by Karl Morgan
“Aida, I am totally supportive; however, you are still on the Rope Bridge. You need to make your choices about what to believe. I can’t really help you.”
She nodded. “That’s fair, but when we’re back at school, I expect more discussion, okay?”
He crossed his heart. “I swear. I’ll talk so much that you’ll beg me to shut up.”
“We’ll see. Anyway, if we are really immortal, I don’t understand the whole good versus evil, life and death thing. Why is there a God, Devil, and Grim Reaper? It doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you think that means?”
She smirked at him, then closed her eyes, and thought quietly. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and gasped. “They’re the same spirit. Emmanuel is the only Benefactor. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Who can say?”
She glowered at him and prepared to argue, but then her expression softened. “I get it. Yes, that is what’s right.”
“Okay, but if those things are true, what does it really mean about you, me, life, death, our bodies, space, and time?”
Aida gasped again, clapped her hands to her cheeks, and stood up. “Physical existence is an illusion! Oh my God! Why didn’t I see that before?” She turned to look at him. “It’s obvious. How could anyone miss something so obviously true?”
The two could hear clapping, so Carl stood, walked to the window, and pulled aside the curtain. He could see the members of the Rope Bridge Society, besides Joshua and himself, standing on the far side of the bridge. He motioned Aida over, and she looked outside. She grabbed Carl’s shoulders and turned him to face it. “Did I make it?”
Carl kissed her and smiled. “Only after you cross the bridge, darling. I could not be more proud.”
Joshua knocked, opened the door, and stepped inside. “I am so happy for you, Aida, and for you too, Carl.”
Carl was about to reply when the cabin exploded. Joshua and Death were launched over the edge of the precipice and plummeted into the fog below. The other side of the Rope Bridge was again enveloped in mist. Carl went over the side, but was able to grab the Rope Bridge with one hand and hang on. Aida hurried over to him, lay on her belly, and tried to pull him up. The air was filled with smoke and the blazing debris of Death’s cabin.
Aida grunted from the exertion. “Don’t let go, Carl. I’ll pull you up!”
Carl was able to grab the bridge with his other hand. “Just remember that I love you forever, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I can do this!”
Just then, two of the demon queen’s courtesans grabbed Aida by the feet and pulled her away. She screamed.
Sylvia looked down on Carl Prescott. “Well, what have we here?” She laughed. “It would seem our connection led me to you once again. You should be more careful about whom you let into your head, sweetheart.” She giggled. “And now I’ve rid myself of my self-righteous uncle and cousin. Carl, you were right about our age differences, my darling. If you die here, and the universe survives, perhaps we can continue our journey in the next life.” A massive man now stood behind her. He stood nearly seven feet tall, his muscular chest was bare, and he wielded a huge double-bladed axe.
“You can’t kill me, Sylvia,” Carl replied.
“Oh, I have no such intention.” She pointed at the axman with her thumb. “I’ll let Gregor have the pleasure.”
Sylvia stepped back out of view as the axman raised the weapon over his head. Carl closed his eyes. The axman swung his blade, which sliced through the supports for the Rope Bridge. The bridge and Carl fell downward into the fog.
The two courtesans held Aida by her arms. Sylvia walked over and looked the girl up and down. “I suppose you’re not bad to look at, but Carl could do a lot better.”
“You mean like you?” Aida replied and then chuckled. “At least I’m not some demon from Hell.”
Sylvia slapped her across the face. “Be very careful, my dear. You’re too valuable for me to kill here. You are my insurance policy.”
Carl Prescott flew up through the fog and kicked the axman in the back, which launched him over the side of the mountain. Carl landed near where the Rope Bridge had been. “Honey, I’m home.”
Sylvia turned to her courtesans. “You boys take care of him for me.” She grabbed Aida and disappeared.
The two courtesans looked confused. Carl smiled. “I have no fight with you two. If you take the ornate bridge, you’ll end up back home.”
