Roland's Dream

Roland felt his mind wake in a place he had never been to before.  He arose in a great hall with a long stone table.  He saw a figure sitting at the end of the table, but had trouble making out its features.  It was as if his vision was blocked, but he felt that the figure was watching him.   More than that, Roland felt like something was looking through him and his body was fading.

            Eventually the room began to clear, and Roland could see more clearly the figure’s shape.  At first he thought it was a man and he was just looking through a mist.  He was too afraid to move, and felt his will breaking.  He thought about his father and what he would have done in this moment.  He didn’t think that he would stand still senseless in this situation.  Roland was ashamed.

            He felt laughter and heard a voice, but the sound felt like it came within his mind. 

            “Come Roland, and do not be ashamed.  Your father is no greater man than you, and he would have waited to be invited as you have.”

            As Roland walked to the end of the table, “How do you know my name?”

            “Sit down and we’ll discuss what you must know.  I know more about you and your family than any other save the One.  As you have been a watcher waiting for my call, I have also watched you and yours from generation to generation.  Your family honors the old traditions and you have been vigilant in your duty, though even now you do not understand it.”

            Roland sat down and finally got a good look at the figure, which looked like a person for the most part.  But its image was indistinct, and looked like a picture on a mist.  He was afraid that if he breathed too hard the figure would blow away.  The blurred image was ethereal and beautiful, but whether it was a man or woman Roland could not guess.  It looked like a person, but felt like something greater.

            “No, I don’t understand any of this.  Where am I?  And who are you?”

“You are nowhere at all, and I have been chosen just as you have.  All the many years of waiting have come to an end, and now it is time to prove your worth.  In a short time you will have a new calling, and instead of waiting you will need to take action.  It is a sad affair for both of us I think; your task may be more than you can handle.”

            “What task?”

            “I do not yet know exactly what your place will be in the events to come, but I know that you will have a role.”

            “Do you always speak in riddles?”

            Roland felt the laughter again, and it rolled through him.  It filled him with a kind of joy he never knew before, and he felt emboldened.

            “No Roland, not always.  You must realize that there is only so much that you can understand in this world, and sometimes knowing less is better for you.  There is much in the world that has been forgotten and left behind, some of it is coming back now.”

            “What is coming back?”

            “Why do you think you are here?  What were you waiting and watching for?  What has your family committed to all this time?  Young Roland, you know the answers to these questions.”

            “No.  None of us really know what we are watching for, just that we’re supposed to watch.  The reasons have been lost in time, but we held true to the old promises.”

            “Yes you have.  I was there when your family made the oath to be ever vigilant.  The first meeting of the twelve families was a long time ago, I know that some of the secrets have died before being properly passed on.  But surely Roland, you have a guess as to why you are here.”

            “I’d rather not guess, this is all bigger than me.  I’ll be honest, I wasn’t convinced that a day like this would ever come.”

            “It’s good to be honest with me, I know your thoughts as you make them.  I also had no reason to believe this day would come, but we’ve stayed prepared.  Tell me Roland, what does your heart tell you?”

            “Something dangerous.”

            “Indeed, go on.”

            “I don’t know what to say.  There are a lot of rumors of what the sign would mean, but none of them tells the whole story.  Even the old books have gaps, and I was taught it wouldn’t be wise to venture to guess at something we can’t know.”

            “You will know, but I think you know the greatest part.  It was always your favorite part of the old stories.”

            “Nephilim.” Roland spoke in barely a whisper, afraid to even say the word.