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Extended Work
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| Erinwood Prophesy (Chapter 4) | |
| By AmeliaWonderland | ||
| 24 March 2008 | ||
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Leaving Chris in the dining room, Alex ran towards the exit. Pushing people right and left she headed outside. It was breezy and she ran against the wind for a while. The touch of the wind felt good. It felt real. But what was real anyway? This planet? Her life in the last twelve months? With so many things happening, with her visions and time travel, it was difficult to say. ‘It’s just a dream, it’s only a dream!’ she whispered. A lonely tree stood in a middle of a road, blocked off from the ship’s view by a t-shaped building. The tree was densely covered with beautiful cerise blossoms, some of which had already turned into soft, red fruit. Taking deep breaths and gasping for air, Alex got nearer the tree, closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the trunk. ‘This is real!’ she said with satisfaction. ‘I can touch the folds of its rough surface and hear the rustling of its leaves.’ She lifted her eyelids and eyed the tree slowly from the top down. ‘I can see the intricate pattern of its branches, and smell the aroma of its flowers and fruit.’ As to her watch, it had to be broken. She would fix it and then find her way back to Little Meadow. Her inner peace returning, Alex looked at the tree again and admired its beauty. How did something as beautiful as this find its way into a place, which was virtually devoid of plant life? She touched the tree one more time and noticed a small fresh cut. It was smooth and its zigzagging shape looked like an entrance to a tunnel. Alex’ heart began pounding again. She secretly glanced around to see if anybody was looking and slowly lifted her right hand. She held it close to the cut and closed her eyes. Counting to ten, Alex pressed her right thumb to the tree and was instantly pulled in. Arrrgh! Alex felt her body being pulled from one side to another as if two different parties were making a claim on her limbs and when the tug-of-war finally stopped, she tumbled onto a cobbled path in front of a small house. It was sunny – probably morning – and it was so quiet that Alex wondered whether the place had long been abandoned. She stood still for a moment thinking what to do next and considering a possibility of confronting more danger when suddenly she felt someone’s presence. Alex could not see anyone, but someone definitely stood nearby, studying her. She felt the person’s piercing gaze and felt uncomfortable. ‘Who are you?’ she shouted boldly. ‘Show yourself!’ The presence became stronger and it was hard to tell whether it was a friendly one. ‘I know you are here!’ Alex tried one more time. Then the front door of the house opened with a squeak. Alex sensed that whoever was watching her had gone inside. She wanted to follow but hesitated. She neared the door and peered inside but did not see anything – it was pitch-black. Alex leaned her upper body over the doorway and finally felt the presence again. ‘I know you are here and I am not afraid of you!’ Alex was standing in the stooping position when the door suddenly shut behind her. ‘Great!’ Alex uttered with annoyance. ‘Now what?’ ‘Now we talk,’ said a voice. ‘You are one piece of work, Alex. I did not think I would ever be able to bring you in for a chat.’ ‘Sitho?’ Alex uttered unsurely recognising the voice of her counsellor. ‘I’m so glad to see you! You would not believe what I just went through… Is this your house?’ ‘One of them,’ replied Sitho turning on the light. ‘It was meant to be my holiday home, but I am not sure I will be able to enjoy it in this capacity.’ ‘Were you watching me outside?’ A million questions streamed through Alex’ mind and she did not know which ones to ask first. ‘Because I swear, I felt this presence…’ ‘Yes, yes. It was me. Just a security measure. I had to verify your identity.’ ‘And are you satisfied?’ ‘One hundred percent. Come in, make yourself comfortable.’ ‘Why such a fuss anyway?’ ‘I’ll tell you in a minute, but I need to do something first. That Delta place has top security clearance and I could not get even a temporary travel permit. But I found a way around it. I tapped into the city’s security grid and found a weak spot. Every thirty days, the grid refreshes itself, setting up the new codes, and it does it twice – once to reset itself and then again to test the new parameters. It is during this reset exercise that the tunnels become vulnerable for a few seconds. I managed to bring you in during the first round and I just need to see how much time we’ve got before you need to go back. Lizzie will show you around.’ ‘Lizzie’s here?’ ‘Naturally. I can’t look after this place on my own now can I? I am a very busy person…’ ‘But who is looking after my mansion?’ ‘Never mind the mansion.’ Lizzie appeared in the hallway. She led Alex into the kitchen. She was very quiet, and dark circles were under her eyes from the lack of sleep. She took out two cups from the cupboard and prepared tea in swift movements, jerking the cups as if they were guilty of something. Alex could not recall seeing her housekeeper in such a state; something definitely was on Lizzie’s mind. Alex wanted to jump and greet Lizzie properly but it did not seem like it would bode well with Lizzie’s sombre appearance. ‘Lizzie, are you okay?’ Alex uttered, treading carefully onto the subject of Lizzie’s mood. ‘Has something happened?’ ‘I am okay, thanks. It’s just… oh, never mind! Just take your drink and go into the living room. Sitho will be with you in a minute.’ And with that Lizzie disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Alex to find her way out. The living room was bright and spacious. The furnishings were to a minimum but arranged in style and made Alex feel at home. She took a turn around the room, trying to kill time. She passed a row of bookshelves covering most of the walls, then a small sofa and finally a cosy coffee table which was set at the front of the room. Sitho was not coming back, and Alex peered into the hall. She thought she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She did not go in but listened. ‘We’ve got to tell her!’ said a voice. It sounded like Lizzie, but her voice was shaking. ‘I cannot go on like that any more.’ ‘Can’t go on?’ The second voice was Sitho’s. ‘Should’ve thought about it before getting in too deep. I told you this would not end well!’ ‘I thought it would not affect me like this.’ ‘And you decided to test this, didn’t you? Do you have any idea what I went through? I thought I was going to die!’ ‘But you survived didn’t you? They left us alone.’ Alex gasped. What was Lizzie referring to? What were they hiding? She tiptoed towards the kitchen and pressed her ear against the door. Through a small crack in the wood, she could see parts of Lizzie’s body. The housekeeper appeared worse then before. She bit her fingernails and her hands were shaking. ‘We’ve got to tell her!’ Lizzie said again. Alex entered the kitchen. ‘Tell me what?’ Sitho and Lizzie glanced at each other. ‘That you and your family have been outlawed,’ said Sitho calmly. Alex dropped the drink she was holding. The cup fell producing a shrill sound of broken glass. Alex stared at her hosts in turn and could not utter a word. Sitho was the first one to collect his bearings. He escorted Lizzie out of the kitchen and returned swiftly to give Alex a hand. In mechanical movements Alex reached for the broken glass looking vacantly into space. ‘Sit down, Alex.’ Sitho gently took the broken glass from Alex. ‘We need to talk.’ Alex felt more than happy to oblige. ‘What do you mean outlawed?’ ‘That will take a long time to explain.’ ‘We have all the time in the world.’ ‘No, we don’t. We’ve got only ten minutes before the grid tests the new codes. Besides, your foster parents may find out you are missing. They are nice people. They don’t deserve getting into trouble because of this.’ Alex looked at Sitho pleadingly. ‘I don’t deserve not knowing!’ ‘All right then.’ Sitho shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat. ‘Where shall I begin?’ ‘How about from the beginning.’ Sitho picked up the cup of tea that Lizzie had prepared for him earlier. He took a sip and put the cup down. Walking slowly towards Alex, he took her right thumb and held it up. ‘Handy device, isn’t it?’ he said mysteriously. ‘Very useful for tunnel travel. How many times have you used it?’ ‘Quite a few. Why?’ ‘Did you know it is also a highly technological tracking system that lets the Establishment in on every step you make and every conversation your hold. Not out here though. This is what we call a dead zone.’ ‘Really? I thought it was one of a kind. My parents implanted it when I was very little. And I always thought it was precisely because it was beyond the reach of the Establishment.’ Sitho hesitated. He looked at Alex’s hand musingly. ‘So you thought it was just a ticket to a convenient travel… I don’t think your parents knew about its full capabilities – not until it would have been too late anyway. The device is a part of an elaborate tracking system known as the Astrologer. The system was developed by professor Erinwood for a very different purpose. ‘You see, Alex, Erinwood was a Professor of Time Sciences. His lifelong interest was the nature of time and he spent most of his life pondering over its mysteries. As part of his research he developed a device capable of collecting and analysing an enormous amount of information and he used this device to track the movements and conversations of all human beings by way of inserting tracking devices inside their bodies. His aim was to find a way of analysing the past and the present in order to predict the future. ‘He was a very clever chap and gentile as well and did not mean any harm. He never pried into details. He could if he wanted to, but he decided that he would only assess the