by K. T. Tomb
Cash glared at him.
“I shall try again. Events bleed over into other time spaces sometimes. This is how stories come about, legends and folklore.”
“Go on,” she said.
Finally he was speaking in a language to which she could relate.
“Those years ago, when Atlantis was turned or as your legend states, taken into the sea... That event echoed how you and Edgar came to be here. We passed through this portal just as you did when the storm happened. A great storm followed by a change in frequency. That echo caused the knowledge of today's event to seep into the subconscious of the people who went through the event itself. Then, through the years the story was told over and over again. Something that had happened once would happen again.”
“I see,” said Cash. They continued their walk again as she mulled over this idea. “And what of us, then? Will we be able to go back? Or are we expected to blend in with Atlantean society like the Athenians of old? Will it be our great-great-grandchildren who find their way back after my husband is long dead?” Cash spoke this last question in an accusing tone.
“That depends,” he said. “The Athenians of today are causing a great unrest. There are many who wish to return. Though the world outside is unknown to them, the promise of freedom is great enough that they would risk the journey.” He turned then and looked Cash in the eye. “Will you take up the mantle of the Legend of the Outsiders? Will you lead the people back to their home?”
Cash had not expected this sudden turnabout. Her mind reeled at the idea of stepping into an existing legend among these people. She also knew she had to get back to her world, her life, back to Tim.
“Yes,” she said, with little hesitation. “Yes, I will.”
***
In the bedroom at the temple, Cash washed her face in the small basin across from her bed. They had talked for a long while in the garden. Her mind felt fragmented with fatigue and the events of the day. The cynical side of her still wondered if she lay dead somewhere lost in the depths of the ocean, her fading mind creating a last hallucination of reality. The other part of her bloomed with wonder that they had stumbled onto one of the greatest mysteries of the ages and had spent the day walking with gods. When they had returned to the great hall, most of the banquet guests had disappeared. Some were walking in the garden, others canoodling under the stars. Edgar was nowhere to be found. Neither, she noticed, was Aelle. No sooner had she thought the girl’s name than she heard a soft knock on the door of her room.
“Come in,” Cash said.
Aelle peered around the entrance.
“Do you need any assistance in your preparation for sleep?”
“No thank you, Aelle.”
Cash had developed a fondness for the girl despite the bizarre circumstances. She hoped her lack of need would send Aelle on her way. Cash felt exhausted and looked forward to sleep.
However the girl lingered at the door. She felt obliged to humor her.
“Did you need me for anything?”
Aelle slipped inside the door and closed it carefully behind her.
“It is rare,” she said with wonder in her eyes. “Quite rare, that Poseidon speaks to a mortal with such candor. He is our king, of course. And he keeps his distance as leader of Atlantis. It did not go unnoticed that you were invited to walk with him in the gardens.”
“Oh?” Cash said.
Aelle continued.
“There are some who say that the two of you are the Outsiders that legend speaks of. Is this true?”
Cash did not have a ready answer. Her mind was done for the day.
“There will be time to talk about it more tomorrow,” she said gently. “It’s very late.”
“Of course. Forgive my disturbance,” Aelle said.
Just as the girl turned to go Cash had one more question.
“Aelle,”
“Yes,” the girl said to her, eyes large in the dim candlelight of the room.
“What did Edgar say, when you asked him the question?”
Even in the darkened room, Cash could see the color creep into Aelle's cheeks.
“We spoke of much,” she said. “But that question did not seem to come up.”
She then slipped out as quietly as she had come and disappeared down the hallway. Cash found her way to the bed, closed her eyes and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
***
The morning came quickly. She felt as if she had only just lain down on the cool cotton of the pillow, but the sunlight streamed through the window into the room. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She considered the bathroom shower, but was unsure how to get the water to a comfortable temperature. Finally, she washed her face again in the basin, which had been filled with fresh, cool water sometime while she slept, and dressed in the tunic laid out for her. She could not figure out how to do her hair again the way Aelle had the night before, so she settled with braiding it as she often did when traveling. She tied the pearl-enhanced ribbons through one strand and tucked the ends into the tail of her braid. Cash had no idea what the day would bring, but she wanted to be ready.
Dressed at last, she opened the door with the intention of finding Edgar's room. The small lobby outside her room led to another door much like her own. Cash knocked with slight hesitation.
Edgar opened the door.
“Come in, come in,” he said. He was dressed and looked alert and refreshed. His room looked much like her own only with a little less feminine touch.
“I've been wanting to talk to you,” Cash said.
Edgar sat on the edge of the couch while Cash perched on the settee.
“I know, me too,” he said. “But please, you first.”
“Did they tell you about the legend?”
“Which one?” he said. “This place is filled with legends.”
“The one about the Outsiders. The one about us,” Cash said.
“Well, that's a funny thing. After you went outside with Poseidon, Aelle mentioned something about it. Xenia quieted her right away and changed the subject. She's a bit of a hard nose I think.”