The two drew their swords, screamed, and charged. Carl chuckled. He flicked his wrist and the two flew off the mountaintop and into the fog below.
Carl heard clapping and turned to see Joshua and Death standing next to the rebuilt cabin. “Very well done, Carl,” Death said.
“The time has come. Are you prepared for what happens next?” Joshua asked.
“I think Sylvia needs to stew in her own juices for a bit longer. Let’s all have another cup of coffee, perhaps the fortified kind.” They walked back inside.
Chapter 19
The coliseum had been moved into a deep depression in the earth so that the top of the walls was at ground level. A large gradual slope surrounded the building and extended from there to level ground. The seats in the coliseum were filled with courtesans, while the hundreds of thousands of eager supplicants sat on the grass on the slopes. Most of the supporting wall separating the courtesans from the floor of the coliseum was now a single stone slab. Near the demon queen’s box, a wide marble staircase led from the box to the floor. Aida Whitehall walked slowly on the coliseum floor along the stone wall. Most of the professors from the Thorndike Institution were embedded into the stone, including her mother, as well as her friends Grace and Burt. Aida stopped in front of her mother’s frozen form and began to cry. She took a deep breath, turned around to face the queen, and began to walk across the coliseum floor.
The courtesan who sat next to the queen said, “My lady, the child approaches.”
Sylvia glanced in Aida’s direction and scoffed. “Let her. What should I care for a stupid girl?”
Aida stopped twenty feet from the staircase. “I demand that you let them go!”
The demon queen laughed. She turned to her audience and shouted, “Listen to that child. Which one of you will care what she thinks?”
The massive crowd laughed and jeered at the girl in the coliseum. When the demon queen was satisfied, she waved an arm and silenced the throng.
Sylvia floated into the air and moved slowly down to the floor of the coliseum. She landed a few feet from the girl. “Where is our boyfriend?”
“How should I know? And he’s my boyfriend, not yours.”
Sylvia smiled wickedly. “Perhaps for now, but I know he’ll come to his senses soon and make the better choice.”
“He already did, Sylvia.” A gasp of astonishment moved through the crowd.
The queen looked into the crowd. “Well, I guess she’s got me there.” Laughter broke out and soon the jeering started anew. She turned her attention to the girl and clenched her fist.
Aida grabbed at her own throat as though she couldn’t breathe.
“Listen, child. If I didn’t need you right now, I’d blast you into atoms. I wanted to play nice, but you wouldn’t let me.” She pushed outward with her hand.
Aida flew backwards through the air until she landed against the wall. Her body sank into the stone. She struggled to release herself but quickly was absorbed into the rock like the others.
“I hope you learned your lesson.” Sylvia turned and started toward the staircase.
Carl Prescott streaked out of the sky and slammed into the center of the coliseum floor. A cloud of dirt shot from the coliseum floor and peppered the audience. The shock waved knocked those in the coliseum from their seats. The stone wall crumbled, leaving the embedded people like stone statues. The courtesans who had been seated near the wall tumbled down onto the coliseum floor. The demon queen was buried under several inches of dust and debris.
&nbs
p; “Remember me?” Carl asked.
Sylvia struggled to her feet and brushed off her dress. “You’ve made a mess of my imperial garb, darling. I hope you intend to pay the cleaning bill.”
Carl rolled his eyes and sighed. “Whatever. Dearest, you wanted me to come, and here I am. What now?”
“I want you to join with us to recreate the universe as I desire.”
Carl walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her and the crowd howled and whistled. “I think not.”
She pushed him down to the ground. “First, I did not give you permission to touch me. Second, why not?”
Carl remained on the coliseum floor. “Sweetie, as you know, we’ve spent many lifetimes together, so I felt obliged to demonstrate my deep affection. As for your second question, I don’t want any harm to come to you.”
