Jean-Pierre looked around at everyone, pondering. He stopped at Debby, who was begging him for mercy with her eyes. She was uncomfortable with the way Jean-Pierre was treating the old man. And though she felt a deep misunderstanding too, she believed that the hermit was not the cause of all of this.
The doctor and Yulia knew for sure that everything going on right now was somehow connected, but they couldn’t get their heads around how this hermit, who barely speaks English, the Voyager Gold Record signal they detected, yesterday’s unexpected storm, and, most importantly, the disappearing exit, could be connected.
David alone was simply amazed and happy at the adventures that were happening around him. He felt a kind of languor in his chest from everything that was going on and could not believe that he had decided to go here at this particular time by himself. He liked the hermit who had been so caring to them in a moment of need. He liked having the doctor and Yulia by his side, who seemed to him to be the only people who understood what was going on.
Everyone thought there was someone or something that was the cause of everything that was going on. How could it all be explained. David thought it was the doctor and Yulia, Debby thought it was her bad luck. Yulia thought it was aliens, and Dr Capri, though he was hiding it, thought it was some kind of Chinese experiment.
But in that very second, Jean-Pierre suddenly felt that there was no reason and that no one here now understood what was going on.
He began to nod, thinking that Bhrigu really didn’t look much like a terrorist or an evil genius in the service of some government.
“Okay,” Jean-Pierre agreed with Debby, “we have to go.”
Everyone turned at the same time to the hermit, who was looking directly at Jean-Pierre. He nodded.
“Come on!” the Frenchman shouted, urging everyone on. “Let’s not waste our time. We must go.”
Everyone walked toward the light that entered the hall through the left aisle.
Jean-Pierre looked everyone out and watched intently the reactions of the hermit. The old man shifted his eyebrows and began to rub his beard, thinking hard about something.
“What?” asked Jean-Pierre incredulously.
“Chosen you all for important things,” smiled Bhrigu. “Journey will lead you. God help you.”