by Bryan Davis
Flashing a bright smile, she brushed away her tear and jogged toward the building.
Francesca buried her hands in her sweatshirt pockets and slid through a thin layer of snow on the foundation. She stopped at Nathan's side, blowing vapor for a moment as she watched Kelly. After a few seconds, she looked at Nathan. “She's a lovely girl, you know.”
He didn't answer at first. He didn't know how. Once again it seemed like his mother, his real mother, had spoken. He knew he had to answer truthfully. Mom would never settle for anything else. He pushed his toe across the snow. “Yeah. I know.”
Francesca grinned and took Kelly's place at his side. She snuggled even closer than Kelly had. “It's so strange to have a son my age. I can be affectionate without fear of misunderstanding.”
He looked into her eyes, soft and walnut brown. There was no doubt about it. The spirit of his mother lived inside this beautiful teenager. And he loved her — completely, devotedly, with pure passion. New warmth yet again flooded his body, but he just let it flow. The joy of innocent love should never be squelched.
Soon, Kelly jogged back and hopped up to the foundation, a sheet of paper in her grip. Smiling, she showed it to Nathan while Francesca looked on. “Eddie wrote them down while I called them out. He was fast.”
Nathan scanned the list. “Looks like about forty pieces. We can't just try them all. I don't even recognize some of the titles.”
Francesca shook her head. “Same here. You probably learned the ones I taught you … or will teach you, I suppose.”
“But what would be Scarlet's song?” Kelly asked. “Is there anything you recognize that relates to her?”
Francesca ran her finger down the page. “Something with red in the title or something close to red?”
“Not likely,” Nathan said. “Scarlet said it strums the sorrows of her heart. The clue would be in the content, not the title. It would probably be emotive, something that makes you feel lonely or lost.”
Francesca pointed at each title in turn. “‘Brahms’ Lullaby'? No. ‘Rhapsody in Blue’? No. The ‘Hallelujah Chorus’? No. Never heard of this one. Never heard of this one, either.”
Kelly set her finger on a line near the bottom. “Here it is. I'm sure of it.”
Nathan read the title. “‘Moonlight Sonata’?”
“I used to play it on our piano whenever my parents …” She bit her lip, then blinked rapidly as her voice pitched higher. “Whenever they weren't getting along. It always made me feel kind of lonely, but after a while, I would always feel better.”
“It's worth a try.” Nathan looked at Francesca. “Do you know it?”
“Not memorized, but I can hear some of it in my head. Maybe I could improvise. It could come back to me while I play.”
“Yeah, I've heard the first movement enough times. We could work it out together.”
“But it's a piano piece,” Kelly said. “A violin could never get the sound right. It needs to be melancholy, with lots of forlorn echoing.”
“Maybe that won't matter.” He nodded at Francesca. “Let's give it a try.”
Francesca raised the violin once more and played the first notes of the sonata, soft and solemn. She closed her eyes, apparently concentrating on the music flowing through her mind. With her wavy raven locks dancing across her shoulders in the freshening breeze, she looked like a goddess; her perfect posture against a snowy backdrop painted a portrait of strange contrasts— black over white, a lively nightingale against a backdrop of decay and death.
Goose bumps swept across Nathan's body, but not because of the cold. This goddess was his mother in the making, a virgin virtuoso who would one day lay her pristine gifts on the altar and give birth to a new generation of talent.
As she played on, Nathan shook his head. She was so good, so very, very good. Even though she was still so young, her playing carried a sweet perfection he had never been able to reach. Try as he might, something was missing, something elusive, a heart and passion that resonated with every stroke of her bow.
Why, then, had she, as his mother on Earth Red, told him otherwise? At least once a month for the last three years she had looked him in the eye and said, “You are an heir, the recipient of a musical inheritance. You have more talent than I could ever hope for. You just have to learn to reach into your heart and let it bleed through your fingers.”
