-He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. ‘Revelation 2:7
The Tree of Life
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We lived in Oregon our whole life and were raised in the 90’s before cell phones and social media took over our minds. My brother’s and I loved playing outdoors and our apartment was near a small forest where we built tree forts and caves out of the muddy walls by the Tualatin river. So it was no surprise that we all ended up living so close to where we grew up. All of our apartment complexes were close enough to walk to and the forest is what kept us connected. I guess we never wanted to “grow up.” We all acted like big kids at heart.
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I can’t say we all didn’t see this coming. The world was changing and we were at fault, we had too much freedom and it seems as though we forgot the ten commandments. We did as we pleased. What we believe and were taught as wrong and sinful became the norm. What I don’t understand is when did we switch sides. Those who were religious became the problem in the world, and those who were teaching wrong became worshiped and idolized. Everyone was afraid to give their two cents instead they accepted the behavior. You couldn’t say one word of the “Good Book” without receiving backlash. People were obsessed with celebrities, they chose money over love, wealth over health. They would play God, change their bodies into their ideal perfection of a human.
Everyday violence grew stronger, there were stories on the news of terrorist attacks, shootings, and threats of a nuclear war. This is why it didn’t surprise me when family and friends turned on eachother, we were used to hearing about violence and hate on a daily basis. My brother Aaron was always looked at as crazy being a conspiracy theorist, but everything he said always came true.
“Guys, they spotted UFOs in Mexico!…..Guys, China has been using microwaves to mess with our brains!.” He would preach spit coming out from his gapped teeth, but what was ironic was UFO sightings have been so obvious that the government finally admitted to it in 2020, while a worldwide pandemic was going on. I also saw on the news not too long ago about how U.S diplomats were having seizures, from Russia using microwaves as a weapon.
Aaron was still looked upon as though he was insane and incompetent, but once people got to know him and realized he was more educated than most from topics like history to science. And for some reason girls swarmed him. I guess because he did make time to work out ini between his rants and the usual girls like guys with tattoos and his icy blue eyes weren’t helping. I would always roll mine, when my friends always asked for him. He was always one step ahead. He isn’t the eldest brother, but when it comes to the supernatural and anything biblical, out of all of us, he was the best.
Damien was subtle, sweet, religious and a mommas boy. He was shorter than all of them but we all shared the same humor. At one point we all would sound like hyenas in a room and nobody else could understand us, it was like we had our own language. Jake was the youngest, hot tempered, unpredictable but loyal. I don’t know why the tree chose us, but I guess it had faith in us.
One night I heard it calling to me in my dream, like a soothing voice from both a mother and father. I opened the door slowly to my apartment and felt like I was in a trance as I headed towards the back of it walking on a pathway that led to the small forest. I was blinded by a light and looked upon it, like a deer in a headlight. I placed my right hand shielding my eyes as the light dimmed and revealed a tree that looked surreal enough to be a painting. It had two swords blazing fire and striking in every direction. I stood there in a trance as it showed what was going on in the world, like watching the news. I felt present as if I were there during the tornadoes, tsunamis and earthquakes that were happening in different parts of the world. I could feel the pain of the mother screaming for her lost children in Africa and the husband’s fear of losing the grip on his son as he watched him drown in Thailand. The tree whispered to me in what sounded like a foreign language, but for some reason I could understand. It told me that we would turn on eachother, that we would allow evil to consume us and it would win. And how only those who keep faith in him will live.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was back in bed. I felt fear, however it was warm.
It was a feeling of uncertainty, of emptiness.
Like a calm before a storm.
What was this tree? and what was it saying to me, in a voice that was neither female nor male.
I started my morning like any other trying to forget about this dream, however when I went to turn on the news, I could feel the emotions of every single tragedy, it was intense. “Here we go again…” I whispered. I could hear their thoughts, their pain and anguish piercing through my brain taking it over. I started to hyperventilate as I grabbed the remote and turned the tv off. “Breathe, you’re just tired and overwhelmed.” I said, trying to collect my sanity. When I finally caught my breath, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, only to realize things were going to get stranger….
I decided to work out to try to clear my mind. However when a man smiled and walked past me I could hear every sinful thought in his mind. I then placed my gym bag over the bottom of my yoga pants and kept moving. I went inside the locker room, when I heard a woman cry.
“Hello? Are you okay?” I spoke softly heading towards her stall. She opened the door rapidly.
“I’m sorry, were you waiting?” She came out with a smile on her face. I looked puzzled as she went to wash her hands. While she was washing her hands, I could still hear her crying, however it was inside her head. It was like she was fighting with herself, upset that she was cheating on her husband with her best friend’s husband.
