I started to take a few steps forward when Jake said, “Wait Em. Don’t go yet.”
“Why?”
“Well, I just. . . I don’t know how long you’ll be there,” he said. “Or when you’ll come back.”
“Or if I’ll come back,” I said. I could feel tears coming into my eyes. Jake looked like he might cry too.
“You’ll come back, Em,” Fanny said. “I know you will.”
“I hope so. I’ll miss you guys.”
“We’ll wait for you,” said Jake. “As long as it takes, we’ll wait for you.”
“Look, it may be like I’m in and out in a second, or it may be years. Time may be weird there. Anyway, if I’m not back in a few hours, go to town and get a room. Take care of yourselves. Promise me that, okay. That you’ll take care of yourselves.”
“We promise,” they both said.
“Okay, then wish me luck,” I said as we all hugged a last goodbye.
“Good luck Em,” they both said.
It was like I was on a conveyor belt. Somehow I was moving, but I don’t remember telling my legs to go forward. I was drawn to the silvery mist billowing out of that little cave. Step by step I drew closer. I heard the hawk call out. I felt like every hair on my body was standing on end. My heart beat so fast, it felt like it would explode in my chest.
The breeze picked up as clouds started to block out the moon’s rays. The wind began to blow my long hair all around, and the chilly air only increased the already copious goose bumps on my body.
As I crossed the threshold between our world and this new world, I could hear the same low humming noise that I had heard when Hindergog first appeared to me. Was that just three days ago? It seemed like a million years since I’d first seen the little guy.
Then the humming began to sound more like a buzzing. What was that sound? It seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Then it came to me. It was the sound that electricity makes, like when you’re near power lines. Was I going to be electrocuted?
You have to understand that even though it seemed like I was walking in slow motion and a jillion things were going on at once, this all happened quite fast. It was just like a minute, two at most. And while I felt like my heart would explode, and my hairs were going to leap off my body, and that I might be electrocuted, I began to have a thought.
What if I’m going to what people call the ‘other side’? What if there really are spirits of the dead and I’m going to the place where they live?
And if there is such a place, maybe my mom is there. And if she is there, maybe I’ll be able to see her again! With that thought, I picked up my feet and crossed the threshold between two worlds.
25. Emily and the Netherworld
As I entered the portal, I expected to be in a wormhole kind of thing like I’ve seen in movies. You know like I’d be sucked into a colorful vortex of swirling light. I imagined that I’d feel like I was being pulled apart or maybe I’d disintegrate and then come back together (hopefully!) when I got there.
It wasn’t like that at all. Actually, I was disappointed in the journey. I just walked from one world to another. I knew that I’d left our world only because I was surrounded by the same silvery mist and fog that we saw come out of the hole. The fog and mist was so thick, I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. I had walked into a dimension of fog!
I didn’t know what to do so I walked. At least I think I walked. It’s hard to describe, but when you can’t see anything in any direction – when you’re totally surrounded by mist and fog – you can’t tell if you’re moving or not. I was moving my legs, but I can’t say for sure that I went anywhere.
And there didn’t appear to be any ‘where’ to go. It felt like hours that I walked through the endless fog and mist. I was on the verge of some serious tears. What have I gotten myself into? I was stuck in a place of nothing, and I had no idea how to get out.
Through my tears I cursed Hindergog, the only one I could think of to blame for my misery. “Damn you Hindergog, you evil troll!”
Pretty much as soon as I had the words out of my mouth, I saw something different – a dark shape in front of me. It was coming closer and closer. As it approached, I recognized the familiar outline of his pointy ears sticking out of the top of his head.
“I am no troll, my young mistress.”
“Hindergog, oh thank God you are here,” I said as I hugged him. This time he was as solid as any person in our world. “I’ve never been gladder to see anyone in my life!”
