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Overview
When her brother was tragically killed years ago, S. C. was angry, vengeful, sad, and confused. She loved her older brother dearly, and set out to find answers about his death. She started writing to heal herself, and the writing led her to new understandings. In addition to the writing, she began seeking answers. This is how Unveiling was born.
Unveiling is based on S. C.'s real life experiences as she searched for answers about her brother. In the Unveiling, Champion, the brother, is the main character and his younger little sister, Seeker, is out looking for answers about why he died. When she starts to uncover the truth about her brother's death, she is awakened to a whole new understanding of life, and she learns secrets to living her own life well.
More than 20 years in the making, Unveiling started as a painful tragedy, but developed into a gift when Seeker – much like S. C. in real life – discovered the gift her brother gave in his death.
"The purpose of this book, Unveiling, is to share what I’ve learned from this experience," S. C. explains. "My brother's passing was a deep gift because it triggered in me a Spiritual journey, as a result of the gifts he showed me. Life is different when you live from a totally different Spiritual perspective. Life has become easier for me because I now have the tools and understanding of how to be in the world, but not of it."
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781504366243 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Balboa Press |
| Publication date: | 10/18/2016 |
| Pages: | 312 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Unveiling
Inspired by a true story
By S. C. Guardian
Balboa Press
Copyright © 2016 S.C. GuardianAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5043-6624-3
CHAPTER 1
Nine months earlier
I had been working in the same office for three years, but after a recent reorganization I was assigned to share an office with Electra. She was seldom in the office since she spent most of her time in the laboratory. Soon after moving into our office, I began feeling the creeps, as if I were in a haunted house. I couldn't help wondering if someone had carried on an affair in the room, or worse, died in this office. At times when I experienced those strange feelings, I glanced at Electra, who sat at her desk in the opposite corner next to the door. Simultaneously, Electra would turn and look at me. We smiled at each other, but neither said anything. I wondered if she was picking up on the same feelings.
Electra was happy when she was transferred to another department, but I felt uneasy left alone in that office. I couldn't stand it and would often make any excuse to get out of there. I needed to surround myself with other people, so I asked Reason if I could use the computer in his office since mine was out for repair. Reason shared his office with Clarity, and that's when we became friends. I taught her how to use the computer and corrected her English when necessary.
After I had been working in her office for just a few days, Clarity came up behind me and whispered, "Something feels strange and I don't understand it. Do you feel it, too? What's going on?"
I felt chills crawl up my spine as I slowly turned to face Clarity. At that moment, we both realized there was a connection between us.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"People are acting so strangely," Clarity replied with a frown. "I've been working in the laboratory under Manipulator for about six months. Almost every time I duplicate his experiments I get completely different results. He becomes angry with me and thinks I'm not doing them right. But I know they are right. I have repeated the experiments several times and still don't get the same results as Manipulator. It makes me feel stupid. I've even gone over my procedures with Manipulator and I'm following the procedures properly. I don't know what's happening in the lab, but whatever it is, it's not scientific."
I glanced around to make sure no one was watching us. "That's really odd. Manipulator can be difficult to work with at the best of times and he tells the Boss everything that happens. Even though he is a medical doctor, the Boss has little hands-on experience and doesn't know laboratory procedures so he believes everything Manipulator tells him. He supervises Manipulator as an armchair lieutenant."
"Well, it's not just the experiments that are weird. I've asked for supplies and equipment that I need for my work but I can't get them, even though I've requested them through the proper channels. Will Manipulator get mad at me if I ask colleagues in another department for help?" asked Clarity.
I moved closer to her because the office door was open and whispered, "He probably will if he finds out! I've had to do the same thing. He gave me an old computer in August and within six months it crashed, leaving me to figure out for myself how to meet a tight deadline on an important assignment. Manipulator can't be trusted because he wants to be in control of everyone and everything. He withholds supplies and equipment on purpose. If someone needs help, he brushes it off and says, 'It's your problem. I'm busy right now.'"
Clarity said, "I'm glad you warned me about him."
"Be careful," I advised. "If he knows you know how he operates, he will defend himself by attacking you."
When Reason walked into the office, Clarity and I quickly resumed working. I settled back at my desk, relieved that there was someone in the office to confide in. Our casual relationship had suddenly grown into a trusting friendship and I could talk with Clarity as if we had known each other for a long time.
Throughout the weeks I used the computer in Reason and Clarity's office, Clarity and I didn't talk to each other because she thought the place was bugged. When we felt a need to speak, we'd pass a note – "Coffee?"
One day as we were on a "coffee break," Clarity stated, "The Boss knows everything that's going on in the office."
