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  "Jesse never returned to retrieve the gold. It's possible that one or more of the gang may have made an attempt, but I don't believe so. Several months after this was the failed Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery. Jesse's gang was splintered. A posse captured most of them with Jesse and Frank barely escaping. Five years later, Jesse was killed. In my humble opinion, the treasure is still buried somewhere in the Wichita Mountains."

  "Have others searched for the treasure over the years?" Cracker asked. "Yes," Willy answered. "Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of treasure hunters have scoured the area. But we have one thing they didn't—You!"

  "What about the inscription on the tree. The M, O, and Y or something?" "It's anybody's guess what it means," Willy replied. "Where does that leave us?" Marcus questioned.

  "Well, first of all, we know that Frank's search was at Buzzard's Roost. That's a start. Secondly, since Frank found the mule shoe and the carving of the crossed rifles, he must have been close to where the treasure is buried. We need to have Cracker go back again to the same time period to glean more details concerning the lay of the land and if possible what the inscription on the tree means."

  “I’ll try Willy but I’m making no guarantees. When I’m in one of Billingsley’s trances I’m limited to the here-and-now perceptions of Frank James. I can’t make Frank do anything. I’m just an observer. If he doesn’t think about or physically move to the tree carving I have no access to the info.”

  "Just do your best Cracker. When's the next session scheduled?" Willy asked. "Tomorrow, same time," Cracker replied. "Great. Let's meet back here tomorrow evening,” Willy said. “Incidentally, Roy Dunn was at Rum Jungle last Friday evening watching us."

  "What?" Cracker exclaimed looking shocked.

  "I saw him at a table by the bar. That's why I changed our meeting location. I didn't want to say anything as I wasn't sure if you’d told him where we would be Cracker." "I never did," she shouted! "Yes, I know that now," Willy replied earnestly. "Could he hear our conversation?" she asked. "I doubt it," Willy replied, "what with the loud music and all."

  "He must have followed you there," Marcus said turning towards Cracker. "Have you spoken to him since Friday?" "No. He hasn't called me, Cracker replied." "Does he know about us?" Marcus continued. "I doubt it," she answered. "Besides it doesn't matter. He doesn't run my life." "I wonder why he didn't come to our table to confront you," Marcus said. Kissing Marcus on the cheek Cracker replied, "I'll take care of Roy. Don't worry about him."

  "By the way, Willy, how did you recognize him? You've never met Roy," Marcus asked. "After you left The Glade that evening I circled back and went inside. I wanted to see what Cracker looked like. Roy was with her. I knew it was him from the description you gave me." "You're always one step ahead of me, Willy." "I try, my boy, I try."

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  Namaste: Was Virginia indeed Frank James in a prior life Sumantra?

  Sumantra: What do you think my friend?

  Namaste: I think she was, yes.

  Sumantra: Well then, we're making progress. You've come a long way from, not believing in a life after death.

  N. Yes, yes . . . So what is your answer? Was Virginia really Frank James in a prior life?

  S. My guess is that yes, she was, however, that information is hidden from me Namaste. I only have knowledge of the previous lives of souls who are part of the same group as I. Contemporaries so to speak. And then only for the purpose of assisting them to wake up to who they really are. Like you, for instance.

  N. So you and I are part of the same entity then?

  S. Yes indeed. In greater terms, we are all part of the same entity, of course. In our particular case, as I related earlier, I have known you in other times and places and under many names. We are contemporaries you and I. We are part of the same soul group.

  N. Why do I not remember any of this?

  S. Ah, yes that is one of the great secrets of life my friend. A secret I believe you are ready to hear. You see, all of life on Earth is a play. A big magic show. Real enough while you are one of the actors but an illusion just the same.

  While incarnated on Earth the play must, of course, be taken seriously. It means that you are playing a role—an important one. But little by little one must wake up and realize that they are an actor and have indeed created the stage on which they perform. In one context, what we call physical reality is indeed a dream, but in a larger framework it is an illusion that we have created. When one realizes that they form it they come into the memory of their whole self.

