by RP Halliway
Almost like the woman knew her thoughts, her face flushed red. “Hi. My name is Katya,” she said. “And I’m sorry I sold you that fake book earlier.”
Fake or not, it was still pretty cool. “That’s okay. Hi. I am Evie. I think I have the right copy now.” Evie smiled back at Katya.
“Why are you here, really?” Katya asked. “I don’t think you are general tourists.”
“Roger told us about this place, and how mythical creatures might be explained, so that’s why we’re here. And I’m Silas, by the way.”
Katya nodded her acknowledgement. “Oh, Roger. And I see you have your purification tinctures.” Katya pointed to the jars on the desk.
“Will they work?” Evie asked.
“Depends on how polluted you are, but usually they do, to some extent.”
“We were ‘sad’ apparently,” Silas said, recalling the old woman’s reading results.
“That’s pretty typical. Most people are polluted and have no cosmic power.”
“Do you know about Roger’s theory?” Evie asked Katya, since she’d obviously recognized the name.
“Some of it. From what I’ve heard, I think a lot of it is correct, except for the permanence part.”
“What’s that part?” Silas asked.
“Roger believes that every universe is set, from begging to end, and doesn’t change,” Katya said.
“And you don’t believe that?” Silas asked.
“Many mythical creatures exist by ‘jumping’ from one universe to another. So any jumps would go against the permanence part of the theory.”
“The permanence, as I understand it,” Evie said, “is because of how the Bible says that God knows everything from beginning to end. That would almost have to make every universe set from beginning to end.”
“I don’t think that means that things can’t jump around,” Silas said, not sure what the differences were between the arguments. “If the jumps are ‘predestined’—or whatever that word is—then they can all happen, and also be permanently set.”
“Hmmm,” Katya said. “I’ll have to think on that.”
“I don’t think the permanence part really stops crazy things—like Timewalkers and thought-putters and probably the mythical creatures,” Silas said.
“Timewalkers? Thought-putters?” Katya asked.
“Someone that travels in the multiverse and gives people ideas,” Silas explained. “Like dreams, or the future.”
The old man started paging through the large book. “Dreams . . .”
Silas watched the man turn the large colorful pages and stop at a picture showing a large white cloud figure holding a light blue water droplet in its hand.
“That’s a dream,” Katya said, pointing at the droplet in the picture. “The dreammaker then delivers that dream to someone.”
“Might be how a Timewalker interacts, too,” Silas said, thinking about giving dreams of the future. “But it’s hard to understand how they could create dreams without changing things.”
“Why would they not change things?” Katya asked.
“The theory—as far as I can understand it,” Evie said, “is that no matter how or what, these events would happen in that universe. For example, if a thought-putter gave a thought to an investor that would make lots of money, Roger’s theory says that whether the thought-putter gives the thought or not, the investor will behave the same way, and end up in the same places.”
“That is interesting,” Katya said. “But it doesn’t behave the same with all of the mythical creatures.”
“What makes mythology different than thought-putters?” Silas asked.
“Mythological stories typically deal with many aspects of the magical realm. Items and beings ‘popping’ in and out at will, or randomly. Like Leprechauns, for starters. They wander around a certain place at a certain time, and if you catch one, they supposedly give you their magical pot of gold. Where did the gold come from? Where did the Leprechaun come from? Where does it go afterward?”
“I guess a Leprechaun wouldn’t really have life spiral,” Evie said.
“Life spiral?” Katya asked. “What’s that?”
“A birth point,” Silas said. “All of us have a birth point, and exist in the same timeline—or universe—while a Leprechaun seems to be able to pop in and out.”
“Wouldn’t any creature, from fairy to dragon, have a life spiral in any universe. Seems like that is quite possible.” Katya said. “And the prevalence of myths seems to support that.”
“Why is mythology important?” Silas asked.
“All of the stories have fantastical events in them that don’t match our current perception of reality. Yet the stories each have an element of truth in them that is worth studying.”
“Dragons exist?” Silas asked.
“Why not?” Katya answered with a smile. “I don’t know what they actually looked like, but because of the number of tales that involve dragons, that makes it very unlikely that all of the authors created the same descriptive beast out of thin air independently.”
“Imagination can be a powerful thing,” Evie said.
“True,” Katya said. “But too many—most actually—of the details seem similar. That doesn’t seem to match random story-telling.”
“When would dragons have been traveling to and from Earth?” Silas asked.
“Ages. Only recently, the last few hundred years, would the pollution be too great for most creatures.”
“A two thousand year old artifact could have a dragon etching on it?”
“Sure. Back then all kinds of creatures would have been able to jump easily to any Earth like ours. But the Earth that we inhabit now isn’t the same as it once was.”
“How so?” Silas asked.
“Imagine the world one thousand years ago,” Katya said. “No pollution, fewer people, much unsettled land.”
“Pollution? Like air pollution?” Evie asked, making a connection.
