Phthalo Blues

by Will Wallner

  “So yeah I have a girlfriend back in Valley Village. She’s called Mary.” Taz flicked his hair back.

  “Wow Taz, that sounds nice.”

  “Yeah, and if I were you, I wouldn’t waste your time with Hunter. He knows nothing about women.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she smiled briefly.

  “I mean he’s a nice guy, but sometimes he’s so weird. Nakita, what’s that book? I noticed you’ve been holding it since we left Tech City.”

  “It’s from my father…it’s a journal he used to keep about his research.” She was reluctant to talk about her family. But she felt she could open up, just a little.

  “What happened to him?” Taz asked.

  “Well, my father was a scientist. He would travel all over the world and was hardly ever home. Then one time he just never came back. For a while, it was just me and my mom, but then when I was a teenager, she got sick. Then I ended up in Tech City…”

  “Sounds sad," Taz could relate. He lost his own parents at a very young age. He couldn’t really remember them that much and subconsciously learned to cover up their memories. "So you never found out what happened to your father?”

  “No, all I have to remember him is this book. For some reason, I held onto it all these years.” She focused on the brown leather cover of the book, while she spoke.

  “Can I see it?” Taz held out his hand.

  “Um yes, here you go. It’s mostly just random notes.” She handed him the book and he flicked through some of the pages. After a few moments, he stopped on one page, which caught his eye.

  “This is very interesting,” Taz said slowly. “Do you mind if I keep this for a while? I would like to read it.”

  “Sure, go right ahead. Taz, can I take Moja on a walk? I want to get some fresh air and clear my head.” Nakita left Taz sitting at the table reading the journal.

  She walked outside through the narrow stone streets in the cool fresh sea air. She started to feel comfortable with Moja and walked towards the seafront. Moja didn’t bark at the seagulls or boats. She had become very tame. They walked out onto a small wooden dock. Nakita and Moja stood together and looked out at the ocean. From where they were standing, they were facing south towards Southern Continent. The sun was beginning to set and the red flames reflected in the water. Moja sat on the dock looking at the horizon and let out a long soft howl. The sea breeze blew Nakitas long dark hair across her face. She thought about her life and what had happened in Tech City.

  More than anything she felt guilty. Guilty for what Alex had done and guilty for the way she had lived her life in recent years. She wanted more than anything to redeem herself. She thought about Hunter losing his memories and how nice it would be if she could lose hers. Then something interrupted her moment of clarity.

  “Nice view, isn’t it? What brings a gorgeous girl like you to Berlin?” Nakita turned to look at the man who was talking to her.

  “Uh…I’m just visiting for a few days.” She smiled, politely.

  “Hey sorry, I don’t mean to come on so strong. It’s just not every day I see someone so beautiful in town. I’m Dante. I own the jewelry shop down that street. Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand. Dante was in his late thirties and was a successful businessman within Berlin. A big fish in a small pond. He wore a tight-fitting suit and had very neatly kept facial hair. Nakita slowly extended her hand.

  “Hi Dante, I’m Nakita.” She didn’t really want to talk to anybody, but also didn’t want to be rude.

  “So what do you think of our little town, Nakita?” He turned to look out over the ocean and tried discretely to look down at her legs and body. She knew he was checking her out.

  “It’s a nice town. Very peaceful.” She said softly.

  “Yep, it’s peaceful alright, considering we’re as close to Southern Continent as you can safely get.”

  “Southern Continent? Isn’t it forbidden to travel there?”

  “That’s basically true. No one who ever crossed the ocean to Southern Continent returned safely. Apparently it’s a desolate wasteland. Nothing lives there. It's completely irradiated.”

  “What happened?” Nakita looked south across the water.

  “You hear a lot of theories from the science community. Some religious fanatics even say humans used to live on Southern Continent many years ago. But an ‘Alien from the sky’ came and destroyed everything as punishment for our sins. In the dead of night you can still hear the screams from across the ocean.”

  “Really?” She looked at him with a sense of disbelief.

  “That's what I've heard, but who knows? Maybe it's true, but one thing is certain, no one who travels to Southern Continent ever returns. That is, except for the government. They’ve been sending expeditions down there for some years. They fly airships back and forth quite frequently. Look, here comes one now.”

  A huge airship far up in the sky flew over the town. A slight rumble echoed through the air, as it flew off into the distance. Nakita and Dante looked up while Moja started growling at the foreign noise.

  “I wonder what they’re up to? Nakita, if you don’t have any other plans, would you join me for dinner tonight?” He tried to sound as charming as possible.

