The Time Deceiver

by Gerard Denza

  No past and no future, but what did these words matter? They were only a frame to place experience on, nothing more and nothing less. The future was one of rolled-up parchments, some would disintegrate to the touch while others would be held up to the light of day so that the purity of the sun’s rays could extinguish any evil.

  -Psst! Edward, dear boy, your java. It’s strong. I’ve put some sugar in it.

  Marlena passed me the large, white cup and went back her own seat. I drank the coffee. Marlena had put some cinnamon in it, as well

  The present...yes...what had to be done in the here and now outweighed all the forgotten yesterdays: it outstripped whatever priorities of life I had once had. Something would occur near the end of April that would somehow erase everything that had gone before.

  I opened Valerie’s journal and began to read...and stopped. I sat back and drank some more of the coffee. I heard the airplane’s propellers and felt the confinement of the plane. In one sense, it was a comfort to be carried along and far away from a dangerous place, but to where? To a place closer to the truth? Were we in safety or were we trapped within a hull of metal that propelled us toward nowhere?

  I glanced over to my left. Yolanda was still asleep or pretending to be. Marlena leaned forward in her seat and stared at me. I drank some more coffee and opened the journal, again. Why did I keep hesitating? My right finger still felt that pressure. It never left me. And, the scent on my body that even my shower hadn’t gotten rid of. It wasn’t cologne. It wasn’t a man’s fragrance of any kind. It was something to intoxicate the senses in bed. Yolanda had loved it.

  -Edward?

  -I thought you were asleep, baby.

  -Only pretending. What did Marlena want?

  -Advice on reading Valerie’s journal.

  -You keep putting it down. Why? Are you afraid of what you’ll find out? I am.

  -Maybe, I am too. You know me pretty good, don’t you?

  -I think you should read it. But, I’m afraid of what you’ll find out. If it’s too frightening, don’t tell me.

  -I may have to, baby. But, why don’t you go back to sleep? You need your rest. It’s been a pretty eventful day.

  -For you, too. I’ll sleep on your shoulder. Do you mind?

  -No.

  -Open the journal. Just get it over with. I’ll close my eyes and try to sleep.

  I kissed Yolanda on the forehead. She snuggled up closer and I took comfort from that. Too bad I couldn’t smoke. I put a cigarette in my mouth, anyway.

  I looked down at Valerie’s journal. I opened it and began to read the dead girl’s words.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  VALERIE

  THE WAR WAS OVER AND another winter was about to begin. It’s wonderful to feel the cold, fresh air and to see people come back to life even if many buildings still remain destroyed.

  Erich is coming by this morning to fetch me along to my recital. I’ll wear my winter-white dress and shoes to match. I want to get up; but, I know that Rosamund is bringing my breakfast up to me. I insisted that I felt perfectly fine and would enjoy eating in our kitchen. I am not a good liar.

  My dreams disturbed me, again. I woke up last night and listened to the voices, but their sound was masked by terrible music. I could feel it penetrate my body as though an electrical current had seized me. It might have been organ music, but it was debased and unholy, blaspheming anything that it touched. I had gotten up to look out the window and saw where it was coming from: the dark side of the moon. The dark light that hangs in the night sky. It’s a beacon that was placed there by the fallen angel as a guiding specter for souls on their departure from this earth and as a temptation for those souls still remaining within the temple of their body.

  Evil thing.

  If it were only gone from the sky, the stars would shine more brightly and the waters of the world would know a calm and reflect the beauty of the heavens.

  Last night, I also had a vision.

  I was in a room in a deserted city. The sun had just set.

  -Valerie, let me turn on the lamp, dear. You’ll hurt your eyes reading in the dark like that.

  I was seated on a chair that was overstuffed with down feathers and, in my hands, was a copy of Cervantes’ work.

  -Thank you, Max, that’s very sweet of you.

  -Nothing at all, really. Do you mind if I join you? You shouldn’t be by yourself.

