Muriel stood at the end of the pier watching the storm approach over the lake. The storm front was a wall of smoky gray devouring the blue sky ahead of it. It didn't matter to Muriel that she was about to be caught up a half mile from shore on the concrete pier in the middle of a storm. She needed to feel the wind and the rain and the power of nature crashing down upon her.

  Lightning pierced through the clouds, spreading its many fingers through the encroaching darkness. The water rose and fell like tortured dancers in a macabre ballet performance. The clouds opened.  The rain unleashed itself and the wind swirled around Muriel like a long lost lover leaving no part of her untouched by its force. She closed her eyes.

  It began. The pictures first came like a slide show on a screen. Images of landscapes in kaleidoscopes of colors appeared and the colors shocked Muriel's mind with their intense beauty. She had stopped questioning long ago where such places could be. In her days of belonging to regimented religions, she had always imagined it could be heaven. When her soul had opened to the truth, she knew that what she envisioned was the beauty and universality of life hidden below the layered surface of eons of manmade myths and lies.

  The storm raged around Muriel, but she had become one with its power and soon the slide show had changed into visions in which she was a participant in a most literal way. All that remained on the pier was her physical body. Her spirit had begun yet another journey of prophecy.

  "Welcome, my child!" Sahra, the eldest, exclaimed as she and the others gathered around Muriel, touching her spirit with the glow of love and total acceptance. When their greetings were completed and their spirits were joined, they gathered in the center of the ancient circular boulders in a circle of their own. Eight souls who had moved into the endless universe were joined with one who still walked Earth's firmament.

  "Muriel, a time of great trial will come for your Earth," Mangus, the knowledge  gatherer stated.

  "Yes, the Earth is full of trials, anger, hate and much despair. Many live in opulence and immoral wealth, while a majority wonder how they will survive day to day. Terrorism is a part of daily life in so many lands."

  "Oh, Child, do not despair! There is much hope! There is an underpinning of goodness and compassion throughout your Earth that will not be eradicated. We are forewarning you to assist those who will be responsible for the renewal and rejuvenation of your Earth when the time finally arrives. Those who have perpetrated terror, spread the seeds of hate and those who have destroyed the Mother's gifts wantonly for profit and greed, will not survive the onslaught of those who will finally have justice!"

  "How will I know who they are?" Muriel asked.

  "Many will find you. You will be like a beacon to them. Others will not be aware of their roles in the battle till the time is right. You will be aware of their confusion and seek them out."

  "Mangus, Sahra, I am an ordinary person. I'm not a politician or diplomat. What can I tell them or how can I direct them in a battle for the survival of the Earth?"

  Mangus and Sahra exchanged looks of concern and left the circle to encompass Muriel's spirit. The other six spirits gathered in a circle behind Mangus, Sahra and Muriel. The infusion of knowledge began that would be available when she most needed it.

  Muriel wept when she envisioned the events that preceded the rebuilding of the Mother’s Earth. Much would be destroyed and laid waste, but the elders showed her that the destruction would lay a groundwork for a world that would be built on a solid foundation of love and understanding. Just as a seed needs to die to grow, the lies and deception, greed and injustice would also pass.

  A clap of thunder made Muriel aware that her spirit was back in her body on the pier jutting out into Lake Ontario. She was soaked to the bone. In the distance, the sky was clearing which Muriel saw as a sign of hope.

  Muriel turned away from the lake and took her first step toward a future that she would rather not have seen. She had not asked for the gift, but she knew that despite the trials and tribulations about to descend upon her beloved Earth by the People of the Lie, hope and love and rebirth would renew the planet for all its wondrous inhabitants. As she walked away, each step became more determined as hope filled the future.