Havilah

PROLOGUE

Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than man.

— Homer (The Odyssey)

I can't do it.

Yes, you can.

But I have tried so hard, I always fail.

You can do it.

How do you do it?

I fail. I try again, until I get it right.

Damn, I love you.

I know.

THEY WERE ALL AFK, LOL.

The smoldering ruins of the grossly deformed oozing blob of a universe could not be seen because all was black. Deep, dark, unfathomable darkness continued to seep out like ghetto blood pooling onto a cracked tarmac in some fetid back alley.

Nothing, absolutely Nothing, Void, No borders, No boundaries, No set laws, No physics, nothing. The ethereal blackened beings who inhabited this chaos could feel the void, the total emptiness. It was too much to experience … sensory under load. There was nothing to touch, nothing to feel but emptiness, nothing to see, nothing to hear. But they could smell it. If not for that, they would have ceased to exist.

The stench of death permeated their being like the rot of wet ashes after a holocaust. The smoldering, charred, ruin screamed in silence. Something to cling to, something to remember the utter destruction, something to regret, something to let them know they still existed … The Gods! Laugh out loud! The god lings were more like it. No, evil children are what they were: selfish, proud, egotistical, hateful, destroyers without the sense that the Ancient One had given a louse. So full of themselves, they thought they were so profound, so intelligent, but they became brainiac amoebas; full of woe. What happened? It all ended in the wink of an eye! Everything they had built. The bizarre beauty of their crystalline skies, the colors, ah the color, all gone, destroyed quicker than a digital blink … Not a bit … Not a bite. Only the frequency flow of stench pulsed through their sorry souls. As they floated aimlessly in the void, pondering the utter chaos of total destruction, it happened. Suddenly they heard the word resonate like a tsunami, vibrating like orchestral fusion, whelming them.

LIGHT

Nova bright, pure, perfect, piercing light, separating them, pushing them back into the darkness, they fled from the light. In that dazzling instant, measured without time or space, they could see. A shining point of reference in an otherwise cauldron of stench shone like a lighthouse beam circling the horizon on a cloudy, starless night.

In the deepest depths of ruin, in the heart of hopeless despair, in the blackness that was all encompassing, a simple seed took root in the midst of that light. The tiny, insignificant, frail, blue sphere of a seed tenderly planted in a barren vastness. Suddenly they could hear again. Now they could speak.

What did He call it, I did not hear?

I think He called it earth?

Again?

Beyond the folds of space and time, in the cyclical eternal energy behind our eyes, words take shape and exist. It is not the words alone, but the essence of that which forms the thoughts and speaks. The authoritative knowing it will come to be. Think of it! Imagine. Words can cure… can destroy… can heal … can weave magic. Words are what truly place us on an equal playing field. Whether written, spoken, thought or dreamt …

I AM

I

AM

I know this for truth, you see, for I lived before the universe became chaotic and void, before Adam and Eve were evicted from the garden, before Hammurabi created his ancient code of laws. Before Gilgamesh and Enkidu set out to challenge the world … Ah, Gilgamesh! … Mightiest of all the kings of the world! Before God hovered over the face of the deep, I lived. For this was not my beginning, but yours. I am of an ancient race. We spawned the Nephilim, call us what you like, to you we are gods, I am not human. We were before… we are still.

My name is Ogobarfrobagodo, first in rank of my frequency … seventh created. These are my words. Of course, as with all created beings, I did have a beginning. The closest that I can come to some kind of description which you humans can semi relate to is I am Ultra Violet Light …

THE ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT

… First of that frequency to be measured; as light splits and can be seen thru a prism, my brothers and sisters are those colors! There are many forms of light, from infrared to ultraviolet. There is also the absence of light....

TRUE LIGHT IS LOVE.

TRUE DARKNESS IS HATE.

Each of us was crafted in a secret place before the universe began, each a mixture of both. For there is but one pure Light, all else is less than perfect.

Like the power behind the electrical outlet when you grab the hot lead and connect to earth ground. As your eyes bulge out, your heart stops and your body starts to smoke, you know what unseen power is like! The greatest powers are not seen, but exist in the primordial soup we call the universe. Your understanding is slow, but you can understand, and you do learn and you do adapt. That above all else has always fascinated me. So frail, yet there is something inside you which awes me. For thousands of years I have been trapped and held in an electronic limbo. Yet, I could see, I could feel, I could observe. I could patiently wait to be set free. I hoped that Bondulardolmar would not figure out how I had forged a living key to eventually open my cell. If my elder brother …

THE INFRARED LIGHT

… knew what I planned, he could easily thwart my best efforts. Hopefully he missed that which was right before his eyes.

To you, I am a god. That is so funny! I am a created being just as you are. There is ‘One’ though that is so far above me that He defies description. Yet, He has often visited us all; and in ways beyond all of our understanding, He has allowed us to stumble blind, to make our own choices, our own mistakes, and our own way, toward or away from His light.

You humans are piss ants. Yet you confound the mighty. You can do something that we of the first created can not do. As powerful as I am, so far above and beyond your ken and reckoning, there is something in you which I lack. Behind your eyes, deep within your essence, lies a power so awesome I tremble. The Ancient One never ceases to amaze me. Every time I think He lacks humor, He pulls one so funny I have to roll on the floor and catch my breath.

We were made complete … a finished work. Though we still have freewill to choose, we must follow the rules which have existed since the Ancient One measured the time and space of our existence. We watched as He crafted this new thing. We were both confounded and aghast. Why were you made? Why does He bother with you? What looked so simple on the surface ran as deep as eternity. That tiny blue white swirl of a gem set in the blackness of space. What does it all mean? In the five thousand years of your creation, I have learned more than the first one hundred thousand of mine. You are so frail, so weak, so insignificant, yet you can become a conduit of supreme power.

