In The Light Of Memory

by Leonardo Lunanero

THE PALACE OF ETERNAL BEAUTY

  And so I travelled on, short in the telling, long in the doing. Mid-ocean, on a ship bound north, unable to sleep one night, I went up on deck. A homesick sailor, glad for company on the long night watch, told me a story he'd heard as a child in his own distant harbour, from a tanned and salted mariner with a gold earring and languid red eyes, The Palace Of Eternal Beauty.

  'Once there was a wizard who wished well on all. With his magical powers, which exceeded those of his contemporaries or any who had preceded him, he enjoyed entertaining guests in his fabulous castle. He would conjure the most sumptuous of banquets - the flavours experienced there would have dulled the other senses so that the eater existed in a heaven of taste if it weren't for the splendours that made love to the ear, the eye, the nose and the skin. Strange spirits played

  unheard-of musical instruments. Garments were provided softer and more exquisite than silk that caressed with every movement. The subtle aromas of smouldering incenses evoked obscure memories. Beautiful youths tended each of the guests and acted as servants throughout the house. It was at one of these banquets that the Wizard met his wife.

  'Lorien had learned early what she could acquire with a smile. She had been born into a family trapped in abject poverty. Her father was addicted to Synthe and any money or possessions the family acquired were quickly swallowed by his habit. Her mother, out of an unconditional love, refused to leave him until she contracted Pognocic and died. Three of her brothers and sisters had died of malnutrition, and the rest had been made cripples so they could be better beggars. Lorien had been spared this fate because her father had special plans for her. In the street her smile lured men into their hovel where her father killed and robbed them of all they carried before selling the naked body to a local doctor. After the death of her mother there was nothing for Lorien to stay for. One day she went out into the street and never returned. Knowing too well what poverty was like she vowed never to be poor again.

  'Accustomed to the business of selling female beauty she soon found work as a dancer. Her youth and waif-like beauty accorded her much success. By the time she was sixteen she had joined the best troupe of dancing girls in the world. It was at this time that the Wizard cast a spell to bring the best troupe of dancing girls to his banquet hall for the entertainment of his guests.

  'When she performed her routine, the other five casting rainbows of powder and flashing strips of muslin around her, Lorien knew who it was that owned the splendours of the castle, the likes of which she had never seen. She cast her smile at the Wizard. Watching her dance the Wizard became more and more fascinated. Lorien knew her craft well. Her dress was specially designed to give glimpses of her

  that were so brief that the watchers were unsure if they had actually seen her bare flesh or merely imagined it. She immediately understood her audience as if by intuition and accordingly provided precisely the right balance of provocation and concealment to inspire summits of desire in them. It was by concealing that she revealed something hidden.

  'Accustomed to the wonders that surrounded him the Wizard was surprised by the effect that Lorien had on him. In all his years no one had ever captured his attention to such an extent. He could not take his eyes from her and by the end of the performance he knew he was in love. He invited the troupe to stay for another performance the following night and they accepted.

  'That night, while all were asleep, the Wizard crept to the room he had provided for Lorien. He watched her for some time in her sleep before climbing into her bed. She awoke to his light touch and leapt from the bed clutching the sheet around her, "That does not come with the performance!" she said with indignance.

  '"I'm sorry." said the Wizard. Lorien's frailty was such that no one could wish her harm. Though her past had made her tougher than a bull she appeared as a petal made of crystal that must be handled with the utmost delicacy. The Wizard could not exert his authority over the one who he admired above all else. I didn't mean to startle you. I should never have assaulted you in this manner. I couldn't help it. You arouse a passion in me that I have never felt before. More powerful than any of my spells. I love you."

  '"That is no way to approach someone you love. Scaring them to death in the middle of the night. If you must, please approach me in a manner that suits your position. Now leave me."

  '"But I must speak to you. Give me some time at least."

  '"Very well then, I will meet you in the garden at noon tomorrow. You do have a garden don't you?"

  '"For you I have a thousand gardens, each more sublime than the last."

  '"Just one will suffice."

  'Reluctantly the Wizard returned to his room. Unable to sleep he spent the night and the following morning preparing himself for the meeting. He bathed in perfumes, made his selection from the best clothes he could conjure and did his best to prepare his distracted mind through meditation.

  'The following day as she approached the anxious Wizard, a little late of course, she was almost overcome by the beauty that the Wizard had made of himself but quickly reined in her emotions and continued her plan. As she walked with him her dress occasionally revealed a tempting glimpse of her bare thigh. Her conversation similarly hinted at a fictitious past without revealing the whole story. When the Wizard had been provoked to the point where he was about to take her by force despite her fragility and his awe she said, "I have decided. You may have me but I am not the kind of trollop you may be accustomed to. You must marry me or never see me again."

  'One moment later they stood before a perplexed priest who, after a brief explanation, married them.

  'For several years they lived happily together. Lorien had everything she desired, her every whim satisfied. Her dreams of wealth had become a reality. The Wizard also had all he desired, for all he desired was Lorien. Lorien convinced him that she loved him and for a time she did, for his generosity and kindness. But if there was one spell the Wizard did not know it was the elixir of youth. He was very old.

