The Dragon's Game

by James Erith

  ‘I don’t know,’ Kemp said, his eyes lighting up. ‘But perhaps you might wish to consider this one thing. If they could murder one woman in cold blood, who’s to say they wouldn’t do it again a little closer to home?’

  67 OLD MAN WOOD EXPLAINS A FEW THINGS

  ‘What’s so damn funny?’ Isabella said, holding her ribs with one hand and her head with the other. ‘So you switched the tablet with a manky piece of tile you found. It’s not that funny. You damn nearly got us all killed.’

  ‘No. Look at us,’ Archie chuckled. ‘Your clothes for starters, Bells. Have you seen the state of us?’

  A crust of mud covered each one from head to toe. Only their eyes shone out. Their clothes, without exception, were torn to bits or entirely missing. Isabella’s black leather jacket seemed to have vanished.

  Old Man Wood’s deep guffaws filled the room as they fell about laughing – very painful laughter too.

  ‘Mrs Pye’s going to go absolutely mental when she sees us,’ Daisy said and then did her Mrs Pye impression. ‘’Ere what you been up to NOW,’ she mimicked, ‘playing on that ruin, AGAIN!’

  Archie howled, holding his sides. ‘Bagsy I don’t see her first!’

  Old Man Wood clapped him playfully on the shoulders making him topple to the floor. They laughed harder. Then Archie showed them a rip that went all the way from his hip to his knee. ‘Even my pants are ruined.’

  It was impossible to know if the tears springing from Isabella’s eyes were from laughter or pain.

  ‘May as well clean ourselves up a little,’ Old Man Wood said, ‘but before that, I’ll be dispensing a little of the old healing potion if anyone’s interested.’

  Resplendix Mix had never been more welcomed, nor more feared. For several minutes, the four of them sat gnashing their teeth, sweat dripping, as the potent, fiery, healing potion set to work.

  But after removing their clothing, briefly washing off the larger chunks and smears of blood and mud from their bodies, they hobbled upstairs to replace their rags with new apparel.

  Downstairs, the children ate ravenously and, after a long, hungry silence while they munched and slurped away, Isabella asked ‘Why didn’t you use your branchwandy thingy against the serpent?’

  ‘Oh, I tried,’ Old Man Wood protested.

  ‘Yes, but what I meant was, why didn’t you use this branchwand thing to destroy the monster,’ she said.

  ‘Thing is,’ he said, ‘branchwands don’t really work like that. Two battles were going on out there. The one with you with those brave, brave animals against the beast, and mine with the branchwand. If you ask me, I think the branchwands decided to cancel each other out.’

  The children looked confused.

  ‘I reckon they did a deal.’

  ‘A deal?’ Isabella said.

  ‘Yes. Branchwands works in the same way as now, what were they called, genes … gentiles.’

  Everyone looked perplexed.

  ‘Genies?’ Daisy guessed.

  ‘That’s the one,’ he said, clapping his large hands together. ‘Genies. They’ll obey your commands but only if you ask in the right way and if you mean it from your heart. Our ones were having the most almighty battle until they decided it probably wasn’t worth it.’

  ‘I never saw anything,’ Archie said.

  ‘That’s because what they were up to happened out of sight, littlun. How do you think the flowers died and the sheets of paper that you turned into darts, along with the postcard managed to stay up in the air for so long? Genies don’t go round murdering and destroying, willy-nilly,’ he said, stretching his arms out wide. ‘They help in subtle ways, a bit like the genie from that old story … now, what was it called. Something you lot used to read. Sounds like, now then,’ he stroked his chin. “The lad and the bin”.’

  The confused look on their faces said it all until Daisy clicked. ‘You mean, Aladdin!’

  ‘Aha! Right-o. That’ll be the one.’

  ‘I didn’t know you knew the story of Aladdin,’ Archie said.

  Old Man Wood chortled. ‘The story is an ancient one, based on real events years ago. The original story happened in a place called Cush.’

  ‘Cush?’ Archie said. ‘In China?’

  ‘No, no! Remember when I read that passage in the Bible – the one that made me laugh and bash my head – it mentions the countries of Havilah, Cush and Assyria…’

  ‘Which are surrounded by the rivers of Gihon and Pishon,’ Isabella added.

  ‘Indeed. Now, these places were named after the planets of Havilah, Cush, Assyria and, of course, Eden, which you know today as The Garden of Eden.’