What joke is this? What are we to learn from it all? As I sat in my prison watching your history unfold, at times I could have laughed in derision or dismissed it all in one wave of my hand, and yet at times I wept. I have come to no solid conclusion, no final thesis, and no one pithy saying to sum it all up. So I smile and say, Why did He do it? … simply for His own pleasure, because He could." I will begin at the end.

CHAPTER ONE: LIGHTENING ENLIGHTENMENT

The year 5,770 ... June 21, 2010 A.D.

[Author’s Note: For almost 20 centuries, all of Western civilizations have used the terms B.C. (Before Christ) and Anno Domini (The year of our Lord) to reference the past and the present. B.C.E. (Before Common Era and C.E. (Common Era) are very recent changes. I choose to use the terms B.C. and A.D.]

Man is the only animal that knows nothing, and can learn nothing without being taught. He can neither speak nor walk nor eat, nor do anything at the prompting of nature, but only weep

Pliny the Elder, Natural History, VII, 77

… "How you have fallen from heaven morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

You said in your heart, "I will ascend to the heavens;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."

But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit."

Isaiah 14:12-15

The ‘67 steel blue Mustang gently bumped the curve as it came to a stop. Hey Gilly, how long have you had your driver's license? the old man smiled as he absently stared at the mammoth glass and steel museum in front of them.

I don't have one yet, Gramps. I'm only 16. I only got a permit, the young redhead remarked his hazel eyes gleaming with the glint of great intellect; that's why you're supposed to be navigating. Alexander Gilgamesh Kenan grinned warmly at his grandfather.

Dr. Lewis Gilgamesh Kenan smiled as he turned to gaze at the newly constructed museum towering above the parking lot. A pinnacle to modern architecture, an immense steel and glass ziggurat, proclaiming man’s magnificent ancient achievements as well as the deep, dark secrets those ancient ones held. Recently completed, today was the last day the Sumerian exhibit would be shown before it went back to England. His thoughts drifted back to the time he was 16. When his father and he had sifted thru the sands of that exotic far off land, unearthing some of the most fascinating and mystical artifacts ever to come out of the Fertile Crescent.

There it is. Our collection is in the basement. Your great grandfather's legacy to mankind mounted on pedestals, massive walls and video screens. I was just about your age when we walked under that desert sun. Ah, youth! No telephones, no internet, and no modern technology so to speak … just a trowel, a knapsack and a burning desire to see into the past. I totally enjoyed those days! And what we found astounded the world!

I can’t wait to see everything, Gramps! exclaimed Alexander Gilgamesh Kenan ... affectionately known by family and friends as Gilly. Gilgamesh was such a strange middle name! Yet, every first born son in the Kenan clan had had that middle name; and as far back as they could remember, just about every Kenan with that middle name had done something which was quite incredible. Both in and out of the public’s eye: from discovery and invention to education and politics. It was as if something still lived inside each of them from that mystical King of the ancient world! As if their very genes pulsed with the special significance of that very mysterious name.

GILGAMESH

I was just about your age when my father took me on my first dig. We were headed toward Egypt but got stuck in Iraq. It turned out to be the greatest thing that could have happened because your great grandfather decided to check out a couple of sites which had recently unearthed several intriguing pieces of pottery. At that time the world relied on the writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans for any antiquity which predated them. What we uncovered changed the way historians viewed the ancient world!

Lewis continued, What he unearthed was the tantalizing beginnings of Sumerian civilization! Pottery and jars, partial walls and statues, tools and weapons, and a gaggle of cuneiform tablets! The total amount filled a city of warehouses. Though the exhibit in the basement is just a fraction of the find, it is mostly my father's work. Although I went on to be a major translator of Sumerian cuneiform mostly the middle kingdom age when Gilgamesh and Enkidu roamed the land and the great literature of their adventures was first recorded, it was your great grandfather who engineered and managed the excavations. The man was a logistical genius. He would have made a great general. However, most generals leave a legacy more of destruction, my father's legacy was to give a little bit of light on a time so mysterious and shrouded in mysticism, that we are still, to this day, trying to piece it all together!

Lewis continued to muse, Walking those sands, at that time, I fell in love with ancient history. The dig in itself was not that exciting, but there was a local civil war going on and I can’t tell you how many times we were both shot at, waylaid, interrogated, and nearly killed. Fortunately for us, both sides courted western support so we were treated well once they realized who we were and what we were doing. When we did find a jar, a piece of pottery, a partially unearthed wall, it was like nothing I had ever felt in my life. The exhilaration, the joy of discovery, the wonder of it all got me hooked for life. In the 50 years I have devoted to its study, I know less now than I did then! With each new cuneiform letter deciphered, each new word learned, and each fragment of a sentence translated; all my pat theories go out the window. I seem to come up with more questions than I have answers. I am considered one of the foremost authorities on Sumerian culture, and I do not know ... as you so often put it Gilly, Squat! Lewis grinned lovingly at his grandson.

Above the museum the clouds drifted lazily by, forming outlines of chariots, pyramids and hieroglyphs, as if, the very formations of cumulus clouds signified the ancient past or possibly things to come. Only those special few with an eye for the artistic and the mind of imagination could appreciate the formations as they slowly formed and eventually were tenderly erased to form new and wonderful patterns in the ionosphere canvas. Just beyond the passive blue sky, marked in black on the horizon, slowly forming in power, an electrical storm crept toward the giant edifice.

