“Physical things?” asked Rob, as Ann turned into the parking lot and headed for a nearby space.
“Yes, physical things.” She brought the car to a stop and turned off the engine. “Like this place.” She pointed through the windshield towards the large building in whose shadow they now sat. Light glinted off of highly polished windows, and around them the skyscrapers slowly rotated like sunflowers turning to face the sun. On the raised bank ahead, a myriad of brightly colored blooms spelled out the words: Paradise World Amphibia. Ann smiled at the beauty of what she saw. “Nevertheless, keep looking into the spiritual stuff for me, Rob,” she said. “We’ll talk more about it later. For now… I’ve got some working out to do!”
~
Paradise World Amphibia was housed in a massive building that squatted among the Chicago skyscrapers. Unlike its looming brothers, it was not especially tall, but its footprint was vast, covering an area the size of a shopping mall, parking lot and all. As impressive at it appeared from the outside, it was nothing compared to the wonders within. The glass doors slid open as Ann approached them and, despite the fact she had seen it many times before, the view took her breath away.
Fantastic! I love this place!
Beyond the reception area, where the face recognition system lit a green light at her, the gym rooms rose in layers to either side, filled with the latest and most advanced equipment available. But it was in between these, stretching away into the distance, that Ann’s eyes were drawn, to the aquarium. She had one in her apartment, an average-sized tank which was home to a pair of Siamese Fighting Fish, but that was to the Amphibia aquarium what a marble was to the moon. To call the aquarium large would be little more than ludicrous. It’s just gigantic!
The acrylic viewing panel was over two hundred feet wide and sixty feet tall, which provided a clear view of what looked to Ann to be at least a hundred thousand marine organisms that swam, glided, crawled and bobbed in the water beyond.
“Hello, little fellas,” she said, bending down to look at a cluster of brightly colored seahorses that were gliding slowly on their way towards a patch of coral. Amazing, she thought, straightening up again; so many colors and such incredible variety. Whoever came up with the idea of this place is a genius!
Despite its exclusivity, Amphibia was usually crowed with people, but in the early afternoon it was very quiet and, after a brief warm-up in one of the gym rooms, Ann made her way to the aquarium changing premises. Slipping into a swimsuit that was perfectly designed to show off her slender figure, Ann fastened a miniature aqualung to her back, strapped on a pair of flippers and headed up.
“Morning, Jake,” she said to the lifeguard, as she emerged onto the top deck.
Jake looked flustered at being addressed so unexpectedly. “Oh!” he said. “Er… hi there, Ann. Good to see you again.”
Apart from Jake and another lifeguard a short distance away, there was no one else around. Ann sauntered up to the edge of the pool and stepped onto the top rung of the ladder.
No, she thought, pulling her foot back. I don’t want to use the ladder today. Since it’s only me here, I’ll dive straight in. She pulled the mask down onto her face and launched into the water, barely making a splash.
The underwater world that met her was simply incredible. It was one thing to look at it through the viewing screen, but something else entirely to be a part of it. It was like being in another world. Stretched out before her was a reef, a wall of colors and movement. There were orange and white clownfish, swimming among purple-tipped anemones, glistening tendrils of seaweed interspersed with flashes of gold, blue and red as fish darted among them. Seahorses, mollusks and starfish moved almost imperceptibly on the surface as crabs and shrimp crept across it, their feelers touching and tasting everything they encountered. Everywhere there were shoals of fish of all shapes, sizes and hues.
This is the life, she thought, as she eased her way through the water. This is the kind of recreation I need. I should come here on all my days off.
Ann kicked out towards the bottom of the aquarium, reveling in the sense of freedom and weightlessness as her strong legs propelled her downward. Long strands of seaweed reached out to her, stroking her skin as she swam past. To her right a large eel poked its head out from a deep cavern and eyed her suspiciously, and overhead a cloud of bright silver fish darted backwards and forwards, the light flickering off their scales. She swam towards them, reaching out to touch them as they shot past. Suddenly, the fish were gone, retreating to another part of the aquarium. On the reef ahead of her the clownfish hid in their anemones and, below, the eel retreated into its den.
