by Joe Sniezek
Forsaken
at the
Crossroads
Joe Sniezek
Copyright © 2018 by Joe Sniezek
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the expressed written permission of the publisher.
Published Worldwide by Icytentacles Inc.
One
Wilfer’s eyes hurt. His whole body hurt. Last night must have been wild, but he couldn’t remember what he did or who he was with.
As the world slowly came into focus, it was time for a quick self-assessment. His pockets were empty, but he was still dressed in his green shirt and vest, tan leggings, and ankle boots. It’s a good thing he didn’t bother to undress last night or he’d be waking up in a strange place naked. Wilfer looked around the room and saw that the place was a dump. It had been abandoned. Wherever he was, it was certainly not the type of place he was used to. The room was mostly empty. The rough wood cot he was laying on only had a single blanket of burlap. The plaster walls looked as if they have been flaking and crumbling for years.
Wilfer took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and sat up with a groan. He coughed as the musty air filled his lungs. He couldn’t quite place the familiar smell – maybe it the smell of a library or a church basement. A second surge of bravery brought him to his feet. He shuffled to the warped wooden door and grabbed the knob to yanked it open, nearly falling to the ground at the unexpectedness of it being locked. Strange, he thought, doors usually lock from the inside. Was he a prisoner? Worry was slowly rising in his mind, along with a pounding headache.
Briefly thinking of shouldering or kicking the door open, he had enough sense to realize that whoever locked that door would surely object to him doing that. It’s always better to slip out the back.
However, there was no back door, only a window. Carefully approaching it and peering out, Wilfer got his first glimpse of daylight. At least he thought it was daylight. The sun was up, but still low on the horizon. And yet the sky was a star-filled sea of black. It was strange, indeed. This was no sky Wilfer had ever seen before. He pulled himself away from his stargazing and checked the window for a latch and found none. Fortunately, the wood casement was old, moist, and soft. As he popped a piece of the window frame out, a millipede scurried across the back of his hand. Shaking it off in revulsion gave him all the motivation he needed to hop out of the window into a narrow alley.
Partly for stealth and partly because he was still a bit off balance, Wilfer landed in a crouch on the cobblestone. To the left was a dead end, so he crept towards the right, down the alley to the street. The alley was dirty, damp, and empty, except for a rain barrel overflowing with slimy water at the entrance. Peering around the rain barrel onto the street, he could see that towards the right led downhill towards a waterfront and towards the left lead uphill towards more houses. The obvious choice was the river, so Wilfer went uphill instead. He dashed past the first alleyway and slipped down the next.
He squatted down on his heels and leaned his back against the wall. He took a deep breath, to clear his head he assessed the situation. The neighborhood appeared to be completely empty. The only sound beyond his own breath was droplets dripping off the wet eaves as the morning dew dampened everything. Why was he brought to an abandoned and rundown neighborhood? Wilfer couldn’t think of a single encouraging reason for that to happen.
He knew that it was time to get out of there, so he got up, ran his hands through his dirty blond hair, and tried to smooth the wrinkles out of his clothes. In case the place wasn’t as abandoned as it seemed, he tried to appear as normal as possible as stepped out of the alley and headed back down towards the river.
The neighborhood must have been abandoned for a very long time. How long does it take for moss to grow thick on sidewalks and not just grass between cobblestones but little saplings and vines? Wilfer did a double-take as he turned a corner and saw someone’s head disappearing into the darkness of a window. He only got a quick glimpse, but what he saw disturbed him. The figure in the window was short and squat, with a large bulbous nose. It looked utterly repulsive with skin the color and texture of a potato. Is there such a thing as a potato person?
Wilfer could no longer shake the feeling that there were more eyes watching him than he had initially thought. He quickened his pace, realizing that stealth was probably pointless now. His footsteps echoed as he walked at a brisk pace. He rounded another corner and wondered if the echoes weren’t echoes at all; perhaps it was another set of footsteps keeping pace with his.
Heading down the street, Wilfer thought he noticed doors suddenly closing and shadows moving away from windows just as he passed by. From another window, he saw a pair of large yellow eyes and heard a hiss as the eyes faded back into shadow. He hoped it was just a very large cat or his imagination, but he quickened his pace anyway. Now he was in a full jog. Wilfer was now certain that those weren’t echoes and he was indeed being followed.
Wilfer was picking up momentum as the hill down to the river grew steeper. Because his eyes were focused solely on his destination as he ran, Wilfer did not see the person until he had slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. Wilfer quickly jumped to his feet to continue his run towards the river, but the other man grabbed his hand just as he was about to bolt.
“Why are you running so fast?” the man asked as he spun Wilfer around by the hand.
Wilfer shook his head to bring his mind back to the present. Making eye contact with the man, Wilfer said, “Sorry about that. I got to go.” He pulled his hand free and turned to continue making his way towards the river. So much for blending in as he originally planned, Wilfer thought as his blushing cheeks faded.
“There’s nobody here and nowhere to go, you know,” the man said, causing Wilfer to pause for a moment. Finally looking at the man, he saw a tall, dark-skinned man, with a short wooly grey beard and hair. He was dressed in charcoal grey robes. They blended in seamlessly with the grey stone buildings, sidewalks, and streets. Perhaps that’s why Wilfer didn’t notice him before he ran into him.
