PROLOGUE/ CHAPTER 1: GENESIS OF JAY

"Michael, I've got to show you something." The Emperor motioned to follow him through the corridors of Blue primus all the way to the chamber called the Secret Place.

Archangel Michael went in and sat on one of the fine leather couches in the huge room. Hanging on the walls were a lot of surgical apparatuses and many sketches—beautiful drawings of humans, animals, and anatomy. The music of harps and piano was playing softly in the background.

The Emperor spoke. "You know how I love angels. I want to create a special Assassin Angel. He would be about seven years of age at birth. I took a lot of inspiration from some of our children. "Look at these drawings."

Paper sketches flew from the Emperor's table and stood in the air in front of Michael. Different children had drawn angels with wings, differently colored hair, and other attributes on the papers.

I've summoned Gabriel to come in after his work I want to show you both something special.

"What do you think?" the Emperor asked.

Michael smiled. "I can't wait! I always wanted a little brother."

"You already have so many!"

Michael and the Emperor laughed loudly.

"I want one like me," Michael said, "since we don't get married like the humans and have replicas."

The Emperor walked up to Michael and embraced him. "Son, I have seen that desire in you and I'm going to do something. Let's create an angel. Should look a bit like you but of course not a copy.

Michael embraced the Emperor. "Oh wow!! I know you are a father who gives us good gifts I can't wait!"

The Emperor smiled as he pulled a loose strand of Michael's hair from his shoulder unseen by Michael. He went behind the table where there were huge containers of creating compounds. The Emperor intensely mixed something that looked like a pale-coloured dough. He began to shape it as Michael watched in amazement.

"I've got to raise the body temperature for a few minutes and cool it down again," the Emperor said as he gently laid the dough into a sunlight chamber, which looked like a little greenhouse. "Sunlight is a happy light. It's essential for him."

Michael nodded.

The Emperor opened a container which had a mass of beryl, diamond, topaz, ruby, emerald, jasper, onyx, turquoise, chrysolite. He rolled out some bronze tubes; the strong hands of the Emperor meticulously bent and arranged the bronze tubes as the skeletal structure,. He filled the hollow tubes with fresh liquid gold and sealed the ends. He took a mass of special dough,

pulled it.It was strong and soft at the same time he took it out of a glass sunlight chamber and laid it over the coated tubes. He turned the body over and began to shape the wings. He took out a few scalpels and began to carve out the eyes, nose, and the chiseled features of the body. The precious stones were melted onto the body and began to harden. Then another coating of the pale-coloured dough was applied. He rubbed a scented oil on the head of the figure, and hair began to sprout. The Emperor quickly planted Michael's hair strand in between the skin pores that had formed in the dough.

Michael was surprised. "Hey, isn't that my hair?"

The Emperor's eyes shone with love. "Yes, my son. It's yours."

The Emperor walked across the room and opened a wooden cabinet containing paints and brushes. Suddenly, two other celestial beings stepped out from the Emperor, and together they worked on the head, neck, body, and limbs. They stitched the inner sinews and muscles. As they tested out the functions of the lifeless body the room was covered in a scented mist. They gave the body an olive skin tone. It was beginning to look like a beautiful child angel, but he was already very muscular. The body was complete. The music changed at each working sometimes it played something. soft sometimes it became heavy. They seemed to love working with the music in the background.

"What do you want to name him?" the Emperor called out

Michael thought deeply. Then he quickly turned around and said, "Raid. Let's call him Raid."

The Emperor nodded with a smile. He held a crystal decanter of the water of life to the mouth of the angel. The sparkling water flowed and touched the angel's lips and seeped into the throat. All of a sudden, there was movement.

Michael jumped back in amazement and excitement. "He's alive!"

The Emperor and the two other celestial beings laughed loudly at Michaels excitement.

The mist was thick and began to clear out and Michael could see every detail clearly.

The newly crafted angel came to life and sat up. He bowed down and worshipped the Trinity.

The Trinity embraced him. Then one by one, they introduced themselves.

"I am the Emperor," the Emperor said. "I am the ruler of Blue primus and all kingdoms. But you're free to call me Father."

"I am the Prince, the son of the Emperor. I am with my father in everything he does."

"And I am the Wise One. I am the Spirit of the Emperor. Nothing is hidden from my sight."

"We three together are called the Trinity," they said in perfect unison. "We are three different persons, yet we are one and the same. We are everywhere at once, and we know all things. Welcome to our family!"

Michael walked up to him wide-eyed and smiling. "Hello, Raid, my little brother!"

The angel smiled as he somersaulted off the table into the air and landed in a handstand. "Hello!"

Michael laughed at the acrobatic angel. He already felt they were one in spirit.

All of a sudden, Messenger Angel Gabriel walked in. "Wow, what have we here? A new kid on the block." His eyes grew big as he lovingly looked at the little angel.

Raid looked at Michael and Gabriel with his blue eyes and a wide smile. He reached out his hands. Michael took his right hand and Gabriel took his left. As they ran, carrying him in the air, his tiny wings were flapping, but he couldn't fly as yet.

Michael and Gabriel, overflowing with excitement and joy, ran with Raid to Blue primus's courtyard, shouting, "Everybody, assemble! We've got to show you the latest addition to our family!"

"Go show him the Blue primus and teach him all that you know in warfare," the Emperor called out after the running angels. "He will join you in battles, for I have a great plan for him concerning a very special someone who is not born as yet!"

As the three went outside to the courtyard, their fellow Warrior Angels saw that Raid really looked like he was Michael's little brother. The Morning Star Angels had just finished a worship session and were standing with their instruments. They were angels who always played music in worship to the Trinity at the exact moment when any country of planet earth was touched by sunlight, and all of Blue primus would worship with them. They were looking with amazement at the sweet child angel as Michael and Gabriel brought Raid to them. After introductions, the Morning Stars and the Warrior Angels went to celebrate with the new kid in town.

