Vision of Nothing Part II

Posted on Mon Nov 4th, 2024 @ 12:48am by Gideon Asher & Liza Behn

Mission: Wasted
Location: Liza’s House - phone call
Timeline: August 18, 2024 - 7:30pm (ish)

Liza and The Baron had wiled away the time waiting for Gideon to return the call by watching television. The Baron, unused to the concept, yelled at the characters a lot and kept Liza in giggles. Sometimes, she got the feeling he was doing it to entertain her, but she didn’t mind. Television was a lot more interesting with the Baron.

Finally, her phone rang. “It’s Gideon,” she said after glancing at the screen. She hit the answer button and said, “hello,” as she put him on speaker phone. “Just so you’re aware, you’re on speaker and the Baron is here.”

“You shouldn’t have told him!” hissed the Baron. “I was hoping for juicy and embarrassing details!”

“Quiet!” replied Liza absentmindedly.

"I don't kiss and tell, Baron," Gideon said. Gideon and the Baron were both Elders, if young Elders. In fact, the Baron was younger than Gideon. So the usual formality wasn't really called for. "It's good to hear from you Liza, though perhaps under better circumstances next time? What have you got for me?"

“The Baron has had one of his visions,” she said. “Tell him,” she told the Baron.

The Baron opened his mouth, but then closed it again. “And he’ll just hear me?” he asked as if looking for clarification.

“Yes, like he’s in the room,” answered Liza.

“Okay…” he said uncertainly. “Well, you see, the vision was that a Darkness came over the land. It consumed everything and when it passed, nothing was left.”

“You said it consumed me,” Liza pointed out.

“You were a metaphor, my daughter,” he said. “To me, you are everything.”

"Exactly when did you have this vision?" Gideon asked. If it was before Astaroth, that was dealt with already. If it was after, that could mean the waster was a lot more powerful than the witches described.

“Two days ago,” answered the Baron. “I came straight here to make sure Liza was okay.”

"Hmmm... " Gideon said. "That could be significant. We are dealing with something. But it shouldn't be as potent a threat as all that. Can you give me any other details."

The Baron motioned to Liza. “Tell him about the dream,” he said.

“It was just a dream!” protested Liza. “It didn’t mean anything.”

“You have precog-“

“I do not!” interrupted Liza. “One dream doesn’t equal precognition.”

“It’s not just one dream!” countered the Baron. “Tell him!”

"It's alright, Liza," Gideon said in a calm voice, the opposite of the tone the Baron was using. "If you're willing, please tell me what you saw."

Liza sighed. “I dreamed that nothing came- like a tangible nothing,” she clarified. “Like The Nothing in The Neverending Story. It sucked everything up and when it was spent, nothing was left.”

"That's more than a waster," Gideon thought to himself. "Or if it's a waster, it's one Hell of a waster!"

"That could be related to something I'm aware of, but it might be more," Gideon said. "We might have to consult the local chapter of the Wayward Sisters."

The Wayward Sisters, also known as the Weyward Sisters, the Wyrd Sisters, and even the Weird Sisters, were a large coven of witches whose specialties were fate, destiny, and doom. They had chapters all over the world. Frankly, in Gideon's opinion, they were frequently full of shit. Charlatans preying on the desperation of others or, worse, schemers trying to manipulate the world and the people in it for their own personal gain. Then again, if one thought about that concept for a moment, wasn't that what everyone was trying to do?

“Do you think they’d be of help?” asked Liza skeptically.

“You will have to forgive my daughter,” said the Baron. “She doesn’t believe in precognition.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe it,” Lisa clarified. “It’s that I doubt everybody who says they have it actually has it. I believe you have it,” she told the Baron. “But I think a lot of people are just trying to scam other people out of their money.”

"Admitedly," Gideon said. "Some of them are. Fate, Destiny, and Doom are far from an exact mystical science. I don't know whether you have precognitive abilities or not, but perhaps the Sisters, shady as they can be, may be able to provide further insight. If you're willing that is. Are you willing?"

Interacting with the Sisters was often unnerving. Knowing the future was disturbing.

"I know how unsettling the Sisters can be," Gideon said. "I take comfort when dealing with them from part of the liturgy from the High Holy Days of my religion in life. It's called the Unetaneh Tokef:

On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed - how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time, and who by an untimely death, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by lapidation, who shall have rest and who wander, who shall be at peace and who pursued, who shall be serene and who tormented, who shall become impoverished and who wealthy, who shall be debased, and who exalted. But repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severity of the decree.

To me, this implies that the future is not set it stone. It can be altered. I take in whatever the Sisters tell me while keeping in mind that fate can be altered by our actions, and destiny and doom are rarely certain."

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” allowed Liza. “But, the Baron’s visions have a way of coming true.”

“Not all of them,” the Baron replied. “There were a few crises averted. Three that I can think of off the top of my head.”

"See?" Gideon said. "So, what do you say? Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble?"

“Oh, all right,” relented Liza. “Go consult the Wayward Sisters.”

“You must come!” insisted the Baron.

“I have houses to show!” protested Liza.

“At what time?” asked the Baron.

“Not until 2,” admitted Liza.

“Can we go at once?” the Baron asked the Havildar-Major.

"It's a little more complicated than just walking up to their front door and knocking," Gideon said. "But, most of these witches don't really have much else in the way of powers beyond being seers, so what's the worst that could happen? I suppose they could predict that someone might someday turn us into newts... "

Liza shrugged. “We’d get better,” she muttered.

“Excellent!” replied the Baron. “We’ll…” then he glare at Liza. “I wish you would stop referencing that stupid movie.”

Liza snickered.

The Baron shook his head. “Should we meet you somewhere?” he asked.

"Just stay where you are," Gideon said. "I'll come and pick you up. Give me 30 minutes."

“Okay,” said Liza. “Do you really think this is real?”

“Of course it is real, daughter!” hissed the Baron.

“I’m asking Gideon!” she pointed out. “I’d like a second opinion.”

"I don't know," Gideon said. "We need more information, more data. So it's over the river and through the woods to the Wyrd Sisters we go." Gideon's voice softened. "Liza, trust that I will do my very best to help you figure out what's going on here. We'll do this together."

Liza nodded even though Gideon couldn’t see her. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll be waiting.”