Hindergog almost looked happy. It was incredible, he looked exactly the same in person as he did in the holographic projection. Same sad, droopy eyes. Same tweed vest and rolled up sleeves of his linen shirt. Same dog nose and odd pig like ears. I can’t say that Hindergog was cute because he was a bit ugly. But just then, he was the best-looking thing I’d ever seen.
“Hindergog, you’ve come to rescue me from this place, haven’t you?” I asked.
“Rescue you? From what?”
“This horrible nothing land that I’m stuck in! I was supposed to go to the Netherworld, but I don’t know how to get there.”
“You are in the Netherworld,” Hindergog said as he began walking.
I ran after him because I didn’t want to lose him in the fog.
“Hindergog, this doesn’t seem like a world at all. And where are these great teachers I’m supposed to ‘train’ with? I swear I’ve been here for hours walking, and I haven’t seen anyone or anything.”
“This is a decidedly different kind of world than you are used to, young Emily. Your teachers are here, as are other entities, but not nearly so many beings as in your world. Here, you will not have the interference of the creations of so many others.”
“Yeah, I don’t think interference of others is anything I’ve got to worry about here!”
“My young mistress, so human. Still seeing only with your eyes.”
“Well, I am accustomed to seeing with my eyes, yes. How the hell do you want me to see, with my spleen?”
“I can see that you are getting frustrated. . .”
“You think!”
“But please, dear mistress, try to calm yourself. There is more here than meets your human eye. We are on the way to meet your first teacher but let’s stop here for a moment. I don’t think the elders will mind if I give you a short lesson myself.”
I was happy to stop walking for a minute and to know that we were, in fact, headed somewhere. I was being a snotty brat and I knew it but I wasn’t in the mood to play nice. I felt like he had misled me into this strange and unpleasant place. It was like I had closed my eyes to sleep and when I opened my eyes a silvery cloud of fog had replaced my entire world. No color. No shapes. No light really but not dark either. Just a cloud of. . . nothing.
“Mistress Emily, I ask that you close your eyes for a moment. Good. Now, imagine in your mind a path before you to walk on. Make it any kind of path that you’d like. Make sure it’s solid and smooth so you won’t trip. Think only of your ideal walking path. Have you imagined it?”
I nodded my head.
“Good, now open your eyes.”
I did as Hindergog said and still found myself surrounded by fog. “Okay, that was fun. I’m still in a fog bank.”
“Look down.”
I looked down and there in front of me was a path - the path - that I had imagined. And seeing the path that I’d created - well it struck me so funny that I laughed out loud.
“What is so funny mistress? Do tell me why you laugh so.”
“Oh Hindergog, this is truly remarkable. I didn’t know what would happen, you know, so I imagined the first path that came to mind. . . and, well, it is from an old movie in my world. . .” I couldn’t even finish the sentence because I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.
There before me, just as perfect as if I was on the set of the original movie, was the yellow brick road. I’m not kidding. I imagined Dorothy’s yellow brick road, and there I was standing
on it.
After I finally calmed down my laughing, I pressed Hindergog on what had happened. “So, I imagined this path – this brick road – and it just appeared?”
“Yes.”
“Just like that, I imagine it and it appears here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you see it too?”
“No, I have my own path. They may look different, but at this moment, they are going to the same place.”
“So right now, when you look around you, are you seeing the same foggy cloud everywhere that I see?”
“No, not at all.”
“Amazing! So how do I get this place to look like something?”
“Well I should think that would be perfectly clear to you now!”
“You mean, I just imagine it?”
“Yes, Mistress Emily, you just imagine what you’d like to see. But heed my words of caution – be exceedingly careful of what you imagine here. In the Netherworld, there is no interference from others – no competition as it were – for creation and no buffer of time. Whatever you want to manifest will come about immediately. And you must beware of your own fear. A fearful mind can create truly awful things.”
I closed my eyes and imagined a sunny day, with just a few bright, white puffy clouds. I imagined green grass and rolling hills and flowers and trees.
