The Purple River

by Shane Cogan

  He navigated his way to the final room. Reaching for the door handle, he turned it ever so slightly, while glancing to his left and right. Just as the door opened freely, he arched his head around suddenly. He left the door open. Again a noise. It’s coming from the corner of the room. Slowly, Samarth knelt down and pulled the door ajar in silence. Out fell some books, papers and a small child. Samarth could see its hands covering its small face, with tears flowing down its face. ‘They are here. Leave me here,’ the small boy screamed. Samarth bent down and whispered to the little boy. ‘They are gone, my little friend. What is your name?’ Samarth asked. The small boy looked up at Samarth, rubbed his face some more. Oh my. His face is a mix of dirt, tears and blood. He stopped crying. ‘Vufus,’ he said. ‘Well, little Vufas, let us get you out of here. But I need a big favour from you. Can you do this for me?’ Samarth asked. A small smile appeared on the boy’s face. He was staring at Samarth, as the prince placed his hand on the little boy’s shoulder gently. ‘I need a strong male to help me on an important mission. We need to find the King. Can you do this with me?’ he said. The little boy’s face beamed. ‘But we both need to be quiet. Are you ready to help me?’ said Samarth. Vufas picked himself up from the floor and went closer to the royal brother. Vufas hugged his legs, his forehead punching the prince’s waist.

  Samarth closed his eyes when he reached the small glass case on the wall of the ground floor. Its door came off, as Samarth focused his mind on the numbers to unlock it. Vufus was next to him. But his eyes were open and pointing at the case, as it popped open. He heard a small tone of a beep echoing on the ground floor. Samarth opened his eyes. Looking at the small boy, reached down and picking Vufus up so his face was parallel to a small chamber inside. ‘Reach inside. It’s safe and grab the key that is hanging on a hook,’ Samarth said. The little boy reached in. He moved it ever so slightly in his hand. His used his middle finger to move it around. A light hit the key, as he moved it around. He saw its shiny colour hitting his face, and he smiled back at Samarth. ‘Ok. Now we must go. I want you to keep hold of that key. Put it in your pocket. Safely. Ready?’ said Samarth. Vufus nodded his head slowly side to side, as he looked up at the Prince.

  Samarth and Vufus ran across the palace yard to the large basement door, with the sun beating down on the yard, showing off the nights after effects. The palace system was down and that meant everything. ‘How did you do that with the door?’ the boy asked panting as his little legs tried to keep up with the prince. ‘My mind, little friend. The power is down everywhere and I had no choice,’ he said. Still running but not panting he said: ‘It’s something we Tarracullan’s can do, well, some of us. But since the last great war, we are encouraged not to use it too much for fear of reprisals and conflicts…but,’ he paused and looked at the boy’s confused expression and stopped. ‘Let’s just say, it’s a magic trick,’ he said. Arriving at the large basement door, Samarth started to bang again at the dark section of its mass. It made a small dud sound. Faint on his ear, but it should echo down to below. ‘Now, my little friend, it’s your time for this important mission. The key,’ Samarth said. The boy searched his pockets. ‘His right hand shuffled around in his outer pocket of his ruffled garment. He pulled his hand out and looked in the opposite pocket. Found it,’ he said. ‘I had total confidence in you,’ said Samarth.

  He pushed the key into the lock in the middle of the large door. This should work. It sprung open. They both jumped, through. ‘Why, another door?’ asked Vufus. Samarth put his fingers to his lips while grabbing the key, and proceeded to the next door. Each time, they heard the same noise. Swift. Sharp and smooth. All four doors have opened with ease. Samarth shone his light between each of the doors’ long corridors. They had reached the final and fifth door. He shone the light on the door, its beam a bright white. Then he slowed the beam and moved it closely over the door. ‘Can’t you find the lock?’ asked the little boy. He tried to run his hands all over the door. Where is the gap? I can’t find a hole. It’s not here!! ‘Should we be knocking more loudly,’ he said. ‘Pointless. It’s soundproof. And with the power down, the echo chamber will have been disabled,’ said Samarth. He placed the light on the floor, its stand allowing the beam to fill the entire space they were both occupying. ‘There is no lock. The door can only be opened from the outside by someone who has the secret code. And for this, I need to read my brother’s mind,’ said Samarth. ‘Do it now. Quick,’ said Vufus. ‘I can’t. His mind is being blocked by something. I have not been able to communicate with my brother since I left the forest,’ said Samarth.

