Suddenly, I could hear faint whispers which resembled a woman's voice. Occasional flashes of pale blue light sizzled from between the stones as the whispers continued. A sudden chill ran through me as one of the whispers spoke my name. Then the electrical discharges began to fade away, until the structure went silent, along with the voices. I reached out and touched the centre structure cautiously with my hand. It felt cold and smooth to the touch. It was made of no material I had ever encountered. Even Lightstar could not evaluate its composition. I decided to return to the safety of the Phoenix and the warmth of my friends before anything else happened, as nightfall arrived.
On the way there, a disconcerting feeling came with me, at the thought of whatever presence which resided in the monument, knew my name. And yet on reflection, I took some comfort from the fact that I sensed one of those voices was somehow familiar.
Safely in the Phoenix, I elaborated my findings with my friends. They seemed as puzzled as me. I suggested we remained on Nouveaux, at least until tomorrow. I wanted to return to the monument at first light. It was agreed.
Was there another inhabitant to this strange world? It seemed Nouveaux disguised a secret I would perhaps be told by tomorrow. I engaged the shields on the Phoenix, just to make sure.
I dreamt of Liberté that night. She called to me to come to the canyon which led to the monument. So I followed her on foot, but as I arrived, she raised her hand and said it was forbidden to go any further. When the dream ended it left me feeling cold inside.
By first light, my friends and I returned to the structure. It was cold as we stood on the hillside at the edge of the canyon observing the monument. I wanted to wait here for a moment, until the sunlight reached the structure. Its configuration suggested it may have something connected with the sun as it faced east in direction. The planet had not changed in appearance this morning. It was still barren and dusty. We waited as the sun rose above the canyon. Suddenly its touch awoke the object teasing it apart from the top, peeling the sides away to unfold like giant petals opening in the morning sun. The sun flowed like a river of light from its petal shaped tips to create white narrow beams, which struck each of the tall stones surrounding it simultaneously. My friends and I gasped in awe as each stone began to glow brightly.
Then something happened that we could barely believe. From each stone, came apparitional figures, with wispy strands of creamy white light enrobing each of them, just like the planet itself. They were transparent, but even at this distance, you could make out the outline of their faces. They seemed almost human, with long hair and vivid blue eyes which shone like sapphires from the morning sun.
I had been right about the monument being something to do with the sunlight, but I had not expected the scene which unfolded in front of us. Without notice, the landscape began to flourish, as the rivers flowed as turquoise light across the surface to replenish it with the green countryside of woodlands like before. The transformation took only a few moments, almost like another mirage had occurred. Our new found paradise had returned, but the beings beside the monument had other ideas, as we were about to find out, when one of them noticed our uninvited presence here. We were in trouble.
A ghostly figure began flying hastily towards us as a look of dread fell across our faces. I instructed Lightstar to shield us. The protective force field activated seconds before the figure arrived. It floated in mid air not far from us, as it studied us with interest. The outline of a beautiful woman's face with ice blue eyes formed with more substance. It was like she was a ghost of someone human once, with the wispy outline of a figure, almost like a white dress which kept ebbing and flowing like the current of the tides.
She began speaking to us, remarkably in our language, to warn us it was forbidden to be here. I quickly responded, reassuring the figure we meant them no harm. But before I could continue the figure raised her hand, to emit a ribbon of topaz light, which leaped forward with great speed. It wrapped itself around the shield desperately trying to penetrate the field without success, until it dissolved away. The apparent lack of success by the figure’s intentions to eliminate us seemed to both startle and annoy them, as they repeatedly tried in vain with further ribbons.
