Greg and Susan walked their friends, the Wilsons, out to their rented car, parked in front of the Abernathy's house. They said goodbye and watched from the walk outside their front door as John started their car and drove away.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Susan wondered as they stood together.

"I can not be certain, but I got the impression it had something to do with the cave ... with that ... and Reuben," Greg said.

"Reuben?" Susan said in surprise. "John and Karen left so quickly, we didn't get the chance to introduce them to Reuben."

"Yes, however I did detect their sudden urgency to leave only after Reuben, Neil, Alan, and I returned to the top of the shaft where you were waiting. John and Karen met Alan before, and I am certain they recognized him. Neil introduced himself to them and they seemed okay with that. Reuben should have been a stranger to them. I got the distinct impression he was not ... at least not to John," Greg said.

"Oh?" Susan asked. She studied her husband's expression. "What happened, exactly?"

"I can not be certain, but based on the expression on John's face, I think he recognized Reuben ... not consciously perhaps, but on a deep, subconscious level. He may even be afraid of him," Greg shared.

"Afraid of Reuben? Why?" Susan asked.

Greg considered her thoughtfully. "I can not be certain. However I think I will make a call to David Sloane. It is possible he can help."

Susan stared at her husband, wondering what it was he seemed to know instinctively that she didn't. Usually they were on the same page when it came to things like this, but this time it seemed, they weren't.

Matt was waiting for Greg and Susan when they re-entered the house after seeing the Wilsons out.

"They left?" Matt asked in surprise.

"They did," Susan told him.

"That was sudden. I thought they were staying for dinner," Matt said.

"I did too," Susan said. "Apparently they had a change in plans."

"Did I say something?" Matt wondered.

"I don't think so, Matt," Susan assured him.

"I believe their plans changed when John made the decision to join us tomorrow," Greg explained. "They didn't originally expect to do that. Since they are currently house guests, staying with Joan and Wilbury, I imagine they decided they should spend the rest of the day with them since John will be here again tomorrow."

"In other words, they need to let them know about the change in their plans," Susan said.

"Oh," Matt said with a frown.

Greg took a moment to study the young man's expression, but when Matt didn't say anything more, he excused himself, going to the library to make a telephone call.

"Who is he calling?" Matt asked.

"I think he's calling Rabbi Sloane," Susan told him.

"Why?" Matt sputtered. "Did I do that too?"

His expression of alarm took Susan by surprise.

"Does that worry you?" Susan asked.

"Sort of ... I mean yes ... yes, it does, Mom. Rabbi Sloane is on board with you and Greg, and all of you about this past life thing. I mean, he's on your side," Matt said sounding stressed.

"We're not taking sides about this Matt," Susan said in a worried tone. "It's not us against you."

"I know," Matt said and he hung his head.

"But that is how it feels to you," Susan acknowledged.

"Yeah ... it does. Mom, I know what you all have planned for tomorrow is important to you ... but it does bother me ... knowing you're going along with this the way you are."

Susan nodded, thinking about her son's faith and wondering what she could do to help.

"Would it help you do you think, if Ashley could be here?" Susan wondered. "Someone you know who cares about you and would be firmly on your side?"

Matt looked at her oddly. "Maybe. Can I invite her?"

"I think that is a very good idea," Susan told him.

Matt grinned. "Thanks Mom," he said and he headed back towards his room, just as Greg came up the stairs from the library.

"Thanks for what?" he asked when Matthew disappeared.

"I suggested things might go better for Matt tomorrow if Ashley was here," Susan told him.

Greg nodded. "David is coming too."

"He is?" Susan said in surprise.

"He is. Apparently, Bob called him earlier in the week. Reuben called him on Friday, after meeting Shelly and spending time with her during our excursion into the cave. And Julie talked to him at Temple today on our behalf. She told him that from what she knew of the situation based on our movie, she felt there was something brewing at our house," Greg explained.

"He was expecting your call," Susan realized.

"Yes. He expressed frank surprise that it took so long," Greg said.

"What time is he coming?" Susan asked.

"At noon," Greg said.

"John said, he should be here by one," Susan supplied. "Maybe we should eat lunch first tomorrow, then go down?"

"Not necessarily. David will be here relatively early. I would hate to keep him waiting if he feels there is some benefit from proceeding. I know with so many of us present, he is concerned about having enough time," Greg said.

