Bridge of Mist and Fog

by Nikki Broadwell

  “Do you want to call on Carla or have me arrange for a dorm room?”

  Fehin turned his attention back to the druid. “I don’t want to stay with Carla,” he replied. The idea of barging in on this friend of his mother’s without any warning set his teeth on edge.

  “All right then—straight to University.”

  ***

  Somehow Gunnar managed to enroll Fehin, even picking out several classes for him. These included history of the world, political science, ancient history, physics and a college math class for non-math majors. His major was history.

  The dorm room proved to be more difficult since all of them had been spoken for, but with some magic Gunnar was able to free one up. Fehin didn’t question how he did it.

  He shared a room with a boy around his own age who barely looked up from the device in his hand when Fehin arrived.

  “We need to get you a phone,” Gunnar said, watching him.

  “Is that what that is?”

  Gunnar nodded. “Good thing I have a lot of the local tender on me,” he said.

  ***

  Three days later Fehin had a computer, a credit card, a bank account, several new sets of clothing and shoes, and a handbook Gunnar produced called, ‘Everything You Need to Know About the Twenty-first Century’. When Fehin asked him where he got it he just grinned, the first real smile Fehin has seen on his face since before their departure. He leafed through it, noticing that the second half of the book was blank.

  “I have to go now, Fehin. School starts the day after tomorrow. Until then I suggest you read up. You don’t want to stand out here. Undo attention could foil your plans.”

  “What plans? My only plan is to attend the classes you set out and try to put up with this place. So far I hate it.”

  “The plan will come clear,” Gunnar said enigmatically.

  “You seem in a very good mood. What happened?”

  “I’m leaving, that’s what happened. You’re young, I’m sure you’ll grow to like it once you make some friends.”

  Fehin shook his head. “I don’t think so. What if I get confused?”

  “Call me, but don’t do it frivolously. I have important things going on.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Fehin said. “I wish I was doing them with you.”

  When Gunnar grabbed him and pulled him close Fehin let out a gasp of surprise. This man never hugged anyone.

  Once he released him Gunnar took hold of his shoulders. “Just remember why you’re here,” he said. “And know that you are sorely missed back home. Once you get used to it I know you’ll enjoy being around others your own age. Remember who you are.”

  “Who am I?”

  “You’re a boy who conjured an island and everything on it, that’s who you are. Never forget that.” Gunnar watched him for a moment and then added. “And don’t let anyone see what you can do, Fehin. It would be very dangerous.”

  Fehin stared at him, willing him to stay, but already the druid was walking away. “Good-bye, Gunnar,” he called out. The disturbed and jumbled thoughts of people walking by him paraded through his mind, making him feel ill.

  Gunnar raised his hand but didn’t turn around and a second later he wasn’t there. He does magic right out in the open, Fehin thought, wondering why it was so important for him to keep his skills a secret. Right now he had to figure out how to block out the disturbed thoughts of others. Otherwise he might go insane.

  Before attending his first class he read most of the book Gunnar had given him. It had a smattering of everything, including a list of the ongoing wars around the globe and why they continued. Since the United States was so far away from the conflicts they managed to keep clear of it, but that didn’t mean the government didn’t have their fingers in every pie. The U.S. had an enormous military, the biggest in the world, and sent their young men and women to die for causes that had no meaning. They armed whatever side might benefit them with no thought to how many were being killed.

  Climate change had been encroaching for two decades due to man-made pollution and had hit a peak around 2015. Many denied its existence but when water began to run out it was officially confirmed. After that pivotal year water became a precious commodity controlled by a very few.

  The larger conflicts in other parts of the world raged on over water, oil, religion and hostilities dating back thousands of years and could continue indefinitely. A large faction of people were getting rich from these wars and from what the book told him, the divide between rich and poor, at least in this country, had grown and was still growing.

  The more he read the more he wished he were back on Thule. When he examined the faces of students and the people in the streets and probed their minds most were oblivious about anything beyond their own lives. It was like they’d been brainwashed. He felt the fears they’d suppressed, the frustrations that had them walking a tight wire that could and did break with alarming regularity.

  In 2017 a trade agreement had been enacted that extended corporate power into several other countries, bypassing existing environmental laws and forming a new world order. Following the 2020 presidential election an amendment to the constitution had been quietly ratified that gave corporations the right to appoint members of congress, changing what had been in place for over two-hundred years. This action led to a few feeble demonstrations but the militarized police put a stop to it pretty quickly.

  With wounded soldiers coming back from war and all the computerized systems that had taken the place of humans, the number of out of work people began to grow. This resulted in massive poverty and a populace too disenfranchised to have the energy to rise up against it. The systems set up to help workers were gone, as well as the social safety nets that had been in place since 1935. College was astronomically expensive so that only the very wealthy could attend.

  Fehin had a moment of shame thinking about the magic that brought him here. His mother had been so positive about Milltown, so excited for him. He wished she could see what had happened in such a short time. He wiped away his tears and read on.