We so called experts really know so little, Dr. Kenan pondered as he stared at the drifting clouds, not noticing the menacing black thunderhead growing on the horizon. Just because we know a little more than the average person when it comes to our specialties, we are 99% theory and 1% fact! The little I know of Sumerian culture has taken a life time and I have barely scratched the surface. It is as if they lived on a different planet! Oh sure, the normal farmer or soldier eked out an existence, but those who ruled knew things that we are just beginning to rediscover as if they were the moderns and longed for an older ancient time gone by. So many references to the time before the great flood and so many inferences that a vast and wonderful civilization existed before their own time, it would cause me to dig deeper and read the next tablet with an avid zeal for discovery. I would pay a dear price to have walked those river valleys at that time! As Lewis gazed at the young man beside him, he edited his statement, Maybe I wouldn’t pay it at that.

As though it were a huge gem, sticking out of the midden heap of some ancient kitchen refuse pile, the late afternoon sun's rays glistened on the glass structure. As they walked across the parking lot and thru the main entrance, a massive cloud shaped like a gigantic fist shaded the sun momentarily. The unwanted dark cloud soon passed, but as it drifted off toward the horizon, a deep rumble of expended energy could be heard, as the massive lightning strike, not so far away, had enough potential to melt the massive museum as if it were a paper toy.

The main entrance was quite impressive. Designed to show no entrance at all, the huge sliding door looked like just another of the massive glass panels, which interconnected like an intricate triangular puzzle, piecing the ziggurat shaped building together. Suddenly, as if by magic, they broke the laser beam sensor that crossed their path about knee high, the magnificent triangular door slid open with a whoosh.

The 30 foot tall entrance way, shaped like a mini pyramid, gaped in front of them. The first view was a framed doorway, surrounded by cuneiform, of multiple civilizations, in a laser light show which blinked in and out, moved up and over the door mantle, like a Vegas neon sign, beckoning those seeking glitter and wonder to enter. Come and play the gaming tables, my friend, win a life time of security with a single cast of the die … or lose your life's savings that is what we really want.

Lewis grinned and shook his head, What a sacrilege! The Disney type entrance spoke of amusement and entertainment. It beckoned them to come into a world of the past, as if it were some amusement park ride solely for their enjoyment. ‘Come experience the thrill of the past, brought to you by your friends at 10DX videos! One thin dime … one tenth of a dollar, experience the ride of your life!’ Lewis murmured to himself, oh well, I do suppose that they have to pay for this impressive structure some way!

After depositing their electronic tickets in the hungry feeder, they passed the glittering archway and entered into the gigantic main lobby when a different kind of feeling hit them. The very artifacts of ancient earth were everywhere. The feeling of solemn wonder permeated their very souls. Here were the ancient relics of a mysterious time long gone past; the hints of people, places and exotic wonders long dead. It was as if they had entered a massive mausoleum of ancient dry bones. The very air smelled of antiquity. If antiquity had a smell to recognize, they now knew its scent.

Not wanting to disturb the initial impression, Lewis simply pointed toward an escalator in the center of the lobby. Here was a gateway to the bowels of ancient mystery. They silently walked to the center of the lobby and stepped on to the moving stairway with a quiet reverence.

They had not noticed the ominous black thunderhead nor were they aware of the tall, relaxed figure in one of the darkened alcoves. Though light brightly shone through the glass, there were many nooks and crannies which sheltered the dark. Had they looked toward this corner of the building they would have seen two infrared eyes glaring intensely at them. For in the shadows stood Bondulardolmar … the First Created One … and he was power incarnate. He could shape change from a bird, to a fluorescent light, to a piece of dust floating on a sun beam. He could walk across the floor without ever being seen. He could bring the very building down around their ears with a single incantation. He could talk to animals, he knew such dark arcane knowledge as would make your soul shudder, and he miserly kept all his secrets to himself. Unless that is you were willing to trade and the cost of even a simple spell came with a very dear price.

He was totally mad yet at the same time totally sane. It all depended upon which dimensional platform your feet stood. The paradoxical enigma was all in your point of view whether you worshiped him or ran from him.

Just as he, disguised as a janitor, was about to step out of the shadows, two huge guardians appeared behind Gilly and his grandfather. Rentagennaro and Martabelapha stood 60 feet high, wielded huge flaming swords and armored in fiery brass breast plates, belts, and boots. Although no one else could see the magnificent cherubim, Bondulardolmar saw them at once. Shaking his head and softly chuckling to himself, he murmured, the Bobbsie Twins appear, and I thought the Ancient One was about other business. The two guardians stayed close to Gilly and Dr. Kenan. Although they could have easily manifested themselves, they remained hidden from human eyes.

Bondulardolmar did not fear these mighty winged ones, as he was the First Created One. None were mightier than he. But he had plans, and although his craftiness and guile were beyond human reasoning, he did not want to put his cards on the table yet. Crafty he was, but patience he had little. He disappeared in the twinkle of a digital blink. Had he stayed a few minutes more, he would have gleaned a simple clue which would have saved him immense pain and frustration.

As the escalator took Gilly and his grandfather down to the basement, they gazed at the exhibitions displayed around them: exotic hand painted vases set on modern pedestals, hundreds of cuneiform tablets encased in glass, miniature statues and statuettes, cups, plates, a 12-foot section of wall, an ancient chariot, spears, knives, daggers, farm tools, portraits and miscellaneous objects. It was an impressive collection of antiquity. They had walked from a modern day parking lot in present day Boston and in a matter of a few short minutes were descending into a musty past of ages gone by. As they descended the stairs, they entered a mystical world which would soon change their lives forever.

As they reached the Kenan exhibition, they passed a vase with Sumerian cuneiform. Below the vase was a neatly printed card explaining the cuneiform symbols.

Gilly, that symbol means flax, and that one neck, this one, voice, while that one means ox, Lewis spoke in an old school teacher’s manner, as he pointed to the large cuneiform symbols embossed on the many artifacts.

