“Take a deep breath. You feel no fear. You’re only to observe. Nothing can hurt you. Let your body relax, tell me what you see?”
Cory turned his head and looked around him. He had lost the frightened look. His face cleared and relaxed.
“There are many soldiers, they have spears and short swords. They are among the rocks and trees around me. I hear men, some are crying. I think they are dying. I see smoke near a village below us. We are high, among the trees. I smell smoke and burned flesh.” Cory said, gritting his teeth.
“You are safe. Nothing can hurt you.” Dr. Taylor said, her voice finding the calm that she hadn’t been able to feel.
“I feel pain, burning in my chest. I have an arrow in my chest; it is on fire. My clothes are on fire. It hurts!” Cory cried out, his hands brushing frantically at his chest.
“You no longer feel the pain, you are going forward in time. You are no longer Eusebius. You feel a sense of calmness. You feel no pain. Breathe in and out. Yes. You feel your body relaxing. Yes, that’s it. Good. I’m going to take you ahead, move past your fears. Who are you and what do you see?” She said, her voice even.
“Soy Llorente de Contreras y veo agua a mi alrededor.”
“Can you tell me in English?” Taylor saw that with each life, that soul came to her with their native tongue. Once more, she detected the hint of an accent.
“I am Llorente de Contreras. I see water all around me. We are in the Gulf of Cadiz. I don’t see the land; I don’t see my home.”
“Llorente, how old are you? Are you on a boat?”
“I am twenty-five and I’m on a ship, a galleon, the San Jose. She’s a three masted beauty.” He smiled.
“You’re a sailor on a ship? Do you know the year that you are present?” Taylor asked.
“Yes, I am a deckhand in the Spanish navy. It is 1701 and we are patrolling, our ship is heading for Gibraltar. There is much unrest.”
“Why is there unrest?” Dr. Taylor was interested to see where this would lead.
“Our king, Carlos El Hechizado, has died with no issue. I fear we maybe swallowed up by France.”
“What are your duties on the ship?”
“I’m a deck hand. I’m responsible for keeping the decks cleared of gear. I also have care for the animals below. I clean their stalls. We carry supplies, I load and unload those supplies.”
“What is your life like on the ship?” She wondered out loud.
“It’s very difficult. My days are long and I work hard. Sometimes I climb into the riggings, it’s quiet there. I must do this at night. I’m not allowed during the day, to just stand in the riggings. I like the wind that blows around me and I can see the ends of the earth. Sometimes I see porpoise, many of them, swimming in the distance. It’s a time I treasure. I’m alone and I can think.”
“Is it crowded on the ship?”
“Yes, and below decks, there are fights. It’s a difficult life.”
“Can you tell me what you eat? What you drink?”
“The usual, some days we have wine, with our pork or salted meat. Biscuits and garbanzo beans. It’s the same thing every day. Sometimes, we are allowed to fish. This is good, I like fresh fish. But most of the time, it is the salted meat and biscuits.” Llorente said, shrugging, causing Dr. Taylor to smile.
“Can you tell me of your childhood?”
“I was born in Cadiz. My father was a fisherman, my mother and grandmother lived in a small home. Our home was one of many homes together. Our home was very small. I had a sister, but she died shortly after she was born. My mother died too. My grandmother took care of me when my father took his boat out to fish. When I grew older, I went with my father. I like the sea. I like the feeling when the boat rocks. My father let me sleep sometimes when we went out into the ocean. We left very early in the morning, when the sky was still dark. When we caught enough fish, we sailed back to port and my father took the fish to market. We always had plenty to eat. My grandmother cooked good food. I miss her.” Llorente’s voice grew solemn.
“I’m going to bring out to an awaken state. You will remember, but you will not feel the fear, pain or distress. You will only have the logical knowledge of what you have seen and experienced. I will count backwards and then you will awaken, relaxed, rested and calm.” Dr. Taylor instructed, her heart still racing at the incredible implications.
Cory’s body relaxed and when he was brought to full awake, he looked over at Dr. Taylor and saw the excitement in her eyes. He too felt excitement.
“Was that real?” He asked, shaking his head.
“Do you speak Greek? Or Mongolian or Spanish?” Dr. Taylor asked a soft smile to her lips.
“No. I don’t, I only speak a little Spanish, I failed it in high school. I thought we were going back to my younger childhood. Back to when I was like two or three.” Cory said, putting the foot rest down and sitting forward.
“That had been my plan, but I think we may have hit on why you have some anxiety issues and also your fear of fire. It would seem that in a former life, you burned to death.”
“Is that even possible? I mean, to have a former life? Couldn’t I have made that up? Maybe I saw a movie?”
“Does it feel like you made it up? And yes, I believe it is real. I’ve read about documented cases of past