  -Of course not.

  Max sat down on the couch and pulled his brown, tweed jacket closer about him.

  -Are you warm enough like that, Valerie?

  -No, Max. I think I’ll get my sweater.

  A woman walked in with piles of blonde hair on her head that were somehow pinned into place. She spoke to me.

  -No need to, dear. I have your sweater right here. I thought you might need it.

  -Thank you, Irene.

  Another woman walked in: an older woman.

  -And, I brought in some hot cocoa for you. I made it myself.

  -Thank you, Rose, that was very thoughtful of you.

  I looked out the window and saw how dark it had become. The evening had turned into night so quickly.

  -It’s a clear night outside even though I can’t see anything but the moon.

  That was Melody. I knew her, even though I had never met her before. She sat on the window ledge and looked outside into the darkness. Melody held the lace curtain in her hand.

  -What do you see, Melody? How can it be a clear night when there is nothing to be seen in the universe any longer? Can emptiness contain a clarity in it? Perhaps, it can.

  It was Oshido who had spoken. He sat cross-legged in his chair, wearing a black kimono of silk.

  Melody spoke as if to herself.

  -I see the moon and clusters of stars about it. It’s like a halo of white, milky crystal. It’s almost too beautiful to be our moon.

  Max spoke.

  -Maybe, it isn’t. But, I’d get away from that window, luv. It might shatter.

  A vibration filled the house and for me it was deafening. It was a sound that no mortal should hear.

  Irene smiled at me.

  -We’re used to it, dear. Don’t let it worry you.

  -Can I interest anyone in a drink?

  -Bring me a double vodka, Sean, please. I am so nervous. I don’t know where I am. I am trembling! Look at my hands and how they shake. Please hurry with my drink.

  -But, you do know where you are, Yvonne. I do.

  -I do not know, I tell you! You see how Sean crucifies me, Michael? Take pity on poor Yvonne. I beg you!

  Michael drank his beer, not listening to Yvonne’s tirade.

  In the far corner stood Abraham, like a shadow standing in the dark. He pointed to something in the opposite corner that looked like a grotesque imitation of a mannequin’s head.

  The light in the room went out, but someone spoke. It was the mannequin’s head that was speaking. It was absurd and frightening to watch its mouth move.

  -He did it. He killed me.

  Melody moved away from the window and walked toward what was left of Becky.

  I could now see everyone, but there was no longer any room. There was just a backdrop of blackness that spread itself all about us.

  -Who did this to you, Becky?

  -Yeah, Becky, answer Melody. Just point a finger.

  That was one of the men laughing. It might have been Sean. I think it was.

  -He’ll have you murdered, Valerie, too. He won’t do it himself. He’ll have his henchmen do it for him.

  Becky uttered those last words, closed her eyes, and died. A foot kicked her head so hard that the entire motion was a blur.

  The darkness...the cold...the air turned to ice.

  I stood still, but lost my balance. My hand touched down on to ice. It was smooth, white ice that stretched into infinity.

  I heard the sound of scraping on the ice as a distant figure came toward me. It was a young girl in a light blue costume. As she skated closer, I coul
d see that she was a Spanish beauty. She didn’t stop, but circled about me.

  -The art of dying is an art that’s quite serene. So many before us have made this transition: a countless number and, yet, the number is countable. But, don’t be afraid, Valerie, for it’s a sharp pain and, then, release.

  She skated away. I could see the pretty diamond clasp that kept her hair in place. She looked over her shoulder at me.

  -I’ll send Edward, but not to you. I’ll send him to me as a last hope, for one must play the game, no? You don’t say much, do you? I don’t blame you.

  She skated away.

  I was alone.

  I HEARD ROSAMUND COMING. She knocked on the door and walked in.

  -And, how is my sister on this beautiful morning?

  -I am fine, Rosamund. Let me help you with the tray.

