THE ARK
Part One
BY J ALEXANDER

The Ark
PART 1 CHAPTER 1
The Isle of Matta, year 2014,
An old, but very distinguished looking gentleman, sat in a gazebo overlooking the great Mediterranean Sea. He looked at the three young boys sitting at his feet with their little fourteen-year-old ears perked high, so, as not to miss a single word their grandfather spoke.
One small voice said, grandfather, tell us more please! Okay, I’ll tell you another story if you’ll tell me who each of you are? Are you Aera, Terra or Serdab? I’m Terra grandpa, and this is Aera and he’s Serdab.
Antonio Moretti shook his head and said, I’ll never be able to tell you apart. I should be mad at your Mother for having triplets. Do you want to send us back and tell Mommy to change us into little girls Aera asked? No, no you are here now so we may as well keep you and your brothers. Antonio thought but didn’t say out loud, I wish the boy’s Father was here to see how big and strong his little men were, growing up and soon would be taking over the Family business.
Alright, now that I have your undivided attention, I’m going to tell you a story about our Family that happened about five hundred years ago. Antonio Moretti looked all three boys in the eye and said, are you ready to listen to a tale right out of history. Terra cried out, make it gory Grandpa so it will scare Aera and he’ll have nightmares. Serdab gave him a punch on his arm and said, we don’t do things to hurt each other, how many times do I have to tell you. After giving Serdab another dirty look, Aera turned to his Grandfather and said, please go on with your story, we’re all ears.

