| Soren |
| The Birth of Soren Soren was a mutant, but unlike most mutants, who possessed inferior characteristics, his were of a vastly superior nature. From birth, he had possessed powers beyond imagination. These had been evident immediately and science had tried to "laboratize" this phenomenon. I say "tried" because Soren had a will of his own. He was actually Pure Will, so to speak. At birth, he had already projected his will on others. One day, when he was only 12 days old, something happened which, strictly speaking, was the first indication of his extraordinary powers. He was in his crib in the nursery and Java, the family pet, a German Shepherd, came into the room. Soren's father was at work, his mother outside hanging clothes on the line - Soren was completely alone in the room with the dog. For some unknown reason, Java, who was usually docile and protective, became very agitated and started barking and growling incessantly. Soren's mother rushed in from outside and went to the room. As she entered the room, she saw this unforgettable scene: the dog was in the far corner of the room, unable to move, gnashing his teeth and his hair was bristling and he was growling. The mother had not been aware of anything until the dog started barking. The father had been at work and right in the middle of a business meeting, he dropped everything and rushed to his car and sped home. The explanation for the parents' immediate reaction and response was not clear, but both sensed some urgency. The mother termed it "a communication of danger" and the father had a similar feeling. This incident was dismissed by friends as a coincidence, or a premonition. I did not share that feeling at the time, or to be more precise, I guess I just could not see the danger therein. I did sense, even then , the power that he held. As he grew, his Will began to manifest itself outwardly, more and more. At the age of 1, he manifested telekinesis , bidding objects to move at his will's bidding. Thought projection was becoming more and more a common practice. His appearance also took on a frightening aspect, for his head was slightly larger than a normal baby's and was completely devoid of facial hair: he had not eyebrows nor eyelashes. Other than an accelerated head growth, he had not changed at all. But his eyes, those large round black eyes were the most frightening aspect of his face. The look that they had seemed to "burn" a hole right though the onlooker's soul. They seem to be the twin mirrors of his being or his Will. His eyes were, for some unknown reason, the only connection, the only power that he held over me, his twin brother. Contrary to my mother's wishes, outside help was finally fought after. Doctors came and went, specialists in different fields, psychologists and even a psychiatrist came, but all of these visits and expenses proved "fruitless", for it was at these times, these visits that Soren acted "normal". After many visits from medical professionals, the census of opinion was that Soren possesseded mutative traits which was a larger than normal size head, had no eyebrows, nor eyelids. Other than that, he was normal. At the age of three, Soren finally exhibited his evil side. Up till now, he had used his powers for his own amusement until one Saturday afternoon. He was sitting in his playpen in the back yard on that day. At this time in our lives, mother had made it a point to keep me separated from him as much as possible because she felt it would be better this way. From what I can recall of that day, it was beautiful and sunny and I was looking at the beautiful Peace roses along the backyard fence. I remember those particular roses because my mother loved them so. For some reason I'm not sure of, my gaze then went to the pen. Soren had levitated and his eyes were fixed on mine. He had tried this before and I had always looked away because I had felt from the start that there was some powerful force in those eyes. One particular time, I recalled staring and not wanting or not being able to turn away. It was a terrible sight that I saw which would haunt me for the rest of my life. I saw in those eyes the terrible design that my twin brother had hatched that Saturday afternoon. His will forced me to look at the dog house. Java had been sleeping inside, but now he emerged, took a few steps toward Soren and went through the usual behavioral pattern that Soren forced on him at times. Hair bristling, teeth gnashing, but this time Soren went further. The poor dog started running rampant all over the yard, smashing into the fence, his dog house, throwing himself on the ground, and then he ran into the roses, his mouth agape, thrashing and chewing at the roses covered with thorns until his jaws were bleeding profusely. I witnessed this horrible torture inflicted upon the poor animal. Even when my mother and father rushed in and despite efforts to stop the animal, Java continued to thrash about the thorns until from sheer exhaustion, or perhaps after Soren had decided to end it, Java fell in a heap in the middle of the lawn. Soren had by now "descended" and was busy playing with his toys. There was nothing much that could be done for the dying animal. When my parents asked what happened, I could only say reply: "Soren, mama Soren". It was nonsense to think that Soren could cause such a thing, but I had seen the terrible power he had. Five Years Nothing out of the ordinary happened since Java's death. We both grew strong and healthy and the time came when my father decided it was time to move. He had been saving his money and the had been negotiating to buy a property out in the country, a dream of his, for a long time. He finally came across a piece of property located in the town of Watsonville, approximately thirty miles out of New York. It was close enough to his work, yet far enough in the country to provide a peaceful