I opened my eyes and there it was – exactly as I’d imagined it. My perfect day on Earth, complete with chirping birds and butterflies flitting from flower to flower.
Seeing the flowers reminded me of the reason I got my legs to walk me through that portal. These flowers were my mother’s paintings come to life. As if he could read my mind (and I found out later he could!), Hindergog coughed lightly. “Not all wishes can come true,” he said as he continued walking. I didn’t have time to ask him what he meant because I had to run after him so I wouldn’t lose him in the insubstantial space of the Netherworld.
I was practically skipping down a yellow brick road behind a man that looked like a dog crossed with a pig! I half expected to be going to the Emerald City and be chased by a wicked witch. No, don’t imagine that!
Follow the yellow brick road.
26. And Liam Makes Three - Again
Liam’s flight to Dublin was restless. His mind raced with thoughts of where exactly Emily could be and why she had gone to Ireland in the first place.
He arrived exhausted, but there was no time to waste. He searched from youth hostel to hostel hoping his guess about where they’d flop was correct. Liam got lucky and on his fifth try he found two familiar faces in the dark common room of an old hostel. Jake was busy at his laptop, and Fanny appeared to be asleep on a couch.
“Fanny, Jake – thank God I found you!”
There was Jake, his mouth hanging open almost to the floor but his tired, red-rimmed eyes smiled brightly. Fanny ran over and hugged him.
“What – how did you find us?” Jake asked.
“It’s a long story, but I got lucky I guess. Are you okay?”
“We’re fine Mr. Adams, really okay,” said Fanny.
Liam’s eyes roamed the room, hoping to see Emily, but she wasn’t there. “Where’s Emily? Still sleeping?”
Jake and Fanny exchanged guilty, worried looks. Liam suddenly felt nauseous.
“Emily’s not here?”
“Nah, she’s not,” Jake said.
“Well, where is she?”
Again they were silent.
“Look you two, this isn’t a game! All three of you are in serious trouble – now tell me where she is!”
Jake and Fanny again exchanged silent glances, but then Fanny nodded to Jake.
“Mr. Adams, what we have to tell you - well, it’s going to sound impossible, and you’re probably not going to believe us,” Jake said at last.
“Jake, in the last forty-eight hours my fourteen year old daughter ran away to Ireland, she assaulted my half-crazed sister, I had to calm down two mothers who are, by the way, close to hysterical, flew from Chicago to Dublin, I haven’t slept in over thirty-six hours and, oh yeah, I ran around Dublin looking for you guys. Try me.”
“Okay, but we need to go somewhere private. What we have to tell you ain’t for public consumption,” said Fanny.
Jake and Fanny took Liam to their small room. Fanny plopped stomach down on a bunk while Jake told him an incredible story about a visit from an alien creature and a golden arm bracelet and a portal. The story ended with Emily walking into a hole in the ground and disappearing into another dimension.
When Jake finished both he and Fanny stared at Liam expectantly. Liam sat silently, but Fanny and Jake could see Liam’s cheeks turn red, and a large vein in his neck began to bulge.
Finally Fanny cut the silence. “Well, what do you think?”
“What do I think? What do I think? I think my daughter’s missing, and you’re telling me this crazy story to stall me instead of telling me the truth. That’s what I think Fanny.
“Why are you two doing this? You think it’s a funny game to play – mess with Liam? Look, I know I haven’t been the father of the year, but this is a cruel joke to play on me. So what I think is that you two better cut out lying and tell me the truth or so help me, I’m turning you over to the police and let you deal with that!”
Fanny’s eyes filled with tears. Jake too looked like he might be on the verge of crying. With tears beginning to spill down her freckled cheeks, Fanny went to Liam, knelt down and took his hand in hers.
“Look, Mr. Adams, I’d like to tell you that Emily is in the bathroom hiding and that after you leave she’ll come out. I’d like to tell you that we decided to help her run away from you and her aunt. I’d like to tell you just about anything other than what Jake said but the truth is, we don’t have another story. Truth is, this is all we got.”