I took Lightstar from my belt, then threw her at the figure. She glowed defiantly to defend us as the figure held out their ghostly palm to retaliate with more ribbons. It seemed neither of us could defeat the other. To my great relief, one of the other figures interrupted the display of electronic fireworks, commanding the first figure to stop, to which they obeyed. When the second figure turned to face us, I went cold with surprise at the face staring back at me. It was not possible. The breeze could be heard in-between the silence, as the figure tenderly spoke my name. It was the face of my late wife, Liberté. After a few stunned moments, I found the words to ask if it were really her. She nodded, then turned to the other figure and explained I was to be trusted. She introduced the first figure as Andromeda. Andromeda seemed reluctant to believe Liberté, but conceded to have faith in her judgement in me, then insisted only I could stay behind; the others must leave. I politely asked my friends to wait in the Phoenix; I would join them later. They left promptly, thanking me for saving their lives on the way.
So that just left me with the company of two beautiful and mysterious ghostlike beings. As the sun warmed the air, I was lost for words, except to ask what had become of Liberté. She smiled and her eyes sparkled when she spoke to me. When she died, her spirit came here and since then she lived amongst the race of beings who were known as the ‘Lorelei.’ It was difficult to explain anymore without the permission of Andromeda, who Liberté enlightened me, was the elder spirit. Andromeda neared me and looked deep into my eyes, then asked Liberté if this was the one. Her intent gaze disturbed me a little. I was unsure as to whether she was about to embrace or evaporate me. Yet, when Liberté smiled to Andromeda, her elder believed her somewhat more than before, as a slight smile began to form on her face too. Andromeda apologised for her actions before, then enquired how I had learnt to possess such a sophisticated understanding of an energy force? She seemed impressed by both my knowledge and values. While Andromeda spoke I felt almost naked to her gaze. It delved into my spirit searching for answers I could not hide. When she spoke again, it was to tell me she knew I was from Earth. I asked her how she knew that. She smiled in an understanding way, stating she knew everything about me now, then accepted to Liberté that I could be trusted. She may be with me for a little while.
Andromeda left without saying anything else, to return to the others by the structure. Liberté sensed I was a little overwhelmed by all of this, so she asked me to follow her. When I asked if I could touch her she said no. She was only of the spirit. I could only see her because she wanted me to. Liberté asked me not to be sad. She would explain. So I followed her to the edge of the river, then its trail towards a magnificent waterfall near the canyon’s edge in the distance.
The Lorelei had lived here for thousands of years. It seemed they too were once from Earth. They had come here a long time ago to escape the imperfections of their race, to begin a purer faith. In a way, they were not too dissimilar to our beliefs. When I asked her how Andromeda knew I was from Earth, Liberté responded by saying there were no secrets here. All I was, Andromeda now knew. The Lorelei could not only read minds, they could read souls. Andromeda had been testing me for my purity; my goodness. I felt relieved I had led a good life. In my brief time with Liberté I learnt a few of the secrets about the Lorelei. How the planet was like them; almost a spiritual transparency. Which explained its appearance from space. They were all female and worshipped the sunlight at the monument each morning. It was their life force; the energy for their spirits if you like.
The planet came to life, when the sun and the Lorelei woke. As we stood close to the waterfall, I told Liberté how deeply I had missed her and that I loved her. Her face glowed with delight as I spoke. Liberté said she had to leave; Andromeda wished it. I asked if I
could speak with Andromeda again to tell her of our hopes to remain on Nouveaux. Liberté said Andromeda already knew and would discuss it with the others. I would be told their decision by evening. Liberté began to disappear, as I reached out my hand to protest to her leaving, however my plea was useless. She was already gone.
The waterfall of silvery light continued to cascade beside me, as I felt a terrible loneliness now Liberté was gone. I felt slightly dazed as well from the encounter with her and the Lorelei. I did what Liberté asked and returned to the Phoenix to await their decision. On the way, I began to realise that perhaps we had found a paradise with Nouveaux. Although, whether it would remain forbidden to us was only something the Lorelei could decide.
4
Compromise
It seemed odd, that even though the scenery of Nouveaux should have made me forget, my thoughts were of Earth; well, Earth of the past. The Lorelei held our futures in their ghostlike hands and it appeared it may be as transparent. That said, so was theirs.
