by Joe Sniezek
“Ah, I see,” Wilfer said, subtly looking around the room for the exit.
“You don’t believe me. I guess it wasn’t a very good demonstration. You see, if we just allow events to take care of themselves, everything will always work out. You just need to make sure you don’t get in the way. A big part of my craft is just getting out of the way,” Eniyan said and grinned.
“You are just teasing me,” Wilfer said, returning the old man’s smile.
“You have the skill. I can sense it in you. You bumped into me. I only bump into people I am meant to. You avoided the tea. You can become quite powerful and skillful one day,” Eniyan said, poking his finger at the young man.
“Well good for me,” Wilfer said, his impatience starting to show.
“You must stay and I will teach you. At least until we find your way back home,” he said knowing that Wilfer did not really have much choice.
Wilfer realized that he hadn’t eaten in a while. “What would I have to do?” Wilfer said with a little shrug.
Eniyan tapped a finger on his temple. “Only keep an open mind. This will be hard to explain.”
“Can we get started after lunch?” Wilfer asked, his stomach growling.
Lunch was eaten and the table had been cleared. “Let me first talk about belief,” Eniyan began, “If you see something, it becomes easy to believe it. But what if you didn’t see it?” The old man pointed out the dirty window. “Let’s say that rock wall over there has fallen down one night. You didn’t see it but you heard it. In the morning, you no longer see a wall but only rubble. Obviously, you know what happened. But what if you didn’t hear it? You’d still know it fell over in the night, right?”
“Sure,” Wilfer agreed. He was growing certain that the old man was senile, but at least he had food. Humoring this guy in exchange for a few meals was a good deal.
“But what if you never saw the rock wall? You walk by and see a long stretch of rubble. I then tell you it used to be a wall that had fallen down. Would you believe it? Sure. Why not, right? But then someone else called me a liar and insisted it was never a wall. Who do you believe?” Eniyan asked
“I would use my own judgement and could see the long stretch of rubble and see that there was a wall,” Wilfer pronounced.
“Maybe the wall hadn’t been built yet. Maybe someone laid out the stone to assemble the wall later? How could you tell?” Eniyan asked.
“I guess I don’t know,” Wilfer shrugged, rapidly losing interest.
“Now don’t give up so easily. Let’s pretend it really mattered. What if this were a trial and a man’s future was at stake. How would you determine?” Eniyan pressed.
“I guess I would get more evidence. I would ask more people. Look for more clues – footprints and other signs. If it all pointed at the same thing, then that’s what happened,” Wilfer said as he thought it out.
“Yes, yes, exactly,” Eniyan looked pleased. He was clearly leading up to some great conclusion. But before he could reach it, he stopped, jumped up, and pulled Wilfer to his feet by his ar. “Here, let me show you something in my basement.”
Eniyan walked across the room to a small chest sitting on the floor. He tilted it up to reveal a trapdoor underneath. “Come,” Eniyan said as slipped down the ladder and waved Wilfer after him. They descended into the hidden basement and Eniyan lowered the trapdoor with the chest attached and locked it.
Eniyan lit a lantern and looked around briefly. He chose one scroll from a stack and unrolled it on a makeshift table, which was simply a board resting on a bucket and the back of an old chair. Wilfer leaned over to look at the scroll. He saw some drawings of people, things, landscapes, and other images. It was a rudimentary map drawn with a skill level of a small child or an ancient primitive society.
Looking over Wilfer’s shoulder, Eniyan said, “This is a strange place in more ways than just the daytime stars. Many realms connect to this place. Most are similar to each other, but some are very different. This place acts as a middle ground, so it tries to average the features of those other realms. The daytime sky can look very different, but the sky at night usually looks the same. This place chose that familiar night sky for both night and day. Some strange things happen with the passage of time, too. You may have been gone from your homeland for only a few moments or for many weeks. You won’t know until you return.”
“So I may return and see all my friends as old men?” Wilfer joked.
