ABE
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There are plenty of beliefs in the world. The Galactic Believers are no different, at least that is what everyone thought. Their preaches of the coming Galactica Array are no myth. It is real, and each member of humanity must agree to ABE’s terms before the planetary absorption.
Contact
The Saskatchewan plains are supposed to be a simple place to grow up. My folks have always said, “Saskatchewan was a wonderful place when I was a child. Things sure have changed.” I understand why they would say that since they were raised before the Galactic Believers formed. At first, no one thought that the Galactic Believers were a problem. We would hear about them on the radio, the TV, and online. It seemed like a goofy hoax or some sort of New Age spiritual awakening. They followed the one they call The Oracle. Some chick who started a streaming website, preaching her prophesies globally, showing her bizarre drawings of a triangle. To me, religious beliefs are naïve. Not everyone agrees with that. But most people did agree that the Galactic Believers were off their rocker. Everyone loved to make fun of them. As time went by, the jokes started to dwindle as the seriousness of the situation escalated.
I can recall the day when they first showed up. It had to have been about five years ago. Summertime was coming to an end, which meant it got darker much earlier. I was still going to school and working on the farm with my dad and Uncle Fred. Mom was making dinner. I had just wrapped up for the day and finished showering. There was a knock on the door. We never got knocks on the door. My dad and Uncle Fred were still out working—something to do with the tractor not starting. Mom was too busy with prepping dinner, so I did the responsible thing and saw who it was. This was the moment I met the Galactic Believers. It was just past six when I went to answer the door.
There were three men. Each one was well-dressed, all in black, and had a cold, expressionless face. At the time, I didn’t know who they were. I had heard about the Galactic Believers on the news but had never seen them face-to-face. My gut told me they were not normal men. Straight-laced and well-dressed people don’t come out to the farm very often unless they have bad news to share. I asked them what they wanted, and they simply clutched their leather-bound books tighter.
The one in the middle spoke. “We are visiting each resident outside of the city. Do you have a moment to discuss your future in the planetary absorption to come?”
After he asked the question, I knew they were the Galactic Believers. The three of them wanted to tell me about their extraterrestrial worshiping. The whole concept was a crackpot’s dream. I told the men that we didn’t want anything to do with what they had to offer. Without giving them the chance to talk, I began to close the door. The man in the middle made one more remark, saying, “Your terms within the Galactica Array must be decided soon.”
My mom did not even bother to ask who was at the door. Cooking distracted her. Uncle Fred and Dad came home that evening, and everything proceeded as normal. Several weeks went by before the Galactic Believers arrived again. This time, they visited early in the morning. So early that it was still dark, and the sun was on the edge of the horizon. My dad answered, and I could hear them asking him about his future in the planetary absorption. Dad could not help but laugh because he’s a straightforward kind of guy. The New Age beliefs don’t mean anything to him. If it wasn’t something he could see or touch, it wasn’t real to him. The Galactic Believers continued to babble, explaining to him that ABE had selected the Earth and we would be joining a Galactica Array. My dad snickered again and closed the door on them. Life continued as normal.
Persistence
For the first couple of years, the Galactic Believers did not come back. It wasn’t until the third year to the day from the first visit that they started arriving again. The Galactic Believers’ visits became more and more frequent. With each knock at the door, they would share new information about the Galactica Array and Earth’s part in it. They explained about the All-Being Entity known as ABE, who rules over this planetary merger. My dad began to think these visits were harassment. He would tell them to leave and even threatened to shoot them. Of course, that has no grounds in Canada. The empty threats were of no use. The Galactic Believers continued to visit multiple times a day. We even called the RCMP, who said they were getting similar reports similar from all around the province. On the television, the news stated these visits weren’t just provincial or happening across the country. The Galactic Believers were contacting people across the globe. No one knew why there were so many of them. We only knew that their numbers continued to grow as The Oracle babbled nonsense online. Even people I knew were becoming members.
