Earth

Alex

‘Shit! Who the hell is that, now? It’s almost ten, for heaven’s sake.’ I blurted, as I leapt off the sofa and headed toward the front door as the doorbell continuously chimed as someone, an obviously impatient someone, kept their finger on the buzzer.

‘Bloody annoying shit, whoever it is. Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of them in short order,’ I shouted, over my shoulder to the others sat in the living room, as I reached the door.

I yanked open the door. ‘Yes? Can I help you?’ My tone was caustic, filled with sarcasm, and overflowing with obvious frustration at having my day interrupted.

And none of it was lost on the young man stood before me – he flushed almost beetroot. Bloody good enough for him, I thought.

‘Ss… Sorry for the intrusion. I mean—’

‘And so you should be. Doorbells are for pressing… pressing once and then patiently waiting. NOT bloody well leaning on as if your finger’s super-glued to the damn thing.’

‘I’m sorry, really, it’s just that I’ve been here three times already and gotten no answer… and I could see people through the window and… I’m at my wits end. This is the last place that he could be—’

‘Who could be?’ I asked, my tone softening as my flaming motherly instincts again surfaced, as I realised how upset the boy was.

‘Who are you looking for?’ I asked, although deep down somehow I thought that I already knew the answer.

‘My dad… I’m trying to find my dad. Been trying for days, and no-one’s seen or heard from him… and I’ve just got to see him. I’ve got to make it right.’

‘You’re Tony?’ It was a question, but I almost phrased it as a statement of fact.

The boy nodded, a glimmer of hope forming in his eyes.

‘You’d better come in. There are a few things you probably need to know… and a few people you should meet.’ This is turning out to be one hell of a day.

Turning, I strode back toward the living room. ‘Come on, and shut the door behind you.’

Silence and looks of apprehension greeting me as I walked back into the room, though Jamie did still have a grin on his face.

‘Everyone, I’d like you to meet Tony… Tony is David’s son.’

‘Son?’ Pauline blurted. ‘I didn’t know he had any children, let alone a grown up son.’

‘Way to go, Davie,’ Jamie laughed.

‘Jamie!’ I snapped. ‘This is no time for your childish sense of humour.’

‘Sorry, Alex… couldn’t think of anything else to say… and sometimes I just can’t help myself.’

‘Have a seat, Tony… and then I’ll introduce you to this set of reprobates… and explain why we’re all here today.’

Less than fifteen minutes later, introductions complete, and an extremely sketchy summary of what we knew, an even shorter version of what Pauline had received, Tony quietly muttered, ‘So it’s all true, then. All of it.’

Looking up to me, I still paced around the room, he said, ‘Maggie told me of the day she found dad’s knives… and how they just vanished before her eyes. She was drunk at the time… we both were, so I didn’t really take what she’d said too seriously, especially as she almost immediately began to backpedal about it… how she’d not seen anything of the sort, and had just dreamt about it. It was only the following day that I began to think about what she’d said… It took me two full days to get her to finally admit that everything she’d told me was true. It was like being hit by a sledgehammer…’ Tears streaked down Tony’s face as he trailed off.

I, motherly instinct in full flood, was at his side in an instant, pushing Jamie out of his seat. ‘It’s okay, Tony. It really is. It’s a very difficult story to believe… for anyone to believe. You should have seen Pauline’s face this morning when she first heard, not to mention Jamie… and I’m still not sure whether he truly believes or not. Come on, chin up. You’re amongst friends now. Friends who, like you, want to find your father.’

Tony, it seemed, was much like his father, because his tears lasted only a moment, and then he was all business.

‘So what now, then? How do we find him?’ he said, as he gently unfolded himself from my arms.

Jamie shrugged noncommittally and looked at Pauline, but before she could say anything, Jalholm said, ‘Well, Alex, what do you think we should do? You, amongst us have had the most contact with David since his return… and after all, this is your home, so common courtesy alone dictates that you should be the one to speak first.’

Pauline glared at Jalholm for an instant, and then as colour filled her cheeks, she said, ‘Yes, of course, you’re right, Jalholm. I… oh, never mind. What shall we do, Alex?’

