Enter the Uncreated Night
Page 18
“We’re through,” Beth whispered into Oscar’s ear. She grabbed on and held a couple of Arnie’s fingers. “Now hold your breath,” she said.
The briny smell of seawater hit Oscar’s nose a moment before the surge of water. The three of them were suddenly floating in total darkness. Still holding on to one another, they felt a current pushing them upwards. It propelled them faster and faster, until they felt their faces break through to air.
…
Chapter 26
Another New Beginning
Oscar, Arnie and Beth found themselves standing with only a swift current to their ankles. An endless expanse of black water stood before them, stretching upward with an endless slope. The water flowed uphill, toward a bizarre, titled sunset. Instead of the familiar sun, a swirling mass of collapsing stars hovered at the other side of the world.
“We’re in Morgaza,” said Beth as she held on to Arnie and Oscar’s fingers.
The sound of moving tide was all around them. The exploding starlight lit the scene like a slow bolt of lightning. In the distance, there were others, huddled groups and lone explorers being pulled by the tide at the ankles. They seemed to stretch as far as the water.
Beth smiled at Oscar and Arnie, telling them, “You’re gonna start to forget.” She looked forward, toward the tide’s destination.
Out there in the distance, at what seemed like the furthermost edge, they could see mist and a faint rainbow.
“The more you walk,” Beth said, “the more you forget the last place. You’ll forget your old name soon.”
“What’s out there?” Arnie asked her, “Out at the edge in all that mist?”
“That’s how you get to the next world,” she said. “I don’t think we’ve been there yet.”
Mister Smiler was standing in the water behind them. The reflection of the throng of stars shined in his single eye. He didn’t speak but they could hear his voice as clear as their thoughts.
“My friend, Beth and I have been travelling for a long time,” he said with a tone that somehow conveyed both reassurance and kindness. “We’ve all been here before. But it’s still very dangerous.” Mister Smiler pointed to something just under the surface of the water.
The face of an owl floated near their feet. It’s red and white robe drifted under the water like the edge of a ghost. It pointed a clawed finger at them before sinking back into the blackness.
“They’ve been around a long time,” said Mister Smiler.
Oscar recognized his neighbor, Stanley under the water. He was spinning in the dark current. His face was swollen and dead but his eyes were alive and gripped in horror. When Oscar saw him, he somehow knew there was nothing he could do.
“We’re safe up here,” said Mister Smiler. “But we have to keep moving.”
Someone faraway screamed so loudly that Oscar felt it in his own vocal cords. The man was alone, sinking into the water, off in the distance. The shriek was so primal and bellicose that it sounded like an animal being slaughtered. A whirlpool as big as a city block, with currents like spring rapids, was pulling a man toward its black center.
“It’s happened to all of us,” said Mister Smiler, “at one time or another.”
“He’s alone,” Beth said, staring at the man being consumed by the vortex. “It’s easier to get you when you’re all alone.”
Mister Smiler pointed out something to Arnie. There was someone else standing with them.
Dale McSorley, now a boy standing as tall as Arnie’s stomach, faced him across the endless river. The boy held up his hand to his big brother, saying, “You’ve been gone for so long. Time doesn’t pass the same here.”
Arnie hugged him, saying, “I knew I would get you back. I knew it.” He added, “The one thing I didn’t expect is you’d be ten years old. I know I’m your big brother and all but this is gonna take some getting used to.”
“You change as you walk,” Dale said to him, “and you forget.”
Beth told them both, “We’re all part of the same soul-line.” She looked at Oscar, taking his hand. She said, “That’s how we found each other. We may get scattered far but we always find our way back.”
Together, they let the pull of the current take them forward, toward the exploding suns that never set, toward another new beginning.
The End.
Other Books by Christopher Rankin
Thank you very much for reading. If you enjoyed Enter the Uncreated Night, I encourage you to please leave a review at Amazon or GoodReads. I love feedback from all my readers and it’s a big help to independent authors like myself. If you’re interested, please check out my other titles. Thanks again.
-Christopher Rankin
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