Sanctuary

by E. Edgar Price

  *****

  Benji knew Marvin was right. He had to return the book and map like they’d originally planned. But Benji couldn’t believe how much he didn’t want to do that. He wanted to read the book over and over again. In two days, he’d already read it twice. He copied some passages meticulously into a notebook along with a decent rendering of the original map. At least he could keep those, but he still needed to return the originals to Grandpa’s study.

  It was so unreal. Benji still had a hard time believing he didn’t make it up. But the sparkly genie hanging out in his room was proof enough. The Handbook listed many other creatures Benji fervently hoped were real. Some gave him the creeps (like the blood drinking pixies), but most fascinated him.

  The map was another wonder Benji was reluctant to relinquish. Soon after discovering it, Benji determined to check out the landscape of the sanctuary from the highest possible point. He wanted to see if the map actually matched the surrounding terrain. That meant going up to the attic, which he did yesterday. He sent Marvin back in the lamp and brought him along.

  First they needed a compass. Benji was pretty sure the orientation of the farm on the map matched the actual farm, but he wanted be absolutely certain. He sent Marvin hunting through the attic junk for one and tried to find a window not blocked by impenetrable boxes. After successfully presenting Benji with an antique brass compass, boy and genie found a good vantage point. Benji checked the landforms outside to see if they coincided with the map’s depictions.

  Benji tried to find the mountains marking Dragon Territory, but that was too far east. There were no windows on the east side of the attic. However, his view was good from southwest to northwest. In the latter direction, Benji saw a trio of jagged peaks were framed against the blue sky. The map labeled them Three Sisters. He couldn’t see beyond the forest directly to the west, a ridge blocked his view, but he could see the enormous silhouette of Dwarf‘s Crag, another mountain. Below that, sparse trees gave way to a misty valley. According to the map, centaurs lived there. After hours of comparison, Benji was finally satisfied the landscape matched.

  Much to Marvin’s dismay, he was ordered back into the lamp. Benji folded the map and pocketed the brass compass. He grabbed the lamp and hurried back to his room.

  Benji rubbed the desk lamp to release Marvin, and unfolded the map again, returning it to his desk. That was when Marvin suggested he confront Grandpa.

  “No! No way!” Benji exclaimed. “That is the worst idea you’ve ever had! Grandpa would probably deny it all anyway, and I’d get in trouble.”

  “Not if you told him about me,” Marvin pointed out.

  “I know what this is,” Benji declared suspiciously. “You want to find out Grandpa if knows how to fix your powerlessness.”

  “That would be a benefit,” Marvin admitted, chagrined.

  “You may look like a teenager,” said Benji, “but you’ve got no idea how real teenagers get treated.” Benji tried to explain the many ways this idea could backfire. “For one thing, adults always assume you’re lying. For another, they always assume you’re irresponsible. Grandpa might believe me if I show him a genie, but he’d more than likely take the lamp away. Who knows what would happen then. He might not even want to help you, much less know how.”

  “But what if he does?” Marvin countered. “What if he’s just waiting for you to find out about the dragons and the pixies? Maybe once he knows you know, your grandfather will be more forthcoming.”

  “Right,” Benji said sarcastically, “and me breaking into his study was all part of the plan.” Marvin shrugged as if to say it could happen.

  They argued about what to do all yesterday afternoon. Benji was glad Sarah was feeling better and out of her room for the day, otherwise she might have heard them. It was daunting enough thinking of the problems he already had. He didn’t want to add explaining a sparkly blue boy from the Depression Era to his list of things to do.

  He was trying to weigh his options impartially, which is how he ended up in the hay loft. He usually worked with Uncle Matt in the barn, mostly cleaning or feeding livestock, but one morning they climbed into the loft to pitch hay and Benji found an old swing.

  It wasn’t a normal swing. It was really just a narrow board with rope running through the center and knotted at the bottom. Benji could see how you were supposed to sit or stand on the board and swing out over the loft. Standing, you could jump off into the hay. Uncle Matt told him it was dangerous, but Benji caught Adam a few times swinging like Tarzan and leaping into the hay with a muffled thump. If Adam could do it, Benji figured he could, too.

