“The tiger-sized cat placed its jaws around my forearm. When its mouth opened it seemed to offer a bottomless canyon, its gape exceeded that of a river hippo’s. Nobody challenges the river hippo or my companion. It was clear I was not leaving.
“‘Okay companion, what do you want?’ The cat released my arm, walked over to a corner area against a wall, and sat down. It stared at me until I got the message. I followed and sat beside it.
“Then a most remarkable thing happened. The tiger-cat swept its paw across a mosaic tile in a corner. I bent down and found the tile was loose. I slipped fingers under it and lifted it up to discover a hidden storage area.
“Reaching inside I felt a soft leather cylinder. My arm tingled when I touched it and a pleasant sensation flowed through my body. ‘Nice’ was my first reaction followed by, ‘How did it get here?’ There were no answers I could imagine.
“Upon removing it I realized it was a scroll. My father had described scrolls to me. He said they were instruments that permitted great things to happen. To use them required a form of magical training.
“This secret training permitted the priests to understand the inscribed symbols called hieroglyphs. The knowledge contained in the scrolls was limited to the very top of society. Only priests, pharaohs, and a few privileged businessmen were permitted access to this knowledge.
“Much later I realized that my personal companion’s knowledge was far beyond what the priests could ever learn from their library of scrolls. My personal scroll, presented to me by my companion, opened a portal into a universe that I am still learning about to this very day.”
Both Glenda and Traveler were captivated by M’s story and neither interrupted until Glenda suddenly felt she had to ask, “M, I believe our books are instruments of some science so advanced we can call it magic. Correct?” Traveler was nodding his head in agreement.
M acknowledge her question with a smile, “Yes, what the scrolls give us both in knowledge and power may be best described as magic.”
“Naturally, back then I had no understanding of the symbols and what they expressed. My companion understood my study limitations and jump-started my learning abilities. While I held the scroll in two hands, my companion stood in front of me and pressed its head against my forehead. My mind first went empty, then my companion poured into my mind the basic tools to begin my study.
“I remember shaking as this knowledge flowed into me. My human brain was an empty urn that was starting to be filled. I felt myself being lifted outside of my body. I knew I was being changed, but had no sense of how the changes would affect me. I felt I was gaining the necessary power to learn, but about what and to what purpose I had no idea.
“What I knew with a certainty was that my companion was a god. I knew I now lived to serve my god.”
Chapter 12
What’s in a Name?
“When my companion was finished bestowing my starting knowledge, he sent me a strange request. ‘When do gods ask anything?’ I thought. To my great surprise, my companion wanted me to give him a name.
“With great hesitancy I replied, ‘You want a name? You are a god, it is not my place to name you.’
“My companion again leaned its head against my head. ‘I am alone now and I need a name. The honor of naming is yours.’
“I thought, ‘Naming a god, how can that be my place? I’m a simple, peasant orphan who barely escaped with his life. This is a job for a priest or pharaoh.’ Then I realized the god creature was looking expectantly at me. It was my honor, or my duty, to name it regardless of what I thought.
“With a weak smile I nodded my acceptance, followed by an attempt at a little humor to break my nervousness, ‘Okay, but please don’t eat me if you don’t like my choices.’ My cat god simply gave me a look that said, ‘Get on with it.’
“I thought, OK, it’s naming time, do your best. ‘Theoretically, I could name you “Mighty One”, which I suspect you are. Theoretically, I think “Ruler of the Desert” fits well. Theoretically, I like “Wisest of the Wise” a lot.’ As I tried various names, I waited for some reaction of approval. None came.
“In exasperation I finally said, ‘Theoretically, there are countless names that fit you. Theoretically, I can keep creating them, but I’m out of inspiration. Maybe the best name for you is simply “Theoretically” which we can shorten to “Theo”.’
“Now cats, regardless of their size, have no ability to smile, but in that moment I’m sure I saw a smile followed by a robust purring vibration. Its head touched mine and I heard in my mind, ‘Yes, I have been a theoretically focused being for a very long time. Time beyond your understanding. Time before your universe and this world existed. Time before your concept of time existed. This name fits me. Theo it is, and I approve.’
“Millenniums later, when Greek was the language in this part of the world, I thought I was prescient. The word for god in Greek is ‘theos’. I had truly nailed his name, and he knew it.
“While Theo’s head continuing to be pressed against mine a pleasant sensation filled me, ‘I approve of my name and will now return the honor by selecting your name. There are several names that could fit you in this region of the world.’
“‘My initial choice based on your heritage is “Mert”.’
“Now the vibration felt like a chuckle, as if this god being was enjoying a human joke. Again, I thought I saw a smile on the large face. A long fang seemed to briefly appear from a lower lip.
“He continued with, ‘Sadly in this land known as Egypt the name Mert means “Lover of Silence” and that will not suit you in the days to come.’
“‘We will still name you Mert but accept the meaning from a land that will be known as Turkey. In that language Mert means, “brave and trustworthy”. Indeed, that is the essence of your spirit. In centuries to come, in distant lands far beyond this desert, you will be called Merlyn, but for now you are Mert. As you wisely chose to shorten my name to Theo so will I shorten yours to “M”.’