  C H A P T E R 26

  Water

  She was hooked on its movement, its texture and its taste. I do not want to move. The white sands sparked with her light touch and changed colour with each retreat. She watched it move and sway. The water and sand are together again. Interchanging and interweaving. It slaps and laps each other, changing direction. It makes noises as it tries to get over its obstacle. The sand is beginning to sink under my weight. Open gaps appear as the water fills it and mixes with the sand. The gaps are brown and deep. I am its prisoner. I love it. Aluum looked on as the dark pools under her arms and legs began to fill up and then retreat back. The sea carried on with its smashing and retreating. Always the same movement. She stretched her arms down to force her body off the water, splashing off the sea’s contents. And again. A larger amount came out this time, but a different colour. Aluum stood up and felt the water and sand run down her body. She moved to a dry path of the sand and sat down. She wrapped her arms around her shaking body. ‘A new feeling,’ she said out aloud. ‘You saved me from that place. Thank you. Now you have cleaned me and brought me here, but to where?’ Aluum was shouting at the sea. With one eye watching the sea, Aluum rested her head on her knees as it carried on with its regular motions.

  Her body shook more, so she began to walk. Then she started running. Aluum ran down the shore’s angled sandy paths. She looked behind to see her footprints fresh on its surface, but quickly eaten up by the sea. She laughed and ran faster. Sideways. Upwards, Downwards. Aluum shook her head and various small dirt patches flew out of her hair. A piece of the tree she had first encountered flew out. She continued to run. Her feet moved faster. My legs are in tune and each arm is moving with each beat of the sea. She rubbed her hands through her hair. Aluum pulled away more items she had seen and felt. Her hands touched the end of her hair as it brushed her shoulders. She continued to run jagged on the sandy surface, laughing aloud and moving her arms around her head. I can hear my chest rock to the rhythm of my breath. She moved her hands over her legs and body and looked at her hands. Water. I remember our first encounter. She rubbed her hands over her skin and watched the droplets absorb into her skin. She rubbed her body some more, over her inner thighs and breasts. She rubbed her face with it. Her nose twitched and she licked her hands. Her eye lids rapidly moving. ‘Ahhhhhh. It’s like my eyes, but a different taste,’ she said.

  Standing, with her arms by her sides, she glanced around at her surroundings and held her breath. The soft sand is white. The water is clear, yet changes colours. The sky is blue. And the sound of the water increases as it reaches the sand. The sand is safe and my body is protected. And I am at ease. ‘No pain,’ she echoed. She opened her eyes and smiled at the sea, sand and sky.

  She watched the sea carefully and its distant movements. It stretches to where I can see no more. Is this part of the planet flat too? She forced her eyes to close and open, to test if she could see beyond the last line. Each time, it remained the same. She walked away from the sea and towards an area with different sand. Her body walked through some clear water ponds. Her exposed feet lapped it up and shook the sand particles from its skin. The water reflection caught sight of her naked body. She stopped to inspect her body. Parting her hair back, just like the wind had done. She held her breasts with her cupped hands. She carefully moved them around. This is a new sensation. Using her fingers on the red dots on her brea
sts, she pinched and released. Pinch and release. She continued to use this method. A slight grown. Again, from within. She continued. Aluum pinched the red dots and held her breasts. The noise she heard inside was in her mouth. She opened her mouth to release its message. A new noise, a new sound, a new sense. She let its loud groan leave her mind, tongue and out of her mouth. Hitting the outside world, her moan was long and her lips formed a small circle to make a pinch longer. Aluum fell to her knees and raised her hand to her face. She smiled from behind her hands.