"I have the same feeling. But how does he know?" I replied.
"I don't know, but have you noticed that even if he's not around during the day, he seems to know what we've been talking about, often using some of our exact words?
"I think the Boss is trying to recruit you to work for the CIA," Clarity said. "I keep feeling that he has a connection with the CIA, maybe involving drugs."
"That's highly unlikely," I scoffed at the idea. "My work is not that important."
"He's not interested in your work so much as he is interested in you! Have you noticed how much he travels? As a scientist he can easily go in and out of foreign countries. What do you think he's doing on those trips?" Clarity's questions made me start to wonder.
"I think the CIA is suspicious that the foreign scientists in our office may be spies," Clarity stated. "And the Boss may be interested in recruiting you because you would make a perfect spy!"
"Me? You must be joking!" I laughed.
But Clarity was serious. "Think about it. You're smart and quiet, and you get along with people."
"I think you're worrying about all this for nothing. My work may be interesting to me, but surely it doesn't interest any foreign government," I replied.
"Anyway, you should leave this job because the people here are no good for you," Clarity warned.
That was true. Although many people at work were exceptional in their careers, it did not make for a solid balance of personalities. The Boss looked for prima-donnas, not for compatible personalities. All these "primo" people were insecure and continually jockeying for a superior position in whatever way they could – manipulation, control, gossip, and backstabbing – in their attempts to gain his approval. In reality, everyone was equal, but no one wanted to be equal. Our workplace was a difficult place to make friends; therefore, I found myself isolated within the office. Clarity was the only person that I could chat with on a personal basis. The subtlety of office politics – the difficulties and the challenges, the games people play, the unpleasantness of being left out – can make anyone who doesn't fit in feel uncomfortable. Once Clarity inadvertently found a note in the wastebasket with the time, location, and names of those invited to a birthday party after work. Clarity and I were not on the list.
"Our co-workers act like you don't exist, even though it's obvious they are jealous of you. Leave this place as soon as you can," Clarity urged.
CHAPTER 2I haven't written my will yet
I received an unexpected call from Wise One. Uncle Agitator, Vanishing Man's younger brother, had to dial the numbers for her because she had severe rheumatoid arthritis in both hands. She sounded weak, both physically and mentally. Wise One usually did most of the talking, but this time I had to keep the conversation going, repeating several times in Chinese that I was doing well and my family was happy. I wanted to ask more questions, but couldn't find the Chinese words. Auntie Companion, Agitator's wife, came on the phone and explained that Wise One had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and was getting physically weaker and needed help to the bathroom. I wanted to visit Wise One before things got worse.
Soon after that phone call, Uncle Agitator and Aunt Companion went on a cruise and left Wise One in a nursing home while they were gone. This must have been difficult for her because she had never been away from home since coming from China. When they returned from vacation, Uncle Agitator brought her home and tried caring for her, but she couldn't be left alone during the day while they were at work. She needed 24-hour attention, which required two full-time people to care for her. Uncle Agitator never thought he would put his mother in a nursing home, but there was no other option. They just couldn't take care of her at home anymore.
She never left that nursing home. In January, Uncle Agitator called.
"Seeker, I'm so sorry to tell you that Wise One has passed away."
I couldn't answer.
"Are you okay?" Uncle Agitator asked after a long silence on the phone.
I still couldn't answer.
"I understand. I'll call back later," Uncle Agitator said gently.
It's "normal" that my father doesn't inform me of significant events in the family. He has never taken the initiative to contact me. Control games and assumptions are the legacy of my family. Uncle Agitator often presumes the authority of what should be my father's duties. When I was a kid, he disciplined me if my father was not available. In our culture, he has the right to discipline younger family members and he still tries with me sometimes, though it is a bit late for that.
Wise One died at the age of 89 on Dragon Lady's birthday, a day that connected the two women. Now every year when Dragon Lady celebrates her birthday, she remembers Wise One. I often wonder why she died on Dragon Lady's birthday. Was it an omen?
I made travel plans to arrive in Bay City on Friday and stay with Uncle Agitator and Aunt Companion until after the funeral on Sunday, but thought I'd better tell Dragon Lady.
When I called, she spoke in a loud voice, "Wise One lived a long time and suffered for the last few years. She was like Mother Teresa, caring only for her family and not for herself. Vanishing Man is out preparing for the funeral. You can fly home right after the funeral."
Dragon Lady always had a way of making me feel unwanted. "There's nothing to do here after the funeral anyway. I'm not going to the funeral. I'm not feeling well and the flowers make me sick."
