Noah's Brick

by Piers Anthony

  “Weird,” Jay breathed. “I like it.”

  Noah took back his Brick and reshaped it to his wrist.

  Gypsy was antsy. “Mother Lyris, may I take my turn?”

  “Rex hasn't finished, dear,” Mom answered. “He gets to ask me a question.”

  “I'll wait,” Rex said quickly.

  “It's this,” Gypsy said. “Would a gimcrack make a good commercial toy? One that could be sold for money? Maybe a lot?”

  Noah caught her meaning. “Enough to—to ease the squeeze on our family?”

  Lyris frowned. “We would not take what belongs to Rex.”

  “Take it,” Rex said. “I make new ones all the time, each different. They're just junk.”

  “Commercial junk,” Gypsy said. “There's a difference.”

  Noah plowed on. “So that you could take more time, Mom, to help us all, including Rex. So that you could be our den mother and Earth connection, so we could do whatever we need to on the Ark, and you could support us when we needed stuff from outside, and it wouldn't be anybody else's business.”

  Lyris pursed her lips. Then she addressed Rex. “Allow me to answer the question you haven't asked, Rex. Such as what is this all about? It is that I would like to support all of you in your project here on the Ark, whatever it may be, but my time away from my family is limited, and my husband can't take on any added burden. So yes, we could use money; it would help. And yes, such an odd toy might have commercial value. I think of the slinky that walks itself down stairs, or the Little King doll that walks down a slope, or the windup toy motor that does nothing but turn itself off. Novelties can be very big, for a season. I don't know how to handle such a thing, but my husband does. If you really don't mind letting such a toy go, you could talk about it with my husband. It just might help a lot.”

  “Ma'am, anything you want,” Rex said. Noah realized that he was as smitten with her as a mother figure as he, Noah, was with Si as a girlfriend figure. One understanding hug or kiss could do it, when a person was lonely.

  Lyris looked at the other children. “This has rather disrupted our game of introductions. Suppose I take Rex home, now—my home—and see what we can learn? It might make a difference.”

  “Do it,” Gypsy said, and the others nodded. “We'll finish the game another time.”

  Lyris glanced at Noah. “You can bring him back here later in the day, when we have news.”

  “Sure.” Because only Noah's brick would let them out of the Ark in Vermont.

  Lyris stood up, and so did the others. The three of them walked to the wall, where Noah took two other hands and stepped through.

  They were in the Vermont forest. “This way,” Mom said, leading. “Noah, while we walk, you can tell Rex more about the Ark.”

  Noah did. “Wow,” was about all Rex said as he listened.

  They reached the house. “Your father will be returning for lunch at any moment,” Lyris said. “I'll get you boys a snack.”

  She did. They chewed on wholesome nuts, raisins, cheese, crackers and chocolate. Then she sat down opposite them while they finished the homemade trail mix. Her snacks were never unhealthy. “Boys, there's something else. That Ark of yours is potent.”

  Noah knew she had something more on her mind. “We like it.”

  “There's an ambiance, a spirit to it that induces a positive emotion, making you like it and want to stay there.”

  “Yes ma'am,” Rex agreed. “I felt it.”

  “I felt it too. More than that, there's a certain intensification of feelings. Si and I worked that out as we talked. She normally would not have touched you, Noah, but in that place she just had to express herself in a way she never ordinarily would have. That's why she kissed you. It was the only way she could find to convey an emotion she never felt before. She's not trying to use you; she genuinely likes you. She feels clean in your presence; you don't condemn her for being a victim. She's a good girl.”

  “I'm glad,” Noah breathed. “She thought she was dirty. She's not.”

  “She's not,” Mom agreed. “Your feeling intensified too, beyond what it would have in a normal situation. The two of you are effectively in love, young as you are. But it's not entirely natural. It's because of the atmosphere of the ark. It forces the issue, emotionally, and will do so with others.”

  “Mom, how can you know that?”