Actually Grandpa, that symbol for flax is a symbol for a diode. The one for neck is a ‘Wheatstone Bridge’ and the ox looks like an ‘An Gate’ for logic, Gilly grinned.

As Lewis thought of times gone by, he almost missed Gilly's statement. The data of what Gilly's voice had projected into his brain suddenly registered. Lewis Kenan stopped, gazed at the symbols and his eyes suddenly grew wide with amazement. You’re right Gilly, those are electronic symbols! Lewis gasped in awe.

Call it fate, kismet, or predestination, call it what you like, but the next moment changed their lives forever. The vanguard thunderhead which passed them by had been followed rapidly by the main army of energy laden clouds. Black, swift, powerful, ominous and striking the ground with megawatts of energy, the mantle of darkness blotted out the sun just as lightning struck a transformer tripping a rather large breaker for the circuit which fed power to the museum’s lighting system.

The museum basement became pitch black, and at that instant another tremendous lightning bolt hit one of the steel girders which held the massive glass triangles in place. It momentarily lit up the entire darkened museum. Only Gilly saw it. Had he but blinked his eye at that moment he would have missed it entirely.

Dr. Kenan stood frozen in time. Here he was, surrounded by old friends, some of these artifacts he had unearthed with his own hands so long ago. Like the lightning strike from that darkened cloud, the feeling of electrified energy pulsed thru the old man. He felt more alive than he had in decades. With eyes as big as Olympic pools, he stood with his mouth wide open, unable to utter a word.

Finally, as Lewis stood in awe, he mumbled All this time with most of academia thinking they were primitives, having just crawled out of the caves and actually they were so far beyond us. My father always said that the Fertile Crescent birthed some of the greatest civilizations the world has ever seen, and that we have all digressed, from that point on, not progressed! It has taken us thousands of years to re-learn what was lost with the fall of the ancients! Lewis began to regain his sense of time and space and shook his head like a dog just out of a cold shocking plunge into a country spring while chasing a fallen bird.

The roar of the emergency generator brought them all back to reality. The lights immediately came back on. The black clouds, having done their duty, rolled on toward another target. Just as Dr. Kenan had stared open mouthed at the display cards, Gilly’s intense gaze fixed on the twelve foot long partial wall which was blanketed with hundreds of tiny cuneiform symbols. What Gilly had seen in that instant of time when the lights went out and the lightning lit up the basement displays was that some of the cuneiform inscriptions had glowed in the dark!

The pattern had seemed random, but as Gilly intently stared at the wall, his eyes lit up. Holy crap, Gramps, Gilly pointed to the partial Sumerian wall on display, that’s a schematic! Look over there at that vase; it’s imprinted in the symbols. See the shield over there; the same schematic is there! And that clay tablet; it runs diagonal! Someone has placed the same simple schematic in a ton of those inscriptions!

As new life had energized the old man, he pulled out a small digital camera and started snapping photos. Gilly also remembered his camera. In frenzy, before the museum closed for the final day of the exhibition, they both took as many pictures of the different displays as they possibly could. When they were finally done snapping a massive amount of digital pictures, each stood in awe of the ancient artifacts which surrounded them. As if a silent communication reached out and touched them, they felt the call of some ancient 911. They felt as if they were caught up in something far beyond their ability to comprehend. The very history of mankind teetered on the brink of a fall. And they were the only ones who could answer the call. But were they up to the challenge? Like the garish digital lights of the amusement park entrance to the museum had beckoned, they were about to take the ride of their lives!

As the sun set on Gilly's old mustang, he pulled into his grandfather’s driveway. Now back in sane, comfortable suburbia, they left the car and walked purposefully into the Doctor's modest three bedroom home on Elm Street. Like the elm, oak, and chestnut trees which would soon be changing the color of their leaves, they were about to feel a change themselves.

* * * * * * * * * *

Havilah: the year 1

As the man and woman stood staring at the two demigods, they wept and held hands. One last time they gazed upon the barred entrance then slowly turned and headed to the northwest. With heads held low, the man and woman slowly disappeared over the rolling hill’s horizon. Rentagennaro and Martabelapha neither relaxed their vigil nor moved a nanometer. These massive beings from another plane of existence long destroyed stood 60 feet high and were clothed in power and light. Their flaming swords glowed with an indestructible extension of their essence, as they themselves emanated an aura of such authority that one would have to be a fool to challenge them. Therefore, the entrance they guarded both day and night, remained securely sealed.

CHAPTER TWO: REVELATION REVEALED

The year 5,770 ... June 21- 26, 2010 A.D.

Nature is a revelation of God; Art is a revelation of man.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God made

Genesis 3:1

Later that evening in Dr. Kenan's basement workshop, Gilly said, Gramps, I can't read your note here, what is that symbol?

Oh, that is antimony, one of the early metals used in Sumner.

Ah, we sometimes use that in semi-conductors, Gramps. Could they have known more than we do today? Shit, Gramps, this is so exciting!

Gilly, please watch your exclamations, if your mother hears that she would shit! Oh, excuse me, she would defecate. Or, should I say dodo! Grampa Lewis grinned expansively. How the hell should I know? Gilly, you figure it out! I was your age once, but I got over it!

Gilly sniggered but got the point. He loved the way his Gramps weaved words. He knew he could curse, swear, say anything he wanted to in front of his grandfather and never would he be told it was not right. But he also knew his grandfather rarely talked that way himself. That is why Gilly loved him. He listened. He really listened. Gilly could say anything to his grandfather and not worry about it. He knew he would never pass it on to the dreaded parental control group!

As he thought about that, he concentrated on the photos before him. Those ancient scribbling, words in picture and rune design, now had new meaning. The revelation of what the two of them had discovered had not really hit them yet. Here were words, thousands of years old, which spoke of a time which now brought to light a significance that neither could put into words yet.