“Yes,” Cash agreed. “I'm still curious about that. How much do you know about it?”
“Not much at all. It wasn't long after that the people sort of went their separate ways.”
Cash gave him a knowing look, but did not press any further. She explained the legend as Poseidon had told it to her. That the Outsiders would come from the parallel world and lead the Athenian faction back to where they had come from.
“But that doesn't even make sense,” Edgar said.
“It's worth a try,” Cash insisted. “Besides right now, it's our only chance to get back.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Edgar said, but his voice sounded half-hearted.
“Well, I'm starving,” Cash said. “I wonder what they do for breakfast around here. Let's head out to the main hall to find out.”
With some trepidation, trial and error they found their way to the great hall. Another large banquet of food had been spread out on the table. Breads of all kinds, more fresh fruits. Smaller groups of people milled here and there, smiling at them both as they entered the room. Across the room, Cash spotted Xenia chatting with some young men and women. She looked up and smiled as Cash and Edgar neared.
“I hope your accommodations were acceptable,” she said with seeming sincerity.
“Yes, very,” Edgar responded.
Cash still had not gotten used to the overt politeness of everyone.
Xenia continued.
“I want you both to know that you are welcome to explore our city at your leisure. A guided escort can be arranged to show you the main points of Atlantis.”
“I would like that very much,” Edgar said without hesitation. “In all my years of study, I would have never thought that I would one day walk the streets of Atlantis itself. It is like a dream come true.”
They both ate. Cash did not eat much. She never was much for breakfast and there w
asn't really anything available that passed for coffee. Perhaps, she thought, the Greco-Roman empire had not yet crossed paths with the Mayans before the city disappeared. She walked toward the doors of the temple, seeing the sunlight make a large square on the floor. When she stepped out she could see that the temple had been built on a hill near the center of the city. All around them the gardens and the paths reached outward like tendrils of a vine. In the distance Cash could see the tops of the squat, square houses where the residents of Atlantis made their homes. She longed for the comfort of her own home, the opulent house that had come with Tim's appointment at Berkeley. The thought of him made her insides churn with sadness, not knowing when or if she would see him again.
“Are you the Outsider?” a voice asked.
Cash looked around, almost not seeing the small child standing nearby. She knelt down to face the young girl, with a mop of curly blond hair hanging to her shoulders. The curious eyes peering at her gave her a strange feeling of déjà vu.
“Hello there,” Cash said.
She had never been completely comfortable around children, but this one had such a look of fierce curiosity in her eyes, perhaps much like her own at that age.
“Are you the Outsider?” the child asked again. “The one they spoke of? My mother says you are. You and that other man. Come to take away the bad people?”
“What do you think?” Cash asked in a friendly tone.
“I think so,” the child said.
“Well, maybe you are right,” Cash said, allowing a smile to cross her face. “I am sure such a good little child would not have to worry about such things?”
The child grinned, lighting up her whole face. Then without another word she ran off down the street alternately skipping and running as children do.
“What was that?” Edgar asked, joining Cash outside the doors of the temple.
“A child,” she replied. “A child who thinks we are the Outsiders of Legend.”
“Um... I think we might have more to contend with than just a child.” Edgar looked out over the roads approaching the temple. At first Cash did not see them. With their white tunics the people at first just seemed to blend in with the surroundings and the sunlight still dazzled her senses. After a moment Cash saw them. Hundreds of people streamed down the streets from all directions, a walking mob toward the temple.
“There they are!” a voice called out from the front of the crowd. “The Outsiders!”
A loud cheer broke forth and the crowd began to chant. Cash could not make out the words coming from the throngs, but she guessed it had something to do with the legend.
“What is happening?” she asked Edgar.
“I don't know,” he replied, his voice sounding just as bewildered as she felt.
The crowd reached them. From where they stood on the top of the temple steps, they were elevated above the gathered people. Cash remembered her conversation with Poseidon from the night before. This was like playing a part. The two of them were expected to be legends. The crowd quieted and looked at them expectantly. She gazed out over the crowd, sensing Edgar by her side.
“Follow my lead on this, okay?” she whispered to him. She saw him give a slight nod. Small beads of sweat stood out on his forehead.
Cash spoke to the crowd, her voice strong and powerful.
“Many years ago, some of you were taken from your homes. Generations past, your blood lines were severed from their intended path. Families torn apart, ripped into another dimension.”
The people listened as Cash recounted the tale of the Great War and the turning of the city. She could see in their eyes that she had them. They believed her.
She continued.
“We too have been brought here against our will. We too long for the return to our homeland. You live in Atlantis, but your home is Athens. Who here among you will follow me to Athens? Who here considers himself a lost Athenian?”
She threw the question out like a challenge.
The crowd roared throwing their fists into the air in a sign of solidarity.
“We are Athenians too!”
