by Tom Hoffman
“How are we all supposed to fit in that? It’s hardly big enough for him.”
The Mintarian twisted a brass dial on his belt and the bubble expanded, reaching a diameter of twenty feet.
“Hop in!”
“How do we hop in? There’s no doors.”
The Mintarian gave Orville a puzzled look, then a light came on in his eyes.
“You’re not from Laurus, and you’ve never seen a Bubble Rider before. Just walk through the soft energy field, the side of the bubble. Nothing to it, the floor of the bubble is solid, you won’t fall through.”
Sophia stepped into the shimmering sphere with a wide grin. “This is amazing. I’ve never seen technology like this, not even on Quintari.”
“Where’s Quintari? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s a long way from here. Thanks for helping us. We’ve climbed more dangerous spots than this, but you’ve saved us a lot of time.”
One by one the adventurers entered the Bubble Rider. Brother Solus was fascinated by the technology, asking a stream of questions, most of which the pilot was unable to answer.
“I don’t understand all the technical aspects of it, I just clip the Bubble Pod to my belt and when I push the tab the bubble appears around me. It’s not like a soap bubble, it’s an energy field. By turning the dial I change the size of the field.”
“How do you steer it without controls?”
“I control it with my thoughts, they link the Rider to your thought signature when you buy it. No one except me can fly it. Where did you say you were from?”
“I’m from a little village called Muridaan Falls, Sophia is from Quintari, and Brother Solus is from Okeanos.”
The Mintarian shrugged. “Sorry, never heard of any of those places. Where are you headed? Maybe I can take you there.”
Sophia and Orville shared a sudden and powerful message from their inner selves. They were not to mention anything about the Shadow King to the Mintarian.
“Oh, we’re just kind of exploring the area.”
“Are you miners? That’s what I was doing here, hunting for gold. Not having much luck though.”
“No, just out exploring, poking around.”
“I’m Juvo. Welcome to Laurus, the greatest city in all of creation.”
Juvo gave the adventurers a grand aerial tour of Laurus, soaring a mile above the sparkling city, proudly pointing out an array of astonishing technological structures and scenic wonders.
“That big silver orb contains a portal to the tenth dimension, siphoning off energy to power the entire city. The long low building next to it is our food synthesizer. It takes energy from the power orb and compresses it into matter, in this case food for the entire city. There are other synthesizers across the city that produce any number of products and supplies.”
“That sounds like shaping.”
“What’s shaping?”
“Um, it’s just a way to make stuff. How many Mintarians live in the city?”
“What’s a Mintarian?”
Orville froze. Clearly Juvo was a Mintarian, how could he not know that?
Sophia thought quickly. “Brother Solus is a Mintarian and he bears some slight resemblance to you, so Orville mistakenly thought you were a Mintarian.”
“A simple mistake. Quite correct, we are not Mintarians, we are Laurae, citizens of Laurus, the greatest city in all of creation.”
“It’s a stunningly beautiful city, I’ve never seen anything like it. Your technology is even more advanced than the Anarkkians.”
Juvo smiled politely, unfamiliar with the name.
Orville had a sudden thought. “How long has the city been here?” He wondered if Juvo would be able to remember.
“We have uncovered ancient artifacts buried beneath the city dating to seventy thousand years ago, so it is at least that old. There is no telling it’s true age.” Juvo bowed his head. “Our world was created by the Great Gnuj, that is all we know, that is all we need to know.”
A blue thought cloud flashed out from Sophia to Orville. “Did you hear that? He said Gnuj created this world. That’s the Mintarian who invented the Metaphonium! Juvo is a Mintarian, he just doesn’t know it.”
“Do you think we should tell him he’s living in a synthetic world?”
“No, definitely not. Look at the city, it’s beautiful, filled with lovely parks and rivers, and the technology is amazing.”
“How could Laurus be seventy thousand years old when Gnuj only created Elysian fourteen hundred years ago?”
