THE CORNER ATOP THE STAIRS. THE PLACE TO TEST THE PAIRS. THE REST THAT MEETS THE CHASE. THE NEWS TO FILL THE PLACE. THE CREST OF HEART TO SEE. THE END OF USED TO BE. THE WILLING PLACE TO STOP. THE PROM ICE AT THE TOP. THE MEANS TO FEED THE PEOPLE. THE BUTTRESS, AND THE STEEPLE. THE REASON SEASONS SMILE. THE LOTUS OF THE ISLE. THE MOUNTAIN OF THE HEART. THE BOOK THE CENTER'S PART. THE LOVE AS POINTED TO. THE GRANDEST POINT OF VIEW. THE END TO SEEM TO BE. THE START THAT FITS THE KEY. THE FLEDGLING PUT TO WING. THE REASON HOPE DOES SING. THE SIGHT TO HUG THE SKY. THE SONG TO DRY THE EYE. THE HOURS MOST FRAGRANT WHIFF. THE NOW AND NOT THE IF. THE CEILING FOR THE FLOOR. THE POWER THAT BREAKS THE DOOR. THE SMILE THAT RIDES THE FACE. THE FEEL TO LOVE THE PLACE. THE RHYME TO BUILD THE TUNE. THE NOW TO FILL THE SOON. THE SPOKE THAT SAID A WORD. THE EAR THAT SAID IT HEARD. THE ROCK THAT FLOAT IN SPACE. THE START THAT ENDS THE RACE. THE HOPE SO BORN TO ALL. THE ROOM TO GREET THE HALL. THE "V" THAT CHEATS THE DEATH. THE LIFE THAT LIVES BY BREATH. THE END OF TIME AS KNOWN. THE ALTERED PITCH AND TONE. THE CALL TO SHEER DEVOTION. THE MEANS TO CLEAR THE POTION. THE WORTH THAT'S MORE THAN GOLD. THE SOUL THAT'S NEVER SOLD! THE DOVE OF SUMMER NOON. THE DAY THAT CAME IN JUNE.

"THOSE ARE MATTERS", SACONI SAID AS HE NOTICED IMANI LOOKING AT ONE. "WHAT ARE MATTERS?", IMANI ASK. SACONI REPLIED, "THINGS THAT WILL BE". THAN SACONI PROCEEDED TO INSTRUCT IMANI AS TO THEIR PLACEMENT, WHICH WAS IN THE SAME MANNER AS IMANI HAD DONE WITH THE ANTI-MATTERS, EXCEPT THIS TIME HE WAS TO INHALE DEEPLY BEFORE HE STARTED TO PLACE THE MATTERS AND TO EXHALE SLOWLY AS HE PERFORMED THE TASK.

AFTER MAKING THE PROPER MEASUREMENTS, IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD THE WEST, IMANI TOOK A DEEP BREATH, STARTED HIS OUT-BREATH, AND BEGAN TO PLACE THE MATTERS AT ONE FIGMENT INTERVALS.AS IMANI PUT THE LAST MATTER IN PLACE, HE COULD HARDLYWAIT TO TAKE A BREATH. STANDING UP, HE WENT "OHHHHHH", TAKING IN A BIG BREATH OF THE MORNING AIR.

"THAT'S GOOD ... THAT'S GREAT ... THAT'S REAL GOOD", SACONI BRISSLED AS IMANI DREW AIR IN. SACONI HANDED IMANI ANOTHER CORNER STONE AND TOLD HIM TO PLACE IT AT THE THIRD MATTER TO THE EAST. THIS CORNER STONE HAD THE DATE SEPTEMBER 3, 2970, DAY 4, INSCRIBED ON IT. "IS THAT IT SACONI?"IMANI ASK AFTER RETURNING FROM HIS LATEST TASK. "NO ... JUST A LITTLE LONGER ... JUST A WHILE YET", SACONI REPLIED HANDING IMANI ONE VERTICAL HALF OF ANOTHER CORNER STONE WITH THE DATE DECEMBER 6, 3960, DAY 5, INSCRIBED ON IT. HE TOLD IMANI TO PUT IT AT THE FURTHERERS MATTER FIGMENT TOWARD THE WEST.

IMANI DID WHAT HE WAS ASKED TO DO AND WHEN HE RETURNED, SACONI HANDED HIM ANOTHER BOX WHICH WAS JUST A BIT LARGER THAN THE PREVIOUS TWO. IMANI NOTICED ON THE FRONT OF THIS BOX, THE WORDS, "PERFECT LIFE UNITS". IMANI LOOKED INSIDE THE BOX AND THERE SAW SOME INTRIGUING LOOKING, PERFECTLY CLEAR, LITTLE, MARBLE SHAPED OBJECTS THAT SEEMED TO HOLD ALL THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW WITHIN THEM. THEY HAD AN ALMOST HYPNOTIZING NATURE AND IMANI COULD HARDLY TAKE HIS EYES OFF OF THEM.

