Beyond the Garden

by S. Y. Thompson

  “Eureka!”

  The single, shouted word echoed throughout the camp, disrupting the ritualistic song. Professor Clayworth had moved over to the top of Potbelly Hill while she’d been speaking to Muhammed and he seemed extremely excited about something. He dropped down onto his knees and began furiously digging in the sand with his hands. Suddenly, he stopped and looked back toward the camp.

  “I need diggers! Hurry.”

  Elation sang through her veins and Lil stood as Muhammed hurried toward Clayworth with a handful of the workers. In the waning light, she didn’t understand how Clayworth could have found anything, but she didn’t intend to sit still for this. Lil jogged across the sand and up the side of the hill.

  “What have you found?”

  Lil noticed the Profiler coil system lying on the ground beside the professor. The four-foot electromagnetic coil system along with its accompanying PDA comprised the equipment Lil had purchased to radar structures beneath the earth.

  “I don’t know… something.”

  Lil raised her eyebrows. “Could you be more specific?”

  “Dig here, about fifteen feet down.” After giving these instructions, Clayworth stood to speak with Lil. “I owe you an apology.”

  Overcome with emotion, Clayworth stopped speaking to clear his throat and wipe at his eyes. He removed the monocle and rubbed it with his spotty handkerchief, but still hadn’t answered her. Lil thought she’d have to shake him to get any useful information.

  “Never mind all that. What is it?”

  After settling his eyepiece back into place, Clayworth waved abstractly toward the hill upon which they stood. “I’d just decided to call it a day and walked over here to get a view of the sunset. They really are quite spectacular from this vantage point.” Clayworth shook himself and refocused on briefing Lil. “I set the Profiler on the ground and started to have a seat when the data analyzer went crazy. Here, I’ll show you.”

  Clayworth picked up the dropped PDA and retrieved the data from the most recent inadvertent scan. Lil stood with her arms akimbo as the balance of her hired laborers surrounded Clayworth. She studied the information with a little more patience as it popped up on the small display. The device connected wirelessly to the electromagnetic coils on the ground radar equipment. Lil could see the usual nondescript readout indicating the subsurface area. Interspersed throughout were more solid objects of various shapes and sizes. Lil assumed these were rocks and boulders. She could also see a few buried pillars. Not unusual considering Gobekli’s history.

  “Do you see it?”

  Down a respectable distance below where they stood, something unusual stood out. Among the jumbled debris of rocks and broken pillars was an object with perfectly symmetrical lines. Upon first glance, the edges seemed part of another pillar. The differences between the two were most notable at the top and bottom sides. The megalithic stones scattered around the region resembled huge spikes or capital T’s. These lines resembled the sides of a box.

  “Wood?”

  “No,” Clayworth disagreed. “I believe it is still a stone object, but it’s some kind of container.”

  Disappointment overrode her previous sense of excitement. Lil took one hand from her hips and rubbed her eyes. Pragmatism warred with thwarted desire. Although anything that stood out from the typical finds would prove invaluable in a scientific sense, this was hardly what she was searching for.

  “Professor, there is no proof that you have discovered a container. It could be just a shattered piece of rock. Also, I should point out that I am searching for hidden chambers.”

  Clayworth drew himself up to his full height, which was significantly shorter than Lil. He puffed out his cheeks and his face turned slightly red. “Ms. Primus, many discoveries in science lead to other finds. Until we determine what this is, you should not be so quick to discount its value.”

  “You make a valid argument,” Lil conceded. She didn’t have to like it, but she had to explore every possibility. If she failed to discover what she sought and someone later unearthed the artifact at this location, Lil would lose any chance to end this immortal existence. “Muhammed, have the men set up lights and begin digging immediately.”

