The Golden Rectangle

by Gillian Neimark

  “And we all fit into it? How is that? These handkerchiefs must belong to a giant,” said Lucy.

  They left, and landed on a graham cracker of sorts. Dr. Pi broke off a piece to discover roasted marshmallow and chocolate inside. “Interesting,” he said, tasting it. “Perhaps I’ll make a pie like this when I get back.”

  “You don’t know what a s’more is, Dr. Pi?” asked Lucy.

  He shook his head.

  “I guess you’ve never sat around a campfire. You stick your marshmallow on a skewer, hold it over the fire until it’s roasted, and put it between two graham crackers with a piece of chocolate. And that’s a s’more. We have a fire pit in our backyard and make ’em all the time.”

  “I adore a s’more,” said Dr. Pi, laughing. “I guess I can’t eat all of it, or we’ll have nothing to stand on.”

  At the next place they landed they paused.

  Flor said, “A parking lot with about five hundred parking spaces. All rectangles, of course.”

  “Like a deserted Walmart at night,” said Lucy. “This is cool and all, but we could travel through galactic rectangles forever. Shouldn’t we get back to Planet Square?”

  “How do we do that?” asked Flor.

  “Maybe I should do the rectangle dance,” said Lucy.

  “The rectangle dance?” Dr. Pi asked.

  “Like I did in the barn, like the key told me to. I was walking in a rectangle and chanting those magic words. Divina sectia. The rectangle just lifted me out of Puddleville and dumped me in Flor’s closet like it had a mind of its own. Remember you even said it had saved me?”

  “Rectangles do have some funny ideas sometimes,” said Buddy.

  “They do, Daddy?”

  “My blocks of ice have done some mighty strange things in their day. I’ve seen a block of ice waiting for a truck that needs it and is caught in traffic and running late. . . . I’ve seen that ice stay completely frozen in the summer sun. Without melting at all. That’s not possible.”

  “So then I definitely should do the rectangle dance,” said Lucy. “Flor, do it with me. Okay?”

  Flor swallowed hard. “Okay, sure.”

  “And no matter what, don’t let go of my hand?”

  “Right.”

  “And if it works—well, you guys follow us. Just do the same as you see me do. We’ll pray the rectangle delivers us all to the same place.”

  But sadly, it did not. The Golden Rectangle had a plan of its own.

  A LONELY SQUARE

  Square Man was alone, as he usually was. He was tired. Usually right about now he would turn to Red Eye, who would be dozing a few feet away. And he’d talk to the lobster.

  “I thought he liked me,” Square Man fretted. “But I guess not.”

  It used to be fun, arriving on a new planet, and surprising everyone with his magnificent powers despite his small size. He used to enjoy watching them gape, and tremble with fear. It used to be thrilling, seeing all the circles unwind into lines. He had felt so good, replacing round things with square things. He’d leave the planet with a sense of symmetry, a job well done.

  But it didn’t feel good anymore. He was tired of fighting Lucy and Flor. He couldn’t even get a rise out of Buddy Moon and Dr. Pi. They seemed unfazed by him.

  “There’s a reason I was born,” he said to himself as he often did. “I belong in this universe just like everybody else. I’m square, and my mission is to convert every planet I can to the Way of the Square.” Then he paused, and in another voice he scolded himself, “Nobody cares. Nobody loves a square like you do.”

  He sighed and got to his feet. Time to check on the girls. When he arrived at the wall he’d placed, he snapped his fingers once again and it melted away.

  “So, Lucy Moon,” he said triumphantly, “now we will come to terms.”

  But no one answered.

  “Nobody’s here,” said Square Man, looking around. “Except a snowy egret that seems fast asleep and probably ate Red Eye alive.”

  The bird stirred and opened its eyes.

  “It’s not possible!” said Square Man. He marched up to Red Eye. “Where have they gone?”

  “Up the spiral,” said Red Eye, and he said nothing more. He simply closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

  “Wake up,” Square Man said, shaking the bird frantically by his good, uninjured wing.