The next day, Raid began his training for the tribe of the Assassin Angels, an exclusive battalion of the Warrior Angels.

Gabriel was to teach him all the texts. He rolled out a massive scroll and showed Little Raid the universe, the planets, and the stars.

"There is good and bad in the realms. In Blue primus everything is good beyond that sometimes bad things are present," said Gabriel

"What's that blue marble?" Raid asked.

"That's the Trinity's favorite planet, called "earth"—a reflection of Blue primus. The Emperor created humans in his image, and we are assigned to assist them," Gabriel answered.

Raid looked at a child running in the garden next to the courtyard. "That's a human, right are they here in Blue primus also?" he asked, pointing to the child, who looked about the same age as Raid.

"Yes that's a human, some of them are here with us," Gabriel said.

"Can I play with them?"

"Of course, go ahead."

Raid walked up to the child.

The little boy got up from his sandcastle. "Hello, there. Are you a different kind of butterfly? A really big one?"

Raid giggled. "No, human. I'm an angel."

"An angel?" The boy's eyes opened wide. "I never saw such a small angel before! Did they shrink you so you can hide in small places?"

Raid's eyes sparkled he was perplexed

"Yes I think so," he replied

Raid and the boy stood facing each other. Raid touched the boy's hair, nose, and cheek. "You are soft to touch."

The boy smiled. The boy walked around and saw Raid's wings. He touched them, and they lightly flapped. The boy jumped back in surprise. Raid laughed out loudly, and so did the boy.

"What's your name?" Raid asked.

"'Homeboy,' because I was made here."

Raid shook his hand. "I am Angel Raid, also made here by the Emperor."

"Your father and my father are the same," Homeboy said. "Do you like to draw?" Homeboy asked. He picked up a sheet of paper and his crayons from the ground next to the sand pit where he had left them.

Raid looked confused. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Homeboy drew an angel with wings and showed him the paper.

"Hey, is that me?" Raid asked.

"Yes, it is you," Homeboy said as he gave him the paper.

"Raid? A powerful voice called out

Raid turned around to see Archangel Michael walking towards him.

"Hey, you made a friend and it's our beloved homeboy!" Michael smiled at them. "Let's go have some family time. Why don't you invite your friend?"

"Hello, Arch angel Michael," said Homeboy

"Hello, Homeboy," replied Michael

Raid cut in, "Will you come and eat with us?"

Homeboy nodded.

They walked to the place called "Celestial Family diner." It was a huge diner with large, open grounds with tables and chairs, where all of Blue primus would go to eat. Michael sat at a table for four. Gabriel joined them as the serving angels were giving them menus.

"I'll have this and this and this, and Raid can share with me," Homeboy said.

Gabriel and Michael ordered their favorites, and then they clinked glasses of grape nectar.

After lunch, Homeboy told Raid he was wanted by the Artist Angel for a class, but he would meet Raid later. Michael and Gabriel took Raid for a walk as they taught him from Blue primus's books of knowledge. Time went by and Little Raid was learning a lot he loved asking

many questions to Michael and Gabriel but one day as they walked along a different route, Raid noticed a tall, huge sculpture of white marble by the side of the road next to the vast, open green fields. The sculpture was of Michael and Gabriel with their arms on each other's shoulders in an eternal embrace. The right arm of Michael and the left arm of Gabriel were extended but in the air.

"Wow, that looks like a statue of both of you!" Raid said. "It's so beautiful!"

"It's a very ancient one. A memorial of our brotherhood built by the Trinity," Gabriel said. "It's a reminder to all who see that all the citizens of Blue primus, including archangels, are here to serve, love, and protect one another."

Raid went closer to examine it. "Why is there a big gap here? It seems like a huge piece is missing in between."

Gabriel looked at Michael.

Michael's eyes filled with tears. He couldn't believe his ears that Little Raid had noticed it. He sighed and walked over to a grove of oak trees.

Gabriel whispered to Raid, "Go ask him gently."

Raid turned to follow Michael, but he had disappeared. Raid looked everywhere and finally found him behind a huge oak, sobbing quietly.

"Why are you crying, big brother?"

Michael quickly wiped his eyes. He took a deep breath, "It's a story I wished I never had to repeat but I'll say it again. After a little time of recollection he began.

"Many eons ago the Trinity made the Blue primus and worlds, angels and creatures but they esteemed three of us angels. We were created to serve the Trinity in a most special way we didn't deserve it but it was their plan. Among us the most beautiful one Lucifer tore our father's

heart and ours. The Trinity adored him so much. The Emperor took a special interest in him but you know the ones he loved the most hurt him the most."

Gabriel came and embraced him, tears rolling down from his own eyes.

Raid was shocked to see his big brothers crying. "What did he do. Was he a bad angel?" Raid asked with tears in his eyes.

Gabriel looked at Michael and gave him a nod.

Michael sighed as he blinked away his tears. He started to walk with Raid as he began the story of Lucifer.

"He was a part of our brotherhood. Gabriel, Lucifer, and I were always together. We always had fun as we talked. He was so perfect—his confidence, style, his speech, knowledge, and his beauty. Everyone would turn to look at him whenever he walked. The council that he headed was huge, and I mean huge! He had such a command over them. The Trinity often called him to consult with him as they also would with us.

"And, oh my goodness, was he skilled at music! When he was on a stage performing for the Trinity, I would pause from my work just to hang out on the Crystal Mountain ledge to watch and be absorbed in his intense worship of the Trinity. It was breathtaking. The music was incomparable in all of creation. The guitar leads would be playing out as he would have an orchestra of instruments playing through him."