  I need to find some shelter. She noted the sky had changed colour and the air around her beginning to darken. I know what is coming next. Her mind thought back to the creatures she had seen; the strange creature beside her as she was in the air. Its body covered in something. Yet, it flew through the sky effortlessly, while I just fell. She thought back to the rat and to the other small creatures. ‘All of them had something covering their bodies,’ she said aloud. She thought back to the sand, the water and what it felt like on her body. Different feelings and sense. ‘Hot and cold,’ she whispered, as she thought back to the early conversations she had with the guide. ‘I understand now,’ she said. But no reply came. Aluum walked towards a large green covered area. She arched her neck to look at the trees and bent down to look at the smaller ones. She continued to explore the new area. She looked at her hands. They were beginning to fade like most things around her. She looked up again in the sky and moved towards a new green item. She felt its leaves. Her arm went around one of them. She stopped and pulled it from the tree and held it out in front of her. Laying it on the ground, she felt its texture and then walked on it. Her feet patted its layers. Moving the big green patch to the side, Aluum sat beside it. Stretching around her back, she pulled its middle, hard edge to her front. She moved her hands in different patterns, while joining its soft texture together. Aluum got up from the ground and stood tall. She placed her hands freely to her sides and turned her body around in a spin. The new part of her body, green and soft, floated above her waist as they both spun. Again and again. She marvelled at her new body item. She stopped, smiled and said: ‘I am no longer naked.’

  C H A P T E R 27

  Earworms

  The left leg twitched as its right foot chased the insect off. The body frame moved over onto its side. He curled up and slapped his left hand on his ear. Twice. Three times. A slapping noise as it hit its target. Blood splattered as the insect fell away. Before it hit the ground, drawing its last breath, its eyes smiled as it saw the leftover blood on the male’s ear. Satisfied, the insect hit the ground with a thud. Its life over. Tiuus moved about and shouted out some words. The creatures of the forest did not understand, nor answer back. Its night time chorus of insects merely skipped to the beat of the latest forest tune. Nocturnal beats caught the Manith’s ear, as he awoke from his slumber.

  Tiuus was looking at the blood on his hand. ‘Damn earworms,’ he said as he swung his arms shouting out random words at the forest, the mountain and the creatures that lived there. Only the forest music of the insects replied, stuck on a constant loop. Tiuus scratched his legs, arms, face and his back. He scratched all over. Reaching for his torch, he saw a long trail of micro insects on a full mission. In single file, in line and following orders. They were all over his body. ‘My entire body is covered with insects on a blood mission,’ he shouted out, while standing. He scratched more at his body. Again, a different noise. He looked up and twisted his head. A light, no brighter than his own beam. He walked towards it. Slowly and quietly. The insects remained on his body. Some fell off as he straightened his body frame. Others held on with a tighter grip. Others munched at his vulnerable body parts. The other light stopped and stood still. Tiuus turned his light off and walked in the darkness towards it.

  Hold your breath. His heart beat slowing to the pace of his footsteps. Looking at his arms in the faintly lit sky, he saw no insects on his arms. He reached down towards his leg and brought a hand up to his eyes. Also, no more insects. Odd. He held his breath. I feel a new presence in the forest. He slowed his steps as he neared the still light. Behind him a branch broke. And then another. He swung around, slipped and stumbled, but the tree held his stance. Another crunch. He carefully swung around again, without tumbling. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadow and a voice came close to his ear. A female voice. Again, another noise. He spun around in the opposite direction. Another voice closer to my ear, but nothing there. He continued to spin around, the light encircling him. Two female voices. He jerked his shoulder as one of them slightly brushed his body. Another touched his open leg. Looking down, he saw its hand pulling away. Tiuus screamed. He tried to spin his body around. Their hands grabbing at his body, pulling at his face. They brought him down. His body covered in hands. He closed his eyes and stopped his fight with his body, his arms and legs in mid-air. He stopped trying to defend his body. Tiuus fell to the ground. On impact, the lights, the pulling and slapping on his body, stopped. Tiuus opened his eyes. Looking around he saw its message. He pulled his body around to view as his breathings slowed. And pulled at his left leg and let out a shout of pain. The leg remained in its place, but at a new angle. Tiuus grabbed at this leg with both hands, but his screams increased.

  He saw a blue light hitting his dark crunched body. A hand touched his face. Tiuus’s eyes followed the hands upwards the light. He looked at its colour. Its light. Its smile. Its face. Its body towered above him. The creature’s flowing garments in the forest breeze. Tiuus was now standing under its eyes. ‘Welcome to the Kingdom of the Naids,’ the female said.