"Since we're not doing any construction, do you really think it will take all that long?" Susan asked in surprise.

"Not necessarily. From what we can tell, the next section we will explore should be a fairly easy walk," Greg said. "However I believe it is the resultant discussions we expect which David feels may take the time."

He'd no sooner said that when Neil's car pulled up in front of the house again. He, Zack, and Reuben got out, each carrying a stack of boxes. Susan watched from the window, but instead of coming towards the house, they walked in the direction of the cottage, the most direct route to the cave.

"Maybe we should help?" Susan wondered.

"I think that is a very good idea. We need to be prepared," Greg said, and they all spent the rest of the Sabbath helping Neil install communications equipment down in Greg and Susan's cave.

c

Susan went to bed early that night, or so Greg thought. He went to their bedroom several hours later, but instead of finding Susan asleep in their bed, he discovered that although the bedding was turned down, she wasn't there. Nor had their bed been slept in. Wondering where she was, Greg checked the nursery next.

"Papa," Melody said.

"Melody?" Greg said. He walked into the darkened room to find his daughter standing up in her crib, looking out her window. "It's time for bed, Melody. Night, night," Greg told her.

He went to her with the intent of trying to persuade her to lie down. But Melody stretched her hand out towards the window and said, "Momma?"

Greg looked where she was pointing and sure enough Susan was there, out on their balcony, praying.

"Momma is spending time with the Lord," Greg told her.

"Amen?" Melody said.

Greg thought about that. "Momma has been teaching you to pray," Greg recognized. "Yes, 'amen' is what you say at the end of a prayer."

Melody cruised around the sides of her crib until she was now facing Greg instead of the window. "Fadder," she said, reaching her hand straight up. "Home."

"You think of heaven as home, don't you," Greg commented as he picked her up. "I suppose it is to a being like you. What is 'fadder'?"

Melody frowned. Trying harder she said, "Fad-her."

"Do you mean 'father'?" Greg asked. "As in the Lord, God Almighty?"

Melody grinned and Greg looked at her in surprise. That made sense too. She thought of the Lord in heaven as her father, and given Melody had trouble with the 't' sound, it came out 'fadher' instead of 'father'. To her, he was 'Papa', her earthly father only.

"Yes, you are right. That is who Momma is praying to," Greg said.

Melody nodded. "Momma okay?"

"I don't know. Should we check?" Greg asked.

"Check," Melody repeated.

Greg smiled. "Okay. Let's go see her."

Susan looked up from her prayers when her husband and daughter approached.

"What are you doing up?" Susan asked in surprise when she spotted Melody in Greg's arms.

"She was worried about you ... and so am I," Greg told her. "Are we intruding? I know you are here to pray."

"I am, but it probably is time to come in," Susan said. "And I'm okay. I'm worried about Matthew. I'm out here in part, because I'm trying to find a better way to handle things tomorrow in regards to him. I know what we do is important. Tomorrow is important, on so many levels ... and I'm out here praying for guidance. I want to make sure we get it right."

"Have you an answer?" Greg wondered.

"No, but I am listening," Susan told him.

"Hear, Momma," Melody said as she pulled on her own ear.

"Hear what the Lord has to say. Listen for his guidance. Yes, I know," Susan assured her. "You too."

"Me," Melody told her.

Susan smiled. "Even angels need to listen to our Father's guidance, Melody. That much is a given."

"Fadher," Melody told her pointing up.

"I believe she is trying to say 'father'," Greg supplied.

"Oh?" Susan said.

"She was trying to tell me something about it while we were inside. She also insisted we come out to check on you," Greg said.

"You did?" Susan asked her daughter.

Melody smiled. "Momma be okay. Momma hear, okay?"

"I am trying," Susan assured her.

Melody's smile grew broader and she yawned.

"Bed time, Melody. For all of us," Susan told her. "We all need to be well rested for tomorrow. I have a feeling it's going to be a very significant day."

"I do too," Greg said. "And I also need to pray. If you don't mind?"

He passed Melody to Susan.

"No, I don't mind," Susan said. She kissed him on the cheek and took Melody inside.

Greg hesitated before starting his prayers. He knew both he and Susan needed to spend time with the Lord, but he had the nagging feeling that they also needed to talk. They needed to be on the same page with one another, now more than ever, and that wasn't going to happen if they didn't listen to each other at every stage of what lay ahead.