  'Now that Lorien had achieved her aims, now that her life was the complete opposite of the poverty in which it began, her mind began to drift to other things. Behind the beautiful attire of the Wizard were weak bones from which flesh languidly sagged. His body could not entirely match the adoration of his heart. Despite herself Lorien began to smile secretly at one of the beautiful youths who served table.

  'The youth did not wish to betray his benevolent master but Lorien's looks were irresistible. It was not long before she was receiving him in her room whenever the Wizard locked himself in his private study to research new spells and perform the rituals that maintained his magic.

  'The youth could not fail to love Lorien and Lorien quickly found herself longing for the young man as the Wizard had longed for her. Despite her feelings of guilt she knew she was in love. Their lives were spent waiting for their brief moments alone together and they found it difficult to conceal their conspiracy. The Wizard noticed that something was amiss but failed to recognise it until the day he returned early from his experiments and found them in bed together, locked in an ecstatic embrace. His shock was soon followed by anger. He sent the young servant to a sulphur pit and questioned his wife. "Why have you done this? I gave you everything that I can give. I satisfied your every wish. And this is the way in which you thank me. Where is the love you bore me?"

  'Lorien burst into tears, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. I fell in love. I didn't want to hurt you. I am immensely grateful for what you have given me. I was born into the worst of all poverty and you gave me all I ever dreamed of. But I fell in love, there is nothing I can do. What have you done with him?"

  '"He is in a sulphur pit in the Higram Foothills on the other side of the world."

  '"Then that is where I am going." she said, "I cannot live without him. I will not take anything you have given me, despite my gratitude. Goodbye." But when she fled the room she found herself entering it again. She tried again and again but every time she left she ended up in
the same room, the Wizard watching her. She tried to leap out the window but landed once again in the room. She collapsed on the floor in tears. The Wizard tried to hug her but she pulled away. "Please let me leave." she wept.

  '"No. You are staying here until you remember you love me. And that ungrateful wretch will die."

  'But as the weeks passed Lorien refused to eat, having been brought up on the brink of starvation she lasted for a long time, wasting away to skin and bones and she cried all day and all night. The Wizard could no longer bare to see her in this state. So much did the Wizard love Lorien that he longed only for her happiness. He realised that she would never smile again unless she was with the man she had fallen in love with. Thinking that the young man would soon die in the sulphur pit he had not bothered to see specifically to his death. The man had in fact survived by eating the bats that roosted in the pit at night.

  'The Wizard went to Lorien and said, "You may have, as I have always granted, your wish. I am your servant. Your young man is still alive. You shall meet him in a town very far from here. You may live from now on as you choose but you will never be rich again."

  Lorien hugged him, thanking him through her tears of gratitude. Then she found herself hugging the man she loved and cried tears of joy. Some said that she did not deserve this. That she had wronged her husband and deserved to suffer for it. They thought that never to be rich again was not punishment enough. She had been evil all along, they said, contriving to marry the Wizard through sheer greed without a trace of love or gratitude. I don't know if they were right.

  'The Wizard was plunged into deep despair. He cancelled all banquets and took no more guests. He ceased practicing his magic for it seemed futile without Lorien. He slept little, spending long days and nights wandering through the deserted castle, once graced by her presence, now lonely and desolate. He wandered through the garden where they had been married and he sat in the chair from which he had first seen her. There were countless beautiful memories of Lorien that played over and over in his mind, causing him to cry at the loss. He recognised that it was his age that had led her to the beautiful youth and with a bitter irony he knew that they would soon be as old and decrepit as he was. He watched the flowers of spring fade once

  more into winter and found a fragile butterfly carcass in the hall that crumbled to dust as he touched it. "Why must all beautiful things end?" he wondered and wished that they could last forever. It was in this that he found a new motivation, a new reason to live. He returned to his magic.

  'Through many long days and nights of tireless research he learned that a change can only occur if one thing acts upon another. He concluded that if things were made such that they could not affect or be affected by another thing they would never change, they could never be destroyed and their beauty would never be lost. With his years of experience he developed an incantation that would make things impervious to affectation, they could not affect nor be affected, they could not change.

  'The Wizard built himself the most beautiful palace conceivable and in it he stocked all the most beautiful objects that existed in the world. One splendid sunset, inside its impenetrable walls he cast his spell. Nothing could enter the Palace and nothing could leave it. Nothing inside the Palace could ever change. The Wizard would be surrounded by beauty forever.

  'As the centuries passed the legend of the impenetrable Palace spread far and wide. The Palace walls aroused an intense curiosity. Everybody wondered at what beauties lay concealed behind its mysterious walls. Small children and powerful men alike dreamed of them. Many varied attempts were made at getting into the Palace. Some tried to force their way in with canons and battering rams. Others tried to dig under the wall but after digging only four feet they emerged on the opposite side of the Palace, kilometres away. Similarly those who scaled the wall came to earth outside the Palace as if there were only a wall with no Palace inside it, and yet they were kilometres from where they had begun. Those who tried to catapult themselves over encountered the same problem. Each generation saw new and ineffective attempts.

