by Karl Morgan
“Petulant?” Sylvia asked.
He kissed her cheek. “Perhaps I was a bit overly dramatic, but you did try to destroy the universe.”
“Only to get your attention, Carl,” she replied.
Frank stood. “Okay, I’m done with this garbage and I don’t know how you’ve brainwashed my son, but I want you all out of my house right now.”
“Honey,” Ginny began, but her husband waved her off.
Manny and Joshua disappeared.
“What just happened? Where did they go?” Frank asked his son.
Carl kissed Sylvia’s lips softly. “I’ll come to your island in just a minute.” She nodded and disappeared as well.
“Is this some kind of hallucination? Did they drug us or something?” Ginny asked.
“Dad, let’s sit on the couch with Mom so we can discuss this,” Carl suggested.
“I’ll sit down when I want to sit down.”
“Frank, please, he’s our son!” Ginny exclaimed.
Carl put his hands on his father’s upper arms. “It’s okay, Dad. I totally understand how you feel. Frankly, I felt the same way for a long time. But when I understood, the truth became so clear and simple that I couldn’t believe I didn’t already know!”
Ginny stood and put her hand on Carl’s shoulder. He turned to face her. “Did we just kick God and Jesus out of our house?”
Carl nodded. “Yes, but it’s okay. He will not judge you for that. I mean, how many people ever get to see Him? I never thought I would.”
“Carl, God was not just in our house,” Frank exclaimed. “That can’t possibly be real.”
“Dad, do you remember when you came to the school to interrogate the teachers and send all the students to the demon queen?”
“What are you talking about?” Frank asked.
Carl took his parent’s hands in his. “Remember.”
Tears poured out of his eyes. “That was a dream. That never happened.”
“Whatever happened to Director Winston, Dad?”
Frank’s head snapped back. “What do you mean?”
“A whole crew of agents disappeared, including him, you, and Mom. You two were finally located in the Azores. Your boss thought he’d turn me over to the queen, but I got the better of him. He and his flight crew ended up at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, right?”
“That’s when you got the promotion, right Frank?” Ginny asked.
Frank sat heavily on the chair and held his head in his hands. “Oh no, I just kicked the Lord out of my house.”
Manny pulled Frank up and into his arms. “It’s okay, my Son. You didn’t know.”
Joshua turned Ginny around and hugged her. “You are a wonderful mother with an amazing son, Virginia.”
Manny looked at Carl. “She’s waiting, so you’d better go.”
Carl smiled and faded away.
Sylvia and Carl walked along the beach in their swim suits. “Whatever happened to your girlfriend, what was her name?”
“Aida. I think that pendant had the same effect on her as it did on you. She, her mom, and my friends all left. The other students treated me badly, so that’s when I left.”
She put her arm around his back and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about that. What happened to the jewel anyway?”
“When Josh asked me to go with him at lunch, he took it.”
“That’s odd,” she replied. “I didn’t sense anything. Maybe he destroyed the stone?”
Carl chuckled. “That would be nice, but I don’t think it’s possible. Do you know what it was?”
“It looked like a diamond, but they don’t make noises.”
Two chairs materialized on the beach in front of them, so they sat down. “It was a diamond that Manny put around a two-dimensional wormhole.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
“Sylvia, Manny told me that when we, Gabe, and Connie left the singularity, the priest and priestess did form a new universe. That wormhole connects this one to that.”
“But that’s not how it’s supposed to work?”
Manny walked up to them. “You two need to come with me now.”
The three were walking through a forest. “What happened, Manny?”
Manny did not look back at Carl. “You’ll see soon enough. By the way, it is most likely that your parents will not retain the memory of our meeting. Mortal minds generally cannot come to grips with things of such consequence. Do not blame them and do not bring it up, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
They approached the walls around the Thorndike Institution. The sun had just risen on a new day. The stones began to move until a passageway formed. They walked through and into a small stand of trees. The wall reassembled behind them. The main building was clearly visible, but the Gratia Dei Hall was gone. In its place was a deep hole. The teachers and students had been evacuated. Headmaster Dorchester stood at the edge of the hole looking downward.
“What happened to the dormitory?”
“Please just wait; we’re almost there.”
As they arrived, Carl said, “Hello, Headmaster.”
Dorchester turned around. All could see he had been crying. “Oh Carl, what a mess! Who are your friends?”
Carl recalled what Manny had just said about human memory. “These are my friends, Manny and Sylvia.”
Dorchester shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both, but this place is unsafe.” The ground under Dorchester’s feet began to slip, and he moved a couple feet away from the edge. “See, it’s still happening.”
Manny said, “Headmaster, we are here to fix this, but I need you to move away. As you say, it isn’t safe here anymore.”
“This place is all I have.” Dorchester wiped his watery eyes with his sleeve.
A minibus pulled up to the group with the angel Gabriel at the wheel. Manny patted Dorchester on the shoulder. “I swear we will fix this, but you must leave.”
Dorchester muttered something under his breath, turned, and climbed on board the bus, which then drove away.
