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Ray stirs as the sun descends toward the western horizon I sit by the faxroom sofa, with the numbers Riley and Slie It is not necessary He is co

"Ray," I say "It&039;s tiht"

Ray sits up and yawns He wipes the sleep from his eyes like a little boy He checks the time and is amazed "I slept away the entire day?" he asks

"Yes," I say "And now you have to go I have decided It is not safe for you here Go to Pat She loves you"

He throws aside the blankets and pulls on his pants He co to leave you"

"You cannot protect et killed, then I get killed At least I will have tried"

"Brave words, foolish words I can s aboutmy name"

He sh it breaks my heart to treat hi hio, whatever it costs

"Then listen to ht even when I supposedly openedyou must know is that your father is dead and that it was I, not Yaksha, who killed him"

Ray sits back, stunned "You&039;re not serious"

"I can show you where his body is buried"

"But you couldn&039;t have killed him Why? How?"

"I will answer your questions I killed him because he called me into his office and tried to black up onthe bones of his chest"

"You couldn&039;t do that"

"But you know that I can You knohat I am" I reach over and pick up a s room table "This piece was ypt two hundred years ago It is very heavy "You can feel it if you don&039;t believe me,"

Ray&039;s eyes are dark "I believe you,"

"You should" I hold the piece in ht and it shatters to dust Ray ju I tell you"

He takes a moment to collect himself &039;"You are a va about you"

"Yes"

There is pain in his voice "But you couldn&039;t have killed my father"

"But I did I killed him without mercy I have killed thousands over the last five thousand years I am ato hurt et hurt You love me, I love you Tell me you didn&039;t kill him"

I take his hands in mine "Ray, this is a beautiful world and it is a horrible world Most people never see the horror that there is For most that is fine But you must look at it now You must look deep into s Yes, I killed your father He died inhome And if you do not leave here, you will not return ho ill have been in vain"

Ray weeps "He made a wish?"

"Not ords, but, yes I picked up your picture and he cried By then he knehat I was, though it was too late for him He did not want me to touch you" I caress Ray&039;s aro"

"But if you are so horrible why did you touch me, love me?"

"You reht I was ain"

"Five thousand years ago?"

"Yes"

"Are you really that old?"

"Yes I knew Krishna"

"Hare Krishna?"

The h "He was not the way you think from what you see these days Krishna was--there are no words for hi It is he who has protected me all these years"

"You believe that?"

I hesitate, but it is true Why can&039;t I accept the truth? "Yes"

"Why?"

"Because he told me he would if I listened to hireat power, I should have perished, But I never did: God blessed me" I add, "And he cursed me,"

"How did he curse you?"

Now there are tears in ain I cannot lose you again, my love, but I cannot keep you with ive me for what I did to your father He was not a bad ive it to you I know he loved you very much,"

"But--"

"Wait!" I interrupt Suddenly I hear so with the noise of the waves, a single note, callingme that it is already too late "He is here," I whisper,

"What? Where?"

I stand and walk to the s that overlook the sea Ray stands beside ainst the rocks, stands a solitary figure dressed in black His back is to us, but I see the flute in his hand His song is sad, as always I don&039;t know if he plays for me or himself, but maybe it is for both of us

"Is that him?" Rays asks;

"Yes"

"He&039;s alone We should be able to take hiun?"

"I have one under un will not stop hiiving up without a fight?"

"I a to talk to hi with you"

I turn to Ray and rub the hair on his head He feels so delicate to me "No You cannot come He is less human than I am He will not be interested in what a huer to his lips as he starts to protest "Do not argue withto leave," he says

I sigh "It may be too late for that already Stay then Watch Pray"

"To Krishna?"

"God is God His name doesn&039;t matter But I think only he can help us now"

A few minutes later I stand ten feet behind Yaksha The wind is strong, bitter It sees like a bloated drop of blood over the hazy western horizon The spray fro black hair like so ine him a statue that has stood outside my home for centuries Always, he has been inhis flute