by Kris Shamloo
Chapter 2 – Descent
With each step towards the black pedestal the fear that had invaded my mind during the blackout lessened. The pedestal stood where the innermost ring of stones had been. The surface was smooth and uncannily dark, made from the same material as the obelisk. The flat square top bore a single white object, a small marble figurine of a man weeping. I held it and examined it with pure curiosity. Why are you here? I felt pity and sadness for my little marble man. I turned him over in my hand, staring, waiting for a response I knew I wouldn't get from him.
I pocketed the figurine and examined the pedestal further. I gripped the square top of the pedestal and tried to remove it from its base. The top held firm but hinted subtly that it did indeed move. I tried pushing and sliding to no avail though it was now obvious that the top could definitely be shifted. I let the grip come back to my tired hands. Oh, I bet that's it. I smirked at my preconceived victory and regrasped the edges of the table top. I strained every muscle in my body to rotate the top of the pedestal. Exasperated I sat down next to the small stone structure. It refused to budge.
I know it moves, how the hell do I move it? After five minutes of recuperating and relaxing my nerves I sat up and looked at the pedestal inquisitively. I started giggling to myself as I stood up and reproached the top of the pedestal. As I grasped the edges again I applied a small fraction of the force I had applied earlier and the top rotated smoothly ninety degrees. Noted, always try both ways. As the top realigned with the base it firmly clicked into its new position. The pedestal silently retracted into the hard packed sand and vanished. A massive cloud of steam bellowed from a ventilating panel on the base of the obelisk.
The panel continued to protrude from the tower further than normal, as it fully crossed the threshold of the tower's surface it crashed unceremoniously into the dirt. I stared at the void in the obelisk. I have to go inside don't I? I approached the opening cautiously. My feet planted firmly outside the tower I peered inside, a green iridescent glow filled the cramped space. The interior was packed full of dull metal piping and pieces of complex machinery foreign to my eyes. A series of small pipes terminated around the edge of the doorway. This must be where the steam ventilates through. As the thought completed hot steam exploded out of one of the upper vents. I couldn't place any distinct sights or sounds but I had the feeling that massive objects were shifting with each roar of exhaust.
I stared down the tight corridor leading into the center of the obelisk. The path dog-legged around a set of enormous piping, obscuring the center of the room from view. This is it, if I cross this threshold there's no turning back. What would I even turn back to? The desert? The choking black haze? I'm damned either way. The paralysis of the decision still held me for a moment. I lifted my leg through the doorway. I lightly set my foot down on the metal grate of the corridor; the neon green glow pulsed inside.
I recoiled. My mind went blank; I slumped against the outside of the obelisk. The sun shone down on my head. I enjoyed the brightness and the steady warmth. A feeling of intense weariness filled me; my mind became a void as I slid ungracefully to the ground. I lay there motionless in the dirt.
The girl. For a moment I saw a slim figure in the mirage of the desert. She vanished. Come back. My only desire was to be comforted, to be told it was going to be ok. I doubted my strength to see this trial through to the end. I doubted my mind to uncloud the mystery. I doubted everything. Most of all I just wanted someone to help. I'll never see her again. I didn't fight the emotions, I let them come freely. The intensity of them filled me like a wave, building, peaking, and vanishing. The minutes ticked away and I was rejuvenated.
I stood up to face the threshold once more. I quickly crossed the doorway into the interior of the tower. The glow seemed to be emanating from the machinery itself. The floor was a thick metal grate with a murky abyss below. The path was walled with countless miles of piping, valves, and incessantly humming machinery. I guided around the dog-leg, the narrow path led towards the center of the room.
There was a small rectangular cage with a pyramidal cap. The only thing to suggest this cage was an elevator was the small lever mounted inside it. The cage appeared to be flush with the floor and gave no sway when I stepped inside it. Full steam ahead Captain. The switch felt satisfying, clicking firmly into the down position.
The lift began its descent undramatically. It dropped smoothly into the darkness of the unlit shaft. The only light was the green glow from the metal of the cage. The acceleration downwards was relentless. The light breeze became a steady wind. The cage continued to accelerate. The steady wind became a violent gale as the cage continued to gain speed. Wow this is fast.
The sensation of moving at unbelievable speed in darkness was unsettling. The gale died down with the same slow drive that birthed it. The lift returned to a reasonable speed as it approached the bottom. The orange glow of fire could be seen below me.
The lift reached the bottom of shaft, I wasn't sure how deep I was underground but by the length and speed of the journey it must have been miles. The cage was barely moving as it crossed the ceiling of the antechamber. The source of the fiery glow could be seen now. The room was vast and empty save for the centerpiece. A massive glass ring floating in the center of the room, filled with fire.
The room was circular with a floor of pale marble. The lift quietly sat in the corner, still softly glowing green. I paced slowly around the glass ring, staring in awe. The heat from the ring could be felt through the glass. A dark metal ring equal in diameter was embedded in the floor below and ceiling above the ring. Magnets maybe? The metallic ping from my tapping confirmed my suspicion. What’s this? Floating effortlessly in the center of the glass ring was a small gunmetal disc. I ducked under the ring of fire and stood inside the center of the glass.
Nervous fear bubbled in my neck. I reached for the disc, it was held firmly in the magnetic field. I grabbed both sides of the disc and pulled my full weight on it. The field let go and I crashed to the ground disc in hand. Just because it worked doesn't mean it wasn't stupid. The pain in my back and shoulder subsided to a dull throb and I examined my prize. It seemed completely unremarkable until I turned it over.
That crippling feeling of fear of the unknown swept over me. The feeling lingered as my brain contemplated the single cryptic word etched neatly into the opposite side of the disc, Welcome.
