The two guards nodded then said in tandem, "Aye Colonel." The gate opened and Brownie was again running at a great stride. As Landaus struggled to keep his head up the rain and wind buffeted his exposed face as they galloped off into the darkness. The roaring sound played havoc with his senses as he struggled to make his way. Using the faint glow of moonlight that somehow filtered through the heavy cloud his eyes strained to ascertain the familiar landmarks from the shadows. He held tightly to the reins for he could not well see the ground beneath Brownie's hooves. Despite his fear and reservations he pushed onward. His plan was a simple one. He would first check on the places where young Ibsen would frequent. In his minds eye he had identified the likely places, these were however quickly exhausted. For Each time he came upon one of these usual haunts, he was no where to be found. Despite the conditions and his growing frustration he knew now he would need to go farther a field. As he roved out he thought long and hard: where in the world could his boy be hiding? Trying to imagine the reason how he could have gotten so far off the beaten path, the scenarios played out over and over in his head. There was, he remembered those set of caves where they had once camped. Perhaps it was there, if caught off guard where he may have sought shelter? These caves were perhaps an hour's ride into the valley under ideal conditions. It would now take him considerably longer to reach it.
There between the twin peaks that dominated the landscape lay the central valley. Rocky and forbidding the mossy wood was hidden, shrouded in the thick veil of night. If itwas eerily ominous to travel through this place in the light of day, it was doubly so now in the midst of an evening gale. Howling through the pass the wind and rain beat heavily at his back. Undeterred he moved onward, powered forth by his sure footed and keen eyed mare. In the darkness with Landaus leading brownie, they clung closely onto the well worn trail. Deeper as they traveled, though the incessant rain still was falling heavily, they were sheltered from the worst of it by the blanket of foliage around them. Even the storm's terrible sounds were mostly baffled by the cloak of forest.
After a while Brownie came to a point where she hesitated. She had done as she was trained to do, as they had apparently come to a fork in the road. Observing this, Landaus shined his light onto the road. There he came to recognize the familiar landmarks. Reflecting back in his torch light stood the naked hulk of a long dead oak. Its presence there he had previously noted only recently. He looked down upon the pathway. He realized that any visible sign of Ibsen having passed this way would certainly have been washed away by now. Lacking any strong evidence to the contrary, he was forced to continue following his instincts. He had an overwhelming feeling that Ibsen would be there waiting for him. He would follow the path on the left. Up a ways longer he knew that there would soon be another well worn path that would lead to the cave entrance. With his eyes pealed he followed the torchlight as it meandered along the ground before him. Suddenly he came upon a break in the foliage that revealed yet another path. Brownie as if tuned to his intentions, instinctively turned onto the path. Within the space of a few hundred meters the dark silhouette of the rising terrain began to come into view. Through darkness, the light of a flickering fire began to shine like a beacon. It had to be Ibsen, there could be little doubt.
His prayers had been answered. Framed there within the opening of the cave Ibsen saw the image of his father atop of old Brownie. In that instant all fear and anxiety that had so possessed the boy had dissolved. Landaus carefully led the horse into the cave and stepped down off the saddle. Ibsen upon seeing his father's outstretched arms ran toward his embrace. "I'm sorry father. I was caught off guard by the storm. I came here for shelter." The reunion was one of relief. There would be time for repercussions later. For now the knowledge that he was safe and sound was enough. "It's alright boy, you did the right thing. All that matters now is that you are safe. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. Ok son this storm is not going anywhere for sometime so we can't wait here for it to end. So let's stop wasting time and get out of here. What do you say boy?" He gave him the spare set of rain gear. He put his foot back in the stirrup and lifted himself up in one movement. "Put this on and let's get a move on." Ibsen finished fastening the snaps and pulled the hood of his coat up over his head. "Are you ready? With a nod Ibsen acknowledged that he was. His father lifted him up onto the horse. "Hold on tight son I don't want to lose you again if I can help it." When he felt his arm holding tight around him he knew all would be alright. The rest of the journey would be but an inconvenience.
For three days and nights the inhabitants there witnessed havoc unleashed. Beset by high winds, heavy rain, and storm surges the island was pummeled. This storm unlike any in memory had in that short time caused much physical disturbance to this fragile coast. From the roiling waters a great churning at the sea bottom had brought forth many things once lost in the depths. On the forth day the clouds had lifted and the morning sun again arose. The people too arose from there hiding places. Soon it would be business as usual. For the time being however there would be much work left to be done.
