The Space Between

by Scott J Robinson

  The men talked of food and shelter, labor and costs, things that Tuki didn't understand. What cost was there to cut down trees to rebuild the city? The trees were right there, and the men to do the cutting. What cost to distribute the gathered food? And who would take little golden disks as payment?

  Apparently anyone would take the disks, and in fact, many refused to do anything if the payment was not made.

  When the elder brother moons had departed the sky and only little Rangi remained, the Priman turned his gaze across the fire.

  "Troll," he said, an edge of disdain in his voice, "will others come to fight with us if you ask?"

  Tuki stared at the man. Surely Nasinwa had told his companions the truth!

  "I am not a troll," Tuki said slowly, his eyes darting from one face to the next as all the men turned to hear him speak. "I do not know what a troll is. "

  "But you said..."

  Tuki swallowed. "I lied."

  Councilor Nasinwa grunted. "You persist with that story when it makes no difference now."

  "I persist with the story because it is the truth." Tuki paused to think for a moment. "For all I know I may be a troll, but that is not what my people call ourselves. We live in the desert to the south, far from the world of man. We have done no harm to any of your kind."

  Sha Yukima returned just then, walking wearily into the circle of firelight. "And why did you come among us now, after staying hidden away for so long?" He lowered himself carefully to the ground near another old man.

  "I told you, Sha. The skyglass led me." He motioned to the glass ball on the ground by Nasinwa's side, and all the men turned to look.

  Nasinwa laughed. "The ball is a pretty bauble only. Hedge wizards use similar to tell your fortune."

  "I saw patterns on the ball moving," Sha Yukima put in. "You saw something, too, Nasinwa. If it's a hedge wizard's trick, it's the best I have ever seen."

  "Well, all I saw was a globe like any that could be made by a skilled glass blower. Here, boy, show us again how it works."

  Tuki watched eagerly as the Councilor collected the skyglass and threw it across the fire. Tuki’s heart was in his mouth as he watched it sail above the flames, catching the light like a new moon. Only when Tuki had the globe in his hands did he speak.

  "In truth, I do not know much in the use of the 'glass, Councilor Nasinwa. Only the mo'min is allowed to use it normally, and only the mo'shi may otherwise see it."

  "Oh, so it's a secret that you may not share with us?" Nasinwa said, and his companions laughed with him. "How surprising is that?"

  But Tuki didn't hear them. The skyglass was warming in his hands. As the sphere started to glow, the humans fell silent. Kiva soon appeared, filling about a quarter of the glass.

  "We are here," Tuki said, pointing to the soft blue spot hovering just below the surface of the glass. "The blue follows the 'glass wherever it goes. I came from down here."

  "And what are the yellow dots?" the Priman asked.

  Sha Yukima moved from the other side of the fire to sit at Tuki's side. "They mark the bats, correct?"

  Tuki sighed. "I don't know for sure Sha, but I don't think so."

  "So you know nothing then?" Nasinwa asked.

  Tuki examined the 'glass.

  "Tell us what you are thinking, lad."

  "I think the yellow dots are bats, perhaps, but ones that are still high up in the sky. When they come close to the ground, close enough to see, they disappear from the 'glass."

  "Why do you think that?"

  Tuki shrugged.

  Nasinwa grunted again. "You know nothing. You have a toy that you don't understand, and you play with it, wanting us to be jealous." The Councilor reached out his hand. "Give it back to me."

  Tuki held the glass out to be taken; he would not throw it as Nasinwa had. Nasinwa sighed and motioned for one of his fellows to collect it. But before the other man could do as he was bid, Keyman Kuwisa strode into the circle of firelight.

  "Councilor," the Keyman said loudly, and Nasinwa nodded. "Priman." The other old man nodded as well. Kuwisa glanced back over his shoulder. Two men followed behind, dragging another between them. "We found this man sneaking away with a sack full of food."

