“Not in space, no.” The professor paused. “I’m not sure how to describe...”
“Not right now,” Zareena reminded him. “Keep moving, Father, we can tell him about everything when we reach the shelter.”
Toby went in front of Zareena to remove larger rocks and sticks from the path.
The professor moved slowly at first, but when he became used to following his daughter’s movements he picked up speed.
Toby’s heart beat with every sudden crackle in the woods. He fought the urge to dart up a tree to pinpoint the Moddie’s progress. They could not afford the time.
Soon they reached the rocky ground near the cave.
Progress slowed while they helped Azereen climb over the stones, but Toby noted the Moddies would have a much harder time following the trail now.
Large beads of sweat stood out on the elderly man’s forehead. Though he must have been in pain, the Professor never complained, just pushed ahead, stone after stone. Finally, they reached the crack in the rocks.
Toby brushed out dead leaves and animal droppings from the cave. Nothing had lived there for a long time. The cave was small but warm, the three of them could rest in comfort.
Zareena spread blankets over a smooth section of rock.
Azereen lowered himself with a wince.
“Are you all right, Father?” Zareena held out a blanket.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” The professor shooed her away with his hand. “Just let me rest and think for a little while. The situation is different than we imagined, my child.”
“Where are you from, anyway?” Now that they were settled, Toby had to ask. “Is your world like Earth?”
The professor took a packet Zareena handed him, pulled out a handful of yellow goo, and chewed it slowly. “400 years before your great flood, my ancestors built a massive city, more powerful and advanced than anywhere on Earth, before or after. The Water’s Jewel, Antatia.
The lost city of Atlantis?Maybe. “But how did your people get into space?”
“The rest of the world desired to steal our secrets.” Zareena took a handful of goo. “The ancient king wanted to protect his people, so he ordered secret spaceships to be built. Four hundred of our ancestors, and many animals, boarded the ships and left the human world behind.”
“Scholars believe the flood happened five or six thousand years ago.” Toby had read many books on creation and Bible history since his last adventure. “If you had the technology to sustain life on another planet for so long, why return to Earth now?”
Zareena glanced at Professor Azereen, who frowned.
“I had to come back,’ he said. “To try to amend a great evil that happened... all because of my error.”
7
SPACE STORY
Baby Taliya's hair had become a halo of dark curls and fluffed from the top of Mia’s apron. She nuzzled close to Madrid and whimpered.
Gramble Shana and Mia huddled together in delighted silence. The last few difficult hours seemed a distant memory. Peace reigned over the hollow in the woods.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen a human baby,” said Gramble Shana. “I’ve forgotten how helpless they are.”
“This one is full of fire.” Mia tucked a loose corner of the apron under kicking feet while the baby’s fist tightened around a strand of Madrid’s tangled hair.
“Yes, she is,” said Gramble Shana in a high, silly voice normally reserved for baby goats and kittens. “Reminds me of Toby when he was a baby, always hungry!"
Madrid peered up at Mia through thick, dark lashes and her steel eyes softened. “Natura, what a strong girl you have given me! Thank you for coming in my time of need.”
“I’m… glad to help.” Fear outweighed Mia's guilty heart.
A flock of birds rose up through the forest trees, in an explosion of wings and flight. Brush crackled, followed by the rattle of loose boards.
A wagon. Only one group of people used wagons, and Mia wanted to avoid them at all costs. “Let’s go.” She picked up the picnic basket and tugged at Gramble Shana’s arm.
The elderly woman took the basket. “We can’t just leave Madrid and the baby here.”
“One of her people is coming now. They will care for her. Come on, Gramble Shana!”
Too late. A horse's patient face pushed though the bramble. The beast pulled a small cart fashioned from logs and woven grape vine.
The driver, a tall boy, jumped down and ran to the little group by the tree. “Mother, are you all right?” He knelt beside her and reached for her hand, but stopped when he saw the tiny baby.
“What happened? Who are these...” Recognition flickered in his eyes. “Mia... how is this possible? I thought you were dead!”
“Caleb . . . I . . .” Mia stammered. “This is Gramble Shana,” was all she could think to say. Of all the emotions she would have expected to feel, embarrassment was not one of them.
“Hello, Gramble Shana.” Caleb held out his hand . “I greet you.”
Gramble Shana shook it. “Nice to meet you.” She raised her eyebrows at Mia.
Mia shrugged.
“How did this happen?” Caleb turned back to Madrid. “The baby shouldn’t have come for another month!”
“Natura...” Madrid began, then sighed and closed her eyes.
“And did our goddess spare you?” Caleb turned to Mia. “Is that how you are alive?”
“No, she did not,” Mia crossed her arms. “I was rescued.”
Madrid’s eyes flipped open and she struggled to sit up. You are truly the outsider girl and not our Goddess? You really did escape? You have blasphemed Natura!”
“Mother, be calm,” Caleb rested his hand on Madrid’s shoulder. “Mia just helped bring this baby into the world, in the middle of the woods.” He touched the baby’s forehead. “Perhaps Natura had another plan.”
Madrid sank back. “Perhaps.”
A slurping sound came from the baby who had discovered her own small fingers and was now busy tasting them.