PART 1 CHAPTER 1

Somewhere in Europe: The Year 1530AD.
The King and his entourage stood on a large wooded mountain. Where they could see for miles and they needed to because their army was fighting the Kings old and very powerful enemy who had come a long way with his forty thousand battle ready warriors. They were the best trained and equipped army to grace any battlefield in the past five hundred years. Then why wasn’t the king on the hill worried? He should be because his little army consisted of about eight thousand soldiers. Of course, these were the best and bravest in all of his Royal Kingdom. Surely any betting man of the fifteen Century, would put his money on the forty thousand strong, just new in town strangers.
Believe it or not, they would lose their gold crowns big time and the reason is the king on the hill has a secret weapon. Not just any old run of the mill slingshot, this was the first of the world weapons of mass destruction, a real battlefield equalizer.
Because the king of the forty thousand felt over confident, he thought he should have a front row seat for the massacre. He was so sure he was going to win, he brought his family and friends and decided at the last minute to have a little picnic on the playing field, not a good call but typical for many non-military rulers of the day. Like their king and commander, the leaders of the big army didn’t take this little army very serious to say the least, almost to the point of being bored.
The second in command under the king said to his right-hand man, take ten or fifteen thousand soldiers who aren’t doing anything at this moment and wipe out that small little pathetic poor excuse for an army. Don’t take too much time, we have a lot of looting to do before we move on and with a little luck, we’ll find a real army to fight.
The big army, fifteen thousand lined up in rows across the valley while the little army stood ready a few hundred yards away with their backs against the mountains with no place to go but the position of the little army was perfect for their plan. It was perfect in the old days to offer your opponent a chance to give up, then only the leader would be executed and the little was allowed to go home. Of course, they had to leave all their possessions in the battlefield.
The leader of the big army could be heard laughing out loud and the reason that he was so amused was that the field commander of the little army asked him if he wanted to surrender.
When the big army leader finally stopped laughing, he said, I don’t think you noticed that you are badly outnumbered and this is just a small portion of the army and we have defeated every opponent that we have faced in the past ten years.
The commander of the little army was heard saying, if you are not going to surrender, you and your men should make peace with your God and then be prepared to meet him face to face. The commander of the little army raised his hand while facing his men. This was the signal to raise the wooden towers. These were the kind of towers that were commonly used when trying to capture a castle on a walled city.
The trouble was that there wasn’t any of these structures around for miles. It did actually confuse the leader of the big army which caused him to have another bout of laughter. The commander would have been seen scratching his head if he had not been wearing that big metal helmet.
The wooden towers couldn’t be seen as they were lying flat and the army was in front of them. Using poles and ropes the men of the little army kept raising tower after tower. There must have been a hundred of them all in a row.
Soldiers could be seen climbing up the back of the raised towers. All was quiet until the commander of the little army gave another signal and in unison the doors on the front of the towers opened up and thousands of arrows were launched almost darkening the sky. The commander of the big army gave his order for his men to raise their shields over their heads. Of course, he gave the order with a grin and another chuckle. The sound of the arrows hitting the shields was almost deafening, but it was blocked out by the sound of the arrows exploding. They all had something attached that was new to the battlefield, “dynamite” The arrows were designed to explode on impact.
What a mess the little army made on the battlefield. The little shields and the bodies were blown to …. Well, it is safe to say that none of the soldiers could be identified but that wouldn’t bother the birds and the wild beasts who would be coming to the biggest buffet in history. When the king of the big army surrendered, the now very quiet battlefield were once stood his army, now laid a smorgasbord of human flesh.
Not a word was said as the king of the “not as big as before” army got into the stagecoach (without wheels) carried by slaves quickly vanished out of sight followed by the remainder of his army almost running with their tails between their legs.
Meanwhile, back at the mountain, the king of the little army stood up and made a motion for two of his servants to bring forth a metal box. When the box was placed on a small table, the order was given to have it opened. Inside the box was enough gold and jewels to make the owner a very, very rich person. With the wave of his hand, the king ordered Francisco Moretti of the House of Moretti to come forward. Here is your payment in full for delivering us an overwhelming victory over our enemy and this was accomplished without the loss of even one of my loyal subjects. The king spoke again. Before you take your reward, I want you to promise me that neither you or your descendants will ever side with an enemy of my kingdom. Francisco Moretti agreed but with one request that the House of Moretti would forever hold a place in the kings’ royal court.
Both men agreed to the terms of the contract which ensured lasting peace for the king and untold wealth for the House of Moretti.
THE MEETING
Did you enjoy the story boys? I have a lot more to tell you and I hope it didn’t scare you Aera? Oh no Sir, I liked it a lot and as a matter of fact I have it memorized. I intend to make a journal of all your stories and with your permission, I’ll write a book about our Family one day.
Well, you can write a book if you want but I don’t think you will sell very many copies. Without knowing why, Aera said, the House of Moretti Series will be one of the greatest stories ever told. Grandpa gave a big chuckle and then with his big hand he messed up Aera’s hair.
The boys were laughing and having fun when their Mom walked in and said it was time for lunch and you need to give your Grandpa a breather.
Amadora counted her boys as they passed by her. She had no trouble saying their names as she patted each of them on their head. Aera, Terra and when Serdab passed his Mom, he said that she got them mixed up but before he could get his name out his Mother gave him a slap on the backside and she told him that he might be able to fool everyone else, but you’ll never trick your Mom. She drew her hand back to give him another slap, but the boys quickly dashed out of reach.
Turning to her Father-in -Law Amadora told him that his son was waiting in the big house to see you. Shall I tell Frankie to come here or will you be meeting him in your office. Antonio thought for a moment then said, I guess I should see him where we can talk business because that’s the only time, he comes to see me.
Frankie was sitting in his Father’s big office chair but jumped up when his Father walked into the room.
Frankie was a little man and he looked even smaller when he sat in the old antique office chair. Antonio didn’t choose the furniture. He inherited it from his Father. It’s not known if his Father had the desk made oversized so that anyone sitting in front had to look up to speak or if that was the way all furniture was made three hundred years ago.
Without looking at his son, Antonio said, I know why you are here. I only see you a few times a year and it’s always the same thing. You feel that your son James is the rightful heir to be the head of the House of Attard Moretti because he’s the oldest grandson. Well son, you are not going to like what I have to tell you but you need to hear it anyway.
Your son James is the oldest of my Grandson’s but being older does not ensure that a person is mature. I have kept a close watch on all of my Grandson’s since they were babies and to tell you the truth, I haven’t seen much progress in your son’s development into a mature young man. As a matter of fact, I see the opposite. I keep a file on everyone in the family and I refer to these files when I’m asked to make a decision or grant a request. I’m not impressed when I look into your son James’s file. It reads like a book about a very spoiled, selfish, self-centered young man. This year alone he has totally destroyed two very expensive cars and has made some very bad choices about who his friends were. He’s not twenty-one and already he’s got a divorce and working on another.
Frankie, you are my son and as such you have a place in the House of Attard but I’m afraid you have not done a very good job of raising your son. I hope for your sake that you can turn him around because he’s on a road of destruction. He needs to make his peace with our Lord and ask our Savior to rid him of his demons.
Antonio stood up, indicating that the meeting was over but he didn’t come out from behind the big desk. He never does when he comes to meet with him. He can’t remember the last time he hugged his son or even shook his hand. They kept their meetings strictly business with no show of emotion.
Richard had a few more things to say to his Father but like always his Dad just dismissed him with a wave of his hand. With clenched fists, Richard lowered his head and like a little boy who just got a lecture from his parents walked slowly out of the room, mumbling to himself about how unfair life is.
James was waiting for him outside the front doors. He seemed agitated and nervous. He could tell by the look on his Father’s face that the meeting did not go well. He did it to you again, didn’t he old man, James shouted at his Father. Well, I’ve got a few words for Mr. bigshot. Rickie grabbed hold of his son as he tried to get by. You will only make things worse than they are now. I’ll try again in a few months to talk to him but in the meantime, you need to clean up your act. Do you hear me James? His son wasn’t listening to a word he said and just got back into the back of his limousine and slammed the door.
Antonio Attard had a few sleepless nights after his meeting with his son Rickie. Usually Antonio was able to put it out of his mind because him and his son only saw each other two or three times a year and as always, the same subject was dismissed. But this time for some reason he felt different, almost sorry for saying what needed to be said.
Walking out onto his balcony and looking up at the star filled night sky, Antonio prayed to God. I know it is written that with great wealth comes even greater responsibility, and I also know it is largely at the top. I find it harder as I get older not having anyone to talk to. When my lovely Maria was alive, she would listen to everything I had to say, then with a little smile she would say, Antonio, you are a wonderful man and a great husband. You have our Lord and that is all you need. I knew she was right and you are all I need and so I’m going to bed and I’m asking you to show me the future of the “House of Attard” who will be my successor and what role I will play in their destiny. It wasn’t until a month later that Antonio got his answer in a dream. It was a little confusing because it was in a parable.
Antonio could see three beautiful trees growing near a small brook. Because of the water, the trees grew tall and strong, then things changed. The water that supplied the stream was channeled in a different direction. Eventually even the little flow dried up and only a small ditch could be seen and even it soon disappeared, leaving no sign that a babbling brook ever existed.
To make matters worse, the three trees were infested with insects that were rotting the trees from the inside out.
The dream stayed in Antonio’s mind for weeks and although he understood that the three trees were his Grandson’s, he couldn’t figure out the meaning of the water and the insects. Of course, in hindsight, he was seeing the future of the boys and how someone or something would try to tear them apart.