  -No. I am perfectly capable of carrying a breakfast tray on my own, thank you. Now, please sit up and let me spoil my little sister.

  Rosamund was always so kind to me.

  My mind wandered back to my vision of last night. It had been a vision of a dead world and of an unrecorded moment in history. A moment that had not yet occurred? Am I to help prevent something from occurring?

  -Did you sleep well last night, Valerie?

  -No.

  -I am glad that you don’t try to conceal it from me.

  I jumped out of bed and began to dress.

  -You are going to wear your white dress, again. You waited for the war to be over and that was the right thing to do. Here. Put on your pretty gold medallion. The one that I bought for you from that man in Rome.

  -Yes. It was just before the war. Do you remember what he said about it?

  -Yes. It frightened me for some reason. It was in the open marketplace near the Coliseum.

  -He said that it was from ancient Sumer: a civilization that pre-dated Egypt.

  -That man was odd. He was not what he appeared to be.

  -I don’t know what you mean, Rosamund. He-

  -It was he who sought us out in the marketplace. Yes. It is clear to me now. But, why? What did he want from us?

  The doorbell rang.

  -I am expecting no one.

  The sunlight seemed wrong. It was too white. It was like the color of a child’s garment who has just died.

  The doorbell rang, again, and this time the sunlight did fade.

  It was the first omen that the end of the world was near.

  -I must see who it is, Valerie. Wait here. Don’t leave the room.

  Rosamund ran down the stairs to answer the door. Only a few moments passed when she came running back up the stairs.

  -Someone is playing a joke on us and it is not funny! I do not appreciate such humor.

  Rosamund was frightened.

  They were watching us.

  Rosamund paced the floor. I was afraid to say anything. I noticed something in her hand. It was a piece of paper which she slipped into her pocket.

  -Come, Valerie, we must leave soon or we’ll be late. We can’t wait for Erich. I’ll call for a cab.

  When we arrived at the theatre, Erich was at the back entrance waiting for us. He took me into his arms and kissed me.

  -Valerie, we must hurry inside.

  Rosamund separated us and led the way to the waiting room. Erich followed us in. He wasn’t the type to be put off.

  -Get out, Erich. You have no business being here. You will make Valerie nervous and she needs to be calm before a performance.

  -I will do as I like. You don’t give orders to me.

  -How unfortunate for the both of us. Now, get out or I will call the police and have you thrown out.

  Erich slumped down on to the couch next to me.

  -You have not asked me why I did not come to your house this morning, Rosamund.

  -It never occurred to me.

  -I saw what happened.

  -What are you saying to me? And, for all of our sakes, I pray that you are speaking the truth, Erich.

  -I only speak the truth.

  -Liar.

  -I saw the man who dropped off that note as I was coming down the street. I ran after the swine because he looked suspicious to me. There was something about him which I did not trust and which made me uneasy.

  -And? Or do you want to keep us in suspense for your own pleasure?

  -Rosamund?

  -Yes, Valerie? What is it?

  -It’s almost time for me to go on stage.

  -Of course.

  Rosamund fussed with my dress as Erich looked on in amusement. My sister opened the door. I walked out into the wing of the theater to be called. It was so strange. I could still hear Rosamund and Erich talking. It was foreboding. It was another sign that things were not as they should be. My world was losing its sanity and I was powerless to stop the destruction.

  -Well, Erich, finish what you were about to say.

  -Will you tell Valerie, or will I have to? I will, you know.

  -Finish your story, please. I would like to see my sister-

  -I could not catch him. He ran so fast. I did not expect that. I expected a clumsy oaf whom I could easily overpower.

  -That would have pleased you, no doubt.

  -The man was wearing a black trench-coat. He was not tall. I am taller. I caught a glimpse of his ugly face. How could such an old and clumsy man escape me?

  -That, Erich, is a very good question.

  I walked out on to the stage. I was so nervous that I practically hid myself behind the piano. I curtsied to the Master of Ceremonies and, then, to the audience. I sat down at the piano.