“Elysian is Elysian.”
An hour later the Bubble Rider was hovering high above Laurus.
“Where can I take you? Is there anywhere in particular you would like to go?”
“We’re heading east. If you could drop us off on the outskirts of the city we’ll find our way from there.”
Juvo’s smile vanished. “East? You want to go east?”
“Yes?”
“To the east there is only desert and the Black Wall. None have ever passed through it, it marks the world’s end.”
Orville gave a silent groan. Of course there was a big black wall, there was always a big black wall that no one had ever passed through. He sent a thought cloud to Sophia. “A black wall? Really?”
Sophia did not reply, instead giving Juvo a bright smile. “That’s what we came to see, the big wall. It sounds amazing. How tall is it exactly?”
Juvo relaxed. “No one really knows. We’ve tried to reach the top in Bubble Riders, but the higher we go, the taller it gets. Its existence is one of the great mysteries of Laurus, but most think it marks the world’s end.”
“What a marvelous sight it must be. Could you drop us off next to it? I can’t wait to tell all my friends about it.”
“I would be happy to, it’s really quite a marvelous sight, well worth visiting.”
As their Bubble Rider sped eastward above the magnificent city, Orville leaned forward, his head in his paws. Why was there always a big black wall? Why were there always giant centipedes?
Chapter 34
Orville the Ghost
Juvo brought the Bubble Rider gently down on the sandy outskirts of eastern Laurus.
“There it is, the great Black Wall, the end of the world.”
“It’s huge, much bigger than the storm wall on Varmoran.”
“Juvo, has anyone ever tried to get through it using a vaporizing beam?” Orville was imagining Squeaky blasting a big hole through the wall.
“Laurus engineers have tried everything over the years without success. Our most powerful disruptor beams are absorbed by the wall. Some scientists say the wall isn’t really a physical object. I have no idea what that means, but that’s what they say.”
“Thank you so much for all your kindness. We’ll spend a day or so visiting the wall and then head back to Laurus. You have such a lovely city, I can’t wait to see it all.”
Juvo smiled, nodding his agreement. “It is the greatest city in all of creation.”
The party of adventurers stepped onto the desert sand, waving their goodbyes to Juvo, watching his Bubble Rider lift off and soar back toward Laurus.
“Are we really going back to the city?”
“Of course not, we’re going east, through the Black Wall.”
“But Juvo said even their–”
“We don’t even know if Laurus is real, if Juvo is real, if the wall is real. The whole city could disappear in the blink of an eye, just like Bellumia did. What we do know is the Shadow King lives on the other side of the Black Wall, and that’s where we’ll find Aislin.”
“I can’t wait to see her, she’s so beautiful.” Orville gave a cackling laugh.
Sophia did not.
“I was just kidding. Don’t forget what Proto said.”
“Let’s find out what this wall is made of.” Sophia strode across the desert sand toward the towering wall.
A two mile trek across the rolling sand dunes brought them to the Black
Wall. Orville pressed his paw against it.
“It’s smooth, kind of like black obsidian. Proto, can you make Squeaky blast it with his destructor beam? I want to see what happens.”
“Squeaky, attack the wall.”
Squeaky let out a ferocious roar and a brilliant purple light blasted out from his eyes. A small section of the wall glowed faintly, returning to its original color seconds later.
“That didn’t do much. Maybe we can find an old tunnel running under it, like we did on Varmoran.”
“I’m not sensing any tunnels. The deeper we dig, the deeper the wall will go.”
“Creekers. Why couldn’t they just put a door in it?”
Sophia laughed. “Let’s camp here for the night and think about this.”
“I have four comfy blankets in my pack and all the ingredients to prepare a tasty vegetable stew. Squeaky and I shall patrol the wall perimeter while you sleep, keeping an eye out for the gigantic horned carnivorous sand snakes.”
“What?” Orville’s eyes popped open.
