Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen

by Karl Morgan

  Aida shook her head. “What does that have to do with the end of the universe?”

  “Sylvia has a crush on me. I mean, why else would she have taken me some place as romantic as a field of flowers. That can either be good or bad for us and the universe.”

  Burt nodded. “Yeah, if you upset her, boom!”

  “You’re not going to date her, are you?” Aida asked.

  “No, but I’m not going to rebuff her either. We need time to build our troop of Invisible Hands. If I can keep her interested, or at least not disinterested, we just might have the time we need.”

  Grace wiped her lips with a napkin, set it onto the plate, and stood. “Speaking of which, Aida and I will go gather the class.” Aida stood, and the two women carried their trays over to a trolley. Then, they left the dining hall.

  Burt moved to the seat Aida had vacated. “You need to be careful with Aida. She is feeling vulnerable about both Sylvia and Barbie. You two are a great couple, and I’d hate to see you break up over one of them.”

  Carl looked down and groaned. After a few moments, he looked up at his friend. “Burt, you know it’s not like that.”

  “Of course, I know. I’m sure Aida realizes that you’re doing what you have to do to save all of our lives. But you know that isn’t enough, right?”

  Carl stood. “You’re right. Thank you, Burt. Would you clear my plates?” His friend nodded, and Carl vanished. He reappeared in the atrium where Grace and Aida were waiting for more students to arrive. He walked over to them. “Aida, can I talk to you for a moment?”

  She smiled. “Sure.”

  He extended his hand, which she took in hers. Both disappeared.

  Aida released Carl’s hand. “What is this place?”

  He smiled as he looked at the narrow valley. There was a small cave that had been covered by a large stone. The stone now sat to the side of the cave entrance. “A better question is when is this place?”

  She began to walk over the gravel of a dry creek bed toward the open cave. “What’s in the cave?”

  “Nothing important. The important thing has already left.”

  She turned back. “Why are you speaking in riddles?”

  He walked over to her and extended his hand. “Come with me, and I’ll show you.” She took his hand and they walked away. As they walked, he said, “This is the Roman colony of Judea around two thousand years ago.”

  “You’re kidding. We went back in time?”

  Carl nodded. “I saw part of this story when I was on the Rope Bridge, but I missed this part, so I’m sharing it with you.” They walked up a short rise and stopped. A large grass-covered hill sat before them. A man cloaked in a white tunic stood at the summit. His head was surrounded by a warm glow. Twelve other people stood about fifteen feet away from him. Two other men were on their knees with their heads bowed. “Let’s go forward a bit.”

  When they were twenty feet behind the twelve standing, the man at the top of the hill shouted, “Hi, Carl. It’s good to see you again.”

  “You’re looking well, Joshua,” Carl said.

  Joshua laughed. “Yeah, I bet I do. Have you met my friends?” The eleven men and one woman turned and waved to Carl and Aida.

  One of the two kneeling men called them over, so Carl and Aida joined them. Both men looked like younger versions of Emmanuel. Luce smiled and said, “Feel free to join us. We’re just giving our best wishes for his trip on the Rope Bridge.”

  Carl knelt and bowed his head. Aida looked at the two men, then at the twelve, and finally at Joshua. Tears flowed from her eyes as she too got onto her knees. She leaned over to Carl and said, “That’s Jesus, isn’t it?”

  Carl wiped the moisture from his own eyes and nodded.

  “Why did you call him Joshua?”

  He leaned over and kissed her softly. “We can talk about it later.”

  After several minutes, Joshua said, “Let’s take a walk.”

  Aida opened her eyes to see they were kneeling on a grass lawn. A small stream flowed by on their left and a long paved road was on their right. Joshua extended his hand, and she took it. Carl stood and joined them on the walkway.

  “I don’t think your girlfriend wants to let go of my hand.”

  Suddenly, Aida realized how hard she was squeezing the man’s hand and released it, blushed, and turned away. “I’m so sorry.”