  He wasn’t swinging around like an ape at the moment, though. He had to think. And he needed to get away from Marvin. The genie was still insisting Benji confess all to Grandpa and hope for the best. After giving Marvin orders to stay in his lamp, Benji tromped out here to think in peace. He’d been sitting in the loft for awhile now, since just after lunch anyway, and it was almost dinner time. Benji let his feet drag against the floor boards and leaned contemplatively on the hairy old rope.

  He didn’t want to throw Marvin’s idea away just because he was afraid of getting in trouble. Except ‘trouble’ could have some unpleasant consequences for both of them. Who knew what Grandpa would do with Marvin? Benji still wasn’t entirely sure Grandpa knew anything about centaurs or dragons or magic. Grandpa could have inherited the map and the book and just considered it all nonsense. It wasn’t likely, but it was still possible.

  There was also another possibility: Grandpa could deny everything, take the lamp, and keep Benji (and possibly Marvin) in the dark. Benji thought that scenario was highly likely. In his experience, when grown-ups didn’t want to explain themselves, they just called you foolish, patted you on the head, and grounded you without explaining anything at all.

  The map and book would have to go back soon, though. Probably tonight. If luck was with him (and it was before, so why not now?) then everyone would be suitably occupied after dinner and Benji could sneak into the study. Considering the state it was in on his last visit, he didn’t even have to put his stolen items back in their original locations. The place was a mess. Benji thought a few misplaced items wouldn’t cause much of stir. He nodded to himself. He would return the book and map if he saw an opening after dinner.

  There was a scuffling sound from across the barn. Uncle Matt and David were lugging a few crates of junk into an empty stall. They spotted Benji on the swing and waved him.

  “Time for chow,” Uncle Matt declared, giving Benji a pat on the back when he met them at the barn door. David veered off towards the caretaker’s cottage waving goodnight to Benji and his uncle. Not feeling very talkative, Uncle Matt and Benji trekked into the kitchen in silence.

  After dinner, Jessie ordered him to help her load the dishwasher. Benji complied without protest, thinking it would give everyone else time to settle down. Sarah offered to help, but was declined. That suited Benji fine. Since Sarah had been sick, everyone treated her with kid gloves. Benji didn’t even know what was wrong with her, and he didn’t really care as long as it worked to his advantage. He had enough on his mind.

  Benji decided to dawdle around downstairs in the hope of an opportunity. He rushed to his room to collect Grandpa’s map and book, quickly hiding them against his back with his shirt covering them and filled Marvin in. Without waiting for Marvin’s response, he made it back to the parlor with (he hoped) no one the wiser.

  He took a seat by the window and grabbed a book off the case, pretending to read it while keeping an eye on everyone in the room. Grandpa was reading the newspaper and Aunt Rachel was studying some soap recipe with Sarah. Tyler was outside in the pool after Uncle Matt and Jessie both challenged him to an evening race. Benji itched to get rid of his contraband, but schooled himself to wait. Getting caught wasn’t part of the plan.

  Once he was positive everyone was going to stay put for awhile, Benji made a pretext of visiting the downstairs bathro
om. He tried to act normal. He even opened and closed the bathroom door loudly. If anyone was curious, they’d hear the noise and wouldn’t think anything amiss.

  The study door was a few paces further down the hall from the bathroom. Benji approached cautiously, successfully avoiding the squeaky board he encountered last time. He was sure the conversation in the parlor would drown out any noise, but it never hurt to be too cautious. So thinking, he turned the brass knob as far as it would go and opened the study door enough to slide his body through. He was in!

  The study was still a cluttered confusion of books and papers. Benji went as stealthily as he could manage over to the filing cabinet he took the map from. He drew it and the book out from against his back, replacing the map in the drawer. The book went back to its shelf and Benji was done. Benji felt relieved his smuggled goods were back in their rightful places. Now, Benji thought, time for the escape.

  Benji hustled back to the study door. He opened it slowly, without making it click, and saw the empty hall across from him. Benji relaxed and closed the door softly behind himself. Then he screamed.

  Grandpa had been standing down the hall, just out of sight. His hands on his hips, a scowl on his face. Benji froze. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t even mumble one of the thousand explanations running through his brain. He just stared.

  “I think we need to have a talk,” Grandpa said. His deep voice resonated through the hallway. Benji gulped.

