by Aiden James
“Again, she seemed barely able to contain her excitement, and her hair and gown turned translucent in the sunlight. But it was no longer possible for me to know for sure whether my eyes played tricks on me, or whether that fact was even important.
“‘There’s an amusement center just ahead,’ she said. ‘Our arcades are really unique, and I think you might enjoy what we have here. Would you like to see if there’s anything you might want to try your hand at?’
“Who wouldn’t? I imagined every kid on the planet would love to trade places with me right then if they could, just for the village’s uniqueness alone.
“‘Sure, that sounds great!’
“She led me off the road to our right, and we soon stood in front of the wildest arcade I’ve ever seen. The building gaudy in some ways and at the same time incredibly cool, it looked like it belonged to Universal Studios in Orlando, or some place like that. Layer upon layers of twinkling jewels crowded the outside walls in chaotic designs. The walls looked like they were made of purple marble trimmed in gold, with hideous holographic monsters depicted in violent battle scenes upon each wall. The place stuck out like a sore thumb amongst its more elegant neighbors.
“Then I noticed something in the middle of the wall, just above the main entrance. No way…. No fucking way…. A giant ring with an even bigger ruby on top of it. The garish decoration looked an awful lot like the strawberry sucker I’d pulled from my pocket yesterday while swinging from the tire-swing. It wasn’t half-melted like that sucker and at least a thousand times bigger. But still….
““I recall how I just stood there, in disbelief. Genovene nudged me again, and even more euphoria surged through me. By the time we stepped through the game hall’s entrance the sucker no longer seemed important, and soon after vanished from my thoughts until later on.
“A pair of tall golden pillars framed the entrance, and the place was huge inside—much bigger than it looked from outside. My gaze wandered from wall to wall, taking in the multitude of games and other amusements beneath a burgundy ceiling that featured more monstrous images in holographic form. Only these images were so lucent they seemed real. The green and ivory walls of the enormous room were covered with similar effects.
“Only a few villagers were there in the arcade, since most everyone else had chased after Malacai. Their excited laughter echoed against the lofty walls and ceiling, making it seem like a lot more were present.
“Some games were familiar, such as a long row of pin-ball machines standing against the wall nearest to the main entrance. Most other games were completely foreign to me. As Genovene and I stepped into the immense hall, everyone turned their heads to acknowledge her presence, though briefly. The allure of whatever game or amusement they played soon recaptured their full attention.
“Near the center of the room, we came upon a lovely female flanked by two muscular males. The three villagers gathered around a mahogany game table featuring a horde of interlaced serpents carved on its four legs and along its sides. The table circular, it resembled a pool table, with mesh pockets around its circumference and red velvet covering its top. That was the game’s only similarity to anything I’d ever seen. On top of the table, five vipers with intricate purple, red, and black patterns covering their slender bodies hissed and thrashed about.
“Genovene told me they wouldn’t mind us watching their contest, and led me to the vacant side of the table. Both guys held a loose bundle of white billiard balls in one hand, and a single white ball in the other. They leaned over the table, where the snakes snapped their jaws a mere foot away.
“The girl standing between them threw a glistening sapphire ball, slightly larger than the marbles, into the vipers’ midst. All five converged on it. After a brief struggle, the smallest and quickest snake captured and swallowed the ball. No sooner than it finished, the largest viper devoured it. The other three snakes immediately retreated to the sides of the table.
“At that point, the two guys crouched just above the table’s surface, each placing their marble between their thumb and forefinger. The sapphire ball flew out of the largest snake’s mouth, ricocheting against the table’s sidewalls and the vulnerable bodies of the vipers on the table. The dudes carefully aimed and flicked their white balls onto the table. One of them slammed into the careening sapphire and sent it into a mesh side-pocket.
“The guy closest to me started celebrating, thrusting his hands in the air. The other one got really pissed off, slapping his palm down hard on the table in frustration. I think the girl could’ve cared less either way.