He sighed and turned to the mirror. It seemed to darken at times, but the slow-motion scene of Daryl in the observatory always came back. She had typed something on the screen, but, again, it was too far away to read. Could she have figured out the tune? Maybe she was telling Dr. Gordon which one they had selected.
Finally, Kelly leaned close to Nathan and whispered, “I don't think it's working. She's playing the notes perfectly, but it's just not the same.”
“I don't think there's any chance of finding a piano around here.”
“I have an idea.” She opened the van door. “See if you can find a classical station.”
Nathan hopped into the driver's seat and flipped on the radio. “What are the chances they'll play the ‘Moonlight Sonata’?”
“Probably zero, unless we exert some influence.” Kelly leaned in through the door. “If you find one, try to catch the station's call letters.”
Nathan twirled the tuning dial, mumbling as he paused at each strong signal. “Country … commercial … sounds like jazz … classic rock … country again … another commercial …” He halted at a station. A woman read a series of orchestral concert announcements, each one enunciated perfectly and with a formal air. “This could be classical, and it's a clear signal.”
After a few moments, the woman gave the station's call letters, WNIU, then a Listz concerto began.
“WNIU?” Kelly repeated. “I can get the number from directory assistance.”
“Eddie's phone again?”
“Yep. I just have to dream up a song request they can't resist.” Kelly headed toward Eddie's ladder once again, calling back as she ran, “Get ready to crank up the volume.”
Nathan turned up the radio's volume to max and stepped around to the rear of the van. He pulled out the mammoth violin bow and stood in front of the mirror at the point where the light beams had created a dimensional window before.
As the Listz concerto reached its ending crescendo, he set the bow on the floor and gestured with his head for Francesca to join him. “You and Kelly should stand here while I turn on the headlights.”
Still holding the violin, Francesca took her place. “Assuming her efforts are successful.”
“Trust me. She'll come through. She always has before.”
When the final note faded, the voice of the station's female announcer returned. “I received a most unusual request.”
Nathan grinned at Francesca. “Here it comes.”
“A girl named Kelly wishes to dedicate a special piece to the astronauts of the space shuttle Challenger who are scheduled to launch tomorrow morning. She claimed that she had a terrible vision about the shuttle exploding shortly after takeoff. I know what you're thinking. Travelers are forbidden to speak about their long-distance prophecies, and reliance on dreams that forecast disasters is dangerous, but I cannot ignore her courage. My own cousin will be aboard that shuttle, and I will pass along the technical information she has given me. In the meantime, to express my gratitude, I will interrupt our scheduled programming and play her request, Beethoven's magnificent ‘Moonlight Sonata.’”
Vibrant piano notes played from the radio speakers and reverberated in the semicircular structure. Wearing a broad smile, Kelly hopped back onto the observatory foundation and bowed dramatically. While Nathan clapped, she straightened and winked. “You should be proud. I did it all without a single lie.”
“I am proud,” he said, reaching for her hand. “You're the best.” He pulled her and Francesca together, positioned them in front of the mirror, and dashed back to the van. With his hand on the headlight switch, he waited for the mirror
to do its magic. It had already darkened, and the Earth Blue observatory floor vanished. Seconds later, the now-familiar crystal walkway appeared, swirling mist still bordering each side.
He searched the scene for any sign of stalkers. The walkway seemed clear. But would it be clear when they landed there? Would they be able to see this time? No doubt Kelly's vision would be fine, but what about his and Francesca's? She had the violin, but would he be able to play light into existence again?
He tightened his grip on the headlight's knob. There was only one way to find out. With a quick pull, the headlamps flashed on. The beams bounced off the reflective glass and created the familiar rainbow halo in front of the mirror. Multicolored light bathed Kelly and Francesca.
“Hurry up!” Kelly yelled, cradling the huge bow in her arms. “I can feel it taking us!”
Nathan reached across to the passenger seat and felt for his mirror square. It was gone! But where? He couldn't go without it. And what about the second one? It was probably in the back somewhere, hidden under the bags of food they had transferred from the car.
