by Lynn Moon
“What’s wrong?” Takoda asks, as I gaze out into the dark vastness.
“I just want to see what’s out there.” My eyes adjust and I stare out over a huge area filled with hundreds of balconies on different levels and intertwining stairways. Thin faint rays of sunlight fall from above and cast eerie shadows. I gasp. “How many people do you think used to live here?”
“Must have been millions.”
“I wonder where everyone went.” I say.
“I have no idea. I never knew this place was so big.” His voice cracks as he speaks and I realize he’s just as surprised as I am.
“I wish we could turn on the lights,” I say more as a joke than anything else. But Takoda takes my statement more seriously than I’d meant.
“That’s not a bad idea,” he declares.
“Oh, like there’s a light switch around here somewhere,” I argue.
“Journey, a place like this could never have been supported with just burning fires. There has to be a light structure. We just have to find it.”
“And where do you suggest we look?” I muse.
“Well, in an area that would be similar to a basement, or store room, or something like that.”
“Great, we’re looking for the broom closet,” I smirk, leaving him standing there as I continue to count down the stairs to the bottom.
I’m on stair three hundred and seventy two when my foot finally steps onto a solid brick floor carved with a geometric pattern that reminds me of bubbles attached to bubbles. I twirl around to see the whole design. As I twirl, a loud scream echoes through the chamber and chills me to the bone. I drop to the floor and freeze. Takoda’s soon by my side and he clicks off our lights. We remain motionless in the darkness and listen to the high-pitched screams that continue to echo through the ancient city.
“It’s a warning system,” I whisper.
“A what?”
“They saw our lights and those screams are a warning to all of whatever they are, that we’re here.”
“This way,” he says, pulling on my hand.
This way? How in the world can he see where we’re going? We walk, or, more like it, crawl to a small entryway that leads away from the vast cavern of balconies and stairs.
“The broom closet, I suppose?”
“Excuse me?” he replies, as we dart into the long hallway.
“How did you see this in the dark?” I whisper, turning back on my light.
“I noticed it before that thing back there screamed at us. Now be quiet.”
The hallway leads us down corridors with locked wooden doors. We continue to walk with our lights dim in order to not attract too much attention. After about an hour, we eventually enter a rather large room that’s barren except for one wall along the far back. I’m shocked at what I’m seeing. Could it really be what I think it is? “Electricity?” I surmise.
“I believe so. If I can figure out how this thing works, maybe I can get it started,” he replies, dropping his backpack to the floor. “Journey, keep an ear out over by the door for anything that might be looking for us.”
I stand guard by the door with my helmet light off. All’s quiet and that’s fine with me. My legs are tired from all the stairs so I sit on the floor with my back against the wall and allow my imagination to take me to wherever it wants. I imagine Takoda and me together. My life has taken me to an unexplained height. I’m living on a strange and wonderful planet, with strange and wonderful people. But one thing I know for sure, I’m hopelessly in love with Takoda. Whenever he’s anywhere around, my life has meaning, a purpose. I feel alive when Takoda takes my hand into his. I long for him to touch me, but I know Takoda and I can never truly be.
A deep rumbling echoes through the chamber and the floor shakes, rousing me from my thoughts. The room lights up as though it’s daylight. I squint as my eyes focus. However, there’s no massive light structure anywhere in the room, but the room’s as bright as if exposed to the sun. I jump to my feet. Takoda turns to me with a huge smile.
“You did it!” I yell.
“I did it!” he yells back surprised at his own accomplishment.
We jump into each other’s arms, and he twirls me as we celebrate his victory. We study the room and come to the conclusion this has to be a central area for the electric. The room’s huge, just like everything else around here. Human-sized tables and chairs made from stone line the wall on one side and the electrical panel lines the other.
“So how do you suppose this works?” I ask.
“I’m not really sure,” he replies. “If I had to guess, I would say it is thermal, pulling the heat from underground. I do not believe it is nuclear, because of the noise. I had to pull those large chains and when I did, the floor vibrated. I bet I opened a chamber somewhere that turned everything on. After that, it was as simple as flipping on the lights. Let me turn on the rest of the switches and see what happens. Listen, can you hear the generators working now?”
“So that’s what that rumble is. I was wondering about that.”
Takoda continues to flip switches and I help. Otherwise, who knows how long we would be in this room. We proceed slowly and constantly watch the gauges. The ancient writings on the walls were in a basic language Takoda could read, and he was able gather enough information to understand how the switches are organized. As long as the gauges do not enter the yellow, everything is fine. So we flip a few and then we wait, if the pointer stays in the green, we move on. Finally, we flip the last few switches and when everything seems to be working, we stand back and admire our work. When he’s satisfied we haven’t done any harm, we grab our packs and head back up the long hallway to the center archway.
The ancient people built their city inside a huge natural crevice that falls miles deep into this world, and extends just as far above our heads. The gap between the two sides must be miles apart, with homes or businesses built into the sides of both cliffs. It’s a visionary wonder. Something that should have been impossible to create, but it’s here.