AS IMANI STOOD STARING AT THOSE MOST GORGEOUS "PURE LIFE UNITS", SACONI REACHED INTO THE BOX AND REMOVED ONE SAYING, "NO 0NE HAS MADE A THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEAR UNIT YET ... THESE SINGLE THIRTY THREE YEAR UNITS SHOULD WORK FINE". SACONI WENT ON TO TELL IMANI TO TAKE TEN "PERFECT LIFE UNITS" AND SPACE THEM EVENLY WITHIN EACH SINGLE FIGMENT THAT IMANI HAD MARKED WITH THE MATTERS AND THE ANTI-MATTERS.

WHEN IMANI ASKED HOW HE SHOULD BREATH, SACONI TOLD HIMNOT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT, THAT HE SHOULD BE MORE INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE HE GOT THE TEN "PERFECT LIFE UNITS" IN EACH FIGMENT, SO EACH FIGMENT WOULD BE THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS LONG. WHEN IMANI HAD FINISHED PLACING THE THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY "PERFECT LIFE UNITS" WITHIN THE TWELVE FIGMENTS, HE SAID, "DONE!". "THAT'S GOOD ... THAT'S GREAT ... THAT'S REAL GOOD!", SACONI SAID.

"THAT SHOULD BE ... I THINK .. THAT’S ABOUT IT", SACONI SAID SLOWLY LIKE A TEXAN SURVEYING HIS SPREAD. "LET'S SEE", SACONI SAID WHILE LOOKING TOWARD THE EAST. "TEN LIFE UNITS PER FIGMENT ... THAT'S TEN TIMES THIRTY THREE YEARS ... THAT'S THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS PER FIGMENT ... AND SIX FIGMENTS ..THAT'S NINETEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS ... ON THE ANTI-MATTER SIDE OF THINGS. THAN SACONI TURNED HIS ATTENTION IN THE OTHER DIRECTION AND LOOKING WEST, HE MADE THE SAME SLOW PURPOSEFUL CALCULATIONS CONCLUDING/ "THAT'S NINETEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS ... ON THE MATTER SIDE OF THINGS ...YEP ... THAT'S THREE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY YEARS TOTAL ... THAT'S GOOD ... THAT'S GREAT .... THAT'S REAL GOOD", HE ENDED.

IMANI TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK HIS FATHER IF THIS LIGHT HOUSE WAS GOING TO BE THE SANE AS THE OLD LIGHT HOUSE. SACONI REPLIED SAYING, "NO, THIS ONE WILL BE A LIGHT HOUSE WITH A CLOCK!". IMANI WAS SURPRISED AND IMPRESSED, HE KNEW SACONI WAS CREATING A LIGHT HOUSE BUT IT NEVER EVER OCCURRED TO HIM THAT IT WOULD BE A CLOCK TOO. "WHAT WE ARE DOING IMANI", HE SAID, "IS MAKING A CLOCK THAT HAS A FACE THREE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND SIXTY YEARS ROUND AND A LIGHT HOUSE LARGE ENOUGH SO THAT THE NEW INFINITY NEVER FORGETS HOW IT WAS CREATED AND THE INNOCENT WILL REMEMBER THE LESSONS OF INNOCENCE. IMANI WAS VERY IMPRESSED AND WANTED TO PRAISE HIS FATHER, BUT SACONI SUDDENLY STARTED LOOKING AT ALL OF HIS WATCHES AND SEEMED ABOUT TO STRANGLE HIMSELF TRYING TO GET A LOOK AT THE CLOCK HE HAD HANGING AROUND HIS NECK "IMANI CALL THE INNOCENT .. CALL THE MEEK ... CALL THE REJECTED! CALL THE POOR AND THE DOWN TRODDEN!", SACONI SHOUTED WITH THE JOY OF A MAN RELEASED FROM PRISON ON EASTER.

ALL OF THOSE IN THE SEA OF ETERNITY, WHO BELIEVED, GATHERED AROUND. "DO YOU SEE IT .. LOOK ... LOOK ... LOOK", HE RATCHETED HIS OVER ACTIVE MAIN SPRING. "THE SUN OF GOOD REASON!" THE AIR WAS PUNCTUATED BY SACONI'S FINGER POINTING AT THE CORNER STONE HE HAD PLACED AT THE CENTER OF THE FIGMENTED STICK. "GREET THE NOON!!", SACONI OFFERED WITH EXCITEMENT!

