by P. G. Thomas
Ryan knocked on the workshop door, “Any ideas?”
“One, but I’m not sure if it’ll make things better or worse. What are you up to?”
“Lauren asked me to get her purse. She wants to see if the breast pump still works.”
“I don’t follow you?”
“She was still nursing the triplets and needs something to lessen the pressure, which is one of the reasons why this is so hard on her. Not only does her heart want her daughters back, but also, her body reminds her that she’s still a new mother without her children. Her body has an urge to nurture them, but she can’t, and it just adds to her angered depression.”
“I never thought of that.”
Pushing the stroller, Ryan felt the resistance from the seized wheels. He grabbed the purse, “I’m getting a bad feeling, and I don’t like this. This was brand new, and now it’s a piece of scrap.” Pulling out a baby bottle, which had dried milk powder sitting at the bottom of it, he shook his head, “Lauren was starting to bottle feed them, and this was full this morning.” Then he headed back up the stairs.
John began to examine the back of the letter, but the lines of oddly shaped glyphs remained the same. Staggering the three pages on top of each other, so that only the first line of blue symbols were visible, he committed the sequence and pattern to memory, forcing all three images to mentally stack vertically, which created familiar characters. It looked like each blue symbol was only a partial letter, and the remaining parts were on the other pages. Grabbing a rag, he headed to a wall free of clutter and wiped the dust off. Finding a piece of charcoal on the bench, he wrote the first line of strange characters on the wall. With them, he added the second and then the last. When done, he looked at the words, ‘My dear friend John.’ Thank you, Gayne. Quickly, he started to transcribe the remaining lines onto the wall, and when done, most of the black letters made sense, but some were still garbled. It took another two hours of erasing words, studying the symbols, and trying different options before it was deciphered.
As he finished checking it for the third time, Eric walked into the workshop. “As graffiti goes, it’s plain. You should’ve added a few more colors.”
“Funny. Gayne left a message on the back of the letter, and that’s what it says.”
Eric turned around and headed back up the stairs, “The last time I read something here, strange crap happened. If you’re interested in solving riddles, Logan has cooked the meal tonight, so come and get it while it’s hot.”
Going over to the workbench, finding a piece of paper, John pulled out his Leatherman tool, which was the latest model complete with a folding pen. After writing down the words, he headed up the stairs. Entering the dining room, he saw Ryan taking two plates of food up the stairs, one obviously for Lauren. He remembered the events in the covered forest, their third day in Calicon, when the shock of what had happened had worn off, and the real questions had been vocalized. Then, when the answers failed to arrive, of the anger that had. Walking to the table, he asked about Mirtza, and Logan advised that he had taken an early meal before turning in for the night. John looked into the front room, “Where’s Steve?”
Logan looked at Eric, “Didn’t you…”
“Fu—I’ll go get him,” and then he headed out to the patio. Pushing Steve inside, they could all see the large discolored stain on his pants, and the angered look on his face.
“I’m not amused!”
Eric pushed him over to the table, “If that’s the only mark this world leaves on you, consider yourself lucky,” and then he remembered the bloodied images of the final battle. As they began to eat, Eric explained about Mirtza having his argument. “I’m worried about him. I heard him calling out this afternoon from his room. I woke him, but when I opened his drapes, he freaked out.”
“You heard him, but not me?” inquired Steve.
Eric smiled, “I like him better.”
“He probably has an extreme case of agoraphobia and paranoia, began John, “Being in prison that long, he’s been institutionalized.”
After the meal, John read the message from the letter:
‘Friend John,
A more detailed letter waits for you, but here are my directions:
Mother’s Pain, Champion’s Aid, Earth Mother Wrong,
Descending Rage, Sister’s Favor, Father of Hope.
Two more riddles remain, but John Ironhouse would not need clues.
I had to make sure it was you.
Gayne.
Chapter 4
Steve twisted his back, cracking his spine, “What the hell does that mean?”
“He still thinks we’re back home,” began Eric, “and that this is some sort of trick.”
“Who cares?” replied John. “I’m more interested in this riddle because Gayne was magic, and he has to have some hidden here.”
“For the love of—”
“Steve, do you really consider yourself to be a hostage?” asked Eric.
“Yes.”
“Would it make you feel better if we handcuffed and gagged you? Maybe tossed you into a dark room? Hell, even beat the crap out of you?”
“No…”
Exasperated, Eric replied, “Then shut your pie hole.”
“I agree,” began John, “Gayne’s directions are clues that seem to be events or items that only we would know. The most prominent is Father of Hope. Zack was our friend who stayed behind and took a wife here, which resulted in a daughter that they named Hope, and few people out here would know that. When we arrived here, he gained the ability to change into different animal forms, and I saw some stuffed animals in the front room that we can examine. Champion’s Aid is just as easy, as a set of armor was waiting for Eric at the Ironhouse Mine.”
Steve was shaking his head, “You injected me with something because this is like a bad LSD trip. You can’t expect me to believe any of this.”
“Believe what you want. Logan, Eric. Do you want to give me a hand going through this dusty museum?” asked John.