  N. Another question Sumantra. Are my physical lives dependent simply on chance or fate?

  S. Not at all my friend. In each life, you choose and create ahead of time your future settings and environments. In other words, you have a hand in forming your new physical environments. Prior to each incarnation, you choose the parents and household you will be born into. You may choose your race and the area of the country to be born. You must also live lives as both sexes male and female.

  N. I choose my parents?

  S. Yes, and not only that but usually between lives you choose ahead of time your children and they choose you as parents. You return many times with friends and relatives you have been close to in the past. As an example, you and Marjorie have been together in other past lives. You are soul mates. I dislike the term soul mate, but that is as good a word as I can come up with.

  N. Marjorie? We're soul mates?

  S. Yes, since we must use that term. You have been brother and sister, man and wife and father and daughter among other relationships.

  N. If I follow you correctly then I choose ahead of time what is now happening with Marcus?

  S. Not exactly Namaste. Prior to birth, you chose the general environment and location for your next physical existence. Then free will takes over. You, as Marcus have free will to conduct your life in any way you choose.

  N. And I have no memory of this after I am born?

  S. Exactly. If you did the game would be over. The game depends upon your forgetting what occurred in the afterlife. A marvelous plan is it not? You lay out your plan in the Afterlife then are born into a new physical existence with no memory of the Afterlife or the plan. You cause yourself to forget who you really are!

  N. No memory at all?

  S. No conscious memory. Your SOUL is aware that your current life on planet Earth is not all there is. That knowledge, however, is hidden from your consciousness when you incarnate in a particular lifetime. The job of your soul is to wake yourself up. That is the natural next step for consciousness to follow—to come awake from the normal waking state.

  N. If we wake up and remember who we really are does the game then end?

  S. The game never ends my friend. But you would know that your experience of the illusion has ended. Then you may enjoy the illusion for what it is without becoming an unconscious part of it.

  N. I still don't understand why this knowledge is hidden to us. Would we not be better served knowing that truth when we are born?

  S. It has been hidden to allow us to learn a valuable lesson.

  N. And what might that lesson be?

  S. That we create our own reality. That is why we are here. To learn that our thoughts, beliefs and emotions create the physical reality that we experience. Consciousness creates reality. It is NOT the other way around as so many believe. Events are not something that happen to you. They are materialized experiences formed by you according to your beliefs and expectations.

  N. Is consciousness and soul the same thing?

  S. Decidedly not, my friend. You are NOT your consciousness. Consciousness is something that belongs to you and the soul. You are learning to use it.

  N. What is consciousness then? I'm confused.

  S. Consciousness is a state of focus. Not a soul or self. It is like the window through which you look. Plainly speaking—Consciousness is the direction in which the soul or self-looks at any given time. Think of it as a flashlight that yo
u may shine in any direction.

  N. Why haven't humans explored the nature of consciousness then?

  S. Humans are so frightened of death, my friend, that they dare not turn their consciousness off for one second; for if they do, indeed, who will be there to turn it back on again?

  N. You say our purpose is to wake up. I would have thought that our purpose is to create a better world.

  S. Yes, that is a most worthy goal—to create a better world. A rather lofty task for an individual though, wouldn't you say?

  N. Agreed, but one must start somewhere.

  S. Yes, my dear, and one starts by awakening to the truth that we create our own reality and that our current life on Earth is not all there is. Once we see that, REALLY SEE THAT, then we can begin to create a better world through awakened doing.

  N. How does one awaken then?

  S. To come awake from our normal awake state is like when one suddenly awakens while in a dream, realizing first of all that they are dreaming, and secondarily that they are themselves creating the experienced dreams. To understand that you create your own reality requires that same kind of awakening from the normal awake state—at least for some people. The realization itself does indeed change the rules of the game as far as you are concerned to a rather considerable degree.

