The First Pillar

  As I passed through The Keeper’s doorway, The Keeper guided me to a smaller room hidden from view. As I approached it, it breathed an unmistakable odor of age, and seemed darker, more mysterious. The room was much larger than it seemed from the outside. Scrolls and papers were haphazardly strewn across an infinitely long table next to an oversized bed. The room was surprisingly large even for someone of The Keeper’s impressive stature. The Keeper quickly shuffled through the first half of an old stack of papers precariously placed on the corner of the table. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and gestured for me to take a look.

  “This is where the breach occurred,” said The Keeper as I looked at his lanky finger, which pointed to a few odd-looking characters that I didn’t understand.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “Well, it means we have less time than I anticipated.”

  “Less time for what?”

  “Less time to repair the breach and restore balance to Everville, of course!”

  “What exactly is out of balance?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Why, everything!”

  Not seeming to be making any progress figuring out what was out of balance, I decided to change my line of questioning.

  “Well, how do we fix it? How do we restore balance to Everville?”

  “We have to repair the breach!”

  “How do we do that?”

  “We will have time for details later. What we need to do now is get everything in place and prepare for the event.”

  The event, I assumed, was something to do with repairing the breach. At least, that is what I suspected.

  “What can I do?”

  “You have to bring everyone together and then make sure you are ready. I’ll bring the learner device.”

  “What’s the learner device?”

  “So many questions!”

  A short, interesting-looking creature approached and handed The Keeper a small button. The Keeper pressed the button, and it began to unfold into a small strange-looking rectangular box with a handprint on the top.

  “Give me your hand.”

  I gave The Keeper my hand, and he placed it on the device.

  Within less than a second my mind was transported to someplace else. Some people say that just before you die your entire life flashes before your eyes. This must be what that feels like, except I didn’t recognize any of what was flashing before me. It also seemed I was experiencing the mind of the universe itself. Within seconds, I began to understand what The Keeper had been talking about. The event, the breach, Everville being out of balance, the strange markings I had seen at different places, and so much more all began to make sense. Suddenly, I began to sense something else. I started to understand the seriousness of what The Keeper had been talking about and why The Keeper had been so anxious.

  All at once, the power of the device became clear to me. I was being imprinted with all the information about what was going on, including all the thoughts and memories of the people connected to The Keeper. I could access their memories at will like some kind of computer, but it was more than that. I was actually reliving the experiences and understanding all of the emotions and important aspects of the memories as if I were there in that moment in time.

  The longer I was connected to the device, the more I understood. The Keeper was old, really old! I saw so many experiences and so many people he knew. It was truly overwhelming. I felt like I was gasping for air, and I began to go into shock. Just then, I was filled with a sense of urgency and determination. I saw everything and everyone at once. I knew that this was more than just a dream or a hallucination. The Keeper and everyone helping him were holding the fate of our world and other worlds in their hands. An ongoing struggle between The Keeper and some other force began to slowly emerge. There was no question that The Keeper represented a benevolent force for good, and the struggle against The Keeper was decidedly darker.

  The Keeper’s helper removed my hand and took the device, but the thoughts still lingered in my mind. It seemed I was still able to access all the information that the device had allowed me to see.

  “Good! Now we can begin the preparation.”

  A group of twenty helpers appeared to step out of a wall within the hidden room inside The Keeper’s Workshop. The learner device had provided me with specific details of all the people who worked with The Keeper. I knew these twenty helpers were a race of creatures known as The Fron.

  The Fron were small and not very agile, but they were friendly and clever. They were short, thick, and hairless. The Fron had tiny little eyes and very large ears that gave them an exceptional sense of hearing.

  Sako, the leader of The Fron, stepped forward and approached The Keeper.

  “Keeper, Them are intruding on all fronts.”

  “Yes! All fronts,” said Sako’s assistant.

  The Fron called Sako’s assistant Toe. While certainly friendly, Toe was not as clever as the rest of the Fron, but he made up for it with his charm. Toe was not quite middle aged for a Fron, which would be something like tens of thousands of years in our perception. He once had a family with two small children, but Them had made his family disappear in a major conflict that had occurred some time ago. One of Them had tricked Toe into sending his family into The Other In Between, a place where those not forgotten go when they have no time or place.

  “Sako, how many have we lost to The Other In Between?”

  “It’s bad, Keeper! We have lost another 15 percent of the population.”

  Them, on the other hand, had been growing in number for quite some time.

  The Keeper and the Fron are protectors of Everville. Them reside in The Other Place, The Other In Between. There is a constant struggle between the two worlds. The breach The Keeper mentioned earlier, created the losses to The Other In Between that Them had somehow managed to inflict on Everville. If allowed to grow much larger, the breach would mean serious problems for all times and all places.

  My alarm was so loud and shrill that I always got startled and jumped up when it went off. The knowledge from the device seemed to fade. I could still recall some of it, but only what I had specifically pondered while in Everville. I needed more time in Everville to fully understand how and why I kept being pulled into Everville. Why did I need to help repair the breach?

