“Are you familiar with the Epic of Gilgamesh?”
He nodded.
“Even in this story, one of the oldest recovered, there is a mention of Noah’s flood. A Biblical reference. There are a lot of similarities in old texts to passages in the Bible, even if they aren’t in complete agreement.”
“Yes, I can see that,” he agreed.
“Well. There are texts older than the Bible. Some dating thousands of years before the birth of Christ. And in some of the oldest, there are mentions of Pagoria, or what I believe to be Pagoria,” she amended. “Of course, I have no proof.”
He looked stunned. “Which texts?”
She smiled. “Probably nothing you would have ever heard of. In my travels, I have visited places that most people aren’t even aware exist. I’ve been to the far reaches of the earth, experienced many different cultures, and yet, I have found references to Pagoria, eerily similar, in more than a dozen. Cultures that would have had no way of intermingling at the time the stories were scribed.
“It is always described as a holy city. Mystical, powerful, awe inspiring. Mysterious. I have uncovered artifacts, pottery, pieces of writing all over the world. I’ve heard stories handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth from remote tribes in Africa to a group of Monks in the mountains of Nepal. And they are shockingly similar.”
“How so?”
His eyes burned with interest, his voice held a hint of awe. It was the way she felt when discussing Pagoria as well.
“There were many, many mentions of Lucifer of the Light. Favored son. God’s chosen representative. A city of blue.” She continued ticking off the traits, numbering them on her fingers. “A great betrayal. The heavens weeping. Great destruction. A new beginning...”
Her voice faded as she said the last.
“By your own account, the city would have had to have been destroyed,” he spoke up.
She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. It is a great mistake of man to try and suppose the will of God.”
He cocked his head and looked curiously at her. “I would have thought by your manner of speaking that you were not a Christian. And you mention reincarnation so I would have assumed maybe you were Hindu. Given your ties to India, it would be a logical assumption.”
She grinned at him. “I have you guessing.”
“Not going to enlighten me?”
“I believe in God. Surely that is enough.”
He gazed at her for a long time. Admiration and understanding lit his face. “Yes. Yes, I think it is.”
“Now, are you ready to commit me to Bedlam?” she asked, waggling her brows.
“To abuse such a brilliant mind would surely constitute the most heinous of crimes.”
She blushed, her cheeks warm with his approval.
“You’ve given me a lot to think about tonight,” he said, standing and stretching his legs.
“Hopefully it won’t be an unpleasant experience.”
“Not at all. I find the subject fascinating. I thought I knew so much about Pagoria, and yet I’ve discovered I’ve merely scratched the surface.”
“As have we all,” she said. “But if we are fortunate, perhaps all our questions will soon be answered.”
“And suddenly I am worried that I am not worthy,” he said with a rueful smile. “All this talk of God and the devil. Good and evil.”
“But isn’t everything in life a battle between good and evil?” she asked in all seriousness.
“Yes, I suppose it is.”
“In the end, I think the important thing is which side you line up on.”
