by Stuart Jaffe
Roni saw Gram’s wrist twitch and she put it all together. “Don’t do that,” she said.
But Gram’s arm had already begun its motion. She snapped out her hand and a chain flew from her sleeve. It caught the creature’s ankle and tightened around the bone. As the creature shrieked, Gram transferred her end of the chain to her free hand. Then she shot out another chain. This one caught the creature around the chest.
Crying like a lost child, the creature leaned back, pulling uselessly on the chains. Though Gram could not hold her ground like Sully, she had no trouble keeping this small creature under control.
Gram cocked her head back. “Open the book!”
Elliot held the book facing the creature and pulled back the cover. Roni reached up for Sully’s hand and braced herself. She had seen books opened before — they could vacuum in everything around them.
But nothing happened. No whoosh of air. No howling winds. No vortex pulling one universe into another.
Elliot planted one foot against a rock behind him. “Now!”
Yelling like a warrior, Gram swung the creature straight into the open book. She released the chains, allowing the entire package to pass into the pages. The sound of the creature screaming weakened as if it fell down a long shaft. Elliot shut the cover and Gram hurried over to tie a fresh chain around the outside.
Roni wrenched free from Sully. “What the hell did you do?”
“Watch you language,” Gram said.
“That thing was just scared and you tossed it away like it meant nothing.”
“That thing is a relic — a living relic. You remember what that is?”
With an impatient sigh, Roni said, “Yes. A relic is an object form another universe that gets stuck in ours.”
Gram took the book over to the donkey-golem and roughly made room to store it. “Well, relics can be living things, too. Yal-hara is a relic, and so was that thing. It doesn’t belong here.”
Stomping over, Roni said, “And does it belong in that book? Is that where it came from?”
“Of course not. This book opens to an empty universe. I use it for all the things that I cannot place anywhere else.”
“Shouldn’t we at least have tried to find where this thing came from? You just tossed it away. Threw it into — what? What’s an empty universe? Unless that’s a euphemism for a thriving ecosystem, I’m guessing that creature is going to die floating in emptiness.” She looked to Elliot and Sully. “Are you guys really okay with this? Is that how you’ve all been handling things? Just sweeping the relics under the rug?”
Sully stabbed a finger in her direction. “Young lady, you should learn to close your mouth and open your ears. You don’t know what you’re talking about right now.”
“I know that murdering a creature because it’s in our universe isn’t right.”
Gram’s stern brow eased as she approached. She hooked her arm through Roni’s. “Let’s take a little walk. The boys will clean up.”
Though anger urged Roni to rip her arm away and yell more, the sensible side of her prevailed. She had not seen Gram like this since before she joined the Society. A dim light deep inside her warmed at her grandmother’s kind touch. It had been too long. Patting Gram’s hand, she nodded, and together they went for a walk.
At first, they stayed silent. Their footsteps echoed around them. Just as when Roni was little, Gram had the ability to time things right. Before the silence grew uncomfortable, Gram spoke in a calm, soothing voice.
“I know this part is going to be hard for you. It was for me, too.”
“You can’t possibly convince me that —”
“Shhh. Let me speak. The first thing you must understand is that in order to protect our universe, we must get rid of all relics as fast as possible. Remember that each relic brings with it the threat of germs, bacteria, even seeds of invasive species — all of which could wipe us out, if we are not careful.”
“What about Yal-hara?”
“Some relics, like her, predate my involvement with the Society. Any damage those relics would do has already been done.”
Remembering that Gram had a private stash of relic alcohol, Roni snickered. “Is that why you don’t mind having vodka from another universe in the bookstore?”
“You can laugh at me, but yes, that’s true. Now, pay attention. These caverns are not part of our universe.”
“I know. I read about it in Waterfield’s journal.”
“What you may not know is that there are no living things in this universe. I do not know how the caverns came into existence. I believe our Lord provided them, but that doesn’t mean He made them. However it happened, the caverns are here to house the books. Nothing more. When we come across a relic, especially a living relic, we must dispose of it as fast as possible — because if a relic can devastate our universe, mankind dies; but if it devastates these caverns —”
“Then everything dies.” Roni paused as she looked at all the books hanging from the walls. “All of it. Holy shit.”
Gram smacked Roni’s hand. “Please. I’m not stupid enough to think you don’t cuss all the time, but I don’t need to hear it.”
“Sorry.” A thought hit her, and Roni faced Gram. “If the caverns are a different universe, doesn’t that make us relics in here, too?”
“You understand now. We are just as dangerous to everything in here. It is why we must be extremely careful — not only to protect the caverns, but to protect ourselves. We don’t know how large the caverns are, but it has been suggested that they connect all universes. If that is true, it stands to reason that there are other Parallel Society-type organizations out there, and if we come across one, then they may try to dispose of us, fearing the damage we may cause in here.”
“So you got rid of that creature both to save the caverns but also because it might try to throw us in a book?”
“Exactly.”
All the sounds bouncing off the walls, the glorious symphony of clicks and drips and unidentified tinkling tones, no longer brought joy. Roni shifted on her feet. Could there be another Society out there? Watching her? Waiting to chain her up and toss her away?