She took Edgar’s hands and threw them both up into the air, forming an inverted ‘V’ between them. The crowd cheered again and began the chant once more. The crowd parted and several men came forward with a two-seated pallet draped across their arms. Arms reached forward and before she knew what had happened, someone had lifted her onto the pallet. Edgar soon joined her, bewilderment and fascination etched on his face. They were carried through the crowd above everyone's heads, arms and hands reaching out to them on all sides. Cash reached down to the crowd and let her hands touch those outstretched. She felt like when she was a little girl, grazing her hands across the wildflowers in the field outside her grandmother's house. Only this time, upturned faces and reaching hands desperate for just a touch, the promise of freedom from these strangers, these Outsiders.
“What do we do?” Edgar asked next to her.
“We are their celebrities,” she said, beaming down at the crowd. “Just go with it for now.”
The crowd carried them around the block. The chants and cheers echoed throughout the area. They carried the two to a small field, carefully setting down the pallet. The crowd pressed toward them. One woman stood and gestured for the people to back away from Cash and Edgar. She turned toward them and the crowd quieted.
“I am Ariadne,” the woman said. “We few are the Athenians; those of us who identify with the plight of our ancestors who sought freedom from the tyranny of Atlantis. We have many questions. Would you have a few moments to speak with us?”
“Of course,” Cash said, placing upon her face a calculated serenity that she hoped would win them over.
“First, I think we all want to know how you came to be here,” Ariadne said.
“A great storm,” Cash explained. “Much like the one that brought your ancestors here. Unlike you, we were seeking out the place where Atlantis might be located. In our world, Atlantis is seen as a great utopia, a panacea of society. Tell me, why do you and the others find fault with it?”
The woman sighed and lowered her eyes.
“The world within Atlantis is but a microcosm of something larger. This city is all we have ever known. We were born here and this is our home. All of us. But we have found each other, by an underground body of knowledge, passed from one generation to the next. Whispered to us in bedtime stories. There were few of us at first. But our numbers grew as we found one another.”
“What is it that you hope to find?” Edgar said. “If... when… we find our way back, that is.”
“The society here is bountiful, yes,” Ariadne responded. “But our destiny is largely predetermined for us. If our parents work in the gardens, then so do we. If we are born of weavers, then weavers we shall be. You see there is very little choice. If one chooses another life, or tries to do so, this brings great shame to the family. We advocate for a society in which all people can follow their hearts and pursue a life of their own choosing.”
“That is understandable,” said Cash. “Our world is much like the world that you imagine. People live according to their own choosing, for the most part. But why would you want to leave? It was, after all, your ancestors that were lost here. Atlantis is a land of plenty, and this world is all you have ever known.”
“That is a risk we are willing to take,” Ariadne said.
Cash considered for a moment.
“We have spoken with Poseidon.”
At his name some in the crowd gasped and a small murmur rippled over the group surrounding them. Cash continued.
“He seems to want to help. His greatest concern is the unrest within Atlantis. I believe that he wants to help you, to help us all to find our way back.”
Ariadne nodded.
“You can help us. We have tried to petition to seek audience with Poseidon for a long time. But he will not speak with us. I think he sees us as nothing more than petulant children who are throwing tantrums against
our parents' generosity. What he does not understand is that even children must grow up and find their own way. That is all we wish to do.”
“Let us find out more,” Cash said to the erstwhile leader of the group. “Let me speak more with Poseidon and find out what I can. He has told me that there is a rare portal through which we passed that brought us here. Let us meet here again tomorrow at this time and we will talk more about it.”
“Yes,” Ariadne said. “We shall await your word and meet you here again tomorrow.” The woman stood and raised her hands to the crowd.
“Athenians,” she said, projecting her voice. “The Outsider has informed me that she will meet us again tomorrow at this time with news from Poseidon. We shall await them here and heed them.”
The crowd cheered once more. Cash and Edgar watched as they slowly disbanded, walking with a renewed sense of purpose. The weight of what had just happened began to settle onto the shoulders of the two of them. These people depended on them now and Cash was not sure if she and Edgar could deliver on the assumed promise she had made them. They needed to get back to the temple. She had a feeling that Xenia and the others had not told them everything they needed to know.
Chapter Seven
Cash spent the remainder of the day exploring the city. She and Edgar had returned to the temple after her visit with those who called themselves the Athenians, but they could not find Poseidon or any of the others. As she explored the city, she noticed the way the people reacted to her. She had been surprised by the size of the crowd that had arrived at the temple that morning. Poseidon had presented the matter in such a way that made her think that a small group had been creating the unrest in the city. Looking around her, she began to wonder at that. The smiles of the Atlanteans looked perhaps a little bit forced. The marketplace buzzed with activity. People haggled and traded over the foods and notions in the booths. She moved through the crowd. When Cash had gone on work trips before, she had utilized a certain technique of observing a culture different from her own. She did not have a name for it, but as she walked through the crowded marketplace, she listened to the language around her. Everything about Atlantis would make one think that it was in fact a panacea of abundance. But how happy could the citizens be if they were denied the simplest right to make their own life choices?