The Tower in the Mist

by A. L. Jambor

  I could see the rain streaming down his forehead.

  “What about your crown?”

  Dawn and the rain made it hard to see his face clearly.

  “My father has made me sole heir of his estate,” he said. “He has brought me onto the board of his bank.”

  “So, you’ll still be a king.”

  He laughed. “Of a different kind, yes.”

  “And you would abandon England.”

  “Tresteria,” he said. He wiped the rain from his eyes. “When I think of it now, it feels like a fantasy in which I was playing war games.”

  “WAR GAMES!” I cried. “They were not games to the families of the men you beheaded. Not to Neela.”

  He didn’t speak for a minute.

  “She’s a princess. She’ll find another man who wants to be king.”

  “Is that all this was to you?” His arrogance shocked me. How could he have changed so much in the space of three months?

  “Geezer, this is my home. Until I came back, I didn’t realize how much I missed being here.”

  I kept shaking my head.

  “I can’t believe your conceit. I believed in you. The people believed in you. I loved you like my own son. You spoiled, proud fool.”

  “But I’m a rich, spoiled, proud fool.”

  I saw Margaret framed in the doorway. She stepped out and walked toward us.

  “She’s asleep,” she said. “She’s good, Geezer.”

  “He says you’re staying here.”

  She put her hand on my arm.

  “I’m staying with her for now,” she said.

  “Why? Why stay with him? Why are you doing this?”

  “Because she is well cared for,” Margaret said.

  “And I didn’t take care of her?”

  “I was able to snatch her right from under your nose,” Mace said.

  “Mace, stop,” Margaret said.

  I was feeling a thousand years old. He was right. I hadn’t protected her.

  “Then, I will leave you alone,” I said.

  “No, please, don’t go like this,” Margaret said.

  “There’s no reason to stay,” I said. I touched her cheek. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

  I left them standing on the lawn. She didn’t call to me.

  April 13, 927

  I am Geezer. I am updating the journal of Margaret Hall. It’s been three years since I’ve written in this journal.

  A year ago I lifted the veil from the tower. There is a new king and he leaves me alone.

  Today a child came to my tower. I was in the garden and she came up behind me. I recognized her long dark hair and her large brown eyes.

  “Mama needs you, Geezer,” she said.

  I felt a quickening in my heart. I dropped my hoe and followed Ceil to the portal.

  It was raining when we emerged from the portal. The river was high. I lifted us up, flew us over the water and up to the house.

  “Mama is very sick,” Ceil said. “And Papa…is dead.”

  She didn’t look at me. I didn’t want to question her further.

  She took me into the manor house. The servants looked at me in disdain. My old robe looked dirty, and my sandals left streaks of mud on their clean white tiles.

  “Come, Geezer, hurry.”

  Ceil was running up the long staircase to the second floor. She turned into the first bedroom. I found Margaret lying in a pool of sweat. She looked at me and her eyes grew wide.

  “Geezer,” she whispered.

  “I’m taking you home,” I said. I looked at Ceil. “Are you coming, too?”

  She nodded. “Can I bring something?”

  I nodded and she ran out of the room. She had grown so tall.

  I wrapped Margaret in a blanket and carried her down the stairs. No one tried to stop me. The servants shrank from the sight of Margaret. Their fear of the pestilence was great.

  Ceil ran down the stairs with a satchel and followed me out the door. As soon as we got to the portal, we jumped in.

  “Will we make them sick?” Ceil asked.

  “Who?” I said.

  “The people in Tresteria.”

  No. You’ll stay at the tower. I’ll put up the veil until your mother recovers.”

  I knew she would recover. I’d give her my life force if I had to, but I would save her.

  The Spanish flu killed many Earthlings, and it was the only battle Mace had ever lost.

  Ceil was a hardy girl. She didn’t get sick. We talked a great deal about her life on Earth. I told her how much I missed her.

  I asked her about Mace. She said he wasn’t home very often. She didn’t seem to know him very well. But she loved her mother greatly.

  I asked her how Mace died. She said he became ill one night shortly after dinner. He grew weaker and weaker and began to bleed. The doctor couldn’t stop his bleeding and he died.

  When Ceil went to bed, I walked to the loft and sat at my desk. Ceil had collected a picture of her father before we left and she gave it to me. I looked at the face of my former king. He didn’t look happy.

  I remembered Mace sitting on the stool next to me, reading my “ridiculous book” and telling me he wanted to be king. He was thirteen. He was young and strong. I was glad I was alone. I didn’t have to hide my tears.

  July 24

  This is Margaret. I am feeling much better. I am walking further every day, and Geezer said the color has come back into my cheeks. He has been so kind.

  Ceil has become a real farmer. She grows large vegetables and her fruit trees bear the sweetest fruit. She wants to see the town and Geezer has promised to take her there.

  It’s almost as though I never left Tresteria. My years with Mace feel like a dream. He spent most of his time in London and only came to the manor on weekends. His father died of the flu early on. His wife, his second one, lived, as did his young son. The boy is just a little older than Ceil and they formed a bond. I wonder what he thinks of her disappearing like that.

