The Best of All Possible Worlds

by Richard D. Parker

  “I’ve already stopped time,” Avi replied, surprising N’dori once again.

  “When?”

  “Two days ago…in the forest,” Avigail answered. “It scared me. I wasn’t sure I could make everything right again.”

  N’dori smiled. “Yes, it’s a common fear, but completely unwarranted. It takes a great deal of energy to control time. You would have passed out eventually and then returned to normal time naturally.”

  Avi remained quiet for a moment, feeling better for the Solitaries teachings.

  “Show me,” N’dori commanded and moved over so close that their hips were touching, then the Solitary put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Show me,” she repeated.

  Avi took a deep breath then closed her eyes. N’dori could feel her working and taste her concentration. Gradually the Solitary detected a faint tang of ozone in the air, and suddenly the wind died and took the sounds of the world with it. Time slowed to a stop and Avigail opened her eyes and turned to look at N’dori.

  The Solitary was smiling at her. “Excellent…now release it.”

  Avi closed her eyes once more and at first nothing happened, then like the snap of a rubber band, the wind and sound returned. Avigail cried out and doubled over. N’dori took a handful of sugar cubes from the pocket of her smock and handed them to the girl. Avi wolfed them down but only felt slightly better.

  “Good…now you need to learn control,” N’dori stated.

  Two more weeks passed before Avigail was able to slow time without stopping it all together and it was another week after that she was ready to try her ability out on her brother as they sparred. The morning Avi was ready, N’dori told Arnot to stay below, that she would be going up the mountain in his stead. Arnot agreed happily. The mountain was beginning to depress him and just when he thought the day couldn’t get any better Avigail turned to him and said.

  “Let’s spar.”

  “Excellent idea!” Arnot howled back excitedly and quickly fetched two sets of katas. Avi smiled at her brother’s obvious enthusiasm and almost regretted the fact that she would soon be dampening his good mood.

  “I needed this Avi,” Arnot said as he took up his favorite ready stance. “I needed a break from the mountain. I’m not sure I’ll ever learn what N’dori is teaching.”

  Avi nodded without speaking, already working her way into a state of heightened consciousness. She smiled but then Arnot attacked. It came too quickly, her mind not yet ready and he scored an easy hit.

  “Ha!” Arnot yelled, as always elated by his success. They paired off again and again but he attacked so quickly with such confidence that she had little time to prepare her mind. He dropped her with a kick to her left hip.

  “Come on Avi…you’re not trying,” Arnot said accusingly. He loved to spar, but more than anything he liked to be challenged when he fought, to be pushed to higher and higher levels.

  “I am trying,” Avi said holding out a hand. Her brother pulled her neatly to her feet. His body was getting so much bigger and stronger than hers. All through their childhood they’d been near physical equals and not too long ago she had been the stronger, but in the past few years he’d surpassed her and then some.

  Avi backed away from him and took a deep, slow breath. She envied her brother’s natural grace. He came at her, moving almost like a dancer, one move fluidly leading into another with a certain physical logic. If you studied Arnot as he fought, it was almost as if each attack and counter was preordained. He fought like the beauty of the ocean or the grandeur of the mountains. He was a force of nature unto himself and through most of her life he was almost impossible to beat. But suddenly, Avigail felt her mind focus sharply and as Arnot attacked she felt it narrow to a fine point. She successfully blocked his first attack and backed away again. Her mind was ready now and she knew she was up to the task. As their sparring match continued she thwarted all of his blows with relative ease and then slowly, steadily, began to press him. Arnot’s beautiful movements began to speed up in attempt to match his sister, but Avi could read his intent easily in the way he stood and how he moved.

  Arnot attacked again, but it was slow and Avi brushed it aside and launched her own which was far beyond her normal speed of movement. Arnot’s eyes went wide, but even so he managed to avoid or deflect her blows. He countered, but now was even slower. Avi laughed joyously and with one impossibly quick movement struck Arnot on the right thigh and then elbowed her brother in the dead center of his chest. He went sprawling in the dirt, falling and falling, ever so slowly.

