by Mark Boliek
Chapter 16
The children, still entrenched in the story I told, hardly noticed the storm that was still brewing outside the house. Lightning cracked and streamed through the sky in long, jagged bolts. Thunder clapped nearby and the percussion rattled the windows of Warhead Dale.
“JT guzzled his water,” I continued. “The sun beat down on the faces of JT and Kali scorching their cheeks, and the sand and dust kicked up by the galloping chariot they occupied, dried and cracked the inside of their nostrils.
Every once in a while, JT tried to rise to his feet, but the occasional bump the speeding, rumbling chariot rocketed over threw him immediately back down on his bottom. He wanted to find out more information about the man with the frizzy, black beard that yanked Kali and him from the desert floor. He also wanted to see where they were going.
What seemed like an hour of fruitlessly trying to labor to his feet, he glanced at Kali who was sitting as still and as calm as possible. She blankly stared at the floor of the chariot nervously sipping the water from her canteen. He then panned to the heavens above him.
The sky was a beautiful, bright, crisp blue, and as the time slipped by, it turned to a slightly darker shade, and then after more time, a deep navy blue. The stars of the Bruinduer dusk popped out in tiny dots that mimicked diamonds dancing and twinkling in velvet. Soon after, the sky cloaked in black, and the desert night air chilled.
JT pondered the stars much like he had when he was sitting in the back of Michael’s big, blue car on their way to Warhead Dale. His thoughts bounced and jumbled in his mind as an unknown amount of time passed.
He remembered what Kali had said as she stood crying in the desert earlier. She was right. It was indeed odd that they had entered into Bruinduer as fourteen year olds but still had the same thoughts and feelings of someone the age of twenty-three. He didn’t want to tell Kali that he thought it was strange too, because he promised and assured her that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He felt if he started to look weak in her eyes, they both could be in serious trouble. He wanted her to have full faith in him and that he could handle anything that might come along during their adventure. Of course, he also didn’t want her to know that in his mind he knew he had no idea what he was doing.
He wondered about Louise and Gregory. He wondered what they might be doing on the farm. Were they thinking of him, or were they trying to find someone to help plow the fields under for fall? After a moment, JT snickered to himself because he knew Gregory and Louise would never have believed what was happening to him at the moment.
He thought also that it would have been much easier to deal with his predicament if he was still on the farm; especially knowing Gregory would be there. He could just go to the jolly man and ask him what to do. He thought about the time he lost the keys to one of the tractors out on the Ol’ 22 in the dead of summer. Gregory nonchalantly went to the tractor, pulled out his pocket knife, and climbed beneath it. He tapped some sort of metal object and miraculously the tractor started with no problem. Gregory somehow in his wisdom always made everything seem so easy, but this time JT knew he would have to figure out what to do on his own. He thought about George, the horse, and hoped he was OK.
The chariot’s wheels screeched and slid across the sand coming to an abrupt halt. JT and Kali were thrown to the front of the chariot with a loud thud; the boards of the chariot’s floor scrapped and raked by exposed skin. The man with the frizzy beard laughed out loud and then pulled the two to their feet.
As JT and Kali stood up they were encased with thick, choking dust. After a few moments, the cloud of dirt dissipated and a small eloquent village appeared around them.
The village contained small brick huts and shops that lined the hardened sand streets and was very clean. Strings of small white lights streamed and zigzagged over the thoroughfares illuminating the multitude of people crammed together walking about in a very jovial mood. The women wore fine, colorful dresses of silk. Jewelry of the finest gold and precious stones hung from their necks and arms. The men wore colorful overshirts laden with golden thread draped just past their waists. The cloth of their knickers stopped just below their knees tightly fitted to their thighs, and their brown or black boots hid the rest of their lower legs. The men also wore small, white turbans that were wound very tightly atop their heads, and the women wore flowing head scarves that danced in the brisk breeze with every graceful step.
The town was covered in elaborate waterfalls and large, brilliant golden fountains that poured water out of their various holes. There were jets of water streaming from the blowholes of golden whales. Other streams shot out of the mouths of different characters such as angels, jesters, and a plethora of assorted animals.
There were fountains that were timed to spout water out at certain intervals and the people danced around them with joy; some people counted beats with their fingers and then pointed at the water jet that was supposed to be released. The faces of all of the people were wide with smiles and the cool, illuminated night air was full of laughter.
With some sort of mystical order, the people started to congregate and shuffle in one direction walking away and not acknowledging JT, Kali, and the men, horses, and chariots that had picked them from the desert.
‘Where are we?’ asked JT. The man with the frizzy, black beard laughed and slapped JT on the back.
‘In Godwin of course, my friend,’ said the man matter-of-factly. ‘The land of fountains and gardens.’
‘And who are you?’ JT asked the man as his questioning gained momentum. The large man then smiled larger.