  C H A P T E R 28

  Telepathy

  The little boy was standing beside Samarth. The prince stroked his face as Vufus spoke. Samarth grinned and nodded as he lay out on the wooden bench. He was looking at the clear sky, listening to the little boy. ‘All very interesting questions, my friend. But now we have an extra important mission,’ he said as he glanced back towards the basement area, where he had left all the doors open. Except the final one. The boy nudged him, and it took him a while to reconnect. ‘Yes, yes. I agree,’ Samarth said. Vufus’s face darkened. He scratched the base of his head freely, with nothing caught in-between his fingers. ‘But I don’t think that your brother is a fool…’ Samarth quickly cut him off, as he re-thought his last few words to the little boy. ‘I need to close my eyes, as discussed here on this bench, and connect with my brother. But your job is to stand guard. But silence, ok?’ Vufus responded by folding his arms around his body. ‘Ah. I see the Atisian high command is still alive with the young generation,’ Samarth said. Vufus’s face turned bright red as he held that position and then returned to normal. He stood up, eyeing the prince. Samarth was smiling and laughing. ‘What was that?’ he asked laughing. His ears moved as each laugh became quicker. ‘The royal salute or something,’ said the little boy. ‘The royal, what....ah that. Well, that was made history after the last war. But we will talk about that another time. Now I must induce my body to focus and create a line of communication…,’ but he was interrupted by Vufus: ‘Is it the lucid dreamscape? So you may contact your brother and get the codes,’ he said. ‘Smart boy,’ said Samarth. But the little boy was already walking away from the prince and taking up his new role. He smiled back at him. ‘As you wish, prince. Please proceed. I’m the new head of security for the palace,’ the boy said. Samarth smiley broadly and closed his eyes.

  Vufus kept one eye on the prince. He noted that Samarth’s entire face was still. Nothing moved. Nor did his body. And then his eye movement began to increase. His head twitched first and then his eyes. Samarth could see the last large door. A light shone on the locks. He projected his body through the door and beyond. His eyes focused as he shadowed his way through the final tunnel and into a large open area. He saw people lying on the ground. Others talking, writing notes. Others deep in solitude. But no one can see me. I need to make physical contact with my brother. He motioned his presence forward, as he saw his brother. There
was no one else around him. He brushed his brother’s right ear. Fareth briefly smiled. Samarth stood over his brother as he looked around. Still, no one was focused on me, or my brother. ‘Fareth. It is but me. I need the codes for the final door to rescue you,’ he said. No reply. His brother’s smile was gone. ‘She is here. She is coming. She is here. She is coming,’ repeated Fareth. ‘Who is coming?’ Samarth asked. ‘The mountain woman and her army. They are coming for our planet,’ said Fareth. Samarth made four taps on his left palm, as droplets of water fell on his brother’s face. Fareth opened his eyes and connected with the spirit hovering over him. ‘It’s me, Samarth. I had to remove you from your dreamscape. There was another presence here. We need to move fast. I need the final door codes. Now,’ said Samarth. Fareth pulled his body up. I hear your words. The door to their large underground chamber sprung open and two figures, a large male and a small boy, ran through them. Fareth looked around from his bench and beamed.

  ‘I told you there was something wrong. And I warned you that a dark presence was around the planet.’ ‘Indeed you did, brother.’ Fareth was looking closely at Samarth. Both their lips and mouths were moving now as they talked freely to each other. They both looked down on the courtyard below. The palace staff members were busy re-arranging and taking broken items away. Their faces looked solemn and most were deep in thought. Some glanced up at where the two royal brothers were standing above and then glanced back at whoever was close by. Samarth noted their stares. ‘They are scared, my brother. We are under attack. At, dare I say, what they used to call war in the old days…,’ but Samarth was interrupted by Fareth. ‘I will have no talk of such a primitive term, such as war. We have not used one bullet. Nor fired a gun, or had any kind of conflict or bloodshed since…,’ Fareth lowered his head and paused. ‘Since…our parents died during that last war, the Long Mercury Wars,’ Fareth said. Samarth looked away when he heard his brother’s words. He thought back to when he was a young boy and the stories his father told him of that time. ‘I shiver at its memory. The bloodbath in which millions of Atisians perished, unnecessary. It is but a distant memory, and only recorded in the great library. Wars were conducted in the pursuit of greed, savagery and controlling the old way of thinking. The old way of life and Atis. And for what?’ he said. Fareth gave his brother a look of confusion. ‘What do you mean, for what?’ Fareth asked.