I could hear Alvaro talking as he came down the corridor. When he came into the room, the Elder was with him. I stood up and greeted the two men. “Is there something wrong?” I asked. Looking back now, if I had known where we were headed, I wouldn’t have asked.

           The Elder looked at me and said “Where is Robert?” I told him that he was bathing. The Elder told Tomas to go get him but not to alarm him in any way. Then he turned to Alvaro and said, “Get what I gave to you.” Alvaro left and the Elder told me to sit down.

         “I know you came to hear of the prophecies and to report to your elders. There is a matter I think is very important  and I must ask you to decide whether you want to see this through or not. If you don’t you must leave and come back only when you are sent for. If you stay, it is for the duration of this conflict but, I must know now!” The Elder looked intently at me.

        “May I know what I am agreeing to?” I asked.

        “I’m afraid I can’t tell you,” he said “it’s up to you.”

         Without hesitation I said “Do you need me?”

         The Elder spoke softly, “Only if you can commit, there is no journey back. I do not know the whole of it so I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to. It could be dangerous, I don’t know. I know inside myself that it could be a lot more than it seems right now.”

        I remembered the intense unification I had felt and the love for this way of life. I heard myself say, “Im here.”

       “For the duration?” asked the Elder.

       “For the duration," I replied. My words sounded far away from me but they were clear and decisive.

-From Neisthes journals  "Into the Night"