  Mace told his father we were married. If he hadn’t, his father never would have allowed me to live there. But we didn’t live as man and wife. We had separate bedrooms.

  I know he had other women. I didn’t care. I missed Geezer and felt like such a fool. I got over my anger. I wanted to come home, but as long as Mace lived, I felt obligated to stay. Ceil was his daughter. And now she knew it, too.

  She found out by accident. Mace and I were fighting one rainy afternoon and she overheard us. She asked me about it later and I told her the truth. She took it well. She’s a strong girl.

  When Mace got sick, I sat by his side. Despite everything, we shared a daughter and a past. He looked at me and I could see pain. He didn’t talk much. I wondered if he regretted the things he’d done. The last thing he said was that he loved Ceil. I was happy to know that he did.

  I am at Geezer’s desk. I can see him tending his flowers. I can see Ceil filling her basket with vegetables. I love my family.

  August 3

  I saw something strange appear in the sky. I recognized it as a Pryllian transport. It passed over and disappeared.

  I was working in the garden. I couldn’t stop thinking about that transport. I told Geezer about it at supper, and he promised to fly over the area tomorrow and look for it.

  August 4

  I was tending the garden when I heard something and turned around. There, behind the picket fence, stood four young people. They were dressed in modern clothes.

  One was a tall boy with dark hair. There was a female with dark skin. The other boy had ginger hair while the other girl had long brown hair and stood behind the others.

  I met them at the fence and introduced myself. They seemed confused. Ceil ran over to greet them, too. I asked them where they had come from and they told me Sunge.

  “I’m from Pryll!” I cried.

  “We came in a transport,” the tall boy said. ”Is this Tresteria?”

  “Yes, it is,” I said. �
��Come in.”

  I led them to the kitchen. I brewed one of Geezer’s teas and then we sat at the kitchen table and drank. The dark girl was quiet, and she asked me for a clean towel. The ginger-haired boy wore glasses and asked if this was a wizard’s tower. The tall boy kept reading the labels on Geezer’s teas, and the girl, the one who stood behind the others, kept writing in a notebook.

  The young people were full of questions, which I answered as best I could. I wondered where Geezer was and hoped he would be home soon. I wanted them to meet my wizard. I wanted them to meet the man who had changed my life forever.

  I hope you enjoyed Margaret's Choice. Thank you for your purchase. Please consider writing a review. Your opinion of my work is a powerful thing. It helps me grow as an artist and guides your fellow readers. Your review means the world to me.

  An Excerpt from Geezer’s Ridiculous Book

  My name is Geezer. I am a wizard. As I begin this book, I am nine hundred and ten years old. I live on the youngest of the four planets I am writing about.

  Twelve years ago I met with the leaders of the other planets also named Earth. We decided to give our planets new names. The leader of the oldest planet, now called Pryll, believed it would improve navigation between the planets.

  I have endeavored to write this book so that those who come after me will know our history. The following are the names of the planets formerly known as Earth One, Earth Two, Earth Three, and Earth Four.

  Earth One is now Pryll (Pr-ill). It is thirteen hundred years older than Tresteria.

  Earth Two is now Sunge (Soong). It is eleven hundred years older than Tresteria.

  Earth Three has remained Earth (Ir-th) and it is almost a thousand years older than Tresteria.

  Earth Four is now Tresteria (Tress-tare-eya). It is the year 800 Anno Domini in Tresteria.

  I live in Esher, a small town in Tresterian England. I built my tower in a large field by a river. Across the river is a portal. I planted a garden and created a haven of warmth with sunshine over my land. My garden blooms all year long.

  During my stay with the leaders of the other planets, I agreed to allow the people of Pryll to come to my planet for the purpose of colonization. I told them the only requirement I had was peace. They could not bring war to Tresteria. Tresteria had seen enough war.

  I saw their transport flying above me and it seemed to be on fire. I heard a loud noise and knew something was terribly wrong. I rose into the air and looked for the smoke. I spotted it several kilometers away. Smoke and flames rose from it. As I grew closer, I could hear voices shouting. They were inside the vessel. I used my powers to open it and men ran out. The first man was named William Bartlett.

  Some died. Some were hurt. Ten souls had been in the vessel. Six souls survived.

  William Bartlett

  John Powers

  Patricia Bennett

  Heather Black

  Kyle Jones

  Linda Pierce

  I took them to my tower. We walked through the woods, through the river, and past the portal. I made them tea. We reminisced about the meeting. I asked William how Mr. Franklin was. He said he had died.

  I asked about Mr. Edison. William said he had invented a machine that talked. I asked if I could see it. He said it would be on Earth someday and perhaps, if they could get another transport to land safely, they could take me there to see it. Earth is closer than Sunge.

  They were unable to repair their vehicle. They salvaged what they could and found an open meadow within the woods to set up camp. I helped them by giving them food and showing them how to catch rabbits. I also created a fishing pole for them. They are free to take the fruit from the trees in my garden until they can grow their own.

  The town of Esher is very small. There is no lord in the town and the people are kind and help each other. I try to help them and they like me. William Bartlett didn’t like Esher. He longed for a city and decided to build one. He called it London.