“‘This game is called ‘Torens’, and you probably guessed the objective,’ Genovene explained. ‘Rumus won this match, but Mina’ri has won his fair share of matches too. Phletrea, Rumus’s sister, is keeping score for them. She’s actually better at this particular game than they are.’
“The vipers moved back to the center of the table with the smallest one crawling out of the largest snake’s mouth. A moment later, all five hissed and thrashed again as the dudes prepared for a rematch. Genovene gently tugged my arm, directing my attention to a waterfall in the middle of the air, flowing from an unseen point down into a gold basin secured to the floor.
“The band of water was roughly six feet wide and flowed swift and continuous, crashing to the arcade’s floor from its origin some twenty feet above us. Intrigued far more than the table of snakes or anything else I’d seen so far, I moved over to it and thrust my hand into the rushing water. To my further amazement, my fingers not only got wet, but were pushed down by the water’s force, spraying me.
“‘Careful!’ she teased. ‘I’ll bet you’ve never been to an arcade quite like this one, have you?’
“I nodded, amazed and forced to rethink my earlier assessment of the table of snakes along with several other games I’d seen.
“‘You’ve got to see this game over here in the corner!’ She directed my attention to a large red and black rectangular box standing near the rear wall of the room. ‘It’s called ‘Thunder Knight’ and I think you’ll absolutely love it! Come on!’
“At first glance, ‘Thunder Knight’ looked pretty much like the video games I’d seen at the arcades Lee and I frequented in Demopolis. But once I moved up closer, it was quite different from anything I’d ever seen. No actual video screen. Just a big fancy red and black box with ‘Thunder Knight’ inscribed across the top. Where the screen would normally be found was a large hole flanked on either side by a pair of gold handgrips.
“A brilliant orange glow emanated from a six-inch space between the game and the floor, illuminating the game’s bottom portion. The box’s red and black metallic paints glistened richly in this light. It appeared to float, though logic said something held the box up from underneath. I bent down to look under the game box, but the light was too damned intense to see through it. When I stood back up and peered into the hole, it seemed infinitely deep. Disoriented, I staggered back from the game.
“‘That can’t be possible!’ I whispered.
“The distance from the hole in the box and the floor seemed about four feet, tops. And if the hole continued through the floor of the arcade, then where did the light come from? Confused, I looked over at Genovene, who encouraged me to check under the box again. Shielding my eyes from the light, I got down on my knees and tentatively stuck my hands into the space, feeling the coolness of the room’s marble floor beneath my fingers. There wasn’t a hole of any kind in the floor.
“‘It’s quite different from what you’re used to, eh?’ she confirmed, once I stood up. ‘To play this game, you must lean in as close as you can to the hole and brace yourself with the handles. Then, close your eyes. That’s it!’
“I peered down into the bottomless chasm. Dangerously deep, like if I got too close it might suck me down into its impenetrable darkness. I took a deep breath and placed my hands tightly around the handgrips. Then I closed my eyes.
“Immediately, the sound of wild animals calling t
o one another surrounded me, along with the wind rustling through branches high above. The pungent smell of pine filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes, genuinely surprised to find I really was in a forest. Large fir and cedar trees, along with smaller ferns and shrubs…and the songs of birds and chirping insects were everywhere. Sunlight streamed down in misty rays shaped by the trees’ dense foliage. The game box, Genovene, and the rest of the arcade had disappeared.
“For a moment everything went deathly quiet. Then a sound like thunder approached from the distance to my right, growing steadily louder. Soon, I heard battle cries and the neighing of horses. I ducked for cover behind a thick mulberry bush, getting out of the way just as a medieval cavalry dressed in red and white armor came pouring through the forest, while more horsemen dressed in blue and gray armor pursued them. The second cavalry caught up with the first one, and a bloody battle ensued. Sickened, I watched the bloodbath through the bush’s branches and leaves.
“The blue army prevailed, completely obliterating the red one. The victors walked through the forest amid fallen horses and soldiers, finishing off any surviving red and white clad soldiers still alive. The sound of heavy swords hacking and tearing bodies, along with pleading cries for mercy from the doomed and dying men, nearly caused me to faint.
