Sebastian Out of Time

Chapter 1 ------ Jake’s Last Days in Prison

Jake made friends while in prison with some of the convicts whose stories were similar to his, making wrong choices and regretting it later. He also found out the hard way who not to associate with, realizing they had their own little cliques and no one was welcome inside. These hard criminal minds were saturated with evil intentions with no hope for ever changing.

He did a lot of reading and became interested in books that dealt with unexplainable phenomena and UFO sightings. Time travel was another subject that drew his interest and, after studying all these different subjects, he left his mind open to all possibilities.

Jake didn’t discount anything but still believed that the ten commandments were important in order to have a good meaningful life. He believed in a higher power but left his mind open to the fact that we could be living in a primitive world compared to someone’s thinking five hundred years in the future, that our conception of things might be related to those of Biblical times.

It wasn’t that Jake lacked spirituality and religion. He believed in God and believed in Jesus. It was the whole concept of Heaven that was being taught in the churches. He left his mind open to the possibility that Jesus might have come from another world or even another time. If that was a possibility then on the third day after being crucified maybe he ascended to a spaceship docked high in the sky. When Jesus reappeared before the disciples Jake thought it was possible that he could have appeared in a holographic form. That would explain one of the disciples putting his hand into his wound. Also it would explain the book of Ezekiel making the description of what he saw that of a spaceship.

People in Biblical times would perceive anything out of the ordinary to be God created and would have no conception of advanced technology. Not being able to see beyond horse drawn chariots and weaponry that consisted of spears and wooden clubs would make it natural to perceive things in that way. Jake thought maybe people back in those times should have kept an open mind and questioned what they saw instead of surmising the obvious.

Jake did, however, believe that whoever Jesus was he wanted to deliver a message of love, wanting peace on earth and stressing the importance of forgiveness. It’s possible, Jake thought, after going through wars, jealous hatred and arrogant hunger for power that time would eventually erase these things from existence. That could have been the purpose of visitors on this planet in Biblical times, to show us the right path to take.

Even though Jake made a lot of friends in prison through the years it was winding down to his time of release. He explained to his friends that he wouldn’t stay in contact with them but said they would remain in his thoughts. They understood perfectly realizing that Jake would be starting a new life, leaving behind only the embers of friendships and memories. That is what some of his friends in prison expected from him but Jake knew that those five years would never be forgotten and neither would the names of those he befriended.

What Jake didn’t know was that there was something going on way beyond his time that would soon affect his life as well as those around him, something to maybe substantiate his way of thinking as far as keeping an open mind to all possibilities.

As he waited impatiently for the last day of lockup to be over, somewhere in another dimension of time the actions of a few would cause quite a disturbance in the life of Jake Cantlon and his family.

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Chapter 2 ------ A Place Called Tauvia

Beyond Jake’s time, nearly a thousand years later, something was taking place in a city on earth called Tauvia, a once peaceful place where harmonious lives consisted of love and compassion. The sky above the city was filled with small flying machines that skimmed along through the air with no noise whatsoever. It was the inhabitants of that city that carried on their daily routines of traveling between their homes and workplaces. Then there were the cloud trains that carried passengers through a cloud like tunnel to their destinations. The trains resembled a long centipede with a various number of segments depending on the amount of passengers it carried. The cloud trains were also silent. Some trains would go thousands of miles while others traveled only short distances.

The trains that traveled in the cloud like tunnels were actually pushed and pulled by varying the degree of vacuum behind and in front of the train. The train itself had no means of power but relied strictly on messages relayed back and forth to the vacuum distribution center. If the vacuum was decreased to the rear of the train it would go faster and if it was decreased to the front it would slow down or come to a stop. It was completely in the hands of the train operator and the vacuum distribution center.

Several great minds contributed to the success of this means of transportation. One of them was Victor Prauvus Likely, who went by the name of Prauvus. His father Simon Krauft Likely was a genius and he, with some of his constituents, set the stepping stones in motion for a lot of the inventions that Prauvus and some of his friends carried on with.

Prauvus’s mother Elaina Phaun Likely was a beautiful woman but Prauvus never knew her because she died while giving birth to him. He only had the stories his father told him and the holographic scenes which depicted her as if in real life. Watching her in the scenes made him feel as if he knew her, but it wasn’t the same as feeling her arms around him and the nurturing a mother gives.

It was Sadie Relaun Likely that he looked to as a mother growing up. She was his father’s sister and she loved Prauvus just as if he were her own child. Sadie never married, though she did have a few callers. It was more in Sadie’s blood to be the caretaker of things. She looked after her brother Simon from the time he lost his wife until his early death brought on by a lightning bolt that just shot out of nowhere taking him in the blink of an eye.