  Avigail released her conscious hold on time and was hit by a small cramp in her midsection. Her sudden hunger was painful, but not as debilitating as when she stopped time completely.

  Avi glanced down at her brother’s shocked face and suddenly was overcome by the case of the giggles. He frowned at her at first, but then was looking at her in amazement.

  “Avi...” he started, but she was still in a fit. Arnot climbed to his feet, still slightly in shock. “Avi…you moved like she does. You moved like a Solitary.”

  Avi sobered, but then giggled once more.

  “Can you do it again?” Arnot asked.

  Her giggles abruptly stopped and Avi looked at her brother and nodded.

  “Show me,” he replied and attacked. Seconds later Avi was on her back looking up at Arnot.

  Avi frowned. “It’s not easy!” She insisted and slowly climbed to her feet. She quickly backed away…focusing once more. Arnot did not wait, and moved in. Avi blocked his initial attack but just as her mind was stretching out; his left kali caught her elbow solidly.

  Avi yelped and dropped her kata, her forearm growing numb. She picked up her weapon...slightly angry now from the pain. She backed away and continued to retreat as he advanced, then all at once his approach began to falter and slow. Without a thought or hesitation, Avi took advantage of Arnot’s sluggishness and flew at him. Somehow, even in his lethargic state he managed to deflect her first two attempts, but then she spun and her left kali connected firmly with his forehead. He dropped to the ground, eyes fluttering, head bleeding from the cut which opened immediately despite the sluggish pace of time.

  Avi cried out and released time, doubling over from the pain, but still rushing toward her brother as he lie inert in the dirt of the corral. He remained still, unconscious, but she quickly detected his breathing and the slow rise and fall of his chest.

  “Arnot!” she cried and brushed away the blood that threatened to drip into his eyes. His forehead was a scarlet mess. She lifted his head. “Arnot!” She repeated but at first he did not respond. She bent so that her face was mere inches from her brother’s.

  “Arnot,” she said and then whispered. “Arnot.” Finally he groaned and his eyes flickered open.

  “Arnot!” Avi shouted again and a tear dropped from her cheek to his.

  “Jeez Avi, you clubbed me,” he mumbled and tried to rise. “It happens. You shouldn’t be crying.”

  “Arnot you were unconscious,” she replied. “I couldn’t wake you.”

  Arnot struggled to a sitting position and the blood poured down his nose and ran off the tip. He reached up, exploring and his hand came away very bloody. He wiped it away on his sleeve.

  “You walloped me good,” he said and smiled widely. “You moved very, very fast Avi…how did you do it?”

  Avi helped her brother to his feet and walked him over to the well and drew some water.

  “Take off your shirt,” she told him. “You’ve ruined it anyway.”

  He did what she asked. She took it and quickly soaked it then began to clean the blood off of his face and neck. The cut was small, but surprisingly deep and it took nearly twenty minutes of ministration before the bleeding finally stopped.

  “How Avi?’ Arnot finally asked as she finished. “How did you do it?”

  Avigail looked directly into her brother’s face. “Concentration,” she replied after a moment. “I learned concentration…by going t
o the Far Lands.”

  Arnot stared back for a long time without speaking then finally he stood and walked into the cabin. Avigail did not follow and when he finally emerged he was wearing a dark shirt. He gave her a small smile and then turned and moved around the cabin and up the path that led to the heights of Mount Erato.

  †

  Two weeks later Arnot did not return to the cabin in the evening. The Tarina N’dori, her heart beating surprisingly strong and fast, ran across the clearing in search of Avigail. N’dori was very excited about the prospect of Arnot visiting the Far Lands, who knew what talents were hiding within those genes of his.

  ‘What a Solitary he would make,’ she thought as she entered the tree line and followed the path toward Avigail’s favorite spot for meditation. ‘His fighting skills will go unmatched.’ N’dori just hoped he had indeed taken the trip to the Far Lands and not just lost track of the time, or settled down for a late afternoon nap.