Manny pointed to the bottom of the pit. “Do you see it, Carl?”
Carl squinted his eyes and then gasped. “It’s the pendant!”
Sylvia covered her ears with her hands. “It’s getting louder.”
“You two wait here.” Manny floated down to the bottom of the pit, picked up the pendant, and floated back to them. He wrapped his hand tightly around the stone. “Is that better, Sylvia?”
She removed her hands and smiled. “Yes, thank you, Uncle.”
“Carl, first I owe you an apology.”
“That isn’t necessary, Manny.”
“Oh, I’m afraid it is. As I told you before, this type of thing has never happened before, so all of us were in the dark as to the consequences. I believed the stone would contain the wormhole, but that was just wishful thinking at the time. Over the last six months, the wormhole has been pulling apart the stone atom by atom. Eventually, the stone will dissolve and release the demon inside.”
“So, this universe will be sucked through?” Carl asked.
“If nothing is done, that is probably true. When I gave you the stone, I told you I wasn’t certain I had any power over the other universe, which is still true. But I have absolute control over this one and that includes this end of the wormhole. I am confident that I can close it.”
“Kill it now, Uncle!” Sylvia exclaimed.
“Not yet, Niece. There is damage that must be undone first. Carl, you can see where we are. It was not just those in the demon queen’s coliseum who were sucked into the new universe.”
“What?”
Manny nodded and then sighed. “When Joshua took the pendant from you, he wanted to give it to another Invisible Hand for safe keeping. He chose Burt Jackson, your friend. He figured that between him and Aida, they could control its power. Alas, they were the first, but not the last. Before the residence hall was evacuated, your friends Grace and Barbie, along w
ith Dean Whitehall and Professor Thorndike were pulled through. Then the building and all of this earth and rock. Perhaps a few animals and insects, I don’t know yet.”
“I need to go to rescue them,” Carl stated firmly.
“I am not certain that is even possible now,” Manny replied.
“Don’t go, Carl. This is our chance to be together.”
“Maybe you should come with me, Sylvia?”
Manny shook his head. “That would be a very bad idea, Carl. The priest and priestess who started that universe would love nothing more than to get their revenge on her.”
Carl closed his eyes and thought for a moment. When he opened them, he asked, “Manny, do you think my friends turned against me due to the stone?”
“For your friends, I would say yes. Your girlfriend may be a different case. You know how fickle affairs of the heart can be.”
“Not mine, Carl,” Sylvia noted.
“What other options are there, Manny?”
“If you choose, I will crush the wormhole right now. That will end the connection to this universe. Everyone and everything that went through will be forever stranded in that universe. Then life will return to normal.”
“Please don’t go, Carl,” Sylvia pleaded.
“Sylvia my darling, can’t you see I have no other choice? I would be nothing without those people. I never would have come to Thorndike or met you and learn about our past. Manny, Luce, Mort, and the Rope Bridge Society would just be stories. I have to go.”
“Are you absolutely certain, Carl?” Manny asked.
“Yes, Father. I am certain.”
“Okay, I’ll open my hand slightly. Stick a finger in the opening and touch the stone,” Manny replied.
“Carl, don’t!” Sylvia begged.
Carl nodded. “I’m ready.”
Manny smiled. “Call out to me when you try to return. I will try to help you and the others. The other end of the wormhole should look identical to this one. Remember where it is!”
“I understand.”
Manny moved one finger slightly and the whine of the wormhole filled the air. Carl raised his right index finger and moved his hand toward the opening.
“Stop!” Sylvia screamed. Manny closed his hand.
Carl kissed her softly. “I’m sorry, darling. I have no choice. Please know that my love for you will live on in both universes.”
She grabbed his left hand. “I’m not letting you do this alone, Mister. I’m going too.”
Manny frowned. “Sylvia, don’t be rash. The gods of that universe hate you. There is no way you can survive. I won’t allow you to go.”
She reached up and kissed Manny on the cheek. “It’s okay, Uncle. Carl and I have always been together. I will do my best to take care of him and he will do the same for me.” She nodded. “This is what I have always wanted.”
Manny shook his head but moved the same finger again. The screech of the wormhole was almost overwhelming.
Carl moved his finger toward the opening. Sylvia wrapped her arms around Carl and snuggled her head against his neck. Carl touched the stone.
Manny saw the two sucked into the stone. He pushed the stone into his chest and walked away.
The experience was not so peaceful for Carl and Sylvia. They felt their bodies stretched out and then flattened. Carl thought his body would splatter apart, but somehow he held together. They were turning over and over inside the filament of light as it plunged into endless darkness. “Is this how death feels, Carl?” Sylvia asked.
“I don’t remember, but it’s awful for sure. Are you okay?”
“I feel like vomiting, but I’m flatter than a pancake.”
They were accelerating toward a bright point of light at incredible speed. They entered the light and all sense of motion stopped. They seemed to be enclosed in a cubical room of light. Carl stood and pulled her to her feet. “This is pretty unexpected.”
She hugged him. “At least, we’re together.” She was about to kiss him when the floor dropped out and they plummeted downward.
