The Green Cathedral

by Kerry Mcdonald

  Several hours later, as the sun set behind the Green Cathedral, Rimi checked on Abel once more. He was still fast asleep, as she figured he would be. She was glad, for she was bursting to be on her way. She left some instructions with Bibi, then leaped into the trees, grabbed one of her wires, and less than a minute later stood on the expansive beach that was directly across from Playa de Palma. She checked the sun. It was at just the right spot, where no one, even if they had the sharpest eyes of any human on earth and were looking straight at her, would be able to see her because of the glare. Then, with a slight but mighty leap, she rose high into the air and out across the water like a lithe human missile. A few seconds later, she plunged like an Olympic diver into the ocean less than a half mile from the beaches of the Rio Palma Inn and, a minute later, emerged from the water just north of the beach houses. As darkness closed in, she slipped lightly into the little spit of jungle behind them and found a cache of clothing wrapped in plastic buried next to a particular palm tree. A minute later, a young woman dressed in stylish summer attire emerged and walked spryly up the little road to the main building and disappeared into the lobby entrance.

  18

  —

  It was the sun that woke Abel the next morning as he found himself lying in the hammock where Rimi had laid him. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked around to get his bearings. He could see that his bed was slung between the silvery escape pod and a substantial tree. Feeling very refreshed and pleasantly warm, he turned to get out of the hammock but ended up on his face in the dirt instead. His delicate state of physical health had reminded him, through sharp pains in both his arms and legs, that all was not well with him, regardless of how refreshed he felt, and that his body, in general, wasn’t up to its usual strength.

  “Shit,” he grumbled to himself. He clawed at the hammock and managed to drag himself up onto his feet, but nearly fell again when the hammock swung back as he leaned against it. “Damn!” This time he steadied himself on his legs, then used the hammock as a crude railing to help him walk to the side of the escape pod where the walking stick he’d used the other day was still standing. Now, able to firmly secure his legs, he walked forward—and fell into the wall of the pod after tripping over himself—but he didn’t even know because he suddenly appeared inside the pod where he righted himself and saw that there were a small table and chair set up for him in the midst of the sphere where the healing cylinder had been the day before.

  “Hello, Abel,” came the metallic voice of Bibi. “It’s a beautiful day here on La Catedral Verde. We’ve got sunny skies, calm seas, and light winds from the east at just three miles per hour. Things should remain that way for pretty much all day, with highs in the mid-seventies, and, of course, the usual afternoon rains on the mountain.”

  “Jesus, you sound like the morning weather report on TV back when I was a kid,” said Abel. And then he suddenly stopped just as he was about to sit down. “Wait a minute. I was just out there getting out of a hammock”—he pointed to the wall—“and now I’m in here—and I didn’t open the door!”

  He smiled the most crooked of smiles at what looked like it might be Bibi’s control panel and slammed a hand down on the table.

  “Ha-ha! I did it, Bibs! I walked in just like she does!”

  “Technically, you fell in,” replied Bibi.

  “Who gives a shit? I did it, Bibs! Ha-ha! Give me five, man!” Ignoring the pain he felt, he smacked the control panel with the flat of his hand.

  “I can do better than that,” said Bibi, and a tentacle with a Mickey Mouse–type hand on its end suddenly extruded from the ceiling and smacked Abel’s hand so hard it sent him tumbling to the floor. He laughed in spite of the pain, and Bibi laughed a very robotic-sounding laugh.

  Just at that moment, Rimi appeared through the wall and gasped at Abel on the floor.

  “Are you hurt? Let me help you!” She extended her hand to Abel and yanked him up so hard he fell right into her. She braced herself, and they found themselves in each other’s arms next to the breakfast table.

  “Well, that was a nice surprise.” Abel grinned. He allowed Rimi to let him down gently into the chair. “Nope, nothing wrong. Me and Bibs here were just celebrating a little because this morning, I did it.” He pointed at the wall. Rimi looked at it, then back at Abel, smiling. “That’s right,” said Abel. “This morning, I walked through that wall.”