“I have to break it up, I’ve been friends with Mackenzie since highschool,”. She then grabbed the paper towel, giving me an awkward look in the mirror as I gazed standing right behind her. She sighed, rolled her eyes as she swung the door open and left.
“That’s it!” I yelled running out of the gym and racing towards my car. I drove to the only person I know would believe me, Aaron. I banged on his door to his apartment.
“Aaron! Open up” I panicked with my hand on my heart.
“What’s wrong??” He opened the door with a concerned look on his face, sticking his head out, thinking I was being chased, as I barged in seeing the book collection of scientology, 9/11 conspiracy and the Quran.
“I had a dream….well more like a nightmare there was this tree? Something about the world dying and…and on top of that I’m hearing voices!!” As I rambled on he just looked at me amused and shook. “Say something!” I demanded. “This is the part where you tell me to calm down, it’s all in my head or tell me some conspiracy theory about using 5G.” He rubbed his head hard, shedding some of his brunette hair.
“Did this tree speak in a language you never heard before, but you understood it?” He asked.
“How do you know that?” I whispered.
“It spoke to me too….what the fuck” he stated as he sat down.
“What is going on?” My voice cracked.
“That was the tree of life.” he stated as he sat down on his red piece of furniture that still had the goodwill sticker on it.
“Um…okay.” I chuckled nervously. He then sat up and rushed to his bedroom to grab our mom’s old Bible that looked like it was missing some verses as he placed it down next to me.
“It is where the tree of knowledge is.” I looked at him dazed and confused. “The tree that Eve took the forbidden fruit from…..” He said in a monotone.
“Did you forget I always skipped Sunday school.” I said, rolling my eyes. “What does that mean?”
“The Garden of Eden!” He exclaimed then exhaled.
“Okay great…..but why are we seeing it?”
“It means the end is near.” his blue eyes piercing my brown ones in sadness. I laughed trying to disguise the fear in my voice.
“You’re joking, right?”
“It mentions this in revelations. Do you not see that the world is ending? I see it everyday.” his voice became aggressive.”Nobody believed me!”
“It just doesn’t make sense that we saw it, what are we supposed to do?”
“Save it….” he said with confidence.
I looked down. “How?” Just then as he was about to answer me, we heard a pounding at the door.
“Damien.” I whispered, as if I could sense him. Aaron unlocked the chain. Sure enough I was right, it was Damien.
“Aaron this is going to sound weird.” Me and Aaron both looked at each other as he explained the same dream. We let him finish and he asked why we weren’t panicking or saying anything, we both said we had the same dream as we pointed at each other. Then Jake burst through the door.
“Guys Help Me!” He screamed like a girl. We have never seen Jake vulnerable before.
“I had a dream and not like MLK”
“Yes we know! We all had the same dream!”
“About a tree?” He raised his eyebrows like “The Rock”, a wrestler we imitated as kids.
“Yes…” we assured him.
“Really? Well, are you guys also being attacked!” He exclaimed as he applied pressure to the front door.
We looked confused “By what? Who?”
“Well first it was my co-workers, and then my boss and now random strangers on the street. They just started turning as if they were zombies attacking me. But what’s crazier than that is this.” He placed his hand by his heart that began to glow and closed his hands together reaching in his chest, as if to capture it. And all of a sudden a bright light was in his hands.
“I don’t know how I’m doing this!” but whatever this light is it scares them off. Just long enough for me to run.
He said with excitement “I’m a Superhero!”
Damien closed his eyes and began to reach for his chest as it glowed, slowly exposing the handle of a sword.
“WHAT THE!?” Both Aaron and I exclaimed. He continued inch-ing it out as his eyes opened up in amazement.
Aaron followed and pulled out a shear that was sparkling.
“Scissors…..really?” Then they all looked at me.
“Uhhh NO!” I yelled.
“Come on Serenity.” Damien spoke softly. I exhaled as I placed both hands on my chest and closed my eyes, I could hear the voice of the tree whisper to me. Inhaled slowly pulling out 2 daggers.
“And I got scissors!” Aaron laughed.
“Shears” Damien corrected him.
“Forget all of you ” Jake pouted. I didn’t get a weapon. “How’s blinding them gonna help kill them.” We all smirked.
“We don’t have to kill them do we?” I said changing the tone of the room. “I mean you said the lights scare them away, and these are “our” people….right?” I looked towards Jake.
“Yes….” he paused, “but if it comes down to it….”
“Oh my God Mom!” Damien interrupted. “We need to check on her!” He exclaimed.
“Okay” Aaron said with no hesitation. “We all move together and fight off anyone who tries to break us apart.”