That morning unknown to his father, Ibsen had awoken early and made his way out towards the beach. While the skies were still dark he braved the early chill as the last of the churning sea subsided. He stood there before the purple darkness with the sounds of crashing waves filling his ears. As he searched, his way was made easier by dawning of the new day. The sun on this day had crested the horizon and had begun to paint the world in golden swaths of light. To his amazement, he could easily see where upon these reformed beaches now lay the remnants of items long ago lost to the sea. There about his well tanned feet were lain the debris of a hundred ship wrecks. Some bits of worm burrowed wood, blacked by ages and other bits seemingly untouched by time were there intermingled. For a while he wandered there. His excitement grew as he spied with his keen eye what could only be the unmistakable glint of coinage. He ran toward it only to discover as he drew closer that his eyes had tricked him. It was not a coin at all he had found there, but rather a small shining piece of a larger object still locked beneath the sand. Confident he had made a significant find, he made the risky choice of leaving it behind to fetch his father. He knew he would not be pleased, but this he thought would be worth the trouble. So he ran up across the beach then on to the cobbled roadway. He did not stop until he had reached his house. There he found his father as he prepared himself for his day at work. As Colonel of the guard he also held the position as an assistant to the royal governor. He took great pains to look the part as his duties would require it. He was startled then as Ibsen ran in and spoke excitedly, "Father I've found something on the beach."
"You have? What could it be I wonder?" Father said playfully as he stood adjusting his waistcoat in the mirror. Ibsen sensed from the tone in his father's voice that he did not understand what he had meant. So he spoke again though this time with more clarity. "Father you must come with me right now, I have discovered something like I have never seen before. We need to dig it up right now before someone else finds it!" Landaus having noticed upon his sons young face a look of excitement the likes of which he had never before seen. Now he was prepared to listen. "You say you've found something? What is it?" "You mustsee." Ibsen said. He continued to pull insistently on his father's shirt sleeve as he spoke. This last bit of theatrics did the trickand soon he was following after his young son as he made a mad dash back to the site of his discovery. So taken was he by his sons pleas, he had forgotten for the moment all about his busy work schedule.
By this time morning had come at long last with all its fullness. There now about the beach as was the custom after such a storm, these island inhabitants began combing the beaches, looking for those bits of treasure that were periodically freed from the depths. There they found littered many a strange and exotic item. This storm unlike any other had brought forth an unexpected bonanza. Many of these odd objects separated from their context, were unidentifiable. Despite this, these items were well soug
ht after. These trinkets had for centuries been collected and traded. Over the years some of the more remarkable of these strange objects had made it into the hands of museums and collectors. Oddly many of these pieces were devoid of a history. To most this only added to their allure.
After some time Landaus spied Ibsen's shock of black hair and white tunic shining in the distance. Upon seeing his father, Ibsen began waving his arms wildly and calling to him. Landaus began to walk briskly and then trot as his son's exuberance was catching. A moment later he was there. On his knees Ibsen using his hands as a shovel in the soft wet sand. "What do we have here then?" said Landaus. Without saying a word Ibsen proceeded to dig through the sand. For a moment his father watched as Ibsen's small hands moved the earth in a fevered pitch. Caught up in the frenzy of his son's discovery Landaus dropped to his knees and joined him. Not before very long, was there summoned from below the surface of the sand, the outline of a highly polished metallic object. From what could be seen they could not easily identify it. "By Jove Ibsen I do believe you've found something here." His father told him in a prideful tone. By this time a group of curious onlookers began to assemble there. In their growing excitement or curiosity the crowd was now coming too close for comfort. Landaus sensing the potential value of such a discovery began then to look upon them with concerned suspicion. Wishing not to alarm young Ibsen to the danger he now sensed, he grasped onto his arm and calmly got his attention. With a clear and distinct voice he spoke to him. "Ibsen my boy be a good lad now and run along to the guard station by the lord mayors office. I need you to tell them that we may have a situation here of national importance. Tell them I will need several armed guards here right away. Tell them it's by order of the royal governor's office."
"But father I found this treasure." "I know you did, and it was good work finding it too. It's just that I think you found something really important and we're going to need help here. Do you understand son?"
"I think so father."
"Ok then do you remember what I told you?"
"Yes father I do."
"OK then lets be a good little boy and high tail it." He gave him a swat on the rump and he was off as fast as his legs would take him. The crowd there spurred on perhaps by the promise of fortune seemed to edge closer. Landaus looking into their steely eyes foresaw there a tide of greed and mayhem rising around him. He feared his words would not long hold them back. When Ibsen was out of earshot Landaus removed from his vest pocket a small pistol. Staring blankly into their greedy eyes he pointed his weapon at them menacingly. With all the sound of authority he could muster, he ordered them back. "By order of the royal governor's office I order you all to stand back and disperse. As if startled from a trance, the shocked crowd began to heed his warning. Some among them who perhaps needed more convincing saw there by the expression in his eyes, that he had meant business.
For a tense moment Landaus could not be sure if his threat would be heeded. He however would not slacken his resolve. Then Landaus heard the familiar sounds of marching feet moving in quick step order, growing louder in the distance. Another moment later a contingent of guards that had followed closely behind on Ibsen's heals had arrived. Landaus, without hesitation gave the order, "Push these people off the beach." There the guards soon made their presence known by pushing back the crowd, cordoning off, and securing the area. One among their number stood out from the rest. The Sergeant fresh from official duties was still dressed in his ceremonial uniform when he answered the call. He was, stepped to attention before Landaus and spoketo him. "Sergeant of the guard, at your service sir, what else can we do for you?" To which he crisply responded, "At ease Sergeant Wren and thank you for arriving so quickly. I was worried there for a minute. Now I'm going to need you to assign some of your men to gather shovels, ropes and tackle. Have them return here as soon as possible." The sergeant nodded, clicked his heels and said, "Aye Colonel."