"How? He had instruments in his hands?" Raid asked.

"No, no! It was the pipes inside him. He had pipes that were built in him, and they would make music that would rock all of Blue primus. He was a musician with the whole duty of leading Blue primus and the worlds in passionate worship of the Trinity. Rock for the Rock of

Ages. We held a concert every fortnight. It was a celebration of life. The whole Blue primus would rock. We never questioned his position. He was out of our league in terms of his skills.

"By designation, he was a Guardian Cherub along with me, which means that we were official guards of the Holy Mountain, a place where we would meet the Trinity. We also headed the armies of Blue primus, which were in perfect discipline and of one accord under our leadership.

"Gabe, Lucifer, and I always flew in the sky realms together. We explored different worlds the Trinity had created. We would never leave each other's sides except for the call of duty, but we would still maintain communication. But as the eons passed, I began to notice Lucifer would withdraw himself at times, saying he wanted to be alone.

"One day, when Gabriel was attending to some work and I was just finishing up training the Assassin Angels with a ground exercise, I saw Lucifer flying across the sky. I smiled because I wanted to stalk him to see where he was going without Gabe and me. I followed him at quite a distance so he wouldn't notice me. I saw him descending to the World of Waterfalls. It was beautiful. I hid behind a rock and chuckled to myself as I saw him drop into the crystal clear water with a huge splash. He was swimming in perfect butterfly strokes. When he had gone underwater, I wanted to sneak up on him and surprise him when he came up. But by the time I came around quietly to the other side, he had already gotten out. He stood looking at the water. I could see he was admiring himself, and I heard him mumbling something.

"'I know you are there, Michael,' he said as he turned to me.

"How in the Blue primus . . .?" I started laughing.

"Lucifer threw his head back and laughed. We continued laughing together as he embraced me.

"He looked at my face, smiled, and said, 'Michael, I want to tell you something—something I have been thinking about for quite some time. I have a proposition for you and Gabriel. It's huge, and you're both going to be blown away.'

"'What is it, brother?' I asked. I was so excited.

"Lucifer's eyes looked right into mine. 'Michael, you know I have access to the Holy Mountain. I have knowledge that surpasses everyone else's in all of Blue primus. It has been given unto me, and I am the model of perfection. You, Gabe, and I have control over the armies of angels. We are the forerunners among the angels. Have you ever wondered what life would be like if I had total control over everything and we worked together?' Lucifer licked his lips.

"I removed my arms from his shoulders as I began to feel a weird sensation of fear, which was foreign to me. I looked at Lucifer. His eyes had begun to change into a greenish hue.

"He said, 'You, Gabe, and I can run Blue primus. We don't need the Trinity. They are always getting all the glory. We need some too.'

"I stepped back in total fear. 'Lucifer, I love each member of the Trinity—the Emperor, the Prince, and the Wise One. They are whom we serve. Why are you talking so strangely?"

"He laughed loudly. 'Michael, Michael, easy, brother! What has become of you? You are not getting the point. Why do you need to serve them when all of Blue primus can serve me, who has power to do things the Trinity would forbid? I can show you a plan for the universe inside my mind that is far different from the Trinity's!' Lucifer said. As he smiled, his teeth seemed different—they looked sharper than before.

"I had had enough. I said, 'Lucifer, I'm going to meet Gabriel at the Holy Mountain. I can't continue this conversation. My heart is heavy.'

"As I turned around, Lucifer caught my wrist in a strong grip and said, 'Don't tell this to anyone—not even Gabriel.'

"His grip began to hurt me. I wrenched my arm away and said, 'I don't like this, Lucifer. And Gabe has to know about this.'

"All of a sudden, Gabriel appeared. 'What are you doing? I've been looking all over for you guys,' he said as he embraced me. Then as he came closer to embrace Lucifer, he stopped dead in his tracks. 'I smell something disturbing,' he said as he pulled out his sword.

"'Put it back in the sheath, Gabe.' Lucifer said.

"Gabriel cautiously put the sword back.

"'Did you see that, Michael?" Lucifer hissed excitedly, eyes growing wide. 'Did you see Gabe's reaction? He could sense it. It's the power I was talking about!'

Gabriel put his hand up, saying, 'Hold on! Am I missing something here?'

Lucifer offered his proposition to Gabriel.

"Gabriel was shocked he walked up to Lucifer and slapped Lucifer across the face. He was so angry.

My eyes filled with tears as I saw that.

Lucifer burned in rage but stood still. Then he looked away with an evil grin.

"Watch yourself, Lucifer,' Gabriel said with tears in his eyes. "You're making yourself a stranger to Blue primus." He walked up to Lucifer his fist clenched.

"I held Gabriel back from doing anything further. I said to Lucifer, 'We're going to Holy Mountain. Can you leave all this vain talk and be yourself?'

Gabriel looked at Lucifer with brotherly love" Lucifer what are you doing to yourself and us. Our family our brotherhood. Let us embrace beloved brother and repent from this. Please stop and turn away from this evil you have devised. He opened his arms towards Lucifer.

"Embrace me if you both are with me only. I have already made up my mind, and my armies will know about it soon," Lucifer said with no remorse.

"Gabriel and I looked at each other in shock at Lucifer's reply. After a moment, Gabriel shook his head in grief and disgust. He motioned to me, and we flew to Holy Mountain, weeping.

"'Come back here, you fools! Join my league!' In a rage, Lucifer chased us across the Blue primus, "I choose to rebel against the Trinity follow my path or be left out to be under an authority where there is no free will follow that ancient pattern of doing good." Lucifer yelled in cold rage he chased us hard but we split directions and confused him. He finally stopped the pursuit as he stood mid-sky glaring at us as we faded high above into the multi-coloured evening sky.

