Forgotten Fiction

by Lloyd Eshbach

  My inspection of the City of Spheres was all too short; but the beings moved over it so rapidly that I had no time for more than a fleeting glance. Then too, in a few moments things came to my notice that banished all thoughts of the city from my mind.

  I had turned to Claire to comment on the complete absence of life in this strange world, when her arm stretched out, pointing, and a single word left her lips. “Look!”

  Some distance ahead I saw myriads of purple spheres, counterparts of those that bore us, emerging in great clouds from a circular orifice in the base of a mountainous sphere that dwarfed those of the city into insignificance. Saw, too, countless other creatures, like three foot discs of pale amethyst, with eight opalescent tentacles, four on each side, like fantastic hubs of wheels seen in dreams. On their narrow edges these rolled, propelled along the smooth rock surface by their tentacles. And they, with the beings of mist, were moving toward us!

  Then there came to my ears a mighty chorus of chimings, a jubilant, musical throbbing. Vibrant, harmonious, weirdly disquieting, it floated through the violet air.

  And then we were among the floating beings, drifting-through a sea of purple mist and deeper nuclei. There was a moment of great commotion; and the voices of them were stilled. Then from the eight that had formed a guard around us since we had left the Chamber of the Dome, came a chiming communication. When the bell-voices ceased, the beings moved aside, and a pathway opened to the portal of the gigantic sphere.

  Along this pathway we moved, past the populace of this fantastic world, all of which seemed to be studying us curiously—and passed through the portal.

  Within the silence of the chamber beyond the doorway brooded a spirit, gigantic, unearthly. A temple, this was, a temple of a vast solemnity, that seemed to hold something more ancient than earth itself. Here the violet radiance was dimmed, replaced by a soft glow, like a faint, lavender moonlight.

  And here dwelt a Presence, mysterious, alive, a Presence that suggested a Deity within its shrine!

  The beings that bore us swept up and out—and paused in midair. Then, as my eyes became accustomed to the fainter light, I saw the Being whose spirit filled this temple. Like a phantasm seen in a dream. Its reality was the reality of a nightmare.

  A Creature of Light, it was, light in every hue of the spectrum. Smoldering ochres, flashing opalescences, warm glowing rubies, flares of emerald and sapphire—the intermingled light of gem-fires, pulsing with life that flecked the lights with flashing yellows, like the radiance of frozen suns. Such was the God, the Ruler of the Purple People. And this Being was vast; all of five hundred feet above us it reached, occupying fully a third of the space of the great, globular temple.

  A moment I stared at this Thing of light in awe from my position in midair; then I was lowered to the floor. A great slab of crimson stone lay before the Being; very gently I was placed upon this, Claire beside me.

  A wave of power gigantic that emanated from the Being caused me to draw the girl to me in a protecting gesture. And even in the presence of that majestic Ruler, she looked up at me with trust in her eyes! Crushing her close, I turned again to the enigmatical Deity.

  The mists of gem fire were twisting and swirling in a somehow purposeful manner. And I saw a shape taking form on the surface of the Being. It was a face! A face, godlike, yet strangely human. Benevolent, kindly and benign, was the face, dispelling all doubt, filling me with awe and reverence.

  And then the lips of the face moved, and the Deity spoke!

  Never had I heard a voice like the voice of the Being; never, language like its language—for It spoke not in the tongues of earth, but rather with the words of thought itself made articulate, thought itself given form!

  And I understood!

  “Man and woman, you call yourselves, beings from the world above,” the indescribable voice began. “You come to me in a time of tribulation and distress of mind.

  In your world you were in great danger; in fleeing from that danger, you entered our land.

  “You desire help in returning to your own world; and help will I give you. Still is there danger there, but danger it is that you are willing to face. Help would I give in overcoming that danger, were it not that I do not wish ever to return to the upper world. But even that will I do if there is need.”