Caleb laughed. “I must get you both home, Mother. Everyone in the village is worried about you. Father is still in the field and doesn’t even know you went into the woods.”
“How far away is your home?” Gramble Shana asked.
“About twenty minutes with the wagon.” Caleb began to clear the back of the cart.
Mia touched his arm. “Caleb, you won’t tell them...”
“Don’t worry, Mia. I could not bear the thought of you dying again.” He reached down and kissed her forehead.
Mia’s cheeks grew hot. She snuck a glance at Gramble Shana, who beamed.
Gramble Shana gathered the baby in her arms while Mia and Caleb helped Madrid into the wagon and tried to make her as comfortable as possible for the journey.
“I will say I found Mother in the woods, and that Natura helped with the birth. No one will ever know you were here. Right, Mother?”
Madrid unwrapped Mia’s apron from around the baby and tucked the little one into her own shawl. She stared down at the infant for a very long time. The forest stilled, as though all waited for her answer.
A tear, shining and sudden, glistened on the baby's fairy-thin curls. "I will not tell," Madrid whispered.
Caleb stooped low so only Mia could hear his words, “Mia, don’t be gone forever. Find a way to find me again.”
“I can’t reveal where we live.” Mia looked down at his hand, resting on her own. “But I will see you again, somehow.”
He squeezed her hand once more, then swung up into the driver’s seat. “Thank you, both. May Natura keep you.” He clucked to the horse.
“I’d rather she didn’t.” Gramble Shana muttered through her smile as she waved goodbye.
###
Toby scooted down to the steam. Zareena assured him the yellow goo was nutritious but he found it rather disgusting and chose a fresh drink of water instead. He knelt down and filled his cupped hands.
A sudden weariness crept over him as h
e thought over the events of the last few days. The fight witnessed between the Moddies and forest kids, finding the spaceship, Zareena and her father... a jungle of emotion, hate and energy.
The Moddies were close, probably tracking them right now. When Leader found out the spaceship could not be opened, he would be after the pilot. Their path through the woods would be easy to follow about halfway here, but after the rocks only an expert tracker would be able to find them.
He couldn’t forget Dread and his gang either. Without Toby to lead them to the Grambles they might just be desperate enough to try to win the ship for themselves. Two dangerous forces meeting in the middle. He couldn’t allow either one control of the spaceship. Zareena had assured him no weapons were on board, but she didn’t know how these people operated. They could turn anything into a weapon.
Back in the semi-darkness of the cave, Zareena sat cross-legged on the floor, her robes settled in red clumps around her. Her lovely face was lit up by the oval device she called an ‘orator.’ Her fingers fluttered across the surface.
The machine reminded Toby of the tablet computers the Grambles used in their work, only the front seemed gummy and more pliable, somehow. “What are you working on?” He craned his neck to see the screen better.
Zareena tilted it so he could get a better view. “I’m trying to recalibrate this so you can go back for our roamer. It will take time, but I have to make sure the controls recognize you as a pilot when you return.”
“Me? I’ve never driven anything before!” Toby wondered what it would be like to power a moving craft. Probably amazing.
“She will have to teach you.” The professor adjusted his bandage. “You know this territory and are the only one who has the slightest chance of getting past that group out there. If we can get the roamer back here, we will be able to travel to your home in swiftness and safety.”
Toby leaned his chin on his hands. “Zareena, you really think I can do this?”
“You have already helped us more than we could have imagined,” Zareena smiled. “Why should we doubt you now?”
“It will take time for her to calibrate the orator.” Professor Azareen nodded towards the oval device. “So we will tell you more about ourselves."
“Good,” Toby pulled off his gloves and rubbed the tips of his fingers. The cold weather caused them to chafe his skin more than usual. He peeked over at Zareena to see if she noticed his unusual hands, but she was focused on her work.
“Ladish?” the professor held out a pack of goo.
“No--no thanks." Even the fresh water had not washed the first bitter taste from Toby's mouth.
Azereen cleared his throat. “Our ancestors left Earth to escape a great madness. A people of peace and science, they wanted nothing to do with wars of power and greed. So, like I said before, they built a secret vessel to travel to the stars and leave this Earth behind.”
“This was all from Atlantis?” Toby said.
“Antatia was a private realm," Zareena said. "Only the most intelligent minds of the earth were allowed to enter. When the rest of the Earth saw what Antatia possessed, of course they tried to steal it. Our people took most of their knowledge to the stars, and the rest was lost beneath the waves."
"How did your people find out the fate of Antatia if they left before it was destroyed?
“We had probes to monitor the Earth for thousands of years until your satellites were invented.” The professor chuckled. “Your broadcasts saved us a lot of effort.”
“Was... is your planet like Earth?” asked Toby.
“They, the Atateri, made it like Earth.” Zareena put the device aside. “Cities built beneath domes. We mined a mineral, conterra, from the planet’s core that our machines could transform into anything we wanted, in an instant. Homes, ships, anything but life. We created glass worlds with animals and plants Earth lost long before.” She clasped her hands together. “So much beauty, Toby!”
