A Survivor's Guide to Eternity

by Pete Lockett

  “That’s very true. The sheer scale and grandiosity of some temples and churches are quite capable of making us feel like that, even if we don’t have an ounce of religious belief in us whatsoever. Maybe it is tapping into an archetypal spirituality deep within us, not defined by religious belief but more by an innate awareness of the sheer magnificence of the universe we’re part of.”

  “Well said, Ed. It is certainly the conclusion a lot of people here have arrived at after much deliberation. Those places of worship did have an important function though, for people to experience that wonderment, and understand their place in the grander scheme of things, even if it only gave fleeting humility. Anyway, this is it. No mod cons, I’m afraid. Comfortable though,” stated Donald, as he swept the curtain aside and they both entered the room.

  “Same as the other place; simple but functional. Could be a Japanese hotel for all I know. I’ll be fine,” uttered Ed, as he slipped down onto the bed.

  “By the way, she mentioned she was Jewish, but you said there was no religion here. Why would she say that?” queried Ed.

  “She’s not religious. She is just using that as a reference to her background when she was in the physical world. People tend to say where they are from and what their background is, but once you’re here, it’s impossible for anyone to continue believing in a god, whatever faith they are from.”

  “I can understand that,” replied Ed, as he glanced at his watch and then slid flat onto the bed. It was now eight o’clock so he figured that after a six hour walk, the music must have gone on for at least ninety minutes, much longer than he thought.

  “Have a good rest and I’ll come back later, then we can go over to Yedida’s. Are you okay with that?” queried Donald as he turned tail and started to leave the room.

  “Cool. See you then,” Ed replied, as the soldier slipped out of sight.

  Ed slipped back into a relaxed position with his arms folded back under his head. He began to reflect on how fast things were moving and how extreme it all was, from the tortoise to the time tunnels, then the cat, the hound and then in a time warp with a WW1 soldier and famous classical composers hooking up to collaborate. Just then, Donald slid back into the room.

  “Sorry, Ed, listen. Please don’t judge me harshly on all those things I told you. If you’d been there, you would have understood. I was a timid child and youth, and never wanted to hurt anyone. The madness and cruelty of war turned me into a killer. That’s the bitter sadness of it all. That’s what I wanted to get across.”

  “I understand, Don,” replied Ed using his abbreviated name for the first time.

  “I cannot comprehend what you must have gone through but I can understand how it would have dismantled your reality and how that could desensitise you to all those horrors. I feel very strongly for you, honestly. There is not a single participant in any war that’s not a pained and troubled victim at their core. I would never judge you on that,” reflected Ed emotionally as he sat up on the bed and stared at Donald.

  “Thanks. That’s okay then. I’ll see you later. Get some rest,” stated Donald sheepishly as he left the room once more.

  “Great. See you then. It’s been good spending time with you and thanks for getting me out of the tunnel; I forgot to say that,” replied Ed, as the curtain flowed down closed and he heard a distant “no probs” from the departing private. Ed lay down once again, drifting off into a calm sleep.

  Chapter 12

  Fritz the baker

  “Come on, Ed, come on, we need to go over to Yedida, she’s expecting us, come on,” exclaimed Donald, as he gently shoved his shoulder back and forth, shaking him from his sleep like an apple from a tree.

  “Arrghh, er, where am I? Er, oh, Thomas, NO, Donald. Sorry, yes, I’ll be with you. Give me a second,” spluttered Ed, emerging from his sleep like fog seeping under a door.

  “I’ll wait outside.”

  “Okay,” replied Ed, as he span round upright on the bed, directing his feet onto the floor. He held his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes, quickly adjusting to the new environment. He jumped up and sprang across the tiny room, through the black silky curtain and out to the waiting Donald.

  “Good. That was quick. Let’s go, she’s on the upper levels and it’ll take a little while to get there. I’ve left my gun back in the room as well, just to keep you happy. Yedida doesn’t like guns either. She’s had quite a life – I’m sure she’ll tell you about it at some point.”

