She made room in the seat next to her, shuffled the cards, and dealt him a hand. The flight attendant refreshed their drinks and placed a basket of snacks on the table next to the discard pile.
“How are you feeling, buddy?” Gavin asked.
“Weird and lonely?” Joshua laid down a card and looked at his mother. “It’s like I’ve lost all my friends.”
“I know the feeling,” Gavin said.
They all laughed. Noila tentatively put her arm around Gavin.
Back to Chimeruth
The flight attendant gently shook Gavin’s arm, pulling him out of a peaceful sleep. As he sat up from his reclined seat, he felt the plane descending. He rubbed his eyes and looked toward the back of the plane. Noila and Joshua were changing into strange-looking suits. Lucifer wasn’t in his seat or anywhere else in the passenger cabin.
“Sir, you need to get prepared for the arrival. Your suit is on the seat behind you.” The flight attendant pointed to it. “Can I get you some coffee or breakfast before we land?” She unfolded a menu in front of him.
“No, no, thanks. Where’s Lucifer?”
“He’s in the cargo bay. He prefers the cold there.” She headed into the galley and closed the door behind her.
The plane touched down, sliding to a stop on the icy runway. They taxied for a few minutes, and then the engines powered down. The flight attendant reappeared, dressed in a suit that was similar to the ones Noila, Joshua, and Gavin had put on. She looked back at everyone. “Put your hoods and masks on before I open the door,” she told them. Satisfied that everyone was dressed appropriately, she pressed the button to open the door. Icy wind filled the cabin and froze the water vapor in the air, causing it to snow inside the plane.
“Whoa, it’s like special effects in here,” Joshua said.
They stepped off the plane into the frigid Antarctic air. The cargo-bay door opened, and Lucifer, in Srechritoris form, stepped off and shuffled through the snow. He came back over to the family and the flight crew, who were gathered at the bottom of the plane’s stairs. He was breathing heavily.
“The tunnel structure has been collapsing unexpectedly from the melt, so we need to travel above ground to Chimeruth. The walk is about a mile. The suits will keep you protected; I’ll lead way.” Lucifer set off toward a small mountain range, with Noila, Gavin, and Joshua following him.
As they traveled the narrow path toward the range, they saw evidence of other travelers, small bits of manufactured goods scattered through the packed snow. Their feet sunk into the snow, which made the walk slow and tough.
“It’s breathtaking here,” Gavin said, as he looked over the white mountainous landscape.
After almost an hour, the ground firmed up, and they came to the entrance of a small path through the mountains. They followed Lucifer into the tight space. Noila went in first behind him and reached her hands out to touch both sides of the walls. The snow that was stuck to the ice walls fell off. Once they were inside, Gavin realized these mountains weren’t mountains at all; rather, they were tall slabs of ice that were stacked on top of one another.
“Who made this?” he asked.
“Millions of years of climate,” Lucifer replied. He already had disappeared around the next bend in the path.
As they traveled deeper into the crevasse, only small packets of sunlight made it to the floor of the path. In the distance Gavin heard the muffled engines of the plane whine to life then throttle hard into the sky. It was just the four of them, alone in a deep crack within the ice. They turned a corner, and Gavin couldn’t see any more of the path. Noila disappeared into the darkness; Joshua was behind him. The ice walls glowed dimly from the sunlight making its way through the cracks from the surface. It took Gavin’s eyes a minute to adjust because there was light behind them, but it was completely dark ahead. He stopped walking, “Lucifer?” he said into the blackness.
“Just keep walking. Keep your hands out. This only lasts for a little bit,” Lucifer replied. Now that he was in his Srechritoris form, his voice had taken on an accent Gavin didn’t recognize.
The cold seeped through Gavin’s protective suit. He felt Joshua’s hands find his back and press into it. Lucifer was right; the darkness started to fade, and the narrow passage widened, opening up to a large space within the ice before it ended. Noila was close to Lucifer and well ahead of Gavin; she was walking beyond the ice.