“Yes,” Azareen smiled. “We lived in peace and prosperity for six thousand years. But then we discovered the conterra was almost gone. So when our watcher ships brought news of another planet with conterra, we decided to send a colony to mine it there.”
“Father was in charge of the research team,” said Zareena. “I remember him staying up, every night, working to figure how we would get our ships to this planet. Then, when the spy ship returned...”
“The team member who cleaned the outside of the ship became very sick from a virus the ship had picked up from the other planet’s surface. An antidote was quickly developed, but we couldn’t risk sending a colony of people to the planet. The virus would have to be cleaned out first. We didn’t know if the planet had other life so we made a high-powered laser beam to wash over the planet, end to end, and destroy only the virus and any life-form hosting it. Then we would be free to go and mine for what we needed.
“Thousands came to watch the launch.” The professor’s shoulders slumped. “Everyone cheered and laughed, happy the conterra would be plentiful again.”
Toby’s heart constricted, as though an invisible fist clenched it. A terrible end was coming to this story.
“I—I was arrogant,” said the professor. “I wanted to be the one to launch the device, my project. I entered the coordinates and watched the ship disappear into the sky.” He covered his face with his hands.
Zareena stared at the cave’s floor. “Months passed before we received the images. People burnt to death in their homes, and on the streets of Earth. Father had put in the worng numbers and sent the device to the wrong location.”
“How could we know your world contained the same virus?” the professor moaned. “It developed sometime after the flood and all Earth dwellers had built up immunity to it... but still hosted the virus.”
A long silence. “Why... why did you come here?” Toby said finally.
“I had to see if anyone survived. Maybe I could help... somehow. My people hadn’t found out about the tragedy yet. I couldn’t bear to admit what I had done. So I prepared a small ship with a stasis chamber—“
“I slipped aboard without him knowing,” Zareena said. “We both slept through a forty-year journey without aging. A month ago we awoke and piloted the rest of the way.”
“Why would my daughter give up her life and friends to come with me, the murderer of billions.” Tears dripped through the old man’s bandages.
“Because I love you,” Zareena took his hand. “I wanted to help you.”
Sadness stirred in Toby’s soul and held back the harsh words he was tempted to say. This broken man had tormented himself for years. Toby didn’t need to add more accusations.
A melodic sound from the orator broke through the cloud of sorrow that had filled the room. Zareena studied it for a moment then held it out to Toby. “Place your palm here.”
Toby uncurled his fingers and flattened his palm against the smooth surface. His hand pushed into the device; the screen dissolved as though it were a container of gelatin, or craft paste. He flexed his fingers inside and gave Zareena a questioning look.
“It will read your hand's dimensions and attributes so you can pilot the ship,” she explained. “It should be finished... now.” The machine played another melody. She gently tugged his hand out of the screen. “When you reach the ship, place the device in the slot outside and the door will open. Everything inside, including the roamer, will be within your power.”
“Are you sure I can do this?” Toby took the device. “I mean, what if something goes wrong?”
“We have no other choice,” Zareena replied.
“If I were any use I would go, but I can’t even see to make it down the bluff outside.” The professor pointed to his bandaged eyes. “Please, Toby, don’t let my mistakes cause more suffering. We must keep that ship out of evil hands.”
“I guess I'll need some pilot lessons,” said Toby.
8
THE ROAMER
Twilight settled over the little house like a mother
hen over her chicks. A lone figure waited on the front porch when Mia and Gramble Shana finally made it to the yard.
“Edward, what are you doing up here?” Gramble Shana hurried down the path.
The elderly doctor stood and leaned against the bannister. “You two all right?” His hand shook when he reached to touch a red streak on Gramble Shana’s forehead. “I knew I should have gone instead!”
Mia had never seen him so emotional, not even when Toby had returned home from his first adventure.
“I’m fine!” Gramble Shana laughed and pushed his hand away. “We had to help someone out. Or into the world, I guess you could say.” She stepped through the door. “I’m making tea,” she shouted from inside the house. “Anyone else want some?”
Gramble Edward didn’t move. He stared at the fence post, like it was the most interesting structure he had ever seen.
“Are you ever going to tell her?” Mia asked.
“Tell her what?” Gramble Edward jerked his head like he hadn’t realized she was standing there.
“That you care for her. You love her, Gramble Edward. Why don’t you say something?”
Gramble Edward’s face now matched his crimson sweater. “I don’t know,” he stammered. “I mean, what would make you think…”
“Never mind. I’m going in for tea.” Mia headed inside to rest and pray for Toby’s safe return.
###
Toby had become used to the constant surge of panic running through his system. His throat thickened and caught each ragged breath. Adventures were more fun as imagined fancies, not real happenings with lives at stake.
Embers glowed through the trees, illuminating faces before the dying flames.
Leader, Garlo, and a girl he did not recognize stood before the hunched group.
“What good is a spaceship we can't fly?” Leader spat the words into the faces before him. “Are you all really satisfied with those rattle-trap vehicles I welded together? Think about it, no more scavenging for batteries and lost parts. We‘ll travel to bigger cities, maybe find some jets and tanks... Military bases...”
The Toby the Trilby Trilogy Boxed Set Page 10