Odd, thought Ann, peering at the suddenly deserted reef. Something’s spooked them all.
She span round in the water and her vision was filled with teeth as an enormous shark passed mere inches over her head. Behind her mask, Ann smiled. The shark was an old friend, or rather an old foe, with whom she often sparred during these sessions. It was not dangerous, constructed as it was from some of the most advanced animatronics available, and contained one of her company’s more limited AI chips. With a flick of its tail, it turned its lithe body back to face her and Ann tensed.
Come on then, she thought, narrowing her eyes at the creature. I’m ready for you!
The rush of adrenalin helped her to focus, ready for action. The shark shot forward straight towards her left shoulder. Ann kicked away to the right, jabbing out with a fist and catching the shark in its side. She watched it slip past and it flicked her, playfully, with its tail before coming round for another pass. Again and again Ann and the shark sparred together.
Take that, she thought, as she kicked out with a flipper. I’ll show you who is king of the sea! She reveled in the experience, feeling a childish sense of delight as her whole body worked hard. The feel of the water as she span around and the joy of the play-fight brought to Ann’s mind an occasion when her parents had taken a group of school friends to a swimming pool for her eighth birthday.
Eventually, she had had enough and, as if sensing her diminished interest, the shark slunk away. As the other fish and sea creatures returned or emerged from their hiding places, Ann wound down from the excitement of the fight.
Wow, she thought, as she began to swim lazily around the aquarium, chasing and even touching some of the fish, her senses drinking in the exotic surroundings and the feel of the cool water against her skin. I love this sea world. It’s like paradise!
~
“Now that was a workout!” Ann lay on one of the lounge chairs scattered around the deck of the aquarium, towel across her middle and mobile device in her hand. Palm trees swayed above and from somewhere came the gentle sound of an orchestra. Ah, I’m not sure I can think of anywhere more relaxing. Seems crazy to think I was getting all flustered about some stupid dream. I’m at peace with the world. She sighed deeply, savoring the stillness.
“Nina’s calling, my lady,” said Rob’s voice from the device. Sitting up and tapping the screen, Ann found herself looking at the face of her friend, Nina, smiling out from the screen.
“Hello, Ann, darling. I just heard. Congratulations on the vacation.”
Ann blinked at her in surprise. “You too, Nina? How on earth did you hear about that? I only found out this morning, myself!”
“Oh, I have my sources,” said Nina, pushing a stray piece of light blonde hair away from her face, which immediately fell back again. “Let’s just say, a little E-A bird told me.”
Ann shook her head in mock irritability. “Between Rob and the Mikes it’s a wonder I have any secrets left.”
“Come now, sweetie. You surely don’t keep any secrets from me?”
“Well, you’ve caught me at just the right time,” said Ann, ignoring Nina’s question. “I’m in a great mood after my work out here at Amphibia, so how about we go out this evening for a drink at the Tower? I’ll buy you a super ice cream too, if you’re really good.”
“Ice cream? Sounds perfect. My new boyf
riend likes plump girls. Gives him something to grab hold of, he says.”
“A new boyfriend? What happened to Steve?”
“Steve is old news, darling.” Nina waved a hand dismissively, as though swatting away the memory. “What can I say? We didn’t really have that spark, you know? Don’t worry yourself about it. It’s all in the past. And this new model’s much more up to scratch.”
“Well, that definitely calls for a celebration. Pick you up at nine?”
Chapter Three
The Tower was one of the tallest buildings on the Chicago skyline. Most of its seventy-two floors were used as office space for various businesses, but on its top floor was the Tower Bar. The floor of the bar projected about ten feet beyond the rest of the building below, and its walls and floor were made of glass, offering an unparalleled view of the city and surrounding countryside as the room revolved slowly on its axis.