NOON ... THE CLIMB TO MAJOR CHANGE, THE TIME TO REARRANGE...to be continued

"IMANI ... HERE TAKE THESE", SACONI SAID AS HE HANDED IMANI ONE OF THE LITTLE WOODEN BOXES."JUST A BOX OF ANTI-MATTERS", HE SAID. "WHAT ARE ANTI-MATTERS?", IMANI ASKED.

SACONI ANSWERED SAYING, "THINGS THAT WERE".IMANI LOOKED AT THE BOX AND ON THE FRONT, THE WORD ALPHA WAS BURNED INTO THE WOOD. WHEN HE OPENED THE BOX, IMANI SAW INSIDE SIX LITTLE ROUND MARBLE TYPE OBJECTS THAT WERE BLACK AS DARKNESS WITH A SMALL RED DOT, THE COLOR OF BLOOD, ON EACH ONE. SACONI, STANDING AT THE CORNER STONE, POINTED TOWARDSTHE EAST. HE TOLD IMANI TO PACE OFF SIX EQUAL FIGMENTS AND TO LAY AN ANTI-MATTER AT THE END OF EACH FIGMENT.

SACONI FURTHER INSTRUCTED IMANI THAT, ONCE HE STARTED, IMANI SHOULD LAY DOWN ALL SIX MATTERS AT THEIR PRECISE SPOT WITHIN THE TIME THAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A SINGLE IN BREATH. IMANI TRIED TO ASK SACONI HOW THE LIGHT HOUSE WAS TO WORK BUT BEFORE HE COULD FINISH ASKING THE QUESTION, SACONI INJECTED WITH, "JUST WAIT ... JUST WAIT ... YOU'LL SEE ... YOU'LL SEE IN HIS USUAL RATCHETED, THOUGH KIND, MANNER. SO, AFTER MAKING THE PRECISE MEASUREMENTS, MONITORED BY MOMENTARY GLANCES FROM SACONI, IMANI STARTED HIS IN-BREATH AND PROCEEDED TO PLACE THE MARBLES OF ANTI-MATTERS A THEIR SINGLE FIGMENT INTERVALS. BY THE TIME IMANI HAD PLACED THE LAST MARBLE AT THE LAST FIGMENT, HE COULD TAKE IN NO MORE AIR. STANDING UP, OHMMMMMMPH IMANI LEFT THE AIR OUT.

"THAT'S GOOD ... THAT'S GREAT ... THAT'S REAL GOOD", SACONI STATED WHEN HE HEARD INANI'S OUT-BREATH. IMANI FELT A DEEP SENSE OF SADNESS AS HE LOOKED DOWN AT THE ANTI-MATTERS, BECAUSE THEY REMINDED HIM OF ETERNITIES SEA AND THE SUFFERING AND THE DARKNESS AND THE EVER PRESENT BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT AND REJECTED.

"NO TIME FOR THAT NOW ... HERE", SACONI SAID HANDING IMANI A VERTICAL HALF OF ANOTHER CORNER STONE WHICH HAD THE DATE DECEMBER 6, 0000 DAY 1, INSCRIBED ON IT. "PUT THIS OUT ON THE EASTERN END ... AT THE LAST FIGMENT", SACONI SAID. IMANI DID AS HE WAS TOLD AND WHEN HE RETURNED, THE SEA WAS DARKER THAN EVER AND A STORM THREATENED. HE ASKED HIS FATHER IF THEY COULD CONTINUE LATER. SACONI REPLIED BY TELLING HIM, "NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME!".

KNOWING HIS FATHER, IMANI, AGREED TO CONTINUE IN SPITEOF THE ADDED THREAT BEING POSED BY THE APPROACHING STORM.SACONI INSTRUCTED HIM, THAT IT WAS FOR JUST THAT REASON THEY HAD TO WORK ALL THE FASTER. IMANI BELIEVED IN HIS FATHER AND ASK WHAT HE WANTED HIM TO DO NEXT