“The fate of one dying soldier especially disturbed me. He fell just a few feet in front of me on the other side of the bush, mortally wounded. Wheezing from a deep wound in his rib cage, he struggled in vain to stand back up. The soldier raised his sword in a last valiant attempt to fend off another soldier in blue and gray walking stealthily up to him.
“Without saying a word, the advancing soldier closed in. In the blink of an eye his broadsword severed his unfortunate victim’s outstretched arm and hand, along with the top half of the man’s head, armor and all. The arm and attached hand flew through the air, landing less than a foot away from me. Horrified, I looked down at it, the torn muscle tissue still twitching beneath the bloody remnants of the soldier’s glove and chain mail. The victim’s body fell over, landing in the front side of the bush, a stream of gore soon running past my feet as the man’s blood and loosened brain matter poured out.
“I barely stifled a scream. Wanting the hell out of this nightmare, I stood up and ran. I frantically groped through the air for a hidden doorway or some other way of escape. My efforts failed to locate an exit, as every direction I turned led deeper into the forest. But the blue and gray army came after me, shouting at me to stop with their swords drawn high above their heads.
“I tripped over an exposed tree root and tumbled to the ground. When I tried to get back on my feet, I slipped on some loose soil near where I’d fallen, giving my pursuers the opportunity to catch up. Grimacing with unbridled malice they bore down. I thought for certain I’d die, but an enormous knight dressed in red and black armor stepped in between us. After another fierce battle, this knight survived victorious. He whirled around to face me, roaring with a terrible voice. When he suddenly drew back his sword to strike me, I screamed as loud as I could and passed out.
“I awoke lying flat on my back on the floor in front of the game box, shivering in cold sweat and fearing my heart would jump out of my chest.
“‘Are you all right, Jack?’
“Genovene knelt beside me. Her eyes revealed true concern, along with a glint of some amusement.
“‘I’m okay,’ I replied, still trying to clear my head of the gruesome images.
“‘What did you think?’
“‘It was pretty cool,’ I said, not sure how to respond since the game honestly scared the holy hell out of me. ‘For now, I’d just as soon skip anything else in here.’
“‘That’s fine, since we need to leave anyway,’ she said, chuckling again.
“She helped me to my feet. On the way out, I saw a few villagers playing other games similar to ‘Thunder Knight’. They clung tightly to the handgrips with their eyes closed. Just as I’d done earlier, they collapsed on the floor while their bodies convulsed. I couldn’t believe the entire experience lasted only ten to fifteen seconds.
“Back on the golden road, she pointed to a large magnolia just ahead, where the road turned sharply downhill. The incline steep, several hundred feet below us lay a huge sprawling plaza. Two magnificent gardens bordered the plaza on either side. A long marble bridge connected the gardens, its shadow spreading across much of the plaza’s golden floor. Carved serpents peered through more thick vines hanging over the bridge’s side.
“The bustling area brimmed to capacity with people, everyone seemed imbibed with the festive mood I’d witnessed earlier. Just beyond the plaza was another grand staircase much larger than the one Genovene and I climbed earlier. It rose at least a hundred feet to an extended courtyard. The staircase as wide as the plaza, it sat between a pair of gargantuan statue fountains. Depicting a man and woman, the statues were cut from white marble, with a series of matching symbols etched in gold along the edges of their tunics, headbands, and jewelry.
“The male statue carried a gold sword in a sheath attached to its waist, and wore a warrior headdress similar to the Inca and Mayan warlords long ago. These items, along with the female’s headband and waist sash, were further adorned with enormous jewels. Each statue roughly the same height as the staircase, their solemn gazes looked down on the plaza from where they stood, near the middle of the stairs. Matching waterfalls descended fifty feet from their marble pedestals. From where we stood I could hear the water’s crash as it reached twin pools located in the plaza gardens.