"We had to report the matter. Gabriel and I fell at the feet of the Trinity, the Emperor, the Prince, the Wise One and we wept loudly. Our brother Lucifer had betrayed us all.

"The Emperor spoke. 'I already heard and saw what happened among the three of you. Even before that conversation, I knew the very day and moment he said in his heart that he wanted to ascend. The day he broke our heart and we knew it and we silently wept for him. He has already made up his mind and influenced one-third of our angels. Now go and prepare the angel armies. I will address you at the Assembly of Angels in the wake of dawn.'

"Some time after this, Lucifer stood on the place called the Firmament with a seemingly endless army behind him. His appearance had changed—he looked evil his eyes were blood red.

Even his angels looked different; their uniforms were no longer white but black, yellow, and red. There was a strange, mysterious symbol on their shoulders and on their foreheads.

"I stood mid-sky with the Emperor's army with drawn swords. Lucifer called out blasphemies against the Trinity and us as he shook his fist and raised his sword. The skies darkened as He began to advance with breakneck speed. Under the supreme command of the Trinity in the light of dawn, I took a stand in front to lead the Emperor's army. We sped like greased lightning towards Lucifer's army our light was bright piercing the darkness.

"'You betrayer!' I yelled as I stomped on his chest with my right foot.

"He was thrust a mile backwards on impact, but he recoiled back to his position. With an evil smile, he yelled, 'you thought that hurt me? I'll show you my power and I will bring you all down. He raised his sword and advanced in great speed.'

"I was furious. I swung my sword, and we began to exchange blows. Lightning and thunder echoed in the heavens. The war was heavy with numerous casualties on Lucifer's side as one by one, we knocked them out of Blue primus. As each one fell out of our beautiful Blue primusly realm, we watched something horrifying. Their flesh suddenly began to change—their skin became like scales. Their teeth grew into long fangs, their nails became claws, and their eyes looked dark and hollow. Even their feathers fell out and wings became deformed and tattered. They had transformed into grotesque-looking creatures. I had never seen anything like this in my life.

"They would later be named 'demons,' 'fallen angels,' and 'principalities.' The Trinity would later teach us all about their kinds. They reeked of evil and every form of negativity, which was foreign ground for us. The war continued for days until we defeated every one of the rebel angels and sent them fleeing to the Wilderness Realm, which became a place where Lucifer

would gather his wounded demons. Ever since then, they have occupied the lower territories. Our Emperor prepared a place below called 'Hades,' which the humans call 'hell,' where they were thrown, although the Emperor did not restrict Lucifer and his demons' movements in and out of that place. Lucifer converted hell into a torture chamber and a place where he experimented with evil and filth. He used his cunning and perversion to create all types of evil. He started bringing his demons out of their habitation to create havoc and destruction and even to ambush and harm the creations of the Emperor and our scouting angels whenever they would pass over their territory."

Raid absorbed everything Michael told him. Then he said, "I will love and serve the Trinity, and I will obey them only i will fight against Lucifer and his army who hurt the Trinity and my elder brothers."

Michael and Gabriel embraced Little Raid.

* * *

Raid grew up into an extremely strong angel, a master of weapons and unarmed combat. He was shrewd, a brilliant strategist, and aced in stealth. He soon became head of the tribe of Assassin Angels and led them in many ambush attacks against the demon kind. He routed out Blue primus's enemies so efficiently that on one occasion, Lucifer took notice and enquired about him. He was told that Raid was one of the most feared by his demons. Lucifer hated him with an intense hatred when he came to know that he was the younger brother of Michael.

Raid would often watch the human children and play with them on The Hillock, a place where the children loved to gather and play with animals. He would talk to Homeboy and wish that someday he would be able to serve humankind.

One day, Michael and Gabriel came excitedly to Raid as he stood training the Assassin Army boot camp. "The Trinity has summoned you" said Michael.

The three brothers flew to meet the Trinity. As soon as Raid saw the Trinity, he bowed down prostrate on the floor along with his brothers in worship. Raid felt his body gently rising up from the floor, and he was placed on his feet before the Emperor.

The Emperor poured oil on Raid's head, kissed his forehead, and said, "Have we not appointed you as Guardian Angel over a human who is about to be born? Go and be with him, protect him from Lucifer and his demons, and fight to the last drop of your spirit, if need be. Blue primus backs you."

Raid had tears of joy as Michael and Gabriel hugged him tightly. "Congratulations, little brother!"

They flew across Blue primus with great joy.

A few days later, Blue primus bid him a safe journey as he travelled to earth. He arrived at the Middle Eastern Sultanate of Oman and stood on the roof of a hospital. It was a cold day in November 1981. Raid descended through the roof into a labor room.

"Tell the tale how hell got shattered

1981 when ma world got started

Rocked from the cradle, break down the fable

Turn the turntable to ma God who's able

Flapped and rapped, put Satan in the trap

You point the finger, I pull the trigger

Didn't you ever hear the prophets say

Make way for Yahweh

Pull back the words, he holds back the flood

Bow down, hit the ground, receive his love

Gentle like a brother, deeper than a lover

See the days where the enemy's busted

Blessed by the prayers of the faithful and trusted

Backed by the Bible, bring down the rival

Burn the soul-slayer with ma God who's braver

Vexed and pressed, put ma life to the test

You saw the tower, I saw the power

Didn't you ever hear the prophets say

Make way for Yahweh

Pull back the words, he holds back the flood

Bow down, hit the ground, receive his love

Gentle like a brother, deeper than a lover

Transitpoint, "1981"

The skies were clear, and a ray of pure sunlight fell upon the hospital. The Emperor, the Prince, and the Wise One looked down in delight as myriad angels surrounded the doctors to assist with the delivery. One angel descended from the ceiling and stood right next to the bed of lady with copper-dyed hair who was about to give birth.