  N. Can anyone learn to do this, Sumantra?

  S. Most certainly. Some have this knack more than others.

  N. And must I accept as truth what you have told me today?

  S. Not at all, my friend. What I have been relating to you is MY truth. It is what I believe to be true. We all have our own truths. I would suggest, however, that when we are physical beings, we can't possibly know for sure about any of it, so we might as well adopt attitudes toward life, death, and the universe which do not damage and destroy our physical bodies.

  To quote Paracelsus: Suffering and disease arise when your consciousness forgets its immortality and starts to believe that your current life experience, in the world of space and time, is ALL THERE IS.

  N. Paracelsus? Another of your contemporaries?

  S. No my friend. I'm just an admirer of his work. Paracelsus was a brilliant physician, alchemist and occultist. Born in Switzerland, his last physical existence was in the late 1400's to early 1500's. I never knew him. I only knew of him. Physical beings would do well to take his advice.

  Paracelsus postulated that we are much more than our physical bodies. We are what he called the Anthropos. The Anthropos or soul as we would say is immortal. He would say that the particular life in which you are currently engaged, with what you think is all your being, is only one of an infinite number of lives of which you, the Anthropos, can experience.

  N. Is it possible or beneficial to my soul or Anthropos to wake up while I am alive, rather than after I am dead, to discover that my current life is not all there is but one of many?

  S. Ah, superb, my friend. Very good indeed. You are getting closer.

  N. Closer to what?

  S. Closer to understanding something you seem to have forgotten.

  N. Forgotten from when?

  S. From before you were born into this particular lifetime as Marcus. It is my purpose to remind you of that which you seem to have forgotten.

  N. Why don't you simply tell me what I have forgotten? Wouldn't that be quicker?

  S. It is something you must recall on your own my impatient friend. I may only show you the door so to speak. May I continue?

  N. Please do.

  S. The Anthropos or soul would be that part of you, the deepest and most crucial part, which can watch the goings on and remark, "I can't believe this is happening." It is that part of yourself, the very foundation, which, as the years go by, looks at its changing reflection in the mirror and exclaims, "Is that me in the mirror?"

  At death, according to his theory, this part of you wakes up, as if from a dream, and says something like: "WOW, what a great ride that was, I think I'll do it again."

  N. So the game never truly ends?

  S. Not the game of life. But once again we are getting ahead of ourselves. We will speak more about this later. For now, let's rejoin your contemporaries and see what happens next.

  * * *

  Chapter Ten

  The Pagoda

  TUESDAY MORNING Tisdale was on the phone with Robert Albrecht. "Long and short, Boggs is staying at a cheap motel off the beaten path called The Pagoda. As near as I can tell, Reno's not with him. Virginia McCracken is tending bar at a club on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. There're only two clubs on the Island. The Officer's Club and the Enlisted Men's Club. I'll find out which one is hers."

  "So you've seen Willy then?" Albrecht asked.

  "Yes, my man has. I've got a guy watching The Pagoda. Boggs is definitely staying there. No sign of Reno going in or out of the motel though. Do you want me to have a conversation with Boggs?"

  "No, not now. Keep your eye out for Marcus and call me when he turns up. Don't spend any more time or money tracking down Virginia. Just focus on Marcus."

  "You got it boss."

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  Prior to the construction of the Admiral Clarey Bridge access to Ford Island could only be had by boat. A Navy YFB ferry boat shuttled personnel to and from the island throughout the day. Sailors operating the boat were on four-hour duty shifts beginning at eight am. Seaman Roy Dunn's regular duty was Noon to four pm weekdays. As Bosons' Mate, he'd been in charge of the two-person crew.

  Regular ferry service was mostly discontinued following completion of the bridge. The bases' three YFBs were docked at a supply pier on the North side of the island. The YFBs were still maintained, and Dunn was responsible for taking them out on the bay for shakedowns on an as needed basis.

