Before & Beyond

by Patrick Welch

  These marvels, however, paled next to the wonder of the attendees themselves. Some were clad in flowing silks that shifted hue in every passing second. Others wore tapestry coats upon which ancient battles played out. Some wore nothing at all, merely adorning themselves with transparent wings, sparkling feathers, glowing furs, shimmering waterfalls or dancing lights. Each tried to outdo the next in his or her choice of raiment or lack of it.

  In the center of the city, amid all its myriad wonders, rested an onyx and gold platform where the council of elders sat and waited. The most powerful conjurers of all, they had created the city and its wonders just days before, just to amuse the others. At Festival's end they would return the desert to its pristine sterility.

  The Festival may now commence, they proclaimed upon the arrival of the last. The dancing waters within the crystal fountains were immediately transformed into wine and mead. Manna poured from the heavens onto the grateful crowd below. The towers around them began to vibrate and hum with an ethereal melody, one that both soothed and stimulated. And the people were made joyous.

  Thus the festivities progressed long into the afternoon. Then one single bolt of lightening screamed across the darkening sky and the thunderclap brought everyone's attention to the council. Their platform rose slowly yet gracefully until it floated commandingly above all the revelers. "Let the competition begin," their voices rose in unison.

  This was the moment all had waited for, the competition to discover which amongst them would be deemed the best magician and take his or her rightful place in the council. Each of the contestants waited their turn as, one by one, they stepped forward and demonstrated their imagination and talent. The crowd cheered as one woman summoned from the earth a tree which rose in majestic height until it nearly towered above all the other wonders. They laughed as a man created an arcing rainbow and walked across from one side of the city to the other. They gasped as another created a shower of swords which transformed into rose petals before reaching the ground. Each competitor performed, then stepped aside to await the decision of the council.

  "Does anyone else wish to command our audience?" one of the rulers asked after the queue had ended.

  "Yes," came a voice from within crowd. They looked, laughed and made way as he stepped forward. He was an old man, too old, most onlookers reasoned, to have the talent to win the contest. Unlike them he wore only a vest and pants crudely made from hide and cloth. Unlike them his face was adorned only in rough beard and unkempt hair and his feet were bare of flowers or fur. He was ridiculed or ignored as he dragged a wooden contrivance through the crowd toward the onyx platform and the watching elders.

  "You beseech our audience?" the elder asked.

  "Indeed. I have created most marvelous wonders with which to dazzle and amaze."

  They nodded solemnly although reluctantly. By their own rules anyone could compete for a seat among them. "Begin."

  With great difficulty he removed a heavy rock from his conveyance. "A simple stone," he began. "One that is nearly beyond my ability to move." He set it on the ground. "However," he quickly returned with a smaller stone and large pole, "witness this!" So saying, he placed the smaller stone a few feet from its brethren, then stuck one end of the pole under the larger so it ran atop the smaller stone and stuck up in the air. "Watch as I push down on the end of this pole." He did so and the larger stone was easily raised off the ground. "With my lever, you can move the world!"

  The elders whispered amongst themselves, then one addressed the man. "Why should we go to so much effort when we can do this?" Immediately the larger stone floated upwards until it hovered several feet above their heads.

  "Wait. Observe this!" and he proudly brandished a disk with a needle in the center. "This compass always points north to aid you in your travels!"

  "We know where we are. Is that all?"

  The man was chagrined only for a moment. "Not at all. I think you will find this most astounding." He pointed to one of the large wooden disks on either side of the conveyance he had used. "I show you the wheel. A most useful tool that allows easy and rapid travel and transport anywhere you desire!"

  "Yet you had to pull it," one said. "Hardly a satisfactory solution to a problem easily solved when griffins or unicorns are always available."

  The crowd was now bored and they talked and tittered among themselves as the odd old man flitted from one unusual object to another. He created a small fire by striking a stone and bar of something he called iron together. An elder created a much larger one by simply pointing at a nearby bush. The stranger brought up water from a pool by using a wooden tube. An onlooker emptied the entire pool with a mere gesture. The stranger produced a device which took threads of cotton and turned it into cloth. An elder transformed that into gold with but a smile.

  "Enough!" the elders proclaimed. "You have shown us no wonders here, no powerful magic! Nothing to amuse or entertain or confound."

  "But this is not magic," he said. "It is knowledge. Science. Anyone, even without magic, can perform these wonders, use these tools."

  The council rose as one even as their platform begin to sink back to the ground. As one they spoke. "What you offer is of no interest to us. Begone with you. We must make our deliberations and declare our decision."

  The onlookers could not contain their amusement as the stranger reluctantly loaded his many objects and made his slow, meandering way through the crowd. Later that evening the elders allowed the purple and golden clouds to dissipate so the stars could gleam down upon them. Only a few of the attendees bothered to look up; what above them could possibly compare with the wonders their own powers could create? Only the odd stranger dreamed about what was in and beyond the speckled canopy. And thought of means to reach it.

  FROZEN ASSETS

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Tired. Very tired."

  "To be expected." Alphonso Moraeia set a plate of steamed vegetables before his patient. "Eat these. They will help you build up your strength."

