“All well and good,” M1 said, “but this means we’ll have to spend the night here. I don’t want to walk those rails in the dark.”
Bob was smiling at this. “This is the season when Andoona looks down on us at night. She is very bright.”
Now we knew Andoona was a woman.
“I don’t know, Bob,” M1 said. “We have seen Andoona for several nights and I doubt that the light will help much here.”
“It does penetrate some,” Bob said, “but there is also a moss everywhere that glows a bright blue after dark.”
“That’s great,” M1 said, “but our transports need sleep, so we’re stuck.”
“Not so,” YDRII said. “I have monitored their habits. They can sleep continuously or in bits and pieces. In fact, the morses who are not licking the young one right now are taking what you refer to as a ‘catnap’. They are fully capable of carrying us through the night.”
“Can we start the climb now?” Amy asked.
Bob raised a hand. “I will be happy to show you the wonders up there.”
“But aren’t you about to resume your journey?” Alice asked.
“I have no schedule and perhaps this climb is just another branch of the great trail—who is to know.”
Shan joined us and we marched back to the thousand-foot stairway to the world above.
“We will be climbing in a groove,” Bob said, “and the chance of falling is remote.”
Alice warned M2 not to comment on anyone’s rear end, but he did anyway. Perhaps it was accidental, but Amy just happened to place herself in front of M1. It wasn’t too bad a climb because the angle of ascent was such that we could lean forward a little and climb using our arms as well as our legs.
I was still feeling good when after, about five minutes, M1 wisely called for a short break. Alice cautioned the girls not to drink any water until we reached the top. “Imagine the indignity,” she said, “of having to pee over the side in front of your friends.”
In all we had three breaks before we encountered the jagged stubs of large limbs, torn off as the forest titan fell. Looking up, we could see the great ragged gash made by our giant. Climbing became more difficult, but also safer.
Bob called back to us. “The lower sets of limbs are earlier growths that died off, but remained intact to collect the fallen limbs of the top canopy. This results in a solid layer of dead wood and debris well below the top canopy.”
The last several feet of our climb was through a tangle of smaller branches, but at last we crawled out on a spongy, but more or less solid surface.
CHAPTER 30
Here was another wonderland—another forest floor, but one about eight hundred feet in the air. The brown, solid mat of dead material was continuous and quite smooth for as far as we could see. It had contours like the true forest floor far below, but it moved. We could feel it slowly sway with the slight breeze moving through this incredible place.
“There are holes everywhere,” Bob said, “but none of them are deep.”
The treetops were right out of a storybook. Great cascades of willow-like limbs moved elegantly overhead. In the distance, they took on the appearance of blue green curtains. As they swayed in random fashion, here and there they would part to reveal a distant and inviting view. A view somewhat vague, but with just enough detail to allow my imagination to construct a fanciful world of magic and elfin castles just beyond the edge of reality.
A few chance openings above, displayed amazing images of the gas giant. Everywhere, shafts of afternoon sunlight lanced through the misty air, highlighting flocks of dancing insects that looked a lot like butterflies. Echoing calls of more unseen creatures floated through the blue green canyons. It was enough to just stand there and absorb the mesmerizing scene.
Large, air-rooted plants, looking like big shrubs, dotted the pseudo-forest floor. Here and there, a wondrous grand plant spread giant leaves in slight depressions. They all held rainwater to form shallow pools several feet in diameter. We saw plants that looked like iridescent bowling balls hanging suspended a few feet above the floor. They had to be lighter than air because their anchors were no more than a string thin stem, rising from a cluster of leaves. On first sight, Amy named them “tetherballs”.
“If there were Providers up here,” Bob said, without shifting his horizon gaze, “I would remain here to lose myself in these valleys for many days.”
We all were quiet for the next few minutes. My dreamlike state received a jolt when a thick tendril of pure white fog curled around my shoulder. In seconds, we were in the middle of a mass so thick that it limited our view to three or four feet.
“What is happening?” Shan said breathlessly.
“It’s a cloud,” Amy squealed. “We’re in the middle of a passing cloud.”
Ignoring all objects in its path, the cloud moved on. This one had no wispy edges—they were thick and well defined. It reminded me of ink dropped into clear water. We watched the solid white wall drift away, revealing in turn each receding canyon.
“Wow!” M2 exclaimed. “This is twenty degrees below cool.”
“Can we move around a little?” Shan asked M1.
“I think so,” he said. “Drop your packs here. Don’t lose sight of this spot, it’s the only exit.”
The ladies went over a rise for some personal privacy. We boys just admired the scenery while M2 took a slew of pictures. I sat down, using a log as a backrest. It wasn’t long before the others joined me.
Another dreamlike state began to overtake me, but this time it was YDRII who snapped me back. “Five large animals are flying toward us from the east. They seem more curious than aggressive.”
“Heads up ladies,” M1 said, through his ear radio. “Something big is flying this way. Perhaps you should join us.”
Before he finished talking, I saw the girls cresting the rim of the rise, walking at a fast shuffle. Just over their heads in the distance, the five big dark shadows swooped around a curtain of leaves and made a beeline for our location. As they approached, they grew alarmingly large.
