Amber

by Dan-Dwayne Spencer

  My jaw went slack. What was Roger up to? All I could figure was Roger played up the idea of the three of us going to town, so Jimmy would decide for himself to stay behind, but would he take the bait? If he did, then we could leave and find the book without him or Calypso being the wiser.

  Jimmy gave what Roger said some thought, then barked, “Hell no. I’m going to stay and help find the book. You and Loveless can buy the asbestos. You don’t need my help. I’ll be of more use here.”

  “You know Flower and Rose will be tending to the patients in the clinic and they will be busy all day. You probably won’t see your sweet Rose till late tomorrow evening.”

  “Oh, my.” Jimmy rolled his eyes. “How will I survive without her clinging to me all the time?”

  Flower whispered something to Rose. She scurried through the door and out to the commune.

  Jimmy’s brow furrowed. He suspected every whisper.

  “If you insist on staying, you can, but you can go with us if you want,” Roger offered.

  Jimmy straightened in his chair and asked, “How will you two get to town to buy asbestos? Roger, you can’t drive.”

  “No, but Arland can. Remember, he was going to drive for you.” Roger gave him a convincing smile, “Arland can drive the VW van.” He gave me a get with the program glare. “Right Arland?”

  “Oh right, Roger. I’ll drive the VW van tomorrow.” I sounded less convincing than Roger did. “We’ll get the asbestos and show the sheriff they can’t destroy the solar collectors.”

  With a knock on the makeshift door to the Roundhouse, in walked gray-headed, ponytailed Paul, and Rose trailed close behind him.

  Flower said, “Everyone this is Paul Heiliger. Paul is going to head the search for The Book of Uriel. Of course, Rose and I will take care of the clinic while Roger and Arland are in town.”

  Flower was a terrible liar. She gave Jimmy an awkward open hand wave that reminded me of a flopping fish.

  “Jimmy,”—Flower pointed her finger in his direction—“you will help Paul spearhead the search. You can be a great help. You’re so strong and you can make quick work of any digging or moving things to hunt for the angelic book.”

  Flower must have caught on to Roger’s gig because she was acting just as goofy as a Hanna-Barbera Cartoon.

  Paul said, “It’s important everyone gets a good night’s sleep so we’ll be fresh and wide-awake while we search. I’m having cots and blankets set up here for you guys. So, I suggest everyone settle down and get some shuteye.”

  “Great idea,” Roger said with a beaming smile.

  The mouthy guy who mocked me at breakfast brought what looked like army cots and stacked blankets on a table.

  Paul announced, “There’s nothing else to say.” He looked Jimmy’s way. “Together, we will find the missing angel book—tomorrow.”

  Rose and Flower went up to the clinic while we made up our cots. Roger took off his shoes, shirt, and cut-off jeans, climbing under his blanket in his boxers. I only took off my shirt and sandals before tucking myself between fresh, crisp sheets, but Jimmy laid across his cot fully dressed.

  I was about to doze off when I heard the door of the Roundhouse close.

  Roger shook me. “He’s gone to tattle on us to Sheriff Briggs. We have a few minutes to ourselves.” He called up to the clinic, “Flower. Rose. Come down, he’s gone.”

  Flower ran down the steps, a gregarious smile spread across her face. “Roger, you’re a genius. It took a while before I caught on, but when I did, it all made perfect sense. That was brilliant.”

  Roger replied, “I don’t know why I thought of it. When Arland explained what had happened to Jimmy… Well, I didn’t have a clue what to do, then it just came to me.”

  I commented, “Like it was out of your control and it just dropped onto you from out of nowhere?”

  “Yeah. That’s exactly what it was li….” He got a strange look on his face. “This is what it’s like for you when you get premonitions, isn’t it?”

  “Yep, exactly,” I said. “I have no idea when or where it’s coming. I certainly don’t see future stuff all the time.”

  Flower grabbed Roger and started looking over his torso. She raised his arms and turned him around and around. Finally, she lifted the back of his shaggy hair. At the base of his neck was a cherry red, diamond shape discoloration with what looked like wings on each side of it.