  A vision of the evil face of Carcante passed before my eyes, and a question entered my mind. Could I overcome him? Or had he been destroyed in the beastman uprising?

  Divining my thought, the Being continued, “I see there is a doubt within you; it shall be dispelled.”

  AS though at a given command, one of the purple discs that had accompanied us into the temple, suddenly rose into the air and flashed down through the portal. The thought came to me that it had been sent by the Deity to investigate conditions in the valley.

  “And now,” said the Being, “I see that there is wonder in your minds about this, to you, strange world. While we wait, I will show you the history of the world of Novad Thasor, the God of Light.”

  An arm of radiance leaped from the substance of the God of Light and enveloped us, revealing new wonders to our eyes. In a great panorama, with stereoscopic clearness, the history of the Purple Race passed before us.

  First we saw the Creature of Light, the entity I have called the Being, hovering over a globe of dully smoldering fire—the earth. The thought came that the Being had wandered from Its birthplace on some far-flung star, and had come to the terrestrial sphere, countless eons before the advent of life.

  Then we saw a picture of the time when, in the childhood of earth, her surface was covered with waters in which dwelt only tiny, living things that knew naught but hunger and its satisfaction. Then step by step, as the waters receded, we saw the evolution of earth; saw great levels of steaming ooze, peopled with crawling things; saw the waters withdraw still farther, and green life clothe the world; saw mountains rise.

  And then, when earth’s surface was solid, Novad Thasor, the deathless Being, who had been there throughout the ages, bestirred himself, and decided that this green globe should be peopled with intelligent life. With the essence of life itself he labored, fashioning the beings of misty purple, and the discs of lavender stone. And these grew, and created in turn; and the earth was covered by them.

  But always, new forms of life appeared to disturb them. Many they destroyed; but they were not of combative natures, disliking strife. It was easier to flee than fight. The Purple People let themselves be crowded back, giving up their great cities to brainless brutes.

  And then, as consciousness grew within the Being’s creations, they knew they could live in the heart of earth. So when their fleeing caused congested conditions, some made their way beneath the surface of the earth. And there, using the crafts that Novad Thasor had taught them, they followed out their separate worlds.

  Monsters grew through the ages, monsters that caused great discomfort among the remaining Purple People, destroying their cities and their peace. Finally all had vanished beneath the surface save a small remnant who sought refuge in the heart of a vast range of towering mountains. There they hollowed out a great valley for their dwelling place. And there they thought to live in comfort while the ages rolled by. It was with these that the Being took abode.

  But peace was not for them. The mountains that barred the monsters from the valley, sank into the earth, opening anew the pathway. In that time of Nature’s unrest, it was not long ere they arose from the earth again, to close the entrance; but the damage had been done.

  Into earth’s heart went the last of the Purple People, into the realm of darkness where they had to make the light, but where they could dwell undisturbed. And in that nether world, the temple was built by the beings of light to house the Greater Being.

  The arm of light withdrew then, and the vision ended. Novad Thasor concluded his revelation orally.

  “The ruins still remaining in the valley above that I see in your minds, are the remnants of the homes we bu
ilt ages ago. The way into our world we thought was closed—and it is closed! That you fell into the tube connecting our different lands was an accident. After you are gone, we will seal the way forever.”

  The Being grew silent, pensive, thoughtful. Then he spoke again, in that voice that was thought made articulate.

  “And now I am minded to give you something that, unknown to you both, you desire. Something of peace and understanding that will make your lives happier.”

  With the last word that arm of radiance flashed out from the Being again, and surrounded Claire and me with an indescribable aura. For a moment our hearts seemed to pause in their beating; then there welled up within us a vast serenity, a joyful understanding. In a great flood of light the shields were tom from the eyes of our minds, and there was revealed to us our great need for each other, and the fact that we were intended for each other, that we were—twin souls!

  I had known before that I loved this glorious woman; but that knowledge was nothing, compared to this overwhelming revelation.