  "Does it really matter?" Still, George Ridenower forced himself to sit up. "Why did you wake me if you haven't found a cure?" he asked between bites.

  "We are doing everything we can, I assure you. Magaden's Flu was designed to resist all remedies."

  Ridenower grimaced as he swallowed some boiled cabbage. "Don't you have any meat?"

  "That would just exacerbate your condition. Even in the suspension chamber the disease continues to progress, albeit slowly. I've told you before, you must be wakened from time to time to eat so your system can fight it."

  "A waste of time," Ridenower sighed and fell back into the bed. "Why not just let me die and be done with it?"

  "Don't talk like that," and he patted his patient's hand. "Your condition has at least stabilized for the most part. We have made some minor progress. Finish your meal; you need to build up your strength." Moraeia watched patient and silent until Ridenower was done, then removed the tray. "Get some sleep. I will see you tomorrow evening. Shall I turn off the lights?"

  "No. I want to stay up a bit."

  "Fine. Tomorrow then." Moraeia left, locking the door behind him.

  Ridenower turned his head to look out the window, but as always Moraeia had closed the curtains and he was too tired to get up and open them. Too tired to do much of anything, actually.

  Magaden's Flu. Such an innocent name for such a deadly virus, he thought. The war had broken out in the Middle East, but conflicting alliances had allowed it to spread throughout the world. And when one of the warring factions found itself losing to the superior weaponry of the other, it unleashed the Flu.

  In a way, he thought wryly, it was an appropriate name. It spread like the flu, rapidly and indiscriminately. He wasn't sure when he caught it or where. Just that he had woken up one day and found himself in this institute, under the care of Doctor Moraeia. And how long ago was that? he wondered. It was impossible to determine the passage of days, to remember how many times he had been put into s
uspension, then wakened for another treatment.

  If only I could leave. But he couldn't leave, was too ill to leave. He should consider himself fortunate he was receiving treatment because, as Moraeia had told him, so many millions had not. But, Ridenower thought as he stared at the ceiling, it was impossible to feel fortunate. Not when everyone he knew had surely fallen victim to the Flu.

  He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the harsh overhead light. If only he had someone to talk to. But there were no other patients, at least in this room. He had seen no other staff except for the Doctor. Perhaps they were the last two on earth. He would have to ask Moraeia that some day. If he remembered. Now he was too tired to think, too depressed to remember or plan. Now he needed to get some sleep.

  The squeaking wheels of the gurney woke Ridenower. He opened his eyes and saw Moraeia pushing it alongside his bed. "Already?" he asked groggily.

  "We can't keep you out of the suspension chamber any longer than absolutely necessarily. Let me help you." With a little effort Ridenower managed to slide across and onto the gurney. "How are we feeling today?"

  "Better. Not as tired as yesterday."

  "Good. The food helped."

  Ridenower said nothing, merely laid back and counted the overhead lights as they made their now-familiar passage back to the suspension chambers. On the way they passed the hydroponics section where Moraeia grew the vegetables. He had told Ridenower that the Flu was still prevalent in the atmosphere and only food grown in this sterile environment was safe. "As you can see, we don't have the room to raise cattle or sheep," he had explained with a smile.

  What about fish? Ridenower wanted to ask but never seemed to remember in time. Unfortunate, he thought as he was pushed into the freezing room. He was getting so tired of cabbage and carrots and kelp. The room was vast, the walls lined with cryonic chamber after cryonic chamber. Even from his present position he could see that every one was empty. Once, he was sure, there had been more bodies stored here. Victims to the Flu, Moraeia had said when asked. And why not let him die? Why should he be the only one? But no matter how many times he had broached the subject Moraeia had rebuffed him. He was too tired to ask again.

  "We'll be ready in a minute," Moraeia said as he prepared the drugs needed to put Ridenower under before he returned to his frozen sleep.

  "Of course." Still, despite everything, Ridenower had to feel admiration, if not true affection, for the dedication of this man. Who else would have worked so hard to keep him alive?

  "Are you ready?"

  Ridenower nodded. The doctor bent over him, he felt a sharp stab of pain, then nothing at all.

  Alphonso Moraeia sat on the verandah and looked out over his estate. As always the skies were overcast but the breeze was pleasant. In another time he would have been soaring through the skies or loping through the woods, on the prowl for prey.

  Impossible now, now that the stupid humans had destroyed the rain forests, destroyed the ozone layer, turned their Garden of Eden into a garden of death. Only lichen on the rocks and algae in the ocean grew now. Even the pleasant breeze would kill him almost immediately... if he needed to breathe.

  And once they had ruined their own planet, the humans had turned tail and ran. He couldn't join them; in space it was always night and he needed daylight so he could get his necessary sleep. Ironic, he thought as he sipped at his carefully hoarded wine, that sunlight, his mortal enemy, was now his savior. Fortunate indeed he had found this building, home to a self-contained cryonics depository, one abandoned and forgotten in their mad rush to save themselves. The builders had been wise to choose this location; solar panels and geothermal turbines provided the power necessary to keep the enterprise functioning.

  When he had arrived he had discovered over 40 bodies in suspended animation. Even now he cursed his carelessness; if he had been more conservative in his use of them he could still have a dozen or more available. Instead of just one.