Lightstar had been running some tests on the sun, which gave Nouveaux its mysterious form. She had discovered that the sun was beginning to fade too, much like the planet. In fact, it was dying; a little more with every day. There was a connection with the longevity of the planet, which made the decision of the Lorelei almost irrelevant. Before long, they would perish too. The Progressionalists had put pay to our future on Earth and it became more obvious with each passing moment, nature had inadvertently prevented our future here. Lightstar added it might just be possible to rejuvenate Nouveaux’s sun, although the solution would be both complicated and risky. I asked her to begin calculating the possibilities, just in case.
I did not really feel like discussing the news with the other members from the Council of Light yet. Instead, I let them enjoy the paradise around them, at least for now. After all these years, I had never seen my friends look so happy.
I went for a walk alone by the shoreline again. How could I allow the dream to end here, before it began? I was determined to find a compromise for us. I sat next to the shoreline by the waves and listened to them. It was like music in a way to me. The water bubbled, then receded and returned with rhythmic continuity. The last time I did this was a century ago. I kept recordings of the ocean and played them at times, to remember the beauty which was long forgotten by everyone on Earth. As I continued watching the folding waves, I began to realise this was perhaps one of the happiest moments I could remember. Only one thing was missing. My thoughts of Liberté were heard by her, as she appeared beside me, like a ghost. She started laughing, as did I from the unexpected pleasure to be with one another again.
In the late afternoon, the sunlight gave warmth to not only the place, but my mood, which was unrivalled contentment for a change. Liberté floated beside me silently as she spoke enchantingly of my return. She knew I did not want to leave as I rested by the waves and my age began to catch up with me again. My body felt the burden of the mileage it had endured. I let out a sigh from the exhaustion, as I reached for my light capsule to rejuvenate myself. Liberté’s expression reflected the understanding for my suffering, as she reached out to touch me. Her transparent hand went through me and I began to feel myself recharge with energy, almost like her touch repaired my age. Moments later, as she removed her hand, the fatigue in my body was gone; replenished with energy and suppleness. I felt young again.
Before I could ask her to explain, she said I would be able to complete any tasks that presented themselves to me. What she had done was only an illusion. My spirit would encourage the body to feel young. I would not need the light capsule again. This remedy would last until my life was gone. When I asked how long that was, she just smiled and replied it would be long enough to fulfil my dreams.
I thanked her for her kindness and understanding. It were as if I did not need to tell her anything; she already knew everything I was. Liberté continued to float beside me, as I walked along the beach with her, while I studied beautiful and exotic flowers along the way. As I held a bloom in my hand delicately, I recognised its innocence and importance. The Progressionalists never could understand the importance of a flower. It was humble, delicate and gave pleasure to all who noticed it, without expectation of anything in return. This simple gift set it and us apart from them.
Just then, the sun’s warmth diminished slightly, as a reminder to me that the flower I held in my hand was not unlike the futures of both the Lorelei and the Council of Light; it retained the same delicacy.
I returned to the shoreline with Liberté. To be close to her was paradise itself. The sunlight began to lose its richness as the early evening neared. Liberté bid me farewell for now; she said Andromeda wished to speak with me. Her blue eyes shimmered her unending love for me as she faded and was replaced by her elder, who wore an unexpected smile for me with this meeting.
I could tell Andromeda was thousands of years old, by the gaze of wisdom from her face and indeed her eyes cast whenever she looked at me. I felt naked in a spiritual way. It left me feeling uneasy having her know every detail about me, when I knew practically nothing about her. But I think she preferred it that way; at least for now.