“I was beyond pleased. Praise from a god, does it get any better? The meaning of the name Mert as ‘brave and trustworthy’ would have fit my father and it warmed my inner being. Could Theo have known of my father and his final stand against the raiders? I challenged myself to justify the name both to the god and to my father’s memory.”
Chapter 13
Training Begins
“My study began that night with my scroll while I slept.” M smiled at Glenda and Traveler, “Of course that’s no surprise to either of you. Some of your best learning happens while you sleep with your books.
“After dinner exhaustion hit me. While I looked forward to starting my training, I needed to sleep. As I lay down beside Theo and the fire, I felt a paw push the scroll under my head. I discovered how warm and soft it was. It created a perfect cradle for my head. The sleep god Morpheus quickly visited me.
“I awoke the next morning totally refreshed. Lifting my head, I was suddenly concerned. I knew that scrolls were valued objects of magic. They were treated with the greatest of care and honor, and I had used my scroll as a pillow.
“I feared that a god of knowledge, such as the Egyptian god Thoth, would be angry at my pillow arrogance and bring his wrath down on me. Fortunately no angry Thoth appeared. I assumed that my personal god, Theo, would have warned other gods away.
“In the days to come I grew to accept the scroll’s thick leather as a soft headrest. Of course, I had no awareness of how the scroll was training my mind while I slept.”
M looked intently at Traveler and Glenda and added, “What I initially studied from was a physical scroll while both of you study from a book. Scroll and book are one and the same. The teachers exist inside the scroll, or in your case, the books. They are both sentient and shapeshifters. They take the shape that suits the time and place of their teaching. As the expression goes, ‘Don’t judge a book or scroll by its cover’.”
Chapter 14
Books and Scrolls Rule
“On the first day of my study I carefully opened the scroll to its beginning. The very opening was beyond my understanding. Feeling like the slowest of students I tried looking further down in the hope that I would see something that I could grasp.
“As you both know, I could not go beyond that first section. Since I had no training to read the symbols, I accepted that I was destined to remain simply staring on the open part of the scroll. While staring I found that the symbols began to create a picture story in my mind. The story was beyond strange but I accepted it without question. My whole life was beyond strange now.”
Smiling at Glenda, M added, “Unlike Traveler, our resident science student, I never questioned the presented knowledge. In my case ignorance of science was a good thing. I was the perfect empty vessel for the books to begin filling with their absolute truths.
“Over the following days, nights, weeks, and months I discovered that I could indeed advance in my studies. Most of the scroll’s stories continued to be total mysteries to me but I felt privileged to hear them. I felt that I was listening to conversations among the gods.”
M again smiled at his captive audience. He was pleased that neither had interrupted with questions nor looked sleepy. “As a student, and unlike both of you, I was totally isolated from my fellow humans. While my god companion was ever present, he was far from offering the social interactions of a human companion. I accepted this social isolation and focused on my studies.
“The good news about being alone was that I had few distractions for my studies. I still had to gather my food supply and on occasion play in the warm waters, but I was increasingly drawn into the scroll’s mysteries. I increasingly missed any time away from it.
“As my studies advanced I began to have insights into the meanings of the stories. The stories were puzzles and occasionally I could fit pieces together. When that happened I was elated and Theo seemed to enjoy my happiness. His purring vibrations would kick up a level to let me know that he felt my elation and approved of my advancement.
“Besides Theo and the books, the fire was the other constant presence. The fire now seemed to burn without a replenishment of fuel. During the day it appeared as embers, then as the sun went down and the temperature fell it built itself up. I accepted that strange event as part of my life with Theo. From the earliest time fire was considered a gift of the gods so my god naturally brought it with him.
“Many a cold night I fell asleep snuggled up against Theo in front of the fire. I no longer dreamed of the fire beasts. That memory seemed to belong to another person’s life. With Theo beside me I slept without fear. I felt that he also enjoyed my presence as he emitted a soothing, purring vibration.”
M broke his tale with a big stretch and a large swallow from his mug. He gave Theo a final head rub and sat forward in his chair. “Well, is that a good story or what?” asked M. Both Traveler and Glenda had been spellbound. Not only was the story great, but M told it in a way that each of them felt they were living the memory with him.
“You are the very best storyteller, M,” said Glenda. “And it’s a true story of magic. Nobody except Traveler and I would ever believe it.” Traveler grinned, nodded, and began clapping. Glenda immediately joined him as M beamed.
“One final question, M?” asked Traveler.
M nodded, “A simple one I hope?”
“Well, my question is simple but only you will know if the answer is simple. My question is, why did Theo pick you out of all of his possible choices?”
M smiled and leaned back in his chair, his hand once again rested on Theo’s head. “The answer, as best as I can tell after many millenniums of wondering that same thing, has to do with how the human brain was developing during this time period.
