from CHAPTER ONE

When he unlocked the doors of the van, Samuel found a surfboard lying on its side along the center aisle.

“Don’t worry, Dad,” Ethan said, “I brought some tie-down straps to put it on top. Give me a hand, will you, Larbu?”

“Yeah, sure,” Larbu said. “An actual surfboard. You really know how to use this thing, brother?”

“Uh-huh, I was on the water every chance I got before I got sick. Nothing, not even skiing or snowboarding, compares for me.”

In very little time, Ethan and Larbu had secured the board onto the van’s roof rack, and Samuel lifted the rear hatch door for everyone to stash their daypacks.

From the instant Samuel laid eyes on the surfboard, he felt anxious.

“Would it be alright if I drive, Dad?” Ethan asked, “I know exactly where we’re going.”

“Yes, if you’ll be careful.”

“I will.”

Ethan quickly took his place behind the wheel. Larbu jumped into the seat next to him. Suawasa and Tia settled into the next row of seats, while Samuel and Rebecca did not hesitate to occupy the bench seat in the far back.

“Suawasa,” Larbu said, turning to look at the Elder, “I’m wondering about something. When we got to San Francisco, we saw tons of fancy limos. What’s the deal?”

“There are many people living here who inherited fortunes,” Suawasa said. “ ‘Old money,’ they call it. That’s part of what you’re seeing. The other part is people who are making new fortunes from, how do you say it, ‘the high tech industry.’ ”

“Ahh,” Larbu said. “I get it.”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, Larbu, pay close attention in the coming years to developments coming out of that industry.”

“What do you mean?”

“People are about to have more information than they can possibly handle. It will be available to us in an instant, and we will be able to access it in many futuristic ways.”

“Cool, what kind of ways?”

“There will be smaller, more powerful, telephones, like those that were first able to access the internet in Japan the year you were born, Tia. You’ll be able to point that phone at an almost other-worldly symbol on the outside of a restaurant, and, viola, you will instantly see today’s menu. Or you’ll be able to do the same thing wearing special eyeglasses or contact lenses made for the specific purpose of gathering more information. 

“We’ve been desiring this capability for a long, long time, and the technology that’s going to make it available will radically affect the way we live. Get ready, because it’s all going to happen at blurring speed."

“Sounds great,” Larbu said.

“But we’ll be flooded by information, Larbu.”

“Well, a flood doesn’t sound good,” Larbu said. “And floods are made out of water, which Dad says belongs to the dimension that governs our intellect and memory. And our karma, whatever that is.  So I guess it makes sense that if we were flooded with information it might not be good for us.”

“Please keep me posted on how you feel about it once you’ve experienced it for a while, Larbu.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great, but I’ll definitely let you know.” Larbu turned forward again to look out the windshield.  

Ever so slowly, the fog lifted. Samuel realized that even as the traffic thickened and the driving intensified, Ethan was driving in a relaxed manner, not angrily pushing as he had in the past. He’d been mostly listening to Larbu.

As soon as Larbu turned around, Ethan said, “Man, I love to surf. I’m so stoked to be able to go back out today. It’s like a miracle or something.”

Samuel strained to hear Ethan’s words. Luckily, Suawasa and Tia were silent. 

“You’ll see, Larbu. Catching a wave and riding it is like nothing else. It’s the peak experience, my healthy addiction.”

“I never knew you surfed,” Larbu said.

“I kept it secret for years, didn’t want any of the family to know, especially Mom. She would have nixed it.

“But now the secret’s out, and if you ever want to learn, I’ll teach you. And I’ll let you on to something, brother: The instant I master a wave, I go looking for a more challenging one.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. Between the time I drop into the tube and the time I come out, something more powerful than anything I’ve ever experienced happens. Nothing like it, and the only thing more fantastic is a bigger wave. That’s why I need to find that wave, then surf it.” 

Larbu nodded his head.

“My feeler tells me today will be my greatest challenge yet. Major stuff. It’s been a while since I surfed, and I’m not in shape. But it feels right, and that’s what I’m going with.”

“Are you scared?” Larbu asked.

“Juiced, not scared. Today I’m feeling great respect for the ocean. So much energy, so much force. I can feel that energy out there growing the closer we get to it. No way for me to power through the waves I’m going to find—they would crush me. I’ll need to to join with the wave, merge with it. Besides, that’s where the fun is.”