I told her I sensed she was sad somehow, which unsettled her a little. Perhaps what she called telepathy was merely an extension of perception I felt beside her. Andromeda smiled and praised me. I was beginning to learn; I showed exceptional promise. She became serious as she revealed the truth about the sun. She had kept it a secret somehow from the Lorelei for many years. The breeze strengthened momentarily as she paused. It puzzled me that with all the Lorelei’s knowledge and powers, they could not find a way to repair the dying sun. Andromeda began laughing. She reminded me that the Lorelei were only of a spiritual nature; they had no influence on anything beyond Nouveaux. That is why she needed me. I started to laugh. She was offering a compromise; for our races to live together here on Nouveaux. She had studied all of us, through me and was satisfied we could live here with the same values of purity the Lorelei practised for millennia. It was I who had convinced her in a way. I reminded her of when she was my age. There was so much that she could teach me given time. Her eyes began to glow softly in tones of topaz, then sapphire, as she looked silently at me, with her long dark hair ebbing like the waves beside us. Andromeda wanted to explain about the past.
Thousands of years ago, the Lorelei settled on Earth. It was a paradise like Nouveaux, but her race was young and immature. As the years flowed, imperfection began to crumble the purity of their beliefs, so much so, she envisaged a destructive and decadent future for those who followed these new values; ones of self-importance, obsession, power and materialism. In the end, those members of the Lorelei were outcast and the remainder of the purer faith came here to be as far away as they could. Her knowledge of the Progressionalists I had furnished her with only confirmed the tragedy she envisaged all that time ago. Somehow the Council of Light had evolved to become in essence, the children of the Lorelei, with the same beliefs as them.
Andromeda explained she could have eliminated me the moment we met, but she sensed something special about me, which is why she decided to listen. With regard to my feeling naked in her presence, she offered this. In time, she would allow me to know her and the others; for now it was better this way and to trust her. There was nothing to fear from her. She both understood and welcomed me, along with the others. Her words seemed to ease my intimidation of her. Instead, from that moment, she became my friend. Andromeda would help me with the Phoenix. After all, she knew everything both Lightstar and I had in mind, with her approval.
For now though, she wanted to show me one of the Lorelei’s secrets. She raised her hand and suddenly it began to rain. But it was not like rain on Earth; this was rain made from crystal light. Droplets of transparency fell around us as the light reflected on my hand and I reached out to touch it. Images of my old home in France began to form from the raindrops, like a mirage from the memory when Liberté and I lived there once.
There were lavender fields, tall trees and our whitewashed cottage, which overlooked the bay. I watched the scene unfold to observe a younger version of myself walking arm in arm with Liberté. The raindrops played like an old movie that had been sitting almost forgotten, covered in dust in the libraries of my memories. Andromeda’s eyes enriched as she changed the scene to Venice, Italy one July, where Liberté and I spent our honeymoon. Liberté embraced me on a bridge, as a gondola made its way along the milky emerald canal between the rustic buildings. It was like I was returned to each moment of my past with Andromeda's wish. She lowered her hand and the image faded as the raindrops dissolved away, leaving us by the shore of Nouveaux like before. Andromeda whispered this was only a glimpse of the Lorelei’s secrets. I was speechless and somewhat dazed by the experience. Andromeda added that was why the other secrets would follow in time.
For now, I must return to my friends to tell them of her decision. When I needed her help, by the time I had thought it, she would be there. I smiled in disbelief and belief of her words. As she became evanescent like the evening sun, I thanked her. She just whispered the words, ‘I know…’ as she left.
So with pale crimson tones through the sky, I went to find my friends by the Phoenix. I elaborated the meeting with Andromeda; about the dying sun and my plans to rejuvenate it. My friends were both delighted and relieved by the Lorelei’s decision, even if a doubt remained about both of our futures.
For the rest of the evening, we had dinner on the observation deck of the Phoenix. I even played a little light harp. It was an unusual instrument which was generated by Lightstar. It had strings of misty light that you plucked in a similar way to an old harp from years ago. You only had to touch the light string to play a note which sounded both of electric and watery tones with harmonised chords. It sounded mysterious and enchanting.
Teardrop From The Past: Sci-Fi Novella Page 3