  When the path intersected the stream she turned north along its banks until she came across a waterfall that emptied into a small pool. Avi was sitting on a flat rock on the far side of the pool, legs crossed and eyes closed. When N’dori came closer the girl opened her eyes though there was no possible way that she had heard the approach of the Solitary.

  “Arnot?” Avigail asked and N’dori nodded. In one smooth motion the girl stood and skipped down a rocky path. She followed it perhaps thirty feet before coming to a place where the rocks allowed for a dry crossing. She quickly joined N’dori and without a word the two moved back up toward the cabin.

  N’dori half expected to find the young man waiting for them, and braced herself for the disappointment, after all many never learned to open up and take the trip to the Far Lands. It was entirely possible Arnot never would. But thankfully he was not at the cabin and the Solitary felt a thrill of expectation.

  “He’s not here,” Avi said after a quick search and N’dori could hear the very same expectation in the voice of the young princess.

  N’dori grabbed a lantern and some food, having learned from Avigail’s time on the mountain. The sun was just touching the horizon when they reached the cave. After a quick search they found Arnot sprawled near the northern most entrance; his eyes were closed and his face composed.

  “Arnot!” Avigail yelled and dashed to him showing no fatigue despite the effort of climbing the steep mountain path. N’dori arrived only moments behind her.

  “Arnot!” Avigail yelled again and grabbed her brother’s shoulders.

  “Quiet,” N’dori ordered, “and let me look at him!” Avi only tightened her grip for a moment, but then reluctantly did as she was bid.

  N’dori checked the boy’s pulse, his pupils and then his reflexes and when she finally sat up straight she was smiling. “He’s in the Far Lands,” she told Avigail, who despite her own amazing experience still looked on her brother with worry.

  “Come let’s move him farther inside and start a fire,” the Solitary ordered.

  “How will we get him down?” Avi asked and N’dori immediately shook her head. It was hard enough for her and Arnot to carry Avigail down, who was a slight young girl. The prince was much taller and heavier. To attempt such a descent would put all their lives in peril.

  “We won’t. He’ll have to stay in the cave until his trip is over,” N’dori answered. “But we can bring those things which will make us comfortable up to the cave. We can alternate trips starting in the morning.”

  Avigail still looked stricken until N’dori reached out and touched the girl’s arm. Avi looked up into her teacher’s face.

  “Most trips do not last more than a day and a half,” the Solitary explained. “He will be back soon.”

  Two days later Arnot was still unconscious though they both could see his eyes darting about beneath his lids as if in a dream. Avigail, like her brother before her, was gripped with terror that he would not return, but he did at dawn on the third day. He woke quietly while N’dori was preparing her morning tea. Avi was still sleeping restlessly.

  “Wa….water,” Arnot croaked. Avigail’s eyes popped open immediately and she scrambled to his side while N’dori reached for a water skin.

  “Oh Arnot that was terrible,” she said when she reached him. “Why didn’t you tell me it was so hard to be left behind?”

  Arnot smiled at her but ignored the question as N’dori began to pour water into his eager mouth. He drank a good deal before stopping the Solitary and struggling to a sitting position. He was very weak but surprisingly not yet hungry.

  “I…I did,” he said, feeling groggy but happy. He understood so much more. He never realized he’d been living his entire life in the dark until now and was slightly shocked at his own ignorance. He felt a quiet relief now that his eyes were finally fully open.

  “I can Travel,” he told Avigail, who smiled. ‘Yes,’ she thought, ‘that will be much easier for him now.’

  “Yes,” N’dori echoed. “You now understand the true nature of concentration.”

  Arnot nodded and watched as she deftly cored an apple. She handed him a section. He slipped it into his mouth and was nearly overpowered by the sublime taste of the fruit. He smiled and both women smiled back knowingly.

  “But tell me,” N’dori started. “Who was your guide in the Far Lands?”

  Arnot hesitated for a moment and then glanced quickly at Avigail.

  “Who?” His sister asked.