“Unlikely, but it is possible,” Eniyan said matter-of-factly. “One thing that is very noteworthy is that writing does not work here.”
“It doesn’t? But I know how to read and write,” Wilfer was puzzled.
“See for yourself. Take this knife and scratch your name on the table,” Eniyan instructed. Wilfer did so, shrugged, and looked at Eniyan with a raised eyebrow. Eniyan pointed at the writing and said, “Now read what you just wrote.”
Wilfer looked at the newly made marking, but he could not make them out. It barely looked like writing at all. He couldn’t read it, so he focused one letter at a time. He looked at the first W, which he could clearly see. Then he focused on the second letter. As he did so he could see the first letter had distorted into something else. Wilfer figured out that one letter at a time could be read, but not an entire word and surely not several words in a row. He wondered this place was affecting the writing itself, or just his ability to focus.
While Wilfer was lost in concentration, there was a loud pounding on the front door of the house above. An authoritative voice instructed them to come out. Wilfer looked at Eniyan startled, but Eniyan just calmly put his finger to his lips indicating Wilfer should be quiet.
Wilfer could hear the sound of several men forcing the door open and entering. They looked around and ransacked the place. They made quick work of it because the place was mostly empty. There was little to find, but they opened cabinets and overturned the chairs. The table and cabinet were fixed to the floor, so they survived without damage.
The men lingered for a short while, then left with the door banging shut behind them. Wilfer rose when he thought all was clear, but Eniyan placed his hand on his shoulder and whispered, “It would be best to wait until nightfall. They may linger in the area for a while.”
“What do they want? Are they here for me or for you?” Wilfer asked in hushed tones.
“I don’t know. And I really don’t want to find out,” Eniyan said.
Wilfer sat down on a pile of rags in the corner and Eniyan sat on the chair. While the lantern still gave off its flickering light, Wilfer looked around the cramped and dirty basement. He suppressed his disgust at the filth. Unlike upstairs, the cobwebs and dust down here with dampness to form a layer of soil on everything. With the lamp running low on oil, nothing interesting to see, and still tired from the day of excitement, he drifted off to sleep.
∞∞∞
Eniyan woke him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Wilfer opened his eyes and slowly sat up. His mind still puzzled by the last day’s events, the first thing Wilfer said was, “How did you know they were coming? Was it just coincidence that we came down here, or did you know?
“That is the heart of my craft. I am glad that I had a chance to show it to you,” Eniyan said, “I knew that opportunity would come by soon enough.”
“What is this craft, then?” Wilfer asked, now more open-minded. Of course, he retained a healthy suspicion, as well. Wasn’t that the point of all that talk about some stone wall? Wilfer wasn’t sure what to believe, but it was a very convincing demonstration.
“Some call it coincidence, some call it synchronicity, and yet others call it sorcery. Whatever its name, it has kept me safe for these many long years. And now has come time for me to pass the knowledge to you,” Eniyan said with a smile. He stood up and said, “Come, we cannot stay locked in this basement forever. Let me show you the nearest gateway to another realm. Perhaps you’ll recognize it.”
Eniyan then moved the chair over to the wall an
d grabbed a short length of rope that was tied to a ring mounted into one of the large rocks of the foundation wall. With effort, he pulled the rock out of the wall and rolled it down onto the chair. This created an opening to the outside for Wilfer to squeeze through. He landed on the mud bank under the planks of the dock above. Eniyan followed and reached back to pull on the chain. He rolled the rock back into place as quietly as he could. He tucked the chain into the gap around the rock and reached down for some mud to smear over the chain and gaps, obscuring them from casual eyes.
He led Wilfer to a small boat, grabbed one pole and handed another one to Wilfer. They sat in the boat and used to poles to navigate up the river. They tried to be as silent as possible and stayed under the dock until they were out of the town. They navigated the river for as far as they could, but it only stretched a few hundred yards beyond the edge of town. As they continued, the river was slowly thickening into mud. When they could go no further, they went ashore and dragged the boat into the reeds. Wilfer followed Eniyan up a trail that stretched uphill into the pine forest.