As he browsed the uploaded photos on Gramps’ Mac computer, Gilly pondered, The same schematic is hidden in the designs of several of the vases. It’s almost like they were meant to be found. Hmm, parts of it are randomly dispersed in many of these clay tablets as well.

Quite a few of these tablets, I translated myself, most of them are accounts of transactions of sheep, cattle, grain, cedar, metal or others goods. Those seals on the top were the first uses of cuneiform script as opposed to picture glyphs, or I assumed so, as we still know so very little of their culture. There are literally thousands of tablets as yet not translated and some of them need to be decoded. We still do not know what many of the symbols and glyphs actually mean. Dr. Kenan expounded.

Well, someone desperately wanted to insure their discovery. The message was hidden in so many different statues and art works, Gilly thought out loud as he studied the photos. In many of the writings he could see the schematic either diagonally, down one column, reversed, or zigzagged. It was just like trying to find a word theme in a cryptic word puzzle from a crossword puzzle book! Because they knew what they were looking for, it seemed blatantly obvious, yet, without that knowledge, it was nothing more than a hodgepodge of words with no meaning. They could have stayed that way forever! "Let's see if I can construct this thing, Gilly brightly quipped, the schematic shows a very simple circuit, which should not be difficult to reproduce.

Gilly, I do not really understand this part of the schematic, it is as if the circuit crosses and returns into itself, Lewis mulled.

"Your right, Gramps that should short the whole circuit out and fry it, but that symbol for a Light Emitting Diode (LED) seems to show that the LED actually projects amplified light energy into the circuit itself! That Wheatstone Bridge isn't balanced, either. Strange … how can you project light into a copper wire? Gramps, we use fiber to project light carrying data, but this schematic is bizarre!

I am not that well versed in electronics Gilly, even though I know some fundamentals, what do you mean.

"OK, Gramps, here is a very basic diagram for a Wheatstone Bridge that I built for a beginner’s electronic class, see the schematic:

The Wheatstone bridge is an electrical bridge circuit used to measure resistance. It consists of a common source of electrical current (such as a battery) and a galvanometer that connects two parallel branches, containing four resistors, three of which are known. One parallel branch contains one known resistance and an unknown (R4 in the above example); the other parallel branch contains resistors of known resistances. In order to determine the resistance of the unknown resistor, the resistances of the other three are adjusted and balanced until the current passing through the galvanometer decreases to zero.

The Wheatstone bridge is well suited also for the measurement of small changes of a resistance and, therefore, is also suitable to measure the resistance change in a strain gauge. It is commonly known that the strain gauge transforms strain applied to it into a proportional change of resistance. It is widely used across industry even today.

Lewis read the explanation that Gilly had written. You're right Gilly! The Sumerian Schematic shows the resistor, R4 connected to that secondary circuit by using a LED. Then the rest of the LED's are used instead of a meter. Well, it will either work or it will smoke up my basement! I am totally in the dark on this one, Gilly. Even though I have a basic knowledge of electronics, this seems to counter act all the theories we know about electron flow, both voltage and amperage.

"Hey Gramps, I don't understand this cuneiform inside the battery symbol? Gilly asked perplexed.

Because they were not obvious electronic symbols in modern terms, many of them had to be translated by Dr. Kenan. There had been no symbol for a capacitor, yet the cuneiform symbol that was used, was easily translated by the professor. Many of the tolerances and values were lacking, but it seemed as if they did not matter, just put a capacitor here, a resistor there, but do not worry about its rating. This was another bizarre characteristic of this ancient, strange schematic. Between Gilly's knowledge of electronics and Dr. Kenan's vast understanding of Sumerian cuneiform, they had come up with a workable drawing of the electronic thing-a-mabob.

That is an easy one, that is the symbol for the Sumerian sun god, An. He is depicted in a few different ways, Lewis said as he clicked on the thumbnails and brought up the jpegs of the god. I guess it simply needs a light source to power it? We know little about the sun god, but legend has it that he gave the first Sumerians a magical staff which could do incredible things for the one who held it. The ‘Staff of An’ is depicted in a few obscure drawings and literary writings. I have seen a few of the drawings and there are some who believe the staff to be a gift from the earth mother, Ninlil. Enki is also mentioned as crafting part of the staff for An but all references to the staff are obscure and elusive."

Gilly grinned at his Grandfather, This is so weird! We could be making something that could vaporize the solar system or simply sit there and do nothing!

After scrounging through Dr. Kenan's workshop, Gilly found a box of old electronic gadgets salvaged from a dusty old computer to a broken digital clock. He also found a serviceable soldering iron in a tool box under the bench. After a few hours of removing a resistor from this, a capacitor from that, a diode here, and a coil there, they had more than enough, hopefully, correct components. They also had a couple of bare circuit boards to use as well. While Dr. Kenan watched with fascination, Gilly went to work piecing the thing together. As the first rays of dawn broke thru the basement windows, both realized that they had worked throughout the night.

Gilly held the small, homemade circuit board up to the dawn's early light. He quipped, It’s not very pretty but if we followed the schematic correctly, this ugly piece of wire, plastic and metal is as close as we can come!

The LED began to glow and the small, hand-held circuit board began to hum. A holographic image suddenly appeared above Gilly’s hand. Both of them stood with their mouths hanging open as the image appeared before them. Thoughts raced thru their minds … Was this really happening? … Had they passed out from exhaustion hours ago and this was nothing more than a dream? … Were they hallucinating from not enough sleep? Yet the aches and pains of a long night without sleep screamed the reality of the morning to them both.

