The Unpretenders - Chapter 21

I wanted everything to be just the same, that evening. Just the same as it was on our first evening, when Izzy bounced dementedly on the four-poster bed; when I caught my first glimpse of the estate, from the balcony, by moonlight; and when Julian brought us hot chocolate in bed, on a silver tray, with mini marshmallows. Yes, I wanted everything to be just the same, that evening. And it was. Only, it wasn't. For we had all since acquired a wealth of new memories, understandings and insights; we had all been forever altered by the intervening experiences. And maybe that was the whole point of experiencing. Maybe that evening was analogous to Isobel's journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance, which was nothing but God's own journey, of course, into the world of form and duality, separation and suffering. A journey destined to end precisely where it began, and yet by no means in vain. Not if it brought transparency to the opaque, or light to the darkness. Not if it revealed our own self as the peace and bliss that we had mistakenly sought to find externally.

"That which forces you out will also draw you back in," said Julian, who was sitting comfortably beside our bed, just as I had hoped. In another time and place he may have been reading us children's stories, rather than discussing the nature of reality. And no doubt many children would have preferred that traditional dynamic, farcical though it was. For the unspeakable truth was that adults were the real children. Not in the sense of being child-like, which was a positive attribute, but rather child-ish, which wasn't positive at all. Children instinctively knew that, of course, even though most of them couldn't quite believe it.

"Boredom and loneliness," said Julian, addressing Isobel. "For these reasons duality exists. And through it you can transcend both of them. And then your natural state will become a delight once more, rather than a burden."

"So the Earth provides a service?" she asked.

"Duality provides a service."

"But not the Earth?"

"Earth is a special case. You see, souls aren't returning from it, as they should, but rather getting trapped here, and descending into ever lower states of consciousness. Most can no longer live without the drama and meaning that it offers them. Which means that they are addicted. And the greater aspect of God doesn't wish to be an addict."

The conversation then turned to the subject of my unexpected notoriety, which I hadn't been keeping Isobel fully apprised of. "I expect you've seen this, Sophie," said Julian, opening a copy of the local newspaper.

"Yeah, I've seen that one."

"I haven't," said Isobel, sitting up. "What is it?"

Julian folded the newspaper in half, cleared his throat, and began to read the article: "Schoolgirl expelled after claiming to be God. Local schoolgirl, Sophie Pearce, thirteen, astou..."

"Yeah, they couldn't even get my age right," I said, interrupting. "Please continue."

Julian started again. "Local schoolgirl, Sophie Pearce, thirteen, astounded fellow pupils and teachers alike on Wednesday by proclaiming herself to be the living embodiment of the Almighty. An assertion only tempered by her proviso that so was everybody else. Even so, the outburst..."

"It wasn't exactly an outburst!"

"Even so, the outburst left students dumbfounded and teachers mystified. Headmaster of the school, Michael Davich, cited her relationship with disgraced teacher, Julian Morgan, as the likely cause of her bizarre claims. 'He has obviously filled this young girl's head with a lot of mumbo-jumbo', he said..."

"That's rich, coming from a teacher!"

"Officially, however, the decision to expel Sophie was only taken after she advocated trashing the school and burning it to the ground, in honour of Pink Floyd's classic music video, Another Brick in the Wall."

"That's not entirely accurate. I didn't even mention Pink Floyd."

"Since appearing on YouTube, her inflammatory address has received over one million hits and sparked outrage across the nation. Schools up and down the country have also reported disturbances, which they claim can be directly attributed to the eight-minute clip. In one incident, a number of teachers were bound, gagged, and locked in a storeroom for several hours. Afterwards, one of the pupils involved attempted to justify his actions by quoting from the video: 'When you realise what teachers have been doing to us, on behalf of the system, the most understandable reaction is rage. The children of this world are paying the price for maniacal agendas, and will continue to do so, until we collectively wake-up and resist the tyranny'."

"Fight the power!" said Isobel, raising a clenched fist.

"Parents culpable," Julian continued. "Some of Sophie's most vicious comments, however, were directed at parents, whom she accused of participating in modern-day child sacrifice: 'Only, instead of death by blade, or fire, death comes slowly, through years of indoctrination, followed by years of slavery to the artificial money system, which has usurped the deities of old. I know it's disturbing, but the truth is that most parents sacrifice their beloved children to the state because they are too busy chasing after money to raise them themselves."

"Exactly," said Isobel. "You nailed it, Sophie!"

Julian smiled, approvingly, and tossed the newspaper onto the bed. "More cocoa, anyone?"