The Shadow Mask

by Lin Oliver

  “I don’t know what I believe anymore,” I answered truthfully. “Anything’s possible.”

  “Thanks for that,” he said.

  “For what?”

  “For not talking to me like a kid.”

  I stayed with him for a long time until he closed his eyes and seemed to doze off. Then I remembered Diana’s necklace in my pocket and peeked an eye through the tent. Diana was stretched out on her sleeping bag, lying down with both arms folded under her head. I crept over to her.

  “Lose something?” I said, and with my pen I dangled the locket over her face. “Tamon Dong found it.”

  With a gasp, she grabbed the necklace and held it against her chest.

  “Thank you so much,” she said as she took her necklace back and clasped it around her neck. “I didn’t even know I’d lost it.”

  “Yeah, losing things without realizing it is the worst.”

  “I would have died if I lost it,” she said. “My dad gave it to me. Do you remember him?”

  “Sort of. I remember a dad, with a beard maybe. He was nice to me, I think.”

  “He gave this to me right before he left us.”

  “I’m so sorry —”

  “No, he didn’t leave us,” she corrected herself. “My mom drove him away. She was so obsessed with Borneo he had no choice.”

  “Do you get to see him? He’s not in Mongolia or something, is he?”

  “He’s in New York with his new wife and their two girls. He tries to arrange special time for us, but …”

  “It’s not the same,” I said.

  “Yeah. It’s just been me and my mom for eight years, which can get rough.”

  “Wanna trade? Crane’s not so great, either.”

  “Hmm … no,” she said, and I knew that she’d realized she was being insensitive, since I didn’t have a mom. All I had was Crane.

  “It’s tough for all of us,” I said. “No one ever asks a kid what they want.”

  We were silent for a minute.

  “All right, I should get to bed. Good night, Diana.”

  “Don’t go yet, Leo. I’m not even tired at all.”

  “Okay,” I said, wanting to check up on Hollis, but I sat down on the wet grass. “I’ll stay for a bit if I can ask you one question.”

  “Sure, ask away.”

  “So, I’m just curious. You always sleep outside, on your back. What are you thinking of before you fall asleep? You seem so peaceful.”

  “See for yourself,” she said, rolling out some of her tarp for me. “It’s a new moon tonight and no clouds. Just lie back and look up, Leo.”

  I did. The night sky was unlike anything I’d ever seen in New York or anywhere else. I could see thousands of stars, millions of them. Diana was a stargazer!

  “Whoa, there’s so many —”

  “Don’t talk, Leo. Just let your eyes adjust and drift.”

  I folded my arms behind my head, just like she was doing. The stars weren’t just little white specks here. There were blue ones and red ones, shiny ones and dim ones, whole lustrous shapes seemed made entirely of yellow, orange, and golden flecks. The night sky above us was like a giant dome, and it felt endless and infinite. The view was so pristine and vivid that I really could sense the vast distances. There were different-colored clouds pouring through the sky like creamy dyes, all flecked with the glittering jewels of stars. And I even saw the Milky Way, a giant purplish cloud near the horizon. My mom always tried to get me to see the Milky Way whenever we were out at night. She’d point at this faint hazy wisp and ask me if I saw it. I never really did. But tonight there was no denying it.

  After a long time, Diana pointed her finger up and toward the horizon. I positioned my head under my arm and followed it.

  “Since we’re in the south,” she said, “all the constellations are different. “But you see that one, near the horizon? That’s you. Leo the Lion. Most of your constellation won’t come out for a few weeks, but that faint star, Regulus, is part of Leo. That’s your star.”

  “Do you have a star?”

  “Just the moon.” She laughed. “Diana was the Roman version of Artemis, the moon goddess.”

  “She’s the hunter goddess, too, right? I love all that old Greek stuff.”

  “You know there was a Greek philosopher named Plato,” she said, her voice soft and serious. “And he believed that human beings came from the stars, that we filtered down from them into our selves. He didn’t have any telescopes and didn’t know the science behind astronomy, but he was absolutely right. Everything in us is made of star stuff. Everything that makes life possible was formed millions of years ago when nearby stars exploded and went supernova.”