  Joshua gently turned her around, picked her up in his arms, and hugged her. “It’s okay. I really do appreciate your faith in me.” He set her down and put his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go.” They began walking along the paved road. “So, Carl, why did you want to see me again so soon?”

  “Well, when I took that extended journey on the Rope Bridge, I really hurt Aida’s feelings. As you know, I only went to try to separate Barbie from Sylvia. Now that I think about it, I probably should have brought her along for help.”

  Josh smiled at him. “Well, I do appreciate your concern for this girl, but you know it doesn’t work that way.”

  “What way is that, uh, I don’t know what to call you?” Aida asked.

  “Josh is fine. I heard you ask Carl about that. Obviously, I was Jewish, and our cultural language is Hebrew. My birth name was Yeshua, which over the centuries has morphed into Joshua. As different societies adopted the faith, it changed to suit more modern cultures, leading to the name currently used for me. But it’s just a name.”

  “And the way?”

  “Ah, I almost forgot. The journey to enlightenment is an internal struggle and therefore, the Rope Bridge is a solitary journey. Carl’s journey was exceptionally long due to the excess baggage inside his head.”

  Carl nodded. “Yeah, Sylvia and Barbie.”

  “Yet he was alone. Carl, how many days did it take you to reach the society?”

  “I don’t know. It seemed like days or a week or more.”

  Josh nodded. “But when I cleared the fog, how long was the bridge?”

  “Ten feet.”

  Josh messed up Carl’s hair. “There you have it. Physically, the Rope Bridge is very short. It was the journey to enlightenment that was long and arduous.”

  Aida released Josh, hurried over to Carl, and pulled him into her arms. “I’m sorry. I understand now.” She smiled and then kissed him.

  When she released him, she realized they were no longer in the same place. “What happened? Where did he go?”

  Carl smiled and looked around. A small cottage sat behind a white picket fence. There was a small couch and two rockers on its wrap-around porch. The front yard had a small grass lawn and a large bed of flowers. The house seemed to be alone on a four-acre island, edged with white sand beaches. There was a small forest, a large patch of fruit trees and vegetables, a long picnic table, and a swing set. “Nice.”

  “Where is this place?”

  “Follow me,” Carl replied as he walked toward the nearest stretch of sand. He stepped onto the beach and looked out at the ocean.

  Aida took his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. “This is so nice, but where is it?”

  He turned to his right and pointed with his free arm. “Can you see it?”

  She followed his hand. Her eyes widened and her head snapped back. “I see something, but it seems like an illusion. What is it?”

  As he slowly turned around, he pointed at the shadow on the sand. “That’s the Rope Bridge. I didn’t see this place on my trip, and so I guess I just made it up.”

  “You made all this up for me?”

  He nodded. “For us. You remember the water house, of course. You made that for us, along with the duplicate island, right? In my opinion, this is even better because it exists outside of time and space.” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “We can stay here as long as we want. When we go back, Grace will still be waiting for the other students.”

  She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. “I could stay here with you forever.”

  Later, they s
at on the rockers on the porch. A pitcher of lemonade and two glasses sat on the small table between them. “Carl, I was just wondering something. If we could bring the people we’re training here, we’d have more time to improve their talents.”

  Carl took a sip of his drink. “It’s a great idea, but I don’t think it would work. Sylvia and Barbie came with me because only their spirits were inside me. You’re here for three reasons. First, because I love you. Second, I successfully traveled across the Rope Bridge. And third, because you are an Invisible Hand.”

  “I’m feeling guilty.” She stood and put her hands on the railing. “I feel like we’re ignoring what’s happening so we can hang out.”

  Carl stood and joined her at the railing. “I understand, but as I said, we’re outside of time. When we go back, it will be the same time as we left.”

  “I hear you, Carl, but I guess I’m too stupid to accept that. I could be sitting here drinking lemonade while the universe is destroyed. Can we go back, please?”