And so, Greg made his nightly prayers to the Lord, vowing to listen to both Him and his wife in the days to come. He said his prayers quickly however and as soon as he could manage it, he went in doors.

c

Susan was just getting into bed when Greg rejoined her in their bedroom.

"That was fast," she remarked. "I barely got Melody back to bed."

"I knew I needed to be. Susan, we need to talk ... before tomorrow. That is the message which has come to me most strongly from the Lord this evening. We went into the pit last time without doing that, and my sense is, we both struggled, to the point where we failed," Greg said.

Susan bowed her head. "I know. I know we need to put faith first ... for everybody. We also need to accept, that for some people, this is their only chance. Reincarnation may not be true for everybody," Susan said.

"No?" Greg questioned.

"No. I suspect the way the Lord handles us and our allotment of time varies as much from person to person as any other distinctly human quality we have," Susan said. "I say while we are down there, we share what we know. We don't hold back, but we emphasize faith above all else."

"I agree we should act and support those we are with, from the standpoint of faith; but, I'm not sure I agree with your premise that not everyone may have more than one life to do what the Lord asks them to do. They may accomplish their task in considerably less time, however to openly state that this is variable is not something I can support," Greg said.

"And I wouldn't expect you to," Susan said. "However, I believe it is within the realm of what the Lord can do. It may not be fair, from the human point of view, but is that up to us to decide? I mean who's to say what is fair? Is it fair that some die as infants while others live to be 91?"

"No, of course not. But that is different from what I understood you to be saying before," Greg said.

"I am simply extending that reasoning to the length of life given to one soul," Susan explained.

"Ah," Greg hesitated. He considered what it was Susan was trying to describe. "I suppose from a certain line of reasoning, that may be true," he said cautiously. "Actually, that sounds very much like what you were trying to describe to John and Karen this afternoon."

Susan smiled at him wanly. "Consider it a dry run. Tomorrow will be much more difficult. We will have people with us with vastly different backgrounds, who have differing beliefs, who subscribe to different religions. The setting will trigger dreams in some, memories in others, and some will have none of those things. In that setting, what we say and do ... the stance we take, may influence them more strongly than either of us might be willing to believe."

Greg cocked his head. "And you are saying that based on what?"

"On a fragment of a memory. It's all I have. I can remember bits and pieces of what happened before. I remember each of us retreating into religion as a result of being challenged on our position. It felt safer. We had the support of our respective clergy, it fit with popular thinking, there were a lot of reasons why we reacted the way we did. And maybe for most people, that would have been alright ..."

"But not for us," Greg recognized, "and not for the people we were with. They were on their first life on that occasion."

"Yes. It is possible they might have succeeded much sooner if we'd managed to stay true to the task the Lord sent us to do," Susan said.

"Because, we are the voice of the Lord when it comes to faith. I understand that. We may not be His only voice, but we are the example the Lord has set out for how faith above religion should persevere. This is what He sent us to do: to carry the message that faith must be at the heart of even the most religious of men."

"Yes," Susan said. "Religion is there too ... I understand that. I don't mean we should negate religion or ignore it exactly ..."

"Not at all," Greg agreed. "Only that faith must come first."

Greg sighed as he thought about what it was they were actually saying.

"I see what you mean. How do we do that? How do we support each of those who will be with us tomorrow, in the face of our differing beliefs and theirs ... including the one single belief which most of us who will be there have in common? That we each have experienced one or more past lives; that it is our memory of a place very much like our cave, which has driven us to be here ... to understand. How do we do that, in the presence of those who are here for the first time ... and may not believe as we do, that life isn't always restricted to a single physical existence," Greg said.

"Yes. Exactly," Susan said. "That is what I am wrestling with."

"Indeed," Greg said. He sat silently beside her on the side of their bed. His thoughts turned inward as he considered what she was saying. A full ten minutes later, he turned to Susan again and sighed.

"I don't know what to say. You know that I fully subscribe to the existence of multiple lives. I know we have also said before that sometimes, people can succeed in only one life, and for those people, one is all there is. I don't have a problem with that. It is the idea that the Lord may not give all His children that same opportunity which bothers me," Greg shared.