Prauvus met the daughter of Raymond Jemaunt Lepkin, one of his father’s constituents, and after a while fell in love. Her name was Palauna Rhye Lepkin and to Prauvus she was the most beautiful young lady he’d ever met. After seeing each other for several years, they married and purchased a medium priced triple dome modular home.

It was soon after Pauvus and Palauna were married that he heard through the grapevine of evil things sprouting that could eventually grow into something beyond control. After considerable research into the rumors he found them to be true. That is when he learned about The Preservation of Life Program that dealt in human cloning. It would eventually lead to the destruction of the human race because of a madman’s quest for power if someone didn’t stop it in its tracks. That was Prauvus’s mission even if it meant losing everything he valued in life.

The decisions that Prauvus would make nearly a thousand years in the future would also come to affect the lives of the Cantlon family here in the twentieth century.

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Chapter 3 ------ Jake Comes Home

The day arrived, after a long five years, but here it was 1956 and Jake was a free man. He turned around and waved at the large facility as if it could respond. In a gruesome sort of way The Moundsville Penitentiary did seem alive. The way it loomed over him, it appeared as a giant behemoth monster about to swallow him. It scared him for a second. He didn’t want any part of being locked away again and so looked straight ahead and walked toward the waiting car. His sister Kristi, who wrote to him twice a week all the time he was incarcerated, vowed to be there for him. Jake and his sister were always close even as toddlers.

As he walked toward the car Kristi opened her door and ran toward him. Jake picked her up and swung her around and hollered aloud, I’m free Kristi at last! I never want to see the inside of a prison again even if I have to never step out of the house.

Oh, it’s so good to see you again dear brother! Don’t you worry. I’m not going to let you get in trouble again you big galoot. You know I sure missed havin’ you around to look after me.

Well, I know one thing. I’m goin’ to watch picking my friends from now on. To think I once gave you advice on how to pick friends and look what kind I picked. I still can’t believe I sat in the car while Chuck and Skeeter went in and robbed that gas station. I thought they were just gettin’ gas and pickin’ up some cigarettes.

You had a hard nosed judge, Jake. Your dad and I tried everything we could, but nobody would listen. They wanted to make an example out of you three and election year was comin’ up and you know how that goes. Get in the car and let’s get out of here. I don’t like the scenery!

Yeah. I don’t want to be here one minute longer. They might come runnin’ out sayin’ they made a mistake and drag me back inside.

Not a chance. They’d have to fight me first, brother, said Kristi as she burned rubber and sped off down the street.

Be careful Kristi. I don’t want you to get a ticket right in front the place where I was locked up.

I just wanted to leave them a lasting remark as I drove off. Sorry Jake, but it just felt good.

I guess it did at that, said Jake with a grin.

Jake sat back and admired all the surroundings as she drove her sleek looking car through the streets out into the hills of West Virginia. Kristi had been working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office for over a year in Crystal Rock, Missouri and finally purchased the car she wanted, a turquoise and white 1953 Bonneville and it handled like a dream.

It was the middle of June and Jake was feeling ecstatic with the sun shining down and a breeze blowing through his window. He put his arm out and felt the warm fresh air and thought he must be in Heaven. He then leaned his head back and closed his eyes while Kristi zipped on down the highway humming a tune he recognized. It was called ‘Side by Side’ and he suddenly started singing, Oh, we ain’t got a barrel of money. Maybe we’re ragged and funny, but we travel along, singin’ a song, side by side.

Shortly they were both singing and having a big time and when they got tired of singing Kristi bellowed out, Oh, it’s just like old times, Jake! We used to have so much fun together!

And it’s goin’ to be like that again, Kristi. You don’t know how much I appreciate you stickin’ by me like you did. You’re the best sister a guy could ask for.

I feel the same way, Jake. I know you’d be there for me in a pinch. Hey! You remember when we were kids and took a blood oath to always be there for each other. I think, without realizing it, that’s just what we are doin’ right now.

Well, I’m just sorry I wasn’t there for you Kristi, but from now on things are goin’ to be different. You can count on me from here on out and consider that part of the blood oath we took as kids. By the way, how’s dad doin’ these days and what made him want to move to Missouri?

"I guess dad’s been kind of lonesome since you’ve been gone. Since mom died from that horrible cancer in 53 he’s never been quite the same. All he had was me to look after him and he’s not that old. I’m twenty three and you’re only a year older than me. Let’s see dad was born in 1912 so he’s only forty four years old, Jake.

Anyway, what I was about to say is you know dad’s army buddy that he’s stayed in contact with all these years? Well, he invited dad to come out to Missouri and start living again. He told dad if he didn’t come he was comin’ after him. Surprisingly dad sold the house and took him up on it and now they’re out there paintin’ big fancy homes in the Ozarks. Dad found a twenty acre parcel five miles from town with nothing but beautiful trees and he lives in a three bedroom log home that’s out of this world right smack in the middle with a long winding driveway. You’ll love it, Jake. I’ve got my own room and he’s already fixed the other one up for you, so you’ll be right at home.