“Chimeruth!” she exclaimed.
Gavin walked faster to reach Noila and see what she was talking about. She was pressing her hands against an invisible barrier; Joshua came up beside her and did the same.
Joshua looked out at the village. “What is it?”
Noila turned to Joshua and Gavin. “You’ll both love it here,” she said.
Lucifer was nuzzling his head in the snow, flipping it over his mane and back. He seemed to be sweating heavily. “The entrance is over here,” he said. He headed toward it, following a lightly treaded path in the snow.
Where the path ended, Lucifer entered through the protective dome. Gavin, Noila, and Joshua went in beside him and entered Chimeruth. As Gavin passed through the dome, he heard a soft whoosh followed by a pop when the last of his body was inside the dome.
“I think you should recognize where we are.” Lucifer nudged Noila in the arm with his wet nose.
“You bet I do. I can’t believe I’m back here, and with my family,” she said.
Florencia came out of her house, looked twice at them, then ran toward them. “Noila! Noila! Why are you back? You should leave. It’s all falling apart—my twins and husband are missing. Oh, Noila, I think they’re dead.” She was distraught. She had pulled out one of her braids, creating a bald patch on the side of her head. The rest of her braids, which had been so neatly coiffed the last time Noila had seen her, were graying and ragged.
“What happened?” Noila asked, taking her hands in hers.
“The tunnels…they just collapsed out of nowhere. It doesn’t seem like anyplace is safe here. They told me I could leave, but I can’t leave without my family.”
“Where’s Vinettea?” Noila asked her.
“Noila, we should go. You have another purpose here, and so does Joshua,” Lucifer said softly.
“I can’t just leave her. Who’s helping her?” Noila said.
“I think you’ll find things have become desperate here since you left. We don’t have much time,” Lucifer said. “Florencia, you know we’re doing what we can to find your family, but please don’t endanger the world by urging Noila to leave. You know what’s happening.”
“Yes, Lucifer.” Florencia bowed and gave a pained wave as she slowly headed back to her house. She seemed to lose her way in the short distance between where they were standing and her front door. She briefly looked back at them then darted between the houses.
“Florencia!” Noila ran after her.
Lucifer bounded in front of her and blocked her path. “There’s no time. Many are dying and suffering. You must stay focused.” He pushed her back on the path and led them to the silver disk that Florencia had shown her in her first days in Chimeruth. The snow and ice around it had partially melted, revealing a shaft of metal below the disk. Lucifer moved to the other side of the disk, where a small makeshift staircase stood, allowing them to climb to the top of the disk. Noila, Gavin, and Joshua followed him to the top of the disk. “When we get into the cavern,” he said, “you must not ask any questions about what you see—no matter how shocking or surprising it might be. Just follow my lead; everyone is very busy. I must ask each of you to commit yourself to secrecy as well. Nothing you see here can ever be told to the outside world.” Lucifer looked at Joshua, Gavin, and Noila for acknowledgment; they all nodded.
“Are you all sure you can take that vow? Keeping a true secret is very difficult, and I’d hate to see any of you suffer like Captain Bongri.”
Gavin’s face went white. He looked at Noila and Joshua, who were still nodding.
“V
ery well then. Stand very still as we descend,” Lucifer said.
He patted his two front paws against the center of the disk. A portion of the smooth cover slid aside to reveal a scalloped space, made from ice, the size of a small bowl. Lucifer placed one of his paws in the depression. The backlight turned green, and the sound of gears and locks unlatching beneath them clicked and whirred. The disk separated into curved triangular pieces, the edges of which held intricate metal mechanisms that were used to connect the puzzle together. The disk separated, with each of them on their own section of the puzzle. Gavin looked over the edge of the piece of metal he was standing on. The circular steel cavern went down as far as he could see; the end was a misty gray haze. Each of their pieces started to descend, picking up speed. Noila’s hair was blowing in the strong wind. They quickly passed through the gray mist. On the other side of it, they landed gently on the ground.