The doctor was a good friend of the parents-to-be. She always made sure her patients felt peaceful, especially first-time parents. She said to her husband Don, a medium built man with a trimmed beard and shoulder-length hair, "Shelly is going to be okay! This will be over before you even know it. And when you get home, get the party started because we'll be heading there this weekend!"

Shelly smiled at Don and held his muscular hand.

Don said, "Our boy is on the way!"

Shelly cried happy tears, and as they entered the delivery ward, she said to Don, "I feel an unusual sense of peace. It's almost like there's someone else standing here with me."

Don held her hand until the doctor motioned to him to retrace his steps to the waiting area so they could start the birthing procedure.

It was an Arabian-style hospital that belonged to the Sultan of Oman in the city of Al Khuwair. Don walked into the large waiting room with couches that had cushions on them. The local newspaper, Times of Oman, was lying on one of the couches, while some extra copies stood in a rack. He calmly picked up a newspaper to pass the time until the delivery.

Sometime later, Jayden Hayath was born with a loud cry. He weighed only five pounds and fifteen ounces, but all around, he was a healthy baby.

A little while later, Don saw the doctor appear at the entrance to the waiting room.

"We have a healthy baby, full of life!" she said to Don with a big smile. She led him back into the labor room.

As Don stepped into the room to see his new son, Jay gasped for breath and let out a loud cry, thrusting his clenched fist into the air.

Don looked at his wife and said, "It's like he's holding a microphone!"

In a week, Jay's family was home. Weeks passed, Shelly started noticing some interesting behavior in her son. Though just an infant, Jay's eyes kept looking all over the room. Occasionally, he would smile and make noises, pointing to parts of the room. Shelly would look around and ask him, "What is it, Jay?" as she smiled at him. She didn't think much of it.

Weeks turned into months, and Jay began to crawl, occasionally even standing, and started to speak vowel sounds. His parents were delighted and entertained with his progress and growth.

As he grew into a toddler, Jay would stare at parts of the room and smile and wave. On one such occasion, his mum stopped in her tracks as she came into the room. She looked in the direction her son was pointing, but there was nothing. The child laughed in pure delight. His mum pondered it.

Shelly was a soft-spoken lady, meticulous, and very organized with her work. Her attention to detail, which was greater than her husband's, would make her quite nervous at times.

When her husband came home later, she sat for dinner with him as Jay played with his toys. "Have you noticed Jay?" Shelly asked. "He seems to sometimes look and smile as though there's someone else in the house, but when I look, there is absolutely no one there. I'm beginning to get concerned."

Don stared at her and then broke into laughter. "Come on! Shelly, he is just a baby, and you are overthinking!" Don said with a finger on his temple. He gave her a quick peck, walked across the room to the stereo to play a cassette tape of John Denver, and then dug into his food. When he was finished eating, Don spoke on the red land phone with a friend excitedly about a project he planned to undertake—a particular investment—and how it could help him build a new house for his family.

Shelly wasn't even paying attention to Don's words. It occurred to her that her son was showing some weird signs, and she was the only one who noticed. She was fearful and confused. Even her own husband was unable to understand what she felt. She pacified herself with what Don had said—maybe she was just overthinking.

Don and Shelly were ethnically Syrian, third-generation expats living in Oman. Don's dad was a well-known dentist and Shelly's dad was a chemist. Both their fathers and mothers had passed away years before, but Don and Shelly thought Jay would have a career in one of those professions.

"Intelligent people were always weird when they were children. He must have both of our fathers' genes and, of course, ours too," Don said as he winked. He poured himself a glass of beer and held his wife's hand as they smiled at each other.

* * *

Jay's mum and dad had quite a few friends, and barbeque and booze were the norm on Thursday nights to kick off the weekend, which was Friday and Saturday in Oman. The grill was ready, and their friends—mostly young, newly married couples—came in armed with barbeque racks, a sack of coals, meat, and sauces for marinating. Somebody put the tape recorder on with a mix tape that had everything from Europe, Whitesnake, Boston, and John Denver to Bruce Springsteen, Olivia Newton John, and Michael Bolton. Some guests began to play air guitar as Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" began rolling on full blast. The fire was lit up and chunky pieces of meat laid on the grill. The men cut up more meat and seasoned it. They worked as a team with cheer and delight as they prepared the breads and chopped the onions, sautéing them in vegetable oil and landing some fresh salmon in white wine. It smelled delightful. The savory aroma travelled all the way into the neighboring houses, prompting the mouth of the man fasting next door to water and making him wish he would get a call to join in. The women prepared the mocktails and dessert, which had its own delicious aroma. One finger was quickly smacked as it tried to dip into the dessert for a quick lick, producing a burst of laughter.

Jay, who was now two and could walk and talk, was busy the whole time playing hide and seek with his toddler friends.

As the party went into full swing, young couples danced, booze bottles in one hand and their babies in the other. They danced under the night sky in sweet winter sweat. The kids were running around in between legs and tables. When they all settled down for the fill-up of food, they enjoyed the tasty meat. The hungry mouths savored the khubus bread wraps dripping with olive oil, hummus dips, and chicken wings draped in wing sauce. They dug into the steak, mashed potatoes, and Russian salad. Some gobbled down Kraft cheese with pineapple. They didn't care about the calories since they had already won their spouses.

After the meal, Jay's parents played card games with their friends and shared a quick fill-up on the news around the city. Many laughs were followed by the singing of song choruses, and the empty glasses were filled as the partiers downed and were drowned in their drinks and music. One by one, they went inside and lay down on the floor, too tired and too intoxicated to even look for a bed.

