Iona Portal by Robert David MacNeil Read Free Book Online Page A

ale.  “Back in 1954, a Princeton University doctoral candidate named Hugh Everett III came up with a radical new idea:  the existence of parallel universes.  It seemed the only explanation for the data his experiments had produced. 
    “Many physicists accepted his theory, and many have since tried to develop it further, but it was always considered unprovable.  Then in 2007 it was announced that a team led by Dr. David Deutsch of Oxford University had actually succeeded in proving the existence of these parallel worlds.
    “So we now know that our universe is not alone,” Michael said with rising enthusiasm. “The universe we’ve known is part of a whole series of universes occupying the same physical space.  Each universe exists in a different dimension, totally self-contained.  You might picture them stacked up, 'superpositioned' upon each other, like layers on a cake.   That’s the multiverse.”
    “So, you’re saying if we could shift into a different dimension,” Patrick asked, “we would find ourselves in a totally different universe?”  
    “That’s what the physicists tell us.  In our universe we’re sitting on the deck of this ferry headed toward the coast of Mull.  But if we could shift into a different dimension, we could find ourselves in a totally different version of this world.  It might be quite similar to the world we know, but there could also be some surprises.  A parallel universe might operate with a whole different set of physical laws.  It could even have its own inhabitants. 
    “And that brings us back to angels,” Michael continued.  “I’m convinced the beings we’ve called angels are the inhabitants of one of those parallel worlds.  They live in their own world—their own universe —but they have an ability we lack.  They can move from one dimension to another.  They shift in and out of our world as easily as we move from shadow into sunlight.”  
    “That makes my head hurt.”  Patrick laughed again.
    “Think of it like this…” Michael said, pointing out across the water, “Suppose you’re in a small boat out there on the Sound of Mull.  Beneath you, just a few feet away, are many kinds of fish.  You and the fish are in virtually the same location, yet you are totally unaware of each other’s existence.  You live in different worlds, different dimensions.  You occupy the “air” dimension.  The fish live in the “water” dimension.
    “But you have an ability the fish don’t have,” Michael added.  “You can travel between worlds.   If you put on a scuba tank you can leave your own dimension and enter the realm of the fish.  For a brief time you can swim among the fish as though you’re one of them. 
    “That’s how angels and demons interact with humans.  They’re as real and solid as we are, but they have the ability to move in and out of our world.  They can enter our realm and walk among us.  Then, just as suddenly, they slip out of our dimension and disappear.  To primitive man that made angels seem like supernatural beings.”
    Patrick shook his head and smiled in disbelief, but Michael drained the last of his pint and continued, “Here’s what’s really interesting, Patrick.  The fact that twenty-first-century thinking has little room for angels hasn’t hindered the angels in the least.  In fact, reports of angels and demons have skyrocketed in recent years.
    “Something unusual is happening in the angelic realm right now… some kind of battle is brewing, and I’ve a sense that Iona will be right in the middle of it.”
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Six:  Across Mull
     
     
     
    THE ISLAND OF MULL, ARGYLL, SCOTLAND
     
     
    Dark clouds were moving in from the west as Patrick and Michael exited the MacBrayne ferry at Craignure on Mull’s eastern shore. 
    Craignure was a tiny village whose main industry appeared to be servicing the ferry passengers waiting for connections to other parts of the island.