  “Yes, I saw the tattoo on her arm. Does it mean what I think it means?”

  “She’ll tell you, I’m sure. If by ‘what I think it means’ you mean ‘it’s what I think it means’ then yes, you are probably right, but it’s not my story to tell. Put it this way, we both have a lot of common ground having lived through extreme cataclysmic events and it gives us a close bond,” replied Donald, as they started to ascend the inclined walkways. The views into the large dome area grew more spectacular the higher they got, and Ed almost forgot about the mission to find the Viking, his transient predicament and all of the complexity that was now part of his existence. Soon they were up near the top and at Yedida’s door.

  “Yedida, we’re here,” exclaimed the British soldier.

  “Great, come in, come in,” replied the sexy and seductive voice from inside the curtained enclosure. Soon they had parted the silk covering and entered the room, politely kissed her on both cheeks and all three sat down, Ed and Donald on the bed and the striking black lady on a small stool opposite.

  “You’ve just arrived then, Ed. What was your last transience?” enquired Yedida.

  “A very brief one. I was caught up in a fox hunt as one of the hounds. Luckily though, I managed to sabotage it and the fox escaped. It was a horrible grizzly scene though,” replied Ed.

  “Horrible eh, the idea of fox hunting? Strange barbarism, although it’s in keeping with the general demise of human character.”

  “Yes, quite,” replied Ed.

  “Anyway, you want to see the Viking do you? Donny doesn’t altogether think he’s for real, do you, Donny?”

  “Until I’ve seen him with my own eyes, I’ll remain a sceptic. Anyway, now you two are together, I’ll love you and leave you,” stated Donald, as he got up and put his hand out to shake Ed’s.

  “Maybe I’ll see you later, Ed, if you stay on. Otherwise, thanks for the company.”

  “Thanks to you too and thanks for everything,” replied Ed, as he stood up to shake Donald’s hand.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, why carry the water bottle with you all day if you can’t drink?”

  Donald reached down to the canvas covered water bottle hanging from a canvas strap over his shoulder. He turned it round towards Ed to reveal a large dented hole.

  “Of course, it’s empty but it has sentimental value. It saved my life in my first few days at the front. It’s a good luck charm,” replied Donald with a smile on his face.

  “Oh. Okay then,” replied Ed, as Donald kissed Yedida on both cheeks before leaving the room and pulling the curtain closed behind him.

  “Lovely guy,” stated Ed.

  “Yes, he went through a lot out there and really had to do a lot of soul searching when he came here. I guess he told you his story did he?”

  “Yes, the whole thing. I think he felt really bad being lured into that vengeance, hatred and loss of self. You can kind of understand it, given the circumstances, don’t you think?” replied Ed.

  “To a point. They were certainly extreme circumstances with a lot of psychological impact. That’s sometimes worse than anything physical. You must, however, do everything you can to keep a sense of self in such extreme circumstances. That would be the only thing that could protect your soul and inner being. As long as you keep sight of yourself, there’s hope you can make the right choices, whatever the situation,” stated Yedida wisely, her smooth black complexion complemented even more by the pure white trouser suit. Her straight silky jet black hair cascaded down and f
ramed her perfectly chiselled face whilst her proud straight posture gave her more than an air of grace. Ed guessed she was in her mid to late twenties.

  “So tell me, Ed, what do you know about the Viking? I assume from the fact that you’re here and aware of him, that you have been around the cycle a few times and that you know about the time deadlines?”

  “Yes, I’m bang up to date with all that. I just want to make a few more trips before I commit to anything, although this place looks as though it could seduce an impromptu decision for many travellers to stay?”

  “Yes, you’re right. A lot of people do choose to stay, around fifteen percent I guess. However, I think you’re right in wanting to find out a little more before deciding. I sometimes wish I’d gone round a few times. Mind you, I might not have ever ended up back here. We rarely see the same Transient twice. There must be a lot of portals along the way.”