  "It was my food," the man protested. "Took it from my own larder." The captive changed tactics then with hardly a pause for breath. "I wasn't going nowhere. Just to the stockpiles to add my bit."

  "The stockpiles in which town?" Kuwisa asked.

  Nasinwa levered himself to his feet, grunting with the effort. "The food belongs to Payota now, and if we allow one man to take a bit, soon every man will be taking a bit and there will be none left to share. We cannot allow that."

  "I doubt you'd be taking a bit. None of you Councilors have moved all day."

  Captain Kuwisa hit the man in the face, a solid blow that made Tuki wince. He turned away as a long rope of blood extended down from the man's mouth. The prisoner was unconscious.

  Nasinwa shook his head. "We cannot allow this. He must be made an example of, Priman. In the morning we will tie him to the oak tree by the river and administer ten lashes."

  "Very well," the Priman replied. "Kuwisa will see to it."

  "Is that not a bit harsh, Nasinwa?" Sha Yukima asked. "Have we the right to stop a man from eating the food that he owned?"

  "We have every right. We are looking after the needs of the many here, Yukima."

  "There are other ways this might be done."

  "I do not think a mild scolding will do in this case," the Priman said, supporting the Councilor.

  "So again we humans prove how meek and mild and humane we are, while a troll watches on passively?"

  Tuki thought of pointing out that he was not a troll but decided Sha Yukima might be trying to make some kind of point with the lie. He remained silent while the two men continued to argue.

  Eventually, the priest rose angrily to his feet and stormed away. Some time later Tuki found that he still had the skyglass cupped in his hands. Nobody else seemed to have noticed. Slowly, so the other might not notice, he laid down with the globe clutched against his body protectively.

  19: The Doorway

  The morning dawned clear and cool, and Tuki discovered he was alone. Back up the river though, a large crowd had gathered. Nasinwa was there, standing on the little stage again with his hand in the air. The breeze was blowing into the old man's face, so when he finally started to talk, Tuki could not hear his words. He did hear the boos of the crowd, however, then watched as the captive man from the previous night was tied to the rough bark of the old, leaning oak tree.

  He rose to his feet to watch, but a moment later turned away in horror as Keyman Kuwisa pulled forth a little stick with tails and started to beat the man's bare back.

  Tuki turned to look again, as if drawn, and saw the blood striping the man's skin. The Keyman hit him again, and again. Ten lashes, the Councilor had said, but to Tuki the beating seemed to last forever.

  If they would do this to one of their own, he thought, what would they have done to me if Sha Yukima had not intervened?

  He did not want to stay with these people. The previous evening he had thought the only thing keeping him in the city was that Nasinwa had the skyglass. But now he had the 'glass himself and was still there.

  Now it was only the will of Poti that held him. Can I ignore the wishes of the Goddess? Tuki ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the skyglass, gazing into it as he thought.

  Remembering some of the things he had learned about the skyglass, Tuki centered the view on Kiva and shifted back slightly. Almost immediately, he smiled. I followed the meteor to get here, he thought, though he no longer believed that it was truly a shooting star, but there are no meteors here now. A hundred and twelve yellow comets were clustered at various points around the world, but the sky above Payota was clear. If the Goddess had led him to this spot, then She was now leading him on to somewhere else. And if She did not lead me here? Then it did not matter. />
  Without another thought he turned on his heel and started away from the river, the cool, smooth globe back in the sack at his waist.

  Once he found a main road, Tuki checked the skyglass, holding it up to the bright, angled light. He wanted to go south, back to the desert, but there were no bats at all in that direction. If he was doing the Goddess' work he had to keep going. If he was not doing the Goddess' work then he was all alone in the world of man. Sighing, he decided to continue in the general direction he had been travelling before being waylaid in Payota. He set off towards the north, happy to be running again. To be under the sky and moving. He smiled as he ran.

