The Chair

by Michael Ziegler

  “Humph, interesting. I’d be willing to bet the queen’s crown that the chair was not the only discovery he found in that cave; now you really have me bloody well intrigued!”

  We continued toward the smaller cliffs where most of our hiking had ended and the steeper climbing began. From then on it was nothing but up ever growing cliffs. I leaned back at one point, shielding my eyes from the sun to view the summit of Tower Peak but with no luck. It seemed to climb up high enough to recede from view. Dorn actually climbed fairly well for a security man and I pondered for awhile if I wasn’t in some sort of competition with him or not. Ara seemed concentrated on her climbing and hadn’t been showing me any special attention up to this point since her rescue and I wagered this had been fueling his hopes once more. There was now no mistaking; Eric Dorn was again in the picture concerning her attentions. I had to jump through one hoop at a time for now though, and the current hoop confronting me was just getting us all to the top.

  Before our climbing turned strictly vertical there was a small plateau and forested area we had to cross with patches of tall grass waving in the wind. As we started out through this area I could have sworn I heard some sort of odd noise, like grunting. It began to get louder, now with a strange rustling in the grass. Suddenly it flashed through my head just what it was.

  I quickly caught their attention. “Hey, get down and don’t move. It’s a wild boar!”

  We all three got down on our knees remaining as quiet as possible. The movement of the tall grass began to approach our location with snorting and grunting increasing in intensity as if this boar had a quarrel with us. We pulled out our weapons and waited.

  I threw out two possibilities for any takers. “We were either close to a mother’s young piglet, which has put her in protective mode, or―”

  Dorn quickly interjected. “Or, it could be just one mean pig… Run!”

  That said, we all three got up and began running across the field of tall grass but the snorting kept pace with us. Ara suddenly tripped, falling head first straight down and toppling into the grass; then quickly recovering, she got up on her knees.

  The bore was headed straight for her and before I could change my direction in order to get to her, Dorn was already on his way. She barely had time to stand and as she fumbled for her weapon, it dropped as the bore began to charge at her. It was a big one, at least one hundred fifty pounds with some nice sized tusks and in no mood for company.

  Dorn was on an intercept course and much to my surprise, dove in the air straight at it yelling at the top of his lungs. He hit the bore smack on its side knocking it down to its knees and it let out a squeal; dazed, it got up breathing hard. I took out my weapon firing it twice in the air and it turned and ran.

  Dorn yelled. “You should have killed it Richard?”

  “We wouldn’t want to deprive young piglets of their mother now would we?”

  He looked at me puzzled and I looked at Ara as her anxious face turned to a laugh. “Richard, you could tell she was a mommy when she was knocked over on her side!”

  Dorn piped up. “What’s so funny about that? I could have been mauled by that thing saving your bacon Ara!”

  She walked up to Dorn giving him a hug and kiss looking at him with a smile. “Thanks again Eric, that’s twice you’ve rescued me and I’m very grateful.”

  This time it was obvious the way she looked at him had changed and it was then It had dawned on me that something had somehow turned around for both of us. I myself was even growing a little softer toward Dorn. He was actually becoming a likeable guy for the first time, even though I knew he preferred to be seen as a tough guy.

  We pulled ourselves together and leaving the forested area, began to climb the side of the mountain. It was loose shale at the base, then turning to a steep climb up rocky crags traversing back and forth while keeping an upward course. I kept looking up to see how far we had to go but the summit would not make itself visible. We stopped at the base of a tall shear rock wall and would now need rope. It was time though for a break, something to eat and drink before finishing the climb and this was the place to do it.

  We would still have several hours yet to finish but the way was fairly clear now and it would only be a matter of time till we made it to Tower Peak. After a short while we were back to our feet and ready. Dorn went up first climbing the face of a craggy rock wall. It wasn’t straight up but still at a good angle and would require him to send a rope back down for Ara and myself.

  He had informed us back at the apartment that he climbed for exercise and months ago had already come out to another part of this mountain for recreation. From that point on, everything went off without a hitch up the rock face and through the remainder of the climb. It turned out to be a very exhausting experience and all the while I kept swearing to myself never to climb again.

  We finally reached the summit of Tower peak around six o’clock that evening and as we stood on a large flat stony expanse we were awe struck by the view. Tower Peak itself was actually a mountainous plateau and looking down from our current vantage point offered a view of one half of the entire the island. Walking in the opposite direction to the end of the forested side of the plateau, one could see the other half of the island; it was an absolutely superb lookout point. The forested side was more than likely where we would find William Dunford and we began heading in that direction.

  We passed a small pool of water with a wooden structure enclosing bamboo tubes hollowed out and used for piping the water from somewhere below; bloody ingenious, I thought.

  Further on down, walking amongst the trees, we came across a small camp sight with animal hides and various tools.

  Ara grabbed one of the hides holding it up to study. “We should be very close to Mr. Dunford now.”

