The Haven
Yoko dressed very casually for her visit to the open house at The Haven. She pulled out her road atlas and traced her way through the thick, overgrown roads. When she arrived, a young man dressed in the same outfit she had seen on those at the market greeted her at the gate. “Welcome to The Haven. How can I assist you?” Yoko thought that he was just a teenager.
“Hello. I’m here for the open house.” Yoko waved the flyer at him.
“Oh yes. Please park your car over there.” He pointed to a small gravel area with signs that said VISITOR PARKING. “Someone will be with you shortly.”
“Thank you.” Yoko proceeded to the indicated area and parked the car. As soon as she got out, several white-clad people greeted her. “Welcome to The Haven.” They nodded but didn’t introduce themselves. “Hi, I’m Tina.”
“Hello, Tina,” they said in unison. Yoko controlled the urge to smirk, thinking that very often the sisters would also respond in unison, but this crew was on a totally different wavelength. Just what this place was all about was what she was there to find out.
“Please follow us.” They surrounded her as if they thought she might run away. They led her to an open area of the compound. It was covered with St. Augustine grass, a favorite in Florida because of its heat tolerance. Benches and planters encircled the quarter acre of greenery. Several buildings surrounded the green area. They were all relatively new, prefabricated buildings. Some resembled barracks. Another was a cottage with dream catchers and wind chimes hanging near the door. There was also a large main building and smaller bungalow structures. A five-car garage was near the main house, and on the far end, she could see a large vegetable garden. All in all, it looked like a mini-campus of sorts. She took copious mental notes.
Yoko was led to one of the benches. It appeared she was the only one dressed in civilian clothes. There were approximately twenty or so identically clad people in white, some wearing green scarves, others wearing blue. There was one man wearing purple.
A light-sounding bell rang three times. Yoko knew that was usually the signal before a meditation practice would begin. “Good evening,” said the purple-and-white-clad man. “Let us begin with a short meditation.” Yoko looked around and saw that everyone had placed their hands in what is called a mudra position. The index finger touches the thumb forming a circle. They did it with both hands. It was like making the “Okay” sign with your hands resting on your lap. Yoko followed suit, except for closing her eyes completely. She opened her lids slightly. It was just enough to be able to check out what was going on around her. The bell rang three more times, and everyone chanted “Om.” Then there was silence. Yoko kept squinting and rolled her eyes back and forth as best she could. Time seemed to have come to an abrupt halt. How much longer is this going to last? she wondered. Finally, the welcome sound of the bell ringing was heard again. And again, and again.
The Luminary, the man with the purple scarf, began his speech about world peace, oneness, wholeness; the spiritual laws of attraction, reflection, and divine oneness. All of it sounded quite profound and enlightening. Yoko was waiting for the catch. And she waited. Almost an hour had passed, and she still hadn’t heard a sales pitch. The Luminary finished up with a kind blessing: “May you be happy, may you be safe, may you be filled with peace.”
So far, nothing untoward. At least nothing obvious. The bell rang again, one more “Om,” and everyone broke into applause and hugged each other. The applause part struck her as a bit strange. Even the hugging to a certain extent although she could certainly relate. The sisters hugged all the time.
The Luminary approached Yoko. “Hello. Nice of you to join us this evening.”
“Thank you. It was very inspiring.” Yoko smiled, waiting for the sales pitch. Again, nothing.
“Please, take this with you.” He handed her what looked like a brochure. It had Liam’s photo on the front. “He’s the master teacher here. Unfortunately, he is out of town this week. Perhaps you can come back another time?”
Yoko froze. She thought she would get a tour and spot Gabby. “Oh, I thought your words were most enlightening. Can you tell me more? Or am I taking up too much of your time? I would love to see the rest of this peaceful and serene place.” Yoko gave him the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could muster.
“I don’t usually do that myself,” he said nervously. “None of the higher masters are here this evening.”
“But I am quite interested, and I may have to leave town at the end of the week.” Yoko knew she was pushing it, but she had to do something before she was expected to leave. They were in a tight squeeze because they still hadn’t heard back from Gabby, and Gabby hadn’t been seen at the market. Nor was she at the open house. Until they could locate her or find more clues, they had to move fast.
“Please? Just a walk around this lovely garden space, and share a little more insight?” Yoko knew she was borderline flirting with the guy, but as the Sisterhood slogan goes, “Whatever it takes!”
Yoko brazenly linked her arm through his. “You didn’t tell me your name.”
The man cleared his throat. “I’m Becker.”
“Hello, Becker. I’m Tina. So tell me. How long have you been here?”
“Almost three years.” He was starting to relax. He thought perhaps that if he could recruit someone, he’d gain a lot of points with Noah and maybe put a dent in his debt to the organization.
As they approached the arts and crafts cottage, the door swung open. Two women exited. One walked toward the dining hall, the other walked in their direction. The second one was Gabby. She gave Yoko a strange look. Yoko wasn’t sure if Gabby recognized her.
Gabby was stunned to see a familiar face, but she didn’t want anyone to know that she knew this visitor. Gabby smiled at Becker. “Will I see you at the market this weekend?” she asked. “They added Friday to the schedule, and it starts at noon.”
Becker clumsily disengaged his arm from Yoko’s and started to stammer. “Uh, no, I mean, yes. This is Tina. She was here to attend the open house. I ... I ... I was showing her the garden. I didn’t want her to trip on any of the stones on the path.” Becker was overdoing it. Both Yoko and Gabby stifled their giggles. Yoko started to cough.
“Water? Could you get me some, please?” Yoko pleaded with Becker.
“Yes, of course. Please sit. Wait here. Gabby, you stay with her.”
That was music to their ears.
“Are you okay?” Yoko asked.
“Yes. But there are odd things happening here. Lots of closed doors, and secrecy is the norm. Technology is conspicuously absent.”
Becker was almost running with a cup and a bottle of water.
“Here. Here.” He practically shoved the cup into her hand.