  Apparently the drawing of blood was great entertainment for humans, for he saw none of them as he made his way between what remained of the buildings. Beyond the city, farmers worked their fields as if nothing had changed. An old man tied sacks of grain before someone younger heaved them into the back of a wagon. A boy sat on a rock watching over a herd of docile beasts. A woman was stuffing straw into to the breeches of a straw man on a stick. On the hill, the city still smoldered.

  Tuki passed by all these people and none made comment. They continued about their work as if they saw giants every day or trolls did not scare them. Or perhaps they merely did not care anymore. Their lives had been hard before and were set to get all the harder now.

  Sometime later, after trotting for several kilometers without sight of another living creature besides roving beasts from the town, Tuki started to run quicker. Councilor Nasinwa and Keyman Kuwisa would have noticed his absence, and he doubted they would be pleased. The thought of the tailed stick lashing his back pushed him to speeds he would have thought unwise at any other time. The beauty of the landscape meant nothing to him now. Just more fields to run past, more hills to run over, more lakes to run around. Tuki saw nothing except the road beneath his sandals and the tails in his mind.

  Tuki was exhausted when night finally came. He stumbled to a halt where the main road curved away to the east and a lesser way continued north.

  As he hunched over, breathing deeply, he examined the two paths, wondering which way to go. In the end he decided that it did not matter: one way was as unlikely as the other. So he went north again.

  Almost immediately the lesser path started to rise, and over the top of the hill a forest cast its protective shadow in the gathering gloom. He walked down the slope and into the darkness. His feet and legs were hurting. He was more used to running on the shifting sands of the desert than unforgiving solid ground. He stopped to rest again. Sitting in the middle of the path, he rubbed his feet and waited for his eyes to adjust. Soon he could see the outline of the trees but not much more.

  He pulled the skyglass out into the open. In the soft radiance of the Goddess's attention he could make out the packed earth of the road and the grassy edges. He stood with a grunt and strode forward with renewed confidence but little energy.

  Before long, the road turned abruptly and dipped down into a small hollow where a farmer's hovel crouched beside a narrow, frothing stream. Tuki stood where the road ended and bare earth started. He could see a candle burning within the shack, and movement. He dared not go closer. The beast herder and the sack sewer could inform everyone that they had indeed seen the troll, but their testimony would not help as much as that of the owner of the hovel.

  Tuki climbed back out of the hollow and turned away from the road. A narrow path led up the side of the hill and through a saddle. Beyond, true darkness gathered in a long narrow valley. Tuki sighed as he started forward and held the skyglass aloft to light his way.

  “[Stop where you are.]”

  Tuki continued for several steps before he even realized that he had heard a voice in the darkness. He did not know the words, but the tone was similar to that of Keyman Kuwisa. He stopped.

  “[Jesus, he's bloody huge,]” somebody whispered.

  “[Shut up, private. And stay down.]”

  “[Sorry, sir.]”

  Tuki looked back over his shoulder, wondering if he should run. Wondering if he could run. Wondering how far he would get. His legs ached, and he felt ready to fall asleep where he stood.

  “[Can you understand me?]”

  Tuki still held the skyglass above his head. It seemed he could see everything apart from the men who spoke. The meaning of their words eluded him.

  “[Where's Dongoske? He's in the thick of the action, isn't he?]”

  The sound of someone approaching, quickly but quietly.

  “[Here, sir.]”

  “[See if you can talk to this guy.]”

  “[Big dude, isn't he! Looks a bit Polynesian with those tattoos.]”

  “[Airman!]”

  “[Sorry, sir.]” A pause. "Can you understand me?"

  Tuki nodded his head slowly. "Yes."

  "What is your name? What are you doing here?"

  "My name is Tuki. I am running." He did not understand every word the stranger said but he understood enough.

  “[He speaks... well, it is a mixture of several languages, sir. Mainly Shoshone, I think, with a lot of other stuff thrown in.]”

  “[Don't talk to me, Airman. Talk to him.]”

  “[Yes, sir. Of course.]” The unseen stranger cleared his throat. "Why are you running, brother? Where do you run to?"