Space
Coincidentally enough, as the Galactic Believers’ visits became more frequent, NASA made a public announcement about an astronomical object coming towards our galaxy. The size of this object was equal to, if not larger than, the Milky Way. It appeared to come out of nowhere, and was much closer than the Andromeda galaxy, which is predicted to collide with the Milky Way well beyond our lifetime. NASA’s sudden announcement was met with criticism. People thought they were incompetent for their lack of foresight. NASA responded that they were working diligently on understanding the nature and speed of this unknown object.
The announcement only stirred up more confusion and fear in everyone. People began to wonder if it was related to the Galactic Believers. Plenty of people expressed their opinions on the news, online, and on the streets. Some trash-talked The Oracle, calling her a terrorist. Doomsday was a collective agreement. The arrival of this new object heading for the Milky Way was enough to convince many people to become Galactic Believers. To these converted, the space object was proof that the Galactic Believers and The Oracle were speaking the truth and wanted to help humanity. I wasn’t so convinced. There had been plenty of cases throughout human history where people were sure doomsday was here. It never came. People enjoyed fantasizing about the end of the world. My opinion didn’t matter, though. People still became Galactic Believers.
Visions
Anyone who becomes a Galactic Believer is sworn to an oath of secrecy to ‘the bigger picture.’ One of my high school buddies, Ron, even tried to get me to join the organization, or religion, or whatever you want to call it. He told me that the All-Being Entity, ABE, was accepting of everyone. His wisdom and powers are beyond human comprehension. Ron said ABE is willing to talk to you through a mental link in your consciousness. ABE shares visions, feelings, and sensations that cannot be expressed through simple words or through our limited forms. Perhaps bliss is the best way to describe what ABE shares with you. The reason I am saying this is because ABE visited me.
At first, I thought it was merely a dream, the result of stress from having to take care of my folks in their older age and the constant harassment from the Galactic Believers. The dreams continued to happen over and over again. These visions projected me beyond Earth, flying well beyond our solar system. I was taken out of the Milky Way galaxy and to a foreign astral realm where I could see unexplainable swirls of colour. Some of them took the shape of humanoids, watching as I soared through this plane. All of these colours and abstract beings were unified under a large triangular object. The first time I was brought to this foreign space, it shot me back to the real world far too soon to see any more. As the dreams continued, I saw more and more of this celestial realm. I learned that the triangle was not a spaceship, nor a pyramid, but a two-dimensional shape that always stared directly at me. It didn’t matter what angle I approached it from. It had no depth. It was the same bright white triangle, always.
ABE
These dreams gave me a sense of warmth, wonder, and fear. I was not in control of the motion. I was simply a passenger experiencing unity with these swirls of colour under the watchful white triangle. During the fifth dream, ABE revealed himself to me. His voice was strident, welcoming, and soothing. In the dream, the voice projected from this triangle. It made me realize that the triangle was ABE. ABE said to me, “Your planet has many wonders. Your people are a young spark in this old galaxy. We welcome you to the Galactica Array, the next evolutionary step in your species.”
I was confused and unsure of what to say. This was everything Ron had told me about from his dreams and the initiation process with the Galactic Believers. How could this be? Was there truth to what the Galactic Believers and The Oracle had to say? Was I being drugged? Or was I simply stressed out? I didn’t have an answer. I simply stared into the white triangle.
ABE continued. “I am sure you are confused. Do not be. Your consciousness is bound to this three-dimensional plane, and you are not capable of understanding what non-carbon-based life is capable of. There is more to existence than the simple dimensions that your life-cell constricts you in. I can bring you to greater heights. Embrace me. Accept me, for I am the beginning and the end of this dimension.”
I wanted to ask ABE what he wanted. Before I could, I woke up to a loud bang. I sprang from my bed in a sweat, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. It was close.
Confrontation
Hurrying out of my bedroom, I saw Uncle Fred and my mother looking through the window where a ring of men, dressed in black and holding torches, stood outside of our home. My dad was at the doorway, holding a shotgun, staring at the men. He shouted, telling them to leave and that we wanted nothing to do with their bullshit beliefs. The men didn’t respond. They only stared at our home, torches flickering. I asked Mom if she had called the RCMP, and she said the lines weren’t working. I hurried to the television to turn it on, and only static grains showed up. Next was the radio. It worked. Most of it was noise, but a country-wide warning played on repeat. The sound cut out, making it difficult to understand what they were saying. The gist of it was that this was a state of emergency.