Ann and Nina stepped out of the elevator and were shown to their table. As they walked through the bar, heads turned to watch them, men staring open-mouthed, women gazing in open envy. Ann, as always, looked stunning in a small red dress that perfectly showed off her shapely body and exuded allure. Nina, though almost a head shorter than Ann, drew many of the eyes, her mesmerizing smile, ample cleavage and seductive walk causing one man to spill his drink into his lap. Nina winked at him and the woman sitting opposite the man jabbed a finger at him and said something crossly under her breath.
“Stop getting people into trouble,” said Ann, trying to conceal her laughter.
“I know.” Nina flicked her hair from her face again. “The poor dears. It’s just so easy. I can’t help myself.”
“Huh. The problem is that you do help yourself. To any man that happens to be available.”
“I don’t know what you mean!” said Nina, taking her seat at the table, momentarily unnerved by the vast drop visible through the floor below her. Ann sat down, completely unfazed by the view, and looked across the table at her friend.
Since they had first met, at a strategic thinking conference in New York a few years earlier, Ann had grown increasingly fond of Nina and loved hanging out with her. And though her friend seemed to go through men at a rate that was almost impossible to keep up with, she knew that, behind it all, Nina was simply looking for her ideal life. Her goal was to meet her perfect man, Mister Right, the one who would not only be able to handle her fiery passions, but with whom she could settle down and have the family she always wanted. “A proper family should have at least seven children,” Nina would often say, and Ann suspected it was not meant as a joke. That perfect man, however, was proving somewhat elusive and Nina felt it would probably be easier to find seven men to produce one child each than one man who would be prepared to settle down with her and produce seven children.
“So what are you going to have?” Ann asked, as Nina considered the ActiveMenu screen set into the tabletop. “Obviously we’re having margaritas, but what about the ice cream? It’s divine. The best in the city.”
Nina glanced up from studying the screen. “Such a sweet tooth, darling! You should be directing that passion more towards finding yourself a good man.”
“Oh, it’s much more fun watching you, my dear. I’m sure the right man will come my way soon enough.”
“And how’s that going to happen? You don’t spend any time around men, sweetie.”
“Very funny! Have you seen how many men there are in my office? Apart from me and a handful of other women, it’s an entirely male workforce. Let’s go for two margaritas,” she added, tapping at the ActiveMenu screen. “And I’ll go for the pistachio ice cream. What are you having, Nina?”
Nina glanced down again at the images on the screen. “I really shouldn’t. . . but I will have honey and ginger, I think.” As Ann tapped in the order, she continued. “Anyway, darling I’m not talking about colleagues. Is that Tomo still trying his luck?”
“Of course.” Ann smiled mischievously. “He’s only human, after all. But he is also a colleague… and nothing more than that, really.”
“Unlike the other man in your life? Don’t you ever get tired of hanging out with super-smart Rob?”
“Hardly. He’s wonderful. He’s interesting, useful, entertaining… What more could I want?”
Nina looked unimpressed. “I think we have a different definition of entertainment, darling!” She leaned forward on the table and gave Ann a wink that would have made a statue blush.
“Huh. So what do you actually get out of all those sleepless nights with your endless stream of men? Besides satisfying some of your basic needs, of course.”
“Basic needs?” Nina gave her a reproachful look. “Eating is a basic need, sweetie. So is sleep. But sex is so much more!”
“But there must be more to it than just that. Don’t you ever talk to these guys?”
“There’s a time for talk.” Nina leaned back as the robotic waitress, with her long, curly hair and pink mini-skirt, arrived with their drinks and ice creams. “But night is a time for action!”
“Action?” said Ann, eyeing her ice cream hungrily. It was an outrageously bright green and she briefly wondered just how many calories it might contain, and how many she had burned at Amphibia. “If you want action, why don’t you go to the gym like me?”