They both shrugged their shoulders and began to follow.
“Hey, what about me?”
“Comic relief,” Eric said walking over to the cart, and he pushed Steve into the front room, parking him beside a display of replica spears. Then he walked over to the set of plate mail armor in one corner, which was smaller than he was, being decorative, not functional. Briefly explaining the armor waiting at the Ironhouse Mine to Steve, he picked it up shaking it, which created a metal-on-metal sound. Grabbing the display by the torso, he twisted it, popping off the top. Clutching the bottom as he shook it, a six-inch long metal key fell to the floor.
Picking it up, Logan handed it to John, “One down, five to go.”
Eric grinned, “John’s tutoring paid off. You didn’t have to use your fingers.”
Logan turned to him, raising his middle digit, “One.”
Taking it, John tore a piece of paper from the note, writing Eric’s name on it, before wrapping it around the key. “Sister’s favor is the next.”
Logan smiled, “That one’s easy. It was the mountain eagles, but I don’t see one, don’t even think it would fit in here,” and then he briefly recounted the story of the sky elves.
As the three interacted, explaining the clues, Steve noticed that the dialogue was not forced, being either genuine or well-rehearsed.
John pointed to a large stuffed bird on the fireplace mantel, and as Eric lowered it, he tipped it forward, which caused a second two-inch long key to fall from its mouth.
Before Eric could say anything, Logan raised both hands with the middle fingers extended, “Two.”
Glancing at Steve, who was using two of the replica spears to maneuver around the room, “What are you doing?” asked Eric.
“Looking for the hidden cameras and microphones.”
“No, seriously,” replied Logan, “What are you doing?”
“This is all too elaborate—”
“What?” asked Logan.
“Too extravagant—”
“Pick a small word, old man.”
“There’s too much detail. Small enough, kid?”
Eric nodded, “Yeah, but your explanation could use a little bit more.”
They could see the frustration in Steve’s eyes, “This is some sort of reality television show; prank the cop. You guys don’t have the bankroll for this, and putting on this kind of show, it reeks of prime time, but I’m not falling for it.”
Eric rolled his eyes, “What’s next, John?”
“That leaves us with Descending Rage, Earth Mother Wrong, Father of Hope, and Mother’s Pain. Father of Hope has to be Zack.”
Eric walked over to the far corner where a large dusty stuffed wolf sat motionless. Shaking it, a three-inch long key fell from its mouth. Taking it over to John, who labeled it like the others, he asked, “This seems pretty easy?”
“Without the note,” replied John, “you would never know anything was hidden here. Even if you stumbled across one, how would you know you were looking for six? And there are still two more riddles.”
“Okay, what’s next?” asked Logan.
John, looking at Steve, saw him roll over to a picture frame of mounted insects.
Logan called out, “Calicon to John, can you read me?”
“Descending Rage,” he replied after regaining his focus.
“Who’s that supposed to be?” asked Eric.
“Tranquil Fury had a pretty good hold of you when this happened, I think. This is one of the parts that are hazy. Lauren and Logan were missing, and I remember us coming back from the Firegem mine. I vaguely recall Mirtza telling me what happened or part of it, but it had something to do with Ryan being angry when he came down the stairs.” Then Logan briefly explained some of the events from Ryan’s past.
As Eric watched, Steve pushed himself around the room. He turned to John, “Why is that? We’ve all talked about what happened for the last four years, but why are there still events that we can’t remember?”
Continuing to examine the room with his limited mobility, Steve began to listen closer to the three abductors, and there seemed to be a shared cohesion in their stories, which went beyond a written script.
“I don’t know,” began John, “but I suspect the magic. The world healed Ryan and Zack, just like I imagine it’ll heal him,” nodding towards Steve. “It may have being trying to protect us from remembering something terrible.” Then, wandering over to the main stairs, John lifted up the bottom runner and found a four-inch long key, marking it like the others. “That leaves two; Earth Mother Wrong and Mother’s Pain.”
The three looked at each other, and then Logan headed to the basement stairs.
Eric called to him, “Do you know where the next key is?”
“No, I’m going down to the wine room.”
“Why?” John called out.
“That’s where the Master Weapon Smith found his inspiration, and it made Zack a genius. While it might not help, it sure won’t hurt.”
John returned to the dining room and laid the four keys out on the table.
“You want some help finding those hidden cameras?” asked Eric.
“This is real, isn’t it?”
Eric nodded, “Yes—what’s with the change of heart?”
“The way you talk to your friends, you all know the story. It isn’t scripted or acted. It’s the same when I get together with my old war buddies. Look, I’m not a hundred percent sold, so you’re either really good actors, the meth fumes are getting to me, or we are no longer—on Earth.”
“We’re really good actors,” and then Eric pushed him into the dining room.
Logan returned, carrying four dusty bottles, and went into the kitchen to retrieve glasses.
Eric popped the cork from the first bottle, “John, you’re in luck. I think this is honey wine.”
“Sweet,”
Picking up his glass, Steve tasted the wine, “This has some kick to it. So what were the last two clues?”
