An Island in the Stars

by Susan Laine

  Marcus grimaced. “The razzies and… and something I really hope we never meet.”

  Curious and nervous at the same time, Sam leaned closer to see the image next to the description text. His eyes widened in shock, and his heart skipped a beat in pure terror.

  The creature was nothing short of colossal. Next to it, perhaps to provide scale, stood a lizzie. And it was like comparing an ant to a bear. They weren’t even in the same category.

  At first glance, the beast resembled a whale. But on closer inspection, echoes of times past when dinosaurs walked the earth came to mind. Long and wide, with fins and flippers, it might have appeared cute if its stature were less gargantuan and it didn’t have rows of sharp spikes on its back. Its jaw was filled with huge teeth, and judging from the overall width of that mouth, it could have swallowed hundreds, maybe thousands of razzies in one single bite.

  “T-that, uh… it looks like it’s a… a sea creature,” Sam said, swallowing hard. “I don’t think it could come on land. So if we avoid any moonlight skinny-dips in the ocean, I’d say we’re safe and sound.”

  Marcus huffed out an incredulous breath. “Look at that skin, man. That’s not scales like with a fish. It’s some kind of armor, like a crocodile. And look at the size of that thing. It must be as big as a skyscraper, for fuck’s sake. If we ever encounter it… we’re boned.”

  Sam agreed wholeheartedly. “Uh-huh. Guess we’re not going fishing anytime soon.”

  “I’m gonna dub it… mazzie. As in massive.” Marcus shuddered, then frowned as he flipped the scroll back and forth. “Why aren’t there more animals? Aren’t jungles supposed to be thriving ecosystems?”

  Sam shrugged. “Maybe these few are the only ones the lizzies were interested in since they obviously didn’t establish a presence on this island to conduct biological surveys or observe the fauna in their natural habitat. Or perhaps most of the animals are so good at hiding, the lizzies weren’t aware of their existence.”

  Marcus harrumphed, handing the scroll back to Sam. “Anyway, that’s the gist of it.”

  “What? No mention of the flower?” Sam asked.

  “Oh shit. Yeah, you’re right.” Marcus yanked the scroll from Sam’s grip and returned to it with a vengeance. After a moment, he said, “A-ha. Got it. Here it is.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Jeez. Lots of hissing sounds in that one.”

  “Never mind that. What does it say about the plant? What triggers it?”

  Marcus scanned the text, scowling, as though the scroll was the plant and he’d sworn an oath of vengeance. “There are a few, apparently. Vibrations of the ground—”

  “That means not much activates it. The biggest creature we’ve seen was the razzie, and felines can move real quietly.” Sam worried all over again.

  “—high-pitched sounds,” Marcus carried on as if there’d been no interruption, “touch, and sunlight.” Sam groaned inwardly. That didn’t leave a lot of room for weaknesses. Then Marcus chuckled in pleasant surprise. “Wait. It seems sunlight is really important to that thing. According to this text here, the flower sleeps at night.”

  “Huh.” Sam had never heard of such nocturnal behavior with plants. Sure, some plants turned toward the sun, and a few even closed their buds when the sun went down. But a meat-eating flower that actually slept at night? That was unique to be sure. “That’s good news at least. So if we tiptoe, keep our voices down, and avoid the area where it grows during the day, I think we might be okay.”

  Marcus smiled up at him, his eyes bright. “Awesome.” His gaze went hazy as though he were lost down memory lane. “It was so weird. When those vines grabbed me, it felt like… like when you’re standing in wooly socks on a rug and get a spark.”

  Sam frowned. “You mean, like, static electricity?”

  “Yeah. Only… milder. It tickled more than it hurt.” He regarded Sam with a frown of bafflement. “Is it normal for plants to be, like, electric?”

  Sam shrugged slowly, mentally searching his biology classes and websites he’d perused that involved biology. “If exposed to an electrical current of say, twenty thousand volts, many plants reveal having electrical properties. Firs, cress, and common yarrow to mention a few. You see, some plants are susceptible to electrical conductivity, which can even be used to help growth and—”

  “Amazing.” With one sarcastic word, Marcus conveyed to Sam he was less than interested in a lecture on botany, or possibly he already knew all that. He cocked his head, again as if remembering something important. “Those vines were damn thick, though. Like fucking rubber. When I broke one trying to get free, that green ooze sloshing out of it had sparks too. They dissipated pretty quick, though.”