  A moment each looked deep into the eyes of the other; then my arms drew her close. Claire clung to me with her slender hands, looking up at me. My face sank to meet hers, and my mouth found her lips. Our spirits seemed to unite, to coalesce, joined by the knowledge of our mutual, our perfect love.

  The arm of light withdrew from us then; and we separated. As we stood arm in arm, the Being gave utterance to Its final message.

  “The Misty One I sent away went into the upper world to learn of conditions there. When he returns we will know what to do. If the danger is such as you may be able to meet, we shall take you up and leave you. If too great; we will aid you.

  “Until then you will be placed in the keeping of those who brought you here. And so that your way may be made easier, knowledge of their language will I give you.”

  For the third time the arm of light engulfed us; a knowledge of the meaning of the bell notes of the beings came to us; and the arm withdrew.

  Then, as we watched, the face of the Being dimmed—and vanished! A thing of rainbow hues it was again, enigmatical, cloaked in mystery, the god of an alien world. And again I felt that spirit of vast, inhuman brooding, that incalculable power for good—that holiness!

  I was still lost in wonder when the Purple Beings raised us and carried us from the temple. But as we passed through the city, and I heard the chiming of the bell-voices and understood their meaning, the Supreme Being took second place in my thoughts.

  HERE was a civilization that was happy, serene, peaceful! Yet a civilization so strange as to be almost beyond belief. Here was a people with thoughts and emotions incomprehensible to human mind—yet a people farther advanced than man!

  Through the throngs of Purple People we were borne, along a pathway that opened up before us as the great discs moved aside, their bell-notes chiming in wonder and question. Finally we paused at the base of one of the huge conical piles of spheres. Into one of the globes at the base of the heap we went, through the open, circular doorway. And there, with a chiming command for us to wait, the Misty Ones left us.

  For a moment we were alone; then down a spiral shaft in the center of the sphere came one of the small, lavender discs. With opalescent tentacles pointing toward us, it remained motionless, seeming to inspect us. Then, from the roots of the tentacles came a chiming that was a replica of the voices of the Misty Ones.

  “Welcome to the house of Arrasua. I have been commanded to shelter you here until such time as Novad Thasor sees fit to summon you. And now—follow.” Turning about, the narrow-edged disc rolled to the base of the shaft, and propelled by his tentacles, began to ascend. Claire and I followed. In the globe at the top of the shaft our guide halted and spoke again.

  “These are your quarters,” the bell tones chimed, “and here will you remain until you are called. This command has been given for your own good, inasmuch as you would become lost in a few moments, and perhaps be injured by the things of our world.

  “You will be here only a very short time; soon Novad Thasor will call.” And with that the disc rolled down the twining ledge. Claire and I were left to ourselves.

  For a long moment our eyes met, silence between us—then I drew her to me and kissed her, glorying in our newly revealed love.

  “Claire, sweetheart,” I whispered then, “if we get out of this with our lives, I’ll bless Carcante to the end of my days. For it was through him that I found you.”

  “It’s more like a dream than a reality, isn’t it, Jimmie?” Claire commented softly.

  Long we talked of our adventures, this world, the future, and as we talked, our eyelids grew heavy. Eventually, each clasped in the arms of the other, we lay on the hard, curving floor and slept.

  How long we lay in slumber, I have no way of determining; but at last we were awakened by the crystal chiming of the Misty Ones. They were calling; the messenger had returned, and they were to bear us into the world above.

  Quickly Claire and I arose, and hurried down the spiral shaft so like the one in Carcante’s globular home.

  Two of the misty purple discs awaited us in the sphere below. When we appeared, the elfin, bell-toned voices gave us a message that made our hearts leap with relief and joy. Carcante was dead, killed by the men he had wronged. The way was clear for our return.

  In a trice the beings of light had grasped us, bore us from the chamber. High above the city we were carried; rapidly we sped toward the crystal forest beyond. We were above it—past it—and the mouth of the great shaft lay before us.