Three
Wilfer and Eniyan hurried up the path to put some distance between themselves and the stagnant river and town. The surroundings changed from leafy wet river’s edge to hillside pine forest. The air was refreshing and clear, filled with the vibrant smell of pine. As the sun began to warm the trees, the hot sap smelled of a cross between herbal tea and freshly baked cookies. Wilfer couldn’t help but breathe deeply and let the fresh air brighten his mood. It made him realize just how depressing that damp, dirty town was.
Eniyan seemed to be in a good mood, as well. Wilfer wondered why he chose to live near that fetid river when he could have a cabin here in the pristine woods. Wilfer asked him.
“That’s just how it worked out,” Eniyan said with a faint smile, “But haven’t you noticed that there is a sadness to the forest, too?” Wilfer did notice it; it felt like something was missing. Unlike the dirt of the town, this was subtle and easy to miss, however.
The journey was progressing well, but Wilfer was growing tired. “Do you think we are far enough to slow our pace a bit?” he said, “I’m in decent shape, but you’re taller than me and we’ve been going non-stop through most of the night.”
“We are travelling on a predictable route. If anybody is still interested in catching either one of us, they will probably be waiting at the trail junction, not trying to run after us,” Eniyan said while slowing his pace. “We should move a few paces off the trail for lunch.”
Between bites of his apple, Eniyan said “A walk through the forest is a great way to clear your head. Do you remember anything more about how you got here?”
“I remember my home.” Wilfer squinted one eye in thought. “I remember my friends and many other things, but I’m certain I never learned about this place. This crossroads between worlds, as you called it. There are still some gaps in my memory so I do not know which way my home is from here or how to get there.”
“That’s good news. If you can remember your home, at least you will know it when you see it. All we have to do is visit some of the nearby realms, and you will find your home. I’m sure of it,” Eniyan said clapping Wilfer on the shoulder.
As they were eating and speaking softly, Wilfer heard a twig snap in the bush. Then he heard another one, followed by soft rustling. He couldn’t be sure of the direction because of the sound-deadening effect of the trees, branches, and the thick carpet of soft pine needles on the ground. Wilfer had to stop and concentrate on listening. He noticed Eniyan doing the same. Finally, there was a snap loud enough to dispel all doubt. Wilfer looked over to Eniyan, who gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Wilfer raised his staff and moved to the edge of the log they had been using as a seat. However, Eniyan placed his hand on top of the hand that Wilfer had wrapped around the pole and gently lowered it while shaking his head no.
Wilfer frowned. He wondered what this old man’s plan was. It was one thing to go with the flow, but surely he didn’t want to be captured or attacked. Why did the old man hide yesterday but make no move to do so today? Eniyan remained relaxed. So relaxed, in fact, that he looked as if he might fall asleep. Wilfer was agitated and determined not to let this crazy old man be the death of him.
Wilfer readied his staff as he headed off to the bush. Eniyan said, “Sit down,” in a harsh but hushed voice. Wilfer waved to Eniyan over his shoulder to tell him to relax. Wilfer was just going to investigate.
Eniyan sighed and shook his head when Wilfer disappeared into the bushes. After a moment, Wilfer exclaimed, “Ha!” followed by a pause, which was followed by a panicked, “Ahh!” Eniyan could hear Wilfer running fast through the bushes. From the sound of it, he was being chased by something or someone much larger.
Heading out to intercept them, Eniyan waited and listened for the approaching runners. Wilfer burst out of the bush at full speed and gave only a glance at Eniyan as he shouted, “Run!” He didn’t look back and continued running.