  “You are close my dear… I am Dunford.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY FOUR

  We all looked around and there he was, standing there with a rifle slung over his shoulder and wearing an Australian boar hunting hat. His white, short cropped beard and spectacles gave away his age, but he was tan and quite fit looking for a man who must have been at least in his late sixties.

  “Well, who are you people and what are you doing all the way up here?”

  I spoke up. “We’re here to warn you of an impending take over of your island.”

  He opened his arms wide with a confused look on his face. “Take over of this island?” he chuckled, “that could never happen my boy.”

  He brought out a smoking pipe and lit it up taking a puff or two. “Is that what you came all the way up here to tell me?”

  Ara stepped forward and quickly spoke up. “William, you don’t understand; there is a country far away who wants to use this island as a base of operations for war!”

  He pointed at her with the stem end of his pipe. “And who might you be young lady and how do you know my name?”

  “Ara, Ara Gratten.”

  “Oh, my lord! Ara Gratten! I can’t believe it is you, grown up so, so beautifully! The last time I saw you and your father… well it’s been years now. How is Timothy doing these days, still working in London?”

  “No not exactly; it’s a long story. He was kidnapped and taken to Germany in order to help them manufacture their new weapons of war.”

  “What? How and when did this happen?”

  Ara went on to explain what had transpired with her father and how she and Richard went to find him.

  “Not to worry child, I’ve been observing them and they won’t be able to takeover this island for long, though it may seem so now.”

  I had to speak out against his dismissive attitude. “These Nazis are serious, deadly and they will stop at nothing to take over this island; it’s no bloody joke sir!”

  Dorn interjected right away. “Tell us about discovering the chair and whatever else it is you’ve found?”

  “That is a long story; come into my cabin and have some tea or coffee, you must be tired from
the climb; I know my assistant certainly is when he returns from the village.”

  “We don’t have that much time sir, these Nazis will be all over the island and there’s a ship down there ready to―”

  “Heh, heh there is time my boy and you all need the rest come, come on in and I’ll explain.”

  I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he was so complacent about his island being run over by another country; was his senility worse than we had anticipated?

  I really didn’t think he understood the real peril the whole island was facing, living up here on “ivory” Tower Peak; but we were all interested in what he had to say and a bit worn out.

  Dunford poured us some tea and coffee and began explaining what had happened those many years ago.

  “Back in the early 1800’s my father, a scientist and explorer ventured out from a British colony in Australia in a new type of hybrid ship of sails and steam called the Discovery Oceanus.

  The ship carried seventeen other explorers with their families, all with various degrees in botany, natural science, chemistry, geology and the like.

  They had been sent from the British Colonial Research Institute and were all volunteers. Their objectives were to discover life on other islands and new civilizations; to boldly venture where no ship had gone before. Upon sailing for weeks, the ship was thrown off course hundreds of miles by a sudden and terrible hurricane until finally shipwrecking on this obscure island.

  No rescue ships had ever come across this island which is roughly calculated to be somewhere in the far southwest of the Pacific. The explorers, all hard working, pitched in building a large camp which eventually turned into a village and years later as the population increased became a thriving community island. It was finally agreed amongst the people that this island would endeavor to remain distinct from the rest of the world.

  It was actually my father who made the discovery of the chair sometime after I was born, which revolutionized this island and made it possible to advance itself thanks to men like your father Ara. He took the chair and made a practical use for it and the island.

  Dorn gulped down his last bit of coffee. “What gives the chair its power and who made it?”

  “That remains a mystery my boy. The chair and trackers were found together in a cave fully preserved. No one knows where they came from them or what they were originally made for.”

  I simply had to voice my frustration with his answer. “It couldn’t have just appeared on this island with the power it has, somebody had to contrive and have a use for it!”

  Dunford picked up his pipe once more and lit it up. “Maybe there was another race of people that inhabited this island long ago, or a people who happened to stumble across it just as we did, having no idea of its origin; which brings me to another much related subject at hand. A few years ago I had decided to venture back into that same cave in which the chair was discovered. It was thought to have been exhaustively searched for any other possible objects of interest in years past, but they had overlooked something.

  “Later, after investigating thoroughly myself, I also had concluded there was nothing more to be found. But as I was about to leave the cave, I happened to spot a curious thing; a smooth stone that looked as if embedded in the wall of the cave entrance. Upon examining it closer, I could see it was a perfectly rounded semi transparent stone totally out of place though small as it was.

  “I brushed my hand across it, only to wipe a thin film of dust from its surface, but what happened next startled me to say the least.”

  I sat there hypnotized by his story. “Hey, no bloody suspense please; what did happen next?”

  He walked over to the counter pouring himself more tea and continued. “Brushing my hand across it there was suddenly a rumbling in one of the walls further in the recesses of the cave along with some loose falling rock. I quickly walked to the back and found a previously large section of the solid wall, now partially opened.