  Sam started at the news. He’d assumed that the animals and the lizzies were the only ones to possess bioelectric qualities. Now it seemed that all the living beings on the island, perhaps the whole moon, had those same features.

  He pondered the implications carefully. “Some nutrients that the flower digests or the very soil beneath us must contain solutions with ionic properties.”

  Marcus quirked an eyebrow. “Salt?”

  “Yeah. Salts conduct electricity when dissolved into water or when in a liquid state.”

  “Like the green stuff inside those vines?” When Sam nodded in reply, Marcus pursed his lips in thought. “Is that important? As long as that green goo is inside those vines, it’s not going to help us in any meaningful way. Unless you’re thinking of fetching vine necklaces.”

  “Au contraire, mon ami.” Marcus rolled his eyes, and Sam hurried on. “You said the outside of the vines felt like rubber, right?”

  Marcus frowned at first in confusion, but then his brow cleared and he started to smile. “And rubber is an insulator.” But soon his brows scrunched together again. “But just because those vines felt like rubber, it doesn’t mean they act like rubber.”

  Sam nodded. “True. That’s why we need to conduct field tests to determine—”

  “Wait a sec. Hold up.” Marcus raised a hand to stop Sam, only then asking, “Are you suggesting we somehow use that incredibly dangerous plant’s vines to power up the portal in the chamber? Like using jumper cables?” When Sam nodded firmly, Marcus hesitated. He obviously had doubts about the success of the mission.

  Sam jumped back into the conversation. “I have no idea if it’ll work. But I don’t see a lot of other options for us.” He looked up, picturing the temple main hall before his eyes. “Those temple towers act like lightning rods. And if everything else on this moon has a strong connection to electricity—”

  “Then maybe the weather has one too,” Marcus finished Sam’s sentence for him, a slow smile spreading across his lips. “Okay, yes, that makes sense. I guess we have a possible escape plan.”

  Chapter 7

  “OKAY. WE’LL work out the details later. What other info did you find?” Marcus asked Sam, curious to see how he had fared in his time alone. Marcus did feel slightly guilty for leaving the seventeen-year-old by himself. He vowed to make amends in the future.

  “Here.” Sam handed Marcus another scroll. “I think it’s about this temple. But since I don’t speak the language….”

  Marcus could take a hint, so he avoided an argument by studying the scroll carefully. Like the first, it wasn’t long. Apparently these lizzies could be quite succinct when the mood hit them. He’d hoped Sam would find more information about the lizzies so they could at least answer the question whether they’d died of extinction or if they had simply left for who knows where.

  “Hey, Sam. This is useful,” Marcus commented after he’d perused the scroll from top to bottom. “Here’s a complete floor plan of the temple, plus short descriptions about each area, hall, and room. Looks like we’re in luck.”

  Sam let out a relieved breath and chuckled shortly. “Glad that wasn’t a total waste of time. What does it say?”

  “Blah-blah, yada yada. Aha! Here we are.” Marcus pointed at a specific section of the scroll. “We ca
n check out the rest later, but this part talks about, and I quote, a peculiar chamber found underneath the temple mountain, end quote.” Marcus frowned in confusion. “I don’t get it. Why describe the place in such a fashion?”

  Sam let out a long sad sigh. “Unfortunately that’s obvious. They didn’t build the portal chamber. The lizzies didn’t create the portals, the chamber, or the technology. ’Cause if they had, they wouldn’t have abandoned such a strategic spot, a beachhead.”

  Marcus had to admit Sam’s deductions were likely correct. No one who built a piece of technology capable of traveling the universe would leave such a place to be reclaimed by nature. “You think they also destroyed the chamber and the chair and then left it to the elements?”