“That’s not the same at all!” said Nina with a frown. She spooned a little ice cream into her mouth and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. “Imagine. There you are snuggled up with some gorgeous guy. A little candle-light. A nice glass of red wine. Can’t you feel the passion? The desire? The promise of wonderful pleasures to come?”
“I have to admit,” said Ann, enjoying the image as much as the ice cream, “it sounds pretty good! So when was this?”
“Last Saturday, after my house party.” She waved her spoon dramatically as if to conjure the party out of the air. “It was simply splendid, darling! You should have been there.”
“I wasn’t really in the mood, Nina.”
“Not in the mood? That’s exactly what parties are for, improving your mood.”
“Maybe,” said Ann, looking out of the window at the view south across the lake and city. “I’ve had some strange moods lately… dreams that disturb my sleep.”
“What you need is someone to sleep with. That’s the best cure. Take this guy, for instance.” Nina pointed towards the bar where a tall, handsome man in his late thirties sat alone with his beer. Ann glanced at him briefly.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “That’s not really a cure. These dreams have been very strange, and they’re always the same.” Ann leaned forward, lowering her voice. “In these dreams, I’m being absorbed by this huge spiral. It’s carrying me in its grip, and it appears to keep going on and on along an endless path. I can’t describe how distressing it is. It makes me feel trapped and frightened and… out of control.”
“Well, aren’t you just full of surprises!” said Nina, raising her eyebrows and pushing the errant hair away from her face again. “And there I was thinking you were nothing more than a woman of steel. You’re not worried about these dreams are you?”
“I don’t know,” said Ann, her voice still hushed. “I feel like there is this uneasiness gnawing away inside me, holding me back somehow, and I have to get rid of it. It’s like there’s some sort of puzzle I need to unravel, but I have no idea what it is…”
“I know what you mean,” said Nina, finishing the last of her ice cream and picking up her margarita. “I’m tense as well, frustrated. Look at me, darling. I’m already thirty-three and I’m yet to have even one baby, let alone seven, which you know is my dream. By my reckoning I need at least a year to conceive and produce a baby, following another year’s recovery, which means seven children is going to take thirteen years in total. Even if I started tonight, I’d be forty-six before I’m done. And I’ve still not met the man for the job. It’s frustrating!”
“What about twins?” asked Ann, sipping at her drink to hide her amusement a
t Nina’s concerns. “You could be done in half the time.”
“True, but even with the latest advanced methods there’s no guarantee I’d produce twins.”
“So what are you going to do, then?”
“What have I been doing, you mean,” said Nina, peering mysteriously over her glass. The piece of hair that kept falling across her eyes spoiled the effect slightly by choosing that moment to flop into her drink. She flicked it out and continued, “I went to see a psychic!”
Ann nearly spat out her drink. “Seriously? A psychic? So, what happened?”
“She was this small, old lady,” said Nina dramatically, smiling at her friend’s amazement. “She took her third eye and peered into the fourth dimension.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“That’s what they say, isn’t it? Psychics have a third eye to see into the invisible world, the one which extends from our distant past and through into the future. It’s called the fourth dimension, and when…”
“Enough,” said Ann, downing her margarita and consulting the ActiveMenu again. “Let’s get another drink and get on that dance floor. And no more of this third eye, fourth dimension, psychic nonsense!”
~
“What do you know about psychics, Rob?” It was morning and Ann was sitting on her bed, massaging her temples to ease the slight headache she had following her evening with Nina. The apartments in her building rotated on a central column, each apartment staggered from those above and below to create a constantly moving spiral effect. Since they completed a full rotation every twenty-four hours, the sight across the west of the city and the lake was the same each morning, except, of course, for the changes in the weather. Sighing at the clouds and the brisk wind that stirred up the surface of the lake, Ann turned back to look at her mobile device.
Redemption: Supernatural Time-Traveling Romance with Sci-fi and Metaphysics Page 3