  “Yes, I definitely won’t stay this time. Anyway, how far is it to get to the Viking? It was a few days’ journey from the last place?” enquired Ed.

  “Not too bad, probably around a day or so. A little tricky though. There are a couple of obstacles to overcome on the way. It’s not without danger.”

  “What sort of danger?” enquired Ed.

  “Let’s leave, I’ll tell you about it on the way. It’s nothing to be scared of. You’re a big boy,” replied Yedida reassuringly as she got up and moved over towards the door.

  “Come on. We should get on our way now. Better to have too much time than too little. I hate rushing.”

  “Okay,” replied Ed, as he got up and followed her out of the doorway, excited to finally be on his way to the Viking, cautiously optimistic for some positives, even if it was to give him a ‘Koan’ revelation.

  They set off along the curving spiral pathway around the edge of the hall. Yedida proceeded over to the edge of the walkway and looked down at the open hallway below and the dome above. The hall was once again filling with people. She stood for a second with her hands on the top of the wall.

  “They’re going to sing again, Ed. Perfection isn’t it?” stated Yedida.

  “Yes, although it doesn’t seem that long since the last performance, unless I slept longer than I thought,” replied Ed, as the waves of melody began to drift around the extensive open space.

  “This is a different group. There are a few. Sometimes they all sing at once, arranged around the walkways in the hall. It’s really something. Anyway, are you scared of heights, Ed?”

  “A bit, why?”

  “We have to go up there,” replied the young lady, pointing to what looked like a rope ladder which ran from the top walkway up and around the curved ceiling until about two thirds from the top. At this point, virtually horizontal, it disappeared into a small trap door.

  “You’re kidding right?” exclaimed Ed nervously.

  “No, I’m not kidding. You’ll be fine. Just hold on and don’t panic. Let’s go around there and start climbing.”

  “Okay then, it looks scary though.”

  “Another thing, Ed, this is a one-way trip. Once you get past a certain point on this journey, you can’t come back. You have to go all the way and take your next transience from there. I’ll let you know when we reach that point,” said Yedida.

  “But how will you get back?”

  “I’m not going to go the whole way with you. I can only go so far or else I can’t come back. There’s a point of no return. Don’t worry though I can go most of the way.”

  “Decisions, decisions, everywhere in this lifecycle eh,” exclaimed Ed, as they reached the bottom of the cloth ladder.

  “Is this safe?” enquired Ed, as he shook the tatty-looking item made from old clothes.

  “Perfectly fine, come on, let’s go.”

  “Okay, let’s go,” replied Ed, as he looked down at his watch to see that he’d been in this new location less than a day.

  “You have enough time to get to the point of no return and change your mind to get back here. Don’t worry. Watch me go up and when I disappear into the hole, then you follow me,” stated Yedida.

  “Okay then,” replied Ed, as she leapt up the ladder with agility, hanging virtually upside down as she progressed towards the hole.

  “Don’t look down,” she shouted, as she disappeared up and through the hole and out of sight.

  Trepidations and fears gripped Ed as he grabbed the ladder with both hands and began to pull himself skywards. It felt surprisingly secure for a rope ladder, bearing in mind it was tied to little bits of the vine that covered the whole dome structure. The soothing waves of choral music washed over and around him, warming his soul and calming him from the increasing vertigo. He got more cautious and nervous with every grab and step as he felt his body getting worryingly horizontal. He continued to look up, clawing his way further towards the hole, the weight of his body feeling heavier by the second. Then he heard a voice from above.

  “Don’t look down, come on. You’re nearly there.”

  “It was Yedida, her head poking from the hole, giving reassuring comfort to the novice climber.

  Just as he thought the job was complete, his worst fears came and smacked him in the face. Against all instinct and advice he looked down and froze, directly above part of the choral group. He reached forward with his left hand to move closer to the trap door but in an instant his foot slipped on the rope. He fell dramatically away from the ladder, desperately hanging on with one hand. In a state of panic, he swung the free arm towards the ladder as he swung backwards and forwards, certain he would fall. Then he felt Yedida’s arm grab his as she shouted firmly to hold on. Below, the choral group were oblivious to the goings-on overhead, as the melodies got more and more intense.