  'Finally a young man, skilled in the art of magic, whose powers almost equalled those of the Wizard's, journeyed from the Higram Foothills to devote himself to the task of opening the Palace. In only a year, after intense study, the Prodigy developed a spell that could undo everlasting incantations.

  'Somewhat fond of fame he made an announcement in the town that had sprung up next to the Palace in the intervening centuries, that on the following day at noon he would open the Palace gates.

  'The following noon came and a large crowd gathered outside the majestic Palace gates waiting for the Prodigy to appear. The crowd made way for him as he ambled confidently up to the gate. He waved his hands theatrically, though unnecessarily, and cast his spell.

  'Nothing happened.

  'The crowd began to boo and jeer him until he shouted "Wait!" and pushed the great mahogany door. The resounding creak it made produced a roar of jubilation from the crowd as it stampeded through the open gate that was soon silenced by amazement at the beauty of the objects they saw and by the fact that a resplendent sunset shone inside the Palace while the sun was at its zenith outside. As the crowd dispersed to explore the vast courtyard that met them, the one thousand gardens, the countless rooms of the Palace and all that it contained, they speculated on the fate of the Wizard. Some believed he must have died ages ago. Others said the spell applied to him as well and that he would be found wandering somewhere in the Palace. Their fear of the Wizard's wrath when he discovered their intrusion nevertheless did not assuage their curiosity and they continued on.

  'The Wizard was in fact still alive and squatting dejectedly in the shadow of an alabaster statue of a beautiful woman. He was not surprised when he saw the clouds move. Nor was he surprised when he saw the little boy walking near the Phoenix sculpted from frozen fire. In his isolation illusions had often appeared to him.

  'At first, centuries ago, the Wizard had exulted in his achievement, in his power to create this eternal beauty, but he quickly became

  bored. Because there was nothing ugly he grew accustomed to the things inside his Palace, it no longer seemed beautiful, just ordinary and everyday.

  'He could not change it back. Nothing could be affected, nothing could change, all was still and silent and stagnant. He could no longer create anything. He touched his world but got no response. He felt completely ineffectual. Now his life seemed meaningless, there was no point. There was no end, there was just emptiness and nothingness - no happiness, no sadness, just nothing. In this state his imagination had provided him with some small relief, concocting images of change for him.

  'It was not until the small boy touched the sculpture of the Phoenix and it smashed into smithereens that the Wizard began to suspect there had been a change. He stood up and chased the frightened boy. He caught him by the arm and the warmth and solidity of the boy made him whoop for joy, "Ha Ha! You're real! You're real!" he cried. The child, unable to resist the sheer happiness of the strange old man, stopped crying and began to laugh.

  '"That's right." said the Wizard, "Laugh because you're real! Where did you come from? Where are your Mummy and Daddy?" The child pointed towards the courtyard from where he had strayed and the Wizard hoisted him on his shoulder and carried him there.

  'When the people saw him coming they were at first suspicious. The Wizard was unmistakable in his outdated, extravagant robes. They were unsure if he was harmless or holding the child hostage. Several men readied their weapons but when they heard the child's laughter and the sincerity of the Wizard's jubilant greetings they could not suspect a trick. He hugged and kissed as many as he could lay his hands on, crying and laughing and shouting in overwhelming happiness. The people all joined in his celebration and, that night, a sumptuous banquet was held for all who cared to attend, provided courtesy of the Wizard and the Prodigy.

  'During the celebration some of the revellers accidentally destroyed some of the beautiful objec
ts. When they came to the Wizard to apologise he thanked them and went about madly breaking things himself to show that it was alright. Intoxicated and a little over enthused he had to be affectionately restrained before he hurt himself.

  'The next day The Wizard awoke incredulous. The Prodigy explained the spell to him and he understood. The best lawyers in the world were summoned and they declared that the Palace remained the property of the Wizard. Despite some objection that the lawyers must have been under a spell, the decision was popular and ultimately accepted. The Wizard in turn bequeathed the Palace to the Prodigy on the condition that it always remain open to anyone who wanted to visit.

  'The Wizard never went back inside the Palace walls, but lived out his days in a wooden shack on the outskirts of town. He was content with the ups and downs of daily life until he lay on his death bed where, in the delirium of a high fever, he expressed a fear that he was never going to die. "You are all illusions." he ranted, "So many years inside this desolate Palace! My mind conjuring entire lives for me. I will die and find myself sitting by the alabaster woman, the sun forever setting over the Phoenix of frozen fire, only to embark upon another imaginary life. Once powerful enough to make any dream reality, now I live in dreams." And with that he died.

  'The Palace continued on forever after. The beautiful objects decayed and were gradually destroyed but the artists of the world were more than capable of producing them at the same rate as they disappeared. The Palace was a popular place to visit for everybody, but most of all it attracted young lovers who could go there at noon to watch the sunset, spend the evening together and be home again before sunset.'