  When he got his voice back, Benji started hurling excuses at Grandpa in a rush defense, but Grandpa cut him off and herded him into the parlor. Grandpa told Aunt Rachel to fetch Tyler from the pool. She looked curious, but did as he asked and soon Tyler entered the room, still dripping with pool water. Grandpa had the three siblings sit on the couch.

  Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel pulled up two chairs to flank Grandpa. The trio faced Benji, Tyler, and Sarah on the couch like grand inquisitors. If Benji hadn’t been concerned before, he sure was now. Grandpa’s expression was ominous, he frowned at each of the siblings in turn. A quick glance, showed Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matt’s faces were just as serious.

  “What’s going on?” Tyler asked. He was toweling his hair dry.

  “A lot,” Grandpa answered shortly, “and I want to know if any of you three have broken my rules.” Grandpa waited, his wrinkled visage stern.

  Sarah spoke up first. “I might have,” she said softly, “but it might have been a dream.” Grandpa motioned for her to go on. “I couldn’t sleep,” she explained hesitantly, “so I went for a walk in garden and ended up in the hedge maze.” Sarah met Grandpa’s eyes nervously. “I went out what I thought was the exit, but it didn’t lead to the garden. It went through the tree line. I followed a path to a shelter by a lake.”

  “Did you meet anyone?” Grandpa asked sharply.

  “It was just a dream,” Sarah insisted, but she looked panicky.

  “Nevertheless, dear,” Aunt Rachel said gently from her chair, “tell us if you saw anyone.”

  Sarah rolled her shoulders nervously. “I met a boy,” she admitted. “He said he was a horse or something.”

  “A mære?” Uncle Matt asked. Sarah nodded. Before they could ask any more questions, Tyler spoke up.

  “I had a dream, like Sarah,” he said rapidly. “There was path, but it was out past the fields, not in the garden.” Tyler’s sentences ran together in his haste. “I checked it out in the daylight and saw there really was a path out there. I went back at night and followed it. It ended at a camp in the woods.” The teen’s speech halted there, but Grandpa pressed him further.

  “Did you meet the hunter?” he demanded. Tyler nodded in wide-eyed shock.

  “He said he had permission to be there,” Tyler claimed. “But it was just a crazy dream. I dreamed him up.”

  Grandpa nodded as if he expected to hear that, but Uncle Matt was shaking his head. “It wasn’t a dream,” he told Tyler. He included Sarah in his address. “It wasn’t a dream for either of you.” The two of them just looked at him in disbelief. Aunt Rachel sighed and reached over to squeeze Sarah’s hand.

  Jessie choose that moment to walk in. She was wringing water out of her long red hair, but immediately sensed something was up. “What’s going on here?” she asked cautiously.

  “We’re just going over how many rules have been broken so far,” Uncle Matt said congenially.

  “Oh,” Jessie responded noncommittally. “Should I . . . ?” Her question trailed off.

  “No,” Aunt Rachel answered the unfinished query. “You can stay.” She patted the arm of her chair and Jessie perched next to her mother.

  During this exchange Grandpa’s attention was directed elsewhere. He was focused like a hawk on Benji.

  “What?” Benji said defensively. “What do you think I’ve done?” His tone was challenging, but his stomach was a knot of nerves.

  “I don’t know,” Grandpa said calmly. “Why don’t you tell me?” He stared Benji down.

  Benji felt angry and ashamed, but he struggled not to show it. He thought he was careful, but apparently not careful enough. Benji wondered if he could talk his way out of this predicament. “I was just curious,” he said, referring to this evening’s jaunt into the study.

  “About taxes?” Grandpa asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “No . . . ,” Benji said slowly. He tried to think up something more plausible. “I wanted to know why it was off-limits. Forbidding us to go in there seemed pretty strict just to protect a bunch of accounting stuff.” The excuse sounded lame to his own ears, but he hoped Grandpa would buy it anyway. He didn’t.

  “And what exactly made you think there might be more to my rule than what I already explained?”

  Benji sighed. At least he hadn’t gone outside the tree line. Sarah and Tyler might have been eaten by dragons or something. Surely hiding a genie in his room wasn’t as bad as that. Time for plan B.

  “I found something,” he confessed, “in the attic.” He tried to keep it vague, but Grandpa was persistent. Grandpa stared him down again, waiting for Benji to continue. There was something deeply unfair about Grandpa’s ability to produce a withered and threatening stare like that.