Dragon Lady's cold response was typical. She perceived other peoples' actions and feelings solely from her own perspective. She wanted nothing to do with death and avoided the energy that reminded her of death.
I was touched by the thoughtfulness of Aunt Companion and Uncle Agitator. They had found some jewelry and money in Wise One's Chinese hope chest. With the money, they bought three gold necklaces: one each for Dragon Lady, my younger sister Complexity, and me. They wanted me to choose one that I could keep in memory of Wise One.
A month after the funeral, Dragon Lady called me to complain, "Vanishing Man is feeling left out because we got gold necklaces and he didn't get anything, not even a hundred dollars. If he had gotten just a little, he wouldn't feel so bad. Wise One has been collecting Social Security since your grandfather, One-Who-Waits, died in 1959. Surely there must be some money left."
I could feel Dragon Lady stirring up trouble.
"She never went anywhere or spent anything," Dragon Lady continued. "If she had a bank account, then that money must have earned lots of interest. So where is all the money? If Aunt Companion has taken from Wise One, she has taken from us, from you, and the next generation. Only her side of the family will benefit from Wise One. We aren't saying this, but Vanishing Man's friends at the coffee shop are saying this."
"Why does he listen to those people at the coffee shop?" I was upset at the thought of Vanishing Man being influenced by the coffee buddies he sees every day.
"I think we should return the gold necklaces. Vanishing Man wants to throw them back at Aunt Companion and Uncle Agitator and tell them, 'Here, you can have it all.'"
"No, I won't give it back. It's special to me because it is from Wise One." I kept the necklace even if that meant my parents would cut me out of their will. Secretly, Dragon Lady likes to offend and wound me because I won't obey her. I can be stubborn like Champion and my parents realize it. Champion rejected them by running away from home at an early age, but my rebellion is unobtrusive since I live on the other side of the country. But I am an adult now and will not be manipulated.
"All these years you haven't done ...," Dragon Lady snarled, sensing that I wasn't going to cooperate.
"At least I come and visit the family," I interrupted defensively.
"We don't hear from you except at Christmas," Dragon Lady shot back sarcastically.
"You don't ever call me, either," I snapped. "I moved away more than ten years ago and you came to visit us only once."
"What about your sister? You should treat her better. Complexity is so good." Dragon Lady's unspoken words were, "And you are not good!"
"I treat her the same way she treats me – stone cold," I retorted. My mother was angry because I would not join her in the shame game. She was not going to make me feel bad and return the necklace.
As a male child, Champion was expected to bring honor and pride to the family. Even though he tried, he never attained my parents' expectations of who he should be and gave up. In their anger and frustration, they attempted to control him, but he slipped through their fingers. When he died they could no longer try to make him obey.
My relationship with my parents went downhill after Champion's death. They simply directed their rejection towards me. They criticized me, not because I was wrong, but because I have succeeded without Dragon Lady's help. Ironically, she encouraged me to be independent, but when I applied that independence to every area of my life, my parents were greatly disturbed. They only wanted me to be a little independent and were always sending mixed messages. I felt Dragon Lady was pushing me out with one hand and pulling me back into the family with the other hand. Through her words and actions, Dragon Lady made it plain to me I was no longer welcome, yet I was expected to be in. Respect was demanded from them rather than earned.
The anger and fear that distanced the family was heightened by my brother's death because that was the only way they could deal with it. The defense mechanisms became more powerful because the family circle had been breached. Complexity, being a smart little sister, observed, "If I want to survive, I can't act like my older siblings. So I will adapt to whatever it takes to belong." The price she paid for "belonging" has been rather high.
Dragon Lady plays favorites and fuels her sense of power by playing Complexity against me. She rubs it in my face, insinuating, "I like her better than you." She uses it for entertainment, manipulation, and control, making me feel like a doormat. There was a streak in me that said, "I am the obedient daughter. Go ahead and use me." Usually, when Dragon Lady says, "Jump," I jump, and Dragon Lady laughs with amusement. She takes advantage of that on as many occasions as she can.
"I haven't written my will yet," Dragon Lady threatened. "History will repeat itself."
"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked with a mixture of anger and rejection. "I got your message a long time ago. Is this what you want for Complexity and me, like the way Vanishing Man is treating Agitator? Do you want me to throw it back at her and say, 'Here, you want it all? Here, take this too!'"
Dragon Lady was so shocked that I showed uncharacteristic anger that she was speechless. When I asked the question again, her silence was all the answer I needed.
