Catharsis, Legend of the Lemurians by Lada Ray

what is to happen in the twentieth century is only
the prelude to the disasters and possibilities of the twenty-first.
That's when the Key will be truly needed. My vote is pro !”
    “All of you are correct,” said Tengis, a small
Asian-looking man with white beard, the Keeper of Russia and the
Arctic. “Humanity's record speaks loudly against it. And if it is
bad now, what will happen after they've perfected the existing
relatively crude weapons, and figured out how to make nuclear ones?
We are running an extremely high risk of the ultimate
self-destruction of all Earth's souls—that’s true, too. But the
prophecy is clear: the Key will be born, and that can only happen
when all is not lost. And as to whether it will be a male or a
female, Russian or Chinese…” Tengis eyes acquired a far away look,
“it will be both.”
    “What do you mean? How can it be both?” exclaimed
several voices at once.
    “This particular Key is unlike any before it. It’s
dual—both male and female, yin and yang, receptive and assertive.
And it's bound to unlock a new and most exciting era for humanity,
more important than any prior…if the Council,” Tengis's thoughtful
eyes probed each Keeper in turn, “allows it to be born. I vote pro .”
    “So far we have a tie—four pro and four con. Dona
Isabella…your final word?” Lev's wise voice addressed the
olive-skinned shamaness wrapped in a warm poncho. The ancient
woman, who was the Keeper of South America, puffed her pipe,
silently absorbing the exchange.
    “Yes, I also see the dual Key being born,” she
started slowly. “And I too foresee this Key being able to open a
new era for humans. Yet…great horrors lie ahead, born of mankind’s
greed and aggression. And our final responsibility is to carefully
weigh all the risks.”
    “It all comes down to your vote, Dona Isabella,”
said Ignatius quietly, while the rest of the Keepers held their
breath.
    “My final decision,” pronounced Dona Isabella with
great reluctance, as if the weight of the entire world made it hard
for her to move her tongue, “…is against protecting this
civilization.”
    No one moved a muscle, absorbing the finality of the
moment, and only the golden cocoon around the Keepers kept
pulsating and shimmering in the absolute silence.
    “So be it,” said Lev's voice sadly.
“Four— pro , five— con . I, Lev Tolstoy, the Earth’s
Supreme Keeper, hereby declare that the Council of the Earth
Keepers agrees not to interfere when the Comet of Karma collides
with the Earth, so this civilization would reap the consequences of
its past, present and future actions.”
    As Lev finished speaking, all Keepers inclined their
heads in agreement—some solemnly, some reluctantly, some sadly—and
closed their eyes in a deep, silent meditation. As they did, the
golden cocoon around them started expanding upwards, higher and
higher, until a column of brilliant light broke through the Earth's
atmosphere and reached straight into Outer Space.
    There it was, a rugged rectangular piece of icy
rock, about twelve kilometers across, smaller than the size of the
island of Manhattan. The haloed comet resolutely cut through space,
looking quite meager next to the major planets it passed one by
one: Neptune…Uranus…Saturn…Jupiter… It didn't look impressive even
next to a relatively small planet of this solar system called
Earth, the only one with fully developed flora and fauna, the only
one populated by a thriving human civilization.
    Although the icy rock appeared insignificant and
completely innocuous, the Keepers knew: if it crashed into the
Earth at its current speed, it would end all life on this little
planet. For a moment, the rock hesitated, as if feeling an
irresistible pull to the Sun, as if unsure that it should continue
to its original destination. But then, something else caught its
attention, and it became clear just where the comet was really
heading. It was heading toward the Earth, aiming into the