“It sounds good, Ethan, really good.”

“Yeah. I’m so grateful to be feeling well enough to go out there today. It’s remarkable, the work I did with Suawasa. I’m a different person. I can breathe again. I’m in touch with what I need to be in touch with. I’m in my confidence, you know?”

Samuel’s gaze rested on the Elder and Tia. He saw them as quite a match—neither one spoke, yet both were tuned in to the goings-on inside the van and on the highway.

Which was why Samuel was surprised when the Elder said, “Larbu, would you please turn on the radio?”

“For sure.”

Samuel couldn’t tell if Larbu was eager to please or eager to hear some tunes.

But it wasn’t music they heard, rather a series of long, flat, electric beeps, trademark of the emergency broadcast system. Then, “We interrupt the scheduled program to bring you this important message. The West Coast-Alaska Ocean Warning Center has informed us that a powerful and potentially dangerous storm surge is building along the coast of Northern California. 

“Although all California beaches remain open, residents are urged to stay away. The situation is being monitored by the Warning Center. If you are at a beach and hear the sound of sirens, evacuate the beach immediately. Please remain tuned to this station for further details.”

Samuel groaned. 

“A storm surge,” Tia said. “What’s that?”

“In Japan, people call it a purification wave,” the Elder said. “More and more of these waves are occuring. They are considered freak storms, but soon will be viewed as normal.” 

Samuel could sense the Elder unmoved by the news. It had fast become clear to him that Suawasa’s realm manifested wherever he was. His calm, Samuel thought, his clarity of purpose, his ongoing tap into the collective, are every bit as much here as at his home. And I can feel his willingness to work with us today.

Ethan, meanwhile, also showed no sign of being thrown by the storm surge warning—he continued to drive cautiously and respectfully, even when Larbu went off on a rant about current affairs and politics. 

Samuel found himself, as well, better able to shake off the radio’s warning than he expected. He was again experiencing “that feeling” he’d had the first day outside of Suawasa’s home, and once more, it felt supportive. 

But as they drew closer to their destination, Samuel found himself increasingly anxious and worried about Ethan going surfing. I have good reason to feel this way, he told himself. Ethan’s made one poor judgment after another for twenty years. That he’s still here today is the real miracle. 

His anxiety was emanating from a spot an inch or so below his xyphoid process—a nauseating, troubling vibration. He palpated the precise location of the point with his finger. Heart meridian alarm point. Can’t be good.

“Excuse me, Samuel,” the Elder said, turning in his seat to look at Samuel. “Understand that your anxiety is arising solely from some fear of the future.”  

Samuel gave him a questioning look.

“Anxiety floods in when a person fixates on that which is not real. The future is not real, nor is the past. Only the present is real, and only in the present can a person properly determine if there is danger on his trajectory, not to mention how to respond to that situation.”

Tia was watching Suawasa closely.

“Being preoccupied with what is going on in the head—one’s thoughts, that is—damages a person’s life will and damages the body as well. As you know, our life will is governed by the heart meridian. When a person is thinking, blood circulation increases in the upper parts of the body, causing the heart to work harder. It is essential today for you to stay connected with the reality of the now.”

“But now includes that warning we just hear on the radio,” Samuel said. 

“And now also includes the fact that Ethan is driving cautiously and respectfully. That is the reality. His energy feels sober. Nonetheless, you’re getting pulled out by your thoughts and fears and memories, which originate in your head. 

“Perhaps now is the time for teaching your family the next step.”

“I would love to be paying full attention to your teaching, Suawasa,” Samuel said, “but I’m afraid I’ll be distracted.”

“Don’t worry. What you’re about to learn will keep you in touch with Ethan in the best way and free you from distraction,” Suawasa said.

“Thank goodness, because I don’t have a clue as to what danger signs to look for when he’s surfing.”

“People habitually search for danger using only their physical senses, Samuel, and that simply is not sufficient. 

“If you’re going to be in touch with what you need to be in touch with today, you will need to learn the steps to access that place within yourself where you can discern reality and stay out of reaction.”

“Reality?”

“Yes, reality being that which becomes illuminated in the unseen realm prior to what you see with your eyes.”

“I’ll have to take your word for that. My memory of what I experienced the other day is being obscured by my anxiety. But, obviously, I need to learn this, Suawasa.”

“Then the time has come for you to discover how to access the “U”-“A”-“Wa” dimensions.”