  Electronics was the salve that soothed a populace without a voice. Computers, so-called smart phones, cd players, I-pads, I-Pods were cheap and plentiful and nearly everyone had at least one or two of these. Listening to music, watching TV shows, and surfing the Internet were just part of the entertainment package provided by corporations who profited from a distracted populace. There were cars that drove themselves, robotics that cleaned houses and did other menial tasks, human DNA enhancement and testing to prevent disease in the people who could afford such things. Medicines were plentiful but only to those who could pay the exorbitant prices. And all of it lined the pockets of those aligned with the corporations.

  The natural world had been driven to the point of extinction by greed and lack of anything resembling stewardship. As far as understanding any of it, Fehin figured he’d have to study for the rest of his life just to get the basics. All he knew was what he had read and what his mother had explained before he left Thule. The government in the U.S. was a democracy, a wonderful egalitarian system run by the people. How would she feel seeing how things had deteriorated?

  He skipped to the end of the written part and stared at the blank pages. Of course, it hadn’t been written yet. Would these fill in as time went on? Did he have something to do with what would fill these pages?

  By the time he closed the book he felt weighted down. How could one person have any influence on this out-of control world? He thought of the word, Koyaanisqatsi, mentioned in the text. It was a Hopi Indian term meaning ‘world out of balance’. Maybe he could visit these peoples he’d read about. They lived in different areas of the country on what was known as reservations, placed there by the early settlers who arrived from other countries. But the Native Americans were here first and it struck him to the core of his being how unfair this was.

  He added Native American studies to his list of classes.

  8

  Milltown, Ma
ssachusetts, 2021

  “I don’t want to share a room.”

  “Airy, there are no single rooms here. This is what students do!” Maeve smoothed Airy’s hair back from her forehead with a look of concern.

  “That girl in there scares me,” Airy confessed, her eyes filling. “Why is she dressed like that and why does she have a ring pierced through her lip? It’s creepy.”

  Maeve sighed heavily, her gaze going to Harold next to her. “I’m bewildered too, Airy. Things have changed drastically since I attended this school, although there were a few girls with tattoos and piercings then as well. Don’t judge her too harshly. There are always reasons why people do these things. It doesn’t mean anything about who they are.”

  “She didn’t even answer when I said hello. Can’t I get another room?”

  “I’m afraid not. MacCuill arranged for this one ahead of time and the dorms are full now. School starts the day after tomorrow.” Maeve turned to Harold, her whispered words barely loud enough for Airy to hear. “What’s happened?” she asked him, her gaze going toward the street where men and women pushed shopping baskets full of belongings. Tents were set up between high-rises and on any small patch of grass. Police roamed through them, rousting some and leaving others, their voices full of menace. “There are so many more homeless now. And the police….” Her eyes widened as they met Harold’s. “I worry about leaving her here.”

  Airy’s father shook his head, frowning. “Corporate take-over as far as I can tell. Did you read about the last elections? I don’t like leaving her either, but maybe it’s her mission to correct it. It’s definitely not a place I want to live.”

  “She’ll be safe on campus,” MacCuill added in a hoarse whisper.

  Maeve plastered a smile on her face before she turned to Airy. “We need to buy you some new clothes and a computer and several other things. You don’t fit in dressed as you are.”

  Airy looked down at her bright woven tunic, her hand-made leather sandals. Observing the other girls’ attire made her realize how far from fitting in she was. Her hair was wrong, her clothes were wrong and worse than that, she had a Scottish accent.

  “You can play that one up,” MacCuill said, reading her mind. “Being from somewhere exotic will give you an allure.”

  “I don’t want an allure! I want to go home with you. Please don’t make me stay here!” Airy was openly crying now.

  “Sweetheart, don’t cry.” Harold’s arms came around her. “It’s going to be all right, you’ll see.”

  Feeling her father’s arms only made Airy cry harder. Everything made her nervous. And the classes they’d enrolled her in sounded boring and awful. The only one she had any interest in was the drawing class. How could she possibly sit in airless rooms for hours on end without butterflies, grass, flowers and trees around her? At home they were her friends. So far she’d heard no birds, and hadn’t seen one rabbit or even a squirrel. And where were the butterflies, the bees?

  “Airy, you have to pull yourself together,” Maeve said, turning suddenly stern. “We’re leaving this afternoon and by then I expect you to be smiling and talking with other students. This behavior is attracting attention and that’s the last thing you need. I had a wonderful time at this college. The professors are great; the classes we enrolled you in will surely be interesting if you give them a chance.”

  When Harold released her, Airy wiped her face. Her tears disappeared as anger took over. “Why don’t you just go?” she asked, frowning at her mother.

  Maeve’s eyes went wide. “You are really pushing it, Airy. My patience is just about worn through.”

  ***

  By the time they got back from the mall Airy had forgotten her anger. Laden with bags of new clothes and shoes had given her a lift. Maybe being here wouldn’t be so bad after all. But when she faced her parents and MacCuill in the courtyard to say good-bye panic came rushing back. “What am I supposed to be doing while I’m here?” she asked wildly.