  Carl took her hand as the house, island, ocean, and sky faded away. They were floating in outer space, with the Milky Way to their left and Andromeda Galaxy to their right. He noticed his girlfriend was holding her breath and laughed. “We’re not really in outer space, so you don’t have to do that.”

  “Why are we here?”

  “At one point along the rope bridge, I saw what would happen if Sylvia carries out her threat. Both of the galaxies you see here were wiped out of existence.” He pointed to the left. “Earth is over there, but it’s impossibly small and far away. Sylvia saw the destruction as well. I only hope that helped her understand what she planned to do.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we’ll find out.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Now, close your eyes.” When she had, he let go of her hand.

  In a panic about being lost in space alone, Aida opened her eyes. She was back in the atrium. Grace was ten feet away, still waiting for more students. Carl was sitting on top of a nearby picnic table, thumbing through the book. She walked over to him and asked, “Are you going to help?”

  “Of course.” He handed the book to her.

  She saw words beginning to emerge on the page in front of her. They said, “You are ready for the Rope Bridge.”

  “Carl, I thought you already crossed the bridge?”

  “I did.”

  “Why did you hand this to me?”

  “It told me to. When I opened the cover, it said I should give it to you. Why?” She turned the book around so he could see it. Carl smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

  Aida rolled her eyes and handed the book back to him. “I’ve got work to do.” She turned and headed toward Grace Mulligan.

  Carl opened the book and new words began to form. It read, “I’m serious, Carl. She needs to take the Rope Bridge before the demon queen acts.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  The book replied with its own smiley face and thumbs-up. Carl closed the cover, and the book faded away.

  After a full morning of training a dozen students and a few faculty members, Carl headed toward the hidden room in the bell tower. He sat on one of the wing chairs, put his feet on the hassock, and closed his eyes. The training was not going to work. The idea to add members of the faculty was a disaster. After decades of belief in their limitations, it was almost impossible for them to have the faith needed. He began to doubt his own conviction that everyone had the talent.

  “Don’t think that way,” a male voice said.

  Carl opened his eyes to see Manny sitting on one of the couches. “Okay, maybe they can learn, but we certainly don’t have that much time.”

  Manny nodded. “No, time is almost out. Did you know that the Conway girl’s body is no longer with her parents?”

  Carl groaned, looked down, and shook his head. “I can see that now, but I didn’t notice until you mentioned it. Is that why you want Aida to take the Rope Bridge and how will that help?”

  Manny stood and extended his hand. “Come stand next to me.” Carl rose from the chair and walked over to him. “Now, take my hand.” When their hands touched, they stood on the Rope Bridge, which sat atop the Earth’s atmosphere. The demon queen’s castle was far beneath them. Manny released his hand and turned to his right. “Follow me, Carl.” He walked away, and Carl hurried to catch up. “Do you recall the dream you had about the three in that castle?”

  “Yes, when I failed.”

  “And, of course, you remember seeing it happen again when you were right here on the bridge.”

  “That was truly horrifying.”

  “Carl, you need to know that those two events were one and the same. You were only able to escape the wall due to your trip on this bridge. Your friends were all Invisible Hands, but could not. Can you guess why?”

  “Perspective.”

  “Exactly right. They believe their bodies and world are real, and thus when embedded in stone, they could not move.”

  “But I know all of those things are just projections of my mind, and so I could escape.”

  Manny touched Carl’s shoulder, and they were back in the hidden room. He removed his hand and walked over to the window. He noticed Aida had seen him, so he waved.

  Carl joined him at the window. “Is she coming this way?”

  Manny nodded. “Carl, unfortunately, you may not go with her.”

  “I thought perhaps my spirit could be inside her, like Sylvia and Barbie were with me.”

  “That is a possibility, but I strongly recommend against it.”

  “Father, I can’t let her do attempt the Rope Bridge alone. I couldn’t live with the guilt if something happened to her.”