  “Actually, he fell through,” echoed Bibi.

  “This is very good!” replied Rimi. “Bibi’s nanobots must recognize you now. You should be able to go in and out whenever you want from now on. Please excuse me now. I’ll ask Bibi to make our breakfast.”

  Abel watched as Rimi stood by Bibi’s control panel, punched some things with her fingers, and then came back to sit down with him.

  “Our breakfast will be formed soon. We are having a favorite of mine: Belgian waffles with sausage and syrup. While Bibi forms the food, I’ll go out and collect some fruit for us. I’ll be back very soon.”

  Rimi left immediately through the wall, leaving Abel to contemplate something else that seemed incomprehensible. How could a machine “form” his favorite breakfast? And how did it just happen to be Rimi’s favorite, too? The whole thing seemed a bit too coincidental, but then again, this entire experience was so surreal that part of Abel was sure that at some point, he was going to wake up at his beach house and discover that everything he was experiencing now was just a dream. Why shouldn’t some beautiful jungle woman he’d just met have a machine that “forms” breakfast and it just so happens to be what he likes as well? She’d probably come back with mangos and bananas, too.

  Abel had never met the likes of this woman, and he suspected he never would again, especially if her whole alien thing was actually real. He remembered how Rimi had shared with him how lonely she was living on an island where her only friends were animals, and there was no one else like her anywhere. Abel was no alien, but he sure could relate to how she felt, especially since he’d not been able to get back into the SEALs. He’d built his life around his team. They had been his only real family. He had hoped to find similar comradeship when he’d joined the DEA, but things had never really jelled for him there. He’d thought the skill set needed for the job would be far more similar to his SEAL skill set. Being the tip of the spear in America’s war on drugs was far more drudgery and far less action than being the tip of the spear for American military operations around the world. And since—well, since losing a particular someone during his third SEAL tour, he’d felt so crushed and inept in matters of the heart that he’d never even attempted such a relationship since. Now, this woman had come into his life, someone who completely entranced him, who was actually physically stronger than he was—even when he was healthy. And who should she be but someone who said she was an alien, “not of this world,” giving some pretty good indications that she wasn’t kidding. And, most certainly, the very person that Monti Ruiz had offered him a million dollars to kill.

  ***

  Rimi suddenly appeared through Bibi’s sidewall again, carrying a large bag that she put down on the table in front of Abel, then went around to the side of Bibi’s control panel. From it, she produced two plates, each filled with a large Belgian waffle covered in butter and syrup and a couple of sausage links on the side. She grabbed knives and forks from a nearby cabinet and brought them to the table.

  “What would you like to drink?” she asked.

  Bemused, Abel answered, “I don’t know. What are you serving?”

  “Bibi can make several drinks I’ve discovered Earth humans seem to enjoy. For the morning meal, Bibi can make coffee, orange juice, milk, or water. Which would you like?”

  “Well, in that case, I’ll have some coffee. Maybe I’ll be able to stay awake better today,” replied Abel.

  Bibi piped up. “He should have orange juice and milk as well, to build up his strength.”


  “Jesus, Bibs, you sound like my mother,” said Abel.

  “I was not aware that my voice sounded female to you. Perhaps—”

  Abel looked at Rimi. “Just get me the milk and OJ along with the coffee and tell Bibs his voice is fine.”

  As she went to retrieve the drinks, he looked in the bag she’d now put under the table. Mangos and bananas. He smiled.

  “So, I guess Bibi whipped this stuff all up from . . . ?” he questioned.

  Rimi gave him a guarded look.

  “Right,” said Abel. “I probably don’t want to know the answer to that. Anything from anything, like you said. But where’d he get the pattern for this stuff? We’ve got machines called 3D printers that do stuff somewhat like Bibi, but they need a pattern or a sample of what they’re going to duplicate. There are no waffle houses or restaurants anywhere out here.”