  ‘Planets?’

  ‘For sure,’ Old Man Wood said, chomping into an apple. ‘Planets.’

  Daisy and Archie gave him blank looks.

  ‘Planets,’ he repeated, ‘just like Earth, but a great deal more interesting.’

  Isabella stamped her foot down. ‘They don’t exist,’ she blurted out. ‘If they did, scientists would have come across them.’

  ‘These do exist,’ Old Man Wood said firmly. ‘Or existed in Assyria and Cush’s case. The original Havilah, Assyria and Cush were hidden away in far-away places out there in the deep reaches of what you call, space.’

  ‘Then they must be outside of our solar system, outside of our universe even.’

  ‘That’s quite right. I do believe they are.’

  ‘Multiverses?’ Isabella said.

  Daisy felt a bit overwhelmed. She could hardly point to Paris on a map. ‘What’s a multiverse?’

  ‘I think I can explain,’ Isabella said. ‘Imagine England is a galaxy, with London as its sun and the other major cities, like Birmingham and Liverpool and Edinburgh and Norwich and Bristol as planets.’ The other two nodded.

  ‘Then imagine that the USA is one whole other galaxy (which it kind of is anyway), with New York as a sun and all the other cities around it as planets, some bigger, some smaller. Some further away, like Phoenix, or Los Angeles or Seattle and some closer, like Boston, Chicago, or Washington DC. Then imagine that every country on Earth represents one whole galaxy out there in never-ending space. Now, if you imagine that the moon and other planets, like Saturn and Mars and Mercury had an almost identical network of galaxies or cities as Earth, then these would be multiverses. Universes in space which we cannot see all kind-of joined together, indefinitely going on and on into infinity.’

  Daisy rolled her eyes. ‘And this Havilah place, or planet, is it nice?’

  Old Man Wood smiled. ‘Oh yes, it’s absolutely beautiful,’ he said. ‘Full of coloured stones and gold; heaps of delights, there’s even a waterfall like your Niagara Falls made entirely of crystal and diamonds. Think of that. But all that kind of thing attracts bad, greedy types.’

  To Archie, the name of Havilah rang a bell so loud it was like an alarm. ‘Is Havilah evil?’ he quizzed.

  ‘It depends, I suppose,’ Old Man Wood said, rubbing his chin. ‘In what you wish to believe, and how you wish to live.’

  Isabella shuffled closer to the old man, sensing he was talking about something of real importance. ‘Why? What did they believe, in Havilah?’

  ‘They didn’t believe that life should be made,’ he said. ‘They wanted life to go on alone to see what happened if life continued as it was.’

  Isabella frowned.

  Noticing the confusion on her face, Old Man Wood continued. ‘You see, every living thing was, at some point, created in the Garden of Eden. Creation is the most powerful gift of nature.’

  ‘Like being God,’ Daisy piped.

  Old Man Wood inclined his head thoughtfully. ‘The Garden gave the worlds the opportunity for newer, better, more up-to-date species.’

  ‘Are you suggesting, Old Man Wood,’ Daisy said, ‘that the Earth hasn’t had anything new for a seriously long time?’

  ‘Now you’re getting it,’ he said, grinning, his wrinkles curving up like strands of thick spaghetti. ‘Your success, to borrow one o
f your expressions, Isabella, will “reboot” the system.’

  ‘I’m still not sure I get it.’ Isabella said. ‘We’ve evolved, right? Hasn’t humanity proved that we don’t require upgrades?’

  ‘If you unlock the key, Isabella, you will have proved that, for now, mankind has done enough to remain as it is,’ he said. ‘But the power of creation is all-encompassing. It cannot be denied if it is reborn once more.’

  Isabella fidgeted. ‘I’m not sure I like the sound of this,’ she said quietly. ‘Essentially, are you saying that we’re doing all this to ruin ourselves anyway?’

  ‘No, not ‘ruin’, littlun,’ he laughed. ‘New species will be introduced — that’s all. Goodness knows how many thousands of species have vanished from this place already. Too many in recent times. A planet needs the right balance of living species. What’s that word I’m hearing, dextink…’

  ‘Extinct,’ Archie helped.