  Rosamund sat next to Erich on the couch and fidgeted with her bracelet.

  -Show me the note, Rosamund. Then, perhaps we can make something of all this.

  -Here.

  -Interesting. I will read it aloud.

  “Your sister will soon be murdered. I cannot stop this event. It is one in a series of events in which I am helpless. A woman will come looking for Valerie, but she will be too late. Her name is Marlena Lake.”

  I played Chopin’s Polonaise Brilliant. It was not what I had intended to play. The notes filled the air of the concert hall.

  -Do you know this Marlena Lake, Erich? Valerie has never mentioned her to me.

  -Perhaps, Valerie’s only chance is herself. She must open up to us. She is a threat to persons unknown: dangerous persons. I have an instinct about such things.

  I had completed the opening melody when I saw them: each one stood in a corner of the theater...the four men...the four corners of destruction and creation. That’s how it would happen: by means of the compass when the sun will set and the crescent moon will rise in the heavens.

  But, what was I saying? That wasn’t me speaking. Why should I know this? The words were beautiful, but their meaning was horrible.

  Those men kept staring at me. They nodded to each other and plotted.

  Rosamund!

  Erich!

  Help me!

  These men are going to kill me!

  I looked at the audience in panic, but all they saw was my smiling face.

  Help me! Anyone!

  -Let us go out and watch Valerie.

  -Yes. But, let us hurry, Erich! Something is not right. I feel that my sister is calling out to me.

  Rosamund!

  They’re moving now. They set their bloodless eyes on me and not on each other anymore. The man at the far corner moved down the aisle. The man opposite him moved closer to the stage. The other two, closest to the stage, climbed up the steps. I saw their ruined and ancient faces.

  One of them looked up and the lights started to dim. There was a murmur in the audience.

  Why can’t I move?

  Rosamund and Erich were now standing in the wings.

  -Valerie is almost finished- what is that man doing over there? The lights! They are so dim! I must go out there to her.

  -You’ll make an idiot of yourself, Rosamund.

  -Get away from me.

 
Rosamund ran out on to the stage.

  -Get away from her! Stop! Stop, you! Get-away-from-my-sister!

  Rosamund rushed toward the approaching man and struck him in the face. It was a hard blow and the fiend staggered back against the piano and the lid crashed down. The audience stood up almost in unison as people began to scream.

  -Valerie! Run to Erich!

  I stood up and screamed as the other fiend came at me. This time, the audience panicked and struggled to get into the aisles. A gunshot was heard and the fiend who was coming at me staggered and fell into the audience. It was Erich who had fired the shot. He never missed a target. He didn’t miss this time. Erich ran on to the stage and fired another shot as the fiend stood up.

  The audience was a mass of hysteria and fear with people crushing each other in their struggle to get out toward the imagined safety of the street. People were being trampled and shoved about.

  Rosamund, who had held on to the other fiend, was thrown to the floor. This one jumped off the stage and joined his three companions. They cleared a path for themselves through the crowd, knocking people to the ground and against the wall and back on to the chairs. But, a few brave souls in the audience fought back. A woman managed to stab one of the fiends with her hat pin right between the eyes. It screamed in agony but kept pushing its way through. A young man belted one in the face and blood spurted in all directions.

  The four monsters escaped.

  The lights went back up, but the panic had not subsided. Erich, Rosamund, and I fled from the theater. We rushed to a cafe that was a few blocks away.

  -Useless to call in the police. What could they do? Nothing. And, besides, I don’t trust them. They only do things for their own gain: a better and more efficient police force is needed.

  -You are right, Erich; but, something must be done. An attempt has been made on Valerie’s life and to do nothing-

  -We must examine all of our options. And, as I perceive the matter, we have only two.

  -What are they?

  -Valerie, you must tell us everything. And that woman, Marlena Lake...we must contact her.