by Kris Shamloo
**
After fully examining both sides nothing but the cryptic greeting could be discerned. I stood up from my seat in the middle of the ring of fire and placed the disc back in the field. It required the same force to push it back into the invisible net as it did to remove it. The last touch of my hand on the disc set it slowly spinning.
I ducked back under the glass ring and savored the warmth it gave for a moment. The room was devoid of any features or markings. I briefly considered scanning the walls again with my hand, as I had done on the surface. That probably won't work twice. I was getting better at emptying my mind of distractions; I was beginning to fully accept my position in this mystery world. It was the only world I knew.
I remembered the little statuette I had retrieved from the pedestal and removed him from my pocket. He lay in my hand forever weeping. I carefully placed him on the metal disc anxiously awaiting a response. It's still spinning. The weeping man circled while my brain followed suit. I removed him from the slowly moving disc. Maybe the ring will spin too. The massive glass ring wouldn’t budge. Maybe not.
Try everything, I thought. I gripped both sides of the disc and set it spinning quickly. A series of audible mechanical clicks spiraled around me. First you unlock the lock. I ducked back under the glass ring and placed my hands firmly around it again. It moved freely now. I began running with the ring setting it spinning as well. Then you open the door. The reaction was immediate. I heard the dull groan of large objects being moved against their will. The walls began to shift and break into even strips of material. Spurts of steam popped out of the broken seams and the entire room began to change shape.
The circular room had reversed its curve inwards resulting in four corners with narrowing hallways. The lift I had entered on was now adjacent to the moving wall where before it was sitting well away from it. That was interesting. The four new corridors terminated in metal doorways, the same iridescent metal used inside the hulk of the obelisk. Each door was marked with circles. One with one circle, another with two, and so on. Door number one shall we? I walked towards the door.
Upon reaching the door I was suddenly hit with a strong urge to return to the surface. Keep going buddy, this is just the beginning. Fittingly, the door had no apparent handle or opening mechanism. I'm never going to get a break am I? My body and mind were tired from the puzzling nature of this place. I sat down in the corridor and closed my eyes. I didn't think about the door, I didn't think about anything.
I felt a strange sense of relaxation I hadn't felt before. I wasn't asleep and I wasn't awake. I just existed. This is nice. Consciously recognizing I was enjoying myself had snapped me out of my drifting mental state. And now it's gone. The metal disc was obscured behind the majesty of the glass ring of fire. The glass ring was still spinning but now at barely a crawl, I assumed the disc was doing likewise.
I stood back up and examined the door. I said aloud, "Just open dammit I'm tired of games." The door obliged. A barely visible seam in the center of the door split as the two halves swung open. I stood there stunned for a moment, contemplating what just happened. That's the first time frustration has ever solved a problem.
The long solemn hallway was illuminated by a long length of fire filled glass; much thinner in diameter than the glass centerpiece in the anteroom, and much dimmer as well. I could see the end of the hallway opening to another section. The marble floor stopped at the threshold and gave way to a vast expanse of soft sand. The illuminating glass also ceased and pale pink-blue starlight filled the room.
I crossed the threshold. The chamber was magnificent; a massive spherical dome giving the illusion of the night sky. The entire ceiling was studded with tiny points of light like stars. The sloping walls reached the sandy floor almost vertically. The urge to touch it was irresistible.
The feel was strange, it was firm like hard rubber with slightly more give than you would expect. I pressed against one of the points of light; it felt no different than the rest of the material. I moved away from the entrance towards the three stone rings on the opposite side of the chamber. They look like wells. They were, the three low stone rings were filled with water.
I peered in the center well and couldn't see the bottom. I carefully touched the surface of the water. It was ice cold. I sat on the stone lip of the well. Looking up the ceiling gave the perfect illusion of a starry expanse; I lost myself in the thought of being outside for a moment. Only if I were outside, it would be day. It's always the day outside. The twilight was beautiful.
I turned to the wells, the fear of the unknown returned. What if something is down there? I didn't see any other options. I began to remove my clothing to enter the first well. To my relief, only the center well was frigid. Hold on. Maybe there's another way, something other than blindly forward. I thought of everything I had seen so far.