"OOPS ... WHAT TIME IS IT?", SACONI ASK, AS IF HE FORGOT THAT IT WAS HE WHO HAD THE SEVEN WATCHES "HERE PUT THIS AT THE THIRD ANTI-MATTER IN THE EAST ... DO IT Quick ... IT'S 9 O'CLOCK", HE SAID LOOKING AT HIS WATCHES AS HE HANDED IMANI A CORNER STONE INSCRIBED WITH THE DATE ... MARCH 9, 990 DAY 2. SACONI THAN INSTRUCTED IMANI TO PLACE THIS CORNER STONE AT THE END OF THE THIRD FIGMENT WHERE HE HAD PUT THE THIRD MARBLE OF ANTI-MATTER, IN THE EAST.
WHEN IMANI HAD DONE WHAT SACONI REQUESTED OF HIM, IMANI RETURNED TO THE CORNER STONE ON TOP THE FIGNENTED STICK. "HERE TAKE THESE ... DO THE SAME THING ... OUT THAT WAY", HE SAIDHOLDING ANOTHER BOX IN ONE HAND AND POINTING TOWARD THE WEST WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, LOOKING UP. IMANI TOOK THE BOX HE WAS HANDED AND NOTICED ON THE FRONT OF THIS ONE, THE WORD OMEGA. IMANI OPENED IT AND INSIDE WERE SIX MARBLE SHAPED OBJECTS THE SAME SIZE AS THE ANTI-MATTERS, BUT THESE WERE SNOW WHITE WITH LITTLE SKY BLUE DOTS.....to be continued

IMANI AND HIS FOLLOWERS WENT DEEP BENEATH THE SURFACE IN SEARCH OF INNOCENCE, AND LIKE FISHERMAN, BROUGHT IT TO THE SURFACE TO FLOAT AND AWAIT RESCUE. BACK ON THE ISLAND OF INFINITY THE WORD HAD GONE OUT THAT THE LIGHTHOUSE WOULD BE TURNED OFF AT NOON UNLESS THE INJUSTICES WERE CORRECTED, BUT MOST FEARED NOT, AND THE INNOCENT CONTINUED TO FACE INJUSTICE AND THE MEEK CONTINUED TO BE REJECTED THE INHABITANTS OF INFINITY HAD HEARD THAT THE LIGHT HOUSE KEEPER'S SON HAD ENTERED THE SEA OF ETERNITY TO GIVE BLOOD AND HOPE, IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE THE INNOCENTS, BUT BLINDED BY THEIR GOLD SEEKING AND COMPETITIVE SPIRIT, THEY NEITHER HEEDED THE WORD SENT OUT BY SACONI NOR UNDERSTOOD THE EXAMPLE SET BY IMANI. THEY NEITHER DID AS THEY WERE TOLD NOR FOLLOWED AS THEY WERE INSTRUCTED.

FINALLY, SEEING THAT THE WORD HE HAD SENT OUT WAS BEING REJECTED, AND THAT THE EXAMPLE SET FORTH BY IMANI HAD BEEN TWISTED BY THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION FOR THE SAKE OF GOLD SEEKING, SACONI SENT A NEW WORD OUT TO THE ISLAND OF INFINITY TELLING ALL OF THOSE WHO HAD EARS, THAT THE LIGHT HOUSE WOULD BE TURNED OFF AT NOON, AND THAT THEY WERE TO ENTER THE SEA OF ETERNITY OF THEIR OWN WILL, WHERE THEY TOO WOULD BE SAVED. OTHER WISE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO SHARE IN THE TERRORS, AS THE SEA OF ETERNITY RETURNED TO COVER OVER THE OLD INFINITY ISLAND.

THOSE THAT ENTERED THE SEA OF ETERNITY IN RESPONSE TO SACONI'S LATER WORD, JOINED THE INNOCENT, AND THEY TOO GAVE BLOOD IN THE SEA OF ETERNITY BEFORE BEING TAUGHT HOW TO FLOAT WITH IMANI AND HIS FRIENDS ... ALL SHARED IN THE BLOOD.

IT WAS EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN IMANI CAME UPON HIS FATHER SACONI, WHO WAS ALREADY BUSY DOING SOMETHING OR ANOTHER. HE HAD A SEVEN FIGMENT LONG STICK, LAID HORIZONTALLY ON THE WATERS OF ETERNITY'S SEA, POINTING NORTH AND SOUTH.

AT THE CENTER OF THE STICK SACONI HAD PLACED A LARGE CORNER STONE MINED FROM INFINITY GRANITE. THE DATE, JUNE 1980 DAY 3, WAS INSCRIBED ON THE STONE. NEATLY STACKED ON TOP THE CORNER STONE WERE A NUMBER OF BRIGHTLY PAINTED LITTLE WOODEN BOXES. SOME OF THE BOXES WERE TRIMMED WITH GOLD LACE AND OTHERS HAD SHINY COLORED STONESEMBEDDED IN THE WOOD. ALL WERE VERY INTERESTING' JUST LIKE SACONI HIMSELF.