Liam pulled his hands from Fanny’s and slammed his fist on the table. “Well you better come up with something soon. I’m beyond losing patience!”
“What if we can show you proof of our story?” asked Jake.
“We’ve got proof?” queried Fanny.
“You have proof of a holographic alien and an alternate dimension?” Liam asked.
“Well I don’t know if it’s proof exactly, but we’ve got the box that the torc was buried in, still covered in grave soil.”
Jake dug in his backpack and handed Liam a small metal box. It was caked in dirt, but he could see an engraving on the top.
Liam took the box with shaking hands, held it and just stared at the engraved picture on the top. Tears came to his tired eyes.
“What’s the matter, Mr. Adams?” asked Fanny.
“This box – where did you get it? Did you take this from my house?”
Jake and Fanny gave each other confused looks. Liam could tell from their reaction that they had no idea what he was talking about.
“I told you Mr. Adams, the box is the one we found buried in the cemetery at Monasterboice. We can show you the grave too, and you can see that the ground was recently dug up,” offered Jake.
“Yeah, but I’d rather not go back there seein’ as how we’ll probably be arrested for grave robbing if we do,” said Fanny.
“You’re saying that you found this buried here, in Ireland, in an old grave?”
“Yeah, that’s what we’re saying!” said Fanny. “Look, I know you’re worried about Emily and wigging out with all this – we are too. But I’m not okay with you calling me a liar or threatening me so you either believe us or you don’t!”
“Fanny, cut it,” said Jake.
“No, I won’t cut it,” she replied. “We’ve got serious business to get to and we don’t have time to put up with this so you either believe us and will help –or you don’t!”
“Calm down Fanny,” Liam said, his voice now soft and warm. “I’m sorry – to you both. But look at it from my side. I’m a physicist for Christ’s sake. I deal in facts – logic. This makes no sense – none of it does. You’re asking me – this whole situati
on is asking me – to stop listening to reason. You’re asking me to. . .”
“Believe,” said Jake.
“Yes, well that’s not easy for me. Bridget was the believer.”
“It’s hard for us to believe too and we’ve been through it all. I still wonder if we actually saw Hindergog or maybe it was a dream that we all had or a hallucination. But then we came here and found things just like he said we would,” said Jake.
“Yeah and then we saw Emily walk through that portal. We had our doubts that it would open, but she put that torc on and then we were all staticky, and our hair was on end – that was real. It really happened to us. And then we saw the ground open up and the silvery fog coming out. . .” said Fanny.
“What, what are you saying about static and silver fog?”
“Well we all knew that we were onto something when we got to the real well because we all felt our hairs standing on end, you know, like when you rub a balloon on the hairs on your arm? Only it was like that all over our bodies, and we all felt it, right Fan?”
“True chiz, we all felt it. And there was no storm or lightening or anything.”
“And you saw a silver fog come out of the portal? What do you mean by silver?”
“You know, not grey or white – silver,” Jake said. “I know it’s kind of hard to picture – even harder to explain. But imagine that fog was rolling out of the hole, and it was like flowing liquid silver.”
“And this torc – the arm bracelet she put on. What was it made of?”
“I’m not sure. It looked gold, but it wasn’t like we did an analysis on it or anything. Why?”
Liam sat quietly then for a few minutes. To Fanny and Jake it almost looked as if he were in a trance. His synapses fired, his mind focused. There was something familiar in their description but Liam was just too tired to place it then.
“I’m not sure yet, but the static and silver fog and the gold bracelet – I think they’re connected and relevant, but I can’t put my finger on it right now.
“But let me tell you why I got choked up when I saw this box.”
Liam pulled Bridget’s notebook out of his bag and showed Fanny and Jake the drawing of the tree and torc.
Emily's House (The Akasha Chronicles) Page 12