“What about the potato people then?” Wilfer asked, jutting his jaw out in a challenge.
“Potato people?” the old man sputtered with a laugh. “What potato people? I’m quite sure this area is abandoned and has been for a very long time. Your mind is playing tricks on you, son. You seem to be a bit distracted.”
Wilfer had to admit that he was a bit confused. Had it just been his mind playing tricks on him? It probably was. Agreeing that the man was right, Wilfer knew that if this was his captor, better to deal with it now. “Well somebody locked me in that room. I suppose that’d be you?”
“Someone locked you in a room? Where?” the man asked, looking genuinely surprised. “My name is Eniyan, and I didn’t lock anybody rooms. I didn’t even know anybody else was here.” He looked around puzzled. “Where did you come from and where are you going?”
“The river,” Wilfer said and waved his hand vaguely in that direction. Although this strange man did not seem to be an immediate threat to him, he could hardly say that he felt safe.
“Ah,” Eniyan said, pausing a moment to see if Wilfer would offer any more information. Wilfer didn’t, yet he remained standing there, no longer trying to walk away.
“There’s nothing down there but some scummy water,” Eniyan said as Wilfer wrinkled his nose and nodded. “Well, let’s see if we can get you to where you need to be. How did you get here?”
“I don’t remember,” Wilfer admitted, stress rising in his voice.
“It will all be ok,” Eniyan said in a calming voice. Scratching his chin, he mused, “Most people don’t sleepwalk through a magical ga
teway. Where did you say you were from?”
“I don’t know, but this place seems very strange to me,” Wilfer said. He was trying to establish his sense of reality and normalcy. He knew who he was. He knew he definitely wasn’t from this place, and he knew that he should know more. There were definitely holes in his memory.
“Most people who wander into this place, know where they came from. And they know how they got here, even if they have trouble finding their way back out. So you are a bit unusual.” Eniyan tried to get him talking; that usually calmed people. “Tell me, son, what is your name?”
“Wilfer,” he said. Not wanting to give away too much information too quickly, he reverted to asking questions. “What should I do now?” he asked the man as he realized that he hadn’t had a solid plan since he woke up this morning. He didn’t have to follow anybody’s advice, after all, but it never hurts to ask.
“Maybe a hot cup of tea will settle you a bit and bring some of your memories back. My home is only a few paces from here. It’s right next to the river, so we’d be heading the same way you were going anyway.”
“I guess so,” Wilfer agreed, not seeing any better alternative and not sensing danger from his new acquaintance. He was tired from running. His headache was pounding and his body hurt from a terrible night’s sleep. Perhaps a cup of tea and a moment to clear his head would be a good thing.
They started walking towards Eniyan’s house, and after a few moments, Eniyan said in an offhand way, “I was quite surprised that you bumped into me.”
Yeah, sorry about that,” Wilfer gave an embarrassed chuckle.
“The thing is, stuff usually happens to me for a reason. Either we were supposed to meet, or you’re quite a special person,” Eniyan admitted. After a few more paces he added, “So tell me about this room you were locked it.”
Hmm, a man of some faith or a lunatic, Wilfer thought. It’s best to choose my words carefully. “It’s just a couple of blocks uphill. I woke up on a cot and found the door was locked from the outside, so I crawled out the window. I figured the best thing would be to get away as fast as I could.”
“Ah, I see,” Eniyan said, “You didn’t do much investigating? How do you know the door was locked from the outside? Did you inspect the outside of the door later? Did you look around for any kind of notes or messages?”
That was a more practical tone; it was not just pure mysticism from this man, then. Wilfer replied, “No, I admit that I wasn’t very clear-headed at the time.”
“It’s important to always be focused. There could have been breakfast waiting for you in the cupboard,” Eniyan challenged.
“I very much doubt it. The place was empty and abandoned. But yes, I should have taken a look around,” Wilfer said a bit defensively. On the other hand, he was pretty sure he would have noticed a continental breakfast waiting for him in the morning.
“Hmm, if you were dragged there unconscious, there’d probably be signs. You wouldn’t have noticed them, of course. It’s also possible you entered a previously locked room by other means,” Eniyan said as he wiggled his fingers to indicate something magical. “If you truly lost your memory and you’re not lying, then you could have come here with full knowledge and only forgotten about it later.”
Wilfer paused thoughtfully as they walked along in silence for a few moments with the old man patiently waiting for Wilfer to digest his interpretation of events. “I’m not sure I follow. What are you saying, exactly?” Wilfer asked, wondering if this eccentric man was going to be of any use after all.
“Well, I’m glad you asked because I have some definite ideas on that,” Eniyan said as he smiled. “As I said, I believe we were either meant to meet, or you’re keeping a few tricks up your sleeve.” Eniyan looked sideways at Wilfer.