  Arnot stayed quiet for another long moment and N’dori began to worry that perhaps his guide had not been as pleasant as Avigail’s.

  “Galen,” he whispered.

  N’dori’s eyes went wide. It was not possible. As far as she knew no two people ever reported having the same guide through the Far Lands, but then again these two were probably the first set of twins to have ever made the journey.

  “Galen?” She asked very quietly, almost unbelieving. ‘Could it be true? And why would Galen guide these children?’

  Arnot nodded.

  “You’re sure it was Galen…Galen Dawkins?” N’dori asked but knew he was by the way the two siblings were staring at each other. N’dori felt a pang of envy for their obvious intimacy. They were familiar with each other in a way only twins could be. A guide through the Far Lands was just one more intimate event they shared during their tightly entwined lives.

  “What…what did he tell you?” Avigail whispered.

  Arnot smiled at her. “Many things,” he answered and Avi frowned.

  “You know what I mean?” She repeated and N’dori sat very still, almost as if she was afraid to move and thus remind the siblings of her presence. Arnot, however, gave her a quick glance before answering.

  “He needs you. He wants you like no other Avi,” Arnot finally said in a whisper of his own. “His soul cries your name over and over. He wants me to help you go to him.”

  N’dori was speechless. ‘Galen was somewhere out there…out there still.’

  “And will you?” Avi asked.

  Arnot hesitated again for the slightest moment, but finally he looked up and stared deeply into his sister’s eyes. He looked at her…really looked at her for the first time in years and suddenly he could hear the cry. It was not the cry of Galen’s soul this time but that of Avigail’s. It was cry for a man who’d lived thousands of years ago; the cry for Galen. Arnot knew his sister well…very well. He’d known of her deepest desire all these years but had chosen to ignore it. He’d just not understood, had not even begun to guess at the possibilities, but he knew them now. And because he loved his sister like no other person in the world he really had no choice in the matter. When it came to Avigail, he was not a free man. He stared at his sister and gave a little half grin before answering.

  “Yes,” he told her and watched as the light in her eyes exploded like a thousand tiny suns. Her happiness overwhelmed him and he leaned toward her and she pulled him tightly into her arms.

  “I thank you,” she whispered into his ear, gripping him
fiercely. “I thank you. I thank you.”

  N’dori watched all this with a rush of trepidation. These twins were like no other students she’d ever had…and perhaps like no other students ever to come to Noble Island. They were unique and in that instant the Solitary knew that they would change the world, though perhaps not the one they currently resided in.

  X

  “My talent and ambition are gifts from God;

  it would be a sin not to use them.”

  Reverend Carter Heyworth

  April 8th 2015 Old Earth

  Reverend Heyworth slipped behind the wheel of his BMW sedan and breathed a sigh of relief to be finally leaving Cryogen. It was just after eight in the morning but the Reverend was tired. After answering questions and offering denials for nearly twenty-six straight hours he had the right to be tired, but he was also angry…very angry. He was still shaking with adrenaline as he drove through the security gates of the facility he helped to build. He was quite sure he’d never been so angry, but now all he wanted was sleep. He just hoped he could sleep.

  ‘Damn that Colonel Bradford,’ Heyworth thought. ‘And damn Crane as well!’

  Heyworth was still in shock. The Dawkins woman had stolen D17! It didn’t seem possible…and surely not probable; after all, the boy was just an experiment, no different from any of the others that had gone before him. Sure, he’d managed to live a bit longer than his predecessors, but otherwise he was just an engineering trial. Honestly Heyworth hadn’t expected the boy to last this long; he was growing accustomed to disappointment. And D17 was a disappointment, just like all the others. In the end something had gone wrong and Heyworth was more than willing to have Cryogen make another attempt. D…the boy was uncooperative. He didn’t recognize the reasons for his own existence, didn’t embrace his destiny, and that wouldn’t do. But even Heyworth had to admit there was something to the boy, this boy; something that made Heyworth excited, something that made him truly believe he was on the right track.