37 Days In A Strange World

by Dave Hazel

  “…and so it looks like you’re the only one who may be able to help us get back home,” Mykal finished. “And please Nidious, you’re our last hope. If there is anything you can do, we’d greatly appreciate it. We’ve been lost for over three weeks.”

  Nidious didn’t respond quickly. He looked as if his seasoned mind was deep in thought. “I have a few questions for you. When you first met Towbar, you saved his life?”

  “Yeah, it’s not so much that I saved his life as it was I think I distracted him. He was fighting off about five or six Sosos and I think he got distracted by our weapons and our vehicles. He stumbled over some Soso bodies. From what I know of Towbar now, after seeing him in action, I’m sure he could have easily got back to his feet and defeated them. I fired my weapon while he was down,” he explained and withdrew the revolver to show Nidious the weapon he used. “And I killed the Sosos. At the time I thought I saved him, but honestly I don’t think he really needed me. We have been close friends ever since.”

  “I appreciate your humble admission. Towbar is a great warrior. And you say that Towbar has explained to you that he uses magic?” Nidious asked and suspiciously raised one of his bushy eyebrows.

  “Yes, and that’s how he said he saved my life from a Soso death arrow. Towbar said he had to use magic and he put his blood inside me, so he thinks I might have some magic abilities myself,” he replied and hoped he didn’t violate a trust between them. But Nidious wanted to know every detail and Towbar said to keep nothing from the old man. “He used magic when he did Mind Talk so I could communicate with my wife in my world.”

  “This is a surprise,” Nidious said and softly peered into Mykal’s eyes to detect any hint of untruth. Nidious raked his chin with his pointy fingernails as he studied the alien.

  “Look,” Mykal quickly rose to his feet and lifted his shirt exposing the horrible scar across his belly. “Towbar had to cut me open to get the burning poison out. He did some other things I don’t fully recall, but he also cut his wrist and poured his blood in me. This was about two weeks ago and he said the reason why it’s healed so well is because his blood is in me and I now have some magic abilities. I don’t know about that but I have noticed my hearing and my eyesight are different. And I don’t have any other way to explain the quick healing. I wish he was here because he would tell you what I just said is true. But when he did the Mind Talk and allowed me to communicate with my wife through our minds,” he snapped his fingers. “That had to be magic. Wherever my world is in relation to this one, he was able to cross borders with our thoughts.”

  “Towbar did all this for you?”

  “Yes. We’re close friends. I helped him and now he wants to help us get back to where we came from.”

  “Towbar is a good judge of character. Since he is willing to put all this trust in you I will do my best to help you,” he paused. “However, if I should find out that you are not who you say you are, or that you are not from where you have declared, I shall make the rest of your days most painfully agonizing. I will see to it that you die a slow painful death.”

  “Whoa, whadda ya mean by that?” Mykal asked nervously.

  “If you are a spy for Zizmon-Tarl I will crush you before you have a chance to report back to--”

  “Hold it, hold it. I’m not a spy,” he sighed with relief. “I’m just me, a guy from the good ol’ U. S. of A. I don’t know anything about this Ziggy Stardust guy,” he said to be funny. “I only know what Towbar told me about him.”

  “Now that we have that out of the way I think I may be able to help you. I can give you information that may help you get back to your world.”

  “You can?” He beamed. “That’s great. Whadda we do?”

  “To begin with, let me tell you what I know. The green fog you spoke of, I know what it is. It is the carriage, if you will, that brought you here from your world. When I was much younger, a very long time ago,” Nidious said and a smile formed as he reminisced. A twinkle sparkled in his ice blue eyes. “I studied with a man who taught me most everything I know about magic. The man’s name is of no importance so I will not mention it. This friend worked directly under the man or being, we refer to as Zizmon-Tarl. Yes, thee Zizmon-Tarl,” Nidious paused while he nodded. He eyed Mykal’s shocked surprised expression.

  “I thought this Zizmon-Tarl, this Overlord being, was just a fictional character made up by some people.”

  “Oh no,” Nidious closed his eyes and held up his boney hand. “He, or It, is real. Zizmon-Tarl is very real, and very much alive. I am glad that Towbar told you of our concern for Zizmon-Tarl and his desire to rule the entire world. When I lived on the other side of the world, I never personally laid eyes on Zizmon-Tarl. The man who mentored me, worked directly under Zizmon-Tarl. I was a studious disciple if you will.

  “My mentor regularly told me what a wonderful man and caring person Zizmon-Tarl was. Then something happened. Whether it was related to magic or related to the gods or whether it was related to the strange creatures from that part of the world I do not know. What I do know is something took control of Zizmon-Tarl’s mind and he changed. Suddenly his quest was to take over his country. Then he wanted the surrounding countries. His power and his army grew rapidly. Many fled in terror for their lives. Eventually, my family and I fled as well. Then whatever Zizmon-Tarl became, he wanted to control all magic. Some say he is no longer human. I do not know for sure.

  “Back to your green fog,” Nidious said. “Reminiscing has caused me to drift off the subject. My mentor-friend worked on a special project and he brought me in to help. It was to be a tool, a method, of moving objects from one place to another without the delay of normal travel time.”