They were on some kind of endless slide made of light. The slide twisted around a very bright blue star and continued out into the void. Seconds later, the blue star detonated. The walls of superheated gas from the nova chased them.
Moments later, they had passed the danger and continued toward a smaller yellow star. The slide twisted around the star and toward a brown planet. The slide dipped into the atmosphere and through several cloudbanks. The slide ended a hundred feet above a massive pile of rubble. They flew off the slide, slammed into the pile, tumbled down until they reached the base, and came to a stop. Sylvia pulled Carl to his feet. She pointed to the dark sky. “Look at that!”
Carl could only see a few dozen stars, most of which were red dwarves. “I guess that’s the whole thing.”
A bent-over man hurried toward them. He had a significant limp and wore only torn shorts. “Come with me, quickly now!” He took Carl’s hand. “You must run!”
“Who are you?”
“There’s no time for small talk. The searchers will arrive shortly. Run!”
The man ran and the others followed.
Vengeful Gods- Chapter 2
Carl Prescott woke on the dirt floor of a cave in darkness. The first glimmer of sunrise began to peer into the cave entrance some fifty yards away and up a slope. The man who brought them here had stoked his fire and roasted what appeared to be a large cockroach. Sylvia sat on a rock ten feet away and shook her head. Carl moved closer to the fire. “Thank you for helping us, friend. What’s your name?”
The man turned the bug over and smacked his lips. “I used to be known as William Johnson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Here, I’m just called Limp.”
“Do you prefer William or Bill?”
“Just Limp is all I am now. Of course, I remember the both of you from the coliseum. Have you come to rescue us?”
“Yes,” Carl replied.
“Well, it’s about time,” Limp replied.
“It was six months ago, right?”
Limp shook his head. “Ten years here. Six months ago, a flock of sheep appeared on that pile where you landed. Damned searchers took them all back to the gods. I hear they have a flock now, but that’s only for the courtesans. The rest of us get bugs. That’s all that lives on this rock.”
“Limp, would you let me try to heal your leg?”
“Are you a god too?”
Carl smiled. “No, but I do have some talent. I’m not sure it works here, but I’d like to try.”
“If it works, you can have this whole bug, just for you. I ate one last night before you two arrived.”
“Thank you, but no. Starving to death sounds more appetizing to me,” Sylvia replied.
Limp laughed. “If that’s what you want, but you know, they taste a lot like chicken.” Sylvia covered her mouth as though about to get sick, which made Limp laugh again.
Carl stood and then helped Limp to stand. “Just relax. This won’t hurt at all.” Limp nodded and Carl put his arms around him. After a few seconds, a look of joy crossed Limp’s face. Carl released him and stepped back. “Better?”
Limp said, “I guess my back was pretty bad too, huh?” Carl nodded. Limp took a few gentle steps, then ran in place, and finally did a couple jumping jacks. “That’s amazing.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Billy.”
Carl shook his hand, then he moved his hands over the roasting bug. It turned into three roasted chickens. “Let’s eat.”
Minutes later, Billy looked at the chicken bones around him. “Man, I haven’t had chicken in forever and I was wrong about the comparison. Those bugs really do taste like crap.”
“Are you the only one not with the gods?” Carl asked.
“Nah, most folks are like me. There’s only a hundred or so courtesans in the city, plus probably five hundred regular slobs as guards and working as servants. Outside the city, I’d guess there are a few thousand of us. You both remember the coliseum. Mo
st of the folks there are here now.”
“How powerful are the gods, Billy?” Sylvia asked and then wiped her mouth with her arm.
“More than me, that’s for sure. I still remember the day we arrived here. The gods made the stars and this planet. Then they erected the city and walls. There aren’t enough tools or workers for us to do it.”
“What do you think, Carl?”
Carl closed his eyes to think for a minute. When he opened them, he shook his head. “First, I’m not sure how much power we have. I am not certain it will be enough to stop them.”
Billy grunted. “Who cares about them anyway? Just get us out of here and they can play their games.”
“There is the wormhole to consider,” Sylvia added.
“What the heck is that wormy thing?” Billy asked.
Carl replied, “It’s a tunnel that connects this universe with the one we all came from. The entrance is a hundred feet above that debris pile.”
“How are we supposed to fly up to it? None of us have wings.”
“Don’t worry about that, Billy,” Carl replied, “but I’m not sure you or anyone else would survive the trip without help.”
“I’m pretty certain they’ll be okay,” Sylvia said. “They survived the trip here.”
Carl nodded. “You might be right, but I don’t want to take any chances with their lives.”
Billy groaned and held his head in his hands. “We’re doomed.”
Carl smiled. “We’re not going to stop until everyone is back home, but we need help. Can you introduce us to some of the others outside the city?”
Billy stood up. “Sure! In fact, I think we should start with the professor. He knows everything and everybody. Let’s go.”
Carl began to gather up the chicken bones and put them in a bag. “You never know when these might come in handy.”
“You’re crazy, Carl,” Sylvia noted and walked away with Billy.