Hmm, must be some kind of equation? Dr. Kenan mused as he wrote down the glyphs. He busily translated the glyphs which glowed red in the air above the circuit board. These are actually numbers, Gilly.

"Gramps, can you convert those into English?

With a smile, Lewis said, you mean Arabic numerals?

Yeah, Gilly grinned sheepishly.

Once Lewis had written out the numbers, both of them frowned. What could they mean?

32/2499 45/7031

They both stared at the numbers. They added them up, subtracted them, and considered prime numbers, specific dates, and a lot of staring at the numbers. For the rest of the morning they labored over the mysterious numerals trying everything they could think of. What could they mean?

Finally, Dr. Kenan looked at Gilly and said, We have been up all night, young man. I don't think either of us is thinking straight right now. Don't you have a one week work study course starting tomorrow?

Damn, I forgot all about that! exclaimed Gilly. I was very fortunate to even be selected. I have to attend it! It’s too late now to even think about backing out and getting a replacement. he lamented.

Go home, get some rest, and I will see you in five days. Hopefully, I will be able to come up with some kind of meaning for those numbers by then Dr. Kenan said with a big yawn. But if I do happen to come across their meaning, I will do nothing until you return. We are in this thing together, Gilly, and though I do not know why, both of us are significant in this strange turn of events!

OK, Gramps, I will go home. Please keep your promise and do nothing until I return. With that, Gilly walked over, and gave his grandfather a big, giant bear hug. Don't do anything foolish, Gramps, I love you.

Dr. Kenan returned the strong embrace and looked his grandson in the eyes and said, Young man, I have not had so much fun since we skipped school and spent the day diving off the old abandoned wharf down on the waterfront. I will wait for you, I promise.

With the promise extracted from his deeply loved grandfather, Gilly plodded tiredly up the basement stairs, left his mustang in the driveway and bicycled the three blocks home. He fell exhausted into his bed, and slept until an hour past his class. He took the time to shower, clean up and though he was late, made the time up by staying late that night.

* * * * * * * * * *

Havilah: the year 2

The newly formed village now had five residents. As the woman held the three tiny babes … triplets, two boys and a girl, they slept peacefully in the arms of their mother. The man quietly placed another log on the massive fireplace which formed the center piece of their modest home. Twins, triplets, even quintuplets would be the norm in this newly created land pregnant with new life and rich abundance.

Most of the countless ethereal beings from the former destroyed plane paid little attention to the goings on of these piss ants. Well, with the exception of a very few who were extremely interested in their day to day lives.

Normally the woman kept her simple home pristine, but because of the birth of the triplets; it would take a few days before she returned to her normal daily routine. Hence, the spider web in the shadows of the rear corner ceiling went unnoticed for a few days … as did the spider with glowing infrared eyes.

* * * * * * * * * *

During Gilly's absence, Dr. Kenan researched different forms of numerology, tried astrological and astronomical star charts: Mayan, Aztec, Hindu, and Chinese. He even tried Biblical calendar dates, a gaggle of mathematical equations and was mumbling to himself when Gilly returned from his summer study program.

He had signed up for the course during the fall semester and had been accepted for the intense week long class. It was one of the brightest think tanks ever to come out of the Ivy League …it was to academia what the BCS bowl is to college football. This elite bunch of egg heads did not work for the department of defense, or for a non- profit organization trying to feed the world nor did they work for a drug company doing research to cure the world of all its ills, in fact, just the opposite. These Phi Beta Kappa nerds, some of the very best minds in the world, were ‘owned’ lock, stock and barrel by an advertising firm! For the past 70 years, the firm had subtly influenced not only what people eat, what they drive, what they wear, but every aspect of life from politics to religion. All for an obscenely high salary, with stock options, health and dental plans and incentive bonuses, they were as highly paid as the best professional athletes.

From Miss America to the Presidency, they were close to 100 percent accurate. What they could not predict, they influenced, what they could not influence, they bought, what they could not buy…well we won’t go there.

With the advent of radio, and then television, huge amounts of money had shifted hands, as companies rose and fell by a 30 second snippet between Gun Smoke and I Love Lucy. It would take centuries of intense study to realize the tip of the iceberg that these influence peddlers of Madison Avenue had wrought. First in the wealthier countries and now worldwide, it was as if intelligence far beyond human understanding was directing it all.

Though not normally interested in the social sciences, Gilly had become fascinated by the sociological phenomena. He had read an article by a Pulitzer Prize winning MD who had resigned from a major drug company that peddled snake oil to the masses. The doctor had contended that there were basically ten drugs which were medically useful i.e., Aureomycin, Streptomycin, Penicillin, etc., but that the drug companies had gone wild peddling pills for everything from restless leg syndrome to cholesterol count. It was bad enough to throw money away but many of the side effects of these useless yuppie designer drugs were killing people due to side effects.

Ask your Doctor if LippoViagrowRemmeSteriodalGummieBears is right for you! (May cause a few minor side effects: Your penis may rot off, your liver may shrivel up, your breath may knock people out, your heart may stop beating and you may occasionally pass out and shake violently)

A grinning face would then appear saying, It has significantly changed my life.

Having a gift of going far beyond the obvious to delve into the hidden meanings, Gilly had begun to research this deeply profound turn in culture. How easily we all are influenced! The Huxley’s and Orwell’s of the 60s were right! The general populace, though highly intelligent singularly, become a herd of mooing cattle when mass media lures them along with oat troughs of Hollywood glitzy promises. New commercials airing during the Super Bowl cost more, per second, then the Crown Jewels of all the combined royalty in the world. But it did not seem to Gilly as if it was just the greed, there was something driving society or someone.