“I don’t hear more screaming or warning signals,” I say, as we admire the view.
“All’s quiet,” he adds, holding my hand again. “Maybe the lights are scaring them off, and that’s a good thing.”
“Well, which way first?” Maybe he’s right. Maybe we will be safe with the lights on. After all, when I was little, lights did chase away all the monsters.
“Let’s just walk and see where it takes us.” Takoda’s drawing something on his small electronic tablet. “A map,” he states, when he notices I’m looking over his shoulder. “Wouldn’t do to get lost, would it?”
“No, it wouldn’t,” I agree, as we take off down another flight of stairs.
As we walk, we admire the carvings on the walls, and when we find ancient writings, we stop so Takoda can read them to me. We eventually come to an enclosed garden with a fountain in the center. The water’s flowing and Takoda assumes that with the electricity on, other equipment must have started up automatically, such as the water system. We find a plaque on a wall near the fountain and Takoda reads it out loud:
The purpose of life hides from us.
Just as our time of death is a secret,
so is the time of our birth.
In this garden, I surrender my love.
The waters of time flow,
so will my love for you.
Life is rebirth ever changing.
And my love for you is ever growing,
never ending.
“That’s beautiful,” I say, staring into the tumbling water. “He must have really loved her. I bet he built this home for her and this fountain was a symbol of his love and devotion.”
Takoda stands by my side as we watch the water. There’s nothing to say, I love him, but I cannot show him, other than to be his friend.
“Let’s camp here. We both like it.”
“Question?” I ask, turning to him. “How do we know what time it is?”
“I have my timekeep
er.” He shows me something that looks like a wristwatch. “This will tell us what time it is, and it’s almost dinnertime. We forgot about lunch, we’ve been so busy.”
After a filling dinner, I sit with my back against Takoda’s knees. We make up stories about who lived in what balconies and what businesses were where. We try to figure out how the people lived their lives, and why they would have left such a beautiful city.
“Takoda?” I ask. “How can I find out what month and day it is back on Earth? I know we don’t have months and years here, but I remember someone saying you are taught how to determine Earth dates and times?”
“If I remember my studies correctly, it would be…” He calculates in his head. I watch as his beautiful eyes close and his mouth moves silently. It’s all I can do not to kiss him. “December, I believe.”
“Oh?” I stand and walk over to the brick railing. I glance up and the remains of a long-deceased plant rest on a ledge above my head. I laugh and then glance out into the space separating us from the other side.
“What is it?” he asks, joining me.
“What day would it be?”
“The 24th or the 25th, why?”
That’s when I explain our holiday of Christmas and the tradition of mistletoe. How back on Earth, men would steal a kiss from a woman they loved. It didn’t even matter if she was married, the kiss was allowed. In fact, it was mandatory. Thus, everyone avoided the plant at all costs. He laughs and the wonderful sound of his voice fills the air. I turn and gaze back out into the nothingness wishing things could be different between us.
“A legal kiss,” he whispers. “Fascinating.”
“It’s stupid, I know,” I reply. “It’s just a custom. But I wish I was there now, home with a stupid Christmas tree, and all the lights.”
Takoda studies me for a few moments. He then gently turns me to face him and smiles. He says softly, “A legal kiss is okay then?” And he kisses me.
His lips are soft and warm and fill my heart with a desire I’ve never felt before. I reach my arms around him and hug him closer to me. Then as quickly as it came, it’s over. Takoda pulls back and smiles. I don’t know what just happened, but his eyes speak to me, long for me. So I lean into him and again I feel his warm lips against mine. I never want him to stop. I know he wants me as much as I want him, and this time when he pulls back, he doesn’t pull back as far.
He stares into my eyes and whispers, “Journey, I am in love with you.”
11
CHAMBERS
IT’S OUR first day in the ruins and I’m excited in more ways than I can count. My growling stomach tells me it’s time to get up. Takoda is not lying beside me, which means he’s making breakfast.
“Good morning,” he says, handing me a hot drink.
“It looks the same to me,” I say, staring into the vast cavern just off the balcony.
I’m not sure how to act around Takoda. He said he loved me last night, but is he regretting it today?
“Journey?” Arms wrap around my waist and a soft kiss is planted on my neck. “I do love you. Nothing changed since last night.”
I turn and stare into his eyes. “Good, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Warm lips touch mine and I melt into his strong embrace. At the same time, my hot drink falls from my hand and splatters across the floor.
“Ah man!”
Takoda shakes his head. “This is exactly why I love you so much—unpredictable.”
Breakfast includes warm bread and fresh fruit. I gobble it up, and as I clean up the mess, Takoda packs us a small bag. I tie my shoes and one of the laces snaps.
“Drats!”
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“String broke,” I reply, holding it up.
“Your shoes are looking pretty worn.”
“I know,” I say, frowning. The idea of throwing them away is something I just can’t think about right now. They were the last pair of shoes I bought with my mother.