“The courtyard about the size of a football field, on its left side sat an imposing step pyramid with a stone table on top of it. A fire burned next to the table, sending smoke-streaked flames high into the air. Covered in gold, the entire pyramid was at least two hundred feet in height.
“The pyramid seemed quite familiar, but at the time I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it before, due to the cookie’s influence. I might’ve figured it out eventually, but where my gaze landed next took care of that.
“I can’t adequately describe the tremendous sense of awe and wonder that overwhelmed me from the massive tower glistening beyond the plaza. As I said before, I’d never seen anything remotely like it, just like most everyone else, I guess. It dwarfed everything. The tower’s base alone stood several stories high, rising up from the courtyard. From the base, though, the golden obelisk shot up at least another two thousand feet into the air.
“Numerous windows along its length looked like a million diamonds sparkling in the sunlight. I was so blown away by it, the obvious question again of ‘Why haven’t I known or at least heard about this place before now?’ didn’t occur to me. I couldn’t pry my eyes off the thing as we started down the steep path to the plaza below.
“Genovene had been quietly observing me, obviously pleased.
“‘Watch your step!’ she advised. ‘For now, it might be better to pay close attention to your feet so you don’t fall.’
“I pulled my gaze away from the tower to watch my feet. She steadied me as we walked down the hill together. The air became thicker as we neared the plaza, perhaps from the waterfalls and streams. The gardens were really spectacular up close.
“Within each one, a wide variety of flowers formed elaborate mazes. Everything from daisies to roses, even my grandfather’s beloved buttercups. Many exotic flowers I recognized but I’m still unfamiliar with the names. A light breeze swirled within the plaza carrying the flowers’ collective sweet aroma.
“We moved through the plaza’s crowd. So many enraptured faces. Jonesing on joy, man, or maybe drunk…but on what? Were the floral scents that powerful?
“‘It’s more than that, Jack,’ Genovene explained, intercepting my thoughts. ‘Yes, their excitement seems a little over the top, I suppose. But there’s a good reason for their ecstasy. Today’s Celebration Feast coincides with our ‘Festival of Life’ holiday, which started yesterday.
“‘Festival of life’?�
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“‘It’s the holiest time my village celebrates. Similar to your Christmas and Easter, everybody brings gifts to the plaza for one another to share. But the best part is when the feast starts. That’s when this place starts rocking, Jack, and it’s set to happen very soon!’
“Every time she got excited, she’d have to look away momentarily. Sort of like that Bram Stoker’s Dracula movie way back in the 90s, when the fiend would have to look away when getting too close to a carotid artery. Only I didn’t think of that analogy until years later. But just like the previous times she did this, when she looked back at me, she seemed more serene…pulling me close and gently clasping my hand with hers.
“‘There’s still so much to see here and so much I’d love to show you,’ she said, more controlled. ‘Time’s passing quickly and we need to move along. Let’s take a quick stroll through one of the gardens and then we’ll go on up to the tower from there.’
“She chose the garden on the left side of the plaza. Once we reached its wall, Genovene stretched her hand over the top and waved something very small back and forth. The wall melted away, forming a space just wide enough for us to pass through. When I turned around to look, the wall had already repaired itself.
“The garden’s unspoiled beauty made the plaza we just left look drab in comparison. Gone for the time being was the crowd’s bustle, completely replaced by the gentle songs of birds and tree frogs, and the rush and gurgle from the nearby stream.
“So tranquil and serene…. I half-expected Adam and Eve to show up at any minute. Looking around, I noticed some exotic fruit trees I could’ve sworn hadn’t been there a moment ago.
“Genovene smile widened, obviously amused.
“‘Both gardens are magical, responding to the hidden depths of a person’s mind and spirit,’ she told me. ‘This particular garden responds to positive thoughts, hopes, and dreams…in a constant flux to match what one loves. The other garden across the way responds to a person’s negative emotions and fears, which can bring dire results. You’ll notice every plant, tree, and the very grass you’re standing on are things you either have a fondness for or bring you peace. Do you see any insects other than butterflies and ladybugs? Or, any vicious snakes or ferocious animals?’