“Let’s go back,” she said. They turned around and walked toward the campfire. “If we’re potentially damaging the caverns by being here, then why are we doing it? I don’t mean this time, I get that we’re helping Yal-hara, and I guess Elliot, too — and you’ve got to explain that one to me soon — but what about all those expeditions of the past?”
“For hundreds of years, I doubt anybody understood what damage they might cause. It’s only been in the twentieth century that the concept of the multiverse has come to be. I’ve tried to limit our exposure in here as much as possible. I can only pray that you will have the sense and ability to put rules into place that will further protect these caverns.”
“Me?”
“As you’ve pointed out numerous times, we’re getting old. You know you’re taking over for us eventually. This is one thing you need to start thinking about.”
When they returned, Elliot and Sully had cleaned up all evidence of their meal. Sleeping bags had been unrolled, and both men had curled up for the night. Gram indicated one of the bags for Roni.
After everyone wished pleasant dreams, the Old Gang fell asleep fast. But Roni could not. Her mind swirled with all that had happened and all that Gram had said.
On the one hand, she felt thrilled to have come so far, to have seen deeper into the caverns, to have witnessed a living relic, and experienced her first day of adventure. On the other hand, Gram had finally given in a little and offered Roni a touch of responsibility. And what was it? Find rules that more or less shut down her access to the very thing that makes everything exciting and worthwhile. On the other, other hand, she accepted the seriousness of her task and would do her best. On the other, other, other hand, the whole thing ticked her off. Because once again, Gram had taken charge, and in doing so, changed the way the entire trip had gone.
&n
bsp; Roni punched her pillow a few times and thrust her head down. Sleep would not be coming soon, and every sound threatened to attack her as if she were the dangerous relic. A small voice in the back of her head wondered if they shouldn’t simply turn around and go home.
Chapter 10
When Roni woke, Elliot and Sully had already begun to pack up for the day. Waking in a cavern disoriented her — no sunlight, no change in temperature, nothing but another hour. Gram nibbled on a pumpernickel roll nearby.
Roni stood and felt an unwelcome pressure below. She crawled over to Gram. Whispering, she said, “Um, I have to go to the bathroom.”
“So? Go. You didn’t have a problem yesterday.”
“That was all number one. I have to really go, this time.”
Gram winked. “It doesn’t make a difference. Go behind a rock and let loose.”
“But what about everything you said? Isn’t it dangerous to leave our business here? Germs and bacteria and everything?”
“Dear, if poo is going to destroy this universe, it would already have happened. You think the Society members of a hundred years ago thought about such things?”
“I guess not. It doesn’t seem right, though. Shouldn’t we be better?”
“We try to be. When it comes to this, unless you brought a doggie poop bag, you’ve got two choices. Either go behind the rocks and do your business, or take one of my empty books and squat into that.”
Roni opted to go behind the rocks. She thought she’d be a hypocrite if she crapped into another universe — even an empty universe — to be clean in this one. As she headed off, Sully called her name. She looked up and he tossed over a roll of toilet paper.
Shortly afterward, the group finished packing and they started on the day’s hike. This time, the allure of the caverns had faded. Roni still found interesting rock formations and unusual ways light bounced around, but the excitement and majesty of her first steps drifted further behind.
Each minute brought pain — her feet had blistered and her muscles ached. She grew thirsty but avoided taking more than the minimum of water. Partly because she wanted to ration what they had, and partly because she decided that morning to avoid going to the bathroom as much as possible.
Elliot put up a hand to stop the hike. Using his cane, he drew a line across the dirt at his feet. “Our maps end here. We may have to go slower from time to time because it has been many years since I have traveled this way. It will all come back to me, so please have patience.”
“Of course,” Sully said. “We understand.”
Roni wanted to yell that she didn’t understand, that nobody would tell her what was Elliot’s problem with this Isle, but she stayed quiet. As they powered onward, she pulled out her journal and attempted to keep a rough detail of the path. She figured that even if her entries never became worthwhile reading material, at least she could provide useful maps.
“Good idea,” Sully said, walking side-by-side with his donkey-golem. “If the world this Book on the Isle leads to is half as wonderful to view as I have heard, we will certainly want to know how to get back.”
Roni thought about what she had read in Waterfield’s journal. When he discovered the book, he wrote down what he saw when he looked inside.
A marvel to behold. Bright with gold and silver. People much like ourselves, only filled with light and joy. They dressed in flowing gowns that declared their freedom as much as the happiness upon their faces. From my vantage point, I witnessed a gorgeous fountain in the center of a town that seemed to be in an agrarian utopia. A true fantasy lifted from one of our children’s books, only nary a witch or evil giant in sight.
For the next hour, their path led them along the base of a cliff. Roni kept expecting rocks to fall from above, but nothing so dangerous occurred. Even the books above her were chained tight against the walls.
Later, the ground sloped downward — a smooth descent that slowed their progress. The path spiraled downward as if they navigated their way through the inside of a long tube. Books swung from chains above them. Some hung so low, Roni and the others had to duck in order to pass.
Until they reached the halfway point.
