Past Incarnations

"What are you talking about, Theeya?" asked Jeff, touching her forehead to see if her long shower brought a fever to her. Her temperature was normal.

"I am your mother. You chose to be born first, that's why you are older than me now," she said like it was a normal day-to-day conversation to talk about past lives and reincarnation.

"Why do you say that?" the look on Jeff's face was of disbelief.

"The red eyes had been following us for years. Just in different bodies. It wants us to prove our worth. So I guess we just have to remember," she said.

"Let's get some confirmation from the Dream Interpreter later. Get ready now and pack up, we are having breakfast with the rest," Jeff shook his head as he could not quite grasp what Theeya said.

As an expert in Egyptology Professor Jeff Everett had studied the ancient beliefs of the afterlife but it was all just stories for him. He was an analytical man after all. Reincarnation just did not make sense to him.

The ride to the Malabar was uneventful. Theeya was deep in her thoughts and did not engage in any conversation with Jeff. Today they would check out from Dawood's hotel and check into separate rooms in the Malabar. Theeya was so excited yesterday. It today it seemed like her life was sucked out of her.

Dawood greeted them when their car pulled up at the driveway. He extended his arms and gave Jeff and Theeya a bear hug.

"Are you all packed up? I shall send for your bags later today," Dawood asked.

"Yes, we left our bags with the reception before we left just now," Jeff replied.

"Wonderful! Come on inside!" Dawood beckoned.

"Papa, papa!" a little girl about 8 years of age with fair complexion, dark brown curls with long eye lashes and rose red lips reminding Theeya of a porcelain baby doll ran down the hallway towards them.

Theeya's heart skipped a beat. "Papa? Don't tell me it is the secret child of Professor Jeff Everett. So he's not gay afterall," she thought.

The little girl skipped past Theeya and instead of turning to Jeff, she ran into the open arms of Dawood.

Confused, Theeya stared at the father and daughter.

"How could someone so unattractive produce such a beautiful child? The mother must be a beauty," Theeya thought.

"Meet Erna my youngest daughter. Erna say hello to Professor Everett and Miss Theeya," Dawood beamed with pride as he looked at his daughter.

"Hello Professor Everett. Hello Miss Theeya. I am Erna and I am 8 years old!" she gave the sweetest smile with a gap where her front teeth would be.

"Hello Erna. You are such a big beautiful girl. It's my pleasure to meet you," Theeya extended her hand for a handshake.

"Please call me Jeff. Nice to meet you Erna," said Jeff who nodded at the little girl with a smile.

"Hello Mr Jeff, welcome to our home, come join us for breakfast," she started skipping again while holding her father's hand.

"What a beautiful and well mannered child!" Theeya exclaimed.

Dawood beamed with pride as he turned his head to look back at Jeff and Theeya.

"We are staying here for the next 5 days at least, then we will see where on the map we will be flying to," Jeff informed Theeya.

Theeya just nodded. She could not shake off the dream she had. If felt so real. She shuddered as she recalled: the grief of a mother losing her child in her arms. As her tears threatened to fall again, they arrived where the rest of the clan gathered for breakfast again.

Fateema and Fatehah saw them entering and both sisters walked towards Theeya and hugged her tightly. Theeya suddenly burst into tears in their embrace, raising alarm to those around them.

"What happened?" asked Fateema.

"Yeah Theeya, what upset you so much?" Fatehah took a look at Theeya who was bawling her eyes out.

"Do we have a private room that we can be at and have breakfast served there?" asked Jeff.

Dawood nodded and instructed the waiter to do the necessary.

"Come with me," they followed Dawood out of the huge ballroom into a series of corridors and finally they came to a private lounge.

"Theeya, what's wrong, you look like you've just lost someone very dear to you, did anyone call you from home with bad news?" asked Fateema.

Hameed and Hamood passed their babies to the nanny to feed. Now all of them in the room were looking at Theeya who could not stop sobbing.

"Jeff, what happened to Theeya? She was still alright yesterday!" Fatehah stared at Jeff as if accusing him for causing such huge upset to Theeya.

"She had a really bad nightmare last night...she lost her baby in the dream," he said.

The ladies gasped.

"Oh poor Theeya. We didn't know you were pregnant!" said Fateema.

"Congratulations Theeya. How far along are you? Jeff why didn't you tell us the happy news? Is it alright if she travel with us the next 6 months?" Fatehah stared accusingly at Jeff again.

Before Jeff could say anything in defence Theeya suddenly burst out laughing.

That sudden change in her mood shocked everyone. She then could not stop laughing as if she was possessed.

"How could I be pregnant if we have not even slept together?" tears were streaming down her cheeks as Theeya clutched at her belly as she continued laughing.