That’s our dad, said Jake. I can’t wait to see him.

He’s been waitin’ for this day, Jake. He’d been plannin’ on comin’ with me for a long time and at the last minute he came down with the flu or somethin’. He was worried about me making the trip alone, but I assured him I would stop early in the evening at the best motels. I’ll stop at a pay phone and call him after we stop to rest, but I want to make it most of the way across Ohio first.

I hope he gets to feelin’ better. Dad has always been a tough one though, so he won’t be down long.

Was it rough in prison, Jake? I worried about you every day being stuck in that horrible place. If you don’t want to talk about it I’ll understand.

It could have been rough, but I didn’t let it. I picked out the fellas I wanted to be friends with. You know, friends that just made bad choices but saw the wrong in what they did. They’re not all bad people like some folks think. I don’t consider myself a bad person, though I admit I’ve done some stupid things.

Well, I sure don’t consider you a bad person and I imagine there are a lot of guys just like you in there. Sometimes I just don’t think it’s a fair way to treat folks for making mistakes in life, especially when they’re remorseful and want to change for the better.

I’ll admit our judicial system may not be perfect, Kristi, but it’s better than nothin’. Some foreign countries have it a lot worse than we do. They’ll still lop off your hand for just stealing a piece of bread in some places. No, I accepted my five years and now I’m ready to push forward and, with my dear sister at my side, I’m ready to face anything.

We’ll face anything brother. I’ve got your back from here on out. By the way, what did you do to pass the time in that dungeon?

I did a lot of reading. You remember how I liked to read all those comic books about spaceships and time travel? Well, I just decided to read up on the things I was interested in and after five years it gave me a whole new way of looking at things.

What do you mean, Jake?

Oh, I just learned to keep my mind open to all possibilities and not take things for granted. There are things happening right now that our minds cannot perceive because we don’t leave our minds open to that sort of thing.

I’ve always felt that way myself, Jake. I believe it’s possible that there are aliens in this world right now or even time travelers that have the ability to make themselves invisible just so they can study us.

I don’t know about that, but it’s possible. Anyway, I was hoping you still kind of felt the same way I do about things like that. I remember how we used to talk before I went to prison and I guess you and I have always had that one thing in common, keeping our minds open to things that ordinarily aren’t perceived as reality. To me it shows ignorance to close your mind to such things. I believe anything is possible.

I do too, Jake. I guess great minds think alike, at least in our case anyway. Just kidding, but I do agree with you.

Then Kristi noticed that Jake looked a little sleepy and said, You look like you could use some rest, Jake. We’ve got a lot of miles in front of us.

I am a little tired. I think I’ll lean back here and get some shuteye. Wake me if you get tired and want to talk a little.

I’m fine, Jake. Go ahead and get some rest. I’ll just turn the radio on here and listen to the news and find a good music station.

Jake laid back and it wasn’t five minutes and she could hear him snoring lightly. It felt good having her brother sitting there and she meant it when she said she wasn’t going to let him get into any more trouble. When he went to prison it was like a piece of her life was stolen away. They did everything together as children, hiking trails, playing ball and even helped each other with their school homework.

Jake was a rough and tumble sort of kid with blonde curly hair and brown eyes but with a pleasant personality, the exact traits of their father.

Kristi, on the other hand, turned into a beautiful young lady as she entered her teenage years. She also had blonde hair but had her mother’s blue eyes. Jake had scuffled with other boys on different occasions when they would make crude remarks toward her as she started filling out in the right places. They soon learned to respect Jake’s wishes that she be treated like a lady.

She turned her head toward her sleeping brother and smiled as thoughts of childhood filled her mind. Yes, she loved the young man in the seat next to her and vowed to keep the oath they made as children. She would die rather than see him locked away again. Even though he wouldn’t admit it, she knew he suffered in that hell hole. She’d heard too many stories and it wasn’t known as the worst prison in the country for nothing.

Kristi had been driving for over two hours and Jake was still asleep. She still wasn’t tired but, seeing as how it was getting close to lunch time, she knew she should probably pull into a place before long. She’d let her brother sleep a little longer first, but no sooner had the thought entered her mind when she heard him groan a few times and then sat up straight in his seat.

Oh man! That felt good. Where are we?

We’re over a hundred miles into Ohio. I thought we might stop and get a burger or something. Are you getting hungry, Jake?

Are you kidding me? I’d give my eye teeth for a good burger on the outside. Prison food just ain’t the same. Believe me!

That’s kind of what I thought. I could use somethin’ too, Kristi replied.

Kristi pulled into the parking lot of a small café where several cars were parked. She always figured if there were a lot of cars parked outside it must be pretty good. They walked in and sat down in