I got to my feet and began to pace again. Any ideas, Sarah? I could do with a little help, just now. But Sarah wasn’t in a forthcoming mood today it seemed, as the few thoughts dancing around in my head were my own. Oh, just get on with it, woman!

I stopped in the centre of the room and took a deep breath, and just let the words come of their own volition. Don’t over think a thing was what David’s father had told him. Sometimes you just need to get on with it.

‘Okay, so now we all know each other… and unless anyone’s held back, we all know everyone else’s story.’ In turn, as I spoke, I held each in a stare that would have wilted any member of my project team, forcing a tell from them that would have shown the smallest of lies or exaggerations.

Pauline didn’t flinch of course, I suspected that she herself used such tactics on her own people, and Jamie only smirked as he said, ‘Doesn’t work on me Alex. You should know that by now.’

But Jalholm, who I stared at the longest, didn’t so much as blink either, and yet somehow I felt that there was more that he knew. ‘What are you holding back, Jalholm?’ I asked, icily. ‘What little tidbits are you keeping to yourself? Come on, out with it!’

Jamie turned and glared at Jalholm, and yet even his look and my tone didn’t faze the man at all. He simply smiled at us both, hands palm up in front of himself.

‘What is it you wish me to tell you of, Alex? I have a lifetime of untold stories to share. What is it that you suspect I hold back?’

‘Don’t bloody bandy words with me, Jalholm. You know full well what I mean. You know something… or at least you suspect. So don’t keep it to yourself… five heads are better than one, no matter how bloody brilliant you might be.’

Colour rose in Jalholm’s face, and I knew then that I’d hurt him. Curse these bloody motherly instincts, I thought. I shouldn’t feel guilt for embarrassing him. He’s the one holding back. ‘Sorry,’ I heard myself say. ‘That was uncalled for, but—’

‘No need to apologies, Alex. You are correct. We are a group now… a coterie, and we should share all.’

‘What the hell’s a coterie?’ Jamie blurted.

Jalholm smiled at Jamie knowingly, and then it was Jamie’s turn to colour up. ‘A coterie is—’

‘Bugger that, Jalholm. Get to whatever it is you know or suspect about David… and help us find him,’ I said, as I turned an evil eye on both him and Jamie.

Jamie smirked at Jalholm’s discomfort. ‘She’s good with words, isn’t she, mate?’

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Jalholm merely nodded. ‘It is a small hope, Alex. Nothing more. If you were to take me to where David was last… where he used the rod, I might be able to discern where it was he travelled to—’

‘But that was months ago. How could you do such—’

‘Sounds a bit far fetched to me, too.’

‘Jamie, keep your beak out. I was speaking.’

‘Oh, that’s rich, Alex. You can interrupt whenever the hell you like, but we’re not allowed to comment?’

I felt the heat rise in my face. My turn, I thought. ‘Sorry… Sorry to both of you. Now will you get on with it, Jalholm? How might you be able to tell where David went?’

Jamie was grinning as if he’d just won the lottery, but Jalholm’s face was grim and serious as he spoke, ‘He used a travelling rod, you said, Alex. That rod is the very same rod that I created under Dar’cen’s instruction, and I now know much of how it works… what it does, that is.’

Jalholm hesitated a moment, a big sigh escaping his lips. ‘I will try to be brief with my explanation and not ramble… if I can help it, Alex. I will try, I promise—’

‘Get on with it, please, Jalholm,’ Pauline said, exasperation clear in her tone.

Jalholm turned to look at her, but she just stared him down, much as I myself would have. He huffed and then turned back to me. ‘The rods transport a person, or an object, from one place to another… and I suspect possibly from one time to another. Certainly there is a time displacement of a sort, because, as you know, I came here from Ellas’ distant past, and yet David, has recently returned from Ellas, from a time some five hundred years after I left—’

‘Rambling!’ Jamie said, sarcastically.

Then suddenly, what Jalholm had said leapt to the front of my mind. ‘The rod you created? The rod he used was one you created? How can you possibly know that?’