  “What do you want?” said the egret. “They found the spiral in the rectangle and walked out. I saw it with my very eyes. A bird’s eyes. Not a lobster’s eyes.”

  “It’s not possible,” said Square Man. “Now I have no idea where they’ve gone! They could have climbed a hundred spirals by now! They could be gone forever.”

  “True.” Red Eye hesitated. “But I don’t really think so. They’ll be back for me. They said they would, and I believe them. They’re that kind of folk. Good folk. True to their word.”

  Square Man was silent. Then he looked at Red Eye. “You don’t look half-bad as a bird.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I don’t know why you betrayed me. I fed you and housed you and treated you well.”

  “But it was what you wanted, not what I wanted, don’t you see?”

  “I suppose,” the tiny man said reluctantly. “Well, just for tonight, keep me company, for old times’ sake.”

  “You can stay here if it gives you comfort,” said Red Eye. “But I don’t have anything to say, and I’m going back to sleep.”

  A POOL OF TEARS

  Where in the good Lord’s creation are we?” whispered Lucy. “Where did the rectangle dance put us?”

  Flor held her friend’s hand fast. “I don’t know,” she whispered back.

  “It looks like a big construction site,” said Lucy. “Like somebody started building a planet and just left all the stuff heaped everywhere and went away.”

  Indeed, all around them were piles of beams, bricks, spools of thick wire, and large, jutting pieces of glass.

  “Let’s walk a little,” suggested Flor.

  They picked their way carefully among the mess, climbing over stacked wood and metal rods.

  “We’re completely lost,” said Flor.

  “There must be a reason we’re here,” said Lucy.

  “Look, there’s a clearing.”

  “That’s a lake.”

  They approached the lake slowly, looking around. Finally they sat down at the base of a large, blue hill.

  Then the biggest raindrop Flor and Lucy had ever seen fell, kerplunk, in the middle of the lake.

  “I don’t understand why it’s raining,” said Lucy. “There’s not a single cloud in the sky.”

  Another large drop fell, and it was followed by a sob. And a loud sniffle.

  The girls looked up.

  “Yuck!” cried Flor. A drop had fallen directly on her face. “Where is this rain coming from?”

  The hill they were leaning against moved.

  The girls ran.

  “Stop!” a voice cried. “Don’t run. Please don’t run . . . why . . . it’s two little girls. I’ve been alone here for so long. I am in desperate need of company. It’s just that . . . ”

  A huge face peered down at them. “You’re so very tiny . . . why . . . you’re both barely a few inches tall.”

  Flor craned her neck back as far as it would go and looked up.

  “It’s a giant. I think it’s a woman. And she’s so big . . . so big . . . ”

  “It looks like one of you is on fire?” the giant said. “I’ve cried a pool of tears here, which is now a lake, since I’ve been crying ever since everything got ruined. You can jump into my pool of tears and put that fire out if you like.”

  “No,” said Flor. “It’s a cosmic fire, not a hot fire. I’m fine. And it’s my dress anyway.”

  “Where are we?” asked Lucy. “Is this a planet of giants? Is that why you’re so big?”

  “I’m a perfectly normal size,” the giant replied. “It’s you two who are so terribly small. Bu
t I don’t mean that as an insult. You’re both very adorable, now that I’ve gotten a good look at you. Especially the little one with hooves. You’re charming, really.”

  “Thank you,” said Lucy. “I haven’t had hooves that long, actually. We’ve clearly ended up on the wrong planet. We’ll have to do the rectangle dance again. There’s no sign of Square Man here.”

  “Did you say Square Man?” the giant said.

  The girls nodded.

  The giant began to cry again.

  “He has ruined my life . . . and ruined my planet . . . do you know him?”

  “Oh yeah, we know him,” said Lucy. “He’s as low as a toad in a dry well. He’s trying to destroy our planet too.”

  “Oh, that’s terrible,” the giant said. “Where are you two girls from?”

  “Planet Earth,” said Flor.

  “Planet Earth! Are you really from planet Earth?”

  “Yes,” said Lucy. “Is that such a big deal?”