  “Because I was there. It affected me too. Just as it intensifies boy-girl relationships, it intensifies mother-child relationships. I normally would not have been so forward with other people's children. Such as you, Rex. You needed nurturing. This is not so much a reflection of your merits or needs, but of the Ark.”

  “O ma'am, I love what you did!”

  She smiled. “Yes, it's a powerful positive catalyst, and I do not regret it. I seek merely to understand it. I am thinking that this really is an Ark, in that it carries people in pairs, two by two. Noah and Si, Jay and Gypsy, you and me, Rex, in a different manner. It is probably better not to fight it, as this seems harmless. Just don't take it too far. You are children; adult relationships can wait until you are ready for them.”

  “Yes, ma'am,” Noah and Rex said almost together.

  “But be careful. This thing is not just physical, it's emotional. You are being primed for something we do not yet understand. But I believe it is benign; that, too, came across.”

  “I felt it the moment I got there,” Rex said. “And I knew the rest of you felt the same.”

  Noah's father arrived promptly at noon. Noah saw, with the perspective of recent events, how worn he looked. His dark hair was thinning, and there was a certain heaviness to his tread. Indeed, he was working too hard.

  “Dear,” Lyris said to him as she served him a sandwich. “This won't take long unless it's important. I have brought home a friend of Noah's who has skill with wood. You may be interested.”

  “Oh?”

  “First an introduction. This is Rex. Rex, this is my husband Lockwood Longstreet. He knows something about wood. Show him your toy.”

  Rex put the toy on the table. Lyris fetched a breadboard, put the toy on it, and tilted it. The thing made its erratic descent.

  Lockwood picked it up and inspected it closely. “Got any more like this?”

  Rex shrugged. “I make them and throw them away. I can make others, if I have the wood. No two are quite the same.”

  “Is it commercial?” Lyris asked.

  “Could be. I never saw one quite like this before. It's clever. All wood, with an axle, off-center cams, chain and pulley. All in miniature. Fine, intricate workmanship.” He looked up. “You carved this out of one piece of wood?”

  “Yes. It's slow, but it's fun.”

  “You have extremely clever hands.”

  Rex shrugged. “It's just what I do.”

  “Let me make a call.” He lifted his cell phone and selected a number. “Hank? Lockwood here. I've got a walking wood toy with a funny design. Might be commercial. You could judge.” He paused, listening. “No motor. It's just articulated wood. Walks weirdly on an incline.” Pause. “Okay. Lyris will see you when you get here. I have to get back to work.” He got up, kissed Lyris, and departed.

  Hank showed up an hour later. They showed him the toy, and he made a call. Then he spoke to the three of them. “They're interested. They'll pay good money for three variants they can reproduce and exploit. There'll be paperwork, but if you need fast cash, this will do it. I'll take a fair commission, of course.”

  “How much for the deal?” Lyris asked tightly.

  Hank named a figure. Lyris stared. “You're joking.”

  “I don't joke about business, ma'am. The right toy in the right season is valuable. It's what you might call a preemptive offer. Not the best deal possible, but if it works out, there'll be better deal to come.”

  Lyris turned to Rex. “An adult will have to sign the agreement. It's a lot of money. Are you willing to have us handle it?”

  “Do it,” he said immedia
tely. “I trust you.”

  “Then make two more walking toys with different details. I will sign the agreement in loco parentis. Unless you would prefer to have one of your own parents do it.”

  “No! Leave them out of it.”

  She nodded, not questioning him. “I will probably have to say it is Noah's invention, because I am his parent. Can you accept that?”

  “Sure.”

  “Then we may be in business. Time for you to return to the Ark. I know how it summons you. It summons me.”

  Noah and Rex walked back. “That's nice of you to let us have the rights to the toy.”

  “Your mother didn't even blink when she saw me. She didn't care about my face.”

  “She saw you as what you were: a lonely boy. She knew you had to have a Brick or Bead, so were special. So she handled it.”

  “If giving away my junky toys means I can have her in my life, that's plenty.”

  “I think it does. But we don't yet know where the Ark is going. It could be dangerous.”