Sylvia smiled, turned around, and began to walk back toward the staircase. After a few steps, she turned. “What about all of these noble citizens? You told me that if I attempt it, they will all die. Don’t you care about them?”
Carl stood and dusted himself off. “Frankly, they chose to be here, so their deaths are their choices.” He winked. “It’s always been about choices, hasn’t it, snuggle-bunny?” Out of the corner of his eye, Carl could see many at the outer edge of the audience moving away.
Sylvia laughed hysterically. “You are such a tool, Carl. Frankly, I have forgotten what I saw in you.” She pushed out with both hands, and Carl froze in place and turned into a marble statue. She walked over and kissed the statue’s mouth. “Nice try, lover-boy.” She motioned to her box. Gabriel and Constance headed down onto the coliseum floor.
Several workers swept the dirt covering the large marble circle that had been laid for their deed. It was carved to show an idealistic solar system. After they had finished sweeping, the workers backed out of the coliseum while bowing repeatedly to the queen.
The three now stood at the center of the marble circle. “Now what?” Gabriel asked.
“First, each of you needs to join with one of the courtesans or priests. Carl believes that every human has the Invisible Hand, so it really doesn’t matter whom you choose,” Sylvia replied.
Everyone in the coliseum stood, shouted, and waved to get the attention of those in the center. “How do we choose?” Constance asked.
“Geez, do I have to do everything around here?” Sylvia asked. She heard someone giggle and looked around, but could not find the source. She turned to the royal box and pointed to a priest and priestess. “You two get over here, now.”
Moments later, the two had joined them on the marble slab. They bowed and got on their knees. “You honor us with your choice, Majesty.”
“Just get up already. I haven’t got all day.” When the two had risen, she motioned to Gabriel. “Go join with him.”
“I’m a bit confused how this works,” he admitted.
Sylvia rolled her eyes and then looked at the statue of Carl Prescott. “You see what I have to deal with around here?” She walked behind Gabriel and shoved him toward the priest. As they were about to collide, Gabriel turned translucent and slipped inside the priest’s body. She turned to Constance. “I trust I don’t have to push you too?”
“No, Sylvia.” Constance ran toward the priestess who steadied for the impact. As with Gabriel, Constance slipped inside the woman’s body.
“Well, that part’s done at least,” Sylvia said with a sigh. She heard someone clapping and noticed that Carl was no longer stone. “How did you do that?”
“I told you that you couldn’t kill me, honey-bunch. Let’s go to your private island for some alone time.”
She pushed out with her hands again. Carl deflected the pulse with a flick of his wrist. The pulse shot through a section of the crowd and turned them to stone. She gritted her teeth and pushed out a second pulse. Carl deflected it into another section of the crowd. More members of the audience made their way to the exits.
“I can do this all day, doll-face.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But who will be here to witness this event if your audience is stone?”
“What do we do?” Gabriel asked.
“Ignore my former lover. He’s about to be dead to me. The three of us will form a group hug, and then, a new universe begins.” She opened her arms and smiled. “Come on, we’ve all been waiting for this moment, haven’t we?”
Carl raised a finger. “It’s actually a bit more complicated than that.” Sylvia scowled at him. “Sorry, sugar-pie, I was just trying to help.”
“What does he mean?” Gabriel asked.
“Ignore the stupid kid. Now hug me before I get really upset.” Sylvia extended her arms again and closed her eyes. The others moved toward her.
Carl turned to the statues of the others and bowed deeply. The stone shell around Aida and Burt dissolved. “You two help the others while I try to contain the situation.” He turned back to the three.
“Sylvia, two of the others are unfrozen,” Constance noted.
The demon queen opened her eyes. “Join the hug now, or we’re all dead.”
“I think you meant to use ‘and’ instead of ‘or,’ snuggle-puss,” Carl shouted.
Barbie looked at Carl, her face etched with terror. Sylvia took control and pulled her back. “Now, Connie!” All three hugged. Carl crouched in anticipation of the worst.