  “Climbing inside, there was a very strange dish shaped antennae which was hooked up to an old style battery supply with a control box.

  “I hadn’t realized at the time that I had found another object with terrible and fascinating power. I returned days later with a wagon and after disassembling parts of it finally managed to get it up here with the help of my assistant and his companions.

  “After reassembling it, for the next several months I experimented discovering its remarkable properties and have been experimenting with it since. In the mean time we, my assistant and myself, along with his volunteers from the village built the tower.”

  Each one of us looked at one another. “The tower?”

  Dunford threw his hands in the air. “Yes how do you think this plateau got its name?”

  “Tower Peak, now that’s original!”

  “If you are all rested enough I will now take you on the tour.”

  “Tour of what?”

  “Why, the tower of course, and the astonishing energy displacement device. Come with me and I’ll show you.”

  We followed Dunford out the door of his cabin to a crude pathway and through a densely wooded area until we came to a huge clearing. There in the middle of the clearing was a giant four legged wooden tower which must have been at least forty feet tall.

  “This had to be a huge undertaking for just you and your assistant!”

  “Oh no, my boy we had abundant help from volunteers of the village here for two whole weeks. They camped out over there where you first saw the tanning tents.”

  “This is quite a lookout tower I’ll say!” Dorn added, lifting his gaze with a delirious look on his face.

  “Ahh, but the beauty of it is… it’s much more than a lookout tower. It is now our tower of defense.”

  Dorn seemed to be questioning the logic. “You mean you’re planning on taking cover up there with a rifle and some pistols if enemies approach?

  “No, no you misunderstand; we don’t need conventional weapons up there, no, you will see.”

  We all climbed the stairs ascending up the middle of the tower structure, all the way up to a platform at the top; then looked out at what was a wonderfully commanding view of the entire island.

  There, in the center of the platform, was a seat facing the back of a large odd looking dish shaped antenna-like structure. Attached to it were electrical cables leading down to a large control box with dials and knobs; next to that, a large wooden ships wheel.

  The view from there, looking northward was of the waves pounding the shore. We looked eastward, westward and could clearly see the Japanese ship we had boarded hours ago, anchored in the cove as well as the entire sanctuary village far below.

  Ara took Dunford by the arm pointing down to the cove. “William, that’s an enemy ship carrying all of the supplies and armaments to turn this island into a military base for a man they call their Führer. Once they offload two huge heavy guns onto the shore, they will place them in strategic locations on the island for their defense.

  William paced his hands on his hips looking out at the ship. “Well, we cannot have that can we child?”

  He sat down in the seat, flipped a few switches and several small lights began to glow on the panel. Then, pointing to the large wooden spoked ships wheel next to him he said. “Turn that wheel clockwise until I tell you to stop.”

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY FIVE

  I stood by it, looking over the side of the platform. The wheel was connected to several gears under the platform and I turned it clockwise as he instructed. The whole platform began to move as I turned the wheel and when Dunford was finally facing in the direction of the ship, he raised his arm and shouted. “Stop!”

  It looked as if he were sighting in the ship, turning one large dial and then a smaller one; then checked his settings and pulled a large metal lever down. We were anticipating something but weren’t exactly sure what. Suddenly, there was a vibrating noise that started low and began to increase in intensity and pitch unt
il it was sounding like a thousand furious bees. Tiny bolts of electricity were forming and began increasing until it reached the peak of intensity; then something strange shot out of the dish like antenna― a ball of gelatinous looking substance growing larger by the second headed straight for the ship. Reaching there in mere seconds, it began enveloping the whole ship with a semi-transparent substance until it was completely encased! The ship’s crew began running in a panic back and forth on the deck as the ship slowly began rising from the water keeping pace with Dunford’s control on the antenna handle, slowly pulling down. Some of the crew were jumping overboard, only to land in the strange enveloping substance.

  Dunford laughed nervously and bellowed. “That is the defense I have been trying to tell you about!”

  The ship steadily rose in the air with water cascading down from the hull and Dunford shouted. “Now, turn the wheel counter clockwise as far as you will!”

  I turned the wheel, again rotating the whole platform; and as I turned, correspondingly, the ship moved through the air toward the shore; then I stopped turning and likewise the ship stopped moving hovering above a stand of trees. He then flipped the metal lever up; all noise from the machine abruptly stopped; and the ship came crashing down into the trees on its side, while the substance began quickly subsiding.

  Singlehandedly, he had disabled the entire ship and its crew! We were all transfixed on the wonder he had just performed when we began to notice someone clapping down below.

  “Bravo, bravo! Wonderful Mr. Dunford; if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it!”

  We all looked down below at the base of the tower and there, standing next to the chair and a tracker, was Anders along with Paxton pointing a rifle straight up at us.

  “I had a feeling you would be up here Ara, looking for help from good old William Dunford. It looks as if we just can’t seem to keep you for very long can we? Now come down from there, all of you.”