  Lil moved a few feet back to get out of the way. Within a half hour, bright lights were erected on stands around the location. Generators fired up to power the lights. Diggers went to work with shovels and picks. The tools weren’t exactly subtle, but it wouldn’t matter until they neared the object. Lil stayed throughout the entire process. The sun dipped below the horizon, setting off a kaleidoscope of reds, yellows, pinks and blues. If not for the tension that steadily grew within her stomach, Lil might have found the sight beautiful.

  Time passed slowly, allowing her mind to drift. Lil looked out over the sand dunes and felt the dry heat against her skin, no less intense for that the sun had disappeared. Here, in these barren wastelands, the wind picked up after dark. It scoured them, but no one seemed to notice. Lil had first awakened into this world not far from this area, in fact, only a few hundred miles to the south. In many ways, she was home. Or at least as near as she could ever come to it. Her heart felt heavy at the realization that she could never truly go home again.

  Her eyes drifted to the men. Some had removed their shirts and their backs glistened with the visible signs of exertion. The pit they dug grew steadily deeper until a few were delegated to remove sand from the hole with buckets. Eventually, heads disappeared from view and the buckets were attached to ropes to save the men from climbing out.

  Suddenly, a shout went up that focused Lil’s attention. She stepped to the edge of the pit and looked over the side. Shadows cast by the workers prevented her from seeing anything of worth. Evidently, while she stood woolgathering, Professor Clayworth had entered the work site. Lil spotted his usual white suit and pith helmet near the frenzy at the bottom. Not about to miss out, Lil slipped down the dirt wall of the recently created crater. Her boots sank up to the ankles in the powder-fine sand as she maneuvered her way over to where Clayworth knelt.

  “This is exquisite,” he mumbled, his hands covering his face in his awe.

  Lil knelt beside him and reached out to dust off the surface of the stone capsule. This definitely wasn’t like the other artifacts. She scraped out around the edges with her fingertips. While she did, Clayworth cleared fine sand particles away from the object itself with a small paintbrush. With the removal of the sand, Lil saw that there were no carvings of any kind upon the stone casket.

  “Is it just another pillar after all?” Clayworth sounded so disappointed that she almost felt sorry for him.

  “I don’t think so, Professor. Is that a crack around the sides?”

  He peered closer in the darkness at where Lil pointed. She heard his sharp inhalation. “Bring me a light,” he shouted unexpectedly, causing Lil to wince.

  Muhammed moved quickly, stepping between Lil and the professor. He squatted down and aimed a high-powered flashlight beam at the stone. With the additional light, Lil saw that the “crack” was actually an opening. She reached toward it, but Clayworth stopped her before she made contact.

  “Wait, we need to take photographs and measurements before we disturb the actual site.”

  “Who cares about photos at a time like this?”

  “Please, Ms. Primus. I know that you’re in charge here, but this is a very important artifact. No one else has found anything like this since the area was discovered in the early sixties.”

  Lil kept from snapping at the wizened old man with difficulty. “Fine, but do what you need to quickly.”

  Muhammed dispatched a man to bring a camera and measurement tools. They would have to wait until they brought the artifact up to weigh it, but getting these initial details as the object resided in its original resting place was crucial. Apparently excited to begin solving the riddle of how to open the box, Clayworth donned a pair of white latex gloves. Lil realized the gloves prevented the transfer of human oils and ep
idural cells, but didn’t know how he could stand the added heat. Even at night the desert was hot and with the added warmth of the lights, he had to be uncomfortable though he didn’t show it.

  Less than a minute later, an assembly line of workers passed the requested gear to the professor. Clayworth took his time recording details such as length, width and height before snapping photos from every angle. Just when Lil thought she’d go mad from waiting, he set the camera aside. Her eyes were riveted on the scene as he reached for the caisson with trembling fingers. Just as he touched the stone casket, Lil had a horrifying thought.

  “Professor, stop!”

  He jerked his hands away as though scalded. Expression curious but unconcerned, Clayworth blinked at her. He didn’t speak, but clearly awaited an explanation.