"She said I was her baby son in the dream and I did not wait for her to be reincarnated again this lifetime," said Jeff with a straight face.

Everyone's mouth was agape.

"Reincarnation? Now that's interesting..." Hamood rubbed his goatee.

"I don't know about this..." Hameed scratched his head while trying to straighten a tangle in one of his dark brown curls.

"Well, only one way to verify it later. Magdalena would be able to tell us later. We are meeting her at 11am. Come let's eat," said Dawood.

Breakfast was awkwardly quiet except for the occasional small talk of how chilly the morning was and how they miss the good sunny days. The free-flow conversation seemed to be missing today with the outburst from Theeya earlier.

Theeya and Jeff seemed deep in thought. Fortunately no one tried to pry and left them alone.

"Sir Dawood, Madam Magdalena is here," said a servant boy.

"Please lead her into the lounge here," said Dawood.

By now the food had been cleared from the table. Fateema and Fatehah had excused themselves to feed the babies who were still nursing. The boys were only six months old and both looked very similar they could pass as twins just like their dads. If only they were twins then there would be four babies.

The servant led a lady with red hair and hazel eyes into the lounge.

"Madam Magdalena! Welcome! This is Professor Everett and Miss Theeya," said Dawood.

"Hello Professor Everett and Miss Theeya, and Hello Dawood my friend," she smiled and flashed two perfect rows of white pearly teeth.

"Hello old friend. And I believe you remember my cousins Hameed and Hamood," Dawood hugged Magdalena and gave her a light peck on both her cheeks.

"Yes, the double trouble twin cousins of yours, Hameed and Hamood, how could I forget them," chuckled Magdalena.

Hameed and Hamood both gave a slight bow with huge grins on their faces.

Theeya smiled at Magdalena and thought how beautiful she was. She looked ageless like she stopped aging at 30 but somehow it felt like she possessed the wisdom of an 80-year-old woman. Her long red curly hair reached her waist and her long slender fingers were adorned in big crystal rings, all 8 of them except for her thumbs.

Her hazel eyes pierced through Theeya's gaze until Theeya had to look away as she felt as if Magdalena could see through her soul.

As everyone at down at the table, the atmosphere turned more serious and heavy.

Magdalena turned to look around the table and her thin lips were pressed together tightly with her brows raised, causing fine lines appearing on her otherwise smooth forehead.

"So all of you here see the red eyes in your dreams?" it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes," all five of them answered in unison, almost a whisper as if by speaking it out loud the red eyes would materialize in front of them right there and then.

"It is not a curse if you must know," Magdalena said to five pairs of puzzled eyes.

"Not a curse? All those sleepless nights are blessings and gifts?!?" Jeff laughed bitterly.

"What I know is you are the five special ones. Your souls are ancient. You were there in the ancient cave when the original Forty Thieves were there. You are their reincarnation," she dropped the bomb.

"It cannot be! I was a female in my previous life and Jeff was my son! He died as a baby!" Theeya shouted defiantly.

All eyes turned on Theeya. Jeff frowned and was about to say something when Magdalena raised her right hand to stop him.

"You are right," Magdalena's voice was soft. "That was after you were brothers in arms, bound by oath of blood as the original Forty Thieves. We can have more than one past lives and be reincarnated many times into many lifetimes, dear," her gentle voice soothed Theeya which caused the dam of tears to break again.

Magdalena stood up from her seat and walked over to the sobbing Theeya at the opposite end of the table to give her huge hug. She hummed a melody as she rocked Theeya in her arms like a mother would cradle her baby.

Theeya calmed down and grew limp in her arms. Magdalena then motioned the men to help carry Theeya to the couch. She was deep in sleep.

The men were amazed at the Dream Interpreter's magical powers.

"Was that a magical spell to make her sleep?" asked Hameed with a hint of fear and awe.

"I'm a witch. What do you expect? Fairy dust?" Magdalena gave a mischievous chuckle.

"Can you explain to us why you said the red eyes are not a family curse?" Jeff pressed for more answers.

Seated comfortably at her seat again, Magdalena lifted her dimpled chin and gazed straight at the Professor. "Like I said it was a reminder to all of you that you were the reincarnations of the Original Forty Thieves."

"So you are telling me Theeya's father saw those red eyes as he was also the reincarnation of the same man who also reincarnated as Theeya who happened to be the daughter of the man who happened to be the reincarnation of the same man from the original Forty Thieves? How can one man be reincarnated multiple times from one generation to another while the offspring was still alive? Are the reincarnation split in two or three from grandfather to father to child? Is that what you are saying?" Jeff's brown eyes were darker than usual as his indignant tone betrayed his disbelief at the psychic's words.

"I know this is hard to believe for an intellectual man like you Professor Everett. Let me share with you what I see," Magdalena looked at the four pairs of eyes fixed on her.