“No tricks,” Wilfer said, unsure of what kind of tricks the old man might be talking about. Wilfer slowly felt a wave of panic rise as part of his mind decided that going along with this man was a bad idea. His muscles reacted before his mind did. Wilfer spun on his heel and launched into a sprint in the opposite of the direction which they were going. As his toe pushed off, it slipped on the damp stone of the street and Wilfer tumbled to the ground. Just before his face smacked into the ground, Eniyan was beside him. Even faster than Wilfer’s eyes could see, the old man was grabbing his shoulder, spinning him around, and placing his foot below Wilfer’s neck. He cradled Wilfer’s neck with the curve of his ankle and gently lowered him to the ground, completely avoiding injury.
Wilfer stared at the man with astonished wide eyes. “Who are you really?” he asked the old man in awe.
“Come on in and find out,” Eniyan smiled and reached over to open the door of his modest house. Making an effort to pay more attention to his surroundings now, Wilfer truly looked at the house. It looked like any other houses in this neighborhood – a single story stone structure. It was very old and almost falling apart. It didn’t look like anyone lived there; Wilfer would have passed by thinking it empty. Wilfer wondered how many other houses in this town only appeared to be abandoned.
Two
Wilfer was sitting on the edge of his seat. His leg was bouncing and his eyes darted around the room, never resting on one thing for long. The one-room house was empty except for a table and chairs, a cot, and a simple cooking area in the corner. Thick cobwebs draped every opening. A layer of dust covered everything except the few surfaces that saw some use.
Once the water boiled, Eniyan placed the cup of tea in front of Wilfer with care. Not able to restrain himself any longer, Wilfer blurted out, “Now how about you tell me what in the abyss is going on?”
“I really don’t know. Sadly, I don’t have any answers. But I hope that I can help you find your own answers.”
Wilfer snorted with impatience and demanded, “Can you at least tell me where we are? You don’t seem lost.”
“This place,” Eniyan said as he spread his arms wide to indicate the world at large, “is a sort of crossroads. A middle place between and linking other places.”
“Uh huh. And what does that mean? What other places? How can it be both day and night at the same time here? Why is everything so old and falling apart? Why are we the only ones here?” Wilfer rattled off a list of questions until Eniyan held up a hand to stop him.
“You have a place that you call home. From within, there is no place outside of it. And that is true in a way, but there are many such places. They usually remain separate and isolated. But in a few rare places and at certain times, they can connect with this place – never to each other, only with this place. When that happens, a passageway can form. We call them gateways. Sometimes, an animal or person can go through if they choose.”
So am I stuck here? Wilfer asked as the hope drained from his body.
“Oh no, many beings cross into this world, but they don’t usually stay long. This particular area has been abandoned for a very long time. We are in a kind of dead zone. I wandered here to be by myself for a while. That’s why finding you was so surprising. I did not expect to see anybody. As for how you got here, I cannot say. But don’t worry, we’ll figure out where you came from and get you back,” Eniyan said.
“I don’t feel as if I walked a long way. Somebody must have brought me here,” Wilfer said, “That also explains the locked door. I was obviously drugged, dragged, and locked in that house. I must have woken up and escaped before they came for me. They didn’t expect me to wake up so quickly. Otherwise, I would have been in a stronger prison or tied up.”
“Perhaps,” Eniyan said and leaned back in his chair with a faint smile.
“Well, what else could it be then?” Wilfer gave him a hard stare.
“It’s not easy to carry a body for a distance,” Eniyan explained, “So you may have been transported by other means. And as you say, you were not locked in a cell, or tied up, or killed. Maybe they merely wanted you out of the way temporarily. What were your plans for today? What did you do yesterday?”
&n
bsp; “Almost total amnesia,” Wilfer said. And although that was not totally true, he didn’t think it wise to tell everything to this complete stranger.
“I think somebody wanted you out of the way, but unharmed. It must have taken a lot of effort to abandon you here with no memory like this. But these things tend to wear off eventually, right?” Eniyan sat up straight and arched his brow with enthusiasm. “Until then, let us keep each other company. What do you say?”
Wilfer smiled politely. “Alright, why don’t you tell me about yourself? Why do you want solitude so much that you come to this dirty place?” Wilfer pointed at the thick ropes of cobwebs hanging everywhere.
“I go with the flow. I usually let events lead me wherever they may, and everything always works out fine. I suppose I felt like being alone to practice my craft and just ended up coming here,” Eniyan said. His eyes brightened as he continued, “But now, it is clear that I was supposed to come here to meet and help you.”
Wilfer laughed, “Is it now?” He was starting to suspect this guy, while harmless, might be out of his mind. “So what is this craft of yours?”
“I’m glad you asked”, Eniyan beamed, “I will show you.” His hand darted out and he knocked his steaming hot teacup over. The scalding liquid flowed across the table directly towards Wilfer’s hands, which were resting on the table. Before Wilfer could react and jump out of the way, the puddle split and flowed into two pools on either side of his hands, leaving his hands completely unscathed.
“There you see! It avoided you,” Eniyan said and clapped his hands in glee.
“Are you crazy or something? What are you doing?” Wilfer scowled. “There isn’t going to be a lot more stuff like this, is there? Is this what you consider magic, spilled tea?”
“But I didn’t do it, you did. You knew exactly where the hot tea would flow and you placed your hands down in the exact right place to avoid being burned.”