“Hit the dirt, girls,” M1 shouted.
He and M2 were on their feet with shotguns poised and ready. The girls meanwhile lay face down with Blue standing over them—his tail arrow straight.
We watched the show as a squadron of long-necked, white birds, the size of small airplanes, flew up the valley to semi-crash in front of us in an untidy group. They bounced and skidded into each other in a flurry of squawking and flapping. A few of the tetherballs got bounced around, but they recovered nicely. Safely landed, the group rocked back to stand on their platter-sized webbed feet, looked down their duck-like bills at us and said, “Wonk?”
A frozen tableau would best describe the next few moments as we all just looked at the big birds and the big birds looked back at us. Blue ended the stalemate. He trotted delicately up to the closest one that in turn lowered its suitcase-sized head. Blue sniffed then gave the bill a lick, which was the signal to lower the shotguns. The girls then joined us.
“I should have said something sooner,” Bob said, “but I was not sure what they were until I saw them up close. I have no experience reacting with a group.”
“Then you know about this animal?” Alice asked.
“Oh yes. I have never seen one this close because they dwell exclusively in the high canopy of this great forest. This specimen is a tree fruit and insect eater and is known to be passive and very sociable.”
“Can we pet them?” Shan asked.
“Yes, but when you stop they will nudge and pester you to continue.”
“In that case,” M1 said, “I think it best that we have a ‘no touch’ policy.”
While this was going on, some high clouds obscured the sun and a thin rain began to fall. We broke out our ponchos and sat side by side up against the fallen log to wait out the drizzle. One big bird waddled to the right and nested next to the girls. It unfolded its immense left wing, spread it over the poncho dwellers and r
ested the tip on the faux ground to create a private awning just for us.
“Well, here we are,” Alice said. “On the list of things that would be difficult to explain to the Director, this is off the charts.”
“True,” Amy chuckled, “but it’s delightful.”
“I think this place is a paradise,” Alice said.
“Darn,” Amy said, “Paradise is the planet name I’ve been waiting to reveal at the right moment.”
“Then, I guess this is the moment, Amy,” M1 said.
With that, she got to her feet and made it official. We all approved.
“How about you, Moses?” Alice asked. “Are you still all right with these detours?”
Moses considered this for a while before he answered. “At first it was my inclination to examine places quickly and only for information that would further our primary quest. However, more and more I am enjoying these wonderful sights and adventures. Mary has been dormant for thousands of years so a few more days or weeks should not matter. If something occurred and she did not survive, again, a minor delay will not matter. Finally, although unlikely, it is possible that even in this place we will learn something that will help us in our search so we must relax. Later, I would appreciate a glass of Harry’s alcohol and one of the Shenandoah cigars.”
“Well put,” M1 said, “and if this rain keeps up, we’ll be spending the night here. I don’t like the thought of climbing down that tree trunk when it’s wet.”
It was most enjoyable to sit there, listening to the rain and looking out on an even more mysterious and magical landscape where there was in reality, no land.
Alice looked at me. “This is shaping up to be a most interesting evening. I wonder who is more curious, these—whatever they are, or us?”
“This is great,” M2 said. “Hands across the stars and all that.”
“All right, Amy,” I said, “time to give these beauties a name—any thoughts?”
“Easy,” she said. “These birds practically name themselves. If you were paying attention, you might have noticed that they are extremely clumsy, okay. Now, add that observation to the fact that they look like a cross between a duck and a stork—agreed?” We all nodded yes. “So combine clumsy with duck and stork and you get ‘dork’. What we have here is a flock of Great White Dorks.”
We all gave her a round of applause and the dorks joined in with a solid series of wonks.
“I wonder,” Amy said, “if one of these could give me a ride on its back?”
“There is a problem or two,” Bob said. “They are extremely light and would not have the strength to support such a load. I might add that, having seen it land, would you want to be on its back during that event?”
“No way,” Amy said, “but it sure would be fun.”
I saw Amy surreptitiously poke Alice’s leg. When Ms. Dance turned to look at her, she pointed to the rise where they had gone for some personal privacy.
“Oh, wow,” Alice said, “I forgot—too much excitement.” She stood up. “C’mon you all, we girls need to show you what we found just over that rise.”
We dutifully got to our feet, expecting perhaps a different view or maybe a new plant, but when we topped the rise, what we got was a shock. Laying on the irregular surface was the skeletal, shattered remains of an aircraft. It was not modern metal. A few remnants of fabric covering hung forlornly from the badly weathered wooden ribs, spars and stringers. This wreck was just one large wing. I saw no fuselage or other debris. The middle of the ruin consisted of a rudimentary cockpit, a rusted fuel tank and a thing that looked like a stovepipe. Those of us who first explored the Hollow Mountain knew right away that we were looking at what was left of a Horten Flying Wing. This was a stain on Paradise.
“That stove pipe,” M2 said, “looks similar to the pulse jet engine of a World War II buzz bomb. Whoever flew this was lucky to get it off the ground—maybe I should say unlucky to have lifted off. This whole thing is crude, almost beyond belief.”