I was seething mad. My voice was shaking as I said, "If Wise One could, she would have walked into the store and bought those necklaces for us. She only had two sons and both are doing well. She spent her whole life working and caring for her family. That's all she did. Now, she's gone and you want to tear the family apart over money. You want to destroy everything she worked for all her life. I can hear Wise One now. She is saying, 'Leave it alone.'
"Wise One told me she gave her Social Security income to Uncle Agitator. She lived with him and contributed toward food and the family's living expenses. Wise One always cooked Thanksgiving dinner, invited the family over for Chinese New Year's dinner, and called often to ask how everyone was doing. Wise One had very little, but whatever she had, she shared with others while she was alive. She didn't save it for the end," I continued ranting at Dragon Lady.
"Even if she left him just a thousand dollars, Vanishing Man could say she gave him something," Dragon Lady said, her attitude softening.
"Don't try and destroy her family over it." I said. "Aunt Companion and Uncle Agitator were the ones who took care of Wise One during the last three years of her life. Any money she had was used to pay medical bills and her funeral."
"You're right," Dragon Lady finally admitted. "You can talk to your father because you can say it better than I can."
I was so drained when I hung up the phone that I just didn't have the energy to talk to Vanishing Man. By the time he called half an hour later, I was able to calmly explain the same things to him.
"So, you're not giving back the necklace?" Vanishing Man asked. He still didn't get it.
"No. Wise One gave it to me," I stated. "I'm not going to do anything to spoil that." Finally, for the first time in my life, I stood up for myself, although I felt guilt and regret that it was under these circumstances.
"Okay, then I'll decide what I should do with Complexity's necklace." He didn't seem to have a problem with me keeping my necklace.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Unveiling by S. C. Guardian. Copyright © 2016 S.C. Guardian. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Dedication, v,Acknowledgements, xi,
Introduction, xiii,
Prologue, xix,
Part 1: Back to Where it All Started (1990s),
CHAPTER 1: Nine months earlier, 1,
CHAPTER 2: I haven't written my will yet, 5,
CHAPTER 3: There are no accidents, 12,
CHAPTER 4: Next step on the journey, 15,
CHAPTER 5: Just remember who was there for you, 23,
CHAPTER 6: Family wounds, 29,
Part 2: The Beginning of My Discoveries,
CHAPTER 7: One step leads to another, 39,
CHAPTER 8: Channeling class, 43,
CHAPTER 9: I channeled my brother, 49,
CHAPTER 10: Unsupported, 63,
CHAPTER 11: Steps continue to be revealed, 65,
CHAPTER 12: Outsider attempting to get in, 72,
Part 3: The Comfort of Knowing,
CHAPTER 13: Realizing how big the world really is, 77,
CHAPTER 14: He wanted the world to know the truth, 91,
CHAPTER 15: To honor my brother, 94,
CHAPTER 16: Family dynamics, 99,
CHAPTER 17: Discovering that they knew, 105,
Part 4: Resolution of Confusion,
CHAPTER 18: Each answer leads to more questions, 109,
CHAPTER 19: He was in jeopardy, 115,
CHAPTER 20: He never intended to create harm, 125,
CHAPTER 21: Reverie, 131,
Part 5: Discussions with the Master,
CHAPTER 22: My brother speaks, 137,
CHAPTER 23: Asking about my brother's letter to Aunt Enabler, 143,
Part 6: It is Becoming Their Discovery,
CHAPTER 24: The challenge of putting myself out there, 153,
CHAPTER 25: My mother's acceptance, 157,
CHAPTER 26: Pursuing the goal, 167,
CHAPTER 27: My beginning to connect to the "other side", 172,
CHAPTER 28: Complexity's reaction, 175,
Part 7: The Secret is Out,
CHAPTER 29: Memorial Mass, 181,
CHAPTER 30: More family drama, 184,
Part 8: Family Revelation,
CHAPTER 31: More developments, 197,
CHAPTER 32: The puzzle is completed, 203,
Part 9: Trusting the Signs,
CHAPTER 33: Dream keys, 215,
CHAPTER 34: Looking for clues in the headlines, 218,
CHAPTER 35: My mother and I communicate, 221,
CHAPTER 36: The events that took place on the way to my class reunion, 223,
CHAPTER 37: Search for the body, 226,
CHAPTER 38: Warehouse on Broadway, 229,
CHAPTER 39: Red tape and the cemeteries, 236,
CHAPTER 40: The close of the circle, 244,
Part 10: Clarity returns to my life,
CHAPTER 41: Clarity's impressions of my brother's death, 251,
CHAPTER 42: Clarity's impressions of my family, 257,
CHAPTER 43: It's all about the money, 269,
Epilogue (21st Century), 275,
Cast of Characters, 277,
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