Eternity

by M.E. Timmons

  Chapter 17

  Classes started up again early in January. I wasn't too upset by that. I actually kind of missed some of my classes over the break, since they were pretty interesting. Ms. Coleman, as usual, did not disappoint on our first day back.

  "Today I'd like to discuss some important places with you. Has anyone here ever been to Asantis or Nevali?"

  A small dark girl in the back of the classroom raised her hand, but she was the only one.

  "I'm surprised," Ms. Coleman said. "Most people have never been to either, except the people who live there. Perhaps you'd like to describe your experience, Ms. Ali?"

  The girl stood up and looked around shyly. She cleared her throat quietly before starting to speak. "I went to Nevali with my mother when I was fourteen. She had been born there, but she moved when she was little, and she wanted to take me there to see it. We had to journey across the desert on camels for two days to get there, but it was worth it. It was the most amazing city I'd ever seen. It looks like a mountain from a distance, but when you get closer you see that it's really a bunch of buildings on many levels, like the tiers of a cake. The palace is at the very top, but few people go there. I've never seen a city so full of happy people before. The streets were always filled with music and dancing."

  "That does sound quite a bit like what I've read of the place. Thank you for sharing," Ms. Coleman said. "Nevali and Asantis are the sanctuaries of the gods. Only those who are lucky can even find them, since they are both well hidden from the world. If they were not, I'm sure they would be the most popular destinations in the world.

  "Nevali was created four thousand years ago by Amun. It is said to be located somewhere in the Saharan desert, but there's no way to prove that scientifically because of the magic that protects it. It's a tiered city, as Ms. Ali said, and it's occupied by a few hundred people who are very well taken care of. I doubt that there is a more serene place to live than in the city of a god.

  "Asantis is Isadora's sanctuary, and it's designed a bit differently than Nevali. It isn't a city, but an island. It is said to be located somewhere in the South Pacific, but it's also well protected. There's a castle on one part of the island, and three different cities on the other part. Their names are Luma, Terra, and Morta. All three cities are said to be quite small, but very beautiful. Some say that Luma is the most spiritual place on Earth, since there is a temple there in which one can communicate with their own soul. Morta also holds special significance because it is the only place on the planet where people can communicate with the dead, since they do not walk the earth, as some people think. I believe Terra is a farming community that supplies food to the other cities. I know little about the castle, but I've read that it's quite large and almost like a maze because there are so many rooms, some of which hold special significance.

  "Both of these places were created by the gods, so they're both very special. They are not, however, the only places that they have created. I should explain something before I tell you about the next place.

  "The gods have unlimited power, so they can do anything they wish. Even though they have so much power, they don't like to interfere too much with the world and its people. When they were quite young, they developed three main rules related to what they should never do. The rules were that they would not kill, turn back time, or bring anyone back from the dead. I can't say these rules have never been broken, but they were all made with good reason.

  "The gods wanted to protect the world from bad people, but because of the rules and their own moral standards, they refused to kill any of them. Instead, Amun created a place to keep prisoners who were a danger to other people. No one is sure where it is exactly, but it's inside of a mountain. The world's worst people are kept there, but it isn't a big place, so there are still many bad people who are free or in other prisons. Not much is known of the place except what was in Amun's own writings, since no one who has gone in there has ever come out, except the gods themselves.

  "The next place I would like to tell you about is somewhere I've actually been. It's a temple located somewhere in the middle of a forest in France. There's an old woman who lives in a cottage at the edge of the forest, and she leads people to the temple. I'm not sure which of the gods created it, or if they made it together, but it's an interesting place. It's in classical Greek style, surrounded by pillars. It isn't very tall, and it's rectangular. When you go in through the door the first things you see are the statues, which are in the middle of the room. They are life-sized statues of the gods, made of white marble. The walls are covered with writing, but in a language that no one knows, so no one knows what it says. When I was there the floor around the statues was covered in flowers, lain by people coming to ask for help. It is said that almost any wish will be granted if you make it standing in the temple. Indeed, when I asked, my own wish was granted."

  Heather raised her hand. "If you've seen the statue of Isadora, does that mean you know what she looks like?" she asked.

  Ms. Coleman chuckled. "I'm afraid not," she said. "Her statue wears a veil, so all you can see is her forehead and a faint outline of her nose and lips. It isn't nearly enough to be able to recognize her, though I'm sure she's very beautiful. She doesn't live out in the open as Amun does in his own way, so I don't think she wants to be recognized."

  "Oh," Heather said, clearly disappointed.

  Ms. Coleman continued to talk about the places for the rest of the class, and I listened closely with interest. I had a hard time imagining cities built by gods, but they sounded like magnificent places. There was also something about what she said that weighed heavily on my mind.

  When class ended most people left immediately to get to their next classes on time, but I lingered at my desk until everyone else had gone, telling Heather I would catch up to her. Ms. Coleman looked surprised when she realized that I was still there.

  "Can I help you with something, Juliet?" she asked.

  "I hope you can," I replied. I walked up to her desk and lifted the chain from around my neck. I set the keys in front of her on her desk, and she gasped when she saw them. She reached out reverently to touch them. She gently took them in her hand and stroked the smooth black key with her thumb.

  "Where did you get these?" she asked.

  "They were given to me on Christmas," I explained. "The note that came with them didn't have the sender's name on it. Do you think that these keys have something to do with the three cities of Asantis?"

  "Undoubtedly. I've heard of these keys. Isadora kept them with her. They unlock the doors between the underground passages of the castle and the three cities. I didn't think I'd ever actually get to see them. This is the closest I've ever been to anything of hers."

  "You really think I'm her, don't you," I commented.

  Ms. Coleman looked surprised again. "How did you know about that?"

  "It doesn't matter. I don't think it's true anyway."

  "I don't expect you to believe it. You wouldn't have made it so easy for yourself. I do wonder who gave you these keys. Perhaps you left them in someone else's safekeeping, and that person realized that you were beginning to question yourself so they gave them back to you. It could have been Amun himself."

  I shook my head and gathered my keys to put them safely around my neck. "It's just a theory," I said. I hurried off to my next class before she could argue with me.