  She asked, “Have you always had this birthmark?”

  Roger stretched, unable to get into a position to see for himself, “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

  She scowled at his inability to provide her with a plausible answer. “Roger, tell us what you think we’re to do.”

  “What are we to do?” Roger asked. “I’m not sure. All the smart stuff left, and it’s plain old me again.”

  “Roger,” I said, “remind me to never play poker with you.”

  He smiled. “What a lucky break for us you overheard Jimmy’s conversation with the Sheriff. Imagine the odds.”

  “Yeah, it’s about time we fell into some good luck.” Maybe I shouldn’t have said it like that. I wanted to keep my visit with the angel Reuwel a secret—at least for a while. They already thought I was being stuck-up and acting superior. I mumbled, “What are the chances?”

  “Don’t look at me,” Roger blurted. “I sure as shit don’t know.” He looked from me to Flower and back again. “You think what happened to me—whatever told me how to deal with Jimmy the traitor—is going to happen again, don’t you?”

  A cocky smile spread across my face. “Well, all I can say is, if you suddenly get some insight it will be at a time when you least expect it.” I cringed and leaned my chair back on two legs. “At least that’s my experience.”

  Flower said, “Jimmy may be back soon. Arland, tell us what else you overheard.”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath before I began. “I heard whoever has the book will find the talisman…and the earth will enter a new era.” I paused, racking my brain for any detail. “And, the touch of the talisman is like the touch of God…and, the thing has a Latin inscription on it.”

  “All great stuff, but nothing to help us find the book and this talisman before they do,” Roger complained. “We don’t even know what the talisman looks like.”

  “Like I told you before,” I huffed, “this book, and maybe the thing, is hidden in a town named after one of God’s chosen.”

  Roger replied, “Yeah, I remember. That’s why I told Jimmy all that crap about it being here in the Hollow because the commune was named after Flower’s joyous personality.” He stood and paced back and forth. “I’m glad you threw that tidbit of news in before he got back.” He met my stare. “The whole deception came so naturally. It kinda scared me.”

  “Do you think this has been happening for a while and you didn’t notice it?” I asked. “At school, you’re famous for your sarcastic wit.”

  “I may be a sarcastic ass, but this is something different. I don’t think I ever had this happen before. Do you think it happened to me because of something at the carnival?”

  “I doubt that,” Flower said. “This is a true blessing, a gift, and there is no blessing for anyone at the carnival, only hopelessness.”

  Sitting there in the Roundhouse, I remembered Reuwel’s question, “What blessing do you choose?” and I understood. This was Roger’s blessing—the fleeting gift of wisdom.

  “Roger, you have a few qualities we can always count on, even if this gift comes and goes,” Rose added. “One of them is your wonderful wit, and the other is your incessant desire to toke your first doobie.” She giggled.

  Roger’s face took on an indignant expression. “Me? You think I want to smoke pot?” he put his tongue in his cheek. “Well, maybe a little.”

  Flower gasped, got wide-eyed, and stood up. “I know what town the talisman is in.”

  Roger said, “Are you also getting the gift of wisdom? Maybe it’s the gift of knowledge?”


  “No. Nothing like that. I just remembered something.” She leaned on the table with her open hands. “There is a town named for its postmaster. This is the only town I’ve ever heard of that might remotely be named after a gifted person. They named the town after his strikingly beautiful blue eyes.”

  “Alright. Sounds like you’re on to something. What’s the name of this place and how far is it?” I asked.

  “It’s called Blue Eye, and it’s two cities—one is Blue Eye, Missouri, and the other is Blue Eye, Arkansas. It straddles the state line, and it’s not far from here. Not nearly as far as Eudora.”

  “Since there are two towns, side by side, with the same name,” I asked, “which one has the book?”

  Flower answered, “I don’t know.”

  “Okay, tomorrow we head for Blue Eye,” I got up and casually looked out the door to see if anyone was listening. The poll lights in the meadow clearly outlined the silhouette of a large man strolling through the meadow, walking back toward the Roundhouse. I added, “Right now we better get back in our bunks and pretend we don’t know any more than we did.” The dark shape stepped under the first light this side of the meadow. It was Jimmy. I dogged back before he could see me. “Here he comes.”