Lucifer led the way through a tunnel to a circular room much larger than the shaft they had come down. Five curved doors stood along the perimeter, each with a painted number on them. Gavin could see into the rooms through windows that were set between the doors. Situated just below the windows were glass control panels, with information displayed about what was happening inside the rooms. There were different color circles and boxes with Antarctican symbols projected inside of the glass. The technician’s hands were rapidly working the controls of the activated panels, collecting data and looking into the rooms, observing the activity inside.
“This is the main chamber. As you can see through the windows, we have a variety of experiments taking place. I’d like to take you down a level to show you the real bedrock of our center here.”
“There’s more?” Gavin was looking through one of the windows at something he didn’t understand.
Lucifer walked to the blank space on the wall between the doors to rooms one and five. He pushed against the space, and a door to a small lift opened. He invited everyone in, and the doors closed. When the lift stopped moving, they stepped out.
Lucifer exited first and stood aside, waiting for Noila, Gavin, and Joshua to step out.
Gavin looked out to the round, white, alabaster table in the center of the room. The circular room was surrounded by columns and intricately carved Moroccan archways made of the same material. Each archway was topped with a blue eye. The floor was smooth, and Gavin stepped out onto it so he could more closely examine the table, which looked as if it were glowing from the light falling into the room.
Lucifer held his arm out to nudge them farther inside. “Welcome to the Cavern of Dreamers,” he said.
Gavin, Noila, and Joshua stood in the room, looking around in awe.
“This looks like something out of biblical times,” Gavin said.
“I guess you’re right. It has that look to it, but the design isn’t the most interesting element. Step forward to the table,” he instructed.
Joshua stepped forward first and reached the edge of a gold circle inlaid in the floor. He looked back to Lucifer to make sure it was okay to cross the line.
“Yes, please,” Lucifer said.
They each stood around the table.
“Our ancestors make up this room. The bones of every Antarctican we’ve been able to retrieve upon their death are here with us. Under our feet, in the air, in the walls, in this table. Their bones are the architecture of the cavern. We hope to always keep the remains of our ancestors close to us. They’re essential to our continuity and our understanding of our place in time.”
Lucifer placed his hands on the table and encouraged the others to do so as well.
From the middle of the table, a figure rose up who looked roughly like Lucifer. He was surrounded by the same blue mist Noila had seen when the Antarcticans portaled.
“This guide can show you the past—anything that happened to any of the Antarcticans who have been laid to rest here. All their memories and experiences—everything is contained in this cavern. A lot can be known about the present when you have full clarity of the past.” “Why show us this?” Joshua asked.
“Because I want you to know what’s at stake here. This isn’t just about saving an endangered race. When a race dies, the memories and knowledge of the earth die with it and endanger every other species alive. We’re in this together, whether we like it or not.” He removed his hands from the table, and the image of the Antarctican ancestor vanished.
“Now we have work to do.” Lucifer made his way back to the lift and gestured for them to follow. “I hope you’ll join me.”
Upstairs, as the four of them approached a door with a “3” painted in black, Gavin looked through one of the windows and saw rolling hills covered with blue snow. Blue orbs were hanging in the air, and a young boy was lying on top of one of the hills, his hands resting on his chest.
“He’s waiting for Joshua,” Lucifer said.
“Me?” Joshua said, his eyes wide.
“Yes, you. He’s going to show you how you can use your mind to control the things around you. When Dr. Cristofari was treating you, she alerted us that you have the ability to hold two different realities in your mind at once. We had to get your other issues sorted before we focused on this. I’ll let him know you’re here.” Lucifer walked to the panel in front of the room and moved some of the icons around. He spoke softly toward the glass. The boy inside sat up.
Lucifer nodded to Joshua. “You can go in.” He pressed a button, and the door opened.
Noila put her hand on Joshua’s back and assured him it was okay to enter. He walked into the room, the cold blue snow sticking to his shoes.