Gram gasped and they halted. “What happened?”
The pathway forward had all the chains jingling against each other, but no books. Some chains had been torn free from the ceiling. Some of the links dotted the ground. But every last book had been removed — only the chains remained.
Elliot slid his cane across several of the hanging chains, creating an eerie music. “I have never seen such a thing. Sully?”
Pushing his way forward, Sully inspected the chains. “I haven’t. But this doesn’t look natural.”
“Of course it’s not natural,” Gram said.
“I only meant that the books didn’t fall, the chains didn’t rust or weaken. And if I had to say, I would wager that these books were violently ripped loose.”
Gram nodded. “So it wasn’t somebody like us — somebody with the kinds of powers we have.”
Sully’s focus drifted toward Roni. “We must be extra careful.”
Roni wished she could muster a light comment, some way to dismiss the fear circulating amongst them, but she only managed to swallow hard against her dry throat.
They proceeded further down. All the chains without books swayed like nooses without bodies — a threat hanging with each one. At the bottom, the ground leveled into an open plain of rocks. Thankfully, the books there remained. A few were missing from the lower sections of the walls, but the majority of the spaces had books properly chained — as far as they could tell. The ceiling of this cavern section rose so high, it became lost to the dark.
Unfortunately, the ground could be seen with total clarity. Relics like the living one that had stumbled upon their campsite the night before littered the ground. Only these no longer lived. Hundreds of pale corpses had been spread across the dirt, each one twisted in an agonized position. Their foul odor rose in the air.
Gram covered her mouth. Elliot looked away. Sully glanced downward and shook his head.
“What did this?” Roni asked.
Patting her cross against her chest, Gram said, “We will find out. Elliot, please locate the source of this evil.”
Stepping forward, Elliot lifted his cane horizontal over one of the corpses. He wrinkled his nose at the sharp stench. Closing his eyes, he raised his hand and also held it horizontal to the corpse. After a few quiet moments, he lowered his hands and stepped forward, placing each foot with care. When he stopped walking, he lifted his cane and hand as before. This continued for several minutes. Each time, he moved deeper and deeper into the slaughter.
While they waited, Roni tried to jot down notes in her journal, but finding the words to describe this horror failed her. She kept seeing the living relic Gram had tossed into a book and wondered if that creature had been escaping whatever had caused this. Everywhere she looked, she saw accusing glares as if the dead might rise and point at her and blame her for the death of their friend.
Don’t be stupid, she thought. She had done nothing wrong. If anybody, Gram deserved such glares, yet that wasn’t even true — Gram did not mass murder these creatures.
By the time Elliot returned, Roni needed any distraction from the surrounding death. “So?” she said, the eagerness in her voice mimicked by the hopeful looks from Gram and Sully.
Elliot’s grim countenance answered before he spoke. “I cannot get a clear reading. All the books around us, all the books in these massive caverns, they lead to near-infinite universes. It is too much to narrow my focus. When I know which book we are searching for, I can handle it. One universe is difficult, but possible. Here there is simply too much pulling me in all directions. Especially because there is a good, logical possibility that these once-living relics came from one of the books now missing.”
“Thank you for trying,” Gram said. “Let’s move on. We’ve still got plenty of hiking to do, and Lord knows I don’t wa
nt to smell these things any longer. Everybody be vigilant.”
With that, they left. Roni wanted to ask why they didn’t dispose of the bodies. Shouldn’t they be worried about contaminating the caverns? But evidence pointed out that despite Gram’s warnings, the caverns had been exposed to much over the centuries, and while it behooved them all to be better custodians, Roni would not have to worry over every germ.
They trudged onward for several hours until Gram finally pointed to a trickle of water running off of a large boulder. “We’ll camp here.”
Once they had eaten and settled in, the Old Gang again fell asleep with ease. Roni, however, could not shake the heaviness in her thoughts. The dead relics troubled her, but more, her mind rattled through scenarios of her future — none of which ended with good results.
She was expected to learn how to do things yet Gram withheld too much information. Then, when she finally did learn a few things, Gram contradicted her rules with blatant disregard in her actions. Roni had always been a believer in the idea that one had to know the rules before breaking them. It helped to avoid stupid mistakes. Yet it seemed that one day she would be inheriting all the responsibilities of the Parallel Society with no firm grasp on the basics. And no matter how many times she played that idea, she couldn’t help but wonder if part of Gram wanted her to fail. Maybe it helped Gram still feel useful.
Roni rolled onto her side, but she could not clear her mind. Yet at some point in the night, her thoughts became her dreams, and the hours slipped by. The next thing Roni knew, Elliot nudged her awake.
He smiled at her scrunched face. “Hurry up. We are close. Today, if I can still find the entrance, we will arrive at the Book on the Isle.”
Twenty minutes later, they had the campsite clean and the donkey-golem packed. Elliot moved with an exuberant step as he led the way further into the caverns. Despite his excitement, Roni kept her own expectations low. Good thing, too. It would be three hours before they reached a dark passageway with a hole in the side.
“Here, here,” Elliot said, waving a flashlight. “Be careful. This is rugged.”