  “I’ll think about it. Dante, it was nice meeting you.” Dante couldn’t help but stare at her as she walked away. He smiled and shook his head.

  Back at the tavern, Taz burst into Hunter’s room.

  “Hunter, wake up!”

  “Taz…what’s going on?” Hunter tried to focus.

  “Look at this book. It’s from Nakita’s Dad. Are you alright?” Taz noticed how tired he looked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just having a really strange dream. What about the book?”

  “It has the same symbols that are on the piece of metal my Uncle gave you. Just like the ones we saw in the temple. Her dad was a scientist and his book is full of them. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but from what I can tell, it’s some sort of ancient language. I’ve been trying to translate the symbols.”

  “Really? What do they say?” Hunter spoke with a groggy voice.

  “Ok, I’m not completely certain, but the metal disc says:

  ‘KEY TO THE HEAVENS’

  The symbols we saw in the temple are a bit longer. I think they say:

  ‘HERE LIES THE BLUE CRYSTAL SHARD

  THE LAST REMAINING HOPE

  HERE IT MUST REMAIN UNTIL THE RETURN

  PROTECTED BY THE SHROUD OF ILLUSION

  BELOW THE SURFACE, EDGE AWAITS’

  It’s a freaky coincidence right?”

  “That is strange, but I don’t see how this affects the current mission?” Hunter didn’t know what to make of this new piece of information.

  “I suppose it doesn’t, but what are the odds? I’m going to keep reading. This is going to be useful somehow, I'm sure of it.” Said Taz.

  “Taz, I’m sorry, I think my body needs some more time to recover from last night.”

  “No worries Hunter…I’ll be down in the tavern.” Taz was a little disappointed at Hunter’s lack of enthusiasm. As he left the room, Hunter tried to make amends.

  “Taz…nicely done.” The dejected Taz looked back at Hunter and smiled, before closing the door.

  Downstairs, Taz sat in the tavern with a glass of milk reading the book. At that moment, Nakita returned with Moja. The sight of Taz made Moja begin to wag her tail.

  “How was the walk?” Taz asked.

  “Good thanks. This town is very pretty. How’s the book?”

  “Nakita, I’m not exactly sure how, but I think this book will be of great importance to our journey.”

  “What makes you say that?” Nakita watched Taz take a sip from his milk.

  “I’m going to tell you a story Nakita, but first, would you like a glass of milk? It’s delicious.” Nakita laughed out loud. “What’s up?” Taz didn’t see what was so funny.

  “It’s nothing, I’d love one, thanks Taz.” Nakita
was used to men buying her drinks all the time, but never a glass of milk. She removed Moja’s leash and sat at the table.

  “Great, my story is a little bit long. It all started after me and Hunter decided to climb this mountain…”

  ~

  Flashback: The Temple

  Day 17 Month 1 Year 2037

  On the western edge of Middle Continent was an island far away from human population. The island was lush with healthy green grass and small trees were scattered amongst the fields. On the edge were cliffs, which bore the impact of the wild aggressive ocean waves. A few miles along the coast, a small boat was tethered to an old wooden dock, which had been standing there for many years. The sea was slightly calmer in this area. It was the only way to access this hidden piece of land.

  Hunter and Taz walked up the cliff away from the dock with Moja leading the way without a leash. She limped slightly with every step. When they reached the top, they could see the surrounding landscape clearly. Hunter pulled out Taz’s Uncle’s compass to check they were still going in the right direction.

  "Can I ask you something? How did you know you would need my Uncles compass when we climbed the mountain? Taz asked.

  "I saw it in my dream." Hunter replied.

  Moja ran on ahead through the fields of long grass and Taz was concerned they might lose sight of her. She limped from her injured paw, but could still run much faster than Hunter or Taz. They proceeded to walk across the field, until they reached a withered old tree next to a large formation of rocks near the cliff’s edge. A black crow was perched on a branch watching over them.

  “I think this is it,” Hunter looked around in every direction. The wind was blowing gently and the sun was beginning to set.

  “How can you be sure?” Taz asked, as he took a big gulp from his water bottle. Moja sniffed the trunk of the tree and marked the soil around it. The black crow cawed, which startled her. She slowly walked away from the tree, growling at the crow, who looked directly at her.

  “This is the tree I saw in my dream.” Hunter walked over to examine the large jagged rocks. Then something caught his eye. A blue sparkle within one of the cracks signaled this was the right way. He searched between the rocks until he could see a slight opening. “We could fit through here.” He thought to himself.

  “Taz, come over here and look at this!” Taz walked over to Hunter and peered inside the dark tunnel. “We have to go inside. We just have to squeeze through this small gap.” He pointed into the cave.