Later that night, the fire had not gone out, but Jay was still awake. He saw his dad drinking beer with his buddies. He watched the golden liquid in the glass and pointed to it.

When his dad saw Jay point, he winked at his friends and offered a little to Jay in another glass.

Jay drank it and spat it out, screaming. He was jolted as the strong, bitter taste bit his tongue. Tears welled up in his eyes.

His dad and his friends laughed loudly as his dad picked Jay up in his muscular arms and gave him a mouth wash under a running tap. Then he gave Jay a sugar cube to suck on to help him forget about the incident, but it had already left a bad taste in Jay's mouth.

Jay walked alone into the garden, and he saw a celestial being sitting on the wall and smiling at him. The angel shook his finger, pointing at the beer. Jay smiled, and the angel disappeared.

No one saw the angel except Jay, but his dad was watching Jay, and he noticed Jay smiling and pointing towards the garden. Jay's dad glanced at the garden, but there was nothing there. "What are you looking at, son?" he asked.

Jay quietly put his index finger to his lips.

His dad stared at him and looked again towards where Jay had pointed. He remembered what his wife had said. He wondered what his son was seeing as he returned to his drinking. It was already late, and it was time to sleep. The fire outside died out as bodies lay on the hard floor inside the house, knocked out under the influence of strong drinks.

The morning greeted Jay with a ray of light hitting his eyes. His eyes blurred at the brightness as his mother drew back the curtains. Soon, Jay was up and about to see what the others were doing.

Most of the children were still sleeping in, curled up in blankets or hugging their parents, deep in dreamland. One looked at him sleepily and then turned away towards the darker side of the room. Their eyelids were as heavy as a ton of lead and tired from the previous night's games and heavy food. Snores that sounded like car engines were heard across the rooms. A half-eaten Dijon mustard jar lay open on the floor, its lid seemingly having vanished into oblivion.

Jay kicked the empty beer cans around, making such noise that it woke half of the party animals from their drunken hangover. They laughed as they saw young Jay with his mind on his game.

"Jay, easy, son! You'll wake the house up!" his dad said in a hush.

"It's all good, Don," his friends said. "It's half past eleven. Time to get up and go out anyway."

The rest of the gang woke up and freshened themselves. They packed the cars with barbeque sets and picnic baskets filled with sandwiches. The kids piled up into the back seats. Inside the cars, there was loud screaming, mothers trying to control the little ones, stereos playing songs from Steel Heart, Giant, MSG, Firehouse, Harem Scarem, Def Leppard, and other classic rock favorites, while the fathers behind the wheel sped them towards the beach. After what seemed like an hour, they could see the ocean on the distant horizon. A few minutes later, they were invited by the fresh ocean breeze, and the excitement began to grow.

Before long, they reached the golden sands. Beach umbrellas, collapsible chairs, and picnic baskets were unloaded, and a whole lot of suntan lotion was applied. Then most of the group ran into the rushing waves, reacting to the impact with laughter, screams, and adrenaline rushes. Some played with frisbees and footballs, tackling each other and falling together into the water. The young mothers didn't jump in but stayed back to serve the food; they knew that the party was not going to end anytime soon.

The older boys made sandcastles and destroyed them within minutes. They hunted for crabs, but the crabs were too fast as they scurried across the golden sand and disappeared into their holes. They heard the seagulls as they walked along the sandy beach.

When one of the boys pointed to the waves, Jay went running towards them, but before he could go a few feet, he fell down on the wet sand. Suddenly, a strong arm swooped him up—it was his dad. Jay was crying because he wanted to go right in, so his dad took him for a swim on his back. Jay was delighted.

The boys rushed back onto the shore as their mums served them wraps and cool lemonade. After that, they lay down to rest because they had been playing for hours.

By the end of the day, the kids were pickled in salt water from head to toe and covered in beach sand. Everyone dried off and got back into the cars with the little kids wrapped in Turkish towels. The convoy of twelve cars left for their homes.

On some weekends, instead of the beach, they went to the hills, or to camp at the desert or by the rivers, or went on long drives to hang out all day in a farmhouse with a huge swimming pool and bonfire with a sheep roasting on the spit. This was their typical life every weekend.

By the time Jay was three, his parents had discovered that Jay had a great voice, so at almost all the parties, Jay's dad would try to have him sing them a song. His dad would teach him lyrics, but Jay would forget them on and off and then make up his own. But he always had wolf whistles and hands clapping loudly for him. Jay loved every bit of the attention.

BROWN CHAPEL

Saturday mornings were strictly devoted to church, as Sunday was the first day of the work week in Oman. Don and his wife made it a point to attend church weekly with Jay. They were casual Christians and mostly went to pray for their needs and also to socialize with their friends.

Every week when the car would stop at the church and the family got out, Jay would point at the church steeple and say, "Wings!" and then laugh.

His parents would just smile, thinking he must have seen pigeons flying around. They would each hold one of his hands and walk into the church. Then the pipe organ would start,

played by the graceful hands of an elderly lady with red hair. She would sing a hymn or two, and then the choir would also sing a few of the hymns from a red book.

Jay would sit for a few moments with them, and then an usher would take him to the kid's section for the most important part of the main service. After the children's program, he would stroll out of the main building into the church's bookstore, which was a Portakabin trailer several meters away. The kind man in charge would show him the neatly shelved picture Primus Scripts.

One day, Jay managed to get his parents to buy him the big, blue Primus Script. He looked at the pictures. He noticed a picture of a man with long hair who seemed to have holes in his wrists, and in one picture, he was stuck to a piece of wood. This man always had a smile on his face, except when he was stuck to the piece of wood. He saw another picture of the same man holding loaves of bread and two fish. As Jay looked intently at the picture, his stomach began to growl. Jay decided he wanted this for dinner.