  Now Moraeia had to do everything possible to conserve his food supply. Feed only once a month or so, and that at the minimum. Place himself in a suspension chamber as well so he could successfully battle his own hunger. Tend to Ridenower so the man would continue to survive, continue to believe the story of Magaden's Flu, a fabrication that made him easier to control.

  He looked up at the stars. They twinkled mockingly at him, a refuge he could never enjoy. But someday they have to come back. They have to.

  The vampire roused himself and started back inside, back to the suspension chamber that had become his cold casket. He would be waiting for them.

  THE CHRONOMETER

  You appear to be a discriminating gentleman. Might I interest you in taking possession of this unusual time piece?

  No, I assure you, I am not trying to sell it. I just have no further need for it and it is too valuable and unique to be thrown away or found by a vagabond and pawned for a mere bottle of wine.

  I understand your reticence, believe me. I was equally cautious when a stranger approached me with the same offer. He was a very well dressed man much like yourself, a man who wore his success proudly. He offered me the watch for the same reason I am offering it to you... he no longer had need for it.

  Yes, this timepiece is quite striking, isn’t it? You see, this is a true time piece. Oh, indeed it keeps most accurate time, but it does much more than that. With this chronometer you can actually see into the future.

  No, I am quite serious. It is a property that I discovered quite by accident, but I see no reason for you to go through the same experimentation I did.

  My discovery happened totally by chance. After I obtained this watch, I thought nothing more about it. Later that same day, sitting in my apartment and watching the news, I was idly toying with it. Setting the watch backwards had no effect. While resetting it, however, I inadvertently went a few minutes past the proper time. And I noticed that the weather report had abruptly shifted to the sports.

  Now that is something I might not have paid attention to normally. But I also saw that I had incorrectly set the time by a few minutes. When I readjusted it, the weather report was back on.

  Keep in mind that this was a live news broadcast. The weather always precedes the sports report. There was no reason to return to the weather. I thought perhaps it was just my imagination... until the scores came on.

  Ever have that feeling of deja vu? I’ve experienced it often since I obtained this chronometer. I knew immediately what the sportscaster would say, what the scores would be. I was puzzled by this, naturally. I have never had any extraordinary perceptions or insights before. I played over in my mind what had just happened and finally realized that the only action I had done differently was to reset the watch.

  So while a commercial played during a late night talk show, I set the watch forward a few minutes. Immediately the commercial disappeared and I was again watching the talk show, although this time with a different guest. I set it back and--voila--the spiel for a sports car was on the screen.

  As you might imagine, I played with the watch throughout the evening. I discovered that if I adjusted the time very slowly, I enjoyed the effect of watching a video tape on fast forward. I also discovered something more painful. I assume it must have something to do with the very nature of time itself. If you move the watch forward about five minutes and return, the physical effect is almost unnoticed. Adjust it fifteen minutes and, upon returning, you’ll feel like you’ve been running very fast for five minutes or so. I made the mistake of setting the watch forward a half hour. When I readjusted, I felt like I was in free-fall from 1,000 feet. Fortunately I was seated in a well-padded chair, otherwise, upon my return I might have caused serious injury to myself. As you might imagine, I have refrained from excursions any longer than 15 minutes into the future ever since.

  Now that I had some understanding of how this chronometer worked, I had to decide how to use it. My first thought was the stock market. Unfortunately, until I came in possession of this timepiece, my
means were quite modest. I had no knowledge on how to invest and the mere 15 minutes of extra knowledge I would possess were not going to earn me huge profits... at least not immediately.

  The most obvious and fastest alternative for profit was gambling. So the following day I went to Atlantic City and entered the casinos. I considered blackjack and poker briefly, then decided roulette offered the most immediate means of verifying my theory.

  It proved very easy to travel forward a minute or two, see the results, return and place my bet. The most difficult task was remaining inconspicuous. I quickly resorted to a strategy of winning small, losing a few, winning several more and so on. I also left that casino after I was ahead a few thousand and plied my trade at another. By the end of the evening--including time to eat supper and change clothes--I was more than $20,000 in the black.

  You don’t believe me, of course. I would expect that. But let me prove my veracity. Take a quarter from your pocket and flip it. I will wager you anything I can call ten tosses in a row correctly. Ready? Heads. Heads. Tails. Heads. Tails. Tails. Tails. Tails. Heads. Tails. You see? All correct, and you never noticed that I was gone for the few seconds I needed each time to travel forward and observe the results.

  That is one of the powers of this chronometer. You can return to the exact second you left this time frame to visit the near future. It can be quite addicting, I assure you. I’ve gotten into the habit of traveling forward several dozen times a day. Sometimes it is most amusing and entertaining. But not always.

  Why would I be willing to give away this valuable item? It all has to do with what I have discovered about time. As I said earlier, this chronometer will not take you back into time... time is inviolate. Even traveling forward, observing what I have, I soon discovered that I could change nothing, have no effect on anything. That coin would turn up heads no matter what I did. The roulette ball would roll into 24. Future events are as etched in stone as any memorial in a graveyard.