“Ha ha ha ha! I hoodwinked you again. Logically speaking, just because I say I am keeping an eye out for something does not mean it actually exists.”
“Very funny. Don’t forget this is Elysian, just thinking about something can make it appear.”
Orville woke up in the middle of the night, his face pressed into the coarse desert sand. “Drat, I wish I could shape a sleeping bag and a tent. Now I have sand in my fur.”
He stood up and brushed himself off. The lights from Laurus were glinting off the Black Wall. He strolled over to it, running his paw across the smooth cool surface.
“This is the most confusing world I’ve ever been in. Why would there be a big giant wall here?”
“The Black Wall separates the known from the unknown.”
Orville gave a shriek, whipping around to see the beautiful and ghostly Aislin Mouse floating behind him.
“Creekers! Why do you always sneak up on me like that?”
“I will not be able to visit you again, I am getting weaker, it is difficult for me to cross dimensions. You must find your way through the wall, the final barrier between the known and the unknown. The way is known to you.”
“What do you mean? How do we get through it?”
Orville saw Aislin’s lips moving as she faded to nothingness, leaving him alone on the desert sand.
He raced back to their camp, shaking Sophia’s arm.
“Wake up!”
“What is it? Why are you waking me? I was having the best dream about my Temporal Distortion final exam.”
“I saw Aislin Mouse again. Wait, you were having a good dream about a final exam in a science class? Really?”
“It was so much fun, after I answered all the questions on the test I wrote down my own questions and answers, questions the professor should have asked. He said I was brilliant.”
“This is why I never jump into your dreams.”
“You saw Aislin?”
“She said the wall is the final barrier between the known and the unknown. She said we already know how to get through it.”
Sophia sat up, her eyes bright and focused, her astonishing mind spinning wildly. “We already know how to get through it?”
“What do you think she meant by–“
“Quiet, I’m thinking.”
Ten minutes later Orville yawned and flopped down on the sand. “Let me know when you’re–”
“Shhh, still thinking.”
Orville was sound asleep when Sophia shook his arm. “Orville, wake up, think about it, the barrier between the known and the unknown. Doesn’t that sound familiar?”
“Not really.”
“Think about your inner self, your secret voice within.”
“My inner self exists in the world of the unknown, it knows all the things I don’t know. When I go to sleep at night I’m going from our world into the world of dreams, into the world of the unknown, the world of my inner self.”
“Exactly. We need to sit in front of the wall and let go of our thoughts, let go of our physical bodies, connect to our inner selves, enter the world of the unknown. It’s nothing new, we do it when we link our minds.”
“How is linking minds going to help us? We could shape a hurricane and the wall wouldn’t budge an inch.”
“We don’t need to shape anything. Follow me, I know what to do.”
Minutes later they stood facing the Black Wall. Sophia sat in the sand, motioning for Orville to sit next to her.
“Take my paw and we’ll link minds.”
Orville closed his eyes, relaxing, letting go of his thoughts and his physical body. He could feel Sophia’s mind joining his, her thoughts and memories merging with his own.
“We don’t have to shape anything?”
“No, we just need to relax, get comfortable in this state of being. We’ll just chat for a while. I just found your memory of the first time we met. You were really surprised that I liked to talk about the same things you did, you’d never met anyone like me and you couldn’t stop looking at me. It wasn’t because I was beautiful, you were looking at me with your intuitive mind, trying to understand me.”
“I was afraid you were just being nice to me, that you weren’t really interested in the puzzles I’d found. The more I got to know you and like you, the more beautiful you got. Now you’re the most beautiful mouse I know, the mouse I cherish above all others.”
“I knew I had been looking for you the moment we met.”
“What do you think will happen when we meet the Shadow King? We don’t know what he is, or what he wants.”
“We know he’s holding Aislin captive, and that’s all we need to know. What I don’t know is how Brother Solus fits into all of this. He’s terrified of the Shadow King, but he’s also strangely drawn to him.”