  “Aren’t these ancient relics typically booby-trapped?”

  Clayworth smiled in a somewhat condescending manner. “You watch too many American movies. I assure you, I know what I’m doing.”

  Lil nodded in relief and indicated that he proceed. Again, he prepared to open the container. Clayworth seemed more assured this time. He grasped the box in a steady grip and attempted to raise the lid. No matter how he strained, it refused to budge. When his face started to redden from the effort, Lil decided to intervene. She brushed Clayworth aside and leaned closer on her hands and knees, training the strong flashlight beam upon the crack. Just as she suspected, Lil spotted a small catch locked inside the lid.

  “Well, you didn’t really think it would be so easy, did you?”

  “One could always hope,” Clayworth jested.

  Tempted to remove the box from the ground, Lil suddenly halted. The stone container was a little more than three feet long and half again as wide, a perfect rectangle. If she easily hefted the rock from the pit, it would do more than raise a few eyebrows. Many of her workers were the superstitious sorts and this casket was undoubtedly quite heavy. She didn’t want to scare her laborers off the site. More importantly, in this region the legend of Lilith wasn’t some obscure myth. She had experienced what fear and hatred could do firsthand and didn’t relish a repeat performance.

  “I suggest we have a few of the men bring it up to level ground. Perhaps we’ll be able to see the way to open it there.”

  “Good idea,” Clayworth approved. “There may be a release mechanism on the bottom.”

  Lil assisted Clayworth to his feet, sensitive to the arthritic pain he carried in his knees. She encouraged him to move back so that workers could get near the artifact. A man on each side utilized a pry bar and carefully slid the tools under opposite edges of the stone. Two more men knelt down beside the object, ready to slide their fingers under the box once free of the surrounding desert sand. Lil kept watch as the men on the ends of the box worked in tandem, carefully applying steady yet gentle pressure so as not to break the stone. The two on their knees scooped sand away from the edges to help loosen the prize from the ground.

  Suddenly, the end nearest to Lil and the professor gave way. She heard the sound of angry hissing and scuttling before she saw the writhing mass beneath the container. Without thought, she grabbed Professor Clayworth about the shoulders and shoved him behind her. She absently noticed that he lost his balance and fell against the recently excavated earthen wall. In front of her, the two kneeling men cried out in terror and attempted to scurry away from the death that awaited them.

  A tangled throng of black adders, horned vipers and Androctonus scorpions lashed out at the intruders. All of the creatures were among the deadliest, most venomous creatures in the Anatolia region. The scorpion name literally translated to “fat-tailed man killer” and displayed the well-deserved nature of this moniker when it struck one of the Turkish laborers on the wrist. Immediately, the man curled up on the ground and went into convulsions. Lil sensed when the spark of life left his body.

  The laborers Lil had hired proved their worth when they surged forth as one to rescue the unfortunate men. Utilizing shovels and kicking sand toward the nightmarish find, they drove the serpents and scorpions back. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, other workers parted to allow the snakes and scorpions to flow out of the pit, up the sides and into the night.

  “Muhammed, get those men out of here. Have them transported to the hospital in Sanliurfa. I want that box out of the hole and up on solid ground, now. Professor, are you all right?” Lil was embarrassed at how her voice trembled, but even she wasn’t immune to the effects of fear and adrenaline.

  “I…” He swallowed and tried again. “I think so. I’m not bitten or stung if that’s what you mean.”

  “Good. I can’t afford to lose you now. Let’s get topside and find out what requires such an unpleasant welcoming party.”

  Clayworth’s mouth opened in shock. “You think that was deliberate?”

  “Professor, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen snakes and scorpions clustered together more than fifteen feet below the surface.”

  “But that’s impossible. No one could have set up such a trap. The creatures would have had to be in that hole for centuries. They would be dead by now.”