  “Isn’t that how black holes are formed, too?”

  “You’re so dark, Leo. But you’re right, whatever’s left of the star becomes a black hole. How’d you know that?”

  “My friend Trevor is obsessed with black holes. But I don’t really understand them.”

  “No one does. They’re completely mysterious. There’s no way to ever find out what’s inside them, because nothing can escape from them, not even light.” We were silent for a moment.

  “Ever seen any UFOs out here?” I asked. When she laughed, I got a little embarrassed by my own question.

  “If you look closely, you can see tons of shooting stars and satellites. But no UFOs, not yet anyway.”

  She laughed again, mysteriously. “Sometimes — now don’t make fun of me, because I’ve never told this to anyone. Promise you won’t.”

  “Promise.”

  “I’m alone so much out here that my only friends are the stars. And sometimes, when I’m wishing I were anywhere but here, I imagine that I can travel throughout the universe and visit all the countless stars and their civilizations. They teach me about their way of life, and they’re happy someone is finally visiting them because they’re all so far away from each other, so they’re all lonely, too.”

  “Sounds like fun,” I said.

  “You don’t think it’s weird?”

  “No, I think it’s awesome,” I said, but what I meant was that Diana was awesome. “And I think we’re all pretty weird, but I don’t think we’re alone. I have this … figure … that shows up in my dreams sometimes. He’s sort of my guide. The last time he showed up, I was trapped in this awful nightmare, this pitch-black space so dark it didn’t even have shadows. I tried to yell inside my dream just to wake myself up, but I couldn’t escape. And then that figure appeared, and he gave off this intense golden light. I just remembered what he told me: ‘In the darkness there is more than enough light, but it is hidden deep within Mother Night.’”

  “What do you think he meant by that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe one day I’ll be smart enough to figure it out. So now I bet you think I’m really weird.”

  “Weirder than me,” she said. “But I don’t mind.”

  She reached her arms up over her head, and I felt her hand softly graze my hair. I felt crystal clear. Everything I looked at was new and beautiful, especially the stars. I felt like I was living a long time ago, in an age without lightbulbs or streetlights or televisions. When the only entertainment at night was the fire and the stars. The stars were much cooler than anything I’d ever seen on TV.

  And for a little while, Diana and I had the entire universe to ourselves.

  “I should get back to Hollis,” I said as I reluctantly got to my feet. “I’m so sorry, but I have to make sure he’s doing —”

  “It’s okay, Leo. Really. We can still hang out tomorrow.”

  “It’s a promise,” I said, and walked to my tent, feeling good all over. But before I could slip inside, I heard kissy noises coming from the darkness.

  “You have fun with your girlfriend?” Dmitri said, turning on his lantern. “You spent too much time talking, not enough time smooching.”

  “Dmitri, I’m done talking to you. You need to stop spying on me, and just leave me alone, or there’ll be
trouble. Got it?”

  I snarled and took a menacing step toward him, and in return, he flashed a kung fu pose back at me.

  “You don’t want trouble from me, Leo. I have two black belts.”

  “I’m sure you do,” I said. “And a Swiss Army knife. But don’t ever threaten me again.”

  “Leo, you have it backward. I’m your friend. I’m just being friendly. Crane wants to see you. He’s in a very good mood. He has a present for you.”

  “Tell him thanks, and I’ll get it tomorrow.”

  “He wants to give it to you now.”

  “You don’t want to test my lion style,” I said, making two claws with my hands. It was straight out of Five Deadly Venoms, one of thousands of kung fu movies I’d seen with Trevor. “Perhaps you don’t know this, Dmitri, but my master is Shifu Shi Yan Ming, 34th generation warrior monk. I doubt your street moves are any match for my Shaolin kung fu. Come, you motherless dog, let’s shadowbox.”

  Dmitri just stared at me like I was crazy. I didn’t care. It felt good to harass him.

  “I will tell the boss you are coming,” he said.

  I took my sweet time heading over there, and Crane was waiting for me.