  “That's fine. You folks are great and I want to be with you, for good or ill. Now if I just had a girlfriend like yours, I'd have everything I want.”

  Noah thought of what Mom had said about the Ark fostering two by two. That was surely what made Rex think of a girl new. “There are still two kids to come. They'll have Bricks or Beads. They'll be committed. Maybe one will be a girl.”

  “And she won't freak at my face?”

  “That I can't promise. Mind telling me what happened?”

  “I did it to myself when I was four. I'm ten now. I was climbing where I shouldn't, and fell across the edge of a cabinet. Lucky I didn't lose an eye. Surgery would've cost ten times as much as my family had, so that was that. They told me it was my punishment for being a bad boy.”

  “If—if the toys bring in enough money, maybe you could get it fixed now.”

  Rex shrugged. “Easier to find a girl who sees past my face.”

  “That might be the best girl of all.”

  They reached the tree. “Mine's a big beech tree, back in Kansas.”

  “We're from all over the country.”

  Noah took Rex's hand and touched the Maple tree. They were inside. There were extra people there.

  “Here they are now,” Gypsy said brightly. “Boys, meet Beryl and Solita. Girls, meet Noah and Rex. Noah's taken; Rex isn't.”

  Two girls! Did the Ark grant wishes? And Gypsy had picked up on the pairing urge.

  “Hi, boys,” Beryl said. “I'm from Oregon.” She was strikingly pretty, with waist length blond hair and a face to launch ships, even as a child.

  “Uh, hello Beryl,” Noah said. “We're from Vermont and Kansas. Rex makes neat wooden toys.”

  “Solita's shy,” Gypsy said. “She's from Louisiana and she's nine.”

  Noah laughed. The girl was fully grown with a striking figure.

  “No joke,” Gypsy said. “That's why she's shy. She matured early and she gets teased a lot. Except for the men who want to get in her pants regardless of her age. She just wants to get away from it. I told her you weren't like that.”

  Noah blushed, acutely embarrassed. “I'm sorry, Solita. I just thought—I apologize. I'm—I'm not like that.”

  “Me neither,” Rex said, though clearly awed.

  “'Sokay,” Solita said. Her voice was low, almost a whisper. “You didn't know.”

  “Rex,” Gypsy said. “You looking for a girlfriend?”

  “Yeah,” Rex agreed, embarrassed in his turn.

  “Can you keep your hands to yourself?”

  “Sure. But--”

  “Will Solita do? She needs somebody to look out for her.”

  “Sure she'll do! She's beautiful. But--”

  “They call her Lolita. It's not a nice tease.”

  “Anyone does that, I'll punch him,” Rex said stoutly.

  “Don't, please,” Solita said. But she smiled. She was as pretty as Beryl, in a completely different way.

  “Have you looked at me?” Rex asked her.

  She looked directly at him. “Do people tease you too?”

  That made him pause. She was as different as he was, in her fashion. “Sometimes. Mostly they avoid me.”

  “I won't. Do you mind that I'm black?”

  “No! I mean I'd really like to be with you. No hands.”

  “Good enough,” Gypsy said. “We don't have to fight the mood of the Ark.” She glanced at Noah. “Now what's your news?”

  “Your idea about the wood toys,” Noah said. “It's working. We think there'll be a lot of money. But Rex has to make two more.”

  “Great! There's plenty of loose wood around my tree in Georgia. Let's go fetch some.” She put her hand on Rex's arm and touched the wall. Both disappeared.

  “Does he mean it?” Solita asked Noah. “About being with me, no hands?”

  “I'm pretty sure he does. He wants a girlfriend who's not turned off by his face.” He paused, considering, hesitant to step into a parental role. But it needed to be done. “I don't know you, yet, Solita. I'm hoping you can be trusted.”

  She was suspicious. “Trusted how?”

  “Not to break his heart. It's not your body he needs, but your support. His face—they told him it was punishment for being bad. He wasn't bad, he was just a kid who fell. Do you believe that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Never call him bad. He has a rare talent carving wood, and it can help us a lot. He needs someone who doesn't mind his face, and who believes in him. A friend, more than a girlfriend.”

