I was alarmed; maybe he had put something in my meal after all. “I don’t know. I mean, I still feel drugged,” I confessed. His grin was gone, and I could tell his patience was, too. I decided to go for it. Worse case scenario: I wind up back in the dank linen closet, having him spoon soup down my gullet. I couldn’t help but smirk at the memory of that first night after I woke up. No. This is still that night. Don’t forget. I brought the spoon to my mouth, and …
2
“Ahh! It’s still scalding hot! What’d you do?” I accused over his boisterous laughter.
Calming, he opened my root beer and handed it to me. “Here. This’ll help. No hard feelings, I hope. I know you claimed you were listening, but I had to be sure you were paying attention. There’s a fair difference ‘tween the two I think you can clearly see.”
Laughing, again, he continued his lesson. “Yonder stream where you first saw Isis and Gregor … it has very special properties. Properties only found in a handful of locales throughout the globe. Only a few know such places even exist. Fewer still know how to find them. In my youth, I came through these woods looking to get away from the world for a while. I never left. Not permanently. When I realized what it was I had stumbled upon, I started in gathering the materials to build this old house. I worked and worked for days before I got tired. I decided to sit for a spell, and wouldn’t you know, my watch said only a scant fifteen minutes had passed. I was amazed, but not that amazed. Let’s just say I had a very unique upbringing and leave it at that for the moment. You want a beer?”
“No thank you,” I answered, thrown by the sudden derailment of story.
He brought me one anyway and picked up his trail again. “The effects from that stream affect its surroundings. Basically, it slings a monkey wrench into temporal mechanics.”
“The Fountain of Youth,” I marveled. Definitely drugged, I thought, and downed half my beer.
“Mayhap, but not all capitalized like you put it. There are others. If it is one, it’s not so you’d think so, really. I know how old I look, and I know how old I feel, but I also know how old I am. In that respect, I guess it is a fount of youth. But that’s not all it’s about, kid. It is said, in waters such as these, a man can catch a reflection of his lifetime. The water could either show what has gone before or what is over the horizon. It all depends on its mood. You can think of it as a very literal timestream.”
“Corny,” I laughed. “What do you mean ‘it is said’? Surely you’ve experienced it since you’ve lived here?”
A strange emotion darkened Caduceus’ face, one I had not seen on him before. Fear, I’m fairly certain. Or perhaps it was dread. Nothing pleasant, I was sure. He sighed. “I’ve already experienced my life once, and my future will be here soon enough. Besides, if a man looks too long in the waters of time, his future becomes the reflection.”
“That’s kinda deep, C,” I said, astonished.
“Spent some time writing fortune cookies.” He smiled at me, and then asked, “You believe me about this place, the stream, the sunset. So then, why don’t you believe me about the other, hmm? Methinks it’s because t’ other’s about you. Am I warm?”
“I don’t exactly believe you on all this, either. Not one hundred percent. I just … well, at least with this, there’s some kind of proof.”
“I see.” He said, somberly. Caduceus lowered his head to his chest, not in defeat, but in contemplation.
Needing something to do, I tested my plate again. This time, the food had cooled enough I could finally stand to try it. He stayed that way for some time, while I was finally able to nurse my plate of food. “Oh, man. I mean this was well worth the wait, however long it truly was.”
“Quite.” He was still mired in his own thoughts, trying to find any way to win my belief.
The meat was fresh and perfectly flavored. I couldn’t place it right off. It tasted a lot like venison, though I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t gamey tasting like my taste-memory said it should be. Taste-memory, I mused. At least something of mine has some memory left in it. Through a mouthful of food, I tried again, “Seriously, man, this is some of the best meat I think I’ve ever had.”
“Yes.” Distracted.
“So fresh and tender.”
That got his attention; he looked up, his sharp eyes sparkling. “I should say fresh. T’was your old pal Isis, doncha know. Fresh off the hoof.”