  “Leo! There he is! Care for a bottle of soda pop? I’ve also got some delicious hot cider. It goes splendidly with caviar. Have a blini. “

  Crane was jubilant, festive almost. He had placed a table in the center of the room filled with maps and an assortment of luxury food items. Both Klevko and Mr. Singh were also in the tent, Mr. Singh morose and bored as ever, sitting in a chair, cross-legged.

  “What’s this all about, Crane? Dmitri said you had something for me?”

  “I do. But first, have a snack and enjoy yourself. I also have some veal jerky if caviar doesn’t suit your tastes. We’re celebrating tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re less than a day from the fork in the river, Leo. I’ve just dispatched two of the porters to serve as advance scouts. What are their names, Klevko?”

  “Cyril and Kavi, sir.”

  “Whatever. They will attempt to find Byong Ku, make contact with the villagers, and ask for our permission to enter. They will place orange flags in the ground to lead us there. Are you with me so far, Leo?”

  I nodded.

  “Once we’re rid of our saintly anthropologist and her somewhat annoying daughter, we begin the perilous phase of our mission where I will be calling on you to help me locate the mask we are both so intent on finding. To thank you for your help thus far, and to equip you properly for the challenges ahead, I want to give you a small token of my appreciation. Klevko, you may retire for the night.”

  “You got it, boss,” he said, slithering out of the tent.

  Crane produced a small metallic suitcase from the ground and laid it on the table, sweeping aside the foodstuffs and maps. He opened the suitcase and inside it was filled with gray foam. Set into the foam was something that looked like a dagger, but when it caught the light from above, the reflection of its jeweled hilt nearly blinded me. He laid the dagger on the table.

  “This is a very special item, Leo. It is a Sikh kirpan, a ceremonial dagger carried by all members of the Sikh faith. But it is no ordinary kirpan. This one is said to have been made for Queen Elizabeth the First’s royal astronomer, John Dee. History does not say whether or not John Dee ever received the dagger, but as you can see for yourself, it was surely crafted for a person of nobility and learning. Go on, give it a try.”

  I was too stunned by this whole thing to know what to do. The dagger was unbelievable. The grip was made of a glowing purple resin, filled with swirls of colors that changed in the light, and on the blade were etchings of scientific men gazing through telescopes. It was an amazing-looking thing.

  “I, too, Leo, was stunned to silence by its beauty. But make no mistake, this is not the tool of assassins or thugs, but a symbol of an enlightened mind. With the blade of knowledge, one may shear away the weeds of ignorance and reveal the truth. Go ahead, Leo, try it out.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Crane. Thank you, I guess.”

  Everything in me wanted to pick up the dagger, maybe slice up the tent a little bit, but I stopped myself short, afraid that I might sound bend it.

  “Go ahead,” Crane smiled. “Pick it up. It’s yours.”

  Not wanting to offend him, I used my shirt to pick it up, claiming that I didn’t want to smudge it. Etched into the other side of the blade, men were gazing into crystal balls. Crane and Mr. Singh exchanged glances, watching me as if I was an actor in a play and they were waiting for my next line.

  “Thanks so much, Uncle Crane. I need to get back to Hollis now. In case you hadn’t noticed, he’s having a rough day.”

  “Still whining about malaria, is he?”

  “Dr. Reed said it can take more than a week for the symptoms to appear,” I said, pocketing the blade quickly.

  “Dr. Reed,” he scoffed. “What isn’t she an expert on? Well, she surely isn’t an expert on what I have to show you next. In preparation for the final leg of our mission, Mr. Singh and I want to bring you into a recent discovery.”

  Crane produced another metal suitcase and switched it with the kirpan suitcase. The other suitcase held the mask. Its dark eyes glared at me.

  “While examining the mask, Mr. Singh has discovered an element previously hidden to us.” Crane picked up the mask and reached his pale white hand into the mouth of alexandrite fangs. He twisted one of them and then pressed something inside the mouth until I heard a click. At once, two slits opened above the empty eye sockets and two glimmering sheets of gold slid down over the eyes. Instead of dark sockets, the face now had convex eyes. The whites of the eyes were fashioned from the gold, while the irises were made of sparkling red gems. The pupils appeared to be clear diamonds.