  “I’ve heard about planet Earth. Everyone learns about planet Earth in grade school. It’s supposed to be a very beautiful planet, with ice caps on either end, and blue water, and fertile land. And it’s a place where everything gets along, right? All the rectangles and squares and circles and spirals and triangles . . . they all have a chance to express themselves there. Am I right?”

  “Well,” said Flor, “I guess so. I never thought about it that way.”

  “This was a planet of angles. They just weren’t right angles. More like triangles, and trapezoids, and pentagrams. Just anything with an angle. It was really a nice place, though. I built it all myself. I had many visitors come and admire it. Until Square Man came and destroyed everything.” The giant sighed. “So sit down, girls. Relax on the shore of my pool of tears.”

  “Thank you, giant,” said Lucy. “We’d love to, but we have to be on our way now. We still have a chance to save planet Earth.”

  “If two men show up here, a wizard and an ice maker, tell them we were here and left. Okay?” Flor added.

  “I hope they visit soon.” The giant began to cry again. “I’m so lonely, and my planet is ugly now. Nobody comes to see me anymore because there is nothing left to see.”

  “Well, if we can fix it, you can rebuild your planet,” said Flor. “Have faith.”

  “We’ve got to go,” said Lucy.

  And they said good-bye to the giant, joined hands, did the rectangle dance, and fell into a new world.

  FIRE IN THE HEART

  This new world was on fire.

  Tongues of flame leaped up eagerly, licking and lapping everything they burned. Sparks flew, and new fires burst into being.

  The light was blindingly beautiful.

  “It hurts,” whispered Lucy.

  “Really?” said Flor. The fire did not touch her but seemed to bow before her, gently lick her hair, and move on. Her dress of fire met the fire around her, and it was as if they were old friends.

  “How does it hurt? Is it hot?” she asked Lucy.

  “No . . . not hot . . . it’s just . . . too much. I feel like I’m going to shatter. It’s too much energy.”

  “Here, hold my hand,” said Flor. “Do you feel better now?”

  Lucy breathed in relief. “Yes. It’s like you’re protecting me. Thanks.”

  Flor looked around her and could see nothing but flame. “I wonder where we are?”

  “Who could tell? The fire has already burned up everything.”

  “Wait—there’s something moving.” She squinted. “I think it’s some little animal, maybe a hamster or mouse, running toward us.”

  The little creature kept running toward them, and now Flor could see it throwing out its hands and crying, “What have I done? What have I done? I had no idea! It was just an experiment! And now I have burned up my own planet! Owww! Owww! It’s too strong! It’s too bright! How do I stop this fire? If only I had water! Help me! Help me! Somebody help me!”

  “Oh my gosh,” said Flor. “You would not believe it, Pip, but that’s Square Man.”

  “He must have opened your key, Pinkie, and followed the instructions on the scroll.”

  “But he seems to have overdone it somehow.”

  Square Man saw the two girls and skidded to a stop. “Flor! Lucy! Thank goodness you’re here, my dear old friends! I’m alone here! Except for Red Eye—I mean, the white bird—whatever it is. Flor, stop this fire immediately, please. I don’t know how it started!”

  “Oh, you definitely know how it got started,” she said. “And why should I stop it?”

  “To save us! Me and Red Eye, and my home, and everything I own and worked so hard for!” he shouted. “My palace is next!”

  “You destroy worlds, and I should save yours. Hmmm. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it? Anyway, give me my key. You stole it, and you clearly opened it and tried to blow the cosmic fire.”

  “I don’t have any key,” he protested, panting.

  Flor shrugged and turned to Lucy.

  “Pipsqueak,” said Flor, “can you endure the energy of the fire on your own for a few minutes?”

  “Yes,” said Lucy bravely.

  Flor started to walk to the Square Palace.

  “Where are you going?” asked Square Man.

  “To save Red Eye.”

  “No—I mean—okay, but—can’t you just put out the fire?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Here,” he said, throwing her key at her. “Here’s your silly old key. I don’t want it anyway, if it starts fires like this. I feel like I’m going to fly into a thousand pieces. It’s like some kind of horrible lightning storm!”