  EVERVILLE CHAPTER 4

  AWAKE!

  I slid to the edge of the bed with the full intention of standing up. Pressing my feet firmly on the floor I slowly began to rise. After making it about halfway up, my knees buckled and I found myself gently falling back towards the bed. I felt weighed down with the events that transpired in the dream. It was certainly a lot for my brain to process. Hesitantly, I tried a second time to stand, this time with more success. I slowly walked towards the window, opened it halfway and inhaled the fresh morning air. I felt compelled to tell the world about what happened, but I also knew this was not the best course of action. In the world as we know it, the imprint from the learner device only seemed to provide me with enhanced intuition. Fortunately though, I did keep all the other memories from each visit to Everville.

  There was a knock at the door.

  I walked to the door half-dressed and barely awake. Anika and Dante looked amazingly energetic especially for 7:30 in the morning.

  “What’s with you Owen?” Anika said, looking at me with a funny gaze. “College hasn’t even started yet and you’re already having trouble waking up!”

  Of course, the trips to Everville seemed to be robbing me of my sleep. I didn’t quite feel like explaining the dreams I had been having…not yet, anyway.

  “Owen, we’ve been looking at which clubs we’re going to join.”

  “Clubs?”

  “Yeah! I’ve always heard in order to make the most out of college you need to be actively involved with extracurricular activities.”

  Of course, Dante’s idea of extracurricular activities was the chess club or perhaps some type of communit
y service.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, I grabbed some of the pamphlets from the orientation and a couple of them seemed interesting. I was thinking about the Art Club and the Echo Club.”

  I took the brochures from Dante’s hand and quickly scanned the pages. The Art Club looked interesting. It was not your typical high school fare for sure. Actually, it seemed a little too urban-cool for Dante’s taste. It was, however, something Anika would be interested in. Then, I began reading the brochure on the Echo Club. After reading the brochure, I still didn’t quite get what it was all about.

  What’s this?

  “Oh, that just seemed intriguing to me for some reason,” Anika said with a smile.

  “I don’t quite know what it is either, but I guess we’re going to find out. They’re having a meeting in an hour and we’re going!”

  “It’s kind of early for a meeting, don’t you think?”

  “I guess so. Let’s grab some coffee on the way. There’s this fantastic little café by campus center, close to where the club is having the meeting.”

  Coffee sounded fantastic to me right then.

  “Okay. Let me grab my stuff.”

  We walked the large mostly empty corridors of the dorm and outside to the open expanse of the campus. I began to feel energized by the blue sky and warm sun as it beamed down on my skin. A cool breeze and abundant shade helped take the edge off a typically hot August day. We approached the café Anika had mentioned, and she was right. Easton Falls Café was chiseled into the stone wall above the entrance. It was rather impressive. It had an antique charm combined with a very polished feel. There were glass tables with a unique configuration. Wooden engravings covered the walls and other very interesting décor. There were a few college students sipping on coffee who seemed unusually pensive, especially for a week before classes. I also noticed that an older gentleman appeared to be looking at me. He seemed familiar somehow and turned away as he noticed my gaze.

  “What can I get for you?” the barista said with a certain charm.

  “I’ll take a white chocolate mocha.”

  “And you, Miss?”

  Anika stayed silent for a few seconds.

  “I’ll take the house special.”

  “Fantastic!”

  I looked at the chalkboard and began reading the different drink specials. The house special was apparently some type of latte with a secret house syrup. I’ve never heard of a secret house syrup in a café. It seemed to add an extra air of mystery to an already intriguing little place.

  We took our coffee and headed off to the meeting. We arrived after a short walk. The combination of the coffee and walk had left me refreshed and energized.

  “Welcome to the 87th year of the Echo Club!”

  Eighty-seventh, I thought to myself for a second. That’s the same age as the university! That’s pretty good for a club. I was even more interested now.

  “For all of those new faces here today, we’re going to give you a chance to find out what we’re all about at the meet-and-greet this Friday.”

  “That sounds interesting,” I said to Dante and Anika.

  “Yeah! It sounds like fun!”

  “Well, I guess we have nothing else to do,” Dante said unenthusiastically.

  The president of the echo club continued to speak. Numerous names and congratulations flowed off his tongue. Once again, I found myself slipping into a half daze missing just about everything he was saying. After about half an hour, I still had no idea what the club was about or if this was something I would ultimately be interested in.

  “Refreshments are in the back and feel free to introduce yourself to others in the room.”

  Dante rushed to the food table. It was a fun sight to see. Dante always acted like it was a competition to get to the food first.

  All of the food looked appetizing. There was quite a selection for a club meeting. It seemed too extravagant for such an informal setting. There was some typical food that one would expect, but also some international dishes that I didn’t quite recognize. The food looked unusually appetizing. Just then, I noticed it – the same fruit I had seen in my first visit to Everville!

  I was starting to feel like there was a connection between the club, the university, Everville, and all of us. I still wasn’t ready to share my suspicions with Dante and Anika, but my curiosity was in overdrive and my attention was fully engaged.