Susan studied her husband in concern. "I don't know that He does do that, Greg. I am only saying, I don't know enough to say it isn't a possibility. I can't help wondering if those people, who believe that is what happens, aren't necessarily wrong. I simply don't know. I know not to limit what the Lord can do. I know the wisdom He has shared with you and me is in the area of past lives."

Greg considered that. "I wonder if David might know."

"Do you think he would?" Susan asked.

"He has studied the teachings of Zohar much more closely than I have, Susan. I know when I've talked to rabbinical sources before, I've always come away with the impression that my experiences are rare. I assumed that to mean it was rare for individuals to remember their past lives. I'm not sure we always have, and as we've met more and more people whom we believe have lived before, their memories of their own past lives do seem to be somewhat limited," Greg explained.

"Which supports your idea that most people have them, it's only that they don't remember them," Susan said.

"Yes. Exactly. It never occurred to me to consider your explanation," Greg told her truthfully.

It was Susan's turn to sigh. "Something to ask David?" she wondered.

"I believe so," Greg said. "It is also possible John might have some insights into this."

"John ... John Wilson?" Susan questioned in surprise.

Greg cocked his head as he considered his wife. "You saw his reaction to seeing the vertical shaft with all its lights on in our cave."

"Yes. He was excited by it. Finding a place like that smacks of high adventure," Susan told him. "We already know from the sorts of postings John is willing to take on as a missionary, that there is an adventurous side to him. He regularly puts himself in places most people would feel are adventurous."

"While that is true, we also know from John's willingness to share the tale of the twine trees from the aborigine village elders, that he is open to the spiritual interpretations of others. I don't believe John has necessarily cut himself off from the idea of reincarnation," Greg told her.

"I know he is very willing to explore other ways of thinking. John has a natural curiosity about the spiritual realm, which makes him receptive to the ideas about the spirit world from more primitive cultures. It's why he gets along with them so well. It's part of what makes him such a good missionary. But being open to an idea is not the same as embracing it," Susan cautioned. "Nor does it give him any particular insight or expertise in those areas he can share."

"Except I suspect in John's case, it does," Greg said.

Susan furrowed her brow.

"I think ... he dreams," Greg told his wife hesitantly.

"I think you are reading more into his reaction than is warranted," Susan cautioned. "Be careful with this Greg ... for John, for Matt, for Ashley if she comes, and for us."

"Is Ashley coming?" Greg asked with an arched brow.

"I encouraged Matt to invite her ... I thought he could use her support, so maybe," Susan said.

Greg tipped his head as he considered both the numbers and the backgrounds of the people who would be with them the next day.

"You believe we are being challenged," he realized.

"How do you mean?" Susan asked.

"The Lord providing us with companions from vastly differing backgrounds and experiences, in this particular situation, we are being challenged to look beyond the differences and the experiences from whatever life, to look to faith ... and only faith ... in this situation," Greg said.

Susan thought about what he was saying.

"Yes," she said a full fifteen minutes later. "Yes, I do. I believe we succeed or fail based on how well we do."

"I happen to agree," Greg told her. "I didn't expect to, but I do. Which means ... it doesn't matter if John supports us or Matt. If there is the possibility some may only have the opportunity for one life while others have more; or if they are young or old or how much they remember ... for everybody our underlying position should be one of faith."

Susan studied her husband's expression. "Can you do that? With Ruth and Reuben and Bobby and David here?"

"You mean in the face of those from my religion whose opinions and thoughts about me matter to me," Greg said.

"Yes. Will you be swayed by them?" Susan wondered.

"Swayed to act from a position based on religion rather than faith," Greg said.

"Yes," Susan said. "Can you?"

"I must," Greg told her. "It is vital that I do ... and you do too."

"I will," Susan told him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Melody sang to me this evening while I was putting her to bed. It felt like the voice of an angel, encouraging me in what I need to do," Susan said.

Greg arched his brow. "I remember the messenger at the Master's House ... she sang too."

"Yes, she did. I believe the stage is set. I suggest we get a good night's sleep. I think we have an important day in front of us tomorrow."

Greg caught her eye and smiled. "I completely agree."

Greg drew his wife into his arms, doing his best to help them focus their attention not only on their union with each, but also with the Lord. Their concentration on the spiritual as well as the physical served them well. By the time they finished keeping the first commandment, they'd both fallen into a deep and restful sleep.

c