“For hundreds of thousands of years, the physical human brain operated as two separate engines placed side by side inside our skull. These engines are frequently referred to as the dual hemispheres of the brain. While they reside side by side, they perform in many ways as independent thought engines. The traditional view is that the right-side hemisphere controls creative thinking. The left-side hemisphere controls our logical thinking. Over time, the two hemispheres became much more connected; however, for any particular person one side was still dominant.
“The paintings by cavemen in France around 40,000 BC were the product of their right-side brain engine getting to demonstrate its skill. The left-side brain engine showed up later with the development of early mathematics. Geometry and algebra flowed out of the strengths of the left side starting around 3000 BC.
“The early Egyptians had an understanding of dimensional measures and geometric structures when they build the first pyramid in in 2,630 BC for Pharaoh Djoser. Their skills continued to develop and the Great Pyramid of Giza was built in 2,560 BC for Pharaoh Khufu.
“Now to answer your question, I believe Theo selected me because my two sides were somehow perfectly balanced. I naturally used both sides simultaneously and was a freak of nature.
“Theo required this brain balance for the books to advance any human mind. If there was not a perfect balance between the hemispheres, my physical brain would overload and then melt down with the stream of content flowing from the scrolls.”
M noticed the not so subtle glances that were passing between Glenda and Traveler, “I’m not a mind reader, however I will answer your unasked question. Yes, you two are also freaks of nature. The books can work with your minds without exploding them. The pacing of your growth is limited to the capacity of your balanced brain to accept incoming content. That’s why your early studies were so slow, the books controlled the pace, not you.
“The good news is that the books are improving the balance and the capacity of each of your brains. Since brain and body go hand in glove, as your brains are upgraded so are your body skills enhanced.
“Now on that happy note I am going to retire.”
Chapter 15
M’s Alert: A Challenge Is Coming
Breakfast was a distant memory. “Where’s lunch, princess?” Traveler asked Glenda.
She glanced up at him with a puzzled look. “Check the time, big boy. It’s dinner time.”
Traveler looked at his watch, “That’s impossible. My stomach is a fine-tuned clock. It never misses a beat or a meal, it never sleeps while I’m on the job.”
“Well you better reset that clock. Let’s go see how M is coming, I’m starving also.”
Before heading to the dining area, they looked at each other, turned, and headed to their respective rooms. Nature calls trump stomach calls.
“I see you have finally come out of your study cave,” said M as Traveler returned. “Bet you’re starved. I had a nice luncheon platter prepared, but saw you both were in the study groove. Never interrupt a student when they are rolling with their books.
“Since you both missed lunch I whipped up an outstanding replacement dinner. Trust me, you’ll like it. As the chef I’ve tasted it and have sent myself hearty congratulations.”
Glenda casually strolled up to the table. “Room for a lady at this place?” she asked smiling.
M welcomed her with a playful bow, then then proceeded to bring out the evening’s dish. “This is tonight’s dining fare, but trust me it’s much better than fair,” and he laughed at his own pun.
After a few big bites Glenda said, “You’re so right, M, this is far beyond fair. I’d call it scrumptious. What would you call it, big boy?”
Traveler looked up from his plate and grunted. His grunt conveyed what he thought, It’s great, leave me alone, I’m busy.
When dinner was wrapped up and Glenda and Traveler were standing to leave, M casually said, “Sleep well. I’ve got a surprise for you tomorrow. Theo and I appreciate how focused you’ve both been in your studies and importantly how much you’ve advanced. We have a fitting and necessary challenge for you that will continue your growth.”
Glenda and Traveler were instantly at DEFCON One and began bombarding M with q
uestions. “I understand you’re curious, but no answers tonight. I’ll let you sleep on the possibilities. Treat tonight like Christmas Eve knowing you will open up the big surprise tomorrow morning.” Glenda and Traveler grinned like four-year-olds as they headed for their bedrooms.
Chapter 16
Not Your Average Field Trip
Glenda awoke early, she was always up early but this morning she beat the roosters. With some extra time she decided to do a quick wake up shower. She had spent a restless night and felt that even her book was restless. She started with hot water then switched to polar bear freezing. She was wide-eyed as she toweled off.
She saw her day’s attire resting on the bed and flinched, it was a sad affair. It appeared like a shoddy version of a wool sack dress. The belt looked like a multipurpose rope. I can use the rope as a belt, crack it like a whip, or use it to pull a pig around. Lucky me. On the floor were a pair of plain thick wool socks resting on worn leather boots. They were the perfect footwear to go with the sack dress.
Putting it all on she said to the mirror, “Whatever M has in mind, I’m a girl being dressed for picking turnips somewhere. This outfit falls short for even the most rural barbeque party.”
Reconciling to the outfit she thought, Ok Glenda, quit whining. M’s message is loud and clear, it’s show time for some real-world action. I just wonder where that world is. Camping out somewhere nasty I bet.
She bounced out of her room almost bumping into Traveler. She stared at him for a moment then laughed, “A poor man’s Indiana Jones I presume? I think our outfits are a hint at what’s coming. How did Indie sleep?”
The Blighted Fortress Page 4