  “Impressive, yes?” Crane smiled.

  Crane slid the mask across the table to me.

  “Since you are such an integral part of our expedition,” he continued, “please feel free to examine the new elements and tell us what you think.”

  I put my hand to my chin and pretended to think really hard. “Quite a discovery.”

  “Why don’t you touch it, Leo?” Mr. Singh said from his shadowy chair to the side of Crane.

  “Oh no, I couldn’t,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to damage it.”

  “We’d like you to pick it up,” Mr. Singh repeated.

  I stared into his mysterious eyes, trying to determine what he knew, but I couldn’t read them. His face was as solemn and blank as ever.

  “Yeah … but, um … I don’t know what more I could tell you….”

  I trailed off into silence. Crane and Mr. Singh let the silence develop, then looked at each other. Mr. Singh nodded to Crane from the shadows, then leaned over and whispered something in his ear, after which, Crane spoke.

  “You and I, Leo, have fallen into a rather predictable routine,” he began. “A routine of mistrust and deception. It is as much my fault as it is yours. But I have no more time for this game. The moment of truth is upon us. It’s time we both lay our cards on the table. If we play together, Leo, we both win.”

  “I’m not following you, Crane.”

  “Don’t be coy. I know you have a gift. A real and true gift. My mother had it. And you have it. There is no reason to hide it from me. Mr. Singh and I recognize you for what you really are.”

  “And what’s that?” I asked. My heart was beating fast, though I tried to show nothing.

  “In India, I have studied all manner of supernatural phenomena,” Mr. Singh said. “I believe you are a young man with an extraordinary talent, possessing powers beyond the comprehension of ordinary men.”

  “Listen, you guys,” I said. “I’m going to be as honest as I possibly can be. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Thank you for the dagger, but I really should go check on my brother.”

  “Do you really believe, Leo, that I am so blind as you imagine?” Crane said, r
ising to his feet. “No, I have a thousand eyes and a million cameras and associates everywhere. I have seen everything. I have seen you roaming my warehouse with your gangly friend.”

  “I really don’t know what you mean, Crane. I’m sorry I stole your dolphin helmet — that was a mistake. But —”

  “Leo, look into my eyes. Do you see an enemy? Do you see someone out to ruin you? Look at me freshly, and I guarantee you will see a true friend.”

  Crane leaned forward across the table, and I looked into the dark hollows of his eyes, the whites gleaming like his bald scalp. Then I looked into the strange golden eyes of the mask, its sparkling jewels frozen with hidden secrets from the past. I didn’t know which set of eyes was more frightening.

  “You’re scaring me, Crane,” I said.

  Crane shook his head, then turned to Mr. Singh.

  “What do you make of it, Singh?”

  “It is possible,” he answered, “that he is unaware of his gift. Perhaps he regards it as a normal child might regard his sense of touch or smell.”

  “And perhaps, Mr. Singh, he is merely lying to me.” Crane started to pace, his hands clasped in a tight hold behind his back.

  “Leo,” he said, the tension in his voice evident. “Mr. Singh has made it his life’s work to study matters of a psychic nature. He was a protégé of my beloved mother, Marie. If you tell us the truth, he will be your teacher, help you to develop your potential.”

  “I don’t need developing.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Leo,” Mr. Singh said. “For instance, I can teach you to exercise your power without needing to touch anything. If your powers were at full strength and properly channeled, touch shouldn’t be necessary.”

  “This is what I’m talking about,” Crane added. “A gift like yours cannot be wasted on childish trial-and-error experiments. People like you need a path. Mr. Singh can show you the way, if he chooses to take you on. What do you say, Mr. Singh?”

  “My work is guided by your mother’s life and writings, Mr. Rathbone, and as such, I would be delighted to have Leo study under me, provided he could give me a demonstration of his gift.”

  “Are you guys serious?” I said.