I skidded my plate away, spitting and sputtering into my napkin. My gorge rose into my throat, and I thought I was going to lose it. In a mad rush, I managed to make it over to the guard railing at the edge of the porch. I doubled over it. Just in time, too. Ever seen projectile venison? Yeah, it’s not a pretty visual. “Think I might’ve thrown up into the past,” I panted. I caught my breath a little, and said, “She was right there with Gregor.”
“Time is funny here. What you were seeing wasn’t necessarily when you were seeing it,” he confided, chuckling low. Sobering a little, he added, “She wasn’t there toward the end was she? No, it was only Gregor. The poor boy was terribly saddened after I got her this morning. I admit my spirits were high after seeing him coming out a little. Glad you liked her.” That sent me back down to the railing, followed by Caduceus’ bellows.
Presently, he said, “So, you still need proof you’re the flying security guard from Liberty Island.” He was turned away from me, searching the sunset. I think back on that moment often; when I do, I can see perfectly, the mischievous grin that must have served as preamble for his next move. As quickly as he had done in the kitchen, he scooped me into his arms. I was still reeling from my dinner date with Isis, and my response time was lagging. Before I could even form a protest, I was up and over the railing. Soaring, I continued up, up, up.
And came crashing down, down, down.
“Oh, hell,” Caduceus said, flexing his left hand. “Staff, don’t fail me now.”
3
“Are you out of your ever-loving mind? You could’ve killed me, you psycho!”
“But it was the only way I could show that you could fly.”
“Fly? Fly? If you wouldn’t have come to your senses at the last possible second, I would’ve probably fallen right there on top of Gregor or something. Or have you already prepared him for breakfast!” I am hysterical, inconsolable. “You might’ve stopped me last time with your magic tricks and games, but I just don’t care anymore. I don’t care if you can zap yourself here or there with some fancy stick; I don’t care if you are a thousand years old; heck, I don’t even care if I can fly, like you say. I. Am. Out.” I threw open the door and strode purposefully across the kitchen. Entering the linen closet (my little patch of real estate in this backwoods Narnia) I was so door-slamming angry. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one around. “Are you kidding me, here?” I did the next best thing; stomping through the bedding, I reached up high and gave it a hefty tug. I let it fly into the far corner, issuing some unrecognizably guttural sound.
I have to get out of here. I won’t stay here any longer than I absolutely have to. I would just pack my stuff and not ever look back. Great. What stuff? Do I even have anything here? I frantically surveyed the room. He had said I had been wearing some uniform when he first brought me in. A guard uniform, I think, but where? I performed another search. Nothing. Then I noticed a small, three-drawer, plastic storage cart in the corner by the oversized washing machine. I found the uniform in the bottom drawer, neatly pressed and folded.
I unfolded and examined it for a full minute, trying to picture myself in it. I was, once again plagued with the who’s, what’s, when’s, where’s, and why’s of my existence. I stripped out of the plain tee and jeans in which Caduceus had dressed me. I slid the shirt down over my head, and buttoned the sleeves, feeling the fit of it. Using my cot for balance, I slipped my legs into the pants. I tucked in my shirt and examined myself in a tall, antique mirror by the stairs. “Just who are you, Mr. Security Guard?” I found my dress shoes and belt at the foot of the bed. There was also
a necklace with some sort of charm attached. I studied it for a moment before putting it on, too. It was a kind of smooth, white stone, rounded and inscribed with a language I didn’t’ recognize. Probably, one of those one-word inspirational sayings, like “peace” or something. That was it. I was as ready as I could be. “Time to blow this mother.” I turned to leave and caught Caduceus in the doorway studying where his blanket had so recently hung. He held a gallon Ziploc baggie filled with all kinds of toiletries.
“Figured you’d be wantin’ some of this, too. If you’re planning on leaving, I mean.” He tossed it to me.
I raised an eyebrow and thumbed through the contents. There were various soaps and shampoos, three or four travel-size toothpastes, and, to top it all off, a couple of toothbrushes, with pictures of crazy, anthropomorphic zoo animals, brushing their teeth.