  “Just enjoy yourself, Airy. Whatever destiny lies before you will reveal itself in its own time. I know mine did.” Maeve took hold of her hand and then pulled her in for a hug. “We love you so much. And don’t forget to call your grandparents. Do you think you can work that smart phone we got you?”

  Airy pulled away and reached into the pocket of her new skirt. “I think so,” she said, handing it to her father. “If not I’m sure there’s someone who can help me. Everybody has phones.”

  MacCuill smiled. “A beautiful and sweet-natured girl like you will have no problem finding friends--don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

  “And that goes for the computer, dealing with the credit card, your bank account and all the other trappings of this world. There’s a lot to remember,” her father added. “I just inputted all the numbers you might need,” he continued, showing her where they were stored. “Your Halston grandparents and Finna and Alex are in here. If you need to reach us call them. And,” he added, glancing down the street, “try and stay on campus as much as you can. There are a lot of rough-looking characters out there.” He handed back the phone and then pulled her close. “And don’t take your mother’s mood seriously, Airy. She loves you very much,” he whispered.

  Airy wasn’t prepared for the rush of emotion that hit her when the three of them walked away. She wanted to call after them but stopped herself. Her mother was right. It was time to pull herself together.

  In her room she tried again to talk with her new roommate, realizing that the reason she wasn’t responding was because of the ear buds in her ears. She must be listening to music.

  Airy put her clothes away and then set up her computer on the desk next to her bed, hoping she would remember everything her parents had told her about how to operate the thing. It looked innocent sitting there, all silvery and new, but her intuition told her that she would be screaming at it soon enough.

  “You want to get something to eat?”

  Airy turned to see her new roommate staring at her out of eyes thickly lined in black. “Sure,” she said awkwardly and then stood and reached for her backpack that held her wallet. “My name’s Airy,” she said holding out her hand.

  “Storm,” the other girl said, taking hold of Airy’s fingers.

  “Before we go could you show me how to turn this thing on?”

  Storm walked over and pressed a button on the side. “Your first computer?”

  Airy nodded.

  By the time they’d found the student union Maeve had learned that Storm came from California, a state in the western part of the country, and that she’d grown up on a commune, a word that Airy didn’t fully understand. But after Storm explained she got the gist of it right away. It was very similar to life in the Otherworld. Airy’s cover story developed by MacCuill was that she had lived abroad for a good portion of her younger life. The true part was that she had relatives who lived in Halston, a town not far from Milltown. The two girls found out they were sharing at least one class together since Storm’s major was art.

  Airy’s major, chosen for her by her mother, was English, with classes in writing in her future as well as modern literature and one history class. Her mother had explained that it was a well-rounded liberal arts degree. MacCuill had added Comparative Religions to the list, saying that it might help her better understand the world she was living in.

  At the end of their meal Airy had decided that she liked Storm despite her spiky hair, ripped black jeans, and the indigo tattoos of snakes and other unidentified creatures twining up and down her arms. Underneath the veneer was an interesting and intelligent girl who had chosen to make a certain fashion statement. Airy hoped she would find a style too, looking down at her pleated skirt and knee high socks. Maybe she should have waited to go shopping.

  When the dark-haired boy entered the cafeteria and stared at her she tried not to pay attention. It was only after feeling his gaze on her for the fifth or sixth time that she turned to look at him, and in that split second something
inside her chest turned over. She’d seen lots of boys before, even had a sort of boyfriend back home. But this was different. It wasn’t about his looks, although he had a thick shock of dark hair that fell down over his forehead and dark eyes that seemed to hold secrets she longed to know. She shook herself, turning her attention back to Storm, but the feeling in the pit of her stomach was back and this time it refused to be ignored. Her moonstone ring seemed to glow for a second but when she examined it more closely it was the usual innocuous gray.

  “He seems to like you,” Storm said, watching him. “But I think I’d steer clear. He looks straight off the farm.”

  Airy didn’t ask her what she meant.

  9

  Fehin unpacked his gear trying not to be intimidated by the bulked-out guy sitting on the bed across from him talking on his phone. I’ve dealt with gods a lot more fearsome than this guy, he told himself. They had introduced themselves but other than that they had yet to say another word. Brent was his name. Gunnar had assured Fehin that roommates rarely became close friends. That was fine with Fehin, since he felt a need to hunker down and concentrate. Classes began tomorrow and he had no idea what he was doing.

  In the student union he found a seat, unloading his tray on the table as he’d seen others do. His gaze was drawn to the two girls sitting across from him, an unlikely pair. One of them looked like a pirate and the other…well, simply put, she was gorgeous, with masses of red hair and pale freckled skin. He probed her mind finding a confusing array of emotions and thoughts that skittered away as soon as he grabbed onto them. He felt embarrassed when their eyes met; Gunnar had warned him more than once about using his ‘skills’, as he’d put it, for his own gain. He wondered for a moment if she was the girl in his visions but then dismissed it.