“Absolutely,” Katya replied. “The pollution all around us closes up the cosmic connections for the entire planet.”
“So you’re saying that when the Earth was clean, there were connections between other universes?” Silas asked.
“Yes!” Katya said. “Imagine two clean Earths, in different universes. The planets look identical, and that makes it easy to move from one to another.”
“And the more pollution, the different they look?” Evie asked.
“You got it,” Katya said. “But now, with the amount of pollution on the Earth, very few Earths look similar enough to create a connection. And any Earths that are similar have very limited free areas for jumping to and from without being seen because of all of the development and people around.”
“A thousand years ago beings were able to move from Earth to Earth?” Silas asked, not believing that could be possible.
“That’s what all these books say.” She waved at all of the books in the room and ending by pointing to the large book on the desk. “That is why Leprechauns seemed to jump in and out. They could jump from one Earth to another at will, ending up in the identical place. Now, with so few identical Earths, almost every mythical creature is confined—trapped!—in their sole Earth.”
“Stuck.” Evie recalled the word Katya used.
Katya nodded with a sad face.
“And humans have been hunting them as well when they get here?” Silas asked.
“Pretty much,” Katya said, her tone growing darker.
“How do you know all this?” Evie asked.
“My parents came from the forests of Poland many years ago,” Katya said, pointing toward the old couple occupied with their own works. “And they still practice the old ways. We get by running a tourist shop, but we also sell to real customers. We’re barely making a living now, though. The new generations don
’t appreciate the older arts. They don’t believe in angels and demons, let alone the Fairy tales.”
“Angels and demons?” Silas asked.
“Angels!” The old woman from the shop bowed her head.
The old man slid up to the desk and proceeded to turn a few pages in the book. A bony finger pointed to a new mural on the pages. Evie and Silas moved up to examine the picture closely.
“Angels and Demons are different than the other mythological creatures,” Katya said. “Most mythical creatures have a home on Earth—as you have probably read in different stories. They live on one Earth at a time. Angels and demons seem to be outer worldly creatures that don’t inhabit a universe, but seem to have the power to appear into any universe, sometimes at will.”
“A Leprechaun has to be on some Earth all the time?” Evie asked.
“Yes,” Katya answered. “All worldly creatures, even including flying creatures like dragons, must inhabit some Earth at all times, have a home.”
“So when there is no identical, or close, Earth to jump to,” Silas said, “those creatures end up trapped where they are.”
“Subject to being hunted and slaughtered by humans,” Katya nodded, visibly saddened.
“And those creatures probably would be more inclined to inhabit less advanced Earth timelines?” Evie asked, catching up.
“Exactly,” Katya said. “The more technically advanced an Earth gets, the more polluted it gets in terms of actual pollution, but it also connects to fewer and fewer other Earths because of the large differences.”
“Turning stories of actual events into fairy tales that we no long believe,” Silas said.
“Yes,” Katya said softly. “These books are the old stories—true stories—that have been declared myths due to the pollutions of our bodies, minds, and planet.”
“The stories could be of an older Earth in this universe,” Silas said, thinking out loud. “Or it could be of some stray connection from a less advanced universe that dragons inhabit?”
“Either one could be possible,” Katya said.
“Are there any mythical creatures on this Earth right now?” Silas asked. He looked around, as if one might be watching them at this very moment.
“If there are, I feel sorry for them. They are probably the last of their kind, constantly forced to hide and keep out of sight, and know they are trapped here for the rest of their lives. Like Bigfoot. Or the Yeti. They probably have been on Earth since the beginning, jumping on and off all over the multiverse, and now they are trapped here. We try to sense them and help them, but we are not very often able to.”
“And the Loch Ness monster?” Evie asked.
Katya nodded. “Any creature that seems out of place or rare.”
“Sense them?” Silas said. “Do you have any special abilities?” He motioned to the old woman and old man.
“Mum and dad are part of the intellectuals of old,” Katya answered. “Much like alchemists and like that.”
“Casting spells?” Evie asked.
“Not spells,” Katya corrected. “Creating potions and tinctures that can do different things to help a connection.”
“Like clear up pollution?” Silas asked.
“Yes, that is the hope. Many of the jars actually contain different remedies for all kinds of different pollutions.”
“There is a cure for technological overload?” Evie asked, half-joking.
“That probably falls under sleeping powder,” Katya said in return, laughing. “But I’m curious. Why how did you start talking to Roger in the first place?”
Evie glanced to Silas. “Because we had a dream. The same dream. Two dreams actually.”
“Oh!” Katya said, then suddenly started speaking to her parents in their native language.
Her mum slid over to a shelf and pulled a book out, bringing it to Katya.
Katya took the book and looked it over before handing it to Evie. “This is a book on dreams. Dreamstealers and Dreammakers.”
“There are Dreamstealers?” Silas asked, and a chill moved through his body.
