by K. T. Tomb
In a low voice intended for only Cash to hear, he said, “You came, Cash Cassidy. I applaud you for your bravery.”
“I am not one to back down from what is right,” she replied.
“It will be the last brave thing that you do,” he said. “It is a shame, really. You would have made an excellent addition to my court.”
“We will see about that,” said Cash. She turned to the audience, silent with anticipation. “People of Atlantis,” she called out to them, “your king has arrived.” They gazed on in silence, but she could see purpose in their eyes. They no longer feared Poseidon. “Your king who has kept the best of the crops, leaving you with the leftovers. This king who has determined that your life's journey be predetermined by what he believes is best, not trusting the individual to decide for themselves. This king, who has taken your first born to do his bidding; to wait upon him hand and foot, tearing families apart and breaking the hearts of his citizens. Is this a king that you would willingly follow?”
Her question rang out over the heads A deafening roar of dissent erupted from the crowd. She turned to Poseidon and gave him a glare.
“Your turn,” she remarked.
Poseidon turned to face the crowd, raising his arms above his head. When he did, the clouds darkened to a pitch black. Thunder began to rumble in the distance. When he spoke, the same thunder echoed in his voice.
“I am your king,” he cried. “I have been a generous king! I have made the rains come to produce plentiful crops, enough for all citizens of Atlantis! I have provided you security in a sustained existence for all people, and I have granted the honor to one in each family to partake in the bounty of the king’s table!”
He pulled his hands together over his head and the clouds followed his command. A large looming thunderhead towered over the crowd and lightening flashed, illuminating the pillar from within.
“I have watched generations thrive under my rule. I have protected Atlantis from the beginning from those who would seek to destroy our bounty!”
As he spoke, Cash saw that he began to grow larger. His broad shoulders expanded and he grew taller, until he was nearly framed by the very clouds that he had manifested. He turned to her and pointed with his staff.
“What can this woman, this Outsider, do to defy me?”
Cash spoke with a calm serenity.
“I can stand before you, a free woman. Unshackled by your cowardice.”
She saw the flame in his eyes as anger took hold.
“I am a king!” he bellowed, punctuated by the thunder booming around him.
“You are a king who has lost his people,” she said.
He loomed larger still. Bolts of lightning rained down around him, leaving small scorch marks in the grassy hillside. The people had backed away, still watching intently for what would happen next. Cash stood steady, keeping her gaze firmly upon him. His voice bellowed with a roaring echo.
“I AM A GOD!”
He raised his hands and flung them forward, expanding out the darkness of the clouds.
Cash spoke.
“You are a god who has lost the faith of your followers.”
Poseidon looked out over the crowd and then back to Cash.
“What can you do, woman?!” he bellowed again. “WHAT CAN YOU DO??!!”
Cash did not answer, but merely stood still as the winds of the storm increased around her. Her hair had come loose and swirled around her head, but she stood still and unmoving. The thunder and lightning had reached a fever pitch around them all. Many in the crowd cowered from the intensity, but they stayed.
“There!” Cash heard the voice of Aelle call out to her from the edge of the crowd. “There, Cash! There it is!”
The young woman pointed to a place in the storm, just at the other edge of the hillside about fifty meters from where they stood. The sky had seemed to open into a swirling eddy. Where there should have been a patch of sky at the close horizon of the hilltop, was a strange swirl of different colors circling around each other in chaotic turmoil.
“The frequency!” Aelle called out. “Now is your chance!”
Cash turned to the unnatural looking eddy and took off in a full sprint. Poseidon, still in his giant body, saw that she would escape. His pride had been hurt badly. He wanted to best her. His part of the bargain was that he would let her return to her world with her friend, but he had never had any intention of doing so. He would not be bested by a mere mortal. From his vantage point, he could not stop her as his largeness slowed him down. Within seconds, he reconfigured his being and went quickly back to his actual size. He took chase after Cash, who was running in a dead heat toward the portal.
She ran.
He followed.
As she neared it, she felt the pull of the portal into the other dimension, the smells of the other world seeping through the cracks in the space between the worlds, the smells of oil and petroleum. She reached out and felt the air of the other world. A tingling sensation met her fingertips as she neared the portal, even as she felt the presence of Poseidon behind her, closing the gap between the two of them. He was larger than her and a faster runner. But still she ran. Mere feet from the entrance, she felt his hands close in around her shoulders. A shriek arose from the crowd as all seemed lost for their champion. Poseidon tried to close his grip around her and pull her to a stop. They were both still running forward, unable to stop the momentum. At the last second before they both would have fallen into the portal, Cash threw herself backwards into the arms of her pursuer. He lost his grip and stumbled into her, managing to gather a face full of hair. Cash felt him stumble and threw herself onto the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest. Poseidon stumbled forward. For an instant the crowd saw his shock white hair flying out behind him for another second before he disappeared into the portal.