"Time is not linear. Yes it may seem that way in this world but across the dimensions they are not linear. The future may happen in the past and the present may in fact happen in the future. What may appear as the past may well be happening right now parallel to our present," she saw that the men looked even more confused at her explanation.

"Think of it like time travel. Or you pick up that game console and choose a game. Then you select a character, which role in the game that you would like to be. At the same time, Dawood can do the same on the same game console, so can the twins. Then you may play the game together or play the game separately depending how you wish to play the game. But running concurrently with the game is your current life. So you are not living all the time playing the game. Do you follow me so far?" Magdalena paused for awhile.

"Yes, please continue," said Jeff, his face still one filled with skepticism.

"So imagine Forty Thieves is just a game you chose to play long ago. Centuries ago. And currently you are living this life which may seem like you are in it 24/7. But how many of you can say that you are awake 24/7 or fully conscious and aware of every second and every moment of your waking hours? Are you in control of everything in your life? Down to your every breath and how fast your heart beats and how many gallons of blood goes through at how fast a speed throughout your body everyday? They are all programmed by our brain isn't it? So who are we to say that we are not just a character we chose to play in a game called Life now?" Magdalena took a sip of the tea in front of her as four pairs of eyes looked at her unblinkingly.

"This Game of Life, some will call it Leila. Souls choose to leave the Source to return to Earth or visit Earth for the first time as the wait list is long... dreams are just a reminder placed in our subconscious to remind us when we are awake of what we have set out to do in this lifetime," she continued.

"So you are telling us the red eyes are just reminders placed by ourselves to scare the shit out of ourselves every night until we remember?" Jeff asked, his face displayed an expression that he thought the idea was incredulous.

"If you choose to believe it. I invite all of you to look deeper beyond the fear and anxiety the red eyes brought you. There are messages you planted for yourselves. Each and every one of you left clues for yourself to advance in this game," she stated.

"I have dreamt the same dream for 15 freaking years and what clues are you talking about? Jeff's voice raised a little in frustration.

"Let go of your intellectual mind, Jeff. Remember that little boy in you when you dream next time," Magdalena started packing her things as she turned to Dawood with a smile.

"My time is up. I need to go," she said.

"But you just got here!" Dawood protested.

"There is one message for Theeya. Just one word: Believe." Magdalena turned to look at a Theeya who was sleeping peacefully on the couch. "She will be fine," and she turned to leave the gentleman who looked at her with an even more confused state of mind than before she came.

"Wow what do you make out of all that?" Hameed finally spoke after a few minutes of silence.

"Totally mind blowing," said Hamood.

"Bull-sh*t," said Jeff.

"Well Professor Jeff Everett I never told her your name was Jeff and she just called the little boy in your by your first name," Dawood turned to Jeff and cocked his head to the right gauging the response from the Professor.

"So she is a mind reader or a psychic. Big deal. There is no scientific evidence to back up all that she said not even quantum physics could prove what she said," Jeff was adamant to prove his point that he just could not believe what Magdalena said.

Just then Dawood's little girl peeped into the lounge doors and walked in.

"Papa, is Miss Theeya alright? Auntie Fateema said she was upset again," Erna entered the lounge and sat on Dawood's lap.

"Yes, Erna. She's taking a nap now. Let her rest okay? She will be staying with us for the next five days. You will have plenty of time to talk to her when she feels better alright?" Dawood turned to look at the little girl who nodded happily.

"I don't know, Dawood. Thank you for arranging for Magdalena to come but I am now left with more questions than answers," said Jeff as Theeya began to stir from her slumber.

"Are our rooms ready? Are the rooms far from here? Maybe we can transfer a Theeya to a comfortable bed? She had not been sleeping well the last two nights," Jeff stated.

"There is a daybed in the room next to the lounge. Come, I show you," Hameed offered.

Jeff scooped up the sleeping Theeya like a ragdoll and followed Hameed to the adjacent room. He placed her down gingerly on the bed and covered her with the quilt as the weather was more chilly that day.

"I will stay here with her until she wakes up," he proceeded to take out his bag and opened his laptop to work.

"We shall leave to check on Fateema and Fatehah and the boys now," said Hameed.

"Yeah it has been a long morning," said Hamood.

"We shall see you again during lunch later. A servant is just right outside the door if you need anything," said Dawood as he walked out with Erna holding his hand.

"Thank you Dawood," Jeff bowed his head at the man as his eyes turned back to the screen in front of him.

"Reincarnations... reincarnation proof, reincarnation stories, reincarnation meaning, reincarnation articles, reincarnation theory," Jeff mumbled under his breath. "This will take whole day," he said as he clicked on the first of 13,527 articles.