  Hunter took off his bag and handed it to Taz. He pushed himself through the narrow gap and then signaled Taz to follow. Taz called to Moja to come as well. She lifted her head from the ground she was sniffing and then crawled through the gap with ease. Inside the cavern, the three explorers looked at the stone walls for any clues. Then Hunter saw it; a blue glow highlighted an area in the far corner. He stood in a trance-like state for a few seconds. Taz couldn’t see the blue glow. To him, it just looked like a normal rock.

  “This is the answer to my dreams,” Hunter said slowly. The strange way in which he spoke, caught Taz’s attention.

  “What did you say?” Taz looked at Hunter.

  “Follow me, it’s through here.” Hunter walked over to the area in the corner and reached out with his left hand. The blue glow extended around his arm and then the solid rock faded. It revealed an entrance to a deep underground tunnel.

  “What the hell?” Taz was very confused at what he had just witnessed. “I see a tunnel, but also the rock. It’s like a hologram or something?” Hunter stepped inside and looked back at Taz. He laughed slightly in disbelief. “How did you do that?” Taz asked.

  “It’s fine, you can just step through, bring Moja. We’re going to need the torches from your bag. It’s dark down here.” Taz reached in his bag and activated the torches. He put a rope around Moja’s neck and guided her to the entrance. They could see Hunter on the other side, slightly distorted through the rocks illusion. Taz timidly stepped through and was surprised that Moja jumped through the rock without hesitation. On the other side, Taz handed Hunter a torch, and they walked down the long dark tunnel.

  The air was moist and the stone walls were cool and damp. The walls were not natural. They had been hand carved many years ago. As they made their way deeper into the crevasse, they reached the end of the tunnel. There was an entrance to a large open area deep underground.

  “Look at those symbols.” Taz pointed to some strange markings carved into the rock above their heads. “They’re similar to the symbols on the metal disc my Uncle gave you. How is that possible?” Hunter gazed at them for a moment.

  “I’ve been here before…” He said to Taz and partly to himself.

  “You can remember?” Taz couldn’t believe it.

  “No, but I can feel it. I know this place. Everything I’ve been looking for is in here.” Hunter looked at the symbols, while Taz pulled out a small notepad from his pocket, and began writing them down.

  They entered the open are which was more like a gigantic temple. The space was humongous and the ceiling was higher than they could see. The walls were metallic and had intricate artistic patterns. Some parts looked futuristic, industrial, and not of this world. Small sections of the wall sparkled with a blue glow and illuminated the area. Hunter and Taz didn’t need their torches anymore. A raised path led to a large platform with a dark entrance on the other side. Either side was a long drop, down to deep still water, which sparkled in the blue light. They walked along the path with Hunter leading the way. It was wide and stable, but Taz was still nervous about falling in. Moja walked calmly behind them.

  When they reached the platform, they looked at the large space surrounding them. Around the edge of the platform were several large jewels evenly spaced. The patterns on the walls seemed to take a more recognizable form. It looked like a giant painting, like something the artist might have painted in his cabin. In the center of the picture was a large crystal on a pedestal. On the left side was a knight wielding a large sword, kneeling at the foot of the crystal. On the right, it looked like a moon floating in space, surrounded by stars which glistened majestically in the phthalo blue light.

  “Stay here, I must enter alone.” Hunter spoke to Taz while looking at the entrance on the other side of the platform, which appeared to lead to a dead end. Taz said nothing, as he watched Hunter step inside. There was a soft hum, followed by a flash blue light, then Hunter vanished.

  “Hunter!” Taz screamed. He looked into the entrance, which was now empty, and cautiously moved closer. He took off his backpack and tried to get as close as he could without stepping inside. Taz could see the floor was metallic. He picked up a small rock and threw it into the entrance. Nothing happened. Moja stood patiently acting strangely calm. Then she lay down on the platform in a total state of relaxation and closed her eyes.

  As Taz debated in his mind whether he should step inside, there was another flash of blue light. Smoke filled the opening and Taz trembled in fear as he imagined what might appear from behind the fog. Then Hunter staggered out and fell into his arms.

  “Are you ok Hunter!? What was that?” Taz couldn’t be sure if what he had seen had actually taken place. Hunter put his hand on his head and tried to speak.

  “…I’ve just met…” He mumbled and then regained some form of consciousness. “Taz…I think I have what I came for…I might need some help, but we can leave now.” Hunter put his arm around Taz and then slowly walked back along the path. His head was throbbing and his mind was confused and disorientated.