  Sam nodded slowly. “Sounds logical. If the lizzies were afraid of what that chair and room might do, then yes, they probably did ransack the place on purpose.” He sat down on one of the hard stone seats and looked defeated. “We needed to know and understand how the damn thing works in order to power it up with our makeshift jumper cables. Instead, now we’ve learned that the previous occupants of this planet had no idea what that machine did or what the room was there for. We’re screwed.”

  Marcus shoved him in the arm hard enough to almost knock him off of the chair. “Oh boohoo. Stop being such a negative Nellie. We’re gonna figure this shit out on our own. God, show some backbone, will you?”

  Sam’s face darkened like a storm cloud; he was clearly pissed off at the name-calling. But then he deflated, nodded, and sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  Marcus flung an arm around Sam’s shoulders and squeezed. “Hey, c’mon. We’re in this together. We’re going to be fine. Just keep up your spirits, okay? I need you on this.” As an athlete, Marcus had both given and experienced countless motivational speeches and pep talks, so he had this part down.

  Sam nodded a few times, leaning slightly away from Marcus. “I’ll try.” His voice was small and meek, and Marcus felt bad for the things he’d said. But he didn’t get the chance to voice his regrets because Sam straightened up and said, “So thanks to the scroll, we now have the lay of the land. Is there anyplace we should check out right away?”

  Marcus removed his arm and returned to the text. Sam had been right in his estimation that most of the temple complex had been devoted to love and sex. There appeared to be numerous private quarters—like bedrooms—but few other spaces. The library was one of the few exceptions.

  “There’s a bathing area on this same level,” Marcus said. “It’s not far.”

  Sam looked skeptical. “You think it could still be… functional or clean or…?”

  Marcus shrugged. “No idea. Stagnant water…. We could take a look if we have time. I found a waterfall outside anyway, so we can get fresh water there and wash up if we need to.”

  “Good.” Surreptitiously Sam sniffed his armpits while Marcus did his best to stifle his laugh. No need to embarrass Sam, who was such a cutie.

  “Oh shit.” Marcus almost bolted out of his chair in a rush of excitement after reading a passage of valuable information. “There’s something here about the lizzies too.”

  “I’m sure they have another name for them,” Sam commented dryly.

  Marcus waved a hand about impatiently. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway according to this text, the lizzies could handle electric shocks and lightning bolts without getting killed.”

  Sam frowned. “So? We already know the indigenous life on this moon has a curious symbiotic relationship with bioelectricity.”

  “Yes, but remember the main hall?” Sam nodded, so Marcus went on. “That altar that resembled a bed? Well, it was used as such.” Judging by Sam’s rosy cheeks and carefully bland expression, Marcus figured he had already made that connection. “As the, uh… lovers did their thing on the altar, they were doused with salt water and that goo from the mazzie flower. When the storm hit, the lightning struck them as they were… you know.”

  “Wow.” Sam’s eyebrows rose in surprise and fascination.

  “Amazing.” Marcus shook his head, his gaze riveted on the scroll. “The lightning bolts didn’t kill or hurt them. According to this, it heightened their sexual pleasure. Rain coupled with lightning acted like an aphrodisiac. They engaged in that kind of mating a lot. It was apparently one of their most revered customs, at least on this island. Oh, and get this? When they had an orgasm from lightning, they actually turned translucent. Wow. It must’ve created one hell of a light show if all these lizzies having sex lit up with full-body halos.”

  “Do you know what kundalini is?” Sam asked out of the blue.

  Marcus grinned. “Does anybody but you?” Sam blushed at the words but said nothing, so Marcus added, “Wait. Let me guess. Gunga Din’s baby sister?” Sam blinked and stared. Marcus laughed seeing the stunned expression. “What? I’ve read my Kipling, same as you.”

  Sam’s blush darkened, and he shrugged. “Anyway… kundalini is the flow of primal energy inside a person.”

  “And? What’s the significance of that little tidbit of random fact?”

  “Well, I think these lizzies have a similar concept. Had. From the imagery around the temple, from what you’ve read, and from what we’ve observed, energy and electricity means a lot to their culture. And it ties in with their, um… sexual practices, as you just read.”

  Marcus grinned at Sam’s bashfulness. “I love how you start talking all fancy-like when you get to awkward topics, like sex. Even something as peculiar as alien sex on an alien planet. Oh, excuse me. Exoplanet.”