  "I run because it is quicker than walking, and I do not know where I run to."

  “[What did he say, Airman?]”

  Tuki heard the man sigh before speaking to the other, unseen man.

  “[He says he is running to a place he doesn't know, sir.]”

  “[Shit, that's all we need. Forest bloody Gump.]”

  “[At least we haven't shot him yet, sir.]”

  “[Shut up, Dongoske.]"

  “[Sir.]”

  “[Ask him if he'll follow us.]”

  "Tuki, I am called Ben Dongoske. I am a Senior Airman in my nation's army. Will you come with me to our camp?"

  "Where is your camp? And why would I want to go there?"

  "It is down in the valley, in a cave. We have food and water there. You can rest."

  "I can rest here."

  "We can't let you. You must come down into our camp, or you must turn around and go back the way you came."

  Tuki looked over his shoulder, as if Keyman Kuwisa and his men might rush out of the darkness at that very moment to take the skyglass away. The bruises on his face and body still throbbed.

  "You have food and water?"

  "We do."

  "Do you eat the flesh of beasts?"

  "We do, but we have fruit as well, if you would prefer."

  "And I can continue on my way tomorrow after I have rested?"

  The man paused. "If you wish it, we will take you to the other end of the valley."

  Tuki looked behind again. He thought he was safe from the people of Payota, but he was not sure. These strangers hadn't accused him of being a troll or threatened him in any way. Or perhaps they were the fearsome trolls, themselves, and not so fearsome after all. Perhaps these were the people the Mother Blower was leading him to.

  "I will come."

  "Good. Good." The man stepped into the soft light of the skyglass. He was dark skinned and dressed from head to toe in multihued green clothes, allowing him to blend with the forest and the night. He wore a glass screen over his eyes. His mouth was covered as well. "Come on then. Let's get you some food, hey."

  Tuki followed the man down into the valley. He did not see anyone else beside the trail.

  * * *

  Tuki didn't move. He examined the doorway then turned his attention to the room.

  The small chamber had humans carved on the walls in relief. Bright lights stood on tall poles.

  A dozen men, all clothed in strange noisy white suits and with clear screens covering their faces, worked around him. He couldn't begin to guess what they were doing. Glowing windows looked onto nothing, but showed rows of little symbols. They reminded him of the squares in the skyglass. There were boxes
that talked with voices that crackled and hissed, and other boxes that steamed when they were opened. Men adjusted knobs and stared through tubes. Some babbled to each other, or muttered under their breath.

  Standing on his own, Tuki watched as everyone cast furtive glances in his direction. Every time he turned their way, the men turned back to continue with their work. It seemed a long time before anyone spoke to him again. A man, large for a human, came through the silvery doorway, shifting uncomfortably in his white suit. Ben Dongoske was with him.

  "This is General Hilliard," Dongoske said. "He is our leader here."

  “[Hello,]” General Hilliard held out his hand, and Tuki looked at it until it was lowered again. “[We'll be able to let you through the door in about five minutes, and after that we will have to do some tests. Medical stuff.]”

  Dongoske translated, but it made little difference to Tuki. Medical tests? He shrugged his shoulders and waited. General Hilliard moved purposefully away to speak to a man holding a talking box.

  "Where do you live, Tuki? Close by?"

  "No. I live many days to the south. It is many years since any moai has visited the lands of man. It is much different than what I expected."

  Dongoske laughed. "I'm sure the lands of man on your world are not normally like this," he said.

  A third person joined them. Though clad head to toe like everyone else, the newcomer was unmistakably female behind the helmet's transparent faceplate.

  “[We're ready for him now.]”

  "Okay then. Tuki, we're going through."

  "Very well." He followed his companions. "What is that?" he asked as he stepped through the silver sheen. "What is it for?"

  "We don't really know the answer to either of those questions, Tuki. Maybe the two worlds need to be divided, or something."

  "The two worlds?"

  "I'm sorry, I should explain. This door leads between worlds. Between your world and the world of my people."