“I guess we’ll find out. I’m scared of what’s on the other side of the wall. That blue fern forest was the most terrifying place I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe we survived all those horrible creatures. At least Proto had fun. We wouldn’t have made it without him and Squeaky, especially when they rescued us from those creepy things that looked like lemon pudding with legs.”
“Does Proto seem to be acting strangely?”
“Very strangely. He’s giving me a lot of odd looks, like he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking. Sometimes he’s way too nice and sometimes he seems almost angry. Maybe he’s worried about something.”
“He says he’s fine, but clearly he isn’t. I wish he would talk to us about it.”
“I like it when our minds are merged. I like knowing everything you’ve been through, all the good things and all the bad things.”
“I like it too. I like us not having any secrets. Are you relaxed now?”
“Nice and relaxed. All I need is a big plate of snapberry pie. Can I eat pie while our minds are linked?”
“Focus. I need you to listen, we’re going to do something we’ve never done before and it might be a little scary at first. You’re going to be a ghost.”
“What? Why would I want to be a ghost?”
“Calm down, you have to stay relaxed. Not a real ghost, just something like a ghost. Are you ready?”
“I guess so. Are you going to be a ghost too?”
“Yes, we’re both going to be ghosts. Okay, we keep our minds merged just as they are, but when I tell you to, I want you to slowly open your eyes. Remember, keep your mind merged with mine even when your eyes are open.”
“Okay.”
“One, two, three, and slowly open your eyes.”
Orville opened his eyes, his mind still merged with Sophia. He gave a shriek. His body was translucent and he was floating above the sand. “What’s happening?”
“Listen to my thoughts, Orville. Just relax, everything is fine. We’re in a different dimension now, the same dimension Aislin Mouse is in. That’s why she appears as a ghost. Look at the Black Wall.”
Orville floated aro
und and looked at the wall. It was no longer a massive solid black impenetrable wall, it was shimmering and vaporous, like his body.
“Creekers, it’s a ghost wall!”
“Exactly. The wall is solid in our dimension, but not solid in this one. We can easily pass through it now.”
“What about Proto and Brother Solus?”
“We’ll have to help them through. I think if we all hold paws we’ll be able to pass through. Let’s go find them.”
“I like floating around like this. Easy on my feet, relaxing, no sand in my fur.”
“You’re really something, you were so scared of being a ghost and now you like it.”
“I’m scared of new stuff, that’s all. Most mice are.”
“Some mice like new stuff.”
“Hey, there’s Proto. Watch this, it’s going to be really funny.”
Orville floated up behind Proto and gave a low moan. Proto whirled around, his eyes popping open when he saw Orville.
“Great heavens!”
Orville made his voice deep and ominous.
“I AM THE GHOST OF ORVILLE MOUSE, HERE TO HAUNT YOU FOR THAT SCARY POISONOUS VEGETABLE JOKE YOU–“
Proto let out a shriek, covering his eyes.
Sophia hollered, “Orville, stop that! Proto, he’s not a ghost. We’re in a different dimension, so we only look like ghosts. We’re in the same dimension that Aislin Mouse is in, the same one as the Shadow King. Wake Brother Solus and come to the wall.”
Proto peeked out at Orville, then poked his finger through Orville’s shimmering translucent shoulder.
“You’re not a ghost? You look like a ghost. Are you dead?”
“I’m not a ghost and I’m not dead, I’m just in a different dimension so I look like one. We found a way through the Black Wall.”
“I thought you were a ghost. I thought you were dead.”
“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking, I didn’t mean to scare you so badly. It wasn’t funny.”
“Sophia said surprising events are only humorous when no one gets hurt. It’s not funny if you think someone is dead.”
Orville looked at Sophia. Even in her ghostly form he could tell she was glaring at him.
“I’m sorry, Proto.”
The party of adventurers made their way to the Black Wall, Brother Solus strangely unaffected by Orville and Sophia’s ghostly form.