output that the device prepared and did not meddle into the details of people’s lives. ‘He discovered that our naturalistic timeline – the arrow of time – has a shape and it’s not a straight line as we have pre-supposed it to be but rather like a sheet of paper. Not a rigid sheet of paper akin to those in a book, but rather very soft and curvy like a surface of the balloon. The end of the sheet which is unknown to us – the future – can point up, down and sideways, and the direction changes with every decision and step we make. The curvature of the sheet changes too. ‘Erinwood found a way, through the Astrologer, to describe the shape and the direction of this time-sheet at any given moment and then interpret it into tangible events. In other words, he found a way to predict the future.’ ‘So what? What an achievement!’ Alex uttered dismissively almost forgetting about the lid she had been trying to keep on her own secret. ‘Anyone can predict the future…’ ‘Anyone?’ Sitho smirked. ‘I wish…’ He was taken aback. ‘And I thought that of all people, you would definitely give me a wow… But don’t you see? The Establishment is all about acquiring knowledge. And while they feel that the secrets of the Universe are few – believe me quite mistakenly – one area that still eludes them is the future and the knowledge of thereof.’ Alex’ expression did not change. ‘Still unimpressed? I see. Then what about this… One day, after breakfast, Erinwood came down to check on his ‘creation’, and found a message on the screen. The message was encrypted in the language that Erinwood created specially for the device and he needed some time to unscramble it. The message was simple. It predicted that a person would be born who would challenge the Establishment’s view of the world and bring a true peace to our Universe.’ Alex rubbed her forehead. ‘That’s it?’ She looked surprised. ‘That’s the message?’ She took a minute to assimilate what she just learned. ‘So what!’ she uttered. ‘Let the Establishment do what they want. They did not like Erinwood’s message. Why would my family be outlawed? Because of some device he has developed?’ ‘It is interesting that you mention your parents. I was just getting to that… But first – ’ Sitho frowned ‘ – you don’t seem to be concerned about the possibility of the Establishment getting their hands on Erinwood’s device.’ ‘I would.’ Alex looked at her counsellor apologetically. ‘I am. It’s just I am concerned about my parents much more. Erinwood – I haven’t even met the guy. And why are you questioning the Establishment anyway? They are supposed to be the good guys, aren’t they? Think about all the good things the device could potentially do. We could eliminate criminal activity before it would have a chance to manifest.’ Sitho smirked. ‘You would think so. Well, let me tell you. The Establishment took the message very seriously. In it they saw not just the challenge to their way of thinking but a contest to their own survival. Before long, they created a watch list of suspects and began tracking them down. ‘Your family has come up on the radar a few times. First it was your parents, then you brother, then you. ‘My brother? Alex uttered, her voice faltering. As if she already did not have enough information to digest. Sitho looked at Alex apologetically. ‘I am sorry you did not know. I thought your parents had told you before they left, but this is not my place to say.’ ‘Where is he? Where can I find him? Do you know?’ ‘No, but I believe that the latest reports of his whereabouts came from the Kaza System.’ Alex made an enormous effort to set the topic of her brother aside even though it touched her emotions in ways she was afraid to admit. She was not an only child! Wow! ‘So my family have been outlawed because they may be a threat to the Establishment?’ she said. She almost laughed. The Establishment was so powerful and so far reaching that it was highly unlikely that they would deem her family as a threat, no matter now different or rebellious they may have been. She did not believe Sitho’s story. But then they did relocate her to Delta City, and she still did not know what that place was…Alex tried to be confident but she could not hide the seed of doubt that had sprouted after she was forced from her own home. Perhaps there was an explanation… Sitho interrupted Alex’s meditation. ‘It’s not just that, Alex. It is so much bigger. I used to think that Erinwood was on the Establishment’s side, but he turned out to be more decent that even I had anticipated.’ Sitho went on. ‘Albeit with a delayed reaction. Barely did he inform the Establishment about his breakthrough that he realised what he had done. He packed up his whole house and left – along with the Astrologer’s manual. The device was too massive for him to uproot, but without the manual nobody can unscramble its messages. All the Establishment can do with it is to spy on its citizens. It all happened so quickly that before anyone knew what had happened, Erinwood was gone. Naturally, The Establishment sent search parties after him, but very quickly the searchers met a dead end. He left without a trace.’ ‘What?’ Alex was very confused now. ‘How can this be? Wouldn’t he, too, have a tracking device? Can nobody track his signals to their source? Tracking signals is primary school physics.’ ‘You would think so. I told you that the Universe hides many mysteries and I think Erinwood had discovered much more than he revealed. He was a strange fellow – I had the pleasure of meeting him once when I was very young – and nobody took him seriously until it was very late…It’s like he is in the Universe somewhere, but we don’t know where exactly and when we track his signals back to their source using every known method of backtracking, it leads us to one particular point in the Universe known as the Bermuda Triangle, a desolate collection of gas and interstellar dust with virtually nothing in it. Sitho finished his cup of tea before continuing. He drank it slowly and looked out the window meditatively. ‘Here’s the thing.’ he finally said. ‘The tracking signals that come from your parents had just become as elusive as those of Erinwood’s. The Establishment know that they have originated from your parents – every single tracking signal has a unique identification code – but they can’t track the signal back to their source.’ ‘My parents have disappeared?’ Alex’s voice faltered again. ‘I would not say they disappeared. They only disappeared from the Establishment’s radar. I am sure they are alright. As far as I know they never liked being tracked.’ Alex smiled. This was more than true. Now that she knew her every movement was being watched, she did not like it ether. ‘Do you think their disappearance has something to do with Erinwood and his device?’ Sitho beamed. ‘It has everything to do with him! They were very close friends of Erinwood and it is now believed they had known where he had gone.’ ‘Really?’ Alex looked slightly excited now. ‘But they have never mentioned him.’ ‘It does not change the fact that they knew him very well. Perhaps they thought you were too young to know.’ Alex sighed. As much as her parents had revealed to her, they had hidden many more things. But it did not matter. She loved them and she missed them and she did not care how much or who they knew. ‘And me?’ she said musingly. ‘How do I fit into all this?’ ‘Naturally, you had to be isolated – to be placed in a more secure environment under the Establishment’s watchful eye – in case your parents contacted you. You are such a free-spirited girl…’ ‘So Delta is not affected by plague?’ ‘Oh, no. Plague zones are usually marked green on the security grids. Delta is marked red, and as far as I understand it is some kind of research facility. Lewis may know – I saw his name on several files when I was trying to get the travel permit. Better ask him.’ ‘I see…So it is safe to return there.’ ‘Definitely.’ Alex looked at Sitho musingly. It occurred to her that he had just laid down a few disturbing facts about her plight and he did not seem to be concerned about them one bit. Her emotions betraying her again, she clenched her fingers in frustration and glared at Sitho. ‘Did you know this before you sent me to Delta City?’ ‘Of course I knew, but I had to let the events play out their course. You may be a useful asset inside Delta City.’ Sitho’s eyes sparkled and Alex understood him at once. He was on Erinwood’s side and in league with her parents and he needed her help. ‘This is all too much to take. I don’t know, Sitho.’ Alex calmed down. ‘I don’t know if I can help you. Besides, I have always believed in the Establishment. If the Establishment have outlawed my parents, they must have good reasons… the ones they are not telling us about. Besides, you never know. It may be a good idea to isolate me after all…’ she said but did not elaborate. ‘No, Alex, you don’t understand. It’s not only that Erinwood predicted that one person would shake the foundations of the Establishment. He actually described what this person would look like with great detail even down to the name… It’s you, Alex. You are the person.’ Alex almost choked when Sitho said this. ‘Me, who has broken into Academy unlawfully? Me, who never listens to any wise advice? Me, who…’ Alex suddenly stopped; she had given enough examples. ‘Naturally. Think about what you and I have been doing! Think about your visions. Don’t you see it? It’s all coming together!’ Alex glared at Sitho again. ‘Don’t you dare to bring my visions into it!’ she said raising her voice. ‘If they mean anything it’s that I am capable of … being rebellious! And if this is the case, I quite deserve to be isolated. Besides, the Conglomerate’s citizens already live in harmony.’ Alex protested. ‘What more do they need?’Sitho finished his cup of tea. He drank it slowly and looked out the window meditatively. ‘Our citizens do live in harmony, but this comes at a great price…You’ll find out soon enough…’
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