No one else said anything. If anyone were to question Moses about this, Alice and the boys should do it. M2 took some photos, then we returned to the waiting dorks. The rain had slacked off as we resumed our seats under the living awning.
Shortly after, the late afternoon sun called attention to itself by backlighting several million long, narrow leaves. It also created intensely sparkling jewels from the raindrops still clinging from the leaf tips. Here and there a drop would break loose and plunge like a burning meteorite to strike the matt that was the floor of this forest. If a drop landed in a pool of water, it created a rainbow of light, rippling and sparkling like a chest of jewels. If it hit a tetherball, the drop would explode and the ball would drop down then up like a balloon on a string. Harry distributed a ration of grog, passed around the cigars and we settled in to enjoy the circumstances.
“I’m thinking,” M1 said, in a contemplative manner, “of our first adventure as a team. We were tracking Carl Manheim and the ground penetrating radar unit. Unknowingly, we were also following fragments of an older trail that led us to the true secret path—where we are now. It’s curious how coincidence can alter the future.”
About halfway through M1’s statement I caught on to what he was doing. We couldn’t talk about Nazis, but we could talk around the subject if we were all on the same page.
“Me,” M2 said, “I’m not much of a believer in coincidence. There’s usually more to one than meets the eye.”
“Yeah,” Alice said, “it’s like a second lightning strike in the same spot. Some call it a coincidence, but don’t tell that to the folks who work in the Empire State Building.”
“Yeah,” Harry said. “it’s vigilance, not coincidence that puts lightning rods on a farmer’s barn.”
I just turned one thumb up. We were all on the same page.
“We should go down now,” M1 said. “The rain may start again.”
The trip to the ground did prove to be very tiring and a lot scarier because we had no choice, but to look ahead and down. We went slowly, took four breaks and stepped onto solid ground at about sundown.
The circle of morses was as we had left it. Shan climbed up and reported that the little morse’s bumps looked ready to burst. After some discussion, Alice, the two M’s and Moses decided to return to the road of rails and ride through the night. As this was going on, I looked at Bob and thought, Oh, oh, another job applicant. Of course, my companions noticed his behavior and I saw Alice exchange knowing looks between herself and the two M’s who shrugged and pointed at her for a decision.
She turned to Bob. “Your backpack tells me that perhaps you would like to go with us.”
He nodded. “Yes I would, very much. You travel to places unknown to me.”
“But I thought you preferred to travel alone.”
“True,” he said, “but you are traveling to new places beyond this forest. More important is the realization that I enjoy being among you. This is a new experience for me. Somehow, the anticipation of this new trail is as strong as when I am alone. I have no claim on you, but I do not want to remain behind.”
“We may be facing significant danger,” Alice said.
“We just did, climbing that tree trunk,” he replied.
With no hesitation, Alice called for a vote. “All in favor of Bob joining us say, ‘Paramus, New Jersey’.”
Once again, the Dance Band had a new member.
I said to Moses, “Will you give Bob some of Amy’s memories and some English?”
“Yes, I will,” he replied. “I will do it when he sleeps, but I will explain the process to him first and I will give him the pill. It won’t change his looks very much, but he will get the extra thirty years.”
“Say, Moses,” Harry said, with a grin, “can you leave out her slang and some of her darker thoughts?”
This got our pilot another arm punch. We also decided that Amy and Shan would take charge of Bob’s education since those two had just completed Shan’s course.
Our progress was steady. After the first hour, I began to get sleepy. I looked around, saw that both Amy and Shan had flopped forward on their mounts and were sound asleep. Each morse had altered her back to create ridges on either side to keep their humans from falling. I thought a nap was a good idea. I checked with M1 to see if a snooze was okay.
“Sure,” he said, “Moses told me that YDRII and the house computer are on constant watch. The house computer is avidly interested in everything and is learning fast.”
The soft clip-clop of morse hooves was the only sound that accompanied our movement through the blue, misty twilight. It was a sleep inducing rhythm that affected all of us. I lay forward and felt Donna’s hide begin its transformation. My right ear was pressed solidly against the fabulous fur. This was great.
Gradually I became aware of a faint, deep rumbling. At first I thought it might be some body function of my mount, but my subconscious knew better. My eyes sprung open as sleep fled. I knew a train was coming.
“Heads up everyone,” I called out. “Traffic headed our way.”
The empty track ran arrow straight to the south, but in the distance there was a slight curve blocking our view. I determined the train was there, beyond the bend, out of sight, but heading straight for us. The rumble increased and to it came the cannon shot exhaust of an engine working hard.
At first I felt excitement, but in seconds I experienced the thrill of terror. An unseen mighty beast was thundering down on me. I felt helpless against this unstoppable force. A violent storm was descending on us. A storm I could not see, driven by an unknown enemy. Like in combat, anger flashed through me along with frustration. I wanted to attack the driver of the train., but I saw no way to do anything.
LOST AND FORGOTTEN: Book 2 The Secret Path Page 21