“Sorry about the selection. I cleaned out the guest cabinet in the bath. So, what’re you going to do now?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, thinking how hard it was to stay mad at him, despite his almost killing me on a whim. “I guess I’ll just wander around the woods for awhile and hope I can find my way into town.”
“The woods? No, that’s no doing. You’d just get lost. ‘Sides, there is no town through them woods. It matters not, for all ye’d have to do is walk through the living room and out the front door Presto: Newtown, New Jersey.
“Wait. Did you say, Newtown? There’s no way we’re even in the same general area as Newtown.
“What’s wrong wit’ you, boy? Doncha think a man would know his own address?”
“Well, I’m fairly sure Thomas Kinkade’s inspiration didn’t come from Jersey! Those woods. The mountain your house is built on. You won’t find any of that stuff in Newtown.”
“Your naiveté is not without charm, dear boy, but that charm wears thin after a bit. Try to get past what you’ve known till now. Think of only this night, what you’ve seen, what you’ve heard, what you’ve experienced.”
“You mean, like my being drugged, eating your pet deer, and being tossed off a three-story porch, those experiences?”
Shaking his head, Caduceus turned away.
“Where’s my wallet,” I asked abruptly?
“What?”
“My wallet? My ID’s gotta be in there. I bet there are photos of my girlfriend or parents or something. My address. My name.”
“Ah, yes, your wallet. As I recall, when I was placing your uniform on to wash, I, accidentally, kicked it under the washing machine, and I never fished it out of there.”
“Well, fish it out, already!” I demanded, this close to finally finding out who I am.
“Don’t raise your voice to me, young man. I’m old enough to be your grandfather.” After a second, he changed his mind and said, “I’m old enough to be my own grandfather for that matter.”
“Would you just get my wallet? Now.”
He walked over to the hulking behemoth and wrapped his arms around it. Even as big a man as Caduceus was, he couldn’t get them all the way around the machine. With an intake of breath, he squatted and attempted to pick it up. His face flushed; his arm and neck muscles bulged to bursting. The floor creaked, but that was it; the washer remained where it was. Caduceus’ breath was ragged, but he was determined to get my wallet for me. He tried again, but he just couldn’t budge it. “I’ve got it! I’ll use my staff. Should’ve done so in the first place. Step back.”
Ignoring his advice, I bent forward and placed my hands on either side of the washer’s base. “This thing can’t be that heavy, old man. You just got to put your back into it. Now, back up, I need that wallet.” I pushed and pulled, to no avail, my necklace bouncing off the metal. It truly was stuck in place. The more I fought with it, the angrier I became.
“I hate to say it, but if I can’t move it, you sure can’t, lightweight.”
“Oh, I’ll get that wallet. If it kills me,” I said through gritted teeth. My adrenalin level was off the charts. “Okay, C, I’m going to pick it up as much as I can. When I do, you reach under and slide the wallet out. On three. Ready? One. Two.” I blocked my foot against the wall closest to me; I pushed off, allowing for the extra leverage I hoped would make the difference. “Three!”
With a shove, the world’s oldest and largest washing machine went flying up through the ceiling. It had just made a completely unscheduled exit through the linen closet’s roof, whatever room was above that, and judging by the hole, that roof as well. “I think I’d better sit down for a minute,” I said, and promptly fell on my face and into total darkness.
4
“Easy there,” Caduceus said as I began to come around. “You’re okay.”
“How long was I out this time,” I worried.
“Three days,” he replied, matching my concern. After a beat, he smiled and said, “No, ‘twas only a minute or two. Got to watch them fits, son. We can’t have your narcoleptic self falling about all the time.”
“I’ll try. What happened?”
“What happened was you didn’t know your own strength. That’s what happened. You finally have your proof. And at my home’s expense, I might add.”
“Sorry about that. Did I … Caduceus, did I really just hurl your washer through the ceiling?”
“And how! Don’t worry about it none. I told you I don’t lie, right? Well, I have been known to mislead a little. There was no wallet on you. No nothing except for what you now wear. I’m sorry, kid. After my little stunt on the porch backfired so horribly, I had to think of something else. I hoped if I could get you properly motivated, you could exert your strength. I just didn’t foresee you exerting it that much. Guess I’m 0 for 2.”
