The Guardians and the POE

Bruce is my twin brother. We are identical in looks, but there are some differences. Bruce is obsessive-compulsive about keeping things orderly. But me; I'm phlegmatic. In other words, a laid-back slob.

Every summer in the first week of June, we go to visit our Uncle, our father's younger brother, for two weeks. This year, he made our trip unforgettable. Our Uncle, David Bashing, is well.... rich. He travels all over the world for his business; it has something to do with education. My brother and I both hope we can be like him someday. He seems to have an exciting life. His house looks out over the wide Mississippi River on the Missouri side. The hilly land rolls to the edge of the river, with ledges that jut out over the water. The view from the balcony of his office is nothing less than spectacular. We always go exploring, fishing, and bike riding on the trails through the woods. Our two weeks were almost up when Uncle David called us into his office.

"Is he saying his goodbyes already?" I asked.

"Don't know," Bruce knocked on the big mahogany door.

"Come in guys!" said Uncle David. "Now that you're both 16, I'm giving you an opportunity for a challenging adventure this summer."

We looked at each other, puzzled.

"When I was your age, my father encouraged me to take this challenge or quest, and his father gave your father before me the same chance. So, I've talked it over with your parents and they are in agreement that we should offer this opportunity to you. Taking this challenge changed my life forever, as I know it has your father's. If you decide you are up to it, it will change yours too. Your advantage is that there are two of you. When your father and I took it, we were on our own. But let me tell you, it still won't be easy."

We stood with our mouths hanging open like we were trying to catch flies.

"I hope I didn't freak you out," said Uncle David. "If you decide to accept this challenge, you'll travel to isolated locations, collect nine talismans that will earn you a chance to learn a last and final clue which will take you to a place in your lives that will instill confidence and power like you have never known before.

"What's a talisman?" asked Bruce.

"It represents the fact that you have completed a task; only this talisman will be different. You'll keep each one because they'll each make up a part of a message that will end your challenge...if you make it to the end, without giving up. This quest will be an adventure. It may even be a little scary and dangerous, but only a handful of people are given the opportunity to enter this...organization, and the challenge is the only way to be accepted. What do you say?"

"Dangerous! Could we end up dead?" asked Bruce.

"I highly doubt it, but you need to know there are people who have tried to stop those of us who have accepted the challenge. They are tricky and deceptive. They have their own organization and agenda that is bent on destroying ours."

"Oh great!" answered Bruce.

"You don't have to do it," reminded Uncle David.

"So, where do we begin?" I looked over at Bruce. "If he doesn't go, can I go by myself?"

"I didn't say anything yet!" said Bruce.

"So, you'll go?" I asked.

"Sure, count me in. What do we do first and what is the organization?"

Uncle David pulled out a carved wooden box with a golden latch. He opened it and pulled out a small scroll showing us eight words written on it. Just below the words, it read: You will be tested by the first guardian in the Crystal Cave, located near Springfield, Missouri.

Uncle David said. "Our organization is called "The Guardians" and you must learn the meaning of the words on the list, learning their definitions well; any and all of them. You must learn how they are used and if they have suffixes or prefixes. You need to know what the suffixes and prefixes mean as well as the root words. You'll need to study the etymology of each word.

When you get to your destination, a Guardian will test you with questions or riddles. If you learn what you need to, and can answer his questions, he'll give you a talisman and another set of words with the next destination. Don't lose the talismans! You'll need them all to get the whole message. Another piece of advice: The challenge is not about the destination. It's about the journey. Enjoy the journey but beware of our enemies. They'll try to stop you."

"Who are they?" I asked.

"They call themselves the Protectorate of the Elite; POE for short.

"An ominous name," I said.

"They are pretenders who believe only certain people; elitists, are worthy of controlling what happens to us all. Elitists are people who believe that a society or system should be led by a select few aristocrats; people with money and connections," said Uncle David.