  Rimi finished chewing a bite, then said, “There are times, a few times, when I’ve gone to the town on the shore to see what the Earth humans are like and perhaps make a friend. I’ve not been very successful in making friends—I’m not one of them, and they can tell just by looking at me—but I have learned to enjoy a number of your foods. I’ve brought samples of many foods and preparations back here for Bibi to make.”

  “How’d you get to the mainland? I haven’t seen any boats around here.”

  “That’s because you were not meant to find them,” answered Rimi. “Perhaps I will show you one day.”

  ***

  Sometime later, Rimi led Abel to the edge of the field of downed tree trunks near the clearing around Bibi. They both sat on a log and faced the barren area.

  “Bibi destroyed all these trees when we landed. He has no landing pods or wheels like a regular cruiser would have. It was a very rough landing. I was not very old and I was very scared. All I could think was, ‘Where is my mother?’ and ‘Where is our cruiser?’ I wandered the island for many days, looking everyplace for them but could not find anything. During this time, I met some of the animals. They were suspicious of me at first, but I learned their languages, and they learned to be my friends. They even taught their young ones to be my friends. Now, today, I’ve called them all here, or at least the ones that can come, so I can tell them that you are my friend, and they should treat you as their friend as well.”

  Abel looked up and was startled to see that the logs for almost a hundred yards before them were covered with all kinds of animals—the pumas, the ocelots, several types of monkeys, coatis, snakes, birds, and many different types of butterflies. He’d never seen anything like it.

  Rimi called out using the strange song that Abel had heard his first day on the island, and all the animals stopped whatever they were doing and listened. After that, they began moving toward him.

  “What’s going on?” Abel nervously asked.

  “They’re just coming to greet you,” said Rimi. “Don’t be afraid. They do not respect fear.”

  Abel and Rimi sat on the log, and for the next hour, animals of all kinds came to Abel, flew in, landed on him, nuzzled him. Abel felt like Noah welcoming animals to the ark.

  ***

  Later on, after Abel had taken another nap in the hammock, Rimi asked him to climb onto her back.

  “You’re kidding, right?” quipped Abel.

  “No,” she said with a shy smile. “I wanted to take you to meet the crocodiles who stay near the mouth of our little river. You’re still too weak to walk that far, but I could take you on my back, and we could fly along the wires.”

  “You can’t carry me,” replied Abel. “You barely weigh what, a hundred and twenty pounds—maybe—and I weigh almost two hundred. You’d never even get me off the ground.”

  “I guess you don’t remember when I caught you from falling and put you in your hammock the night before,” Rimi said with a twinkle in her eye.

  “No way,” replied Abel. “I bet you had one of Bibs’s tentacles grab me and—ow!” Rimi had kicked Abel’s feet out from under him, caught him as he fell forward, and slung him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

  “Now, don’t fall,” instructed Rimi. “I’m going to help you so you can turn around, put your legs around my waist, and drape your arms over my shoulders.”

  She boosted Abel up until he was sure he was going to fall.

  “Whoa!” he shouted, but Rimi remained calm.

  “Grab my shoulders with your arms, and I’ll bend over so you can get your legs around my waist,” she said.

  Abel grunted and cried out several times, sure he’d fall. The two looked like a couple of acrobats trying to tie each other in knots for a moment, but suddenly Rimi stood straight, piggybacking Abel. Her feet and legs had never wavered or moved.

  “Jesus!” panted Abel. “How’d you get so freaking strong?”

  Rimi smiled. “I have no idea. I think we’re just made this way in my world. Now hold on tight.”

  Rimi suddenly leaped into the air, and she and Abel flew well up into the canopy of the rainforest. Rimi grabbed on to a couple of nearly invisible wires with her gloved hands and steadied both her and Abel.

  “Hang on tight, and duck behind me when we go through the trees.”

  With that, Rimi swung her body backward, then thrust it forward, and when she did, the two were sent sailing through the trees along the wispy, barely visible cables. Abel had no idea how they didn’t break. They were just a little thicker than spider webbing, but that was one reason why they flew so fast. For the first time since being a SEAL, he felt the exhilaration of flying through the air like he used to when parachuting or on HALO missions.