  “If that’s what you choose to believe.” She refused to argue the point. If mortal beings had devised the ambush, she might agree. Unfortunately, Lil knew that supernatural traps set by demons and angels could be just as deadly and much more unexpected.

  As she and the professor climbed out of the pit, Muhammed oversaw the transport of the injured and dead workers. Lil heard the truck rumble away toward the nearby town, but didn’t really expect the remaining man to survive even that five-mile journey. She wasn’t overly concerned as their families would be well compensated for the loss. It was more important to Lil to see if the object inside the casket would lead to her reward. She didn’t have long to wait before the bravest of her employees brought the stone box up.

  “You two,” Lil said, pointing to the frightened group of laborers. “Come here.”

  Clearly uncomfortable, they scratched their beards and looked around at their compatriots. Lil thought they would balk, but after a moment they came toward her. As they stood near, she squatted down to peer at the locking mechanism once again. More cautious than ever, Lil rested her hand upon the stone. Experiencing excruciating pain wasn’t her idea of a good time, but she needed to get inside. Lil noted the unusually smooth surface beneath her fingertips, a testament to the care taken in the container’s creation. From what she could discern, there was a very minute gap between the lid and the box itself.

  She pulled the hunting knife from her boot sheath and attempted to slide it between the two. With any luck, the blade could push aside the unseen latch. Unfortunately, even the very tip of the knife proved too wide and wouldn’t fit into the small space. Lil dropped the knife onto the sand and removed her wallet from a hip pocket. She tried again with a credit card, but the locking mechanism wouldn’t budge.

  “Professor, I require something thin like a letter opener or something comparable.”

  Clayworth snapped his fingers and took off at a scampering jog toward his tent. While he went off to gather what she needed, Lil continued to inspect their prize. The men still waited close by, but she decided she could get away with rolling the container over and inspecting the rest of the surface. As long as she didn’t manually pick the hulking piece of stone off the ground, she should be safe enough.

  The task was harder than she thought it would be, even with her inhuman strength. Lil grunted slightly from the effort, but managed to flip the container up on the side. She eagerly peered around all sides, but still saw nothing that would give a hint to the secret of opening the artifact. Finally, she inspected the bottom surface and spotted something. With the underside of the container turned away from the nearby lights, it appeared to be nothing but a dark shadow or smudge.

  “Lights,” Lil called out in Turkish.

  One of the men handed her a flashlight. She aimed the beam at the shadow and discovered it was really a depressio
n carved into the stone. Lil touched the outline as she heard Professor Clayworth’s running feet and panting breath. She kept her gaze trained upon her discovery as he stood beside her, holding out a letter opener.

  “I knew I had one in my tent for opening correspondence. Do you think it will work?”

  “Actually, I don’t think we’ll need it. I’ve found a lock on the underside. Now all I need is a key.”

  She spoke the words softly, lost in thought. Lil recognized the outline. She had seen it before. The outline was the same as the stone pendant given to her by Samael. Lil had kept the medallion with her ever since and wore it around her neck on a thick gold chain. She removed the chain and grasped the stone carving in fingers that trembled from nervous anticipation.

  “What is that?”

  Lil barely heard Clayworth’s whispered question. She held her breath, though she wasn’t sure why, and reached out to fit the pendant into the receptacle. When she was less than an inch away, the stone slipped from her grasp and flew into the socket with a resounding clack. The unexpected response made Lil start away slightly before she stopped herself. The whole thing reminded her of metal’s attraction to a magnet. She released her breath just as the lid popped open, accompanied by a loud hiss and the escape of trapped gases. Too late, she realized that they had liberated yet another trap.

  “Professor, look out!”

  Instinctively, she lunged upward and tackled the old man to the ground. She felt the air whoosh from his lungs as they hit the sand, but was concerned about more serious injuries than knocking the wind out of him. She moved back quickly to inspect Clayworth for damage but a scream from one of the workers stopped her. Lil turned around to see a nightmare unfolding before her eyes.