  “Considering we’re orbiting a gas giant, we’re technically on an exomoon,” Sam said prudishly.

  Marcus rolled his eyes. “Excuse me.” He regarded the light shafts above them. “With that sun blazing up there, looking so much like ours, it’s easy to forget we aren’t actually on some tropical paradise back home, heading down to the beach in our bathing suits, carrying drinks with little umbrellas and pieces of fruit in them.”

  Sam smiled, longing in the rueful expression that Marcus could relate to. “We should be glad that the star above us appears to be yellow. After all, the most common star in the universe is a red dwarf, and that would emit infrared radiation. We’d be screwed, then. The star above this moon, though, appears to be like ours, midrange and midlife, so I think we’re good.”

  Marcus shook his head in amazement. “How do you even know that?”

  Sam blushed again but ducked his head and said nothing in explanation. Marcus was curious and desperately wanted to ask more. But he felt the timing was off.

  “I guess that’s something we humans and lizzies share,” Sam said all of a sudden, his gaze rising to the light shafts as well. “Most human cultures share the myth of a paradise. The deep-seated yearning for peace, tranquility, eternal life, and abundance. Perhaps that quality is inherent in our genes, common ground to all sentient life. Like a universal myth, a drive toward perfection and advancement of our lives. The hopeful dream of a better place and a higher state of being. A shared experience in our hearts and souls.”

  As Sam stopped talking, Marcus stared at the pensive seventeen-year-old using the words and phrases of an ancient sage, an old soul. Marcus had known from the start that some elusive quality lured him to Sam. Was it this, the wisdom in his outlook? Sam could be withdrawn, pessimistic, and downright cynical, that much Marcus knew well, but maybe that was a defense mechanism for a fragile dreaming spirit.

  Was it Marcus’s imagination that Sam appeared incandescent, a pure light in the darkness of their unfamiliar surroundings?

  Then Sam said, “It’s getting darker,” and Marcus realized perhaps his impression was just his imagination.

  He glanced up and saw the light shaft was indeed getting dimmer. “We better head back up while we can still see two feet in front of us.”

  They gathered their belongings and the two useful scrolls and made their way swiftly back to the main hall. Once they reached the large room, it became clear from the oc
ulus on the roof and the windows on the walls that the sun was setting.

  “Already?” Sam asked, staring out through the windows in the direction of the horizon, which blazed red, orange, and gold. “We’ve only been here for, what, a couple of hours?”

  “The day’s shorter than ours, even our short winter days,” Marcus said. “Six hours and a couple of minutes.”

  Sam stared at him in bafflement. “How do you know that so exactly?”

  Marcus bared his arm, showcasing his wristwatch. “Thanks to this. I’m an athlete, so I use a stopwatch a lot. After practice or a workout, I often forget I have it on. I started the countdown clock when we arrived here and the sun rose. If I didn’t have my watch, I still have a stopwatch app on my iPhone, and I could’ve used that.”

  Sam smiled at him with admiring eyes. “That was smart thinking. Forethought.”

  Marcus beamed. It wasn’t often he got such high praise from his secret crush.

  Outside, the tree canopy rustled and crackled in the increasing winds. Huge trees, old long before either of them had been born, sprawled around them to form the dense jungle, complete with vines and moss dripping lazily from the branches, now all swinging and shaking in the rough breeze. Clearly night wasn’t a good time to be outside.

  “Looks like we might be getting a storm tonight,” Marcus said, not liking the rapidly darkening sky and growing gusts. The temple interiors became increasingly shadowy as the light waned. “We need to find shelter for the night. It’s gonna get real dark real soon.”

  “What about those rooms up there?” Sam pointed at the balcony wrapped around the main hall.

  “If any of them are still intact, they should do.” Marcus scanned the room. “Where are the stairs, or did they just jump up there?” At the exact same moment, Marcus and Sam glanced at one another. “Okay. Let’s try that, then.” Marcus backed up toward the farthest wall, searching for the sturdiest rubble to act as a bouncing board. “If I fall down to my death—”