rustic setting. The house sat on a beautiful 12 acre piece of land, with fruit trees, mostly apple trees, in the front of the house and a garden in the back with a pine forest beyond the garden. The house was a rustic two-story old place, but it was sturdy and large enough for the family. The house had a colonial aspect to it, white and with black shutters and a large white picket fence aorund it. In the front of the house was a large porch which extended along the whole front of the house, with small white columns , three on each side of the entrance with a wrought iron railing joining the columns. The front steps again bordered with the same beautiful wrought iron gate led up to the front door which was a large ornate oaken door which, when opened creaked on its rusty old hinges. Inside, just past the entrance, was s small passage with a large clothes rack on the right extending along the entrance hall, with a wide ornate framed old mirror on the opposite wall. Directly ahead was the most beautiful part of the house - a winding staircase which led to the upstairs four bedrooms. To the left of the end of the entry hall was the dining room and beyond the kitchen and opposite the dining room through a colonnaded arch was the living room; a great marbled fireplace greeted the eye with tall bookcases on either side. The builder had lavished his workmanship in both of these rooms with high panelled ceilings and thick carpeting throughout. Upon crossing the dining room and the large open kitchen, a back entrance led to the outside, to the back of the house, unto a small porch, with steps leading to what must have been, at one time a magnificent garden. A section of the garden had been devoted to rose culture, but was now, as well as the rest of the garden, neglected and overrun with weeds This then was to be our new home, a comfortable old house in a beautiful setting. Watsonville was a small town with about 1000 inhabitants, with all the amenities, including an elementary and a high school, which were located in the same location. There were also: three churches, a Cahtholic, A Baptist, and a United Church of Christ; there was also the Watsonville Federated Bank, a shopping district, small but adequate and a football field, adjacent to the schools. The main staple of the town was apples which boasted apple orchards extending for miles around, the bulk of the ochard farms being located in the northeastern part of town. In the northwest was the town's pride and joy: the Emerald City Golf Course. We had been living in our new house for about three months and already the garden was improving. My father had hired a gardener to work on the back garden and already the flowers were coming back. It was now September and school was about to begin for Soren and I. Soren's features changed as he grrew older. His head did not seem as larger as before, due perhaps to the thick brown hair that covered his head. He had now an inkling of eyebrows, but still no eyelashes. His eyes remained the same, mysterious and frightening. I knew there was evil lurking there and so I was always cautious with him. Many a time, I would try and talk to him., try to delve into his mind, but he would always avoid any questions that I would have for him. He was a quiet boy, the "Quiet One" my mother would say. He kept pretty much to himself, said very little, and, fortunately, no "powers" were shown at this time. Slowly but cautiously, I tried to get closer and closer to my brother, but I was always very wary for I did not trust him, nor he me. One day, Soren came to me and motioned for me to follow him. I was sitting in the back yard watching a hummingbird whirring among the blood roses growing along the fence. I immediately got up and followed him out the back gate to the pine forest. We walked for about 20 minutes and without saying a word, then he stopped in a clearing and sat down. The Origin The light in the forest was slowly waning. We sat in a clearing, just above the little stream that ran in the back of the property. I could hear the soothing murmur of its waters flowing across the rocks and fallen branches and leaves. There was almost a sense of peace in that clearing, interrupted only by the soothing sounds of the forest: birds chirping away as they flitted from branch to branch, heading for their nests for the night. The sun was slowly sinking and a breeze was slowly starting gaining momentum as it blew through the leafy boughs of the tall pines all around us. I had been listening contemplatively to these forest sounds when I suddenly felt a cold chill slowly creeping up my spine. I had forgotten for the moment Soren's presence, but now I looked at him. He had been sitting there, his eyes fixed on me for...I don't know how long. I averted his gaze, for I knew that his eyes had taken on that golow which I knew was the "probing look" that he manifested whenever he was trying to control me. "What is it, Soren? What do you want?" "Look at me!", he said. "Why are you afraid of me? You know I can't hurt you." I looked at him and he held my gaze. "Do you know who I am?" "Yes, of course. You're Soren my twin brother" "I am Soren, son of the Visitor" "You're Soren, my brother, son of Sarah and John Laughlin". "I am Soren, son of the Visitor", he repeated." We stared at each other for a while, I, trying to understand what he was saying, and he, trying to control me. I looked away, for I could feel his power getting stronger and stronger. "Why do you do the things you do? They're terrible things that hurt people and other living things. " "I must destroy all things that are weak and unnecessary." "Will you destroy even your mother and father?" "I am Soren, son of the Visitor." "You haven't answered my question." When their time comes, they will be destroyed." I felt a sudden urge to attack him and destroy him at that moment and he knew this |