“Nathan! Hurry!”
He jerked out the keys, silencing the radio, then slapped the lights off. Just as the two girls began to fade within the halo, he leaped into the halo and grabbed Kelly's shoulder. Color splashed into his eyes, and the construction scene crumbled away, leaving behind a canopy of darkness.
A hint of moisture brushed across his face. “Kelly. Do you see anything?”
“Not yet.” A slight groan stretched out her reply as she pulled away from him.
“Nor I,” Francesca said. “But I know I've been here in my dreams. It feels the same.”
Nathan rubbed his finger and thumb together. Wetness. He cringed. He had grabbed Kelly's wounded shoulder. No wonder she groaned. Obviously the bleeding was getting worse.
A glow appeared in the distance. Then, second by second, the darkness faded, revealing the seemingly endless walkway of the misty world. As before, music played in the air, the same sweet melody, and the harmony he had played to brighten the world was still intact.
“That's better,” Nathan said. “Time to find the biggest violin in the universe.”
“Wait!” Francesca pulled on Nathan's arm. “I can't see anything except beams of light coming from your eyes. Kelly's eyes, too.”
Nathan peered at Francesca's pupils. They dilated and contracted as his gaze crossed hers. He listened again to the music. “Do you hear anything?”
“Yes. A voice singing a simple melody. Just notes. No words.”
“Do you hear a harmony blending in? A second voice?”
She shook her head. “Only one voice.”
“What key?”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “C Major.”
He grasped her wrist and pushed the violin toward her chin. “The song asks a question. You have to play an answer.”
She set the bow over the strings. “I think I understand.”
Closing her eyes again, Francesca played. At first, her notes seemed out of key, certainly nothing close to C Major, but as she continued, her tune blended in, duplicating the harmonizing voice Nathan could already hear.
She opened her eyes, blinking, but said nothing as she increased to forte. Her eyes shifted back and forth as if following the path of a butterfly. Finally, she lowered the violin and winked. “You're a good teacher, Son.”
He reached for the bow in Kelly's arms. “I'll lead the way, but you two stay close.”
As he strode down the smooth walkway toward the fog-bank in the distance, mist from the bordering rivers rose in columns and swirled at his side. Carrying the long bow made for an awkward march, but concentrating on keeping the two ends balanced helped distract him from the dangers that lay ahead. Still, questions lurked. Would the guards be at the doorway? What would he do when he arrived? The guards carried those sound-generating rods that really packed a wallop. Might there be a way to neutralize them?
Soon, he plunged into the fogbank. Now blinded by the soupy veil, he slowed his pace. The entry door to the chamber of domes would be too narrow for the bow, so he turned it ninety degrees and pressed on. The mist stayed thick, and as the path widened and the floor transformed to the rougher terrazzo, he slowed further and listened. Only the anxious breathing from the girls behind him reached his ears. Although his shoes stayed in plain sight, little else crossed his field of vision, only mist rising slowly in silent clouds of white. Under his shoes, the gemstones now seemed dull, unable to sparkle in the haze.
He stopped and stared in the direction he thought the supplicants had been before. Would there be any obstacles? Where had the stalkers gone? Could this be their night hours, and everyone had gone to bed? Still, wouldn't they post guards, knowing he had come before and might try to return?
Creeping slowly forward, he watched for the triad of domes. The outline of the closest one slowly came into view as well as the back of a lone male stalker who stood facing the glass, holding one of those sonic stun rods.
Nathan paused and set down the bow. Would he have to fight this guy? Why was he watching the dome? To call the others to form the circle, should Scarlet sing a prayer? Was he guarding all three domes, or was there another stationed at each of the other two, out of sight beyond the misty veil?
He pulled the girls into a huddle and whispered as softly as he could. “I'm going to try to take this guy out. If there are others, we'll take them on one at a time.”
Still facing the dome, the stalker began to sing, a series of low vowel sounds that alternated between a long A and a long O. It sounded more like a chant than a song, a report that weakened as it tried to pierce the soupy air.