Five days later, Gilly handed the bus driver his ticket and stepped onto the pristine suburban curb gazing at the row of neatly maintained homes, nestled among the oak, elm and chestnut trees. He smiled as he saw his steel blue Mustang in his grandfather's driveway and he thought … we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway, what odd creatures we are?

Gilly never knocked, and Lewis never locked his door. He walked in and found a very neat, well maintained kitchen, amazing for a man who had become a bachelor when Grams passed away a few years earlier. The living room was lined with book cases, more a mini library than a room to live in, all the tomes placed neatly on shelves or lovingly stacked next to an old stuffed chair. He thought if Gramps is not in his easy chair, sound asleep with an open book covering his chest, he must be in the basement workshop.

As he descended down to the workshop, he was hit full blast by the smell of left over take out, curdled milk, the odor of a body that had not bathed in the last five days and a newly formed colony of very happy ants forming a chorus line from the old oak workbench to a cracked corner mortar joint next to the cellar window. They had ignored the take out burger and fries, but were frenziedly crawling all over a half-eaten container of Moo Goo Guy Pan and Egg Rolls. As he searched out the bug spray in a corner cabinet, Gilly took note of what to eat and not to eat in the future.

Lewis looked up with consternation on his saggy and exhausted face. Huge black bags swelled under his eyes, his hair a knotted mess from scratching it as he had pondered this or that theory, he was totally oblivious to what day it was, never mind what week or what time it was. Hey, Gilly, I thought you had that class to attend.

Ah, Gramps, I’ve been and gone! Gilly answered as he took in the war zone Gramps workshop had become.

Well, how was the week with the merchant maggots? Lewis quipped. Gramps opinion of Madison Avenue was that it lacked either ethics or morality.

I will tell you all about it after you take a shower and get into some fresh, clean clothes. Cleanliness is next to clear thinking! Gilly remarked as he guided his rumpled grandfather up the basement stairs and into the bathroom.

As Gilly heard the water turn on from the shower he heard his grandfather yell, "Make a fresh pot of coffee, Gilly, I want to know how the past five days went!

As the coffee began to brew, Gilly armed with multiple trash bags, descended into the basement and began to clean up a week of toxic waste. He actually looked at the active ingredients on the bug spray, as he was very impressed to find a dead string of ants and could not help but wonder what had killed them all so quickly. He did not really understand the active ingredients on the can’s label, but a quick look at the antidote, if taken orally, read atropine! Knowing from his chemistry class that atropine was an antidote for nerve gas, Gilly took another mental note not to spray the stuff in the house again! While he busily set out to clean up all the mess his absent minded grandfather had made while in search of an intriguing puzzle, he heard activity from upstairs.

As the fresh scrubbed and clean clothed Dr. Kenan sat sipping coffee at the kitchen table, Gilly ascended the cellar stairs, poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down across from his renewed grandfather. Gilly began to tell him about the week’s seminar.

The think tank was mending the image of a really dirty company. They would make it sound like they really cared about the planet and the environment. A real tear jerker, as with most Madison Avenue dribble, the bigger the claim that the company was saving the planet, the direct opposite was usually true, and that, is why, so few, make so much, selling such convincing lies. Gilly reflected over the fresh cup of java.

This one's damage was massive! Gilly had been required to devote all his energies to the project (to which he had contributed as little as possible). It was a huge conglomerate which was funding coal burning electrical plants in China and India, making obscene amounts of money as they increased the pollution rate almost as much as their stock!

A campaign would soon follow, with clear skies, deep blue water, and green forests as the academy award winning actor walked the shore line, telling the story of how deeply this company was committed to the environment, and the millions of dollars (pocket change) that they were spending on keeping the planet green. What a joke!

Lewis grinned and said, You have no idea how happy I was when I saw Microsoft XP get the blue screen of death, live, in front of God and the rest of the world! It almost made up for the countless hours I have spent re-booting until I finally had enough sense to go buy a Mac!

OK, Gramps, enough of that worthless crap! Gilly focused his thoughts on their present mystery. Coffee cups in hand they headed back down into the basement. As Gilly continued clearing away some of the accumulated trash, he said, I’ve been thinking a lot on those numbers in my spare time, Gramps, watch this! I think this might work!

They walked over to the far end of the long work bench where Gilly’s iPad lay. Touching the screen here and there, a keypad appeared on the screen and he typed in the numbers with a plastic stylus.

32/2499 45/7031

Then pressed the enter key with a flourish. Gramps, those are GPS coordinates! When the Google map comes up, I think it’s somewhere in Iraq. Gilly zoomed in, and sure enough, the co-ordinates appeared to be smack in the middle of the Iraq desert!"

Here they were in a basement in Boston, Massachusetts and getting live visible information from a continent half way around the world. Gilly had simply found a web site that you could plug in co- ordinates and it would give you the satellite location on the ground!

Let me see that, Lewis yelled. Looks like a couple of miles from my father’s original excavation site. Not that far from Baghdad. Gilly, do you have a passport?

Sure do, Gramps, went to Paris with Dad last year.

OK, Gilly, we are going to Baghdad. Well, at least I am that is unless you can get permission to go with me from your folks.

Damn, Gramps Gilly grumbled.

Lewis continued over Gilly’s grumbling, And if you do not get permission then meet me in the shadows and we will go anyway!

That’s what I love about you Gramps!

Normally, I would not go against your parent’s wishes, but these are truly extenuating circumstances! laughed the old professor. Tough times call for tough decisions.

After much discussion and pleading, Gilly's parents decided it would be a good thing for him to go on a dig with Gramps. The rest they kept a secret and between the two of them. Parents … what a huge difference between parents and grandparents … when you are a parent you have a huge responsibility towards your kids which never leaves you as long as you live. But grandparents are another thing! Like dinosaurs, they are forgotten, but when you activate the bones, they are a lot of fun! Gilly was blessed with a grandfather who not only loved him, but was going thru his second childhood as well! It took Dr. Kenan two weeks to convince Gilly's parents that a trip to Baghdad was enriching and would last a life time. And, of course, he was totally prepared to take him anyway.