“Yes,” Katya said. “The book is worth reading, if you want to know real answers about dreams.”
“Thanks,” Evie said, holding the book gently.
“Dreams are not what you think,” Katya said. “Entering the dream realm is heavily influenced by pollutions, as you would expect, but inside the actual dream realm it looks like a busy factory floor. All of the dream ‘workers’ running around connecting sleepers to dreams. Dreammakers help to ‘write’ and deliver the dreams, but Dreamstealers can actually take the dreamer—or sleeper—to dangerous places.”
“The sleeper?” Evie said. “Like the person?”
“Not the physical form,” Katya said. “But the spirit or mind of the person, yes.”
“Can that be dangerous?” Silas asked.
“Some people can die in their sleep,” Katya answered quietly. “Some of those are probably natural deaths, but some of them are also likely due to Dreamstealers.”
Evie and Silas exchanged a shocked look.
“I don’t know much about the dreams made for any one person,” Katya said. “But Dreamstealers seem to have the power to create nightmares to frighten a person to death. Frightmares.”
Silas shook his head as he processed what she was saying. “I would have never thought.”
“But now, you two having the same dream, doesn’t seem like something a Dreammaker would, or could, do. That sounds like something beyond their power.”
“How do you mean?” Evie asked.
“When you dream normally, is there ever a beginning?”
Silas and Evie thought for a moment. “I don’t recall one,” Evie said, with Silas nodding in agreement.
“That’s because dreams never do. Dreams start in the middle—right in the action. Are you ever just sitting watching TV in a dream?”
“No,” Evie said with a laugh. “That would be a boring dream.”
“If you were, that would not be the main point of the dream. Dreams are constantly being created and recreated, mixed and stirred, with no beginning. So, any two people having the same dream at the same time is impossible ‘naturally,’ if you want to call it that, from the dream realm.”
“And by having the same dream,” Silas said, “this means it wasn’t from the dream realm?”
“It might have been from the dream realm, but it wasn’t just a dream. There is something intervening to make it happen. Something more powerful than the dream realm.”
“This is making my head hurt,” Silas said, pressing his hands on his head for effect.
“Me too,” Evie agreed. “Thanks for all the information. I will definitely read these books.”
Katya pointed to the jars on the desk. “Don’t forget your purification jars, they might be helpful.”
Chapter 24
After the two days of train touring up to Paris and then a day to Southern France later, the couple found themselves at the hotel in Marseilles, waiting for the meeting with the museum curator the next day.
“We don’t really get many visitors here to this area,” the curator, Philippe, said. “The annex isn’t open to the public, and most of the artwork here is stored temporarily. There’s been a recent push to get most of the works displayed somewhere.”
“I see,” Evie said. “So it might not be here?”
“That catalog number from Genoa is an ancient one. I don’t know how many different cataloging systems have been used since the sixteenth century. That is the first obstacle.”
“The first?” Silas asked. “What’s the second?”
“Well, there have been many museum renovations since then, so finding it is possible, but not finding it is much more probable. Might be the ‘needle in the haystack’ situation.”
“Just lik
e every other search,” Evie said, smiling. “Maybe that voice will come back and tell us where it is.”
“I haven’t heard that voice since Greece,” Silas said. “I don’t know who or where that voice came from, so I wouldn’t make any bets on it.”
“I have a few museum catalogers working on locating the painting,” Philippe said. “They will do a full scouring of the museum, which is needed anyway.”
“That is much appreciated,” Evie said, shaking hands with him. “If there is anything we can do, let us know.”
“As for now, the museum staff is handling the work. When we find any information, I will let you know.”
“Thanks,” Silas said, shaking hands as well.
Silas and Evie walked out of the museum into the historic French city, and marveled at the scale of the history that had passed through those streets.
“It’s a nice night tonight,” she said, grabbing onto his arm.
“Yes it is,” he said, letting her snuggle into him.
“How about a walk along the seaside?”
“Sounds good,” Silas said, making a mental note of the path to the hotel.
“We’ve learned a lot on this trip. I haven’t had the opportunity to travel much, and this has been a good way to do it.”
“It’s nice of Mr. Postice to pay for all of this. I could never afford any of this myself.”
“Me neither,” she said with a small laugh. “But just being here is nice too.”
“I think so, too,” he said, enjoying her snuggling against him.
The couple walked for almost an hour, taking in the sights, and watching the sun start to set over the sea.
Evie’s phone rang. “Hi, Chris! I’m on a sunset walk right now. Can I call you back?”
Silas couldn’t hear the other end of the call, but did hear a motorcycle engine rev up behind him. Evie released her grip as she walked to a small wall on the edge of the walking path, trying to wrap up her conversation with Chris.
Silas spun around as the motorcycle sound approached, sounding like it was speeding up and coming straight for them. He barely stepped out of the way just as the motorcycle handlebar passed by, almost clipping him, and saw the driver and passenger clearly.