“Oh thank you! Thank you so very much. I knew! I knew I could count on you!”

“No problem at all. We are watching him closely!”

“Three days later, the informant was having lunch with the new face, lacing him with all niceties from his exotic wrist watch to the huge plus he was going to be in the textile export organization. He had some caution for him with regard to the CEO though.”

“Pal, you have to tread very carefully here, Ok? A long time friend of ours fell in trouble with him the other day. The next thing we heard he was reduced to vapor and vanished in thin air! Joe almost choked at his drink. He scratched the back of his head in confusion, the frown on his face pronounced.”

“Are you sure of what you are saying?”

“That is not all! Shortly before the dramatic incident, he was seen picking his fingernails then covering his mouth with his right hand. Consider yourself forewarned!”

“Thank you so very much. How timely! Where would I be without you? Goodness! I knew I could count on you!”

“Not at all buddy. I’ve got your back covered! One more thing, this is strictly between you and me, ok?”

“You have my word.”

“Joe was uncontrollably reeling in confusion and intense panic at the alarming disclosure when he burst into the gents later that afternoon. His heart skipped a beat as he caught the apprehensive eyes of the CEO staring at him from the mirror at the wall before them. Nervously, he suddenly began picking his finger nails. Joe stared for a moment in disbelief, a distinct frown breaking from his forehead. He felt like a gallon of water had been poured over his body as the CEO’S right hand squarely fell over his mouth. Joe’s mind went on a spin. He needed to be urgently airlifted from the spot he was transfixed that in a flash but could not figure out how. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion. His left hand was busy scratching the back of his head pondering his next move when suddenly all hell broke loose as a visibly traumatized CEO whizzed past him like a comet, calling on every security unit that ever existed since the world began. Dazed, Joe followed suit, the only place of safety in his mind as they both sprinted down the long corridor with everyone on sight diving for cover being the kitchen freezer!”

The presenter was in a hysterical moment of laughter that defied any known ethics of his career. You could measure the length and width of all his teeth in slow motion and with no commercial break.

“You…you’ve…you’ve got to be kidding me! Where did you get that from?!”

“Exactly the moral of the story! Verify your sources, all the time! I was not going to live up to my boldness and courageous call as long as I was feeding from the wrong source. The stakes were high on this one. I had to decisively make a decision to cross the line. The signature did not just happen…It’s what happens when you feed from the right source.”

At the presenter’s prompting, the Legend stood and walked confidently across the room, his towering, poised figure a marvel as he made his way to the adjacent studio where a battery of journalists was eagerly waiting. It was the moment all had been waiting for. Someone handed him his javelin and he took his signature pose as the wide plasma screen before him came alive with the slogan “Until the Day is Done!” prominently displayed. The room was an array of brilliant white as the camera flashlights sparkled in a roll.

There was momentary interruption in the room as some unexpected guests walked in. Distinguished military presence was subtly written all over them. The Legend walked quickly toward where they stood.

“We have some trouble General! A mighty force is descending upon us.”

“Who is it?”

“The pentagon. It’s a retaliatory assault against our ally, evidently a concerted scramble for the strategic territory. We just received the SOS.”

“Get all units ready.” He paused to glance at his wrist watch and appeared to be weighing his options. “We leave tonight…to be ready for engagement at dawn.”

A burst of back and forth activity ensued via radio as they made their way along the hall way. He turned back at the exit and made one more signature gesture at the presenter who responded with a full salute just as the Legend, flanked by his busy uniformed colleagues let out the words: “I’ll be back!”

You have heard he is before all things and in him all things hold together. It’s a position the Legend found himself seeking a hotline link to in the face of the massive task before him. As he watched the five sided enemy force melt before his seriously outnumbered army, his focus turned on the time factor. He understood he needed more time than what remained before dusk to finish the job. He knew it was time to scale higher, beyond the previous benchmark of the javelin signature. Suddenly, a rocky downpour descended heavily upon the coalition forces trouncing more than the Legend’s sword. It was then he understood just how close the one before all things was to him. He lifted up his eyes to the sky crowned with its starry hosts in a desperate cry for further intervention.

The response was swift and with a tone of finality as the solar system came to a momentary halt, with the sun skidding to a halt and the moon following suit in successive fashion. Heads of state embarked on emergency flights to witness for themselves, the Fourth Estate stood speechless before the Breaking News Scene, the weather man shrunk in perplexity as the scientist perused unsuccessfully through his chronicles in frantic search for explanation. The Guinness Book of Records penman ran out of the vocabulary to paint the picture in clarity as the historian declared it “The mystery of ages!” Nations watched in awe, the laws of nature frozen on their tracks as the infinite came under the sustained invasion of the finite in the spectacle of all spectacles. The yard stick of public statements. For the next twenty-four hours, history would be inscribed; like none before, none after. There would be no let up til the day was done, with all order; visible and invisible, above and below rallying in detail behind the moment with resounding synergy.

The Legend stared in wonder, embraced in an immortal trail as it blazed forth in victory over the five Nations. There was no sense of fear near him. He glistened in the radiance of one clothed with the glory of Alpha the Majestic. Is this how close he always was to him? The magnitude of authority at his disposal for dominion?! So It’s really true there is more than meets the eye in the invisible realm of life! He had to admit up until that time he had heard of him. Now as he beheld the unparalleled celestial signature, it was with a touch of excellence. It felt all so different, a whole new world revealed: He saw him! Before all things, holding them together.

Dense silence swept all across the ensuing aftermath.

©The Blazing Trail 2012

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