“WTF?” asked John.
“It’s called Stockholm Syndrome,” began Steve, “where hostages express empathy.”
“What?” asked Logan.
Steve tried again, “Sympathy for…”
“What does music have to do with this?”
“Crap, when they passed the Leave No Child Behind Legislation, did they forget about this one. It means to understand; where the hostages start to adopt what they are told.”
Eric smiled, “He should understand since he’s adopted.”
“Hey, Lauren can’t prove that.”
Steve held out his glass, “Let’s make this simple. Right now, I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“Enough!” John looked down at the piece of paper. “The last two clues are Earth Mother Wrong and Mother’s Pain, but something is odd about them. Five of the six clues are about one of us, so Mother’s Pain doesn’t seem to belong.” John looked at Steve, “Lauren was proclaimed an Earth Mother by the divine entity they call Mother.”
“And now you’re invoking the Gods.” He sighed, “Sure, I’ll buy that.”
“Well, having Mother as one of the clues doesn’t fit in,” replied John.
“Okay, then what about the other clue? Earth Mother Wrong? What did Lauren do? And why is she called an Earth Mother?”
John reached for the bottle before the others could finish it, “When we first heard the term ‘Earth Mother,’ Mirtza probably said something else, which meant from the ground. The ointment found a word we would recognize, which was earth. Not the planet we’re from, but the structure that composes the world here. As for what Lauren did wrong…” The room went quiet with each recalling the past events: the death of Alron, Gor, the Valley Army, Korg, and more.
“Don’t answer that,” said Lauren, who appeared with Ryan behind her. “What’s happening?”
Logan stood to get two more glasses, “John found a secret massage from Gayne.”
“Message, not massage,” he called out. John turned to them, “Gayne left a message on the back of the letter to Mirtza, and we followed it to find these,” pointing to the keys on the table.
“Will this help me get my daughters back?” asked Lauren.
John nodded.
“Please start from the beginning,” she said.
Before John could reply, Steve interrupted, “Lauren, I think I owe you an apology. I still think… I just don’t know anymore. I’m sorry for the way I treated you at the station since you didn’t deserve it. I thought you had sold your children, and that you were a monster—but if this is some sort of con, I’ll make sure they give you the longest possible sentence, all of you.”
Holding up her hand to Steve, she rejected his apology, but accepted the glass of wine that Ryan offered her, “John, tell me what has happened.”
After explaining the preceding hours, he ended with, “That only leaves two clues: Earth Mother Wrong and Mother’s Pain, but the last one doesn’t make any sense since there is no reference to the six of us.”
Lauren took another drink, “You can capture magic, but two words stump you? What is Mother’s Pain?”
“I guess what happened to her children? But what does it mean?”
Lauren stood, grabbing Ryan’s hand, “Let’s go see if we’re smarter than John Ironhouse.” She led him to the basement, returning several minutes later with a three-inch long key in one hand, the other holding the odd candlestick, and Ryan held one of the gems.
“Where was it?” asked John.
“She wants you to figure it out. It’s only two words,” advised a smirking Ryan.
“There’s no connection between you and that clue, so the other one belongs to you.”
Lauren smiled, “If the first four clues are all claimed, that only leaves you and me for the last two. If I’m not the clue to the first, I must be the second, which seems logical, doesn’t it?”
“Well yes, but…”
“Let me rep
hrase the clue; a mother’s pain,” Lauren said refilling her glass.
Logan scratched his temple, “Giving birth to triplets?”
Ryan, slowly turned, giving him an angry look.
“It had to hurt!” replied Logan.
“Bastard,” was Ryan’s simple reply.
John thought for a second, “The missing triplets! That would cause you, a mother, pain, but I never thought of it that way. Was it in the stroller?”
Lauren nodded.
He set down his glass, “Bastard.”
“What?” asked Logan.
“Gayne twisted the meaning of the words.” John reached for a new bottle that he uncorked, raising his filled glass to Lauren, toasted her, “I would never have made that connection.”
Steve reached for the freshly opened bottle, “So that leaves one clue: Earth Mother Wrong. If it isn’t Lauren and John is the only one left, how does it apply to him?”
John slammed down his glass, “Double bastard!”
“What?” asked Logan, “No, wait, I can explain this one. When John discovered magic, the elves gave him an Earth Guard who have a tradition of protecting Earth Mothers.” He was smiling, “Because they were guarding him, they also called him Earth Mother.”
“Bastard,” John said and then took a long drink.
“Yes,” replied Logan.
Steve smirked, “They gave you the title of Earth Mother?”
“It’s a long story,” replied John.
“I would like to hear that one.”
“Well, I would like to forget it. If I’m the Earth Mother Wrong, where’s the last key?”
Mirtza walked into the room, “I hope you do not mind, but I was listening from the hall. John, you do not understand this clue. Even though I am old and tired, I have already figured it out.” Picking up the gem, he placed it in the candlestick holder, which he pushed closer to John, and the magic illumination reappeared. “Maybe this will help shed some light on your clue.”