“Wait! We can’t let violence be our first attempt.” I slowly returned the daggers back into my chest. The rest of my bloodline followed suit. I nodded at Jake to open the door slowly as we exit. People on the streets looked normal, but something was off. I could sense the negative energy. People purposely running into each other, hitting other cars, arguing and fighting. They were filled with violence and aggression.
Jake began moving his hand towards his heart as he recognized a familiar face.
“Jake?” A slender redhead girl walked slowly approaching us. We all looked at Jake already guessing how he might know this woman, and began to rub our chest.
“Kiera?….hi” his facial expression revealing what we all knew. Moving in closer to Jake she starts to rub on his right cheek.
“I’m sorry Kiera, we have to get going.” He states trying to resist her temptation.
“Aaah!” she screamed as Aaron pierced her back with his shears.
Jake yelled angrily. “WHAT YOU DO!”
“Check her left hand,” he points. As she exhaled while releasing a knife to the ground.
“You’re welcome.” he said while he walked past him bumping his shoulder.
“That was close….too close.” I stood there shaking my head. We need to stay focused.
Jake raised his eyebrow “It ain’t my fault.” he shrugged.
“The tree chose us for a reason, let’s not get distracted. Keep moving forward, let’s leave Sodom and Gomorrah behind us, don’t look back.” I exhaled.
“So you did pay attention in Sunday school.” Aaron looked at me with pride.
Just then Kiera sat back up and bit Jake on the ankle. He screamed in shock, closing his eyes trying to control the pain as he reached inside his chest pulling the ball of light. She looked up in fear and began to flee.
“Well that was easy.” he said, but his body froze.
“Jake?” I questioned, he stood there in a trance.
“JAKE!!” I yelled again. Damien then placed his hand in front of his eyes to see if he would blink. Aaron guarded us seeing more people walking towards us. It started off as a small crowd but grew as if our scent was what was attracting them.
“Serenity,” Aaron said in a monotone voice. “Get ready.” I reached quickly for my daggers as I noticed the crowd started moving at an advance speed.
“We’re not going to make it to Moms, are we?” I looked at Aaron in sorrow. Aaron began to open his shears facing it upwards at the enemy.
“Have faith.” He demanded. Damien then yanked the sword from his chest as it vibrated and rippled a wave across the crowd, knocking them to the ground. He began to jump up in the air which surprised us both, seeing that the sword was giving him this ability.
I could see the crowd jumping around cars, climbing underneath them, running and crawling in an unrealistic manner. It was scary how their bodies were able to move as if they were spiders. Just as I took out my daggers and started to strike them coming towards us, Jake came out of his trance and kicked me in the center of my back as I collapsed onto the concrete. I moaned as I tried to regain my strength, I could see in the corner of my eye Aaron started to move towards me, but my vision began to blur.
“Serenity” I heard an echo. “Run!” I could see from the corner of my eye Jake creating a ball of black light and directing it towards Aaron. I began to pull myself up trying to protect Aaron but it was too late, the ball hit him in his chest and I noticed he was starting to fade. I took a sharp look at Damien who was just as confused as me, he raced over fighting them off his path. I caught Aaron just as he fell and could feel the cold entering his body.
“I don’t understand.” I whimpered then looked over at Jake’s emotionless face as he walked away like we were strangers.
“Aaron….Aaron.” I shook him vigorously. “DAMIEN!!” I screamed as he jumped in front of us wielding his sword, lifting the other side of Aaron with me.
I could hear the tree calling me as I pointed towards the forest.“I think I know where to take him.” holding a tear back. “We need to get to the garden.” We both lifted Aaron holding him up on our shoulders, as we raced through the forest, Damien wielding his sword and me with only one of my daggers not losing my grip on him. We arrived at the garden, waiting for the flaming swords to stop striking in every direction and allow us entry. Out of breath and barely able to take a step towards the tree of life that was within a few feet, Aaron started to rot. His body began melting like putty in my arms.
“Please.” I whispered on my knees, crawling, holding the remains of my brother begging the tree to spare him. Damien fell behind shivering as he looked at the emptiness in his hands where Aaron’s other half of his body vanished. I still had his head, but when I reached the tree’s stump, it was slowly falling through my fingers like slime. “This wasn’t supposed to happen!” I screamed. “Where did we go wrong?” my voice breaking.
“Sister…” Daminen whispered. I tilted my head back and saw that he was admiring his hands as they started to turn to dust.
“No.” I whimpered. Then I could no longer breathe, which only meant one thing. We failed. Then I heard a whisper.
“Have faith.” As my body turned into a liquid like water and was absorbed by the tree.
-Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:2