  “The demon queen may attack at any time, even at this moment. Once she steps on the bridge, she will be outside of time. However, if the demon queen acts before then, all is lost. If you go with her, and she falls off, you both will die. If the planet and universe survives, you may be born again, but you’ll be unable to help for decades. If she succeeds, you two will return, time will continue, but it may be too late to save the universe. It is a terrible situation and choice.”

  “That’s easy. I’ll go with her.”

  “Please reconsider, Carl. If you are here, you may be able to stall the queen and give Aida time to return and help you. That is, if you can convince her to go at all.”

  Aida reached the top of the spiral staircase, ran over to Manny, and hugged him. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  When she released him, Manny said, “I am happy to see you too.” He turned to Carl. “Good luck.” He faded away.

  “Good luck with what?”

  “Let’s go find Burt and Grace. They need to hear this too.”

  A few minutes later, the four were gathered in the main room of Aida and Grace’s dormitory suite. Carl sat on one of the desk chairs while the others sat on a couch. “What’s all this about?” Burt asked. “I was recruiting more students for Invisible Hand classes.”

  “Yeah, we’ve got a full schedule this afternoon, and we haven’t had lunch yet,” Grace added.

  Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door. Aida hurried over and pulled it open. “Hi Mom.”

  Dean Whitehall walked in. “I’ve been looking for you, Prescott.” She walked over to the television and turned it on. “These reports have been going on all day.”

  A large army was standing outside the demon queen’s castle. They wore medieval uniforms and carried swords, lances, bows and arrows. The report said that similar forces were forming around Europe, but they had not yet engaged the standing armies of the countries where they were located.

  Whitehall turned off the set. “Apparently, one skirmish occurred early this morning in South America. The modern weapons of the militaries malfunctioned en masse, and hundreds of soldiers were killed. All of this carnage is due to that demon queen, correct?”

  “Yes, Dean. It seems that she can stop the military from using anything but medieval style weapons.”


  “How is that possible?”

  “She is a demon from Hell.”

  “What are we supposed to do? What if they attack here next?”

  Carl nodded. “That is likely. That is also why I want Aida to take the Rope Bridge.”

  “No, I forbid it!” Whitehall exclaimed.

  Carl turned to his friends. “Tell her about the dream we all had.”

  After several minutes of hearing the same horrible tale from each of them, Whitehall sat on the other desk chair, looked down, and moaned. “We’re all doomed.”

  Carl sighed. “Manny told me that if Aida can cross the Rope Bridge, she’ll be able to help me stop the queen. That is why I was able to escape the wall and the others could not.”

  “But we’re taking the training. Who will teach us with her gone?”

  “I will, Dean Whitehall,” Grace replied.

  Whitehall suddenly looked up. “Who the heck is Manny?”

  “He’s God, Mom,” Aida noted.

  Dean Whitehall sat with her mouth open for several seconds. “Well, I suppose that stands to reason. I spent a few hours with Death while we were waiting for Carl to return. What do you think, honey?”

  “I really want to help, but if I’m all alone out there, I know I’ll mess up.”

  “Manny said I shouldn’t, but I want to go with you,” Carl replied.

  “But Josh said it was a solitary mission.”

  “And you will be alone. My soul will be inside you, just like Sylvia and Barbie were inside me. Once you step into the fog, I can even walk with you, except I’m not really walking with you.” He shook his head. “I know it sounds complicated.”

  “Carl, what happens if she fails to reach the other side?” the dean asked.

  “If she falls off, we will both be dead. If she cannot reach the other side or answer the questions, she and I will return in the same condition as we are now.”

  Dean Whitehall stood and held out her closed fist. She extended one finger. “If she doesn’t go, we’re all dead.” Carl nodded and she extended a second finger. “If she goes and falls, we’re all dead.” A third finger was added. “If she goes and doesn’t succeed, we’re all dead.”