“Come to me,” the boy said.
The boy’s hair was white and straight, cut in an angular bowl cut so that the edges of his hair jutted out in front of his chin if he leaned forward. He wore a flowing orange robe that followed his body and allowed him to move freely. His features were smooth and long; he looked to be about ten years old.
Joshua stepped farther into the room, careful not to touch the floating orbs that were slowing spinning in the air. He looked up at the ceiling, which appeared to have no end. The blue snow was falling from the sky and stuck to his clothes and his face. The snow got deeper, and he was trudging through it; it quickly came up to his knees. He took another step, and it went all the way up to his torso. He tried to pull himself out, but he was too far down to gain any leverage to do so.
“I thought you were my student?” the boy said.
“What? Who said that?” Joshua asked.
“They told me a student was coming, that I should expect someone who knows the ways of this gift. But if that isn’t you, it’s okay. I am Zhu.”
Joshua shrugged. “Ummmm, I'm not sure. I’m Joshua.”
“Do you enjoy being deep in the snow?” Zhu asked matter-of-factly.
“No, I was just trying to get to you.”
“Then do what you were trying to do. The snow only stops you if you let it.”
“I’m not following you, man.” Joshua struggled against the snow but only sank deeper into it. “Uh, can you help me? I’m totally stuck.”
“If you can help yourself, you’ll be much better off.” Zhu walked off to one of the hilltops and sat in a Buddha-like pose.
“What? Okay.” Joshua squeezed his eyes closed. He imagined the vast quietness of his mind and tried to condense it into something he could use. He strained, but nothing happened. He imagined moving the snow and sank deeper. He felt the cold snow under his chin. “It’s not working,” he said, exasperated.
“I see that.” Zhu sat up and opened his eyes. They were the same color as the blue snow. He kept Joshua’s gaze.
The snow, floating orbs, and precipitation suddenly vanished. Joshua was standing on a white papery surface. The room was smaller than the mounds of blue snow had made it seem. He could see the ceiling and through the windows, where his mother, father, and Lucifer were observing. He waved at them. Zhu walked behind him, and Joshua felt his hands on his head.
“You must immerse yourself and believe that everything out there”—he pointed to the window—“is an illusion.”
Joshua turned around and saw that Zhu wasn’t anywhere near him. His hands had never even touched his head.
“You perceive the world as you want to see it, but the world also forces your perception upon you.” Zhu stretched a hand into the air, palm up. “Do you see this?” A colorful passionflower appeared in his hand.
“Yeah, it’s a flower.”
“And where do you think it came from?”
“Your…” Joshua paused. “…your hand?” he guessed.
“Nah.” The flower shriveled and fell to the ground, and then the boy stomped on it.
“I’m sorry. Listen, I just got through with a whole bunch of treatment and went through some really intense stuff. I don’t think I’m ready for this. Sorry to mess up your day.” Joshua turned and walked toward the door. A hibiscus tree with blooms of pink spilling from its branches grew in front of the door.
“You don’t really want to leave. No one wants to leave here. The biggest fear inside these rooms is the self purpose one can discover.”
Joshua turned around. “Why would anyone be scared of that? Isn’t that what most people are looking for?”
“Not if discovering your purpose means you then have an obligation to fulfill it.”
Joshua fumbled with his hands in the pockets of his suit.
“Stay awhile. I think they want you to anyway.” Zhu nodded toward the window. Lucifer, Noila, and Gavin appeared to be in deep discussion as they watched through the window.
Joshua walked over to him. “How long have you been in here?”
“I come and go, but when everything started falling apart out there, I decided to come here and figure out where I should go next. Lucifer convinced me to stay here for a while. He said he had a new project for me to work on. I guess that’s you?”
Joshua shrugged. “I guess.”
“Come with me.” Zhu took Joshua’s hand in his and pulled on him to walk with him.
The Antarcticans Page 28