"Where do they get off?" I said.

"Have you ever heard of the Illuminati?" he asked. "They're connected; they believe they have an exclusive claim on the truth. They know they can control people by keeping them ignorant and feel that the "common" man isn't smart enough to make their own decisions regarding the future of the human race and how we govern ourselves. Many of them have influential positions in business and leadership. They want to keep only those in power who will follow their agenda for our country and the world."

"Why doesn't anyone know about this?" asked Bruce.

Uncle David chuckled. "Did you know that 33 percent of high school graduates never read another book in their lives? Forty-two percent of college graduates never read another book after college and 80 percent of all U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year at all? Add to that; Fifty-seven percent of the books that ARE purchased are not read to completion. So, who would believe you if you told them this was happening? No one has a clue."

"Whoa, I didn't realize so many people never read anything," I said.

"Ignorance can be managed, but they can't control people that can think for themselves. Critical thinking skills are at an all-time low. People just want to be taken care of. It's easier if you don't have to make decisions or think for yourself but is it better?" asked Uncle David. "In some ways, the digital revolution has made their job easier because they think they're getting plenty of information, but it's not reliable information many times."

"You only have to read 1984 or Fahrenheit 411 to get an idea of where this could be headed," said Bruce.

"Exactly, the Guardians are here to make sure this doesn't happen. Our purpose is to guard the access to knowledge and help others who wish to find the path to being independent thinkers. That is the only agenda of the Guardians.

Bruce and I looked at each other. We began to see how serious this quest was. I asked. "How does taking this challenge help and why pick us? We're not special."

"Knowledge is something that we may have to fight for. Most of the population doesn't care anymore about the value of knowing how to read, research, and think for themselves. People are being funneled into non-thinking activities like video games and movies. POE has become a big influence in Hollywood, and they keep us distracted from the truth by constantly pumping out more and more fantastic visual stimulation that uses less and less of our brain's ability. Can't you see this happening? Does it make sense to you?"

"Sort of," said Bruce. "It kind of makes my head hurt to think about all of this. So, why pick us to do this?"

"You have to be recommended as someone who will see it through, and since your father and I have both been through the challenge, we know you will give it your best shot. We've tried to help you along the way by keeping screen time to a minimum and emphasizing reading. You guys are prime candidates, but we want to instill this value in as many people as possible, unlike the POE organization which wants to limit knowledge. Our hope is you will, in turn, find a way to instill this value in others. You just need the motivation to begin to pursue this on your own and believe me this will do it for you. It did for me... and your father."

"I can see it. Your mind wouldn't feel fuzzy if we already knew there was a problem. We've already been kind of brainwashed by what's been shoved in our faces," I said.

"Exactly," said Uncle David. "You will have a better understanding after the quest. I don't want to see my nephews sucked into the downhill path toward ignorance. You still up for it?"

We both nodded yes.

"The first leg will be easy because POE doesn't know about you yet. Once you have passed the first challenge though, they'll know what you're up to and they'll try to stop or discourage you any way they can."

Uncle David passed us a small satchel with some money. Use it wisely, it has to last the whole trip. It's money for traveling, food, and lodging. Don't keep it all in one place." He also handed us each a pair of boots.

We took the money and split it between the two of us. We put some in our wallets and some in the pockets of our cargo pants. We also hid some in our boots. The boots had little inside pockets to hold money, and we each also were given a Swiss army knife that fit down in another pocket of the boots.

"Why do we need these knives?"

"It's a tool that can come in handy in all sorts of circumstances. It may help you repair something or help you in many other situations. They've also got trackers built in. It's been found to be helpful in general to keep one on hand," said Uncle David. "Don't lose them and keep them in your boot out of sight unless you need to use them. I'll see you when you've completed the challenge. I'll be there to meet you at the end of your journey." He held us each at arm's length and looked seriously into our eyes, gave us each a hug then turned on his heels and left the room.