  In a few moments, Jimmy opened the door and shut it quietly, as to not awaken anyone. He scanned the room for anything out of place, but Roger and I were in our bunks feigning sleep.

  He fell into his bunk, and in moments his unmistakable snoring told me he was asleep. As for me, rest didn’t come easy. I stared out into the darkness of the Roundhouse, wondering exactly how dangerous this version of Jimmy Dugan was. Would he murder us in our sleep? My silent question drew an answer in the form of another loud snore.

  The darkness drew me into a black void and created a relaxing calm. I pulled the blanket up around my neck, and sleep overtook me. I drifted into its warmth.

  “Where are we?” Mr. Dark asked.

  “I don’t know,” I answered. “I can’t see a thing in this darkness.”

  “It's nice here. You should dream like this more often.”

  “You like it because it’s dark.”

  “Perhaps, but you must admit it’s pleasant.”

  He was right. It felt like I was blindfolded and floating in a pool of sweet freshwater.

  “I know. It does feel like we're floating in the swimming pool—huh?”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “No, but you thought it.”

  And indeed I did. “Listen. Do you hear that?”

  “It’s a car motor. It sounds like it's moving fast.”

  A terrible screech of tires on pavement broke the calm.

  “That was unnerving.”

  “I agree.” I looked at my wrist. I had on a new wristwatch, or should I say, it was an old one. The thing looked like an antique. The face glowed like it had real radium paint on it. It displayed the time—4:55. The watch vanished.

  “Geeze, it went away. I liked that watch.”

  “At least you got to see what time it is.”

  In the distance, I heard a door slam, then another. In a moment, another door slammed.

  “I didn’t see three doors. Did you?”

  “I didn’t see any doors at all.”

  Another door slammed.

  “Make that four doors.”

  The watch reappeared on my arm. The glowing display lit up with the time—5:00.

  “Time flies when you're having fun. You are having fun, aren’t you, Arland?”

  I suppose I was. “It certainly beats fighting fires or worrying if we were going to escape a horrid demon curse.”

  The silence carried every noise like it came out of an amplifier. Click, clack…click, clack…click, clack. Then more silence.

  A jingling of keys echoed over the sea of blackness.

  “Unmistakable. That sounded like your dad’s keys when he can’t get the front door unlocked.”

  “He’s your dad too.”

  “If you say so.”

  Another door slammed, followed by a flutter of wings, and yet another door slammed.

  The watch reappeared on my wrist.

  “What time is on your watch?

  “5:03—why? Are you taking medicine?”

  “No. Don’t be silly. I was just wondering.”

  Another door slammed, only this time it was followed by the sound of broken glass. In the distance, a building appeared on an island so far away I had to squint to get the details. From what I could tell, it was a metal building with brick trim. The low porch led to double glass doors with a forest green canopy overhead trimmed in creamy beige. I could hear Mama Cass Eliot singing Dream a Little Dream of Me as the entire island sank into the blackness of the water. When the water covered it, building and all, the music faded away and we floated down past where the island had been—we swam, comfortable and carefree, in complete silence.

  “Lay back and rest. It’s been a long day, and morning will come fast enough.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Unexpected Intervention

  Darkness covered the Roundhouse like a warm velvet blanket. It lured me back into the euphoria of sleep, even though I knew we had to get going with the plan. I got up, pulled my Bruce Lee T-shirt over my head, and worked at folding my blankets. Lingering in the moment, I put the pillowcase to my face one last time, and inhaled. They used some kind of delightful lavender laundry detergent. I hesitated, then resumed my folding.

  The rest of the commune would be there later for breakfast, and I didn’t want my bedding scattered across the cot. Even though I was fifteen-years-old, I wasn’t a slob. Well, not all the time anyway. Jimmy and Roger were barely dragging themselves off their cots.

  I looked up toward the top of the eastern treehouse. Flower was standing there. I yelled up to her. “Hey, where is the restroom. I’m going to have to hit-the-head pretty fast.” The lifeguards called the restroom at the swimming pool the head and I thought it sounded cool.