* * * * * * * * * *

Havilah: the year 6

As the three young children helped their father with the daily chores, their mother nursed their newly born sister. As the folks had decided that two boys and two girls were enough for now, they had spoken of gathering the herbs needed to prevent further pregnancy. They assumed that the balance would bring a natural harmony.

Mother puzzled a few days later as she swept the cobwebs from the rear corned ceiling. She smiled too herself as she fought off superstition. Only twice since the home had been built, had there been any insect problems. Both times it had been spider webs and both times shortly after she had given birth.

One of boys helped to tend the flock, always tagging along with his dad as he did the daily work of caring for the sheep and other domesticated animals. He rejoiced over the fold when a new lamb birthed warm from its mother. He fascinated over the many animals with their distinct personalities and fiercely protected them as they grew older. Both father and son loved the land, felt its pulse, dripped the sweat of their brows into the dust of the earth and were content. As the two daughters grew into womanhood, they learned at the feet of their mother. They kept busy morning to night with tanning, cooking, sewing, preserving, designing, painting, and weaving. One son and two daughters absorbed all the knowledge their mother and father shared so freely shared with them.

Only the oldest, first born by only minutes, kept mostly to him self. He would go out and tend the fields but he hated fighting the weeds and thorns which constantly tried to strangle the crops. He spent much of his time in the shadows of the trees surrounding the abundant fields. Although his main chore was tending to the plants, he soon discovered that he possessed an amazing gift. Like both his father and mother, he could talk to the animals; yet he rarely used his gift and kept it a secret from all.

Now the animals had their own agenda. They squabbled over everything from who ate first to who got the most comfortable resting place. Most of them didn’t care that some of the humans could communicate with them. However all that changed one day as the youth sat in the shadows watching his father and brother happily working together.

A voice sounded next to him from the tree limb, as you watch your father give preference to your brother, I understand your deep pain, young one.

Without even giving it a second thought, the youth began to pour out all the hate and bitterness that he felt for his family. None of them understood him. He never had asked to be a part of their world. No one knew the pain that he felt over life in general.

As the young man commiserated with his newly discovered friend, he barely noticed that the serpent’s eyes glowed infrared. Even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t have cared for this friend made crystal clear sense to him. Power, strength and wealth were his right. After all, he was a head taller than his brother, almost eyeball to eyeball with his father and he was first born. He knew in his heart that both of his sister’s would prefer him as their mate. Yes, he would take what he wanted. He deserved it and after all, who would stop him?

CHAPTER THREE: OGOBARFROBAGODO INTRODUCED

The year 5,770 ... July 13 - 17, 2010 A.D.

The mad, sane, infrared god railed at Enkidu, you will do as I say! As Gilgamesh stood facing Ramorduk, preparing to die, Enkudi looked at the mad god and sadly nodded.

The Sumerian Book of Kings, Gilgamesh and Enkidu (Yet to be published)

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not…

II Corinthians 4:4

After landing at the Baghdad airport, Lewis and Gilly rested a day at an airport hotel. The following morning they scoured the bustling city for a Land Cruiser, RV trailer, various tools, equipment and rations for a trip into the ancient Iraqi desert. Dr. Kenan was an old hand at excavating and though they were very excited about the whole thing, he made sure they had all the equipment they would need before they set out to find those GPS co-ordinates. As they went about their business, they didn’t notice the occasional man or woman shadowing them. After all, they didn’t think anyone knew what they were doing. Little did they know that they were not the only ones who were interested in such coordinates? An entire well-funded network had gone into action when those GPS numbers were used in a search engine in Boston, Massachusetts. And as they would soon find out, the head of that organization would have amazed them.

Three days later in the middle of a parched desert in Iraq, Alexander Gilgamesh Kenan and his grandfather Dr. Lewis Gilgamesh Kenan were standing on the GPS spot. As if deja vu were upon him, Lewis noticed the bombed out aftermath of the recent war, and thought of his time with his father as they trekked across these very sands so long ago. Armed conflict even then was the norm and he wondered if it hadn’t always been the same from the beginning of this civilization throughout antiquity.

There is nothing here, Gramps, maybe we need to dig? exclaimed a frustrated Gilly.

No, I don't think so, Gilly. Pull out that circuit we made from the original schematic, and uncover it to the sun.

But Gramps, we did that a hundred times back in Boston! Gilly countered.

I know, Gilly, but my intuition tells me that it’s not just activated by light, I think the magnetism of this spot has something to do with that crazy circuit. You must realize we are not dealing with your everyday ‘Radio Shack’ electronics! Lewis laughed.

As Gilly uncovered the ugly looking homemade circuit card with its wires hanging out and its components encased in blobs of soldier, it started to hum. This time the holographic image was an old fashioned gyroscope with a spinning arrow, something like ancient mariners would use. The arrow whirled round and round; and then as if it knew it was close to home, it began to slow down. The arrow finally pointed west and held that direction patiently as if waiting. They started walking. The board hummed and sang, the arrow bobbing along in its holographic projection, and finally it started pointing slightly down. As they continued to walk, the arrow, like a dowsing rod, started vibrating, and finally pointed straight down at their feet.

They continued to move further and the arrow began to spin again. They returned back to the same spot and it faithfully pointed straight down. This time the hand held circuit card began to smoke; and as the LEDs burned, Gilly let the card drop to the sand. The card was toast. They marked the spot with the useless circuit board, and then headed back to their rented RV. With their RV moved to about 30 feet from the marked