A hush hung over the crowd. Silence echoed across the hillside. The clouds dissipated just as quickly as they had formed and Cash lay alone on the hillside. Edgar moved forward and helped her to her feet. She brushed her disheveled hair back from her face and looked at Aelle.
“Did it work?” she asked the girl.
“Yes.” Aelle's grin nearly engulfed her face as she trotted up the hill toward them. “It worked! I don't believe it, but it worked.”
“Now,” said Cash, “would you mind explaining what just happened?”
“Of course,” Aelle said with a look of importance. “You know our version of the Legend of Atlantis. How Poseidon changed the placement of the city by 'turning' us to what he calls another frequency?”
“Yes,” said Cash. “I understand that part, I think.”
“The portal that brought you here was caused by the electricity in the storm. Goading him into using his powers to create another storm allowed this portal to open for the same reason. What he failed to mention is that there are other frequencies. When the portal opens, it is as if the dial is turning before it settles on the intended destination. When he went through, he did not go to your world. He went somewhere else entirely. There are different worlds than this, you know.”
“Yes,” Cash said, looking around at the people surrounding them. “I would imagine that there are. Lucky for me, I’m from Australia. That storm he threw at me was nothing compared to some of the dervishes that I've been through.”
The portal still swirled behind them.
“You had better hurry if you want to get back.” Aelle said. “This is the time for you to say goodbye. The portal won't be open for long.”
Cash turned to the people of Atlantis.
“The city belongs to all of you now. Do you still align yourselves with the Athenians of old?”
Ariadne stood nearby and answered. “I think it is safe to say that we are the true Atlanteans. Atlantis belongs to us now.”
“Take care of it. Atlantis is a beautiful city.” Cash turned to Edgar, who stood next to Aelle, whose face had taken on a tinge of sadness as she watched Edgar step forward. Cash spoke to him. “Well,
now or never. Shall we?” She gestured toward the portal.
“Um...” Edgar turned and glanced at Aelle. “Actually, Cash. I think I've decided to stay,”
Aelle's face lit up in such a way that Cash had never seen, a bonfire on a summer's night.
“Well, alright,” Cash said.
Edgar took Aelle's hand and they stood side by side as Cash turned and waved at the crowd. The applause that greeted her outweighed any thunder that they had heard or cheer that had occurred prior to that moment. The Outsider had come, true to the legend, and set the people of Atlantis free from the tyranny of Poseidon. Cash reached out and shook Edgar's hand, clasping his forearm the way they had grown accustomed to. She planted a kiss on Aelle's blushing cheek. Then she turned to Ariadne, who had been waiting to say her own goodbye to Cash.
“Thank you,” she said. “On behalf of the people of Atlantis, thank you.”
“I only did what was right,” Cash said. “Nothing more.”
“You must go,” Aelle said. “I am so sorry, but you must. Your time grows short.”
Cash turned to look and the portal had begun to grow smaller. With a final wave to the gathered citizens and a quick wink to Edgar and Aelle, she stepped through the portal taking her away from Atlantis and back to the world that she knew as her home.
Chapter Nine
The helicopter banked steeply over the ocean surface. This was the third and last day that the nautical search units would look for the two lost at sea. Captain Morgan had returned after the sudden, unexpected storm had overtaken the small vessel. His news was grim. His two passengers, Dr. Edgar Carlyle and famed author Cash Cassidy, had been thrown from the ship during the course of the storm. During the subsequent searches no sign of them had been found.
“There! I see something!”
The officer peering over the view of the helicopter shouted, pointing to a movement in the expanse of sea. Barely a speck on the horizon, the pilot saw as well and turned the helicopter toward it. As they neared, they could see a woman treading water in the vast scope.
“Lower the ladder! Throw the life saver!”
From the surface of the ocean, Cash had seen the helicopter right away. She waved as they approached and she could see the side door of the vehicle opened and the rope ladder thrown down. When close enough, she swam though her arms grew tired. The water splashed against her face, stirred by the helicopter’s downdraft. The officer leaning out the door jumped in a few meters away from her and swam toward her, towing the small, round floatation device in his wake. Without a word, he secured it around her waist and they made their way toward the safety of the helicopter. She climbed the ladder with the officer right behind her. Once on board, the officer wrapped a blanket around her. She was grateful for it; she was soaked to the bone. She realized then that she still wore the white tunic of the Atlantean people. This would be the least of her concerns. She would figure something out once they reached Athens. They did not speak a word until they touched down on the landing pad on the shores of Athens. Cash was rushed into the nearby medical station. They gave her a hospital gown to change into, which she was also grateful for. She discretely slipped the tunic into a nearby waste bin.
The less questions that are raised, the better, she thought to herself.
Besides, no one had known what she was wearing the day she disappeared. Any inquiries could easily be deflected.
A nurse entered.
“There are many people who will be glad to see you, Ms. Cassidy,” she said as she handed Cash a Styrofoam cup of hot tea.