ANOTHER DREAM
About a week after the first dream, Antonio had another, this time the dream was very clear. He was shown the future of his Grandson’s, all four if them. He could see the triplets would develop into fine young professionals and at the age of twenty-one would take over the family fortune. He could also see how evil would rule his Grandson James life. He could also see how jealousy, hatred and revenge were eating away at his troubled and possessed Grandson.
The triplets were six years younger than their cousin James and with evil on his side they were no match for him. There was one other problem that would give an unfair advantage to the older James. The file that grandpa kept on all family members was never shared with the triplets, so, to them their cousin for all tense and purpose was a real nice guy! This made it very easy for James to gain the trust and brotherly love of the “chosen ones” a name James gave them years ago when it was obvious, they would take the place of dear old Grandpa.

THE TRIPLETS HAVE A BIRTHDAY
For years, because the boy’s birthdays were at the end of December and they were young, the family combined Christmas and their special day together, but this year would be different. The boys were turning fifteen and thanks to Grandfather, from now on each holiday would be celebrated on its own. This would ensure the triplets could have their special day and at the same time welcome in the New Year.
The boys got a kick out of asking people if it was possible for identical twins to be born one year apart. They would laugh when they got “that’s impossible” for an answer. Aera and Terra would point to their brother Serdab and say that he is one year older than us. They liked to keep people in suspense and once in a while they would not tell the person the answer to the puzzle. Some didn’t care while others would get a little agitated. Some kids even got mad and wouldn’t talk to the boys for hours.
One time at their birthday, one youngster cried so much that their boy’s Mother told Serdab to tell everyone how it was possible for triplets to be born one year apart. The triplets stood next to one another and in turn said their age. I’m Serdab and I was born five minutes to twelve on New Year’s Eve December 2000. I’m Aera and he’s Terra and we were born after twelve midnight on January first 2001.
Grandfather tapped on his glass to get everyone’s attention, not that he needed to do that because his voice, although soft was filled with authority. I would like to say Happy Birthday to the boys and also take this opportunity to announce that when the boys turn twenty-one, they will take their place as the head of the “House of Attard.” They will run the multibillion-dollar family business as a team. All three will play equal roles in the day-to-day operations as well as the future endeavors of the family.
Everyone in the room toasted the boys except for Uncle Frankie and his noticeably upset son James.
As soon as Antonio finished his speech, Frankie and James left the party. On the drive home, Frankie told his son about his plan to tear the triplets apart and when the time was right, he would take his rightful place as the only grandson capable of running the Attard dynasty.

GRANDPA REVEALS HIS DREAMS
I’ve called you boys together to tell you about some dream I’ve had lately. Not knowing where to start, Grandpa hesitated for a moment, then said, I’ve had some visions about your future. I understand that you are only young boys but you must listen very carefully to what I’m telling you. In my dream, I was visited by a man in a white suit who showed me the future and the role you young men would play in it. Of course, he also warned me that if as a team you made the wrong choices, then not just the Attard family would suffer but thousands even millions of lives would be lost and evil will have won a major victory.
I can see that even though you boys’ joke with one another there is a lot of brotherly love. You are going to need a lot more than love to face life’s challenges. You’ll soon discover that you are individuals and as such, will need to express yourselves as a single entity while making sacrifices and compromises for the sake of the team. Grandpa paused for a moment then with a voice filled with wisdom, authority and a lot of concern he said “trust no one” but listen to everyone. Also question everyone and everything.
As triplets you share a very special bond so se it often especially when you don’t agree. Being right does not over rule love and respect.
There will be many who will want you to fail, family friends and strangers. Of course, your biggest and most powerful enemy will be the Prince of Darkness himself. But with your faith in the Lord, even the devil will have to admit defeat. For it is written that if the Lord is with you, who can be against you?
The man in the white suit also said that should you achieve your personal goals and are united at age twenty-one you will receive your first challenge as the “chosen ones.’ You will each receive a ring which has spiritual power that must be used wisely. Also, at twenty-one you will be given your first quest and you must not take it lightly because your lives and the lives of millions will either be saved or lost depending on the outcome.
I’m sure you three will have a million questions and I want you to know that God and I will be here with you, not one of you will ever walk…

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