Page 117: If you know, Elijah, why do you pursue me?

 From page 117 of the book:  It spoke back to me:  'If you know, Elijah, why do you pursue me?'  The voice was deep, very bass.  It sounded electric, like it was speaking through impulses, you know, electrical impulses, or bees and mosquitoes that are on fire.  There was a lot of humming going on."

            Sarah shivered with disgust.

            "'I'm not Elijah,' I replied," continued Revenant.  "'You managed to keep yourself well, Elijah,' it said to me.  I told him again my name wasn't Elijah.  I don't appreciate being called a prophet.  'Why are you bothering me now?' it asked.  'Am I your fountain?  Must you drink again so soon, Elijah?' Well, my friends, I was confused.  Then he went down the stairs and rummaged in my cellar."

Elijah fed by an angel
painting by Ferdinand Bol, 1600-1663

"I followed him and chased him around some cardboard boxes, my bookshelves, around corners and pillars.  It was a race.  I wasn't up for a race, but I was always riding on the shadow of the light, never seeing its source.  Then," he stopped and sipped from his glass and caught his breath.  "Suddenly it stopped.  I said to it, 'I'm not here to ask you for anything.'  I could see the tail of the light from where I stood.  'I'm not a beggar!' I shouted.  'And besides, you woke me up!' I called to it.  'You weren't asleep,' it said.  He was right, of course," Revenant looked at me and smiled.  "I wasn't asleep.  'Well,' I said, 'I was going to.  Why won't you let me see you?' I asked.  There was no response from it.  'You hold it against me for the way I save souls, don't you?' I asked.  Still there was no answer from the light.  'Well?' I said.  Then the light vibrated, like fast breathing, you know.  'I'm aware that you don't want another Messiah,' I said.  'God knows we've had enough.  We get rid of them, don't we, fast, vite, like always?'

Then the light moved away from where it was and whirled past my back and flew up the goddam stairs.  As I reached the top stair, because I was goddammed if I was staying in the cellar, the light exploded.  It was so bright that it blinded me."

Page 116: The light moved like a thief would, you know, from one point to another.

From page 116 of the book:
"I was about to tell Owen and Sarah of a vision I had last night," said Revenant.  "I wonder seriously if it was, in fact, not another vision but real."
             Before I could fill a glass with wine, before I could fill a plate with cheese and a slice of bread with garlic and parsley, I had to ascertain how the hell Fr. Revenant came to be sitting in my living room, before I could tell Owen and Sarah how I met the priest, before the chance that Owen would have to explain to me how he met him.

            "Just be quiet and eat, will you?" Owen said to me, tossing more shells at the fireplace.

            According to Fr. Revenant, as he had passed the door to his spare bedroom, he'd heard an unrecognizable thump on the stairs leading to the first floor.  He hurried to the top of the stairwell and followed the diminishing traces of a radiant, blinding light moving from the living room and into the kitchen.

"'Who are you?  What are you doing here?' I heard the voice say," related Revenant in an excited voice.  "The light moved like a thief would, you know, from one point to another.  Then it stopped.  I ran down the stairs, spilling my brandy.  I cursed and then I followed the light wherever it went.  It left the kitchen and opened the cellar door and stayed just inside the staircase, waiting for me."

[Top photo courtesy of Chasing Light music band.]