  “Swing backwards and forwards and try to grab the ropes, Ed,” she cried down to him. Soon he had done just that and was swinging his whole body so he could get his feet back on the rungs of the ladder. It took some while but finally he achieved his objective and was clambering up into the small hole and into a large tunnel. The young lady helped, securely taking both hands, pulling him up and into the opening and to safety. Ed collapsed on his back on the floor, astounded by the events.

  “Thank goodness bodily functions are off the menu. I would most certainly have crapped myself there and then, Yedida. Sorry for the graphic.”

  “No problem. Honestly, very few people have the guts to do that climb. You’re one of probably five percent. Congratulations.”

  “What would happen to me if I fell anyway, seeing as I'm already dead?”

  “Good question. It would definitely hurt I know that much.”

  “There must have been a situation in the past where someone injured themselves badly, broke a leg or even something fatal?”

  “Yes, there has. It is hard to explain but they kind of melt away and go missing for a few days. Then they reappear some while later unscathed and oblivious of whatever went on. Mysterious really. Anyway, look back through the hole at the choir,” replied Yedida.

  Ed moved closer back towards the hole and peered through. It was an impressive sight, the spiralled walkways spinning round and round the hall with the choir like tiny ants in a red sand garden. The brilliant wash of melody and harmony whispered up through the hole and around into the tunnel.

  “Mind out, I need to close this,” said Yedida, as she grabbed the trap door and flipped it shut.

  “Look, check this out,” she added, as she pulled the door open by an inch or so.

  “Squint your eyes and look out through the opening, Ed.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it, you’ll see,” she replied. Ed did as she said and squinted at the partially open trap door.

  “I can’t believe it,” he gasped, astonished by the myriad of rainbow colours that jetted through the small gap.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s the music. I told you they were working with colours. You can see them if you close your eyes but it really gets exciting when the
music squeezes through a small gap on the light. Far out eh?” replied Yedida, as she finally closed the door.

  “Yes, indeed.”

  They both got up and began walking down the tunnel, which was slightly bigger than the previous tunnels but equally adorned with back lit vines and dazzling red sand. They walked for a few minutes in silence but then Ed couldn’t help but ask about the tattoo on the young lady’s forearm.

  “I noticed the tattoo on your arm, Yedida. I hope you don’t mind me asking about that?”

  “Actually I was going to tell you about myself anyway. There are no secrets in here and it’s really important to get to know what makes people who they are. I really need to explain my complex family history to you first though. It’s quite a ride, trust me,” exclaimed Yedida vulnerably.

  “I’m a good listener,” replied Ed, as they continued walking through the dramatically back lit vine-coated tunnels.

  “Well, way back, my family comes from Africa. Not sure exactly where. My great grandfather had been slaved and ended up in Cuba. His son ended up in southern America and somehow after all that, after the abolition, my mother ended up in Germany, finally to be married to a white German tailor. It was not an easy place to be black at the time. The First World War had ended and Germany was on its knees, crippled by the financial demands of the coalition of Europe and America. It helped give rise to the Nazi party who gradually went from strength to strength.”

  “Yes, I know all about that,” replied Ed.

  “Our family was okay though. My father worked hard and made a real success out of his business and my mother did absolutely everything to give me a stable and loving upbringing. She was my heroine. I went to college, studied and passed my law exams with flying colours and really got some good opportunities. However, the Nazis were going from strength to strength and starting to take a hold on the infrastructure of the country. They had lots of gangs of thugs that would beat up communists, gays, Jews, blacks and anyone else that took their fancy. After some years it started to become hell on the streets. We knew we would be targeted at some point but repressed the facts and thought that one day sense and logic would prevail and everything would be alright. How wrong we were.