“Where is Tim, my husband?” Cash asked after she had enough tea to warm the chill she felt in her body. “Has he been contacted?”
The nurse smiled.
“He flew in the day you were declared missing. He held on to hope the whole time. Everyone said you were lost at sea. The odds of finding you were extremely slim. It is a wonder you survived. Two days on the open sea. Even the strongest swimmers would find that difficult, to say the least.”
Cash smiled her gratitude. The next few hours were comprised of a quick examination by the on-site doctor, followed by an escort to the Athens Hospital. She was checked in and scheduled for another physical. Two days at sea would find her more than a little bit dehydrated and signs of muscle fatigue from the constant treading water. She had no more than settled into her private room, when her publisher appeared at her door.
“Darling. We were so worried about you,”
“Where is Tim?” she asked again.
“He's been notified, and he’s on his way. Are you alright?”
“Of course,” Cash said. “Much better now that I'm on dry land.”
The doctor swept into the room, a young but serious-faced man wearing a white coat.
“I'm sorry, but Ms. Cassidy needs to rest. Family only at this time.”
Cash promised that she would call as soon as she was able and they said a quick goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.
“Have I got a story for you!” she threw in right before the door was closed.
The doctor hovered over her, placing a thermometer in her mouth and preparing the blood pressure cuff on her arm.
“Of course, there is a media storm outside the front doors,” he mused. “You are a very lucky woman.”
“Mmhmm,” Cash mumbled around the thermometer.
The doctor continued.
“I find it curious that your vitals are for the most part completely normal. That's odd for someone who has gone through an ordeal such as yourself.”
“I've always had a strong constitution,” Cash said after he removed the thermometer from her mouth.
At that moment, Tim peeked around the door. Cash brushed the doctor aside and sprang from the bed, crossing the room in seconds to embrace her husband.
“Oh my God,” he murmured into her hair. “I thought I had lost you. Don't ever scare me like that again. Where were you?”
“Treading water for two days,” she said. “Waiting to be found.”
He drew back from her and held her at arm’s length by her shoulders, peering intently into her eyes.
“Really.”
“Yes.” She gave him a look that said, let it go. Out loud she said, “The important part is that I'm back. They found me, and I'm okay.”
“Yes, you are.”
He hugged her again, clutched her face in his hands and kissed her on the lips for a long time ignoring the presence of the doctor standing nearby.
“When is she free to go?” Tim asked the doctor when he finally found his voice again.
“Anytime really,” the doctor said. “All of her vitals check out. She probably needs to rest, but her muscles show no signs of extensive fatigue.”
“Is that so?” Tim said, giving Cash another imploring look. She shook her head once with a small smile.
“I take it I'll need to give a statement,” Cash said. “How bad is the media?”
“Not too bad,” Tim said as he wrapped his coat around her shoulders. “I don't think all the outlets are there.”
“Great,” Cash said and together they walked down the hallway toward the exit.
The flash of the bulbs began the moment the door opened. Questions shouted at her from all sides. She leaned in to Tim, trying to keep her bearings about her through the throngs of faces and cameras.
“Are you alright, Ms. Cassidy?”
“How are you feeling after being at sea for such a long time?”
“What happened to your traveling companion? Were the two of you having an affair?”
“How do you feel that he has not been found?”
Cash stopped and turned toward the crowd of media, keeping Tim firmly at her side. The flashes continued, but the voices died down as Cash began to speak.
“Dr. Carlyle was a colleague and a friend. His loss is a cause for great heartache to me and I wish his family comfort during this difficult time. The world has lost a great scholar.”
Without another word, s
he turned and let Tim escort her through the pressing crowd until they reached their car in the parking lot. The flash of the bulbs continued until they were clear of the hospital parking lot and driving toward the sunset back to the hotel.
Chapter Ten
Six months had passed. Cash had just closed the page of her newest book, Poseidon Stumbles. She had read to the crowd gathered for her book signing event at the locally-owned book pub in Manchester, first stop of her international tour. A silent pause and then applause from the crowd, polite but sincere, as she viewed the smiling faces before her.
“Ms. Cassidy will be happy to take questions from the audience at this time,” the host and owner of the bookstore said.
A small man wearing a sweater vest and spectacles perched on his nose stood up and addressed her.
“Thank you so much for that reading, Ms. Cassidy. My question is, the book was written shortly after the unfortunate incident involving you going missing on a boat tour; can you tell us, did that occurrence in any way inspire you in the writing of this story?”
“I like to think,” Cash said after a moment of consideration, “that all my stories are inspired by the events I experience. A little bit of my own life, of course, seeps into my stories, but ultimately it is the writer’s job to push beyond that. To ask the question 'what if' and then to answer that question to the best of her ability.”
“Thank you,” the man said, sitting back down again.
A young lady, plump and smiling, stood to ask her question.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Cassidy,” she began. “Thank you so much for taking the time to be here. It is a real honor.”