‘Alex, my Dear. Did you not describe to me what you saw when David left? Did you not take notice of my surprise when you told me of the rod, when you told of the two rings and the bird in flight? I made that rod, Alex. There can be no mistake. The bird I added as a whim, a token of my regard for he who taught me it’s making… and as to the two rings, no other was created with such an addition. Some were modelled with the two extra rings, but they were fashion accessories for those who wished to appear more than they were.’

‘So what do the extra rings do? What are they for?’

‘My, my, you are the impatient one today, Jamie, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, don’t bloody interrupt, Jamie,’ I growled. ‘Let Jalholm finish.’

‘Thank you, Alex, but to answer Jamie… I do not know what their function is… they were an addition that Dar’cen insisted upon. One that was of no consequence he told me, and under his sway as I was, I asked no questions of him. But over the years I have given the matter great thought, and now have some suspicions…’ Jalholm trailed off into silence, and his eyes seemed to look on something far, far away.

‘Well?’ I asked, shaking him from his reverie.

‘Later, Alex, for now, let me return to your original question. How might I be able to determine where it was David was sent? You all must now understand what the rod in its basic form does… it transports a person from one place to another, and depending on how it is activated, the rod may accompany that person, or remain behind… and clatter to the floor as you yourself witnessed, Alex. But how does it transport that person? Even after years of thought, such a question is well beyond my abilities to explain to you, even were you capable of understanding.’

‘Smug bastard,’ Jamie murmured.

Jalholm smiled. ‘Not so, Jamie, for I cannot explain how the rods, or even the travelling circles function. He guided me through their manufacture, but withheld how it was they actually worked.’

‘So how—’

‘Be patient, Alex, please. I am not privy to the workings of the rods, but I have determined some of what occurs when they are used. This I have done by experimentation and observation here on your world.’

Jalholm’s supercilious smile was back as he fell silent. ‘Go on,’ I said.

‘I know not how a being, or indeed an object, is transported—’

‘Yes. You’ve already told us that,’ Jamie said, irritably.

Jalholm glared at Jamie for an instant, but then continued. ‘At the instant the person or object becomes insubstantial, when they are still almost visible and yet have no physical form… at that very instant they exist both at the departure point and at their destination.’

My mouth opened to speak, but Jalholm raised his hand to stop me. ‘How can that be? To explain, let us talk of the specific instance when David vanished in front of you. He is but one person, and as such cannot exist in two places at the same instant. The answer is that he does not. At the very instant he dissolves, for want of a better description, for David, both the departure point and the destination exist at the same place. They are pulled together across the fabric of space by the rod to form a gateway… yet even a gateway is only a poor analogy, for this gateway is not visible, and is only of use to the traveller. But that is what happens, I assure you.’

‘But how do you know? If it’s not visible, this metaphorical doorway, how can you know?’

‘Because, dearest Alex, when the two points collide, the departure and the destination, they leave remnants of themselves behind. At the departure, traces of the destination can be found, minute traces to be sure, but they do exist… and from those minute traces, I might be able to envisage where it was David was sent.’

‘And what exactly do you mean by envisage?’ I asked, more than slightly exasperated with Jalholm’s long winded explanation.

‘I may be able to actually see where he was taken… see the actual location he re-appeared. In my experiments here on your world, I was able to stand and look around the destination, almost as if I stood where the test object was sent.’

Jamie snorted, ‘Yeah, right. How the hell—’

‘I use a form of scrying, Jamie, a magic that I am strong in. The very same magic that led me to build my first Looking Eye… I told you of that, did I not, Alex?’

‘Get on with it, Jalholm,’ Jamie said, icily, before I could get the words out.

Jalholm turned to face Jamie, an angry look in his eyes. ‘Jamie, I have but known you a few short hours, yet already you tire me with your glib and flippant remarks. Hold your tongue and listen… perhaps then you will learn of the wonders outside your so obviously shallow existence.’

Jamie was up out of his seat, glaring down at Jalholm in an instant, his face was red and his hands were knotted into fists.

‘Cut it out, children,’ I said forcefully, while at the same time, Pauline was at Jamie’s side trying to pull him back down onto his seat.