What other way is there? Forward is just a word, I'm not moving in any direction I'm just moving. I hadn't been given any choices. The only choice I have is to move or to sit still. I sat on the lip of the well half undressed. My eyes lost focus and drifted towards some unknown in the distance. Something deep the back of my mind had made its presence known. It had originated these thoughts. I didn't know whether to fear it or embrace it.
The immobilizing thought vanished and I turned back towards the well. Pony up. I lowered myself in. Hanging on the lip of the well I slowed my breathing. I took a large gulp of air and sluggishly descended feet first. I didn't go very far. I surfaced and refilled my lungs. Relax, stay relaxed. I went deeper and deeper, eventually getting the courage to turn in the tight space and swim down headfirst.
Though my descents were getting further down the well there was no end in sight. The well continued downward, seemingly forever into the inky abyss. I'll need a new plan. I checked the remaining two wells in the same manner. Definitely need a new plan.
I walked wet and naked back to the antechamber; I dried under the warmth of the glass ring. The endless storm of fire inside the ring was beautiful; while I mechanically redressed myself I enjoyed the marvel of the ring. Even in my prison there is beauty. I thought of the starry sky in the first room. Despite my failure in the wells I felt encouraged.
The green glow of the lift caught my eye. Let's check back upstairs. I climbed back into the elevator and threw the switch once more. Knowing what to expect the ride was less frightening, the tremendous wind was made more eerie by the utter lack of vibration in the lift. It just smoothly flew up. The lift came to a halt back into the machinery room at the base of the obelisk.
I explored the interior more thoroughly. Nothing seemed out of place or in disrepair, every valve, cog, and moving part sauntered along with casual precision. The whole feel of the place was as if this sort of engineering perfection was an everyday occurrence, there was a palpable sense of nonchalance to the motion of the machinery. It's as if the machinery knows it's working well. I headed towards the entrance.
The brightness overwhelmed me, but my eyes quickly adjusted. I stood on the crashed plate of the entrance and examined the desolate surroundings. I thought of the antechamber and the three wells. I walked towards the perimeter of the stone field. I paced around the inner ring eyeing the obelisk. I had the look and feel of a predator, the obelisk my prey. I'll figure you out, just wait. The brimming confidence building in me was pierced by the memory of the frightening black haze, that sensation of imminent doom. I lowered my head and walked back towards the tower.
I returned to the machinery room. Head still bowed; I was looking at my feet standing on the metal grates. I straddled one of the pieces and placed my fingers in the gaps of the platform. The grate moved slowly, it was held in the by the pressure of rubber bushings. I held the metal rectangle I had acquired. This thing is beefy. The unexpected weight quickly tired my grip. I set the piece down and looked into the darkness of the void it created. There was a forest of sprawling piping. The neatly packed pipes in the main chamber had exploded into the tangled root sys
tem of a wild tree. I lowered myself into the piping jungle.
The network of piping provided the only illumination in the room. I cautiously climbed down to bottom. The floor and walls were the same dark black obsidian of the obelisk. The pale green glow was easily swallowed by the light absorbing material. From the edge of the large cylindrical room I could see the massive cluster of pipes entering from the base of the obelisk. Crossing the threshold into the pipe room the roots of the tower sprawled in every direction and terminated into the walls of the room. The machinist’s jungle.
I weaved my way through the forest; the center was too densely packed to be investigated. A full lap of the perimeter revealed there was nothing of interest. Well that was pointless. I started my climb up towards the open grate. Staring at the blank hole the unusual weight of the metal struck out in my mind. As I climbed higher towards the hole the plan materialized in my head.
Reaching the machinery room I replaced the grate in its original position on the main walkway. I walked towards the end of the walkway where the floor circled around the lift in the center. I bent down and began removing the grates behind the elevator cage. I skipped every other grate so the gap I created didn't become too large. After I had removed three I loaded them into the elevator.
Progress, I hope. I flipped the lift switch and dropped steadily towards the antechamber. I smirked at the ring of fire as I walked the first heavy piece towards the wells. I leaned it against the first well and returned to the lift for the second. A few minutes later and all three pieces were in the spherical chamber.
I went to the center well grabbing the first glowing metal grate. Here goes nothing. I dropped the piece into the water. It splashed and sank quickly. A tremendous slam followed the clang of the metal reaching the bottom. Oh no. I turned around at the source of the sound. The entrance to the hallway had vanished.