‘How rude of me.’ The man stood very straight. ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ he answered in a very English voice. ‘My name is Leer, Atal Leer. I am the leader of the Bronze Brigade in the army of Godwin.’
‘What in the world?’ JT became very concerned and confused.
‘We can all talk about this later. First we need to get you ready for the celebration.’ Atal leapt from the chariot and gently helped Kali and JT down from the transport.
‘What celebration is that?’ asked JT as though he could not help himself with his questioning.
‘Why, the treaty that was signed with Triton. There is peace in the valley tonight. It is time to dance.’ Atal kicked his feet in the air and snapped his fingers. He then joyfully led Kali and JT into a leveled, brick home just off the street.
As they passed through the opening, a handful of women dressed in fine silk dresses took ahold of Kali and seemingly glided her into a room on one side of the home. A band of four men donned with the same type outfit as the men he saw in the street earlier, took JT’s arm and entered a room on the other side.
The house was quite comfortable with large, red pillows that lined the walls. Fine, elaborate rugs lay about the floor, their colors making the rooms warm and inviting. Strong woven mats where dishes were placed for eating sat in front of the pillows. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling lit by candlelight and lush green vines with healthy leaves wrapped around paintings of beautiful landscapes that littered the walls. The sound of water rushing through the walls and out of spouts within the house soothed the senses. The ambiance of the home was welcomed by JT. It was a relief from staring at the vast emptiness of the never-ending wasteland of a brutal burning desert.
JT was taken into a room that was actually a bath. Brown tile covered all lit surfaces. A few mirrors hung from the walls and were fogged by a light, steamy warming mist that filled the room.
The men, a pair of twins who could only be told apart by the fact that one wore a diamond in his left ear and the other wore a diamond in his right ear; a fat man whose overshirt didn’t quite cover his large hairy belly; and a skinny man with slanted eyes and a long, pencil-thin mustache, abruptly stripped JT of his clothing and threw him to the middle of the bath’s floor. The twins disappeared into a small closet and emerged with two huge silver buckets of water. They doused JT. JT let out a yelp as the scalding water painted his skin. The men all laughed
and began to sing a deep enchanting song; the fat man missing a few of the higher notes as his chuckle became even louder.
There was no time for JT to react to any of the men’s movements or actions. Everything happened very fast. By the time he wanted to complain about one thing, such as dousing him with hot water, two of the men started something else.
The fat man and skinny man tackled JT and outstretched his arms and legs. They rubbed his shoulders and legs relentlessly. After a few moments of intense pressure, the fat man grabbed a coarse brush and began to scrub JT with a dense, abrasive soap. The man laughed and snorted with every forceful, painful stroke. JT’s skin wrenched every time the fat man made a pass with the brush and tears began to well up in his eyes.
The twins then appeared from the closet again, and without so much of a pause to let JT recover from the sting he felt from the fat man’s scrubbing, unremorsefully drenched JT with another burning supply of water. The skinny man then scrubbed JT’s head with lumpy shampoo that exploded with the smell of raspberries, and then another splash of hot water from the twins.
The men continued their song as they dried off JT. The twins vanished into the closet one last time and then came into the bath with a blue, silk overshirt and white knickers. They dressed JT quickly and then placed his feet into long brown boots. As they led him from the bath they wrapped his head in a fine, tight white turban.
The twins, fat man, and skinny man guided JT back into the main room of the house where Atal Leer was sitting on one of the big, puffy, red pillows with his legs crossed smiling adoringly at JT. He appeared as though he too had been bathed, because JT noticed small red and purple welts upon his shoulders by his neck. It was apparent someone had attacked him with a coarse brush as well.
The four jovial men then turned and skipped out of the house and down the dirt streets of Godwin following where the other people had gone, still singing their enchanting song. JT could hear the fat man laughing with every step.
JT plopped down beside Atal on another large red pillow and waited with him without saying a word. They partook in a fruity juice that JT believed to be kiwi and Atal stared toward the room where Kali had been led by the handful of women.
‘I want to know if you know where my friend Mich—’ JT began, but then suddenly stopped as Atal gestured his hand toward JT’s mouth.
JT turned his eyes in the direction of the room where Atal was staring. A slight rush of wind rustled the plants in the main room from the door opening. A sudden high‑pitched tone sounded, and the four women that guided Kali into the adjacent room glided into JT and Altal’s presence in dance. They swirled about gesturing gracefully with their legs, arms, and hands. Their fine silk dresses flowed with every move their various limbs and hips made. Each body was like a beautiful enchanted snake that slithered from side to side manipulated by the most skilled charmer.
The high-pitched whistle turned into a soothing song that lured JT into a trance. Then Kali stepped through the door. The four women quickly scurried out of the room breaking the concentration of JT and Atal forcing them to focus their attention directly onto Kali. They slid out into the Godwin streets just as the four men before had done; singing and dancing their way to their appointed destination.