Kelly whispered the translation. “The second hour ends. The third begins. All is well. All is well.”
Another voice rang out, echoing the song of the first. Then a third crier repeated the call, but he added a different ending, and Kelly again provided the words. “The supplicants have opened the dream gates. Let us follow and discern their purpose.”
Nathan pulled the girls close again. “Okay. There are three, but if they report every hour, maybe I can take out this one without a sound, and we'll have almost an hour to get to the violin and play it. With all the mist, the other two will never know what happened.”
Francesca shook her head. “It won't work. You have to play the violin to open the stairway door.”
“True.” Nathan looked past the guard. Barely visible inside the dome, Scarlet sat upright with her head low and her arms wrapped around her knees.
He crept a few steps closer. If he could get her attention, maybe she could help. He waved a hand over his head, but she stayed perfectly still. The guard had mentioned that the supplicants had “opened the dream gates,” so she must have been asleep, shutting out the surrounding prison that had left her in an eternal state of slavery.
Nathan rose to tiptoes and eased forward. It was time to act, now or never. When he came within reach, he paused. A strange sound emanated from the stalker, a slight wheeze accompanied by slow, rhythmic breaths. Was he asleep, too?
The final words of the third guard reentered his mind. Let us follow and discern their purpose.
He pumped his fist. Scarlet was helping after all. She and the other two supplicants were distracting the guards in the world of dreams.
Gesturing for the others to follow, Nathan sneaked past the stalker and gazed into the dome. Scarlet, now easily visible, kept her face buried between her knees, her reddish locks draped over her arms. She trembled. Her head twitched. Yet, she stayed asleep.
Nathan waited for the girls to catch up, Kelly carrying the oversized bow and Francesca holding the violin. The threesome circled the dome and stepped into the enclosed triangle.
As before, the floor panel displayed a row of seven lights in the glass. With a misty cloud hovering over them, it reflected only their tired, anxious faces. “We don't have a tune playing in the air,” Nathan said. “How are we going to figure out the
code?”
Francesca readied the violin. “We'll just have to try every octave. Maybe we can figure out the code without waking them up.”
She leaned close to the glass and played A through G, watching for a flashing light. When she hit the lowest D, the fourth light flashed red. With every rise in octave, a different light gave an identical signal.
Nathan glanced at the stalkers in turn. With eyes closed, they seemed mesmerized, as if lost in deep thought. The other two supplicants copied Scarlet's pose. They, too, displayed noticeable twitches, shaking off an occasional shiver as they dreamed on.
After playing the highest notes, Francesca ran through the pattern she had learned, using the proper octave for A, then for B, and so on. When the lights had returned to their white state, she played the notes again, turning the lights blue, then a third time to complete the unlocking procedure. As soon as the lights faded to black, the panel's reflection disappeared, revealing the dark stairwell.
Francesca stepped into the liquid glass and waved at Kelly. “Let Nathan take one end of the bow while you follow with the other end. We'll have to hurry to get the whole thing in before the door closes.” She descended into the darkness.
Nathan grabbed the bow and backed down the stairs, keeping an eye on the surroundings. As Kelly shuffled forward, he pushed his way down. The glass seemed thicker with every step. When his head submerged, he broke into the clear, but as soon as Kelly's feet pushed through, she slowed to a trudge as if she were wading through tar.
Nathan pulled, threading the bow through his hands as Kelly descended. When she submerged up to her neck, she halted, apparently unable to go another inch. He laid the bow down, grabbed her around the waist, and kicked her feet out from under her. Then, pulling himself up, he hung on, hoping his own weight would be enough to draw her through. Slowly, very slowly, she descended. Her chest heaved, then froze as her face lowered into thickening glass, cutting off her air supply.
Francesca joined in, tugging on both bodies with all her might. Kelly popped through, and the three tumbled down the stony staircase. Nathan grabbed both girls and braced his feet and back against the sides of the corridor, stopping their fall.