After a little while the tools had been gathered and with clock work precision the sergeant began dividing the labor amongst his men. The men responded in kind. Several of them ran back in the direction of the citadel to retrieve the needed tools, while others set up an armed perimeter. In all the excitement Landaus had not had an opportunity to examine the object as closely as he would have liked to. Now as order had been imposed, he stood with Ibsen at his side peering with curious eyes onto what they had found. There within its sandy grave lay a shiny metallic cylinder. With the layers of sand removed they could get a proper look at it. Landaus reckoned that it was perhaps six meters long and roughly one in circumference. Its seamless surface was unmarred by the passage of time. They watched the sunlight dance upon its surface as it gleamed with the reflective quality of liquid mercury. Ibsen knelt down again and placed his hand upon the object feeling its surface. It was warm to the touch and it seemed to emanate an almost in audible low frequency hum. This sense intensified when one was in direct contact with it. Ibsen spoke excitedly, "Father you can feel it sing." To this strange statement Landaus thought it prudent to investigate. Upon laying his hands upon the object, he too felt its shifting resonance. He turned to Ibsen smiling and said, "It did feel as if it were singing."
Soon the guards baring the needed tools arrived, accompanied by the lord mayor himself. The men there soon began to erect a scaffold stout enough to support the weight. With hand tools the three large beams were notched and tied into a simple A-frame. The ropes and pulleys were attached and the hoist was pushed into and upright position and lowered into the previously dug holes.
While this construction continued Grunhuf, the lord mayor of Baldur approached Landaus as he stood with his son watching the construction of a hoist. He was middle aged and a little soft in the mid section. He would often wear loosely fitting garments to hide this fact. Today would not be the exception. He was wearing the uniform of his office a royal blue set of trousers and a lapel less jacket. Over his shoulder was draped a gold brocade sash that was the symbol of his position. Atop his balding head was a crow's nest of curly grey hair that fluttered in the breeze coming off the beach. He spoke to them, "Greetings to you Landaus, and to you, young Ibsen." "Lord Mayor what a pleasant surprise." "I doubt it was either a surprise, or that it's pleasant." To which Landaus reacted with a hearty laugh. Ibsen looked on confused by the interaction. Grunhuf was similar in age to Landaus, that's however where the similarities ended. For years they had managed to work through there differences for the sake of Baldur and in doing so had grown close. Grunhuf as lord mayor perhaps took his position as such a bit too seriously. Though the position was for the most part ceremonial he insisted that his input be included on the major issues. This one sticking point sometimes irked Grunhuf when it came to Landaus was that he preferred to act first and discuss later.
This time Landaus would take all the consultation he could get. So he asked him. "Grunhuf what do you make of this object?" Grunhuf put his hand on his chin and pondered a moment before he answered. "Well firstly, it is plain that though this object had been wrought by men, it was not a product of our making. There currently existed no technology capable of such sublime mastery of material. This object is without precedent."
"Now how then can one tell the antiquity of such an object if it has no precedent?" Landaus asked. "Why do you ask question of which you already know the answer?" Gesturing toward the debris The Mayor responded, "We've been finding these objects for centuries and we know no more now than ever. I dare say however that this find is by far the most interesting and complete object ever discovered, excluding the crystal room of course." An expression of surprise came over Grunhuf's face as he realized the significance.
"I see where you're going with this. Surely if this object and the crystal room are from the same culture, there should be some reference to it there. That's a good point we should make this information known to chief mistress Xora keeper of the books as soon as it is practical."
They watched as after much delay the shining silver object drawn by c
art animals and makeshift pulleys, began to rise slowly upward. Ibsen watched in rapt attention as the primitive mechanism moved the seemingly unmovable. Before long it was standing erect on its three wing shaped legs. These legs to Ibsen's untrained eye looked not unlike the flights on an arrow. After this was accomplished the draft cart was repositioned and the hoist was rearranged. Soon the object was again lying on its side in the back of a sturdy cart. The men then carefully tied the cylinder down with stout rope to secure it for the trip back to Breideblic. Ibsen climbed upon the cart so to stake his claim. He rode along as the cart made its bumpy ride up the causeway. His father following the procession, watched as Ibsen waved from the cart as it slowly rose into the distance. Beneath the stone arch of the citadel the procession passed. Seemingly the whole of the town was there present to witness its arrival. The work men again raised the hoist and lowered the object on the flat stone surface of the central courtyard. This common area, it being the largest outside space within the walls was an apt place for its display. By now quite a commotion had been stirred and the people pressed in close to see it. Upon Landaus's arrival there he ordered the guards to again form a perimeter around the object. He ordered the workmen to use the beams and ropes from the hoist to form a simple barrier behind which no one save Ibsen could go beyond, at least for the time being. It was hoped that here the object would go unmolested.
A Paradox in Retrograde Page 2