  Benji gritted his teeth and looked down at the closed fists in his lap. “I found a lamp,” he muttered. “It’s just an ordinary desk lamp,” he explained, “but when I went to clean it something happened and a . . . ,” Benji stumbled over the word, “a genie came out.” His shoulders tensed. He was aware how outrageous this sounded. “He says his name is Marvin, but he can’t do any magic.”

  “How long have you had the genie?” Grandpa asked.

  “Maybe a week,” Benji said untruthfully.

  Silence.

  “Huh,” Uncle Matt finally said, “that was unexpected.” Benji looked up. He and Aunt Rachel were sharing a surprised look. When he looked back at Benji, he said, “So you’ve got a defective genie up in your room right now?” Benji nodded.

  “Well, that’s typical,” Jessie said with a snort. “Why don’t you go get him for us?”

  Benji went, grateful to be leaving if only temporarily, but hesitated in the parlor doorway. Tyler and Sarah looked extremely confused and were staring at Grandpa like he’d grown an extra eye. Considering the weird stuff happening, Benji wondered if that was possible.

  Aunt Rachel caught him staring and motioned him towards the stairs. “It’s okay,” she said, “we’re not going to steal the lamp or anything.”

  Benji nodded, only slightly relieved, and hurried up the stairs. He opened the door to his room and ducked inside. Marvin was sitting on the sofa playing with a paddle that had a rubber ball attached to it.

  “Grandpa knows and I need you to get back in the lamp!” Benji shouted. Marvin barely had time to look surprised before light erupted in the room and he was gone. Benji unplugged the lamp.

  Back in the parlor, Grandpa told Benji to have seat and then summon the genie. Benji resumed his place on the couch between Tyler and Sarah.
Everyone was looking at him. He felt his face go red, but began furiously rubbing the lamp. Heat made him drop the lamp on the floor (he’d forgotten that part) and a flash blinded the room. Marvin stood in all his sparkling genie glory right in front of Benji.

  Sarah yelped and jumped in surprise. Aunt Rachel gasped, but Tyler, Jessie and Uncle Matt laughed suddenly. Even Grandpa looked like he was holding back a chuckle. He supposed Marvin’s nerdy looks and blue skin were pretty amusing. Marvin was looking embarrassed.

  “I take you weren’t made by an actual Djinn?” Grandpa asked the genie, trying to control his mirth.

  “If you must know,” Marvin answred peevishly. He shot Benji an annoyed glare and straightened his glasses. “I was created by a very smart, but nevertheless inept, teenage boy around the time of the Great Depression.”

  “So I see,” Grandpa said.

  “Wait a minute,” Sarah interrupted holding up a hand. “Does this mean my dream wasn’t a dream? Does this mean it was real?”

  “I’ve already told you it was,” Uncle Matt said with a resigned sigh. Jessie was giving her a ‘duh’ sort of look.

  “We knew this would happen sooner or later,” Grandpa explained. His serious countenance had returned.

  “Left Paw is real?” Tyler asked incredulously. “He’s really some cursed hunter trapped in the woods.”

  Grandpa nodded. “Left Paw has been here since before I was born.” He turned toward Sarah. “The young man you met was San,” he said it like a question rather than a statement and Sarah nodded. “I imagine your insomnia drew him to you. The mære’s have certain abilities where sleep is concerned.”

  This revelation seemed to frighten Sarah. Tyler looked thoughtful and relieved. Benji shared a glance with Marvin. They both shrugged. Who the heck was Left Paw and wasn’t a mare a female horse?

  “I guess we’ve all been keeping a few secrets,” Grandpa said. “This will take some time to explain.” He gestured to Marvin. “You can stay or go.”

  “Actually, I have to stay,” Marvin said with a look at Benji. He sat on the arm of the sofa next to Sarah and leaned behind her to speak with Benji. “Why didn’t you tell me your sister was so beautiful?” he asked unexpectedly. Sarah cringed, uncomfortable, but didn’t say anything.

  Benji regarded his sister. She looked like she always did. He rolled his eyes at Marvin and turned back to Grandpa. He was dying to hear what the old man would say.

  *****

  Chapter 18: Revelations