SACONI MOVED LIKE THE MASTER TICKING CLOCK HE WAS, FIRST HERE ... TICK ....THAN THERE... TOCK, WITH EACH MOVEMENT MEASURED AND PRECISE AS WITH GREAT PURPOSE. "WHAT TO THE SEA ARE YOU DOING?", IMANI ASKED SACONI.

"YOURE RIGHT ON TIME IMANI", HE REPLIED, "WAIT A MINUTE ... JUST A MINUTE ... ONE MORE MINUTE", HE MEASUREDLY TICKED BACK IN IMANI'S DIRECTION WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A GLANCE.THE WHOLE TIME HE FIDDLED WITH THE LITTLE BOXES AND THE STICK.

SACONI WAS TURNING HIS HEAD FOR INSTANTS TO LOOK UPWARD, AS IF CHECKING TO MAKE SURE FOREVER WAS STILL THERE. WHEN SACONI FINALLY DID LOOK IN IMANI'S DIRECTION, IMANI COULD SEE THAT HIS EYES WERE FILLED WITH SOME SERIOUS PURPOSE NOT UNLIKE A CLOCKMAKER ABOUT TO MISS A TRAIN UNLESS HE GETS HIS TICKET AND A COLLEGE EDUCATION IN THE NEXT SECOND OR SO. "QUICK ... COME HERE ... QUICK!", HE CALLED TO IMANI AS HE LOOKED AT HIS WATCHES ... ALL SEVEN OF THEM. HE HAD THREE ON EACH WRIST AND ONE LARGE ONE AROUND HIS NECK.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, IMANI'S CURIOSITY WAS BEGINNING TO PEAK, SO HE JOINED SACONI AT THE FIGMENTED STICK WHERE SACONI WAS PUTTING A MEASURE HURRIEDLY BACK INTO HIS HIP POCKET. HE APPARENTLY HAD JUST MEASURED THE FIGMENTED STICK AND HE HAD A LOOK OF TREMENDOUS SATISFACTION PROTRUDING FROM HIS FACE.

"SEVEN FIGMENTS EXACTLY ... NO A SECOND LONGER... NOT AN INSTANT SHORTER ... SEVEN FIGMENTS ON THE NOSE",SACONI TICKED AND TOCKED.

SO, BECAUSE IMANI HAD SUCH A LOVE FOR THE INNOCENT, HE ENTERED THE SEA OF ETERNITY ON DECEMBER 6, 0000, AND BECAUSE HIS FATHER LOVED HIM SO, HE ALLOWED HIS SON TO GO.

IMANI ENTERED THE SEA TO RIDE THE WAVES OF TIME AND THOUGH HE WAS THE LIGHT HOUSE KEEPERS SON, THE PRIDE OF INFINITYS MASTER CLOCK MAKER, HIS BLOOD MIXED WITH THE BLOOD OF OTHERS IN ETERNITY'S SEA, AND OTHERS BLOOD WITH HIS. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HE AND THEY WAS THAT HE HAD GONE OF HIS OWN FREE WILL, WHILE THEY HAD BEEN FORCED THERE, BY THE INJUSTICES THAT EXISTED ON THE ISLAND OF INFINITY.

AS IMANI SEARCHED THE SEA, HE MET WITH INNOCENCE AMONG THE WAVES. SOME OF THOSE HE MET WERE STRONG BUT HARD AND WEARY FROM THEIR RELENTLESS BATTLE WITH THE WAVES. OTHERS HE MET HAD LEARNED TO FLOAT ON THE SEA AND WERE LESS HARDENED, BUT THEY TOO WERE WEARY. OTHERS COULD BARELY KEEP THEIR HEADS ABOVE WATER. TO ALL HE MET, HE CONVEYED THE MESSAGE OF FAITH, "BELIEVE ME ... MY FATHER WILL SAVE US." THE INNOCENT AMONG THOSE IN THE SEA OF ETERNITY BELIEVED HIM, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO FLOAT TO THE SURFACE OF THE WAVES AND THEY WENT OUT ONTO THE WATERS TO TELL OTHERS OF THE GOOD NEWS IMANI HAD GIVEN THEN.

"THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO, EXCEPT TO HAVE FAITH", INANI WOULD SAY AS HE SHOWED THEM HOW TO FLOAT ON THE BLOODY WATERS OF ETERNITY'S SEA. THEY BELIEVED IN IMANI AND WERE BUOYED BY THE HOPE IN HIS PROMISE. to be continued