All of a sudden, his dad picked him up off the floor, book and all, and said, "We are going to buy some bread."

Don and Shelly pulled over at the bakery on their way home from church and bought some baked leavened bread instead of the usual khubus bread. Jay laughed because that was exactly what he had seen in the picture book.

As they were eating the bread with tuna fish at home, Jay got excited when he noticed that the tuna can showed the exact picture of the creature in the book—fish!

"You like fish, don't you, Jay?" Shelly asked.

Jay replied, "Fisss."

Don and Shelly laughed as he kept trying with a smile, "Fisss, fizz..."

Jay always loved Brown Chapel. People were kind and warm there, everyone was always praying with folded hands, and there were always beautiful music and voices. He loved that atmosphere.

Jay had a vivid imagination, and whenever they talked about the Lord, he imagined God was a man with white hair and a white, long beard. When it was Christmas season, he saw Santa at Brown Chapel, and he thought that was how God looked. He called him the Emperor.

Jay would often look at the picture Primus Script his parents had bought him. He loved the pictures, and he always felt very comfortable when he looked at them. He sometimes even kept the big, blue book under his pillow.

An angel would stroke Jay's soft hair when he was fast asleep. There were also dark forces outside the house that were plotting against Jay and looking for the appropriate time to enter his life. Sometimes Jay would get disturbed in his sleep and wake up crying, but his mum would hear him and hush him back to sleep, and then he would be just fine.

THE OUTSIDE WORLD

One beautiful evening after a hectic week, Don and Shelly were out buying groceries and window shopping with Jay. When they returned home, they settled the accounts and laid out the groceries. As Jay played with his little colored blocks, his mum and dad sat at the table, discussing Jay's education. Jay was about three and a half and no longer a toddler, so they decided it was time for him to go to school. "Jay, come here, baby," his mum said.

Picking up some of his toys, he put them into his flannel pajamas. When he reached the table, his mum picked him up and sat him on a chair.

His dad said, "Jay, we are going to send you to school."

"What's a school?" He asked, as he kept playing with his colored blocks.

His dad explained that it's a place where children of his age meet, and learn new things, and have fun.

Jay had already gotten distracted from the conversation as a blue block fell off the table and went under it. Jay slid off his chair and went right after it. Once he had found it, he went on playing under the table.

His dad smiled at his mum and motioned they go to where he was playing. They dropped their heads under the table, and his dad said, "Son, you will be in school in a few days, and Mum and Dad won't be with you and will only see you in the afternoon."

Jay didn't comprehend his father's words and kept playing with his toys.

Shelly looked at Don and said, "I'll handle it. You just go watch some TV."

Obliging, he flopped onto the couch in the living room and flipped the remote with his right hand while his left reached out to a nearby dish of salted peanuts. In a few minutes, Don was fast asleep with the air conditioning on and the curtains still drawn.

Shelly lay on the soft rug as she watched her son play. Soon she, too, fell asleep. Jay snuggled next to his mum.

The next morning, sunlight poured into the room. Don was the first to wake, and he noticed it was half past nine. He sat up, looking for his wife, but she and Jay were not where he had last seen them. He walked over to the bedroom and found Jay sprawled over his wife, both in deep sleep. He smiled and went into the bathroom. Looking into the big mirror, he pulled out his toothbrush, squeezed a fat load of toothpaste from the tube and brushed vigorously. After he had freshened up, he bit his lip for a moment before deciding that it was time to give his son a lesson in going to school. He walked into the kitchen, poured himself some cereal with milk in a bowl

and began to crunch it. He also poached some eggs and made toast with marmalade in preparation for his family waking up. Then he planned out his day with a pen on a scribbling pad. Just as he finished it and grabbed the morning newspaper, he heard his wife walking into the kitchen. Don brewed hot coffee and poured it into his wife's mug for her and then began to solve the crossword puzzle in the paper.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Shelly gave him a quick peck before digging into her food.

Jay was still asleep. He was a late sleeper, but that was about to change.

Shelly finished her breakfast and woke Jay up. He complained that he wanted to sleep more.

"Look, there's a kitty outside!" she said, pointing to a cat sitting on top of the low wall outside the window. "If you come here, you can see it!" his mum said to coax him out of bed.

After Jay finished his cereal, his dad asked him to come to the car. Don carried Jay outside, got into the car, and started the engine.

"Shelly, I'll be back in an hour!" he called out.

"Okay!" Shelly shouted back as she sorted the dishes.

Don drove with Jay to an empty parking lot, turned off the ignition, and rolled up all the windows. "Sit here, and I'll be back in five minutes," Don said to Jay, giving him a hug. "I'll be right back."

Jay began to throw a tantrum.

"Just relax, son. I'll be right back, I promise!"

Jay was a bit nervous, but he believed his dad. He sat still while Don left the car and walked out of sight. After few seconds had passed, Jay began to feel scared and lonely. He wondered where his dad went. He saw a few people in the parking lot but not his dad. A few

more seconds passed. Then minutes passed. He saw children playing nearby, which distracted him for a minute, but then he began to panic, fearing he had been abandoned. Breaking down, a tear rolled down his cheek, and he started crying.

Suddenly, his dad's smiling face appeared at the window. He quickly unlocked the door, got into the car, and hugged Jay. The little boy was overwhelmed with relief to see his father. He grabbed Don and wouldn't let go.

Don told him, "This is how school will be. We are around the same area as your school, but you will not be able to see us because you will be doing your schoolwork."

Jay nodded and wiped his tears.