“W-whoa.”
“You’re not going to pass out on me again, are you? I’m sure I have a magic marker to pretty up that face o’ yours the next time.”
“No, no, I’m fine. I think. So, what does it mean? Who am I, Caduceus? Who has the ability to do something like this?”
“From what I saw a few days ago, you do. And that’s not all, you haven’t even cracked the surface.”
“I don’t know. It could’ve been adrenaline.”
“Hmm, could’ve been, and was are two different things. Why don’t you reconsider your planned departure? Get some sleep. Besides, you don’t even know where to begin. Now that you know I’m being truthful, let me help you. Use my house until you regain your memory. In exchange, all I ask is you, please, fix my bloody roof. Oh, and do watch the tantrums, I’ve only got a limited amount of bedding for your doorway.” Not waiting for my reply, he spun and headed toward the kitchen.
Sleep, I thought as I slipped out of my shoes and untucked my uniform top. How nice that’d be. And so thinking, I drifted off to dream.
5
The next morning, I woke up to find Caduceus in the middle of cooking. Of course he was cooking. He said he loved to cook, especially for others, and cartoony toothbrushes aside, I got the distinct impression he didn’t get too many houseguests. “Morning,” I said, rubbing sleepers from my eyes. “Smells good. No surprises this time, I hope.”
“Nah, I think I shocked your system enough last night. Let’s take a more peaceful approach this morning. I promise, I’ll wait till this afternoon to try and kill you again. Go get washed up. Breakfast is in a few.”
“Okay,” I grinned. “Will we be eating on the back porch, again?”
“I think we’ll have us some morning viewing. There’s more news coming in regarding France’s involvement. Well, alleged involvement.”
“That’s right! The ambassador,” I remembered.
“Right. I didn’t tell you, earlier, but after I brought you here, and I got you a cot to sleep on, I turned on my array of TVs and settled in to see if they would mention anything, either about Josh’s murder or us. Nothing about us. As for the murder, investigators were placing the entire blame on Ambassador Andres, despite my accusations of Van Parson’s involvement. Unsurprising, really. No, the surprise ca
me when they questioned the ambassador – this would’ve been shortly after we had ported out of there. The reporters claimed Ambassador Andres was found dead in his room, apparent suicide. No lynching required. No crying out concerning the unfairness of diplomatic immunity.”
“Wow. That’s pretty convenient, don’t you think.”
“Yes, I do. His death did little to slake the country’s thirst for vengeance, either. If anything, it seems America is now crying out for war. Some, like General Douglas, believe it to be the only recourse we have after the attack on the statue. Then, there’s the embarrassment over the ambassador’s perceived involvement in that boy’s murder so quickly after President Perry dismissed France’s involvement and welcomed them as an ally.”
“That’s crazy, Caduceus. What’s Van Parson gain from blowing up the statue? If all you said last night is true …”
“If?” That certainly had him ready to fight.
“Calm down, big guy. You know what I’m saying. All I meant was it would have to be something pretty substantial for a guy like Richard Van Parson to come down out of his ivory tower and get his hands dirty, let alone orchestrate something this big and with such a huge risk on his part.”
“Aye, that’s what has me so concerned.”
6
After breakfast, Caduceus asked my intentions, now that we were cool again. “Well, I figured I’d stay here, like you said, help you fix the mess I made yesterday. Before it gets too late, though, I’d kinda like to work on trying to figure out who I am. I just wish my wallet with my ID and badge was in my uniform. Why didn’t I have it do you think?”
“Oh, well, I figure it could be any number of things. You could’ve dropped it during the attack. Or perhaps you had a locker onsite where you kept your valuables. You even could have been robbed or mistaken for the dead and had your stuff stored. Who knows, really?”
“I guess. Hey, I’ve still got this necklace, at least. Without my wallet, though, how am I going to find out who I am, where I live?”
Forging Truth (The Truth Saga) Page 6