As if someone had punched him in the stomach, JT lost his breath as Kali walked into the room. A tingle flew through his body like a runaway spark.
Her skin was milky white, with no sign of a violent brush scraping across it. She wore a long, blue, silk dress and her red hair cascaded elegantly down the middle of her back in curls. Her eyes burned bluer than blue, and JT this time had to catch himself before he completely lost himself. He had never seen such a beautiful creature and then his mind wandered. He could never recall or even fathom a time when he had felt enamored like this.
JT found himself catching a memory or fanciful daydream. He felt himself running barefoot in freshly cut grass. He turned to his right and saw Kali chasing him with a long red ponytail bouncing and twirling with every step. He stopped and whirled to his left and saw Warhead Dale in all of its glory shining in the mid afternoon sun; its body immaculate and its grounds kempt.
‘CLAP!’ echoed through JT’s head. He snapped awake. He was still sitting in Bruinduer beside Atal Leer and Kali flopped on a red plush pillow across from them.
‘Are you OK my friend?’ Atal looked at JT with a smile on his face.
‘Uhh…’ mumbled JT.
‘What?’ Kali announced with frustration. ‘I look that bad? You didn’t even acknowledge that I walked in the room!’
‘Yes - uh, I mean no - no, of course you don’t look that bad...’ JT’s voice quivered.
JT thought about the way he was acting. He couldn’t understand that at twenty-three he was acting like a fourteen year old. His thoughts then accessed the fact that he couldn’t remember what it was like being a fourteen year old, but now being in a fourteen-year-old body, it was quite awkward. He really wished he knew what he was doing. His mind froze.
‘Not that bad, huh, but bad?’ Kali barked with concern. She looked toward Atal and mumbled, ‘I don’t want to be here anyway.’
JT thought hard on what to say to her. What had he done wrong? He then decided that it might be better if he just kept quiet. He turned toward Atal very casually.
‘Now that I have your attention,’ began Atal with a chuckle. ‘I just wanted to welcome you back to this beautiful land beyond your dreams and to the newly formed Godwin.’
‘What in the world is Godwin?’ JT asked. ‘I thought we were in Bruinduer.’
‘Yes, Godwin is a new kingdom within Bruinduer, created by his Majesty - The First from Eden,’ Atal continued with a still rather large smile. ‘He had help of course from the Council of Common in this bold endeavor, but this new kingdom would never have been possible without our gracious friends from the North in the kingdom of Triton.’
‘OK,’ JT said, ‘Well what does that have to do with us?’ JT snuck a quick peek at Kali and then back to Atal. ‘Do you know where our friend Michael is?’
‘Questions, questions my friend. You will find out everything you need to know in a matter of time.’ Atal raised his glass of kiwi juice in cheers to Kali and JT.
‘What do you know? Like I’ve never heard that before.’ JT shook his head and glanced back at Kali who was piercing JT with an annoyed stare. They both reluctantly raised their glasses tapping Atal’s glass. JT and Kali downed their juice, waiting and wondering what they should do next.
A lapse of fifteen hushed minutes passed. During that time, JT awkwardly gaped at Kali and then turned away as though he had no interest. In reality, he didn’t want to take his eyes off of her. Kali scanned around the room at all of the pictures of broad, vast landscapes. Atal kept his eyes shut and pointed forward. With his legs crossed and elbows upon his thighs, it would be well assumed that the man with the coarse, bushy, black beard was in deep meditation.
Kali caught JT ogling her and began to shout very unladylike obscenities toward him. JT stuttered, and just as he tried to explain his action by attempting to string words with any morsel of comprehension together, Atal suddenly opened his eyes and announced, ‘It is time.’
Atal slapped JT on the shoulder and rose to his feet. JT lurched forward and coughed in pain. Atal then delicately reached for Kali’s hand and pulled her to her feet. ‘We shall go to the feast!’
Atal led JT and Kali out of the quaint, comfortable home and onto the illuminated streets of Godwin. It was dead silent in the village as they walked away from the parked chariots and horses.
They silently passed by small shops that were open to the fresh air exposed to the elements. Assorted knickknacks and books, bags of peanuts, candy, and tea sat neatly on their stands undisturbed. Cups and pans hung from hooks to be sold. Newspapers in their boxes freshly printed for the evening festivities displayed across their headings, ‘There will be Feast and Dance Tonight!’
No one was in sight, but it was pe
aceful since all was well. They walked past a building that looked like a massive library and a theatre with large, strong, ornate columns and roofs. JT and Kali were in awe of what they saw. The village and kingdom seemed rather prosperous and they could not help but wonder where they were going. Their hearts fluttered with excitement. After some time had passed and more wonderful sights went by their eyes, they reached the outer part of the kingdom.
