Things Not Subject To Gravity - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Sitting down nice and comfortable on the white leather sofa, Sybil Vain flipped through pages as the clock ticked and minutes passed by. He was keeping his mind busy with frivolous reading to inhibit his foreseeing capacity, which would've ruined the surprise. At long last, he could indulge in the pleasure of uncertainty and experience the feeling of excitement. He empathized with the novel's protagonist, who was about to meet the man of her dreams as well.
A loud thump brought him back to earth.
His gaze trailed the floor down to where Mikhail sat with the broken pieces of the vase. His emerald green eyes were wide with uncertainty. Perhaps he understood the worth of the Japanese Peace Lily. Sybil sighed. He really needed to ask Maria to move the plant to the bedroom. Mikhail was barely four months old and couldn't be blamed for his rare pinball stunts in the corridor.
When Maria first started working for him, Sybil had a hunch she liked cats and decided to get one to make her smile. He was careful to choose the most docile breed. Archangel Blues were curious and tranquil, known for their friendliness and intelligence, and somewhat reserved. Mikhail had already attempted to play fetch and open doors. He was also very sensitive to human emotions. Besides, there was no way a human could resist his plush, shimmering, pale blue-silver coat.
If it wasn't for Maria, Sybil would've never considered the idea of taking a pet, but he had to admit that having the company of a cute little guest wasn't half bad. He ended up thinking about his future meeting, wondered if the young man he was waiting for would be as easy to please as the kitten, and whether he would enjoy living there too.
As the thought crossed his mind, his concentration faltered and the familiar energy flow engulfed him. Extraneous sensations and feelings ran through him like storming waves flooding the shores. His body started shaking trying to restore the balance, and the energy leaked out from his feet, hands and head. Sybil closed his eyes, surrendered to the current and sank into the bottomless abyss. Deep down within himself, he reached the eye of the storm and the whole world spanned around him, unfolding to his inner sight. He saw the next moments, days, years, even centuries, as they crowded his mind, pushing and pulling to be noticed.
He took a deep, slow breath. Then, another one, and again, and again, not counting them. The breathing brought his consciousness up to the seventh chakra, at the top of his head, and he was sucked into the Source. He kept watching—like a distant witness—while the countless visions ran far below. It was like the sight of the Earth from space. All threads and paths and crossroads became obvious and everything was connected and wonderful. The visions kept shrinking and their patterns became clear too, they were gathering into specific groups. Then, as the distance increased, they clustered into a single flow adjusting to the regular rhythm of Sybil's breathing. In the end, it got so far that everything disappeared into silence and stillness.
Sybil contemplated the blissful nothingness and divine peace.
After a while, a single vision emerged from his still mind. A big black dog was following his soon-to-be guest. Sybil knew it was the same beast that was hunting him. He opened his eyes and, for a moment, a faint shade of displeasure crossed his ethereal face, but he grabbed Slow Seduction and brought his attention back to the last words he'd read.
Once he reached the end of the book, he laid down on the comfy leather sofa. Despite his long white robe whose collar and hems were embellished by fine golden embroidery; despite his long, silky, ivory hair and his ethereal elf-like features; regardless of his unique ability to foresee events and of what people might think of it, he was a lazy and simple creature of habit.
He was into romance novels, music and anime as much as a fifteen-year-old otaku girl would be. The only difference was that for him it was a conscious choice, a meditation and a way to experience Samadhi* when the mind disappeared and the watcher was totally into watching.
However, there was nothing mysterious in his daily routine and, if asked, he downright defined himself as ordinary.
The door lock let out its familiar metallic sound, followed by Maria's light steps in the corridor. Sybil smiled as she used her Sicilian at the cat, swearing under her breath. Mikhail swiftly ran to take shelter between his feet on the sofa. The Oracle placed his book on the small glass table and picked Solomon's ring back up to slip it on his ring finger. While he carefully observed the glistering of the living gold, the kitten brushed against his thigh to get his attention. With his left hand, Sybil rubbed the back of his ears and earned himself a lovely purr. Out of the corner of his eye, the ring sparkled.
A series of images popped into his mind. It resembled an endless archive, a 3D encyclopedia of the future gathering all possible routes for all beings. Moreover, he could scroll through it as he pleased. The omniscient all-pervading sight God granted to Solomon—triggered by the ring—was nothing like the passive and casual foreseeing Sybil was gifted with. It allowed him to pick a specific moment in the life of any person ever born and see all the possible consequences of each conceivable choice involved. Of course, as a living being with a limited amount of time, he couldn't afford to check them all, but peeking into the moments of a few selected people he found a way to solve the little problem his future guest was bringing along. For that, he needed to act right away.
He sat up, scaring the cat off the sofa. "Maria!" he called aloud. "Bring me the phone!"
The girl stepped into the living room holding the smartphone in her hands, but she didn't abstain from sarcasm.
"You do know you are not paralyzed, don't you?" she pointed out.
Sybil dismissed her with a wave of his hand, grabbed the phone and called the Studio. Linda, his assistant and cover, picked up right away and greeted him in her Californian accent. The real Oracle let her in on the new developments and requested to immediately schedule a proper appointment with David Green. The woman sounded less than enthusiastic about it, but agreed to contact Mr. Green on the condition that she would not set a place until all the safety measures were taken. When Sybil cut the call, Maria was glaring at him. She managed to pull off a face that was bewildered and angry at the same time.
"Si tratta manera*?!" she blurted out in her language while she put her hands on her hips. "You are the one who said Green is after you and now you want to meet him?!" She pointed her index finger at him. "You know he came to the cafe asking for you and yesterday he even got to Isaac!" She poked the finger against his chest as her voice went up an octave.
Sybil raised his head to meet her eyes and replied in a sugarcoated voice.
"Setting an appointment is the only way to divert him from showing up here today. Mimi, darling, try to be understanding."
As expected, his answer tamed her. As much as she was naturally versed to throw herself in useless arguments against Sybil, her crush on him was clear as day. She just couldn't resist him whenever he called her Mimi or darling or, and that was the final blow, both of them together. Still, she was Italian and her hot blood couldn't chill so fast. She clenched her jaw and, without saying another word, she stomped out of the room so that he would know how pissed she actually was.
A few minutes later, in the midst of tidying up the kitchen, she had forgotten her outburst and her sensual voice filled the house with a lovely tune. Sybil took in the warm feeling of being at home and sat back in the blissfulness of the present. The prophecy of his own death made him even more compelled to enjoy to the fullest every single moment.