There was no sound, as if time had stopped. The audience stood for their salvation. Carl licked his lips. He noticed that Sylvia was now staring at him. Her look was a combination of fear and uncertainty. “I do love you, Sylvia,” Carl said softly. She smiled and nodded. Time seemed to stand still.
The three erupted with the brilliance of a thousand suns. The audience gasped at the majesty of the moment. The gravity wave moved outward. Now, Carl, Aida, and Burt surrounded the three, with the teachers between them. Donnelly was on Carl’s left with Thorndike next to him. The wave reached those who surrounded it and began to push them back. Carl shouted, “Let Aida, Burt, and I do most of the work! Just do your best to push back against the wave. Whatever you do, do not touch the wave.”
They pushed and moved a step forward. “Now, we’re getting there.”
The separation among the three began to blur.
Carl knew time was running out. He closed his eyes and pictured Sylvia in his mind. “Please don’t do this, Sylvia.”
“Why not? You don’t care about me.”
“Of course, I do! Remember that my secret place is almost identical to yours. That’s not coincidental. And think about all those lifetimes we’ve spent together. I know I do.”
“Then why won’t you let me do what I want, Carl? The destruction of Dad’s universe will make me happy.”
Carl chuckled. “No it won’t. I am what makes you happy.”
She laughed. “You really haven’t changed, have you?”
Some of the courtesans and seats from the coliseum flew through Carl and into the spherical gravity wave. As they passed through, they vaporized.
“What happened over there, Carl?” Dorchester asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, Alex, I’m fine. Don’t worry if things seem to fly through you. They are already dematerializing, so they can’t hurt you!” The group took another step forward.
“That was a big lie, Carl,” Sylvia said. “I’m surprised at you.”
“My love, I’m just doing what I can to control the situation. Now, tell me something special you remember about one of our past lives. As a mortal, my memory of those things was lost.”
Sylvia giggled. “You’ll think I’m a romantic fool.”
“I already know that about you. Please go on.”
She sighed. “That island is based on our life together as Jacques and Emmanuelle Marquis. He owned a small Pacific Island and built that house, exactly as you saw it, for our honeymoon.”
“I wish I could remember when I carried you over the threshold that day.”
The wave pushed them back again. More p
eople and objects fell into the gravity wave. The coliseum began to disassemble around them. “Push harder!” Carl shouted.
Part of the stairs behind them came apart and flew toward the gravity bubble. A large stone struck Professor Donnelly in the back and pushed him inside the pulsing wave. Thorndike reached out to grab his friend.
“Bertrand, don’t do it! It’s too late for Alistair!” Carl shouted. Thorndike pulled his arm back.
As Carl grunted and pushed, Sylvia’s face came to him. “If I were to change my mind, what would you do?”
“We’ve been through this before, you know, the whole age difference thing.”
“And my desire to destroy the universe.”
“Yeah, that too. I would definitely carry you over that threshold. As for the rest, we’ll see, okay?”
Sylvia sighed deeply. “I haven’t changed my mind, but would like to offer you a token of my love.”
“Thank you.”
“I will release the girl to you, if you come to get her.”
Burt’s voice interrupted their conversation. “No, Carl can’t go. I’ll go.”
Carl shook his head. “Burt, it’s too dangerous.”
Sylvia asked, “Why won’t you come for her?”
Burt replied, “Sylvia, Carl will only come to rescue you. We all know that.”
Carl could hear Sylvia crying. “Don’t be sad. It will be okay.”
“I don’t know anymore. Let your friend come for her.”
Carl turned his head to see Burt standing next to him. “You can’t survive in there. I won’t let you do it.”
Burt smiled and patted Carl on the back. “It’s all illusions, right?” He turned and stepped into the wave.
Carl was shocked to see Burt walking across open air toward the intense glow. As he neared them, Barbie emerged from Sylvia’s form. Burt picked her up and carried her back.