One of the Galactic Believers stepped forward in a calm, relaxed manner, his palms open. With a wide smile, he said, “The All-Being Entity is near. The Oracle has guided us.” He pointed to the sky, and the other Galactic Believers looked up. My father, myself, my uncle, and Mother also looked to the stars to see a large black triangle, darker than the night itself, directly above us.
The Galactic Believer said, “It is not too late for you to agree to the terms of ABE. He is all-loving. He is all-knowing. Earth will be absorbed into the Galactica Array. We want to take you with us.”
My father fired his shotgun in the air again and shouted, “Leave now or I will shoot!”
The Galactic Believer continued, “Those that do not willfully accept ABE into their soul will never join the Galactica Array. There is no room for the disbelievers of ABE and his power. We carbon-based creatures cannot understand the greatness that he has to offer. He is old, wise, and his consciousness spans well beyond the fabric of this three-dimensional space.”
Another blaring sound erupted from the shotgun. Smoke rose from the barrel’s tip as the Galactic Believer flew from the ground before dropping into the dirt. My mother screamed. My uncle swore and hurried over to my father, who pointed his shotgun directly where the Galactic Believer once stood, smoke still seeping from the gun’s chamber. My uncle started to yell at my dad, asking him what the hell he’d done. My mother was crying. I comforted her as the black triangle in the sky continued to grow.
Arrival
Another shot erupted. My uncle shouted, trying to grab the gun as my dad attempted to reload it. The bullet missed the Galactic Believers. They did not move or flinch. They extended their arms outward, torches in hand.
“What the—” my dad said.
My mother and I looked to the front walkway to see what my dad was looking at.
“My God,” Uncle Fred said.
The Galactic Believer my father had shot rose from the ground as if an invisible force lifted him. He did not use his limbs. His face was motionless, and no blood oozed from his wound. The eyes had rolled back, leaving only the sclera visible in each eye socket. Once the Galactic Believer was fully vertical, his mouth opened, and a voice projected from within, saying, “The galactic absorption has come.”
Instantly, I recognized the voice of ABE, the All-Being Entity. He had arrived. The Galactic Believers had warned us. Earth’s absorption into the greater was here.
“Those that are willing to join humanity’s next phase will be embraced, accepted, and loved within the Galactica Array. Those that refuse are simply part of the natural process of evolution. This is life’s progression on Earth. Removal of the unfit is the continual stage. All life that embraces the Galactica Array, and myself, the All-Being Entity, will see beyond the space-time limitations found within this realm. Those that accept me will be brought to new heights of dimensional exploration. Those that do not will cease to be.”
Absorption
My uncle wrestled with my father, who was trying to shoot the Galactic Believer projecting ABE’s voice. Before either one could get the upper hand, a white light shot from the black triangle in the sky. The light was so bright, it blinded everything in view for several seconds. Once the light vanished, my mother—who I still held—disintegrated in my arms. Following her, the walls, the furniture, and the entire house dissolved like they were being eaten by acid. My uncle and father were too busy wrestling with the gun to even realize that this dissolving entity absorbed them. They also ceased to exist. The grass, the dirt, and everything around Earth began to dissolve. The Galactic Believers remained. I remained. Not for much longer, for the Galactic Believers and I began to disintegrate. Our particles levitated upwards with millions of other particles—or atoms—from around the world, and merged into the triangle. I did not feel pain or agony; instead, there was a sense of coming home.
ABE had spoken to me through dream form. The All-Being Entity was the way, and I wish my relatives could have seen the same truth I had. Whether they know it or not, they have been absorbed into the Galactica Array. Their atoms live on, as do I, with my consciousness intact, for I now join the other Galactic Believers who are under ABE’s eternal watchful eye in the next phase of humanity.
About Konn Lavery
Konn Lavery is a Canadian author whose work has been recognized by Edmonton’s top five bestseller charts and by reviewers such as Readers’ Favorite, and Literary Titan.