  Flor took the key.

  Lucy was shivering from the heat. Her teeth were clattering, and her hands were shaking.

  “Look at your friend!” he said to Flor. “How can you let her suffer so?”

  “I’m okay,” said Lucy, wincing.

  “Before I do anything at all to help you,” said Flor, “you must give me the wand.”

  “The wand?” repeated the little man. “What wand?”

  “You know exactly what wand I’m talking about.”

  “I have no clue.”

  “The wand you stole from the place where all beginnings begin.”

  He was silent, stunned.

  “Absolutely not,” he fumed. “I’m not giving up the wand. I’d rather burn to death.”

  “Then burn up in the cosmic fire,” said Flor. “Let it all burn and cleanse everything and return it to pure energy. It’s already getting a little intense in here, isn’t it? Lucy, hold my hand again. Let’s go.”

  Lucy took her hand and instantly stopped shivering. “Gad night a livin’,” she breathed. “What an awesome relief.”

  “Hold my hand too!” cried Square Man, running after them.

  The fire unfurled in a massive wave of orange with blue at the very tips of the many flames. It roared toward them in a glorious blaze. Flor walked ahead, unafraid. She met the fire, and it seemed to bow and separate and move on. She walked up to the palace, and the doors swung open, and she walked down the hall to find Red Eye.

  Square Man ran behind them, crying out in pain.

  The fire consumed everything in its path.

  Flor stopped, and Lucy stopped with her. “This is the hallway,” Flor said. “There’s no sign of Red Eye.”

  “He must have flown off,” said Lucy.

  “You think so?”

  “Sure. Wouldn’t you if you were a bird and the world was burning up?”

  “I guess he’s okay, then.”

  She turned around and faced Square Man.

  “The fire is going to eat you alive. You’re going to turn back into energy soon. Is that really what you want?”

  “I can’t give up my magic wand,” he sobbed like a little child. “It’s my everything.”

  Square Man’s tiny face was flushed. He lay down on the ground.

  “No,” he said, breathing heavily. “No.”


  Something strange happened to Flor then. She didn’t feel sorry for Square Man, really, but suddenly she felt as if she understood him. He no longer seemed evil or vicious. It was as if the fire had imparted some kind of wisdom, some ability to see past the obvious.

  She let go of Lucy’s hand for a moment and knelt beside him.

  “None of this was necessary,” she said.

  “What,” he muttered, rolling on the ground in agony.

  “Turning planet after planet into squares as revenge. The round people were mean, but that’s the way people are when they see something different. They don’t understand, and sometimes they laugh, and sometimes they’re even really nasty about it, just because somebody looks a little different. But there is a place for you, where you can be happy.”

  “No,” he moaned.

  “You just have no faith. Why, you’d be perfectly acceptable on planet Earth. Scientists would be fascinated by you. I could design some square clothes. You might like New York. It’s full of oddballs. And there are lots of tall, rectangular buildings there.”

  “No,” he said. “No, no, no. My magic wand is everything to me. I’d rather die.”

  She sighed. “Okay. Lucy, let’s do the rectangle dance. It’s time to get out of here.”

  Square Man watched them from the ground as Flor followed Lucy, tracing a rectangle and chanting the magic words, “Divina sectia.”

  And at the very last moment he reached out his hand. “Take me with you.”

  Flor stopped. “The wand, please.”

  He handed it over. He had never looked so pitiful. His head hung. “It’s all over now,” he said.

  “No,” said Flor, “it’s all just begun.”

  She grabbed Square Man’s hand, even as they all fell out of Planet Square and into a new world.

  HOME AT LAST

  Where are we?” asked Square Man. “Why am I still burning up?”

  They had landed in a cavernous room with hundreds of rubber rectangles laid side by side on the floor.

  “We’re at the ice factory,” said Lucy. “And look—there’s Daddy at the other end.”

  “And Dr. Pi,” added Flor. “They got here ahead of us.”

  “But something’s wrong,” said Lucy. “Daddy looks very upset.”