  “Will he believe in me?”

  “He surely will.”

  “Even though I'm younger than I look?”

  “You're only one year younger than Rex is.”

  “I don't mind his face at all. I need a friend more than a boyfriend.”

  “Then it should work out. We have a really great project here, we think, and we all need to be committed. We're all hurting inside, in some way.”

  “How are you hurting?”

  Noah smiled. “There you got me. I'm much better off than the rest of you. I dream of being a hero, winning the Queen of Andromeda. The regular world just doesn't interest me much. I've got great parents and I've never been abused. So I guess I'm not really hurting. But still I long for super adventure, and I think we have it here, if we can just make the grade.”

  “Is it dangerous?”

  “It may be. We can't be sure.”

  Now she smiled. “I'm in.”

  Noah looked around. “Where is Si?”

  “Somebody's sleeping in her room. I think that's her. She doesn't know about me and Beryl yet. We just arrived, almost together.”

  “Oh. Do you have a room yet?”

  “No.”

  “It's the one that matches your Bead. You can tell because the porthole will show Earth. Come on; we'll find it.” He saw that Beryl was hanging back. She didn't seem shy, merely apart. “You too, Beryl; you'll like it.”

  “Okay.”

  He showed them the way around the chambers. Soon they found the matching ones, which wasn't hard because there were only three left to choose from.

  “Oh!” Solita exclaimed, peering though hers. “We're so high in the sky!”

  “It may be just a picture; we don't know. Here's your fridge, stocked with food you like. And here is the, um, toilet. It looks funny, but it works.” He poked his hand through the seemingly solid metal. “So you don't need to go home unless you want to. Everything we need is here.”

  They returned to the lobby. Gypsy and Rex were back with armfuls of wood. They dumped these in the last chamber, which was of course Rex's, and Gypsy explained about the facilities. “So if you want to rest or sleep,” Gypsy concluded, “you can lock yourself in safely and do it. Or not, as you choose.”

  “I've got carving to do,” Rex said. He seemed glad to have something important to do.

  “I'm tired,” Solita said. “This is a whole lot of newness, and I need to sleep on i
t.”

  “Your room is ready,” Noah said.

  “I—I'm nervous about sleeping alone. I'm not used to it.” She looked at Rex. “Could I sleep in your room, while you carve? I'll feel safer there.”

  Rex looked as if he'd just won a fabulous lottery. A pretty girl actually wanted his company for longer than a date? “Sure.”

  They went to his room. Gypsy glanced at Noah. “You talked to her.”

  “Yes. I told her Rex was all right.”

  “I talked to him. I think they'll get along.”

  “About that. You know that Jay likes the look of you?”

  “And I like the look of him. Why not? It seems to be the way of the Ark.”

  “Yes. My mother says the same. That it likes couples. Where is Jay? I haven't seen him since I came back.”

  “He went home to fetch some things. He'll be staying here.”

  “I guess we all will be. Now our roster is complete.”

  “All seven of us.”

  “Should we put our bricks together tomorrow? I think that will set things off.”

  “Whatever the things are,” she agreed.

  Si emerged from her room, rubbing her eyes. “Noah! You're back,” she said.

  “Yes. And it's working out. We're selling Rex's toys. He's carving more right now.”

  “I'm so pleased.” She kissed him on the cheek while he stood still.

  “You don't hold her when she comes to you?” Gypsy asked, surprised.

  “I don't,” Noah said. “She can't be touched by a boy.”

  “It's a compromise,” Si said. “I like him, I really do, but I can't fight my reactions.”

  “That's so sweet,” Gypsy said. “Maybe I'll try it with Jay.”

  They laughed together.

  Mission

  Next day, excused from school again, Noah showed up at the Ark early. The others were ready for him. “Time to merge the Bricks,” Gypsy said. “We've explained about that to the others.”

  Noah felt nervous. “Do you really think we should do it?”

  “We're all scared,” Si said. “But we agree we should try it and see what happens.”