JUST BEYOND

            Uncle was acclaimed the world over for his unexplainable magic show.  The last time I went to one of his shows an Elephant on stage disappeared.  Like the countless millions, that witnessed his Wonders, I could not figure out how he did what he did.  For thirty years at every appearance Uncle Ward’s World of Wonders, Mystified everyone watching.  The time he was not performing was spent in his Workshop.  There had been millions of words written about his magic act.  Few had been on his personal life.  For all I knew he didn’t socialize, go out, or talk to anyone outside his old friends.  I had read he was building a strange structure on his property in Illinois.  I was just settling down, to relax with my girlfriend, when The telephone rang.  It had been months since I’d heard from Uncle.  It was 9PM and I had to know what he wanted.  Being only forty miles away, I knew, in an hour I’d be driving up to his front gate.  When I arrived I couldn’t help but notice that things looked different.  Uncle Ward’s front entrance now had iron gates and a fence, which seemed to be, going all around the outside of his property.  It looked like he also had a new Camera and Intercom system.  As I was getting out, of the car, Uncle’s voice asked if I was alone.  After I replied, the gates opened automatically.  The driveway had something new.  It was still a half-mile long but now had lights along it.  I started to notice other things.  Behind the workshop was the structure I had read about, it looked like a big Pyramid.  Even at this distance from the Workshop, I could tell the enormous size by the Jeep parked in front of it.  Uncle came out of his Workshop and someone stood in the doorway.  As I pulled up to him I began to notice something else.  Down through the years, Uncle hadn’t changed much at all.  He looked the same as he always did, except for a little gray hair, for a man in his sixties; he didn’t look much over forty.  As I was getting out of my car I realized it was a woman that had stepped into the doorway.  At first I did not recognize her.  When she said “HI” I couldn’t mistake her low smooth voice. 

            “Howdy Sheila, what’s up Uncle?”

            “Come on in, Jaysen, its time we had a little talk.”

            I thought of Sheila as nothing more than his assistant in his Magic act for the last four years.  Before that, she worked for I.B.M.  When Uncle put his arm around her, I knew it was more then that.