  “Woo-hoo!” he hollered. “Geronimo!”

  He ducked behind Rimi as they clattered through trees. They came to one of the nest-type constructions that Abel had seen earlier in the trees, and there they stood for just a moment while Rimi grabbed a new set of wires, and then they were off again. Abel figured they hadn’t stopped for more than ten seconds. More sailing through the canopy, until, quite suddenly, he could see the trees thinning and the beach where the crocs lay.

  “I’ll soon be jumping to the ground,” Rimi yelled back to him. “Keep your feet up, your head close to mine, and just hang on. I will do all the work.”

  Seconds later, Rimi launched herself from the wires, and she and Abel flew through the air like a human cannonball. They sailed through an opening in the trees and gradually descended, the beach coming up fast. And then, with a slight thud, they were down, Rimi making a perfect Olympic long-jumper-style landing in the sand, finishing on her rear, with Abel’s rear coming in right behind hers.

  Abel leaped up. “Whoa!” he yelled. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve done since I jumped out of airplanes, girl!” he exclaimed to Rimi. His smile nearly cracked his face. “You have got to get me some of those gloves! When I get better, I’m gonna be doing that all day long!”

  Rimi just sat and smiled. She was so glad she’d made Abel happy that she nearly cried. Her heart soared within her. She had shown him a new thing, and he’d loved it. Maybe, just maybe—she dared not think of it. Enjoy the moment, her friend had always said. And so she did. She jumped up and laughed with Abel, then allowed him to pick her up and give her a huge hug before he climbed onto her back again while she ran around like his personal mount—and dumped him into the river. When one of the crocs started to move toward him, she spoke sharply to it, and it backed away. Then she introduced the crocodiles to him before they finally wound down and sat on the beach and enjoyed the afternoon sun.

  Rimi asked, “So I told you how I came to this island. How about you? So few people have come here, and so many have been bad, especially lately. Why did you come here? You are not bad. You came with guns, but all you shot was the sand, and the one you pointed at me only shot when you fell over. You came for several days in a row, every day. Why did you do this? Are you looking for
something?”

  Abel stared out at the lowering sun and was silent for a time. Rimi felt bad, thinking that she may have embarrassed him somehow, and she was about to apologize when he finally spoke.

  “I came here looking for someone,” he began slowly, “or maybe something. I came to the town and met with their head man. His name’s Monti.”

  “I have seen this Monti,” said Rimi. “He sits on the beach and sells things and talks to people.”

  “That’s him,” said Abel. “He told me about some evil presence or evil person or something that lives here. He said no one that’s come to the island has ever come back.”

  “Of course they haven’t. My friends and I killed them all when they started killing my friends and trying to capture me. They came with guns and pointed them at us and shot their projectiles at us. My pumas killed some in the night. Then a few weeks later, more came, and we did the same to them. Then many more came. They all had guns, and they all pointed them at us, so we attacked them. We chased them up the volcano and would kill them if they tried to come down. None of them escaped. We either killed them when they came down or left them to starve on the mountain. That was years ago, and nobody has come since. So why did you decide to come even when nobody else would?” Rimi calmed herself and hoped that she had not become too emotional or said too much. Maybe Abel would now think she was the evil one that the fat man Monti had talked about and be afraid of her also. Maybe he’d try to kill her. But he had not been afraid of her, or even of the animals. He must be different—he simply must!

  Why did I even bring this up? she screamed to herself.

  “I was curious,” said Abel finally. “Before I came to the village on the mainland, I was a warrior, a soldier, so I wasn’t afraid. I don’t believe in ‘evil ones’ or ‘evil presences’ or anything like that. I was fascinated with this island from the first time I set eyes on it, and I wondered who or what was there. I wanted to explore it, so when I finished with my business in the town, that man Monti let me use a boat, and so I came out here to see what I could find.”