Don handed a Snickers bar to Jay as a reward, put an Eagles cassette tape into the car's tape player, and drove off towards the mall with "Tequila Sunrise" playing through the speakers.

As Don sat in the car outside the mall with his son, drinking banana milkshakes, he began to describe to Jay all about school and the various activities he would get to do there.

That whole week, Don and Shelly took turns waking Jay up early every morning and getting him prepared ahead of time for what his life would be like once he was in school. Jay complained for the first few days, ending up in tears most of the time, but his parents were undeterred. They dutifully prepared Jay until he finally understood that there would be no way around it; he had to go through with it.

SCHOOL DAZE

It was the beginning of the week and Jay's first day of school. Jay was awoken suddenly by a gentle tug from his mum. He was still groggy, but he understood by now that he had to leave the familiar feel of his cozy bedroom and go to a place where his dad and mum wouldn't be

around him all the time. He faintly remembered that there was a time when his parents were away during the day and he had an Egyptian nanny; he recalled throwing a toy car over her head and then hiding under the bed as she yelled at him.

His mum prepared his warm bath and helped him freshen up and dress for school. He wore a Popeye the Sailor tee shirt and sneakers. Before long, he was ready, his hair neatly combed and sprayed into place by his father. After he ate his breakfast, he grabbed his water bottle and put his little backpack on his shoulders. The backpack made him feel strange, like he was in a harness. He felt as nervous as someone with a parachute on his back and about to do a Base jump for the first time.

He hopped into the car with his dad at the wheel and his mum in the front passenger seat with Jay on her lap. The drive to Jay's new school lasted an hour, and they listened to some soothing country bluegrass on the way.

They parked the car in front of Logwood School. It was huge, and the tall walls were painted gray. The school had grades from Kindergarten-1 and Kindergarten-2 all the way up to high school. Jay was a few months short of the cutoff age of four for KG-1, but it was a private school, and his parents were able to get permission to enroll him early.

When they got out of the car, Jay saw many children his age and size. Some were shocked at seeing the school for the first time and held their parents' hands, not willing to let go. Some were terrified and started to wail. Some were excited as they saw the pigeons on the interlocked tiles on the ground and chased them.

"Let's go," said Jay's dad as he picked him up and strode towards a sign that read, "Kindergarten."

A very friendly lady with bright red lipstick and red nails and holding a blue file folder looked at Jay's parents. "Good morning! Are you admitting your child for kindergarten?"

"Yes we are," Shelly said.

They shook hands, and after an introduction, the lady wrote down Jay's name and age and then pointed towards Jay's new classroom.

Jay and his parents walked up to the door of the class and knocked. The door opened, and they were greeted by the teacher.

"I am Miss Margaret, and welcome to our class."

Jay entered, and Miss Margaret held his hand and led him into the class, which had about twenty children the same age as Jay. She spoke to them and showed them alphabet blocks and colors. Jay's parents sat and watched at the back of the class.

After some time, the teacher distracted Jay by showing him a picture book so that his parents could leave without him noticing. They quickly slipped out the door and walked briskly to their car.

Jay was looking at the picture book in amazement, when suddenly, he looked up and didn't see his parents. He hung on for a few minutes, remembering from their practice sessions that his parents would come rushing in soon. But minutes turned into an hour, and Jay realized his parents weren't coming back as soon as he had thought. Tears sprung to his eyes. He missed his parents.

Miss Margaret started serving the children cinnamon cookies from a glass jar kept in a locked cupboard, but Jay wanted none of it. He started crying loudly and was soon followed by the other children.

Suddenly, Jay saw an angel near the chalkboard, capturing his attention.

The angel smiled at him and held out his hand, tossing a fireball up and down, and mouthed silently, "It's okay!"

Jay stopped crying and smiled, suddenly feeling calm and peaceful as he watched the angel. The rest of the day passed smoothly.

That afternoon, his parents came back to pick him up. "How was school? Did you like it? What did you learn?" they asked.

Jay said, "A for angel."

His parents stared at him and then looked at each other, surprised. As they got into the car, Shelly asked, "Isn't it 'A for apple'? That's what I learned."

Don raised an eyebrow and replied, "Well, that was twenty-seven years ago. The syllabus changed, girl!"

Shelly smiled at Don as he winked and smiled at her.

The next day when they dropped Jay off with Miss Margaret, they told her, "We love the way he is getting along, especially on his first day. And he even said, "A for angel!"

Miss Margaret smiled quizzically. " 'A for angel'? No, I taught him 'A for apple.' "

His parents shot each other quick glances. "Where did he pick that up?" Shelly asked.

"Kids are very intelligent these days," Miss Margaret assured them. "He must have heard it on TV."

As the days passed at school, Jay began to excel in spelling. As the weeks followed, he also discovered that he loved his classmates. He also loved to do creative things. While occasionally he would miss home, he was getting used to spending more hours at school than at home.

Jay had a big appetite for adventure, and sometimes he got into some mischief too. He began to understand there was so much more than just spelling and colors that he could explore at school, especially during recess intervals. One day, Jay found a dead snake in the schoolyard. He picked it up by the tail and flung it around. A few other boys joined him, and it became a game as each flung it around the schoolyard. A big crowd gathered to watch them, including the whole kindergarten and even kids from some of the higher grades. Their game was interrupted by Miss Margaret's coming over to see what the boys were up to. She took Jay's hand in hers, and he dropped the snake. He saw the other boys running away quickly, afraid of getting in trouble.

The weeks and months of kindergarten flew by. Then Jay graduated kindergarten and moved into the higher grades.

Throughout his primary years, he was loved by all because he did not have a mean bone in his body. He did not know failure, and he knew no hurt as of yet.