  Ignoring my request, Flower called down to us, “Have any of you seen Rose this morning?”

  “How should I know?” Roger yelled as he turned back over. “What time is it?” He looked up. “It’s still dark out.”

  I answered, “It’s 3:45 in the morning. We need to get going with the plan for the day.”

  “Oh, Geeze.” Roger flopped back over, face up. “Yeah, the plan.” In moments, he started snoring again.

  “Hey, Roger, get up.” I shook my head and pulled his lanky leg off the cot.

  Jimmy replied, “I just opened my eyes. I must have slept hard because waking up was like crawling out of Neverland through a tiny tree trunk tunnel.”

  I made a mental note: Jimmy had just made a literary reference. The Jimmy I knew wouldn’t be caught dead with anything but a textbook in his hands, he’s too busy practicing for one sport or another.

  Jimmy yawned and stretched as he sat on the side of the bed. “Arland’s right, where is the restroom? That’s my priority.”

  Flower sounded more urgent, “I can’t find Rose anywhere.” She wrung her hands in worry. “I haven’t seen her since Jimmy went—” She caught herself before she gave the plan away. “Since we all went to bed. Arland, she’s missing.”

  An icy breeze blew through the Roundhouse. I reached up and shielded my eyes from a flash of brilliant light erupting from the center of the room. Flower turned away and back again. There before my eyes was a familiar sight…the angel Reuwel stood in the Roundhouse. His wings tinkling like tiny bells as they gently quivered.

  We all went wide-eyed with amazement.

  “Hear me, hear the voice of Reuwel, he who bestows wisdom to men.” He flexed his six wings outward, and those eyes appeared between his colorful feathers again. His voice resonated with harmony, like several people speaking at the same time, “I bring a word of warning. The woman called Rose is in the hands of the enemy. The servant of Venus you call the Sheriff has abducted her. He will ask for the talisman in e
xchange for her safe return. Prepare yourselves.”

  Jimmy yelled at him, “This is bullshit. Why should we fight your battle? It’s not mine or Rose’s battle. Why don’t you fight the angel Venus yourself and get it over with?” He held his head, then looked up at the ceiling of the Roundhouse. Before running his hands through his hair, he rubbed his forehead as if he had a severe headache. “Why depend on us to fight your battles?” To say something was wrong would be an understatement. He looked super stressed.

  “It is the Master’s way. To perform a miracle, He would rather use two fishes than a whole roasted lamb at a banquet feast. His favorite instruments have always been His chosen. We who were created to sit in His presence may only do what He allows us. We are an extension of the Master’s will and power, but one of His chosen has the ability to alter any outcome. The chosen named Moses changed God’s mind when His children angered him. God’s champions have dominion over predestination. We angels do not, therefore, since the Master says His time is not at hand, He must depend on the gifted to fight this battle. You know not of the resources at your bequest.”

  “Okay, big shot, if angels only do what their master tells them, how did the mighty Lucifer and a third heaven manage to think for themselves?” He gave the Seraphim a hard glare. “If you wanted to, you could stop all this and save Rose at the same time. Isn’t your army twice as big as his? What happened to angelic free will?”

  Jimmy knew as much about the bible as he did quantum physics. That wasn’t him talking. Calypso was goading Reuwel to rebel against God. Even I could see through her plan.

  Reuwel put his hands in a prayerful pose and slowly drew them apart. Blue flames swirled between them and the room suddenly felt like a meat locker. “Mage of Ishtar, do not tempt me.” The angel turned his palms toward Jimmy, and a glaring light beamed from between his fingers. “Ogygian Witch, the light of truth will reveal your intentions.”

  Instantly the glamorous image of Calypso overlaid onto Jimmy’s manly frame like a film projector casting an image on a Herculean statue. Jimmy’s voice became an octave higher as he said, “If you stumble and break your vow of servitude you will be free as the chosen are, your Master will not cast you out into the darkness of this world. Sweet Seraphim, I would never label you as fallen. I would call you free. Break your vow; speak freely and do as you want, not as He commands.”