  ‘Aha, yes! Extinct. That’s the one,’ the old man said. ‘We used to say, “if it doesn’t contribute, there’s no use for it - make something better”. On Earth, the time has come to freshen up the life-stock. But this change certainly beats the destruction of Earth’s current life-stock by starting again. This is what will happen if you fail.’

  Old Man Wood helped himself to a swig of apple juice. ‘As I said, the power of creation is greater than you can possibly imagine. To protect it, those from the Garden of Eden and some from Earth and even Havilah vowed to safeguard its secrets,’ he drained his glass. ‘This led to a war of wars.’

  ‘Who won?’ Archie asked.

  ‘Well strangely, everyone lost,’ he replied, shaking his head. ‘The energies of the universe are a more powerful force than anyone imagined. When blood, sap and scales spilt into its waters, and over the rocks and soil, there was a warning of forty days and forty nights to leave Eden. It was known as the Great Closing. At the end of this time, the Garden razed itself to the ground,’ he raised his eyebrows. ‘That is what you saw when the first two tablets joined together. No one knows what is there now — more than likely it is a barren, dusty planet, devoid of life.’

  ‘And, all the while, Earth and Havilah survived,’ Isabella said, trying to wrap her head around the old man’s words. ‘So, how do we fit in?’

  ‘Earth was considered a little bit dull,’ the old man said. ‘Earth’s limitations were appreciated, but not considered particularly special—’

  ‘Unlike Havilah?’

  ‘There is much to tell about Havilah which you will learn in the fullness of time,’ he said, sharply. ‘Most of it leaves a bitter taste - even the thought of it,’ he said. ‘I will tell you one thing though.’ His voice went lower, and he bent forward. ‘In a final, desperate protest, the Master of Havilah destroyed its entire human population with a final act of true barbarism.’

  The children edged forward.

  ‘He killed every human being on Havilah.'

  ‘Everyone?’ Archie asked.

  ‘That's what they said. But, no one really knows. Rumour had it that those humans inhabit watery puddles on the ground.’

  Archie didn’t like the sound of this. He needed to change the subject.

  ‘Why, Old Man Wood, of all the people out there in the world, are we the Heirs? There must be tons of more suitable people.’

  Old Man Wood smiled. ‘A simple explanation is that you are protected by me, following a chain that has continued for many thousands and thousands of years.’

  ‘So, Mum and Dad know about all this?’

  ‘Yes, Archie, I believe your Mother and Father do know a little bit. Knowledge of the tablets has been passed down from generation to generation. And now that I'm sharpening-up on what has happened, I do believe they have made a study of the matter— ’

  ‘And the Ancient Woman,’ Isabella asked, ‘you know, the woman we dreamed about, is she, like, Mother Nature, or something?’

  ‘No!’ he said. ‘Mother Nature is another way of explaining the forces of life that nurtures us and looks after us. Mother Nature is an energy that flows and weaves through everything in the universe—’

  Isabella cut him off. ‘Then, who is she? Why did this woman come to us in our dreams, night after night?’

  The old man stared at the floor a while then moved his gaze to the children’s with his soft nutty-brown eyes. ‘The Ancient Woman offered herself as a sacrifice. She gave herself up to Mother Nature to be the gatekeeper of the Garden of Eden. She volunteered to live through time until the Garden of Eden might rise again if indeed that time would ever come. And so, after the Great Closing, she remained on the inside - locked inside the Atrium of the Garden of Eden - while another remained outside to guide and help when the time was right.’

  Old Man Wood tilted his head up into the sky, his eyes moist, the whites of his eyes blanched red.

  Silence filled the room.

  Archie broke it, though his voice wobbled and his eyes glistened. ‘That’s … that’s you, isn’t it, Old Man Wood? You’re the one on the outside, aren’t you, standing here with us, now.’

  Old Man Wood’s voice choked with emotion. ‘Yes,’ he croaked. ‘Yes, you’re quite right, my littlun.’

  After a time, Isabella spoke. ‘And the Ancient Woman...’ she said, softly, ‘she’s stuck in the Garden of Eden, right, because she … she’s … Eve, isn’t she?’

  Old Man Wood buried his face in his hands.

  ‘Like Adam … and Eve?’

  Old Man Wood looked up and nodded. Tears rolled out of his dark eyes, which he didn’t bother to brush away. Now, his voice was almost unrecognisable. ‘Beautiful, brave Eve,’ he said, trying to force a smile. ‘She was my love … my life. I tried to forget … but my dreams would not let me.’