Eniyan readied himself. Out from the bush, crashed a large bear-like creature. A truly giant creature, it was at least the size of four men. Its shoulders were the same height as Eniyan’s shoulders, but that was on four legs, not two. Standing up on its hind legs, it would double a man’s height. Upon the beast’s head, rested two large horns that protected the beast’s skull and swooped down to the side – much like horns usually found on a buffalo or ox. Instantly identifying the creature, Eniyan jumped up and raised his staff over his head. He then brought it down hard to land a mighty blow upon the beast’s snout. The blow had all the force he could muster and would have likely killed a man, but merely stunned the beast. The horned bear stopped dead in its tracks, shook its head, and sneezed. It sneezed several more times then turned around and casually wandered back into the brush, completely forgetting its pursuit of Wilfer.
After a moment, Eniyan called out, “It’s ok, you can come back. It’s gone now.”
“What was that thing?” Wilfer asked, out of breath and wide-eyed.
“A horned bear,” Eniyan replied. “I guess they don’t come from your realm? Ah well. Maybe you will recognize something else soon.”
After resting just long enough to regain their breath, Eniyan said that they should keep moving. They found the path again and continued on their journey. As they walked, Wilfer asked, “Why were you going to let the bear attack us?”
“I wasn’t. The bear probably wasn’t going to attack us. Actually, I didn’t know it was a horned bear, but there was plenty of time before we needed to react. It would likely have caught our scent and wandered away without us ever having seen it.”
“It seemed pretty aggressive to me,” Wilfer challenged.
“You attacked it. There are times to act and times to wait. You will know which is which because you will have no choice. When there is only one option, take it. But if you force things, it won’t go well for you. Do not eat fruit before it is ripe, or you will get sick. Remember that.”
∞∞∞
They walked the rest of the day. Just as the sun was setting, they arrived at the escarpment. The trail extended directly to the face of the cliffs and into a narrow canyon.
As they entered the canyon, Eniyan explained that the gateway was within. There was nothing to see; the gateway was not visible by itself. Sometimes people mark them, or there are other subtle signs to look for if taught. No one had bothered to mark this particular gateway because it was unavoidable; if you walk up the canyon, you will pass through the gateway. There was no way around it.
The way to know you have passed through one is the landscape will change rapidly. Some people claim to feel a subtle something. For some, it is a tingle. For others, it is a warmth. And a few people claim to feel dizziness or nausea. One crossing may feel subtle, while the next time may be more of a jolt. It varies from gateway to gateway, from person to person, and even from time to time.
As they walked, the canyon grew so narrow above them t
hat it was almost a cave. Only a sliver of sky could be seen between the rocks overhead. Wilfer thought that the elevation must be getting to him because he was lightheaded and his vision swam, but he shook it off as they kept going. Wilfer was taken aback when he noticed that it was no longer sunset, but high noon. The sky was a pale sky blue with dense puffy clouds drifting slowly by. Ah, he thought. We must have crossed over. He missed a blue sky more than he would have liked to admit.
∞∞∞
The passageway opened into a flat, broad valley of patchwork fields and forests. It was a warm spring day. The sun was bright, but the wind had that slight chill that meant summer had not quite arrived. The bright green leaves of the trees were fully formed and provided protection and shade for the myriad white and yellow flowers. Here and there a tree would display its bright pink flowers. A wide dirt road led from the cave through the gentle hills of the valley. It wound around bends, across the fields, and through the trees. In the distance, farmers could be seen attending their well-kept fields. It was a calm, bucolic day in a peaceful land.
Peaceful, except for a small fort located a couple hundred yards down the road from the gateway. The fort was sturdily made with vertical poles planted firmly into the ground. The poles were tightly spaced, leaving no gap except for arrow slits. Sharpened pegs bristled from the walls. This was a formidable structure built for trouble.
Immediately upon seeing the structure, Eniyan pushed Wilfer off the road into the bushes. “I haven’t been this way for a very long time, but I don’t recall seeing a guard post. It would be better not to take any chances and head cross country,” Eniyan said as they silently headed deeper into the countryside. The guards did not seem to be very alert. They likely did not expect anybody to pass this way.
After Wilfer and Eniyan put enough distance between themselves and the road, Eniyan felt it was safe enough to converse. “Do you recognize any of this then?” he asked Wilfer.