  After the meeting, we walked out and headed back to the café. Dante suggested we attend the Art Club meeting later in the evening. It was being held in the town center not too far from the university around six p.m. The club was situated near a cluster of art galleries that populated downtown. The number of galleries was more than one would expect for a town that size.

  As I continued to walk, I noticed my pace slowed. I felt myself being pulled away. I immediately found myself back with The Keeper.

  I thought for a second that this time it was different. I didn’t even need to be asleep to be taken away. I began to feel a sense of urgency to this visit. The Keeper gazed down in my direction with a worried look.

  “You need to be careful. Them have made many inroads in your world.”

  The Keeper took out the device. As I placed my hand on the cool, smooth surface of the learner device, I could see the vast expanse of The Other In Between.

  EVERVILLE CHAPTER 5

  THE OTHER IN BETWEEN.

  The sky was a dull dark grey. There was no sun, but a faint light directly below the horizon gave the sky enough illumination to make the land visible. The Other In Between was forever locked between half day and half night.

  I saw a gathering place in a great wilderness. The multitude of souls seemed infinite. In every direction one could see, the souls spread out over a seemingly barren wasteland. They were crowded together shoulder to shoulder and appeared motionless at first glance, making no progress in their movement. Looking closer, however, I could see an almost imperceptible motion. I noticed that it came as the masses adjusted to the new arrivals that continually appeared. The longer I looked, the clearer it became that the arrivals were appearing at a faster pace.

  There was no life in their faces. The eyes of the horde lacked any signs of emotion, but the masses somehow seemed to exude an unmistakable sense of sorrow. The sight made me sick to my stomach. I could smell the stench of despair even though the masses themselves seemed completely unaware.

  My perspective of the hoard began to shift. I could see the edge of the wilderness. As new arrivals appeared, the wilderness itself expanded. It was getting bigger, and the longer I looked the faster it grew.

  I could see a barrier around that vast wasteland. It seemed like an impenetrable void. Beyond the void, I could see eight separate lands surrounding the wasteland. The wasteland was the center of a nine-part world each separated by a void. Surrounding the nine-part world was another void that stretched as far as I could see.

  Then my consciousness was drawn to one of the souls in the void. It was Nissa, the wife of Toe. Her face was expressionless like the rest of the masses. She gazed ahead with a blank stare completely oblivious to her plight and the others around her.

  The learner device then took me to a different time and place. It was the home of Toe and Nissa in the land of the Fron. They lived on a rolling hillside covered in green grass and white flower-like plants with patches of various colors strewn across the hills. I could see deep purple, vibrant orange, crisp pastel colored pinks and lavenders with a smell I cannot adequately describe. It was the most unique and pleasant aroma I had ever experienced. It was light, but evoked powerful and positive emotions. I felt a sense of optimism and hope.

  I saw hundreds of what looked like strange little butterflies. The insects were translucent and shimmering little creatures with spherical wings that reminded me of soap bubbles gently changing in shape and color as they were blown by the wind. They hovered around the patches of color between the green and white across the h
illside.

  I watched one of the insects fly until it reached the hillside cottage where Toe and Nissa lived. At first glance the house seemed unremarkable: textured brick walls with a thatched brown roof. As the insect creature flew into the cottage, I noticed the inside walls were mostly earthen structures with quaint windows and handcrafted furniture.

  I then heard the voices of young children playing, quickly getting louder. Two young children entered and began playing some sort of game as they chased after each other around one of the small tables in the center of the main room. They were laughing and cheerful.

  I could see Nissa in the kitchen making several different dishes that all looked extremely appetizing. She gazed at the children and smiled as she continued preparing dinner.

  Without warning, the mood changed. The wind suddenly began to howl. I could hear the rustling of leaves on the tree branches on the side of the hill below the cottage. The two children and Nissa began to slowly disappear.

  Within a matter of seconds, the wind had stopped and the cottage was empty. Toe’s wife and children were now in The Other In Between.

  A great distance separated each of them. There was no confusion on their faces. There was nothing at all. The instant they arrived in The Other In Between, all emotion and sense of self had been taken away. They were no longer individuals living in a happy home. They were now part of a collective mass, a hopeless, emotionless, mindless, oblivious horde that populated the barren wasteland in the center of The Other In Between.

  I could see Toe’s face. He was in another time and place in the presence of Them. Them allowed Toe to see what had happened. Instantly, Toe realized he had been tricked. The expression on his face evoked a feeling of terror, sorrow, and dread. I could feel his emotion and the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  His dread quickly turned to hate. I could feel the anger and hatred in his eyes. Toe’s eyes seemed to grow and expand beyond what seemed physically possible. His hairless head wrinkled up, and the skin on his face turned a deep purple. He opened his mouth and made a sound that I will never forget. It was something between a yell and a growl. The sound was sharp, sad, angry, and full of rage. It penetrated the vast expanse and echoed for what felt like minutes.