  “A transportation device,” Mykal said.

  “Yes. A transportation device. In the beginning,” Nidious continued. “Zizmon-Tarl wanted the device to transport food and goods to places where there were needs. After I fled I learned the transportation device would actually be used to move armies and soldiers to various places. The end goal to transport armies across the vast lands and oceans, to send assassination teams into palaces to eliminate kings and other officials. In the beginning, we actually had the device working on a small scale. And yes, it was a green cloud. Or a green fog as you called it.”

  “But how did it get caught up in my world?”

  “Understand the intention of the device. It was to be a door into another location. The workings were to occur by entering and exiting where one desired. It seems apparent to me Zizmon-Tarl tried to use this device to bring soldiers to this part of the world. However,” he raised his hand before Mykal could interrupt his thought. “It was never supposed to operate randomly. Something went wrong. I can not answer why it reached into your world. As a weapon it could be devastating in the wrong hands. It is in the wrong hands now. My mentor who said Zizmon-Tarl was a great man and great leader later changed his opinion of Zizmon-Tarl to a lunatic who was stark raving mad.”

  “What made him change?”

  “I do not know. The fact remains, he did change. My mentor friend began to fear for the safety of his family. What my friend did not recognize at that time was Zizmon-Tarl began to hate my friend despite all the work, and all the devotion to his pet project. My friend discovered the secret to the transporting device. When he became fearful of Zizmon-Tarl having such power, my friend had to carry on a charade that he did not perfect the device, though he did perfect the device. He kept the secret away from Zizmon-Tarl,” the old man paused, his thoughts seemed to drift.

  “What happened then?”

  Nidious looked into Mykal’s eyes. A strange twinkle in the old man’s smiling eyes appeared. “My friend had a son and a pregnant wife. His son disappeared. He feared Zizmon-Tarl took the child for ransom. He feared his pregnant wife would be next. He urged me to take his wife out of the country while he tried to find his missing child. He gave me gold to carry her across the oceans. Magic users and others on Zizmon-Tarl’s enemies list were murd
ered in public. Some were beheaded or sawn in half before their families. Some were drawn and quartered by the use of mighty steeds. Some were impaled and others burned at the stake. To deter magic use, the list of sufferings is long and horrid.”

  “That’s messed up,” Mykal replied.

  “While riding a ship across the ocean, my friend’s wife died giving birth to a boy. I named the boy Towbar after my friend’s brother per his request. I took Towbar as my own son so he would not be left alone. He is the only connection to the old world that I have. I taught him everything I know. We grew to be great friends. I consider our relationship to be greater than that of a father and son relationship.”

  “So Towbar was born a giant?” Mykal’s interest suddenly stirred again. The origin of Towbar finally revealed.

  The old man gave a chuckle and shook his head. “No. One day while the curious boy played and experimented with some magic powders I developed in my workshop, there was an explosion and the youngster became the giant you know today. I have never been able to repeat that combination. The boy could not remember what he did to create the chemical, magical, spiritual, physical reaction he caused. He is living proof he did something no other could do. He has not changed, other than grow older and wiser.”

  “Wow, that’s unbelievable. So Towbar used magic to make himself the person that he is today?”

  “Yes and no. He has magic in his blood. He is a several generation magic user from the old world. What he did to change his size and his strength was released by use of his magic abilities. He has done things over the years that I have not been able to duplicate,” Nidious said with pride. “And there are things I have mastered that he has not achieved as of yet. We work well to help each other to grow in the secrets of magic.”

  “Is there a way to make the green fog appear through magic or any other means?” Mykal asked.

  “There may be a way.” the old man nodded. “It will take some work and some time. My mentor friend once told me he could make the device as large or as small as he needed. It would seem Zizmon-Tarl or whoever used the device could not control it. It appeared randomly between two worlds and from your description, the size grew extremely large. From your account of what has happened to you since you have been here, it would seem the device is operating randomly. What you spoke of concerning your hand turning green tells me your flesh is responding to the presence of the green fog, the device. Had you not put your hand into the green fog on your initial travel you would never have had the warning, the notification, in your body signifying it is near and active.”

  “Wait a minute,” Mykal paused him. “Let me make sure I understand you. Are you saying during the initial transporting if you stick your flesh into the green cloud it will stay with you and work like an alarm for whenever the device, the green fog, is near?”

  “Yes. The very first time my friend, Towbar’s father, went into the green fog, he entered it half dressed. He was not sure what would happen to his clothing, so he removed all save his trousers and boots. Whenever the device was activated afterward his entire upper body turned green and he would tremble in the same manner that you described as the reaction of your hand. When he entered a second time he removed trousers and boots. It had no effect on him during all the attempts after the initial entrance.”

  “So then you’re saying those couple of times my hand turned green and trembled, it actually meant the green fog was near?” He asked and the old man nodded. “So if we would have found the green fog and gone into it, we could have gone back home?”

  “I think the answer to that question is yes. I do not know with certainty. Since it had appeared randomly in the general area you spoke of, I assume it is stuck between your world and our world. This is all speculation on my part. I’m assuming when it appears, it will allow people to travel back and forth.”