  Today, Dunn was alone in the boat sitting offshore as part of a two-day Naval exercise. He had plenty of time to sit and think and what he was thinking wasn't pretty. Replaying in his mind what he had seen at Rum Jungle Friday night, he was pretty sure Cracker was trying to cut him out of the deal. "And that puke Marcus," he said aloud. “Stealing Cracker from me.” Just thinking about Marcus made him feel angry and generally pissed off. “She was all over him. The bitch," he muttered, turning the boat into the waves. "I'll get back at them both."

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈

  Tuesday evening Willy, Cracker, and Marcus were back at Angus O'Toole's to review the recording from Cracker's latest session. "Do you think Roy is still following us?" Marcus asked. "He gets off duty tonight. If he is, he's bound to go to Rum Jungle. He knows something is up, and he'll assume were meeting there again," Cracker replied.

  "How so?" Willy asked.

  "He called me late last evening from the base. I didn't answer so he left a voice message. He suspects Marcus and I are an item." "Did you call him back?" Marcus asked. "No, but if I had I couldn't very well deny it now could I, honey? Aren't we an item?" she replied squeezing his knee under the table. "I'd better stay at your place tonight, sweetie. Roy will be coming back to the house."

  "My motel is a dump. You sure you want to stay with me?" Marcus added. "I've been in worse, honey," she replied with a shrug. "Fine, you two sort this out later. Let's get to the recording," Willy said. "Hold on, Willy," Marcus exclaimed. "I'm none too keen on Roy coming after me."

  "He doesn't know where you're staying my boy, and he's not aware that we changed meeting locations. Not to worry. Before he knows what's up we'll be on our way to Oklahoma." "Easy for you to say. It's my ass he'll be after not yours Willy."

  "Be that as it may look on the bright side,” Willy replied. “He won't be chasing after Frank's gold while he's fixated on you and Cracker." "Willy's right, sweetie," Cracker added. "Leave Roy to me for now. Here's the recorder, Willy. You'll be pleased with what you hear."

  "Did Billingsley steer you in the right direction?" "Yes somewhat. I'm starting to believe that I may really have been Frank James in a prior life. If not, I don't know where all this stuff is coming from."

  "This
is Doctor Peter Billingsley. It is August 6th, 2014 5: 20 in the afternoon. My subject is Miss Virginia McCracken of Pearl City, Hawaii. This is our fifth session. I have induced a deep hypnotic trance state, and Virginia is resting comfortably on the couch in my study."

  "Go back to a compelling event in your prior life and tell me what you see Virginia."

  "I'm with my brother Jesse and some other men."

  "Where are you?"

  "By a railroad track. Two men are using tools to pry out a pair of spikes from the rail. They’re running some rope through holes in the rail."

  "What are you doing now?"

  "Waiting for something. I don't know what."

  "What do you see?"

  "A train with cars attached is coming. It is coming around a curve at a slow pace. The rope is being pulled by two men who are behind a nearby bush. The rail is moving a bit. The train is screeching. Bullets are flying from the men holding the rope. The train engine is slipping off the rail and toppling over. I see Jesse now with Cole and four others. The passengers on the train are screaming. Jesse jumps up on one of the cars. He is aiming a revolver at someone's head and demanding the key."

  "The key to what?"

  "I don't know. I can't see. Here come Jesse and Cole leaping off the train carrying U.S. Mail bags. We're running to our horses. We're all on horseback now yelling and whooping it up."

  "Can you determine where you are?"

  "No. It’s an isolated area. I see the tracks and the overturned train and a bridge a couple hundred yards away. There are no houses or farms. I am riding away with Jesse. Shots are being fired wildly by someone on the train, but we are too far away to be hit. I still hear screaming as we bolt over a hilltop and disappear."

  "Go forward in time now to the next significant event."

  "I'm in a barn. I'm saddling a horse. It is not mine. I am stealing it. Jesse and I are riding away. We are both on the same horse. A gun goes off. I feel a hurt in my right leg. Jesse is hit too. We fall hard to the ground. The horse is running away. We crawl behind the barn."