The overhead zigzagging strings of lights gave way to luminaries that lined the dirt path. The three started to make their way up a hill. After a few minutes, JT noticed that they were walking on the edge of a very steep inclining cliff. To his right, and with his eyes adjusting to his surroundings, he could see the vastness of dark and endless space.
‘It is dark, but as far as you can see -- The Desert of Share,’ Atal spoke up. The wind twisted about in their silk garments.
In the grand, hollow, black distance through the night sky, JT saw lights that littered a mountainside miles and miles away. About halfway between him and the steep lighted mountainside, two strings of lights strung parallel from each other, both dipping like nontaut wire. Though the ribbons of lights must have been some distance away from him, JT concluded that the illuminated structure was immense.
‘The lights you see there in the distance are part of The Bridge of Common. It is a very large and vital structure. The meaning of its importance is too in depth to be explained now,’ Atal spoke after noticing JT’s eyes glance out at the vast darkness.
They walked on and on, higher and higher up the side of the cliff. Over the crest of the hill they climbed, the sky burst brighter and brighter. Passing the top, JT’s mouth dropped open.
In front of Kali, JT, and Atal there was an enormous, ornate, glowing castle. Multiple buildings and huts of clay seizing JT’s curiosity lay sturdy and evenly around it. The piers of the castle grew tall in the inky black night and on top, like the heads of mushrooms, domes of gold and ivory blasted in brilliance, shaming the darkness as beams from below shone upon them. As they got closer to this citadel, the night appeared to turn to day.
Larger fountains than JT had ever seen surrounded the castle. Colossal angels and eagles with wingspans of at least 100 feet posed gracefully and reverently with giant plumes of water cascading and exploding over their golden bodies.
When Kali, JT, and Atal reached the bottom steps of the castle, its huge golden doors swung open and a group of fifty men wearing silk overshirts, pristine knickers, dark boots, crisp white turbans, and donning long, black leather sheathes by their sides ran out and lined the entrance on either side down the steps. The two columns of men halted to where Kali and JT stood. Atal motioned for the duo to stay outside and made his way up the steps.
‘Attention!’ echoed from the distance and all fifty men pulled long, spectacular silver swords from their leather sheathes and formed a sparkling tunnel to the doorway.
Kali looked at JT and JT looked up toward Atal who turned around when he reached the top of the steps. The man who plucked them from the desert motioned his hand for the two to start their assent under the tunnel of swords.
JT placed his arm in a hook and snickered. Kali glared at him with angst and with an obvious ungrateful heavy thrust, locked arms with JT. They gingerly walked under the tunnel of swords, up the staircase, and through the huge golden entrance of the castle.
Standing directly in front of JT, just as he crossed the threshold, he saw a solid line of people of all sizes, shapes, and colors in front of him. The subjects gazed at him and Kali with a devout admiration and sighed and smiled. Their eyes widened as they approached even closer.
JT was over six feet tall when he was twenty-three, but now in the body of a fourteen year old, found himself to be a bit shorter. He couldn’t see over the people around or in front of him.
He and Kali shuffled a few steps forward toward the line of people, not really knowing what to do. As they stepped closer, the people began to part to their left and right engulfing what they admired. A deafening, distinct silence fell around them. The duo walked further inside the castle, and the people kept spreading. JT felt his heart rush. He was dumfounded as he discovered the decor of the castle. His brain was a vacuum.
Huge ivory columns rose from the floor and met in arches above his head. Large detailed painted murals of battle scenes, peaceful days of summer, and landscapes danced across the ceiling, including one of a very large and magnificent steel bridge. Immense stained glass windows spread generously across the great hall’s walls and a mosaic of colors glistened across them from the artificial light from outside, casting their brilliant strokes over the crowd of people.
Closer and closer to the other side of the great hall, Kali and JT made their way through the myriad of subjects who continued to part bowing slightly with smiles of appreciation dressing their faces. They clasped their hands and pointed them toward JT and Kali; the only sound being heard was the shuffling of feet on polished marble as the people filled in behind them.
Soon, JT and Kali could go no farther. After the last few people spread apart, a small timid boy who sat on a large throne made of gold, silver, and dressed with precious stones, stood from its large, red, plush cushions. As he came to his feet, the crowd in the castle’s hall fell to their knees and bowed.
The boy wore a jeweled crown with small strings of black hair poking from beneath it. In his hand he held a golden scepter with red rubies and emeralds scattered about its shaft. On the tip of the boy’s nose was the bridge of thick, brown, horn-rimmed glasses.
‘Welcome,’ the boy announced with a lisp.
JT turned to Kali and then slowly back to the boy standing with an almost countless number of people bowing before him. It was Michael.
JT lifted his chin straight up at the tall arching ceiling and then immediately back to the floor. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’”