  “Damn, we kinda thought that too,” Mykal sighed. He realized when they were first lost and followed the fog they could have re-entered and probably returned back home. “Do you know how long it will be locked between our two worlds?”

  “I have no way to answer that. It could have been lost forever after the last time you felt the presence of the device. Then again it may be trapped for the next several years,” he added when Mykal’s expression sank.

  “Let me ask you this. All of us who entered into the green fog entered at different times, but only minutes apart. We all ended up so far apart from each other. I mean days apart from each other,” he said because knew Nidious wouldn’t understand what he would mean if he said miles.

  “I do not know. However, with it being locked between the two worlds it may have various exit points. I really do not know. I will think about that question and try to answer it later.”

  “Do you think you may be able to re-create it?”

  “I will try,” the man replied with a friendly caring smile that was much different from when he first met the old wizard. “I will not say anything to give you a false hope only to have you disappointed at a later time.”

  “Thanks,” Mykal frowned. “So you think I should just hope it appears and I feel the presence of it with my green hand.”

  “I will do all that I can. I will work hard. Another thing to know about the device,” he paused as if trying to remember something. “My friend described it as a living being. The green fog is actually a living organism and when it is attacked it transports the attacker. An attack is considered when someone violates the green fog area. So if a person walks into the green fog, the fog considers that as an attack and the person is removed as a form of self-protection. If you stand outside the green fog and cast a stone into the fog the stone would then be removed.

  “My limited understanding of the green fog is if you are standing still and the cloud rolls over you nothing will happen. However, as soon as you make a movement that would constitute an attack, thus you would be transported. There are more rules that do not come to my mind at this time. It has been such a long time since this has been discussed or even thought of. I will dwell on the subject and write down any remembrances that return to mind.”

  “That would explain why telephone poles and stop signs didn’t get transported,” Mykal said and saw by the strange look that Nidious didn’t understand. “Sir, do you have any idea why this would be happening now?”

  “In the very beginning, the very origins of this device started when my mentor discovered a certain magic stone. I do not know if the magic stone was the size of a man’s hand or the size of a house. My mentor said there was a magic stone and he was able to make the green cloud appear and so on. Keep in mind this is just my opinion and some would label me as a crazy old man, however, I believe my friend was killed because of the device. I think Zizmon-Tarl or others under Zizmon-Tarl are in possession of the magic stone and have somehow discovered the magic properties. I do not believe they have mastered it and that is why our worlds crossed paths. I think it was entirely by chance. What we must take note of, if Zizmon-Tarl masters the use of the magic stone and the green cloud, it will only be a matter of time before our entire world will fall under Zizmon-Tarl’s rule. Since the device is being used, that tells me there is a push to take over the world on a much grander scale. We have always known the Sosos were evil people bent on our destruction. It seems as if they are being pushed harder than previously. It would stand to reason the Sosos are pawns in the hands of Zizmon-Tarl.”

  “Do you know anything else about the green fog that might be able to help me?”

  “I seem to remember my friend saying the green cloud will stay locked into one area for a certain length of time. I do not know what will activate it or when it will disappear forever. The one thing I would advise you of, watch for the green fog to appear since you have a permanent detection system in your hand. If your hand turns green try to find the green cloud as quickly as possible. You will not know if that is your last opportunity to enter it. In the meantime, I will work and try to create something that may activa
te the green fog, as you call it.”

  “Do you know if it will take me back to my world? Will it take us back to where we were transported from?”

  “I can not answer that with any certainty,” Nidious said with a clap of his hands and a shrug of his boney shoulders. “That would have to be a gamble on your part. It may take you back to where you came from, or it may transport you to another part of this world. Maybe it will take you to some further unknown place. I am sorry. I can not give you a good answer.”

  “Well that’s kinda scary.”

  “Make yourself comfortable,” Nidious offered. “I have some new ideas swimming wildly in my mind as we have been speaking. Towbar will come back for you and I will explain to him things he should know. I will work right now, and you take some time to rest, because you will have a long journey back to the Pass.”

  Within moments of relaxing Mykal had fallen asleep. He felt as if he had just dozed off when Nidious woke him. He had actually been sleeping for a couple of hours. “Yeah, is it time to leave?”

  “No, not yet.” The smile of Nidious belied his usual cantankerous disposition. “I have something to give you that you must give to Towbar. You must listen to what I have to say. I have been called away on urgent business for the King. Someone has tried to assassinate him and I must respond quickly. I want you to give this to Towbar,” he explained as he held out a leather pouch. “This is very important that Towbar receives this. It may help to get you back home. I want you to explain to Towbar that if he is not here when I return, I will make haste to the Pass after I complete my assignment.”

  “Yeah, yeah great,” Mykal gave a sleepy response. “So this may help get me back home?”

  “Yes. Tell Towbar when I arrive at the Pass I will try to activate the green cloud device. I think I may be able to make that happen. It is important that you tell Towbar this,” the old man said. “I will travel to the Pass as soon as my mission is completed here. Good luck to you Mykal, until we meet again.”