  Old Man Wood sobbed as the memories flooded back, and Daisy and Isabella found tears streaking down their cheeks as they tried to comfort him, sharing the burden of his grief.

  68 CAIN MEETS MRS PYE

  Kemp thought he detected a brief outline, something not entirely right. Then, he realised Cain was back and, as he popped his head around the door, Cain’s overcoat and hat hung on the stand next to the staircase. It reminded him of when he’d saved Daisy from slipping into it, and his heart lurched.

  He felt a whoosh of air in his ear. ‘Hello, boy.’

  ‘Don’t do that,’ he said, flapping his arm. ‘It’s really annoying.’

  ‘Time to go,’ the voice came back. ‘Time to say hello to your future.’

  Kemp reddened. ‘What about my mother,’ he said. ‘She knows … about you, about everything.’

  ‘Excellent, boy. You might wish to introduce us.’

  Kemp hesitated. ‘Could be tricky, but I’ll ask,’ he said. He turned the handle of the door and re-entered the room. ‘Mother?’

  Mrs Pye turned.

  ‘I’d like you to meet someone.’ Kemp bowed his head while trying to think of a suitable way to bring in Cain. ‘You know how I was saying about the spirit, about how it could save us. Well, he’s here, and he’d like to say, um, “Hi”.’ Kemp cringed. Then he smirked, a smile slipping out of the corner of his mouth as he realised that the only person he’d ever brought home to his mother wasn’t even a person.

  Mrs Pye looked at him, her face expressionless. ‘Well,’ she uttered at length, ‘where is he?’

  ‘He’s looking at you,’ Kemp said.

  ‘Looking at me? I can’t see him.’

  ‘Because, mother, it’s a ghost,’ he said, thickly. ‘You know, like a spirit from … the spirit world.’ He wondered if she’d taken in any of their previous conversations. ‘I’ll ask him to put on his long overcoat. Would that help?’

  She nodded.

  Shortly, the overcoat hovered in the doorway.

  Mrs Pye covered her hand in her mouth and then began to sob.

  ‘Lord. You alright, mother?’ Kemp said. ‘Honestly, he’s not that bad.’

  She grabbed his hand as a lone tear ran down her pink cheek. ‘I
t’s not that,’ she said.

  ‘What is it? You think I’m crazy?’

  ‘No. The opposite. You told me the truth,’ she said, snivelling. ‘You told me about the ghost, and I wondered if you were, you know, nutty-flakes or that-like. Now I knows you was speaking the truth, what you were saying must be real and not bunkum.’

  Kemp beamed. ‘Then you’ll come with me?’

  ‘You’re a strange one, now isn’t you? Of course, I will. But on one condition.’

  ‘OK. What is it?’

  ‘I’d like to say a final farewell to my lot. Archie and the girls. That’s all — and I won’t say a word of what you told me, I promise.’

  Cain coughed, making Mrs Pye’s head twitch.

  ‘Young lady,’ he said.

  ‘Me?’ she shrilled.

  ‘Yes. Tell me, what do you know?’

  ‘I told her about the key,’ Kemp said. ‘I thought she should know the truth.’

  They could almost hear Cain thinking. ‘My dear,’ the ghost said at length, his voice smooth like molten chocolate, ‘your knowledge puts you in the direct path of terrible danger. Those who know the final part of the prophecy must not go near the Heirs of Eden.’

  ‘What is he talking about?’ Mrs Pye asked.

  ‘Like I told you, you cannot go to them, mother. You’ll run into harm's way.’

  Mrs Pye harrumphed. ‘I’m going. They’re my lot, and I’m not going nowhere without a hug from all of ‘em, whether you like it or not. And that goes for your see-through friend too. Understand?’

  ‘Well, don’t say I haven’t warned you,’ Cain said, bluntly. ‘Do not breathe a word of what you have learned and, with luck, you will be spared.’

  Kemp turned to his mother. ‘Why not give them half an hour,’ he said. ‘By the look of them, they’re probably changing and having a clean up. They looked a right bloody old mess when they came back.’

  ‘Good idea,’ Cain said, his hat tilting towards Kemp. ‘Now, boy, I think it’s time we had a little catch-up. Why don’t we pop off and return when this wonderful lady has said her fond farewells. In my experience, this kind of ‘goodbye’ is best done alone.’