Jalholm did not move, he merely looked up at Jamie. Then, as their eyes met, Jalholm looked away, and seemingly studying his hands, he said, ‘I apologise, Jamie. What I said then was hurtful… that was my old self speaking… the proud and conceited man that I was. Your remarks do sting, but they did not deserve such a rebuke.’

Then, he stood and held his hand out to Jamie. ‘Will you take my hand and accept my apology so that we might start over as friends… common friends of Alex?’

Jamie stood stock still, staring at Jalholm, looking directly into the man’s eyes. He seemed to be trying to get the measure of the man or, I thought, more likely he’s trying to work out if Jalholm is taking the piss out of him.

For a moment the silence could almost be cut with a knife, and then finally Jamie sighed, and reached forward and took Jalholm’s hand. ‘I was out of order, too, Jal. I can call you Jal, can’t I, Jal? Sort of a nickname, you know… I only give my mates nicknames.’

‘Jalholm smiled warmly. ‘Jal will be fine, James. Is it okay if I call you, James?’ Jalholm said, his smile turning quickly into a wicked grin.

‘Are you taking the piss?’ Jamie asked, with mock indignation in his tone.

I let out a huge sigh. ‘If you two boys have finished measuring todgers, can we please get on with finding David?’

Pauline laughed, and even poor old Tony, confused as he was, managed a smile.

Jamie sat, winked at me, and said, ‘All under control, Alex. Jal and me are like this,’ and he entwined two of his fingers, just as a big grin split his face.

Jalholm cleared his throat. ‘So where was I?’

‘Scrying,’ Jamie said. ‘See, I was listening.’

‘Thank you, Jamie… I mean James. Yes, scrying… the ability to view distant locations, locations far beyond the limits of the human eye. As I said, in my experiments, I was able to see where my objects had been sent as if I stood in the very location they had arrived.

'My scrying abilities allowed me to take those very few particles left behind from the location collision, and build a picture of the destination as it was in the instant of the collision, or to be more precise, when the object reached its destination. But remember, I have only a minute quantity of data, particles from the destination, to work with, and so what my scrying showed me was not at all as clear as being at the location, or indeed, as it would be by using my Looking Eye… and then, when I experimented, I always had a fresh scene. David has been gone for months. The residue left at the site of his departure may thus yield little. But it is our best chance… perhaps our only chance.’

‘You mean that it might not work?’ I asked, praying that his answer would not confirm my doubts about what he’d said.

‘We can but try, Alex. Take me to this place, and we shall see.’

‘Jamie, you’re driving. Pauline, you stay with Tony… You can both stop here, if you like, or we’ll meet tomorrow, back here.’

‘You’re going now? Alex, it’s the middle of the bloody night. Leave it until tomorrow,’ Jamie said, almost commandingly.

I glared at him until he looked away sheepishly. Men, so easy to manipulate… Not!

I looked at Jalholm pleadingly. ‘I won’t sleep a wink until I know, Jalholm. Not a bloody wink.’

‘We go now then, Alex. How far is this place?’

‘This time of night the roads should be clear, so with Jamie here and his heavy foot—’

‘Alex!’

‘Don’t look at me like that, Jamie. How many speeding tickets have you racked up over the years? Come on, how many?’

‘Okay, point taken. I’ll put my big foot down just for you, Alex… But why can’t we use that rod of yours, Jalholm? We could be there instantaneously, couldn’t we?’

‘Yes, we could. But then there would be additional collision particles to contend with… particles from here, this house, mixed up with those few left by David’s destination. I do not think that would be a good idea, Jamie. I could perhaps take us close, a mile or two away… but I think not. Conventional transport is the safest option, I think.’

‘Two hours then, Jalholm,’ I said.

‘I’m coming too,’ Tony said, forcefully. ‘He’s my dad… and I’m coming.’

‘Guess that makes it five, then,’ Pauline said. ‘Just as well you’ve got such a nice, big, powerful car, isn’t it, James,’ she added with a giggle. A sound I had never thought to here from her lips.

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