  William Bartlett soon had many followers. He showed his men how to build walls. He taught the men how to fight the Danish barbarians called Vikings. He won many battles. The lords crowned him king.

  William Bartlett married and his wife produced an heir. His name is Lawrence.

  I will add to this book when I find something I feel will be of importance to future readers.

  I end on this thirteenth day of June in the year of our Lord eight hundred and eight.

  October 10, 2096

  I’d been to his office before. It was the biggest one in my resident pod. I knew he wanted to talk about the new planet. We’d found it two years ago. Apparently, it was also called Earth. What a cluster…well, you know. Four planets all named Earth. Using Earth One, Earth Two, etc., was getting too complicated. We had to come up with a way of differentiating the planets. Women were demanding it. They wanted to know which planet their kid had come from. The current method was too confusing. I knew he wanted to talk about it, but I wasn’t sure how I could help.

  I stepped on the sensor mat and the door opened. I saw him sitting at his desk. He looked tired. He had surprised everyone by beating Marian Sawyer in the election. It was strange because he was already twenty-four. He only had about six years left. He was brilliant, though. Like most people his age, he had come from Earth Three.

  “Hey, Jack, sit down,” he said.

  “This job is turning you gray,” I said.

  “Very funny.”

  Most men living on Earth One turned gray in their early twenties.

  “So, what’s up?” I asked.

  He came around his desk and leaned against it.

  “We called a conference. Representatives from each planet have agreed to come. We’re gonna talk about changing the names of the planets again.”

  “Is Marian representing us?”

  “No, she’s been against the change. I’m going and I’m bringing you.”

  This made no sense. I didn’t have a role in government. I was a space jockey.

  “Why me?”

  “Because I trust you. And you know we have to do this.”

  “I don’t care one way or the other,” I said.

  “Bullshit. I’ve heard you talk. You said we need clearer maps.”

  “Yeah.” I shrugged.

  “And having the name change would do that.”

  “But those guys on Earth Three, they won’t change their minds,” I said. The subject of a name change had come up before we found Earth Four, and the Earth Three guys had vetoed it. “They said no last time. They’re a bunch of stubborn bastards.”

  “I know,” he said. “It was a real bitch getting one of them to come. They called us demons. Can you believe that?”

  He was smiling.

  “You should see them when we land,” I said. “I try to stay out of sight, but sometimes you can’t help it. I have to stun them until we get what we came for and split.”

  “Once this is done, we can vote for relocation and you won’t have to make those trips anymore. That’s part of what I want you to sell. The Earth Three guys would go for that.”

  “The Earth Two guys may be harder to convince. They’re older. They want transports. They don’t care how many times we visit them.”

  “I can be persuasive if I have to be,” he said.

  “They already know about Earth Four.”

  “How did they find out? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

  “I just found out myself. I was there three months ago, and the two guys I buy from told me. It was announced in the newspaper.”

  “Shit,” he said. “Patty didn’t tell me that when she got back. She must have known.”

  “You sent Patty to talk to them? What did you expect? She’s had a bug up her ass since Marian lost the election. She probably knew and hoped you’d be blindsided.”

  “You were gone when it came up. I had to act quickly because I knew the trip to Earth Four would take two years.”

  I was drumming my fingers on his desk.
As usual, the committee had taken too long to decide what to do. The members were waiting for the results of the election. Then they waited another year. Maybe they were hoping he would die before they took action.

  “Listen, they can’t beat us there,” I said. “They don’t even have airplanes yet.”

  “That’s true,” he said. “They would have known after the conference anyway. We found a guy from Earth Four willing to join us. He’s…”

  “He’s what?”

  “He’s a wizard.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “No, he’s a real wizard,” he said. “Tower and all.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “Nope. His name is Geezer.”

  That’s when I lost it. I laughed so hard that spit came out of my mouth and rolled down my chin.

  “Look, he’s agreed to come to this meeting, so let’s not insult him.”

  “Fine,” I said. “But back to Earth Two. Are they willing to change their name if Earth Three won’t?”

  “Their rep says yes. He says they don’t care as long as we share technology with them. I agreed, but I didn’t say exactly what we’d give them. It’s funny you mentioned airplanes. I think they’d be happy to fly.”

  I grinned.

  “They’d settle for something they’d have on their own in a few years?”

  He nodded. “But no transports. I know that’s what they want, but they haven’t discovered the fuel yet, and I don’t think it’s wise to give them too much information. Their planet is dying fast enough without our helping it along.”

  “And then they can’t go to Earth Four.”

  “That, too,” he said.

  “You’re so thoughtful.”

  “Aren’t I, though?”

  “So, when is this conference?” I asked.

  “You are to pick up the wizard by this time next year. We’ll schedule the conference when you get back in what, two years?”

  “That’s about right. And how will we choose the names?”

  “We’re going to use a random name generator.”

  “And everyone agreed to that?” I said.

  “Well, Earth Three is reluctant.”

  “Then let them keep their damned name. Don’t even bring them over.”