“Here,” he says, pulling something from his larger pack. “Will this work?”
Takoda hands me a long strand of leather. “Yes, thank you.”
“I was going to make you a draping,” he replies. “But I think you need it now more.”
“I could call it a shoe draping,” I say, smiling.
We leave our modest home to explore the ruins. Streets lined with rock, smoothed by thousands of feet, spread out for miles in all directions. Not knowing where anything is, we pick a road. Merchant shops line the street. Their windows long since shattered and doors crumbled from years of decay. The only way we know they were stores is by the ancient writings carved above the entryways. Several hours into our walk, we find a large complex with many levels and rooms.
Carvings of women inlaid with gold decorate the halls. Large statues of men guard each corner. A geometric pattern adorns the floors and ceilings. Many of the rooms house counters made from wood and rock.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“I think it may have been the Government Center,” he replies.
“Wow,” I say, as we enter the central chamber. Ceilings tower above our heads, and a circular staircase follows the walls toward the ceiling. “Let’s see what’s up here!”
Halfway up, I stop to peek over the railing. The geometric design on the floor stares up at us.
“Do you see what I see?” Takoda asks.
“Yes!” I say, not believing my eyes. “That looks like a strand of DNA.”
“Yes, it does,” he replies.
“Why would someone put that on the floor?”
“Have no idea,” he replies.
We continue to the top landing and enter a vast chamber filled with partitions, desks, shelves, and counters. Different types of equipment still line the counters and shelves.
“We’ve hit pay dirt!” I yell. “Look at all this stuff! What is it?”
“Looks like medical equipment.”
“What’s it doing up here?”
Takoda shakes his head. He picks up a microscope and examines it.
“The slides are still here,” I say, holding one between my fingers.
“You shouldn’t touch those,” he replies, taking it from me and placing it back on the table. “You don’t know what’s on it.”
“What difference would it make?”
“Please,” he says. “Until we know what this is, do not touch the slides.”
“Okay,” I say, searching the other tables.
Beakers of liquid and other unusual fluid are scattered around the room. On one table a piece of equipment looks electronic, but I don’t see a cord.
“At home we have electricity that runs through our walls. We plug them in, but I don’t see any way for this thing to be powered. Do you?”
Takoda tries to lift the box, but it’s too heavy. After examining the strange apparatus he shrugs.
“There are little holes here. It’s big enough for a little vial, I’ll bet this thing analyzed blood or something. This place reminds me of a laboratory.”
“It could very well have been one,” Takoda says. “We had a plague that killed many people. Maybe this is where they conducted their medical research.”
“Then touching things may not be a good idea,” I suggest.
We continue exploring the tables and shelves and find nothing else of importance. After a quick lunch at the foot of a large man holding a bird, we explore another hallway. Takoda uses his tablet to make us a map. Another large complex, decorated with ornate carvings, invites us to investigate. Every wall is covered in murals or statues of people posed in many different ways. We enter through a large ornate arch and find ourselves standing in a large oval room, with rows upon rows of benches carved from the rock. The center of the room is many stairs down onto a round central platform.
“A theater,” he says, as we descend the stairs.
“Cool! I guess everyone sat on these seats and the actors played out their stories down there. Okay,
I get. So how did the actors come out?”
“See that small doorway over there.” He points and I nod. “I bet there are rooms through there.”
“This city is amazing,” I say, taking a seat on one of the rows of benches. “They had everything they needed to live.”
“It is something to admire.”
We spend the rest of the day walking the halls and exploring the rooms. By the time we returned to our camp, we are exhausted. After a quick meal of warm bread and raw vegetables, we crash onto our sleeping bags.
Takoda wraps his arms around me and we kiss. His lips are warm and inviting.
“I want to be with you forever,” he whispers.
Smiling, I relax into his embrace. As sleep finds me, my last thought is of spending the rest of my life with him.
12
PARTNERS FOREVER
THAT NIGHT, we sleep in each other’s arms. It feels right. Nothing has ever felt so right before. The next morning we decide that for the next few days, this place will be our base camp, our home. The days are for exploring, and the nights are for us. But we know there’s no crossing that forbidden line.
The ruins are exciting, and I can’t get enough. As we explore the empty halls, we carry only a small bag with necessities, such as water, a snack, his tablet. The streets are well lit and shops line both sides. I pretend to be shopping for clothes as he pretends to be shopping for books or food. Most of the homes are built on top of the shops. Some of the rooms still have items that were left behind, but most are empty. Luckily, we see no signs of other creatures.
One afternoon just after lunch, we find a swimming pool with a crystal bottom that’s next to a bathhouse. Of course, we can’t allow it to go to waste. So with just our undergarments, we jump in and splash and kiss the day away. It’s wonderfully refreshing to get clean, and the exercise is a great release of our pent-up frustrations.
“Journey?” Takoda asks, as I sit on the edge of the pool allowing the fresh breeze flowing through the city to dry me.