  One last look we cast back at the world of wonders, the world of violet lights with its never-to-bc-solved mysteries, its glories—and the wondrous Novad Thasor; then we entered the shaft and sped up and up, back toward the world of man.

  The speed of our return was as great as our entrance into the subterranean world. Again the winds shrieked past; again we flashed through the sea of light, the stretch of phantom peopled blackness, and the upper half of the tube. Again we passed through the great dome of leaping, purple flame—and entered the Chamber of the Dome.

  Unerringly, the great discs bore us along the tunnel to the place where we had fallen from upper to nether tube. But now, where a jagged hole had been in the roof of the tunnel, was a great, perfectly circular opening, evidently made by the messenger who had gone up into the valley.

  Through this we were carried, and along the tube that was lined with the dust of ages. Along this, past the point where the tunnels converged, on, on, to the opening that led to the globe in the pit that had housed the mad scientist. They bore us up the shaft into the sphere—and there they left us.

  We were back in the upper world, united by our mutual love, prepared to fight our way, if need be, to freedom and happiness—together.

  CHAPTER V

  The End of the Titans

  THE room we had entered—Carcante’s laboratory—was flooded with light that fell from the ato-bulb hanging from the ceiling. Quickly we glanced around, quickly and somewhat apprehensively, for with the departure of the Purple People, we had lost that feeling of dreamy peace that had been ours in the under-world. And with that loss had come a momentary dread; for so much depended upon ourselves now.

  The room appeared to be as we had last seen it, except tor one important change. Carcante’s devilish evolution apparatus was a tangled mass of ruins, its intricate parts smashed and twisted beyond use. Aside from this, nothing seemed to have been disturbed.

  Satisfied that there was no immediate danger, Claire and I moved rapidly toward the shaft that led to the upper floors. We were actuated by one impulse—a desire to escape from the room that held such unpleasant memories for us both.

  In a few moments we reached the floor above. As we moved stealthily through the gloom—there was no glowing bulb here—toward the exit, I wished fervently that we had appealed to Novad Thasor for help in leaving the valley. But vain regrets were valueless.

  In a moment we reached our destination. The room
we passed through was empty. Outside was the gray of dawn, rapidly growing lighter. We were motionless and silent for a moment, then I whispered:

  “I’ve been thinking, Claire, that the first thing we should do is to search this globe for any lurking danger and for weapons. All that we need fear are the beastmen, and perhaps the monsters; for Carcante is out of the way. And if we’re armed, I don’t think we’ll have much difficulty with the former two. We’re almost certain to find firearms of some kind; and it’s essential that we get them as quickly as possible.”

  The girl acquiesced, so we started through the sphere together. In the studio on the floor above, I found a metal container that held Carcante’s films; after a second’s thought, I took these with me. The upper floor, like the other two, was empty. No one except ourselves was in the sphere.

  In the laboratory, in a small chest, we found the weapons we sought. Two automatics, there were, and two cartridge belts, each filled with ammunition. Besides these, there was a high-powered rifle; but we left the latter. I could find no ammunition for it. With the pistols in our possession we were possessed of renewed security.

  Soon we were back on the main floor of the sphere.

  “Before we venture out, Claire,” I said, “I think we had better eat a bite—we don’t know how long it’ll be before we have another opportunity—and map out a plan of action. We’ll have to gamble, of course, but the less we leave to chance, the better.”

  As we began this, our last meal in the valley, we realized that we were very hungry. It was a long time since we had last eaten, and we attacked the fare with great gusto. In a short time it was gone, and the knapsack was empty. I was about to cast it aside, when a sudden thought came to me. Picking up the film container, I transferred the reels to the knapsack.

  “In these films,” I remarked to Claire, “lies proof of our experience, and a fortune. Any ‘movie’ corporation will pay a fabulous sum for them; and we may need money later on.”